Dark Chaos, Book One Of The Chaos Saga (Formerly Known-In The Arms Of Darkness)

Chapter 16: The Legend's Reality

      "Back when I was a child, over 3,000 years ago, were, fey, and spellcasters lived peacefully with humans.  Vampires did not exist.  However, Blood magic was used to create potent spells, for good and for evil.   Supernatural blood was more potent than human blood.  Wereleopard blood was the most potent and valuable blood used by spellcasters.  The feline were came from Egypt and grew exponentially, what with the deference and worship Egyptians had about cats.  A branch of spellcasters, led by Rakuba, slaughtered hundreds of were, but hit wereleopards especially hard, until the wereleopards were almost extinct.  Unlike the good or neutral casters who would use some of a willing participant's blood, Rakuba's clan captured the were and drained the bodies of blood.  It was said Rakuba was trying to bring back The Blood God, for who knows what.  My father, the Pharoah, had tried to wage war against the spellcasters led by Rakuba.

      My best friend, Heba, was a wereleopard, born of a wereleopard mother, and a fey spellcasting father.  Both parents died trying to protect their child, whom they, along with prophets, claimed would be the one to save the land. On their death, the Pharoah's cook, Mahad, the parents' only true friend, took the child to the palace and raised the child as his own. Heba and I became best friends.  We all knew he was a wereleopard, but we assumed both parents to be were.

      As we grew up together, I fell in love with Heba.  Heba was wonderful, beautiful, and perfect.  Heba never showed any inclination of reciprocating my feelings.  I did not want to lose his constant presence in my life, so I hid my true feelings and, once ascending to Pharoah, I took a wife.  Seto, my cousin, was my head priest.  Heba was my chief advisor, as I trusted no one's opinion more than Heba's.

      Rakuba determined that Heba was indeed the only one who could stop his plans of bringing The Blood God back and, after years of searching, found Heba and broke into the palace.  Rakuba then went in, under cover of night, and slit my throat.  Why he killed me and not Heba, I do not know.  I was told that after my death, Heba went and found Rakuba, for he knew who had executed me.  After getting Rakuba to admit his deed, it was said that an explosion of energy came off of Heba.  Rakuba disappeared, none knowing where he went, or if he even survived, and his followers disbanded.

      Heba came to me, on the day I was to be entombed.  The next thing I remember was being drawn toward a warmth, towards a beacon.  I woke with Heba kissing me!  Everything was red, I could not make out anything.  I could not visually remember anything, not what I looked like, nor my family, Rakuba, Seto, not even Heba.  But I remembered.  I remembered what happened, my life, my history, my Heba.   I knew the feel of my Heba.  The warmth was still soaking into me and I kissed my Heba, my love, my life back with all the passion I had kept inside for all those years.  As I felt the last of that warmth entering me, Heba..."

     Yami stopped, visibly shaken.  "Heba..." he tried again, and again could not finish.

     Yugi stood, eyes full of tears, and walked towards Yami.  He stopped and touched Yami's cheek.  Yami's crimson eyes looked up at Yugi, full of tears.  "Died, saving you." Yugi finished quietly.  At that, Yugi leaned down, kissing Yami gently.  Leaning back, Yami's face registered surprise.  "Heba?" he choked out in disbelief, looking at Yugi.

     "Yes, Atem, it is I, Heba."  As Yugi smiled tenderly at Yami, Yami stood and crushed Yugi in a hug.

     After a few moments, Joey spoke up.  "I don' understand.  So, Yami, Atem, whoever ya are, did you know Yug was Heba dis whole time?  Yug, are ya really reincarnated as Heba?"  Joey scratched his head, and Seto sighed heavily, rolling his eyes.

     Yami smiled, and pulled Yugi on his lap.  Yugi settled in, feeling as if he always belonged there.  "No, I did not know who Yugi was.  As I stated, when I was reborn, all I saw was shades of red for about a week.  I could not remember what anyone looked like, not even myself.  After about a week, my vision started clearing, and finally, I was able to see again.  I don't know if the vision issue was due to the trauma of death, my price to pay for becoming a vampire, or just bad luck."

     Joey nodded, then looked at Yugi.  Yugi sighed, laying his head on Yami's chest.  "I am reincarnated, I guess.  I did not know about any of this until Bakura ran into me the other night.  He cast some kind of spell and I defended...which somehow unlocked all my memories."

     Seto stood at this point.  "If we can now move on past the history lesson and the latest episode of the Dating Game, we can get to the reason we came to this litter box in the woods."  Joey growled and stood, flexing his fists.  Seto ignored him and continued, "Rakuba has resurfaced and we are all in danger.  And...either Rakuba survived and has been in hiding all this time, or he has been reincarnated...because Bakura is Rakuba."