Thomas Johnson was 15 now, and he could remember exactly when Alkia started to protect him.
He had been 12, not long after he had received the flute from his mother, and he was being circled by the school bullies. He felt his mind being moved aside, then he had an out of body experience where he watched himself spin kicking and punching all the bullies to the ground with a strange cat-like grace he knew he didn't have. Then he'd felt himself be gently pulled back into control and a woman's voice whisper, 'You're safe now.'
Not long after that he had finally seen Alkia, after months of calling out with his mind. He had been crying, missing his mother who was once again on one of her long digs. And she had appeared, after she calmed him down, she began to look after him, something he thought he'd never experience. She helped him clean the house, made him meals. It was like she'd become his mother. Alkia smiled when she had heard that thought, said considering she was 25 when she had been captured in the item, it would have been plausible in her time.
He flipped some his longish dark brown hair out of his blue eyes to where the rest of it sat, just beneath his shoulders before tracing his finger along the shrunken flute under his shirt.
He looked quietly over the river before flipping around and fiddling once again with the speed boat's control. Didn't want to run himself into the banks now, did he?
'Your thoughts, hikari, are more rampant and uncontrollable than the dragons of the gods,' came an amused voice from behind him.
Thomas chuckled lightly before turning around and balancing himself on the railing that edged the small boat and turning to face his 'yami'.
'Well, it was quite the strange day for me, Dark. And now that I know what you where thinking and doing while I couldn't see you, it's even stranger.
Alkia's lips quirked into the barest of smiles, but even that made her face even more welcoming than it normally would as she sat down next to her light.
Thomas looked over his yami quickly. When he had finally found out she was there, she had always worn her Egyptian garb, what her spirit had been captured in, but as she figured out how to be seen by others, so she could act like his guardian, she had had to change into something more modern.
Today, her silky straight black hair was flying loose in the whipping winds. She had a midriff-baring golden tank top, with a long sleeved white business shirt unbuttoned over the top like a jacket. She wore long black pants and a pair of white leather heeled boots.
'I'm glad my new style of dress gains your opinion, Hikari,' she laughed as Thomas blushed slightly, 'Tis indeed pity not many but you can see me in it.'
Thomas chuckled at her obvious displeasure, it was true. If she was playing his guardian she couldn't go around wearing that, she usually wore jeans and a t-shirt, more 'mum-like'. If she was helping him duel, she of course took over his body, so she was still in what he was wearing, it just changed a little.
It was strange when he saw the reruns of his first regional tournaments. He couldn't believe it was still him. When Alkia controlled their body, he got taller, looked older and his skin took on a golden tan, much different to his normally slightly pale complexion. His hair also darkened to black and got longer, his eyes turned red (a side of effect that is the same for every Yami and Hikari, Alkia had told him when he had freaked out the first time)and his voice and looks took on a kind of feminine touch to those who knew him outside of duelling. But it wasn't so bad that he looked girlish just more delicate and graceful than the other guys that competed.
'You are quite reminiscent this evening, hikari,' murmured Alkia, 'are you ok?'
Thomas turned to see her glancing out of the corner of her eye at him, a worried spark to her warm eyes.
'I'm fine, Alkia, I'll be better when we get there though,' he murmured, glancing towards the island he was headed for.
When the millennium flute's power started fluxuating, Alkia had grown apprehensive. She had told her Hikari it meant that Atemu, the son of the pharaoh that had created the items also the boy had that sealed the shadow magic away, was in a tablet that would help him restore his memories and was therefore close to the door to the afterlife. Alkia had told Thomas, not that long ago when he had asked that she didn't remember the sealing of the shadows happen, for it had happened after the priest had sealed her into the eighth item he had made without the Pharaoh's knowledge.
Thomas still didn't know why she looked so worried about the door to the afterlife, but had been getting snippets when her mind's shields had gone down. There was something about a last chance, final judgement and a battle. And also something about a choice the gods had to make about what would happen to her.
He was of course worried that meant she'd be taken away from him, but every time he had asked Alkia, she just said that Egyptian Gods would be the ones to decide what happened. Apparently, they just needed to get there to start things off.
'Thomas, it is late for such heavy thinking,' his yami murmured, 'sleep, I shall watch our course.'
Thomas nodded quietly and walked to the small sleeping cabin beneath the ship, closing his eyes as sighing as his yami murmured 'Good Night' and kissed him upon the forehead.