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

Chapter Thirty-Two

The colt hissed angrily as a tamer rose his whip. It cracked loudly behind the horse's flank, but the creature refused to respond again. His normally bright red neck was soaked white with sweat, for the two had been at this for hours. Only recently did the colt stop reacting to the snap of the whip.

I watched quietly from behind one of the columns. Nowadays, most people in the palace either ignored me completely or forced me out of the palace. Today, I had managed to sneak into the training circle near the stables, which were on the opposite side from where I now lived. I heard that a talented tamer was going to break the young colt so the Prince could safely ride him. No one had dared to touch him since I had been thrown out, but he was no longer considered mine either.

I was now eight summers, and it had nearly been a full summer since I had fallen out of favor with the court, since I had really spoken to the Pharaoh, and since I had seen the Prince. Aknadin had thrown me out of the palace without the Pharaoh's spoken approval and had declared me to be a threat to the entire kingdom.

I now lived in a tiny hut just outside the palace walls near the river. When he realized he could not overturn the court's decision, the Pharaoh had ordered a place be built for me. Whether it was to give me a safe place to live or to ensure I was within view of the court members, I didn't know, but I could at least be nearby with the hope of even catching a glimpse of the Prince.

The horse reared in fury, snapping his teeth viciously. He struck the tamer in the shoulder, causing him to drop the whip and fall back. I smiled at the creature's small victory. Aknadin rose from his seat beneath the large palm branches that shaded him.

"This monster is far too crazy for anyone to ride! Get rid of it at once!"

Aknadin's voice screeched against my ears. Before I could rationally think about it, I was running towards my stallion. I could not let anything happen to my only friend. The tamer stood and drew his sword, turning towards the young colt.

This was barbaric. Horses were a rare commodity and signaled an individual's wealth. Servants could not just kill off the unruly ones. Horses were a gift. They didn't care about wealth or reputation. They didn't even care about the scenery or the clouds. Horses only saw what mattered to them. Since I had spent much of my time in the stables when I lived in the palace, their views became mine. At this moment, I only saw what mattered to me.

I waved my hand towards the tamer, forcing the sword out of his hand. It flew past Aknadin's face, impaling itself into the stone wall behind him. All those present stumbled back in surprise. I had tried to respect the court's wishes and stay away from the palace, so no one was expecting to see me. But this wasn't something I could just ignore.

I looked around and found that I didn't recognize quite a few faces. This must have been a strange sight for them, a young child with bright green eyes and magical powers. Green was normally a sacred color reserved for the Eye of Horus. It was thought to help dispel the evil eye because the color represented new life, but it also represented death. For something new to arise, the death of the old must occur first. For anyone, a foreign child in particular, to have green eyes was an unknown omen. I smirked a little. If people were going to fear me, then I was going to make sure they truly feared me.

"You! Get out of this place, demon!"

Aknadin had recovered from the sword incident and stepped towards me, raising the fallen whip. I wasn't going to leave until I had ensured this colt's safety. Said colt reared again, this time nearly striking Aknadin in his rage.

"Aknadin! What is going on here?"

The Pharaoh and the Prince walked in, confused about all the noise. The Prince caught sight of me and smiled excitedly. It had been so long since I had seen his beautiful face. The Pharaoh smiled sadly as I lowered my head in reverence before returning to Aknadin.

"If you don't want him, give him to me. I will not allow you to kill him."

All the men began to laugh at me. I raised an eyebrow, slightly confused as to why they would laugh. Sure, the colt was vicious, but he wouldn't hurt anyone without reason. They had been poking, prodding, and whipping him all day long. It was no wonder that this poor animal was striking at anything that moved.

"This horse will kill you before you can get close. Maybe, if we are so fortunate, you will kill each other."

"He will not hurt me. In fact, I will ride him out of this place."

The laughter grew louder as uninvited servants joined in. Many of them had been casually watching all day. Even 5,000 years later, I still couldn't understand the human fascination with animal breaking days. I couldn't stand to watch as some human tortured and beat a poor animal until its spirit was destroyed. I understood the purpose behind it because humans did need any help they could get, but the attraction of watching for pleasure horrified me.

I felt my gaze begin to falter as I looked around me. I felt like an animal during breaking day. The observers had formed a ring around the space, pointing and laughing at me. I tried to hold my ground and remain strong, but even I could only take so much. I was still human myself.

"If you are able to do as you say, the horse is yours again."

Everyone fell silent at the sound of the Pharaoh's voice. He and the Prince found a shaded spot to sit and watch. He nodded towards me in an attempt to encourage me, and I nodded back in thanks. At least he didn't hate me like the rest of his kingdom did, excluding the Prince. The tamer backed away from the colt, allowing me to step into the center.

The already monstrous creature laid its ears flat against its head and bared its teeth at me. I slowly stepped forward, trying to show him that I meant no harm. He was only 3, but his skin already seemed to be stretched taut across his muscles. He would be a magnificent horse, if only the mortals had the ability to see this creature's potential.

Many servants would later tell me that steam was coming out of the horse's nose due to the flames burning in his eyes. I would laugh at their wild stories, yet I would never doubt that to be the truth. But at the moment, all I could see was a frightened animal whom only I could comfort. He pawed at the ground relentlessly, warning me to stay away from him. I took a few more steps forward before stopping completely. He snorted once before moving closer as well. I stood still as he circled me, sniffing at my hair. I slowly raised my right hand toward him, and he reared in surprise. I heard a sickening crack as his hoof struck my shoulder. I flew backwards and landed just in front of the Pharaoh and Prince's feet. The Prince cried out in alarm, but his caretakers restrained him before he could touch me. The Pharaoh kneeled beside me, yelling at someone to restrain the horse.

"No! Leave him be!"

I shoved the Pharaoh's hands away and stood back up. The servants immediately backed away from my horse. I cast a short glance at my shoulder to check the damage. It was definitely broken. I chose to ignore the growing pain and walked back towards my horse. My right arm hung uselessly at my side. Later that night, I would peel away my tunic to reveal a clear hoof print on my bloody and deeply bruised skin as I healed the break. Luckily, there was not enough blood to worry the Pharaoh or Prince at the time.

I stopped in front of the horse once again, staring him down. After a few moments of staring, I raised my unharmed arm. This time, however, he didn't react immediately. He cocked his head at me, before tossing his head in excitement. I smiled. He had finally remembered me. It had not been that long since we had been together, since I was allowed around the animals, but since I couldn't spend as much time with him anymore, many new people had come into his life. It seemed like none of them actually cared for his health or future. He nudged my hand and playfully nipped at my fingers. I slid around to his side, where there was a step for me, and started to climb onto his back.

"Dria! Did you hear me?"

Mokuba was shaking my arm, the same one that had been broken all those years ago. I shook my head, bringing my focus back to the present. I smiled at Mokuba.

"I said why do shoemakers go to heaven?"

I put my fingers against my lips, pretending to actually think about this one. We would be landing in a few minutes and Mokuba wanted to get one more joke in. I shrugged in defeat after a few seconds of deliberation.

"Because they have good soles!"

I was ashamed to admit that his answer took me a few seconds to understand. But, when I finally did, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Mokuba, that's enough of the stupid jokes. We're here."

I continued to laugh, though this time at Seto's irritation. Mokuba had been amusing himself for the past 20 minutes by telling me jokes similar to the last one. I was impressed he knew enough to fill the time.

"We've begun our descent into Kaiba Corp Stadium for the commencement of the Battle City Finals."

I looked around at the arena we had landed in. It was still under construction. I knew that this wasn't the actual location, but it was an interesting choice.

"Why are you so confused? You know the truth."

Seto helped me out of the helicopter, steadying me when I tripped over the skirt for the first time.

"I'm not confused about that. I'm confused about why you picked this place to be the spot the finalists gathered."

Seto merely smirked, and walked away to avoid answering my question. If someone asked me, it was because Seto liked to mess with his opponents even before the duel began. If the actual dueling location was revealed in just the right way, Seto probably thought he could intimidate the others.

"Miss Pegasus?" I turned towards Roland and his assistants, "Not that you don't look splendid, ma'am, but what are you wearing?"

I laughed at his question, "I have no idea, but I would like to get out of it as soon as possible. Could you help?"

He nodded, "We'll have some extra clothes brought over for you. But you do look very nice."

He turned to his phone and left to call in my request. Roland was the best security head Seto could have hired. He loved his job and he took it seriously. He saw me as a younger sister, just as Father's security guards did. Thankfully, he was serious enough to take my horrible outfit in stride and be willing to bring me some spare clothes.

I walked over to Seto, who was standing in the center of the arena, glaring slightly at the only entrance. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Glaring at the entrance wouldn't make the other finalists appear any faster. Just as that thought crossed my mind, I felt the presence of another Item. I closed my eyes, inhaling quietly. The scent of oranges filled my nose once again. I nearly groaned; Marik must not have realized how easy it was to find him.

Then again, it was probably a good thing he had no idea how simple it was to locate his Millennium Rod. Maybe I was the only one who still knew that little secret. I scanned the stands of the stadium, looking for the platinum blonde hair of the crazy man who put me in this outfit. I heard his laughter before I could see him.

"Illuminate the stadium!"

I felt Seto's hand curl around my waist as he pulled me closer to him. He must have heard Marik as well. I rubbed his arm, trying to calm him down. Marik would come, and he would bring exactly what Seto wanted.

"It's Joey, Yugi, and Mai!"

I smiled widely. Thank goodness that I didn't have to wait too long. Seto released me and allowed me to dance over to my friends. I placed a quick kiss on Yugi's cheek before returning to my previous spot beside Seto.

"Congratulations! You three are now officially Battle City Finalists."

I gave them all thumbs up behind Roland's back, causing them to laugh quietly. When Roland turned around, I quickly turned and began whistling innocently. He shook his head in amusement before turning towards the entrance of the stadium. The wind picked up as the next competitor walked into the arena, and the scent of oranges nearly overpowered my nose. It had to be Marik. Not even Odion, who was constantly around Marik, gave off such a potent aroma.

"Wait a minute. you're Namu right?"

I raised an eyebrow. Namu? That little troublemaker was hiding behind someone else. I clenched my fists in anger. How could he willingly put someone else's life in danger? At the end of the day, life was just a game to him. It was about how much trust he could gain from those whom he wished to harm. He was as bad as that blasted thief; admittedly, he was as bad as I was.

"You saved Bakura's life."

"I'll do anything to help someone in need."

Namu looked over Joey's shoulder at me. His eyes widened as he scanned over my annoying outfit, an excited grin growing on his face. I glared at him for a moment before walking over towards them. I might have been milking the outfit for all it was worth, but I wanted to see the idiot squirm. Particularly when he finally realized I wasn't a prize to be won. Yugi joined me in the short walk over. He didn't trust Namu as far as he could throw him either. Thank goodness someone was on my side. Sadly, that didn't last very long, seeing as Marik was a natural charmer and managed to win Yugi over. I withheld a sigh.

"I'm so happy to be surrounded by such a welcoming crowd."

I smirked at Namu's pleasant conversation. It was time for a little game of my own. I sashayed up to him, making eye contact before deliberately scanning down his body. He blushed under my gaze and began to fidget, either putting on a good show or concerned that I would spill his secret.

"You must be Miss Alexandria Pegasus. It's an honor to meet you."

He extended his hand, but I had other plans. I slinked around him, tracing one finger across his shoulders, back, and chest. I came to a stop directly in front of him and flirtatiously winked. Namu froze, his face completely flushed. He had no idea who he was messing with.

"Congratulations on making it to the finals."

I turned away, allowing Roland to give him the security card, and walked back towards Yugi. He raised his eyebrow at me and cocked his head, an incredulous look adorning his face. I smiled mischievously at him. He smiled back and shook his head, clearly having given up on following my thought process. The Pharaoh, on the other hand, crossed his arms and glared at me angrily. He wasn't very happy with me.

Bakura appeared next. Everyone was shocked by his presence because he had just been in the hospital apparently. I noticed a skeptical look on Yugi's face that Bakura avoided looking at. It was that wretched thief. I'd show him a thi-

"That's the guy!"

A dark figure had entered the stadium. Everyone was silent as this figure walked by.

"I am Marik."

It was Odion, the servant who had been kind during my captivity. I couldn't believe my eyes. Marik was so lucky to have someone like Odion at his side. He was so loyal to the young tomb keeper for reasons I didn't understand. I know Marik's mother had taken Odion in as a baby, but that didn't necessarily mean he was devoted to young Marik as well. I also knew there was a far darker side to Marik's mind, but there was an even deeper reason for Odion's loyalty.

"Doesn't look like you have too many friends around here, tattoo face."

I glanced at Mokuba in amusement. He tended to let his mouth loose when Seto was right beside him. Odion walked over to Roland to receive his security card. I caught his gaze when he turned around and smiled lightly. He bowed his head, placing his left foot forwards. I slightly bowed my head in return before leaning against Yugi's shoulder.

"What was that?" He whispered to me.

"Even though he kidnapped me, he treated me with the utmost respect and kindness," he scoffed at my response. I smiled, "I know it's hard to believe, but he could have really hurt me if he'd wanted to, and he didn't." If Marik had actually been the one to look after me, that situation would have been much worse. Suddenly, Seto's blimp appeared over the stadium.

"Kaiba craft 3, you're cleared for landing."

I giggled in excitement. I had been waiting to see how Seto would outfit the blimp to suit his tournament's needs. Though Seto would probably claim that the idea was his, we came up with it together. I wanted something that would make the duels even more extreme, and he wanted to end the whole tournament at a specific location. I waited on the side with Mokuba as the duelists boarded the blimp first. Yugi wanted to wait and board with me, but I gently pushed him along. We would be together so much while on this blimp that he would be thankful for these first few moments of peace.

"I can't let you four on board without tournament IDs."

"Please sir, I've been looking forward to actually seeing my big brother duel for a long time."

I focused on the scene in front of me. Roland and his assistant had stopped Tea, Serenity, Tristan, and Duke from boarding. I paused for a moment. Surely, they weren't serious about the tournament ID thing. Even I didn't have an ID, but there was no way I was going to miss out on seeing these next few duels.

"Well, big bro?"

I turned to Seto, who was now standing beside me. He looked at me, as if asking me what I wanted. One look must have told him because he sharply sighed before claiming indifference. The four took it as a yes and dashed up the steps before Seto could change his mind. Seto placed his arm around my waist as he began to walk up the stairs. Roland mentioned something about the 8th duelist, but I doubted Seto really paid attention. As far as he was concerned, all the Egyptian god cards were on board. He couldn't care less about who the 8th duelist was.

The interior was simply fantastic. Seto had spared no expense to make these the greatest finals ever. I ran over to the windows and looked out at the city below. It was beautiful as the lights twinkled in the darkness. I simply loved flying, especially with one of my creatures. I used to fly all around Father's Duelist Kingdom Island at night, cutting through the sky like a bullet. I closed my eyes, leaning against the railing, and thought back to the times when I didn't have to fly in the secret of night. Flying was almost as natural as breathing to Atlanteans, and even Egyptians too, once people stopped fearing the creatures.

Roland came and led me to my personal room on the 3rd floor of the blimp. When I asked about the other duelists, he merely said that only Seto and I were allowed on this floor. I assumed Seto wanted to keep me to himself whenever he could. Roland dropped me off at my room, handing me the master key card as well. He declared that he had no need or desire to be in anyone else's room, plus it was the only card that would open my door. He winked at me before departing to show the other duelists to their rooms.

I looked around my room, and nearly cheered at the sight on my bed: regular clothes! I could finally change out of this annoying, but surprisingly comfortable, sex kitten outfit. Regular blue jean shorts and a cotton shirt with ¾ length sleeves were the best gift I had received today. After splashing some water on my face and braiding my hair back, I set off to explore the blimp and find my friends.

I made my way down to the 2nd floor, where everyone else was staying. Luckily for me, Yugi's room was the first one. The door was already open, and everyone except for Joey and Serenity was there. The room was amazing. A bed sat in the back corner of the room alongside the wall, with a bedside table and lamp beside it. A small glass coffee table sat in the middle of the room with two blue lounge chairs and a couch surrounding it. Behind one of the chairs was a small refrigerator, which was probably filled with rather expensive food items.

"We'll leave you alone, Yug. I want to see if Joey's room is the same size as yours anyway."

Tristan led the other two out of the room, despite Tea's quiet protests. The door shut behind me and a strong grip took my wrist. Before I could do anything, I found myself pinned to the bed with a rather irritated Pharaoh above me. He forcefully pressed his lips to mine, as if marking his territory. I laughed a little, causing him to pull away and resumed his glare. I raised my hand to stroke his cheek, but he pushed away from me and began to pace.

"Why must you flirt with every man you know?"

I blinked at him in confusion. I flirted with every man? Yes, I did flirt with Marik, or Namu, but that was all an act. I knew the truth and I intended to exploit every angle I could to make him regret attempting to harm the people I love. Seto was used to it because he had asked me to flirt on multiple occasions for business reasons, but that was a different story. It was just how I acted around others normally. I had nothing against those who were shy, but I enjoyed being a social butterfly, as modern teenagers would say.

"I don't try to flirt, Pharaoh. I like being around other people. If my attempts at kindness and excitement come off as flirtation, please know that I don't intend it."

I sat up, keeping my gaze on the floor. I felt his fingers beneath my chin, and slowly looked up at him. His eyes were now a soft violet sunset. His fingers drifted from my chin to my cheek, where his hand came to rest.

"I know, I'm sorry. I got jealous, I suppose. I cannot change who you are, nor do I want you to change for me."

He lowered his lips to my forehead, my eyelids, my cheeks, and finally, "But these lips belong to me."

He placed a stronger kiss on my lips, using one hand on the wall to balance above me as the other gently caressed my neck. When he began to pull away, I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back down. After a few more kisses, we simply snuggled together on the bed. His familiar cinnamon scent wafted through my nose, calming my speeding heart. He softly ran his fingers through my hair.

I lazily looked up at him, "Something about Namu irritates me, so I was trying to see if I could convince him to give me a clue about it. But, I still shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

He smiled gently, "You have nothing to apologize - well, it is your fault I became so jealous, so apology accepted."

I playfully glared at him before shoving him off the bed. He yelped in surprise as his body hit the floor. I laughed joyfully from up above him. He crossed his arms again before surrendering control to Yugi. In contrast to his sulking spirit, Yugi was laughing as well. He stopped after a few moments and rose to prepare his deck. He needed to add Slifer to his deck.

"Adding Slifer is a good idea, Yugi. He'll be able to help you in the moments you truly need him."

He nodded with a serious expression, though I could tell he was still a little concerned about using the red monstrosity. I kissed his forehead, "Slifer and I are very close. I know that he wants to help you in any way he can."

He turned towards me, "What do you mean 'Slifer and I are close?'"

I smiled, "You could say we grew up together."

Yugi paused for a moment before his follow-up question, "You'll have to explain later, but one more question: How are you a magician? I believe that magic still exists, but how can you control it the way you do? I thought no one really believed in things they couldn't see anymore. Take Kaiba for example."

I thought about his question for a moment. In order to answer it, I had to let my age slip as well. He was right. Most people didn't believe in what they couldn't see anymore. In the time of Atlantis, and even Egypt, magic was a current that flowed around and through all living things. Not everyone could both see and feel that current, but they knew it was there; those who could do both were magicians. Nowadays, people didn't care to see it anymore, and because they didn't see, they didn't believe in what they felt.

"I'm much older than I appear, Yugi. Magic flows through my veins because I could see and feel the current it creates from the moment I was born. Performing magic is like riding a bike for me: you never forget."

"The Battle City Finals are about to begin! Mr. Kaiba requests the presence of all finalists in the main hall."

I knew my simple answer wasn't enough, but it would have to do for now. The Pharaoh took over once more. After kissing my hand once more, we walked towards the coming dangers together.