The sun had set once and had risen again over Cairo, Egypt, lighting the way for merchants and children to wake up and
start the day. But there was one house in Cairo that slept none except for one dreaming soul. After the incident in the street
with the merchant, Joey and Tristan immediately brought her back to the house, her unconcious form nearly lifeless they at
first assumed.
She had been asleep for hours, her body not stirring any at all, not even for Yami who came to say his goodbyes before
venturing out that morning. He had no assurances that he'd return alive from his trek, explaining why he took a moment to
tell her farewell should he not come back. At the state she was in, Joey and Tristan feared that Reia was in a coma, but Yami
knew where she was. She was dreaming just as he had, and maybe one day those mysterious dreams could be deciphered, but for
now, they would remain an unsolved puzzle to uncover later.
Setting out shortly after dawn, Yami left the sanctity of Cairo on horseback and journeyed out into the desert near the
pyramids, in hopes of recovering his past. Though it seemed doubtful, there was a glimmer of chance that this "temple" hid
his secrets, and that was more than enough for him. Any chance at all was a risk he was willing to take. But at what cost...?
His hikari? His friends? Could he actually take a gamble on being separated from them forever...?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A soft moan penetrated the eerie silence and motion stirred as Joey shot up instantly to see Reia's eyes flutter a bit
until they opened. "Hey guys! I think she's waking up finally!"he shouted to his comrades and Reia's parents. "Mornin' angel!
Have a nice nap?"he teased, adding a sly smile.
"Did I pass out again?"she inquired sheepishly as the five around her nodded and she groaned. "Yeesh, this is getting embarassing...Where's
Yami?"
"He uhh..."Solomon started, almost nervously. "He went out earlier this morning, but not too long ago."
"By himself? He doesn't know his way around Cairo."she shot back, swinging her legs over her bed to stand up.
Solomon shared glances with Joey and Tristan, while Reia's parents were completely unaware of Yami's ancient heritage,
let alone his ties to Egypt at all. "He didn't go out into town, Reia. He went to the umm...the Pyramids."Tristan spoke up
with a grin, hoping that would erase the inquiries Reia had. But that wouldn't stop her curiosity.
"What?! He can't make it out there without a guide or anything. I'm going after him."As she stood up and started to reach
for her jacket, Solomon halted her by gripping her arm. "Let go, Solomon. I know this part of Egypt like the back of my hand."
He sighed in frustration and pulled her outside the room as she slipped her jacket on finally, curious of what plausible
excuse he had to stop her. "Reia, Yami didn't just go out to the Pyramids for a tour, he's looking for something, but I can't
explain exactly what. It's complicated, however dangerous. Please stay here where it is safe. You've fainted enough in the
past several days."
Reia looked down at her hands, clenching her fists together as if to burn off her anger, but when she looked back up at
the elder man, Solomon was surprised that she was smiling. "But that's just it, Solomon. I can't allow Yami to be unprotected
when I owe him my own life too. If he's in danger, I at least have to be at his side to prevent him from getting into trouble.
Now please, tell me exactly where he went."
She was stubborn and determined as always, Solomon noted to himself as he grinned in reply. "I can't guarantee that you'll
find him, but he's gone to the center of the Pyramids, and I warn you, it will be like a maze and you won't quite be able
to understand it should you get lost. Please take care, Reia."
"Come on, Solomon...you know me. I'm as careful as a psycho with a chainsaw." Winking to her friends, she ran down the
stairs and out into the streets of Cairo to head for the Pyramids. Asking an old friend for the favor of a horse, she mounted
and rode off into the desert to find Yami before he got himself into trouble.
Meanwhile, Yami had finally arrived in the center of the ancient tombs for Pharaohs of the past, but he knew none contained
his body. Had that been, it would have been recovered by now and he could return to his former self. However, it wasn't that
easy. Recalling the many mysterious and unsolved secrets buried within his memory, Yami had the inkling feeling that his body
wasn't even on this earth anymore, but had been done away with once he sealed himself inside his puzzle.
The more he thought about his past, the more confused he got. As if that wasn't enough, once in the very center of the
triangular memorials, massive rings of cliffs took shape around him, encasing him in a gigantic maze that he had no clue how
to navigate. He looked behind him to see a means of escaping this rat trap should he choose to run, the entrance apparently,
and he only hoped that once he got to the end of wherever this maze ended, he could find his way back.
...He hoped
Dismounting from this horse and wrapping the reigns around a cyllindrical boulder near the entrance, he started taking
his first steps into the abyss of this labyrinth. How long he would wander these endless trails, he would never know, all
he could come up with was that his past could be within its unrecently treaded paths. At least, that's what he was counting
on.
Again, he tried to recall within his vague memory if any of this seemed familiar. Like the gaping hole in the cliff to
his right, or the strange rock that emerged from atop the precipice and blocked incoming rays of sunlight. Unforutnately,
nothing came to mind, and he only continued to tread with just his determination and curiousity fueling his "adventure into
the unknown".
Upon arriving at the Pyramids, Reia caught a glimpse of a horse standing alone, who appeared free, but hung its head down
slightly as if tied to something. Dismounting carefully, Reia led her horse over to this peculiar sight and stroked the forehead
of the gentle creature, the black coated stallion nuzzling its nose against her. She smiled warmly and leaned down to see
just how this horse had stayed so still and hadn't dashed off further into the desert, or back to town, when her hand bumped
something. It felt like something had repelled her and had blocked her advances.
She raised her eyebrow curiously and looked to the carefree horses who only returned blank stares when the black one seemed
to gesture down again from where her hand had just been. "You want me to try again?"she asked, obviously not expecting an
answer when the two horses nodded their heads up and down in agreement. Exhaling in doubt, she shrugged. "What have I got
to lose?"
Taking in a deep breath, she reached out again, and to her surprise, her hand vanished until she pulled back. "What the?"
Reia looked back to the animals who urged her once more to do it again. Being brave, she extended her arm into the mysterious
"barrier", once again seeing it disappear. "Okay...I guess its safe. Will you two be all right?" The horses nodded enthusiastically
and she grinned in approval, stepping beyond the invisible wall to see gigantic cliffs surround her.
"Holy freakin' cow..."she said aloud in surprise, then looked down to see the reigns of the other horse attatched to a
slender boulder. "Well, I must be on the right track. Look out, Yami. Here I come."
Step after step, one whistling desert wind after another, Yami continued to press on through the dizzying maze he had gotten
himself into. He remembered Solomon telling him of the unfortunate tales Professor Hawkins' men had undergone - none of them
returning from their explorations on the very sands he walked upon. A chill ran up his spine at the thought of encountering
a rotting corpse when he made a turn, or maybe even something more shrilling would make him scream.
Him? Scream? Nah...
As if jynxed by his mind's own wanderings, once he rounded a corner, a pile of barely flesh covered bones rested against
the stony wall. Ragged and scathingly looking clothes hardly provided protection for the unfortunate soul who had met his
end in this maze. Yami managed to withold an uneasy feeling in his stomach and hurried past, praying that he wouldn't see
anything else like that. But knowing his luck, it would be likely he'd encounter more than his fair share.
/Yami.../
//Yes, Yugi?//
/...I'm nervous. Like I have a feeling something bad's gonna happen. Don't you feel it?/
Yami sighed in response to his light's concern, a sense of understanding for Yugi's anxiousness flooding him. Taking a
moment to enter their joined minds, he saw Yugi sitting on the steps inside Yami's chamber, the young one apparently shaking
in nervousness.
"Little Yugi..."Yami spoke to his hikari in the softest, yet brotherly tone in his voice as he stroked away the little
one's golden bangs. "You have nothing to fear. I am using the utmost caution and besides, if what your grandfather said was
true, the secrets of my past should lie at the end of this maze."
Yugi sniffled and wiped his jacket sleeve over his eyes to brush away the oncoming tears. "I know, but still, its not just
you or me I'm nervous for. What if without you, Reia will get hurt? She doesn't know where you are, and you've been her pillar
of strength the past several days. For all we know, she could be in an alley dead."
The darker half's eyes angled downward at Yugi's disbelief in their new friend, afraid that she couldn't take care of herself
without him there to always catch her when she stumbled. However, Yugi did have a point. Taking everything that had happened
recently into account started to worry him, and he thought that maybe he should turn around and head back while he still had
the chance so he could be with Reia. But then, what about his past? He couldn't just toss that aside and forget his heritage,
to forever enslave Yugi as his vessel for existence.
Why did these kinds of decisions have to happen to him? Frankly, they seemed to often be of life and death situations.
It would take a far wiser man to make a conclusion on this matter, and Yami didn't even think to consider himself equal to
the task.
"Yugi I...I don't know what to do anymore. This is all so confusing."Yami replied, sinking to his knees against the walls
within his chamber. It was as if his mind was another maze all together, and he couldn't navigate it any more. Not now that
he was boggled with questions he felt he could never answer, even with someone's help.
Yugi looked up from his faint sobbing and saw his shadowy other self shake, arms atop his knees to shield his face from
Yugi's gaze. "Yami, please don't cry. You'll make me tear up again." he tried to say, with a certain lightness in his voice.
"I know its getting harder and harder as we go, all the decisions we're facing, but that's it. We're getting through them
together, and you know that I'll always be there to help you, just like you are here to help me when I need you."
Yami finally lifted his head high enough to look at his hikari whom had extended a hand out to him, and had a smile placed
on his innocent face. "Let's take a little walk, Yami."Yugi suggested, Yami nodding as he rose to his feet with his light's
assistance.
"Hey, Yami...?"the little one's voice spoke up, Yami looking his way as they ventured throughout the maze of a chamber.
"It may not be any of my business, but about you and Reia...Its just that, whenever you two are together, I sense this feeling...or
maybe even an emotion eminating from your mind to my own. Like a connection, you know?"
"A connection is hardly it, Yugi..."Yami replied. "More than that."
"Think its maybe...dare I say it, love?"Yugi asked, a blush dashing for his cheeks as he saw Yami's expression not alter
in the slightest bit. He surely thought that would send Yami's emotions sky-rocketing.
On the contrary, it did. Yami's heart raced and his insides felt as if they were tying themselves into tight knots at the
mention of Reia's name, and they tightened even more when Yugi even dared to suggest that he was in love with her. It was
a possibility, that much Yami knew, but he wasn't sure yet. There were still so many mysteries to uncover about her, not to
mention himself, and he couldn't start a relationship when he didn't know much about himself to begin with. Best to start
off with a clear memory that can actually remember the way to the movie theatere right? (A/N: Note to all guys taking their
girls on dates. Remember how to get to movie theateres!! If you don't, you can expect your date to be hoppin out of the car
at the next stop light and calling a cab. lol)
"I don't know yet just how I feel about her, Yugi. More like a sacred oath is what draws me to her...to protect her, which
I havn't done very well at lately."Yami finally said, breaking the few moments of silence Yugi feared to be moments of anger
and frustration. "All these feelings and emotions did come at a bad time though." Yami mused, chuckling a little. "I already
have enough on my mind, she was the last thing I needed."
Yugi smiled warmly and took Yami's hand, holding it tight with a brotherly love flowing him his fingers and into his other
self's soul. "You'll figure it all out soon, Yami. Trust me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh dear, God!!!"Reia shrieked behind her mouth as she stumbled upon the rotting body Yami had encountered earlier. The
sight sickened her and she quickly ran ahead to avoid having to look at it anymore. She never wanted to see anything like
that again, but then she saw something up ahead.
It was a distant figure, walking slowly, but seemed to know where they were going. Reia feared that the desert heat was
beginning to affect her eyes and she was witnessing her first mirage since childhood, but when that figure just continued
to walk straight ahead, she had an inkling she knew who it was. A smile came across her lips and she went on with that figure
primarily on her mind, and she would follow it wherever it led - which she hoped would be to the end.
"Yami,"Yugi spoke up again to his darkness after some more chatter about unsolved myseteries between them. "Open your eyes
and look ahead. I think we've lost track of what we were doing..."
In immediate response, Yami's red violet orbs shot open, and there in magnificent wonder stood an enormous temple carved
out of the cliff's stone walls. Fairly intricate statues stood outside and urged, but also forbade entrance into the temple's
sacred grounds. Yami's mouth dropped open as he stood there in amazement of what he saw in front of him.
//Yugi, how on earth did we get through the maze and to the temple when I wasn't even looking?//
Yugi giggled. /I was apparently paying better attention to what Grandpa had to say earlier when he mentioned that the maze
would be much like the maze in our puzzle. If we could navigate it, we could find our way through this maze, and that we did./
Yami smiled and embraced Yugi in a "shoulder hug" as a thank you. //Thanks, Yugi. I guess I need to stop dreaming about
nachos and other such things and pay attention to what he says.//
/He he...let's do it, Yami!/
Chapter 20 - "Hidden Temple"
Faint, howling winds whistled past him and into the temple as he stood there, surveying the surroundings carefully. He
would have to be on his guard, that much was certain. He took on a look of determination as he prepared to step forward and
get closer to the entrance when a familiar voice halted his advance.
"Yami, wait up!" the sweet voice rang clear to his ears.
He turned around to see Reia, and apparently she had followed him to the hidden temple. "Reia! What are you doing here?!"
"Don't be mad, but Solomon told me, so I followed you here." she replied meakly, stepping closer to him, and glancing towards
the stairs that led into the forbidding place.
"That still doesn't explain why you're here though, Reia." he said firmly.
She grinned and chuckled quietly. "To be honest, I thought you may need some protection, so I figured I'd accompany you
as your body guard."
He seemed now to almost be glaring at her, clearly angered by his appearance of needing to be watched over like a baby.
"I can take care of myself, you know. I'm not a child." Her face was gentle and sincere as she gazed upon him, seeing frustration
written all over him.
"I know, but I was also curious why you would come here. Solomon didn't tell me."
Yami took in a deep breath, not wanting to tell her his very little knowledge about himself, but there was nothing he could
do. Once a mortal entered, they couldn't exit without an immortal, and if he escorted her outside the entrance, she'd get
lost in the maze for sure.
"This may all come as a shock to you, Reia. So prepare yourself for anything." She nodded and then urged him on. "I am
a five thousand year old spirit that was once a Pharaoh, and I ruled over Egypt. But when all hell broke loose, my soul took
residence inside the Millenium Puzzle. Thanks to Yugi, he set me free and helped me discover my former identity. But still
over all this time that I have bonded with him, I have not yet fully un-covered all the secret's of my past, and here in this
temple is where I hope to find my answers."
He stopped and looked at her. She didn't show any look of shock or disbelief, just one of intrigue and curiosity. Yami
quirked an eyebrow at her surprising appearance. "You mean you actually believe me?" he said dumbfoundedly.
"Why shouldn't I believe you? It all sounds true to me." she replied as she took a few brave steps forward, closing in
on the temple entrance.
"Wait, Reia!" Yami shouted, grabbing her by the arm and halting her advance. "This is all too dangerous. I can't let you
risk yourself when I don't even know what lies beyond those stone walls."
Reia glanced down at the firm grasp he still had on her arm, obviously not intending to let go until she agreed, but instead
she smirked. "Yami, as much as I appreciate your concern, I can take care of myself too. Besides, I still owe you from when
you got those jerks off me back in Domino. So consider my company paying you back for what you did."
Yami grinned knowingly at her and released his tight grip on her arm. "You're as stubborn as me." he commented, following
her to the stairs, leading up to the dark entrance. "Reia, one last thing."
They stopped at the last step and looked at one another as Yami prepared to speak. "Solomon spoke of an ancient curse that
has been cast upon this place, and who knows what the curse could do, so please, stay close to me. I don't want you falling
victim to the evil that may lurk inside."
Her eyes widened in surprise at his sincerity, but nodded in approval as they approached the eerie entrance, stepping inside.
The two glanced around the vast chamber, their eyes growing accustomed to the dim light as they scanned its corners and shadows
for anything they could consider formidable.
Their feet lightly shuffled over the rocky floor, hearing faint rustling sounds when Yami's foot bumped into a portrusion
erupting from the temple's base. Their ears perked at the haunting rumble of stone grinding against stone, as Reia pushed
him out of the way when a massive boulder plummeted down to the surface, just feet away from the duo.
Yami and Reia panted wildly, the ancient spirit's eyes beholding the giant rock that could've been his doom had it not
been for her. "See? What'd I tell ya? You do need my protection." Reia teased.
"Thank you, Reia. Don't know what I'd do without you at my side." She smiled sweetly, and urged him on, each of them now
paying closer attention to where they walked.
Reia then looked straight ahead and saw a large gap that divided the room in two. On the other side was a long and dark
corridor, lined with torches. A chill ran up her spine at the fact that there were torches in this apparently 'hidden temple'.
That meant that at least someone had to be here, or perhaps this place really was cursed.
Caught up in her curiosity, Reia didn't realize that her foot was coming down on a raised stone from the floor. "Reia,
stop!!!" Yami's voice commanded, her body freezing stiff as her foot barely rested on the stone. "Don't move at all." She
swallowed hard and sweat began to pour down her face as Yami gently wrapped his arms around her waist, almost affectionately
catching an awkward stare from Reia in the process. He brushed it off, and slowly pulled her to the side, her foot carefully
sliding away from the possible trap. She took a deep breath when at last they had cleared the scare.
"Well, that's another trap narrowly escaped." she said with a nervous chuckle.
"Barely though." Yami retorted in an almost frustrated tone. "Are you all right?"
Reia smirked at him and flipped her hair. "I'm an athlete, Yami. Of course I'm all right." He grinned at her cockiness,
then gazed back over the massive gap that was between them and the opposite end of the chamber.
As they approached the edge, Reia spoke up. "I guess we could jump it."
"Not with this we won't have to." he pointed out, gesturing towards the rope that was to the left of him.
She stood there a moment as Yami reached out for it. "Uhh...Yami. Don't you think it's a little odd for the convenience
of a rope just dangling from the ceiling in a rigged temple?!"
He turned his head to look at her, grinning as he did so. "Fine, I'll test it first to make sure it's safe." Reia's eyes
narrowed slightly as he grabbed the rope and gave it a yank. She shielded her head for the worst, but after a few moments,
she heard him chuckle and opened her eyes. "Heh, come come now, Reia. Not everything in a rigged temple is a trap-"
He was cut off in mid-sentence as the ground they stood on broke free from the floor and moved to the center of the gap,
the rope seemingly following them. Once they finally stopped, Reia clicked her tongue at the very embarressed Yami.
"Hmmm...not everything's a trap ehh? Well I wonder what that was. A sign from Ra?" she said, trying to imitate the deepness
of Yami's voice.
When Yami noticed the rope was still dangling next to him, he looked up into a gaping darkess, perhaps concealing something
else. "Actually Reia, I think it was."
"What the heck do you mean by that? You're not saying that this rope that just brought us into the center of a gap we can't
possibly cross actually leads somewhere...?" she said, her emerald orbs again narrowing.
Yami glanced back at her with a nervous grin as he took hold of the rope, preparing to climb. "If I say yes, will you hurt
me?"
She shook her head in frustration and spoke. "No, I'll just say you're insane. Lead the way, brilliant one." she said in
reluctance as Yami sighed heavily, hoisting himself up the rope, Reia following, though with much difficulty and pain from
her shoulder injury.
As he climbed, Yami tried to distract himself from the eeriness around him with communication. "I honestly believe up here
is where we need to be. Why else would this rope be here?"
"Well duh, to trick people into thinking its the way to another place or dimension." Reia said stupidly as Yami laughed.
"But I hope you're right."
He chuckled from above her and glanced down at her as she climbed, seeing her amazing strength and grip on the rope. "Don't
worry, Reia. I'll protect you from the evils that may be among this place."
"Oh now I feel real safe." she replied with obvious sarcasm, making Yami laugh again. She smiled up at him, watching him
hoist his weight further and further up the endless rope. "You're not afraid are you?"
"Ha! Me, a one time pharaoh afraid? Never. Nothing scares me." he said cockily turning his gaze slightly upward to see
a skeleton staring down at him as he screamed.
Due to his fright, his grip began to slip and he couldn't hold himself in his position, when finally it came completely
loose and he started plummeting towards the surface. Reia tried to grab him, but he fell too quickly and landed on his back,
groaning in pain.
"Yami!" she yelled down at him, immediately letting herself glide back towards him on the rope. When she reached the floor,
she knelt beside him and lifted him slightly so she could provide some relief of the tension that was building in the muscles
of his back. "Yami answer me, are you all right?"
His eyes flickered for a moment and again he moaned in agony. "Let's just say, I've had better falls. Yeah, I think I'm
all right. Just need a few moments to get my strength back."
"And this is coming from the guy who just claimed he wasn't afraid of anything. Rrrrriiiight." Reia reminded him teasingly.
He grimaced once more and spoke. "I never had any good encounters with skeleton's." he said, his eyes narrowing up at the
gaping and empty orbs of the thing that nearly cost him his life. But his sharp gaze was suddenly softened when he felt smooth
and gentle touches lightly brush his chest. They were coming from Reia, and she apparently didn't notice that he was staring
at her again, carefully studying and memorizing every inch of her face, when at last he broke the silence.
"I just realized something, Reia."
Reia glanced back down at him and added a heart warming smile. "What? That you are insane?"
"That you're insanely beautiful." She immediately flushed a bright pink as Yami welcomed the embarrassed look, reaching
up behind her neck, preparing to bring her closer. As their eyes closed and their lips edged closer, a sudden shift from beneath
caused them to halt their advances in utter confusion. Then, the section of floor that had transported them to the center
of the chamber began to push upwards, the duo looking on in terror.
"It's going to crush us into the ceiling!!" Reia shrieked, clinging to Yami as they continued moving closer and closer
to their inescapable ends.
