Thank you for these characters and their stories, Kazuki Takahashi. Requiescat in pace.

Chapter Nine

Yugi

"Dria! No, Dria! Come back!" I pounded my fists against the rock uselessly. I couldn't believe it. Bandit Keith had taken her right out from under me. I should have protected her better. I should have saved her.

"Yugi, come on man. Snap out of it. We'll get her back; we won't let him hurt her."

I barely registered Tristian's words. Something inside me was losing it. I felt a pain like I had never felt before. Dria was gone, and it felt like she had torn something out of me when she was taken. My mind was in such turmoil that I thought I felt the Puzzle shaking around my neck. Joey pulled me away from the now blocked exit through which Dria had spoken her final words.

"Come on, there's got to be another way out of this place."

"Hey Bakura, what gives?"

I sluggishly turned my gaze towards Bakura. His Millennium Ring was pointing again. Suddenly, the gash in my chest hurt a little less. If Bakura could get us out of here, we could save Dria. "Yugi and I think my Millennium Ring can detect other Millennium Items, and that it's been honing in on Pegasus' Millennium Eye." It could be leading us right to his castle, where Bandit Keith was probably headed with Dria as his captive. Without another option, we followed the Millennium Ring deeper into the cave.

We had been walking forever. It felt as if the time we could be using to save Dria was slowly slipping away. The gash in my chest was slowly starting to open up again and the pain was close to overtaking me. I took a deep breath, trying to focus on something other than the pain I felt in my heart and mind. All I could think of was Dria: her laugh, her smile, her presence. What was I feeling? Something, or someone, inside me loved her dearly. What if it was the spirit of the Puzzle? Was it because of him I was experiencing this? Was he feeling this sort of pain as well?

"All the rocks here are neatly arranged. It seems manmade," Tea observed.

I looked around at the walls for the first time. Everything was perfectly arranged. What was it that Dria had said before she had been dragged off? Find Para and Dox? Who were they, and could they help us find her? Bakura suddenly took off running down the dark hallways. The rest of us tried to keep up with him. Thankfully, Joey managed to keep Bakura in his sights, so the rest of us just followed Joey. We came upon another dueling arena. Two voices began echoing off the walls.

"You have entered,

Sacred ground,

Where only duelists,

Can be found.

Before you pass,

Across this chamber,

You must agree,

To face the danger.

So let the contest,

Now begin,

Notify

Your next of kin.

You're trapped,

And the doors are all locked,

You face the brothers Paradox!"

Brothers Paradox? Wait, this must be Para and Dox, the two who Dria told us about. I stepped forward, hope rising up inside me. "Para and Dox?" They gave me two identical grins and nodded. "So, you know Dria, or Alexandria, right?" They both cocked their heads and stood up straight at the mention of her name. "Pegasus? Dria Pegasus?"

"How could we forget? She was a child when we met."

"We were her guardians from six to ten…"

"And twelve to now."

"Are you friends with her as well?"

I sadly nodded and explained the situation to them. They listened in shock as I retold the story of how Keith had kidnapped her and was currently headed towards the castle. When I finished, Para and Dox looked at each other, their eyes slightly crinkled with concern as they considered the circumstances. At last, they had come to a consensus,

"Though we truly desire to rescue our Dria,"

"Our contact with Master Pegasus keeps us bound."

"If you wish for her to be saved,"

"A duel against us you must get around."

So, we had no choice; we had to duel them. Anger and frustration built up inside of me. How could they just brush off the danger Dria was in? How could they rhyme at a time like this? My Puzzle fainted glowed as the Spirit made himself known. I turned towards Joey, "I'd be honored if Joey would duel by my side."

Pegasus

I listened in horror as Yugi Mutou told the story of the kidnapping of my daughter. She would get kidnapped by a duelist who despised me. Trouble always managed to find her, no matter where and how I tried to hide her. I still hadn't determined how she had returned from the Shadow Realm, but since she had learned about it alongside me, I wasn't entirely surprised. I set my drink down on the dining table in front of me. Though there was nothing I could do, my mind raced through many different possibilities, each one crazier than the last. I could do nothing until I saw her. I just had to wait and pray that she would be safe soon.

Croquet came by and said something about Seto Kaiba being on the island. I already knew about this, but it didn't matter. Dria's safety was more important to me at the moment. I sent some of my security guards out into the island's forest to find her and bring her back to me safely.

I dealt with Kaiba and his attempted rescue as quickly as I could. I didn't have any time to waste listening to his pointless death threats. But, I wasn't going to just let him leave, taking Mokuba with him. I still needed the two of them for my plan to succeed. So, to ensure his cooperation, I trapped the younger boy's soul in the Shadow Realm, where he couldn't be taken by his brother so easily. My plan was working so far, and Seto Kaiba would not stand in my way of seeing this dream all the way through.

Not only would I not duel him until Dria was safe, I told him he had to beat Yugi to earn the right to duel me. That would keep him busy long enough for my guards to find my daughter and to calm my terror. I waited for close to two hours before I heard anything. Please, be safe Dria. I needed her for my plan to be completed. I would fix everything, and our family would be whole again soon.

Dria

I opened my eyes a few hours later. Keith had knocked me on the head after he dragged me away from the cave because I wouldn't stop shouting at him. I shook my head and went to get up, only to find myself tied to a tree. A tree? Seriously? Please do something a little more original.

"Ah, so the princess is finally awake."

Bandit Keith was sitting across from me. I only glared at him. Why hadn't he gone inside the castle yet? He had everything he needed to gain access to the finals of Duelist Kingdom. He got up from his spot and started to walk towards me. I narrowed my gaze at him, feeling a recognizable twinge behind my eyes as my temper heightened.

"If you value your pitiful existence, you will not come any closer." Why couldn't we still live in a time where seeing magic was an everyday thing? He didn't stop his movements. I shifted my eyes briefly to the mountain above, and a rock came crashing down, impaling itself into the ground. The earth shook from the force of the rock.

Keith, of course, froze. He stared at me in shock and fear, before taking another step forward. I thought about adding a flame to the rock, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Bandit Keith might have been a brute, but even he was smart enough to realize it was no accident. A falling rock was risky enough, even though it just seemed like a coincidence to him given our proximity to the mountain. He hoisted me up by the collar of my shirt.

"You're going to get me into your daddy's castle with no questions and you're going to make sure I win that prize money. Or your daddy," he opened his jacket to show a small shotgun, "is gonna get what he deserves. Or maybe your little friend Yugi will."

My eyes widened. Father had betrayed me, there was no denying that, but he was still my father. There was no way I was going to let any danger come to him, to Yugi, or to my Pharaoh. I lowered my head in partial submission. He wasn't going to get away with anything; I wouldn't let him. He tried to kiss me again, only to have my head knock against his in a stubborn headbutt. His face began to show signs of the bruises I had given him. He set me back down, actually somewhat gently, onto my feet.

"Don't do anything you are going to regret princess."

He then placed his arm around my shoulders, after untying me from the tree and kissing my cheek like a possessive lover, and began to lead me in the direction of the castle. I would have been fine with this under certain circumstances: had it not been Bandit Keith, had he not been stroking my arm like I was his pet cat, and had he not tied my hands so tight the circulation was being restricted.

My hair was slightly on the wild side, and my clothes were streaked with some dirt and slightly torn. It was obvious that I was not with Keith because of my own free will, but rather had been forced into this. As we reached the stairs leading to the castle, three of my father's guards came running up, armed and prepared to fight if necessary. I saw Croquet standing at the entrance on his cellphone, probably alerting my father that I had been found and they would handle the matter. Of course, Father already knew because he has so many cameras around the entire island. It was almost surprising that he wasn't out here with Croquet, but I was relieved he was still inside; he would be safer there for the time being.

The guards came up, ready to tear me away from Keith and to make him regret kidnapping me. I raised my hands as they took a step forward. "He is here as a guest. Plus, he has the 10 chips necessary to get in. Technically, you can't stop him." They hesitated for a moment. I had never lied to them before, so they didn't really know what to think. All they knew was that they had to get me to safety and away from Keith.

"Miss Pegasus! Oh, thanks goodness you're alright!" Croquet rushed forward without hesitation and pulled me away from Keith. He quickly undid the ropes around my wrists, tossing the restraints somewhere in the woods.

"Boys, arrest this man for kidnapping Miss Pegasus."

"No, don't. He is allowed to be here."

"But, Miss Pegasus, he kid-" I waved my hand to silence him. "Just let him through, please."

I kept my head low as my request made itself known. Croquet didn't say anything for a while, carefully considering the best course of action given the facts. Finally, after waiting in suspense (Keith made sure that I could see his gun still), Croquet stepped aside and waved Keith inside. Croquet made sure that Keith couldn't reach me as he passed by standing in front of me with two more guards on either side. Keith merely smiled and waved as he paraded into the castle.

"The real fun is on the roof. You gotta check it out." A newer guard, one who seemed to have a personality similar to Keith, directed him towards some form of entertainment. I was not aware of anything happening in the castle until the finals began, but for the moment, I was grateful for something that made Keith leave.

After Keith had left my sight, Croquet slowly led me inside. He kept asking me if I needed anything or if Bandit Keith had hurt me in any way. I just smiled and shook my head. I knew I wasn't being very convincing, but I needed him to believe me if the people I loved were going to be safe. I didn't know if Keith still had the mindset to use the gun now that he was inside. For now, Croquet allowed me to lie to him and simply took me to Father.

"Alexandria! Oh, my Dria! Thank goodness you're safe!"

Pegasus came bounding down the hallway. Even though he had betrayed me for reasons I did not yet know, I couldn't stop myself from running into his arms, releasing my fear and anxiety. He picked me up and spun me around, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I hadn't heard anything since Yugi Mutou ran into your guardians and told them what happened. I didn't know what to think. I'm so relieved that you're safe."

I smiled into his shoulder as I tightened my grasp around his neck. I could sense he was hiding something from me, but for the moment, I allowed him to. I would fight with him about it later. I was just relieved to hear that Yugi and the others had found Para and Dox. Although they were difficult opponents, I knew that Yugi would be able to escape after defeating them.

He picked me up and carried me into his room. When we first designed this castle, I had been allowed to do the interior decoration of all the rooms. I was around 8 when we bought the island, yet I didn't choose the 'pretty in pink' princess theme. I had my room covered in murals painted by any artist who wanted to paint my walls. Father's room, however, was the perfect bachelor pad. The bed sheets were black with blue and purple lining, and the sitting room was filled with modern furniture of the same colors and a light gray rug. The west wing of the room was just one big window. Every evening, you could see the sunset and the rising stars.

Slifer lowly growled as another presence approached. I rested my hand on his nose, petting him gently. Kuriboh, who was comfortably resting in my lap, joined me in petting my overprotective dragon. My other dragon was off on some job for his other master, and who knew where the giant was at the moment. I missed them both terribly and feared something had happened or was going to happen to them and this beautiful kingdom I called my home.

"My Queen, it is time to retire for the evening. Night is upon us." I sharply sighed. "I am quite aware of that, Seto. Ra is no longer in the sky so the darkness is not a surprise." I was sitting on the balcony wall outside the main entrance to the throne room, just looking out at the city. So many people depended on us for survival. Sometimes, I was positive that no matter what came towards us, I would keep all those I loved safe.

Then, there were times where I feared that the end was closer than I had seen. The few visions I still received were not always correct and they had been getting more unpredictable as my fears continued to grow, even with the Millennium Necklace so nearby to confirm or deny my visions. My concerns made me question what the point of my struggles were and why I even bothered when the darkness was a force that could never be stopped, only delayed. I was tired of struggling and wanted nothing more than to rest.

This feeling hit me before Ra had fallen from the sky. I had been out here for hours, watching, waiting, expecting some kind of ultimatum to be presented that would show me the path I needed to take. "I don't know what is causing you such irritation my lady, but I only wish to keep you safe. I would never forgive myself otherwise, nor would the Pharaoh." Seto spoke softly, knowing it was the second quickest way to soothe my temper.

I sighed again; he instantly knew he had won me over. Slifer licked my face and Kuriboh hugged me once more before they both flew off into the darkness of the night. Seto placed his hand on mine, slowly guiding me back over the wall. Once I was standing on my feet on the terrace, he placed his hand around my waist and led me inside. Pharaoh had a meeting to attend, one I had managed to avoid. He was probably still there even during this time of night. Meetings like that took many hours, sometimes days, to complete. Seto led me through the halls of the palace until we reached my room. He then left, after gently kissing my cheek and sending me inside.

I opened the doors and softly laughed at the sight before me. Pharaoh was passed out on our bed, completely exhausted from the day's activities. I guess the meeting was over; he hadn't even bothered to remove most of his jewelry or other accoutrements. I walked over to him and sat up next to his head. I brushed back his bangs and placed my hand on his cheek. I slowly moved it to his neck, feeling his heartbeat beneath my fingertips. I smiled lovingly.

He was why I survived the fall of Atlantis. He was why I never allowed the darkness to overtake me. He was why I would never quit.

I curled my body around him, resting his head in the crook of my neck. He shifted a bit, before wrapping his arms around me tightly, trapping me against him. I only smiled and kissed his forehead, pulling off the small circlet from around his temples and removing the golden earrings. I closed my eyes in contentment and quickly fell asleep beside my husband.

"Dria? Please tell me you're alright." Father set me down on the bed and sat next to me, gently stroking my hair. I didn't reply; I only pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around my knees.

"Dria?"

"I'm afraid for my friends. The last time I saw them, they were trapped in the cave to the south of here. I don't know if they'll be able to get out."

He didn't say anything in reply; he just pulled me into his lap, and softly hummed to me. This was the Pegasus I knew. The kind, gentle, caring man I had the honor of calling Father, who cradled me in his arms until my heart was soothed. The man that Yugi and Seto despised was a side of Pegasus I had never seen until now. I'd have to face that man sooner or later to discover the truth, but for now, I continued the charade of ignorance.

Suddenly, I felt my chest contract and my Item burned against my skin. Someone was in trouble. I jumped off Father's lap and rushed towards the stairs, ignoring his confused calls. I ran up to the tower as fast as I could. "You know that Yugi doesn't want to hurt you!" The scene I came upon was frightening. Seto's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon had lost its color and was melting fast. Mammoth Graveyard was infecting the Dragon with its poison. Seto himself was standing on the ledge of the roof. My breath caught. What was that idiot doing?

"Don't push me too far. I must win to rescue my grandfather."

"And I must win to rescue Mokuba."

Tears began to fight their way up into my eyes. "Dria?" I wheeled around to face Pegasus. Even though he was trying to hide it all, I saw the truth of Seto's words in his eyes. Who, or even what, had my father become? I raised my hand and pushed him back away from me.

"How could you? Did you really take the souls of both Mokuba and Grandpa?" I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hold back my hurt tears. I should have fought harder to keep him from receiving the Millennium Eye. Even now, I knew it had to be done, but it didn't seem worth it with the suffering it had brought to those below us, and more importantly, to my father. I felt his hand on my shoulder, "You'll thank me one day, sweetheart. We're going to be a happy family again." I stepped away from him.

"I know how badly you miss Mother, Father. I miss her terribly too. But I was happy. I had you. That was enough for me. I'm sorry that I wasn't enough for you."

I couldn't bear to see the look in his eyes; it would be either indifference or pain, neither of which was an emotion I cared to see in my father's eyes. I turned my gaze back to the duel. Yugi was struggling, fighting against himself. Pharaoh was, as usual, willing to do whatever he had to in order to win. Yugi, on the other hand, wasn't willing to hurt another person to get what he wanted.

"I've never backed away! And I'm not starting now!" I loved Pharaoh dearly, but this wasn't the right time or place to act that way. I knew what I was about to do was stupid, but I was never very great at doing the smart thing. Luckily for me, the rocks of this tower were easy to grab. I practically threw myself out the window and scaled down the side of the tower.

"Alexandria!"

Pegasus' terrified cry caught Yugi and Seto's attention. Of course, my amazing luck chose to kick in now, causing my foot to slip. Had I been in a normal situation, I probably would have been a little worried. But this duel was getting out of hand, and Yugi needed me. I grabbed the nearest rock I could and held on tightly. I took a deep breath and counted to three, before letting go of the tower and falling to the world below me. I crashed onto the ground. I groaned when I heard a small crack in my leg, but I didn't have time to worry about it. I got up and shook my head, dispelling the dizziness I felt, before sprinting over to Yugi. Father was still watching me from the tower, but I refused to look back toward him.

Thankfully, my little stunt distracted Pharaoh long enough that Yugi could regain a little control over his actions. Tea also went rushing towards him, building up Seto's dramatic act. The pain in my leg brought me to my knees before I could reach them, and I felt my palms scrape against the stones as I fell. Looking up, I saw the battle raging inside Yugi as he fought against the Pharaoh. I could see his foot constantly moving forwards and backwards as the Pharaoh tried to convince Yugi to run towards me. Yugi won.

"Stop!"

Celtic Guardian stopped his attack as Yugi fell to his knees. Seto took advantage of the opening Yugi had given him. Seto, unsurprisingly, could have cared less about what he had just done. That was the way he had been for so many years, thanks to his stepfather, but I also understood why Seto couldn't afford to lose this duel. Seto took Yugi's five star chips and headed inside the castle. He didn't even acknowledge me as he walked by. He must have been absolutely furious at my father and seeing me at this moment must have made it worse. I kept my eyes away from him and didn't acknowledge him either as he passed. I slowly stood back up and limped the rest of the way to the others.

Yugi was destroyed. His spirit had been shattered by the Pharaoh's passion to win no matter what. Tea tried to explain what happened, but I brushed her off. I knew she meant well, and what she had done would eventually pay off, but I couldn't help but be furious with her. Seto was just being a drama queen. Nothing would have happened to him. I would have used whatever magic there was left in the world to prevent him from getting hurt, even if it had cost me everything.

I placed my hand on Yugi's cheek, raising his head up. "I know why you're upset Yugi. The spirit inside the Puzzle nearly went against your wishes, didn't he?" Yugi's eyes slowly focused on me. "He meant no harm, please trust me on that. He is an honorable man who has forgotten what's important. He needs you to teach him compassion again; he needs you to help him remember. Don't be afraid; talk to him." He didn't respond, not that I really expected him to. He only stared ahead, not really seeing me. My Pendant began to glow, as did his Puzzle. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pulled him close to me.

I opened my eyes to see the interior of the Puzzle. Thousands upon thousands of doors encircled me, each one opening up to more in a never-ending maze. "Is it always like this?" I knew my Pharaoh was nearby. "Yes. I spend most of my time trying to find the answer as to why." I turned to face him. He placed his hand against my cheek briefly, but I slapped his hand away, feeling tears gather in my eyes. Before he could respond, I threw my arms around him and clutched him tightly.

"I know you meant no harm. You just wanted to help Yugi in his quest to save his grandfather. But that doesn't excuse what you nearly did." He held on to me tightly. I pulled back and tenderly touched his cheek again. "Don't go against his wishes again, please. I wouldn't be able to bear losing either of you, not when I can do something."

He promised me he would speak with his younger self as soon as Yugi allowed him to speak. Until then, he would wait. "How is it that you are here?" I smiled as my Pendant began to glow again. I closed my eyes and leaned into his neck, breathing in his cinnamon scent, committing it to memory once more.

When I reopened my eyes, I was back inside Father's room. I wasn't positive of how I had gotten here, but he must have come to collect me from the roof where Yugi and Seto had dueled. White lotus flowers covered the bed and the smell of jasmine and honey filled the air. Father was attempting to apologize to me. Unfortunately for him, it would take a lot more than a nice gesture to get me to forgive him. It was then that I decided that if Father wasn't going to let his prisoners go quietly, then I would go and make sure they were safe. I would guard their souls until they returned to the world of the living.

I would return to the Shadow Realm and search for all those he had taken prisoner.