A/N: At last, I'm back! The trip was hard work but great fun, but it was nice to come back to this! So, without further ado…
Disclaimer: I think, if you are reading a YGO fanfic, it's fairly clear what I own and what I do not!
Oooh, no need to type review responses anymore… It feels so odd… Anyhoo, the chapter! Here it is! Number 23 already! As we say in Brum, Blummin' 'eck!
Twenty-Three: Of Things Past and Present
A scream of brakes.
"Millierie!"
Instantly, the woman and her daughter flew apart. They were both in human form now, in view by all, but this voice was one that could have seen them anyway, one that she hadn't heard in a very long time, one that she did not know how to reply to. Doug had stopped his car next to them, and was standing outside the door. He didn't seem too bothered about seeing her. She would soon realise it was because there were more important things at stake. "Have you seen Anna?" He demanded.
Millierie snapped back to the present. "She's gone?" She answered. He nodded.
"Yes! She said something about there being something wrong with Wherever and then she left!"
"With my brother!" A dark-haired boy added from the back, presumably the younger Kaiba. Also in the car, Millierie realised, were Doug's new wife and child… No, not his 'new' anything. She was just 'old' news. Doug had moved on.
It was strange, how times could change. So many happy memories, so many good times… But they were gone. She whished she could go back, but she could not. This woman was Doug's wife, not her.
"Millierie!" Doug repeated, when she began zoning out. "Do you have any idea where she is?"
"Probably about to do something stupid." Opal snorted from behind her. "But, if I were you, I'd head over that way." She pointed in a random direction, to where some high-rises were looming over the tops of the buildings, looking about ready to topple down on them.
"Why there?" Doug's wife asked as Ruby and Emerald reappeared, looking quizzical.
"Because, from the feel of things, someone's attempting to open a disused chute to Wherever."
Oh dear.
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She stood, attempted to brush the grass stains off her knees, and ran over to join him.
It was time to do what they'd come here for. And then someone screamed.
It could not be said that once the scream had gone it left an eerie silence, because that was all there ever was in this area. But the scream had been intrusive; it hadn't belonged, and had been cut off abruptly. Well and the others glanced round in unease. Someone was in trouble, and if Anna, who had frozen at the sound, wasn't capable of doing anything, he'd have to step in and do it himself…
"That sounded like Joey." She said, worried.
Seto said nothing, but followed as she ran, heart pounding, into the clump of trees. He knew her heart was pounding because of the way her breathing was fast and shallow, scared. It was strange, but before her, he would not have been able to relate to that feeling…
Before him, she stopped dead again, observing what lay ahead. It would have been comical, had it not also been slightly, almost… Not scary. He didn't get scared. But it was a little…unnerving.
Around them, the others had stopped more or less where they were, half-crouching, as though they were a second away from hiding in the sparse undergrowth completely. Or as if they had got half way on instinct and had forgotten half way through. Not a pair of eyes glanced at them for more then a second, fixed ahead.
Kaho was slightly further forward then the others, standing before Joey, who was on the ground not looking to happy. It was clear why- he had a hand to his shoulder, but small amounts of blood were trickling over his fingers. He had been lucky- embedded in the tree behind him was the offending arrow. It had just grazed him as it passed. But Kaho's gaze was flitting, all around the trees that surrounded them, and it was obvious that she could not find the unknown assailant. That's why the others were as they were- they had all frozen. Not sure what to do, not sure weather to go out there and grab them, not sure if the trees would shoot again. Nothing moved. Stalemate.
"What's going on?" Azreal whispered to Yugi, who was next to her. He turned to face her with worried, serious eyes. He looked so different, the expression didn't suit him; but it was more then that. And, judging by what she'd discovered on one of her many night time raids of the 'interesting' files, she knew exactly what- or who- it was.
"We're not entirely sure." He admitted, looking at her with equal suspicion. She didn't mind too much. He knew exactly what she was, but what he made of that was for him and his host to deal with. Besides, it's importance faded in comparison to the other goings on. "We were heading toward the centre and… You can see the rest."
"Did they miss on purpose?" Seto asked, not bothering with a sarcastic or derogatory statement right now, or the wish that the arrow had hit a little further to the left. Now was not the time. And the only way there would be time was if he got them out of this situation alive.
One thing Seto Kaiba knew about was hostile situations. And there was a perfectly good reason why he no longer felt the need to cart bodyguards around with him. And, in his organisation, and in his life, anything that wasn't needed to survive wasn't wanted. With the possible exception of two people. But that didn't matter. This person had been expecting them, or someone. Seto thoughts were running through his head so fast that it gave him just enough time to register them before the next one showed up. If they had been shooting to hit, then he had no doubt that they would have done- they certainly had the time to aim better. And, if, by some freak accident, they had indeed miss, they would have surely attempted it again.
"What do you mean?" Yugi asked him, anxiously.
"They haven't shot again." Seto pointed out. "So, that leaves us with two possible solutions. Either they have some reason to kill Wheeler but won't risk hitting Bijou, or more likely, that was our warning shot- they want us out of here."
"Well…" Azreal swallowed nervously. "I really hope it's the first one." They all looked at her indcredously. Why would she want someone to be trying to kill Joey…? "Because then I won't be running out to my death."
Seto realised what she was going to do a moment before she did it. "Az!" He yelled. "Don't even consider-" But even as he spoke, she was standing and running out to where Kaho and Joey were now pressed up against a tree.
"I bet it's really exhausting to date that girl…" Duke muttered.
"You don't know the half of it." Seto replied wryly, alert and ready to shoot out at the slightest hint of trouble.
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"That's looking great!"
Doug leapt up, startled, slamming his sketch book shut as he went. But he couldn't see who had spoken. There was a tree behind him, they couldn't have snuck up on him, he should have seen them coming!
But as he turned frantically, his art pad was whipped from his hands. He looked up, and there, hanging upside down from a low branch of the tree just above him, was a woman, who's age he could not guess- not old, but certainly too old to be hanging upside down in a tree, with sandy blond hair falling around her head. Of course, this was probably due to gravity. He didn't know what it was like normally. But now, still upside down, she was flicking through his book.
"They're all so great!" She enthused. " But…" She added, looking slightly put out. "Why aren't any of them finished?"
Doug pulled the book back out of her hands. "Would you come down here?" He asked, irritated. "Before you fall down!"
"I won't fall!" She assured him, waving her arms. But it seemed she tried to wave her legs to, as she promptly let go and fell down.
"Ow…" She muttered, pulling her face about of the grass. "Right. No wings…"
"What?" Doug asked, helping her up despite himself.
"Nothing!" She replied. "So, why?"
"Why what?"
"Why don't they have faces?"
Doug didn't answer. They didn't have faces because he couldn't make anyone feel real anymore. They all just seemed… Plastic. He couldn't get any emotion into them anymore. But now, this beautiful woman was looking at him so curiously, he couldn't say that! She'd probably been a cheerleader back at High School, and then got some sort of honours at University. He was still stacking shelves in supermarkets. Everyone had told him he had the brains and talent to go and get a degree, become a doctor or something sensible, but no- he had been sure drawing was his real skill. And now he couldn't even do that anymore. His last show had made him enough money to live on for about a year. But now he couldn't even draw faces. His book was full of faceless, soulless people. He couldn't admit that to some completely random person who had fallen out of a tree onto him! Why was it any business of hers anyway!
"I like them like that!" He said, fiercely.
"Liar." She snorted. "I'm Millierie Kiyoko."
"And I'm late for work!" Doug realised suddenly. "It was…interesting, Miss Kiyoko…"
"Call me Millierie!"
"Okay, okay!" He pacified. "Millierie."
"No, call me Millie!" She yelled. "I hate my full name!"
"Fine, sorry… Millie. But didn't you just say…"
"Millie!"
"Yeah. Bye now!"
He left, hoping he would never see that nutter again. He was glad he hadn't told her his name.
And yet, on his tea break, he found himself drawing another picture. This person had a face. And he knew exactly who's it was. One thing was certain- this 'Millie' freak had an interesting face to draw.
He never thought he'd some day end up married to that freak.
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"You okay?" Azreal asked, crouching down by Kaho and Joey, having successfully crossed the small distance between them without being impaled. Kaho nodded, and Azreal turned her full attention to Joey.
"Just a scratch." He shrugged, standing up and letting his arm fall limp to his side. He was right- it had looked worse from a distance. The wound was already congealing slightly, but it was likely to be tender for a few weeks. "I was mainly surprised at being fired at." He confessed. Azreal and Kaho stood to, and she, happy with this, went to check out the arrow, still embedded in the tree.
It was the most bizarre arrow she had ever seen in her life; not that she'd come across many. It was like something from Doctor Seuss, not crossbow bolt, nor traditional wood or metal; it wasn't even a crude, handmade one from the trees around them.
This arrow was made almost entirely out of stationary.
Azreal began to wonder if the person had been intending to miss after all. An arrow with a flight made of brightly coloured fake art feathers couldn't be all that accurate. The shaft was made of a variety of pens and pencils in many colours, held together with everything from blue tack, bent paper clips, elastic bands and a whole load of masking tape. The head seemed to be the only worrying part, but, as Azreal pulled it out of the tree, it became clear that it was, in fact, several sharpened geometry triangles connected together with yet more blue tack.
Azreal looked at it disbelievingly. Only in her life… "What the…?" She blinked. Frowning, she snapped it in half. It wasn't hard to do. Then, she turned, searching for the unseen assailant, hidden in the trees somewhere.
"If you're going to shoot again." She commanded into the silence of the forest, sounding scarily like Seto. "Do it now. It takes a long time to bleed to death from a paper cut, after all."
For a moment, nothing moved. Then, a branch began to rustle and move on one of the trees. Someone, or something, was about to emerge.
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"What do you mean, you won't let us pass!"
"Millierie, calm down…" Doug told her. "I'm sure we can sort this out…"
"Well, I'm sorry…" One of the kids stopping them said. "But, we're, well, doing a favour for a friend. And, well, that means you have to well, stay out!" Well shuffled uncomfortably. He didn't want to stop these people. He didn't know why they wanted to be in the wood- he wasn't even sure what Anna was doing in there- but she had asked that no-one be allowed in, and Well had never let a friend down yet. He had no idea what was going on, really- sometimes he just got the feeling his life was flowing away in random directions and he was just being carried along with it. But, still, never let it be said that he had broken a promise. "I can't, well, break a promise!"
"Look, kid…" Ruby, worried for her sister, put in. "We're not going to vandalise it, or anything, okay? So just let us in!"
"A promise, is, well, a promise!"
"This is stupid!" Millierie protested. "We asked nicely, now go past him!"
"Can you, well, get past all of us?" Well asked, perfectly politely, as his friends came over to stand by him.
Opal, who had been even more quiet then usual, for obvious reasons, suddenly spoke up. "The person you made the promise to. Would it, by any chance, be Azr- uh, Anna?"
"Anna Mitsan?" Doug added.
Well blinked. "Well, yes… how do you know her?"
"I'm her mother!" Millierie declared.
"And I'm her father!" Doug added hastily.
"Yeah, we're her sisters." Emerald assured him, gesturing at herself, Ruby and Opal. "And he's her brother." She said, pointing at James. "All half, not that it matters!"
"I'm her dad's husband." The other Ruby informed him when he looked at her.
"I'm her boyfriend's brother." Mokuba said, feeling slightly silly.
Well dithered, not sure weather to let them pass or not. He didn't know if this really was her… extended family, or not. And Anna obviously hadn't wanted anyone to follow her…
"Well…"
"Well, this is silly!" Millierie put in. "They can't get all of us!" As one, the group moved off into the small group of trees, the Christians running after them, yelling at them to stop.
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"Hey!"
Doug jumped out of his skin. "Millierie! What are you doing here!"
She grinned. "I came to see you! Have you done any more drawing?"
Doug frowned. His friend was encouraging to the point of being overbearing. And, all the months he had known her, he'd never seen her tired. Being friends with her certainly was exhausting… "Millie, I'm working…" He said, placing another tin of baked beans onto the shelf, very slowly and reverently, to prove the point.
"Oh!" She said, cheerily. "Here, I'll help!" She picked up several cans.
"Millie, no! You don't have to-!" He was interrupted by a loud crashing sound as all the tins crashed to the floor. But gravity wasn't done yet. As Millierie went to grab the falling tins, she knocked hard into the shelf with such force that it wobbled…
Wobbled…
And toppled over.
The worse part was, it hit the shelf in the next aisle, and the next. Luckily, that one hit the freezer section, which stood firm. When the crashes eventually came to a stop, the supermarket seemed eerily silent.
"Are you alright?" Doug asked Millie, tight-lipped as he stood. He'd been crouching, trying to shield them both as much as possible.
"Fine…" Millierie said, shame-faced, picking herself up. All around them, groaning, customers were doing the same thing. "Doug, I'm sorry, it was-"
"Save it." He told her testily. And then, came the call. He'd known it would come the second the first shelf fell, but boy, they acted fast…
"Will Doug Mitsan please come to the manager's office?" The voice announced, not sounding too happy. "Doug Mitsan, to the manager's office! We would like to apologise to all customers for the disruption and ask that you remain calm- a member of staff will be with you shortly. If anyone in the effected aisles- 6 through to 8- requires medical attention, please remain where you are and they will be with you shortly…"
Doug left Millierie standing ankle deep in tins of beans and various types of pasta and took the longest walk of his 'career' to the manager's office, ready for a rollicking. He wasn't disappointed.
"Sir!" He said, hoping to explain before he began. "It wasn't my fault! Really! It was Millierie, she-"
"We have CCTV, Mitsan!" He barked. "We know exactly what happened." Doug felt relieved for half a second whilst his boss paused for breath. Unfortunately, he wasn't finished yet. "But the fact of the matter is, Mitsan, you were responsible! Friend of yours, is she?"
"Well, yes, but…"
"You can't let her interfere with your work, Mitsan!" He bellowed. "Do you know how much stock we've lost! That's been ruined by the two of you! Not to mention the customers that won't come back! Who would, after that fiasco! And it's not just the ones in the store today, either! All we need is someone to have got a bump on the head and we'll be sued into the ground- the press will love that! And…" He took a deep breath. "The fact of the matter is, they'll want some sort of action to have been taken! Mitsan, I'm firing you!"
Doug stared fixatedly at the ground. It wasn't like that was any great surprise…
"I like you, Mitsan." The manger said, sounding almost sympathetic. "You're a great guy, but you're also a liability. Take a look at yourself, man! How old are you?"
"Twenty-Four, sir."
"Twenty-four!" The manager repeated, indcredously. "Great God! Twenty-four and still stacking shelves! When did you start here?"
"When I was seventeen, sir."
"And no promotion!"
"No, sir."
"Goodness me…" The manager muttered. "Just what kind of loser are you, Mitsan? Look, you're a hard worker, so I'll give you a reference. But, for heavens sake man, go out there and get a life!"
"Yes sir."
"Well, off you go. Come and see me for the reference on Monday."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir."
He snorted. "Don't thank me for firing you, Mitsan! Get a back bone, would you? Now, get out whilst you still have a sliver of dignity!"
Doug did so, silently. Millierie was waiting outside.
"I just got you fired, didn't I?" She asked, crumpling her own lifetime ban up in her hand.
"Yes." Doug answered monotonously.
"But it was my fault!" She protested. "I'll go in and tell him myself! He can't-"
"Of course he can, he's in charge." Doug replied, pulling the apron off over his head and tossing it on the floor. "Come on. Let's get out of here."
"…You're not mad?"
"Yes, I am, but getting angry isn't going to help." He sighed. "I guess I'll just have to find another job…"
"It could be a blessing in disguise!" She suggested, tentatively. "Maybe now you'll have more time to draw…"
"Don't push it, Millie." Doug ground out. "Just shut up about my art, okay! I can't draw!"
The force of his words caused her to blink in surprise as he pushed past her and stormed out.
"Doug, wait!"
"Millie! Just… leave me alone for a while, okay!" He ran out.
"Okay." Millierie whispered to his retreating back.
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The figure emerged, wide-eyed, squatting on the branch.
"I don't believe it…" Azreal said.
"Do I know her?" Joey wondered.
"No way…" Seto muttered.
"Wait, wasn't she…" Tristan began.
"I think so…" Duke replied.
"But it can't be!" Téa protested.
"It is." Yami told them, solemnly.
"Miss Basa." Kaho declared, disbelievingly.
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They all thought they had finished when Dasikue Yamazuki took his seat, but it was not to be. There was one person who had been added to the class at very short notice, so his name was just scribbled onto the bottom of the register. One person who the despairing school Physiatrist insisted needed the class. One person who it was a very, very bad idea to do something like this.
"One more!" Miss Basa said happily. "Seto Kaiba?"
The room fell silent. She obviously didn't realise what a very, very, bad idea it was. A chair scraped back, and people turned round, gasping as Seto stood and began to walk to the front of the room. They couldn't believe he was actually going to do it. And they were slightly concerned as to what he was going to say…
"Behave…" Anna begged quietly as he passed her desk. He did not reply, going and sitting, arms folded, in the chair at the front of the room…
Miss Basa had just made the biggest mistake of her relatively short career. That was what she would tell everyone later, after she had handed in her resignation and took leave to handle a sudden nervous break down.
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"You mean the PSHE teacher?" Joey demanded. "But I thought she disappeared!"
"Guess we found her." Duke muttered, him and the others standing, and beginning to emerge from the bushes.
"Don't move!" Miss Basa screamed at them, pointing another hand-made arrow at them.
"I guess we found who's been stealing the school supplies, to…" Duke muttered, freezing. Hey, those square sets were sharp.
"It was necessary!" Miss Basa protested fiercely. "To protect the forest!"
"Not much of a forest." Tristan pointed out. "It's so small!"
"Silence!" She roared. "You do not belong here!"
"A forest belongs to everyone!" Yami bellowed back "We have just as much right to be here as you do!"
She wilted slightly, the bow, made of a flexi-ruler and more elastic bands twitched to. "Once, that would have been true. But I have earnt my right as a guardian!" She stood fiercely again. "And I shall defend it till I die!"
"Okaaaaaay…" Azreal piped up, slightly freaked. Every time she thought her life couldn't get any weirder… crazy teachers popped out of trees. "Listen, Miss Basa-"
"That name means nothing to me anymore!" Miss Basa spat. "The names given by humans have no meaning! You may call me-" She let out a series of hisses. "It means Guardian in the true language! The language the wind makes as it whistles through the trees!"
"Uh… sure…" Azreal tried. Then something occurred to her. "Miss- uh, that is, Guardian- have you been living here all this time? Since April?"
"A true Guardian never leaves their post!" She insisted. "But you must leave this place!"
"We can't do that!" Azreal protested. "Look, I don't know what happened to you, but we have to… um…" Miss Basa had leapt down from the tree and was inspecting her face closely, making Azreal slightly uncomfortable.
"Yes… It's Anna, isn't it…? Yes…" She mused. "I am sure now! You are a spirit of this forest!"
"A what now?" Azreal blurted out without thinking.
"And so are you!" Miss Basa told Kaho. "There is no doubt anymore- my mind is clear in the certainty! The Auras are unmistakably the same! You mask it well, but you share a soul with this forest!" She bowed low. "I am sorry, masters. I am merely trying to keep the forest safe from those with less right to be here. I would never oppose a Forest Spirit!"
"Forest Spirit…?" Kaho whispered to her. Azreal shrugged.
"Sure, I'll go with that…" She coughed, speaking more loudly. "Yes… you have, uh, done well… and…uh… will receive a reward… um…" She was still looking at her expectantly. "What would you like?"
"Please, let us exchange names!" Miss Basa asked her eagerly. "It would be an honour and blessing to have my name spoken by a Forest Spirit!"
She and Kaho exchanged looks. But Kaho looked away. It would seem she was giving this honour to Azreal. Goody.
"Oh… okay… what did you say it was, again?"
Miss Basa let out the same series of whistles and hisses.
Azreal had no hope of repeating them. She floundered. "Oh, okay…"
"But this name is no longer worthy of you!" Seto rescued, suddenly. "Surely, a more fitting name should be rewarded!" He smirked. Azreal knew he was dying to laugh.
"Yes!" She said, trying to sound wise and not grateful. "A more fitting name, worthy of what you have done for us! And that name is… Uh…"
This was a really bad time to remember she couldn't whistle.
To her relief, Kaho jumped in to save them, whistling the first thing that came to mind- The Lord of the Rings theme tune.
"What does it mean…?" Miss Basa whispered in awe. "Forgive me, my knowledge of the language is still limited…"
"That is what you must find out." Seto put in. "Only when you find what it means will you truly earn it."
Miss Basa whirled to face him. "It is you!" She declared. "Oh, it is an honour to meet you again," She let out another series of whistles and hisses, far more elaborate then her own, that was presumably Seto's name. Or title. "Never have I regretted the day when you allowed my life to change to this! Thank you!"
"You're welcome…" Seto muttered, only practise allowing him not to bat an eye. "But now, we must press on."
"Of course!" She replied. "I shall ensure you are not followed!" She melted back into the trees.
"My life is so freaking weird." Azreal moaned.
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A giggle. "Doug, can't I move yet?" She begged.
"Patience, woman!" He replied, voice slightly muffled by the biro in his mouth. "It takes time to produce great art!"
"And a large attention span…" She muttered.
Doug removed the biro from his mouth and replaced it with his pencil as he went over some of the features. Eventually, satisfied, he removed it, and smiled at her. "There. I have everything I need. You can move now."
Immediately, she scurried round to peer over his shoulder at it. He tried to bat her away, telling her to wait till he had added the finishing touches, but it was in vain. She managed to see, and gasped.
"Woah…That's amazing!"
He laughed. "I guess no-one's drawn you before. Or you wouldn't be so impressed."
"Yes I would!" She insisted fiercely. "It's wonderful!"
"Well, there's still some finishing touches to put on…" He reminded her.
"Like what?" She asked, curiously. "It looks perfectly accurate to me!"
"Like… A moustache… and a beard… maybe some glasses and goofy teeth…" He teased, poising his pen.
"Don't you dare!" She yelled. "Don't you dare!" She snatched it off him, clutching it protectively to her chest. "I do not have a moustache!"
"No." He agreed. "Just a unibrow."
"Doug!"
"I'm just joking." He laughed, reclaiming the picture and beginning to walk back down the hill. "You know you're beautiful."
"So are you."
He chocked, tripping his own feet and rolling down the hill. Millierie laughed and rolled to, just for the fun of it, landing on top of him. Giggling, they pulled each other up, and continued on their way.
"I guess it's time for me to go home." Millierie sighed. "But I'm glad I got to see you get your art back…"
"What?" Doug demanded. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you can draw again now, can't you?"
"No, no, not that!" He insisted. "You're leaving!"
"I have to." She smiled. "I told you- I was only sent here because I'm the best at what I do. Now I have to go back." She carried on walking, and Doug went with her.
"But you've been here almost a year…" He protested weakly.
"Exactly. I have to go back." She pointed out.
"Back where?" He asked surly. "You never did tell me where you came from, or what you do, for that matter."
"I come from… Up north." Millierie told him.
"What, near Kyoto north?"
"No, as in, way North." She giggled at some private joke. "As to what I do- well, I've been doing it the entire time!"
"What, nothing?" He teased.
"Yup! You won't find a better space-filler then me!" She said, cheerily. "They might even make me president some day!"
"That good, huh?" Doug laughed, though he didn't feel like it.
"I don't want to go." Millierie admitted. "But it'll be nice to be back with my daughters…"
Doug blanched. "You're a mother!"
"Of three. Triplets." She confirmed.
"And you never even told me…" He whispered. "There's so much I don't know about you, Millierie…"
"Fine!" She threw her hands up in surrender. "I'm Twenty-five! I have three daughters from an arranged marriage that is now a divorce and I had to leave them with their grandparents because no-one else could do this job!"
Doug's head was spinning. "You're twenty-five?"
"Yes. A year older then you!" She teased, not quite her bright self.
"No!" He insisted, surprised. "You act about sixteen!"
"Thanks." She rolled her eyes.
"So…" Doug said into the silence. "An arranged marriage? I bet that was pretty grim…" He was wondering exactly where Millie came from. It seemed like a strange place… or she wasn't telling him something.
Millierie shook her head. "It wasn't arranged, exactly… Let's just say my parents encouraged it. Strongly encouraged it. They introduced me to him in the first place. The match was all about politics, and we met and got married within a few months. It was all so rushed. He was so nice, though, I thought he was… But when we were married, he… I don't know…" She ran a hand, flustered. "I know it's cliché, but he changed. He wanted the stereotypical little wife- you know, doting and subservient. I could never be that. But… We weren't unhappy. We just weren't happy either. I mean, there were good times… like having our kids." She smiled at the thought of them. "They're such gorgeous little girls, Doug, I thought maybe if we were a proper family…" She shrugged. "But he didn't take much interest. It was only when I said that I wanted to go back to work when they were old enough that he got…" She stopped. "Look, I'd rather not talk about it!"
"Sorry." Doug apologised automatically. They had reached her house now.
She laughed. "Doug, you always apologise! You don't need to!" She shifted. "Well, I guess this is it. You probably won't see me again." She gave a sad smile. "Goodbye, Doug."
Doug felt he had to do something, but he felt helpless. He couldn't stop her leaving. "Goodbye, Millie." He said, kissing her politely on the cheek, and then studied the floor.
"I'll miss you." She said, taking his head between her hands and kissing his forehead. He lifted his head automatically, and their lips met.
It was unexpected, but it was what they'd been waiting for. It was so wonderful…
Millierie pulled away, shocked at herself. She'd just broken her own, personal, number one rule- don't get too involved with a client! Somewhere inside, she knew that it had already been too late, but that kiss solidified her worries.
"Doug," She began, distressed. "I… I can't stay here!" She ran up and inside the house she'd been renting.
Doug went home and went through all the motions of living. But, somehow, he always just felt tired and miserable, in no mood to do anything, let alone work on his drawings and paintings. He had a show in just a few weeks. He had thought, that day on the hill, that he had finally got his art back, but now it had vanished like ice cream on a hot day. He couldn't even finish the portrait of Millierie. Just looking at it made him feel ill.
And if only he hadn't kissed her. Then they would have parted as friends, not with her being mad at him.
And so, it came to be that, just a few days after she'd left, Millierie returned with a smile on her face, saying that the job she'd been sent to do hadn't been finished after all. Doug still didn't understand her but didn't care.
She was back. It hadn't been the same without her.
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"…Absolutely stir-fry crazy!" Joey finished. "Geez, Kaiba, what'd you do to her?"
"If she can't do her job, it is not my fault." Seto answered firmly.
"Oh, yeah, and I just bet she was trained to deal with people like you."
Seto snorted. "Whereas they have entire schools dedicated to people like you."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
"You must have seen them, Wheeler. 'Special' schools."
"Are you calling me stupid!"
"Your need to ask only serves to prove the point."
"Kaiba, you-"
"Of course, they have dog training schools to, right, mutt?"
"Right! That's the way you want it? Then-"
The reason the argument had not yet been stopped was that two of the biggest peace makers- Téa could have a fiery temper when she wanted- were in deep conversation. As they had moved off, Yami had grabbed Azreal's arm. He wanted to talk as they hung back.
"I don't believe we've met." Yami said, peering at her anxiously. Azreal wrenched her arm from his grip, uncomfortable at the way he was scrutinising her.
"Well, considering you share a body with Yugi, and I used to go down and sneak into the records department at night to read about the 'unusual' people, I'd say we know each other as well as necessary." Azreal pointed out. "What more is there to know?"
Yami's mouth twitched in amusement. "You really are an odd one." He commented.
"Says the three thousand year old dead guy trapped in some tacky trinket." Then, worried she'd offended him, she added: "Uh, Mister Pharaoh." While Yami was still blinking at this strange way of addressing him, she continued. "But the fact is, there's no time for formalities! My home's in trouble and I won't rest until I know exactly what's going on! So, if you're coming, come!" She ran after the others.
Yami looked after her. She was odd, yes; but she troubled him for some bigger reason then that. It was the same as some of the others- something about her seemed familiar, stirred memories that weren't there. Perhaps she had- or she'd have- some part to play in their adventures, not just this one; perhaps she wouldn't. With all of them, he wasn't quite sure what part they'd play- would play- but there was something.
Maybe one day he'd find out. But this feeling only increased his suspicions that, despite his Hikari's insistence to the contrary, that the Muses had had- would have- a bigger part in all this then they knew.
But the past is full of mysteries. Yami knew not all of them would be solved.
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"Would you wait up!"
"Oh, come on, Doug!" She called back jovially. "You can go faster then that!"
"Not when I'm trying to keep things dry!"
"The tide's gonna get ya!"
That day, they'd both been off work, and, Millierie had phoned him and asked if he wanted to go down to the beach. Looking out of the window and seeing the sun beaming down, Doug had agreed- Why not? Maybe he could even get some sketches done.
Phfft. Yeah, right. His drawings were as dead as they'd been for months. The difference was, Millierie encouraged him endlessly, and now he drew or painted whenever and wherever he had chance, even if it was still a fruitless effort. He felt so close, as though there was just one more obstacle to break through, but could not- it was endlessly frustrating. But he had had fun today, just hanging out on the beach as though they were ten years younger, just a bunch of silly teenagers. Unfortunately, responsibility had once again reared it's ugly head- they'd stayed too long, and now the tide was approaching in the stupidly fast way this beach was famous for. The sand had been drowned completely, and they were running along in ankle-deep water that got deeper by the second. And here he was, with everything clustered hurriedly in his hands, trying to save it all from the wet.
"Doug, come on!" Millierie said fiercely, grabbing some of the load from his arms. "Now, let's go!"
He didn't go. In fact, he stood there, chuckling.
"What?" She asked, trying to frown but finding his laughter contagious and unable to stop a smirk.
"You're just acting so gung-ho about it all…" He snorted.
"Hmmph!" She sniffed, kicking water up at him.
"Hey!" He yelled. "I was supposed to be keeping this lot dry!"
"Oh?" She mocked, allowing her bundle to plunk into the water, and using her now free arms to splash him.
Oh, why not?
Doug promptly let go of his lot to, and fought back, running up and grabbing her arms to still them. "Stop it!" He commanded. She laughed, looking up at him.
What he said next was completely compulsive and spontaneous, but, after it occurred to him, he couldn't see why not. He seemed to be acting very spontaneous today. As it was so sudden, he did not frill it up or try to make it romantic. He just said it as it came to his mind.
"Marry me, Millie."
She looked at him in shock, pulling her arms away. Somehow, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. "Doug…" She said, hesitantly. "I can't marry you."
Feeling a fool, Doug looked away, trying to gather the items floating and bobbling on the waves, and those that had sunk below it. By now, the water was knee height. He should have known! Millie wouldn't want to marry him, not after her last experience of marriage. What a fool he was! Why did he say that? What an idiot!
"I can't…" She sounded as though she was crying, and, when she knelt down, ignoring the water soaking through her clothes and looked him in the eye, he could see she was. "Because I haven't…told you something."
Doug knelt down beside her, hardly breathing. The way she said it, it sounded like she wanted to. He could hardly dare hope… However, what she said next was unexpected.
"Doug, I'm not human!"
He looked at her in surprise. She looked human enough… Millierie, however, was still babbling on.
"I'm a Muse. I know it's weird and you'll think I'm mad but it's true! I come from a floating city hidden on the outskirts of Earth's atmosphere! We come and inspire humans to work creatively because it releases a product we need to survive!" She was sobbing now. "And I was sent to inspire you! You were a case for me! But I was stupid and let it evolve into more then that! I'm so sorry, I should never have let this happen! I'm not supposed to have any feelings for a client, but I do! I know it'll be hard to believe and you won't know weather all these times we've had were lies, but please, just believe that I'm really sorry!" She looked away, taking several deep breaths. "I wanted to tell you. But if I did… I was worried they'd send me away. I'm such a coward… but now you know. I'm not a human, Doug." She stood up, ready to splash her way back to the steps out of the watery beach. She was surprised when he caught her arm. "Huh?" Doug was looking down at the water, but now he looked up at her.
"You still haven't given me an answer." He said, quietly.
She stared at him in shock.
He laughed sheepishly. "I confess that I really have no idea what you're talking about. But you say you're not human." He looked her right in the eye. "Millie, I don't care. It doesn't matter what you are, I want to marry you, not a…species. And I'd really like it if you could find it in your heart to say yes."
She looked at him, long and hard, without expression. Then she broke into a smile, and jumped onto him. They both fell into the waves, but it didn't matter. They didn't even feel the cold, wrapped in each other's arms.
Millierie pulled away, water dripping from the tips of her hair onto his face. "Yes." She smiled.
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Everyone had stopped dead before them. Azreal forced her way through to see; the vibes were driving her crazy. Sure enough, the shrine, the link to Wherever that even the ground had picked up on and sprung up trees, was there. It was tumble-down now, nothing more but a pile of rocks with a vague circle of more rocks around it. Moss, like all the other plants, had flourished here, scrambling over the stones. Yet, it did nothing to mask the fact that this had once been a beautiful place, a haven for the Humans and Muses that had escaped the hatred, that had still wanted to communicate with each other. It was not just the moss. The grass was long, thick and springy, the trees grew closely together right up to the ring of stone, and everywhere there was a dusting of weeds and flowers and herbs that shouldn't even have been growing in the woods. It gave off the most amazing feeling, and she knew the others somehow felt it to. Close up, the pull was almost as strong as the one in the ocean. This truly was a special place. No wonder Miss Basa, crazy though she was, had been drawn here. It really was alluring. Somehow, it felt even proportionally stronger then when she had first come to the Church, even taking into account that she was closer now. Possibly because all, or most of the other chutes had been properly closed off…
Tentatively, reverently, Azreal stepped inside the ring of stones.
It was like being set on fire. Or, at least, how she imagined it feeling. It started in her heart, stabbing right though from front to back. She cried, falling over, Seto beside her in an instant, but her heart was still beating, pumping acid round her veins. It felt as though it was burning her from the inside out, but, somehow, the pain was good, powerful. Her wings were being ripped out of her back, rippling and muscling and becoming stronger then she'd even known them; yet she was still in her human form, and they were solid to. It hurt, but her mind was becoming clearer, sharper, to; lifting the fog she'd felt smothering around it since she realised she was going to die. For a second, she hoped this was healing her, but it hurt too much. It was an overload of power, too much power, she'd lost almost all her muse powers, and now this was forcing itself in, topping her up to the point of overflow-
And then it stopped, interrupted by a less clear, smarting pain in her face. Her wings disappeared, going back to a Muse form and then fizzling out completely. The power was still there, nuzzling against her consciousness in an annoying, throbbing way, but it was nothing compared to what it had been, this slight pain and nausea. She blinked sweat out of her eyes, and was able to see Kaho crouching on her one side, hands clenching her arm, still muttering angrily. Seto was on her other side, hand raised, ready to slap her again if he was forced to. He hadn't wanted to. But Kaho had told him to, before Az hurt herself. And he didn't want that. Her other friends were gathered round to, looking on worriedly.
Seeing she was still and herself again, Seto lowered his hand.
"Are you alright?" He asked, quietly, urgently. It had quite scared him when she had started having that fit. "What happened?"
"I'm fine." Azreal assured him, shakily, getting used to the want to vomit. She was pale, sweaty, and shivering; but she wasn't the only one. Kaho, to, looked a little green around the gills, breathing heavily. "Serious power overload…"
"I'll tell you what happened!" She said, in her slightly shrill, slightly Scottish accent. "This silly girl came in here without proper preparation!"
"But…" Azreal protested weakly. "It was just a bit stronger then what we normally feel… I didn't think it would matter!"
"Anna, you idiot." Kaho said fondly as Seto helped her to her feet. "You still have the wards on from when Wherever was cut off. If they had to go through all those defences, of course it would hurt! To get that amount, that fast, is not a good idea at the best of times, but without removing those wards and putting the right ones on, and with your powers not being what they have been either, it was just reckless and stupid!"
"Sorry…" Azreal replied, shamefaced. "But thank you…" She hugged her impulsively, stomach lurching a little when she realised how careless she'd been. Kaho had been the only one there who could have prepared it for her, the way they'd been trained. She was right. In her weakened state, had Kaho not been there, Azreal could quite easily have died… But she'd learnt her lesson. So far, she'd made a pig's ear of even getting to Wherever, let alone finding what the trouble was and a way to save it. She'd take the utmost care from now on!
The others looked on and pretended to be keeping up with what was happening. It was obviously going to continue to be one of those days where nothing made sense…
"But we've come this far!" Azreal declared, pulling away from Kaho and striding further towards the centre of the circle determinedly. "Let's figure out how to get this chute to open up and do this!"
"How did I know she'd say that…?" Kaho bemoaned slightly.
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"Wait!" Mokuba yelled. Everyone paused. "Where have they gone?"
"Where have who gone?" Doug asked.
"James' mom." Mokuba explained. "And your mom!" He added to the triplets.
Indeed, Millierie and Ruby were no longer with them.
"What?" Doug protested. "This wood is tiny! How could we have lost them?"
Mokuba shrugged, the movement changing into a duck and roll that he'd been taught as an arrow made entirely of stationary whistled over his head.
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Silence.
"Oh, come on, Millie!" He said, smiling as always. "They'll be here any minute! Let's not spend our last moments together in silence."
Millierie said nothing, crying again.
"Now, you promised me you wouldn't cry!" He protested. "We agreed that it was better this way, after all. It's too late to back down now." She didn't look up at him. "Millie, you have a family up there. You've been living here for long enough. You should see them more then once a month."
"I have a family here to." Millierie answered. "Oh, Doug, how do we know if we're doing the right thing?"
He shrugged. "I guess we try it and find out." He looked at her. "You have to go, Mill."
"I know…"
"And I could never come to Wherever. I'd never be accepted. And it's too high. I wouldn't survive for more then a day, you said yourself."
"I know!" She sobbed. "But couldn't we just… I could come and see you…"
He laughed, kissing her gently on the top of her head. "No, love. You'd be too busy. We've discussed it all. Just…leave things as we arranged."
"I don't want to go…" She whispered, miserably.
"You need to be with your daughters. The other three, I mean." Doug smiled sadly. "And I wouldn't hear of letting you stay! Those people- Muses- need you far more then I do." He laughed. "I won't even remember…"
Millierie cried harder. "I'm so sorry! I didn't ask for you to be-"
"It doesn't matter." He dismissed. "It's not your fault. I always knew I'd be wiped one day, after all. Although, I must admit… I don't want to forget you Millie, or our daughter- even if it means, this way, that I won't feel the pain of not having you by my side…" She was still crying. He embraced her warmly, as strong and calming as ever. "You try to forget to, okay? We'll both love again."
"How can I?" Millierie cried. He looked at her sternly.
"You will! I would never forgive myself if I made you miserable for the rest of your life! You have to move on."
"But…"
"Promise me." He begged, softly. "Millie, I'm not asking a lot- just find something that makes you happy, and be happy. Promise?"
She nodded silently.
"And…" He hesitated. "Please, never regret anything we had. Okay?"
"I never will." She muttered.
He didn't reply for a few seconds. "Where's Anna?"
"Outside." Millierie replied, wiping her eyes. "On her swing, as always."
"Heh." Doug laughed. "She spends more time falling off it then actually swinging on it. The funny thing is, she just gets right back on and tries it again." He looked at her meaningfully. "Do I have time to…" He swallowed hard. "Do I have time to go and say goodbye?"
"Of course." Millierie replied, but she was wrong. At that precise moment, the mind wiping squad arrived, and it was time for him to go.
"Oh…" He trailed off. "I guess not. Just tell her I love her, alright?"
"…I'm sorry…"
"No! No regrets, remember!" He demanded, as the team silently connected him up to the machine, and asked him to sit down. "This may be the last time we speak to each other! Don't waste it apologising…" He bit down on the impulse to tell her that he loved her. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. But he didn't know what he would do after he forgot. He couldn't even grasp the concept that he could forget. But if he told her he loved her, he might break her heart one day. He was forgetting, wouldn't be hurting for much longer. She would remember. And he wanted it to be as painless for her as possible.
"Mr Mitsan?" One of the teams said. "Would you mind lying down? We're going to start the process now…"
Doug lay down, forcing a smile onto his face as he did so. "Well, goodbye…" He whispered, as Millierie knelt next to him.
"Don't say that…" She whispered fiercely, kissing him one last time.
He went still with his lips still on hers. Millierie released him slowly. He was sleeping peacefully, and when he woke up, he wouldn't remember her.
Millierie left after that, out to the swing, and then she and Anna went together to the rest of her family.
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"Um… Ruby?" Millierie called out to Doug's wife as the others pulled ahead of them. "We need to talk."
"But…" Ruby replied worriedly, casting a look over her shoulder as the others got further away; and the kids from the Church were still approaching fast.
"It'll only take a moment." Millierie promised. An awkward pause fell. "I'll get right to it, shall I?"
Ruby nodded.
"Look…" Millierie said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "I know things are tough, to say the least, between us- and I think that would have been more noticeable had the circumstance of our meeting been any different. But I just wanted to say… Doug loves you."
Ruby looked up sharply in surprise. How had she known…?
Millierie laughed slightly bitterly. "I bet it's worrying you, somewhere in the back of your mind, isn't it? He never divorced me, we never split up. He just forgot what we had. And I just bet that, in that small, dark corner of your mind, it's bothering you. And you're wondering who he loves, right? Well, I want to say that you don't need to worry." She looked at her sadly, slightly enviously, regretfully. "What he and I had was wonderful…but, I think, maybe… he wouldn't have forgotten if it… had run so very deep. True love is irreplaceable and unforgettable…" She shook her head. Ruby felt a great deal of pity and respect for her all at once. It had to take a lot for her to say this. "The way he smiles at you, Ruby, even at times like this…" She trailed off, wistfully. "I don't know what he felt for me, but now he loves you so much… And I think you make him happy." She looked like she was about to cry. "I never did. I was trying to balance two lives- I should have been there, and I wasn't, and when I was there I should have been somewhere else…" Seeing she was babbling, she forced herself back onto the point. "I guess what I'm saying is… I wasn't a very good wife." She laughed bitterly. "And I'm not a great mother either. But, now, just from the way you're just as desperate to help her as I am, I know you do care for Anna, I know she thinks the world of you." She looked Ruby in the eye. "And I want to thank you for making the people close to me so happy. You're a wonderful person."
Ruby said nothing, though she felt greatly comforted. What could you say to that?
They went to catch up with the others, where Millierie, Ruby, Emerald, and Opal were recognised by the crazy tree woman announcing her name as soon-to-be-Insert-whistled-LotR-theme-here as 'Forest Spirits' and they were allowed to pass.
They arrived just in time to see Seto disappear after Azreal into the porthole.
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"Open the chute?" Joey repeated. "How are we supposed to do that?"
"Well…uh…" Azreal stammered. "Kaho?"
"It's connected to Wherever." Kaho confirmed. "It's just disused; not closed that much, that's why we can sense it so much here. Like a door that closed, but not locked- all we have to do is push." She looked around at them all. "Just focus on wanting to get to Wherever, and it should pop right open."
"Especially as you're all the people close to me." Azreal added. "I think I heard that it was easier to open the old chutes if you were close to each other. And you guys have pretty much all been involved since I first came, so it should be a walk in the park! Is that right?"
"I'm not sure." Kaho admitted. "It's not like they teach us this in school…"
"They don't?" Yugi, now himself again, asked. "But isn't it kinda important that you can get up and down?"
"Not now we've got the portholes." Kaho replied. "Don't forget, there's no love lost between our race and yours…" She suddenly grabbed Yugi's hand, and Duke's on the other side. "It might be stronger if the bond is physical to." She explained. Slowly, the line formed. They were all surprised when Seto joined in, having grabbed Azreal's hand- and none were more surprised then Téa when she found him grabbing hers fiercely. But then, it was either her of Joey, so maybe not all that surprising. Kaiba's hand felt weird, and looking down, she realised it was bandaged. He caught her looking, and she faced ahead even as he silently dared her to ask.
"Concentrate!" Kaho shouted. She was getting surprisingly into this. But then, this was probably the closest anyone from her city had ever come to an adventure. Or being a hero. One by one, all the sets of eyes along the row flickered shut, focusing on Wherever.
For those that weren't Muses, it was hard to even find it at first. They started with the odd atmosphere in this place. With their eyes closed, it became a more definite feeling. Soon, it felt like a physical place to them, almost, as they drew it closer, as if they to were standing on the levels of Wherever and knew it as their home.
"That's it!" Azreal's voice came suddenly. Their eyes leapt open. "It's open! We did it!" She released Seto's hand and ran to look.
All they saw was, above the largest pile of moss-covered rocks, a blue, swirling oval, about Azreal's height and width, as though it had been made especially for her. Which, in a way, it had.
As they shuffled to reclaim their hands- some people had gained a rather strong grip- Kaho screamed at them urgently.
"No, don't! Don't lose focus! Anna's already gone! If too many do, the porthole will close and we won't have the strength to open it again!"
No-one let go after that.
"…I'm going up." Azreal sighed determinedly, after a second's hesitation, beginning the climb up the pile of rocks towards the porthole.
"You know," Seto interrupted, not concentrating as hard as he probably should have been. "There's probably a reason Wherever's been cut off. It'll be dangerous."
"I know." Azreal swallowed. "But I have to find out what!"
"You're so anxious about the place that shunned and rejected you?" Seto asked, expressionlessly.
"Yes." Azreal nodded.
"Then I'm coming with you." Seto said, wrenching his hand out of Téa's grip. The others gasped as it became a little harder to keep the porthole open. But then, Seto hadn't been putting much effort into it anyway.
Azreal stared at him. "Seto… You said yourself, it'll be dangerous. Why should you care about Wherever?"
He wanted to say he didn't, he cared about her, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it in front of Yugi and the others. So instead he just shrugged.
"I guess I'm just really bored of Yugi being the hero all the time." He smirked. "So I'll follow you. Wherever you go." He mouth twitched, easily amused by puns. Azreal smiled gratefully at him- she didn't want to admit it, but she wanted the company.
"Kaiba!" Yugi, though, to everyone but the one he addressed it was blatantly Yami, yelled. "Don't you let her get into trouble, you hear? Or I shall personally come after you!" He caught Azreal's eye. "There's still some things I'd like to know…"
Seto gave him a small thumbs up, and he and Azreal continued the clamber up the small pile of what had once been a shrine.
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A/N: There… Hope none of you mind all the Doug/Millierie stuff in there, but then it would have been an awfully short chapter without it! Actually, it wasn't planned. But I wrote the first one on a whim and couldn't stand to delete it! In other words, it was going that way…
I'll update again ASAP!
