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

Chapter Eighteen

Dria

"The children are in here, ma'am. Please watch your step."

I lifted my head from behind the huge book sitting on my lap. The couples that normally came through took one look at me before hurrying off towards the safer, normal children, the ones who played with cars and dolls instead of reading Homer's Iliad or something similar. I had no desire to see another couple reject me, so I dropped my head back into my book. I didn't even pay attention to the short clips of the future that flashed before my eyes.

"Hello there."

A soft and warm voice made itself known. I lifted my head once more, confused. This was the first time in months anyone had spoken to me, and I had been here for a year and a half. Couples waved as they passed, assuming I looked up, but no one had ever really spoken to me. Even the lady who ran the orphanage had stopped trying to talk to me. She assumed I was either mute or just stupid. Heaven forbid she assumed that her words were not worth my time.

I gave the woman a small smile. The Matron gasped; maybe I wasn't stupid after all! The woman was beautiful: long, shiny blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and a motherly smile. She didn't look even twenty, maybe eighteen. The man behind the Matron was smiling widely. He had shoulder-length white hair, and he looked no older than twenty. A light blush arose on my cheeks when he winked at me.

"Well, I will leave you both. I do hope you find the child you are looking for."

The Matron bowed slightly and left the room. I peered around the man, waiting for the door to close. When I didn't hear the slam of the door, I stood up, wobbling slightly, and began walking towards the playroom. The Matron had left the door slightly ajar so she could hear what was happening in the front room. The couple stared at me, still smiling. I set my book down in the shelf made just for me and ran back to them. I stood up on my tip toes and grabbed their hands, pulling them along with me.

When the door to the playroom opened, all the other kids squealed in joy at the sight of the adults. As the little demons closed in, I released the two older hands and ran off into the crowd. They were only fascinated with me because I chose to be so quiet and alone. Surely once they saw how an actual 4-year-old was supposed to be, their attraction to me would fade instantly. I darted up into my room, softly shutting the door so they couldn't find me amidst all the other doors in the hallway.

My drawings were scattered about my room, as well as my clothes. No one ever bothered me, so the room was hardly ever clean. Kuriboh was sleeping soundly on my pillow, the sluggish bum. I nestled up next to him as I tried to hold back my tears. Was I afraid of never getting adopted? I could always run off and return to my "normal" age. But was I afraid this couple would find a child they could be happier with than they could be with me? I couldn't determine why, but jealously rose at the mere thought of another child becoming part of their family. I groaned at my own thoughts. I sounded like I was in a soap opera.

A gentle knock ended my silence. Kuriboh didn't move, of course. Lucky for him the mortals couldn't see him, not since it had all been locked away all those years ago. I was lucky to be able to see him myself; most of the monsters weren't so lucky.

"Are you in here, sweet girl?"

I turned towards my door, which was now slowly creaking open. The beautiful lady peered inside, glancing around the room. She smiled brilliantly when her gaze focused on me.

"I found you! I'm afraid the other children have dragged my husband away. He wanted to come find you as well."

She took a hesitant step forwards, as if she were afraid of my rejection. I climbed off my bed and bowed slightly. She laughed.

"Please don't bow. I'm no one important, dear child."

I smiled. "You are important to me."

She laughed again, stepping forward confidently and swinging me up into her arms. I giggled with her as she spun us around, dancing across my messy floor. When she caught sight of my wall, which was covered in my best drawings, excitement grew in her eyes.

"My husband is an artist too. Would you like to come with us?"

"I suppose that, once again, I'll have no say in the matter."

An amused voice came from my door. The man was standing there, his hair and clothes slightly disheveled after being attacked by hyper-active munchkins, but still very good looking. I lowered my head in embarrassment, but the lady only laughed at her husband as she placed me back on the ground.

"Do you ever?"

He chuckled at his wife's retort and, dropping to his knees, held out his arms toward me. I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I should take a step forward or a step back. If I went with them, there was no telling what trouble would follow me, as it always had. But I didn't want to be alone anymore. I had been alone for so long, never truly connecting with another human in years. The man smiled at me gently, his eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Come here, princess." The lady released me, and I ran into his arms before I even realized I was moving.

"Papa."

That day, I became Alexandria Pegasus.

"Cecelia died two years later from an illness. Pegasus was never the same after that. He even stopped painting for a while. He was completely devastated over losing her."

Joey gestured to the paintings on the wall, "So Pegasus painted those?" I nodded.

"He painted the man. I did Mother. I wasn't able to finish it until after she died, but I wanted to give him something as lifelike as possible."

I was overjoyed to be able to show Pegasus' true nature, that of a loving and caring man. He hadn't always been the man they had come to know. He was a wonderful father who loved his daughter and dearly missed his wife who had been taken from him too soon. I agonized for days after her sudden diagnosis that I hadn't noticed something sooner and done something to save her. Cecelia, more than anyone I had ever known, deserved a full life with Pegasus at her side.

"He took us to Egypt that summer. He wanted to find a way to reach Cecelia, wherever she was."

"Wait, he took you with him?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Tea's slightly rude comment, " He had promised me that I would never go back to an orphanage, no matter what happened to us. After Mother died, he didn't want to go anywhere alone, and he knew that I wanted to be with him wherever he went. The two of us were all we had left of Cecelia besides memories."

I continued with my story, continuously referencing the story in his journal. I mentioned when he met Shadi, though I didn't mention his name specifically. He was just a stranger to Father after all. I told them about the underground crypt and about how Pegasus gained the Eye. I remember watching as Father cried out in pain as the Eye tested his worthiness, and as he cried out in despair after seeing Cecelia's image for only a few moments.

Tea finished reading Pegasus' journal, bringing the facts that I had only recently discovered to light. As she read, I twirled one of Yugi's blonde bangs around my finger, not really listening. He watched me quietly, keeping his thoughts tucked away behind his gentle, amethyst eyes. They reminded me of a calm sunrise, a day where the possibilities and opportunities seemed endless.

"Look! Three soul cards, and they're all blank!"

I smiled, releasing the strand of hair as Yugi turned towards the desk. Father was an honorable man, that I never doubted. I was just glad that Yugi saw that now too.

"Let's find out!"

The other three took off, hurrying back to wherever they had come from. I remained behind for a few moments with Yugi, who soon took off after his friends. I hurried after him, only to accidentally run into him when he stopped at the top of the stairs. A strange, white light was coming from the dark hallway. My eyes widened at the appearance of a familiar figure. It was Shadi.

I didn't know if he would recognize me or even know who I was. I ducked down behind Yugi, hiding my face in the back of his neck. His hand moved back and grabbed mine, trying to act brave in front of the stranger.

"No, stay back! What are you doing?"

I heard the jingle of the Key as Shadi put it to use. Everything around me faded as Shadi infiltrated Yugi's mind. When my vision cleared, I realized that I was inside the Millennium Puzzle again. I wore a flowing white dress, lotus flowers wrapped in my long hair.

"I demand an explanation for your intrusion."

I floated towards the familiar voice, my bare feet making no sound against the stone floor. I came upon two figures standing at the doorway of the Puzzle. One gasped in shock when I stepped into the light. The other merely smiled softly, causing my heart to beat wildly.

"You, you're her, aren't you? Of course, you are, for you could be no one else." I smiled at Shadi and motioned for him to continue. He shakily continued his explanation for intruding, constantly shifting his eyes between me and my Pharaoh.

"I'll open the doors for you. Search to your heart's content."

Thousands upon thousands of doors became visible after the Pharaoh snapped his fingers. I giggled in delight and took off down the halls, opening a new door occasionally, searching for adventure. I suddenly heard quick footsteps behind me. I turned around, only to be lifted into a pair of strong arms. I laughed in pure delight as he spun me around, laughing along with me. He set me down and rested his forehead against mine. Our laughter echoed off the walls. I closed my eyes and listened to the combined laughter, a sound I hadn't heard in thousands of years.

"I am so happy to see you here again. I was afraid I had lost you when my hikari saw you in the tower. Please never make me feel such fear again."

I tightened my grip around his neck and rested my ear against his chest. His strong heart beat powerfully beneath my ear, slowly speeding up as my ear continued to rest there. His hand slowly stroked my back. This was pure bliss.

A sudden crash shocked us out of our moment. Shadi had been thrown back by one of Pharaoh's mental defenses. I smiled; they would be incredibly strong since I trained him in his mental defenses after all. We watched from the ledges above. Yugi came to Shadi's rescue when the floor fell from beneath him. I leaned back against the Pharaoh's chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder. Only when the two guests entered one of the most sacred rooms did I move. I turned around in his arms and smiled. A deep chuckle echoed in his chest as he kissed my forehead, cheeks, and nose. I sighed in contentment. I cradled his face in my hands and moved to kiss his lips.

A sudden flash of light crossed my vision, and we were back in Pegasus' private study. I grumbled in annoyance at the sudden return to reality.

Shadi gave a long explanation as to why he entered Yugi's mind, but I paid no attention, still petulant over my lost opportunity. When he turned around to face Yugi once more, his eyes caught mine over Yugi's shoulder. I lowered my head respectfully, moving my gaze to the floor. When I lifted my head again, Shadi was gone in another burst of white light, but not without leaving one more cryptic statement. "The fate of the world rests on your shoulders."

Yugi and I walked back to rejoin the others in the dueling arena.

"Dria, I meant to ask you," He paused. I turned towards him, cocking my head as I walked backwards. He continued, "How did Croquet not see you when you were in that tower? Your blood was…" He stopped.

I smiled with reassurance, "Croquet didn't actually come up to the tower. I heard Father stumble down the stairs, just far enough that Croquet didn't have any reason to come up."

Yugi was silent after that, anger brimming in his otherwise peaceful eyes. I was slightly confused, but it wasn't really any of my business. When we reached the inner courtyard, we discovered that Mokuba had woken up, proving that Pegasus had remained true to his word. Pegasus, I wondered how he was doing. Having a Millennium Item torn away from you was not the most peaceful experience anyone could have. Croquet gave no indication of my Father's condition as he delivered the final prizes to Yugi.

"Yugi, in addition to your three freed souls, there's this. The Ties of Friendship, the only one of its kind, hand painted by both Mr. Pegasus and Miss Dria. You are now officially King of Games."

I smiled in joy as Joey also received the three million dollars from Croquet, the three million that would save his sister's eyes.

"Now, we would like you all to leave."

I giggled at Croquet. He nodded his head towards the back bedroom, where I would normally stay if I were sick. It was closer to the mini hospital. I nodded my head once in understanding. I would be there as soon as the others took off. They all were in awe over my painting, saying they didn't realize how talented I really was. I tried to stay modest, truly I did.

Once we all came to our senses, we remembered that there was one more person missing from the little group: Seto. We searched for him nearly all afternoon and into the evening. I scanned through the dungeon tapes to try to guess which direction he took when he escaped from below, but all the cameras had been destroyed. When I mentioned this to Tristian, he turned bright red and hastily gave a fake reason. I playfully narrowed my eyes, only threatening the possible intruder who wore a suit of armor.

We returned to the inner courtyard for a second look when the creaky front gates swung open loudly and, much to my relief, Seto was standing on the other side. I smiled happily at the brothers' reunion. It didn't seem like Seto remembered what had happened in the Shadow Realm, which was probably for the best.

"Thank you, Yugi. Thank you for saving Mokuba's soul."

He shifted his eyes to mine next, "And thank you Dria. I am in your debt."

I just gave him a small smile and lowered my head. It was I who would forever be in his debt. After Seto and Mokuba left, Yugi turned towards me.

"Are you coming back with us, Dria?" I fondly touched his cheek.

"I have to take care of my father first. But our paths will cross again, Yugi Mutou. You can't get rid of me that easily."

I winked at little Yugi and blew a kiss towards the ghostly Pharaoh. Tea huffed in annoyance and Joey and Tristian gasped in shock.

"Yugi has a girlfriend?"

I laughed as I ran back towards the house. Croquet was waiting for me just inside the doors.

"How is he?"

He lightly placed his arm around my shoulder, leading me towards Father's room. "He'll be better once you join him."

We silently walked down the long hallway. Father's personal doctors and nurses rushed back and forth down this hallway, trying to make sure Father was comfortable. I pushed open the door and peeked inside. Father was sitting upright in his bed with cards spread out on his blankets, his injured eye now bandaged. I felt tears gathering in my eyes. He looked up at the sound of my sniffle. His soft smiled spread across his face as he moved his cards aside. He raised his arms towards me.

"Come here, princess."

Tears ran down my face as I ran towards him, leaping into his arms. He held me to him tightly, allowing my tears to ruin his shirt.

"Papa."