Chapter 7

Eyes fluttered in darkness as her heart pounded under her ribs. Her throat burned as she struggled to breathe. She could hear the sound of her breath. She could hear the sounds of the insects just outside the windows. She could feel the softness of the bed and blankets that surrounded her.

She could hear!

She could feel!

How long had it been? Days? Months? Years?

So many questions came to her at once; Where was she? Who revived her? What she safe or in danger? She took a deep breath to calm herself and found something was weighing heavy on her chest, literally.

Her magenta eyes focused in the dark, trying to figure out what misshapen round object was on top of her. She flexed her hand under the plush comforter, trying to see just how much mobility she had control of. Reaching her hand above, she cautiously touched it. She realized it was furry and soft and purring.

The sudden touch caused the fuzzy beast to peer its eyes open.

The moment those gigantic violet eyes, glazed over in sleep, stared at her, stirred so many emotions that she began to cry.

"Kuriboh." The sound of her voice jolted the others in the room; figures that Azula was unaware of. But she knew, from the happy coos and loving snuggles, that she was in a safe place.

Azula sobbed even as Kuriboh tried to comfort her, not realizing that its purrs were making her cry more. She wrapped both arms around the plushy beast, sobbing in its fur.

She was alive.

Coughing out one last sob, she laid her head back on the pillow; turning her head to avoid being suffocated by Kuriboh's body. She was greeted by a pair of sapphire eyes.

"Kisara." She held out her hand, but the dragon bypassed it. She nuzzled her giant head under hers as she growled in content. Azula could tell without looking at her body that she was no longer able to fit in her hands.

Shifting her weight, she sat up and the blanket slid down. A pair of hands caught it before she could accidentally expose herself.

"Be careful, My Queen." Azula watched the blonde wrap the sheet around her body. She stared at her. Even when those big blue eyes were wet with joyfulness, she still didn't recognize her. But her voice…

"You're not decent yet. You'll catch a cold…" Her voice…

"Mana?" Her breath hitched; she wasn't expecting to be recognized so soon if at all. She looked different than before.

"I'm known as Dark Magician Girl." She said in her ancient native tongue. She smiled when Azula embraced her.

Azula pulled away; getting a better look at her. Her once dark hair and eyes were now light and her skin was no longer tanned; but that didn't matter.

"No matter what you are called, you will always be Mana to me." Her declaration brought Dark Magician Girl to her knees. She cradled her face with her arms as she cried at her side. Azula petted her head to soothe her. She heard the footsteps coming near the bed. Her eyes traveled from the dark armor to the long straight hair; the strong features in his face, the determination in his eyes.

"Mahod." As soon as his name left her mouth, he took to one knee.

"My Queen." He lowered his head. Mana wiped her tears and took her place beside her mentor; following his lead, she bowed.

"Welcome back."

Azula was in her glory as she soaked in the lavender aroma water. She would have never dreamed that hot water could flow from a pipe. No more waiting for someone to fetch enough from the well, miles away and take hours heating it up. She could stay her forever. She was fascinated with everything in this new world; knowing that she could light up a room with the clap of her hands was sending her over the edge with excitement.

What else was there to discover? If she ever got out of the large porcelain tub, she could find out.

She sighed, sinking deeper into the still hot water that Mana prepared for her. She felt a twinge of guilt that she was relaxing instead of reuniting with the last remaining members of her family. They didn't know that she was awake. But then again, if they cared then someone would have checked on her by now.

"Now that's not nice, Azula." She said to herself.

"Did you say something, My Queen?" She jolted when she heard Mana call out to her from behind the closed door.

"No…nothing."

"Is the water getting cold?"

"No. It's great!" She giggled to herself. "I'll be out shortly."

"Please, My Queen. Take all the time you need." Her friend insisted.

Azula did just that, smoothing the water over her flesh then dipped her shoulder length hair in the water and let the warmth surround her. She deserved it; being trapped in the Shadow Realm for centuries. She wondered how much time had passed before everyone else's spirits were locked away. Mahod told her of the devastation that had befallen her kingdom and her twin had suffered a nearly identical fate as her. She didn't know whether to be happy that he truly hadn't died or the fact that his soul never had a chance to rest in peace.

But she knew that all of the events that unfolded were a part of their destinies. They were all meant to be together again in this new world.

Water now growing cold, she emerged from the deep tub, taking the robe that was laid out for her to cover herself. She then snuggled it, relishing in the soft material. She stood in the middle of the floor rubbing the plush garment over her body and her face. She never wanted to take it off.

When she finally came out of the bathroom, she was alone for the exception of Kuriboh and Kisara who laid curled around each other in slumber on the bed. She realized as soon as she saw the dragon that she was three times smaller than she was initially. Instead of taking up nearly the entire room with her massive body, she only took up half of the bed. She internally praised Mahod for thinking about the inconvenience it would be to have Kisara maneuver around at such a gigantic size.

Azula moved quietly and gracefully around the room to not disturb the two. She laid her hands on the unfamiliar clothing that was laid out for her along with her personal jewelry. She held up the garment in awe. Unbeknownst to her, the same drapes that she was buried in, Mana had transformed into a dress. The sleeves fell off her shoulders, leaving both her arms exposed completely. The bodice hugged her tightly; the skirt flowed and swayed with every movement. She frowned when the hem grazed at her knees. A little short her taste, but she supposed the rest of the material was for her cape which was attached to the dress, just below her shoulder blades, fell behind her.

She slipped on the gold bracelet that cover her right wrist, another slim one over her upper arm, and clasped the thick necklace that hung above her bust. Grabbing the gold colored sash, it wrapped around her waist twice, letting the tassels swing at her bare knees. She found a mirror and scrunched up her nose at the sight of her hair.

It was a mess!

Using her fingers, she did the best she could with her unmanageable hair. No matter what she did, it always fell in the same place. She didn't understand the color, let alone the texture that she inherited from the male side of her family. The top portion of it, barely a quarter of it, was a golden blond that zig-zagged in every direction, just like her brother's. She thanked the gods every day that the other portion didn't stick up to the ceiling like his; instead, small sections of the golden tresses laid flat, blending into black.

Out of frustration, she twisted the mass into a bun, securing it with a small tie. She giggled when she heard purrs emitting from behind her ear.

"Do you like it?" She asked the fuzzball with eyes peering from the mirror. Kuriboh let out another coo, resting its green clawed feet on her shoulders.

"I look like your queen again, huh?" She laughed when it let out high pitch squeal and rubbed against her cheek.

"My Queen? May we come in?"

"Were you two out there the whole time?" She called out. The door opened and both Mahod and Mana stepped in.

"Yes. We wanted to give you your privacy." Mana smiled. "You look…like…" She couldn't grasp the words; tears welded up once more.

"Now, now." Azula walked over to her, brushed her tears away. "I look like me." She finished for her, twirling around. "Thank you."

"Oh, we did nothing, my Queen." Mana sniffled telling herself that she needed to get a grip. "It was the Pharaoh that left those items for you."

"Really? But it's a little too revealing, don't you think?"

"No. In this time, women wear a lot less. I've seen a lot of outlandish things."

"Including you." Mahod pointed out referring to her own outfit. The blue and pink clothing only covered what was necessary in his opinion, just like the other outfit she used to wear

"Be quite!" Mana blushed in embarrassment. "It is not as if I choose to wear this." She smoothed over the very short skirt. "Besides, I happen to like it." She stuck out her tongue when Mahod made an inaudible sound of disapproval.

Azula laughed, hugging the girl. " I am so glad that time has not changed you." She wouldn't have known what to do without the girl during her time of needed comfort and a shoulder to cry on. "Shall we go? I think we have kept them waiting long enough."

Mahod shook his head, looking between the others. "This is as far as we take you, My Queen." Azula gave a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" They started to fade before her eyes. A white light shimmered around her companions.

"Take care, My Queen. We will meet again." They faded, leaving behind four cards that laid at her feet.

Azula stifled a cry as she picked them up. Their images remained immortalized. She held them to her chest realizing that the last of the energy they used to release her from the Shadow Realm lingered a bit longer for her to see them one last time. Once again, they didn't let her down.

"Thank you, my dear friends."

It would have nice to have some directions on where she was supposed to go. The hallway was dimly lit. The windows that lined the walls let the moonlit in. This was the only light for Azula as she made her way out of the room. She turned the corner and saw a grand staircase. Azula heard faint murmuring coming from below. Her heart started to pound in her ears. She could hear different voices as she made her way down.

My gods, how many were there?

She looked around, trying to find some sort of weapon. She found nothing that would be light enough for her to carry but heavy to defend. As she peered around another corner she noticed the door was ajar; yellow light flooded out. More talking and laughter which still didn't eased her mind of danger. Even the devil laughed at times.

Azula had to calm herself down as fear crept into her mind. She couldn't be in danger; Mahod and Mana would have told her if she were. Right? They would have warned her. They wouldn't have left her if there was a threat. Their souls protected her and they wouldn't let her down now. As walked towards the door, she had to remind herself that she never backed down before in the face of danger or fear and she wasn't going to start now.

Atem's mind wondered as the conversations around him started to muddle together. He kept floating back to the bedroom where his sister rested. It was getting late and there was no signs of movement.

Was she awake now? Would she ever wake up? Maybe he should go up and check on her instead of pretending to enjoy himself amongst his friends.

He let out a heavy sigh. When she did finally open her eyes, would she remember who he was? Who she was? Spending thousands of years in the Shadow Realm would have had damaging consequences on the soul, right?

Would she be angry? The domino effect of events happened because of him. He had wanted to be diplomatic and found an ally with India's ruler at the time. He was foolish to think that Azula would just gladly hand over her life to a man she never knew existed before that night.

Would she forgive him or would she hate him for the rest of her life?

"It's going to be alright." Solomon touched the man's shoulder for comfort. He could tell that all he wanted to do was to run and check on his Queen. He stood at her side for days, waiting for her to open her eyes. It took a lot of convincing for him to finally leave for an hour or two just to take a shower and eat.

"I'm going to check on Azula." He stated as he rose from his seat. He didn't want Azula to wake up and no one to be there. She would be scared and nervous, not knowing where she was.

He didn't get a chance to make it back to her. As soon as he made it to the archway entrance of the dining room, she appeared.

"Azula." As Atem spoke, his voice shook with emotion. He prayed to every god imaginable that her soul was still intact and not some hollowed shell.

Azula face remained stoic as her eyes swept across the room, eyeing everyone in the room. She never uttered a word as her eyes laid across Seto. She commanded her lungs to fill her body with air, for her heart to stop hammering in her chest, for her knees to hold her weight. Her beloved, whom she hadn't seen in five millennia, was standing before her.

"My Queen." Azula stared at Seto a second longer before turning her attention to her brother. He didn't have to say what he was feeling inside; mixed emotions were clearly displayed across his face. She watched him as he opened his month then closed it as if he didn't know what to say first. The air was silent between them.

Azula swallowed her heart when it decided to leap into her throat. The sheer joy of seeing her Pharaoh before her. He looked exactly the same except the darkness of his skin from the Egyptian sun was now a pale white like hers. He wore clothes and jewelry that were foreign to her, but then again everything was foreign. She knew nothing of this world and its new customs, but that wasn't important right now. Her brother was standing right in front of her. How? How could this be? Was this a trick? Was this an illusion of some kind?

"What language is that? Why are you not speaking our mother's tongue?" She asked, disgust muddled her voice. If he couldn't speak or understand her, then she knew it was a trap. But there were so many of them. What was she to do if she needed to escape?

"Can you forgive me?" Atem recognized the language of his time, though he hadn't heard it in so long. Surprising himself that he was able to bring forth his old language. He finally spoke the words that had been weighing heavily on his heart. "Can you forgive me for everything that has happened? Had I known…"

"Can I…forgive you?" She repeated in a very condescending way. She rolled her eyes at the thought of it. "Can I forgive you for attempting to sell me to some foreign man for politics? Can I forgive you for breaking your promises to me? Can I forgive you for sending my soul into the Shadow Realm?"

Every word she spoke tore Atem apart. Her voice was so cold and unfeeling. Completely opposite of what he knew Azula to be. But aside from that, she was right. It was his fault, all of it.

His friends could see the Pharaoh's body shake with emotion as if fighting with himself to keep his composure.

"Hey!" Even though he was oblivious to what the conversation was about, judging Atem's demeanor, the look on Azula's face, and harsh tone, he was sure it wasn't a friendly moment.

"Yugi, stop." Marik's voice was barely above a whisper, but he took a step back holding out the golden rod to stop Yugi from proceeding further.

"No! I'm not going to let her say...whatever the hell she's saying to give Atem grief."

Azula was quite curious to know why the young boy looked almost identical to her brother. Was he another reincarnation? And why was he so determined to get to Atem's side; pushing against the taller man that resembled her people. Was he coming to defend Atem against her?

"Atem has been banging his head against a wall trying to find a way to bring—"

"Yugi! Stay out of this." Atem said between his teeth as he looked over his shoulder and glared at him. Yugi's heart began to flatten at the harsh look as if he were in the wrong for coming to Atem's defense. He stopped his advances; told himself that Atem wasn't trying to be cruel. That he appreciated his efforts.

"So,to answer your question, Pharaoh." Azula took a step towards Atem so they were at eye level with one another. "No, I cannot forgive you."

Moments of silence pass by. Azula kept her face expressionless. She studied the way his fists clenched tightly; his nails were probably digging in his flesh. The way his crimson eyes swam with so much emotion, he didn't know whether to be furious or breakdown. He was forever the leader, trying to keep himself from falling apart in front of his friends. He hadn't changed. He was the same as she had remembered. This was no illusion. She could feel in her heart that this was indeed her twin.

He told himself to stay strong; to not fall to his knees and beg for forgiveness like he wanted to. Not in front of the people that looked up to him for leadership and guidance. He knew that he would never be able to live without his sister's forgiveness and he would spend every waking moment trying to make it up to her until she did.

Azula let out sigh, letting go of her ridged posture and shedding her stoic mask. She graced him with a small smile, opening her hands for him to take.

"Because there is nothing to forgive."

Her declaration caused some skepticism in Atem. What did she mean there was nothing for her to forgive? Everything that had happened to her, he had something to do with it. He wasn't sure if she was truly serious or if it was a trap of some sort.

His sister rolled her eyes. "You have not changed." She let out a watery laugh as tears rolled down her face. It wasn't until Azula embraced Atem did he realize she was teasing him.

"Azula?" His voice shook with uncertainty as he held back his tears. He never dreamed that he would ever see her again. He rested his head in the crook of her neck as a child would his mother. He silently let warm tears fall.

"Were you expecting anyone else?" Her light words filled him until finally everything spilled over. Atem wrapped his arms around her tightly; forgetting his image of a strong leader and cried.

His Queen, his sister, had finally returned to him.

Azula rubbed her brother's back in comforted as his sobs finally quieted down, though he hadn't let go of her. He feared she would disappear if he had.

"I'm not going anywhere, Atem." She spoke when she felt her brother grip her waist tighter. He murmured something but she really didn't catch his words. A wave of dizziness caught her by surprise, causing her to sway her knees to buckle. Luckily for her Atem had a good hold on her, otherwise she would have crashed to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Atem looked worried. Adjusting her weight in his arms, he walked her over the dining room chair.

"Just a little dizzy." She saw the look of confusion on everyone's faces as she spoke while Atem only nodded at her words.

"So, I guess even proper communication have kept us apart even in this life. Imagine that." The young queen shook her head in disbelief. "How is it that you are fluent in this language and I am not? Did you learn it while being here for so long?"

Atem frowned. Now that she mentioned it; it never occurred to him. "I have no idea. My soul was trapped in the Millennium Puzzle. Once released, my soul was fused with Yugi's body for a time. Maybe that's why I understand this language."

"That's quite unfair." Azula pouted and looked at the young boy that resembled her brother. "That boy? That is Yugi?" Atem nodded again. He looked over at his friends that was somewhat oblivious to their conversation, but never turned away as they spoke.

Azula patted Atem harshly on the shoulder. He rubbed the small twinge of pain away.

"Well, be a good boy and translate my words for me rather than have your new friends die of curiosity. "

"I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"Introductions are in order!" She clapped her hands in excitement; smiling like a child, she bounced. "I love meeting new people."

"Um... Azula would like to be introduced to everyone." Atem started off.

"Technically, she knows half of the people in this room." She glanced at the Seto. The dry tone in his voice caught her attention. Atem repeated the young billionaire's words.

"Well, if that is true, I'm sure it took some convincing to get you to participate. Seto could be so difficult at times, it was annoying." Azula shook her head.

"He's actually more difficult than the High Priest."

"Really?" She gasped jokingly. "It that even possible?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here." He snapped causing the twins to laugh together.

"This," Atem started to speak after his laughter died down, ",is Marik and Ishizu Ishtar. Their family has been the keeper of our tombs for centuries."

"Oh." Azula frowned. "What a life for you two."

"It is our duty and an honor, My Queen." Ishizu spoke proudly, bowing her head in respect. Azula tried not to look surprised that Ishizu spoke to her in her language. She was glad she didn't say anything rude to her for Ishizu would have understood her words. She smiled but couldn't help but feel a ping of anger surfacing. "You...you look a lot like…her."

"Excuse me? A lot like who, My Queen?" Ishizu was confused by her meaning.

"Be nice." Atem ordered, nudging her slightly. "Ishizu helped translate the incantation on your coffin."

Azula gave a slow smile before uttering 'thank you' to the both of them.

"I know your tongue is searing right now." Atem teased her once the Ishtars were out of earshot. She didn't comment but rolled her eyes.

Atem continued the introductions, filling Azula's brain with new faces, names and memories. Not everyone was a reincarnate of her past life, which was a blessing. She didn't like confusing them with the people that she had known thousands of years ago. It wasn't fair to her or them. However, there were two in particular that she wanted to speak to and share her gratitude. She watched as the dark hair boy shuffled his hands as if nervous to approach her. Azula wasn't going to press the issue when he remained by the sofa across the room.

"Thank you, for your bravery and loyalty, Mokuba. If you had not done what I asked you to do, I would not be here."

"What did she say?" He finally looked up at her still made no effort to move. He could feel his face becoming hot when she smiled at him. But who could blame him when a beautiful woman was staring at him, smiling.

"She is thanking you for your bravery and loyalty." Atem was also lost as to what she was referring to.

"About breaking you out of the museum? That was light work; no need to thank me for that." This time Azula didn't wait for her twin's translation.

"Tell him that he was my servant, Cena. The night that my soul was taken, I had given her a parchment with the spells that were needed to revive me, the same spells and incantations that are craved in that coffin upstairs. If she had not given that to you, Pharaoh, none of this would have come to pass. So I thank you, for all that you have done."

Mokuba turned away, unsure as to how to react once he heard the rest of what Azula had to say. No one had ever expressed such gratitude towards him. She was basically calling him a hero or something. But he didn't do anything; he didn't even know what she was talking about. But, for some reason, he felt happy that she was speaking to him in such a proud way.

Azula didn't take offense to the boy's actions, she just wanted him to know how much she appreciated him, even though she was talking about someone else Azula still felt that her message was heard.

"And you." She turned to Solomon. "I gave you such a hard time in my life. I know there were times that you wanted to give up on me. But you were always there, by the Pharaoh's side and by mine equally. The last words you told me were you could never serve one without the other, and I thank you for holding on to that, even now." Her words bubbled and spilled out into tears. She was not expecting to cry, but seeing who she considered a second father in front of her again.

Grandfatherly instincts kicking in, Solomon embraced her lovingly, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.

"I know I never told you this, but you were a great vizier and an amazing man and I loved you so much." Atem didn't hear what Azula had said over her sobs so he was unsure what she had said to the old man,

"There, there." Solomon petted her head to calm her. "I appreciate your kind word and will treasure them always." Atem raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you could speak ancient eyptain too, Solomon."

The elder blushed, "In my youth, I could; Arabic that is. I had to in order to get around Egypt while I was there working. Coptic would be the ancient Egyptian language back in your time so I may be missing a few words here and there, but I believe I'm understanding the both of you quiet well. I haven't a need to use it, but I guess I can be a little more useful."

He held he a second longer before releasing her, allowing her to gather her bearings.

Eyes rimmed red, she dried her eyes. "I feel better. That was a weight I needed to get off my heart." She let out a watery laugh. "Now I am really hungry."

—-

Dinner was another new experience for her. The row of plates and foods for her to feast on was overwhelming. She couldn't even identify any of the foods in front of her, couldn't begin to describe the different tastes; bitter, salty, sweet, hot, tangy. Everything was delicious.

As Yugi eyed Atem teaching Azula the names of the dishes in front of her, he couldn't help but feel jealous. He hated himself for devising a plan to botch the incantation. He thought about it. Just missing a word at the end, then they would lose their chance of reviving the long lost queen.

He figured eventually Atem would get over it, but his heart would turn black with the guilt he would harbor for the rest of his life. Disappointing Atem was not something he was prepared to face.

And now that the Queen was sitting just a few inches away from him, smiling and laughing with the Pharaoh as if their bond was never severed from the centuries they shared a part. It hurt his heart even more.

She was perfect in every way. They made a perfect match, she and Atem. But why hadn't he revealed that he was married? Even if there was a messy love triangle between them, anyone would be thrilled to boast about such a wife.

"Can I ask you something?" Azula stopped her conversation with Atem to look up at him. His words caught in his throat when her magenta eyes and his crimson searched his amethyst, waiting for him to speak. Did he really want to know the answer or was he too afraid to speak him mind?

"Why didn't you mention that you were married?" He watched as the two of them looked puzzled.

"What?" Atem looked on in confusion.

"What did he say?"

"He asked if we are married."

"We're not married." Azula looked back at the other. "Why would he think we're married?"

"I have no idea."

"You refer to her as your Queen." Yugi was beyond confused and frustrated. Why were they acting coy? What was the reason for their games?

Atem laughed. "Out of respect, she is Queen and I am Pharaoh." He scanned the other side of the room. Obviously they didn't understand her meaning.

"We are not married." She said aloud; she untied her hair, trying to make her point clearer. Her tri-colored hair became visible, the ends of her hair flared out. "We are brother and sister."

"Twins, in fact." Atem corrected.

That little news was apparently not related to the others were as they all seemed to choke on their food and liquids.

"Twin?!" Half of the room gasped, except for Seto.

"So…so you two were together?!" Joey was thrown off. His stomach turned at the thought that his friend had did it with his own sister.

"Gods, no!" Atem defended, blanched at the thought. "Other families during our time may have….done that to keep their bloodlines pure, but not us." The two looked at each other; they shuttered together at the thought. "Never that."

"Azula was born first." he continued. "So she became queen. Until I married, she would retain her title."

The young woman hit him on the shoulder again. "Why did you not make yourself clear? They were thinking this whole time you were married."

"I don't know. It was out of habit to call you my queen.

He repeated himself to explained to the rest of the group. "It never occurred to me that I was implying I was married. I apologize for confusing everyone. Azula and I are twins, nothing more."

The queen masked her excitement when she saw Yugi breathe a sigh of relief.

TBC

SMOOCHES