A/N: What? I updated! And it's not Thanksgiving? Who am I? LOL I hope you guys don't mind that I updated early. I wanted to work on this chapter and I finally had time! Yay!

Thank you-

ThexWhitexPhoenix

AnriMia24

Germantownmaiden

Sissi

Sapphiet

DaAmazingMeepers

Dancers of the Night

Kilatails

SweetComplications

imagination gone wild

for your reviews! I loved them! and its thanks to you guys that I'm updating today! you guys are my greatest inspiration!

Yes I know some of you might be thinking its 'Atem' not 'Atemu' but that's how I first learned it as and now it's hard to change it to the correct term. I try typing 'Atem' but every time I type it it feels weird, especially in a story where I already started it as Atemu. Please endure it until the end of this story! Later on in other stories I'll change it to Atem. Thank you!

Now please enjoy the new chapter ^^

Notes: I Do NOT Own "Waiting for the End" By Linkin Park

Chapter 9- Preparations…for the beginning and end

This is not the end

This is not the beginning

Yugi entered the game shop. "Hey grandpa!" He greeted, out of breathe. His grandfather smiled, looking up from his sweeping to see his grandson. "Good afternoon Yugi. Why are you so out of breath?"

"I ran… all the way… here." He answered. "I wanted to…see if Yami and Téa…were back."

His grandfather frowned. "I'm sorry Yugi but they haven't come back yet."

The younger boy's expression changed to disappointment. "Oh…well thanks Grandpa!"

Solomon could only watch his grandson slowly walked up the stairs with a depressed look. 'Poor boy…lost both his best friends. If it wasn't for Joey and Tristan still around that boy would be gone…'

He sighed as he looked up at the poster of the Dark Magician and the Dark Magician girl. The blonde female was smiling happily while the Dark Magician had a serious expression.

'When will you return?'

Just a voice like a riot
Rocking every revision

"This website doesn't haven anything either." Yugi muttered in frustration, pushing his rolling chair backwards from the computer. He held his head. 'I've tried everything…Ancient Egyptian legends…the story of Atemu….Atemu and Téa Egypt….but I can't find anything that's useful!'

He breathed through his nostrils deeply before releasing it in the same tone. He pulled himself back to his computer screen. 'Let's try this again…'

Yugi typed the words 'Atemu and the Shadow Realm' on the search engine. However, the boy didn't seem to find anything that would help him track his friends until he was on the 6th page. 'Egyptian Myths: Atemu and the fate of the world' was the title of the article.

He entered into the website, noticing pictures with caveman drawings. 'These are hieroglyphs' He realized. 'But there are too little of them…'

However, he continued to read the small text that the website had to offer.

'5000 years ago, there was a great battle between Pharaoh Atemu and an evil bandit whose heart was filled with darkness. They used magic from what was known as the Shadow Realm, the Egyptian version of Hell. In order to win the battle, two human beings, who were on the pharaoh's side, transformed into powerful magicians. In modern day, they are known as 'The Dark Magician' and 'The Dark Magician Girl'. The evil bandit went to the Shadow Realm and the few servants who were with the Pharaoh cheered. Legend has it that after the Pharaoh defeated the evil man, he disappeared.

This legend is one of the least popular because there is hardly evidence that this occurred. It was said that less than 10 people witnessed the event. The Priests who were with the Pharaoh never revealed what happened. Instead, they wrote the story with little detail as possible in the center of the Pyramid of Atemu. These hieroglyphs are the very few snap shots that a archeologists were able to take when they entered the tomb of Atemu.'

'At least that explains why it's so hard to research them.' Yugi thought. 'But…it doesn't say anything about Téa…'

He got off the computer and jumped on his bed. He grabbed the picture frame that his grandfather took of them. It was the original four; Joey, Tristan, Téa and him doing peace signs. He smiled softly as he looked at the girl's face. His childhood friend…and she was gone.

The Moto placed that photo down and picked up the one next to it. It was a picture with him and Yami smiling at the camera. It was taken by his grandfather when Yami returned from Egypt. 'You were like my brother Yami. An older brother I never had until you came along.'

After placing that photo down as well, he grabbed the note that was left for him three days ago. He reread it for the 45th time, imaging Téa's voice as he read it.

But you listen to the tone
And the violent rhythm

'Hey Yugi!

I wanted to say thanks for everything! You were my first friend and you're still one of my best friends til this day! If it wasn't for you, who knows what would have happened to me. I probably wouldn't be the person I am today. And thank you for telling me to never give up after I met Yami! You believed in me even when I didn't and that means the world to me. Sorry I didn't thank you sooner and gave you a hard time with it.

Anyways, the point is that Yami and I (you probably already knew Yami was going (obviously)) are going back to ancient Egypt to save our future and defeat this evil dude. I wish I could have said bye to you in person (we both do) but it wasn't like we could go to school and tell you in front of the whole class. But don't feel too bad! We'll be back before you know it!

Your friends,

Téa and Yami

P.S. Thanks for always being there for us. You're like the little brother we always wanted.'

The trio colored haired teen sighed. 'I just hope they're safe right now. Especially since it said Yami disappeared and Téa was never once mentioned in any of the articles.'

He narrowed his eyes at the wall. 'This is so frustrating! My friends might be endanger and I'm 5000 years away from them! I'm just laying here, waiting to see when they return. I'm so useless!'

/Knock-Knock/

Yugi turned to his left as Joey and Tristan entered his bedroom.

Though the words sound steady
Something emptys within em

"Hey." Joey greeted as he walked over to Yugi's bed and sat down next to the depressed teen.

"Hey." Yugi muttered back.

"Not back yet huh?" The blonde pressed.

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Obviously not Joey."

Joey glared. "Trying to start a conversation Tristan, not a fight!"

"By stating the obvious?" The brunt countered.

"I don't see you trying to make any progress!" The blond yelled back.

"Guys I'm fine. Really." Yugi said, trying to reassure his friends.

"Then why you looking so down in the dumps?" Joey asked.

"I miss them." The younger teen said. "And I feel so useless, just laying here."

"Maybe you should stop feeling useless then." Tristan added, surprising them. "You don't always have to be one of the players to take part in the game."

"And what the heck is that suppose to mean!" Joey inquired through frustration. "We're not playing games! They're risking their life in a battle."

"It was a metaphor stupid!" Tristan yelled.

"Since when are you so smart!" The blond said as he rose from his seat.

"I've always been damn it!" The brunt stated.

As the two continued arguing Yugi let his friend's words sink in. He smiled lightly. 'You're right Tristan. I can help them out by believing in them and cheering them on. It would be more useful then coming back after school moping why I didn't get to go. What happened happened. I can't do a thing about it. So good luck guys! Where ever you are!'

We say yeah

Téa leaned against the 'window' in her chamber. She looked over Atemu's kingdom, hearing the voices from the market but never making out their words. She could see the guards protecting the palace from the inside but other than that, no one was outside.

The girl ran her hand through her face, finding sweat dripping down her skin. 'So hot…' she thought before walking to where the vase filled with water was. She grabbed a cup and poured herself some water. She winced. 'Even the water is warm…'

Téa looked down at her Egyptian dress; it was a white strapless dress with pink on top of the gown. She had to wear a white 'scarf' that hung on her back but this scarf rested a bit higher than her shoulders. 'At least this dress is white rather than black. I would have died a long time ago if it was black.'

She walked over to her bed and lay down. 'I guess this isn't so bad…but it is pretty boring…'

It was her 3rd day in ancient Egypt. Every morning she would wake up to the sunrise, mostly because she couldn't sleep with the sun in her eyes. She would join Atemu for breakfast before he would have to depart from her for his meetings. She was allowed to explode the garden but never anything else and if she were to go to the garden then she would have to have 3 guards escort her. So the girl decided to remain in her chamber rather then talk with three strangers who treated her coldly.

But recently, this morning to be exact and when she was first waking up, she hear giggling and laughing outside. This was rare because for the last 3 days it was always quiet and hardly anyone, especially a female, would pass her window. The brunette had gotten up and looked down through her window. She was surprised to spot another brunette below, playing and running around. She looked like the Dark Magician Girl, but had tan skin and brown hair.

"Her name is Mana." Yami had told her with a smile as he walked her to her room with 10 guards behind him. This was right after breakfast. "She was my childhood friend. It would be nice if you spent the evening with her but I must warn you she can be a handful."

'A childhood friend…' She thought, a little uncomfortable with that fact. 'When he talked about her…he was so…that look on his face…he had such a happy smile when he brought her up…'

She narrowed her eyes as she slightly pouted. 'Does…he like like her?'

Suddenly, she felt an urge to cry. The feeling was too painful. 'It would make sense…he's know her for a long time and she was so happy playing outside. Plus she was REALLY pretty!'

Téa placed her head in between her arms as she lay on the bed. 'When did I start to like him THIS much?'

The female was aware of her feelings towards her current friend. She had only called it a crush and considered it nothing but a phase. But as the days continued to pass, she found new traits to love, and dismissed any flaws he had as being human, then slowly she began to fall in love with him.

During her time in Egypt, she thought back to way she reacted to Yami in certain ways, such as running into his arms, or accepting hand holding. She always thought because her body wanted comfort but in reality she was acting out her true intentions. After thinking about it, she knew and was 100% certain that she had fallen in love for Yami.

'But why did I have to fall for a pharaoh!' She thought. 'Especially one who obviously doesn't like me in that way…'

Though he never once mentioned her in the present or technically the future, she knew he had to have strong feelings towards Mana because of the expression he had given her when she was mentioned.

'Maybe he never mentioned her before because he knew about my little crush.' The girl reasoned in her mind. 'He pitied me and didn't want to break my heart so he never said her name before. That's got to be it'

Knock-Knock

The girl rose up, wondering who the guards outside her door would let in. The door opened and a brunette stuck her head in.

Téa blinked and so did the girl. 'Mana?'

The girl entered the room and ran to the bed. She landed next to Téa, almost hitting her. But the long haired brunette gave her a big smile. "Hello! You must be Téa! I'm Mana."

With that, Mana looked at her with bright eyes. Téa blinked again but smiled though a little confused. "Hi."

Then the younger girl stood up and went to Téa's side. She grabbed her hands with one hand and two fingers (she used the other two to hold her wand) and pulled her up.

"Let's play a game!"

'Huh?' Téa blinked. "Ok? What kind of game?" 'I hope it has nothing to do with magic. I'm not ready for that yet.'

"Let's play Hide and Seek!" Mana cheered. This left the other brunette surprised. 'Hide and Seek? Seriously?'

"…Ok….who's….who's it?"

"Atemu!"

"What? He's….he's playing?" 'I thought he was in a meeting'

"He will be!"

Before Téa could ask what she meant by that, Mana grabbed her hand and dragged her outside her chamber. To the dancer's surprise, none of the guards were outside.

"I said they could have a break!" Mana explained. "But I only gave them 3 minutes! We better hurry!"

"What's going on?" The short haired girl wondered as she allowed herself to be pulled away. They were at the end of the hallway when she finally got a response.

"We're playing hide in seek!"

Before she knew it, both girls were in the large garden and it took them 3 minutes to run to the corner.

The magician girl sighed. "This should give us enough time…"

"Enough time for what?" Téa asked, exhausted. 'Yami was right…she is a handful!'

Mana smiled as she pulled her down and they both sat down together, facing each other. "I want to learn about the future!"

The dancer blinked again. 'The future…she wants to know about the future…not talk about Yami?' "Like what? What do you want to know?"

"Those clothes you were wearing when you first came. Are all clothes that pretty?" The magician girl asked.

Téa thought back to the baby blue tang top and the black skirt she was wearing when she first arrived. She sweatdropped. 'That was the first thing I saw when I changed out of my uniform. It barely matched.'

"I guess. I mean it's only pretty if you match with the right stuff."

The Egyptian girl titled her head. "Stuff?"

She smiled, warming up to the girl. "Yeah like merchandise. You know…"

However, the younger brunette only continued to look confused. Téa looked down at the girl, noticing that she only wore a brown sleeveless top and a brown miniskirt with some golden jewelry. 'Now that I think about it. They only have gold jewelry and white clothing.'

"Well…" Téa started to say. "In the future we have thousands of colors and patterns."

"Thousands!" Mana cut in, surprised.

"Yup! And we have planes, cars, and buildings and rockets and stores-"

"What are all these things?" Mana interrupted again with a cute confused expression.

Téa smiled and took the time to explain every little thing she just said plus with new details. Every time the Egyptian's eyes grew with interest and amazement and slowly the time traveler began to accept the Egyptian girl, smiling softly and never minding if Mana had a question or a comment to make. 'No wonder Yami likes her. She's so funny and cute that you can't help falling for her. I've only met her for a few minutes and I already think of her as the sister I never had.'

After a few minutes, Mana eyes grew depressed.

"Um…Téa?"

The said girl looked at the unknown magician with confusion. "What's wrong Mana?"

"Is…is there any magic in the future."

"What do you mean?" Now it was the dancer's head to tilt.

"Magic!" She repeated. "Like spells and chants."

Téa frowned. "I'm sorry Mana but in my future people hardly believe in that."

"WHAT? WHY?" This clearly shocked the Egyptian girl.

"Because in the future…they think everything can explained through science. And before you ask what's science," Seeing that Mana was ready to ask. "I'll tell you. Science is the study of explanation and observation. 'Scientists', the people who dedicate their selves to science, do experiments to find patterns that might explain why something is and how it works. They don't believe in magic chants, time traveling, and spells."

With fists flying up in the air
Like we're holding onto something that's invisible there

"Oh! That makes me so mad!" Mana said as she clenched her fist. "If I was in the future I would be showing them a trick or two to prove that magic exists! That would definitely be talking sense into them!"

Téa smiled. "That might work." 'Not really. They'll find it superstitious and try to explain it with logic.'

"I would do something like this!" Mana said as grabbed her wand and pointed it at Téa, muttering a spell before the nervous girl started to float.

"AHHHH! Mana!" The dancer panicked, holding down her dress as she floated a little higher. But the Egyptian girl smiled. "Don't worry! It's perfectly safe! I've been practicing!"

"Ahhhhhh Mana!" Téa said again, noticing her skin color. "Am I supposed to be turning blue?"

The magician blinked and looked up. She gasped when she saw that her new friend was changing color. "No! You're not!"

Mana quickly muttered another chant, bringing the girl down from the sky. When Téa was on the ground, she started to change back to her normal skin color. Téa sighed in relief. Mana followed her actions.

"Thanks. I was starting to get scared." The short haired brunette said, placing a hand on her forehead.

Cuz we're living at the mercy of the pain and the fear
Until we dead it forget it
Let it all disappear

"Were you really scared?" The Egyptian girl whispered. Téa looked at her with confusion, seeing that the girl had her head down. Mana continued. "You can't be scared. We haven't even battled the King of the Thieves."

She was about to ask who that was when it occurred to her that he was probably the reason why Téa had to come to help Yami. "Is…is he the man who Atemu is going to face."

"He's the man who might end our lives…" The magician muttered.

"Ya-I mean Atemu, will defeat him." Téa said confidently. "I know he will."

"But at what cost?" The long haired girl asked.

Again, she got the future girl puzzled. "What do you mean?"

This time, Mana lifted up her head and stared at Téa. "Atemu will be alright. We'll make sure of it. But what about us? Will we make it?

"In a war, there are sacrifices to protect our pharaoh, our people and the future of our civilization. I will do anything for Atemu! Not because he is pharaoh but because he is my friend! I will give up my life if I have to!" At this, Téa watched as a tear slid down Mana's face. She felt concerned for the girl and was about to inquire what was wrong when a theory crossed her mind.

"Are you scared?"

Mana looked up at the girl and answered. "Yes…I am scared. I'm scared because I don't know what's going to happen to me. I don't want to end up in the Shadow Realm but I will if I have to. But still, it's scary in there and I don't know what I would do if I was sent to the Shadow Realm."

Téa remembered the last time she was in the Shadow Realm and shuttered. 'It might have been scary but I was lucky Yami was the one who summoned it or else I might have ended up like those guys. But now, it's going to be two people who know how to summon it and anyone could end up hurt. But…'

"Don't worry." The dancer spoke, confidence in her gaze. This surprised the Egyptian. "Atemu won't let that happen and you should know that if you're his childhood friend. You make it seem like he's going to throw you in the Shadow Realm to save himself. And even if it was your choice to do something risky Atemu wouldn't allow that! He would rather sacrifice himself to save everyone if he had too!" 'Because that's the type of person he is. He's kind and caring and sweet and loyal and protective…that's why he wouldn't let anything bad happen to those he cared about.'

"Have faith in Atemu. Believe in him because I know he won't let you do. He won't let anyone down. I promise."

Mana looked at her new friend, surprised at the amount of faith she had in her childhood friend and pharaoh. But she knew she was right.

The girl smiled and that was enough for Téa to know that she had understood everything she told her.

"Téa!"

Both girls turned to the right, finding Atemu, another man Téa had never seen, and guards run towards them. 'I still can't get used to Atemu being so tanned.' The dancer thought as she watched her friend come to them. 'He was tan in the future but never this dark!'

"Games over." The long haired brunette said. "Atemu found us."

That's when the dancer realized that this is what she meant when they were going to play hide and seek. She knew Atemu would come looking for them. 'Smart…'

The pharaoh sighed in relieve when he approached them. "There you are. You had me worried."

Atemu turned to Mana and looked at her with a frustrated look. "Mana you know you're not supposed to be out in the open! An invasion is about to happen at any moment and you took Téa and yourself in a defenseless location!"

"But Pharaoh!" The magician girl pouted. "I wanted to get to know Téa!"

"You could have stayed in her room."

"But that's no fun!"

"Mana that's enough." The silent man interrupted, looking at her anger. "You have caused the Pharaoh and his guest enough trouble already."

"But Master Mahad!" Mana whined.

"She was no trouble at all." Téa spoke up, feeling bad that her new friend was being scold. The other brunette beamed but Atemu frowned, speaking seriously. "Téa you don't understand how dangerous it is to be out here right now."

"I know but she meant well is what I'm trying to say."

"I promise I won't bring Téa out here again if you practice with us after dinner!" The Egyptian female announced.

"Mana!" Mahad scolded. "You will not bring the mister out here or anywhere out in the open regardless of the Pharaoh's answer to your bargain."

"Yes master." Mana whined.

"Good." Mahad turned to Atemu. "Forgive me Pharaoh for the trouble my apprentice has caused you."

Atemu smiled. "There is nothing to apologize for Mahad."

The older magician bowed. "Thank you pharaoh." He turned to his apprentice, who was tiptoeing again. "Mana." He warned, making the girl freeze in her position. She turned to the group with a sweatdrop and a wry smile. "Hehehe."

"Your lessons will be two hours longer for today."

"Awwwwww! Why?"

Mahad sighed and turned back to his pharaoh, bowed and started to walk away.

Mana bowed her respects to Atemu and then turned to Téa, waving bye before following her master.

The brunette smiled and then turned to Yami, who had a serious expression on his face, making her drop her smile and become nervous. 'Did I do something wrong?'

"Let us go back to my chambers." He said. Téa nodded and followed him with the guards behind them.

They were silent the whole way, probably because whatever Atemu wanted to say didn't want to say in front of the guards.

'This isn't good.' She thought.

They made it to Yami's chambers and entered inside; one of the guards followed inside while the rest lined up outside. The guard who entered looked around the room, checking for intruders or a possible assassin. When found none, he bowed and left the room.

The pharaoh walked over to his bed and sat down on it. The girl, worried, sat down next to him. She placed a hand on his tan shoulder. "What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Yami smiled softly. "I'm just glad you're safe."

Téa grinned playfully. "How can't I be safe? I'm surrounded by the pharaoh's guards."

The man's expression stayed the same. "They're not always the best." He sighed. "Today I had a meeting about our plans for the invasion. Priestess Isis, the person I told you about, cannot see when there is going to be an attack."

"What? Why not?"

"She could only see the future if the person has decided to walk a specific path. Once on that path she can foretell what will occur. But, if one cannot make up their mind, then Isis can't see their future."

Téa thought about it. "Wait…I kind of get it…but" She sweatdropped. "Not really."

The pharaoh turned to her and gave her an expression that said 'that's ok.' "Think of it this way: imagine a wondering traveler who has his mind set on traveling south. Isis can see that future as long as he continues traveling in that direction. But, if he suddenly decides to go west, than the future has changed and Isis sees a new future. The King of Thieves is the one who is going to invade Cairo. He has gone south enough for Isis to foresee the attack but metaphorically he has stopped walking. He can't seem to decide whether to go west, east, or continue down south. Without a direction, Isis's guess is as good as ours."

The king of Egypt sighed. "This was bad news as it is- unable to predict when this invasion occurs. I was a nervous wreck as it is so when I entered your room and discovered it to be empty, I became frantic." He smiled weakly. "I don't think the guards have seen me so worried before.

"Anyways, one of the guards informed me that Mana had come to play with you and that you might be with her. I was slightly relieved but I knew that I had to find you two fast before anything happened. Maybe it wouldn't be the King of Thieves who would come but perhaps an assassin or spy sent by him. It's hard to predict his moves.

"Mahad came and asked me if I had seen Mana and I told him that you were with her but I didn't know where you were. He helped me find you two. I didn't expect to find you in the garden. I know Mana can be naïve but never to this level. The garden is one of the most open areas! It would be very dangerous."

He took her hand off his shoulder and placed it in his own hands. Yami smiled. "I'm just glad I found you before any danger could come."

Though he smiled, the brunette could see that it never reached his eyes. She knew that there was something he wasn't telling her. "Yami….are you scared of the King of Thieves?"

Waiting for the end to come

He tightened his grip. "Scared of him? No. He's human Téa, not a demon. But I am nervous about what he can do."

"What do you mean? Like hurt others?"

"Sometime like that." Atemu looked down at his pyramid pendant. "I have the Millennium Pendant. I've almost completely mastered its powers. Isis and Shadi have Millennium items as well and have mastered their items. The 3 other wielders are almost at their level. But, The King of Thieves has the last one. It was stolen the day of the first invasion. Usually avenge people couldn't use its powers but according to Isis, he's tamed it. Not sure if he's mastered but he knows enough to summon magic from it.

"Mahad and the ones with the Millennium items have a good chance but being invincible to him, but for example, you and Mana, aren't strong enough to deal with this type of magic. I'm worried about what's going to happen if I bring you with me to the match." At this point, her friend had rested his head on her shoulder and Téa had begun to brush his blonde bangs off his face. "I wonder if it was mistake to bring you here since being here only endangers you. Will he attack you while the others are busy?" The male looked up at her, whispering. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't." Téa whispered back.

Yami looked back down. "I just wish he would hurry up and decide when to invade. All this worrying on what's going to happen, will anyone be hurt, what will happen to my citizens, will I mess up, keeps me up at night and prevents me from doing anything else."

Wishing I had strength to stand

The female slipped her hand out of Atemu's grasp and placed both her hands on the sides of his face. She looked at him so seriously that it kind of surprised him.

"Listen Yami. Everything's going to be fine. Wanna know I how I know? Because you're here." She stated. "Don't let this guy get to you. When the time comes, you'll already be 10 steps in front of him. And that's because you're smart and prepared for anything that heads your way! Doesn't matter what the game is about! You win because of how you think! Not because the Gods choose you to be the King of Games, though they probably did after they saw how you play." She teased before continuing. "You strategize and counter any move even when your opponent is cheating. You have confidence in yourself, and the faith of thousands of people who will stand by your side in whatever you do. We believe in you Yami. Now all you have to do is believe in yourself because I can't do that for you." She quoted at the end, making the male smile.

The pharaoh grabbed her hands and placed his forehead on hers. This definitely made the girl blush. "Thank you." He breathed.

This is not what I had planned

Téa barely heard his thank you. She was too busy looking into his crimson eyes and feeling the way his breath gently hit her mouth. 'Yami…why do you tease me?' She thought. 'With your hypnotizing eyes and your lips…' She could really feel the blush spread across her face, especially when she closed her eyes and opened them again, Atemu's gaze had softened and turned lovingly. 'Do you really know about my feelings and pretend not to know? Or is it something else?'

At the moment, Atemu was too busy with his own thoughts that he couldn't predict what was happening in hers. Those hazel blue eyes were looking at him with pure innocence and a soft gaze. The blush across her face looked lovely with her slightly tanned skin and the way her lips were slightly open made the pharaoh want to kiss her. 'She's so beautiful…' Yami thought. 'I wonder what I did right to deserve such a wonderful creature.'

The brunette never imagined that her little speech would lead them to this position, not that she minded though. 'Maybe…I should tell him how I feel. I can't keep them hidden forever.'

She gulped, nervous but began. "A-A-Atemu…"

He sighed and closed his eyes, loving the way she said his name. 'Why does it sound heavenly when she says it?'

That's when he knew something. 'I have to tell her. I have to show her. It's now or never.'

Yami opened his eyes and hand his fingers through her hair, letting his palm rest on her cheek. Her blush increased but the pharaoh loved the way it looked on her.

'How can I tell him my feelings when he makes it so much harder?' The girl practically yelled in her head.

He leaned in, towards her lips and as an instinct, she leaned forward. Both minds were blank as their lips lightly touched.

It's out of my control

"But Master!"

The teens' eyes widened and quickly pulled apart. They could heard Mana's voice outside Atemu's window.

"No buts!" Mahad replied. "You are staying for another two hours and that's final!"

They continued to listen to the magician and apprentice's conversation as they did their best to control their deep breathing. Soon, the voices disappeared, leaving them in an awkward silence.

'Our lips lightly touched. Does that mean we kissed? Or it doesn't count?' Téa wondered as she unconsciously placed her finger on her lip. She glazed over at her friend, who was looking away. She knew he was in his own thoughts.

Flying at the speed of light
Thoughts were spinning in my head

"Mana's jealous. You know that right?" The girl started. This made the male snap out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" He asked in a confusion tone.

"She's jealous." Téa repeated. "Of you and me."

The pharaoh shook his head. "It's not like that. I don't like her in that way and she doesn't either." He said, trying to reason with her. "Besides, even if I did like her, she likes Mahad in that way." 'Does she think I have a crush on Mana?'

Téa giggled. "Not like that. I meant as in friendship."

The King of Games blinked. "I fear that I don't understand you."

"She thinks that I'm replacing her. That's why she wanted you to practice with her after dinner. She wants to hang out with you."

The male raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that? Did she tell you?"

She smiled sheepishly. "No…I kind of figured it out. Mostly because the way she was behaving was the same way I had."

Yami looked at her. "What do you mean?"

So many things were left unsaid

The girl continued to smile sheepishly. "I never told you this. But 4 years ago I was jealous of Tristan and Joey. Mostly Joey though."

"Why?" He pressed, curious.

"Well you already know this but Yugi was my childhood friend. We did everything together and hung out quit often. We were each others only friends."

Téa grinned in Atemu's direction. "That's why I found it weird when all out a sudden Yugi had an older brother. An older brother he never once mentioned, even if he claimed that you were always in Egypt."

It was Yami's turn to grin sheepishly. "Yugi thought it would be easier to say I was his older brother who moved to a foreign country when I was young. It would lower the questions the school or students would ask. Besides, I thought it was easier than saying he's my reincarnation, I come 5000 years from the past."

"True. Even I accepted that lie right away. But that's because he didn't say a word about you until the 8th grade. He said that his older brother came to visit him over the break- the same winter break when I was in New York. If it wasn't for that, then I was have never believed you were Yugi's brother these last past months."

Yami smiled. "You're just happy you know the true right?"

"Yup!"

The pharaoh chuckled. "Continue your story please."

Téa grinned. "Ok then. In middle school, around the 7th grade, Yugi started to be bullied by Tristan and Joey. Mostly Joey though since he was in our class. But I would always scare them off with the classroom broom. The first time they bullied Yugi, I broke the broom when I smacked Joey across the head." The girl laughed. "That's probably why they always ran when they saw me!"

The pharaoh laughed as well. "That seems like something you would do!"

"Hey!" The girl pouted playfully. "What is that suppose to mean?"

"The way you argue with Joey sometimes seems like you would do something like that to him. I wouldn't be surprised if you pushed him off the stairs." He teased.

Téa laughed. "I'm not THAT mean!" Then she paused and pushed him on the bed, making him lay down.

The girl laughed again when she saw the pharaoh laying down with a shocked expression. He pouted. "Ha-ha-ha, very funny." He said sarcastically. "But you know, you can be greatly punished for doing that do the pharaoh of Egypt."

"Yeah right." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "And how do you plan on punishing me o great pharaoh?"

The King of Games narrowed his eyes and he rose. The female also narrowed her eyes. Then Atemu smirked. "With…"

Then he launched at her, grabbing her by the waist and bringing him down with her. "A tickle attack!"

Using one of his hands he grabbed both her wrists and tickled her with his other hand. The girl laughed hard. "Hahaha! Stop! Hahaha! Yami! Hahaha! Please!" Tears were escaping her eyes as she continued to laugh but the pharaoh only smiled. "I don't think so." Was his reply.

"Please! Hahaha! Can't! Breathe!"

"Now where have I seen this before?" He inquired playfully as he continued to tickle her.

"Haha-at-ha-th-the-haha-park!" Téa replied through her giggles.

"Correct!" He said as he stopped tickling her, giving her a chance to catch her breathe. The pharaoh grinned, satisfied with his 'punishment.' "I hope that teaches you a lesson to never mess with the rule of Egypt." He said playfully.

The girl, still catching her breath, stuck her tongue out at him.

Atemu laughed and took her hand into his. He kissed the back of it.

The dancer obviously blushed, especially when he looked back at her after a moment. He grinned slightly. "You should continue your story." He whispered.

She frowned, completely forgot about it. "Um…ok? Well anyways, where was I?"

"You broke a broom over Joey's head." He stated, smirking.

She giggled. "Oh yeah. Well, they continued to bully Yugi for about a year. Then, in the beginning of the 8th grade, they were suddenly friends.

It's hard to let you go

"I was furious. In my head I was thinking why would Yugi suddenly become friends with the guy who bullied him? It made no sense what's so ever to me.

"It got worse when Yugi started hanging out with Joey after school. Usually, we would walk home together. But after he met Joey, he would invite me to walk with them or hang out with them at the new burger place. I thought he pitied me so I would refuse to go. Childishly I considered Yugi a traitor and Joey a best friend stealer. I wanted nothing to do with him.

She smiled softly. "But eventually, I realized that Yugi was glad he had male companions now or just new friends. It was hard to see the guy who I always depended on and vice versa moving on to a new best friend. Later on though, I accepted them to be Yugi's friends."

I know what it takes to move on

13 year old Téa stood in front of her locker, putting away her books as students exited the school.

"Hey Téa!" Yugi greeted in a happy tone.

The brunette, whose hair reached her shoulders, smiled. "Hey Yugi!"

But then, she saw a tall blonde next to him and her smile instantly faded.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with us after school. Tristan's meeting us at the front gate and we're going to get burgers!" The kid said.

Téa narrowed her eyes at the blonde, who narrowed them back since he was used to the look she was giving him.

I know how it feels to lie

She 'huffed' and stuck her nose in the air. "No thanks." She said. "I have better things to do."

"Oh…" The lad said in a disappointed tone. "Maybe next time."

"See yeah." Was her answer as she walked in the opposite direction.

"Why are you even friends with her?" She heard Joey tell her childhood friend. "She never hangs out with you."

"Because she's a good person!" Yugi answered without any hesitation. "If she's busy, then she's busy."

'Yugi…' The girl thought sadly as she continued to walk. 'Why does he have to think that way? Why can't he see how I really feel?'

She walked outside and skipped down the stairs.

"Yo Téa!"

The female turned around and frowned when she saw a group of boys approach her. The first 3 she didn't know who they were but the one trailing behind looked sad and she instantly knew him from one of her classes.

The leader was only two inches taller than her. "We wanted to ask you something!"

"What?" She inquired. 'I'm not in the mod right now.'

"Our bud here likes you!" The leader said as the two other boys pulled the one who was scared and embarrassed. "So what do you say? Go out with him."

She pouted before looking at the terrified kid. "I'm sorry but I'm not interested in dating yet."

The leader then got mad. "Are you saying our friend isn't good enough?"

Téa looked shock. "No! I'm just-"

"Save it you jerk!" The leader said. "You hurt his feelings and now we're going to hurt you!"

"Please don't!" The kid who had a crush on the female stated.

"Ahhh who asked you?" The leader inquired as the two kids dropped him. The leader aimed for Téa but the brunette dodged it. She ran away with the three guys trailing behind her; her admirer remained on the floor, ashamed that he had a crush and she was going to be hurt for it.

She ran down the streets, making a corner before continuing to run. The three guys behind her never slowed down.

She crossed the street, doing her best to not shove people out of the way. However, the guys behind her didn't have a problem with that as she heard people's angry shouts.

The brunette, as she ran, noticed that Yugi, Joey and Tristan were walking in front of them. 'I can't let them see me!' She thought and made a left into an alley that was only a few feet behind the trio.

She stopped half way into the alley when she saw that there was no way out. 'Shit!'

"There she is!" One of the guys yelled and the trio entered the alley.

Téa looked behind her, clenching her bottom lip. 'Not good!'

She turned around and glared. "I'm not going down without a fight!"

The leader smirked. "Good."

She clenched her fists. 'If I would have just gone with Yugi, none of this would have ever happened. Stupid pride!'

"Téa!" The girl and her attackers looked at the direction of voice. Yugi and the former bullies came into the alley.

"If it's a fight you want then it's a fight you'll get!" Joey said as he punched the leader right in the face.

Tristan went to straight to the other two kids and started to fight them as well.

"Téa!" Yugi said again as he reached her, hugging the female. The brunette accepted his embraced and returned it. "Yugi…" She whispered.

"Scram you bunch of dogs!" Joey yelled as the trio left the alley, unable to take on the blonde and his companion. When they were gone, Joey and Tristan turned to Yugi's friend.

"You alright?" The blonde inquired.

All I wanna do is trade this life for something new

The girl sighed. "Yeah."

Tristan smiled. "That's good. You really had us worried."

Téa blinked. 'Huh?'

"Tristan's right. You gave us a scare when we saw three guys enter the alley. Glad you ain't hurt." Joey concluded with a goofy smile.

Holding on to what I haven't got

She blushed, completely embarrassed. Yugi looked at his female companion. "Téa?"

The brunette looked down at her friend. "Yeah?"

"Are you sure you don't want to get burgers with us?" He asked.

The brunette smiled. "Actually a burger sounds pretty good right now."

Yugi smiled and gave her another hug, making the rest of the group laugh.

Sitting in an empty room
Trying to forget the past

"Of course, I attitude towards those two remained almost the same." Téa stated. "Sure I would hang out with them but it was only like once or twice a week. However, Yugi started hanging out with me again so in a way, I had my best friend back."

Yami smiled slightly, concealing the slight jealous he felt in his heart. 'I should even be feeling this way.' He thought stubbornly. 'It was about their friendship, nothing more.'

"Is something wrong Yami?" The girl inquired.

He snapped out of his thinking, and grinned. "Yes. I was just thinking of something."

"About what?" The brunette pressed.

"Though this event occurred about 3 years ago, I noticed when I was with you and Joey that you seemed to have a similar attitude towards Joey as the one who described to have as a thirteen year old. You accepted Joey as your friend yet why do you too behave the way you do?"

She looked confused, almost as if she was thinking why she did that herself. "Well, the best thing I could tell you is that that's how our friendship is. It's almost as if I was the female version of Tristan if that makes any sense."

He chuckled. "I can see it but only towards the way you too treat Joey."

Téa giggled. "That's probably why we get along better."

"I guess it's true what they say: the enemy of my enemy is a friend."

She giggled again. "Well I don't hate him; honestly, he is a good friend and I think he thinks the same about me. But we both find ourselves annoying and that's mostly because of our past."

"Did he ever inquire why you treated him that way?" The pharaoh pondered.

"Ironically, he asked three years later; the week before I met you to be exact. I mean he would ask what my problem was but I would only reply that he was it." The dancer stated. "To distract myself when Yugi was hanging out with the boys, I would go to the arcade and play DDR. This was a great way to practice my dancing while keeping me from being lonely."

"Ok?" He said, a little lost on why she would be mentioning this.

"The day Yugi and his grandfather went to pick you up was the same day Tristan was taking care of his nephew Johji. It was also the day Joey decided to DDR me and find out the true reason why I acted this way."

This was never meant to last
I wish it wasn't so

"Playing late today too?" The janitor asked her as the remaining people started to leave. The girl smiled. "Don't worry sir. This is will be my last song and then I'll leave."

"Take your time." The janitor said before he went to clean up the restroom.

She sighed. 'Alright. Alone at last.'

"Yo Téa!"

The female sighed in annoyance, before turning around. "What Joey?"

However, she was surprised to find him narrowing his eyes are her. This made her raise an eyebrow. "What?"

He smirked. "Mind if I join the game?"

"Of course! You'll just lose." She said.

The blonde glared. "How can you be so sure?"

"Too bad you won't." He hopped on to the platform and inserted the money needed to play. Téa looked annoyed but looked at her screen instead of her opponent.

The game started and at first Joey was doing alright. But as the song reached its 1 minute Joey started to slow down while Téa only continued to receive 'excellents'. No one said a word until the blonde asked, "What's with this attitude?"

"Hm?" She said, focusing on her game.

"This attitude that you always give me." He repeated. "I've known you for three years and you still treat me like you're ready to smash another broom through my head. What have I done to ya?"

The female pouted with an angry expression. "Nothing."

"Then why do you treat me like I'm nothing against ya!" He yelled, stopping his dance and only faced her. "You always act like you're better than me!"

"If that's what you think then you're wrong!" Téa announced as she glared at the screen.

"Then tell me the truth!" the blonde pressed.

"It's because of what you did!" She said as she looked over at his direction, the game finally coming to an end. "Not to me but to Yugi!"

"What did I-? Wait…" Joey glared at her. "Is this because I bullied him? Gosh Téa! That was 4 years ago! Is that why you're so angry at me?"

"No…it was about how everything just changed!"

"And what the heck is that suppose to mean?"

"It means why did you suddenly get a second chance!" With that she jumped off the platform, grabbing her bag before starting to walk away.

"So you don't think I'm good enough for a second chance!" The blonde yelled as he leaned against the railing.

"Yes!" She yelled back.

I know what it takes to move on

The blonde jumped off the platform and ran in front of her. She narrowed her eyes. "Move."

"Not until ya hear whats I got to say." The blonde started. "Look, maybe I don't deserve a second chance like other people. During that time that I bullied Yugi, I wasn't asking for one either.

"I could care less about my life. I had lost my little sister about a year ago because of my parents divorce and I was still upset. I took out my frustration through bullying, mostly picking on Yugi.

I know how it feels to lie

"I know I said I picked on because of his height but to be honest I was mostly jealous of yours and Yugi's friendship. Ya two were always so happy that it made me angry. In ya two, I saw a brother and sister having fun. I didn't want any memories of me and sis and ya two always brought them out. But importantly, I wanted to teach Yugi a lesson.

"I wanted it to say 'Yeah I was happy like ya but ya know what? It's all gonna end one day.' By bullying him, I saw myself in him and I liked that- seeing how scared and heartbroken he was.

"But then. You would always come along and try an protect him. It frustrated me even more when his 'sister' would come back to him.' In my head I was like, why can't mine come back?"

"It was until summer, when Tristan and I were cornered by a large guy, You know us always getting into fights, that Yugi came out of no where to help us. He jumped on the guy from behind him and shouted out, 'Leave my friends alone!'"

With this, Joey ran a hand through his hair, chuckling. "Friends…is that what we were? Is that how Téa treated him as well? I didn't know how to react to that at first. Tristan had to pull me and said 'Come on! Let's help him!'"

"The three of us won. We thanked Yugi and walked away. The next morning I went to his grandfather's shop and asked if Yugi was around. Man was Yugi surprised when saw me in his shop. But he was happy too. We talked and then I thought, 'This isn't so bad.'

All I wanna do is trade this life for something new
Holding on to what I haven't got

"After that day, we started hanging out."

He looked at her now. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't deserve a second chance. But the point was that Yugi gave me one and I took it. I didn't want to be his bully anymore- just a friend. And what would you have preferred me to be? Yugi's friend or enemy?"

She thought back to when how happy her childhood friend since Tristan and Joey became his friends. "If it was up to me, I would have said neither. But because it was Yugi's, I'm just happy that you make him happy instead of picking on him."

Joey smiled slightly. "Then I'm glad it wasn't, or else I would have missed the chance in having a great friend."

With that, the blonde placed his hands in his pockets and started to walk away. The female, looked down looking slightly ashamed.

"Oh! And by the way…" The girl looked up as Joey continued to talk. "Yugi said you were always forgiving…but somehow, I'm starting to doubt him on this one."

Téa let out a small gasp, her eyes widening before tilting her head down and letting her bangs cover her eyes. 'Maybe…I've always been to rough on him. Mocking him, beating him in dueling…beating him in DDR…kicking his ass in front of the whole male population…yeah…I've always been a terrible friend to him. Not even a friend! A terrible person in general! I always thought he would go back to his old ways but I never realized that I was becoming his bully.'

She sighed and walked up to check up to him. "Hey Joey!"

What was left when that fire was gone
I thought it felt right but that right was wrong

The blonde turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're right. I've never been fair to you. I should have treated you better, especially after hanging out with you for three years. I just…" She released a small breathe. "I always believed in that saying, 'Once a bully, always a bully.' I never even gave you a chance to prove yourself. Sure you're annoying and such an airhead-"

An angry vein appeared on his forehead. "Hey…Is this supposed to make me feel better?"

The girl held up her hand. "Let me finish. Though you're annoying and an airhead, those traits don't make you a bad person." She smiled lightly. "Doing what I was doing does. I'm sorry about how I treated you and that I made you feel like you had to prove something to me because you don't."

She held out her hand with the same expression. "Friends?"

The duelist returned that smile. "Friends."

They shook hands and started to depart.

"By the way…" She looked over her shoulder while the blonde looked over his, curious. "You REALLY have to practice at DDR if you plan on beating me. You're so super slow and I don't mean just in the intelligence category!"

More angry veins appeared on his forehead as he turned around, pointing at her and shouting. "What happened to being all sorry an stuff?"
The girl continued to walk away, waving her hand as she yelled. "I never said I'd change!"

"Then what was the point of apologizing!"

She turned around and smiled. "Now I can do for fun since we're friends!"
"YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN TRISTAN NOW! YOU KNOW THAT RIGHT!"

"Yup!"

With that, the female left giggling with Joey still standing behind, pulling out his hair in frustration.

All caught up in the eye of the storm
And trying to figure out what it's like moving on

"And that's why Joey and I aren't the type of friends who greet each other with high fives and hugs. Call me crazy, but I like it better like this."

"Me too." He muttered. The male felt terrible, mainly because of the reply that was supposed to stay in his head. 'Why do I suddenly feel jealous? This is Joey! One of your closest friends!'

The girl blinked and before she could ask about that he, stopped her with his own question. "Do…do you miss the future?" Atemu asked while looking at her.

Téa raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a question after his previous his reply. But, she did answer his question with honesty. "Yeah…"

"What do you miss most?" He pressed.

At this the girl looked up at the ceiling. "Hm…" 'There are just so many things…'

The pharaoh chuckled. "Ok. What are the things you miss the most?"

Téa grinned as she looked at him. "Thanks. Well for starters I miss having a cheese burger with a chocolate milkshake!"

The male laughed. "Me too." He agreed. "What else?"

"I miss going to the theatre on Saturday mornings, dancing to the newest hit songs, I miss having ice in my drinks and I miss my warm cozy bed!"

Yami rolled his eyes. "You just like showing off what you have huh?"

The dancer giggled. "You asked! But the thing I miss most are the normal days."

He looked at her, confused. The female giggled again and explained. "I miss waking up in the mornings and walking to school with you and Yugi. I miss having art class with Tristan and then having P.E. with Joey. I miss sitting at lunch and hearing the guys argue over silly little things. I miss jogging in the afternoons before you would come over." A tear slid down her eye as she finished. "But what I miss the most was sitting in my living room with you, watching TV or just talking for hours about nothing really important. I miss the normal days."

And I don't even know what kind of things I said
My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead

Yami looked at her with a heart broken expression. "You should have stayed then." He whispered as he wiped away her fallen tear.

She looked at him though with a soft smile on her face. "But without you the days wouldn't be normal."

The King of Games returned her grin. "They were before you met me."

"No…it wasn't normal until you showed up…"

He chuckled. "Me? I'm a pharaoh who traveled 5000 years into the future so I could defeat an evil man and magic from the Shadow Realm in my time period. Are you sure that's normal?"

The girl laughed. "Shut up!" She teased.

They both laughed before the female said, "I don't regret coming with you Yami…honestly I don't."

This made the ruler of Egypt smile gently. "Thank you…."

Téa smiled brightly, making the pharaoh's heart skip a beat. 'That's right.' He thought, suddenly remembering something.

He pulled something over his neck, making the female curious to know what was happening. He placed it in his hand, and took hers, placing the object on her palm while still covering up it up.

His eyes softened with a gentle on his face; this expression while he held her hand made her blush. "Yami…?"

"Téa…" He started. "If it wasn't for you, I would have never been completely. My father's death left a mark in my heart that I thought was permanent. But because of you it was refilled; more completely than expected. I can't thank you enough for staying with me, so please; accept this as a small token of what I owe you for being my closest friend and making me feel alive again."

He let go of his hand, revealing a small rectangle with his name engraved in it. Her eyes widened in surprised. "Yami…but this is the necklace Shadi gave you." She said. "Wasn't it the one who help you regain your memories?"

"No….You helped me regain my memories, but this necklace did help me connect with you. It means a lot to me because through it I was able to find you. I know it meant be lame but-"

The male was interrupted when he felt her lips make contact with his cheek, leaving him shocked.

"I love it." She said while she placed the necklace over her head.

But Yami barely paid attention to her movements, still surprised by her sudden actions. 'Ra…you mock me don't you…' He thought. 'And she…why does she tempt me? The worst part she does it without even knowing…'

"Um…." The girl started to say, breaking him from his train of thoughts. She ducked her head shyly, making Atemu think 'how cute.' "Will the others….find it weird that I'm wearing a necklace with your name on it? They won't be mad will they?"

He smiled reassuringly. "No. They won't. I promise."

Téa smiled back and threw herself into his arms. This surprised Atemu again but instead of staying shocked, he armed his arms around her and tightened their embrace. "Thanks." She whispered on his chest.

"It was nothing." He murmured as he kissed her hair.

A small blush appeared on her face since she lightly felt that. She tightened her eyes. 'I can't ask for more right now. Not while there is still danger and me telling him how I feel will probably distract him from saving the world.' She snuggled closer on his chest, tightening her grip around his waist. The pharaoh responded by hugging her closer. She sighed in a peaceful manner. 'This is good enough for now.'

Picking up those pieces now where to begin

"Yo…Master hasn't eaten yet. Do you think one of us should bring him something to eat?" A drunken thief inquired with his hands shaking as he held the cards. His face half dark for that alls the light from their camp fire would allow.

"Don't you know to NEVER disturb the King of Thieves?" One said, thinking he was whispering but was speaking loudly.

"Why?" The 1st man asked, frightened.

"He'll send your soul to the afterlife." The 2nd one answered as he placed down a few coins, placing his bets.

"He…he can do that!" A third one asked.

"Of course! He's done it before and in front of our eyes." A fourth one whispered. "Their screams sound bloody, almost as if they were burning. The light in their eyes dim until no pupil is left; their cold bodies then collapse, soulless."

Inside the tent, a white haired man smirked evilly as he heard his gang discuss what he's done. 'Hear that pharaoh? You should be frightened as well.' His eyes narrowed at nothing. 'I will make you pay for what you've done.'

The hardest part of ending is starting again

"Haha!" The 10 year old boy mocked as he slid under a crack that was only large enough for him to fit under in a building.

"Why you troublesome tyke!" One of the guards yelled in frustration from outside, trying desperately to fit under the crack.

"It's no use!" The second guard stated. A third one came around from the building, saying "There are no other entrances, sir."

The second one nodded his head. "Come on. That boy will have to come out eventually."

'Yeah. When you're gone.' Bakura thought with a smirk. After hearing the Egyptian guards retreat. He stood up and ran across the room. He looked down, seeing the wooden square on the floor. He pulled on the rope that was attached to the square, lifting it up and opening it up. There was a tunnel in which he immediately jumped into. He crawled for about 5 minutes before he spotted a hole above him. He grinned as he climbed up through the opening.

"Look! It's the Prince of Thieves." One of the men in the room commented as Bakura stood up in front of the hole.

"My father?" He asked.

"At the top." Was the man's answer.

The tyke nodded and ran up the unstable wooden stairs up, ignoring all the other thieves who lived in the building. He opened the wooden 'door' that led him to the top of the building. He saw his father leaning over the edge of the building.

"Father?" The white haired child said softly.

Suddenly the man burst out laughing. He turned over to see his son, wiping an imagery tear off his eye. He smiled. "Well done my boy! I saw the way you handled the pharaoh's men! You my son are truly brilliant!"

The child beamed and ran to his father, hugging him. "Thank you father!"

He pulled away from his son only to wrap an arm around him. "Bring them out my son!"

Bakura pulled out a large red gem, two medium sized gems and another large gem but that was blue.

"Excellent!" The man said as he went on one knee. He took a gem from the boy's hands and looked at him. He smiled again. "You did very well! You'll be the King of Thieves in no time! And you'll bring that fifthly pharaoh down to his knees when do!"

Bakura's face lit in excitement. "Really father?"

"Why of course! Now, let us head down. I have a surprise for you!"

(Scene Change)

"Where is it?" The boy asked when his father opened a door for him. However, the tyke was surprised when he noticed that only an old woman was in the room.

"Father…I think you have the wrong room." He said but the older man just laughed.

"No my son! This lady is a fortune teller and I have brought her here to tell you your future."

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Go! Approach her!" He said. Bakura gulped and walked over to the old woman.

She smirked. "Do not be shy my child. Come closer."

Bakura did as he was told. "Your hand please." She said, holding out her hand. The white haired child gulped again and placed his smaller hand on hers. 'Ewww…' He thought as he felt her wrinkly hand.

"You will be the King of Thieves." She started, making the father of the child smirk. "You will grow up strong and very powerful."

The boy looked over to his father and smiled. The man returned it.

"But-" This made both the males stop grinning.

"You will be defeated by the King of Games."

"WHAT!" The man yelled, clearly frustrated. "You MUST be mistaken!"

"I am not."

"Then you lie!"

She looked at him with no emotion. "There is nothing I can do."

The father clenched his fists, growling while Bakura looked at him with a frightened expression. "Father?" He murmured.

"I will NOT have that pharaoh take away something else from me!" The father vowed. "He took away my life, my wife's, and I will be DAMNED if he stole my son's."

With that the man turned around and walked away.

"Father! Wait!"

The tyke shouted. The man turned around and gave his son a rough smile. He kneed in front of his son and ruffled his hair. "Do not worry my child. Tomorrow night I will defeat the King of Games and prevent this tragedy from occurring."

He stood up and left his son standing there confused. "Father?"

All I wanna do is trade this life for something new

The boy stood over the same building his father had been leaning on when he stole the jewels. He searched for the man as he watched many of the thieves returning; some weren't there anymore but that didn't bother him. He was more concerned about his dad.

"Father?" He whispered.

A bang came from behind him and he turned around, frightened. But then he noticed one of the thieves who had gone with his father had only opened the door to the roof. He was bloody and one of his arms looked like it was about to come off.

"Young master…" He whispered, falling to his knees. Bakura ran up to him and went on his knees as well.

"Where is my father?" He inquired in a frightened voice.

The man looked down. "He couldn't make it back with us…" He muttered.

Bakura, not realizing that tears had formed, started to release them. "Father…" He murmured.

"But…" The man said, pulling something out of his jacket. "He stole one last thing for you."

Shakily, the thief handed him a golden circle with small triangles dangling down and in the center was an engraved eye. "They call it the Millennium Ring." He said. "It is your father's last present."

Bakura closed his eyes, holding on to the treasure with his shaking hands and continued to cry.

Holding on to what I haven't got

"I didn't lie. Did I?" The 15 year old male turned around, glaring at his new guest that entered his tent. However she only looked at him indifferently. "You're strong and very powerful."

"Be gone wench!" He yelled, waving an arm. "You have been banished from here for killing my father!"

The old fortune teller frowned. "I did not such thing."

"You did not warn my father of his death!" He sneered.

"There was nothing I could do. Just as there is nothing I can do about yours."

"You speak lies woman! My father killed the King of Games." He said simply before turning back to the treasure he was examining.

"He killed the previous pharaoh of Egypt."

"Exactly. The King of Games."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who said that he was the King of Games?"

This is not the end

His eye twitched before he looked over to the woman. "What do you mean he wasn't the king of Games?"

"He wasn't…the King of Games…" The old woman repeated, more slowly.

"Then bloody hell who is it!" He yelled, his nostrils flaring when he stopped. "You could have told my father this! If you had then he would still be here!"

"Your father's fate was sealed the moment your mother died and he vowed to bring down the pharaoh."

"Enough of your excuses! Just tell me who the hell this King of Games!"

"Very well." She said in a melancholy tone. "Just as you became the King of Thieves after your father passed away, he became the ruler when he lost his father."

Bakura let this all sink into him. 'New ruler…' He thought before his eyes narrowed. 'Pharaoh Atemu…'

"Very good Bakura." She said, almost as if she read his mind.

He glared at the woman. "GET OUT!"

The old woman did as she was told and left the room, leaving Bakura will new thoughts and ideas.

This is not the beginning
The King of Thieves stood up and exited his tent. Men who weren't sleeping gasped at his sudden appearance. Many didn't think he would rise until dawn instead of the middle of the night.

'I will NOT let time repeat itself.'

Just a voice like a riot
Rocking every revision

He smirked. "Relax men! It is only I." Some men still looked frightened. "I am not your enemy." Bakura stated as he walked through the crowd of filthy men. "No, our enemy is someone who sits on the throne and does nothing all day while our fellow Egyptians wake up at dawn and work until night!"

The people listened, agreeing in their minds.

"His father stole what was ours years ago and now this pharaoh continues to steal! And they call us the thieves. They say we're the dirty ones!

"Well I say enough! I say we finally take back what was stolen from us!"

Some men started shouting in agreement.

"I say bring down that royalty! Those useless people! And let us be the ones to rule! Let true Egyptians rule over Egypt!"

All the men yelled and turned to each other, excited.

"Gather the men! We attack now!"

The thieves grabbed their belongings and woke up those who slept, informing them that they were going to attack Cairo before getting on their horses.

Bakura grinned evilly as he rode on his horse with hundreds of men following behind him. 'At last Pharaoh, your time has ended and there will be a new ruler by dawn!'

But you listen to the tone
And the violent rhythm

"Ah!" Priestess Isis gasped, sitting up quickly. She held her head while panic remained in her eyes. 'That dream…it was a vision…he plans on attacking this exact minute!'

The woman rose and ran out of her chamber.

"Priestess." A guard said in shock. The other one looked at the same way.

"We are about to be attacked!" She announced. "Inform the other priests and tell the guards to embrace themselves for battle! We must prepare quickly!"

The guards nodded and ran down the halls as Isis ran towards the Pharaoh's chamber. Once there she banged on the door with her fist.

"Pharaoh!"

Though the words sound steady
Something emptys within em

Atemu, tightening his gaze, awoke up to the noise when he recognized it as Isis's voice.

'Don't tell me…' He rose and ran to the door, opening it. Isis looked at him with a serious expression. "It is time." She said. "The others are being informed. We must go to the throne room."

The pharaoh nodded, about to walk out when he remembered something and mentally cursed himself for forgetting. "Téa! Where is Téa?"

"Atemu!" Both turned, spotting Mana and Mahad running towards them.

"Mana." The priestess said. "Find Téa. She is in her chamber and meet us in the throne room. Mahad you come with us."

"I should get her Isis." Atemu said, about to ran past Isis when Mana stood in front of him.

We say yeah

"Go!" She stated. "I'll find Téa and bring her back! I promise."

Atemu looked at his childhood friend, noticing for the first time how strong she was with those determined eyes. She wasn't just a teenager with a childish personality. She was better than that.

The pharaoh sighed and nodded. "Good luck Mana." He said before running the opposite direction with Isis.

With fists flying up in the air
Like we're holding onto something that's invisible there

Mahad looked at his childhood friend while Mana smiled reassuringly. "I can do this Mahad. I'm not defenseless and it's all thanks to you. Thank you for helping me."

This surprised the older magician. He looked down with tight eyes. "I know you can. Be careful. After all," He smiled teasingly. "You're not done with your lessons." With that, he turned around and left in the direction his pharaoh and the priestess had gone into.

Mana smiled and blinked away the tears before running down the hall to retrieve her friend.

Cuz we're living at the mercy of the pain and the fear

She woke up to sounds of screams and cries. A bright light bothered her eyes. She opened them, seeing that it was still night. She heard orders from outside her door but mostly focused on the screams coming from outside her window.

Téa lifted her self up and walked to the window, not expecting to see the horrid sight in front of her. She covered her mouth in horror as tears escaped her eyes.

Half of the city was burning. Children were crying as they rested next to their dead parents, women screamed as they were being taken by the invaders. Other women yelled as they held their husbands dead bodies. The corpses of the dead child were unbearable. Some families were escaping, others were fighting back.

Until we dead it forget it
Mana burst through the door. "Téa!"

But her future friend only turned around with a heartbroken expression. Mana frowned, knowing she saw things she wasn't suppose to. Mana had refused to look outside because she was afraid of what she would see.

The magician held out her hand with a now serious expression. "Let's go…"

Let it all disappear

A/N: Guess how many pages this one was? Give up? 34! Gosh these chapter pages keep increasing don't they? So if there are a lot of errors of forgive me. I got lazy in checking for errors.

I don't know when the final chapter will up. Mostly because I'm guessing that the final chapter will be 60 pages because I'm using a song that's twice as long as this one. Plus I'm studying to take my permits exam so I'll have one week of studying- cant fanfic for that week T.T.

Final announce goes to the Californians! Whose going to the Anime Expo in L.A. tomorrow? If you are I can't wait to meet some of you! I'm going as the Dark Magician Girl so ask any Dark Magician girl if they're Dark Shining Light and eventually you'll find me! ^^

Gots to go, mainly cause I want to eat! Please review!

Your friend,

Dark Shining Light

P.S. If you're a Sakura and Sasuke fan, I updated a new story about them. Please take a look at it if you don't mind or have nothing better to do. Thanks! Have a great day guys!