Have We Got A Prayer?
The heroes looked at themselves and saw that their clothes had changed once again. Yugi was wearing a dark blue tunic with light blue tights and brown shoes, Kaiba was wearing a red tunic with beige pants and brown boots and a red hat over his head. Joey was wearing a yellow tunic with white tights and a matching yellow hat with an orange feather. Emily was wearing a white dress and silver sandals and a charm bracelet over her wrist.
Gatomon still looked the same, but she was amazed by her friends' new looks. "Wow, guys. How'd you change clothes all of a sudden?"
"This happens whenever we go to a new world," Joey said, studying himself. "Speaking of new world, where are we?"
Emily looked around, noticing how familiar the vicinity looked. "I think I have an idea," she muttered.
"Looks pretty old-fashioned," Kaiba stated.
"We are in the medieval era," the blonde girl told him.
Yugi saw that the sun was beginning to set. "Guys, I think for now, we should look for a place to stay. Then we can start looking for Mokuba in the morning."
Although Kaiba didn't have the patience, he knew his friend was right. "All right. Let's find an inn." And the heroes began walking through the streets.
The closest inn they were able to find was only a few streets away. It was small, but still able to house the heroes for the night. The innkeeper was Madame Marie, a middle aged woman with auburn hair tied in a bun and dressed in a maroon dress with a white apron. Emily paid her and she showed the heroes to their room.
It was big enough for all of them since there were four beds. Emily was even able to sneak Gatomon inside by hiding her in her knapsack over her shoulders.
"Well, we know we're somewhere in France," Kaiba said, remembering how he heard some of the people speaking the language.
"We're in Paris," Emily stated. Looking out the window, she saw the magnificent cathedral of Notre Dame. "Look; that's Notre Dame."
Joey looked and swallowed hard. Please tell me this isn't what I think it is, he thought to himself. He had the same uneasy feelings earlier when he noticed the style of clothes he and his friends were wearing.
Emily thought for a moment, then decided, "I think I'm going to go to the cathedral and attend mass." She put her sandals back on and headed for the door.
"I'll go with you," Yugi told her. She didn't want her to wander the streets by herself at night. Joey hesitated for a second, then decided to join his friends. Kaiba told Madame Marie that he and his friends would return after mass was over.
When they entered the cathedral, the heroes looked in awe and wonder of the beauty of the place. Neither of them had seen Notre Dame from the inside. Rafael had told Emily stories of the time he visited Notre Dame with his family as a child and how he admired the cathedral.
Suddenly, Emily was feeling uncomfortable about being here. It wasn't because she hadn't stepped inside a church in so long, but because of the troubled thoughts that began to fill her mind. And now that she was in the House of God, there was no way for her to hide her faults and fears.
Yugi noticed that she was looking around with a troubled expression. "Hey, are you okay, Emily?"
She curled her hand and placed it close to her chest. "No, Yugi, I'm not."
"What's wrong?" he softly asked.
She turned and faced him with tears. "I'm afraid for my soul; especially now that I'm in a place like this."
Kaiba heard her and asked, "Why's that?"
She swallowed hard. She tried to speak, but her voice kept threatening to break. "Well, it's just… with me being who I am, being here, what I've done in my life, I'm worried about the judgement that awaits me."
It was a common fear many people shared; especially all who feared and believed in the Lord. Emily went further into detail. "Of course I believe in God, but how can I say that when my services to another deity have caused me to willingly and knowingly defy the commandments of the Lord?"
Joey understood his friend's fears and troubled thoughts. "We're doomed to be condemned for that, aren't we?" he asked, though he fiercely hoped he and his friends wouldn't have to be forced into such a cruel fate.
Tears began to flow from Emily's eyes. "I guess it doesn't matter how much I try to be good; what I say, how I treat others. What I'm still doing is wrong in the eyes of the Lord. But there's nothing I can do to change that. And I know as long as I continue my services to the Great Goddess, no good will ever really come from it because it's still against the commandments."
Yugi understood Emily's words and he was also just as afraid for himself and his friends. But he believed that they still had hope and a chance at being redeemed. "Emily, I believe God knew your life would turn out like this. Mine too, and Joey's and Kaiba's lives as well. We wouldn't be here if He didn't. I also believe He knew you would face these challenges and your faith and loyalty would be tested. God knew that for all of us of past and future generations. I believe that that's why Christ was brought into the world; to save us all from our sins and inner demons like the ones we're facing now. And it's part of God's promise that all who believe in Him and accept Him shall be saved." He gave her a gentle smile. "Do you trust in God?"
Emily wanted to say that she did, but she knew that saying so would make her a hypocrite. She couldn't turn away from her destiny. "I want to, Yugi, but I'm afraid that turning over to Him will cause me to reject my destiny. But if I keep doing my services to the Great Goddess, I'll still be doing the wrong thing. Either way, I'll end up losing sight of what's important. But if I'm fated to be condemned, then I'll accept it without complaint or protest."
"Even though you admit you're scared and don't want that to happen?" Joey asked.
"What about the dream you had about your mom?" Yugi reminded her. "In the dream, she told you she was waiting for you. Do you want her waiting to be in vain?" Before Emily can answer, Yugi tells her, "I believe God sent your mother to visit you in your dream to remind you of His promise. You must trust in the promise, Emily, and believe you have a chance at being saved."
Kaiba invited himself to join in. "Look, Briar, we may be in service to the Great Goddess for now, but that won't last forever. You can still pray for God to forgive you. Like Yugi said, He knows about your services and how you know what you're doing isn't entirely right, but that's why He wants you as well as the rest of us to be saved."
"There's more to it than that," Emily said. "Remember, I wasn't born an ordinary girl. Even though my powers were sealed throughout most of my life, I still had them because a piece of the Millennium Star was still a part of me. In a sense, I'm an abomination. The Bible even says that no sorceress should be allowed to live and anyone with magic talents is a messenger of the devil. That's another thing that worries me; the Lord may not accept me for having magical powers."
"But one day your powers will have to be given back," Joey reminded her. "You said so yourself."
"But there's no telling when or if that time will ever come," Emily sobbed. "Let's just face the facts, guys. I'm an abomination, I've defied the commandments, I can't be loyal to the Heavenly Mandate and to the Great Goddess at the same time. I'm doomed to be condemned."
Kaiba had enough. He raised his hand and slapped Emily across her face, causing her to gasp in pain. "That's enough," he snapped, trying to keep his voice down. "So you've sinned, but who hasn't? And we all deserve to be punished and to pay for our sins, but that's why Christ laid his life down for us – to save us from being punished by paying for our sins. I know you're scared and you think you're unworthy because of what you've done and what you committed yourself to and who you are, but you know what? Last I checked, nobody is perfect."
He grabs her by the neckpiece of her dress and continues, "Yeah, you're a magic mutant princess, but you know what? You're our magic mutant princess. You've accepted and admitted your faults to God, so now you can at least pray for a chance to be saved and redeemed. And I suggest you do, because if you don't and end up going on about all this again, I'll kick your skinny white ass until you can't stand."
Yugi and Joey gasped at the sound of Kaiba's use of profanity in the church. "Watch your mouth, Kaiba," Yugi softly scolded. "We're in a church. Besides, you know I don't like foul language."
"I don't care," the brunette barked. "She needed to hear it." He sets her down and asks, "Do you understand, Briar?"
She looks down and replies, "I guess when you put it that way, really, all I can do is pray." She went to the pews, got down on her knees, clasped her hands together, and began praying. Father in Heaven, I beg Your mercy and forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it because of my sins, but even so, I'm still worried and afraid not just for myself, but for my friends. Please spare them from my sins. Actually, even now, I still don't know if I'm doing the right thing as I pray. I'm sure You already know I come from another world. Yes, I confess I am an outsider who trespassed upon this world. But I don't mean for any bad intentions that may result in my being here. Also, this question often arises whenever I go to another world. I know there is only one of You in all the world, but does that mean You follow me whenever I go to another world? Are you the same Heavenly Mandate from back in my home world? Do all of the worlds share the same Heaven? O Father, I feel so lost and scared. As such, I feel I have to seek You for help. I want to be faithful to you, but I'm afraid that doing so will make me a hypocrite because I still have a destiny to fulfill. That's why I say if I'm doomed to be condemned, I'll accept it because I deserve it for my sins. But after listening to my friends' justifications, I agree with them that You knew my life would be like this and You knew I would be facing these struggles. And like my friends, I believe that because You knew our lives would turn out like this, it is why You sent Your Son to save us. I believe, Father, and that is why I pray for my friends and I to have a chance at being saved and redeemed. And please, Father, while we are alive, please help us to do good in Your eyes. Please help us, Father. Amen.
Yugi knelt beside her and began praying as well. Father in Heaven, I have the same worries and concerns as my beloved. But I truly believe that Your love is unyielding and Your forgiveness is true. I guess that's where the term 'forgive and forget' comes from, because once You forgive Your children who come to you in repentance, You forget their sins and redeem them. Please, Father, I pray that we may all have a chance at being saved and redeemed. I feel with all my heart that You want us to be saved and redeemed. I believe that that's another reason why Christ laid his life down for us and shed his blood for us. For as it is written: 'God so loved the Earth that He gave His only begotten Son.' I believe You gave us Your gift of love so we may see You in all Your glory and join you in everlasting life. But I know we will continue to sin and make mistakes as we live our lives. After all, like my friend pointed out, nobody's perfect. But please, as we continue to live our lives, forgive us our sins and forgive us our trespasses. And please help us to do good and become better people in Your name. Amen.
Joey knelt beside Yugi. He cleared his throat, crossed his heart, clasped his hands, and began praying. Dear God, I know I'm not perfect. In fact, I have a lot of flaws. I know I'm not brave, smart, reliable, or anything like that, but I still care a lot about my friends and family. That's why I try to stand by them as a loyal friend should. I know I shouldn't ask for You to help me overcome my problems because I know I can face them on my own, but this isn't about me. I shouldn't be selfish and only think about myself. After hearing Emily confess how scared she was and hearing her confess her sins, I realized I was feeling the same way. So I pray not for myself, but for my friends, because we're all in this together. Please, help us, God. Help us to be better people. Help us to build our faith in You so that we may find You. I know the commandments say it's wrong to serve another deity and nothing good can ever come from something bad, but I also believe in Your promise that nothing bad lasts forever. That's how I trust that one day, my friends and I will have completed our services, and when we do, I hope my friends and I will be redeemed. I also believe that You have been with us during our adventures in the other worlds; protecting us and watching over us. Please continue to do so as we continue our adventures. And please watch over and protect our friends and families near and far as well. Amen.
Kaiba closed his eyes and sighed. He hadn't had much practice in praying and had often questioned his faith. He had read the Bible on rare occasions, but hadn't taken much time in deciding whether or not he believed in God. But he figured it couldn't hurt to try; especially for his brother. I don't know how this works or if You listen to prayers from people from different worlds. But I feel I should make an effort in trying to pray to You because I feel I'm in a moment of need. I feel lost and confused. Over the past few days, I've been worried about my brother. I still am. Even after I've been promised that he's safe, I still worry because I love him and I… I miss him too. Even now, I'm starting to realize how blind I've been to the truth. I haven't been paying much mind to Mokuba. I haven't stopped to take a chance to see the person he's been becoming. I guess what I'm praying for is a chance to see my little brother again. Even if it's just once and only for a few minutes, I just want to see my brother so I can talk to him, tell him how sorry I am. Until that time comes, please protect him, God. Protect him and his girlfriend. Even though she gets on my nerves, my brother still loves her and she's important to him. Please, God, please watch over Mokuba and Rebecca. Amen.
The heroes prayed in silence, unaware that they were being watched by a figure in the shadows. That figure was the minister himself. No, he thought to himself. It can't be. He felt he had seen these four young folks before and wondered if they were who he thought they were.
When they all finished praying, they got back on their feet. All except for Emily, that is. She was still on her knees. She also placed her hands over her eyes as she softly cried. Yugi came up from behind her and gently embraced her to comfort her. Emily reached into her knapsack and took out her handkerchief and began using it to dry her eyes.
"Come on," Kaiba said softly to his friends. "Let's go back to the inn." His friends agreed and followed him. They left the cathedral, crossed the square, and returned to the inn to try to get some sleep.
