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

Chapter Twenty-Six

"We present for your entertainment the talented and enchanting dancer, Layla!"

A beautiful girl sauntered into the center of the throne room. Her face was made up delicately, as if she were the image of a goddess. Blush dusted her cheeks and brown eyeshadow brought out her hazel eyes that sparkled beneath the setting sun. Her attire left little to imagine as it revealed the length of her legs, the curve of her waist, and the slenderness of her shoulders. She sent the Prince a seductive smile before beginning her dance.

I looked towards the Prince, whose face was now bright red. My eyes narrowed slightly when I realized her eyes never left the Prince's face and his never left her face, almost as if a spell had been placed upon him. Her body lithely twisted and turned through the complicated and sensuous dance. The Pharaoh had thrown a party for the citizens of his kingdom to celebrate the recent flooding of the Nile, the same flood the Prince and I had barely escaped. I rose from my seat, disgusted by the scene unfolding before me. I needed to leave before my anger took control of my actions. The Pharaoh called out to me, "Alexandria? Where are you going?"

I halted for a moment, carefully considering my answer. I faked dizziness in my response, "I need to step out for a moment. This wine and general atmosphere is getting to me."

I didn't wait for his reply as I hastened out the doors. I ran to the nearest column outside, throwing my arms around as much of it as I could for support. My breath came in short spurts as I tried to control my breathing and hold back my tears. Why was I feeling this way? I was furious at my own stupidity. How could I have expected to hold the Prince's attention, when there were clearly many others who were far more interesting and attractive? How could I have imagined that after one moment together, I would be enough to satisfy him, and he would be entirely devoted to me? It was selfish and stupid of me to think so.

"My Lady?"

I quickly spun at the voice and wiped away the few tears that had escaped. Seto looked at me, concern in his crystal blue eyes. I smiled weakly before turning back around and walking towards the balcony's edge. I leaned against the edge, placing my elbows across the top and whistling quietly. I felt Seto's hands cover my shoulders, trying to regain my attention. A tiny growl was heard as my Kuriboh appeared, and I felt Seto's hands tense in surprise. He was still unaccustomed to seeing the monsters outside of battle. I gently stroked the soft fur, calming the small creature, who began to purr under the attention he was receiving.

"It's that dancer, isn't it?" As usual, Seto struck the heart of my current sadness.

I laughed humorlessly, "Am I that obvious?"

Instead of responding, he wrapped his arms around me further, hugging me from behind. His silence was more than I could take. Leaning against his arms, I loosened the emotions I had been burying and broke down into tears. It felt like something inside me was slowly breaking apart. I didn't even notice Kuriboh's departure.

I felt wretched. Here was the greatest magician in the entire world crying relentlessly over some guy. I kept trying to tell myself that he was just another figure in my life, one who would join all the other faceless figures that had been a part of my existence until now. But, I could not force myself to believe that. He was special, and regardless of whom he chose to be with, I would always love him. His arrow had found its mark within my heart, and no matter how hard I tried to remove it, it only burrowed deeper.

"He is a complete fool if he wants that wench over you."

Seto's words comforted me. I knew how he felt about me; he didn't hesitate to make it clear whenever the Prince was not around, though he never pushed for more. He hugged me closer as I turned into his chest, my cries falling to sniffles. Seto didn't say anything more, but rather he chose to let me weep into his previously clean tunic to my heart's content. After a few moments, as I began to relax from the sudden release of emotion, he quickly picked me up and carried me back inside. My sniffles soon fell into silence as I gently swayed in his strong grasp.

I closed my eyes as he passed by the throne room. The Prince could keep his pretty toy and have her dance for him whenever he asked. I would complete my training with the Pharaoh at the end of the month, and I would take myself as far from this land and the Prince as I could. It was childish and stupid, but I was not going to allow myself to stomach the sight of them. I sighed, irritated at my own wounded pride. This must have been how the other ladies had felt when the Prince had rejected them for me. The vision I had seen of him as a child must have been wrong; he would likely be a great king, but he was not the one for whom I was destined.

I was soon placed down onto a soft bed and tucked under the covers. With a small kiss on my forehead, Seto left, whispering that he would return as soon as the festival was over and that he would lend me his ear or tunic for as long as I wished. As soon as the doors shut, I heard his sharp tone requesting the presence of guards at my door and ordering that no one enter until his return. As his footsteps faded, I rose from the bed and slipped into my bathing room. After cleaning my face with water, removing my extravagant gown, and donning on my silk cover, I walked outside onto my balcony.

The blazing stars shone brightly against the dark sky. I laughed to myself as that thought crossed my mind. I should never consider a career in the arts. One of my little creatures popped up, carrying a tiny drum. I smiled as he began to play a familiar rhythm. My monstrous brother appeared in a tinier form, extending his hand to me for a dance. As the drum kept a steady beat, a zummara and harp joined in.

My brother and I must have danced for some time because Ra had vanished when I felt another hand tapping my shoulder. I turned and immediately froze. It was the Pharaoh, which meant that either the party was over, or he had noticed that I had never returned to my position with the other guardians. I quickly bowed.

"I apologize, sire. I will ret-"

He placed his finger over my lips and smiled mischievously before extending his hand like my brother, who had since vanished. I laughed happily as the Pharaoh expertly twirled us around in a faster rhythm. He must have left the party early to have still had such energy.

I admitted my surprise at his grace, "Even after all these years, you are still as graceful and nimble as your son."

He laughed in response, "Where do you imagine my son inherited the talent from?"

We continued to move around the balcony, having forgotten about the celebration in the palace. My eyes started to droop a little, tired from my expense of tears and the unexpected fun of the evening. The Pharaoh chuckled and, before I could stop him, swung me up into his arms, slowing the dance down. After a few moments of resistance, I settled down into his arms, and my head lolled onto his shoulder. He slowly finished the dance, ending by placing me back into bed. He sat beside me for a few moments, humming quietly as he ran his fingers through my hair.

The tune continued, but my mind had suddenly been pulled ahead. Something terrible was going to happen, and even though I was upset with him, I couldn't let anything happen to the Prince. If having to endure him loving another woman was hard, I knew I would be unable to handle losing him to golden Anubis. I would rather die in his place if I could.

I shot out of the bed, throwing a cover over my slip and dashed back down to the throne room. The Pharaoh called out to me in confusion, following my steps as quickly as he could. Seto was on his way back up when I flew past him. I slipped through his fingers, much to his dismay. He called out my name, quickly following my steps alongside the Pharaoh.

The little poser was still dancing when I burst through the doors. All the music ceased and the crowd parted for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Prince shake his head, still a little dazed from her spell. Her eyes grew wide, surprise growing inside them when she realized I was headed for her. She backed away in fear, the knife I had seen dropping from beneath her sleeve to the floor. Everyone around me gasped. A few guards came up and stopped her as she tried to make her way into the crowd. I turned my back and looked towards the Prince. His gaze met mine for a few seconds, before dropping his head in disgust, though I wasn't sure towards whom it was directed.

A sudden cry broke the silence as the girl's knife cut through my abdomen. I quickly turned on her with only rage in my mind. I was furious she had tried to harm the one man I loved above all else; it was not a crime I was willing to forgive. Flipping her own knife from my body with inhuman speed, I slit her throat before she could react, my blazing red eyes being her last sight among the living. As she fell backwards, the crowd screaming behind us, my mind came back to me, and I froze in horror. The knife clattered to the floor. My body began to shake as the gravity of the situation came crashing down on me.

"Alexandria!" My legs collapsed from underneath me. The Prince was by my side instantly.

"I…I killed her. It's my…fault."

These broken sentences were all I could say and think. My mind was unhinging as it grasped the deed I had just committed. In all my years, I prided myself on being able to control my temper enough to not kill someone in my rage; I even avoided killing an enemy during a battle if I could. I was so distraught that I hardly noticed when Mahad came to my side. He partially healed and bandaged my wound. I could not stop shaking, and my vision failed me. All I could see was her dead face, the blood pooling on the ground, and my guilty hands. I soon fell to the floor and blacked out.

I awoke what felt to be days later. I was in the Pharaoh's personal chambers. Bandages covered my torso, a wet rag lay across my forehead, and a bowl of cool water with another rag was on a chair nearby. My body felt hot and sweaty, though it was cool outside. I lifted my hands and stared at them. These monstrous hands. I fell back against the pillows, dropping the offensive objects from my view. I was repulsed by my own body. Perhaps my plan to leave would still happen, if only to protect the Pharaoh and the Prince from my hands.

"Dria! Oh thank Ra! You've awakened!"

The Prince came inside, hastily climbing onto the bed next to me. I turned away from him, pulling the covers around me tightly, hiding myself from him as much as I could.

"Dria? Are you still unwell? Is something still ailing you? Please let me help you."

"A prince should not converse with a murderer. He should throw her in prison and execute her before she can cause more suffering."

Silence fell between us like a wall. I prepared myself to hear him agree with me and call for the guards who would escort me to my death. It was a sentence that I deserved for what I had done, and I would accept it with honor. But those words never came. Instead, a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, striding easily past the boundaries I had tried to create and pulling me close. He rested his chin on the top of my head and began to stroke my hip.

"Don't be ridiculous. I won't allow anyone to put you in prison. You only acted in defense. You didn't intentionally set out to kill the girl."

I snarled angrily and threw myself across the room, pushing him back. He toppled in surprise, but quickly regained his balance, sliding gracefully off the bed before he could fall. I backed up against the wall, staring at my hands in horror. They'd almost hurt the man I held so dear, the only man whose death would cause me more pain than any injury, physical or mental, ever could. He approached me slowly, keeping his hands where I could see them, as if I were an unpredictable, frightened gazelle.

I was about to turn tail and run when he trapped me against the wall. He covered my lips with his, silencing my rejection instantly. My hands, though at first I refused to let them touch him, soon moved on their own accord from his chest to the nape of his neck, tugging lightly on his ebony hair. His large hands gripped my waist as my legs wrapped around his hips, and he responded by pressing me against the wall. I was helpless in his arms as he then carried me back over to the bed. He pulled me on top of him as we fell back together. When his hand slowly moved down my hips to my thighs and began to push my clothing up, my senses came back to me. I ripped myself from his arms once more and ran towards the balcony. I whistled loudly, calling to my red brother for help.

"Dria! Don't go!"

I jumped onto my brother's back, clinging tightly to his horns. I turned back to the Prince one last time, tears falling down my cheeks.

"I love you."

I sighed as that memory ended. Why did I have to relive that moment? Sometimes, I really hated this Pendent because it seemed to have a mind of its own. It picked random memories from my head and chose to display them as it saw fit. While a few of them were pleasant ones, it seemed to prefer my bad memories.

A hand caressed my cheek, "Something wrong?"

The man walking beside me took my hand in his, gently kissing the back. I gave him a small smile and shook my head.

"Just a memory."

His eyes crinkled in mischief, and his grip on my hand tightened. I raised my eyebrow in amusement, challenging him to continue with his odd actions. He suddenly wrapped his free arm around my waist tightly and released my hand. I squealed as he began to tickle me mercilessly. I squirmed and wiggled as much as I could, high pitched giggles ringing out of my mouth.

"Y-yami! Stop it!"

I twisted until not even his strength could hold me and took off down the street. He chased me for a few moments, laughing in delight. People on the street stepped aside in amusement as they watched this odd couple flirt. Two arms grabbed me and pulled me back. His chest vibrated as his chuckles continued. I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck. He smiled down at me, his teeth sparkling in the sunlight. He leaned down and touched his nose to mine, giving me a small Eskimo kiss. I shoved him away, smiling widely.

"You need to focus, mister. You have to be careful with your next opponent."

"Hey! Did ya hear? Joey Wheeler is dueling some dude with ESP!" One duelist ran past us, calling back to his friend who was trying to keep up.

"This I gotta see!"

I turned back towards the Pharaoh, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me.

"Come on! We have to go cheer Joey on!"

He yelped in surprise as I dragged him behind me, "Dria! Slow down!"

I ignored him as we ran up the stairs of an empty warehouse to watch the duel from above. Throwing the door open, I released his hand and ran towards the railing. Thankfully, Joey's duel was directly below the building, and it was only a couple of turns in.

I instantly recognized Joey's opponent, Espa Roba. He was a talented duelist at times, but from what I'd heard, his methods were a little unorthodox. Then again, there was no exact way to duel. I'd enjoyed hearing about how he toyed with his opponents when Father told me about him; at least the arrogant, slightly sadistic side of me did. I rested against the platform railing as I watched. Pharaoh stayed beside me, staring down at the dueling area as he observed the game. I saw a bit of worry in his eyes, but confidence in Joey was obvious.

"Let's tell Espa what else this guy's got."

"Ok big brother, Graceful Dice is under his Swordsman."

I turned my head towards the unexpected adolescent voices nearby. There were four boys on the platform next to us, all of them bearing an uncanny resemblance to Espa Roba. One was very young, still sucking on a pacifier. The next one looked to be in grade school, clutching his giant lollipop tightly. The third and fourth looked like either junior high or high school students. One was holding a set of binoculars, relaying what he saw to the next one, who had a headset with a tiny microphone on it.

"Your opponent just drew another Graceful Dice."

I shifted my gaze back to the duel and listened. They had to be relaying that information to their brother. I raised my eyebrow at this situation. Though I almost hated to think it, this was incredibly amusing. I smiled a little as I tried to think of a reason why Espa Roba would want to cheat, and I knew it had to do something with these boys.

"You just drew another Graceful Dice card."

It probably would have helped the boys in their attempt to help if they hadn't set up a little speaker system right next to them so they could hear what was going on. I chuckled a little as my theory was proven right. Pharaoh looked at me, smiling slightly.

"What's so funny?"

I pointed towards the four sneaks next to us and then back at the duel below. He scrutinized the area, trying to find the joke as he processed the information as I relayed it to him. His eyes widened slightly and his smiled grew as he understood what the boys had just said.

"Joey only has one Graceful Dice."

Their scheme was over. Joey would know Espa was faking as soon as he looked at his cards. He placed both his dice cards down, probably assuming Espa would believe they were both Graceful Dice. Espa walked right into his trap, summoning a more powerful monster to his side. Joey's little combo of Graceful and Skull Dice proved Espa's fraud. Espa retreated slightly when the crowd realized the truth. A high-pitched whistle sounded off on the nearby platform.

"Violation!"

Mokuba came running from the opposite side, blowing his whistle loudly. The second oldest boy dropped what he was holding and tried to escape. I thought about jumping down to help Mokuba, but with one smooth slide and some quick hands, Mokuba caught him. I giggled; who would have guessed Mokuba was a ninja in disguise?

"Your brother will never duel in this town again!"

"Please you've gotta give him another chance!"

"Give me one good reason!"

The boys began to tell their story. As ex-carnival people, the kids at their school bullied them, teasing the boys for their previous occupation. My heart went out to them because they had gone through so much, simply due to their family's job. Espa protected them from the other kids by becoming and remaining a respected duelist. I smiled, happy that my game had helped them in some capacity.

Mokuba fell silent. He must have remembered the times Seto stood up for him when they were little kids in the orphanage. Mokuba had been small as a child, attracting the attention of all the larger boys. Thankfully, Seto was big enough to handle those bullies. The younger Kaiba slowly turned towards us. His eyes widened when he saw Yugi and I staring at him. He shook his head angrily as he tried to make a decision.

"What's to stop you from pulling this stunt again?"

I sighed and walked over towards the adjacent railing. I vaulted over the railing, landing lightly on the next building. Mokuba looked at me in surprise, and the brothers looked on in fear.

"It's Miss Pegasus!"

I smiled at the grade school Roba. I gently tapped his head gently, "Would you like to come watch with me?" He hesitated at first, but then nodded enthusiastically at my request.

I turned towards Mokuba, "I'll make sure they don't try anything more."

The Roba boy smiled as wide as he could with the lollipop in his mouth. The others cheered in glee and immediately came to my side. I discreetly twirled my finger, causing a ladder to appear between the rooftops. With Pharaoh watching carefully from the other side, I sent the boys up one by one. I kissed Mokuba's forehead before following them. Mokuba followed me, trying to keep up his appearance of commissioner. Personally, I thought he wanted to watch Joey duel. We stood together on the warehouse roof and watched.

Eventually, the tiniest boy wiggled and squirmed until his brother let him down. The young child crawled towards me and sat down with his arms outstretched. I smiled and lifted him into my arms. He giggled excitedly, lightly pulling at my hair and touching my face. The Pharaoh watched us in silence. I couldn't really figure out what emotion his eyes were holding; it didn't look sad, rather like he enjoyed the thought of me holding a child of my own but knew it had never happened. I smiled sadly. If only that had been our lot. After a few more moments, I passed the youngest back to his brother.

"With no defenses, Jinzo will destroy you and you'll be out of the tournament for good!"

I had to stay positive and hopeful for Joey's sake. With Espa Roba boosting Jinzo's power every turn, things were looking glum for Joey.

"If you think I'm givin up just because of baldy and his tin can hat, you got another thing comin!"

The four younger boys in front of me cheered for their eldest brother in excitement. Even without their help, Espa was doing well. He was trying to keep up the psychic act, but it wasn't fooling anyone anymore. I sighed and turned my head into the Pharaoh's shoulder.

"Is everything alright?"

I shook my head. I couldn't watch this because Joey had a knack for causing me heart failure sometimes. Time Wizard was an extremely risky card, no matter how lucky someone thought he was. That luck could turn sour so fast that he wouldn't even have a chance to think of a way out. Sadly, Jinzo wouldn't rust in a thousand years. It was more like ten thousand years, as old as I was. It was admirable that Joey tried, but it didn't work as he planned.

After that, Joey was fading fast, desperately trying to scrape together a strategy. Jinzo was a powerful monster, and Joey had no trap cards. It wouldn't be easy for him to come back. The Pharaoh lifted his arm and placed it around my shoulders.

"You know he'll be fine."

I sighed and nodded, turning back to the duel. A few more turns passed by with no change. Espa's Jinzo only got stronger, not to mention his Reflect Bounder added to Espa's firepower. I was very impressed with Joey though. No matter what Espa threw at him, Joey kept fighting and stayed strong. It did take a message from his sister, Serenity, to keep him focused, but it worked. Thankfully, he knew how to improvise and that trait would hopefully come into play soon. If it didn't, this duel was over. Cue heart failure number two: Roulette Spider.

It was one of - no, it was probably the riskiest move in the entire game. Fortune had to be on your side whenever you played this card. If it was not, a duel could be lost instantly. The monster the spider attached to would spin and spin until the opponent called for it to stop. Then, it was all up to chance. Jinzo began to slow little by little until it pointed towards the Reflect Bounder. The duel was over. I sighed and placed my hand over my pounding heart. These kids were going to kill me some day.

The seven of us on the roof headed back down. The boys immediately took off, running towards their brother. Mokuba headed back into the city to continue his job. Pharaoh and I stayed behind and looked towards the crowd. The Roba brothers were together again and Espa accepted defeat. Once the crowd began to disperse, Pharaoh extended his hand towards me once more as we walked down the streets of Domino once again. I smiled as I said, "Joey seems to be getting better and better with every duel. He might even beat you one day." I nudged his shoulder playfully. He jokingly narrowed his eyes and smirked, returning my flirtatious advances. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Pharaoh?"

I squealed as he moved to trap me in his arms once again. I took off down the street again, only to run into another huge crowd. I looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of the lovable spiky hair, but he was nowhere to be found. I groaned in annoyance. I hadn't run that far, and yet I had managed to separate myself from him.

A high-pitched giggle sounded from behind me. I turned and cocked my head at the strange person standing there. He, or she, was all dressed up in a circus outfit? This person was wearing a mask as well. Bells jingled as the person moved.

"You're looking for Yugi, aren't you?"

I said nothing, watching the man cautiously. He spoke again, "Follow me if you want to find him."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. They snapped open again when I realized the citrus aroma was back. I followed the strange man at a distance, eventually coming upon a small circus tent. What on earth was this?

Something grabbed me from behind and placed a handkerchief over my face. I took one breath and realized my mistake. It was chloroform. I struggled as hard as I could, knowing I had but minutes, but the grip was too strong, and the drug was slowly taking its toll. I managed to squeeze out of the arms and take a few unsteady steps before collapsing. Uncomfortable arms picked me up and maniacal laughter filled the air. My eyes fluttered open for a few short moments, only to see another mask, but all I could think was, 'Not again!'