Disclaimer: I don’t own Yu-Gi-Oh! I just write about it.

Chapter Two

Memories from the Waves

After the fever incident, the ride went back to normal. The powerful steam engine plowed down the tracks well into the night and into the early morning hours. The four duelists slept soundly in their compartment, with the exception of a couple of short stops that sent Joey flying onto the floor. 

 Finally, the train came to the station in the port of a small Indian town. People of all different races stood in the bayside market place, trying to barter and trade for the best prices on the fresh caught fish from that morning. The freshmen class found this to be very exciting and interesting. They too, went into the crowds and tried to barter for goods. They had one hour before they had to go to the fairy, so shopping was one thing that everyone wanted to do.

“This is perfect.” Téa told the others as they walked through the crowed streets. “I can get all my shopping done now for my family and I won’t have to worry about it later.”

Tristan put his hands behind his head. “And let me guess, that will give you more time to ‘check out guys’?”

Turning a shade of red, the girl bit her lip. “He got ya there.” Joey couldn’t help but add.

Yugi and Tristan laughed as they watched Téa give chase after Joey, her fists raised and ready to strike him down. “Those two will never learn.” Yugi smirked out.

Nodding in agreement, the brown haired teen turned towards one of the street shops. “Hey, you wanna help me find something for my mom? I promised that I would bring her back something.”

“No thanks. I think I’m gonna go down to the docks and check out the scenery. You can see the pyramids from here.” Yugi explained, causing his friend to smile. “And besides,” He added, holding up a camera,  “I promised Grandpa I would get some pictures for him. He hasn’t seen Egypt in such a long time.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you at the fairy okay?”

“Great! See ya later Tristan.”

“See ya.”

As Yugi turned to head towards the roads that would take him to the sea, an unsettling breeze rushed past him. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, he continued onward.

A young woman turned from one of the buyer’s tables and stared at Yugi as he ran off. “That boy’s friend called him Yugi.” She murmured under her breath. Flinging her violet locks over one of her shoulders, she watched as he turned the corner and disappeared. “Hum? I wonder…” She stated aloud as she too turned and headed towards the sea.

Walking out of one of the many alleyways that attached the town together, Yugi was met with the site of the ocean. The waves gently lapped onto the shore, washing away the top layer of sand and swept it out to sea. There were some large boulders scattered along the coast at seemed very out of place. Off in the horizon, the site of the Great pyramids and the city of Cairo could be seen. No one was around, making the site even better than Yugi could have ever dreamed.

As the waves continued to wash up, Yugi sat down and removed his shoes and socks so as not to get them full of sand. Then, he rolled up his pants up to his ankles to prevent them from getting wet. Coming to his feet, the duelist walked over to one of the massive boulders and hoisted himself atop of it.

“This is perfect.” He aloud to himself as he took a picture of the area. “Grandpa will love these pictures. The last time he was here was when he found my millennium puzzle.”

Placing his camera down onto the rock, Yugi jumped off and into the shallow surf. He laughed lightly to himself as he walked along, letting the water roll over his feet and splash his ankles. Although he rolled up his pants, it didn’t help much. They were still getting soaked.

“Oh, what the hell…” He shouted and broke into a run.

Yugi felt as if he had experienced his feeling before. Like he had been on this exact beach once a long time ago when he was really little. Stopping in his tracks, the boy let the ocean breeze caress his face gently. It almost wanted to tell him something, but he didn’t understand it.

Suddenly, he saw something off in the distance. It was an outline of a person, a girl to be precise. She had long flowing hair that came down to the back of her back. Her white sundress blew gently in the breeze and her platform sandals made her a bit taller than she probably was. A large straw hat covered her eyes so that her identity wouldn’t be revealed.

As the girl started a bit closer, Yugi couldn’t help but feel that he had seen her before. The way she moved and the way she held herself seemed vaguely familiar to him. But it was something that he couldn’t quit put his finger on.

Closing his eyes trying to think, something didn’t feel right. Yugi was starting to get that sick feeling like he had on the train. His head was beginning to pound and the clamminess of his hands was starting once more. Reopening his eyes, he saw that the girl had vanished. The sounds of the busy market were silenced and the beach had become wider. Staring around the scene before him, Yugi saw that city was completely gone. There was nothing but palm trees and sand. Lowering his head in thought, he quickly looked over towards where he saw Cairo before. That’s when horror stuck him. The skyscrapers were gone and were replaced with a magnificent stone city of pillars and buildings. The Great Pyramids were in the middle of construction, for half of the side was missing and were robed and such.

Yugi felt his heart stop. ‘It can’t be…’ He thought to himself as he out stretched his hand.

All of a sudden, the sound of someone calling his name broke his concentration on the picture in front of him. “Where are you? Yugi? Come on or else we’re going to miss the fairy!” Tristan called from behind.

Glancing back to see his friend waving him over, Yugi quickly looked back at the sea. But, the scene was gone.

Feeling his heart sink a bit, the boy turned and jogged back to where Tristan was waiting. “Hey Yugi. I got a great gift for my mother. Did you get the pictures you wanted?” He asked as Yugi climbed back onto the rock to gather his shoes, socks, and camera.

“Yea…I got them.” He murmured quietly.

Yugi’s friend raised an eyebrow at his sudden quietness. “You okay?”

“Yea. The sun’s just getting to me, that’s all.”                  

The fairy was a nice sized boat with seats and such for people to sit on either inside or on the deck. There was hardly anyone on the fairy who wasn’t dressed in a school uniform. A few couples and ship hands were all that were there.

Joey sat happily on one of the benches outside. “This has to be one of the greatest trips I have ever been on.” He announced as he stretched his arms over his head.

“For once in your life Joey, you’re right.” Tristan laughed. “This has to be one of the greatest things we’ve ever done.”

Téa and Yugi stood at the railing staring out at the ocean. The breeze brushed their faces softly as a bit of the salt spray hit their faces. They, along with most of the others in their class, hoped to see some dolphins. As they stayed concentrated on the water below them, Téa yelped with delight.  “Look Yugi! Dolphins! Right there!” She said happily, pointing into the clear blue water.

Sure enough, three large slick looking bottle-noised dolphins raced along side the boat. They were trying to race the ship as they breached from the ocean and dove gracefully back into its depths.  “They look so beautiful.” The girl stated, sighing.

Yugi nodded in agreement. As he watched the creatures playfully jump along side the ship, his mind began to wander. Glancing over towards the front of the ship, he saw something that he didn’t expect to see. There, standing a few feet down from where he was, was a lovely young woman. Her flowing violet hair brushed in the breeze gently as she stared out at the dolphins jumping and playing. She had a light tan color to her skin that seemed to make her blue eyes stand out even more. She work a white with pink rose printed sundress with sandals in order to stay cool in the heat of Egypt’s early summer.

The girl, a bit older than Yugi, laughed as the cool salt water splashed her lightly. This caused the boy to smile himself. That’s when it happened. The girl turned her head and came eye to eye with him. They both smiled at each other calmly as the boat continued to steam onward towards the shores of Cairo.

Moving away from her place against the railing, the teen made her way over to where Yugi and Téa stood. As she moved closer, a sudden gust of air caused something to fly out from her hand. She gasped as she watched her position glide away from her.

Seeing the card jump in front of him, Yugi quickly made a lunge for it. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the card and pulled it into safety. “Gottcha.” He murmured.

“Oh!” The girl stated as she ran up to him. “Thank you for catching that. I don’t know what I would have done without that card. It’s the strongest in my deck.” She exclaimed.

Grinning with a tinge of red of his cheeks, Yugi locked eyes with the woman. “You’re welcome. It was nothing.” Glancing down at the card, his eyes widened. “The Dark Magician? I have this card. I almost always play it when I duel.”

“You duel?” She asked as Yugi handed back her card.

“Does he duel?” Joey’s voice suddenly piped in, causing Yugi to turn even redder than before. Within moments, the blond haired, Brooklyn talking teen appeared at his friend’s side with a huge grin on his face. “Why, Yugi here is the best duelist in the world. He’s defeated almost every possible duelist out there. Now, if that isn’t good, than you tell me what is?”

The girl looked at Yugi in absolute aw. “Wow! I can’t believe I would meet such a skilled duelist all the way out here on a boat going to Cairo.” Extending her hand, she smiled. “I’m Artesia. It’s a pleasure to meet you Yugi.”

“Likewise.” Yugi replied as he locked in a handshake with Artesia.

“So,” the girl began, looking at the group behind the short youth. “Who are your friends?”

Smiling his usual big grin, the duelist turned so that he could introduce his friends. “This is Joey, Tristan, and Téa.” Yugi told Artesia.

The murmurs of ‘hellos’ were exchanged between them and then Artesia turned to look at Yugi again. “You guys here for a school trip?”

“Yea. We’re spending two weeks in Cairo.” Tristan explained. “It’s the freshmen class trip.”

Her face lighting up, Artesia clapped her hands together. “Really? That means you’ll be here for the Festival of Kings and the liniment.”

Raised eyebrows were spread about the group as they saw the girl’s sudden excitement. That’s when the light bulb went on in Yugi’s head. “I’ve heard about the alignment. But not the Festival of Kings.”

“What alignment are you talking about?” Tristan questioned, feeling a bit out of the loop.

Looking up at the sky, Artesia grinned. “For the first time in 5,000 years, all nine planets of the solar system will be aligned one directly behind the other creating a massive eclipse.”

Glancing upward into the sky as well, Joey raised a questionable eyebrow. “How long is it suppost to last?”

“One full hour.” Yugi told, sounding very sure. “My grandfather told me that the planetary alignment could cause some people to have strange things happen to them.” He added, thinking back to his dreams. The thought made him shutter lightly.

“It is a once and a lifetime experience. It last occurred back when Egypt was still under the rule of pharaohs.” Artesia explained. “That’s why the Festival of Kings is so big this year.”

Téa leaned against the cool metal railing. “What is the Festival of Kings?”

Smiling, the violet haired girl cleared her throat lightly. “It is when people who have the bloodline of the ancient kingdoms gather together and demonstrate rituals that were performed in the times of that kingdom.” Flinging her hair slightly, Artesia flashed a victory sign. “I’m a ceremonial dancer.”

The group of young duelist seemed pretty impressed. “What kingdom are you descended from?” Tristan wondered.

As she was about to answer, the captain’s voice came over the load speaker. “Attention passengers. We are now prepared to dock in the Cairo port. Please enjoy your stay and watch your step.”

“Domino High School Students!” A high-pitched woman’s voice called above the crowed boat deck. “Domino High Students, please come this way to the front of the ship!”

Winking at the girl, Joey grinned widely. “Well, that’s our cue. It was nice meeting you Artesia.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” She stated politely. “Will I see you again anytime soon?”

“We’ll see ya at the festival. I can’t wait to see it now. From what you have told us, it sounds like a blast!” Téa exclaimed.

Artesia looked down at Yugi. “Thank you again for saving my card.”

Blushing slightly, the young duelist grinned. “It was nothing. I always like to help out a fellow duelist.”

Moving her head next to his, Artesia peaked Yugi’s cheek lightly with a kiss. “I look for you at the festival. Besides, now that I know you’re one of the best duelists in the world, I want to see how I match up.”

Trying furiously to keep his face from getting any redder than it already was, Yugi could only nod. “Great. Well then, see ya around.” And with that, the girl turned and strolled off towards the rear of the ship.

As Artesia turned the corner, Joey and Tristan glared at their short friend. “Yugi gets all the breaks with women.” Joey stated.

“How could we never get a chance?” Tristan added on, sounding just as annoyed.

“Maybe because you two hardheads just don’t appeal to the opposite sex as much as Yugi does,” Téa told them flatly.  

But Yugi wasn’t listing to their jokes. He was still in a bit of a shock. Placing a hand to his cheek, he could still Artesia’s lip-gloss. It had been a very light kiss, which he knew, didn’t mean anything. And even if he were to think that, Yugi knew that wasn’t an, ‘I think you’re cute’ kiss. To him, it was more of a kiss that a mother would give an upset child. A kiss of protection.

“Yugi! EARTH TO YUGI! COME IN YUGI!” Joey’s voice echoed his thoughts, making him jump slightly. “My god, you think you had never been kissed.”

Wiping the gloss off his cheek, Yugi shook his head. “Please Joey. Give me a break. That was nothing. She just said thank you, that’s all.”

“Yea…” Téa muttered. “Whatever.”

“I’m telling you the truth.” Yugi insisted, but his friends didn’t listen as they joined the rest of their class at the exit ramp.

Upon entering the busy streets of the city, the freshmen class felt as if they were thrown back in time. They walked through an open street market like the one back over in India. The difference in this one though was the fact that these salesmen were a lot more aggressive about getting you to buy their products. Yugi led the way through the crowd with Téa clutching onto the back of his jacket. Joey had grabbed a hold of his pint-sized friend’s backpack, while Tristan held onto Joey’s jacket. They weaved their way in and out of the clumps of people, trying to make it to the hotel, which was right down the road from dock.

On rare occasion, they would see another school uniform to lead them in the right direction. But that was becoming very unreliable. As they continued to walk, the people started to part ways in the street. Wondering what was happening, the duelists turned to see a bus driving slowly towards them. It gently made its way through the crowed streets, letting passengers jump on as it drove by.

“What do ya say?” Joey smirked as he let go of Yugi. “Let’s hitch a ride to the hotel.” Running from his friends, the blond jogged quickly up to the side of the bus and was then helped aboard by one of the guys from their school.

“Whatcha waitin’ for? A written invitation? Move it!” Joey called as the bus seemed to pick up the pace.

Tristan, Téa, and Yugi glanced at each other and made a run for the bus. Tristan was the first one to reach the moving back railing of the bus. With one mighty leap, he managed to land on the rim of the crowed balcony of the bus. Turning back making sure to keep one hand on the railing, he outstretched his hand to Yugi. The teenager quickly grasped onto Téa’s wrist and both of them leapt at Tristan’s hand. As soon as they locked together, with the help of Joey, Tristan managed to help both of them over the rail and then himself.

Breathing a bit harder than usual, Téa sighed. “Man, you just gotta love foreign country transportation.”  

The hotel that the teens were staying in was one of the most modern ones in the city of Cairo. You could tell easily from the large marble columns outside that the interior would just as elegant and graceful looking.

Upon entering the large lobby, the freshman were greeting by the sound of a piano playing. The corridor where the oak check-in desks were located had floors that had the same marble laid down as the pillars and were covered with beautiful red oriental rugs. Just beyond the main desks, was a large sitting area that broke off into where the pool was on one side and the bar was. Here, hotel guests could lounge, relax, and talk while having a drink from the bar and listen to the piano player take requests on her baby grand piano. This hotel had fourteen floors, making it one of the biggest hotels in the city.

Yugi and his companions stood in the sitting area and looked up. Three large crystal chandeliers hung above, topping off the feeling of importance.

“This place is gorgeous.” Téa exclaimed. “I feel like royalty or something.”

“Attention Domino Students. Come and get your room assignments.” Mr. Fujimama shouted, causing the teens to come running.

There were to be three students to a suite. Yugi, Tristan, and Joey were all roommates and Téa would be two of her friends. As their teacher handed each student their room keys and announced the number, Joey turned to Téa. “We’ll meet ya down here in an hour okay? We’ll just go and unpack.”

“Sounds great. See ya later then.” And with that, Téa went off with her roommates to try to find her room.

The room that Yugi, Joey, and Tristan were given wasn’t exactly huge. It was on the thirteenth floor, which was quite the hike, even thought it was by elevator. There was a small sitting area with a television and a pull out couch. Next to the door was a mini fridge with a lock on it. Down a small corridor was the bedroom with two twin beds. There was a balcony that overlooked the desert and the Great Pyramids. Since they were up so high, the view was breath taking.

After 3 out of 5 rounds of rock, paper, scissors, Yugi and Joey got the twin beds and Tristan was forced onto the couch. As they began to unpack their luggage, which had been brought to their rooms for them, Yugi couldn’t help but be sidetracked by the scene outside the windows. There, directly outside on the balcony was the most beautiful landscape of the buildings of the city with the graceful pyramids towering over them with their power and ancient might.

Dropping his last bit of clothing carelessly into a drawer, Yugi moved over to the doors and opened them. As he stepped out onto the small platform, he let the wind brush his hair and face as he lend against the cool metal rail. The sun was beginning to set slowly into the shadows of the ancient city and the moon was starting to become more and more visible. Lights across the city started to turn on one set at a time, causing a feeling of serenity to wash over him.

Resting his head on his arms, Yugi couldn’t help but sigh. ‘I don’t see why Grandpa was so worried. Nothing is going to happen. I feel at home here.’

“Hey Yugi,” Tristan’s voice entered his ears, causing him to glance back at the teen. He and Joey were standing in the doorway watching him curiously. “Whatcha doing?”

Glancing skyward, Yugi pointed. “Looking at the alignment. You can see it starting now.” He explained.

“Really?” Joey asked excitedly. Running over to the railing, he too looked up. “Where? Where is it?”

Laughing lightly, the young duelist pointed towards where the sun was setting. “If you look directly above where the sun is setting, you’ll see two bright stars really close to one another. Those dotes are Mercury and Venus. I give them a minute and then they’ll be aligned.”

Tristan quickly joined his two comrades at the rail as well. Sure enough, within the minute, the smaller of the two bright stars disappeared behind the larger one, creating a halo affect around it.

“Amazing…” Joey breathed.

The others nodded in agreement. As Yugi watched, he heard the sounds of tapping at the door. Turning from the celestial showcase, he rushed to the door. There, Téa greeted him.

“Do you guys want to get some dinner?” She inquired sweetly.

At the sound of the word dinner, both Tristan and Joey appeared by Yugi’s side. “Did you say dinner?” They asked in unison, acting like two jumpy dogs waiting to be taken out on a walk.

This sight made both Yugi and Téa both sweatdropped. Clearing his throat, Yugi smiled. “I think you should take that as a yes.”

Please Read and Review