Yes it's been 2 years since I last posted on fanfic. To say that I have been busy lately wouldn't even give it justice. A lot has changed since I last posted a story. College is a wonderful pain to deal with but everything seems to be going well. I would apologize for not posting but honestly I'm not sorry about it. With the amount of work I have and the level of writing this story requires of me it would be a shame to try to push myself to half ass it. So I know I haven't been posting lately but this is not abandoned, I'm too proud of this story to let it rot like some of my other stories.

Say Say My Playmate Come Out and Play With Me

It's only a little game. Games are fun for everyone, especially the one who is playing them. Don't you worry your little head I'll tell you how to play.

It's simple really, follow my directions and you win. You get everything you have ever wanted and more, surely more than you ever dreamed of

"Say say my playmate, come out and play with me," I sang

"My wife! What do you want from my wife?!" the man bellow yelled frantic for her safety as I held a knife to her throat

"Now now it is simply too rude to interrupt when someone is singing! You haven't even begun playing and already you have to pay a penalty! Silly silly man! You want to win right?!"

"What does this have to do with her?"

"Why isn't it obvious?"

"No! Please just let her go!" the man cried, fear gripping him, making him shake without control
"Where's the fun in that? She is the prize silly, and I can't just go around giving away the prizes"

"W-What do I have to do?"

Perfect

"We have a problem"

"What now?" Bakura growled as Seto stepped through the bush, somehow managing to look refined as he picked twigs out of his hair, walking straight towards the lounging monarch.

"Atemu there's one alive" Seto said causing Atemu to jump up from his relaxed position, suddenly attentive

"Where?"

"He's in the throne room now but-"

Atemu was running before Seto could even finish his sentence and was practically sprinting through the hallways startling several servants and nearly knocking over one of the priceless vases adorning the hallway.

"Atemu wait!" Atemu didn't even take a moment to pause as he rushed away, his shoes clacking loudly on the marble floors as he continued his running, absently noting that there were 2 more sets of rapid footsteps closely behind him.

Finally reaching the throne room he stopped dead in his tracks trying to catch his breath and also trying to understand what he was seeing.

Standing in the middle of the room was an ordinary man, no older than thirty with shocking orange hair dressed in clothes designed for working. He looked by no means extraordinary aside from what he was saying.

"Say say my playmate, come out and play with me" he swayed back and forth as his eyes gazed out at nothing "and bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree" he slowly turned towards where Atemu was standing flanked by Bakura and Seto "slide down my rainbow" the man said choking on a sob "into my cellar door and we'll be jolly friends forevermore"

Repeating his song the man started to shout certain lines growing more hysterical by the second "say say my playmate come out and play with me! And bring your dollies three, climb up my apple tree, slide down my rainbow into my cellar door and we'll be jolly friends forevermore"

Atemu didn't know how to react seeing this man who was nearly distraught with emotions as he continued to shout his song as through trying to tell them a message but not having the power to say it.

"Seto," Atemu said with an eerily calm voice, not looking away from the man who was now desperately crying and singing his song "Go and get Maat"

Seto nodded and went to find the woman who held the millennium scales knowing what Atemu had in store.

As Seto left the man continued his tune his voice growing horse and his legs giving out beneath him, causing him to collapse to the ground his arms outstretched in front of him to hold his body up as his tears began to pool on the ground. The sound of tears hitting the black marble floors echoed around the room.

Watching the man with as much emotional detachment as possible Atemu tried to decipher the message that had been given to him.

"Why a nursery rhyme?" he thought to himself. He had heard the song before sung by little girls around the castle while they played.

"It makes no sense" he muttered to himself, Bakura just barely being able to hear him above the now sobbing man, trying in vain to sing the song again.

"For now all we can do is wait and see what happens when Maat gets here"

Each second waiting with the man felt like agony as he chocked on his words and his tears pilled on the ground. It was hard not to pity the man as Bakura and Atemu watched him crack and then shatter under his emotions. Simply seeing a work hardened man crying was shocking enough for the two.

After several agonizingly long minuets the sounds of hurried footfalls reached their ears as Seto finally returned with Maat, her dress flying out behind her as she ran to catch up with them. Secured to her right hip was a brown leather bag that was ornately decorated with an eye etched into the leather and locked securely with a medium sized golden lock, the key resting gently from a brown leather cord that swayed slightly with each of her breaths

"My king" she said as she dipped into a kneeling bow.

Acknowledging her bow with a nod Atemu said "Maat we need to know what happened to this man" he gestured to the man now looking at the group in fear, pausing his song for a moment.

"Yes of course" she said as she stood. She grabbed the key from around her neck and unlocked the bag at her hip from which she produced the shining millennium scales.

Slipping the key back around her neck she walked closer to the man to stand within ten feet of him. She placed the scales on the ground and gave the man a comforting smile as she stepped back a few feet, her brown leather knee high sandals making little sound as she turned to face the man again.

With a deep breath she closed her eyes and raised her arms out to her sides as though in prayer before saying "unlock the truth" her eyes glowing a strange emerald green as a light wind flared out her pale blue dress and played with her long hair that was secured into an intricate knot. a glyph appeared on the ground below her unreadable to all except Maat. She nodded her head to the glyph showing her acknowledgment of what was needed from her.

the eye etched into the scales began to glow softly as the bowls on either end began to fill with balls of light making the scales gently tip left and right.

"My King what would you like to know?" Maat said as she continued, the man in front of her now looking at her with terror.

"What has happened to this man in past that made him like this, who or what did this to him?"

"Reveal" she said her voice echoing around the room before the light overtook them.