FicWad

Sanity

Dark Watch

“Lisa Marie, this is the USS Roosevelt, do you copy?” a voice sounded over the radio.
Captain picked up the mike and spoke into it, “We read you, Roosevelt, go ahead.”
“Roger, Lisa Marie, we’re here to pick up your cargo, as scheduled,” the voice said again, “Prepare to be boarded.”
“Copy that, we’ll leave the door open for you,” Captain said as he laid the mike back down.
“Roger, over.”
Captain turned around and left the radio room. He walked down several different hallways before he reached the outer deck. A frigid wind blasted his face as he made his way across deck and up the stairs to the bridge. He pulled the top part of his coat closed against the freezing wind and opened the door. Quickly hurrying inside, he closed the door behind him and made his way over to the helm.
“Speed?”
“A little fewer than 12 knots, sir,” came the reply.
“Decrease speed to under 5 knots. When you see the Navy Destroyer off the bow, decrease speed to zero and cut engines,” he said with a swift nod.
“Understood, sir.”
He lingered on the bridge for a few moments more until he felt the telltale slowing of the ship. He turned on his heel and exited the bridge. He practically ran across deck to get out of the cold wind. It had started out as a beautiful day, but had gotten worse. A storm was coming, and the Captain wanted to get out of the area as fast as his ship would allow. Unfortunately he had to wait until the United States Navy showed up and taken their cargo. If you could call three professional assassins, a navy seal, three dead bodies, and the Wades cargo. He entered the same door he had exited after he got done in the radio room and hurried down some more of the passages through the ship. He strode into the galley and stopped next to Atem.
“You’re rides almost here,” Captain said, “Do you have everything you need?”
“Thank you, Captain, and yes we do,” Atem said with a small nod.
“No you don’t!” a voice sounded from the kitchen.
Atem and the Captain shared a confused look before Mac came out of the kitchen carrying a box.
“Gods know what kind of food you’re going to get on that blasted destroyer. Here’s some real food for you,” Mac said as he handed Atem the box. Inside were all kinds of food. Everything from omelets to cheesecake.
Atem chuckled and offered Mac a grin as he set the box down on the table, “Thanks Mac. We’ll put it to good use.”
“You better,” Mac said as he hugged Atem, “Oh and one more thing.”
He pulled out a knife from behind his back and handed it to Atem, “Thought you might like this. Think of it as something to remember me by.”
Atem took the knife and twirled around on his palm. The grin widened as he replied, “Still heavy on the back end.”
“All the more reason to remember me,” Mac said, a grin crossing his face.
Yugi walked over to the three of them and smiled, “I’m certainly going to miss you Mac.”
“I’m going to miss you too. You definitely made the ship brighter,” Mac said as he tousled the smaller one’s hair.
Yugi swiped at Mac’s hand as Atem chuckled, “He does that a lot.”
Yugi blushed as he noticed the mischievous glint in Atem’s eyes, “Oh, hush, Atem.”
The group chuckled and Mac swept Yugi up into a hug. The younger one squeaked and laughed as he hugged the strange cook back, “Take good care of the Captain, for us, okay?”
“Will do,” Mac replied as he let go of Yugi.
Atem turned and shook hands with the Captain, “Thank you, Captain, for putting up with us.”
“Capture those bastards, and you’ll be welcome back on my ship any time,” Captain said.
“You have my word,” Atem replied.
“We’ll keep the light on and the tequila cold,” Captain said with a nod.
“Thanks,”
A voice over the ships intercom came on and a voice announced, “Captain, ships arrived, and requesting space for HELO landing.”
The Captain walked over to a panel on the wall of the galley and pressed a button, “Roger that, tell the pilot to land on the stern deck.”
“Your ride’s here,” he said as he turned to the group.
“Thank you Captain,” they said as they exited the galley. The Captain crossed his arms as Mac came up next to him to stand beside him.
“They’re going to need a lot of luck,” Mac said.
“No, they’re going to need prayers, and a lot of ‘em.”


Yugi and Atem were on their way topside when they came across Bakura and Dirk towing their three dead captives.
“I thought you guys were already top side?” Yugi asked.
“No, not yet. Had a couple of things we needed to get before we could leave,” Dirk replied.
“Hmmm…” Atem said. He looked at them for a second and then turned around and walked away.
The rest of the group followed him up to the main deck where the helicopter was waiting to take them to the USS Roosevelt. They walked out into the freezing air and were met by a soldier in uniform. Atem nodded at him and he led the way to the helicopter. No words were said because they couldn’t say anything. The wind had picked up so much that it was next to impossible to be heard. They ran across the deck and climbed inside the HELO. The soldier, along with a couple of others, loaded the bodies of the attackers into the back of the chopper. With one last wave to the Captain and Mac, who were now in the bridge, the chopper lifted and zoomed away from the ship, leaving the Lisa Marie far behind. Now that they were out of the wind, the group was able to get a look at the soldier that had led them to the chopper. He was regular height, about 5’9” from the looks of it. He had sharp blue eyes and red hair. He handed each of them a pair of headphones that had microphones attached to it.
“I assume this is all of the group?” his voice coming off as scratchy over the headphones.
“Yes, sir, it is,” Atem replied.
“Good, my name is Lieutenant Mark Bourne,” he said.
“I’m Atem Atenkaten, this is Yugi, Bakura, Dirk, and our three captives,” Atem said as he pointed at each of them.
Lieutenant Bourne nodded, “We’ll reach the Roosevelt soon. ETA, 15 minutes.”
The group nodded. Bakura and Dirk engaged into a conversation with the Lieutenant about the ship, while Yugi looked out the window. Atem reached over and wrapped his arm around the smaller one.
How are you doing, hikari? Atem’s voice sounded in his mind.
I’m doing fine, Yami. I can’t wait until we reach the ship. I’ve always wanted to see what a destroyer was like, Yugi replied.
Atem nuzzled Yugi’s hair, You’ll see soon enough.
What are we going to do about our dead friends? Yugi asked.
Atem paused in his nuzzling and gazed at the back of the chopper. He thought for a moment before he replied, We’ll have to turn them over to authorities. See if they can identify them.
Yugi nodded and leaned against Atem. The two returned to looking out the window. The endless stretch of ocean seemed like it went on forever and that land was never there. Soon, however, a grey speck appeared on the horizon and grew bigger, signaling their approach to the ship. Within a few minutes, the Lieutenant was announcing their approach and everyone looked out the windows as the chopper circled the ship before setting down on the deck. The group filed out and some soldiers pulled the bodies out and carried them down to the ships infirmary, where they were going to be stored until they reached port. An old man with grey crew cut hair and even greyer eyes waited in front of them. The group stopped in front of him and Dirk saluted.
“I’m Commander Seth Marcelino,” he said, “I’m in charge of the ship. Welcome aboard the USS Roosevelt.”
“Thank you for helping us out, Commander,” Atem said as he shook hands.
“You’re boss must have a lot of pull in order to pull us off of our assigned duties to come pick you up,” the Commander said as he turned and began to walk away. The group quickly followed.
“Funny, someone else said that exact thing,” Atem said with a side glance to Dirk, who smiled sheepishly.
“Yes, well, to commandeer a fully equipped Naval Destroy in wartime, he must have a lot of pull,” the Commander replied.
“Trust me sir, even we do not have any clue as to the extent of our boss’s reach,” Atem said with a smile.
“So who are you, exactly?” the Commander said as they reached the bridge.
Atem stopped and motioned throughout the group, “I’m Atem Atenkaten, this is Yugi, Bakura, Navy Seal Dirk Johnson, and Mr. and Mrs. Wade. They’re civilians.”
“And you three?” the Commander asked as he motioned to Atem, Yugi and Bakura.
“We’re professional assassins, sir,” Yugi answered.
The Commander looked at the three of them carefully for a moment and then shook his head, “Well, if you are assassins, you have to be the weirdest group of assassins that I’ve ever seen.”
“We get that a lot,” Yugi replied.
And with that, the interrogation was over. The group made their way through many of the ships decks to their assigned quarters. Unlike the Lisa Marie, the USS Roosevelt had bunk rooms instead of state rooms. There were several metal beds attached to the wall, along with lockers and several small tables set up throughout the room. The group’s belongings had already been taken down to the rooms and was now sitting on the floor waiting for it to be unpacked.
“From the awed looks that I noticed on the way down here, I take it none of you have ever been on a Destroyer before,” the Commander said with an amused look.
“No, sir, we have not,” Atem replied.
“When you’re unpacked, I’ll give you the grand tour,” the Commander replied.
The group nodded and he left them to their devices for a while. The group unpacked for their few days’ worth of staying on the USS Roosevelt. Curiosity got the best of Yugi and he opened the box that Mac had packed for them. Inside was a full bottle of Agave Tequila, lobster tails, rice, vegetables, and for dessert a thick chocolate cheesecake. The rest of the group peered over his shoulder. Bakura immediately grabbed the Tequila and drank a little.
“Isn’t it a little early for that, Tomb Robber?” Atem asked.
“It’s never too early for me,” Bakura replied as he took another swig of the drink.
Yugi shot him a look and Bakura reluctantly put the bottle back and the smaller one closed the box back up. He placed on the floor by his bed and warned Bakura that if he touched the box before dinner time, Yugi was going to take the Tequila away and he wouldn’t see it for the rest of the trip. Bakura grumbled, but finally agreed not to touch it.
“Speaking of things, we never did get to ask where Ryou was,” Atem remarked.
“He’s back in Japan with Kaiba trying to figure out who our adversary is,” Bakura replied with a shrug.
“That reminds me,” Yugi said with a snap of his fingers, “We’ve got to radio Kaiba and tell him about Ataxia Empire.”
“We’ll ask the Commander when he shows up,” Atem said.
“Ask me what?” a voice said from behind them.
“Is there a radio or a satellite phone that we could use? We’ve got to talk to our boss,” Bakura asked.
“There’s a satellite phone in the radio room. You can use it when we go by there,” the Commander replied.
“Thank you,”
“Are you ready?” he asked.
The group nodded and they proceeded to learn the layout of the ship.

An hour later, the radio room“Yeah, we understand. Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. Make sure that everyone over there is safe,” Yugi said over the phone.
“I will. See you back here soon,” Joey’s voice floated over the satellite phone.
“Yep, see ya,” Yugi said.
“Bye.”
Yugi hung up the phone and sighed. He turned in his chair and got up. The rest of the group was in the bridge with the Commander. He had given them the tour and when they reached the radio room, Yugi volunteered to contact Kaiba while they finished the tour. He explained that he would see the rest of the ship as time wore on. From what he understood, or what the Commander had explained anyways, the Roosevelt was a 510 ft Destroyer ship for the United States Navy. It had a total displacement of 9204 tons and housed 348 enlisted men and women, 32 of which were officers. She was commissioned in October of 2000 and was named after the 32nd American President and his wife, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. She had missile capabilities as well as torpedo launchers. She also housed two Sea Hawk helicopters, one of which had come and picked them up. Yugi made his way up to the bridge, with a little help from some of the crew. He opened the door and walked inside. The group looked up from what the Commander was showing them and he silently walked over to them. The Commander finished and the group turned to him.
“I didn’t get a hold of Kaiba. I got Joey instead,” Yugi said, “He promised to look into Ataxia Empire and see what he could find out.”
“Good. I want to know who these bastards are,” Bakura growled.
“I agree,” Atem nodded.
“You’re friends filled me in on what’s happening,” the Commander said, “I’ll help you out as much as I can.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Yugi replied.
The Commander nodded. The group decided to go back to their bunks to lay down for a bit. It had been an exciting past few days, and they all were feeling rather tired. The Commander agreed and told them that he’d wake them up in time for dinner.

Several days later
The Lieutenant hurried through the hallways of the ship to get to the bridge. He had an urgent message for the Commander. The radio room had picked up on a distress signal coming from a cruise ship about 50 miles to their starboard. They were the closest ones to the ship, so the Lieutenant was on his way to see if the Commander wanted to go rescue any survivors. He walked quickly to the bridge and almost slammed the door open.
“Commander, we’ve got a mayday coming over the radio,” he said as he saluted the Commander, “A cruise ship 50 miles starboard is in trouble.”
“What’s the problem?” the Commander asked.
“From what we gathered, the cruise ship was hijacked and then damaged. Her hull was destroyed with several explosives. She’s taking on water fast. There are few survivors,” the Lieutenant replied.
“How many?” the Commander asked.
“Out of 134, 5 are still alive sir,” the Lieutenant replied.
“Holy sh… what happened over there?” the Commander asked.
“I’m not sure, sir,” the Lieutenant replied.
“Hail the ship, tell them we’re on our way as quick as we can. Tell them to be on deck when we arrive,” the Commander said.
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
“Oh, and Lieutenant, alert our guests that we’ll be taking on extra passengers. Perhaps they can help them,” the Commander said.
“Yes, sir.”
The Lieutenant quickly left the room and dashed down to the radio room to relay the message.
Meanwhile, the commander turned to the helm, “Full speed ahead. 30 degrees to starboard.”
“Yes sir,”
He walked over to a console and picked up an intercom mike, “This is the Commander. We’ve received a distress signal. Prepare to take on boarders.”
He set the mike down and looked out at the sea. He prayed that they made it in time.

Down in the crew quarters
“What’s going on?” Yugi asked.
The group had heard the Commanders short message over the ships comm.’s and were now wondering what was going on. Atem volunteered to go up and see what the commotion was all about when the Lieutenant burst into the room.
“Lieutenant, what’s going on?” Stephanie Wade asked as they crowded around him.
“We’ve received a distress signal from a cruise ship 50 miles from our present position. Since we’re the closest ones to her, we’re going to go pick up any survivors that are left,” he replied.
“How can we help?” Alexander asked.
“The Commander was hoping that you would help calm the survivors. The ship was hijacked and has been pretty much scuttled,” he replied.
“Scuttled?” Stephanie asked.
“It means that the ship has been destroyed. She’s taking on water and will sink quickly,” Dirk supplied.
“Yes, exactly. There are only about 5 survivors from what the radio messages we’ve received says,” the Lieutenant replied.
“Out of how many?” Atem asked.
“134,”
“Shit, what the hell happened?” Bakura asked softly.
“That’s what we’d like to know,” the Lieutenant said.


Cruise ship Dark Watch
The Roosevelt approached the cruise ship slowly. From his spot in the bridge, the Commander could see that the survivors were on deck and waiting for them. The ship itself was listing greatly to port and the stern was starting to go down. He ordered one of the HELO’s launched and directed it to land on the bow and pick up any remaining survivors. A team was assembled to do a quick search over the ship for anything that might be helpful. Included in the team was Dirk, who volunteered his services to the Commander while they were on board. The HELO lifted off and flew the few feet that were separating the two ships. After some precarious planning, it landed on the cluttered deck of the bow. Despite there being more room on the stern part of the ship, a fire had encompassed much of that part of the deck. The team scrambled from chopper and immediately spread out. Half of the group fanned out over the deck and searched for the survivors. The entire deck was cluttered with dead bodies, upturned chairs, and remains of lifeboats that had been set on fire. From the looks of things, that was what had caused the fire on the stern deck. The team spread out, intent on searching for the survivors. Lieutenant Bourne shoved aside a couple of deck chairs and stepped over the body of what appeared to be a small child. His gut twisted in disgust. What kind of person could shoot a helpless child? Apparently who ever had taken control of this ship didn’t want anyone left alive. So how had the five people they were looking for survived? He shoved another chair out of the way and immediately stepped back and drew his gun up. In front of him stood a woman. She had long blonde hair and turquoise blue eyes. Her dress was white and had small roses embedded in it, though it appeared to be ripped across the shoulder area. She was covered in dirt and was barefoot. Her eyes were wide in fright as she stared at the Lieutenant. He lowered his gun and slowly approached her.
“Are you the woman that hailed us over the radio?” he asked her gently.
The woman nodded, her eyes still wide, but less frightful.
“We’re here to help you off the ship. Can you tell me where the rest of the survivors are?” he asked.
She turned and pointed to the bridge of the ship. The Lieutenant quickly sent a message over the radio that was connected to his outfit and gently clasped his hand around the woman’s arm. He led her back to the chopper and had her sit down inside while he went to help check for the others.
Dirk had been with the other half of the team. Their goal was to look for anything that might tell them of what happened aboard the ship. Each man in this section of the team had a small bag attached to their belts. Dirk bent down and picked up several shell casings along with a small device. He looked at it for a moment before placing it in the bag. He made his way towards the bridge. He slowly walked in and, without giving much regard to the bodies of the captain and crew, searched the bridge for anything suspicious. He found it in a small box that was attached to the underside of the helm. Inside was what looked like the charred remains of a small explosive device. That explained why the ship was unable to be steered. He deposited the box in the bag and headed out of the bridge. He didn’t have much time to look elsewhere seeing as the command to head back to the chopper filtered over his radio. He and the rest of the team quickly ran across the deck and climbed in the chopper. The blades started to whirl and it lifted off the deck. The team had found all five survivors and watched as the once beautiful cruise ship gave one last groan before disappearing below the waves, lost forever to the sea. They had made it just in time.


USS Roosevelt, 30 minutes later.
The chopper landed on the landing pad of the ship. The team helped the survivors down to the sick bay and from there the doctors took control. The mysterious woman that had first hailed them over the radio was deemed to be fine. A little exhausted and in need of food and water, but other than that, she was given a clean bill of health. The other survivors were forced to stay in the infirmary because they all had inhaled a little too much smoke and were told that they needed to breathe pure oxygen for the night. The Commander had asked Yugi and Atem to help the woman get adjusted to the ship. Yugi knocked on the door of the infirmary and waited for a moment before a muffled “come in” filtered through the door. He walked in and Atem trailed behind him. Yugi spoke with the head doctor for the ship, who filled him in on the condition of the woman they saved. Other than in need of rest, food and water, the only thing that seemed wrong with her was the fact that she was still frightened a bit. Yugi reassured the doctor that he would do whatever he could to make her feel right at home. He walked over to the curtain that hid her from the rest of the infirmary and gently pulled it away a little as he gingerly stepped inside. The woman sat on the edge of a bed, her back to Yugi. Her dress had been traded in for a simple hospital gown.
“Miss?” he asked.
The woman turned around and studied him for a moment. She was stunned at the man that stood before her. She could not deny that Yugi held an air of beauty. His hair was a beautiful array of colors that seemed to shimmer if she looked at it just right, and his eyes were absolutely gorgeous. They’re violet hue sparkled with innocence, laughter and love.
“My name is Yugi,” he said softly, “I came to bring you some clothes and to show you around the ship.”
“Thank you. My name is Layla Grey,” she replied with a smile, “I appreciate the clothes.”
“You’re welcome, Layla. That’s a pretty name,” he replied, “It’s Egyptian for one “born at night,” right?”
“That’s very good,” she said, surprise showing in her eyes, “You know Egyptian?”
“Well, I have to be truthful; I learned it from my lover, the one whose clothes I gave you,” he replied with a smile, “He knows Egyptian and has been… teaching me, in a sense. You’ll meet him after you get dressed, which I’ll leave you to do now.”
She smiled gratefully as he opened the curtain and left. She barely glanced at the clothes she was given, choosing instead to be happy that she was given something else besides that dress she wore. She always hated wearing dresses. The jeans and sweatshirt she was given suited her more than anything. After she was done, she opened the curtain and stepped out. She had taken a shower before Yugi and Atem had arrived, so her hair had dried a little. It now fell in waves down her back, making her seem like an everyday goddess. She stopped and stared in awe at the sight before her. Yugi was leaning up against a man that looked a lot like him. There were a few minute details that were different, but it wasn’t his appearance that had made her stare. It was the scene that she witnessed that caused that. Yugi was leaning into the man that she could only assume to be Atem. Yugi had his arms around Atem’s broad shoulders and had his head turned to the side, his face buried in Atem’s neck. Atem himself had his arms wrapped possessively around the smaller ones waist and his own face was buried in Yugi’s hair. She couldn’t see his eyes, but if they were anything like the rest of what she saw, she had no doubt that they were just as exotic. It struck her as absolutely beautiful and it took little effort to imagine the two in a grand Egyptian palace, standing just like they were now, with the sunset falling behind the Great Pyramids in the background. She suddenly itched to draw them just as she imagined, but realized that she would have to do it later, seeing as they were in the infirmary and she had no drawing paper.
The clearing of a throat brought the two look-a-likes out of the daze they had fallen into while they waited for her to get dressed. Atem opened his eyes and Layla gasped. She had a feeling they would be as exotic as the rest of him, but she wasn’t prepared for the blood red, crimson color that seemed to stare directly into her soul. She recovered a moment later and smiled softly.
“You two make a beautiful couple, you know that?”
She watched as a blush crept its way onto Yugi’s face as he buried his head into his lovers shoulder. Atem smiled in amusement as his eyes turned to the smaller one in his arms. She tilted her head and the urge to draw them became even greater as she saw the love fill both of their eyes as they stared at each other. She waited patiently as the two kissed briefly before disentangling themselves.
The blush still very much in place, Yugi turned and smiled warmly at her, “Layla, this is my one and only, Atem.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said as she approached him and held out her hand.
“Likewise,” Atem said as he shook her hand.
She tilted her head and studied the two, almost as if she were deep in thought, “May I ask a question?”
Atem nodded and Yugi replied with a simple, “Sure.”
“Would you two be willing to pose for me later? I really want to draw you,” she said.
Atem and Yugi looked at each other. They’re eyes dulled for a moment before Yugi turned back to Layla, “Sure, we’d love to.”
“Great,” she said happily. A glimmer of joy lighting up her eyes, “Well, I’m ready to go.”
“Alright, let’s go.”

An hour later
Layla sat in her room and sighed. Granted, it was nothing like the room on board the Dark Watch, but she very much preferred the simple one here to that one. That one was overly extravagant. Unlike the rest of her family, she preferred the simple things. This fact often made her the ridicule of her siblings, but she didn’t mind. As long as she had a pad of paper, and a pencil, she was content to put up with whatever they dished out at her. Which was also the reason why she had gotten a smaller amount of the inheritance than the rest of them had. Sure, it was still shockingly high for a normal person (18 million dollars) but she didn’t care. She had bought herself a small cottage in a fishing village along the eastern seaboard of America and the only time she left was when her brother had called her back to the company he had inherited for some kind of business. What money she had left had gone to charities, except for a little bit for her to live on. She was more than content to spend hours by the sea, just drawing whatever came to mind. And that brought her back to her current thoughts. She so desperately wanted to draw Yugi and Atem. They made the most perfect couple, and even a blind man could see that. The two loved each other more than anyone she had ever encountered. She could also sense that their bond was more than just lovers, but she wasn’t going to say anything. She signed again as she ran her hand over the paper that Yugi had given her earlier. It was perfect. It couldn’t be too smooth, like printer paper, because the pencil had a tendency to smug, and if it was too rough, it’d rip. Somehow, some way that she didn’t know, Yugi had found just the right grade of paper for her. She gripped the paper in one hand and a stack of pencils in her other hand, thanks to Yugi once again, she stood up and headed out of her room. Walking down several hallways, carefully not getting lost, she finally reached the room where the two were staying. She paused for a moment before knocking on the door. A flurry of voices sounded on the other side before the door was finally opened. A grinning Yugi greeted her.
“Layla! Come in!” he exclaimed happily.
She cast him a wary smile and looked at Atem.
“He’s slightly hyper,” Atem explained.
“Oh,” she said as she nodded, “Well, I hope you’ll be able to sit still, Yugi.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll be as still as a pyramid.”
She heard Atem chuckle and she herself smiled, “Alright, well why don’t you two get comfortable?”
“Any particular way you want us?” Atem asked.
“Whatever feels comfortable to you,” she said with a small shake of her head.
The two nodded and immediately began to get comfortable. Atem sat down on a chair and pulled Yugi into his lap. Yugi closed his eyes in contentment as he felt Atem’s arms wrap around his middle. Atem rested his head on the smaller ones shoulder, his eyes half open. Yugi tilted his head to the side, his face nuzzling Atem’s hair for a moment before he settled. He opened his eyes and they too stared at Layla. She smiled and studied the pair for a moment.
She opened the paper that Yugi gave her and immediately set to drawing the two just as she imagined. Her pencil ghosted over the paper silently. Every now and again she would glance up at the two, judging whether or not what she had drawn was what she saw. Yugi nuzzled Atem’s hair slightly again, making sure not to move too much, and his darker half hummed quietly in his throat. The two waited patiently as Layla continued to draw. The picture on the paper slowly began to take shape. She kept glancing up and then back down at the paper, darkening it in some places and erasing to make another thing lighter. She looked up one last time before she set her pencil down and blew lightly on the paper to get rid of the eraser pieces. She smiled in satisfaction while the two look-a-likes stood and stretched. Yugi was eager to see what she had drawn and had almost immediately walked over to her. She handed the pad to him and he gasped in surprise.
She had drawn them in Ancient Egypt. He felt Atem move behind him and stare at the picture too. The two of them were in a stone room that had a single window behind them. A sunset was slowly falling behind them, the sun sinking down behind a very realistic version of the Sphinx. It was what they were wearing that made Yugi stare in awe. Atem was dressed in regal clothing. He wore a beautiful crown that had a very detailed Eye of Horus embedded in the metal, that Yugi assumed could only be gold. Around his neck, a gold choker, adorned with several different gems. He wore no shirt. A bracelet circled his upper arm and one of his wrists. From what Yugi could see, he wore a plain white kilt that had a sash to it and his feet were bare. Yugi himself was wearing billowy, almost see through pants. They were attached to his ankles with golden anklets. The top of the pants sat low on his hips and he too wore no shirt, a simple vest covering his arms and shoulders. A single gem hung from the only button on the vest. His belly was exposed. Around his head he wore a smaller version of the crown that Atem wore. He had on two small bracelets and a matching pair of earrings. She had captured the love she had seen earlier. Even though both of their eyes were half closed, they held such love that it took Yugi’s breath away. Atem had his arms around Yugi’s waist and his chin was resting on his shoulder. Yugi’s own face was buried slightly in Atem’s hair.
He felt Atem slip an arm around his waist, “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she replied softly.
“It’s amazing,” Atem whispered as he stood behind Yugi, his eyes transfixed on the drawing.
“I tried to capture the love you two feel for each other,” she said.
Atem tore his gaze away from the picture, “You certainly did that.”
She smiled as she gathered up her pencils. Yugi closed the pad and handed it back to her. She gently took it, “Well, I’m going to head to bed. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Alright,” Yugi said with a nod, “Goodnight.”
“Night,” she whispered as she left the room.

A few days later
A few days had passed since Layla had drawn the picture of the two together. The other survivors had been released from the infirmary and were being very helpful around the ship. They had helped make dinner, cleaned, even helping the soldiers practice drills. Yugi, Atem, Bakura and Dirk were currently in the radio room talking to Joey on the satellite phone. It appeared that Kaiba had found out some stuff about their mysterious Ataxia Empire and had Joey contact the group to tell them.
“What do you mean that’s it?” Bakura growled.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” Joey replied, “Ataxia Empire is a fully legitimate business. They own several oil fields, coal mines, and some desalting plants in the Mediterranean, but that’s it. There is nothing else to them.”
“There has to be something,” Yugi said.
“There isn’t. All I can say is no one has been able to penetrate their defenses,” Joey replied.
“What do you mean?” Atem asked.
“Well, they have the appropriate paper trail, but there’s little beyond that. There are no stocks in the company, there’s no overspending from the company, nothing. Anyone who’s attempted to join the company is given an extensive, and I mean CIA extensive background check,” Joey said, “I’ve check with my contacts, and they say that even the CIA hasn’t been able to infiltrate the Empire.”
“So you’re saying that we’re dealing with someone tougher than the “Organization?” Yugi asked.
“Yes, a lot tougher,” Joey said, “There’s one other thing. I did manage to find out who owns the company. His name is Acario Grey.”
“Shit!” Bakura exclaimed suddenly, “Now I know why her name was so familiar.”
“You don’t think…” Dirk began.
Bakura leapt up from his chair and headed for the door, “Yes, that’s exactly what I think. Layla Grey is related to Acario Grey. He’s her brother!”