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"Yugi-Oh A Time to Every Purpose"

Act III: Atlantis

Chapter 38

It was a room like none other within the Palace's hallowed halls.

The massive Library Archives that were the former King Ironheart's accumulated pride and joy, loomed lavishly on far too many shelves and high-stacked bookcase upon bookcase to count.

During his son, King Dartz's reign, the number of books, literature and art within the humongous documentation section of the Atlantean Palace more than tripled its already impressive size.

Although, lately, while he was busy accumulating another form of wealth, King Dartz himself rarely visited these hallowed halls anymore.

"Oh, dear. Yet another full shelf of epistles, magic tomes and spell books I've fallen behind in researching this week. Sigh. Whatever will Master Menelaos say when he comes in here and finds that I've shirked my duties as his student again? Sigh. Oh, dear, oh, dear. He'll never allow me to court his fair and beauteous sister, if he continues to believe that I am such a poor, reticent excuse for a new student of the mystical arts! Especially if he walks in here and catches me snoozing over the texts again. Just like last time. Sigh."

I must keep my eyes open, no matter how boring these are! I must read thoroughly through the pages Master instructed me to research and memorize the proper spells before Master Menelaos returns from his conference with the Council of Knights. Or else, he may not let me see my sweet, delicate Bactria ever again! Wherever he's been hiding her, for goodness knows why.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. He'll be here to check up on me any moment now! And I'm so behind." Mid-frantically turned page, the pale lavendery-white haired scholar of a boy suddenly feels dizzily faint.

It was as if his very lifeforce – already at a low-level from being fearful and troubled, staying up all night in his study of the countless offerings of magic texts the overfilled palace bookshelves that loomed before him – was being drained from within…and without.

PLOP.

His eyes roll to the back of his head, which goes splat to the ornate desktop, as his long shock of pale purplish white hued hair spikes flutter in a cascade around his face.

The young man holds out his hand for his newly acquired mystical staff to telekinetically come to him. But neither his weak spell nor weak appendage ever reach the target as he slumps in a deep narcoleptic sleep despite his best attempts to fight it.

It was not long before a far more formidable magic force shimmers into the still Royal Library.

From the fearful look at disappointing his strict Master across his unconsciously cute face, and the timid way he always acted when awake, so polite and humble and submissive to all others, no one would have suspected this pale haired magician's novice was the next in line to be King of Atlantis.

But gentle Prince Aryballos was the meeker of the two lilac-haired royal blood descendants of their good father, King Ironheart.

And his older brother Dartz exploited that timidity since their youth.

Of course, I would end up the one responsible for training the weakling wastrel.

The dark purple attired head sorcerer grumbles to himself as he easily employs his well-honed gifts to magically whisk up the many fallen papers and books strewn all over the library floor that the lazy boy had knocked over.

"Where in Atlantis is everyone else?" Head Sorcerer of the Kingdom of Atlantis, Master Menelaos, glances from the passed out prince to the other empty seats at the library desk.

With a shake of his tall-hatted head, this Dark Magician phases into thin air, leaving his idle apprentice behind.

"Timaeus? Why are you late for the conference? Is something amiss, my friend? I find it hard to believe you of all people would be tardy on such a day."

Yugi was almost not startled to be awakened by the familiar presence of the tall, slim, dark purple haired man who magically sparkled into existence at the foot of 'his' bed.

So familiar was the card Yugi would often summon from his deck. The sorcerer of dark magic, for his steadfastness and fortitude in always pulling a rabbit out of a hat for the card-wielding duelist, found a special place within the heart of this boy of a far off age.

So much so, lonely Yugi always considered the stately magician on his favorite card one of his best friends, even before he had real ones.

Then it was no surprise that in this distant time, his own soulmate of an ancestor here in the ancient city of Atlantis, Timaeus, would also deem the Dark Magician his dear friend.

Still, after Yugi's recent stint as Pharaoh with Mahaad at his side, it was still a bit startling to have the tall, foreboding, seven foot tall figure of a man – purple costume and tall tiered hat complete—physically materialize at his bedside to converse with him.

Dark Magician Girl, perhaps, was more talkative, yes. But the silent, stoic, imposing Dark Magician personally talk to little Yugi as an equal? No way!

This is so cool!

Dark Magician had been Yugi Moto's idol forever!

He was just so powerful and smart and—

"Do NOT tell me overslept! You know how I consider slothenly characters, Timaeus! Indeed, I expect this sort of behavior from the King's weak little brother – ehem, my prized new student of the magical arts, Prince Arybellos – but not from you, of all people, my courageous comrade! Generally, as his Majesty King Dartz's most trusted knight and highest ranked soldier, you are generally conscientious in performing your duties promptly and on exacting time."

– Pompous. In one word, this Dark Magician, here in this time frame in Atlantis, was extremely pompous.

Despite all of his own questions and troubled separation from his friends, Yugi (in Timeaus' half dressed, muscular body) couldn't help but smirk with a small chuckle at his beloved Dark Magician's actual uptight presence.

Yugi found the flesh and blood man so over-serious that he was literally funny.

"Are you… Laughing… At me, Timaeus?" The obvious, densely put question told Yugi volumes of his magical partner's personality here in Atlantis. Guilty Yugi quickly covers up his smile with a coughed and hand over his lips.

"No, no, not at all… I was just… ummm… having a little trouble figuring out where this…ergh… goes?" In his deepest voice, Yugi lifts Timaeus' hip plate armor piece that he had been trying and trying to place on this body so many times that he was frustrated from his hapless attempts.

"Late and forgetful of even how to properly outfit yourself? You really are not yourself today, Timaeus. Today of all days. The mission must be weighing heavily on your mind. Here, give that to me. Turn." And with one swift motion's magically flicked wrist, the sorcerer clips, laces and hooks the armor on Yugi's sleek frame to perfection.

The Dark Magician shakes his head as he fixes the easily done job of armoring up his courageous friend.

"Thank you… ergh…" Yugi stumbles over where the familiar name should have been stated.

The Dark Magician rolls his eyes of his already shaking head. Then, with one further wave of his mystically charged hand, the shining aqua helmet that belonged to his best friend's knight uniform puts the finishing touch on Timaeus' puzzled one-eye head.

"Menelaos… Hmmm." The purple haired man's eyes slit at the King's knight exhibiting this absentminded penchant he had never before displayed.

Forgetting my name is beyond puzzling.

"Timaeus. We must hurry." But Master Menelaos had no time for pondering as he quickly shakes off the bothersome sense that something was amiss since he had first entered his best friend's bedchamber.

The suspicious Magician watches quizzically the way Timaeus – an old and seasoned soldier at the ripe old age of twenty-one – was with dallying with the meted metal side guards of his helmet.

It was as if it were the first time he'd ever worn the necessary soldierly headgear.

"Yes, Menelaos." Yugi repeats, trying to cover up his flub with a confident smile.

He follows the tall Dark Magician – ergh…Head Sorcerer of Atlantis – from his room out into the spacious hallways of the Palace building. Yugi was trying to seem natural, though the weight of all of his side and chest armor, not to mention the steel helmet and heavy cape, was pulling his slender body down, despite its well-trained muscles Yugi Moto knew not how to own.

"Tell me, Menelaos." Yugi suddenly asks. Despite all of his physical detriments, his mind was still on track of the main objective, like any true duelist must maintain to claim victory.

"Yes, Timaeus?" Menelaos answers, speaking as freely and on guard in the way he only did to his best lifelong friend as he leads them down a specific corridor and through a specific doorway at a rather specifically clipped speed.

Yugi was doing his armor-weighted down best to keep up with the tall imposing man's stride.

"I don't know quite how to put this, but – there's a girl I desperately need to find." Yugi starts to explain.

"A woman? Yes, don't we all?" Menelaos answers deadpanned, emotionlessly droll.

"No, no not like that." With a blush at his words Yugi shakes his head and find that it rattles as he believed the Dark Magician was misunderstanding his vague words.

"I mean – it's a matter of life and death that we find…my friend. It's imperative that we save her before she turns into –" Growing more and more hyper, though trying to remain calm, Yugi felt compelled to explain his urgency.

"A Dragon. Yes, I know. After all, I am the one who informed you of this imminent danger, if you recall, Timaeus, not so long ago."

Never did his Dark Magician disappoint as Yugi's wide eyes were popping out at how psychically deep and amazing the purple man was truly.

"The visionary Ireneus foretold of the future, so we have prepared ourselves as the League of Atlantean Knights for this day long in preparation. It began that first day when the dark prophetess revealed the evils those Orichalcos gems that one day rained from the heavens had in store for our entire city. Timaeus, I have never seen such fear in that clear eyed woman." Menelaos lowly converses to the Aqua and teal armored knight as they walk, his eyes darting around every opulent corner and lavish doorway they passed.

"My sister, Baktria, your fiancé, Theophelia, Ireneus, Mnasson, Phiale, Mytilene, Makaria, Eumelia, Kallisto – the special sisterhood clan of ancient magic, I assure you, are guarded safe away from Dartz's henchman by your fellow knights. Only the eighth Dragon sister, Syntyche, remains in the Palace because she is full with child. Xenias is far too stubborn a man, always an osmoraysita, sticking his head in the ground, despite his eldest son's warnings." Menelaos murmurs under his breath in frustration at the older, somewhat crazy insane, political advisor of the King's court.

"You mean an 'ostrich'." Yugi corrects offhandedly without thinking as the rest of dark magician rushes words were sinking into his skull.

"A what?" Menelaus' lip twists at his partner's quirky behavior on this most important of days. Today, the King's highest honorary guard would desert their posts to stage a glorious rebellion against him and the up and coming evil presence.

The other worldly threat called the 'Orichalcos' seems to have somehow infected all of Atlantis after the wretched gems had polluted the aisle's once clear water civilization…

"Nevermind that. Where we going now, Dark Mag – Menelaos?" Yugi's knit brows quickly correct himself as he wishes to go to Tea – and the others – now in his masculine urge to protect his love.

She was somewhere here in Atlantis, perhaps scared and in danger, despite Menelaus' assurances that she and the rest of 'the Sisterhood' were safely hidden away in other men's care.

"To persuade that fool Xenias to leave his high station as the King's Chief Royal advisor to join us in our struggle. I realize it will be a difficult choice for him because Syntyche is extremely full with child. He fears the embittered King's upbraiding, should our rebellion fail, for the sake of his wife and their unborn child. But Sir Criteus believes his father's heart is with our cause, but the consideration of his mother's ill health at this late childbearing age is holding the Royal advisor back from betraying the power of the Palace, despite the Orichalcos rule now befallen us." Menelaos was a master magician enough to be 100% sure that his words were only comprehensible to his companion Timaeus. He had cast this spell on all others, should they be in earshot, to hear only unintelligible gibberish.

"And if you can't persuade…Xenias?" Yugi could empathize with this man in question, worried about being torn between his call to duty and protective love for his wife. Putting himself in the stranger's shoes, Yugi would have had a difficult choice should Tea ever have been at such a delicate crossroads and in danger.

And she was not even yet his wife.

"Then we will do what we must to defy Ireneus' omens." Menelaos whispers through their psychic connection. By the time he got through this enigmatic sentence, the tall robed sorcerer was almost creeping about the hall.

Menelaos pauses and closes his eyes, as if to gain strength at the large Grecian double doorway.

Yugi, through Timaeus' one eye, catches a glimpse of the man's hand magically materializing his elongated aqua staff, as if getting ready for mortal combat. Although, he quickly secrets it vertically behind his imposingly tall figure and equally high magician hat.

"Omens?" Yugi cocks his head at the mysterious intone as Menelaos signals for him to knock on Xenias' door that led into the Chief Royal Advisor's opulent section of this vast Palace seated in the center of the Kingdom of Atlantis.

Yugi was not quite sure who was inside the ornate golden threshold, but he was about to find out…

"Awww….awww… That you, Duke?"

"Oof, oof, oof…That you, Tristan?"

Both men speak at once, though their eyes were still sealed shut, one loser to another, sharing many a booze binge night of bewailing her lost loves of Joey's little sister Serenity whom Seto Kaiba scooped up and stolen from either of them.

The two boys have had a long time crush on the sweet and innocent, redheaded girl. That crush soon turned into a crash that unlucky day. That's when up-for-grabs Serenity Wheeler was shipwrecked and disappeared, only to be found on a lonely deserted island paradise with cold-as-a-diamond-rock Seto Kaiba.

The ill-matched pair had come out of the deserted island, both alive and in love at the end of a week-and-a-half stint where no one, not technology nor media nor friends, could find either of them.

But Kaiba and Serenity found each other well enough.

That kind of dumb beginners luck…

Duke always chalked it down to just that, for no woman who resisted his numerous charms would fall for charm-less Seto Kaiba.

That Kaiba! Some guys get all the luck.

Tristan often had to comfort himself with the large bottle of beer that the other guy beat him to it again.

"Serenity!" The usual, untouchable, sighed dream's vanished conquest was somehow lost in the translation of woosy delirium for each of these fellas.

"Miho!"

"Vivian-baby…"

Tristan finds 'Miho's' name on his awakening lips; while Duke in a squishy baby voice was whispering something that definitely sounded like: 'Vivian baby'.

It was a good thing, too for the pair of Don Juans because they just happened to have an audience paying very close attention to the girls who went by those feminine names.

"Miho here, Tristan! You look so cute with yellow hair! Miho likes you to dye your hair blonde when we get back home, okay?! You look like a movie star, all buttery and slicked and sexy. Like a blonde Fonz." The boob-tube addicted young woman named Miho watched far too many old 70s TV reruns in between her soap operas and sappy channel for women serials.

"Poor widdle darling, Dukey. 'Vivian baby' wants to play with you too, Sugar. Even if I don't know where the heck I am. Boy, am I gonna kill Mai for dragging me into this! Sigh. At least we're all here together. Right, Dukey-baby? Woo-hoo. You're cute, even if you're having a majorly bad haircut day! Ooh, I should talk! But I guess I always did look hot in green! Still gotta get used to you in orange."

"Orange?" Duke jumps up, his vanity tussled. He had been lying upon Vivian Wong's green silk lap and naturally flowing voluptuous curves with chiffon billowing around his snuggly head softly.

Duke shakes his wild shock of orange flaming hair, trying to recall how he got here amid fellow duelist Vivian Wong's rather daring see-through wisps of what could be called a skirt. It coordinated with the deep green shade of her hair that definitely gave the Asian woman an exotic look, akin to a Chinese dragon.

"Miho?! You look just like a beautiful angel!" Tristan exclaims as Miho's amply filled out V-neck Grecian dress and waves of sky blue hair bounce above his yellow head.

It sends chills up and down Tristan Taylor's spine that he actually beat suave Duke Devlin at being an impressive flirt this time.

Just then, partners in crime Hermos and Criteus enter the room.

"Oh great. Don't trip over your fellow geeks when you losers finally get the right end of the helmets to look out of, Wheeler. They're splattered all over the floor. Again." Seto Kaiba cut quite an intimidating figure in his dark navy and silver Atlantean knights outfit.

"Aww!#?#$!%#! This t'ing sucks! How did Hermos ever see where he was going wit dis tin can on his head?! Ouch! Dang blasted no good—!"

"Joey! Seto!" Serenity Wheeler's voice immediately rings out crystal clear when she recognized the two most important men in her life. She, a true believer, never even paused to doubt who either was. Her heart and soul sensed both of them the moment the blue knight Criteus and the red knight Hermos entered the large chamber's brightly lit cavern where she had comfortably awakened upon several soft layers of fleece and blankets and sheets.

Miho and Vivian, as well, had found upon coming to, much food and drink and warmth and provisions, all amply provided for them, as if this is some kind of sanctuary where they would be kept safe.

Who does Serenity run to first?

Him. Joey's jaw drops as well as his open arms when a weeping Serenity flies past him into Seto Kaiba's blue armored knight's arms under that stylish cape mantle.

Oh nice. Joey hmphs dejectedly about being thrown to the wind by his once adoring kid sister.

He was getting used to it though, even all the hugging – and kissing – yuck! Joey almost, almost, mind you! - did not care for seeing Seto Kaiba's arms around his sister.

Protectively, lovingly Kaiba was embracing Serenity in a way that prove to Joey once and for that maybe the cold rock machine of a stuck-up millionaire businessman really was a human. And, just the same as he, could feel what it meant to love a woman as he did.

Joey's eyes, all while they were arguing, never stopped darting around the room since he entered, looking for a certain someone who could fit his bill.

"Looking for me, Big Boy?" Just a deep sound of her sultry voice washes over Joey's consciousness like a beacon of light in the fog. The emotions the man's macho self always tried to cover up was so overcome that the dam breaks open. The tears forming in his eyes when he thought she wasn't here in this time spill over.

Now Joey's tears flow freely, knowing she was safe and alive, even before he turns around to see his Mai Valentine was real.

"Mai, you're all right." Joey whimpers through his hard-fought tears as he spins around to find his beautiful blonde vixen had been transformed into a beautiful brunette vixen in a rather leg revealing skirt.

But either way, Red Knight Joey grabs the woman and strokes her black curls before grasping hold of her shoulders and hugging her body to his chest passionately. Joey did not know there was anyone else present in the room, not anything else going on in the world at this moment but him and his Mai.

"I thought I lost ya back in Egypt." Joey starts bawling, embracing Mai's still explosively busty body so tight that her pointy armored cone shaped brassiere left poked marks upon his red armored chest.

"Never again, hon. Remember what we promised? You can't get away from me that easily." Mai, though feeling weak of body, did not feel one bit faint of spirit as she lands quite a hot kiss on Joey Wheeler's wobbly lips.

She removes his disliked helmet during the osculation and throws it passionately down to the ground with just as much disdain Joey felt for the constricting device so their hot kiss was not disrupted.

"Let's make it official when dis is all done, eh Mai?" Joey, lacking breath in this moment, forgets everyone around him, even his own puffed up pride, as he kind of makes a sort of kind of marriage proposal. Did I just say dat aloud? No way?!" "

"…Aww…"

Miho, Tristan and Duke – and Serenity would've too, had Kaiba not been making out with her 'oohing' lips at the moment – all had their mouths making big 'O' shapes at Joey's slipped in marriage proposal.

All ears grow two sizes bigger in search of Mai's inscrutable answer as this era's Vivian also enters in the background unnoticed.

"Put the SpaghettiOs away, kiddies." Mai, however, was aware of her audience, good or bad, and she chose to brush them all off – Joey as well. For now, anyway.

"Let me get back to you on that one, Handsome. When this is all settled, we'll see where the dust clouds fall, okay?" Mai whispers on Joey's cheek.

Sigh.

Miho and Tristan look at each other and sigh as they roll their eyes at the big anti-climatic, letdown romance scene while Duke tries to change the subject for poor pal Joey 's humiliated sake.

"If so, only half of us are here –" Tristan starts to reason aloud.

"The cooler half, mind you—" Duke interjects with a wink as he squeezes Vivian's teeny waist rather boldly.

And she liked it, if her dreamy smile curling around her lips was any indication.

"Then where is the rest of the gang?" Joey gets up enough of his pride back to ply the question.

"We better start a search party, then. Come on, Joey, Duke! Or should I say Red and Orange?" Duke smirks as he starts to question if he'd better stay to guard the girls or something cushy like that when Joey pipes in.

"Rich boy's got dat covered, right, Sir Criteus?" Joey's eyes meet Seto's dark blue, still helmeted ones with the dragon knight card moniker, still etched in his memory.

Kaiba grunts and nods as he pulls Serenity protectively close. But it was wearing his pride down to take orders from Wheeler, brother, fellow duelist, or Knight of Atlantis or no.

"Let's go." Joey's diverting eyes couldn't help but smile to Mai before he and Tristan and Duke endeavor into the cavern depths.

A pair of red eyes sparkle a smile back, with promises of gratitude for her knight in shining armor's caring and support, both much appreciated in this distant time and space…

August greetings, Yugi-oh friends!

Thanks for reading this next installment in our 'Atlantis' arc timeline! I hope you enjoyed our gang waking up in yet another era full of trouble and danger and loads of adventure too!

Bakura is Dartz' princely brother?

Dark Magician the Master Sorcerer of the realm with plans for Timaeus and the knights to perform a coup de tat rebellion?

Pegasus a political adviser of the King who's fallen under the control of the evil Orichalcos gems?

All 8 ladies part of the legendary 'Sisterhood of Dragons'?

What is in store for this exciting chapter?!

I'd love to hear your reviews of this fun story! See you again soon!

God bless,

Harukakou