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

Chapter Forty-Four

Dria

Everywhere I looked, there was ice. I rubbed my hands together and exhaled, trying to keep myself warm. I had lived most of my life in desert-like conditions, not frozen ones. I'd only been in the cold a few times. Otherwise, I avoided it as best I could.

"Are you cold, Dria?"

I smiled slightly at Yugi, who was hopping back and forth while rubbing his arms. He, being the sweet guy he was, had just given Tea his jacket, though it left him in only a sleeveless shirt.

"That depends. Do I get your shirt if I say yes?"

He blushed wildly at my statement, only managing to spit out a few syllables, none of them sounding like 'no'. I laughed, walking towards him, and rubbed his shoulder, sharing the little warmth I could.

"I'm only kidding. I've lived in many different places, so I'm no stranger to the cold. We should find a way out before the two of you freeze though."

Tea huffed a little at me, but when Yugi chuckled, she turned and continued walking. Yugi quickly followed her, with me bringing up the rear. I rubbed my hands together again, breathing out slowly to warm them as much as possible.

I'm sorry I can't offer you a jacket. I know you are neither dressed nor built for the cold.

I smiled at Yami, who was floating beside me. I couldn't help but admire how good he looked in that sleeveless shirt. Regardless of his feelings towards me, he was still the most handsome man I'd ever known.

What makes you think I'm not built for the cold? I could have lived in Antarctica for all you know. This shirt could also be made of the warmest material ever produced.

You don't strike me as the type who enjoys the cold, and considering that you shiver every few moments, it's not possible that your shirt is warm enough.

I sent his amused smirk a playful glare, daring him to speak further. It was nice to talk with him like this, even though it was nowhere near the relationship I had hoped to share with him again. Perhaps I would have to settle with friendship, as much as it hurt to think about. I couldn't be upset though because we were at least on speaking terms.

"Woah! Check it out! It's some kind of a doorway."

Pharaoh and I tore our eyes away from each other to see the large wooden doors before us. I couldn't help but worry about where that door would lead to, but nothing could be worse than this icy atmosphere, except maybe another icy landscape. Please take us to the beach, or even better, the desert. Any place where I could regain the feeling in my thumbs and toes.

Yugi threw open the doors and we hustled inside to find Joey dueling one of the Big Five. It didn't look great at first, since Joey had no monsters before him, but his toothy grin led me to believe that he was doing well. We'd just caught him at a bad time.

"You're just in time to see me wipe the courtroom floor with him!"

I raised my eyebrow at the strange, courtroom-style dueling site, but I had seen odder. We quietly sat down after the Judge Man banged his gavel, yelling something about ejection. I rubbed my arms a little, feeling some warmth creeping back into them. While a courtroom was not exactly the warm atmosphere I'd had in mind, I had to remind myself that beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Next, I'll play Sinister Justice. This allows my fusion monster to attack in the same turn in which it was summoned."

I winced a little at the mention of that card. This wasn't good for Joey. Yugi explained to Tea the additional effects of the card.

"As long as Sinister Justice is on the field, Johnson gets 800 life points every time he attacks Joey's life points with his Kamion Wizard."

"The spikey haired pipsqueak has it right."

Joey quickly turned and looked at me with a weak glare, "Why Dria? Why did you make such an evil card? That's not cool."

He winked at me when I shrugged, not feeling the least bit sorry about my card. He would find a way to win anyway, so I had no reason to feel apologetic. I leaned back into the bench and let my thoughts wander as Joey dueled. What kind of place was this? I felt almost naked here because there was no magical energy floating around. I could feel the lack of life down into my soul, almost like a black nothingness had descended over me. This world had to be completely virtual, with barely a shred of reality present. But if that was the case, what was I? Was I a real human trapped in a virtual world, or was I a part of it instead? Why were we here at all? If Noah's issue was with Seto, what was the reason for involving the rest of us? So the Big Five could pick on some teenagers and threaten to take over their bodies? Here I thought Kaiba Corp. was a classy company.

A sudden shift in the air brought me out of my musings. Joey had played Skull Dice, one of his normally reliable gambling tricks. But something felt off when the die finally came to a stop. In fact, it almost seemed like it stopped on a favorable number and then moved again to one less favorable.

"What? A one? No way! I don't know how you did that, Johnson, but I got my eye on you."

Johnson had done something. Maybe there was a type of magic here after all. Or, perhaps it was because he was a lawyer, the best of whom were able to read miniscule clues in speech and body language and turn them around on a witness. It was a skill I normally admired for it often arrived at the truth, though sometimes it was more than a slightly underhanded tactic. But now, it was just an annoyance.

"I've never seen him have such terrible luck before."

I had to agree with Tea for once. Out of the times I'd seen Joey duel, he always managed to hit a streak of extremely good luck at just the right time. That dueling style was risky, but it was also comforting to some extent. As I said, he'd always managed to pull something off, and he'd grown accustomed to his good luck, and so had his deck. Now, that style was proving to be more harmful than helpful.

"I activate Gamble."

I quietly sighed as Yugi quietly growled beside me. This was not a good idea. "Joey flips a coin in the air, and then he calls heads or tails. If he's right, he gets to draw 5 cards. But if he's wrong, Joey's next turn gets skipped."

I could barely restrain my hollow laughter at Joey's risk. He would play a card like Gamble when he was down on his luck, when a normal duelist would avoid gambling cards at a time like this. Old habits did die hard. I smiled a little as I remembered the risks the Pharaoh would take when we were young adults. He took more than his fair share of risks, particularly when I was involved. I found myself waiting for my Pendant to overpower me once more, whisking me away in a memory.

"The Nubian King Izem and crowned Prince Imhotep!"

I gazed curiously at our visitors, particularly the younger of the two who bore an Egyptian name. We had been at war with them in the recent past, but both kingdoms seemed eager to return to the once profitable relationship, trading grain for gold. Perhaps bestowing an Egyptian name upon his child declared the king's intentions for peace. I rose from the arm of the Prince's seat and joined the other guardians, where I was supposed to be, although I was the only one who didn't possess a Millennium Item. The Prince frowned unhappily, clearly angered by the guests who had interrupted our intimate conversation.

I smiled happily back at him. We had been betrothed now for some time, and the wedding was approaching quickly. I had already suffered many dress and crown fittings in preparation, in addition to all my other duties, leaving me with very little time and energy to speak with my husband to be. He was constantly in the throne room, accepting requests and taking on more responsibilities from his father in preparation for his eventual coronation, also leaving him with little free time. The moments we did manage to steal, often in the gardens or in the throne room, had become very precious to us both. I could only hope it would settle down once the ceremony was over.

His father teasingly rolled his eyes at his son's small tantrum, a large smile gracing his aged face, before sending me a wink. There had been much dispute about the Prince's betrothal to me, much of it coming from Master Aknadin. While he no longer despised me with as much hatred as he could muster in his frail body, he still disapproved of my position among the royals, being the outsider I was and would always be in his eyes. He refused to see me as Pharaoh's daughter, which didn't bode well for the future, but he'd at least ceased from demanding my expulsion from the kingdom every day.

Kneeling with his proper foot forward, the Nubian king began.

"May the gods shine upon our meeting, Great Pharaoh of Egypt, incarnation of the sun god himself. We wish to reestablish the fruitful relationship we once shared and beg your forgiveness for the terrible destruction we have caused for your people."

The Pharaoh quickly bade his fellow royal to rise.

"Egypt thanks you for aiding her in ending our terrible war, and we ask for your forgiveness as well, for both our lack of understanding of your position and our violent reactions."

The two shook hands, both outwardly relieved that the other was tired of fighting. The two Princes bowed to one another, showing mutual respect, and ending the formal ceremony. When Imhotep rose from his bow, he looked directly at me and froze. I cocked my head slightly, wondering what had caught him off guard, but Seto stepped in front of me (whether on purpose or by coincidence, I couldn't tell) to speak with another guardian. My Prince quickly rose from his seat and took my elbow, pulling me out of the chamber.

We sat in one of the many gardens together for most of the remaining day, simply talking and laughing. I stroked the side of his face when he placed his head in my lap, drifting in and out of sleep as I ran my fingers through his hair. It would have been a lovely afternoon, had we not been approached by three unwanted guests: King Izem, Prince Imhotep, and Master Aknadin. The Prince quickly sat up and stared at our visitors with anger growing in his eyes.

"Beautiful maiden, member of the Sacred Court, Lady Fortune has bestowed upon you the greatest of favors. With the approval of your guardian, His Majesty Aknamkanon, you and my son shall be wed upon our return to Nubia to solidify the renewed unity between our great kingdoms. One day, you shall rule at my son's side as the new Queen of Nubia."

The Prince and I both froze, not truly comprehending what the Nubian King had just said. Imhotep stepped forward and kissed the back of my hand, staring into my eyes. If I weren't already captivated by the Prince at my side, the one before me could have been decent. His dark brown eyes were filled with a humble pride, yet they seemed to lack depth. Perhaps it was because of his youth and lack of experience, but even my Prince's eyes, though he was also young, held such wisdom and intelligence, beyond that of a normal, coming of age youth. Those sunset eyes could hold me still as long as he desired, for he would have to look away before I would.

"Please remove your sordid lips from my betrothed's hand, before I remove them myself."

Imhotep quickly moved back, but stared at the Prince in confusion. I glared at Aknadin. Clearly, he hadn't said anything about our impending marriage. How could this happen? The Prince and I were looking forward to future full of happiness and love after many years of struggle. The Nubian King, however, didn't seem deterred by my husband to be. In fact, he smiled widely at the Prince's threat.

"I believe a competition of sorts is in order, as both these strong and proud men wish to take the same woman in marriage. Do you agree, crowned Prince of Egypt?"

"Time out! Stop the duel!"

I glanced back to the duel, shaken from the memory and surprised to hear the voice that had gotten us all into this mess in the first place. Why had he come? He glared angrily at his underling and berated him for his cheating strategy. So, we had been right: Johnson had been cheating all along. While I despised Noah for dragging us into his virtual world, he had redeemed himself a little in my eyes. He didn't allow his co-conspirator to win unfairly, but rather came to get rid of the problem. Suddenly, he was starting to look like a young Seto. He wanted to prove he was the best in an almost honorable way, not by deceptions and tricks. Still not an entirely admirable character, but better than he had been when he first imprisoned us here.

"I'm willing to forgive Judge Gruesome, as long as he agrees to duel fair and square."

I leaned back against the seat and giggled as quietly as I could. Joey never ceased to amaze and irritate me. Even though the stakes of the duel had not been changed, Joey still wanted to continue the duel to prove how good of a duelist he truly was. Or just to defeat Johnson to shut him up. Both seemed like viable options to me.

After Noah's interruption, the duel proceeded like most of Joey's duels climax and end. I even though that it came to an end faster than any of his other duels. Lady Luck fell in love with Joey again, to the point where he deceived the trickster. The lawyer questioned his own logic, which was exactly what Joey needed, and because of the Arduous Decision magic card, Johnson gave the duel away. I did have to admit though, if I couldn't see Joey's cards, he probably would have tricked me too.

"That's gotta hurt."

"This can't be! I once convinced a jury that a man who was terrified of water stole a boat!"

Those of us in the audience cheered for our victorious comrade. As the other three began to talk, a sudden pain began to throb in my head. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to dispel it with some deep breaths, but this was no ordinary headache. As a magician, part of me was fueled by the magical energy in the air. While I could theoretically live without it, I'd never had to before. Every part of my life had been in reality, which, while not overflowing with magic, had sustained my magical half. It was like I was suddenly experiencing withdrawals from that lack of energy. Part of me wondered how my Pendant could be working in this lifeless place, but I didn't have much time to consider the possibilities.

Joey had grabbed Yugi by the shirt collar and was yelling about Serenity. I swiftly stood and gently touched his hand, but he didn't even acknowledge my presence. He dropped Yugi and leapt over the railing, sprinting towards the doors Yugi and Tea had come through. Blinking my eyes once more to try and dispel the headache, I took off after him, with the other two not far behind, back into what had been the icy world. Please take us to a beach this time!