Return to the Old Ways

by kayono

The Pharaoh and King have returned, but the Fates and Destiny have yet to let them out of their grasp. There's more in the darkness than is known, but 'life isn't interesting unless there's a chance of dying.'

4. Into the Fire

Return to the Old Ways

Disclaimer: I do not own, you do not sue. Or, the whole thing starting with 'Kay-fuzz does not own' and ends with, 'Kay-fuzz not a company. Kay-fuzz sad'.

Warning: Hopefully this will make up for the last horrible chapter. If not, then for a warning: crappy chapter. Blah.

Rating: T... although, I'm not sure if I like these new 'rating' things...

Recap: Alright. Atemu and Bakura find their way back from the so-called 'perfect' Egypt, only to have Yugi, and therefore Atemu go missing, having supposedly pulled a Judas(as the author of 'Living with Hikaris' so aptly puts it). However, Yugi in fact did NOT pull a Judas, and had instead been abducted by Dumbledore as the sudden influx of energies from different sources had completely unbalanced his system and knocked him out. So Yugi's dragged to Hogwarts, made to swallow some potions which only make him worse, the ghosts realize this and that he's part of this 'Sectrum Distalfios' thingy, help Bakura and Malik to get Yugi back to Japan, and leprechauns randomly appear. Then there's a seven-year break after about amonth of lessons from Isis on different magics and how to use them where Yugi andAtemu are trapped in this parallel-dimension place called the Axis. Then Ryou and Bakura find them, they find a way home, and go visit Malik in Egypt. Ta-dah.

---

Chapter 3: Into the fire

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"Blahy" Speaking

'Blah-chan' Thinking

(-Blah-) Hikari to Yami (any hikari to their yami)

((Blahish)) Yami to Hikari (any yami to their hikari)

---

Kim C: As I realized that your review has spawned a number of thoughts, ideas, and revelations, please see the end of this chapter. I really appreciate your reviews, by the way. It's nice to know that some people at least give some kind of feed-back for someone's hard labour (especially with my Comm. Tech teacher breathing down my neck).

Anjel-chan: Since you've actually decided to READ my stories, there's a cute little thingy after Kim C's thingy at the bottom. Enjoy.

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He glanced around at the large amount of sand and stone, blinking. Something seemed... off to him, compared to his memories of the last time he was there.

(-Mou hitori no boku, you know it's been a couple thousand years since you were here, right? And can I have control? This might be your homeland, but I am a tourist.-) And the voice sounded almost smug about being a tourist, too.

He smirked, closing his eyes for a moment as one of the very few clouds passed overhead. ((Hai, aibou.))

Being once again in control, Yugi looked around at the strange structure above his head. "Hm... this is the Sphinx?" (-If you had built it, it would have looked nicer.-)

((If I had built it, it wouldn't be standing here right now, would it, aibou?))

Yugi laughed sheepishly. (-Right... gomen..-)

The dark half was silent, apparently using Yugi's curiously violet eyes to examine the other tourists and tour guides. :If-:

(-If you were in control of this country, then things wouldn't be like this? Sorry to say, Yami, that you can't exactly take over the body, walk up to the government offices and tell them, 'I am a three-thousand year old spirit of a Pharaoh. Now, let me become Pharaoh again.-)

((...it could work.))

(-It could also be called a dictatorship, Yami, and many countries today don't like dictatorships.-)

Another silence, this one because Yami had been happily silenced. They had hadthat certain conversation many times before, and each time, it always ended the same- though they would have liked to do something, they couldn't, not without overthrowing the current government.

Yugi began making his way towards the famous Dream Stella, situated between the giant stone hybrid's paws. He traced wonderous fingers over it, amazed at the idea of being able to read the hieroglyphs (with the dark's help, of course). :-Ne, yami, this must have either been built after or was hidden during the Pruge.-:

((Probably hidden, aibou. We were told of a giant creature, made of stone with a long body, that stood waiting to eat all those who came near it, or the area it guarded.))

Yugi continued tracing the hieroglyphs, noticing that small holes had been dug into the base of the Sphinx, his expression darkening. Why would people want to destroy such a wonderous thing, that had stood for so many years?

"Ne, Yugi!" A voice from behind him called. Turning, the young King of Games grinned as another figure stepped carefully between the two paws.

"Konnichiwa, Ryou-kun!"

Ryou, snow white hair whipping into his face, grinned, before he frowned and began pulling Yugi away from the Dream Stella. "You know tourists aren't supposed to go near the Dream Stella. And we're not supposed to go too far away, either."

Yugi's smile faded a bit, but he relaxed as he was dragged to a red sports car, the driver sitting inside patiently, blasting one of the new American songs that he had somehow found. Glancing up, he turned down the music as the two got into the car, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"Yugi, there you are! You're worse than me when it comes to wandering."

"I doubt that. Besides- Yami was getting bored." Yugi shurgged as he slipped on his seat belt, more due to his own experiences with his friend's driving than normal restrictions.

Ryou threw something into Yugi's lap, and the spiked-haired man blinked at it. "Er... what's this?"

Ryou shrugged, glancing at the driver. "Well? Malik, it did come in the package from Isis."

Malik frowned. "Yeah, I know it did. And I have absolutely no idea why, or how-" he paused for a moment, shaking his head, before gunning it and sending the car swearving nicely before it started actually going straight. "-nevermind, I know how she knew that you were here."

Yugi blinked, looking down at the envelope on his lap. Old-style parchment, not even papyrus as Isis seemed to be so fond of writing on now, without any kind of markings. Gently opening it, another envelope fell onto his lap as well as a sheet of papyrus, both of which were almost blown away.

Ryou, thankfully, was able to grab both, and gave the papyrus one to Yugi, making it known that the hikari should read that one first.

Yugi,

Yes,I know you're with my brother and Ryou- and all of your yamis- in Egypt. Although I don't know where you've been for the last seven years, I assume that you have a very good reason for skipping out on those years of training- and that you have at least been practicing somewhat where ever your journeys have brought you. My sincerest regards to my Pharaoh as well.

I met an interesting man here in England- his name is Dumbledore, and he is the head of the English School of Magic, called Hogwarts. We were speaking on many topics, he thinking I was a me (a non-magic person), when I broached the subject of magic, and how much power he had. Needless to say, our discussion changed drastically from that point. We began talking about teaching, and I mentioned that I had some experience, as those that I taught were very powerful and were capable of teaching themselves. One things led to another, and that other envelope you're holding in your hand as you're reading this due to Malik's driving is the result.

Please think about this carefully, long and hard, Pharaoh. Though rash judgements are not yours to make, there is much going on behind the scenes that we are not aware of.

Isis.

Yugi blinked, staring at the letter as Malik pulled the car into a special garage-like tent, hidden beneath a sand dune in what might as well have been the middle of nowhere. Sliding out of his seat, he glanced again at the other envelope in his hands, following the other two hikaris from the small sand-garage, ignoring the two other cards and three motorcycles also kept inside.

"I think that Isis has gone crazy." He commented, ignoring the snickers from the other two.

Malik grinned again, though. "Whether she has or hasn't, she's arranged a meeting for us with Dumbledore, near the beginning of August. In England."

Ryou sighed and streched. "And it's only the beginning of June now."

Yugi continued following Malik as Ryou walked over to read over his shoulder. The Tomb Keeper strode over to some old ruins, and, doing something with... something, a small opening appeared, into which all three descended.

As they walked, Malik deftly hitting random points on the wall, activating lights and a cooling system, Yugi grinned. "Well, we're going to be travelling around Europe anyways, right?"

Malik nodded slowly, eyes tracing the wall, while Ryou let a small smile appear on his face. "Yes... but, Yugi..."

The smallest hikari sighed, the grin disapearing. "I know, I know. We'll just have to be careful."

Malik spluttered. "They kidnapped you!"

Yugi sighed. "They did- but they probably had a really good reason!"

Ryou and Malik sighed. When Yugi wanted to believe something was one way and not another, there was no talking him out of it.

---

They were sitting alone with the dark's soul room again, glancing at the many differne things that had begun to float around the maze. He sat with his back against the wall, watching with intense crimson eyes the expression the other's back showedasthe lightsat against thedark's legs. The light was mulling over- for what seemed to be the millionth time- the letter that had been sent from the Priestess.

"Yami... what do you think we should do?"

The dark responded to his other's question by giving him a quick hug. "It is your decision to make, aibou. I won't let themhurt you, no matterwhat. I will protect you if it is a trap. And if it's not, it willbe a great way to spend your vacation from the Guard."

The light nodded, before he frowned. "I have a vacation from work, andI end up workingduring it. How does that work?"

The dark chuckled. "It just does, aibou. You'll have to believe me when I say that it would be a good experience, though."

The light laughed as well. "And it willget you to stop moping over Egypt's current condition."

"If I could just-"

"There'sfar too many 'ifs' in life,Yami. You know that."

"I do aibou. Regardless, there is so much I would like to do- but it would be impossible, or at least amazingly hard, to do."

" 'I am only one, but I am still one.' "

"Two," the dark correctedinstantly.

The light shushed him before continuing on.

" 'I am only one, but I am still one.
I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not hesitate to do the one thing that
I can do.'

"See, yami? Even though we can't change everything, we can try to change something."

The dark nodded. "And that means you will be taking the teaching job I presume?"

"...yes. If it's alright with you."

"We have a year still aibou. We will finish teaching and go straight back to the Axis. Then we can talk with Agni and Kazille and Juni and everyone again, and everything will be back to normal."

"What about Malik?"

"...what about the Keeper?"

"Yami," the light whined, "you know very well he's changed. Give him a chance- let's invite him to come back with us. It would be fun."

"It would also be dangerous, aibou."

The light cracked a smile. "If life was safe,Yami, it would be boring."

"...don't say that again, Aibou. Onegai."

"Why?"

"You sounded like Bakura."

The light one laughed, a gentle, tinkling laugh that filled the maze with life and joy. The dark soon joined in, his laugh a deeper note than the other's, joining with the light's to form a sound that was infinetly more beautiful that the greatest musical piece written by thegreatest composer.

"K'ri!"

Both stopped and turned to see a small,brown, fur-ballbouncign behind them, squealing in delight.

The light nearly mimicked the sound as he gestured the fur-ballover to the two. "Kuriboh! How are you?"

"K'ri!" was the reply, and the light spent a while gently petting the monster's head as said monster purred in his lap. The dark looked fondly down upon the gentle scene, a smile crossing his lips.

"Aibou... do you want to go back to the Dominion?"

The question startled the light, before he nodded,Kuriboh joining in. "It would be wonderful, Yami."

Standing up and taking the light one by the hand, the dark led the light through the passages of the maze, expertly navigating them and unconciously sending the directions to his other. But the light let himself be led, the Kuriboh following, until they reached a long corridor, at the end a metal door with a small lock on it.

Kuribih bounced up giddly, disapearing in a flash of light through the door. Walking up to it, the dark gently pushed down on the handle and the door swung inwards without a creak, admitting them into the light-and-shadow room. Dragging his light after him, the dark followed Kuriboh around another corner, and he paused at what appeared to be the edge of one of the shadows.

"Are you ready, aibou?" The dark asked genty, eyeing the light over his shoulder.

The light nodded excitedly, squeezing the dark's hand to prove that he was ready- and that he was nervous.

Sharing a nod, the dark jumped into the darker area, the light being dragged in as well. They spun around, at first through darkness, then through colors varying from pastel to dark to neon. Eventually, they ended up in a large chamber, quite unlike their location when they first entered the Dominion.

The light looked around excitedly, seeing many other monsters moving around- including a number of Kuribohs, each a different color. Giggling happily, the light let the fur balls surround him as the other monsters came over to see the new arivals.

A young woman dressed in blue-and-pink armor with a magician's staff was the first to reach them besides the Kuriboh Brothers, and the first to speak.

"Pharaoh, to what do we owe the honor?"

"Aibou wanted to come back here and see everything and everyone," the dark replied gently, pulling his light out of the mass of fur.

Grinning a slient 'thank-you' the light turned to the woman. "Hello, Mana. How are you?"

The woman grinned, tapping the light on the head with her staff. "Quiet good, actually. And you, Pharaoh?"

The light pouted. "But I'm not-"

The woman smiled again. "You are a part of my Pharaoh, and therefore you are Pharaoh."

The light blushed a small amount but grinned. "Well, I'm good. I would have come sooner, but...I always end up getting lost on the way."

The woman laughed. "Yes, that does happen. However, we could make an easier way for you to come here with those you consider friends, and come here with your actual bodies, too."

The light's eyes shone, the dark's merely becoming not such a deep red. "Could you do that, Mana?"

She shrugged. "It is possible. But I'd have to ask Master Mahaado."

The dark nodded over her shoulder. "That shouldn't be too hard, Mana, as he is right there."

She spun around and squealed, quickly running/floating over to the new monster, dressed in a dark purple robe and armor, a longer, purple-er staff in his hands. "Master Mahaado!"

He smiled down on her gently, before continuing his treck over to the Pharaoh. "Pharaoh..." he began, pausing for a moment before nodding. "It can be done."

The dark nodded. "Then make it so- if you could. Please."

The light added large, wobbly eyes- which he hadn't done in a while and was slightly out of practice- to the dark's request and Mahaado gave in immediately. "As soon as possible. Though, you will have to leave..."

The light shrugged. "It should be just about time to wake up, besides."

The dark, the man, the woman, the Kuriboh Brothers, and all the monsters nodded in understanding, before a large, seemingly random collection of lights grew around the Pharaohs, removing them from sight.

---

The sun beet mercilessly down upon the sands and those things which remained imprisoned in the giant sand-box that was the Sahara Desert. People moved around, ignoring everything that seemed strange or unnatural to them, going about their daily business, blind to that which they did not wish to see.

Of course, some people did wish to see- but where they were, it would be pretty hard to see anything.

"Rain, fog, rain, fog, thunderstorm, rain, an HOUR of sun, and more rain!" Malik complained, looking around at the dreary atmosphere the three had somehow found their way into.

"What did you expect, Malik? It's England." Ryou replied, looking over his shoulder at the shivering Egyptian, who was easily falling behind him and the other hikari.

"Oh, I dunno- at least some SUN. Maybe a nice, DRY day. I can't understand how people can bring themselves to live in this climate." The Keeper replied, annoyed greatly by their current problem.

The final hikari sighed. "Well, you do realize that if we wanted to we could just walk into one of those buildings and sit down or walk around inside for a bit, right?"

Malik brightened. "Great idea, Yugi! All in favour of going inside-"

"It won't matter. We still have to find our inn, where ever it is, and check in. And even if we do go inside, it's not going to change the weather." Ryou said firmly, following the glowing of his Ring down another small street.

Yugi and Malik obediently followed, pausing for a moment to get their bearings in a suddenly very busy street they had emerged onto, before continuing the conversation. "You have to admit, Malik, Ryou does have a point."

Malik cursed under his breath, before turning to Yugi. "Hey... you think you can change the weather?"

Yugi gave a small smile at his friend's attempt but shrugged it off. "The past? Maybe. Weather? ...I'll get back to you on that one."

The smile on his face, however, clearly stated, "No way in Hell."

---

Ryou had to admit that he was happy they were back in England, his home. He hadn't been there for quite a while, and the fact that it was their first stop on the cross-Europe adventure they were on made it even better. But he hadn't expected to recieve a message from Isis immediately, giving them instructions as to where to go when.

They had tried ignoring the letter- until it burst into flames in Yugi's hands, and Malik had repeatedly tried to put out the fire with different things, eventually deciding that pushig Yugi out into the rain was the best idea. Of course, that resulted in the hikari getting drenched, and found it only fair that the other two (who were currently laughing and holding their stomachs) got drenched as well.

Ryou and Yugi had shrugged the water off easily enough, having been almost used to getting soaked for no apparent reason while in full clothing, but Malik, being used to warmth, heat and sands, did not fare anywhere near as well.

Ryou grinned as he looked up and saw the sign that proclaimed the small, shabby building in front of him as 'The Leaky Cauldron'. Entering slowly, Yugi and Malik followed, the latter immediately celebrating the lack of water falling from the heavens.

Walking up to the bar, Ryou quickly spoke to the Bar Keeper, who introduced himself at once. "Hello, mate, my name is Tom. Anything I can get you?"

Ryou shook his head. "No. We were told to come here and ask to speak to... er... Yugi? Malik?" He called over his shoulder. The two ran over from their positions celebrating and trying to calm the celebrator down. Ryou turned fully to Yugi. "You remember who the letter said we were supposed to meet?"

Yugi blinked and pulled out the charred remains of the letter, Tom holding back a laugh as he saw it. "Ah, friends of Miss Isis are you?"

Malik's head shot up. "You know my sister?"

Tom laughed again. "Quite well. She and Professor Dumbledore are waiting in a back room for you three. Would you like to go now?"

Nodding, the trio followed the older man into a small hallway, nearly invisible from sight and looking just like a normal wall. Tom pulled open a door for them and gestured them inside, shutting the door behind them.

Inside Isis sat a small wooden table, sipping what smelled like hot chocolate, while another woman and man stood in the back corner, both with flaming red hair. The man was tall and gangly, the woman plump, and both seemed to radiate respect for Isis and the older man who sat at the table with her.

Old was an inappropriate word to use, it seemed. His gray hair was long, his beard even longer- long enough to be tucked into his belt. He wore robes of the purest blue, puncuated by small areas of yellow embroidery, and a hat to match. Half-moon spectacles rested on his nose, through which clear sky blue eyes peered at the trio, easily judging them.

Malik and Ryou stiffened, knowing full well who this man was, and Yugi, immediately picking up on their nervousness, was on guard against any outside forces, too.

Isis put down her drink and eyed who had entered he room, standing up and moving over immediately to the three Shadow Mages. Giving both Malik and Ryou a hug she paused as she looked Yugi over, before a grin adorned her face and she pulled him into a suffocating hug.

"Yugi! How are you? It's been so long- you're still keeping up with your training of course? Of course you are. What have you been doing? Are you feeling okay? How do you-"

Malik grinned, keeping his bariers up but relaxing his own body slightly. "Nee-san, give him a break. He's been travelling so much in the last little while that I'm surprised he hasn't collapsed yet."

"And suffocating him hardly seems like a good idea." Ryou added, watching as Yugi's face started turning blue.

Isis gasped and backed off, letting the smallest hikari catch his breath as he grinned up at her. "Hi... Isis."

The three felt a tingling feeling in their mind and quickly turned to glare at Dumbledore, who stopped his subtle hand movements, blinking as they all fixed him with their eyes.

"I wouldn't try that, old man." Malik said simply, his eyes narrowing as Dumbledore decided to lock his gaze with the blonde's- and promptly wished he hadn't. Staring into the lavender eyes, an emotionless and calousness was both on the surface and beneath, making Dumbledore wonder how he could laugh and joke like he had previously.

The man and woman in the corner bristled, striding forward quickly. "How dare you speak to Professor Dumbledore like that!" The woman exclaimed, sounding surprisingly stern.

Malik scoffed. "I wouldn't have spoken to him like thatif he hadn't tried to search our minds right now."

The woman blinked, while the man laughed. "Professor Dumbledore wouldn't do that." However, the look on Malik's face said otherwise, and the man glanced at Dumbledore quickly. "Wouldn't he?"

Dumbledore sighed, looking up at the man and woman with sad eyes. "Only to see if they are trustworthy."

That was enough to silence the two, and Malik and Ryou, seeing their surprise and sudden amazement, decided that revealing that the Head Master was able to influence trust was not in their favour at the moment.

Dumbledore turned his attention back to them, eyeing them again. "It is good to see you three again. I was wondering where you just disapeared to- especial you... Yugi?"

Yugi blinked before Ryou and Malik quickly moved in front of him, Bakura taking over for his hikari. "We're sorry, but if you want to address him-"

"Then you better do it with some respect, considering you kidnapped him and nearly killed him with those so-called healing potions you shoved down his throat." Malik finished, sarcasm and spite evident in both their voices.

Dumbledore lowered his eyes, showing his remorse. "We did not know. We approached him, and he collapsed. We did what we thought would help. I speak for all of us when I say that we are sorry."

Yugi sighed and pushed his way through the King and the Keeper, both of them surprised by his actions. "I forgive you, even if these two don't."

Bakura growled, obviously stating that he thought Yugi a fool for forgiving the Head Master.

Yami, in his soul room, watched the whole thing, almost agreeing with Bakura- and yet he knew that Yugi was a good judge of character- though, being in the Axis for so long might have slightly impared that ability.

Isis blinked, before remembering her manners. "As you three seem to know Professor Dumbledore so well, let me introduce Arthur and Molly Weasly. Should you become Professors, you will be teaching two of their children- Ron and Ginny."

Malik looked them over, and took in their clothing and style of dress. Much like how he used to dress when he was younger, around the time of Battle City. Obviously old clothes, kept in excellent condition- but still obviously old. Money spent wisely, on needs not wants, and a definate homely visage- though, he was never very 'homely'.

He strode over, a gentle smile on his lips, Yugi and Ryou, having taken back over, right beside him the whole way. They came to a stop before the couple, gentle, calming smiles and countenance forward- exactly what a hikari was supposed to be like. Bowing at the hip, they straightened and Yugi offered forward his hand from within the folds of his cloak. "My name is Yugi Mouto."

"I am Ryou Bakura."

"Malik Ishtar."

Each was said with a smile, a hand-shake, and a few comments between them. Although their first impression was a little strange, Molly and Arthur quiclky warmed up to the three.

Coughing to bring them out of discussion, Dumbledore spoke to them calmly, gently, much like the hikaris were, but, Malik and Ryou noticed with approval, he did not use hand movements nor voice tones symbolic of the Charter.

"I asked you here to speak to you about teaching at our school," he started, motioning all to sit down with him.

Taking their places at the table, the three hikaris were surprised when different drinks appeared in front of them, Yugi's eyes lightening up when he noticed what was directly in front of him. Grabbing it, he finished nearly all of it in one swig, startling nearly everyone while Ryou laughed.

"You actually missed that stuff?" He asked in surprise as the Pharaoh's light put it down and licked his lips with a small, pink tounge.

"Yes. You just never got used to it." He replied, looking at the albino's drink- something that looked like beer.

Dumbledore smiled at them as Malik reached his hand across the table slowly to snatch the hikari's drink as Yugi's attention was now on Dumbledore who was now about to speak. "There a number of positions open, due to certain... circumstances that happened in the last little while." He explained slowly, looking around the room, signifying just what he meant.

It seemd to be news for everyone, as Isis, Molly and Arthur frowned, too.

Dumbledore sighed, eyes catching sight of Malik slowly dragging Yugi's glass over to him. "We seem to be constantly going through teachers for one course, and for another that teacher has- I hate to admit it- finally retired. Lastly, we have started a new program, and need a teacher or supervisor for that, as well."

Yugi cocked his head, pausing a moment to check with his dark, before asking slowly, "What is this new program?"

Dumbledore gave a small, kind grin and said easily, "It is something like a guidance program. I'm not sure if you know, but we're going through a war right now-"

Bakura frowned, taking over to make his opinion known. "So you're just using us to fight them off?"

Dumbledore also frowned, surprised by the change in attitude. "No, but if you are as powerful as you say you are then we might ask for your help. Until then, though, a number of students at Hogwarts have lost family, or might lose family or someone close to them in the months to come. If we had someone to help them-"

"GACK!" Everyone turned to Malik, who was choking on the dark, thick liquid he had taken a rather big gulp of. Coughing and hacking a few times, he was able to grab his own glass and down all of it, before coughing a few more times and panting, finally regaining his breath. He turned to Yugi, who blinked back innocently. "What the hell is this stuff?"

Yugi blinked, noticed his glass wasn't in front of him, and grabbed it back. "Mine!" He exclaimed, looking into the goblet to examine how much of his precious drink Malik had downed.

Ryou sweatdropped, Bakura not wanting to deal with the situation. "Sake and Coke, Malik."

Yugi nodded, before pulling out a small vial of liquid. "With a bit of a potion Agni and Kazille made."

Ryou's sweatdrop only got bigger, before he shook his head in exasperation, Isis stiffling a giggle behind her hand, Molly and Arthur looking patially amused and Dumbledore chuckling a bit.

Yugi, taking a long swig of his drink, told Dumbledore slowly, "I'll take the guidance job, if you wish."

Dumbledore nodded, easily feeling the other's gentle aura. Turning to the other two, he looked them over. "You, I assume, are interested in the other jobs?"

Ryou and Malik both looked at him, unsure. "What are they?" Ryou asked, blinking.

Dumbledore held back a grin as he told them, "History of Magic-" Malik's eyes lit up- "-and Defence Against the Dark Arts." He noticed Ryou's expression and posture change slightly, but assumed that it was just the other's eyes also lighting up.

Bakura nodded, Malik joining in on his grin. "We'll take them. And I'm doing Defence." Bakura proclaimed happily, Malik rolling his eyes.

"You would be an excellent teacher for that, Bakura." The Keeper replied easily, leaning back in his chair and facing Dumbledore. "I guess I'll just have to go with History."

Yugi looked questioningly over at Isis, and she shook her head. "The only position I would be able to take over would be Divination, but it seems that Hogwarts already has a number of teachers for that."

The three Mages frowned, Yugi's deeper than the others as Yami took over. "Isis-"

Isis grinned at him, giving a small bow which was almost unnoticable. "I will be remaing in England, though, for the time being. As the Egyptian Display stayed for nearly eight years in Domino, it's only fair that the rest of the world gets to see it, too."

Yami nodded, turning his gaze onto Molly an Arthur. "And you two? What do you think?"

Molly blinked while Arthur looked uncomfortable. "Well... as long as you act like teachers and not exactly how you were just acting, we shouldn't have any trouble with you at all." The wife replied, patting Yami on the hand.

Yami, being used to either being kissed on the hand, slapped on the hand, or people trying to cut his hand off, let Yugi take over again instead of pulling away. Yugi blinked for a moment, getting his bearings, before he grinned. "Of course, Molly."

Arthur nodded, glancing over at Dumbledore. "Sorry, Professor, but we must be going."

Dumbledore nodded and stood up, Isis and Malik standing as well, Ryou and Yugi remaining sitting, due to their darker halves insistance. It was very common that should the ruler stand, all others were to as well, out of respect. It was also curteous that should one be dismissed, the ruler did not have to rise while the other's did. Dumbledore easily knew this, Malik and Isis frowning along with the older man at the two's reluctance to stand up.

Ignoring the nagging in the back of their minds, Yugi and Ryou shared a look before standing up simultaneously, subtley showing that one held the same rank as the other.

They gave polite bows to the two wizards and one witch, much to the dark's chagrin, and when allMark Mages-witchesand wizards alike-had left the room Yugi was the first to sit down, Ryou following immediately, both holding their heads.

Isis looked at them in wonder as Malik sat down as well, looking them over. "Are you alright?"

Yugi glanced up at her with a weak smile. "Oh, yeah. But I think that Yami's not going to be able to speak after this."

Isis gave a small laugh while the shortest light polished off his drink, which eased the pounding in his head. Ryou looked up at the older woman, watching her carefully. "Alright... er... are we staying here?"

Isis nodded, leading them up to the rooms that she had specially-requested for them. "Private, noise-blocked rooms. No one can hear what's going on inside, but you can hear what's going on outside. And a great view of both Muggle and Magical London, too."

Or at least, that was what Tom had told Isis, and what the Priestess had told the three other Shadow Mages.

Flopping down into his bed an hour later, having just finished discussing the three's travel plans with Isis,Yugi sighed.

(-Yami...-)

((Hai, aibou?))

(-...what are we going to do?-)

The dark had obviously no idea, and as such did not respond. However, a small tingling feeling in the back of their minds let both of them know that someone was trying to talk to them.

After making sure the appropriate barriers were up, Yami let Yugi know it was okay to open and stabilize the connection.

'Pharaoh?'

Both blinked, Yugi easily reconizing the voice.

(-Mana!-)

'Pharaoh, we've finished with the preperations. You just need to open one of those Shadow Portals into the Shadow Realm, but it should take you straight here if you do it properly.'

Easily understanding what she meant by 'do it properly', having realized that sometimes certian things didn't go according to plan, Yugi and Yami shared a discreet smile, before Yugi nodded, breaking the connection, but not after replying:-Thank you, Mana.-:

---

There was sun, there was warmth, there was even a small amount of dryness in the air. The covers that had somehow tightly wrapped around him during the night suddenly loosened, depositing him on the floor with a large, "Oomf!"

If it wasn't for the chickadees outside his window, Malik could easily assume that this was still Egypt.

But Egypt it was not, especially if the freezing cold, wooden floor was any indication. He suppressed a shiver and yawned instead, admiring his room- which, in his tired and slightly-drunken state due to Yugi's drink last night- he had not been previously able to admire.

And, he thought rufely, strugling to stand up and find his clothes, he was glad that he didn't have time to admire it, either. Wood, wood and more wood- and it wasn't in very good condition, either. Most of the wood had been chipped or cracked, strips had been torn off, and tapestries- also ripped and dirtied- and been placed around the room in piles tohide probably more damage.

A small mirror hanging on the wall caught his eye, and he was surprised to find that the area around it wasn't too bad looking. A couch and table were the only things in the small alcove, and everyone else had seemed to completely ignore the area, based on how well-kept it was.

Making his decision, Malik stuffed everything that might have become strewn around into his suitcase and/or the comforter, threw his case into the alcove and dragged the large comforter. The bed seemed reluctant to let go of said comforter, but eventually yielded to Malik- only after, however, he had smacked it once with his Rod. Then it let go pretty quickly.

Grumbling about stupid beds, stupid patrons, and stupid wizards and witches, Malik stumbled into the alcove, nearly tripping over his suit case. Upon entering, he found it amazingly clean and spotless, and obviously able to be sealed off, based on the doors that were propped against the inside of the alcove with what looked like large pieces of gold, inlaid with lapis lazuli.

Deftly moving them out of the way, he swung the doors closed, effectively sealing himself off from the outside world. Looking around, it was apparent that this alcove wasn't so much an alcove as it was a completely seperate room, decorated in a different style than everywhere he had seen of the wizarding world.

Gold, wood with gold inlays, wood with gold foil, precious stones, and different images of Gods and Goddesses made Malik think it was far more like a room that he might have found in Atemu's Palace thousands of years ago instead of in a small, dismal inn located in cramped London.

He moved to lay down on the bed, when a knocking on the door he had just entered through caught his attention. Now grumbling about nosey people, he opened the doors to find Yugi looking at him, a small smile on his face, Ryou, Bakura, and Atemu standing just behind the light.

Malik blinked, looking at his surroundings. The previously dingy room at the inn was gone- in it's place was a large, beautifully deocrated hallway, windows high above their heads and large doors at either end as well as the off torch providing bright, natural light. In fact, the lighting made the walls- certainly a normally yellowy colour- glow, appearing like gold. Tapestries, decorations, inlays, and other doorsways and openings to more hallways met his eyes as the four outside the door looked at him expectantly.

He blinked, looked around, and peered back inside his room to see that a bed and two more doorways, plus a wall of windows, had been added. He glanced back at the trio outside his door, blinking.

"Wonderful illusion. I'm going to go see how comfortable it is. Good night."

So saying, he slammed his door in their faces, and proceeded over to his bed where he collapsed, leaving the other four outside his room, sweatdropping.

---

Ryou sighed, leaning against the railing and smiling as he felt the wind whip his hair around his face and into his eyes. Brushing the stray ends away from the delicate chocolate orbs, his gaze scanned the scene, eyes eventually coming to rest upon a great, tall stone structure, sitting in the middle of the sea, a small boat filled with people sailing across the waters to it.

He was about to comment on the people, how fearful they looked when he felt a shifting to his left. Turning his gaze slowly, he smiled as he saw Yugi, hair really being whipped into his face, sitting on the railing while Malik leaned casually against, both having procured someice cream from who knows where.

"Can't I have some?" Ryou asked innocently, watching them.

Yugi shrugged. "If you run after that van really really fast."

Malik laughed. "I would pay to see that."

Ryou rolled his eyes, and turned back towards the sea. "Have you guys ever noticed how nervous people around here are of that rock out there?"

Yugi cocked his head, turning it towards the darker shape on the horizon as the boat neared it's detination. He frowned, noticing that not one person on the boat seemed to be a tourist- all were locals, aura and life force nearly identical to the one that surrounded this place.

"Yeah... you'd think that the Spanish wouldn't be so... scared... of a- woah."

Malik looked over his shoulder at Yugi, arching his eyebrows when he noticed the amazed looks on the other two's faces. "What's up with you two? The Shadow Realm just get summoned or something?"

There was no response, no laugh, not even a 'Shut up, someone will hear you!' from the two. That just made the Keeper intrigued, and, continuing to lick his ice cream, he turned to fully face the water. What greeted his eyes, though, was not what had been there mere moments ago.

A large, shadowy cloud hung over the rock, blocking nearly everything within it from sight. The boat, which should have just reached the small rocky pier one could barely make out from their distance, was completely hidden from view, and only a very faint outline of the rock could be seen.

The small group of tourists and local who had been enjoying the view with them stopped and gasped, while some fell to their knees and prayed. The three Shadow Mages stared openly, before letting a frown mar all of their faces.

"Something's wrong." Ryou stated evenly, before Malik hopped over the railing, easily sliding down the rock face to the small pier where there more locals, standing around and looking worriedly out at the sudden cloud of Shadows. Shrugging, Ryou and Yugi followed him, Yugi slipping at the end and nearly tripping and falling into the water. Malik, Ryou and Bakura normally would have chuckled- but, based on the expressions of the people around them, there was no time for that.

With no boats inside to take them across, Yugi turned to the nearest person, wondering how they could get closer. She was an elder woman, in her mid-fifties, though her hair was barely white and she could easily pass- by those without Sight- as a fourty-ish person.

Bending down in front of her, Yugi lifted her chin with one of his fingers, clasping one of her hands with his. He spoke to her calmly, gently, not knowing the language but letting the words flow off his tounge in Ancient Egyptian, calming and relaxing her. The fear gradually faded from her eyes, and, seeing she was relaxed, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath before gently prodding her mind.

Maybe it was the sudden lapse of the words, maybe it was prodding, maybe it was the sudden plunge back to reality, or maybe it was some kind of combination of all those factors- but she reeled back from him, fear, surprise and anger on her features, shouting at him in Spanish, the other locals staring at the two.

Yugi quickly backed away, looking at Malik and Ryou to try to find some kind of comforting gaze. Their eyes, however, were widened as well, staring not quite at Yugi but the area around him.

"Malik... Ryou... what-"

He felt the brush of calming from the dark, and he took a deep breath, calming himself, before opening his eyes and staring in wonder at what was around him.

What could only be described as a white mist swirled around, reflecting light, and at the same time absorbing all, never straying too far from his body. Some of the Shdaows curled gently around his feet, wrapping lovingly around their Master, sharing him with the Mists.

He held out his hand, staring in wonder as both began sweeeping around it, before both Mists and Shadows curled up to his ears, both whispering to him.

(:The Rock is a sacrifical place. Those who journey to it are sacrifices. We have enough sacrifices. We do not need more.:)

Amethyst crystals opened in wonder, staring at the Shadows surrounding the rock. He felt the fear and pain of all those who had gone to that rock. He felt their torment within the Shadows... and undeniable joy, more than likely from the Mists. He felt every emotion, chanelled through that which surrounded him, but in the foreground was the pain of those who had just stepped foot on the rock.

Mists faded into nothingness, living Shadows became simple black splotches on the ground, and amethyst became over-come with the tears of a thousand souls, spilling from their pools like the heavens themselves had begun to weep for the lost.

Malik and Ryou, once sure that the Shadows nor Mists would attack them, were at Yugi's side in an instant, unable to do anything as the hikari cried.

Once he got some control over his shaking and sobing, he raised his head to the Shadows surrounding the island, watching them convulge suddenly upon the group of people. Raising his hand, he clenched his fingers, Shadows and Mists wrapping around the apendages, before streaming out to the larger ones around the rock.

He felt, not saw, a war between the two, and he held his mind solely on keeping the Shadows from the people within. Wincing as his control was broken, he felt another presence with him, holding the Shadows back. He felt the other hand, invisible to nearly everyone else, join his own, the other's other arm wrapping tightly around his waist, supporting him.

Three other hands, three other arms, three other bodies pressed close against his own, helping to reign in the Shadows, as blonde, white and obsidian-crimson-golden hair was tossed violently around in the sudden gusts of wind.

The straining continued, though the pressure was alleviated. One good pull back was all it took for the Shadows to collapse, throwing themselves into the sea, though no waves were formed, and only the faintest ripple was a testament to the power. Mists now swirled aimlessly around the rock, but with nothing to support them nor give them direction, they faded out of existance, a fog dissapearing, blown askew by the wind.

Sighing, Yugi let his hand fall, resting on the ground before supporting part of his weight, body and mind exhausted. Malik and Bakura, taking over, sent the Shadows back to their Realm, before looking down at the small hikari, gasping for breath, once dry tear tracks being filled once again by a steady stream of water.

The woman from before walked over and kneeled before him, most of the people watching in amazement as the boat- for the first time- started making a return journey.

"Are you alright?" She asked kindly in English, startling the three.

Bakura growled, annoyed. "You can speak English? Why the hell didn't you originally!"

She blinked, before turning a disaproving glare on him. "Because, sir, you weren't speaking English, either."

Thus commenced a glaring match, neither wanting to back down, until coughing from the ground caught their attention and both looked down automatically to see what it was.

Yugi grinned, looking at the woman. "I'm sorry if I scared you before."

She shook her head. "No- I should be sorry. I started calling you devil and asking the heavens to strike you down where you were and send your soul to the depths of hell. There your soul should be ripped in shreds, devoured, regurgitated, sewn and stappled back together, then the process should repeat for all of eternity."

There was silence, everyone digesting that, before Malik ventured to make a comment.

"Now theres an idea I can use..."

Yugi and Ryou hit him simultaneously over the head- not that anyone could see Ryou other than the yamis and hikaris. Bakura smirked. "If you need any help..."

The woman turned to glare at them, before Yugi struggled to his feet, using her arm as leverage, as she stood with him. "Thank you, regardless. I guess it would seem like I dserved that fate... er, don't mind them... they're slightly... insane?" He said slowly, watching as the two started making plans for the next person to be sent to the Shadow Realm.

She gave a small laugh, turning to a man on the pier and calling him over. "Hey, Peire!"

He looked up, startled, before yelling back, in English still, "What is it, Merionate?"

Merionate grinned, tugging Yugi's arm. "Come over here!"

He stumbled over, knees weak from shock and collapsing to them in fear when the Shadows had fist appeared. Coming to a stop beside her, Peire slowly asked Merionate, "What is it?"

"This is..." She started, turning to him expectantly.

"Yugi?" The small hikari replied, Yami and Ryou disapearing back to their soul rooms.

"This is Yugi." She said finally, and Peire looked them over, appraisingly.

"Not a local, are you? No- skins too white. American? ...no, eyes are different. Not European, right? Then what are you... ah-ha! Egyptian!"

Yugi sweatdropped, Malik and Ryou- forcing Bakura to let him take over- coming over to stand beside him. "Er, no, though one of my ancestors was. I'm-"

"Asian?" Peire guessed again, and at Yugi's nod, he hapily smiled. "I knew it! Now, er... are you-"

"He's Japanese, Ryou here's Japanese, English descent, I'm Japanese, Egyptian descent." Malik said, getting tired of the guessing game.

Though the man glared at Malik and the Egyptian glared back, Ryou bowed. "I am sorry for our rudeness. My name is Ryou Bakura, that is Malik Ishtar, and the-"

"Short one is Yugi Mouto!" Malik finished, grinning.

Yugi pouted, looking very childish doing so as a 23 year old. "I'm not that short!"

They laughed, Merionate and Peire joining in, and soon they were all waiting by the edge of the pier, watching the boat returning. The mage's cloaks blowed wildly about in the wind, hair whipping into their faces. Merionate frowned, pulling a small tie from her waist pouch and grabbing Ryou's hair. As the tugging was barely noticable with the wind, he continued string into the distance, not realized what she was doing.

Merionate was surprised by the softness of his hair, the way it flowed through her fingers like silk. She quickly switched the color of tie, instead pulling a black one out and wrapping it securly in place.

She finished just as the wind died down and stepped back again. Ryou looked surprised that not as much of his hair was falling in his face, but assumed that it was just the way the wind had blown it and ignored it. Malik and Yugi, though, noticed the small ribbon of black in his hair, and, peering around Ryou's back at each other, shared devious little smiles, before turning back as the boat bumped into the pier edge.

Slowly, the occupants filed out, the three Mages surprised at the sheer number of those who had journeyed across to be sacrificed. They stumbled out, onto the pier, into the welcoming arms of family and friends. Merionate kept her eyes locked on the group, as did her husband.

Some of the people came over slowly to them, looking worried. They opened their mouths to say something, when they caught sight of a few of the Shadows wrapped protectively, lovingly, around the three Mages, and came to a dead stop.

Merionate turned to look at what they were staring at, and blinked as she beheld the three. Well, before she started to laugh, anyways. Yugi blinked, looking her over. "Er... Merionate-san?"

Merionate was able to still her giggles for but a moment, instead urging Peire to speak. "Er... can't you control those things?"

Ryou looked them over, before sighing. "They can't help it. You people are constantly afraid of them, thinking that the only thing they do is take away souls."

Malik nodded. "They can be very helpful, too."

Yugi was silent and his face grave as he watched something over their shoulders. His eyes widened slightly, before he strode past everyone quickly, uncounciously pushing people out of his way to get to his destination. Some people nearly fell off the pier, only kept on it by the sudden support of Shadows- which they gratefully accepted, albeit uncounciously.

Malik and Ryou shared a look, before turning to Merionate. "That was very... not Yugi-ish..." Ryou commented, staring over the woman's shoulder at the retreating back and spikey hair.

Malik nodded. "Not even Atemu-ish. He would have said 'Pardon me' before pushing down the next person."

Merionate blinked, wondering who this 'Atemu' was- but chanegd her mind at the looks on the survivor's faces. "What is it? What's wrong?"

They shifted slowly. "You know, ma'am, how you asked us to look out for your daughter?"

That was all Merionate needed. Her smile gone, face hardened, she pushed past them in the exact same way Yugi had just moments before, Peire following closely. Malik and Ryou shared another look, before taking off after them.

---

Yugi slowed down as he approached a group of survivors, tightly clustered around something. Yugi, though, didn't need to guess- he had seen and felt enough people like this to know what had happened.

He parted the crowd easily, the Shadows lashing out at all who dared get in his way or try to stop him, courtesy of Yami. Pushing his way through the tighest ring of people, who were standing around something on the ground, he noticed three bodies of young woman- one eight year old, one twelve year old, and one fifteen year old. An older man, who, based on his condition, had been on the pier and not in the boat, was examining them, some kind of doctor.

Yugi fell to his knees beside the elder man, said man glancing up swiftly and frowning at him. "I'm sorry, but you need to leave. I'm not sure what's wrong with them- they're still breathing, though barely. I need to do my work."

Yugi was faintly surprised that he could understand the man when he had so clearly spoken in Spanish, but felt the gentle coldness around his neck that was the Shadows. The man stopped what he was about to say next, freezing as did everyone else at the sight of their supposed enemy curled lovingly around the stranger's neck.

((Aibou...))

(-It's alright, Yami. Just... let me...-)

A pregnant pause. ((Alright, aibou. But be careful.))

(-Hai, Yami.-)

Sensing the life energies, Yugi moved towards the twelve year old- the one who had the closest life energies to Merionate. He placed his hands gently on her forehead, brushing some of the more unruly hair out of her face so that he could have complete contact with the skin. One hand, upon resting for a moment, quickly moved down to rest on her stomach, and there it rested as he concentrated and began one of the Charter Rounds Isis had taught them, the Shadows around his neck like a scarf sliding down his arms to her head and torso.

It was about this time that Merionate, Peire and the other two Mages was able to push through the crowd, coming to a complete stop just before they would have run over Yugi. Merionate, taking one look at the scene, collapsed into her husband's arms, eyes streaming tears.

Malik and Bakura walked slowly by the pair, eyes watching the other two females on the ground. Their life energies were faint, slowly fading into oblivion. Invinsible Shadows wrapped around them still, remenants from the large sphere that had been disipitated minutes before. Small Marks, hardly visible, twisted in the air around them, the Round coming to it's end and beginning again.

Living Shadows slowly began to take on a more visible form, startling the locals, while Bakura roughly turned the fifteen year old on her stomach, tracing a few of the Marks onto her back, Malik repeating the same process with the eight year old.

Merionate stilled her crying for a moment, looking on in horror and surprise as the Shadows mixed with suddenly visible Marks that floated in the air, drawing power from the Charter and brining it to their masters.

Twisting and turning, the Shadows summoned the Mists from the ground, their power fueling the Mages' search, before suddenly disapearing as Yugi sighed sadly and stood up. The doctor was on him in a moment. "If you dare to tell me they're either dead or unconcious, I could have told you that a long time ago, without all that fancy... stuff."

Yugi eyed him warily, before turning to Merionate and bowing slightly before her, Malik and Bakura standing upand taking places on either of the Pharaoh's sides. "There is a big difference between unconcious and dead. There is an even bigger difference between dead, uncouncious, and soulless."

Merionate felt tears come to her eyes, looking down on the body of her daughter. "Isn't there... those things... you can help, right?"

Yugi cocked his head, as though listening to something, face still somber. "Well, yes, but-"

"Then please do it!" Merionate pleaded with him, tears threating now to spill over.

"If there's anything you can do-" Peire began, three or four others beginning to echo him, the parents and family members of the other girls as well.

Yugi turned to Malik and Bakura,Atemu quickly taking over. "What do you want to do?" The Pharaoh asked, agitated.

Malik and Bakura shared a look, knowing that they would bug the ancient Pharaoh later about asking their opinion on something. "We should probably at least try..." Malik left off uncertainly, watching the other's eyes.

Bakura frowned. "We can send people there, but the only way to get them back is to send whoever sent them there to the Shadow Realm."

"Which isn't an option, as these three were considered sacrifices- gifts to the Gods... we can't take back a gift..."

Malik frowned. "Weren't Mana and Mahaado once human? Once alive?"

Blinking, Atemu nodded, Yugi from his soul room. Bakura's eyes shone with understanding- of a sort. "You want to make these three into creatures!"

Atemu's frown deepened. "Mahaado and Mana had merged their ba and ka before they died, not after."

"But it can be done?" Merionate jumped in, having snuck up on them to see what they were talking about.

Looks were shared between all three, before Atemu slowly let out a breath. "It will be hard, but it can be done. But we need privacy."

Merionate nodded, turning around and randomly selecting people that she more than likely never saw before from the crowd. The few picked lifted up the three girls as though they weighed nothing and waited for Merionate to start moving. She turned to the three Mages. "Well?Lead the way."

Malik sweatdropped, Atemu and Bakura remaining emotionless. "Er... we don't know where to go that's private."

Merionate frowned, before nodding. "Alright. Will my house be good?"

With nowhere else to go, a small procession of people started up from the pier, the people on the embankment above watching as the dozen or so people carrying three prostate bodies between them walk by, while the others climbed up wearily and nervously.

---

Candles ringed the room, incense was burned, magical, protective symbols were drawn on the floor, charms for life, luck, and fortune hung in every place possible- and in the middle of it all, sat three human bodies and two spirits forms, all five coughing and hacking their way into oblivion.

"Re damn it, must we have this incense burning!" Malik exclaimed, wafting his hand in front of his face, trying to rid himself of the strong fumes.

Ryou sighed. "They're scared of the Shadows- better to keep them contained than to let them spread, probably."

"And don't you complain- you're not the one with Frankenscence right beside you." Bakura growled, showing his abnormally sharp canines.

Malik stuck his tounge out at the spirirt, Bakura sticking his out right back, both of them quickly recioling and hoping they could get the awful taste that came with the strongly perfumed air out of their mouths soon.

Yugi and Atemu, bowing once to the three bodies who lay before them, sat down at the head of Merionate's daughter, Malik, Bakura and Ryou mirroring him, complaints and annoyances temporarily forgotten. Malik gently stroaked the hair from the face of the eight year old, who he was sitting at the head of, before his hand was slapped away by Yugi, unnaturally strong for the young hikari.

Sharing a look, they closed their eyes, Bakura grabbing a cup and switching places with Ryou as Atemu and Yugi switched as well. Taking a dagger, he neatly sliced open his palm, used to the pain that would normally bring, allowing a few drops of blood to spill from his hand into the otherwise empty chalice. Ryou switched back, the blood changing in quality, before another few drops fell into the golden grail, passing it onto Atemu with the dagger to preform the same ceremony again, before it went onto Malik.

Charter Marks formed on their lips then, special oils and liquids pouring into the chalice bit by bit, until it was nearly full and tainted a dark crimson- the color of blood nearly dried.

The chalice was then brough to each of their lips, each suppressing the overwhelming strong urge to gag, bringing said grail to the lips of the female who lay soulless in front of them, masaging their necks, cheeks and lips to get them to swallow the bitter liquid without choking on it.

The Charter grew in volume, repeated again and again as the ceremony came to a still, Shadows swirling around, disinclined to give up their latest prizes.

Finally, after minutes of coaxing, proding, and promising, the Shadows let Mists reach into their depths and carefully extract three glowing orbs, holding them in the air, away from the Shadows, as the Round of the Charter changed suddenly from the steady rythm it had built up, the chanters at first stumbling to adjust to the new pattern. But adjust they did, and the Shadows descended from their position, hovering about those in the room, to cover the three bodies of the females, obeying their Master's orders.

The Round picked up speed, every once in a while another Charter Mark being thrown in, helping the Shadows along with their duty, changing the three into something more individual for each.

Time passed- how much, it was hard to tell, the whole room having become cocooned within the Living Shadows- and slowly, the Mists began to add their own gifts to the three as well, the Round changing Marks and pace to allow for this to happen.

Quickly, they ended off when nothing else could be done, the three souls near the top having been nutured and taught by the Mists which still surrounded them, and would continue to surround them, even within the new bodies that had been fashioned.

The chalice had become filled purely with blood, and was passed around again, eight lips opening slowly to drink of the sickly sweet liquid, given from the Shadows as a final gift, a final reminder that all belonged to them.

And, as the Mists finally let the souls enter the bodies, five voices called out, Shadows, Mists and Souls alike reacting to them,

"Le ceneri alle ceneri, la polvere di spolverare, il sangue ha versato a è seduto la lussuria del demone. Nato di Re e Spiriti divini, consente che le anime attraversare divide. Le ombre nate di morte e la vita, gli Spiriti danno il benvenuto con la loro potenza. Svegliarsi O il Dormiente! Sorgere dalla Morte! Accendere il suo dorso il Buio di Notte! I Venti degli Spiriti saranno il suo Respiro! Limitare al Padrone! Limitare alla Luce!"

---

Yugi sighed, leaning back on his heels. His tired eyes looked over Malik and Ryou, although Malik looked about ready to collapse- no wait, scratch that, he did just collapse.

Atemu was unconicous in his soul room, dead to the world- or those who knew his world, anyways. Bakura was undoubtably in the same state in his soul room, and both he and Ryou were about ready to join the other three.

There were no bodies, no clothes, nothing of what had once been the three girls- instead, there were three female Shadow Creatures, standing above them and looking down tiredly. The youngest of the three- the eight year old- had been shaped into a small, masked 'Journey Mage', her mask that of a griffin, her staff an elongated ankh.

She was currently crouched down over Malik's body, watching intently as his chest moved up and down, panting in his sleep. She poked him with the bottom of her staff, and he grumbled and turned over, muttering, "Onegai, Shimasu. Tomare."

Shimasu the Journey Mage frowned, but retreated back to the other two. The eldest, a 'Shadow's Messenger' named Anriel gently picked up the younger one and set Shimasu in front of her on her broom, which was currently floating in the air with a bag, the end of a spear, and some charms attached, Charter Marks running up and down the sides.

Yugi grinned as Ryou faintly dismissed Anriel, nearly falling asleep where he was. The last one, Merionate's daughter, a Valkyria of the Mists, bowed with her gentle smile, Long Blade nearly slipping out of it's waist holder, and instead slipping it's harness from the back of her armored belt to the front, causing her to stumble.

"Lasine, do you want to see your mother?"

Lasine stopped, thinking, before responding with a gentle and cheerful voice, not unline Yugi's own, "No, Master. It would... it would be too hard, I think."

Yugi nodded. "Don't call me Master, please."

"Pharaoh, then?"

Yugi's eye twitched, Ryou catching it easily. "Just Yugi, Lasine. Yugi."

Lasine bowed again, holding onto her Blade this time. "Of course, Yugi."

"Go, I guess."

Lasine bowed again, the Shadows surrounding her before all non-human creatures, including Shadows and Mists, faded out of the room.

Yugi sighed, looking over at Ryou, hair still tied in the black hair. "You think this was the right thing to do, Ryou?"

The albino shook his head. "I don't know, Yugi. It might have been- for all we know, these three could save our lives in the future. But it might be not such a good idea..."

Yugi pouted slightly, some of his childish nature surfacing. "Let's stick with the idea that they'll somehow end up saving our lives."

Ryou nodded, before he turned around and 'fluffed' up a spot of ground. "Let's hope Merionate doesn't come in while we're sleeping."

Yugi nodded, pulling parts of his cloak up around his head to make a make-shift pillow. Both dropped into peaceful sleep, neither noticing the small cracks in the windows nor the long one in the door being closed, peering eyes pulling away to go ponder the recent events, and put everything behind them.

And they didn't notice when Merionate and Peire, having seen the whole thing, came in and placed pillows under the Mage's heads, covered them with blankets, layed out food. Nor did they noticed when the same couple, all their worldly possessions packed in a small, 20-year old car, left the house permanently, their good-byes whisperedto the men in their sleep, a single note in among the fruit bowl explaining the situation.

Nor when Lasine appeared one last time to her parents, giving them both a hug, before forever disapearing into the Shadows.

---

"I really can't believe them... after everything we did, they just up and leave while we're sleeping!"

Malik, it seemed, did not like the way they had parted from Merionate and Peire. He flung another gob of chocolate sauce off the end of his spoon, watching it fall down, back to Earth once again, where it splattered on an older woman's hat.

Rearing back as she looked up to glare, Malik waited for a few moments before leaning over again and picking his next target, not really caring if any of the other people around were staring at him, wondering what a twenty-three year old was doing, flinging chocolate sauce and ice cream around.

Yugi yawned, warming himself in the sun, stretching back so his face was in the shade caused by the other two-thirds of the large tower they were currently sitting on, joined by other tourists who were merely there to enjoy the sights. "You can't blame them, Malik. They just saw their daughter die- they were probably too pained to confront the people who had so much to do with what killed Lasine."

Malik frowned. "I know, I know. But it still doesn't change the fact that the least they could have done was say it to our faces!"

Ryou gave a short laugh, hollow from recollections of their time in Spain. "Yes Malik, we know. But from the way you were out, let alone myself and Yugi, I doubt that anyone could have awoken us for anything, even Armageddon!"

Yugi's smile faltered a bit, closing his eyes and letting the sun fall onto his face again. (-Yami?-)

((This may seem a little strange, aibou, but I agree with both. We all slept for nearly twenty four hours. There was no way that Merionate and Peire would have been able to wake us, nor stay that long where so many painful memories were. But they still should have at least said good-bye personally, even if they told us before we started.))

Yugi nodded, opening his eyes and promptly shielding them from the sun. "Agreement with both of you. And as much as we hate it, that was Spain. Three new monsters, three new alies-"

"Three more ways to scare those poor, little children!" Bakura cackled, taking over. Having seen death more oft than should be healthy, he had gotten over the three's deaths in less than one minute after having awoken, and had gotten the others to as well, having pointed out that now Lasine, Shimasu and Anriel got a chance to live for Eternity in the Shadows.

Malik's thoughts were turned then from passive contemplation to agressive plotting. "Ah, and I already know what I will be teaching them!" His eyes shone with something close to the insane light they had once glowed with, but slightly more tame- though, not by much. "And the decoration of the classroom... everything will be perfect."

Bakura inclined his head. "I will be letting my dear hikari decorate and do that nice, kind-teachery stuff. I'll be doing most of the actual teaching, lesson plans, and the evil-teachery stuff. Kukuku..."

Yugi shuddered at the insane laugh, before languidly stretching out, letting Atemu have control. "I'm not planning on decorating a classroom."

Bakura snorted. "That's because you're letting your hikari do everything."

Atemu sighed, sitting up straighter. "Not everything- but he wanted to do the guidance aspect of teaching, and already had some ideas of what to do. However, those somehow ended up including theTemple Gardens in the Dominion..."

Bakura and Malik goggled at him, before Bakura shook his head. "Yes, get the students lost in there. What a... wonderful idea! That shall be the first detention I give out- go into the Pharaoh's classroom, and wander around for a bit." There was suddenly an evil smirk on his face. "I've heard that some of the plants can be quite deadly- both there, and in the Greenhouses where we'll be working."

Both Malik and Atemu blinked, Yugi doing so in his soul room. Ryou sighed in his, shaking his head. Malik opened his mouth to ask a question, but Bakura cut him off easily, gesturing at his spoon. "Yes, I know some things. Now, you better watch that spoon, Keeper, or else..."

Five sets of eyes watched as the largest glob yet of chocolate- this time mixed with ice cream- felt from his spoon. Those same eyes traced the blob's tragectory, and winced as it came into contact with the top of a head with full, straight, beautiful blonde hair.

A cry of rage followed this, and all quickly withdrew from the edge, Malik finishing off his food and easily finding a place to dispose of his garbage. Yugi, Atemu, Ryou and Bakura all gave into a few laughs as a noise behind them signalled the elevator coming to life, and Malik, a look of horror on his face, dropped into his chair, overly anxious, yamis switching with hikaris to avoid the impending doom.

Yugi, taking pity on the Grave Keeper, gave a warm smile before gesturing at the landscape around them. "Come on, guys. That was Spain, that will be England. But right now, let's just enjoy-"

"France!" The other two exclaimed, excitement lighting up their features.

Ryou's grin widened. "And what a perfect place to kick off this part of the tour, ne?"

Malik nodded. "Yup. Gotta love the Eiffle Tower. Now, I've heard a very interesting rumour about the two pyramids in the new entrance way to the Louvre..."

"QUI A FAIT CELA?" A beautiful, musical voice screamed angrily from the doors to the elevator, vocals obviously stretched to their limit by the hoarseness that accompanied those words.

Malik blinked, turning around, and then- just like all other males in the area- quickly hid behind somehow else- namely Yugi and Ryou. The two, however, merely kept thier seats, watching with faint amusement as the young woman moved from one group of people to the next, looking every single person right in the eye.

Her gaze continuously passed over them, before she sighed and sat down beside them, Malik hesitantly taking a seat as well to not look so out of place. Eyeing the three, she shook her head.

"Ils ne seraient pas assez stupides pour rester ici..."

Yugi, Ryou and Malik blinked, looking between themselves, before Ryou coughed nervously and asked quietly, "Désolé, le Coup manqué, mais de qui parlez-vous?"

That got Yugi and Malik to start, one crying out in Japanese and the other in Egyptian something that roughly went along the lines of, "You can speak French!"

Ryou nodded, before turning back to the woman. "Pardon, mais mes amis ne peuvent pas parler français."

She cocked her head. "Parlent-ils l'anglais?"

"Yes." Ryou said easily, watching Yugi and Malik out of the corner of his eye, making a mental note to teach them French.

She nodded, switching over to the other language. "I am so sorry. I did not know you could not speak French. You are tourists, non?"

Yugi nodded, extending his hand. "We are. I'm sorry- I didn't realize that not speaking French would be such an inconvience. I hope that this just doesn't make us look ignorant..."

She shook her head. "No, not at all. You'll have to forgive my accent, though- I 'ave improved moi Engleesh a bit, but I still have a bit of moi accent."

Yugi nodded as her long, delicate fingers took his hand in her own. At Atemu's prompting, he gently lifted her hand and kissed it, before letting it drop and a small blush appear on his face. "Actually, your accent is better than mine. My name is Yugi Mouto."

Ryou grinned gently, lifting her hand to his forehead instead of his lips, Bakura refusing to copy Atemu in any way. "I am Ryou Bakura."

Malik still looked umcomfortable, but he gingerly took both her hands in both of his, and lifted them so they were at eye level, before letting them drop again. "Malik Ishtar."

She smiled. "I am Fleur Delacour. Pleased to make your aquaintance."

---

Dark silhouettes in dark alleyways on dark nights were not common in most parts of town- but dark silhouettes in dark alleyways on dark nights in one specific part were perfectly acceptable, and even more, encouraged. It seemed almost like the Axis- except maybe that here you had to be careful who you talked to and who talked to you, while in the Axis, it wasn't so worry some.

At least, that was the way Yugi felt, staring out at the world from his soul room as Fleur guided Atemu, Bakura and Malik through different clubs and restuarants that night, as she had done for the past two nights or so.

((Aibou, daijobu ka?))

(-Daijobu desu, Yami. Demo... why does Fleur always stay away from the most interesting places?-) the light mused as they passed by- yet again- another club or pub that most people seemed to just pass by, with Fleur simply glancing in a longing sort of way, shooting a glance at them shortly, and dragging them onto another one that didn't look nearly as entertaining down the street.

((I don't know, aibou. Should I ask her?))

Yugi panicked as Atemu opened his mouth to speak. (-Iie! Yami, doesn't it have one of those strange, weak auras around it? Maybe it is shielded from certain people?-)

((But the way Fleur looks at it, I'm certain she can see that it's there.)) Atemu responded easily, and started again to say something.

(-Matte yo, Yami. Let's just see if it happens again. Alright?-)

There was silence on the other end for a moment, before his comment was met with a hesitant, ((Alright.))

Yugi sighed in mock-exasperation, which Atemu easily picked up on, and was about to comment on, when a small beeping from something on Fleur's person caught their attention, as the group had been mostly silent for the last few minutes, officially tired from the last club they had dared to enter- apparently clubs at or past carrying capacity made it nearly impossible to do anything other than keep moving and hope to get out alive.

She pulled out what looked like a golden coin, blushed, and looked back at them quickly. "Pardon moi, mais-"

"You have to go somewhere?" Bakura asked, having caught onto the tounge. Fleur nodded, turning to the whole group.

"If you want, I could guide you back to your hotel-"

Malik quickly put his hands up, a small smile on his face. "Don't worry- I'm sure we can get back from here."

The frown on Fleur's face made it obvious that she severly doubted that, and Atemu sighed, stepping in. "Maybe just point us in the right direction, and we can take it from there."

"Alright. Maybee if you just go this street to thee end, et take a left. You should get into familiar territory there."

Nods, good-byes, and promises to meet tomorrow at five at the tower was shared, before the three Mages continued the way they had been previously been heading, Fleur ducking down a side alley, one of the few the seemed to not have dark silhouettes.

That should have been their first clue.

The three were barely thirty seconds away when a scream that was undoubtably Fleur's voice cut through the air like the sword the Flame Swordsman swings, surprising everyone in a mile radius- which somehow was only them. Atemu was the first to take off, back the way they had come, Malik and Bakura following him closely.

Skidding to a stop at the entrance to the alley Fleur had ran downand looking around quickly, crimson, amberand lavendar surveyed the scene before them, working hard to widen in horror.

Fleur was currently pressing herself the wall, between two large dumpsters, three cloaked men in front of her. Undeniable fear was written on her face as the cloaked figures eased their way forward, carefully stepping over... something on the ground. Upon closer inspection, the greusome truth was revealed- and made Yugi's and Ryou's stomachs churn.

Bodies, at least a dozen, littered the whole alley, shock and horror on the faces of the victims. Not a single mark on them showed what possibly could have happened to them (as the only obvious marks were undoubtly made by a lover or other), and they were sprawled out in such a way that made it obvious they had been killed while trying to run. A small puddle of blood around the feet of one showed what might have at least slowedhim down, if not killed him.

Eyes, all now with at least a hint of crimson, twsited in furry and anger, rose to appraise the cloaked ones. From within the deepest part of the cloaks protruded arms, each carrying the smallest piece of wood between two fingers, aimed at Fleur, one holding another piece of wood at their sides, Fleur looking at it even more longingly than she had the clubs.

All too suddenly, realization dawned on Malik and Bakura, Atemu catching on from what he'd heard instantly as well. "Mark Mages..." Bakura hissed in disgust, the other four in the alley still not taking notice of their presence.

Malik snorted. "Damned Wizards..."

That comment caught the other's attention, looks of shock and recognition on their faces. Fleur panicked.

"Go! Go away! Aller! Partir ici!" She switched over to her native language in horror, watching as the other three did not move.

The cloaked men chuckled lowly. "Maybe we should kill them off, one by one, just to see the look on her face?" One asked slowly, turning his attention to the Shadows Mages fully.

A female's voice laughed cruelly from the one in the middle. "No, that would be too nice. We torture them first, make them feel pain, then almost kill her, before following your plan. Sound good?"

The third, the one holding both wands, replied in a low, husky voice, "It does not matter to me. Do with them as you wish."

The female pouted. "Just because you're in charge of this mission, Avery, does not mean you can act surperior to us."

The one called Avery frowned at his companion. "We can talk about this later, Bellatrix. Nott, do as you wish."

Nott laghed aloud, before pointing his stick at them, smirking. "Crucio!"

The blast that erupted from the wand clearly stunned the other watchers, while the three Shadow Mages snorted as it came nearer. Malik yawned, much to the surprise of the Mark Mages, putting his hand forward as a gold, violet, crimson and pale white glow surrounded it, the golden color gaining prominence as a sudden blast of energy flew forward, easily tearing through the curse and pounding into Nott.

Nott, barely able to remain standing after the blast, knees obviously weak and shaking, looked up suddenly into hard, sky-blue eyes, the point of a dagger on what the normally pointed end of what looked like an elongated broomstick inches from his face, holding him still as the rider- a female with two triangles under her eyes, brown hair pulled back by a golden band at the base of her neck- turned around and mouthed a silent question to the albino Mage, who walked calmly around and produced a katanna from within the flolds of his cloak, placing the sharpened edge at Nott's throat.

"Thank you, Anriel."

The Shadow's Messenger nodded, turning her attention to Bellatrix and Avery, who both moved to pull out thier wands when a sudden pulse of energy froze them in their places.

Atemu walked slowly up from behind Malik who still stood at the entrance, grinning like an idiot. The ancinet Pharaoh's boots clicked on the ground as he made his way towards the two cloaked people, gently pulling Fleur by the arm and into his embrace. Giving her a small hug, he gently whispered in her ear, "Go," before pulling away and shoving her in the general direction of the exit.

Too shocked to contradict what he said, Fleur took off quickly, stopping for a moment to grab her own wand from Avery's frozen hands.

Atemu smirked as he surveyed the three in front of him, Lasine appearing behind him, the unnatural, insane smirk on her face that only appeared there when she was angry, Long Blade balanced over her shoulder, ready to be swung and decapitate someone on her Master's orders.

Avery paused what he was doing, eyes finding the swirling darkness that looked like Living Shadows pause for a moment, parting again to release Shimasu from their embrace. The young Journey Mage hopped over to Malik, jumping up to sit on his shoulder.

Bellatrix fumed. "You won't get away with this! We are servants of the Dark Lord! We shalled be avenged!"

Bakura growled. "Pharaoh, couldn't you have at least sealed their mouths shut, too?"

Atemu frowned. "I would like some kind of answers, Thief King."

Malik sighed. "What's with the sudden reverse back to your old names?"

"Shut up, Tomb Keeper." The two yamis replied, making both Malik and Shimasu sigh, the younger one's sigh at least three octaves higher than Malik's gentle alto.

Malik turned to the hybrid. "Shimasu, if you would?"

Shimasu giggled, before raising her staff and swinging it down, a blast of energy being released before solidifying into what looked like a cloud. The Journey Mage jumped atop it, sitting there patiently as though waiting for something.

Lasine let out a ferral growl, seeing Nott trying to move and drawing Anriel's attention back to the person both she and her Master held captive.

Bakura, however, took a step back and nodded at the Shadow's Messenger, who quickly put her broom on high-gear, and ran Nott through, his blood being absorbed by suddenly glowing Charter Marks, all of it being drawn in so none would spill on the floor.

Avery and Bellatrix watched this in slience, before a noise from their slight left caught their attention. Shimasu had just giggled and flown her cloud to directly above Nott's head, letting a small, glowing ball of white surrounded by more Mists be sucked into the gray poof of moisture, as the body finally ran out of blood and the broom backed up, allowing Nott's body to fall lifelessly to the floor.

Shimasu continued her giggling as she made her way over to Malik again, jumping off the cloud which quickly disappeared and landing on his shoulder.

Atemu eyed the two remaining as he frowned. "You. Will. Talk."

Bellatrix snarled at him- or as much as her bind would allow. "I will never betray my Lord."

Bakura smirked, fangs glistening in the light. "Then your soul will be fed to the Shadows."

Malik cocked his head as the dark, swirling shapes converged around his ear, whispering something to him. Smiling gently, like he was talking about the weather, the Keepr continued, "They say they're quite hungry, too."

Bellatrix gasped as the Shadows wrapped around her gently, the cold, clamy feeling not unlike one got around her Master's new servants, the Dementors. Avery glared at the three who opposed them. "What do you want us to say? You are obviously wizards-"

Bakura snarled, striding over quickly and lifting him up by his collar. "Just because we might associate with you pathetic Mark Mages occasionally does NOT mean you can put us in the same group as them. It would be a disgrace."

Bellatrix gave a slow moan, barely managing to cough out something that sounded roughly like, "To us, maybe," before the Shadows, in their anger, quickly cut off her air supply, she slumping to the ground uncerimonisouly moments afterwards.

Atemu glared at Avery. "She is not dead, nor soulless, although if you do not answer our questions, her soul won't be the only one taken."

Avery glared right back, muttering about, "Damn Foreigners."

A recognizable female voice shouted from about a foot behind Malik, "You are thee foreigners!"

Shimasu giggled, turning around to fix Fleur with gray, seemingly soulless eyes. Fleur winced, but strode forward quickly, ignoring the burning intensity of her allies. She stopped when she towered over Avery, ice-blue meeting chocolate brown, before her hand came down, a loud crack being heard in the alley.

When Avery's eyes met their again, there was no sign on tears, nor any of hurt, except for the deeply buried light in his eyes that Atemu and Yugi, even when working together, were just able to make out. A large, red, hand-shaped welt on the side of his face showed where Fleur had struck him, the golden bond that had once held him in place slowly loosening.

Atemu frowned. "You know him, Fleur?"

"Oui." She spat at the man on his knees in front of her. "He is a Death Eater, sworn to kill off all half-blood and muggle-born Wizards and Witches, following the Dark Lord, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Avery met each of their eyes, his own lingering on the three Shadows Creatures who looked ready to chop him into bite-sized pieces at any moment. "The Dark Lord Voldemort shall rule, and you shall be the first to be killed!"

Bakura rolled his eyes, Malik yawned again, and Atemu snorted. "Do you have any idea how many people have tried taking over the world through the millenia? And how many of them have failed? What makes you think this... 'Dark Lord' of yours will actually succeed?" The Pharaoh asked, reminiscing about his own battles.

Avery looked about to speak, but stopped as the realization hit him. He frowned. "Than at least to rid the world of half-blood, mudbloods, and muggles."

Bakura laughed this time. "And there goes 5.9 billion people. I can't wait to see how you're going to manage to run the planet like that."

Another glare was sent their way, before Avery was happily silenced. Malik walked over purposefully, crouching down in front of Avery. "Take it from someone who's tried in the past- and failed... horribly, due to the Pharaoh over there," he indicated Atemu with a wave of his hand. "You're not going to succeed. Mind-washed puppets, mind slaves, willing followers, even brain-washed, mind-controlled, best-friends-of-the-Pharaoh weren't enough to stop him."

Avery snorted. "Is there a point to this?"

Malik grinned. "Yup. And it's very simple: For every person who tries to take over the world, there will always at least one person who is able to stop them- and probably will, as history is a bitch and likes to repeat itself."

Avery's eyes met Malik's squarely, before he turned his gaze down.

Atemu looked between the two, before sighing. "Fleur, you really know about this Dark Lord?"

Fleur nodded, stunned by Malik's blunt admittance of part of his past.

Atemu turned back, urged by Yugi's pleas from the light's soul room, and faced Avery squarely. "We will spare you. Take her back with you, where ever you go, and never let any of us see your face, hear your voice, nor sense your presence again, until you have distanced yourself from this Dark Lord you so blindly follow."

The dismissal in his voice was hard to miss, even for a deaf man, especially as he turned his back and began striding away, pausing for a moment. His eyes rested on the part of Avery's arm where the Dark Mark was, before he eyed Lasine, giving her a nod.

Smirking, the Valkyria of the Mists raised her Long Blade, turning it over so the blunt edge faced downwards. She strode the three paces across to Avery purposefully, smirk never leaving her face, and bent down. The blunt edge crackled with energy, and for a moment, illusions of different worlds, places, and times flashed in the air around the edge. Then it swung down, a crack and sizzling sound accompanying it's sudden clash with air, material and skin, and the Death Eater's choked back cry of pain.

Removing her blade, Lasine roughly pulled back the burned cloak to reveal skin, skin red and raw from the burning- but no marking of any kind, whether it be physical or magical. Swiping her hand over it quickly, she turned her head and nodded to Atemu, who nodded right back. She let the material fall back into place before hurrying after her Master, the insane look falling off her face to be replaced by a far more innocent countenance, armor changing into metal bands on her outfit, though the basic design stayed the same.

Malik shook his head, also standing. "You're lucky. No you'll just have that bit of skin to remind you of your past, not your whole back."

Fleur looked shocked, Malik held up his hands. "No, the Pharaoh didn't do that, nor did that Valkyria. It's a... semi-unrelated matter."

Bakura snorted, before looking down at Avery. "The Keeper's right. You are lucky. I would have been whipped, tortured, then left out in the sands while everyone around hopped for a sand storm, or, better yet, the Pharaoh's soldiers to come and find me."

Avery snorted as well, slowly standing up. "And why, pray tell, would the Pharaoh's soldiers be so scary for you? Isn't he your friend?"

Bakura gave a low, dangerous chuckle. "My hikari's friend, maybe. Never call me his friend, though. Occasional ally, maybe. But we've been trying to kill each other for too long to call the other 'friends'."

There was no lie in those words, nor in their meaning, and no Charter Marks contained in his voice nor the actual words to work any spell on the listeners. And yet the message came all too clear for them, before Bakura turned on his heal, Anriel following him, and stalked after the Pharaoh, muttering about 'cocky bastards'. Anriel's broom faded, replaced instead a small pendant that hung from the circular charm from the black, leather collar around her neck, clothing remaining the same.

Malik sighed, offering Fleur his arm and patting her hand worriedly. "Don't worry, Fleur. Just put all of this behind you, and you'll get on with your life just fine."

She frowned as she walked away. "How am I supposed to do that? I find out you guys are-" she stopped, somehow remebering Bakura's words from earlier. "...well, that you have magic, when I thought you were muggles the entire time?"

Malik shrugged, Shimasu quickly grabbing onto Fleur's neck like a little child, clothing and armor changing to the new countenance, long tunic and robes becoming a long shirt and skirt. Her staff became a small pendant on a charm bracelet, giggling all the way.

Fleur couldn't help but share in the young one's laughter, a small smile smile lighting up the Keeper's face as well. His voice was heard to coax Shimasu to "Stop choking Fleur!", before they rounded the corner, and silence reigned upon the alley once again.

Avery stood, too stunned for words, among dead, soulless and unconcious bodies, before he pulled back his cloak and robes, staring at the quickly-scaring skin. A frown marred his face- he couldn't go back to his Lord- he'd be killed. Thinking quickly about the best way to save his own, life, he gathered Bellatrix's limp frame and Nott's body, hefting them over his shoulders, before preparing to apparate.

Surely Lucius Malfoy would do with them as he wished, while Avery quickly escaped back to the one place where it seemed logical that at least one of them came from- who else but an Egyptian would talk about sands, Pharaohs, and have slightly tanned skin?

---

Fleur looked up in amazement at the giant, leaning structure over her head, casting it's heavy shadow over her, seemingly about to fall onto the small group of gaijin at it's base. The veela-witch giggled quitely to herself, watching Shimasu playing with Malik near the actual base of the tower, wondering at her slowly developing mastery of the Japanese language.

And the fact the fact herself a foreigner.

Lasine laughed quietly beside her, looking up at the tower with wondering eyes. "I had always dreamed of going outside of Spain, but my parents weren't the wealthiest, and couldn't afford to go on vacations."

Anriel nodded as well. "That was pretty much the same for us. But my older brother had made it pretty well in Protugal, and we were going to move there at the beginning of September- if we spent hardly any money and saved it all."

Fleur cocked her head. "It is a really big difference? Living in that small town to travelling around Europe with these three?"

Lasine and Anriel shared a looked, before they broke into giggles, Anriel's normally calm countenance shattering all at once. "Big difference? It's like day and night!" Lasine informed the witch, eyes alight with mirth.

"Would anyone like something to eat or drink?"

Lasine pounced on her Master, grabbing whatever she saw first from his hands. Anriel followed, Malik walking over slowly with Shimasu hanging from his shoulders. Although it was not nesecary for the three to eat, it seemed that they enjoyed that little bit of humanity enough to carry it on.

Fleur watched them as Ryou wandered over, informing them that they could go up to the top of the tower whenever they wished, though preferably in the next hour or so, before the guides and guards changed shifts. From the little that she knew of them, one thing was obvious- life or death situations, tretchery, betrayl, pain and loss was part of a bond between all of them- the fact that each had apparently tried to kill the other at least once was just an added bonus.

Every time that killing was mentioned, all of them started joking around, and Fleur wasn't sure if it was just to cover up their nervousness, or if they really didn't mind the idea of death at all- not them dieing at least, as whenever murders, masacres, bombings or acts of pain and hate towards others was mentioned, they always suddenly had darker demeanours- but not as dark as they were that night- never as dark.

They had formed a group, and from that a strong bond grew- through all their talks about killing each other, Fleur wouldn't doubt that one would risk their life for another- "If only," as Bakura had put it that night, "so that I might have the honour of killing them." Sanity didn't seem to be an issue, either- as long as you were willing to protect another, and swore to keep three principles that she still didn't know, you were likely to be welcomed.

But Fleur looked on all of this from the outside, an observer of something that she knew she would never conciously understand, a bond made by more than words or emotions.

"Fleur! I'd suggest you grab something to eat!" Yugi called out to her, laughing, prying a brochure about the Leaning Tower of Pisa away from Shimasu, who was apprently trying to eat it.

And yet, she mused, sometimes, she felt like she wasn't just an observer, like she shared that bond. Maybe, one day, she might get a chance to try to understand, to learn the subtle mysteries and lessons that the three Mages seemed to teach others by every word they spoke, every gesture they made- every life they spared.

Maybe, one day, she would finally figure out that game they played so well, that so many refered to as life.

---

To wonderful Kim C:

Yes, I know, horrible previous chapter. Useless, weird, strange, and very pointless. BUT... the last chapter was actually what started me writing this story, believe it or not. So, with a bit of tweaking, I put it in. Now that I think about it (and got yelled at from my friend about ruining the 'flow' of the story), it's kind of obvious that it wasn't the smartest to put it in. Afterall, it served only two.. no, three purposes:

1) Show ways in which Yugi/Yami's Shadow Powers advance
2) Show a reason for people thinking he disapeared, and a time lapse of about seven years
3) Show a reason for Yugi and Bakura somehow being in Egypt

...all of which could have been done differently. And I have to be careful now.. we are treading on uneven ground... the sixth book hasn't come out yet, so I either put this on hiatus and wait, or say that we skipped a year and it's now their seventh, and fill things in when the sixth book does come out.

...what the hell am I thinking?

ANYWAYS, I was re-reading the prologue and Marks and Shadows, and was really surprised that no one yelled at me- well, more so than some people have, anyways. Do you know how many MISTAKES there are? There's... um... lots? I WILL go back-eventually-and fix it, but until then, please, forgive me for my incompetence.

And about that review about Dani... well, actually, no, that wasn't exactly what I meant when I put that in. I was going off on a whole other track... though it could work. But, amazingly, I'm sticking with my original plan. And if I can stick with it for the whole thing, then I'd surprise myself.

---

To Anjel-chan:

Potago! Konnichiwa! Ah, what am I saying? Ohayo gozimasou! Yes, it's 12:05 AM on Saturday night... er, Sunday morning. See? See? I TOLD you I'd finish this sometime this weekend! So boo-hya!

Anyways... now that you've read this chapter, remember what I kept asking of you? Yes? Then HELP ME, DAMN IT!

And Kristy stole number 2 from me... and I'm planning to go to Parkway later today (know how weird that sounds?) to buy the new Shonen Jump. And even if you leave an annymous review, IT WOULD BE NICE! Or... or... I SHALL STEAL YOUR T-SHIRT FOR ART AND SCRIBBLE ALL OVER IT!

And then I'll hide mine so you can't do that to me. Nya-ha!

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Notes

1) Alrightie. We originally wrote nearly 20, 000 words for this chapter- then absolutely hated the idea, got a new one, and bye-bye went the original. The original, although making certain parts of the plot move along extremely quickly, also made for at least two plot holes that I would not prefer to fix later- I had actually come up with ideas for them, too, but that would include involving a number of instances, occurances, and extra thousand words and/or chapter, as well as making MORE plot holes. So, to solve my dilemma... new chapter 3! Er, 4! Er... whatever the hell this thing is...

2) (In relation to 1)) What happened in the original WILL still happen... just... slightly differently, and at a later date, in both the story and the chapters. I still have the original of this chappie on my computer, and if people would like, I would be more than happy to post it on my webbie. Shout out, people, and tell me what you think.

3) (In relation to 1) and 2)) One scene from the original IS used in this new version. The same, basic, ideals are played out, though, once again, at different times, and therefore one of the scenes is needed- big time. I, personally, loved the scene, and am quite happy to have written it... and now, to make sure I didn't completely mess it up...

4) Not in relation to any of the above! I inlcuded some French in here, 'cause I decided to use what little I learned in grade nine from that stupid no-good, no-NOTHING teacher and my elementary school, know-EVERYTHING, super-amazing-awesomely cool teacher. If you want a translation, go to www. free translation. com (take out the spaces), and put in the French parts. But it basically says, in order:

"Who did that?"

"They wouldn't be stupid enough to stop here..."

"Sorry, Miss, but you are you talking about?"

"I beg your pardon, but my friends don't speak French."

"They speak English?"

Yes... quotes 1, 2, and 5 are Fleur speaking, 3 and 4 are Ryou. Wow... basic French, ne?

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Other Notes!

So Fleur makes her debut! Actually, she's probably my favorite character from HP, but her accent's a killer to write, so... just imagine she has one. And, believe it or not, although this chapter hasn't moved things along quite as quickly as I would have liked, it's pretty close still to the original- but Fleur's role in the first version is slightly different, and more obvious.

Like, really-more-obvious, Ryou and Bakura discuss/EXPLAIN it for Re's sake! If that's not obvious, then I don't know what is!

The problem with the first version is that I got lazy and never got around to reading the beginning. And I would have had zero time to talk about the Dominion, except for that part which gets slowly revealed as the chapter comes along. Anjel-chan yelled at me for suddenly making Atemu and Yugi appear in the Axis at the beginning of last chapter, and yelled at me again for random skipping seven years in between. So, I decided that skipping too much stuff would be just plain... stupid, and a pain to read if you're not the writter.

In all honesty, the scene between leaving the pier and where everyone falls asleep and you're first introduced-ish to Anriel, Lasine and Shimasu (the one with the Blood Chalice (OBJECT!), the Soul Summoning, the Fashioning of Bodies and the Joinder of the Halves as the Rounds and final chant were called) wasn't even there in Version 2.1- but, after realizing that peoples would kill me, I added it in.

If you know where the chant comes from, and what it says,cookies for you!

And... yes. That's about it. Hope you enjoyed it, and R&R!

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Ahhh! I almost forgot this! The SONG!

Erm...I dunno... "Remember Me" by Josh Groban? Ah... I could actually use this song for a number of things... like one of those song-less song-fics!

Yes... ignore me...