Ty- A quick note before we begin. I need to address something a guest reviewer said. So I was told by this reviewer that I was using an American name for my oc. This name does not contradict my oc's back ground. It is implied that Megan is Egyptian/American. In this AU both she and Yugi are half Egyptian and half another nationality. Also, Megan origin wise is not an English name. All the name sites I've gone to say its origin is Turkish or Arabian, and that it loosely means 'light warrior' or something similar. I found this name fitting for a character who is supposed to be the daughter of Horus, a warrior god.
Atem- Also a shout out to our new friends Nightmare.2016 and Babygirl! Babygirl, this chapter's for you, as you got me screen time in this chapter!
Ty-You were supposed to get time anyway. Would you please?
Atem- Ty doesn't own me, or any of the others from Yugioh, but Megan is hers, along with the plotline, the ideas for Megan and Yugi's names in the past, along with Mai's past name. And Ryou's little ability.
Marik opened his dark navy blue umbrella at the first fat drops of rain. An uneasy feeling followed him as he made his way to his home away from home. The Kame Game shop was a quaint little building in one of Domino City's suburban areas. It was a twenty or so minute walk from the city's museum where he'd been in charge of a traveling exhibit from his home museum in Cairo. The shop also was home to the Moutu clan, who consisted of a grandfather Solomon, his grandson Yugi, and adopted granddaughter Megan.
The curator's lips lifted into a smile as he sifted through the fond memories of the adventure he'd shared with the Moutus a year ago. Marik was the descendent of the order of priests and priestesses who protected Anubis' City of the Dead. He had watched over his museum for years before that fateful day when Yugi's presence had awoken a pharaoh once known as Atem. At the time he'd worried over how exactly to return said pharaoh to his comatose state.
He would not change any of the actions he'd taken, because they had not only led to a lasting friendship with the Moutu clan, but to a bond of comradery with Atem himself. As their former adventure had carried on, Marik had been surprised to find not only was Yugi the reincarnation of Atem's consort, but the friend he'd been raised with was the reincarnation of their adopted child. Both teens were also demi gods, with Megan as the daughter of Horus and an American woman, while Yugi was the son of Hathor by Solomon's son. In both cases the mortal parent had died not long after birth.
Marik was brought back into the present as he knocked his knuckles against the glass front of the game shop. He hadn't even know he'd made it until his body went through the motions of letting Solomon know he'd arrived. Speaking of the elderly man, he waved from his spot settled behind the cash stand. The curator made his way behind the building until he got to the back door. The back entrance led to the living area above and behind the shop. He knocked before entering and calling out that he'd arrived.
Both Moutu siblings and their friends were packed into the living room. Three took up the couch, with Yugi and another friend zoned out in a game on the TV and the final Moutu was napping in Solomon's huge recliner. Lavender eyes studied the nineteen year old. The more the curator looked, the more he could see Hathor in Yugi. He had his mother's blond bangs, but the crazy gravity defying spikes of black and red were the Moutu in him. His royal violet eyes were also Hathor's, and so were his long slender fingers.
Next to the teen demigod sat his male best friend, Jounouchi Katsuya, better known as Joey Wheeler. The shaggy haired blond was constantly pulling his bangs out of his face. As a result the former Domino High tough guy had an army of bobby pins at his disposal. It was not uncommon to see either of the two girls bumming said pins off him. Warm honey brown eyes were glued to the TV, where Joey's character raced against Yugi's.
Marik grinned as he looked down at the form contorted in the plush recliner. Dark brunette hair fanned out from under the throw blanket. A familiar face, one he'd seen mummified earlier in the day, smiled up at the curator softly. The lump under the blanket shifted, and moans of discomfort could be heard before quieting down. The Egyptian moved the throw from Megan's face. "She's completely out." Marik murmured softly.
"Afternoon, Marik!" One of the teens on the couch greeted. He smiled to the white haired teen. Milk chocolate eyes returned to the TV. "How goes things at the museum?" The British accent floated in the air around them. The teen's strands of living snow were bound back into a ponytail.
"Quiet. It would be better if I had a certain former Pharaoh as my assistant. Ryou, how goes it with trying to help these two with their abilities?" Ryou hummed, tiny snow crystals forming as he playfully waved his fingers. The gesture reminded the curator that the Moutu siblings weren't the only demigods in the room. Ryou Bakura himself was the son of a British archeologist and the Snow Queen. He had ended up joining the gang after beginning to help Yugi and Megan master their demigod abilities.
"Sorry, Marik, but you're not going to get anything out of him or the other two. Apparently, learning to master their powers is top secret." The other female in the room said in reply. Her brunette hair wasn't the same shade as Megan's darker strands, but a lighter almost sienna brown. Her eyes were blue, true blue, and held wisdom far beyond her eighteen years. This teen was Tea Gardiner, who preferred the name Anzu as a way of separating herself from her past life. She had once been a concubine in the Egyptian court, and Yugi's one-time assassin. She was completely different than her past self.
The final member of the group was a male brunette. He was the quiet one of the group, preferring to listen and observe. Honda Hirito kept watch over his friends with hawk like dark brown eyes. He was the first one up when Megan groaned in her sleep. Even his footfalls were quiet as he made his way to the recliner. The younger teen murmured a soft 'Zuberi' and settled back down.
"Thanks, Hon. Meg hasn't been sleeping very well lately, and honestly, I haven't either. We freaked Grandpa out too. I started speaking ancient Chinese and Megan switched to ancient Egyptian. Good thing it was on a Sunday and it was only that day. I could really use Atem right now too. If I remember right, he's got the hands a masseuse. I need one of those right now." Yugi said as he rose from the floor. Joey groaned at the words 'Player 1 wins!' on the screen.
"Hmm. Yugi, maybe Atem will reawaken if in your presence. You have been meaning to come to the museum haven't you?"
"Yeah. Who's going to make Meg wake up?"
"I'll do it. She won't get mad at me." Honda turned, gently shaking the sleeping teen. Megan made a sound like a whine but her eyes opened. "Come on, Meg. We're going to the museum. Don't you want to see Atem?" She nodded, standing up and handing the throw blanket to Yugi.
"Let me take this upstairs and we can go."
My spectral hands glide along the smooth stone walls I wish I could feel in this form. I pause, studying the blonde woman standing in the doorway to the room holding my body. Marik would have informed me if he had hired a guard, and I highly doubt she is what he calls a bodyguard. She could not be, not with the care placed into her features. Her blonde hair is curled what is deemed stylishly by modern standards. Her eyes are violet like my beloved spouse's, but they are a darker variation.
Her skin is paler than mine, but it holds a healthy tan. She has heeled boots, making her taller than she is. The woman is dressed in casual form fitting jeans; I believe my husband and daughter called them 'skinny' jeans. A dull orange shirt is complimented by a soft looking baby blue sweater. Taking in the image the woman presents, I would call her beautiful, in a wild untamed way.
Her eyes seem to catch sight of me, but I know that is highly unlikely. Her painted lips lift into a soft smile. I guess the highly unlikely has happened. I walk over to her. My curiosity as strong as the cats that lived in the palace. She clasps her hands before her, sliding her left foot forward in respect. How does she know the ways of my people?
"Hello, great Pharaoh. It is an honor to finally meet you. I am Mai Valentine, a colleague of Marik Ishtar's. In my past life, I was a Chinese warrior who was loyal to your husband. He renamed me Woserit, along with my two brothers. We followed your husband's second life until our deaths. He died alongside us on the chopping block. I see that Marik is out, so I thought I'd guard your body."
"Thank you, Lady Valentine. So Yugi had another life between this and our first life together?" I pause as she nods. "What was he like in this life? What did he call himself?" Mai smiles fondly, a glassy look to her eyes.
"I don't think his core personality changes from life to life. We would always pause our travels to help those who needed it. He was wise beyond anything my brothers or I had ever experienced. Our former master was a Chinese empress who claimed descent from the Yellow Emperor. There wasn't much we hadn't seen. He took us to Egypt, his beloved land of sand sea.
"That's what Master Nuri called it. He told us about you, and we urged him to awaken you, but he said no. I remember his words. 'This life is merely an intermission. I will get to hold my Atem in my arms in my next life. For Death is never an ending, but only a new beginning.' I still don't get what he meant. Master Nuri talked about Princess Oni too. He missed her as much as he missed you.
"I never saw him take a lover, no matter how many approached him. Wati, one of my brothers, asked him why. Master replied that the vows you spoke were binding and that he would not be untrue to you. His refusal to share his bed was one of the reasons people called him a hermit. Master Nuri's title was the Gypsy Hermit. We loved him dearly. I wouldn't be surprised if my brothers found their way to him in this life. He was all we had after we turned our backs on our former master."
I smile at Mai. I wish I could have been part of Yugi's second life, but it sounds like he had a happy life anyway. For that I am truly glad. "Thank you." I murmur softly. Mai looks at me questioningly. "You gave Yugi a happy life and loved him when I was not there to. For that, I am eternally grateful."
"I was happy to. Now, any idea when Marik's going to drag him here, my Pharaoh?" I shake my head. I wish he would return. I desperately long to see my family, even if they can't actually see me.
"Lady Valentine, I would be honored if you would call me Atem. I am no longer a Pharaoh, but a man in unusual circumstances."
"Only if you call me Mai or Woserit." She replies with a wink. There's a moment of quiet, before things go to hell…
Ty- So what does everyone think of Ryou's demigod status? I thought it was really cool to give him powers similar to Elsa's in Frozen, and to have him as a teacher/friend to Yugi and Megan. This will come into play later on. Also, I hope I didn't throw anyone off by switching to first person with Atem. Babygirl asked if I could delve into Atem's view and that's how I chose to do it.
So, from here on out, any scene in first person is through Atem's eyes. It's a personal preference. As for the names used in this chapter, they are already explained in the prologue.
I mentioned a figure from Chinese myth called the Yellow Emperor. He is the first ruler of China, and gave the ancient Chinese people a lot of technology among other things. He ruled for about 100 years before returning to Heaven, where he came from. Vivian claims him as an ancestor in this story to validate her reign in the past.
Alright, I'm done. So give the button some love. Remember, I answer any and all non-spoiler questions asked via review or PM. Till next time!