Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Shadow of the Past; The Light of the Future ❯ Memory Glimpse ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

*sigh* Why does vacation end so short?

Bakura: You hardly make any sense, but who gives a damn about you anyways?

… Do we have to go through this again?

Bakura: Yes, we do.

… Great…

Bakura: Hey, if it weren't for us co-hosts, there wouldn't be an amusing start of your story.

… Shut up…

Bakura: Just speaking the truth.

……

“Talking”

`Thinking'

~Place/Time~

-??? POV-

`la la la' - song(s)

^Flashback^

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Everyone is searching for a new world

To achieve that overflowing dream

Jumping over the horizon

Not knowing what's beyond there

We've been running

Jumping into hope, only to forget courage

Being swept away by the crowd

We lost something important

Yes! Yes!

I slaugh with a frown

That was the best smile I could make now

The mask overflowed with tears

And over the soggy mask

I once again hide myself with a new mask

I continue to walk along the flat battle field

Unable to wrap and struggling, yeah!

At a far cape, the dream

Waits patiently

Even with a clumsy search

I can probably arrive there

Yes! Yes!

I always turn my gaze away

The unseen heart invited

Me to run away

But at night I look up to the stars

Looking through binoculars

Searching for my place

I continue along the balanced battle field

Grabbing onto an unwithering flower, yeah!

The far cape, I'm

Beginning to her near even if I lose my way

The waves will probably tell me

Searching for a new world, hesitation and

Confusion, I probably knew it

If I don't stand and step out

There's something I can't obtain

Everyone is searching for a new world

To achieve that overflowing dream

Jumping over the horizon

Aiming for the cape of hope.

Yes! Yes!

Ch. 14: Memory Glimpse

Heba was running fast as buildings were destroyed behind her. She tried to reach the palace but she tripped and hit the ground hard. She felt vibrations on the ground and she turned to see a huge black mass with demonic red eyes. She looked above the monstrosity and noticed the sky was different. The sky had buildings that were unlike the Egyptian buildings but seemed familiar to her. She then heard footsteps and turned to see Pharaoh Atem, who looked wounded but was still able to fight. She got up and ran towards him but the dark mass attacked and a huge shadow ball was about to hit. But then… She woke up and quickly stood up in bed.

`What a nightmare.' She thought as she took a few deep breaths as she laid back down. `It all seemed so real.' She looked up at the ceiling and wondered a part of the nightmare. `And why do those strange buildings seem so familiar?' She sighed and sat up again to realize she wasn't in the Pharaoh's room. “Where am I?” She asked herself as she got out of bed and walked to what looks like a closet and blinked a few times. What she saw in the closet was a line of clothes. In the middle of the floor was a pile of cloths with a note on top. She picked up the note and read:

`Heba,

Here are a few clothes we made for you and the pile is for you if you wish to make your own. Thank you for making our day a little brighter.'

She smiled as she looked at the variety and giggled at one dress. She came out wearing a wrapped, V-neck white top and gypsy pants with a coin scarf that rested on her left hip. She even found a bracelet with coins on them, which made a nice little sound when she moved them around. After putting on her slippers, she walked out into the halls.

“Oh Heba!” Siamun called out and she turned around.

“Good morning Siamun, how are you?” She said.

“Very well Heba, and I see you're well rested.”

“Yeah, all that magic training worn me out.”

“I'll bet, especially since you passed each one with flying colors.”

“Pass?”

“Why yes, after the Pharaoh saw that you can handle summoning, you would have to have a private lesson with Shada, Kalim, Isis, Akhenaden, and Seth.”

“Really?!”

“I'm surprised as well when I heard about it. But it seems to be just to put you in that level.”

“But I haven't controlled the magic I have!”

“The priests shall help you with that.” He sighed. “As soon as we could get the Pharaoh up.” They stopped to see the priests at the Pharaoh's door.

“Gods! He improved the shields again!” Seth said completely annoyed.

“What's going on Siamun?” Heba asked.

“Sometimes, when the Pharaoh stayed up a little late,” Siamun started to explain, “he would place shields in his room in order to make them locked, sound proof, magic proof, you name it.” He looked to see that the young girl wasn't there, but was over talking with Isis.

“Uh, Seth…” Isis said as Seth was about to blow.

“WHAT?!!” He shouted at her, making everyone but Heba a little taken back.

“Uh… I think I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it works.” Heba said.

“Then don't waste my time!” Seth said as he pounded the door. “Pharaoh! You better wake up! In case if you haven't realized! This isn't how a mortal god is suppose to be doing!”

Heba took a deep breath. “Seth-sama, at least let my try.”

Seth completely stopped at what he was doing and looked at her. “…Sama?”

“It's a way to refer people of high class in my language, or I think that's how it works.”

Seth blinked for a couple of moments before shrugging and stepped aside. “I'd like to see you try.” He said as he joined the other priests.

Heba stood in front of the door and took a deep breath. “Wake up, wake up, it's a brand new day and everyone is waiting.” She sang softly but clearly.

They waited for a few moments before Seth was about to comment about the useless performance when they heard the sound of feet walking on the stone floor. Then the shields were down and the door opened and revealed a tired looking Pharaoh.

“You have my attention now.” He said. He was topless and was only wearing a sheati and some of his gold jewelry including his crown.

The priests were shocked speechless as Heba warmly smiled, besides the blush that was trying to come out.

“Good morning Pharaoh, did you sleep well?”

He yawned. “Not as well as I like to be.” He said as he leaned against the door frame. “Was that you that was singing?”

She smiled as she repeat the song, which made the young king smile.

“That's very beautiful Heba.”

She blushed. “Well, I kinda remembered something and I think I used that song to an equally stubborn sleeper.”

He laughed at that. “Is that so?”

She laughed as well while trying to cover blush every time she looked at the masculine but lean chest the young ruler has.

“Just give me a minute to get dressed, alright?”

“Okay, we'll wait.” She said as the door closed and turned to see dumbstruck faces. “What?” She said with a blink.

“How in Ra's name did you do that?” Seth asked, knowing that the room was sound proof to anything.

She shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

At that moment, the young ruler walked out of his room. “So, what's for today?” He said as he mentioned Heba to follow, and walked down the halls.

Siamun than started to tell the young ruler about the day's schedule as well as Heba's private lesson plan. “She'll be within the order… Since she passed al but one from Mahado, so now she'll be with Shada and Kalim. They will teach you how to handle a ka in battle as well as how to use magic and trap monsters.”

Heba nodded.

“And, when you pass all of that, you head to Isis for healing, then to Akhenaden and Seth for history and what not.”

“Huh? All that in one day?” Heba said.

“Depends on how well you perform.” Siamun said.

Heba held her head. “I feel a migraine coming on.”

“Well now, I believe the rest of us have other things to work on while Heba's busy.” The elder vizier said making the young king sigh.

“Don't you think this is overwhelming for her?” He asked.

Before anyone could respond to that, Heba snuck to the side and gave the concerned ruler a peck on the cheek. “Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.” She said.

Everyone was completely speechless. The Pharaoh blinked a couple of times before speaking. “Al-Alright then, if you're sure…?”

Heba gave him a heart warming smile. “Yep!”

With that, she, Shada, and Kalim walked down to an empty study.

“Why did you do that?” Shada asked.

“Do what?” Heba said, slightly confused.

“Kissing the Pharaoh like that without permission.” Kalim said.

“That?” Heba said. “That's my way of saying I promise I'll be fine and to not worry so much.”

The two men looked at each other questionably.

“Let's start with magic and defense.” Kalim said.

~Mid morning: three hours later~

The Pharaoh looked at the paperwork and sighed. “Ra… Why must I have to do this crap?” He rubbed his eyes. `That would be an obvious answer, Pharaoh!'

Then Shada entered. “My Pharaoh, may I speak?”

“Of course. How's Heba's progressing?”

“Passed.”

The young ruler looked at him. “Excuse me?”

“She passed as is now with Isis.”

“Really? And it's only been a few hours.”

“I'm still getting over it myself.”

The Pharaoh leaned back when he remembered the unexpected kiss earlier. `So am I…' He thought.

~Three hours later~
The Pharaoh walked around the halls along with Siamun when Isis came up.

“Why hello Isis, how's it going with you and Heba?” Siamun said.

“Very well, she's now resting in the gardens.” Isis said.

“Ho, ho, ho, I see. You worked her out good.” The elder vizier said with a laugh.

“I would also like to point out that she passed in healing.”

Siamun and the young king were dumbfounded. “First Shada and Kalim and now you?” The elder said. “But your lessons require about months to years to pass!”

Isis nodded. “I know, but she managed to pass three times over.”

“Three times?!” Siamun said once again. “Good gods!”

“Which garden is she at now?” The Pharaoh asked.

“I believe the south garden with the lotus blossoms.” She said.

“Thank you.” The young ruler said as he walked along down the halls.

“Pharaoh?”

“I'll be fine on my own from here Siamun.” The young man said as he continued down the halls.

When he reached the gardens, he found her sleeping under a fig tree. He went u and sat down besides her. He couldn't help but look at her as the memory from six hours ago came up like a really good dream. Then thought about who she really is and if there's someone waiting for her. Thoughts of her family and home began to trouble him. He brushed away her bangs to see her face. He imagined her going back to the people who know her and had to give her back to them. The very thought of giving her up scared him. He couldn't recall the last time he felt this attached, in fact, this was the first time he felt this way. `I'm being selfish.' He thought. `Sooner or later she will remember and I would have to let her go.' He then felt some weight on his shoulder and looked to see that her head rested on it. He slightly blushed but stayed in that position, seeing that it was a beautiful day. `Tomorrow my father will be reburied, the priests are getting stronger, and Heba…' He looked at her. `She's learning quickly and is slowly getting her memories back.'

Heba lazily opened her eyes, a few blinks and yawn.

“Had a good nap Heba?” He asked, making her look.

“Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to use you like a pillow!” Heba said, which made the young ruler laugh.

“Don't worry about it.”

Heba blushed slightly and smiled. “So, how was your day so far, Atem-dono?”

Atem blinked. “… Dono?”

“In my language, it's used to refer a king, or someone of high importance.”

Atem smiled a little and ruffled her hair. “Just call me Atem, alright?”

“How come?”

Atem blinked again as he thought about it.

“Is it because everyone calls you `Pharaoh' all the time?”

“That's part of it…”

Heba studied him for a moment. “Even Mana-san and Mahado-sensei, your closest friends since you were kids?”

Atem looked at her as if she solved a very difficult puzzle.

“Heba!” Akhenaden called. “Are you ready for your next lesson?”

“Yes! I just wanted to rest up a bit!”

“Very well, come by the study when you're ready!” With that, he walked away, leaving her and the young ruler in the silent garden. “So, I guess you're going to be on your way.” Atem said getting up.

Heba followed suit and dusted herself off. “Might as well get it over with.” She said as she pecked him on the cheek again. “See you later Atem!” She ran off where Akhenaden was last seen.

Atem just stood there as he lifted his hand to his face. “Later…” He said as a smile crept up to his face.

~Mid Afternoon~

Shada, Kalim, Isis, and Siamun were talking about Heba and the young king couldn't help but overhear from behind the pillars. `Sometimes they leave thing out.' He thought.

“Yes, Heba had some difficulty maintaining her magic, but that lack of control actually allows her to perform so well.” Said Shada.

“Especially when it came to defending the monster with magic.” Said Kalim. “The first hour was a complete chaos though.”

“How so?” Siamun asked.

“When you don't have control of your powers and you're learning the spiral wind magic…” Shada left that out to leave it to the imagination.

The Pharaoh shook his head with a smile while Siamun laughed.

“So she was a handful, huh?”

“Not really.” Shada and Kalim chorused.

“Hmm… Do tell.”

“Well…” Shada started. “When she makes a mistake, she always apologizes. And when she does…”

Kalim sighed. “We couldn't be mad at her. She just starts making that apologic face and we keep going until she got it, which usually around the third or fourth time.”

“How do you say no or stay mad with a face like that?” Siamun said.

“You don't, she apologizes and tries to fix her mistake before you can lose your patience.” Kalim said.

“What about you Isis? Any problems?”

“No, not at all.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it seems she's better at healing than summoning kas to fight.”

“Something tells me she's not a fighting type.”

“What was your first clue!” The trio said.

“Easy, easy…” Siamun said.

At this point, the young ruler had to laugh, giving out his position. “I'm sorry all of you, but I couldn't help it.” He said as he walked out. “So, what else about Heba's lessons?”

“Well,” Isis started. “We had a lot of fun together and surprisingly knows a bit about healing herself.”

“A memory?” The Pharaoh said questionably.

“Well, she did say she remembered always bandaging someone when she was a child…” She said as she tried to think of anything else.

“Speaking of which…” Shada interrupted. “When were working on defense, she mentioned something about `getting stronger' and `don't be so afraid'.”

“Must've always been protected by others and each time they get hurt and that leaves her doubting herself.” Siamun said.

“PHARAOH!!” Mana called as she ran up to the group.

“What's wrong Mana?” Isis asked.

“It's Heba… she's…” Mana said trying to catch her breath. “She's not breathing!”

“WHAT?!” Everyone said.

“Where is she?!” The Pharaoh said grabbing her young girl's shoulders.

“She's at the hall of the Pharaohs!”

He blinked.

“Seth and Akhenaden were teaching her history when they came across the picture of the previous pharaoh!”

He let her go and ran to that location.

“Pharaoh! Wait!” Shada said as he and the other's followed.

“What could've triggered this time?!” Kalim asked.

“I guess we'll find out when we get there!” Isis said. `I should have sensed this coming from my item.' She thought.

`I'm getting too old for this!' Siamun thought. `Though I haven't been this active in a long time!'

When the Pharaoh reached to where Akhenaden and Seth were, he also saw Mahado chanting a spell on Heba, who lay motionless on the ground. “What happened here?!” He demanded.

Seth and Akhenaden looked at their king as the elder priest explained. “We were going through the history of your ancestors when we came across your father's history.”

“She looked at it for one moment before her eyes went wide and collapsed.” Seth said. “Mahado is now trying to find the problem.”

Mahado looked up and gravely shook his head. “I can't figure out her situation.” He said. “It's as if something was blocking me from knowing.” He looked sad. “I'm afraid if we can't get her out of this trance, she'll die of suffocation.”

The Pharaoh went up to her quickly. “Heba?!” He called as he lifted her up. “Heba! Wake up! Don't do this!” None of them helped and it greatly concerned him, even to the point of fear. `What should I do?!' He thought as he felt a pulse, which was slowing down dangerously. Then an idea came up. `I'm not sure if this works but…' He took a deep breath and leaned down. `I have to at least give this a try.'

When the others finally came, they stood there in shock. Their king looked as though he's kissing the young girl, but when he came up and took another deep breath before bending down again.

“What in Ra's name is he doing?” Seth asked, completely bewildered by the young ruler's behavior.

“He's forcing air into her so she can remember how to breathe as well as open up what ever caused this.” Isis said.

“But how did this occur in the first place?” Mana asked.

“It seems,” Isis started. “That when you two were teaching her history, it must've triggered a very valued memory. When that memory is triggered, it caused a shock to her system, thus causing something life-threatening.”

The young ruler didn't hear anything that the female priest said, he was preoccupied with his own thoughts. `Come on Heba, you have to pull through this!' After what seemed like forever, which was only thirty seconds, Heba started to cough and gasp.

“She's okay!” Mana said completely relieved. Everyone else felt the same relief when they saw her looking at them, completely lost.

“What happened?” Heba asked. “And why does my chest hurt?”

Isis came up and bent down to her level. “I'll explain, but first we need to see if there's anything else that needs attention.”

“What do you mean?” Heba said as she got up while holding her chest.

“Just take it easy.” Atem said as he stood up and helped her balance.

She blinked confusingly when she looked around the area until she saw a hieroglyph picture of a man that's no older than Akhenaden. “That man…” She said. “I recognize him…”

Everyone looked at her than at the picture and back.

“I don't know my parents, they died shortly after I was born and I lived with my grandpa, who resembles a lot like you Siamun.”

The mentioned elder pointed to himself, making her nod as she looked up at the picture again.

“I remember now… this man… was the closest thing to me as a father than anyone…” Tears came down her face as she said this. “He had a son too, and we were the best of friends… since that day…” Flashes of her life came to mind. Rain, fast, sorrow, miracle, trust, happy, smiles, and a laugher from a blurry face she should recognize. She became dizzy from all these flashes.

“Heba!” The Pharaoh called as he grabbed her.

“She's gone through enough for one day.” Isis said. “Kalim, help carry Heba to the healers quarters, I will need to make sure her magic hasn't harmed her in any way.”

Kalim took the dazed girl from the young ruler, who he reassured that he will let him know of her health and walked pass Shada, who's Millennium Key slightly shook.

`What?' He thought as it stopped shaking. `Why did it react like that all of a sudden?' He looked back at Kalim, who was turning a corner and caught a glimpse of the young girl. `But I have seen her many times in the palace and spend some few hours with her.' He thought as he looked as his Millennium Key. `So why did it react now?' He looked up at Isis, who also noticed the change but the look on her face told him that they will find out soon.

“Hey,” Mana whispered to the young king. “What's wrong with them?”

“It's Heba…” He whispered. “Something changed when she remembered that memory.”

“Really?”

“Yes…” He looked at the picture of his father. “But I don't understand as to how she knows my father.”

“Maybe there's someone that looks like him.”

“That's a possibility…” He said then thought. `But something tells me that there's more to her than meets the eye.'

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Feeling sad and lonely

Cause I can't find you

Call your telephone

Ad there's never no answer

Said you love me

Kissed me

We were in heaven

Said I'm sorry

Love you, want you forever

Every night I look at the sky

Call your name

And wonder where you are

Every night I look at the sky

Baby, miss you

Won't you come back