Author's Note: Hey everyone! In the last chapter, Sarah tells Yami about her brother. It's a sad story and I don't like showing Sarah so sensitive, but I wanted to show you guys how much she's really upset about it all. Thanks so much for your reviews and here's another chapter! Hope you like it. ^^

I has an idea! XD: So, I've got this idea on making a Christmas fanfic about Yami and Sarah having their first Christmas with the gang. Tell me what you think of the idea for now, and hopefully by next chapter, I'll have a brief description about what's going to happen. Thanks! ^^

The evil albino. A new tournament. And a restless sleep. What more could happen?

Disclaimer!: Fan fiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^

Battle City-New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite Chapter 11

You'd think you know how bad Bakura the King of Thieves was, after the stories, rumours, legends, and most of all, the duel he dragged the gang and me into back at Duelist Kingdom. But after having experienced his wrath in war, personally, I think he's a minion of the Devil himself. Perhaps even a duplicate. He was incredibly devious and he would murder again and again just so he would get what he wanted. He enjoyed the pain of others, especially if he was the one to inflict it upon them. I can never forget the first time I met him, face to face. He had this unbelievably crazed look in his eyes, like he was hungry to kill. I don't remember what had caused him to go such lengths, but it must have had some damage to his brain.

He didn't care who he killed…just as long as he got what he wanted.

Yami felt the same thing. When I looked into his eyes to see that caring look in them, I saw a hidden spark of anger. He wanted to go after Bakura as much as I did. I mean, maybe not to kill him the next time we see him again, but to actually put him in his place. And to lock him somewhere forever. That way, he wouldn't cause anyone any harm ever again. And hopefully he won't find a loophole this time.

"Bakura's the evil from the past?" asked Yami disbelievingly. For a person who has to go through the most terrifying ordeal of his life all over again, he was actually pretty much calm. Of course there was this doubtful, almost frightened look in his eyes, like he wasn't sure if he could defeat him again. He was almost indecisive. But when I looked deeper, searching for anything else, possibly for any hope…all I saw was the reflection of my eyes looking back at me. Wait, was that his hope?

Yeah right Sarah, get a grip. No matter how much you might want to be important to someone again, other than Ishizu, it's not going to happen.

So what if I'm only his shield? That's all I've ever had the goal of being ever since my family was taken from me. And I'm very glad, and honestly, very aggrandized to have been given this obligation. It was a terrific honour to guard the Pharaoh of Egypt with my life. It was a dutiful deed, one that didn't give me a reason to just give up on life. And if I actually have become his Guardian, which obviously I have, then that must mean it was my Destiny. And I can never argue with that.

"Yes it is Bakura." answered Ishizu before I can even contemplate an answer. "From a few of the visions my Millennium Necklace has shown me, he's taken refuge in the modern day body of a boy's. I believe his name is Ryou."

Yami and I glanced at each other, the same thought occurring in both our minds at the same time. That name, Ryou, it triggered a sort of memory we had. And it was one that, I'll have to admit, was both interesting and horrible. Horrible because it nearly killed everyone including us but interesting also because we knew where the Millennium Ring was.

And now we knew something else. Bakura takes over Ryou's body when he least expects it.

"That confirms our suspicions then," I said, carefully, tapping below my lip thoughtfully. "When I had my own encounter with him, I thought it was just a freakish coincidence, but I never thought it would actually be him, back from the past. Now I know for sure that it was him."

Yami raised an elegant brow in question. Oh that's right, I hadn't told anyone that one time Bakura suddenly attacked me at the Duelist Kingdom finals. I told everyone I ran into a wall that time, only to cover for my bleeding lip. I think I had cracked my jaw in the wrong way and pierced some of the skin right inside my mouth. Joey was the one to notice and he insisted I'd tell him what happened. I didn't want anyone to worry, so I made an excuse. Now I think Yami might have caught on.

"When did that happen?" he asked me, uncertainty patent in his voice, but what was there most of all was this concern.

My chest suddenly started to hurt a little uneasily. Should I actually tell him? And let him start worrying again from who knows what made him change in the past 5,000 years? He wasn't always like that. He was usually commanding and perceptive. Of course he cared for someone if they had gotten hurt during battle, but he never paid this sort of special attention to them. Like they had never caught his eye. Apparently something about me must have changed if he started acting this differently. I'm sure he was determined even now, that's actually a part of him that won't ever change, but he was much more caring now. Like there's almost a softer side to the Pharaoh. That kept me thinking.

But Yami just asked me a question, so I'll have to think about that later. Oh and about that card Ishizu gave me too. (Just a note: In the first chapter, Ishizu mailed Sarah a card with the cell phone. You have to keep in mind throughout Battle City that the card is still there. It's actually a very important part of the season. ^^ Thanks.)

"Again, I apologize for not telling you," I said, earning a small blink from Yami. "During the finals for Duelist Kingdom, I was just about to meet up with you guys for the dinner Pegasus had put on, when Bakura suddenly appeared in front of me. I thought it was a trick of my imagination when he suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and when I least expected it so I didn't really think to even jab him with something. He..." My hands suddenly went for the side of my face and Yami immediately stepped forward, thinking Bakura tried something.

"He didn't..." Yami's eyes widened.

"No no!" I said quickly, bringing my hand back down, "It wasn't anything like that. He pushed me and I hit my head really hard into a wall. I was just remembering the time Joey found the blood on lips made from my jaw cracking in a very bad way, enough to cause some pain."

I frowned and looked down, trying to think harder about what had happened, trying to remember every detail. "He had that crazed look in his eyes," I said. "the one that always creeped me out, waiting for me to make a wrong move so he can take me down. He wanted me to accidentally say something like a hint about your rebirth, so he can confirm that you were there. That way he could have a lot of time to plan out his attack and put it to use.

"He asked me where you were," I swallowed nervously then, licking my dry lips for good measure. Suddenly I felt a bit faint and lightheaded from realizing that Bakura was really there. He could've killed me on the spot and never be caught.

But why didn't he?

"Yes? He asked me where I was, and then what?" I didn't see Yami waiting patiently for me to continue. It was one thing when he cared about me, but now he's also waiting for me to return back to Earth from Thinkingland. I guess I'm out of it. Too much emotional stress to handle.

"I said that I would never tell him," I answered. "When he saw that I wasn't about to spill any hints by mistake, he came out and said it. "Where's the Pharaoh?" he asked me, and I was nearly taken a back. But I wouldn't let him scare me with his force. I said I would never tell him. I said that I'd die first before he could ever get any information out of me. Then he asked for my Locket."

(Ok, originally, I had that as their conversation during Bakura's encounter too, but for some damned reason, I never added it in…Sorry. My apologies. Hopefully Sarah's explaining right now will help you understand Bakura's asking for where the Pharaoh was.) [Gosh I'm so stupid… =.=]

Yami was momentarily taken aback himself at my straight forward retort I laid out for Bakura. Would she really have died first before telling Bakura anything? He thought to himself. He was beginning to feel a little uneasy at Sarah's choice of words throughout the conversation. It felt as though she would give her life for him, but that can't be possible. She values her life as much as his.

…doesn't she?

"But gaining the Locket wouldn't have helped him," said Yami, instead of speaking his mind. "You said at the coffee shop the Locket belonged to you. I presume only you can use its power too, am I right?"

I was about to say something but stopped myself. He was absolutely right. But then...this didn't make any sense at all. Why would Bakura want the Locket then, if only I could use its power? It would only pass for gold jewelry and I'm pretty sure he's robbed much more than what my Locket is worth for in gold. So why would he ask for it?

There's something I'm missing.

There's another piece to this puzzle.

"That's...you're right," I said, looking back up from the ground from my moment of thought. I gazed at Yami curiously, as if by looking at him, I'd find something like an old memory I couldn't remember at the moment that would help me in this dilemma. Maybe something Bakura said in the past to help remind me why he wanted the Locket.

But I couldn't remember anything.

He never said anything about taking my Locket.

My heart suddenly clutched tightly in fright and I almost felt my chest stop its normal rise and fall of breathing. My hands almost grew sweaty and by the looks I received from both Yami and Ishizu, I was completely shocked.

"Bakura never said anything about taking my Locket before," I said, trying to sort it all out in my mind, but my thoughts were so jumbled up, I couldn't think right. "Back in Ancient Egypt, he never once even looked at it. Why would he now?"

Ishizu simply blinked calmly, like she knew the answer to it all but no one else could notice it. I noticed her posture though and instantly knew there must have been something.

"Is there something I'm missing, Ishizu?" I asked my caretaker skeptically. Even Yami began blinking curiously at the Egyptian standing not far from where we were.

"There was...one thing," she said and both Yami and I kept quiet until she continued. "But I can only give you a hint for it. It's something like a new power that can be accessed by using you and the Locket. What the power is and how someone may access it is up to you to find out. I'm sure both you and Yami will find the secrets to your past."

This didn't make any sense. What Ishizu said was completely impossible. I was reborn to help the Pharaoh so he would understand his power from the past to defeat the evil that's come back, Bakura. Now she's saying that by using my Locket and me, there's another power Bakura's after?

...why was I not told about this?

"Why was I not told about this?" I asked Ishizu in a demanding way but it wasn't so harsh as to offend my caretaker. "At the Prophecy Recitation though, why wasn't I told about this? I could've kept that power...whatever it was...away from him that way he won't have a chance to even look for it?"

"The Reciters didn't want to tell you because this power was ancient," said Ishizu, and it sounded almost like she was reciting something a lot like Yami's power. "There's another piece to this and I'm afraid you'll have to find it out on your own. But remember; you have Yami to guard and two powers now to save from the clutches of any hands."

"How will we accomplish this task?" asked Yami.

Ishizu pondered on the thought, purposely trying to make us impatient, but she decided not to test us. Or maybe she was just seeing into our souls as if to see how we might fulfill our Destiny."There is a tournament being held here in Domino City. Your invitations are sent to your homes." she said. "If you two can enter and win, you'll find the answers you both seek."

Then she turned to me and put on a gentle smile. "I'm sure you will not disappoint, Sarah," she said. "And even though you were the one to have the answers for Yami, I'm afraid Fate wouldn't allow this Prophecy to be so easy to achieve. You'll have to protect both your powers at the same time and guard Yami like you were trained to do."

Without arguing, I decided to accept it. "I will," I nodded, new determination filling my eyes, sparking them like flames.

Ishizu bowed her head to Yami and laid a hand in farewell on my shoulder. "Good day, both of you," she said, turning around and starting her way back the way she came. It was then I realized that she was leaving, but I didn't want her to.

I was just about to reach out and ask if we'd meet again, but she beat me too it. "I'm sure this isn't the last time we meet, my King." she said, addressing Yami, but I know she was answering my question all at the same time. "Surely we'll meet once more. All of us." Then she disappeared, into the shadows of the room next the one we were in. The air just grew slightly colder.

"Good bye," I said, hearing my own voice fade. After seeing Ishizu, and especially after a while, I felt sad for seeing her leave. But if she said we'll meet again, then I definitely look forward to it.

Yami was silent for a second before he quietly sighed and turned his attention back to the tablet behind us in the glass display case. I guess there were tonnes more questions swimming around in his head. The encounter with Ishizu not only began the Prophecy officially, but it's got both of us thinking. A lot.

What did Bakura want my Locket for? I wondered. I thought it was only Yami he was after, but now me too? Was there really something different about my family that made them the target for every evil that took them away from me. Now Bakura was after me to finish the job? And if we wanted answers to everything, I guess we'd need to enter that tournament Ishizu talked about. Not only was Yami the one with questions now, I was joining him.

"Sarah," called Yami, making me snap out of my thoughts and face him. He had this far away gaze in his eyes as he was looking at the tablet artifact. His eyes were set on the carving of Kaiba.

"Yes Yami?" I said, standing next to him while holding my hands behind me.

"...this whole time I thought the evil from before was Kaiba," he said to me, still not releasing his eyes from the artifact. "You said evil had overtaken him before and I was just thinking that maybe the Kaiba of today was my same arch rival. Considering the fact that he despises me and all."

Oh Yami, if only you knew how much Seto back then had actually cared for you. I thought inwardly, smiling slightly at the memories. He was always looking out for you, wanting what's best for you, and never leaving your side. He really cared back then, before the evil took him, but I have no idea why his reincarnation is as cold as ice.

"Well...you have to consider the fact that even though he despises you, he can never actually really hate you." I said, and here, Yami switched his gaze over to me. "Because he considers you in the league he's in and the determination he has to beat you in Duel Monsters is immense. Every time you two have been in a predicament together, like the duel at Pegasus' castle and the virtual gaming world he invented, he always gave you gratitude. So if he really, really didn't like you...he would have just walked away."

Yami seemed to smile at the thought. "I suppose you're right," he said. "But it gets me thinking if he was always evil back then."

I sighed wearily, but contentedly. Contentedly because we just got loads of info that's definitely going to help us and wearily because now I was slightly tired. All we did today was coming at me in a rush and my head almost spun.

No...Kaiba wasn't always evil back then. But that's not really the problem at hand right now.

"So, I suppose we should head back to our homes and see what the invitations Ishizu talked about say," I said, shrugging my shoulders at Yami suggestively. I was having this feeling that the tournament was going to be something important, and since Ishizu was the one to tell us to enter it, that feeling grew.

Yami took one last look at the tablet before nodding in a response and begin heading into the direction of the stairs. I gave the tablet a second glance too before following after him.

After climbing back up the stairs, a man stopped us at the door, saying that the area was off bounds.

"You kids shouldn't have been here," he said, and his voice sounded like something I've heard before. It was deep and smooth, and the familiarity was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn't place it. He was wearing this black dress suit and he had a white silk turban on his head. It looked Egyptian but I wasn't sure.

Yami and I glanced at each other. "Sorry, sir," said Yami. "We were...um..."

I rolled my eyes. We didn't exactly need to hide anything from officials. That would make us more guilty. I know Yami didn't want to lie either, but he was stumped on how to explain the reason why we were here. "We were told to come here," I said simply. "Someone phoned me a while ago, saying that he wanted me...here." Oh damn...I forgot all about that guy. When I saw Ishizu, I guess everything else totally escaped my mind.

Knowing that sounded quite ridiculous, and waiting for a retort, Yami and I stood in socked silence when the man suddenly chuckled. His formality decreased and what was left was a smiling man.

"Oh, so you are Sarah Wind, I presume?" he said. When I nodded, the grin on his face was still there and mirth played in his eyes. "I'm sorry it was unexpected, but I was the one to call you on behalf of our Egypt Exhibit host, Ishizu. She wanted to meet you but instead of saying that she was here, she decided to make it a bit more urgent and persisted that I'd make that kind of a phone call. I'm sorry if I had frightened you."

My jaw dropped in shock. This man was the one to call me? He scared me to a near heart attack? I didn't know if I should laugh at being so scared in the first place or yell for the same reason.

"It was you?" I asked in surprise. To tell you the truth, I was pretty relieved it was someone nice and not someone who actually was bad. I thought it was a bad guy who had suddenly gotten a hold of my number, but it turned out to be one of Ishizu's assistants.

The man chuckled again and gave me a soft pat on the shoulder. "Yes, it was. And again, I'm very sorry to have frightened you, but Ms. Ishizu had insisted that I'd call you in that manner."

"Oh it's no problem at all," I smiled, then saw Yami show a smile too, out of the pure coincidence. "Yes, I was a bit startled, but now you telling me this set my mind straight. I was going to go home and figure out who it could have been. Thanks for telling me."

The man nodded. "My pleasure to help," he said. Then he gave us both a known smile. "Hope you two can find what you're looking for." After a small wink, as if silently sharing a joke, he walked through the door we just exited from and disappeared from view. Yami and I exhaled a relieved sigh.

"I was suddenly scared for a second," I laughed airily, bending over to stop my thumping heart.

Yami looked down at me before showing a small smile. "I was just thinking about that too," he said. "'What about that phone call you got earlier?' was in the tip of my tongue before the man came up to us and said the place was out of bounds."

I nodded and stood back up to my straight posture. "Yeah," I smiled. "It's a good thing he told us it was him when he did. Or I would have been freakishly stressing over that."

Yami gave me a small smile. It never occurred to me, ever, but I really like it. That smile looks really good on him. I guess I'm so caught up in my duties as Guardian and the Prophecy that I never really spotted it before. Maybe this is what they mean when they say to "stop and smell the roses".

"Come on," he said, breaking me out of my thoughts for another time in the day. He took my hand into his and led me through the exhibit. I blushed slightly at the notion. We walked out of the museum together and stepped out into the setting sun's light. The sky was a mixture of hazy oranges and reds, so it must have been around 6 pm.

Just knowing where we had to go, without much hesitation, we walked down the sidewalk and back onto the residential streets of Domino. The road shifted from a busy business area to a much quieter residential area the whole walk.

It felt nice to just walk silently all the way back, and I'm pretty sure we were somewhat exhausted from today's events. Pretty much everything was explained. Now that I think about it, yeah, pretty much all. It was just a matter of time that we enter that tournament Ishizu talked about and learn more.

But what Ishizu said didn't make any sense to me. What kind of power would I exactly have? I wasn't even that powerful, except for the elemental spells I've mastered. But anyone could learn those spells and master them. What exactly made me different?

Yami's soft chuckle brought me out of thinking and I quirked a curious eyebrow at him in question. I guess I should say this too, while I'm at it, his laughs were like music to my ears.

"Something the matter?" I asked him carefully. The small smile on his face seemed to tell me that he was having the time of his life.

"No," he said, quietly. "Nothing's wrong." Then he looked at me with his crimson eyes and the smile was brightened immediately. "I was just wanting to thank you for a really good day. I seem to have forgotten what I was stressing over before."

Then I remembered what Yugi told me yesterday. He said Yami was reminded about the small amount of knowledge he had about his past when Yugi dueled against Keith before that fire. Was that what Yami was stressing over? The lack of knowledge about his ancient past?

I nodded in response. "Anytime," I said. And I meant it. If Yami honestly felt better with me around, then I wanted him to be able to talk to me about anything. Anything at all. And whenever he wanted to too. "You have my number, right? So tell Yugi to give me a call and whenever you want to come over to my place or hang out like we did today, go for it. I'm always going to be right there."

"You don't know how much that means to me," he said, that bright smile of his never leaving his face. "Lately, I was feeling so incredibly lost. Now that you're here with me, it feels like I can conquer anything." Ever so lightly, he tightened his grip on my hand. My blush came back.

And I still didn't understand what it was for.

"I'm glad I can help," I said. "And hopefully when we enter this new tournament, we'll learn much more than what we already know."

"Do you know what power Ishizu was talking about?" he asked me.

I shook my head solemnly. "I wish I knew," I said. "But I'm so sure I didn't have anything Bakura wanted."

"Maybe he found something during the 5 millennia," he suggested.

I shrugged. "It's possible," I agreed. "I guess we'll have to see at this new tournament."

Yami nodded in agreement, right when we came into a fork in the road. My stomach churned uneasily. I didn't want to leave Yami, but until the time of the tournament's start, we'll have to say good-bye for now.

"All right," I said. I gave him an assuring smile, saying that we would indeed meet again. "I'll see you later then Yami."

"Wait, are you all right walking home alone?" he asked me, not letting go of my hand yet for me to leave.

I nodded. "Yeah it's totally fine. And it's not going to be good-bye for long. I'll just see you when the tournament begins, all right?"

Yami looked at me unsurely. Then that look of longing returned into his eyes, like he wanted so badly to tell me something, but he couldn't find the courage within him to bring it out. Wow, the Pharaoh of Egypt wanting to say something, but not having the courage to say it? I never thought it would happen.

He decided to leave it with him. He didn't say what was on his mind. Instead he sighed and nodded, ever so slowly letting go of my hand, until it was back to my side. My hand suddenly lost the extra warmth it had gained when Yami was holding it.

"All right," he said. "I'll see you then." With a look of slight regret, he turned around and began heading down the road to the Game Shop.

I frowned but did the same, thinking the whole way home.

I found an envelope taped onto my front door. When I opened it up to find a white parchment, doused in the beautiful and cursive writing of an anonymous writer, I quickly read it over to find that it was an invitation to a tournament being held right here in Domino City. So Ishizu was right. Then that means this is the tournament Yami and I have to enter in order to find our answers. I read it over again, just to be sure I knew every detail:

Sarah Wind,

You have been invited to participate in a tournament I am hosting here in Domino City. There's a meeting in Domino Square tonight at 8:00 pm. Be sure to be there on time.

I pursed my lips at the bottom of the small card. There was no name. So this person holding the tournament is a mystery. I tucked it safely away into my coat's pocket and immediately dug through the other pocket for my key.

What could it be that Yami wanted to tell me so badly? I thought to myself in confusion as I walked through the door to my apartment complex, locking it behind me. I hung my coat on the rack by the framework and padded into my room, flopping myself onto my bed the moment I reached it. Staring up at the ceiling, I exhaled a long sigh. I guess I began thinking about Yami instead of the tournament.

Maybe Yami had the same reason I had to why he won't tell me what he wanted to tell me. The whole reason why I didn't tell anyone who I was the very first moment, was because I simply thought it wasn't the right time. And because it would have been so awkward when the first thing I say to everyone was that I was over 5,000 years old from Ancient Egypt. Since Yami didn't tell me what was on his mind, I can only think it wasn't the right time for him.

Or maybe there's another reason.

My eyes found their way to the LCD clock sitting at my bedside table. It read 6:28. While I was thinking so hard on this topic, of Yami of course, my body decided to relax and I didn't really feel like moving anymore. I closed my eyelids in hopes of getting some sleep from this exhausting day today. Maybe I'd wake up fresh and in time to meet Yami at Domino Square later in the evening. The meeting will obviously be important, probably marking the start of the tournament so Yami must have gotten the same invite too.

My thoughts roamed to the card Ishizu had mailed me earlier. I think it played some important part in something. But to what, I had no idea.

"Put a bit of your soul into this card, so that when you give it to the Pharaoh, you're always with him." That was what the note said. I wanted to ask Ishizu about it, but never got the chance. What confused me the most was the last part of the line. I mean, wasn't I always going to be by his side? I never had any intentions to leave him at all. Maybe it was just for some precaution.

Ishizu's Millennium Necklace could have also showed her something. Hm...I'll have to be careful then.

Before I fell asleep, thinking about everything I was thinking about, a flash of something red, like a light or streak of light, flashed through my eyes. I didn't have time to think about it because right after that, I fell asleep. And into a restless one at that. I believe that red light was something to trigger my nightmare.

Author's Note: Oh wow...cliffhanger time. What could Sarah be dreaming of? Could it have something to do with the tournament? Yami? (xD) The card Ishizu gave her? Or something else entirely? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out! Thanks for reading! And if you review, thanks for that too! ;D See you guys until next time! Oh and if you answer my question about writing a Christmas fanfic (for more info, read the note at the beginning of this chapter), that would help me immensely. Thanks! ^^ Oh and if I can't say this after this:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! All the best for the new year! ^^

See you! :)