Title: The Shaman and the International Spy

Pairing(s): Serfshipping (Atem x Joey)

Puppyshipping (Seto x Joey)

Rivalshipping (Seto x Yugi)

Perservereshipping (Duke x Tèa)

Warning(s): Swearing/Foul Language

Homo/Heterosexual Sexual Relations

TRIGGER WARNINGS!: ALCOHOL ABUSE AND TORTURE ARE MENTIONED AND EXPLICITLY EXPLAINED IN THIS CHAPTER! TURN BACK NOW IF THEY SERIOUSLY BOTHER YOU OR ARE YOUR PARTICULAR TRIGGERS!

A/N: I forgot this is my last few chapters, but here goes: I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! OR ANY OF ITS KNOWN AFFILIATES, OR CHARACTERS! THEY ALL BELONG TO KAZUKI TAKAHASHI AND CO. HOWEVER, I DO OWN PETER MURAN AND IF YOU WISH TO USE HIM IN YOUR OWN STORY, THEN JUST SEND ME A PM.

Whew! Now that that's done, on with the story!


[Chapter 4] [Blood of his Kin]

It was dark. So very dark. He was swimming in darkness. He was floating lazily through deep darkness without a care in the world. He was free. The feeling was exhilarating, the feeling of freedom. He wanted to float around forever, never come down from his high. Here, his friends didn't leave him, and no one judged him. He was free.

There was a rumbling coming from far away to his left, a soft rumbling. He almost didn't take notice of it. But it began to get louder and louder until Yugi thought he was going to become deaf from the noise. Then it abruptly left and silence reigned in the void again. But he still felt calm. Slowly, he began to make his way toward where the noise had come from, and the closer he got the more colours he began to see.

Streaks of red, yellow, orange, blue and green swam in front of his eyes, creating a kaleidoscope of colour. Then the colours began to take shape.

They're leaves, Yugi saw. I'm seeing leaves.

Amongst the leaves was a dark blueish-green blob. His eyes were beginning to adjust and the picture became clearer. Then all at once it hit him. He remembered everything. Refilling his script, heading home and finding the game shop was locked when it shouldn't have been, and then the pinprick of a syringe in his neck, followed by the darkness he was swimming in just a few moments ago.

His eyes snapped open to look his kidnapper in the face. Brown eyes framed by dark brown hair stared back at him. His captor had light brown-coloured skin with sharp, angular features. Egyptian features . . .

Yugi tried to move away only to find that his hands and feet were bound, and there was a gag in his mouth. Regardless of the gag, Yugi screamed for help. He struggled to escape his bindings and his captor backhanded him. Yugi saw stars for a moment and he lay still. He stared wide-eyed at the man standing above him, waiting for him to speak. He didn't. Instead he turned and began fiddling with a large machine that looked to Yugi a lot like a generator, which would explain the rumbling sound he'd heard while floating around in the darkness.

Yugi began to take in his surroundings to try and figure out where he was and how to escape. The only light illuminating the area came from a small lantern by his captor's feet and was being used to peer into the generators mechanisms. But from what he could see, Yugi was in a tomb. The leaves he'd seen earlier were only part of the Void's hallucination. There were carvings and paintings on the walls to suggest that they were somewhere in Egypt. Across the room he saw the corner of a sarcophagus laying flat on the ground. He couldn't see much else due to the intense darkness pressing down on them. Anxiety flared up in Yugi`s chest and it became difficult to breathe. He gasped for air but the gag limited how much he could take in.

The kidnapper heard Yugi gasping for air and turned, irritation building. He calmly strode over and roughly yanked the gag from the boy's mouth. Yugi gulped down air gratefully and once he had enough in his lungs he began screaming for help. His captor stomped down harshly on Yugi's chest, effectively quieting him. Yugi coughed for several minutes before the sobbing began.

"What do you want from me!? Why are you doing this!?" He shouted, tears streaming down his face. His captor made mocking noises at him in response.

"What are you, five?" Was Yugi's retort, which earned him a kick in his sides. Yugi grunted and lay still, trying to recapture his breath. Once his breathing was even, he turned his head to stare at the man struggling to fix the generator.

"Who are you? And what do you want with me?" Yugi shook violently, and the fear in his voice made it crack awkwardly.

There was a clang that echoed off the walls as he dropped his wrench in irritation. Then he stood up and dusted his hands off, turning to face Yugi. Yugi braced himself for another kick, but thankfully it didn't come. Instead he got an actual response.

"You are Yugi Mutou, yes?" He continued when Yugi nodded his head. "Then you are the direct descendant of the greatest king in all of Egypt.".

Yugi's eyes widened when he figured out whom he was talking about. His captor nodded.

"Yes, I'm talking about Atem. He used to be the 'Nameless Pharaoh.' But you helped him recover his memories and ultimately, his true name, didn't you? Oh, yes. I know all about you, Yugi Mutou. Everything." At this he pulled out a knife and held it to Yugi's cheek, the blade digging in but not piercing his flesh. Yugi shuddered, knowing that this man had the means, and definitely the reason to kill him.

"But, who are you? And how do you know so much about me and Atem?" Yugi demanded, his voice echoing off the walls.

"My name . . . is Peter. Peter Muran."

Yugi's eyes widened at the familiar name. "So that means..?"

The man named Peter nodded vehemently. "Yes. I am a descendant of the great vizier to the Pharaoh Atem. Shimon Muran. Shimon wrote many manuscripts regarding your precious Pharaoh. All of them described just how courageous he was, how humble he was." He paused for dramatic effect, the evil witch. He continued softly, "How beautiful. He compared the Pharaoh's beauty with that of the sun, how he rivaled its morning light. He also explained that he was a kind Pharaoh, compassionate. It was through these manuscripts and stories passed down by my family that I fell in love with him. At first they were just daydreams, fantasies. Then I met Him. He showed me a few scrolls that were meant to be locked away. One of them explained how to bring someone back from the dead, give them back their bodies and let them breathe new life."

As he talked, Peter began circling around Yugi, his eyes appeared unseeing. He was too focused and excited to finally tell his story. Yugi took that time to try and wiggle his way out of his bindings.

"Of course," Peter continued, completely oblivious to Yugi's squirming and soft grunting. "I realized at once that daydreams would become reality. I could have the Pharaoh, actually feel him in my arms. I wondered what he would sound like whispering my name in the middle of the night, while he begged me to hold him tighter."

Yugi groaned in disgust. How dare he think of his friend like that? But he didn't have time to dwell on it. He was almost free from his bindings. If he could just–

A boot slammed down on Yugi's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending jolts of white-hot agony all through his body. He yelled in pain and curled up in on himself to try to stem the pain in his abdomen. Hot tears ran freely down his face and a sob ripped through his chest as another boot connected with his lower back, sending him sliding forwards a few feet. He felt his shirt riding up in the back, now incredibly filthy, no doubt.

"Just what do you think you're trying to do? Do you really think you can escape?! No!" Peter screamed, his voice bouncing crazily off the walls of the tomb. He brought his foot down on Yugi's right arm, and reveled in the long scream of pain and the sickening crunch as it broke. Yugi rolled away onto his other side, cradling his broken arm as best as he could with his bindings still in place.

Peter had enough. It was time to end this. He glanced at his watch and saw it was two minutes to midnight. He would have to do this in the dark, seeing as how he couldn't get the stupid generator working in time. He grabbed the screaming teen and dragged him in front of the sarcophagus. As a last-minute thought he grabbed the Coleman lantern he'd been using and placed it beside him. It illuminated the sarcophagus, but the corners of the tomb were still shrouded in shadows.

Peter drew his knife, excitement filling his veins like an adrenaline rush. The Pharaoh was only minutes away from being in his arms. Yugi saw before him on the coffin a bowl filled with what looked like ground seeds, and five-millennia-old flesh. His gorge rose when he realized that it had to be Atem's.

They must be essential to the ritual. If only I could do something about them, Yugi thought, desperate for a distraction and a way to stop Peter from resurrecting Atem.

But, do I really want to? I want to see him again. No! I have to stop it! Yugi battled with himself a few more seconds before making his mind up.

Just as Peter was placing the blade of his knife to Yugi's throat, the young teen suddenly lurched forwards and upset the bowl, spilling its contents everywhere.

Peter screamed in despair as the fine powder flew everywhere and the flesh slid under the coffin, disappearing into the darkness. In anger Peter threw Yugi aside and scrambled to pick up the dust with his fingers and tried to recover the piece of the Pharaoh's skin in vain. Yugi took this opportunity to finally escape. Holding on to his broken arm, he snatched up the Coleman lantern and quickly found the stairs out of the tomb. Soon he was breathing fresh air and running toward twinkling lights in the distance as fast as his legs could carry him.


When Joey had arrived at the apartment to sign the papers claiming that he was the new tenant, he was surprised to see Ishizu there with her brother Marik.

"Hey Marik. Ishizu. What's up? What are you guys doing down here?" Joey asked as he approached them in front of the apartment building. The Egyptian siblings nodded in turn at him before Ishizu spoke.

"I would like to extend an invitation to meet me at the museum tomorrow. You and all your friends. There is something that we need to discuss." She blinked at him, blue eyes surveying his face to gauge his reaction to her news. Joey's eyebrows rose in question.

"Uh... Sure. I can let everybody know. What time?"

"Noon." Marik answered for his sister, earning him a stern look which he just grinned at.

Joey nodded. "And what is it that we have to discuss?"

Ishizu shook her head. "Not here. Wait until the museum. I will explain everything there."

"Joseph Wheeler?" A tinkling voice behind them inquired.

They turned to see Sandra Clemmons, the woman Joey was supposed to meet standing in front of the lobby doors. She had one foot still inside to hold the doors open.

Joey raised a hand briefly before stating dumbly, "Uh. That's me." He turned to Ishizu and Marik.

"Hey, thanks. It was nice to see you. I guess we'll see each other again tomorrow, right?" The two of them nodded with Marik smiling at him. Joey smiled back and waved goodbye.

The signing of the apartment went splendidly. He was the proud owner of his own place, and one step closer to finally being free of his abusive father. It was a wonderful feeling. Euphoric, almost.

As he stood outside the apartment building he was to be residing in soon, a knot of worry and anxiety formed in his belly. Just how was he gonna break it to his father. Loathe as he was to admit it, but his father needed him. Otherwise the old man would never eat, would never be able to wash his own clothes, would even forget to go to the bathroom because he was paralyzed drunk. Was he really just going to abandon his father like that?

Joey shook his head as he walked to his car. Yes. He had to. He couldn't live with his father anymore. He didn't think he'd survive the beatings for very much longer.

As he drove home, he took several calming breaths and thought of what to say to his father. If John was even awake. Seeing as how it was eight in the evening, probably not.

As his house came into view he was disappointed to see his fathers' bedroom lights still on. But that didn't mean anything. He could have forgotten to turn the lights out before going to sleep.

Which would mean that he was drunk again.

Joey sighed. What a hand of cards life had dealt him.

After parking his car in the pitiful garage (Joey couldn't wait for the parking garage under his new apartment) he walked solemnly up his front porch steps and into his house.

The first thing he noticed immediately was the deafening silence. All the lights had been turned on, but there was nary a sound. There wasn't even the telltale snoring of his father passed out in his bed. Just silence.

Suspicious, Joey crept up to his room silently. The damn stairs creaked to high heaven, and he was sure that if his whole neighborhood heard them then his father definitely heard them. But there was still no sound.

Wait.

Was that–?

Joey was sure of it. Crying. Someone was in his bedroom crying. It was a deep rumble filled with decades of heartache and misfortune, broken by an occasional sniffle. Joey was sure it was his father, too.

He slowly opened his bedroom door to reveal that it was indeed his father, sitting on his bed crying. He was holding something in his hands. Lightly stepping closer, Joey could see that there were old photographs of him and Serenity as children, of all of them in family photographs. There was a picture in there that was of just his parents, looking incredibly happy together, with Joeys' mothers' belly round and full of Joey himself.

Hearing footsteps behind him, John Wheeler slowly turned around to peer at his son. His brown eyes were bloodshot and tear-filled. Tear tracks trailed down his once-handsome face, now flushed a bright red. But one thing Joey noticed was that his father was not drunk.

There was silence as the two of them just stared at each other. Finally, John spoke.

"I remember... taking some of these photos. I was always the man behind the camera. You guys... you were fun to photograph. You, especially. Always... hamming it up for the camera." John took a moment to wipe his eyes on his sleeve and sniffling. He offered a weak smile. "You were never camera shy. Your sister though... Serenity didn't really like it when I took pictures of her. But then you would jump in, and make her smile..."

John hung his head as the sobs began again. Joey watched and listened, tears glistening his eyes as well. A few fell and he quickly wiped them away, sniffling.

"I ruined this family. All this... the... booze... the women... All of it. I did this. It's my fault, Joey. I'm so sorry."

"Papi..." [1] Joey's throat closed up, preventing him from saying more. But that one word was enough. It had been years since Joey had called him "Papi." John held out his arms and Joey rushed right into them.

They held each other for a moment, sobbing onto each other's shoulders. Finally, they let go of one another. Their eyes were both red and puffy and their noses were running but they were both smiling.

"I'm so sorry, Joey. I ruined our family. I can never fix it..."

"Papi, don't say that. You might not be able to fix our family, to make it be the way it was before, but you can still fix the relationships with your children, with me and Serenity. And you can get yourself help, you know you need it." Joey said desperately. When he noticed that his father didn't understand some of what he said, he said it in his fathers' native tongue.

"Papi, è possibile ottenere in buona salute. Non più di bere, o donnaiolo. È possibile fissare I rapporti con I vostri figli. Io e Serenity, abbiamo ancora ti amo." [2]

John nodded. "Sì, voglio. Entrambi amo così tanto. Non posso sopportare di più farti del male. Vedo I lividi e tagli. Vedo come li nasconde. Sono così dispiace." [3]

John's voice cracked as he spoke. He wanted to get himself some professional help. He was going to change... for his children, he had to.

Silence weighed down on them. Joey felt even worse when he realized that his father needed him more than ever. And now he was going to leave him. Might as well tell him now, and get it out of the way.

"Dad?" John looked up. "Yes?"

Joey took a deep breath to calm himself. What he could say right now might break the spell and send his father into a fit of rage.

"I found an apartment for myself. I just got back from signing the papers. I... I thought I should just let you know." Joey hung his head in shame of what he was doing. He knew he was truly abandoning his father, right when he needed him the most. But he needed his own freedom. But, maybe...

"But, there is something that I can do. If you promise, and truly commit to getting professional help for yourself, and you truly, truly stick to it, you can come stay with me. Get out of this death trap of a house. It's only a one bedroom, but we could find a sofa bed. There's enough room in the living room for one... Papi?" Joey noticed that his father's eyes were wet with tears again, but he was smiling a broad smile.

"Yes. I promise. I will... commit to it. I swear. Please..."

Joey nodded. "Ok. Let's get some sleep, ok? When we wake up, I can make you some eggs and bacon. And then I gotta head out. I'm meeting someone at the museum tomorrow. Ok?" Joey patted his fathers' head, like an adult trying to comfort a small child. John nodded again, and groaning he stood up from the bed.

"Can I hold onto the pictures, just for tonight?" He sounded so pitiful that it hurt Joey's heart even more. John held the photographs close to his chest, as if Joey would say no and take them from him.

"Of course you can Papi. Naturalmente è possibile, papà." [4]


Well, that was it for this episode. I feel bad for putting Yugi in that kind of situation and for hurting him, but its for the story. THE STORY MUST GO ON! xD And for those of you who don't speak Italian, (neither do I unfortunately. I used Google Translate, so I apologize if the wording is wrong. D:) here are the translations for the above numbered phrases:

[1]: The word 'papi' just means 'dad' or 'daddy'. Its not widely known what Joey's ethnicity really is, (we know that he has a New Yorker accent) so I gave him one. I made him have Italian and English on his father's side, and German and French on his mothers' side. I hope everyone is okay with this. If not, well then SORRY. XD

[2]: Daddy, you can get yourself healthy. No more drinking, or womanizing. You can fix the relationships with your children. Me and Serenity still love you.

[3]: Yes, I want to. I love you both so much. I can't bear to hurt you. I see the cut and the bruises. I see you hiding them. I'm so sorry.

[4]: Of course you can, daddy.