Chapter 5: The Diadem

"What happened?!" Yugi exclaimed when he entered the kitchen that morning.

"I went for a little early morning run," Atem answered, nonchalantly pouring himself some cereal.

"And got slapped in the face?" his 'brother' deadpanned, pointing to the former king's rather swollen cheek.

Atem coughed. "Well no, I ran into Tea – "

"Tea slapped you in the face?"

"No. Then we ran into Ana – "

"So Ana slapped you in the face?"

"Yugi," Atem finally huffed, taking his bowl to the table, "I was not slapped in the face."

"I don't know, it sure looks like it to me," he told him, making his way to the fridge.

"I was not slapped. I was kicked."

"And how is that any better?" Yugi questioned, opening the freezer. He pulled something out and joined him at the table. "Here." He offered the ex-spirit an icepack.

Atem thanked him and gingerly pressed the cold object to his cheek. "It was a spar. I got a little distracted and left myself open for a direct hit."

"From who?"

"Ana."

Yugi looked at his old companion incredulously. "You were sparring with Ana? You spar?"

He sighed. "Yes, I had to learn hand-to-hand combat from my days as prince. I told you yesterday that Ana was trained in self-defense. I thought it'd be interesting to spar."

The King of Games grinned. "So you were beaten, huh?"

The corner of Atem's mouth quirked up. "Yes, well, like I said I was distracted. Though admittedly, I probably would have lost regardless. Just maybe without this souvenir," he shifted the hand that was holding the icepack in way of gesturing to his injury.

"Uh huh. Distracted by what?" Yugi asked.

Atem's eyes turned from humorous to thoughtful. "Another memory, I believe."

"Really? What was it this time?"

"Ana and I were sparring in Ancient Egypt instead. And Mana and Mahad were watching," he told him.

"So, Mana and Mahad knew her?"

"Yes, and it sounded like they were her friends, too."

"I wish Mahad told us more, then," Yugi sighed, "I feel like we're blindly wandering around in the dark here."

"It's likely he couldn't. Remember we really don't know the details of this spell," Atem told him. "But I feel like a pattern is emerging. It's looks like when I experience something that's similar to the memories I'm missing, I get a flash of it. I wonder if Ana has been experiencing the same thing."

"Well, I don't think it's a good idea for you to just go up to her and say, 'Hey, have you been getting random visions of us in Ancient Egypt, lately?'" Yugi said dryly.

"No," Atem agreed, "But maybe there's some way we could find out."

"I'd say that you're already doing it," Yugi remarked, to Atem's surprise.

"What do you mean?"

The shorter boy smiled. "You're already getting her to open up to you, and trust you. That's the best way to go about it, in my opinion."

"Perhaps," the former spirit mused, "but I haven't been doing that intentionally. It's just…I feel comfortable with her. She's feels familiar to me, even though we've just met."

"Well, in a sense, she is," Yugi argued, "Memories might be erasable with magic or whatever, but the connections we form with others are not. Just look at all we've been through."

The corners of Atem's lips turned up. "You're right, of course."

Yugi grinned back. "And it's sounding like you and Ana, whoever Ana was back then, were really close."

"Yes," Atem mused, lowering the ice pack, "It makes me wonder what she was to me back then. I doubt she was a Guardian. Even if our memories are supposedly replaced with false ones, if she had a connection with any of the Millennium Items, I think I would be able to sense it."

"Maybe she was an apprentice magician, like Mana," Yugi suggested, getting up to gather his own breakfast.

"Maybe…" The former king fiddled with the edges of the melting compress. "But I don't think so. Since regaining my memories, I've realized that a lot of the mysterious connections I've felt with random people while I was a spirit existed because of their link to me in my past. Kaiba, the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, even Ishizu. With Ana…there's just something…different."

"Well, I guess the only thing we can do for now is try to get as many of your memories back as possible," Yugi said, pouring out his own cereal. "Hopefully we'll uncover some answers."

"Hm," Atem hummed in agreement.

"You what?" Sarra exclaimed.

"I…might have kicked Atem in the head today," Ana repeated nonchalantly as she cooked them breakfast.

"...Why?"

"We were sparring," she told her sister defensively.

"Sparring? Atem can fight?"

"Yes, apparently. He was actually pretty good." Ana flipped their eggs with a skilled flick of the wrist, before sliding them on to the plates.

"Clearly not that good if he's getting kicked in the head," Sarra mused as she took their plates and set them on the table. "Is he okay?" Sarra, as Ana's most frequent sparring partner, had experienced Ana's blows many times before.

"Well it seemed like he was weirdly distracted at that moment," the older Schuyler commented, "And yes, he's perfectly fine. He was only out for like a second."

"You knocked him unconscious?! Jeez, was your date yesterday that bad?"

Ana glared. "It was an accident, and it wasn't a date."

Grey eyes glinted mischievously. "He showed you around town, you ate lunch together, and he rescued your bag from a purse snatcher. Sounds like a date to me."

"Date? What date?" A middle-aged women appeared at the foot of the stairs, wrapped in a soft blue robe, dark hair tied in a loose bun.

"Aunt Julia! Uh, good morning," Ana greeted, surprised. "You're not going into work today?"

"I'm going in a little late, today," their aunt told them, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I thought I'd see how you girls are settling in."

"Great!" Sarra exclaimed, eager to share with their guardian. "We've both explored the city a bit, and we've made friends with the King of Games!"

"King of Games?" Julia repeated, blinking in confusion.

"The current Duel Monsters champion," Ana explained, sitting down at the table and starting to eat. "Even Seto hasn't beaten him."

"Oh really?" the older women quirked a brow. "Hmm, interesting. Is he the boy you went on a date with?"

Ana flushed while Sarra giggled. "It wasn't a date. And no, I explored the city a bit with his brother."

"His brother?"

"Atem. He's been studying in Egypt for the past couple years."

"Well, that's nice." Julia sat at the table with her coffee and picked up the morning's paper. "Ana, there's a function in a couple weeks I'd like you to attend."

Ana sighed, putting her fork down. "Aunt Julia…"

"Ana, please, no arguments. It's an important event for the company, and a good opportunity for you to network," Julia told her, not looking up from her newspaper.

"You know I don't care about that."

"Our company needs to show that its future is secure."

"I don't want to take over the company, Aunt Julia."

"You don't know that yet. A lot can happen in a short amount of time, especially during college. And you're not even completely sure that you want to pursue medicine." Her aunt turned the page of her paper, still not looking at her niece directly. Ana wasn't surprised, they've had this discussion several times before. From her place at the table, Sarra was mutely pushing around her eggs.

"I might not know what I want to be, or where my path will take me, but I know I don't want to take over your company, Aunt Julia. I want to make something of myself, on my own," she said slowly.

"You can do so with the company," her aunt argued.

"But I don't want to."

"You feel that way now because you're young and idealistic," she told her, finally looking up from her paper, "In any case, you are coming to this function, Ana. No arguments."

"Aunt Julia – "

"I can go, Aunt," Sarra finally quietly said. Ana looked at her, her gaze a mixture of exasperation and sympathy, for she knew what her aunt's answer would be.

"Sarra, I've told you before, you're too young for these kinds of things, and don't have the experience. I need your older sister," Julia told her niece, not meanly, but not kindly either, and not acknowledging the young girl's crestfallen expression.

That was the thing with Julia, Ana mused to herself. She wasn't a bad guardian by any means, and clearly cared for her nieces, but she wasn't interested in any maternal demonstrations. And though she made sure to check in routinely with them, like she was today, she worked almost constantly. Ana had long accepted this about her aunt, and she was fine with it. Sarra was all the family she needed. Sarra, however, was only five when their parents passed away, and still craved parental attention and nurturing. Ana did her best to fill that role, but she knew it wasn't the same. She didn't resent Julia for her lack of involvement in her niece's lives, but she wished she would show a little more affection toward the younger, more impressionable Sarra.

And she wished she would get off her back in regards to inheriting the company.

"Aunt Julia, what would I even do there? There will be no one my age, and no one will be interested in talking to me," Ana tried to persuade.

"That's not true. You know Seto Kaiba will be there."

"And that's supposed to make me want to go?" she responded drily.

"Aren't you two in the same class? I had hoped you two would get along more by now." Julia quirked her eyebrow in a manner not unlike Ana's.

Ana just gave her a look, to which her aunt shrugged. "I'm sorry, Ana, but you're going to this party. But, tell you what, I'll let you invite a guest to come with you to keep you company. Why don't you invite that boy you apparently went on a date with?" At this, the corner of her aunt's lips twitched up.

Ana groaned. "Not you, too."

"Well, sounds like we've got another crazy group of weirdos to fight," Joey yawned, stretching his arms from where he sat on Yugi's living room floor. "Nothin' new."

"Since when did you become so blasé about saving the world from evil?" Tristan joked.

"Since we've done it, like, five times already," Joey quipped back. "So other than evil Shadow game-obsessed creepers, how was the date, Atem?" He swung his arm around the former pharaoh's neck with a sly grin.

"Right, Atem. Did you get her number yet?" Tristan slapped a hand onto his spikey head, making him duck.

"Huh? Uh…" Atem stammered, clearly looking embarrassed and awkward.

"And what's this mark on your cheek?"

"Er…"

"Hey, leave him alone, you two," Tea frowned.

Yugi chuckled as the teasing continued, when the bell that indicated someone entering the shop went off. He quietly excused himself and made his way to the front store.

"Sarra?" he said with surprise when he saw who had come.

"Oh, uh, hi Yugi. Sorry for bothering you, I, um, just wanted to come check out the store," the girl said. She was still hovering next to the door, hands behind her back and shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Of course. We are a shop after all, you don't need to apologize for bringing business," Yugi told her cheerfully. "Come on in."

She gave him a small smile, and walked further into the store. She went over to one of the shelves with Duel Monsters cards, and Yugi watched her with concern. Ana and Sarra had been over after school a couple times now in the last week, and each time they had, Sarra had always been bubbly, and bursting with energy. Today, though, the young Schuyler was quiet, somber, and clearly troubled. Her eyes perused the card selection with clear half-heartedness, and her shoulders were slumped gloomily.

Yugi approached her hesitantly. "Uh, Sarra, are you alright? Is something the matter?"

She gave him a small smile. "No, I'm fine, Yugi. Thank you for asking, though."

He frowned. Clearly there was something wrong, but he wasn't sure if he should press the issue. He hadn't known her for very long, but he still wished there was something he could do.

Maybe there was.

"Hey Sarra, do you want to duel?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Duel?"

"Yeah! Tell you what, why don't you pick one new card from Grandpa's selection here, and we can test it out in a duel. A real duel this time." Yugi smiled.

"Really?" Her expression perked up a little, before falling again. "Oh, but I don't have my duel disk with me."

"That's okay," Yugi assured her. "I can grab Atem's. Go ahead and pick your card, I'll be right back. Also, the others are actually here, too, so we might have an audience."

Sarra's smile was noticeably wider this time. "Alright, thanks Yugi."

Yugi ran upstairs to the living room, and asked his 'brother' for his duel disk as he grabbed his own. Atem tossed it to him, before asking, "What for, may I ask?"

"I'm going to duel Sarra," he said.

The Egyptian blinked. "Sarra is here?"

"Yeah," Yugi replied, opening his Millennium Box to pull out his deck. "She seemed kind of down, so I thought dueling might cheer her up. I said she could test one of Grandpa's new cards. Do you guys want to watch?"

Joey, always up for watching a duel, agreed easily, and the others soon followed. When they all went out to the shop, Sarra was waiting. "Did you pick a card?" Yugi asked.

"Yep!" she chirped.

"It would be unfair for me to see it, so Atem, could you get it for her?"

Atem nodded, grabbed the key from the cash register, and unlocked the case. Sarra pointed to the card she wanted, and Atem smiled. "An excellent choice," he commented, making Yugi curious.

Sarra smiled happily at the praise. "Thank you!"

He pulled out the card and handed it to her, and Sarra shuffled it into her deck. Yugi passed her Atem's duel disk. "Shall we go outside? We can go to the clock tower," he proposed.

"Sounds great," Sarra agreed, and the group set off.

When they reached the square, there were plenty of people milling about, and even a couple other duels going on. It was a bright sunny day, and it was clear many were out to enjoy the weather. Yugi and Sarra found an empty area, and stood an appropriate distance apart to activate the duel disks.

"Yugi, you better not go easy on me!" she called, bouncing on her toes.

Yugi grinned, glad to see that the girl seemed to be in higher spirits already.

"Why do you think Sarra was feeling down?" Tea asked when the group lined up against the fountain to watch the duel.

"I don't know," Atem said as he watched Yugi and Sarra make their opening moves. "I hope everything is alright." Yugi had summoned Beta, the Magnet Warrior as his first monster, while Sarra had placed a monster face down.

"She seems okay now though," Tristan commented.

"Yes, but Yugi doesn't often make challenges himself," Atem replied.

"Alright, Sarra, I'll summon Alpha, the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. Then I'll attack your face down monster with Beta! Go!" Yugi commanded. The metal monster charged at Sarra's card, which flipped to reveal a petite spellcaster.

"Just a second, Yugi! I activate my face down magic card, Yellow Luster Shield. It raises the defense points of all my monsters so that my Aussa, The Earth Charmer can withstand your attack." A barrier formed around Sarra's monster, repelling Beta's strike. "Then I'll activate my Aussa's special ability. When it is flipped face up, I can take control of one of your Earth monsters as long as my Aussa remains on the field," Sarra declared, and Yugi's Alpha Warrior moved to her side of the field.

"Impressive," Atem commented.

Yugi agreed. "Great move, Sarra! I'll place a couple cards face down and end my turn."

"Thanks, Yugi! I draw!" she swiped a card from her deck. "Now I'll sacrifice my Aussa and your Alpha, the Magnet Warrior, to summon my Cosmo Queen!" A dark, willowy female with an elaborate headdress materialized in front of her.

"Woah, what the hell is that?" Joey commented, "It looks like some sort of freaky space alien."

"That's rude," a voice next to them said, making Joey jump. "Cosmo Queen is a very powerful monster, and it's Sarra's trump card."

Atem turned and smiled. "Ana, I see you've found us."

"Yep, thanks for the text, Atem." The older Schuyler smiled back, after greeting the rest of the group. "I thought something like this might happen, but I wasn't sure where she'd go."

"So something did happen this morning?" Atem asked.

"Kind of. Well yes, but unfortunately it was nothing new. Sarra will be fine; this duel is actually just what she needed." She watched as Sarra called an attack on Yugi's Beta Warrior, reducing his life points.

"They both look like they're having a lot of fun," Tea remarked.

"Yugi does have a knack for cheering people up," Atem added, turning back to the duel himself. His partner had brought back his Beta, the Magnet Warrior with his magic card, Magnet Reverse, before Sarra ended her turn.

Ana smiled appreciatively. "I noticed."

They watched as Yugi then revived Alpha, the Magnet Warrior from the Graveyard with Monster Reborn, and then summoned Gamma, the Magnet Warrior. Atem smirked. He knew where this was going.

"Now I'll combine my three warriors to bring out Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior!" Yugi shouted. His words caught the attention of a couple of passerby's.

"Hey, is that Yugi Muto?"

"Yeah, that's the King of Games!" A small crowd began to form around the match, making Yugi appear slightly flustered. Atem chuckled to himself. The boy really needed to get more comfortable with public appearances, especially now that he couldn't just switch with Atem when he wanted to.

"Aw, he's adorable!" some female voices resounded, and Atem smirked at Tea's visible annoyance. Joey and Tristan, however, were delighted for their friend.

"Hey Yug', hear that? You've got some fans to impress!" Joey called out, grinning.

"Uh…"

"Yeah, show them that 'natural charm'!" Tristan added playfully.

"Aha…" The King of Games looked at the group of girls in panic.

"Yugi? Are you going to continue your turn?" Sarra prompted, giggling.

"Uh, right!" the boy shook his head and refocused on the match, "Valkyrion, attack her Cosmo Queen!"

"Not so fast! Hey Yugi, I'm going to test out that card now," Sarra said, excitement dripping into her voice.

"What card?" Ana wondered.

Atem smiled. "You'll see."

"I discard Sphere Kuriboh from my hand, switching your Valkyrion to defense mode, and therefore stopping your attack!" the younger sister revealed.

"Oh wow, you chose Sphere Kuriboh? That was a great choice, Sarra!" Yugi told her.

"What are they talking about? Where did Sarra get that card?" Ana asked the boy next to her.

"Yugi offered to let her test one of our shop's new cards out. Your sister chose Sphere Kuriboh, and she appears to be putting it to good use," Atem explained.

"I guess I have no choice but to end my turn," his partner declared.

"Okay, it's my turn! I draw!" Sarra glanced at the new card, and smiled. "I activate the Ritual Spell: Doriado's blessing! And I'll activate Sphere Kuriboh's other effect – by banishing it from the graveyard I can tribute it and my Petit Dragon from my hand to ritual summon Elemental Mistress Doriado!"

"She's definitely using that card to its full potential," Atem commented, "She's a skilled duelist."

"Yes, she is," Ana replied, pride saturating her voice. The former spirit of the Puzzle smiled, familiar with the feeling. His partner was looking confident, barring the minor hiccup when the crowd gathered, and Atem couldn't be prouder.

Suddenly, his Puzzle's energy pulsed, alerting him that something was awry.

Frowning, he glanced around the spectators suspiciously, and sure enough something caught his eye. Standing apart from the crowd was a man shaded under some of the city trees. While his gaze was just as intent as the other onlookers, his attention was not directed at the match, but rather at Atem? No…at Ana next to him. He narrowed his eyes, looking closer. There! It was that tattoo again, though this one was on his shoulder. This new stranger appeared to be shifting his focus back and forth between both Schuyler sisters.

Quietly, Atem pushed himself off the fountain and shuffled into the crowd. Thankfully, everyone else was too preoccupied with the duel to notice his absence. Only Ana flicked her eyes toward him as he left. He shook his head at her and held a finger to his lips. She shrugged, and nodded.

When the tattooed man finally realized that Atem was gone, he quickly whipped around to leave, only to be stopped by the man himself right behind him.

"Going somewhere?" the Ancient Egyptian drawled.

"Pharaoh," the man grunted.

"What do you want with us? Who are you?" Atem demanded.

The stranger, however, only remained silent and bolted. Atem immediately gave chase, and after a few blocks, the man turned into a random alley. When Atem reached the mouth of it, he saw it was a dead end, leaving the man with nowhere to go. But suddenly, the marking on the stranger's shoulder lit up, and shadows began to enshroud the suspect, blurring him from Atem's vision. When the shadows dispersed, he was gone.

Atem scowled and walked over to the spot where the man had disappeared. His foot nudged something on the ground, bringing his attention downward.

What's this?

"Silent Swordsman, finish off her Cosmo Queen and the rest of her life points!" Yugi commanded, and Sarra's last monster was shattered with a slash of the powerful warrior's sword.

The holograms faded as the Sarra's life points hit zero. "Man, I lost again." She smiled good naturedly. "But thank you so much for the duel. And for letting me test out this card." She walked over to the boy, holding out Sphere Kuriboh in her hand.

Yugi shook his head, "No, you keep it, Sarra."

"Really? But you and Atem already gave me a card," Sarra's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"But you gave that card to Ana, didn't you? You keep this one," he smiled, "as thanks for the great duel."

The girl shook her head, but re-added the card to her deck. "You give cards out like candy, don't you."

"He basically does," Tristan remarked as the group came over. "Joey, Rebecca, that random kid from KaibaLand…"

Yugi only shrugged sheepishly.

"Ana! You're here!" Sarra exclaimed on seeing her sister with the others.

"Yep," Ana chirped, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulders and giving her a small squeeze, "Great duel, sis'. You did well." Sarra glowed at the praise.

Unfortunately, the circle of friends was soon interrupted by the other people that had gathered, everyone buzzing at seeing such an exciting duel on a random Sunday. Yugi embarrassedly signed some autographs (Joey moped over no one recognizing him), and even Sarra basked under some of the attention that was thrown her way.

Eventually, though, Yugi noticed a certain someone's absence. "Hey, where's Atem?" he asked, handing back the last notebook he'd signed.

"He left a little while ago," Ana answered. "I'm not sure why, though."

"That's weird." Yugi frowned with concern, and pulled out his phone. He shot his 'brother' a quick text, and his shoulders relaxed in relief when he received an immediate reply. "He's a few blocks away, he says. He has something to show us," Yugi told everyone.

They all followed him to a random alley, where Atem appeared to be scrutinizing something in his hand.

"What happened, Atem?" Yugi asked.

"I saw another man with the same tattoo as the thief from yesterday," the former spirit explained.

"The weird serpent symbol on his forehead?" Ana asked.

Atem nodded. "He ran from me and I tried to catch him, but he got away."

"From here? How? It's a dead end," Joey remarked.

Atem's eyes flicked to Sarra, then to Ana questioningly. Stormy eyes caught his unspoken question, and she shook her head. Yugi realized she was probably saying that she hadn't told Sarra the more…fantastical parts of what happened yesterday.

"I'm not sure," he finally answered aloud, "but he left this." He held out his hand, showing everyone what it was holding.

"…It looks like some sort of crown, or tiara," Tea observed. Indeed, it was a gold headband of some sort. It reminded Yugi of the crown Atem wore in Ancient Egypt. This one appeared slenderer, however, with some sort of flower inlayed around the sides. Most startlingly was the fact that the familiar Eye of Anubis in its center, instead of being the same gold as the rest of the crown, was a deep, pitch black.

"Yes, it's a diadem," Atem identified, "but I've never seen one like this before."

"Is it a Millennium Item?" Ana asked, coming over to take a closer look.

The boy shook his head. "No. It definitely has some sort of power, though, I can feel it."

"Uh, what are you talking about, Ana? Millennium Item?" Sarra gave her sister a quizzical look.

The older Schuyler was ignoring her, however. Her eyes were locked onto the diadem, a strange expression on her face. "Ana?" Yugi called, brows furrowing in concern.

She ignored him too. It was almost like she didn't even hear him. Her hand was reaching toward the gold circlet in Atem's grasp. When her fingertips touched the dark stone, though, she suddenly let out a pained cry and collapsed.

"Ana!" Atem exclaimed, dropping the diadem to catch her.

"Ana! Hey, what's wrong?!" Sarra also cried out, alarmed, rushing to her sister. She gently tapped Ana's cheek, trying to rouse her. It was useless, though. She was out cold.

When Ana woke, she was in her bed. She blinked in confusion. What time was it? What day was it? She didn't remember falling asleep.

Judging by the sunlight streaming through her windows, it was afternoon. But that was strange, she hardly ever slept in, let alone past noon. She was in her clothes, but she couldn't recall deciding to take a nap.

Hearing voices downstairs, she got up and went to the living room. She paused in surprise at the sight she was greeted with.

"Woah, what are you all doing here?" At her voice, Yugi, Atem, Joey, Tristan, and Tea all looked over from where they were seated on the couches with her sister.

"Ana! You're up!" Sarra exclaimed with relief, jumping up and running over to give her a hug.

"Uh, yeah, I guess, though I don't really remember taking a nap," Ana said bemusedly, gently hugging her in return.

"What's the last thing you remember, Ana?" Atem asked, amethyst eyes gazing at her seriously.

Ana frowned. What was the last thing she remembered? "Sarra and Yugi dueling, I guess. How did we all end up coming back to my place?"

"You don't remember this?" he held up the gold diadem.

Her eyes widened in realization as it all came flooding back to her. "Oh right! Oh for crying out loud, did I pass out again?" She grimaced.

"We couldn't wake you up so we brought you back home," Sarra told her. "What happened?"

Ana shook her head. "I'm not sure. I just remember really wanting to get a closer look at the diadem."

"Are you okay, though, Ana?" Tea asked the girl, who smiled back reassuringly.

"Yes, I feel completely fine. But I wonder what happened," Ana frowned thoughtfully. She searched her mind as best she could. She recalled feeling drawn to the diadem, almost against her will. It was as if the artifact had been pulling her in, and when she reached out to touch it…

A sharp pain suddenly shot through her head, causing a hiss to escape through her teeth. She clenched her eyes shut and raised her hands to her throbbing temples.

"Ana! Are you okay?" Sarra cried out, alarmed, and Atem jumped up in concern.

"I'm fine," she told her sister weakly. "Just a headache."

The younger girl frowned with concern. "You're not fine. I'm going to buy some aspirin from the store."

"That isn't necessary, Sarra. I'm sure this will pass soon."

Her sister was having none of it, though, and gently pushed her to the open spot on the couch next to Atem. "You sit down. I'll be right back." With that, Sarra grabbed her wallet and ran out of the condo.

Ana sighed, and leaned back into the sofa. Atem touched a hand to her shoulder, causing her to turn to look into concerned violet eyes. "Are you in pain?" he asked, "Can I get you anything?"

She smiled at him. "I'm fine, really. Sarra just tends to overreact." She wasn't lying, and the headache was already fading.

"Do you normally get headaches like that, Ana?" Yugi asked, worry also coloring his voice.

She shook her head. "No. But I don't think this was a random headache. It came when I was trying to remember what had happened when I touched the diadem."

"Do you think the diadem is somehow affecting you?" wondered the King of Games.

"Maybe."

"What I want to know," Atem said, frowning as he stared at the gold piece still in his hand, "is why the stranger dropped this in the first place. He must have done so on purpose. He wanted me to find it."

"Who the hell knows," Joey responded, "but one thing I do know is that I don't trust that thing at all. It gives me the heebie jeebies." He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

"Me too," Tristan agreed.

"What should we do with it?" was Tea's question.

"Yugi and I will keep it for now. I don't think Ana should touch it again until we know more about it," the taller brother said, stuffing the item into one of his pockets.

"Fine," Ana shrugged. She didn't want to go near it again either. Like Joey, the diadem sent shivers up her spine, though she wasn't sure why.

"Maybe Ishizu can tell us more about it," Yugi suggested.

"That's a good thought," Atem nodded, "She said she'd contact us again when she arranges for the tablets to be sent over. We can show her then."

"Who's Ishizu? And what tablets?" Ana wondered.

He hesitated a second. "She's someone we know from Egypt. She and her family have a long history with the Millennium Items. They also possess couple of ancient stone carvings, ones that explain much of the history of the Millennium Items and duel monsters."

Ana's eyes widened. "Wait, does that include the Tablet of Lost Memories?"

Amethyst orbs looked at her in surprise. "How did you know that?"

She shifted her gaze away, a little embarrassed. "Um, I might have tried to do a little of my own research last night. I didn't come up with much, but one of the articles mentioned those carvings."

He smiled. "Yes, the Ishtars, Ishizu's family, are responsible for those carvings, including the Tablet of Lost Memories. I've asked her to send them back to Domino City, hoping to find some clues in them."

"I see," Ana said, trying to keep her excitement at bay. She also hoped those tablets would have some answers for her, particularly in regards to Atem's role in all this. She looked around at the group of friends gathered around her. "None of you seem particularly surprised by all this," she couldn't help but observe.

Joey linked his hands together behind his head. "Well, let's just say we're pretty used to really crazy stuff happening around here," he smirked.

"Yeah, insanity is kind of the norm for us," Tristan grinned. Well, that explained why they all seemed so close. She wondered what kind of adventures this group had been on to act so blasé about magical pieces of jewelry.

"Atem told us about what happened yesterday, and the Shadow Game," Tea added.

Ana nodded, and turned back to the dark-skinned boy next to her. "So, you mentioned that the guy you chased had the same tattoo as the thief from yesterday?"

"Yes," Atem responded, "And just like yesterday, it seemed like that tattoo allowed him to control the Shadows. That's how he escaped from the alley."

"Creepy," muttered Joey.

"We definitely need to find out more about that symbol," Yugi said. "Since Grandpa hasn't come back yet, I guess we should start by asking our teacher more about it tomorrow."

"Our teacher?" Tea voiced questioningly.

Yugi pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. On it was a drawing that Ana recognized as the tattoo she had seen on the thief. Her eyes traced the coiled serpent. At the time, because of everything else that had been going on and all the new information her mind was trying to process, she hadn't given the marking much thought. Now that she was looking at it closely, though, she realized she recognized it.

"He showed us this symbol in class yesterday," Yugi continued.

"He did?" Tristan and Joey voiced together. Even Tea looked surprised.

Yugi sighed. "Does no one pay attention in class? Exams aren't too far away, you know, guys."

"I remember," Ana told him. "You're right. But it was slapped on to the projector as just one example of many symbols from Ancient Egypt, Yugi. Our teacher probably doesn't know anything specific about it."

"Well, we have to start somewhere," the spikey haired boy frowned.

Ana looked over at Atem. "Do you have any contacts from Egypt that might know something about this symbol?"

He shifted uncomfortably, throwing a nervous glance at his brother, who gave a tiny shrug. Ana frowned, once again getting that feeling that she was missing something. "I suppose we could try calling Dr. Hawkins," Atem finally said.

"Oh yeah," Yugi realized, "Grandpa must have his number lying around the house somewhere."

"You mean Rebecca didn't sneak it to you?" Joey grinned, snickering.

"Joey," his friend sighed, though Ana noticed the flush rising in his face.

"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to call every weekend, darling," Tristan added, his smile equally as mischievous.

Ana looked over to Atem in bewilderment, and mouthed 'Who's Rebecca?'. The boy only smiled and shook his head.

Atem watched contentedly as Yugi became the new target of Joey and Tristan's teasing, until Tea, clearly annoyed at the boy's antics, forcefully turned towards Ana and said with a strained smile, "So, Ana, this place is really nice. Are you all settled in?"

"Uh, yes, pretty much. Sarra and I are pretty efficient at unpacking now," she responded.

"Yeah, this is a sweet place, Ana. And huge! For a condo at least," Joey slid off the couch to sprawl out on the floor.

"I really like the art in here," Tea remarked, looking at the various paintings and sketches hanging on the walls. "Where did you get these?"

Ana blushed. "Um, I made them."

"You drew and painted all these?" Yugi exclaimed. He examined a painting of a field of tulips by the window.

"Most of them," Ana admitted. "I don't paint much now, but in middle school I was pretty prolific."

"Why did you stop?" Atem asked, also impressed. His eyes wandered over the various canvases, admiring the color and vibrancy.

She shrugged. "I got too busy, I guess."

"That's a shame," Atem murmured, continuing his perusal. Something about the paintings struck a chord with him. There was one in particular, of a walled garden, that his gaze kept returning to. Lush foliage and flora climbed one particular stone wall, wrapping around a mysterious archway. The view through the arch was obscured by dark ferns. Once again, he was felt that odd sensation of familiarity, as if he should recognize that view…

"Ana, I'm back!" Sarra called, re-entering the living room with a plastic shopping bag in hand. "Here, take this," she handed her sister a pill box and a small water bottle.

Ana smiled. "Thank you, Sarra." She took the aspirin.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the younger girl voiced, her expression still concerned.

"I'm fine, seriously. Stop worrying," Ana poked her sister in the side, making her squeak and jump back.

"Hey! Well, maybe I shouldn't have gone through all the trouble of getting your favorite ice cream then," Sarra pouted.

"Wait, actually…"

Atem smiled at the sibling's antics, and glanced at the clock. "Yugi, we should probably go. It's late," he told his partner.

"I suppose you're right," Yugi agreed, "It's time for dinner."

"No wonder I'm starving," Joey remarked, stretching as he stood.

"You're always hungry, Joey," Tea deadpanned, also getting up.

"Wait a second, everyone," Sarra stopped them. "Why don't you all stay here for dinner?"

Yugi blinked in surprise. "Really? Are you sure? That's really generous of you. I know we came here kind of all of a sudden…"

Sarra shook her head. "You've already had us over several times. It's our turn, right Ana?" She turned to look probingly at her older sister.

Ana smiled and stood, walking over to stand next to her. "Sarra's right. You all are welcome to stay, it's our turn to host."

"I don't know," Yugi glanced uncertainly at Atem.

"Ana is a great cook…" Sarra grinned persuasively.

"I'm in!" Joey and Tristan immediately chimed, giving each other a high-five and making both sisters laugh.

Atem let out a chuckle of his own and shrugged at Yugi, as if to say 'Oh well.' It might have been a strange weekend, but he had a feeling that the Schuyler sisters would be wonderful friends.

A/N: Hi all! Sorry for missing an update last week. Things have been a little crazy in real life. Also, this chapter was hard to get out for some reason. Hope it's not too boring. We'll get to more exciting stuff next, I promise.

As always, please leave your thoughts in a review! I'd really enjoy hearing from you!