There was a golden, glittery haze that rose from the pale sand. Turquoise water, the color of morning sky, flowed slowly down a river. Jasmine and sandalwood scents mixed with smoke filled the city, and brightly colored tapestries that never seemed to fade decorated the ancient stone walls.

"Egypt has never been so prosperous," Mahad said, looking out over the shimmering desert oasis from the stone dais that had a linen canopy above. The sun was high above, and even though it was hot, a comforting breeze ran through the air and rustled the date palms above.

"Yes," said Atem, smiling as he looked over the view his friend saw. "But this is not exactly Egypt." Despite his words, he was smiling and leaned against the half wall. He closed his eyes as the breeze caressed his cheek.

Mahad looked to his pharaoh, his king, and his friend. "True. But it is the Egypt we deserve and fought for." Mahad noticed Atem's face change. "Do you have regrets, then?" Mahad asked, his voice touched by concern.

Atem looked embarrassed and threw his hands up. "Doesn't everyone?" he said, trying to play it off. Mahad smiled softly as perhaps an invitation to continue. "I mean... I don't really know.

"It's everything I ever hoped for: I have my kingdom, my friends, my memories- my complete faculties are back. I remember my mother. I remember you and Mana as we tried to learn our first spells together. Also, when Seto and I first fought and became rivals despite our fathers... and his desire to become pharaoh instead of me. I remember my mother's death... and then the abject shame I felt when I discovered what lengths my father had gone to with the Millennium Items. My father... and the atrocious things he did." Atem closed his eyes and balled his fists.

"And now I realize the sacrifice he had made for me back then- I still feel that sacrifice because he is not here. He is not here to enjoy paradise with me though I see him in every brick, every grain of sand, every star in the sky. I am only here because of him," Atem said, his voice growing dark but he opened his fierce violet eyes. "I had hoped the Gods would still show him mercy and favor, but that was not the case. He was there to greet me into this afterlife, but... was found wanting. And so I regret that I cannot fully enjoy paradise, because I am only enjoying it at his suffering."

Mahad knew this last statement was not completely true, and he knew that his Pharaoh knew this as well. Atem was selling his part short in this account; he had made it to the afterlife in part because of his deeds in life and those acts his spirit performed. But Mahad knew Atem well, and bringing up this fact would not help get to the bottom of what was truly bothering his king and friend.

"But you regret other things," the young priest said going to sit on lounge draped in thin linen. He poured wine for his Pharaoh and then some for himself. Atem obliged and sat opposite his friend and took the wine made from mulled spices and pomegranates.

"Well..." he said thoughtfully. His mood changed and he flashed Mahad a small smile. "I often wonder if Yugi will be here someday."

Mahad smiled back. "The other boy; the other soul whose body you shared on your adventures away from us." Atem's face lit up as he smiled and nodded.

Mahad continued, "I always love hearing you talk of him; of the adventures you had. You seem as happy as the first day one of your spells didn't backfire..." he teased. "But happier."

Atem smirked, ignoring the jab. "We did have some challenging, but good adventures."

"I am jealous I was not there."

"Well... you were there in spirit," Atem laughed ruefully.

Mahad laughed too. "It is so good to see you brighten, my king. You suffered so in life."

Mahad wished immediately that he could swallow his words, for Atem's smile faded. Atem cast down his head as he said, "We all did, Mahad. We all suffered in the lives we had; but our reward is this wonderful paradise." Atems arms spread wide open. "We are without suffering, without death, even without flies," he said laughing and leaning back in his lounge. "I feel like I'm finally home."

Mahad was glad to know that he did not spoil his friend's mirth. He knew that much had happened while the pharaoh slept, and much had occurred when he woke up; perhaps even a lifetime of challenge, strife, and trauma, all fit into what was only a few years by his estimation. Mahad had only lived for twenty or so years; the rest he had been asleep, waiting for his pharaoh to join them in the afterlife. Atem had lived for thousands of years, and perhaps remembered all of it, if not most.

To hopefully see his king smile, he said, "Tell me a story, great king, of this Yugi Moto."

And there it was; a brilliant and joyful smile. Atem said, "I remember when Yugi first learned that I was not just an extension of himself; that when he let me control his actions, that I might do things he did not want. I learned a lot from Yugi when I first woke up from my imprisonment since I was so bitter and angry. He helped temper those feelings. But there were still lessons I had to learn. I had a righteous fury- a self-righteous fury and I was not always correct. I was just a soul trapped in a cage for thousands of years. I knew nothing of my past, or my friends. I'm not sure I knew of the concept of friends."

Mahad was observing Atem as he spoke. Tan, lithe skin met white linen that made up the pharaoh's tunic. His shendyt, or the bottom piece of clothing around his legs, was exactly right to the fashion of being slightly longer. His belt and breast piece, or gorgerine, were hammered gold, given a lustrous shine daily in life by slaves that were happy to serve the pharaoh in this way. In death, the gold never needed to be shined, and their clothes never needed to be cleaned. They never noticed the lack of slaves in the afterlife, as they were never left without.

"When I was released it was as if I was reborn and I had to learn things all over again. The Seto of this future time, Seto Kaiba, was dueling in a grand tournament against the creator of Duel Monsters, or that time's version of monster summoning with ka. Pegasus wore the Millennium Eye and it had influenced him to steal the souls of both Mokuba, Kaiba's brother, and Solomon, Yugi's grandfather, therefore bringing us both into the fight. Right before final entry, Kaiba and Yugi had to duel.

"Just like the Seto we know, Kaiba would do anything to get his brother back. If he did not defeat me, he could not defeat Pegasus. Towards the end, the battle seemed obvious that it would end in my favor. I was about to destroy his monster. Kaiba decided to prey on my mercy."

Atem shifted a little in the lounge as he took a sip of the heady wine. It was slightly chilled, even though there was no way it could still be refreshing after being out with them this long in the heat. It was little things like this that made him marvel at the wonder of paradise.

"He walked to the edge of the tower we were battling on and taunted me to destroy his monster. If I destroyed it, he would doubtless fall off onto the cliffs from the shock wave. I wonder now if he was surprised that I sent my monster to attack him anyway."

Mahad could not help but crease his brow. "You would have killed him?" he asked, slightly surprised.

Atem had a stern look on his face. "...To this day, I am not completely sure. Maybe Kaiba had another trap, or perhaps I would have stopped the attack. But I had rationalized him away as an obstacle to winning. There could be no stumbling blocks to my goal."

Mahad shook his head. "I don't understand how this is a good memory."

The corner of Atem's mouth curved slightly at his friend's comment. "It is; at least to me. The good part is that Yugi wrested control back and stopped me. He could not destroy Kaiba, so he forfeited the duel. He was so afraid of me that he banished me to the recesses of the Millennium Puzzle. And even though this was all unpleasant, it was almost a relief. Yugi could not longer pretend that I was under his control; I was someone to be dealt with. I was separate."

Atem smiled fondly. "I suppose up until that moment, he thought I was an oddity. Perhaps a helpful demon spirit who could be swayed to his will. I had no memories of my own, and so I did not argue with his idle thoughts of me. He knew I was powerful, but he also knew we wanted the same things. But how we got there was an entirely different matter.

"Shortly after that, he tried to contain me, but relented once he realized he could trust me. We worked together as a team, fought brilliantly, and got his grandfather's soul back. But he treated me quite differently going forward. Perhaps... more deferentially."

Mahad smiled. "I remember crossing the same line myself, Atem. Do you remember the day of Seto's ascension to head priest?"

Atem couldn't stop his laugh from bubbling off his lips. "By the gods, I cannot believe I had almost forgotten!"

"How was I to know that the sacrifice was supposed to be saved for the ceremony? I figured someone had just sacrificed a cow and forgotten to clean up the carcass."

"And Seto's face when he was reciting the prayer to Osiris and then realized..."

"... they realized there was no sacrifice ready to be burned to the gods. I swear, Mana believed that Seto had raised the cow from the dead."

Atem held his sides and he laughed. "I remember it so well! We were so young-"

"But not very deferential." Mahad turned serious. "Had I paid attention during our studies the days leading up the ceremony, I would have known not to clean up the sacrifice like is usually my duty. I know it's not true, but sometimes I blame myself for all the calamity that befell Egypt in our day because I angered the gods that day."

"Mahad..." Atem said, shaking his head. "Siamon procured another cow for the sacrifice, and the ritual was saved. There was no divine retribution for the acts of a young, and overly eager boy." He reached over and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "You worry too much."

Mahad nodded. "That is absolutely true." He stood and took off his robe, standing there only in his shendyt under his clothes. Atem looked startled as his friend disrobed.

Mahad chuckled. "Every time I have these thoughts, I decide to go swim in the Nile. It's a great way to absolve the bad memories and remind me why we are here."

Atem flashed a grin. "I think I might join you then once I'm done with my wine."

"Excellent," Mahad said as he took of his headdress and gold adornment. "You should be warned, my king, that you will not be spared splashing just because you are relatively new to the afterlife, or you are a pharaoh." He laughed as he ran off down to the inviting Nile.

Atem laughed again as his friend left. He felt comforted and happy from his friend, and was glad that he could do the same for him. He sometimes felt they were all children again, free from responsibility.

He set his wine down, and felt an odd sensation in his chest. It hurt and he felt dizzy. He grasped his chest and closed his eyes, crumpling in the lounge against the horrible pain.

But as quickly as it had come, it disappeared. He felt that he must have imagined it and rose to join his friend in the Nile.

A/N: Thanks again to Keltish and D17-pharaohfox! I'm glad I snagged two of you on this crazy journey we're about to go on. I really appreciate the reviews. Mark you calenders! Next update will be tomorrow night; I'm just sprucing it up a little. :3