Ahoy maties! Look at this : It took me less than a month to update this time! Do I get points for that? Yes? No? Well work in progress. Baby steps are better than no steps.

ENJOY!

"What the blazing hell…"

Bakura's words are the same as ever but he can't hide the surprise in his voice. He's distant. Even the wind and the sea seem far away. I can feel all eyes turned to our little group but I can't detach my eyes from Atem.

The captain doesn't move, not taking his eyes off of me either. Though he blinks from time to time, the sad and yet slightly provoking smile on his face doesn't fade. I'm not certain what exactly what he's staring at but my eyes can't leave his dripping hair. The dark drops falling down out of rhythm stain his clothes and the ground with ink-like spots… and I stare at the slow discoloring of his hair.

As if a will external to me commanded it, I drop my bucket and close the distance between us. He lets me approach, even leans his head a bit forward when my hand reaches for his head. My heart throbs like canon fire in my chest as I grab a thick strand and let it slip between my index and middle fingers, applying a shaky pressure on it.

Instantly, the black water leaks in my hand like mud and along my arm all the way down to my elbow. A faint smell of rotting prune tickles my nose, mixed in with scents of sea salt and lime. But what has my attention is the slowly discoloring hair itself. Amidst the fading black, emerges a few strands of brown and red.

A bright, evidently inhuman red.

The sense of wonder rising within me is instantly overshadowed by a wave of apprehension. My heartbeat resonates in my skull so loudly that it drowns out any other noise around. Cold shivers creep up my spine quickly followed by a swarm of goosebumps all over my skin while my mind struggles to assimilate my discovery.

My eyes find his ruby irises, still staring at me with that infinite sadness in them and waiting for me to say something. I can't believe it. This truth… the one truth I've been hoping for my whole life, the hope that was crushed in me at the sight of my desecrated homeland… is standing right in front of me. I can feel the exhilaration born of stirred up hope swarm me. Yet my mind can't find the alignment.

It can't be true. It's not possible. There are too many oddities, too many inconsistencies… it can't be and yet it is?

Fright grabs me by the throat and I stop breathing as I stare into the abyss of the ruby irises. I step back quickly, distancing myself from him. He doesn't follow. Only stares at me without blinking.

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice trembling as the words struggle to get out.

He doesn't reply but his eyes finally look down. Wether out of shame or pure reluctance, it causes the tension in me to spike. The thing burning in my stomach shoots up to my throat and despite myself, I shout.

"WHO ARE YOU?!"

He looks up again, this time with resignation and a unfamiliar mask-less face. For the first time, I see the face that is meant to be there.

"I'm Atem Sennen," he lets out.

He pauses and for a what feels like an eternity, I fear that would be all the explanation I get. But then, he grabs a handful of his own thick hair, squeezing the coragro dye out of them, letting more small strands of red emerge before the confession leaves his lips. "I am the son of Akhenamkhanon Sennen, the last of the Shayee king. And until a few days ago, the last scrape of the Shayee remaining in this world."

I hear the words but logic prevents them from making any sense in my head. I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out. The tension I was feeling throughout my entire body suddenly vanishes, leaving me completely numb. I search for a trace of lie in his eyes but find none. I wait for him to begin laughing and mock me. To prove to me that I'm wrong. He doesn't.

"You have got to be bloody kidding me," lets out the quartermaster, looking back and forth between his captain and myself.

Everyone around is every bit as flabbergasted as I am —if not, more—, all eyes on the captain of their ship. That secret was evidently not meant to be known by anyone. How? How can this be? I saw him eat meat and drink ale not only with ease but also appreciation. The smell alone should have made him retch. I nearly returned my insides from one sip of rum last night….

"No… No. It can't be…it just can't…" I mutter.

I only realize how far I've gotten when my back hits the edge of the ship. I try to catch my breath but air I inhale is heavy and adds more weight to my chest. Sweat drops form on my forehead and drip on my face. Despite that agonizing sensation, I can't stop looking at him. When he takes a step, my heart nearly stops.

"DON'T!" I shout to which he stops.

Then, out of nowhere, strong vertigo blur my vision and my eyes burn. I bring my hands to them letting out a groan of pain as my mind takes me away from the Millennium and back to an unburnt Shayee island. Back to a time of peace.

It isn't one image per say but a series of multiple ones flashing at sickening speed in my mind. Instead of fire, screams and blood, those are filled with many tricolor hair, laughter and families. We're at the heart of the village. There is music, sea food and dancing.

I know this memory. It's the one I recovered when I was at the heart of the ruins only it's clearer this time. The man with the orichalcum crown is there, some bow to him. This time, I can discern his traits. Honey-colored eyes, sun-kissed skin but most of all, a familiar wild mane of hair. An impressive mix of dark silver, brown and… bright red.

Ah. It's true. There was such a thing as the Shayee king.

The pain fades as quickly as it came and I open my eyes. The truth is staring me right in the face. And it has ruby irises and a tricolor mane hidden under coragro dye. It explained so much and yet nothing. It is and it's not.

Instead of clear questions, my mind is drowned in a wave of absolute confusion. I open my mouth to speak but instead of words, an uncontrollable flow of laughter escapes me. All eyes that were on the captain are now back to me and my mad laughter is the only thing filling the silence.

It shows not sign of stopping, so much that it frightens me. The muscles of my stomach tense painfully while I try not to fall down. All the while, I can't take my eyes off of him.

I bring both hands to my mouth to contain my vocalized insanity but it only makes it worse. My vision blurs when tears flood my eyes and leak on my face. Quickly, the laughter turns to sobs and gasps for air when my head begins spinning. I end up doubling over in pain and dizziness.

My mind is blank of all thoughts and my body has taken over the task to digest the truth that's been downed upon me. I don't understand. I myself asked him that question. Do I have so much trouble believing it that my own body is trying to choke me?

Because I know he can lie? Because I know how good he is at manipulating me? Because a Shayee can't possibly be driven by the eerie and self-destructive urge that is vengeance? Because I don't want him to be?

Suddenly, a shadow blocks the sun from my curled up figure and a large hand lands on my shoulder. Had I any reflexes left in me, I'd have jumped. When did he get here?

"Breathe," orders the captain.

I don't know why but my body immediately obeys and takes a deep, well-needed breaths until my head stops spinning and my vision clears up. But I stare at the ground where my tears and sweat have fallen. I find myself counting them to avoid looking up.

Counting… Two hundred and twenty three Shayee… Seven unborn… Two hundred and twenty two names carved in the stone…

Just as the thought hits me, Atem grabs my good arm and pulls me to my feet. I finally look up at him. He smiles while his eyes are still filled with sadness.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Yugi Muto" he says as if this is our first meeting. In a sense, it is.

I have to be sure. I need to be certain.

"No," I say, pulling my arm out of his grip and shaking my head at him. "No more lies."

Listening only to the imminent sense of urgency, I dash passed him and to the opposite edge of the Millennium. I hear Joey and Reed call out to me as I step onto the edge and jump headfirst into the sea. I let my weight take me as deep as possible before swimming as fast as I can in the opposite direction.

Atem wasn't lying about the sixth sense of the Shayee. I know exactly where I'm headed. I don't feel the tug of the Call in my chest anymore but I can "see" with the sounds the water brings to me. I sense the reefs, the animals, the movements of the currents…. I sense it all, and I know exactly where to go.

I have no clue how long it took for me to return to my homeland. Hours probably, but it felt like an eternity to me. I didn't even notice I passed through the ring of ravash sap before reaching the beach of white sand.

I pay no mind to the destruction this time. My mind is in a perpetual state of confusion that doesn't even allow the memories of the fire and the screams to distract me. I reach the trails of the burnt forest, cross the ruins of the houses of white stones, and dash up the hill to the burial ground.

My legs burn when I reach the memorial stone and my intake of air hasn't improved. Panting to catch my breath, my eyes wander on the hundreds of names carved with absolute perfection into the stone wall. Once again, an eternity of a few seconds goes by before I find Solomon's name and proceed to read all the ones below it.

Solomon. Seiaa. Miiu. Yusei. Yuya…..Yugi

That's me. I'm here. I remember being so engrossed in counting the names that I hadn't taken the time to read them. I was so distraught at the time.

Looking all the way up, I indeed find the name Akhenamkhanon.

I was never the missing name. It was him.

"That's why he wanted to leave so quickly," I mutter to myself. "He didn't want me to notice…"

Exhaustion finally catching up to me, I lean my back against the memorial and slide to the ground. The fogs of confusion slowly dissipating from my mind finally allow my thoughts to form properly. The man who kidnapped me, manipulated me, threatened me, hurt me… is a Shayee.

My kin, my blood.

A warm sensation is filling my chest. The void is disappearing and I feel tears leak on my cheeks along the seawater dripping from my hair. I'm not the only one. I never was. Is this what pure relief and happiness feel like? A thousand time stronger than when I found out Atem was bringing me to my homeland.

I let myself be relieved for a moment, relishing in this sensation I've waited for my whole life and thought was lost forever. I close my eyes, thanking God for this grace and remain there for who knows how long. The sun bathes the island in a warm light, slowly drying my wet skin and hair.

However, mere moments after I reopen my eyes, the real questions surface. How did he survive? What did he remember? How much more did he know about me that I didn't? Did he know my family? Why hide from me? If he didn't want me to see… If he didn't want me to know then why bring me here?

"I'll awake the true Shayee in you," is what he'd told me.

The warmth suddenly begins to burn my insides and sends needle-like stings into my limbs. Soon, I'm boiling with frustration. Once again, I've been played like a fool. He lied to my face. He'd let me wallow in my misery and if it weren't for Mokuba, I'd still be.

"Oh my Lord, Moki!" I exclaim springing back on my feet.

How could I have forgotten him? But I stop just as quickly. They won't hurt him. He's the guarantee that I'll be back. Still, I better not linger. Staying here won't bring me answers. Only one person in the entire world can.

I turn back to the memorial one last time, fearing I might've dreamt it all but I still find my name in the stone. I trace the letters with the tip of my fingers to make sure this isn't a hallucination until another realization hits me like a horse kick to the face. Such perfect carvings… I know only one tool that can cut through stone and metal this easily.

I bite my lower lip in anger. Yet another lie uncovered. The first of many I imagine.

With a finally cleared up mind and a frustration showing no signs of leaving, I make my way back to the beach. I throw one last glance at the island before leaving — I have the strange feeling that I'll be back sooner than I think.

The water slipping on my skin allows me to remain calm and the sounds of the sea give me a sense of serenity. But I'm no fool. I know the frustration is still here, waiting for the opportunity to lash out.

For some reason, the way back to the Millennium feels much shorter even though I'm not swimming nearly as fast. I remember general direction of the Millennium but still pay close attention to my new sight in fear of missing it. Even with my eyes closed, I can easily avoid corals and reefs and even see the nearby fauna. I've already come across two manta rays, a group of dolphins and a pod of flying fish. I can sense whales nearby as well.

Yet it feels so banal at the moment. I may be calm but I'm far from carefree.

Finally, I 'see' the shape of the Millennium. It's still quite far from my position and I've used up a lot of energy already —both mental and physical. And the sunlight is slowly but surely turning orange.

I pick up the pace and begin speeding up, when a familiar sound resonates in my ears. I stop and look to the side. About sixty yards away, I see two whales. A baby and a much bigger one, both headed in my direction. The little one —and fastest of the two— sings happily as she comes closer… and I see rope scars on her tail.

'It's you!'

It's indeed the little whale I'd freed. And from the looks of it, she hasn't forgotten either. She brings her nose to my face level and I run my hand along her muzzle. I have to control myself not to get lost in the moment.

'I'm glad you found your mother. I'd love to stay a bit longer, but I have to go.'

I smile, leaving one last pat on her head before resuming my swim. But merely a few lengths further, I feel her catch up to me. She twists her body so that her fin hooks my back and begins pushing me. Of course, I quickly slip out of her 'grip'.

'What are you…'

She doubles around and comes back to my side, repeating the same movement. When I slip again, she returns once more but this time, pushes me with her nose. It hits me. She's pushing me in direction of the Millennium.

'You want to help me get back like last time?'

Unbelievable. It's as if she can read my thoughts. I slip again, of course, so this time she stays in place and presents a fin to me. I don't know why I'm so sure of myself but I grab on to it. The moment I do, she immediately begins moving, picking up speed I didn't know was possible for a creature so large. The mother follows us closely as the little one drags me in direction of Beruga and the setting sun.

Before long, the hull of the pirate ship comes in sight. No, truly, never once have I imagined whales could swim this fast.

My odd mount deviates to the side of the Millennium and slows down. I let go and begin swimming up to the surface, sending a thought of gratitude to my new friend. But no sooner have I formulated the thought that I feel something smooth and slippery under my feet and find myself being pushed up frighteningly fast —by the mother this time.

When we break the surface, she lets out a loud wail and a powerful spray escapes her blowhole. To my surprise she lets her entire head and back out of the water. Once certain of my balance, I straighten up just as Joey, Reed and others —alerted by the noise— lean on the edge.

They all stare incredulously but my eyes immediately search for Atem. I find him looking from the edge of the quarterdeck. He's changed his clothes and his hair doesn't seem to drip anymore. A sudden gush of wind plays with my hair as we eye each other during a timeless moment. The moment of truth is upon us.

Our staring off is interrupted when Xao throws a rope ladder overboard. I kneel down to pat my carrier on the nose one last time before diving back in and climbing back onto to the Millennium. By the time I get back on the main deck, Atem is already making his way down.

"Yugi!"

The cry of relief breaks my focus and I suddenly find myself in the tight grasp of my little brother's arms. He looks up at me eyes on the verge of tears.

"Where were you? I thought you were gone!" he says, his voice breaking and his hands gripping my dress.

"I'm sorry," I reply returning his embrace as a twinge of guilt pinches my heart. "I'm so sorry. There was something I needed to see."

I release him when the footsteps get closer and gently push him away to face the captain of the Millennium. He stands a few meters from me and we peer at each other. I can still feel the frustration crawling under my skin but it's overshadowed by the sentiment of joy warming up my heart at the sight of my kin.

I'm not the only one.

A heavy silence has fallen on the main deck yet again. Somehow the sphere on intimacy from last night surrounds us again and it's as if there is no one but us in the world. I can't read his face. I've never seen him make it before. Then, the song of the whales reverberates around us once more.

Finally, a familiar half-smirk pulls on the corner of Atem's lips. "It seems you've made a friend, love."

No. No! Not a chance on earth is there that I'd let him put his mask back on. My body moves on it's own. Out of anger or fear I'm not certain. I close the distance between us and send my palm to collide with his cheek as hard as I can. The clap echoes around but he doesn't make a sound.

"Liar!" I shout despite myself.

Evidently not very affected, he straightens up rather quickly. It seems I've managed to keep him from hiding his true face again. His expression is neutral but I see emptiness and the sadness from before still lingering in his eyes. For the first time, I'm consciously speaking to the real him.

"Did you expect anything less from a pirate?" is his reply and it only serves to accentuate the tension in me.

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

My voice is breaking and I can feel the tears readying behind my eyes again but I refuse to let them fall. That effort causes my body to shake uncontrollably.

"No."

The warmth in my chest vanishes at his answer and I feel cold spikes of ice growing in my insides. He might as well have stabbed me again. He lets a small smile show and looks down.

"Don't take it personally, love. If it wasn't for your earlier stunt, I'd have taken it to my grave."

"Why?" I shout losing all form of self-control at the sound of his nonchalantness. "Why take me to the island? Do you have any idea how it felt? It was as if the world was falling apart right under my feet. I wanted to die! Is that what you wanted me to feel?"

"Sooner or later, you'd have had to face reality," he explains as calm as ever, eying the horizon. "It was necessary. The sooner the better."

How can he take me for a fool even now that I've uncovered his identity? I don't know what irks me more; his eyes avoiding mine or his having an answer to everything.

"And pray tell, what reality are you speaking of?" I ask, desperately attempting to control the raging anger in me. "The morbid one where there's only one of us left?"

Why? Why hide yourself from me?

He doesn't reply and instead, keeps staring at the horizon, the orange light making his ruby irises burn like an aggressive fire. A fire devouring its host from the inside out. And here I am powerless to stop it.

"What was it all for? Kidnapping me, showing me all of this… If you had no intention of revealing yourself to me then everything you did was for me alone. Why? You said it yourself, this man hunt is your life mission and yet you stopped it just for me. Why is that?"

Seems I'm not the only one curious about that. Everyone around seems to hold their breaths in anticipation. From the corner of my eye, I can see Bakura crossing his arms on his chest and watching attentively.

"Didn't that work to your advantage?" finally says the captain smirking again. "I recall you wanting to remember and learn of your people, love."

The nickname I've somehow gotten accustomed to feels like an insult.

Why won't you look at me?

"You know my name, don't call me that," I say. "Stop dodging my question."

"There's no need to concern yourself with the why."

With that, he turns around to walk away. Panic strikes me again and I throw myself forward. I circle around him and grab ahold of arms to stop him.

"LOOK AT ME!" I half-order half-plead.

Don't go. Don't turn away from me. It hurts.

From the top of my head to the pit of my stomach, I'm shaking like a leaf in a typhoon and it feels like I'm suffocating. He's already dyed his hair again and the lingering smell of rotten prune tickles my nose. But it's not enough to vanquish the one of sea salt. The only scent that matters.

Finally he's looking at me his face still blank and his eyes even more profound than before. I release his arms and observe. For a moment, I feel he might be as much on the verge of tears as I am, but he only stares. I don't know what he's seeing but I want him to understand my distress. Breathe, Yugi, breathe.

"You felt it too, didn't you?" I clench a hand over my chest. "When you realized what I was. This warmth filling your chest —like seeing the sunlight after wandering in the dark. I can feel it. Right here."

Following a spontaneous urge, I bring my free hand to his chest and press it over his heart. Just the memory of that feeling —which still lingers in me somewhere— makes two tears escape the corner of my eyes. I can feel our bond thicker than blood.

"You're my kin, my blood, part of my soul," I say quoting words that are not my own.

He flinches slightly at my words but says nothing for a while and closes his eyes for a few moments. Then, he brings a hand up and closes it my wrist as gently as if he were handling glass. The warm tingles and warmth he brings to my skin are welcomed for the first time.

"I was absolutely thrilled when I found you. Never in my life have I ever hoped to be blessed with such a miracle. However…"

A chill runs down my spine when his tone suddenly shifts and he opens his eyes. This stern glare, I know well. It's full of seriousness and pride.

"I feel nothing of the sort," he states.

With that one sentence, the bond I feel seems to snap and vanish, like suddenly waking up from a wonderful dream. Before I can even think of stepping back, the hand on my wrist tightens and he yanks me closer so that our faces nearly touch.

"I didn't lie to you. The Shayee in me has died long ago."

His words send more shivers throughout me and the spikes of ice triple in size. I know a storm is coming. My lips quiver as I force the question out.

"I-I don't understand. What…do you mean?"

He releases me and I take a few steps back, fearing his answer more than his person.

"You asked why I brought you to see the island. For the same reason you wanted to go there : to remember and carry all of them in your memory forever. Be a witness to their demise and a testament to their lives. You are the only one worthy to preserve them."

"You're talking nonsense—" I say confused.

His eyes suddenly soften and he steps closer, bringing his large hand to my cheek. This time, it burns my wet skin and I stop breathing all together.

"You are pure, Yugi." His thumb gently rubs my skin, wiping the tears. "Despite the flames and the pain that have scarred you — body and soul— you're still Yugi Muto, daughter of the Shayee. Even without your memories, you never decayed. Your bond was never severed."

I'm paralyzed unable to escape the burning hand holding my face or the piercing gaze peering into the very core of my soul.

"You're kind, loving, protective, unvengeful…" Atem continues somehow keeping his voice and face unchanged. "While I am anger, vengeance, pride and spite. A rogue beast that thirsts for the blood of those who have wronged it."

My heart throbs painfully and more tears escape me. "How can you possibly believe that?"

"My soul has decayed with every sin I willingly committed for this hunt. Hell is all that awaits me." Each of his words is like another needle in my heart. "I'm unsalvageable."

Then why keep me still?

"I am no longer your kin, but I will make sure nothing ever corrupts you, the last flame of your people. Preserving and fanning you might be the only thing I'm able to do in memory of them anymore."

I let my arms fall to my sides. All of me seems to have gone completely numb. A new realization slowly sinks in and slowly, the skies of my soul darken in morbid dread. I can see it all. So much pain, so much loneliness and so much misery… I was never alone. I had Moki and Seto. They're my family, my reason to be. Who did he have twelve years ago when everything was burned down? Now rotten to the core, he doesn't want to be saved.

As per usual, he reads me like an open book. Though I'm not quite sure how much I'm displaying at the moment.

"The bond between Shayee is extremely potent. It hurts to feel it snap, doesn't it?" he says. "It would've been much easier if you'd behaved yourself."

Why are your words so taunting and your tone so gentle?

"If you're not…not my kin th-then… what am I to you?" I ask, wrestling with my throat to get the words out.

He smiles. It's not a smirk or the sad smile but somewhere in between the two. Half truth? Half lie? I can't tell. A gush wind hits the side of my face sending my hair in my face. I reflexively close my eyes to avoid getting some in them but before I can think of moving them, he does it for me. By the time I reopen them, I find my face trapped in his hands and his lips pressed against my forehead.

I dare not move as my skin burns and tingles at the surprising display of tenderness. My heart aches painfully again and I clench my teeth. I stare incredulously when he pulls away and rubs his thumbs one last time on my cheeks.

"Still far too distracting, love," he finally answers before removing his hands. "Joey!"

The first mate who's been there since the beginning steps closer to us an air of confusion about him. "Cap'n?"

"Lock her up. I don't want to see her until we reach Beruga."

The order snaps me out of the spell I was under. Did I mishear?

"What about the lad?" asks the first mate.

"We need him to take care of the wounded," replies Atem eying Mokuba. "Have someone watch him at all times. He can join her for the night. Bakura, Reed. Come with me. John, go fetch Tristan. Joey, join us when you're done."

"Aye aye, captain!" they all reply in near perfect unison.

Just like that, the mask has returned. Without so much as sparing me one last glance, the captain of the Millennium hastily makes his payback to the quarterdeck with Bakura and Reed close behind.

Don't go. I have more questions. Don't leave. Please.

I want to call out to him. I want him to have made all of it up and tell me he was lying. But though my mind is screaming, my body is paralyzed and I helplessly watch him disappear. From the corner of my eye, I see Carrot-top holding Mokuba back while Joey says something to me. But he's too distant. He ends up grabbing my good arm and gently but firmly pull me along to the lower decks.

Why are you in so much pain?

As gentle as ever, the wolf-man attempts to make small talk, ask if I'm alright. I don't answer, lost in my own foggy mind. So he gives up and leads me to the jail cells. I let him lock me in without so much as a word of complaint. He throws me a last look of pity before leaving.

The moment the door shuts behind him, I crumble to ground, back against the wall and wrap my arms around my folded legs. I thought I'd cried all the tears I had. Silent streams fall out of my eyes as I can't chase the image of the empty ruby irises.

I know one thing : that pain isn't my own. But someone needs to shed tears for it.

Is this what loneliness does to a Shayee?

Angsty enough for ya'll? No? That's okay. Worse it coming up! *insert evil laugh*

SPECIAL REQUEST : I posted a pole on my profile page so you guys can help me chose which fem!Yugi story I'll do after I'm done with WTTT. I'd be very grateful if you could take five seconds of your time to check it out!

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