Sorry for the slight delay. I've been having issues trying to figure out which draft was the right one. I found it!
Malik: So what's next on the update list for next week?
Fractured. Why?
Ryou: Just to keep your readers on track for new chapters.
Mokuba: Sounds good to me.
Joey: Enjoy.
Atemu turned to Mahaad, "What is it that has upset you?"
"Your ward looks like the creature that attacked us so long ago," Mahaad stated. "Everything looks like the creature with the glowing yellow eyes."
Yugi dropped the shadows and looked confused. "But I wasn't born then. How could I look like something from thousands of years ago?"
"There's one possibility, Young One," Atemu paled. He took a breath and continued, "The thing that attacked and Turned you and Isis might just be Heba. Something happened to him after he was taken, I suspect."
Isis confirmed that Yugi's third battle form and known Shadow-wraith form was identical to the creature's own appearance. She felt relief that his eyes were amethyst and not yellow. Yugi jumped up from his favorite chair and rushed from the room he, Atemu, Isis, and Mahaad were in.
Minutes later he returned with Ryou in tow. "I just remembered that Ryou was attacked and I went to help him. The attacker was a shadow with glowing yellow eyes. Ryou confirmed it," Yugi panted as Ryou kept him from collapsing.
Isis was shocked to see that the second boy looked like Akefia. Malik rushed into the room seconds later, "What was the rush about Yugi? Why'd you need Ryou so badly?"
"Mariku," she whispered.
Malik heard the faint whisper. "My name's Malik Ishtar. Mariku's my ancestor. You look like my sister, Ishizu."
Isis smiled, "Then my visions are fulfilled at long last."
"What do you mean," Atemu pressed.
"Long ago, I had a vision of three sets of three looking like you, Akefia, and Mariku. There was also present one who looked much like me nearest to the smallest of my brother's copies," Isis stated. "I never thought to see that occur so long after the vision appeared to me."
Atemu smiled, "There is much to discuss, but for now it is time for dinner. Hikaris go and assist your brothers with serving the evening meal. I'm sure that that Ronald boy and Joey are going to be a handful for them."
The trio left the ancient vampires alone to help keep two bottomless pits in line.
Malik pulled out a service cart laden with wrapped and sterilized dog dishes. "Listen up, nobody eats until everyone is present and at the table! They must also wait until any and all announcements are made."
Ron was confused. "So, uh, what happens if someone breaks that rule?"
"Malik takes the offender's plate and dumps it in a dog dish. They have to eat from it until everything's gone," Joey stated as he cringed from the memory of the humiliation. "At least the dish is clean."
Hermione was shocked, "That's barbaric!"
"How many have done it," Ron pressed.
Malik smirked, "Bakura, Marik, Mariku, Akefia, Joey…repeatedly, Duke, Tristan, and Tea. Seto slipped up once but, as with first offenders, got a warning. The others didn't listen. Besides, we are a team and as such we do everything together or not at all."
Serenity giggled, "I can't imagine my brother eating from a dog dish."
"Ren! You're supposed to be on my side," Joey cried out.
Ryou and Yugi passed out plates and began serving food while Ryou spoke up, "Atem has noticed an increase in the ease of completing cases we're assigned to since we began eating our meals together."
"Yami is the one who approved of Malik's method since it has lowered the chances of someone bolting their food and rushing off before everyone is done eating. It also gives us a chance to talk about our day," Yugi pointed out.
Atem, Atemu, Marik, Mariku, Bakura, and Akefia entered the dining hall. Ron was shocked to see three sets of copies in one room. "How do you keep from getting so confused with three sets of three copies?!"
Malik laughed, "It's easy. Atemu, Mariku, and Akefia are the darker ones and what we call 'Daywalkers'. Yugi, Ryou, and I are the smaller of the sets and what Atem designated 'Hikaris'. Marik, Bakura, and Atem are the humans in the group."
"I've hear of the term 'Daywalkers', but not 'Hikaris'," Hermione pointed out. "Besides, Daywalkers aren't supposed to exist."
Atemu looked at the girl as he claimed his chair next to Yugi, "Believe me, we do exist. But we are rare and that is because some overzealous newborn is killed off due to their feeding during the day. My friends and I refused to reveal to the one who Turned us our Gifts."
"As for the Hikaris," Atem began, "they are a very unique hybrid, a Vampiric Angel."
"That's impossible! You can't mix something considered pure with something impure," Hermione argued.
Atemu smirked, "Not really if it's done in a certain manner, but that is a mystery even to us."
A banging sound got everyone's attention. Yugi looked to Atem as he set the empty soup pot on the serving cart. Atem nodded to his brother and spoke, "Before we eat this wonderful meal, the Hikaris have something to say."
Ryou spoke for the trio, "We prepared a special treat for our guests, but there are two stipulations: Don't waste any food and don't overeat. We worked hard to prepare this meal and abhor the wasting of food. Please eat what you take and if you are unsure of something just try a small amount before you take a larger portion. Yugi?"
"Please remember your manners and respect those next to you. When you are done eating, please be kind and neatly stack your dishes before you. This will make it easier for the ones cleaning up after our meal is through," Yugi stated before turning to Malik.
Malik smirked, "Since the banging of the pot, I've already caught a few of you. The ones named are to face the punishment we mentioned earlier: Joey, Marik, and Mariku. Ron as this is your first offense; this is also your last warning. Akefia, if you would do the 'honors'."
Said Daywalker quickly replaced the plates before the three offenders with the sterilized dog dishes. Once everything was settled, the Hikaris took their seats and the meal began.
Malik: I love the dog-dish threat.
Yugi: It would explain why the team works so well together.
Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm tired. Sifting through files and trying to figure out the right draft is boring.
Yami: At least you got this out before the end of your update cycle.
Joey: Keep an eye out for the update to 'Fractured'…why did you pick that for a title?
Because 'Broken' needed an alternate universe since Yugi was found by friends who knew who he was but kept his identity secret. 'Fractured' shows what might have happened had someone else taken him in and had no idea who Yugi really was. There are a few other reasons but I refuse to reveal them.
Yugi: Until next time!