Hello again, FF . net! It's me, Tsunami Storm, with another installment in the 'Dragon Prince' saga! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh! 'nuff said. This amazing series belongs to the one and only Kazuki Takahashi. All hail you, senpai!

Prince of Egypt, another long YuGiOh! fanfic by Tsunami Storm

Chapter 1: Origins

"You ready to go, Seto?" Mokuba asked carefully as he looked back to the door that connected the brothers' rooms to their shared bathroom.

"Just about, kiddo." came the reply, and Mokuba smiled, just a little nervous. This was the first time in a long while that they were going to the doctor's office for their (supposed-to-be-annual) check-up. The last time Seto had gone was- Mokuba didn't even remember, but it was when Gozaburo was still their 'guardian'. He had taken them to a pediatrician who was a friend of his, and neither of the boys had liked him one bit. He and the nurses that worked under him had always turned a blind eye to all of the older brother's bruises and scars. They'd known exactly what was going on at 'home' in the Kaiba mansion, but did nothing about it. It was apparent that Mokuba was nervous about going to the doctor's, even now when Gozaburo had been dead and gone for years.

"Okay, Mokuba. I'm ready. What about you?" Seto smiled as he walked into Mokuba's room, pulling on a regular jacket over a T-shirt and comfortable jeans- a pair of dark sunglasses in his jacket pocket. It was an outfit that he almost never wore anymore, but today he wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible. Mokuba was similarly dressed, only the younger boy was wearing shorts, a polo shirt and a baseball cap to hide his long hair. Today, the Kaiba brothers looked like regular teenagers, even though they were anything but.

"Yep. I'm ready." The younger brother answered with a nod, and was rewarded with his favorite smile from his big brother.

-Two minutes later-

"I know you must be nervous." Seto commented as they were walking out of their house to the garage. "But we're not going to that guy anymore. We're gonna see Dr. Itonami. You know her. She's a friend." Seto smiled again, an image of the young woman appearing in his mind's eye.

"Really?" Mokuba asked, relieved. He'd tried not to show it, but he was terrified of going to their old pediatrician. Then he remembered that their old doctor had resigned years ago, after being sued several times for malpractice. In fact, Mokuba suspected that the physician had only stayed in business because of substantial bribes from Gozaburo.

"Really, really." Seto joked as he climbed into the driver's side of his red Ferrari, and Mokuba got in the front passenger seat. Their chauffeur had a day off today, so the brothers had to drive themselves if they wanted to go anywhere.

-Ten minutes later-

It was a short drive to the clinic where Hana worked, so the brothers spent it in silence- one happy to see his friend again and the other somewhat nervous about his appointment. Mokie would be getting just a regular check-up, but Seto had an additional reason for going to the doctor today. His back had been bothering him lately. Not the muscles or bones in his spine, but something on the surface of his skin. He'd have given himself a diagnosis, but he couldn't see what was happening because of all his scars. He mentally cursed Gozaburo for the nth time, hoping that the former tycoon was burning in the deepest pits of Duat for everything he'd done. Not just to him, but to his own flesh and blood. His own son, Noah.

The brothers arrived at the unassuming clinic with plenty of time to spare and walked into the waiting room with mixed emotions. Seto hid his behind his usual mask, but Mokuba wasn't as practiced and was visibly shaking. Seto put a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile of encouragement, silently reassuring the boy- and himself- that everything would be fine.

-Half an hour later-

Seto was just looking through a business magazine when a medical assistant came into the lobby and called their names. Mokuba put his GameBoy in his pocket after saving his game, [Pokémon Blue] and Seto put the magazine on the table from where he'd taken it. The brothers followed the nurse back to one of the rooms, and Seto leaned against the wall as the young woman recorded Mokuba's height and weight. Seto adjusted the ruler himself when it was his turn, as the woman was quite a bit shorter than him and couldn't reach that high.

"Okay, 6'1''-" The woman muttered to herself as she recorded his height in his chart. Then she led the boys back into one of the rooms and recorded the rest of their vital signs. Seto felt a little self-conscious when she took his blood pressure- as he had to remove his jacket and expose his arm- but the medical assistant kept a politely neutral face when she saw all the scars. He appreciated that. The last thing he needed was anyone's pity.

"The doctor should be in to see you two momentarily." The woman said, and both boys nodded. Mokuba sat on the exam table and swung his legs over the side, and Seto sat in one of the armchairs- crossing his arms and looking down at his feet.

The door opened after a few minutes, and Dr. Itonami walked in with a beaming smile. "Well, if it isn't my favorite CEO and VP! Long time no see, boys!"

Mokuba grinned widely and laughed, "Hi, Hana! Oops, Dr. Itonami!" He corrected himself. Seto just looked up and smiled briefly before looking at his brother. "You go first, Mokie. That way you don't have to wait for me." Seto suggested, seeming perfectly calm. But as usual, that was just a mask. He hadn't told his brother what was to happen in his check-up, and Mokuba was instantly suspicious.

"Why's yours gonna be longer than mine, bro? Are you not telling me something?" Mokuba asked with a frown, but Seto didn't answer.

"I can do you first, kiddo. That's fine with me." Hana answered helpfully, and Seto gave her a small smile in gratitude. "Then you can go hang out at KaibaLand with Seth and Noah." She winked, and Seto started. How'd she know that that was what we were planning today? Then he shrugged. Right. Magic. Hana always seemed to know more than she let on. It was part of what made her so mysterious.

As expected, Mokuba's check-up didn't take very long at all, and he left the office with Seth within fifteen minutes. "Have fun, guys." Seto called with a small smile, and Mokie beamed back. "We will. See ya later, bro!" Seto nodded, silently promising to meet up with them at KaibaLand afterwards. He nodded to his other half, and Seth nodded back- silently vowing to keep Mokuba and Noah safe. Not that they expected anything to happen at KaibaLand, but you never knew what could happen with their crazy lives.

"You ready?" Hana asked, and Seto sighed heavily. "Yeah. I've been waiting a long time for this. I'm just a little-" He trailed off, not wanting to say it out loud.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Hana told him, guessing the problem. "It's not your fault. It's his. I don't think any less of you for it, and neither do your family or your friends. It's not what's on the outside, but on the inside that makes the man."

Seto smiled wryly, then sat on the exam table and lay on his stomach, putting his head on the specialized headrest and closing his eyes, trying to relax all of the tension that had suddenly flared up all over his body. He had removed all his clothing but his boxers, and thus was feeling very self-conscious. This was a million times worse than when he'd exposed just his arm for the blood pressure cuff.

"So, what seems to be the problem? I mean, other than the obvious?" Hana asked, and Seto sighed again. "My back's been bothering me. It's not the scars, but it feels almost like a stinging, burning tingle. It started when I was back in Egypt in the Memory World, when I summoned my Blue-Eyes for the first time with magic. And it's been getting more and more frequent ever since. I don't really know what's going on." He finished, glaring over his shoulder at the portion of his back that he could see.

"Well, don't worry." Hana reassured him. "We'll fix you right up." She walked over to the sink and washed her hands thoroughly, dried them with a few napkins, then returned to the table where her patient and friend lay. She grimaced when she saw the state of the young man's back, and silently cursed Gozaburo to the deepest circle of Duat where he belonged. Seto's back had so many scars that it resembled dried, cracked mud, but Hana could still barely make out something underneath. It didn't look like a birthmark, and she wasn't sure what it was. Well, they'd find out soon enough.

Seto flinched as a cold something made contact with his back, and Hana smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Cold hands." He shrugged and let her continue. He felt a slight tickle on his back as the master healer erased his many scars one by one. Some of the longest took about a minute, and the small ones took seconds.

-After about twenty minutes of constant healing-

Hana stepped back from her work for a minute. Seto looked over at her, hoping she hadn't overworked herself erasing his scars. She smiled at him and wiped some perspiration from her brow. "I'll be right back." She said, stepping out of the room for a moment. When she returned, Seto was surprised to find that she had a bottle of cherry-flavored Gatorade© in her hand.

"Gatorade?" He asked, amused, and Hana shrugged. "It's the best thing that helps restore my magical energy. Healing takes a lot out of ya. More than you'd think."

"Never would've guessed." He chuckled. "How'd you discover that one?"

"Complete accident." Hana laughed, her face a bit pink with embarrassment. "I just took a sip with my coworkers to be polite, and I was at full power at the time. Gave me one heckuva headache." She told him wryly, smiling sheepishly. She carefully unscrewed the cap and took a long swig, breathing deeply and sighing contentedly when she'd finished. "Much better." Then she capped the bottle and returned to her task.

-Another twenty minutes later-

After healing every single scar on Seto's back, Hana asked her patient to turn over onto his back so she could work on the scars on his chest. He nodded and obliged, rolling over on the bed and giving her a small smile of encouragement and thanks. Hana returned it, then continued her healing process. A small part of her in the back of her mind wolf-whistled at the sight before her eyes. "Well! Hel-loh Muscles!" Her inner-self quipped, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. Seto caught the tail end of this, and he looked at her questioningly.

"What?" He asked, and Hana's face turned red.

"It's nothing really. Just my subconscious being immature." She answered shyly, trying very hard not to stare.

"Oh really?" He teased, sensing her unspoken thoughts. "You like what you see?" He asked, grinning.

Hana turned beet-red. "Well, I can't really tell what I'm seeing, under all those scars of yours." She teased back, trying to hide her embarrassment. And failing epicly.

Seto made a face at her, then rolled his eyes. He knew she wasn't serious. He also knew that- after today- he wouldn't have to be embarrassed whenever he and Mokie would go to the beach. He couldn't go swimming anymore, though he'd loved it as a kid. He couldn't stand people judging him, and that's exactly what people would do if he went out in public like this. Hence all the turtleneck shirts and long pants that he always wore.

"I really appreciate you doing this for me." He commented after a minute, and he smiled at his friend again in gratitude.

"No problem." Hana answered distractedly, concentrating on a large scar that stretched all the way from the boy's left shoulder to his right hip. [Sound familiar? Yep. He got that one in 'Empire'.] "You have just as much right as anyone else to relax once in a while- like going to the beach with your kid brother, for instance- and not have people staring at you and whispering behind your back." Hana growled, voicing her friend's thoughts aloud without realizing it. "People can be so judgmental sometimes."

"Tell me about it." He answered rhetorically, looking up at the ceiling again as Hana continued to work.

-After a minute-

"Did you already finish with my back?" Seto asked, and Hana nodded. "All except for one mark that was being stubborn. Although, somehow I get the feeling that it wasn't from your stepfather. I think you were born with it. It doesn't look like a regular birthmark, though." She answered, and Seto sat up and looked at his back. Hana helpfully transformed a portion of one of the walls into a mirror so her friend wouldn't strain his neck trying to see it.

"Whoa!" He breathed, shocked. "That's some birthmark!"

Indeed it was. Nearly all of the young man's back was marked with this unusual anomaly. Unlike a normal birthmark- which contains an excess of melanin at the site- this mark had an absence, making it an almost pearly white. Most interestingly, the mark was formed in the image of a dragon- and a very familiar dragon at that.

"Blue-Eyes?" Seto breathed, staring at the reflection of his back in increasing awe. "I have a birthmark that's shaped like Blue-Eyes?!"

"Well, that does make sense, kinda." Hana answered, more than a little surprised herself. "Your Ka is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, after all." Then she came to a realization. "Maybe that's why your back was stinging. Ryushiro was mad about all of the scars that covered up his mark. He was angry that his Ba was hurt."

"You think?" Seto asked, surprised. He didn't think that a Ka could have an emotional attachment to its Ba. "Huh." Then he also came to a realization. "Kisara doesn't have a mark on her back like this, though. At least, not that I know of." Seto argued. "I've never heard of someone's Ka showing up on their body like a tattoo."

"Me neither." Hana shrugged. "I could ask Mana or master Mahaad if they've ever heard of something like this, but something tells me they won't know either." She frowned, wishing she knew what this was so that she could reassure her friend.

"Well, I can't go out in public like this, either." Seto growled. "I guess I could tell people it's a tattoo, but- what would Mokuba think?"

Just when he'd said this, the mark on his back began to glow with a soft white light, then faded and darkened to the same color as the rest of his back. Hana's eyebrows disappeared into her hair at this, and Seto's did as well.

"Now that's just weird." Seto stated in confusion and Hana nodded, not knowing what to say. "I guess I should've expected that, though. For us, weird is normal." He added with a snort.

Hana snorted too. "Yeah. You're right. In fact, I'd be surprised if there wasn't something weird going on with someone from our friend group. 'Weird' is par for the course."

"You said it." Seto agreed with a smirk, then turned away from the mirror and looked at his chest. What he saw surprised him. "You did my legs and arms too? I didn't ask you to do that."

Hana shrugged. "You came in today for some scar reduction 'surgery'. I just assumed you meant all of them. Not just the ones on your back and chest." She answered, waving off his thanks as nothing. "That's what you do for a friend." Then she walked back over to the counter and picked up her Gatorade. "My energy's getting low again. Time to refuel before my next patient comes in."

Seto smiled at her choice of words, then grabbed his jeans and T-shirt and pulled them on, since the 'surgery' was completed. He draped his jacket over his arm, as he wouldn't need it anymore. It was a nice mid-August day outside. Not a cloud in the sky. [August 14, to be precise.]

Once he'd finished, he looked over at his friend- who was recording the procedure in his medical chart- and rubbed his neck awkwardly. He'd never done this before, and he wasn't exactly sure how to do it now.

"Are- are you- doing anything later today? Like- this evening?" He asked quietly, and somehow Hana heard it.

"I've gotta work late today." She answered. "I get off at 4:00 from here, then I've gotta go straight to the museum to guide tours until like 10:00." She rolled her eyes for his benefit, but he knew that she enjoyed working there. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Seto answered, still feeling awkward. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to come with us to what is supposedly the most haunted building in this part of Japan." He shrugged. "Seth and Kisara are going, Mokie's coming- heck, I think even Akefia said he would go." He grinned.

Hana laughed. "Oh, what a fun party you guys'll make." She could just imagine what their evening would be like. "I wish I could come, but I can't. Duty calls, you know."

Seto nodded- a little disappointed- but not allowing it to show on his face. He stood up from the exam table, thanked Hana for all her help, handed a check to the receptionist, then left the clinic to go hang out with his brothers in KaibaLand. [Was Seto really asking me out on a date?! Where did that come from?]

When Seto arrived at the amusement park and spotted his brothers, he smirked. Mokuba had persuaded Seth to accompany him on one of the roller coasters, and the former pharaoh looked like he was having the time of his life. Mokuba had predictably chosen the front car, and was grinning from ear-to-ear and putting his hands up as they went up and down the hills and corkscrews. Beside him, Seth was mirroring his actions- grinning as Seto had never seen before.

A light touch on his arm made Seto start in surprise and look down, but then his shock turned to a gentle smile as he saw who had joined him. "They look like they are enjoying themselves, do they not?" Kisara asked with a smile, and Seto nodded. "I'd say that's an understatement." He chuckled. Then he looked around him. "Where's Noah and your brother?" He asked the young woman, and she pointed to the coaster that Seto had been watching. "They are right behind Seth and Mokuba. Did you not see them?" Seto looked back at the ride and saw that his sister-in-law was right. How had he missed the mane of bushy white hair behind his yami?

"Huh. Didn't know Akefia liked roller coasters." The brunette commented, and Kisara giggled. "Noah dared him to go on it with him. I do not think Ryou likes those rides much, so Otouto did not have any idea what to expect from it."

"So you're saying that this is the first roller coaster he's ever been on?" Seto smirked. "For your first time, 'White Lightning' is a bit much. Hope he doesn't throw up on anybody up there."

"Oh, I am sure he will be fine." Kisara answered with a smile. "He has a pretty strong stomach. And he is quite the daredevil to boot. I am more worried about how Seth will fare on this ride."

"You mean it's his first ride too?" Seto asked incredulously, and Kisara nodded, looking a tad worried. Nice one, Mokie! Little prankster. That's my kid brother for ya! He praised the boy mentally. "Eh, he'll be fine. You just have to look at his face to tell that. He's having the time of his life up there." He smirked fondly, glad that his brothers (and brother-in-law Akefia) were enjoying themselves.

"I kinda wish I could join them, but I have this kid to worry about." Kisara sighed fondly, cradling her bulging womb affectionately with one hand.

Seto smiled at her fondly, immensely proud that he was going to be an uncle very soon. And- judging by how far along Kisara was- the Kaiba family would be gaining another member any day now.

"So, is it gonna be a boy or girl?" He asked with a sly grin, and Kisara returned the smile- though hers looked shy. "We do not know. Seth and I decided we wanted to find out the old-fashioned way. But I hope it is a boy. My little prince. Seth thinks it will be a girl, of course. A perfect clone of me. His little snow-angel." She laughed. "Kefi agrees with me. He thinks it will be a boy, too."

"I wonder what its Ka will be." Seto mused aloud. "I mean, both of its parents have Blue-Eyes as their Ka. Will it be another dragon, or something totally different?"

Kisara shrugged. "Who knows? Perhaps I will ask Mahaad one of these days. He spent five thousand years in the Dominion, after all, where our Ka live. Perhaps he can tell us something about it."

"Maybe." Seto agreed with her, then put on his little brother's favorite smile and braced himself as the black-haired blur tackled him around the waist.

"Hey, bro! You're here!" Mokuba greeted enthusiastically as he gave his brother a bear-hug. "How'd your appointment go? You're- you're wearing short sleeves? What about your sc-?" He trailed off as he gasped, and Seto's smile grew wider as his little brother figured it out. "That's what it was about? Why it took so long?" Seto just nodded and grinned even wider. "Today I'm a normal teenager, Mokie. And normal teens can wear jeans and T-shirts on a day out with their families."

Mokuba's smile seemed in danger of splitting his face right in half, it was so wide. Seth approached the group within a minute, taking a slower but more practical pace than his excitable little brother. He lifted Kisara into the air and twirled her around, then set her down gently and kissed her on the mouth. Just a short, sweet kiss. Nothing too passionate, as they were in a public setting.

"Aww! That is so cute!" A pair of girls squealed from somewhere close by. Both hikari and yami looked around in surprise, and their eyes fell on two young women cosplaying as Black Magician Girl and Valkyrie. They were clearly fans. Seth smiled sheepishly, but put an arm around his wife's shoulders in a protective manner. You could never be too careful when fangirls were around. Fortunately for the young family, the girls weren't fans of the 'rabid' variety and merely dissolved into giggle-fits and quiet squeals of "Kawaii!" before running off in bashfulness.

Seto just shook his head in exasperation, then looked up as their other two family members walked up and joined them. Noah was grinning from ear-to-ear, but the slightly glazed look in Akefia's eyes and the greenish hue of his face suggested otherwise for the former King of Thieves. Seth took one look at his brother-in-law's face, then removed his lunch from a paper bag and quickly handed the bag to the young man. Just in time too, as Akefia's breakfast came back up to say 'Hello'. Kisara patted her brother's back awkwardly.

"Least you waited till after the ride." Noah commented, and Akefia glared at him after he'd cleaned off his mouth.

"Yeah yeah, never mind that." The young man growled. "Did I fulfill your silly dare?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his purplish-blue eyes. He was clearly plotting his revenge.

"Yeah, I guess that counts." Noah conceded with a shrug. Then he squawked when Akefia started pulling him over to another one of the rides without warning. "Brilliant! Now it's my turn!" The thief grinned.

"Uh oh. I think Noah's in trouble now." Seto snickered as he bit his bottom lip, struggling not to laugh out loud and somehow succeeding. Barely.

"Well, look who it is!" A friendly laugh came from somewhere near the happy family. Everyone spun around at the sound, then smiled in surprise as everyone's favorite Black Magician walked up, dressed as his Ka. His outfit was so realistic that Seto couldn't tell if it was just a costume or the real armor. [It's totally the real thing. Because why not?]

"Hey, Mahaad!" Mokuba waved, and the magician smiled at him in response. He inclined his head in a small bow to the rest of the group, as two of them were very old friends and the other was his employer. "I didn't know you were working here!" The boy continued.

Mahaad chuckled. "I have to keep my skills up somehow. What better way to practice my arts of illusion and misdirection than by entertaining the masses?" He asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer. "My audience need not know that I am using real magic and not just sleight of hand. You know what they say, 'A magician never reveals his secrets'!" At this he winked very deliberately at Seto, who was forcibly reminded of his duel with Yugi and Atem on Pegasus' castle in Duelist Kingdom. Atem had used that same quote. In response to the trip down memory lane, Seto rolled his eyes at the spellcaster.

"Speaking of entertainment-" Seto interrupted their amusement for a moment. "Don't you have another show to prepare for?"

"I still have about fifteen minutes." Mahaad shrugged, then he winked again. "It is not like I have to do much to 'prepare'. My lovely assistant- on the other hand- spends the entire 'down time' between shows practicing her spells." He laughed, shaking his head fondly at the thought of what his favorite student could be practicing at the moment.

Seth laughed too. "I am sure she does. She only really got serious about her magic after you- died." He paused, lost in thought. "In fact, in Duel Monsters, that is probably why someone's 'Black Magician Girl' gains 300 extra Attack points for a 'Black Magician' in their Graveyard. Maybe it is alluding to your pasts."

"That is very possible, old friend." Mahaad nodded. "Duel Monsters is the reincarnation- if you will- of the ancient Shadow Games. And the Shadows do not forget." He stated sagely.

"Um-" Kisara began shyly, but then lost her nerve and fell silent when the powerful mage turned to her.

"You do not need to be shy, Lady Kisara. You may ask me anything you like." Mahaad invited, and Kisara found her courage again.

"While we are on the subject of Duel Monsters, or- more specifically- Ka, is there any way to tell what a baby's Ka will be before they are born? Or is it up to chance?" She asked, looking at her sandaled feet and not meeting the magician's gaze.

"You wish to know what the Ka of your child will be." Mahaad guessed, slightly surprised at the question. Kisara nodded, and Seth put an arm around her shoulders again and gave her a gentle side-hug. Mahaad cupped his chin in his hand and lowered his head so he was looking at the ground, closing his eyes in thought. After a few minutes he looked back up, smiling wryly.

"Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to that question." He replied, and Kisara's face fell slightly. It might have been nice to know the form the baby's Ka would take, just to have a little forewarning. "Every case is unique. Just as no two human beings on this Earth are exactly the same, so too are Ka. The child may house the spirit of yet another Blue-Eyes White Dragon, or the Ka may not be a dragon at all. It is a complete mystery. And we will not know until the child is ready."

"Which will be in a matter of days." Mokuba grinned widely- beaming at the happy mother- who smiled back warmly at her little brother-in-law.

"What do you mean, 'when the child's ready'?" Seto asked, confused. "Does that mean when it's born? Or later?"

"It is impossible to say." Mahaad answered simply. "Back in Egypt, I had heard of some Ka revealing themselves within a child's soul mere weeks after their birth, and yet others would take years to make themselves known. Actually, a manifested Ka was quite a rare occurrence. Most did not manifest at all. And by 'manifest', I mean 'take on a physical form'. Lady Kisara was the only 'ordinary citizen' I knew of who could summon her Ka at will, without a shield device. The only others were myself and my fellow priests- and the Pharaoh and prince- and we had to train most strenuously for years to summon our Ka to this world using our DiaDhanks."

"I guess the Millennium Items helped with that." Mokuba commented, and Mahaad nodded. "Indeed they did. They made it easier to summon our Ka, but the Millennium Items themselves take a strong heart to command. They cannot be wielded by any ordinary man or woman. They have to be- 'special'."

"Some more so than others." Seth added, giving Mahaad a knowing look.

Mahaad chuckled again. "Yeah. My Ring was especially dark. It was second only to the Rod in terms of the Shadows that it contained. Were it not for the strength of my heart, I would have been consumed by the darkness long ago. Like my master before me."

"The previous Bearer of the Millennium Ring." Seth growled, his mind five thousand years in the past. "I never liked him either. There was something about him that did not seem right. Like the Shadows had taken his soul and replaced it with darkness. Yet he still lived."

Mahaad shrugged. "That is what the Shadows can do to a weak mind and heart. Either that or they tear your soul to pieces and scatter it across Duat for all eternity." He told them grimly, and Mokuba shuddered. He never wanted to play a Shadow Game. Of course, with his crazy life, you never knew what would happen.

"It's no picnic, I can tell ya that much." Seto commented, correctly reading the look on his brother's face. It must have been pretty obvious what he was thinking about. "I'm actually secretly glad I didn't have to duel Marik in Battle City. That guy was nuts."

"You said it." Kisara agreed with a grimace. Everyone looked at her in surprise, as they hadn't known she'd ever met Malik's dark side- at least, not before he and Dark Seto had kidnapped her and Noah. [See 'Brothers in Time'] "From what I did see of him in Battle City through my Ka's eyes, he was certainly a cracked walnut. And that is putting it mildly."

"I could not have said it better myself, my lady." Mahaad added, remembering his own observations about the psychopath. "He was certainly cruel to his Rare Hunters. Tempting them with empty promises so they would defeat master Yugi or my Pharaoh, then savagely breaking them when they inevitably lost the duel. Believe it or not, I actually felt sorry for Arkana."

"You did?" Seto asked, remembering the Black Magician user that had hacked into his system to authorize an illegal Duel Disk and network. Mahaad nodded. "I could understand where he was coming from- to an extent. Separated from his true love by a horrible accident that was not his fault, searching for her for years but never finding her, fighting his hardest for the chance to see her again-" He trailed off, the subject becoming too personal for him. So he decided to change the subject. "Speaking of magicians, you guys should come see our show. I assure you, you will not be disappointed."

-After the show-

Mahaad had spoken the truth. The show was a rousing success, and the two spellcasters in disguise took several curtain-calls because of the raucous applause and standing ovation. Mokuba clapped louder than anyone else, thinking, I always forget that 'Black Magician' is actually a magician, not just a Duel Monster. He's capable of far more than just battling for his duelist. And that thing where Mana turned herself into doves was really cool!

As the sun began to set in the west, the family of six (almost seven) decided it was time to head to the next portion of their 'fun day', the old mansion on the outskirts of Domino City. It was reported to be the most haunted building in this area of Japan, though no one had been able to prove this. Everyone was eager to explore it for themselves. Even Kisara was excited. However, Noah didn't like the idea of lingering spirits, so he decided to stay home while the others went on their 'adventure'.

As the group of five left Domino City, they noticed dark thunder clouds gathering in the sky above them- almost as if the weather knew where they were going and was warning them to stay away. On the edge of town, the mansion was surrounded by a ten-foot wall made of stone and a wrought-iron gate that was painted pitch black. The lock on the gate had long since rusted through, and the doors swung freely on their hinges with grating, screeching noises. Slightly unnerved, Seth led the way up the cobblestone path up to the house, his family trailing close behind him and Seto bringing up the rear.

The grass on either side of the pathway was terribly overgrown and looked dead, though it was only the middle of August. However, there was no grass present between the stones of the path, as if someone- or something- kept the path weeded. The front porch was made of rich mahogany, but it was old and creaky like the iron gate. Seth carefully approached the solid oak door and tried the doorknob, which was shaped like a lion's head. To his surprise, it was unlocked, and the former pharaoh slowly pushed the door open- wincing at all the squeaking that accompanied it.

Seto took one look inside and summed the house up in three words: "What a mess."

The others nodded as they gazed upon the ancient foyer. They could tell it had once been an impressive, stately mansion, but decades could have passed since anyone lived here. Tarnished suits of armor flanked both sides of a long, blood-red, moldy-looking carpet that stretched all the way from the front door to the double doors at the other end of the room. Cobweb-covered crystal chandeliers hung every few feet from the ceiling, and they looked like they had once held candles as a light source. The moldy drapes that hung in front of the windows looked more like slices of Swiss cheese than curtains, they were so riddled with holes.

An unseasonably cold breeze suddenly blew between the five group members, and all of them shivered in response. Mokuba was particularly unnerved by this, and he asked the others in a quavering voice, "Does anybody else get the feeling that we're not alone here?" He wrapped his arms around himself as a form of self-protection and shivered again. "I feel like there's something- watching us."

Akefia looked around warily. "It's not just you, kid. I've felt odd since we entered the gate. There is another presence here. What bothers me is that I cannot tell if it is evil or benign."

"Hopefully it is the latter." Kisara whispered, thoroughly unnerved.

Just then, a crash of thunder boomed outside, causing all five of the guests to jump and Kisara and Mokuba to squeak in fright. Seto and Seth froze like statues, anticipating an invisible attack any moment now. Akefia- who had some experience with lingering spirits- was able to sense the faint outline of something standing ten feet away from them, in the middle of the crimson carpet.

End of chapter 1

Next chapter teaser: Haunted

I know. Cliche cliffhanger is cliche. But I had to end the chapter there or it would've gotten way too long!

I got the stuff in the hospital from my own experiences working as a CMA in a pediatric facility. I had to take people's vitals all the time. Among other things. And I got Seto's height from YuGiOh! Wikia.

Kisara's just days away from having her baby! I'm so excited! Squee!

Now I wanna ride on that Blue-Eyes coaster in KaibaLand. (Or any coaster, for that matter) I'm so bored! I need a vacation.

Edit: Never mind. The last coaster that I rode at Cedar Point nearly made me throw up. From now on, I'm just sticking to the water-parks. XD

Hey, I finally got one of these out in time for a special birthday! Happy Birthday, Seto!

Seto: Thanks. I guess the healing in this chapter was your gift, huh?

Me: Uh, yeah. Sure. You can look at it that way. I guess. Even though I've had this chapter written for a lot longer than that.

See you later!

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm