I'm not having such a great start to the New Year. First of all, my flight back home was delayed by 12 hours! Second of all, when I get home, I got ill. And thirdly, I'm currently taking a few exams. How much more can I take!

Anyway, there is one thing that's cheering me up at the moment…you guys! Your reviews really do make my day (I know I've said that before, but it's true). You guys have saved me from going mad!

So, I would like to thank:

yangs

Greater Lights

KaibaYamiLover

ImCrazyAndProudOfIt

Crystallynne

kobear91

priestess-one-shot

trekker4life

Domo arigatou! You all rock!

Now, lets get on with the story, shall we? This is where all the exciting things start to happen…cue evil laughter

'Thoughts'

Dream/flashback

"Speaking in dreams/flashbacks"

'Thoughts in dreams/flashbacks'

"Speaking (normal)"

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, but if I did, I would have Yuugi/ Anzu an official couple! Come on, you've seen all the hints they drop at each other, right?

-I-

Another World

Chapter 12: Let The War Begin

-I-

It didn't take long for Yuugi to recover from his injuries sustained by the Empire of Dark Souls. With a little help from Priest Isis's Holy Elf, most of his injuries had healed, leaving only a few scars, and was back to his normal self in just eight days. Or so everyone thought. Though on the outside he looked fighting fit, on the inside his heart was still broken.

Believing Malik's words, Yuugi had taken to barricading himself in his chamber, having Jonouchi and a few other guards standing outside his door at all times. He refused to speak to Anzu, declining to give her a reason why. Pharaoh Atemu on the other hand was a different story. Although Prince Yuugi had ordered the guards not to allow him entry, the guards could not disobey their Pharaoh and were forced to let him in anyway. But he would never stay long, for Yuugi barely spoke to him as much as he did to Anzu. And just like he did with Anzu, he refused to give a reason for his actions. They only spoke (briefly) when they were discussing their upcoming battle…

When Yuugi was well enough, Pharaoh Atemu decided to hold an assembly to plan out their next move against the Empire of Dark Souls. Everyone knew that a war was imminent. There was no way around it. They could only prepare as best they could.

Sunset on Yuugi's ninth day back in Illuminarta and the planning was almost complete. Gathered in the Assembly Room around the large rectangular stone table, Pharaoh Atemu, Prince Yuugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu and the Six Priests/Keepers of the Millennium Items were busy discussing their plan of action (as best they could under the circumstances).

"What about if we send our troops here?" Priest Shada asked. "It is on the borders of all three Kingdoms."

Spread out on the stone table was a large map of Kemet. The land had been divided up equally into three kingdoms: The Kingdom of Hope (capital: Praisia), The Kingdom of Destiny (capital: Sharluka), and The Kingdom of Light (capital: Illuminarta).

Running through the three Kingdoms was the United River which had once united the three kingdoms…until the Empire of Dark Souls had invaded. Sprouting from the United River were three smaller rivers: The River Faiku, that ran through the Kingdom of Hope; The River Shina in the Kingdom of Destiny; and The River Illuma for the Kingdom of Light.

On the map, the capitals of each kingdom-along with other large and important cities/towns, large oasis's, the royal burial grounds and other important landmarks-had all been clearly marked out to make planning and travelling easier.

Priest Mahado eyed the area Priest Shada had pointed out. He shook his head.

"No, that would not do," he disagreed. "Even though it is on the border of all three kingdoms, the Empire of Dark Souls has already taken over this area. Look…"

He raised his hand over the map and chanted an incantation under his breath. His Millennium Ring gave off a small glow as its magic was activated. Small gasps of surprise and amazement were heard as a dark cloud appeared over the map, completely covering the Kingdoms of Hope and Destiny, and a small fraction of the Kingdom of Light.

"This dark cloud represents which areas the Empire of Dark Souls have taken over," Mahado continued. "As you can see, they have already started to take over our own kingdom."

"Which means," Priest Seto said thoughtfully, "that the only other place we could send our troops would be here." He pointed to a large, empty area in the corner of the Kingdom of Light, situated just underneath the United River. "There are no major cities in this area and it is right in between us and the Empire. Also, if we could get there as soon as possible, we could secure our location on the high ground…"

"…And it would be easy to evacuate the small villages in that area," Priest Isis spoke up.

"How long would it take for our troops to reach it?" Pharaoh Atemu inquired.

"If they left tonight they would be there by tomorrow afternoon," answered Priest Karim.

"Hmm…" Atemu thought for a moment, contemplating whether or not to use this area as a battle ground. He soon came to a decision. "All right. We'll send our troops there. Like Priest Seto said we would have an advantage if we could secure the high ground."

"How many men do we have?" Priest Akunadin asked the group.

"We have about 100,000 men," Honda replied. "Most of them are from our own kingdom, but there are a few thousands that managed to escape the Empire from the Kingdoms of Hope and Destiny."

"How many of them can use heka (1)?" Atemu asked.

"Only about 1,000," Honda replied. "1,001 if you include me."

"Are they ready to depart?"

"Yes. Just give the word and we'll head off."

"All right. Tell your troops to prepare. We'll leave as soon as we can."

"Will you be accompanying them, sire?" Priest Isis asked.

Atemu hesitated. Over the past week he had been contemplating whether or not he would fight with his troops. He desperately wanted to protect his people, but he had had enough of fighting. And after what happened to Yuugi, he couldn't help but feel scared. But he was the Pharaoh, and he had to do what was best for his kingdom.

He sighed heavily and bowed his head. "I've thought about this for a few days now, and I've decided that-"

"That I should go with Honda and the troops," Yuugi interrupted. He stepped forward out of the shadows. Everyone in the room turned to look at the Prince (who had not said a word until now).

"What did you say?" a shocked Atemu asked his brother.

"I said I will go," Yuugi replied a little too harshly.

"But Yuugi, you cannot. I'm the one who should go."

"Why? I can see in your eyes that you're in no shape to go off and fight in a bloody battle such as this. Besides, you need to stay here in case the Empire launches another attack on Illuminarta. Your heka is stronger than mine."

"But Yuugi-"

"No! I refuse to hear your argument Atemu," Yuugi said forcefully. "If you do not allow me to go, you know I'll just go on ahead anyway. Remember what happened last time you didn't listen to me?"

"All too well," Atemu said sadly as the memories flashed through his mind. His heart sank. He knew there was only one option. Yuugi had managed to trap him. Reluctantly, he said: "Very well, Yuugi. You may go in my place-"

"NO!" Anzu shouted.

Priest Isis looked up at the teenage girl. "Is something wrong, Anzu?"

"Yes something's wrong!" Anzu yelled slamming her hands on the table. "Yuugi can't go into battle."

"Why not?" Yuugi asked bitterly. He crossed him arms across his chest.

"You've only just recovered from your last encounter with the Empire. You know personally how strong they are. You must be stupid to even think about going back. And besides, you promised me you wouldn't leave me again, Yuugi. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Anything at all?"

Yuugi scowled. "Maybe some promises were made to be broken."

Now it was Anzu's turn to have her heart broken. Feeling the pain in her chest, she covered her mouth with her hands. Her voice shook as she spoke.

"You…You don't mean that…do you?"

The scowl on Yuugi's face said it all. Feeling another painful tug in her chest, Anzu bolted from the room trying to stop the tears from falling.

Yuugi just watched her go. He didn't feel guilty. He didn't feel sad. In fact, if anything, he felt good. 'She deserved that after what she did to me.'

"Yuugi," Atemu hissed into his brother's ear. "Why did you say that?"

"Because it had to be said," Yuugi hissed back.

"Yuugi, what is wrong with you? Since you returned home, you've changed. What has happened to my brother?" Yuugi didn't answer. Atemu growled lowly. "Yuugi, go after Anzu and apologise."

"Why should I?" Yuugi asked sounding like a small child.

"Because you hurt her. Did you not you see the pained look in her eyes?"

"No, I did not. And if you're so worried about her, why don't you go after her?"

"Because I'm not the one who hurt her. Now go before I get Jonouchi and Honda to drag you there by the ears."

"All right! I'll go!" Yuugi surrendered, throwing his arms up in the air. Giving his brother one last evil glare, he (slowly) made his way out of the hall. He was aware of his brother's gaze burning into his back as he went, but he chose to ignore it.

It didn't take long for Yuugi to catch up with Anzu. She had stopped halfway down the corridor by a window to 'gather herself'. Yuugi walked up behind her and folded his arms across his chest and began tapping his foot. He waited a few moments, letting the girl let out a few dry sobs, before his patience finally ran out.

"Will you stop that?" he said irritated. "It's starting to get annoying."

Anzu jumped at the sound of Yuugi's voice and turned around. "Y-Yuugi."

"Why are you making such a fuss about this?" Yuugi continued, ignoring Anzu. "As you would say, it's no big deal."

"No big deal?" Anzu practically shouted. "No big deal? Yuugi, this is a very big deal! If you go with Honda, you'll be walking right into the face of danger. You could get hurt again…or worse. You could be killed! Didn't you think about that!"

There was a pause, before Yuugi stated, "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Anzu felt another pang in her heart. "Why are you saying these things? What's happened to you?"

"Nothing has happened to me." Took a few steps to the right. "I've just changed this past week, and for the better. If you don't like it, then you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Yuugi-"

"Besides," Yuugi interrupted. He threw his arms to his side and stared at Anzu. Anzu flinched at the anger in his eyes. "Why should you care about whether I get hurt or not? You don't care about me."

"W-What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me Anzu!" Yuugi cried out in anger. "I heard you and my brother talking the night I returned home. You were planning on leaving me when I had only just got back!"

"That's not true-"

"You only used me to get to Atemu, didn't you!" Yuugi suddenly asked, cutting off Anzu.

"No!" Anzu protested. "Of course I didn't! You have to believe me Yuugi!"

"Why should I? I heard you myself-"

"You misheard us! You've made a mistake!"

"And I suppose Malik made a mistake too?" Yuugi asked sarcastically.

Anzu froze. "Malik? What's Malik got to do with this?"

Yuugi let out a laugh. "Don't pretend you don't know. When I was with the Empire, he informed me of what he saw. He claims he saw you coming out of Atemu's room. His exact words were: 'She looked hot and flustered, but had a dreamy and happy look on her face.'" He folder his arms across his chest again. "Seems like you and my brother were busy whilst I was away."

Anzu felt her lip quiver with shock. But before she could say anything, Yuugi continued.

"You never cared about me, did you? You just used me to get to my brother."

"No! I didn't! I promise you Yuugi I would never do something like that! Why won't you believe me?"

"Because what you say goes against Malik's words."

"So you believe Malik's words and not mine?"

"Yes."

"But why? How? You told me yourself you don't trust Malik after he was taken by the Empire. The Yuugi I know would never listen to his lies!"

"Well the Yuugi you know is gone! Forever!"

"No-"

"The Yuugi you once knew was destroyed the moment he heard those cruel words said by his own brother and the woman he once cared about. The old Yuugi was weak. I am not."

"Yuugi please-" Anzu began to plead, but she was cut off again.

"Why can you not admit what you did?" Yuugi spat. "Admit you used me to get to Atemu! Admit you wanted to hurt me! Admit you enjoyed breaking my heart!"

It was then that Anzu finally broke. "Yuugi I would never hurt you BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Anzu covered her mouth, but it was too late. The words had just slipped out of her mouth and were now out in the open. A stunned silence fell between the pair, and the tension increased.

"I…I…I…" Anzu stuttered, unable to find the right words.

Yuugi just stared at her with vacant eyes. Too shocked to move. Too shocked to speak. Too shocked to do anything.

Anzu felt her world crumbling around her. She had just admitted something she had kept buried deep inside her. Something she was not ready to admit. And Yuugi's reaction (or lack of it) was not helping to reassure her.

Doing the first thing that came into her head, Anzu bolted. She disappeared down the hall and never looked back.

Yuugi watched her go, his eyes still blank, his body still numb from the shock. As Anzu's quick footsteps disappeared into the distance, he collapsed to his knees. Putting his hands on the ground in front of him, he lowered his head to try and control his heavy breathing. Slowly, Anzu's words began to sink in.

-I-

Anzu slammed her door shut and ran to her bed. She threw herself onto the soft mattress and buried her face into her pillow, soaking it with the streams of tears pouring out of her eyes.

"Why, why, WHY?" she wailed, heavily sobbing into the pillow. "Why me? Why do I always get hurt! What have I done to deserve all this pain?"

She cried and wailed for what felt like forever. Her mind was swimming with thoughts of anger, but mostly pain. All her life she had experience pain. Ever since her mother's death, the pain hadn't stopped. She thought that if she left her father, the pain would finally disappear and she could actually live a happy and peaceful life…

'But I was wrong. I'll never be happy. I'm just a worthless, pathetic girl…'

She continued to let her tears fall until she found she had no strength left to form any new tears. She lay in her bed for a while, her face still buried in her pillow, until she forced herself up. She sat on her knees and wiped away whatever tears were left in her eyes. All was silent outside. The sky was now covered in a purple darkness, and the people of the Kingdom of Light were now under the spell of sleep. She wondered how long she had been lying there, crying. Hours must have gone by since her confrontation with Yuugi and she hadn't noticed. She cast her eyes down and held onto the crystal necklace around her neck.

'What should I do mum?' she prayed silently. 'I'm not angry at Yuugi. I know I should be, but I just can't do it. It wasn't his fault he acted like he did. He was tricked by Malik.' She growled at the thought of the tinted-white haired boy. 'Hiretsukan (2)! This is all his fault. I bet he works for the Empire of Dark Souls. I bet he's the spy Atemu and Yuugi were worried about a while ago. He tricked Yuugi, knowing he would act this way. He knew that if he provoked Yuugi enough, it would only be a matter of time before he would do something reckless like this.' A sudden and horrible thought entered Anzu's mind.

"And he's fallen for Malik's trick," she said out loud. "But that means…when Yuugi goes with Honda…h-he'll be killed!"

She jumped off her bed and grabbed her backpack, tipping the contents onto her bed.

"I can't let him do this," she said determinedly to herself as she rummaged through her belongings. "I can't let him die. I can't let the Empire of Dark Souls win…and there's only one way to do that…"

She soon found what she was looking for. Stripping out of her clothes, she redressed herself in a turquoise top, yellow jacket, white shorts and trainers/sneakers (3); the clothes she had worn the day she had run away from home, and the clothes she had worn when Yuugi found her in the desert.

Once she was dressed she prepared everything else. She wrapped up some of the food Shizuka had brought to her earlier-before she had barricaded herself in to cry-and put them into her backpack. She filled up an old plastic bottle she found in one of her bag pockets, with the water Shizuka had brought up with the food. She then took a few old clothes and stuffed them into the bag too for some make shift bandages. She prayed she didn't have to use them.

Once everything was packed, she took her pouch of Duel Monster cards from her bedside table. Opening the flap, she took out her deck and flicked through the cards until she came across the Black Magician Girl. Taking it out of her deck, she looked longingly at it.

'Yuugi gave me this card. I remember it so clearly…'

-Flashback-

"I think you left this in here by mistake," Anzu said, holding the Black Magician Girl card out to Yuugi.

Yuugi shook his head and pushed the card back to towards Anzu. "No I didn't. I want you to have her."

"Yuugi, this is very kind of you, it really is. More than I deserve. But I don't think I can. She's really important to you…"

"And you're important to me too. Anzu, I want you to keep Black Magician Girl with you. That way, a part of me will always be with you, no matter where we are. Besides," Yuugi giggled, "Black Magician Girl likes you a lot. She told me so herself."

"Yuugi…I…" Anzu was touched by Yuugi's words, and didn't know what to say. So instead, she let her actions speak for her.

Placing Black Magician Girl on the top, she placed her deck into her new pouch and attached it to the belt around her waist. Then, before she changed her mind, she hugged Yuugi. Yuugi, taken by the surprise, stood there for a moment as Anzu hugged him. But he soon recovered and hugged her back.

"Thank you," Anzu whispered in his ear.

"No problem," Yuugi whispered back.

-End Flashback-

'He trusted me with this card and stood up for me when Atemu found out I had it. He wanted to protect me…' She placed the card on her pillow. 'Well now it's time for me to protect him. On my own.'

Hitching her backpack onto her shoulder, she opened her door and looked up and down the hall. All was silent. Yuugi and Atemu must be in their rooms, and no guards were in sight. Using the darkness to her advantage, she sneaked out her room and made her way down the corridor.

'Let the war begin.'

-I-

"Faster, FASTER!" Malik ordered his black stallion, kicking him in the sides. "Faster, you pathetic animal!"

The horse wined in pain, before increasing its pace. Malik leaned forward, placing his body as low as possible. He stole a quick glance behind him. Illuminarta had disappeared from sight long ago. All he could see now were the distant tourch lights from a town he had passed hours ago. He looked back ahead of him and saw only jet black sand.

'Malik, report'! the 'Master's' voice suddenly snapped in Malik's mind. 'How far are you from the palace?'

'Not to far,' Malik replied through the mind link. 'It should only take me a couple more hours, depending on how long this stupid horse can last.'

'Well hurry up,' the 'Master' snapped again. 'I need you here to greet some…visitors, who will be gracing us with their presence soon. We wouldn't want to make them feel unwelcome now, would we?'

'Of course not, Master. I will be more than happy to help,' Malik replied, sarcasms clearly audio able in his voice.

He sensed the 'Master closing the mind link and concentrated on the direction he was going. He kicked his horse again, urging it to go faster. A cruel smile appeared on his lips as he thought of what was to come.

'It's only a matter of time…'

-I-

"OK, now how do I do this?"

Anzu placed her hands on her hips, completely stumped. She had managed to make it out of the palace without anyone seeing her-though she had had a close call when Priest Isis appeared out of nowhere all of a sudden. What was Isis doing up at that time anyway?

The thought hadn't stayed in Anzu's mind for long. After making sure Isis was gone, she continued her little 'trip'. She had sneaked out the main palace, and made her way across the courtyard, sticking to the shadows to make sure she wasn't spotted by any of the guards. She was now standing inside the royal stables. In front of her, was the chestnut brown horse Yuugi had given her just after the Empire had attacked Illuminarta some time ago. Anzu had decided to name the horse 'Teana', after one of her ancestors. She didn't know why she had named it, or why she had chosen 'Teana'. The name had just appeared in her head, for no reason at all. It just seemed to fit.

Anzu let out a loud "huff", completely stumped on the current situation: how to saddle a horse.

"Don't look at me like that, Teana," Anzu said to her horse. "I never got taught how to do this. Sure, I can ride now, but saddle a horse?" She sighed. "Why is it always me-"

CRASH

Anzu spun round. Her gaze fell on where a broken pottery jug lay on the floor, underneath the low shelf it had fallen off. Or been pushed off by accident.

A strange sensation came over the Japanese teenager. The sensation of not being alone. She searched with her eyes around the dark stables, and strained her ears for the slightest noise that sounded out of place. But all she could hear were the horses' heavy breathing and snorting.

"W-Who's there?" Anzu asked, trying to sound brave. She continued to search silently, waiting for an answer.

But she got none. She stepped forward warily, thinking she saw something move by the stable door.

"I know you're there," she called to the door. "I can hear you, you know." And she could, now she was closer to the door. Heavy breathing. From a male by the sounds of it. "Come out!"

There was a pause, before someone moved from behind the stable door. As the door creaked open, letting the moonlight stream into the dark stables, Anzu frowned as she tried to make out the familiar figure in front of her.

"Jonouchi, is that you?" She asked, spotting the wild blonde hair belonging to said guard. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Jonouchi replied. He folded his arms across his chest, waiting for an answer.

"I asked you first," Anzu said.

"Ladies first," Jonouchi retorted.

"Age before beauty," Anzu retaliated.

"But we're the same age!"

"But you look older," Anzu said with a smile. She heard Jonouchi give a small growl. "Look, you might as well tell me why you're here. Otherwise I'll…" It was then that she spotted a bag of some sort slung over Jonouchi's shoulder. She suddenly realised just what Jonouchi was up to.

Jonouchi eyed Anzu. "Otherwise you'll what?"

Anzu ignored the question. "You're going after the Empire of Dark Souls, aren't you?" she asked, pointing to his bag.

"Err…" this took Jonouchi by surprised. He tried to hide his bag behind his back. "W-Why do you think I-I'm going after the Empire?"

Anzu stated three simple words. "To save Mai."

A dark shadow washed over Jonouchi's face. He asked with a cold voice, "How did you know about Mai?"

"A little birdie told me," Anzu replied, not wanting to give Shizuka away. "I know all about what happened two years ago, when the Empire first attacked. About how she was taken prisoner. About how no one's heard from her since. And about how you keep on getting into trouble to rescue her. You're going after the Empire to save her, and for revenge, aren't you?"

"And what about you?" Jonouchi suddenly asked. He pointed to Anzu's own bag. "You're going after the Empire too, are you not?"

"And why would I do that?"

"To protect Prince Yuugi."

Anzu flinched at the Prince's name. She held her arms to comfort herself and looked away, "I'm not going because of him."

Jonouchi was taken aback by this statement, but quickly recovered. "But you admit you are going to the Empire of Dark Souls."

"So what if I am?" Anzu said in a outburst, dropping her arms by her sides. "You're doing the exact same thing."

"But I know what I'm doing. And I have heka."

"I have magic inside of me too! I can fight just like you can!"

"And what makes you think you can fight like me?"

"I know I can! I know I can fight and defeat the Empire once and for all. It won't be easy, but I can do it. And besides, I know the Empire is interested in me. It would be better if I go to them rather than have them attack us again. It would save a lot of innocent lives if I left."

Jonouchi was shocked by the girl's speech. Never had he heard such determination. He had to admit, he was slightly impressed. But like before, he recovered quickly. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?" He asked. Anzu shook her head. Jonouchi dropped his hand and turned around, heading for the door. "Then I guess we're going together."

"W-What?" Anzu blinked.

Jonouchi stopped, tilting his head back to face her. "It's not like we have a choice. If I were to go on my own, you would tell the others as soon as I excited the palace. And I would do the same to you."

"Good point…"

Jonouchi smiled, before continuing out the stables. "Come on. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Anzu hesitated. "Erm…don't we need a horse?"

"A horse is too slow. I know a faster way to get there. Now, are you coming or not?"

Anzu quickly made up her mind and jogged to catch up with the young guard. She followed him as he made his way to the guard on duty at the palace gates. They stopped in front of him. Anzu eyes Jonouchi curiously. Just what was he up to?

She soon found out.

"I'll give you 2 dosha's to keep your mouth shut about seeing us tonight," Jonouchi said sternly, taking out two gold coins from his pouch.

The guard eyed Jonouchi, the money in his hand, Anzu standing behind the blonde, then at the money again. He looked back up at Jonouchi.

"Make it 3 and you've got a deal," he grunted.

"Deal!" Jonouchi said, taking out another coin. He dumped the three gold coins into the guards sweaty hands-ignoring his cheers of joy-and indicated Anzu to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Anzu asked as they walked out the palace gates.

"You'll see…" Jonouchi replied. He started to make his way down the stone steps.

A thought hit Anzu. "We're not walking, are we?"

"Of course not! I'm not that crazy, no matter what the Pharaoh might say about me."

Relief flooded over Anzu. She was glad she didn't have to walk all the way to the Empire. But that relief soon vanished, replaced by curiosity. Just how were they suppose to get there anyway?

Her question was soon answered when they reached the gates that granted access to Illuminarta. After bribing the guards there to keep their mouths shut about seeing the pair-Jonouchi had had to pay the two guards 5 dosha's each, something he was not happy about-they made their way outside the gates and into the desert.

Jonouchi stopped a few feet away from the now closed gates. Anzu stopped just behind him.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Just watch," Jonouchi replied. He opened his Duel Monster pouch and took a card from the top of his deck. He held it up in front of him and studied for a moment. A smile appeared on his lips, and he nodded his head. "Perfect."

He held up the card above his head. Anzu knew what was coming next.

"I summon, Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Jonouchi called.

The eye-shaped pendent-which Anzu had come to recognise as the symbol of the Millennium Items-around Jonouchi's neck glowed, along with the card above his head. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out of the card and into the air in front of them. Out of the light, a large jet black head of a dragon sprouted, followed by two jet black wings, a long black body, and two strong hind legs. There was an almighty roar before the mighty black dragon fully appeared in front of the pair, his red eyes shinning vibrantly in the moonlight.

Jonouchi smiled at the sight of his favourite monster and greeted him like he would an old friend. He then climbed up onto his dragon's back. Once he was comfortable, he looked back down at Anzu.

"Are you coming?" he asked. He held out his hand. "It would be better if two of us fought the Leader of the Empire of Dark Souls. One of us would be killed in an instant."

Anzu let out a nervous laugh. Jonouchi was right. If only one person were to stand up against the Leader, they would surely be killed almost instantly. Just look at what happened to Yuugi. But if two people with enough heka were to face him together, they just might stand a chance.

Swallowing the little fear she had, she walked over to the great dragon and took Jonouchi's hand. The guard helped her up onto Red Eyes' back, making sure she was comfortable behind him. Once they were settled, Jonouchi ordered his dragon into the air.

Anzu felt her stomach lurch as Red Eyes suddenly took off into the air. Her body rocked side to side as the dragon's wings beat hard to get to a good height. Once they were above the clouds, the pattern of the dragon's wing beats became regular. Giving a roar (to which Jonouchi cringed at), the Red Eyes Black Dragon slanted forward and began their flight.

To the centre of the Empire of Dark Souls.

-I-

To be Continued…

-I-

(1) heka: Egyptian word for magic

(2) Hiretsukan: Japanese for 'bastard'

(3) in a turquoise top, yellow jacket, white shorts and trainers/sneakers: what she wore in the Doma/Waking the Dragons series when she was travelling with Yami.

What do you think? Was it exciting or not? If it wasn't, I promise you it will get a lot more exciting in chapters to come.

Anyway, please R&R and save me from this hell hole that is my life!