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

Chapter Thirty-Four

Dria

I headed down towards the lower deck after a few more moments of staring out across the sky. As I reached the elevator, Slifer flew back into the darkness, but not without licking my face one last time. I smiled as I touched the now wet spot on my cheek. After everything I'd done to him, he had held no grudge. He loved me regardless.

I could feel the Puzzle moving about on the floor below me, where both my and Seto's rooms were. I stepped out of the elevator only to run into Joey banging on and yelling at Seto's door. Poor Mokuba, though he tried his best, stood no chance against Joey's determination to irritate Seto to no end. But, banging on a door and yelling were not the methods Joey normally chose.

"You're lucky to even be in my tournament, yet you insist on making a nuisance of yourself over and over again."

I laughed as I passed by the group and floated into Seto's room. I immediately laid across the small couch in the room, making myself right at home. Seto chuckled lowly at my sprawled-out form, but instead of pushing me off like he usually did, he pulled me over so I was curled in his lap. I heard the Pharaoh huff slightly; he was jealous again. I smiled and laid my head against Seto's broad shoulder. I was going to be in so much trouble later, but I couldn't help it. Seto was so warm and soft, when he wasn't angry and yelling at others. Pharaoh hopefully knew that I had eyes for him alone, no matter how interested Seto was in me.

The group argued about whether or not they should land the blimp for Ryou's injuries. I chose to remain silent because I agreed with both sides. We did need to have a doctor examine Ryou, but that spirit should have never brought Ryou out here in the first place. Even though he probably didn't know much about modern medicine, even he had enough of a brain to know that Ryou was seriously hurt.

"Please Kaiba. Isn't someone's health more important than your silly game?"

Ah Serenity, if only that were the case. When it came to this game, no matter the time period, health was hardly important. So many people had killed and been killed over this game. Perhaps blackmailed and been blackmailed would be more appropriate for this current era. I felt my necklace start to quiver as it summoned a memory, but I quickly brushed it away and stood from my spot. The group instantly fell silent as I stood, but I only looked at Seto. He looked back at me, as if daring me to try to change his mind. I nodded my head towards the phone nearby.

"You have doctors here. Send one up to Bakura's room."

Thankfully, that ended the argument since Joey would have lost in a fistfight with Seto. I wrapped my arm around Yugi's shoulders and leaned down towards his ear, "Bakura will be in good hands. I'll make sure of it."

He smiled lightly and took my hand in his. I felt the Pharaoh's ghostly arms wrap around me, and I leaned slightly into his chest. Seto promptly kicked everyone, even me, out of his room shortly after that. He had a duel to prepare for.

"Serenity, it's like your words came right out of the mouth of an angel."

I covered my mouth to suppress my laughter. It wasn't that Duke and Tristan were being completely obvious when flirting with Serenity, which they were. It was the fact that Serenity was completely oblivious. I couldn't tell if she was trying to be ignorant to the attention, but she clearly wasn't interested.

"Do you think Bakura is going to be okay in the hands of Kaiba's quacks or what?"

I gently patted Joey's shoulder as I answered, "Seto and I went through every applicant both together and separately. Then, each applicant had to perform a routine check on me before Seto would consider hiring him. Each one that wasn't focused on his job, well, let's just say he won't be working for a while."

I smiled widely as I finished my explanation. Both Yugi and Joey's eyes widened when ideas of what probably happened ran through their minds. With the doctor problem solved, the next question was what had happened to the Millennium Ring.

Tristan suddenly volunteered himself and Duke to search for Bakura's Ring. He even told me that I should stay in Yugi's room and relax from the duel. I kept waiting for him to mention what I had done in the duel, but he never once brought it up. Instead, he quickly grabbed Duke, pulling the latter away from Serenity, and dashed back to the elevator. I cocked my head as the elevator door closed. Maybe he really was that blinded by love.

"It's nice to see them getting along."

I sent an incredulous look Joey's way. If that was the definition of getting along, then Tea and I were more than best friends. The four of us decided that it was a good idea to retire to our rooms before the next duel. Yugi took my hand and led me down the hall to his room as Joey and Serenity walked in the opposite direction. We slipped into Yugi's room, and I immediately claimed the floor. The bed was too soft right now, and after merging with Slifer, I didn't want something really soft against my slight headache. I needed something solid for the time being.

As Yugi sat down next to me, Kuriboh's spirit appeared out of nowhere. Yugi jumped a little at the small creature's sudden appearance, but laughed lightly as Kuriboh snuggled against him, purring happily. Though I was surprised that Yugi could see him, I leaned up and smiled at the pair. How that reminded me of Egypt, when my monsters would suddenly appear and separate the Pharaoh and myself often because they wanted to play.

Kuriboh stopped his purring and immediately started trying to tell me something. He waved his small claws back and forth, as if trying to point towards something very important. I lazily closed my eyes and just listened to his garbled speech, only partially trying to make sense of it. I didn't even know how he managed to appear, but it was nice to hear his high-pitched voice. I had nearly fallen asleep when I heard some babble that sounded vaguely like "rafiqi." Though it stunned me that Kuriboh could speak human words, the meaning of that word immediately woke me back up.

Duke

I've often wondered how I always seemed to end up in these challenging situations. I didn't count being chased by beautiful women as difficult, especially when the man was as handsome as I was. No, it was the life and death scenarios I wondered about. I liked to think of myself as a devilishly handsome, yet modest fellow who led an ordinary life. But there were times when I had to question the mentality of those around me.

Like this moment for example: I was currently dangling off the side of a blimp, with nothing but the weak grip of my companion above me and the endless city 4,000 feet below me. I would say I tried to enjoy the view as Tristan employed his brilliant plan, shouting for help, but the threat of death slightly distracted me.

"How's your grip?"

"Now that you bring it up, not good. My hand has gone numb."

I could feel the both of us slowly getting closer to the city below. This was not how I had intended to die. I actually hadn't intended to die at all on this little journey. Mostly, I came along to playfully flirt with Dria again and to win Serenity's true affection. A man must keep himself busy, right?

"My hand is slipping!"

I shut my eyes tight, waiting to just fall to the bright city below. The fall must have been a lot shorter than it looked because the moment I actually started to fall, something caught me. I opened my eyes to find the both of us literally floating in mid-air. I heard an irritated sigh from up on deck and lifted my eyes to see who was there.

I had to narrow my gaze slightly in order to see who it was because I didn't believe what my eyes saw. Standing there, in a white dress and covered in gold and jewels with her right hand extended, was Dria. Her eyes were their normal bright green, but her skin was incredibly tan, and she didn't look like the Dria I knew. This copy Dria looked intimidating, like she could easily kill us without a second thought.

"Did you really think it was a good idea to hold a wrestling match on the top of a blimp?"

She smiled wryly at us as she lifted her hand upwards, somehow lifting us back onto the blimp. A strange man wearing what looked to be a bathrobe stood beside her, just watching the scene. She quickly set us back on the blimp, but before we could say anything, she and the strange man vanished.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know, but let's go find the rest of the gang."

Dria

It was about time to reveal more about my past to Yugi and the Pharaoh. I wouldn't go all the way back, but they needed to know that this magic thing was no joke, nor was the fact that I was deeply connected to this game.

I had vanished from the floor of his room to go rescue those idiotic boys from falling off the blimp. When I reappeared, Yugi had moved to sit on the chair and was sorting through his deck once more. Slifer was directly in the middle of the table. I smiled as I looked at the card which held the creature I cherished so dearly. I was so pleased that he was no longer in the hands of Marik and his insane dark side.

"So, can you tell me what happened in my duel?"

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, and quickly smelled the delicate perfume of pomegranates. I turned my head towards the source, Shadi. Thankfully, Yugi remembered who Shadi was, so there was no awkward transition into our conversation.

I sat quietly as the two men spoke for a little while. It wasn't my time to speak just yet. Shadi needed to explain the reason for his presence, and Yugi needed to be informed of certain details, like how all 7 Items were on the blimp this very moment, as well as the 3 Egyptian god cards. If he had noticed their presence, it wouldn't have been a shock to me. My necklace had been quivering lightly against my neck all this time, a sure sign that there would be some disturbance with the Items reunited.

"The Earth's safety rests with you, Yugi."

Shadi didn't feel like sugar coating anything today. It was a good thing though. This danger was getting closer and more serious. Soon, Marik's true evil would be revealed, and if he managed to get his hands on the Items and the cards, fleeing even to Antarctica would not be a far enough destination.

"It nearly happened once before when Pegasus created Duel Monsters."

Shadi turned towards me and bowed slightly. I nodded back to him and turned by gaze towards Yugi. Questions about everything Shadi had told him raged in his eyes. I sighed, "It's true. It was an uncertain and frightening time for anyone involved." I turned my eyes towards the window as I told the story.

"We're so close, D. I know we're going to find the stone today."

I rolled my 8-year-old eyes at the eccentric man before me. Here I thought I was the child of the family. We had been in Egypt for over 6 months now, and there was no sign of returning home soon. Father was desperate to find the tablet of the Egyptian gods. He claimed he needed them to complete our game. I told him he was insane for wanting to bring those powerful beasts back to life. If only he knew about the events he would soon set in motion.

Many archaeologists had joined Father in his quest, mostly in hopes of finding the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb. My stomach churned at that thought. As if I would let them anywhere near his body's resting place. I hardly allowed myself near it. I would only allow a select few, other than the Pharaoh himself, to enter that tomb.

Father grabbed my hand and pulled me outside before I could finish my breakfast. I tried to whine, but one of Father's workers was standing outside. I was curious to know what he had to report. They had found nothing. I smiled a little as Pegasus angrily demanded that they keep looking. Unfortunately for them, only one who possessed a Millennium Item would be able to find that ancient chamber. It had been buried deep within the tombs and was guarded by a series of enchantments. Mere mortals would never be able to find it alone. I had ensured this defense many centuries ago with the most powerful spells I could conjur.

The soothing scent of pomegranates drifted through the air. I closed my eyes and smiled. Perhaps the time had come at last. Zipping up my mini archaeologist jacket a little more, I strode into the tent of archaeologists, where my Father was currently discussing a new direction to dig.

Shadi appeared moments after my entry. He nodded his head towards Father's associates, taking in each one of them. His bright blue eyes carefully scrutinized each one, since only a select few would be allowed to actually go into the chamber to find the stone. When his eyes reached Father, he bowed slightly, showing respect for the man in charge.

His eyes gazed upon me next. They widened in confusion as he took in my stance, one any guardian of the Items would apparently be able to recognize. It wasn't anything special, at least I didn't believe it to be. Apparently, it was a stance only I was able to do naturally. Something about the way I held my head, which was what I had been told the last time I visited the Tomb Keepers. He took a few steps closer to me, probably trying to decide if I was who he thought I was. Was I actually the Queen in the flesh? Had she secretly passed on, meaning that I was her reincarnation? Or, was I unrelated entirely and he had made a mistake? His eyes burned into mine as he bowed slightly to me as well. I bowed in return, hopefully setting his whirlwind of thoughts at ease.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small olivine necklace, "In order to ward off the evil spirits who still live deep within the chambers."

He quickly slipped the necklace over my head before turning to lead Father and his group into the darkness. I immediately followed after him, ready to return to those ancient, yet still well-known halls. Father's hand closed over my shoulder, gently jerking me back.

"Dria, it's too dangerous. Please just wait here for us to return." I easily pulled away and shook my head defiantly.

"The young lady must come as well."

Thankfully, Shadi stepped in to aid me in persuading Father. Pegasus instantly began to argue, claiming that I could easily fall and be lost forever. When he spoke these words, small tears formed in his eyes; he couldn't bear to lose another loved one. I wrapped my arms around his waist, "I promise I will stay right by your side, Papa."

Pegasus wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me close.

"There is one section where your daughter will be beneficial in our journey. Please allow the girl to accompany us."

Pegasus, at last, reluctantly agreed. Shadi led us to the entrance of the old tombs, with Father and me right behind him, closely followed by Father's associates. We scaled down the wall of what seems to have been an old well. I felt like such a fool for not remembering more of the landscape. The path quickly became dark, but the tiny torches that still hung on the walls guided us through the tricky paths.

"Astonishing! An entire underground city!"

The temples hadn't changed at all. The sand had preserved the ruins so well that it amazed even me. I ran my fingers along the old columns, closing my eyes and remembering the two journeys I had made to this place. The first had been for Aknamkanon's funereal rituals. The second had been for my Pharaoh's. I shook my head and returned to the group, before any tears could rise in my eyes.

We had been traveling for at least two hours when Father expressed in fright, "Who are those people ahead of us? Ancient guards infused with magic to kill any trespassers?"

"Father, you have been watching too many late-night ghost shows."

He glared at me for a moment, before turning back to our guide. Shadi said nothing, but merely continued to walk ahead. His Millennium Key was shielding us from any outsider's sight. Father, though he was impressed with the magic and clearly believed it to be real, grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him as we passed by the first guard. The guard didn't see us, of course, but I figured it would be beneficial if Father didn't get all worked up, so I remained by his side.

After a few more hours passed by, our group came upon a dead end. Father walked in front of Shadi, who remained motionless. I watched as Father moved his hands across the wall, trying to find a way to open the doors.

"This can't be the end! There has to be some way through here!" He quickly turned on Shadi, "You led us down here for nothing! I can't believe I was desperate enough to believe your word!"

I slipped around my now high-tempered Father and looked at the wall myself. There was nothing very unusual about the wall before me, so there had to be something on the adjacent walls. I had to admit, to my embarrassment, that I had forgotten many of the secrets of these sacred halls. I had done everything possible to avoid returning here. It bore too many sorrowful memories and reminders of my painful loss.

The green pendant began to glow, along with my necklace. A strange sensation came over me as I felt the magic, which had once flowed through my veins, but was until recently somewhat stagnant, come alive again. I felt revitalized at the overwhelming release of energy. The door creaked in protest as it began to open slowly. I looked at Shadi and smiled widely. He had known exactly what I needed to continue my journey. Though it was painful for me to return to this place, if there was any hope of my husband's return, the tablet had to be unveiled.

"Proceed with caution."

My oddball Father ran forward, completely overcome with excitement, just like a small child in a candy store. Finally, after months of searching, the Egyptian gods were before his eyes. Shadi turned towards me and smiled. I nodded at him, silently thanking him for his interference. He merely shook his head and, extending his left foot forward, bent down on one knee, bowing before me. He had finally recognized who I was. In return, I respectfully bowed back to him and then pulled him to his feet. He gently touched the top of my head, smoothing back my long hair.

I followed my Father into the dark chamber. As the door fully opened, the chamber became light from the doorway. The stone was just as beautiful as the day it had been carved. Time had worn away many key pieces of the stone, but the pieces that mattered now were still intact. Pegasus rushed forward with his crew and began to document the stone. Shadi and I lingered behind, mostly to stay out of the way. I froze when I saw the image of my Pharaoh on the stone. His fierce eyes looked as beautiful in stone as they had when I had first met him. I couldn't even think of how long it had been since I had last seen those eyes. Shadi placed his arm around me as I began to quietly weep.

I turned to face Yugi, "Soon we headed back home to create the cards and add them to the game. But before we could begin, many of Father's associates began experiencing disastrous and fatal accidents. Father was continuously worrying about me during that time," I chuckled a little.

The gods had been angry with Father, even though he was supposed to unlock them. The only reason they spared him was because of me. The olivine necklace and my own necklace had saved us from their wrath for removing the tablet from its resting place. They had sent Father a warning in a dream, threatening not only me, but the world as well.

Shadi continued for me, "The darkness of the gods was too powerful for Pegasus to control. If he had not returned them to the world below, he would have been consumed by it." I shivered a little at the memory. The power of the gods was not something one forgot very easily. "He quickly flew to Egypt to seal away the prototypes with the original carvings."

As the story came to an end, Pharaoh decided to make an appearance. Shadi bowed before him and declared his undying faith and trust in the Pharaoh's abilities. I turned back towards the window, watching as the shadow of Slifer flew past me. Pharaoh placed his hand on my shoulder, kissing my cheek. It was time for the next duels

"There was this freaky guy in a white robe!"

Pharaoh and I walked towards the group, where Tristan was retelling his and Duke's little adventure. Tristan looked towards me, "Dria was there too, only she had on a white dress and had much darker skin."

I smiled a little. Though it was the truth, it would take actual proof for people to believe him. I knew I couldn't keep my secret hidden for much longer. The time to reveal most, if not all, of the truth was fast approaching. I could only hope that they would believe and trust in me when the moment mattered.