Chapter 1: A miracle's not always welcome

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A/N: Hello all. This will be my first Yu-gi-oh story I've written down. Also since English isn't my first language and I haven't written fanfiction in a while I might be rusty, so please bear with me. Also I'm a lousy updater.

My stories take place in alternate "what if? "'s universes. The characters used are the Duel Monsters main characters, though my stories focus mainly on Ryou Bakura, Thief King Bakura (and rarely Yami Bakura). This will be the only story where the main character is Atem, and the story is told through his point of view.

The character relationships are the same as the real series (so no yaoi , sorry girls), and I try to follow the canon (both japanese manga and anime, if possible) at least till a certain point (where this story comes in). All stories are set in their own world that is independent from the other (unless specified as a sequel).

The story takes place in ancient Egypt (the real one) so there is no reason for the characters not to know Atem's name. Also the Millennium Puzzle seems to have been called the Millennium Pyramid back then (it was a whole item before Atem's soul got imprisoned). I'll try to be as accurate as possible to the real Egypt, if there are any problems with notions or names, Wiki them 

Italics = thoughts

" " = dialogue

So, without further ado, let's get on with the story:

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How did it come to this?

"Pharaoh! Go! I can handle this!" yelled the high priest, looking at me as I was getting further and further away from him.

I managed to catch a glimpse of him as he was taking a battle stance, clutching the Millennium Rod tightly as a cloud of smoke was steadily approaching our location.

That's what you all said.

A tired horse was racing towards us, being constantly nudged in the sides by that white-haired tomb-robber.

Even though he was far away, I could hear his yells, his enjoyment obvious in his tone, and I was sure he was grinning like the sadistic beast that he was...and behind him I could see the shape of his huge, deformed, monstrous Ka…That's probably what he really is on the inside ,I thought, a deceitful snake-man, a corruption of both symbols of the Gods, put together in a sinful inhuman body …it was obvious to me now that Apep had descended upon us.

I was climbing the rocky hill, trying not to fall behind priestess Isis. She was in better shape than me, since she got sheltered by Kalim from the beast..

Kalim..I thought bitterly. He's gone now…may Anubis watch over him, like Kalim watched over me…Why did you have to save me, dear friend?.

I bit my lip and kept going. The hill had a large plateau, which seemed to lead to a cave. I never even knew there was such a thing around these parts. Where was Isis leading me?

My head was throbbing. Remorse was biting at me, reminding me how everything could've been avoided if only I would've been the one to die first, if I would've managed to summon up the bravery to stand up to the thief even when I had lost the battle, and face death like a true man, not have to be saved by my priests at the cost of their own lives.. how useless I was, even with my Millennium Pyramid...even the Gods have left me..

It was all so sudden. I was barely crowned Nswt (or, as the philosophers wrote down for the rest of the world to see, "pharaoh") for a month ..everyone was having high expectations of me.

My counselor and caretaker Shimon even jokingly(or at least, that's how I saw it) called me "the next Amenhotep 3rd" "You are the new God of truth" he said to me "and the kingdom will prosper once again under your reign! Ra has definitely smiled at us for having chosen you as our leader".

I guess my strange hair color must've convinced the palace court that it was a sign of a greater fate. Frankly, I didn't quite believe in prophecies, since I never lived to see any of them coming true , but I promised myself I'd try my best to be a good leader.

Then HE had to come..at first nobody took a petty thief serious, even after his threats, even after robbing my father's tomb, the guards assured me he wasn't a real threat.

Then something unexpected happened. Mahaad, my dearest and oldest friend got killed by the thief .

I didn't have time to grief over his death however, when I discovered that the thief, who shamelessly claimed Mahaad's Millennium Ring for himself, had managed to get to the plates housing the Ka's of the Gods and promptly destroyed them before the guards even managed to get there.I was left powerless before I managed to even start a fight, and he knew it, since he targeted me next.

Shada, Kalim, Akunadin…one by one, they were taken out and their items became part of his collection.

Even worse, a group of rebels, sensing my fall, decided to side with him. The land became a real Duat, villages were pillaged and burned, and countless innocents were senselessly sacrificed to that white-haired Apep-incarnate. He was raised to the rank of god of criminals, and more and more people were forcefully joining his side, for fear of a premature death for themselves and their families.

My legs were trailing behind me and my vision blurred again. I had to keep myself going, I couldn't let him capture me. If I had to, so help me Ra, I would kill myself just to stop him from having the satisfaction of killing me himself. I had nothing left to lose now...

I reached the plateau. Isis was already waiting there for me. She grabbed my arm and helped me up. Raising my head, I could see the dread that had slowly set in these past few weeks in her otherwise beautiful dark eyes, but she still tried to keep her face serious and brave through all this.

I inwardly smiled a sad smile at her attempt to lift my morale, but I was already lost in the deep abyss of my own sadness within my Ib, which I was sure was as heavy as a stone with remorse over the loss of my friends at my own fault .If only Ammit could take me now!

I had next to no hope left, and the only thing that kept me from making my last stand there with Seth was her promise of a miracle spring that could turn the tide in our favor.

The cave was surprisingly small, about the size of a room, with a small pool of water gathered in a dent-like hole in the rocky ground in the far end. Was this it?

"I heard this story a long time ago from my predecessor, when I was merely a palace girl" she started, "the story of a wonder spring located inside this cave. It's powers are a mystery ...The spring is known to very few people and she didn't know anybody who has ever resorted to using the spring's powers. What's said is that it's effects range from showing visions to amplifying magic powers, granting wishes or even reviving the dead.

It's said this spring helped Senusret 3rd win the battle against the Nubians and achieve great power. If anything could change our destinies, it's this spring"

"Isis, are you sure this will work? "I asked her skeptically.

"Please, my Pharaoh "she said taking hold of my hands "We don't have much have to trust Ma'at for she will always bring justice to the needy."

How could she be so trusting of the very Gods who left our people to die?

We sat down on our knees on either side of the small pool.A small jet of water was indeed springing upwards from under the solid rock, like a submersed fountain, but the water level was constant, even though the spring is supposed to be hundreds of years old.How odd...I stared into the water looked normal, and all I could see was my own reflection.

My eyes were puffy and had large bangs under them, and my hair was messy with solid lose ends poking in every direction. We were on the run for days, and neither of us managed to get any sleep ever since the thief Bakura slithered his way into our lives.

Isis took off her Millennium Necklace and placed it underwater on the bottom of the hole.

She started reciting a chant I had never heard before and picked up the water in her cupped hands and rubbed the water on my forehead.

My heart was beating fast and my breath caught in my throught. I was nervous about what was going to happen next. Did the spring really have magical powers?

Isis continued the ritual, this time rubbing my Millennium Pyramid with the spring water.

It must've been only a minute, though to me it felt like an lowered her head when she closed her eyes before I noticed the tears forming at the corners.

Nothing's happening. I was right..

I heard the neigh and hoof steps of Bakura's horse as it was trying to grip the jagged rocks to climb up to the cave. We aren't even worth the bother to him of having him climb over to us on foot ,I thought.I knew with dread that the Millennium Rod was probably already hanging from his white silk belt.

At least, the last thing I can do is apologize properly to my friends.I clutched the Millennium Pyramid close to my chest. Isis. I'm sorry…I closed my eyes as I felt a watery sting.I could hear him shouting at us. I wish I could change our destinies ...he was getting closer.. if only …

Closer…my heart was beating faster and faster now…I was scared… I had the power to make everything right again, to turn back the flow of time and prevent this from happening…

I didn't notice at the time..

I heard the hoof steps had reached the cave entrance.

I didn't notice the Millennium necklace…it started to glow in a beautiful golden glow…

"Get out of my way…" he growled loudly.

"I can't let you hurt my Ouji!"said the voice of a young girl..young girl...MANA!

no…No…NO!!! I tried to shout but my voice was caught in my throught and I could only let out a string of weak sobs...she was supposed to be hiding far away from this place, why did she follow us?. I can't afford to lose you too, Mana…

I looked outside…Mana's Ka, in the shape of a pale wheat-haired magician girl, was blasting away at the snake-man set like an impregnable wall in front of its owner.

She was no match for him with all the 5 items in his possession…he left the monster to fight as he made his way towards the cave.

We were trapped.

It was then that I noticed the golden glow coming from the spring...but not only the spring...my chest...my eyes darted downwards…the Millennium Pyramid was now glowing as glow got brighter and seemed to slow down, near a standstill . I felt like I was suffocating…

Is this the light of Ma'at's divine justice, as Isis predicted?

I turned my head back to the cave entrance and the last thing I saw was the bewildered face of the thief.

"WHAT THE…?" That was it. He never got to finish. The glow engulfed him..Isis…Mana..the Ka's that were still fighting outside and the frightened horse…then the hill..then the sky..

Then I couldn't see anything anymore.