Note: Hiya! Work on the latest chapter for Blue Eyes White Mermaid is taking shape! There was so many things going on in this world right now, but I'm trying my best. Anyway, after reading every single manga of the entire original Yu-Gi-Oh series, I've finally got started on the story that takes place in that very universe! This is completely based on the manga series, not the anime, and it takes place right after the bittersweet ending that followed the Rite of the Duel (Otherwise known as the Ceremonial Duel, and yes, it's a true tearjerker). There is romance in this story, which I consider a quasi-Revolutionshipper. Read the story, and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, enjoy the first chapter!
For the Love of Geb and Nut
Chapter 1: Reunion
There was bright light everywhere. Atem could feel it as he walked through the door leading to the Offering Fields, the Ancient Egyptian afterlife. He could hardly believe it. After all the adventures he had with Yugi and his friends, he is finally coming home. Home… He still needs to get used to the idea. And as he walked through, his eyes widened in surprise. Right in front of him stood the people he knew and loved, before he met his modern world friends. Shada, Karim, Isis, Mahado, Mana, even his cousin Seto gave him a smile. Mana even started shedding tears of joy. "Hello Atem." Mana said, "We've all been waiting for you to come. We missed you so much!"
Atem stood there, as the doors to the Offering Fields closed behind him. He stared for what felt like a long time, before finally, a small smile came across his lips and tears began to build up in his eyes. "My Priests… my friends… you came over and waited by this door… just for me?"
"Why of course, my son." A voice suddenly spoke out, startling the Pharaoh of Games. He turned to see an older dignified man, with a gray mustache and beard and thick eyebrows, wearing a red robe and a royal headdress. By his side was a woman with black hair, her royal dress and crown naming her a queen. Atem gasped in recognition, feeling the familiar warmth and love that radiated from that couple. "When I found out that you were coming, we all had to come over and greet you." The older man said, and he held his arms wide open, tears of joy streaming down his gentle face. "Welcome home."
Atem's own tears started flowing down his cheeks, overwhelmed with a deep happiness. "Father… Mother…" he whispered. He took a few steps forward, before he reached out and embraced his father. Akhenamkhanen gladly returned the embrace, allowing his son to cry on his strong shoulder. "Father! Oh Father!" Atem cried, holding tight and not letting go, his tears of joy flowing like a river.
"Atem!" The queen gasped joyfully, "My sweet baby!" She reached out, and Atem, in turn, wrapped one arm around her so that he was now hugging both parents.
"Mother!" he cried, feeling the warmth of his mother's embrace. The priests were all smiling, and Isis and Mana couldn't help but say, "Awww!" at the sweet family reunion. There was a moment of comforting silence before Atem spoke again. "It… it has been 3000 years! I never realized how much I missed you! I had forgotten so much!"
"But you remember us now, right sweetie?" asked the queen.
"Yes… yes!" replied Atem, "I remember! I remember…!" He broke the embrace to face them, a smile shining as bright as the Sun Dragon Ra.
"I've heard of your accomplishments and of your adventures. Your mother and I are so proud of you!" Akhenamkhanen said, wiping his son's tears. Priest Seto came over at this time.
"Hello Cousin." Seto said, lifting a hand for Atem to shake.
"Hey, Seto!" Atem said, shaking the Priest's hand and giving him a brotherly hug. "I met up with your reincarnation."
"So I heard." Seto said with a playful smirk.
"This is cause for a great celebration!" Siamun said, raising his arms in praise. "We must prepare a feast in honor of this blessed homecoming!"
"An excellent idea, Siamun!" Akhenamkhanen replied, and he turned toward Atem, "Come Atem, let me show you around the Offering Fields as the gods prepare the festivities." The young Pharaoh's eyes widened in amazement.
"So the gods of Egypt really do know about my arrival!" he gasped in delight. The elder Pharaoh let out a joyful laugh,
"Of course!" he replied, "After all, you are but one of their children." He placed a hand on Atem's cheek, and a gentle smile curved upon his face. "And no matter where you were, and where you will be, they watched over you; they always have, and they always will." He lowered his hand. "Now, let's start the tour of your new home." Atem only gave a single nod in agreement.
For the tour, Atem went on a royal barge to travel down the main river in the Offering Fields. The sights he saw took his breath away. It was just like the Egypt he knew, only more perfect, more serene. The inhabitants of the Field attracted him even more so, for many had sprouted wings on their backs, and no doubt they were putting them to good use. "Amazing!" Atem said, "Does everyone in the Offering Field have wings like this?"
"Yes, my son." The queen said, "In fact, even you have wings."
Atem turned around in astonishment and said, "I do? Seriously?" He looked at his back and became confused. "But I don't see any wings on my back!" The queen giggled sweetly.
"They will appear only when you will it so. Since this is your first time using them, I can have one of the Priests help you if you want." She explained. Atem looked up and smiled.
"I see. Thank you." he said, and turned back to look back at the shores of the riverbank. That was when something caught his eye. There was a group of angel children playing a game of catch, and among them, was a small boy. He looked no older than the age of ten, with straight red hair and golden blonde bangs surprisingly shaped like his own. His eyes though, were as blue as the cloudless daytime sky. The clothes he wore are similar to Atem's royal attire, except that his chest was left bare, and his gold diadem had only the wadjet eye on the forehead. Atem watched the boy as he jumped up to catch the ball with one hand, using multicolored wings to boost his height. Then before he came back down, he quickly tossed the ball to another angel child. The whole time, he was all smiles and laughter, obviously having fun with friends. The young Pharaoh could not help but smile at the innocent scene before him.
"We will be approaching your new palace soon, my liege." Shada said, grabbing Atem's attention.
"Oh! Thank you Shada." Atem said, stepping towards his priest.
"I see you enjoy the sights of the Offering Fields so far." Shada replied with a smile. Atem simply looked back at the riverbank.
"After all that I had been through, I find this very refreshing." He said, "Perhaps one day I might be able to meet those children playing catch from over there." Shada looked over at the small group of children and for a brief moment, his eyes widened in recognition over one red-haired, blonde banged child in particular. Just as quickly, though, there was a thoughtful expression on his face. He said nothing however, and eventually looked forward toward his Pharaoh's destination: the palace that would become his new home.
There were cheers from all around as the ship made landfall. As Atem climbed out, several figures stepped forward and bowed. The young Pharaoh immediately realized that those were his shabtis, his personal wooden servants. "Welcome Master." They said, "Long ago we have already started on our duties, and now we gladly await any further commands you will give us." They then parted to let him pass. Followed by his six priests, Mana, and his parents, Atem strode down the path leading to his palace. The crowd gave their praises and the mood was joyous and festive. Upon reaching the large door, Akhenamkhanen stepped in front of his son and smiled.
"My son," he said, "Get ready to take your first look at your new palace. I'm sure you will love it." Then he placed a hand on the door and slowly pushed it open. Atem let out a gasp of wonder. It was just like his old palace back in the realm of mortals, but it was more… brilliant! There was gold, polished limestone, and semiprecious gems everywhere he looked. His eyes misted with tears of joy.
"Father… it's beautiful!" he said, and he hugged his father once again. "Thank you!"
Akhenamkhanen let out a hearty laugh, saying, "Go ahead and explore. I will send you an escort when the feast is ready." Atem gladly gave a single nod and walked off to do just that. Minutes passed by as he explored his new palace, until finally he saw a large doorway. There was sunlight shining from it, and he stepped over to investigate. Upon approaching the doorway, he was met with a glorious sight beyond it: the royal gardens. There were pools of clear clean water, some which contained lotus flowers of every color, and there were exotic desert flowers and trees, filling the air with a heavenly fragrance. Some of the trees were even bearing lucious fruits, like figs and dates.
"Beautiful!" Atem gasped in amazement. "This is more beautiful than I ever imagined!" He stepped through the doorway into that garden, marveling at the sights and sounds around him. He even lifted a delicate tree flower towards him, gently enough so that it did not snap from the branch. It gave out such a sweet scent; flowers in the world of the living just couldn't compare to it. "Oh, if only the gods could bring a sample of these flowers to the world of the living… Yugi, Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu… they all should at least take a glimpse!" Moving on, he eventually came over to a pool with a cascading waterfall. The waters were so inviting, and he suddenly had the urge to take off his shoes and dip his feet in that pool. But before he even a chance to do so, a voice suddenly called to him.
"Atem? Is that you?" The voice was soft and melodious, but what astonished Atem most is that it sounded similar to Anzu. It was slightly deeper than Anzu's but it was still soprano nevertheless. It was this resemblance that made him look behind him. His eyes widened at what he saw. There, stepping out from behind a drooping tree branch was a beautiful young woman who looked just like Anzu! Heck, she even had her sky blue eyes! But immediately, he noticed the slight differences. Her skin was a tad darker than his own tan skin, revealing a bit of African decent. Her hair was also slightly longer than Anzu's, clustered into small braids, and practically reaching the bottom of her shoulder blades. And it was a bright crimson, a significant contrast to Anzu's light chocolate shade. She wore an Egyptian two-piece dress, the top of which was like the tube top Anzu wore prior to Battle City, only it was fine white linen. A bejeweled leather belt held up her dress, and sandals of gold leather adorned her feet. Her slender arms were adorned with golden armbands and wristbands, and a necklace inlaid with precious stones hung around her graceful neck. There were also large hoop earrings that hung from her ears, and the golden circlet she wore around the forehead held up an exotic ostrich feather on the left side. As Atem stared at the young woman before him, he was a small gasp as he gazed at her lovely face. The sides of her nose were a bit wider, and her red lips, a bit fuller. There was no mistaking it. That woman was a Nubian, an enemy of his people, the Egyptians. But she gave him a genuine expression of joy when she saw him, and slowly she stepped toward the young Pharaoh. "It is you Atem!" she gasped happily, "Oh, I have waited so long for you to come!" And she raised her arms, ready to embrace him.
Atem, however, had a look of confusion in his eyes. "Who are you?" he asked. The Nubian woman's smile faded upon hearing that question, turning into a look of utter shock, and her arms lowered. "What's a Nubian like you doing in the Offering Fields?" he asked, raising his voice, "And for that matter, how did you know my name?" The Nubian woman just stood there, a look of dismay etched upon her face. In fact, her lovely eyes were building up with tears. Seeing this, Atem immediately felt guilty. "I… I'm very sorry…" he said, his voice growing softer, "I didn't mean to offend you."
"No, you did no such thing" she said. She reached out and gently took hold of Atem's hand with both of her own. "I know your name, because I've known you for 3000 years. We really have met before Atem! Don't you remember me at all? Do you even know my name?"
Atem was astonished, but he tried to think back. He scanned over all the memories that he had recovered. "No…" was his simple reply.
The Nubian woman grew sad and let go of the young Pharaoh's hand. "I see…" she said, finally letting some tears flow down her cheeks. "So Ra was right when he said that you lost your memory of me."
"Lost… my memory… of you?" Atem said in astonishment, "But I don't understand. I clearly recall having all of my memories restored, and not a single one of them contains you! You do remind me of one of Yugi's friends though."
"You mean Anzu Mazaki?" she said in a matter of fact sort of way.
"Y-yes!" he gasped, "How did you know--"
The Nubian woman simply let out a small giggle. "I'll tell you later." She soon became serious, "But let me ask you this. Do you really remember everything? Please, try to recall all of those memories again. Tell them to me."
Atem let out a sigh as he did just that. "Well, I clearly recall the memories of my childhood." He began, "I remember the day Mother died and went to this place. On that day, there were enough tears to fill a river. On the other hand, I especially remember the times I used to hide in those large vases with Mana. Heh heh, Father often got frustrated at me for that!" There was a pause, before he spoke again. "Then, there's the day after I turned fourteen, before Father grew sick and passed into these very Offering Fields, and before I inherited the throne and this Millennium Puzzle. Isis told me that there was going to be a banquet in Nubia, through the powers of her Millennium Tauk, and in that very same vision, she saw me there. So accompanied by Mahado and Shada, I went to Nubia to take part in this banquet, mostly to satisfy my curiosity about this place. I was amazed at how much Egyptian culture they adopted. The Nubian King hosting the banquet even had his own palace in the design of Egypt! Mahado and I decided to explore the corridors and…" Atem stopped suddenly, and there was shock to be seen in his eyes.
"And what?" asked the Nubian woman. "What happened?"
'Oh Ra!" Atem whispered, and he clutched his forehead as a horror suddenly dawned on him. "I really don't remember everything…! There was this point when I came across this curtain coving a room of some kind, and I recall some voices from behind it. But just when I get to that point when I was about to see what was behind it, it suddenly became… blank! Next thing I know, I was lying in a bed in the hospital wing of my palace. I… I can't remember what happened between those times! It's as though there was a gap in my memories."
The Nubian woman put a hand on his shoulder. "Had you won the Rite of the Duel, you would have never discovered that gap. But there is a way to fill it. And once it is filled, only then will you truly feel whole." Atem stared into the eyes of that woman, and for some reason he can't explain, he found himself blushing.
"Your Majesty!" a voice called out from the entrance of the garden. "Your father has summoned you to the banquet hall. The homecoming feast is ready."
"Oh, yes, I'm coming!" he said. He started to run out, but the young Nubian woman took hold of his hand. She too was blushing, but there was a serene smile.
"We'll meet again Atem." she said, and she made her departure, leaving the young Pharaoh stunned.
Her hands… he thought in realization, Her hands are warm! And her voice seems to caress my spine! Even her eyes seem to shine like the rays of Ra in his Sun Dragon form! He blushed even more furiously now. I'm dead, and yet my heart is fluttering! Like it… recognizes her in some way. What is it about this Nubian that makes me feel this way?
"Pharaoh Atem!" the escort called again, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Oh right! I'm coming!" he said and he immediately rushed out of the garden to meet with his escort. A smile came across his face as a thought suddenly came to him. Maybe I'm beginning to understand how my partner Yugi feels about Anzu.
Note: That's it with the first chapter. As you might have noticed, I actually did some research on Ancient Egyptian culture and stuff, and yes Nubians really did exist back then! Anyway, in the next chapter, Atem decides to confront his father about the gap in his memory. With it comes a shocking revelation, but luckily, and Egyptian god has the key to restoring what was lost. And who exactly is this Nubian woman who looks like Anzu? Oh, while you're waiting, check out some of my other stories too! Until next time!