Chapter 2: Surprise

Yami opened his eyes slowly and found that he was standing on a balcony. A large crowd of people were below, cheering. His eyes widened. "Sleeping, husband?" a female voice asked beside him.

Yami jumped and turned his head sharply to the side. He saw a teenage girl that looked like Hailey. "Hailey?" he gasped.

"I do not know who this Hailey is. Are you feeling all right?" the girl frowned.

"I am sorry, it must be the heat." Yami touched his forehead, confused.

"Shimon, let us begin the celebration. The pharaoh is getting overheated." The girl declared, turning to look behind her.

Yami followed her gaze and gasped as he saw a short man that looked like Grandpa. "Grandpa?" he exclaimed.

"I do not know who this 'grandpa' is. We must bring the pharaoh inside. He is not making sense." Shimon nodded, gesturing for Yami to follow him.

Yami and the girl follow Shimon into the room through a curtain. It was obviously a throne room with two gold thrones and six tall figures stood nearby. "My king." A teen that looked like Seto bowed. He had the Millennium Rod.

Yami looked confused as he settled himself on his throne and the girl sat on the throne next to him. "May I ask what your name is?" he whispered to her.

The girl looked at him, concerned. "Do you need to lie down? You are not acting yourself."

"I'm fine." Yami assured her. "I'm just not sure of certain things."

"I am Hali, your wife." The girl said proudly, smiling.

Yami was taken aback. I apparently have a lot to learn about my past. He thought.

"Let the celebration begin!" Mahad shouted, raising his arms.

Music began and female dancers began performing. Yami began to relax as they watched. Suddenly from out of nowhere, a young man aims a poison dart at Yami and the woman who looked like Ishizu's Millennium Necklace glowed. "Mahad, assassin!"

Mahad acted quickly, flinging his cape in front of the throne and the poison dart hit the fabric harmlessly. "Seize him!" he ordered.

Guards grabbed the man and dragged him before the court. "Shall we show our new pharaoh the power of the Millennium items?" Seto suggested.

"Yes, let us." Mahad agreed, touching his item. "The Millennium Trial shall begin."

"The Millennium Trial uses the Millennium items to show the shadow monster within a criminal's soul and extracts it. The monster is created from the evil in a person's soul and forces a person to do evil acts." Hali explained.

Yami nodded, smiling gratefully at her. So this is the true purpose of the Millennium items?

Shada raised the Millennium Key out before him and it glowed. "I see an evil creature within his soul." He declared, nodding to the other priests solemnly.

Akunadin stepped forward and the Millennium Eye in place of his own normal eye glowed. A shadow poured out of the man's mouth, forming into a monster.

Two men from the other side of the room raised a giant stone tablet with effort so it faced the condemned and the priests. Seto raised the Millennium Rod. "I call upon the power of my Millennium Rod to seal the shadow creature within the stone tablet." As he spoke, he pointed the Rod first at the creature and then at the tablet. The creature was sucked into the tablet and a carving of its image appeared on it.

What else is in store for me in my memories? Yami wondered to himself.

In the cave where the Tablet of Memories was held, Yugi and the gang were recovering from Yami's soul being yanked from Yugi's body. Shad appeared. "The Pharaoh has gone to the world of his memories. We will have to wait until it plays out. He must defeat the evil and save the world."

The gang looked startled until they spotted Shadi. "Hey, you're that dude that saved my butt back on the ship at Battle City." Tristan said, in surprised recognition.

"I am the one that rescued you. Good to meet you again, Yugi Mutou, host of the Pharaoh's soul."

Yugi nodded in acknowledgement. "Can we help the Pharaoh?" he asked, anxiously.

"There is a way." Shadi answered thoughtfully. "But it will be fraught with danger. We can enter the doorway in the Puzzle."

"Then tell us how to get there!" Yugi insister, forgetting, in his haste, to have manners. He blushed. "Sorry. Please Shadi. We want to help him."

Shadi drew out the Millennium Scale and Key. "I will be your guide. You will be on your own when you get there." He declared solemnly. "Prepare yourself."

"Let the festivities continue!" Shimon declared, raising his arms.

Yami looked at him in shock. "I just got attacked. This isn't the time for celebration."

"Your subjects will be frightened if they think you are. You must put up a front of everything being fine for the sake of peace, my king." Shimon reasoned.

"You're right." Yami nodded, shifting his features into a smile that was as fake as a three dollar bill. "Continue the festivities."

"The coronation festivities shall continue!" Akhunadin declared.

"I sense an evil presence approaching the walls. Much greater than anything I've ever felt." Isis said, her face troubled.

"We will take anything on." Seto replied confidently, raising the Rod in menace.

The festivities continued and a bit later, Mahaad's Ring glowed. "We are in the presence of pure evil." He said, horrified.

Not long after that the doors to the throne room burst open and a familiar figure rode in on a horse, dragging something behind him. Yami recognized the figure as a tan, scarred Bakura. "Bakura!" he shouted, angry and frightened.

"Greetings to the new pharaoh. I brought you a coronation gift." Bakura sneered, turning the horse sharply so what he was dragging was pulled to the forefront. "He sends his regards."

Everyone but Yami in the room gasped as they recognized the sarcophagus. "How dare you desecrate the tomb of our former pharaoh?" Akhunadin hissed, taking an involuntary step forward.

Yami found himself shocked again. Former pharaoh? Could this be the mummy of my father? He thought. He must be after the Items.

"Listen, guys. I know you want to help me, but I can't let you face the danger. I will do this on my own." Yugi tried reasoning with his friends.

"No way, Yuge. We're in this together. We're going with you, whether you like it or not." Joey insisted.

"You sure?" Yugi asked, unhappily.

"Are you nuts?" Tea asked. "You and the Pharaoh are our friends. Your problems are ours. We face them together, like we have the last four years."

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, guys." He turned to Shadi. "What do we do?"

"Take each other's hands and mine and concentrate." Shadi said, holding out each hand to them.

The group took hands and Yugi closed his eyes. We'll find you, wherever you are, Pharaoh. Just hang in there.

"Help us enter the Puzzle so we can enter the Pharaoh's memories." Shadi's Key glowed and the Puzzle responded by glowing as well.

"Sorry for ruining your festivities." Bakura said pleasantly, a challenging note in his voice. "Do you really think you can defeat me with your little trinkets?" he taunted.

"You shall be punished for insulting the Pharaoh's honor." Seto glared at him. He raised the Rod, pointing it at him.

"Hold on, let me go first." Kalim stepped forward, holding up the Scales. The Scales tipped wildly and he gasped. "Such immense evil. His evil knows no bounds."

"Yes," Akhunadin agreed, the Eye glowing. "In his soul lurks a dark creature."

Shada stepped forward, holding up the Key. "Reveal this horrible creature so we may vanquish it."

"Do not make me laugh." Bakura taunted. "You defeat me?"

Shada backs up several steps as a serpent creature burst forward from Bakura's body, gray in color. "Oh Ra…" he moaned. "This creature has power I have never seen before."

Two men rose a stone tablet as Shada spoke.

"It is a shadow creature, therefore it has to be able to be sealed in the stone tablet." Seto said as the Rod flashed. The creature was drawn into the stone tablet. "Now his soul is clean."

"Oh glorious day. You saved me from that horrible creature!" Bakura exclaimed in a deceptively honey-sweet voice that Yami didn't trust. Then his demeanor changed and he growled, "Destroy them, Diabound."

The stone tablet cracked and Diabound burst from the shattered remains to return to its master. "Impossible!" the guardians exclaimed in surprise.

Yugi opened his eyes to find Joey over him, calling his name. "What happened?" he asked, sitting up. He noticed that they were inside the maze that was the interior of the Puzzle.

"Go ahead and use the Key to get us to the right door." Joey nodded with his head.

"You're powerless against my Diabound." Bakura taunted.

"We must work together to defeat this threat." Akhunadin held up his arm, the natural light glinting off the gold disk on his arm. The other guardians raised the arm bearing the same disk.

"They're wearing duel disks!" Yami exclaimed, surprised again.

"What are you talking about, my king?" Shimon asked, confused.

"What are they wearing?" Yami asked, looking at Shimon.

"Diadiankhs are used for summoning monsters that were collected from common thieves and criminals. Only a possessor of an Item can use them." Shimon explained. "He must have stolen it from your father's tomb."

This must be the origin of the duel disk. Yami thought.

"Stand back, I can take care of this thief." Seto said scathingly, holding up his own Diadiankh. One of the spaces on it glowed and a dragon appears in front of him. "Garestgolath, attack Diabound!" he ordered.

Yami's eyes widen and he gasps. "This is the origin of duel monsters."

"What are you saying, my king?" Hali asked from beside him.

"Nothing. Just commenting on the power of Priest Seto's monster." Yami lied smoothly, smiling at her.

"He has to be strong to be a guardian of the pharaoh. It takes many years of training and to be tested by the Items."

"Anyone who insults the Pharaoh will have to go through me." Seto growled. "Garestgolath, destroy his monster!"

"I summon Winged Sage Falcos." Bakura grinned. The monster came forth and destroyed Seto's monster.

"What? How could you have done that?" SEto demanded. "You have to be a guardian of the pharaoh in order to summon a monster."

"You do not have a diadiankh." Mahaad protests.

"I decided the former pharaoh didn't need this handy little trinket, so I 'borrowed' it." Bakura held up the diadiankh on his arm, and examined it with fondness. "Bring all you have, guardians. You are no match for me and my Diabound."