D.H. A.N.: I am so sorry it has been this long before this chapter was typed, and posted. Band and school keep me busy. I hope you can forgive me for my lack of promptness. Read, review, and most importantly enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own the song "All I ask of You", Andrew Lloyd Webber does. The rythym is a tad off though. Bold text, for this chapter is singing

A.N. 2: When Mhera enters her mind it is as if her physical self is there. Therefore, all instances of coversing are real conversations, not telepathic ones. Just thought I would clear that up.

Chapter Six: Millennium Masquerade

"Don't put that on!" Mhera stated urgently just as Kariu was about to affix the golden object to her neck. Kariu's hands stopped and slowly placed the Necklace on the table beside the Rod. "Not until we know who sent it." Mhera finished softly. Her tone became harder, more focused as she asked Keimo, "Was there anything on the package as to, who sent it, or where it came from?"

Keimo scratched his head, perplexedly, looking over the carefully torn paper "There is nothing here as to whom it's from." He could tell that Mhera was worried about something, but what, was unclear. Why are you so worried, sister?" "Because things like these don't just appear!" Mhera almost yelled. She shook with an unforeseeable emotion. Keimo spoke in thought to her, hoping that her mental voice would be more agreeable. "I know it's hard for you to explain, but please…please explain why." "Keimo, I just can't go through this alone." Keimo looked into her violet eyes, seeing fear, something that had no place in his sister. He gripped her tightly, saying, "I won't let anyone get near you who I don't trust, remember? That means I will be beside you all the way this time. I'll keep whatever happened to you at Battle City from happening again. I wasn't there for you, and I know I should have been there I should never have left you there, alone. Now tell me what worries you, Mhera."

"The Millennium Items have shown up with no apparent reason to explain their coming. And, I'm also worried that this will be another "Battle City", if you will, meaning that things will go wrong." Mhera responded quietly. Kariu was watching from across the table at the two siblings' closeness. "Keimo, how long were you gone from her?" "Ten years, ten years too long, Kariu. Why do you ask?" Keimo's voice was deep and somber. "You two just seem very close. Was there something that may have aided that?" "I don't know, Kariu, but I will tell you if it was something done, it was Mhera who did it." Keimo was holding Mhera, and Kariu had to strain her ears, in order to hear what Keimo was doing. He was singing to Mhera in a warm and gentle voice:

"No more talk of darkness, forget your well found fears.

I'm here nothing will harm you; my words will warm and calm you.

Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears, I'm here, with you, beside you to guard you and to guide you."

Then, Mhera softly sang:

"Say you'll be here every waking moment, turn my thoughts with talk of better days.

Say you'll need me with you, now and always.

Promise me that all you say, you'll do.

That's all I ask of you."

Keimo responded:

"Let me be your shelter, let me be your light.

You're safe; he'll never find you. Your fears are far behind you"

Mhera sang a little louder this time:

"All I want are answers to these untold questions

And you will help me answer these questions all in due time.

Keimo, that's all I ask of you."

Keimo sang, passion evident in his voice:

"Say you'll be with me as long as this lasts, and I'll be with you forevermore, as guidance and help you'll need much later.

Anywhere you are there I will be. Know this is all I ask of you.

"Is this true?" "You know it is."

They both finished in harmony, "M: I know, that's all you ask of me. /K: You know that's all I ask of you."

Kariu just took in the music with ease, as their harmonizing voices had almost lulled her into sleep's waiting arms. A sudden rustle of packing paper interrupted her reverie. " Hey, look what I found!" Keimo was half leaping up and down like he had just found a hundred dollars. Why he was doing so was made clear as Keimo placed the envelope onto the table in between the temporarily forgotten Millennium Items. He was about to open it when Kariu gently took the task from him, saying, "I believe it was addressed to me." She looked at the envelope, remarking, "It appears to be addressed to Mhera as well, at least I think she would be classified as an 'M. Ishtar'. Keimo was about to mention their father, but an undesirable look from Mhera kept him silent. The envelope also had Kariu's name in the same format, K. Kytiamo. "I guess it's technically 'K. Ishtar', now, huh?" Keimo stepped forward, saying, "There is only room for one K. Ishtar, and that's me. Besides your name has a nice ring to it. It suits you well."

Knowing about Kariu's employment, Mhera asked, "What would your boss's reaction be?" "Why are you asking that, Mhera, when you don't know Seto Kaiba?" Kariu's stomach flipped over when Mhera didn't say anything. "How do you know him, Mhera?"

"It should be simple to figure out, Kariu. I participated in the Battle City Tournament. I would have, actually I qualified for the finals, but things went far beyond a conventional Dueling Tournament, and I fear this play is following a similar path. I knew Seto Kaiba's reputation as a duelist, but when I saw that reputation was backed up by strong proof, I was thankful that I didn't enter the finals." That wasn't the real answer to why she hadn't entered the finals, but it was another good reason. "Could you please open the letter, Kariu? I will be leaving soon, and want to have something to think about before I sleep." Keimo asked, impatiently.

"Of course I will, Keimo. Just let me open it." Kariu then ran her finger softly underneath the envelope's flap, causing it to open, revealing a letter inside. The letter was split into two parts, one in a readable language to all three; the other in a combination of languages that only one knew what the combination was, but couldn't read it. The first read as follows:

You have been chosen to hold these in case of an unexplained appearance of any Millennium Item being used for malevolent purposes. When the time is right, they will be returned to their rightful owner. Use them well.

"What about the second half? It looks like gibberish to me." Kariu asked, looking at the combination apprehensively. Mhera took the letter into her hands. "I know what these languages are, but I can't read any of them fluently." "That surprises me, Mhera, because you started learning at an early age. Surely you must know some of it." Keimo stated.

"All I know is that it is a combination of Arabic, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and a little of what looks like Aramaic. Our father could read all those languages, as well as others. This would be easy for him to decipher, but that's all I know." Mhera finished with a sigh. "Who do the Millennium Items belong to?" Kariu asked, hoping that Mhera would know the answer. This was on Keimo's mind as well. "No one really knows. They were used from Ancient times until now, changing hands as they went, only now have they seemed to slow their switching and come to Yugi Moto, and the nameless Pharaoh whose spirit resides within the Millennium Puzzle. As to why these two have drifted to Kariu and I, I may have an explanation for that as well." Mhera looked to Kariu, "Do you still have that book I found for you at the bookstore?"

Kariu was perplexed as to why Mhera would want to read at a time like this, but she went to go get the book anyway. Keimo still looked confused. "How do you know this stuff, Mhera? It's like you're a walking Ancient History Museum!" "Keimo, I walked through the Ancient Egypt section of that museum everyday before the Battle City Finals; how could I not know this stuff?"

"Good point." Keimo sighed ruefully. Kariu returned with the brown backed book that Mhera had asked for. Mhera opened the book to the section on Ancient Egypt and found what she had been looking for. Spread across two pages were pictures of seven objects consisting of a set of scales, a key, a rod, a necklace, an eye, a ring, and lastly, an upside-down pyramid. They each shared an interesting characteristic, an eye symbol. "Now, I can offer a possible explanation of why the Items are here. It might not be correct, but here's my hypothesis." Mhera pointed to the Ring first. "The Spirit of the Millennium Ring wants to acquire all seven Millennium Items. If Yugi not only had the Puzzle, but the Rod and Necklace as well," Mhera moved her finger over the pictures in the order that she had named them. "And were challenged to a certain kind of duel-"

"A Shadow Game?" Keimo interjected. "Yes Keimo. Anyway, if Yugi were challenged to a Shadow Game, and by a slim chance, lost, he would lose the Puzzle, Rod, and the necklace, and something else would happen. The last thing wouldn't be able to be reversed until someone could defeat the Spirit of the Ring in a duel, which would be very difficult to do."

"So what does you having the Rod and my having the Necklace change?" Kariu inquired for the first time. "Simple, in order to achieve the same objective, he will have to defeat three duelists instead of only one." "Mhera, there are two problems with your theory. First, don't you think Bakura would have just challenged you to a duel then?" Kariu had hit a good point, but she bit her lip apprehensively as she told the second problem. "Secondly, I don't know how to duel."

"But you helped develop the best dueling technology in the world!" Both Keimo and Mhera exclaimed simultaneously. Surely someone who had developed this device that a duelist couldn't live without had learned to enjoy their efforts." I only built the holographic simulators, now, I'm in charge of the new cards in the duel disk's database.'

"Is that how my cards became playable? "Mhera asked, always a little perplexed at how her cards had gotten into the system. "Yeah. After you helped me escape from those cloaked creeps, you dropped your deck. I had the deck in my pocket the next day, so I looked through it, liked what I saw, and put them into the system." "But, you could have been fired for that!" "Yes, but I didn't did I?" Kariu had a mischievous smile on her face. Mhera asked a question that Kariu saw coming. "Would you be willing to do the same with the Phantom cards?" "Yes Mhera." Kariu responded. " Thank you Kariu. Though, I want you to go through Kaiba this time."

"Alright, Mhera. Did I also tell you that Kaiba Corp. will be funding the production" Keimo stopped her right there. "I'll bet he suggested the duel. That's why they want duelists in the lead roles" "I'll bet your right, Keimo." Mhera then took a gulp of her tea, making a grimace, as it had become cold. Kariu smiled "I'll reheat it for you. Tea is no good when it's cold." Kariu shuddered at how many times she had done the exact same thing, and took the cup from the table, and placed it in the microwave.

The addition of the fact that Kaiba Corp. was funding the production didn't make Mhera feel any better. In fact, it made her feel worse. It reinforced her notion that this wasn't just a play. Not that she had anything against the company, but it just so happened that the company was involved in both things that had turned in to something more.

Kariu had returned with Mhera's tea. Keimo asked, "Who do you think will be the deciding Tryout, Mhera?" Mhera's face brightened at talk of a better subject. "The Phantom will be the one they test. He goes through so much, and you are almost guaranteed to find one of the two lead actors with him." Keimo ruffled her hair softly. "Be good, Mhera. I'll see you at the callbacks. Either one of you knows how to contact me." Keimo left, and that was further proved as the door shut behind him. Kariu took a seat across from Mhera, a smile on her face. "Well, that was eventful. Why don't you go see your accommodations, your room is upstairs."

Mhera proceeded up the stairs to where her tan bag was hanging on the doorknob. She took the bag, and stepped inside. She changed into a navy colored robe with a silver colored cord at the waist, and shed her black boots for her tan slippers. She looked around the room. It was quaintly furnished with a desk, a bed, and a huge set of shelves laden with books. I think I'll like it here. Mhera smiled. She then saw a nice laptop that obviously was used and well cared for. As if by cue Kariu's voice floated gracefully through her mind. "The computer is yours to use, Mhera. Be gentle with it though." "I will. Thank you, Kariu."

Mhera then booted up the computer, and did the only thing she could do on it without messing up. She got into her E-mail account, and began to hastily type a message to Ishizu:

Dear Ishizu,

I'm sorry it's been so long, but there has just been so much going on lately. Where do I start? The tryouts for that play I've been talking about for weeks were finally held today. All the auditions went well. Except for one where there was a visit from The Millennium Ring. It came to Bakura during his solo, and then the Spirit took over. He was pretty good I hear, but something isn't right. I just can't quite put my finger on it, yet.

When I got home, I had another surprise waiting, one that was none too pleasant. - Mhera fought back tears as she forced herself to type the last few lines of the paragraph. – My father has been sent to the Point of No Return. – She couldn't make herself type "Shadow Realm" – And when I got to the apartment, I found The Millennium Rod waiting for me. It led me to his room, I found him there, then had a confrontation with The Spirit of the Ring in the alleyway by our house.

The Rod is now in my possession. I don't trust it yet, and probably never will. I am now staying with a family friend, and will be here at least until the callbacks. Her name is Kariu Kytiamo. I came to her place, and we received a package. I bade her open it, and your former Item was inside. If you know anything regarding this please respond.

Mhera

Just as she was about to hit the "send" button, that same gently mysterious voice that had spoken to her at the apartment came to her again, the words flooding her mind. "She knows nothing of this. If you want answers, enter your mind." Mhera hit the "send" button, and then did as she was bidden.She touched two fingers to her head and focused power through them. The room faded from her vision.

As the hazy, dark corridor formed where the room had been, Mhera felt a familiar feeling of someone watching her. This corridor was her mind, or at least a visual representation of it that she could access with her powers. No one else had access to her memories, fears, or triumphs that were stored here without her knowledge, until now. She had expected to see another door, as there was clearly another presence giving her these suggestions, but there was no other door. There was one on the right, one on the left, and one straight ahead, just as there should have been. I feel someone here, but I just don't see it. Her thoughts echoed through the chamber. She stepped on the tile in front of her, causing about five rows of tiles to sink lower into the ground with every row formed. Oh great, more staircases. Mhera thought with a sardonic smile. Ever since she had found a staircase back in her old house that was formed in the same fashion, wariness had always been key to her inward disdain and outward curiosity at them. Somehow, she knew the results would not be the same, yet, like the one in her old home, this staircase would begin weaving a web all its own, and the origin would be very difficult to find once the web was woven. With this in mind, she descended the staircase.

Mhera came to the end of the stairs, still unable to shake that "Someone is watching me" feeling that she grasped onto ever since she had entered her mind. She then saw why. She was about to open the door when someone from the inside opened it for her. She recognized the person almost immediately. "I've been expecting you." The stranger said with that mysterious tone. Mhera faintly recognized it as a tone similar to one she knew. It was cold, calculating, and yet hid warmth and gentleness. The face gave all her notions complete reassurance. She had seen that face, carved in stone, yes, but the resemblance to the present-day Seto Kaiba was far too great to be ignored.

"So, I assume that you called me here, sir." Mhera stated quite blankly. The stranger replied in a more cordial tone, "Yes, although, I was expecting your brother. But your ties to this Item are pretty firm, whereas your brother has almost no knowledge about this. I would have gone to my present-day counterpart, but from what I have seen, he doesn't quite believe yet, does he? I thought that he would reconsider the truth of the curator's words after winning that duel, a duel he only won because I intervened." The stranger sighed irately at the last part of his statement.

That reminded Mhera about something she never thought she would be able to prove. I thought I saw the Rod flash during that match. I can finally let that out of my brain. Her attention was then focused back on the stranger, whose height was well above her shoulders. He set a hand on her shoulder, and in essence, looking at her past. "Now I see why it was sent to you. I had forgotten what trouble the improper use of this Item caused." Mhera was perplexed, "You mean…you saw all of it?" The stranger showed an expression that would be very hard to find in his present-day counterpart's array of expressions, a smile. "Yes, that's why the Millennium Items have eyes. Come within, we shall speak more there." The stranger retreated from the doorway, allowing Mhera to enter.

The room was lit well enough that one could see, but no more. There were several chairs, on one of which the stranger took a seat. He motioned for Mhera to do likewise. She took the seat across from him without a word. The stranger closed his eyes, and asked a question that should have been said first. "Whose mind am I linked with at the moment?" Mhera's answer was a bit unorthodox, but it came out nonetheless as "Mine. The only reason I wish to make that distinction is that I have the ability to enter the minds of others." The stranger nodded understandingly. "Of course. Your name, Miss?" She responded as if she were still reporting for duty in her father's old organization with a crisp; clear "Mheralo Ishtar, sir!" "But you go by Mhera. Is that correct?" "Yes, it is. I assume that you only know that because of the eye that you have seen through, am I correct?" "My, you are a very quick learner, as well as very perceptive. Those, as well as others are very valued traits in an heiress. However, you possess undesirable traits as well that often are beyond your control. Those traits, and your inability to control them have often led to unfortunate circumstances. Your temper is the trait that gets you into most trouble. Your doubt is the trait that takes its toll upon your confidence."

The stranger then caught sight of the scar Mhera had left uncovered during the auditions. She winced as he gently traced the mark that at one time was painful, now only held a painful memory with his finger. "You know you have to live with the choices you make, right Mhera?" Mhera nodded in agreement. The choice had been hers, she knew what the consequences would be, and yet she never had fully accepted this one. "Yes, I know I haven't always made the most prudent of decisions this is one that keeps haunting me. Every time I see this scar, I ask myself "What would have changed besides the fact that I wouldn't have this scar?" In reality, it was a very small price to pay, considering it could have been so much worse."

"What is it that brought me here to you, in your opinion, of course?" The stranger asked her after a few moments of semi-agonizing silence. "Well, it just so happens that the Millennium Ring appeared today during auditions for the production going on at the local theatre with no apparent reason to speak of. Then, this whole mess started." "You think it is a mess, but you can't rule out destiny. You're exhibiting that so-so quality of overlooking all possible solutions again, Mhera." The stranger was highly impressed that this girl hadn't acted the way she would have had anyone who knew her well told her the same thing. He knew her well from watching through the Rod's eye, they had just never met.

"I know why you are worried, Mhera. You are worried for your friends, for your brother. But you also have a worry that has turned itself into a fear. You fear having to go into the Shadow Realm again. Alas it is a fear shared by all who have been there. Your worries are in the right place. You possess a worry that can be conquered now it will help you lessen your fear later. What is it, you ask?" The stranger smiled as Mhera nodded. "Let me ask a very obvious, yet important question Mhera. Do you trust me?" "Yes, I do." She said after looking at him for a few moments.

The stranger pulled the Rod from Mhera's tassel, where it hung quite nicely, standing out against the Navy color of her robe. "If you trust me, then you can trust this, Mhera. A Millennium Item's true power is only unlocked through trust. Show me that you trust it, then our minds will be better linked, which means you will be able to read the bottom half of that note. You were unable to read it, correct?" "Yes, I am nowhere near as fluent in Ancient languages as all the others in my family. But I was able to identify the combination used, that's something." Mhera replied calmly.

"I believe this is going to be a pleasantly interesting experience, to say the least." "Likewise." Mhera responded rather swiftly. She hesitated asking another question. "What?" The stranger asked at the look on Mhera's face. "Will you be able to take over my body, or can you only do that while you are with your counterpart?" "No, I won't be taking over you, and your latter statement is correct. But I will be here to advise you, should you need it." The stranger replied, getting up from his seat and looking Mhera over once again.

"Your assumptions are correct about the play. Something tells me that this is so much more. I'm sure that same thing has told you as well. A puzzle must be solved before the bridge is crossed into "The Point of No Return", as you prefer to call it." Mhera looked as if that simple statement was going to overwhelm her. The stranger spoke to her softly, "You won't be alone. Even in your darkest moments you have always had someone to lean on, someone to confide in. The Rod must be like that for you to fully unlock the mysteries that will ensue. You must trust that it will not harm you anymore than I will. I won't harm you."

"I will." Mhera said after the stranger's words sank in. "Show me then, Mheralo Ishtar." The stranger said. "You know what to call me, but I know not what to call you, sir." "I haven't formally introduced myself yet, have I? Like you, I am also oblivious to the most obvious of courtesies at times. You may call me Seth." Seth remarked, a hint of embarrassment evident in his expression.

Thank you, Seth. How will I know when I trust the Rod?" "You already do, young one." Seth replied. "Now, you must go read that letter."

D.H.: I told you it would be an old friend, but I didn't specify how old, did I? Oh, and for those of you history buffs who study time periods when languages were used, I know I'm wrong about the language thing. Thank yous to rebelmewphoenix,and glimmerofhope for reviewing last Chapter. Applause. But my big thank you goes to, drum roll please... thegirlwithgreeneyes for letting me use Seth in my fic. You really have to read her fanfic AYear to Remember if you like this kind of stuff. Next Chapter: The callbacks are early, and Mhera gets caught in a duel, the grand finacier makes his appearance, and the list of characters grows by one. Find out in Chapter Seven: The Callbacks. The chapters will get longer later.