The First Sacrifice Card (Part 1)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Game Shop

When Atem arrived again, Taweret did not say anything else as she disappeared. ///Atem: That looked very bad.///

///Masika: It sounds very bad.///

He could still hear her voice, but he also heard the sound of a horse running. He looked toward Yugi. "Your thoughts are connected to Téa now." It wouldn't be very long before both of them landed in trouble with each other, but it was needed anyway.

Yugi just made odd faces. "That's bad. Why is that a terrible thing? I mean, a thing? Why'd they do that?"

"I suppose we have to keep a link to someone open," Atem said. "I have been tied to Masika, and she has been tied to Sekhmet."

"Great. Then?" Joey looked toward Atem. "Can we get death sentences lifted then?"

"Serenity's is already lifted," Kaiba reminded Joey.

"Can we get baby arrangements lifted at all?" Joey asked.

Atem put his hands on the counter. ///Atem: Masika?/// He heard the sounds of a horse again, this time with wails in the background. ///Atem: Are you okay?///

///Masika: It's no different than five minutes ago.///

Strange. ///Atem: We need to work this out, once and for all. What the sacrifices will be, so that we can get them granted and move on. Things are getting worse as we delay.///

He closed his eyes. He felt the light like last time. While knowing he had his eyes closed, they were also opened at the same time to see that light. He walked toward it the same way he did with Taweret.

Inside, she was still in there. Her cape a little more . . . disheveled. ///Atem: Should have knocked.///

She turned to look toward him. ///Masika: We are in each other's thoughts, I doubt knocking will be an issue. Just don't go too deep. We must give space like we did with our host. We must try. You were an Egyptian Pharaoh, why are you gazing at me?///

He inched away a second. ///Atem: Sorry. My memories are limited of it, and I was not . . .////

///Masika: More of a modern man. Fine, I will try to rearrange the cape. It's big but it doesn't cover everything. There, that's enough.///

Atem went back toward it and looked in. ///Atem: Let's start with the smallest and see if that leads somewhere. Is there no other way but for Serenity and Kaiba to have a child?/// He waited.

///Masika: Sekhmet said that there is a very evil pharaoh god that made it impossible for Mai to live. She died barely bearing his child in that world, and this evil god was after his sister next. She is far away and Joey cannot help her. Only Seto Kaiba can, and Kaiba needs the power to protect her. Serenity has the power of the blue eyes white dragon but her child will have more power. If they steal that energy from it when it's born . . . it will be blind, but the power to use it will be transferred to the other side.///

///Atem: Blind?/// A pause.

///Masika: The wielder who uses the blue eyes white dragon will be blind, so that it can see what it sees when it is being controlled.///

///Atem. Serenity will not . . . one more question. Is there a way for her child to see and wield the dragon?///

///Masika: Sekhmet says it is all about balance between everything. Due to something happening on the other side, there is some kind of loophole now. Serenity could give her eyesight to her child, and it could see for itself, as well as with the blue eyes white dragon. She said it is most likely that the blue eyes white dragon will never be summoned in her child's lifetime.///

///Atem: Okay, I understand the options for that./// Silhouette was fidgeting around with the cape again, this time with purpose. He backed up. ///Atem: Feeding time I see. Just like a real brat. Baby.///

///Masika: Yes, she is. She tends to be on the better side though, like Heba.///

Atem moved away and opened his eyes fully, which immersed him back into the real world. "I know the options for one." He noticed everyone staring at him. "What?"

"You lit up like a peach back there, Atem, what are you doing?" Joey asked.

"Finding options. Serenity?" Atem came away from the counter. "Your brother is trying to protect you after a crushing loss. He cannot handle another one. He needs the power your child will wield. It will have it here, but it will probably never use it. Just like you have never used yours."

"Oh." Serenity sounded shaky.

"That power will strengthen that Seto Kaiba, so that he can defeat the one that hurt someone Joey loved." It was probably better not to get into details. "However? It will be blind." That would hurt a sensitive spot inside of her.

"It will be fine," Seto Kaiba said casually. "Kaibas are strong and we deal with everything in this world."

"No." Serenity stared at Atem. Of course, he knew that wouldn't be easy for her to accept. "Can I . . . change that? I mean, I'll have the baby, but I don't want it to be blind."

"It only sees what the dragon sees," Atem told her. "Since it won't use the dragon, it will never see. The only loophole is that you can give up your eyesight for it."

"There's still gotta be something else," Tristan interrupted. "Come on, Atem, really? That didn't do any good, she already had the sacrifice thrown off. That's asking more, not less. Isn't there anything else we can try?"

"Joey is saving her life by strengthening Kaiba." Atem tried again. Serenity seemed to understand it. It wasn't good for their relationship, but this was on the smaller scale of the problems.

"But . . ." Of course, Tristan didn't look happy. "Is there solution just always make babies? First it's Mai, then it's Serenity, then it's you and Yugi. Don't they ever have anything else?"

"Yes, they kill." Atem tried not to be as forceful, but Tristan wasn't understanding. "Life is a balance, if it's not being added to, it is being taken, and in greater numbers."

"You were supposed to kick it out of here," Joey said to Tristan softly. "That wasn't just luck you coming back like that."

Tristan needed to get over it. Serenity was already dealing with the second fact of the matter.

"This isn't right, Serenity," Tristan tried again. "In what dimension, what reality, what universe would someone as sweet as you end up with Seto Kaiba?"

"The dimension that is fighting a war against an evil Egyptian Pharaoh, with a Joey so overwhelmed by his limited options, he was willing to do what it took to save the Serenity of his time!" He looked back toward Yugi. Too much anger. "Sorry."

Yugi looked toward him, knowing something was wrong.

"Silhouette is already born," he revealed. "There is no simple change for that fact." She was there. She would either be sacrificed or be a part of the world.

"Your kid is already born?" Tristan asked. "Whoah. Okay, definitely a tough subject." He moved over toward Yugi, probably to pressure him to find another way.

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