Hey guys! This is a very exciting chapter and I'm curious to see what you all think of it.
I will warn you there are multiple triggers in this chapter: blood, death etc. I have labeled the section where it starts and where it ends with 'Trigger Warning Starts/Ends Here'. Please read at your discretion. Other than that, please enjoy the chapter!
*I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. I only own my OCs: Christine and Meg. If you recognize anything, I do not own that either. Fandoms I reference include: Dragon Age, a photo shoot by Yaboy Meghan, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and possibly more.*
The Pharaoh knew immediately that she had blown the entire secret wide open. He gave a sigh as Meg didn't move for a whole minute.
"Nice going, Meg." He told her and the girl finally moved.
She slammed her hand into her forehead loudly, repeatedly hitting herself in the head in fury.
"Maker's breath!" She cursed. "Me and my big mouth!"
The gang had stopped to stare at her. Meg cursed at herself for a moment longer. When she finally calmed down, she turned back around, a nervous expression on her face.
"Who's Kazuki Takahashi?" Jounouchi asked, a harsh tone to his voice.
Meg glanced to the Pharaoh, remembering that he knew the truth. With no other option, he waved his hand, almost telling her that she had permission to tell them. She gave a sigh.
"The manga artist who created and designed you guys."
"Huh?!"
"We can't be manga characters!" Anzu argued. "We're real people!"
Meg played with her hands in nervousness. The Pharaoh could see that her face was losing its color and quickly becoming green.
"It's true." Meg said quietly. "That was how 'stine and I first got introduced to you guys; through a manga called 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' I don't know how to explain how 'stine is connected to this place but for me growing up, you guys were characters in a series."
The gang began to argue amongst themselves. There were shouting, trying to make sense of what they had just heard. Yugi wasn't saying anything, his eyes were stuck on Meg's face. The girl's face was becoming greener as the shouting was getting louder and louder. The Pharaoh sighed in sympathy to the girl and he moved to Meg's defense.
"Guys, hold on." He called into the argument.
The Pharaoh stepped to Meg's side and placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is no need to berate Meg about this. Saying it can't be easy for her as well."
There was a moment of silence. Everyone glanced to Meg's green face. She looked ready to cry. The silence was eventually broken by Yugi.
"Did you know?" Yugi asked softly.
The Pharaoh nodded immediately. There was arguing for a second but it stopped when he spoke again.
"Christine told me over a year ago, the day before she admitted to you all about what she was." There were soft gasps from Anzu and Honda but he ignored them. "It was hard even for her to admit it. But... she had proof of it; she had a book that detailed the first few incidents after Yugi put together the puzzle, albeit with a few key differences of course."
Meg sighed, dramatically. She wiped the water gathering in her eyes away before speaking.
"Ah, the original stuff." She placed a hand on her head. "The good stuff."
The Pharaoh bopped her on the head and she made a sound of annoyance. "What was that for?"
"Is there anything here that could prove it?"
Meg's annoyed expression dropped as she thought. She eventually gave a shrug.
"Probably. Who knows where it could be though."
Her eyes then narrowed. "And shouldn't we be looking for the other guardian person?"
The Pharaoh looked to his friends. They all wore confused and scared expression. They needed to be assured before they continued on.
"We should prove it first."
Meg looked to the gang as well then nodded. She waved them to follow her and there was only a moment of hesitation before they did.
The Pharaoh could feel Yugi's eyes on him. They questioned him, asked him why he didn't tell him sooner. "I couldn't say anything, Yugi."
"Why not?" Yugi retorted.
"I promised Christine that I would keep it quiet. Believe me, I reacted the same way you all are."
"Why didn't she tell the rest of us then?"
The Pharaoh glanced to his partner and saw the betrayed expression on his face. He was upset that his friends were keeping secrets from him. The Pharaoh placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder.
"She didn't want you all to think differently of her. She didn't know how you'd react with the knowledge that she knew some of the things that were going to happen. She had already cried from fear when I confronted her about what she is. Yugi... Can you blame her for being scared?"
Yugi didn't reply. With their bodies separated like this, Yugi's thoughts were jumbled in the Pharaoh's head. He couldn't understand what his partner was thinking but decided to stay out of his thoughts.
"She is our friend." Yugi finally said softly. "There isn't anything that could happen for us to change that."
The Pharaoh smiled down to his partner. He gripped his shoulder tighter before he let go. That was when Meg called that she found a memory to use as proof.
The gang raced over to see Meg near cackling again.
"What's so funny?" Jounouchi asked.
"I remember this day!" Meg laughed. "It's hysterical!"
The gang looked to the memory and saw what looked to be a large convention center. Christine and Meg were walking through it, laughing brightly at whatever they were talking about. The two were dressed up: Meg in what looked like Renaissance clothes in dark browns and reds carrying an instrument and a hardly recognizable Christine wearing a black wig over her bright blonde hair and yellow contacts over her normal green ones, a dark black skirt with a dark red or maroon almost hoodie top that barely covered a thin brown bra. The Pharaoh had to fight off a blush.
"What are you two doing?" Ryuji asked.
"Cosplaying, duh."
When no one replied, Meg continued. "This con was where I was allowed to pick our theme so I had us dress up as Dragon Age characters. I'm the bard from the third game, Inquisition, and 'stine is her waifu, Morrigan."
"Waifu?" The Pharaoh asked, almost nervously.
Meg laughed loudly. She was teasing him for being jealous.
"No need to worry, Pharaoh. Morrigan was the character 'stine's Warden romanced when I made her play the first game, Origins. 'Stine has a thing for sassy mages."
That cleared up who it was but waifu? The Pharaoh's continued raised eyebrow made Meg relent. "Fine! 'Stine went lesbian for Morrigan when I was introducing her to the characters, hence she is the waifu."
"Ah."
Meg turned back to the memory, a soft smile on her face. The gang watched the two girls for a moment before Jounouchi asked a question.
"How is this hysterical?" He pointed to the memory and looking to Meg.
Meg gave a snicker. This couldn't be good.
"Look at who we meet." She simply said.
Everyone looked back and Yugi recognized the spiked hair that walked past them. Memory Christine perked up immediately.
"Yugi!" She cried. "Duel me!"
"Agh!" The person dressed as Yugi cried before he ran off.
Meg and Christine were in hysterics at the sight. Yugi stared wide eyed before snapping his head to Meg.
"What?!" He gasped.
Meg gave an unhelpful shrug.
"You're just a popular person to cosplay, Yugi." She told him with a laugh.
Yugi looked back to the memory to see memory Christine and Meg walking over to more cosplayers and recognizing some of them as his friends. No... they were dressed as his friends. There was a Ryuji, a Honda, a couple of Yugi's and even a Pharaoh but... The Pharaoh glared at Meg then.
"I would never wear something like that." He huffed at Meg.
"It's cosplay! You can do whatever you damn well please."
The Pharaoh huffed again. The person cosplaying him was made to look like a stripper of some kind. "Lighten up, Pharaoh! It's a joke on the name: instead of Yu-Gi-Oh! it's now Yu-Gi-Hoe!" Anzu laughed at the pun while Yugi laughed at the annoyed expression on his other self's face.
The memory faded while Christine was taking a picture with the stripper Pharaoh and everyone was quiet. Meg was the first to speak when the silence was getting to her. "There are probably hundreds of memories like that: the both of us playing video games with you guys being the characters, us reading the manga, us watching the show, yadda yadda." Meg stopped to take a deep breath. She looked up to the gang again, nervously. "Do you all believe me now?"
There was a small silence. It even made the Pharaoh slightly nervous. What were they thinking? Jounouchi was the first to wrap an arm around Meg's shoulders.
"Ya should've said something." Jounouchi sighed to her. "Seeing ya turn green was kinda scary."
"Oh shut it!"
Everyone laughed. Jounouchi definitely brought up the mood; he was good for that.
The Pharaoh wanted to enjoy the nice change of pace but his eyes caught onto something moving in the shadows. No one else saw it so the Pharaoh was the only one to turn and look at it. It was only a shadow but he was able to see the outline of a female figure. In the faint light, a glimmer of jewelry on the woman's chest reflected back at the Pharaoh. She seemed to realize he saw her and bolted away.
"Come back!" He called, racing after her.
The Pharaoh ignored the calls of his friends, continuing to chase after the shadowed woman. He had to concentrate on keeping up with her.
The woman took quick turns, jumping into open doors and hoping he'd get lost in her wake, but he kept at her and was starting to close in. She stopped for a second, looking for somewhere else to go but the Pharaoh was able to grab her wrist before she could bolt off again. "Stop..." He panted. "I'm not going to hurt-!"
The woman had turned around and the Pharaoh was greeted with Christine's face. The words had stopped dead in his throat. She was slightly older but it was her face. The same face that was on the canvas Pegasus had sent her right after Duelist Kingdom. The face of who Christine really was. "Iliana…"
The 3000-year-old queen shrunk back at her name. She tried to pull her wrist away but the Pharaoh held fast. "Please, say something." Her gaze snapped up to him, her expression something akin to defeat. Her free hand moved to her throat and she shook her head. "You can't speak?" She nodded and the Pharaoh understood immediately. "The potion. It must have understood that you had something important to say so it silenced you." She nodded again. "Geez, I can't wait to get my hands on that crone!"
Iliana raised her hand, a gesture he took to mean 'stop', so he did. The woman looked up to him, her almost sad expression puzzling him, then turned her head. He followed and was surprised to be looking at the large blue door, the entrance of Christine's mind. They had run all the way back here? Why was she so intent on it? "We're trying to open it. We need to find the second guardian." Iliana nodded to his words.
The queen pulled herself free of the Pharaoh's grip and her hands moved to her dress. On her chest was a large scarab chest piece made of gold and other precious stones that helped to hold up her dress. It detached easily and she held it out to him. The Pharaoh took it hesitantly, his puzzled expression moving back to his 'queen' quickly. She gave a silent laugh then pointed to the door. He turned back to it.
Neyla, the Blade Mage, was already walking towards it, her sword unsheathed. She lifted it up towards the door only for it to be sucked into the spot laid out for it. The Pharaoh understood. "This is the second object!" He turned to look to Iliana once more but the queen was gone. "What?"
"Pharaoh!" Someone called and he turned.
The gang and Meg raced towards, all gasping for air when they stopped. Meg was the first to pop up and glare at him. "What the hell were you thinking?!" She snapped. "Running off like a toddler?! What if you got lost?!"
"But I didn't get lost..." The Pharaoh began to say.
"Eh! Don't argue with me, buster!"
"Hey." The Pharaoh settled the chest piece at his side as he retorted. "The only one who can call me 'buster' is Christine."
"And that's simply because you can't stop her from calling you that." Neyla called into the conversation.
The Pharaoh leveled her with an annoyed expression but the Blade Mage only laughed. She sobered after a few seconds, holding out her hand. "The item, please?"
"Item?" Yugi asked. "What Item?"
The Pharaoh held up the chest piece for everyone to see. Yugi, who had seen Pegasus' canvas, knew what was immediately. "Is that...?"
The Pharaoh nodded.
"Turns out, Iliana herself was a guardian." The Pharaoh replied.
The gang's jaws dropped. They were clearly not expecting that. They looked to Neyla, who wore a bright smile on her face.
"Indeed." Neyla nodded her head. "Both halves of who Christine are were chosen. Myself from her past and the queen for her now."
The Blade Mage took the chest piece and, just like her sword, it was sucked into the door when she held it up. There was a loud click and the door began to open. Large drops of the black ooze spilled out but it was fading as quick as it appeared.
"That's still gross." Anzu whispered.
"Agreed." Jounouchi added.
The gang remained where they were for a second when there was a flash of light above their head. Neyla snapped her head towards the shadows in front of the door, a harsh glare on her face.
"You all must hurry." She quickly said. "The crone is on her way."
"But you're weaponless!" Meg cried. "How will you defend yourself?"
"I will be fine."
"I'll stay with her." Anzu jumped in. "The crone won't hurt regular people like Christine, right?"
"Probably." Meg shrugged. "I have no idea. 'Stine's a special case but it may hold her for a second."
"I'll stay too." Honda stepped towards Anzu. "If there is more of us, she may be less likely to attack."
Ryuji stepped over to the two as well. He didn't have to say what was on his mind but everyone knew. The blond was quiet for a moment. Jounouchi turned to the Pharaoh then.
"You and Meg go in." He said. "Christine can't hide anything from you two."
The Pharaoh nodded. Yugi stepped over to his other self, a determined gleam in his eyes. He wasn't going to be left behind. The spirit nodded again and Yugi's face melted into a smile.
The was another flash that made Meg jump this time.
"Alright!" She shrieked. "Let's go already!"
Yugi and the Pharaoh nodded, turning to enter the opened door.
"Be safe!" Anzu cried, her voice warbling slightly from some kind of strange barrier.
The Pharaoh looked back to his friends after a few steps to see that they had vanished. There was no turning back he guessed. He looked back into the innermost part of Christine's mind.
The inside of the door was stained black from the ooze. They walked through what looked to be grass but it was stained black as well.
"What in Andraste's name is going on in here?"
"I wish I knew." Yugi replied.
The Pharaoh kept looking around. What looked to be birds were trapped in the black ooze, desperately trying to free themselves. He stepped over to one in an attempt to help it but the bird cawed weakly at him in protest.
"They'll probably be freed when 'stine gets up."
The Pharaoh reluctantly agreed and the three continued walking. The large tree in the center of the room drooped, weighed down by more of the black sludge. "Damn, the crone left nothing uncovered."
"You got that right." The Pharaoh agreed.
"What about that?" Yugi piped up.
He was pointing at a corner of the room that was relatively clear of the sludge but none of them could see what lay beyond that darkness.
"I... I don't know what that is..." Meg hesitantly said.
"Should we...!"
Yugi was cut off when a scream echoed out of the darkness. The Pharaoh recognized it immediately.
"Christine!" He called but there was no reply.
All three of them looked into the dark corner then each other. "She's in there."
There was a moment of silence. Meg wrung her hands together in slight nervousness.
"I sure hope 'stine won't kill us for barging in." Meg muttered.
"If she's screaming like that, then I don't think she'll mind." Yugi countered. "Let's go!"
TRIGGER WARNING STARTS HERE
The boy was first to walk into the shadows, vanishing into nothing. Meg and the Pharaoh looked to each other again but didn't say anything. They both stepped into the shadows as well.
It was dark. The only light was a small flickering candle on what looked like a table. Was it nighttime?
"Where...?" The Pharaoh began to say before a loud thump echoed not far from where they were.
There was a rustle of fabric and a humanoid shadow popped out of the darkness. The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes to try and see it but it was just too dark. A small hand took the handle of the candle and a familiar face was illuminated by the light.
"Christine!" Yugi cried but the girl didn't reply. She didn't even look towards her name.
She was six again from the looks of it. Her clothes were obscured in the dark but the bands of colored fabric were clear in the candlelight.
The little girl rubbed her eyes lightly before she climbed down whatever she was sitting on and walked into the darkness. The three followed after her. She walked out an opening in the wall then stopped.
"Kari?" The little girl called.
"Kari?" Meg whispered to Yugi and the Pharaoh.
Both boys shrugged. They looked back to the girl when she called the name again.
"Kari? Where are you?" There was a frightened shake to her voice.
Another thump shook the area and little Christine jumped in surprise. "Kari!" She called a little louder. Still, no one came. The three saw her swallow before she walked out of the room. The little girl began to walk through the darkness until she came to a large grey lump on the ground. "There you are, Kari!" She ran to the lump, setting the candle on the ground before running her hands through the fur. "What are you doing on the ground, Kari? Where is…."
The little girl froze. Her eyes were wide in... fear? It took a minute but she finally lifted her hand to see what frightened her. It was stained in red liquid.
Blood...
Meg gasped loudly.
"Oh god... oh god..." She was gasping.
Little Christine was still shell shocked, staring at her hand. She eventually looked back to the lump of grey fur. The Pharaoh stepped around to recognize it as the wolf from Pegasus' portrait of her family. Was this what happened to it?
It hit him.
"This is the day her family was killed." He breathed.
"I think I'm gonna be sick."
Little Christine - Iliana - moved again, picking up her candle and moving quickly through her home. The three, although terrified at what they had to see next, followed after their friend.
"Mother!" She cried. "Father!"
She stopped once more and in the dim candlelight, the three saw what was slumped in the doorway. It was a beautiful slim hand connected to a head of white blonde hair, the same color as Christine's. The rest of the body lay in a puddle of red liquid... blood, staining the hair that was stuck in it. "Mother..."
"Oh god..." Meg gasped again.
Yugi was quick to grab the girl before she collapsed to the ground. She was gasping for air, her eyes stuck on the sight in front of her.
Her mother... Whoever was here, they didn't care that they were killing women and possibly children.
Iliana bolted off again. The Pharaoh was the first to chase after her, Yugi and Meg a few steps behind him. The little girl stopped before she reached the entrance of another room. There were loud noises, clangs of metal echoed inside. Iliana gave another loud swallow. She blew out her candle, most likely to stop anyone from following after her shadow and set the stick onto the ground. It was a good idea. Hopefully her hair didn't get her caught.
Iliana poked her head into the room ever so slightly. From where they were standing, there didn't seem to be anyone in the room so the little girl was safe for now.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her hair and wrenched her fully into the room.
"Ahh!"
"I found a little brat!" The man holding her cheered.
"Hey!" Yugi shouted.
The three shot into the room, hoping they could help their friend. The little girl fought back against her assailant, pulling enough to hurt her hair more.
"Well well..." The man chuckled. "If it ain't Adrastus' little brat! Let's see your powers, eh?"
Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes. She continued to fight back but the grip kept getting tighter. She gave a soft whine and the man continued to laugh.
"Let her go, you brute!" Meg snapped but the man didn't hear her.
"Iliana!" Another man's voice called.
The man holding Iliana smiled but it didn't last long. His head left his body with a clean swipe. Iliana gave a light shriek as she dropped to the ground but she was quickly taken in by another man, wrapping her up in his arms. It took a moment for her to realize who it was but she did.
"Father!"
The man was practically a mountain! He was tall and had dark brown hair with a light beard. The light around the room illuminated the scar on his cheek; Meg recognized it as being on the opposite side of Atreus', the father of Megara's, face. It was the same man from Pegasus' new portrait. He was a little battered, an arrow sticking out of his arm, but he looked fine. His sword was dripping in blood.
"Iliana, where is your mother?!"
Iliana was gasping tears now. "Iliana!"
"Gone..." She finally gasped.
Her father gave a loud growl. "Father..." He was quick to grab his daughter's shoulders, silencing her words.
"Iliana, you need to run. Go!"
The little girl shook her head. Her tears still streaming down her face.
"I'm not leaving you, Father."
"You have to!"
Their conversation was interrupted with a battle cry and Iliana's father was forced to quickly slay the intruder. He went back to his daughter like nothing happened. "Iliana, please. Your mother nor I want to see you die. Run!"
"No! I won't leave you, Father!"
He gave an annoyed sigh that faded into nothing. Iliana's father looked back to his daughter. Tears were welling in his eyes now. He looked like he wanted to say something.
Before he got the chance, another arrow pierced him in the back. Meg gave a scream from the suddenness. He gave a grunt of pain. "Father!" The man didn't turn around, wrapping his daughter in his arms protectively instead. He gave another grunt of pain when another arrow hit him.
"Well well, Adrastus." A chuckling voice entered the room now. "I never expected you to cherish a daughter over a son. It's almost laughable."
No one could see who was talking. This was Christine/Iliana's memory, she must not have seen his face.
Iliana's father gave another growl.
"What would you know?" He growled. "You are the type of man who would kill wife and daughter if you could. You already drove one wife to her death, what's to stop you from doing it again?"
"Hmph."
A sword came down then, impaling Iliana's father. This time, he gave a gasp of pain. His grip must have loosened enough for someone to grab Iliana once more.
"Father!" She screamed as she was pulled away.
In a scream that shook Meg, Yugi and the Pharaoh, Iliana's father shot up despite his wounds and charged towards the man who held his daughter. Two or three men tried to get in his way but they were quickly cut down by his large slash. He continued his charge until one of the men was able to slash at his legs, making him crumple to the ground.
The Pharaoh reacted to try and help him but his hand went right through the man. They really were just observers...
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, little brother." The man started again. "You should have seen our Father's face when he discovered that you had gone with that seer. Our Mother wept for days before dying. While you... you were here with your witch of a daughter."
Iliana gave a whimper, reaching for her father. The Pharaoh was horrified. This man was her uncle?
"If you were sorry, you wouldn't be doing it at all..." Her father gasped.
"I must for our family's honor."
The man stepped towards the captive Iliana, wrapping her in his own arms. The little girl tried to fight back but the grip on her was tight. "Do not fret, Brother. I will take good care of my little niece. Don't you worry about a thing. You just join your beloved 'wife' in the Underworld." Iliana's father gave another loud growl, trying to push himself off the ground.
Iliana fought against her uncle's grasp with all her might. She screamed for her father as a few more of the men circled around him. He was obscured from view and the glint of metal appeared over their heads. The last thing the three saw before the image faded was Iliana's father reaching out for his daughter.
TRIGGER WARNING ENDS HERE
Screaming erupted again when the image was gone and the three turned to see teenage Christine, wearing the clothes they last saw her, screaming as tears streamed down her face.
"Father!" She gasped through her tears. "Father!"
"'Stine!" Meg cried, racing over to her friend.
Christine shrunk away from Meg trying to grab her.
"No! Let go of me!" Christine slapped Meg's hands away, backing up from where they were.
"'Stine! It's me! It's Meg!"
Christine only continued to scream and cry. She continued to back away when Meg tried to touch her, shaking her head wildly.
Yugi suddenly noticed images returning. He saw the lit candle from the beginning of vision and his heart sank.
"Other me!" He called. "It's starting again!"
The Pharaoh cursed. She has been trapped in this memory all this time? The image of his girlfriend/wife in hysterics burned itself into his memories.
He ran up to her this time - Meg jumping out of the way - grabbing her arms like her father had.
"Christine!" He snapped.
"No!" Christine shrieked again.
She tried to pull out of his grasp but the king held firm. He prayed he didn't leave any bruises. He gave a sigh before snapping a different name.
"Mereret!"
The screams stopped immediately. Her eyes snapped open wide, staring almost right through the Pharaoh, before they focused on him. She blinked a few times, stray tears falling down her face. She never looked away from him.
"Y-yami?" She whimpered.
The light shadows of the vision had vanished so the small group knew that Christine was finally awake.
"Yeah." The Pharaoh replied with a soft smile, loosening his death grip on her shoulders. "It's me. It's ok now. You're safe."
She still didn't do anything. Christine remained a statue in his grip. The girl stared at him, still blinking tears away, until everything fell apart. She gave a loud sob and immediately wrapped her arms around the Pharaoh's neck. The Pharaoh wrapped his own around her waist so that Christine wouldn't collapse.
Christine sobbed loudly into his shoulder. Her frame shook with each sob but the Pharaoh kept her upright. Meg and Yugi stayed to the side, their eyes sad at their friend's tears. With a hand sliding through her hair, the Pharaoh attempted to comfort her with gentle words and the tug of his fingers through her blonde locks that she loved.
Christine:
I wasn't embarrassed at crying into my boyfriend's shoulder. I wasn't embarrassed at being seen crying by Meg or Yugi.
I was only relieved to be out of that nightmare.
Yami's words in my ear and fingers through my hair helped slow down the tears until only small hiccups escaped me. I cried for a minute longer before I was able to pull away. Yami wiped away one of my tears with his thumb, giving a soft smile. I tried to give one back but I don't think it reached my lips at all.
"'Stine?" Meg's voice reached my ears.
I turned to look at her and Yugi. They both looked so nervous just standing there. I tried to give another smile.
"Meggie..." I said, a distinct shake to my voice.
Meg immediately came over to wrap me in a hug. She was the one shaking now but we managed to keep each other standing. I heard Yami step away and over to Yugi.
"I'm glad you're ok."
I tightened my grip around my friend.
"Thanks for coming to get me."
It took another minute but Meg finally released me. I looked over to Yugi. He didn't run over but he offered a hug. I actually smiled this time and took it. His was the shortest but the comfort was there all the same.
"How many times did that thing repeat on you, 'stine?"
I shrugged.
"Maybe six or seven times. I lost count."
Meg gave a loud growl. Her fists were clenched and her face in a dark scowl.
"I'm seriously going to kill that crone!"
I pulled away from Yugi to settle a hand on Meg's shoulder. She relaxed but the glare remained.
"It's fine. Once the rest of this circle finds out the truth, they won't follow her anymore. Any trust that was there would be mangled from the outcry against her."
Meg gave a heaving sigh.
"I hope you're right."
I hoped I was too.
The three helped me out of the area we were standing in and back into my room of the mind. Yami's hand at my back reminded me of Duelist Kingdom where he did the same thing after Mokuba. It helped ground me. The room was warm. I couldn't help but smile; I was happy to be out of the nightmare.
"So this is what it actually looks like." Yugi breathed.
I looked to see that the room of my mind wasn't any different than the last time I had seen it. The birds were being more cleanly than usual but...
"What happened to it?" I asked.
"Remember the ooze guy from the Power Rangers movie?" Meg asked.
I nodded, slightly confused as to why she was bringing it up. "Lots of black ooze everywhere. It was gross."
"Oh... Ok..."
I tried to see what Meg was describing but my head didn't like it. God, it ached.
"You ok?" Yami asked, stepping closer to me when I moved a hand to my head.
"My head hurts."
"You're probably dehydrated." Yugi replied.
"Probably."
CAW
The four of us jumped as a large collection of feathers shot right past us. Meg and Yugi ducked while Yami and I jumped out of the flight path.
"Good grief!" Meg shouted. "What the heck was that?"
I looked up to see the large bird coming back for another go. Wait... I pulled away from Yami and held out my arm. The large bird, actually being the falcon that lived in my mind, immediately flew over and perched itself on my outstretched arm. I didn't feel pain from the sharp talons nor its weight. My three companions stared wide eyed as it chirped at me incessantly.
"Woah..." The Pharaoh breathed. "That's interesting."
"Agreed."
I lifted a finger and watched as the falcon carefully nibbled on it. It made me smile when it also leaned it so that I was petting over its feathered head. The large bird warbled at me again when I pulled my finger away, almost chastising me for drinking the potion.
"Sorry..." I said to the bird. "Best idea I could come up with."
Another warble escaped its beak before it shot off again. It didn't try to dive bomb again, instead flying off towards the large tree in the center of my mind. I lost track of it amongst the foliage of the tree but I knew it was still watching me.
The floor underneath our feet began to rumble loudly. We all fought to keep our balance until it ended. I stared at the wide-eyed expressions of my friends. "What the heck was that?"
"The crone!" Meg hissed. "She's here!"
That was definitely not good. We exchanged one last look before we raced to the open door of my mind. There were a number of aftershocks but our dash was unable to be stopped. When we reached the door, my feet tangled underneath me. I would have gone down had Yami not caught me at the last second. I quickly thanked him but gave him no time to settle me. He had to wrap an arm around my waist as we exited my mind. Jounouchi's sudden shouting hurt my ears.
"There is no way we're letting you get through here!" Jounouchi barked. "Hell no!"
"I don't think you all have much of a choice." A whispered voice, probably the crone's, echoed from across the way.
Through the gaps in my friends, I could see the crone's robes dragging along the ground behind her as she walked. I could also see someone else's clothes but I couldn't see the person wearing them.
Neyla caught sight of me and gave a bright smile. She turned towards the crone with it.
"You're too late, crone." Neyla near laughed. "Christine has already woken up."
The crone gave a huff of sound. All of my friends looked back to see me being held up by Yami.
"Christine!" Ryuji and Anzu cried.
"Heck yeah!" Honda cheered.
I was quickly surrounded by my friends, allowing them to hug me tightly. I was happy to have their holds ground me further. My nerves were still shot. They pulled me so that I was easily visible to the crone and I saw the old woman's face contort in rage.
"Well well…" She drawled. "The Imitator has actually woken from the effects of my potion."
Imitator… I gave a growl back.
"I'm not imitating anything!" I snapped. "What would I have to imitate?!"
The crone scoffed at my snap.
"You truly believe that you are the Great Queen? A stupid little girl like you could never be her."
I heard Yami growl behind me. I reached behind me to take his wrist. He knew the sign to calm down but I could still feel his anger in droves. "The true Iliana has returned to the circle and we will once more be brought out into the light. No longer will we be confined in the shadows!"
"But through the use of fear and manipulation? No circle wants that!"
"But that is what the circle needs." A new voice next to the crone said.
A woman with shoulder length black hair walked out of the shadows, her blue eyes piercing the darkness around her. She was wearing the dark robes of someone in a high position in the circle, much like the crone's. I gasped at the harsh grip she had on Daisuke's hair as she dragged him in. She didn't seem all that upset at the pained gasps he released.
"Transfer!" Meg called.
Daisuke couldn't look over to us as the grip must have been too tight. "Let him go!"
"Why?"
She tightened the grip and Daisuke gave another gasp of pain. "Once we handle you, he will be the next to be punished." She gave a pointed look to Meg then. "The cursed one will simply be exterminated. No circle will ever have need of her." I gave a growl at that.
"So…" I huffed. "You're the one claiming to be Iliana."
"I don't need to claim. I am."
"Then prove it."
There were plenty of things she could have done: pointed out Yami as the King 'she' married, knew the importance of the Millennium Puzzle etc. But she simply lifted her free hand and conjured the symbol of Iliana made of water. It dripped but she managed to make it keep its shape. It must have been extremely convincing to a desperate circle.
"It is as simple as that." The woman said with a smile.
"Simple? Hardly!"
The woman's eyebrow ticked in annoyance. "Iliana would never rule out of fear and manipulation. Plus, she would never remove someone from her circle simply because of an accident. The only reason the circle started doing that was because people got too close in discovering us. A bias that should be eliminated as soon as possible!"
"It is a bias that has protected our people." The crone huffed. "Ms. Peters is a danger to herself and others."
"No! Meg isn't a danger! Simply seeing it doesn't mean she can control who or what she sees. She's tormented by it! I should know!"
Meg flinched back but I took her hand before she shrank back into the crowd. "Meg is a far better witch than either of you, even though her true powers were denied because of something she couldn't control!" The crone's frown deepened further.
"You should know your place, girl." The crone hissed.
"My place? My place will always be against people like you!"
I glanced at the woman then. "How did you even get enough influence to assume this position?"
"She's a big bully, that's how!" A new voice called out.
We all turned our heads and I recognized the pink summer dress that I adored as a six-year-old. The mini me was standing at the edge of our little space, arms crossed over her chest. "A bully who didn't get enough attention as a kid and now is lying to get everything she ever wanted. But it's all a big lie!"
"Quiet, brat!" The woman shouted at little me.
"No! I won't!"
The woman gave a loud growl. Little me simply gave a victorious smile because she didn't try to retort again.
"Damn…" Meg breathed. "She's getting beaten up by a six-year-old."
I continued to stare at little me. Her confident smile was what surprised me. Was I like that as a kid?
Another growl from the woman made my gaze shoot back to her. She swung her hand towards little me and large gashes of water shot towards my memory.
"No!" I cried.
There was a flash and the water immediately began to freeze into icicles. The woman and crone gasped at the appearance, moving out of the way of getting impaled. There was another gasp and we were amazed at the sight of Daisuke running towards us. He gasped for air, clutching at his head.
"That was insanity!" He gasped. "What the heck was that?!"
No one had an answer until little me gave a loud pout.
"Took you long enough." She huffed at someone behind the icicles.
"I'm sorry." A familiar voice cooed back. "I wanted to give you your moment."
Little me huffed again and the icicles dissipated. Standing in front of little me was Iliana. She wore a confident smile, staring down the woman and the crone. The two stared back wide eyed. Iliana eventually gave a sigh. "To think, this is how far my circle has fallen. It's sad."
"Fallen?" The crone growled. "Who are you to derogate the circles?!"
"The woman who started it."
The crone's eyes widened. "It began with five children, orphaned and abandoned in the desert. I took them in, raised them like my own. If one of them came to me for help, I didn't hesitate to give it. Can you say the same for those under your care?" The crone flinched back. "And you…" Iliana turned to the woman then. "Cheating and lying to get what you want…. It makes me long for the long and boring court days. I wonder what my old colleagues would have done with you…"
Iliana snapped her fingers. Tendrils of ice began to grow up the two women's legs. The more they fought, the faster it grew. I stepped in once it got to their knees.
"No…" I breathed.
Iliana nodded immediately, waving her hand to send the ice away. The two looked over to Iliana, eyes wide in almost fear.
"You are lucky I have become so merciful. If I had my way, you two would be nothing but dust by now."
"Isn't that a little much?" Little me asked gently from behind Iliana.
"Maybe." Iliana gave a gentle shrug. "It sure wouldn't equate to their crimes…."
Iliana gave another shrug. "I guess I will simply give them to the proper authority. I don't do that and Christine will be very angry with me."
"Ya got that right!"
Little me giggled in my direction, making Meg burst into laughter. I simply rolled my eyes at the conversation. Iliana gave a gentle smile before waving her hand again. The woman and the crone vanished into the ground and everything went silent.
"That should do it."
Shouts and cries of celebration echoed in my ears then. Jounouchi and Honda were dancing madly, making Anzu and Ryuji roll their eyes. Yami and Yugi's gaze were on me and Iliana. Little me eventually came running over and wrenched Yami into a tight hug. The spirit lifted her to his hip and she playfully stuck her tongue out at me.
I eventually caught sight of Iliana standing in my room of the mind. She seemed to be waiting for something so I snuck out of my group of friends and into my room of the mind. I approached her just as the falcon settled onto her arm. She played with the feathers for a moment before she spoke. "It's so hard to believe that nothing has changed in here."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Iliana brushed over the falcon's feathers again.
"Every little bit of this place is the exact same as before. All the way to the tree."
She looked then to the large tree, my gaze following hers. "Do you know what type of tree it is, Christine?"
"A… sycamore, I think."
"It is. Do you remember which goddess the sycamore was sacred to?"
"Hathor."
Iliana nodded her head.
"The mother goddess. The Lady of the Sycamore. A tree that can grow in so many different environments like Greece and even in Egypt. An adaptability that only needs a bit of nurturing to grow. Much like you."
I turned my head to see Iliana looking towards me. "You only needed small nudges to get onto your path and you're there. You no longer need any help." I didn't like the way she said that. My body turned so that I could face her head on.
"What does that mean? Are you leaving?"
"You don't need me anymore."
"I do though! There's so much I don't understand yet!"
Iliana's free hand reached for my cheek. She slid her thumb across the skin, a smile racing across her face.
"You were able to overcome the memory that haunted your nightmares even to the day you vanished. While it may have been with help, you still were able to break free of it. That was something I was never able to do."
She pulled away from my cheek and I saw it began to fade away. The falcon on her other arm squawked loudly at her. She turned her gaze to the bird. "I'm sorry, old friend. It's time for me to go." The bird gave a warble. "I know. I will never forget you, my friend." The falcon shot off into the tree once more, vanishing into the foliage. Iliana gave a hum before turning back to me. "Oh, and before I forget. One last little memory for the road."
Iliana tapped at my forehead and a memory hit me. Little me was tied to a post, tears streaming down my cheeks. It was after the events of the nightmare; I knew that from the similar bruises on my arms. There were quick steps into the clearing where I was a small bronze vessel with water appeared before my vision. I looked up to see… Daisuke? It was his face but it was far younger, he looked to be about 11. I went to say something but the older boy shushed me.
"I'm not supposed to be doing this." The boy whispered. "But… even after everything, I am still your family and I will not let my father treat you like this."
Little me didn't argue with his words and accepted the water. He also made sure to carefully feed me anything that he had managed to snatch from under his father's nose at their 'victory' feast. From the snippets after, Daisuke played loyal son during the day then my protector at night. They cut off suddenly and I was left blinking.
"It was sad to see him reduced to being like Uncle. I am happy he has returned to how he was."
The words brought even more memories to my mind. I remembered Father being lost in the past, muttering about how his brother, my uncle, kidnapped and 'married' a woman who killed herself when her 'husband' wasn't looking and in front of my father. He may have never known that that woman had given birth to a son who would protect me when he was gone.
"To think he'd show up again." I breathed.
"Fate loves to do it; putting familiar faces on our path, knowing that we may never recognize them. And in the event that we do, they are changed from the lack of who they were."
That could've been taken many different ways. I didn't have time to think through them all as she was fading even faster now. There was nothing I could do.
"Don't you want to say anything to Yami?" My voice cracked as I spoke.
Iliana gave a gentle shake of her head.
"There is nothing I could say that you can't say for me."
I wiped away a tear, hearing Iliana give another hum. "Take care of him." I nodded my head and watched myself fade away into a flash of golden sparks. Nothing remained of her, not even spots where her feet were in the grass. I had to wipe away more tears at the silence.
She was gone…
A gentle hand took my own but I didn't need to turn my head in order to see who it was. I tightened the grip, letting it ground me.
"Are you going to be ok?" Yami asked, voice soft in my ear.
It took me a couple of seconds to reply but I eventually nodded my head.
"Yeah." I breathed. "I'll be ok."
Yami didn't say anything to refute my answer, only tightening his own grip on my hand. "Let's get out of here. I've had a long day."
"I believe it."
Hand and hand, Yami and I walked out of my room of the mind then out of my mind in general once we gathered the rest of the gang.
I no longer needed to stare directly at my past. I would remember it but I also remembered that there was a future that I needed to strive for.
The next day was spent resting. I was severely dehydrated from the near day without liquids and was nearly admitted to a hospital. Luckily, the circle nurses were able to set me right. The woman and the crone had been locked away; Iliana's spell ensuring that their every crime was known and their victims would be allowed justice. I also learned that Meg went on a little hunt for how they found me; apparently one of the teens in front of the circle we had passed that morning could read minds and had seen the memories running through my head. It made all of my traps and other pieces to protect myself seem silly. I didn't know if I wanted to let Daisuke know about what I learned from my past but my worries were nullified when, as we were leaving, he teasingly called out 'See ya, cuz!' I rolled my eyes, silently wondering how he found out about it. I simply gave him the mortal middle finger and smiled as he burst into laughter. I was sent back to Meg's place nearly an hour after waking up where I was sent back to bed to rest up. We still had Kaiba's tournament to worry about so the gang wanted to be sure that I was perfectly healthy to make the trek.
I may have been healthy the morning we caught the bus to wherever Kaiba was taking us but I was thoroughly exhausted. Meg had done some digging and discovered something that made both of us smile like idiots. We ended up staying up most of the night to create the ultimate masterpieces. Neither of us were really upset when Yami caught us still awake at three in the morning when he decided to take a walk around the house. He may have griped at us but Meg and I hardly cared.
Just before we all climbed onto the bus, the gang and I made sure to give Meg tight hugs.
"Don't forget about me, ya crazies!" Meg chastised.
"How could we forget about you?" Jounouchi cheered loudly. "You're part of the gang!"
Meg glanced over to me and from her expression, she didn't know whether or not it was a good thing to be part of the gang. Considering who her favorite character was…. I gave a gasping laugh, slapping my knee in hilarity.
My hug came last. Meg's embrace was like a snake's, tight and extremely constricting. It was hard to breathe. My concern was that she didn't let go.
"Meggie…" I breathed. "Ya gotta let go."
"I require payment, 'stine." Meg whispered.
"Payment?"
"Yeah. It's nothing much, merely a trifle! What I want from you is…."
Meg lowered her voice even more. "You find the boy…"
"The boy?"
"Yes, my boy. You find my boy and you take a picture of him."
"I take a picture of your boy? Do I send it to you?"
"Yes! And make sure he is fly as shit in it!"
I gave a laugh, nodding my head.
"It shall be done!"
"Good!"
We both giggled brightly before we both faded into tears. "Don't you dare forget about me…"
"Never…"
The two of us cried for a little while before we had to pull apart. She waited at the end of the bus stop as we pulled away. I watched her waving form for as long as I could before it faded away. I was reduced to tears again. Yami was quick to come out and comfort me, leaving me a sniffing mess in his arms. I eventually became numb and settled to fall asleep.
I woke up once we reached the hotel. Yugi had been given back control and he helped lead me up to our given room. I was surprised to see Rebecca and her grandfather in the large room. I hadn't seen them since after Duelist Kingdom. Rebecca had changed so much; an over-intelligent aura instead of the teddy bear that she had back then. The old man tried to give me a smile but I was still numb from today. We divvied up the rooms amongst ourselves and Yami was insistent that I shared a room with him and Yugi. No one argued and the king was quick to grab my bag and wrist to pull me into a room.
Yami pressed a kiss to my forehead before he gave Yugi control again. I was told to rest, making me smile and nod my head. I didn't climb into bed just yet. There was a computer in the room Yami had commandeered so I took the moment to check emails. Grandpa sent an extremely vague one saying that he would be away from the shop for a week and that Yugi's mom was taking care of it. It was confusing but I didn't argue with him. There was a new email from… Meg? I quickly clicked it open.
It was filled to the brim with photo attachments. I clicked them open and smiled. They were all of me and Meg from over the years. Meg and me at the cons, us at diners drinking large milkshakes, us wearing our ridiculous sweater dresses about our spirit animals. She even made sure to send the embarrassing one of us in the Play-boy bunny outfits that she forced us to wear after she was in Legally Blonde two years ago. Tears may have streamed down my cheeks again but this time, they weren't the cold unhappy ones from earlier.
I would see my best friend again.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
Bakura: Why would you do that?
Do what?
Bakura: You know.
*Blinks* I am a firm believer in advice given by Varric Tethras. If you love a character, you make them suffer.
Bakura: You are so cruel.
And you're not?!