"Kendra, it's me Atem I wanted to talk to you and apologize about before, so please wake up" he said taking her cold hand into his, stroking it gently as he spoke.
'Who am I kidding, she's not going to wake up just because I'm here, no one could wake her, so who am I to succeed after having caused her so much pain' Atem thought as his gaze fell to the floor in defeat.

"Kendra, I know you may not believe me after what has happened but I love you. If you can here me, I want you to know just how much I love you. You're a strong girl and the world isn't ready to loose you yet...I'm not ready to loose you yet" Atem said as he looked back at her, reaching out he gently brushed a few locks of hair from her face. A drop of salty liquid landed on his outstretched arm, only then did he realize that he was crying. Leaning over, Atem hugged Kendra's motionless body to him as tears streamed down his face.

"Kendra I love you, please wake up" he mumbled over and over for what seemed like hours. After weeping over her cold body Atem's crying ceased with a firm resolve wake her. Standing from his position he closed his eyes tapping into the power of the millennium puzzle which hung about his neck, upon opening his eyes he found himself in a garden with a single white alabaster bench sitting at its center, on the bench sat a beautiful woman and a child who could have been no older than five years old.

The events that followed progressed through the young girl being torn from her mother by a guard and taken away screaming for her mother. A man clad in all black slit her mother's throat a devilish gleam in his eyes as he went to follow the guard who was now rushing away with the crying girl in his arms.
Not a moment later did Atem witness the Pharaoh of lower Egypt holding the crying child whilst looking at the destruction which had become of the palace.
"Kendra" her name fell from his lips hoarsely as he thought of how dreadful it must have been to have been ripped away from her mother like that. His heart ached for the girl. The scene shifted and Atem now saw a older Kendra dressed in a simple white gown looking at her reflection in a small pond.

Her eyes were hollow and full of longing as her delicate fingers traced the water's surface, causing ripples to shatter its previous stillness.
"So beautiful yet so easily broken" Kendra whispered as she gazed through the ripples. "A flower is very fragile mi lady" a woman, presumably the chamber maid, said smiling at the young girl.
"Ah true but many flowers, like roses have thorns in which to protect their beauty" Pharaoh said as he entered the garden.
"Thorns? Surely father those small thorns won't protect the flower, all that need be done is remove them" Kendra said.
"Yes that is true but the true thing that protects the beauty of the flower isn't it's thorns, but its master. It grows beautiful to please its master and earn praise, the master cares and tends to it and undoubtedly protects it as he had put so much love into making her beautiful" Pharaoh said smiling at his daughter.
"But still those flowers fade, and the master sadened, is he not?" Kendras asked.
"Yes, those flowers still fade, their beauty extinguished from the world, and though the master strived to protect them he at least ensured their breif moment in the grace of the sun, proudly displaying its beauty for all to see. The sadness doesn't stay though, as the memories remain vivid for the master" Pharaoh said.
"Mother faded too fast, her beauty wasn't protected as it should have been" Kendra muttered sadly, "and those thorns did nothing to save her"
"Your mother's thorns were used to save her precious flower, whose thorns hadn't grown yet, and petals hadn't unfurled" Pharaoh said running his fingers through his daughter's hair affectionately.

"How did he become so hostile against her, surely he'd loved her then" Atem said to himself as he watched the scene change to that of an even older Kendra, her hair braided loosely, she sported simple silk pants and a vest. She was climbing over the edge of a balcony sliding down onto the roof top below, she gracefully ran across them to the outer palace walls where she scaled down and landed gracefully in the market. Smiling and greeting people as she passed Kendra made her way to a small house and knocked on the door, for a young man to open.

"Princess!" he exclaimed in shock.
"Nikolas, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Kendra? I swear, one of these days I'm going to knock you into the Nile" Kendra scolded a pout affixing itself to her face.
"Again you mean" Nikolas said grinning, "knock me into the nile again" he said to calrify his statement for the confused look in which she had given him.
Kendra laughed and followed him into his house. Though in the past Atem couldn't help to feel some jealousy to their encounter, she had snuck out of the palace to be with this boy.
"How's your mother?" Kendra asked as she glanced around the house taking in the fact that they were alone.
"She's feeling much better now, thanks to you. Right now she's taking Kiri for a walk out to the gardens" Nikolas said smiling "They should have waited for me, I want to go too" Kendra said pouting only to get bonked on the head by a grinning Nikolas.
"They didn't know you were coming otherwise I'm sure they would have waited" Nikolas said "I know but still" Kendra said sticking her tongue out defiantly. Nikolas mirrored her by sticking his tongue out, they both glared at each other before bursting into laughter.
"Nikolas, I hear your training starts tomorrow" Kendra said her tone suddenly sombre.
"Yeah, I'm going to be a part of the royal guard and I'll be able to protect you and everything else in this place that I cherish" Nikolas said reassuringly.
"It's dangerous you know" Kendra said her gaze falling the the floor.
"So is being a female monarch, and heir to the throne" Nikolas said "Yeah but I have no choice in that, you don't have to go looking for trouble" Kendra said "Trouble will find me wherever I go. It has a way of finding people when they least expect it, at least this way I'll be able to fight it" Nikolas said "But with would-be assassins, rival nations and rebel uprisings...there's no way, I won't allow it" Kendra said eyes meeting his "I'm going to start my training whether you approve or not" Nikolas said "Is there nothing I can do?" Kendra asked looking rather hopeless.

"Of course there's something you can do. Become a great leader who everyone adores and admires so that there will be no assassins, rebellions and rival nations will be trying to better themselves as opposed to eliminating you. And when you succeed we can sit on the palace walls without a care in the world and by then I'll be a strapping young soldier with a sword at my side wherever I go and no need to use it" Nikolas said laughing at his last statement. Kendra stared at him for a moment before a broad smile broke out on her features and she nodded.
"Why of course I'll be a leader like that, but until then you make sure and don't get yourself killed" Kendra said seriously.
"Princess I do believe it's time you should be heading back to the palace, your father may go into hysterics if he goes to fetch you and your chambers don't contain you" Nikolas said pointing to the door in an regal manner causing Kendra to laugh.
"Yes my good sir, I do believe you are correct, as of late my father has been quite adamant about me being where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be" Kendra said causing Nikolas to laugh as he shook his head and opened the door for her gesturing for her to get going.
"Nik I'm serious. Don't die" Kendra said locking eyes with his for a moment.
"Of course Princess, I could never disobey an order from you" Nikolas said "now go" he said giving her a little nudge out the door. Kendra gave a small wave as she ran off into the city, her destination the palace.

Atem sighed as his jealousy abated and spilled into the next of Kendra's recollections. Kendra seemed to be a year older and she was brought in escorted by two guards to stand before her father.
"Neferteri, you deliberately disobeyed me. I specifically said not to leave the palace and where do I find you? Gallivanting around like some street urchin" Pharaoh said.
"Well technically you didn't even find me, these nice guards found me" Kendra said no hint of humour in her voice.
"Do you delight in making me worry about you?" Pharaoh asked.
"Do you even worry about me, or is it your reputation you worry about?" Kendra asked tone flat.
"You aren't a child anymore Neferteri. It's time you stopped acting like one and begin preparing yourself for successing the throne. You have been neglecting your lessons in order to play with peasants in the streets, that is no way for a princess to behave" Pharaoh said.
"I'll stop acting like a child when you stop treating me like one. Father I've done all my studies, I know the lessons better than the teachers you've employed. You just don't wish me to associate freely with the people, OUR people. They're not just peasants father" Kendra said.
"How dare you speak to me with such disrespect" Pharaoh said "Unlike you father my respect is given to those who deserve it" Kendra stated.
"That's it, to your chambers now! Don't so much as think of setting foot outside them else you'll see how little respect I deserve in full" Pharaoh said. Kendra huffed and stormed out of the room towards her cringed at the argument and his thoughts glazed over how Kendra had met him, a disillusioned Pharaoh believing his people who were un turmoil were fine the way the were.

Atem followed to see Kendra punching pillows in her room making him chuckle a bit despite himself. The proud and sophisticated woman he'd come to know had a pout set upon her face as she punched pillows in her attempts at sating her frustrations.
"Why won't he see reason, where did those ideals that he and my mother once shared go?" Kendra yelled as she let her hands fall to her sides.
"Oh he just makes me so mad sometimes!" Kendra yelled standing on her bed only to get her feet tangled in the sheets and fall to the side, knocking a vase over as she did so. Atem rushed to her side only to realize that he could do nothing for the Kendra in her memories. Kendra sat up hand bleeding from the broken vase and looked at the blood as it slowly trailed down her arm. She looked to the broken fragments of the vase lying beside her and grasped one in her hand it's jagged edges digging into her flesh as her grip tightened on it.

"Kendra don't do this to yourself" Atem begged as he watched her drag the bloody fragment across her wrist. A knock was heard at the door and Kendra quickly hid the shard in a box on her night stand and brushed herself off. The chamber maid entered and looked at the mess Kendra had gotten herself into and quickly went about wrapping her wounds, assuming that it had been an accident, a result of falling off the bed and not self-inflicted. Atem shut his eyes and when he opened them he was back in his palace, Kendra was tending her horse whilst a smiling Krissan sat a top Sakura's back grooming her mane.

"Kendra, you'll stay here with me right?" Krissan asked.
"Well I have duties elsewhere but I'll try to come and visit again" Kendra said.
"But don't you like it here?" Krissan asked.
"Of course I do, everyone has been great to me" Kendra said.
"Then why can't you stay here, come back after you've finished with your duties. I'm sure the Pharaoh won't mind" Krissan said with pleading eyes.
"Krissan, I can't tell you why but I have a life bound commitment back home and even if I could up and abandon all my responsibilities I could never abandon all those of whom I cherish. My father is a stubborn man but I love him, I love him so much even despite how hard-headed he may act at times. I have friends who are very dear to me that I wouldn't dream of leaving. You have become a very good friend of mine and I'll hold you close to my heart always but you have to understand, this isn't my home" Kendra said.
"I understand, but can you at least try to visit. Even if not for my sake, Pharaoh Atem has changed so drastically under your influence and he cares about you. Wouldn't you consider-" Krissan was cut off by a hug from Kendra.
"I love you so much, don't let my last memory of you be a sorrowful one. We meet many people on this road of life, we'll meet friends, rivals, enemies and lovers all along the same road but meeting doesn't come alone, for wherever meeting goes, parting is sure to follow. And no matter how far we may go along our own paths, our memories are what bind us, our memories are the threads that keep us close even when we're moons apart" Kendra said smiling as she tightened her embrace before looking down at Krissan who was smiling through her tears.
"I'll make sure to remember you Kendra, I'll make sure to remember until you come back to make more memories with me" Krissan said and then hugged Sakura "you too Sakura" she mumbled into Sakura's mane.

Atem smiled as he witnessed the memory as it faded into another one of Kendra standing before an apparition from the shadow realm once again in his palace which made him curious as he watched the scene unfold.
"What ails you my child?" Tsuki asked in a motherly tone. "I ran away from home again, posed as a commoner, fought palace guards, acted as a sister to a young servant child, fell in love with the Pharaoh of middle Egypt, haven't reached north Egypt yet, I don't want to leave Atem and Krissan, and did I mention I fell in love with the Pharaoh!" Kendra asked in dismay "Worse of them all, they know me for me; but they don't know who I am"
Atem's heart lifted as he heard of Kendra's love for him and wondered where the conversation would lead but the memory faded into one of Kendra in the Temple of Ra praying.

"Oh great and powerful Ra, Lord of our lives, creator of this world and the next; I beg you to please forgive my selfishness and allow me to tell Atem the truth without the fear of him hating me. I know that whatever is the outcome is my own fault and I shall not curse you for it. I beg you for the courage and strength to tell him the truth and move on" she said. the memory quickly progressed and Atem recognized it as the day the guard had come to retrieve Kendra.

"This is Lady Kendra Neferteri Alansia, of Lower Egypt" Sandra stated. Atem's eyes grew wide and looked down to Kendra's still crying form.
"Is this true?" he asked receiving only a nod from the woman he had come to know and trust.
"You lied to me all this time? And not only me, everyone here?" Atem asked again taking a step back from her. Another nod followed by many more tears.
"I'm so sorry Atem, I tried to tell you...I just hated being ruled by my title...I never meant to hurt you...or anyone. I was just trying to get away from the hypocrites of my family...I never meant for any of this to have happened" she cried.

Atem's heart wretched as he looked at himself turn his back on Kendra in hatred "Sandra take Lady Neferteri home, she has over stayed her welcome here" his words echoed in his head long after he'd heard them in the memory.
"Why did I say that to her, how could I have done that to her" Atem cursed himself as he faded into Kendra's next memory.

"Get out! You are no daughter of mine!" He yelled. Kendra seemingly unfazed by her fathers antics turned and headed for the door; pausing she turned around and looked at her still raging father.
"Don't expect me to come back" she stated simply to be met by her father bellowing for her to leave his chambers. The memory instantly shifted to that of Kendra her face wet with tears and her skin pale. "What've I go to loose" she stated softly pulling a slim silver blade from beneath her bed and proceeded to slice into her wrists. Blood began to seep from her flesh and soak into the sheets around her.
Atem's stomach churned with self loathing as he watched the woman he loved drag a blade across her delicate skin blood spilling from the parted flesh in unending rivulets of sorrow. The memories ended as Atem pulled himself out of her mind tears once again flowing down his cheeks.

"It's my fault" he whispered "I'm so sorry Kendra...so very sorry."

A/N: I'm truly sorry again for my lengthy absence and I want to thank all the readers who've waited for my story for this long.
I know that the Millennium Key is the one which opens ones mind to others, however I couldn't think of a way to sensibly write Shade into the story.

You know I have been scarcely updating on fanfiction. I've been so lacking in the motivation area starting stories left right and centre and leaving them all haphazard and even though it's summer I just can't seem to finish and upload any chapters. I thought for sure this story was going to be left unfinished but then I read over the reviews I had gotten and I was so happy that people liked my story and that they were actually waiting to see more from my it that I upped and wrote out this chapter, it took me a while to get back into the swing of things but I think I've managed to continue the story how I would have wanted to since the last time I updated. Now that I've gotten this chapter out I'll set to work working on the next chapter. I don't know how soon I can get it out but When I read over your reviews I get really inspired to continue writing and I just wanted to thank you all for sticking in there with me for all this time.