Based on the original Yu Gi Oh storyline. (Combination of anime manga canons)

Rated M

A/N: So between work and 'other' obligations, I've unfortunately had my hands tied (at least from writing this). Not to mention I've been quite exhausted. However, I managed to get this chapter done with a lot of content and hopefully I can speed things up a bit and finish this rewrite. Only a few more chapters to go and on to new projects. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh it belongs to Kazuki Takahashi

To The Divine Council

Once noon time hit, two SUVs, one black and one silver, drove up to the Kane Turtle Game Shop. Yugi emerged first with Tea and their daughter right behind him. The trio entered the black vehicle driven by Roman. Atem then arrived out front with his duffel bag and a golden box in hand. He was signaled by Roman to enter the silver SUV with Lykaon. However, once inside the pharaoh noticed another Egyptian was in the car.

"Good morning cuz." A bright blue-eyed prince waved.

"Cuz?" It took Atem a moment to register that they were still related via his cousin Seto. Although definitely removed but cousins none the less. "Good morning to you as well Marcus. I thought you would be accompanying my daughter."

"Joshua has that covered. But you are a wanted man and our friend from yesterday could show up at any point."

"Very true." Atem nodded. "By the way Marcus, we never got to speak too much. I wanted to ask how you got involved in all this. Joshua informed me of some information but not all."

The dragon widened his eyes. He turned his head to face his relative. "Exactly what did Josh mention?"

"Just on how you got the Chaos Form. It was quite the heist story."

Marcus's mouth formed a line. "Not exactly something the two of us are proud of. Unfortunately we were left with little choice in the matter."

Atem held up his hand. "I'm not here to judge Marcus. I probably would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes."

The Blue-Eyes smiled. "Don't tell my pops, but I think Keanna lucked out on getting the cooler dad. My father gave me a hell of a lecture."

"Your father is only looking out for you." He gave a dry laugh. "But he is nothing compared to his modern counterpart."

"Oh I've heard."

A thought then occurred to Atem. "I apologize if it seems like I'm prying, but how were you born? Considering your mother wasn't alive when Seto took over."

The dragon prince had a feeling this question was going to be asked eventually. "My mother really wanted to bare a child from my father. So for one night, she came back and they conceived me."

"So your mother went back to the afterlife when she became pregnant?"

"Not necessarily the afterlife. I was born in the parallel realm. You may know it as the Duel Monster Dimension."

Atem nodded. "Makes sense as spirits in the afterlife cannot really have children."

"Exactly. She and my father then organized the Clan of White. Or Blue-Eyes Clan. Whichever you prefer."

The pharaoh's eyes widened a bit. "Being born into this clan, I suppose you must have a high status among them."

Marcus shrugged. "They and all of the other Dragon Clans consider me a prince of light but honestly my title doesn't mean too much for me."

"I can definitely sympathize with that. You were given power you never asked for."

He was surprised to hear this from the legendary pharaoh. "Yeah, I feel like the more power you have, the more people expect you to do certain things."

Lykaon smirked widely. "You mean not date the daughter of a Red-Eyes?"

Marcus gave a growl. "Shut the fuck up wolf boy."

"Oh come on anyone who is anyone has heard about your current relationship. It's quite the talk of the town you know."

Atem spoke up. "Why is who Marcus dates of any importance?"

Marcus slumped in his seat. "Because I am a dragon light and she one of darkness. Oh how will the two ever breed for their clan... blah blah blah."

"Yes the first Purple-Eyes Gray Dragon. That's if I got my color mixing correct."

"I swear to Ra if you weren't driving, I'd beat the shit out of you."

Lykaon stopped at a red light. "Easy there, my scaly friend. No need to boil your blood because people like to gossip."

Marcus adjusts himself in his seat as if it were a physical means of shaking off his anger.

"Anyway." He turns back to Atem. "So I must ask. What the hell did you do this time that you had to request separate cars? You and Yugi get into another fight?"

Atem bit his lip. He didn't know whether the question made him feel shame or embarrassment. "I guess you can say I have a bad habit of going along with it."

"What?"

Lykaon cackled as he made a turn down a busy street. "Is she leading you on now?"

"No no." Atem exhales heavily. "None of this is Tea's fault. She just has a lot of emotions to sort through. If anything I consider myself lucky she shared a moment of it with me."

"Oh so you fucked her?"

Marcus gazed at the wolf shifter with widen eyes.

The pharaoh was also caught off guard. "Trust me Lykaon if something like that happened I'd probably have a few more scars on my face. She kissed me and that was all. But it was enough to make me want to fight for her affections."

The Greek gave a pout that could be seen through the rear view mirror. "Aw. I apologize for being blunt but after hearing your story, I was only hoping the best for you. But I suppose kisses are better than nothing."

"And they have done nothing but get me into more trouble with my best friend." Atem noticed the vehicle making a turn and separating from the SUV behind them. "Where are they going?"

Atem then turned fully to look out the back window. Lykaon spotted the worried expression on the man's features via the mirror.

"Don't fret Atem. They are still coming with us, but Roman has to pick up another VIP."

Meanwhile in the black SUV.

Roman looked around the neighborhood he was in but the exact destination was fuzzy in his memory.

"Hey Yugi could you give me directions to Joseph Wheeler's home?"

Yugi nodded. "Um he is about five blocks from here you make a right. I'll show you which apartment building it is. Why are we heading to his place?"

"Well, he is a VIP. If I remember correctly, I recall him talking about having the next few days off so he should be available."

"Why is he a VIP?"

Roman stopped at a red light and turned his head to face Yugi. "He was summoned by the head Red-Eyes Clan, the very first Red-Eyes in history actually."

"Holy shit seriously?" Yugi was surprised by this. It was Joey after all.

Roman laughed as that was his reaction to hearing the news. "Yes, apparently these guys have a great interest in your friend."

After the short drive Yugi volunteered to retrieve his friend. Once he shut the door, Roman removed his seat belt to fully face Tea and Hanna in the back.

"Are you two doing okay back there?" Roman examined Tea's static features. "None of you have spoken a single word since you guys got in here."

Tea continued to remain silent but Hanna decided to speak up. "Mommy and daddy are sad because they broke up."

"Hanna." Tea uttered in shock.

Roman's lips formed a thin line as he nodded slowly. Then the Egyptian opened his glove compartment and removed a pair of headphones. "Hey sweetie do me a favor and cover your ears with these. The grown ups need to talk about stuff."

The child took the headphones and iPhone handed to her. She quickly placed the object over her small ears and began watching her cartoons on a streaming app.

His gaze returned to Tea. "I'm really asking if you guys are okay because this one texted me before I picked you up."

The brunette felt her heart rate speed up. "What did she say to you?"

"That she was afraid her father and my brother were fighting again. Is this true? Hence us being in separate cars."

"Yugi told me he tried fighting, but Atem stopped him. They just argued for the most part." She finally made eye contact with Roman. "Arguing over me."

"And now you guys aren't together?" Roman raised a brow. "How did that happen? One minute the guy would do anything to keep you and now the relationship is over."

Tea took a moment to remember their brief conversation. "I didn't want this. I wanted to fight for our relationship actually but he made the final call. He said that I needed to figure things out before he could consider taking our relationship to the next level."

"Was she present during this decision?" Roman pointed at Hanna.

"Yes."

He could feel a surge of worry consume him. "Alright. When Yugi gets back I need to talk with him real quick. I'm not going to rattle you about this anymore."

As Yugi entered the apartment complex, he noticed both elevators were out of service. He huffed in irritation and started his jog up three flights of stairs. Finally reaching his destination he rang the buzzer. On the opposite side of the door Mia was making a late breakfast for herself and Joey. Well at this time it was more like lunch. Normally she would be up earlier but considering she had to deal with her drunken fiance's hang over this was the best she could do. Placing her food on the tiny coffee table near the old lumpy couch of the small apartment, she dashed to the door. Upon opening, the older woman was surprised to see who was in front of her. Not to mention his state of dress looked fancier than normal.

"Hey Yugi..." She looked around the hallway seeing no one with him. "What are you doing here so early?"

The Duel King noticed Mia was still in her pajamas and looked at his watch. "It's twelve thirty..."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Well, in this house that is early...come in hun."

Yugi stepped inside. Ah, how he didn't miss Joey's mess. How on Earth Mia managed to live in this was beyond his comprehension. But then he looked at Mia downing her makeshift breakfast, the shining object on her finger was too big not to notice. If Joey wasn't good at cleaning up, he was certainly good at spoiling Mia, especially with clothes and jewelry. Walking around the living room Yugi discovered a trail of clothes that led to the bedroom. The door was slightly opened but Yugi could easily see his friend sleeping in an awkward position. With the clothes all over the floor he was sure his friend was most likely nude.

'Just great.' He thought in frustration.

"Look Mia I'm here to pick up Joey. Apparently he is a VIP. I know you guys left when this was discussed, but Tea, Atem, and I are on our way to go to this council to take care of some very important business."

Mia stared at the spiky haired man with wide eyes. Shaking her head she decided to give up. "You know after all we have been through I believe just about anything and if pigs started flying I wouldn't be surprised. Just give me a minute I'll go wake him up." She placed her plate in the kitchen sink and strolled off to the bedroom, kicking the door open and closing it slightly behind her.

Yugi decided to lean against the wall. The clothes trail started at the couch so he didn't feel like sitting on the possibly stained fabric.

"You'd think Mia would have picked up her clothes..." He mumbled to himself after seeing a lacy thong.

Then the nightmare began. A girly shriek echoed throughout the apartment, then giggling followed right after. Looks like Joey was awake. Yugi's lips formed a thin line, he really didn't want to hear his friends talking dirty or ...oh by Ra they were fooling around too. He turned to go into the kitchen but his eyes caught the opening in the door to the bedroom. There was his nude best friend making out with his fiancé straddled to his lap. Yugi didn't know whether to blush or turn green. But the sound of Roman honking the horn gave him the courage to speak up.

"C'mon guys we have a tight schedule!"

Joey pulled away from Mia to question the woman. "What's Yuge doin' here babe?"

Mia gasped remembering what she was supposed to do and got off her fiancé's lap. "Oh Yugi came here to pick you up. He said you are a VIP. He is all dressed up so I'm guessing it is really important."

The male blonde blinked. "Ya kidding me right?"

Mia just looked at him with unmoving eyes. "Just get dressed and get out of here ASAP. We can finish this when you get back."

The woman walked over to the closet and pulled out a dress shirt and pants. Surprisingly it was the cleanest piece of clothing he had as the man rarely wore the thing. Placing the articles on the bed, she returned to the closest. Grabbing a wooden hanger, she used it as a pick to dig through the mess of the closet floor. Under an old gym bag were the objects she was looking for and in a swift motion she threw his dress shoes at the floor of the bed. Causally strolling out of the room, she left Joey to get himself ready.

"By the way hurry the fuck up, you have a ride waiting for you." Mia called out. "And put some cologne on while you're at it."

Yugi merely stared at the woman. As if he wasn't in the room she started picking up her tossed clothes from the floor and dumped them in a basket in the small hallway between the living room and bedroom. Opening the linen closet she pulled out a purple robe and started walking toward the bathroom.

"All right hun, Joey should be soon if not feel free to barge in and tell him to hurry up. I'm going to take a shower."

Back in Romeo's car, the three were waiting...one of them less patient than others. Romeo honked the horn again.

"C'mon how long does it take for a guy to get ready?"

Tea laughed. "In this century you'd be surprised. Besides Joey isn't one to rush things especially early in the morning."

As if on cue, both Yugi and the blonde topic of conversation strolled over to the vehicle. After Joey slid in next to Tea, Roman removed himself from the car and walked over to Yugi. This certainly got Joey's attention, especially with Roman locking all the doors.

"Hey Tea, do you know what those two are talking about?" He nudged the brunette.

She let out a brief sigh. "I think Yugi will explain what's when we get to our destination."

Outside of SUV, Roman folded his arms and leaned back on the hood of vehicle. "So why the sudden change of heart?"

Yugi didn't need an explanation. "What's it to you? Isn't this what you guys wanted all along?"

The Egyptian was taken aback. "What the fuck...no." He then straightened his posture and held up his iPhone. "See this? This is not something any of us asked for."

With widened eyes, Yugi examined the message. It was sent by his daughter.

Roman continued. "We agreed to give Hanna back in your custody because you two told us you had everything sorted out. Seems reality has set in and clearly neither of you have a goddamn clue with what is going on. No one is concerned on whether you two stay together or not, but there was to be no major conflicts in the household. Not ones that a little girl should be texting me about!"

Yugi composed his thoughts for a moment. "Look I don't usually have a temper but when it comes to the woman I love...I guess you can say all bets are off the table."

"Clearly."

"So until things clear up, Tea and I will have our space from each other. Atem and I need to figure some things out as well."

Roman raised a brow. "She told me that this was all your idea. She wanted to fight for what you two had but you just ended it. Exactly what happened that caused you to make such a rushed decision?"

Yugi could feel jealousy crawling back its way back up but he had to remain calm. "So Atem and Tea had a heart to heart, hoping to clear the air between them. Some time later, she came downstairs not speaking a word to me and kept herself in the bathroom. I went up stairs to check what was going on and I caught your brother wiping her lipstick off his mouth." He took a breath. "He told she initiated it. I didn't believe him at first, hence the fight. But when I confronted Tea about she said it was true. That she even liked it. So what other choice did I have? I didn't want her to have to carry guilt or be tempted to be unfaithful to me."

"You don't think she would remain faithful to you if you didn't break it off?"

He have a dry laugh. "I'm not sure. But that's what scared me even more. How could we be in a relationship when I'm not sure where her emotions are going to lead her?"

Roman huffed and bit his lip.

"Look Roman, I'm not perfect but I'm doing this in the interest of my daughter. I want her in an honest environment. She doesn't deserve her parents being conflicted with this bullshit."

The jackal knight took a quick glance at his watch, then looked back at Yugi. He nodded. "Alright Yugi. I sure hope you know what you guys are getting yourselves into. Now come on. We have to get moving."

The two re-entered the car and continued onward to their destination.

After about an hour of driving on the highway, Roman had the vehicle make a sharp turn into a what initially appeared to be a private lot. Passing some large bushes and trees as they approached a large metal giant.

Joey rolled down the window and poked his head out for a better look. "Ya sure we ain't payin' Kaiba a visit?"

Roman on the other hand was busy pushing in the security code to open the gate. "No we aren't seeing that guy. But as you should know, a place like this should always have as much security as possible."

The gate quickly slide up and they continued down a circular path that had an obelisk standing erect in the center of a small garden. Egyptian hieroglyphics marked the structure but Yugi and gang could easily recognize Atem's name being in the largest print.

"With this bad boy no one is ever forgetting my brother's name again." Then he points ahead. "And here is the Royal Mansion."

Everyone looked up to see a home that rivaled Seto Kaiba's manor. Tall pillars, large stair cases and numerous windows with attached balconies decorated the building. Attached to the outside of mansion were other facilities such as a gymnasium, a massive garden, and other features they could not yet see. Upon parking near the front stairs, Yugi noticed the silver SUV had already made it before them.

"C'mon everyone. We all have to prepare for our visit to the Divine Council." Roman led the way into the mansion.

Joey voiced his concerns right away. "Wait a minute. I thought this was our stop. Now we gotta go some place else?"

The Egyptian hurriedly shifted through his numerous keys and pulled out a cylindrical looking one. "Well you see, the Divine Council is not even in this realm so lucky for us, we don't have to do anymore driving. But I need everyone here looking the part."

Opening two security doors and going throw a small lobby, the group finally entered into the mansion. The place resembled a modernized Egyptian palace with its color scheme and decorations. A massive staircase was in the center of the entrance and upon the steps was the man of the hour.

"I'm glad you guys made it here in time. We were starting to get a little worried." Atem stood up to greet everyone but he was in much different attire than they last saw him.

Stepping out in a royal garb, Atem truly stood out in a fine black shark skin suit with gold Egyptian style embroidery lining the collar and the bottom of the jacket. His leather shoes were polished to perfection and also accented with a golden band running across the side. His white shirt contrasted against his dark tanned skin and around his neck was a violet and crimson pinned striped tie. The only jewelry he had on were two gold studded bracelets, his cartouche, and the Millennium Pendant hanging around his neck.

It was that very item, that caught a lot of people's attention. Yugi knew he had returned the object to Atem, but he never thought he would be wearing the darn thing ever again. Of course Atem noticed the stares were all pointing at the object around his neck.

"Don't worry guys I'm bringing this thing back to where it belongs. I'm not keeping it on this plain any longer than it has been."

Joey gave a thumbs up. "Good. Dat thing has caused enough trouble around here." He then walked out of the group. "But can someone please explain to me what is the agenda today?"

"You guys got some business to sort out at the Divine Council." A feminine voice called out. "Although you will be coming with me Mr. Wheeler. My father has been wanting to meet you for some time."

Everyone on the ground floor looked up to balcony above. Leaning on the railing near the center staircase was a tan skinned and black haired woman with ruby red eyes that rivaled even Atem's crimson gems. She made her way down the steps. Once she was at their level, Marcus rushed over to embrace the woman.

"I missed you love." He tightened his hug. "Wasn't expecting to meet you here either."

The two broke apart and she smiled at Marcus. "Well I thought I'd surprise you." She turned her attention to Joey and extended a hand. "It is good to meet you Joseph. My name is Crystal and I'll be your escort into my clan today."

Joey accepted the offered handshake. "Please just call me Joey and what do you mean by your clan?"

"Oh, I am part of the Red-Eyes Clan. I'm the daughter of the clan leader. The one who has asked for you."

The blonde looked at the girl with wide eyes. "You mean Red-Eyes as in Red-Eyes Black Dragon?"

She nodded. "The one and only. My father is considered the first of our kind. Of course our numbers have grown exponentially since then."

While Joey was slowly but surely given more information about the clan he was to be introduced to, several individuals came forward to escort Tea, Yugi, and Hanna to the second floor. They were the royal tailors and, Tea and Yugi had to be placed in proper attire. Lucky for Hanna, she did not have accompany them on this trip and no preparation for her was needed. Atem waited with the child on a cushioned bench in the hallway. The girl seemed quieter than usual. Perhaps something was on her mind.

"You okay little one?"

She peered up at Atem, almost surprised that he asked such a question but a sigh left her. "Yeah. But mommy is sad."

"Oh, why is she sad?"

Hanna placed her hands behind her back and started to sway a bit. "Well...daddy broke up with her."

The pharaoh could feel his heart almost stop, but he did not want to worry the child with his reaction. "Oh I'm sorry to hear. I'm sure he had good intentions behind it."

"I guess." Her face made a pout. "He said it was to make mommy happy, but she is still sad."

A door opened from the far end of the hallway. Yugi was the first to emerge from his make over. His button down was that of a light blue with silver threaded pin stripes and a dark grey vest. His name was embroidered in ancient Egyptian on one side of the vest and his title as the chosen warrior vassal on the other. The tailors let him keep his black dress pants and leather studded dress shoes. As he walked toward his daughter, Yugi noticed Atem giving him an intense gaze. Hanna still harbored her pout but it was quickly removed when the sound of claws scrapping on the wood floors echoed along the hallway. Coming from behind Yugi was a large silvery green colored wolf with piercing yellow eyes.

"Fang!" She called out.

The small child practically leapt from her position on the wall and ran to embrace the animal in a tight hug. The wolf's head alone was almost the size of girl's entire torso but it carefully used its paw to return the gesture. Yugi wasn't sure if he needed to be worried that his daughter was interacting with an animal of this size. Not to mention he could easily recognize the creature to be a Duel Monster. The wolf took notice of Yugi's concerned look and released his hold on the girl.

"Relax Mr. Mutou. I don't bite."

The Duel King jumped a bit. "Wait. You can talk?"

He furrowed his large brow. "What? Just because I look like an animal you expect me to just bark? As a member of what you earthlings like to call Duel Monsters, we can speak just as clearly as people can. More often than not some of us just choose not to."

Yugi turned his face to Atem. "Hey did you know about this thing?"

"I'm not a thing!"

Atem chuckled. "Yes, I encountered Fang when I got here. He was telling me how helped keep your daughter company when everyone was raising her."

"Seriously?" He turned back to the wolf.

Fang nodded and assumed a sitting position so Hanna could pet him more easily. "Well, about a year ago your child made this big fuss over wanting a dog and considering how this place was still under construction and the constant moving locations, an actual dog was not feasible. So I was summoned to this plain to be her companion. But I'm also here for this guy."

The wolf motioned his head toward Atem. The pharaoh gave a small smile. "Yes, I remember now. You were one of the first ka's I could summon."

"Not to mention one of the first cards I ever owned." Yugi joined in.

"See? I've got a bit of connection with everybody. Just consider me a family guardian, but by no means am I your pet. Got it?"

"No Fang you are MY best friend!" Hanna chimed.

Both Yugi and Atem laughed at the interaction. Although Atem remembered that he too had to clear something up with Yugi.

"Hey Yugi. Mind if I speak with you in private?"

The addressed man's smile dropped instantly. He even appeared reluctant to answer Atem's request. "Sure. Uh, Fang can you watch Hanna for a bit?"

"Of course. Come on dearie, let's go pay Keanna a visit." The wolf pushed the child down the hallway.

Once the two had made it around a corner and out of sight, Atem addressed the elephant in the room.

"So I heard you broke it off with Tea."

Yugi's violet pupils darted straight to ground. "Yeah, I was going to tell you and Joey first, but I guess Hanna expressed her distaste for my decision. Honestly, you of all people should know why I had to make such a call."

"So you don't think she would remain faithful to you?"

He gave a dry laugh. "Like you said, she was the one who kissed you this morning. There are too many unresolved emotions going on in her for me to continue a healthy relationship. Trust me, I didn't want to end it but it seemed like the only logical thing to do."

Atem parted his lips to speak but Yugi cut him off.

"That gives you no right to swoop in understand. Just because I broke it off, that doesn't mean I don't want to be with her. She needs her space so please respect that."

"Of course Yugi."

Once Yugi nodded, he heard a door open. His stood there awe struck when now ex-girlfriend walked out of the dressing room. Tea was adorned in a royal outfit that was specially made for presentations in front of the council. The white and khaki dress was covered in jewel-shaped beads and golden threads from the X shaped straps at the shoulders to the bottom of the dress, which stopped just at the knee. On her feet were white leather sandals with a slight wedged heel. Over of the dress was an equally stunning small white and purple cape-like cardigan completing the look. The gold exotic jewelry truly made the woman look like a queen of Egypt.

"Hey guys." She said with a small wave of her hand. She was not expecting both of them to be standing in the hallway. "I don't look too silly in this do I?"

"Certainly not!" Both men replied in unison.

Yugi gave Atem a quick glare before turning his attention to back to the woman in front of him. "You look great Tea."

"Yes I agree. Like true royalty." Atem gave a bit of a mock bow.

She nodded at both of their compliments. Already she could see hints of the two competing with one another for her affections. Surely Atem was informed about their break up.

"So now that we are all dressed up. Exactly what is this Divine Council meeting for? I keep hearing something about paperwork." Tea asked aloud.

Atem was fully informed once he arrived at the mansion. "Well, according to the Council, you and I are still considered to be an item. They figured once we were reunited it would be an instant renewing of our marriage vows, so on and so forth. Although as we can all see that is not the case, and we must inform them of this."

"What did these special Council people seem to forget I exist?" Yugi threw in his two cents.

"No, they respect you quite a bit actually. You did help house my soul for a good part of your life and you aided in my initial crossing over." Atem let out a sigh. "But they did not take into account you were going to be in a relationship with Tea. At least not when I arrived."

The Duel King tried not to take the information personal, considering these individuals were a bunch of strangers he has never met. "Well, now we have a whole new situation to explain."

"True, but the idea of today's meeting was to unbind Tea from me as my inherited wife. She may share a soul with my old beloved but she has her own will."

Tea felt the grasp of anxiety creep up. Just the idea of this whole venture put the brunette on edge. The sooner this was over with the better. "Let's not stand around talking about this anymore. Best to deal with it as soon as possible."

"Agreed." The two spoke in unison yet again.

Back downstairs all attendees were present for the Divine Council trip. In a spread out circle was Atem, Yugi, Tea, Keanna, Joshua, Marcus, Crystal, Joey, Mahad, Roman, and Lykaon. Mana on the other hand decided to stay behind and help Fang watch over Hanna and the household while they were away.

Yugi looked around the circle and noticed that he, Tea, Atem, and Mahad were the only ones dressed in a particular manner.

"Hey, how come everyone else isn't as fancy as we are?"

Mahad answered as he prepared the spell that would transport the group to their destination.

"Because the four of us are the only ones going to speak with the Council personally. Everyone else has other business, are offering moral support, and simply don't need to be in such garments. Not to mention Atem is the Chosen Pharaoh."

"True." Yugi nodded.

"Good. Now everyone please join hands. We are about to begin."

As everyone in the circle connected hands with one another, Yugi found himself in the awkward space between Tea and Atem. Grabbing his now ex's hand was no trouble but the Duel King found himself glaring at his old partner. Atem's crimson pupils meet Yugi's glare. Neither thought they'd be in a position were simply grabbing the other's hand would seem odd, but Atem flexed his fingers as if to signal Yugi to hurry up with his hesitation. He finally did so after releasing a deep exhale.

Mahad strolled to the center of the circle and rolled up his sleeves. Like Joshua, the mage's arms were covered in ancient runes and once Mahad began a chant, the symbols glowed. He spoke in ancient Egyptian for a few moments before the a spell circle emerged on the floor. Within second of the circle's appearance, the entire group was engulfed in its light and transported to another realm.

In the blink of an eye the group arrived at one of the entrance halls of the Divine Council. Both humans and Duel Monsters alike shared the space of its gleaming white marbled walls. Joey, Tea, and Yugi were in awe gazing at the tall ceilings, massive staircases, pillars, and long hallways.

"Ah, it has been quite some time." The pharaoh mumbled to himself.

Atem had been here once before but not on such serious business. Never the less the building and its inhabitant were always a sight to behold. However, the sound of heavy footsteps caught his attention and in turning around, five large dragonic styled armored guards came into view. Within seconds of arrival, the guards grabbed a hold of Joshua's arms and pulled him out of the group. Keanna's arm was interlocked with her fiance and she did her best to keep the guards from ripping the mage away. However, the force of their pull was too sudden for her to keep Joshua in her grasp. Once he was fully separated, Joshua attempted to struggle out of their grasp.

"What is the meaning of this you damn brutes!" Joshua twitched his hand to make his scepter materialize.

One of the guards holding him responded. "You should know of your crimes half-blood! Especially with that thing in your possession."

Instantly the object disappeared as he was hit a taser like staff. Joshua's knees buckled in as he cried out in pain. Keanna and Marcus rushed to assist Joshua, but the guards teleported themselves out of sight, taking Joshua with them. The rest of the group could only stand in awe, the events before them occurred too quickly for anyone to stop it.

"Fuck..." Keanna's shoulders slumped. "I should have listened to him."

Marcus placed a hand on her shoulder. "What do you mean? Did he know this was going to happen?"

"Not exactly. But he was worried coming here might put him in danger." Keanna bit her lip. "I just never thought these idiots would go this far with him."

Atem walked up to his daughter's side and stared in the direction the guards were holding Joshua."Don't worry my dear, I'll be sure whoever is responsible for this will feel my wrath."

Finally, I never thought I was going to finish this darn thing. Still a bit of work ahead before I can call this novel finished. Hope you guys enjoyed, and please leave your reviews/comments. All participation helps keep these projects going!