A.N. Well, here I am again, the inspiration bug really abandoned me after the last chapter for this story, but my inspiration's never been very reliable anyway. That being said; I hope you like reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, guys.


An Alternate Ending

Chapter 4: From Faint Recognition


Joey, Tristan and Duke stumbled tiredly back into the house and they pushed and shoved past each other with indistinguishable grunts of indignation as they tried to get up the stairs as fast as they could. They easily forgot that some of the other inhabitants of the building would be sleeping as they noisily stomped over the first floor corridor to their room which they shared with Kaiba, Mokuba, Odeon; all of whom they saw were trying to sleep.

"Could you dweebs make any more noise if you tried?" Kaiba snapped grumpily as he buried his face into his coat / pillow.

"I dunno…" Joey yawned, "I'll get back to ya on that," he said as he practically fell onto the area of the floor designated as his bed, "That was one weird night," he muttered to himself before falling asleep almost instantly.


"…GET UP!" shouted Amunet as she strolled cheerily through her house, "Ra says it's time for work…"

"Yeah…well, Ra can take his damn work and shove it up his…" Joey said, his voice thankfully muffled by his messy hair and crumpled makeshift pillow as he squirmed around on the floor trying, and failing to get back to sleep.

Inwardly, Kaiba agreed with him, of course he'd never admit it, but he did. He wanted out; wasting away yet another day washing or drying more dishes, or doing farm work or whatever else the woman had in mind for them was not something the young CEO was eager to do again. He needed to find out how to get back and staying here wasting time wasn't going to make that possible any time soon…if at all. But Kaiba was stumped as to how he'd even begin to go about getting back home; if he did, he certainly wouldn't still be here, forced to share a room with people like Joey and others who believed in things like 'fate' and whatnot.

"I think she enjoys waking everyone up like this every day," Mokuba said to him with a tired smile.

"You said it, kid," Tristan nodded.

"I hear talking, I don't hear movement!" Amunet yelled from outside the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Joey grumbled, givin up trying to sleep again he stood up and made his way to the door, "Ya happy now?" he asked the woman who was standing there with her arms crossed. She nodded simply and then turned her attention to the other rooms on the floor, shouting and yelling at the inhabitants.

Odeon stifled a yawn as he too got up and Tristan and Duke joined Joey at the door with Mokuba at their heels. Together the four of them went to the next room and knocked on the door. "Guys, you better get up soon, or the crazy, shouty lady won't be happy!" Joey said as he banged on the door.

"Hey, we never told Yugi we saw the Pharaoh, did we?" Duke asked just before the door was opened.

"You saw who?" Solomon asked them, opening the door.

"Yugi up yet?" Joey asked quickly but he saw his smaller friend still trying to curl up under his blue jacket with Teà trying to wake him up at his side.

"Nope," she answered him.

"Come on, Yug, we got somethin' t'tell ya," Joey said cheerily. He knelt down beside his friend and energetically started to push Yugi's shoulder.

"Mmmm…go 'way grandpa…" Yugi muttered.

"No, you gotta get up, Yug," Joey repeated, now beginning to get irritated.

"I don't wanna go to school…" Yugi continued and Tristan laughed.

"School'd be a lot better than whats waitin' out there, trust me," Duke said.

"You're never gonna believe who we saw last night!" Joey exclaimed loudly in Yugi's ear, and the younger duellist jumped awake.

"Wha...who?" Yugi yawned, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"Good, you're up," Joey smiled contentedly.

"What…who'd you see?" Yugi asked him eventually.

"The Pharaoh...er...I mean the Prince," Tristan said.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Teà asked.

"We fell asleep!"

"Useful," she shook her head as the others began to get up, and soon, they were all gathered on the ground floor, sitting around the table as Amunet gave out orders for people's jobs for the day.

Aside from caring for the animals and briefly helping with tending the crops there was little to do that Amunet gave them and so, it wasn't long before Yugi along with Tristan, Duke, Joey, Teà, Mokuba, Ishizu, Marik, Solomon and Bakura wandered the main streets of the day's market sale.

"Why don't we have markets like this back home?" Joey asked sadly as he gazed at the colourful stalls of exotic fruits.

"Maybe because we're 3,000 years in the past," Tristan muttered and strained his eyes to look ahead.

People were beginning to move aside for a small precession lead by a beautiful white horse with a silken mane and a small rider. There was the sound of happy cheers and smiling people waving and bowing as the Prince rode through the streets with an excitable Mana walking beside his white horse, but the young boy looked exceptionally sombre and tired. There were four guards, two walking on either side of his horse, and directly behind him was Priest Seto riding a brown horse and holding the Millennium rod tightly in his hand. Occasionally he would glance at the sombre prince with sympathy, and then his training would kick in and he was back to searching for possible threats to the future monarch again.

"I think we should go over there, and…are you listening to me? Prince?" Mana said as she looked up at her friend.

"Hmm?" the prince hummed and glanced back at her, "Yes, yes, I am listening, Mana…"

"No, you're not," she shook her head sadly.

"I am sorry, this was a bad idea, I should be in the palace with father," Atemu replied.

"He's got the best healers in the land, and you've hardly slept at all, you need a break," they heard Mana reply. Yugi and his friends, along with the whole street could hear what they were saying, but no one made it obvious as they respectfully bade the Prince past.

"I won't be able to have 'breaks' when I am king," said the Prince.

"That won't be for a long time yet, I know it, the Pharaoh…your father isn't going to…"

"Mana, please, I have to go back…" the Prince said quickly, and he suddenly pulled on the reigns and turned the horse around. He startled the guards in the process and Seto looked just as surprised.

"My Prince, please, some time out of the palace was the Pharaoh's suggestion," said the Priest, "It was not an unwise one."

"But, Seto, I…" the Prince sighed and slowly, he began to calm his horse which had been showing signs of bolting, "Very well," he acquiesced, "We will stay…for now."

"Whoo hoo!" Mana exclaimed and jumped up in the air, much to Seto's obvious disapproval.

They continued slowly down the street when suddenly everyone stopped as they heard a loud voice shout; "Stop him! Thief! Come back here!" it was an out of breath man. He was balding and red faced, clutching his side as he came out of one of the buildings waving a sharpened tool in his hand. From behind him, a young man ran through the street, after the 'thief' but in so doing he was pushing past people in his haste and before long he ran straight into the Prince's entourage. The white horse reared and loudly whinnied and the young man fell to the ground before the impressive beast.

"Halt!" the guards commanded.

"No, please, I must…" the young man begged quickly as sharpened spears were pointed down at him.

"After him," the Prince suddenly ordered them, gesturing into the crowd.

"But, sir…" one of the guards began, looking back to the boy on the ground.

"Please, sire, I meant no harm," he repeated, "Our tools were stolen and I must get them back."

"Go!" the Prince ordered them again, and the guards didn't need telling twice; three out of the four took off after the thief with people from the crowd instantly pointing out the direction in which he'd fled. Joey and Tristan quickly followed after the guards with Duke and Bakura close behind them without thinking and they ran through the streets.

"Who are you?" the Prince asked the young man whose face he thought he recognised.

"Gyasi, my Prince, third son of Khepri the stone mason," answered the boy reverently, "Sire, you need not trouble yourself…"

"Those tools mean a great deal to you, do they not?"

"Y…yes, my Prince…" Gyasi nodded nervously.

"Where'd they get to?" Yugi asked himself as he looked around the street.

"They never think things through," Teà sighed as they, and the townspeople gathered around the Prince.


Meanwhile, the three guards, closely followed by Joey and his friends were running down a narrow alley between a row of houses and they could see the back of the thief. They'd already run past the main streets and fields and they were beginning to slow down from exhaustion.

"He's getting away!" one of the guards cursed.

"And it'll be our necks too," another panted.

"I'm not planning on spending the next festival in a cell because of some little thief! Come on!" the third guard shouted at them.

Joey, always proud of his running skills, ran quickly past the guards and tackled the thief to the ground, "Gotcha!" he yelled. The guards stared at him only for a moment before hauling the man to his feet and dragging him back to the Prince. "…You're…welcome…" Joey panted quickly as Tristan helped him up.

The guards made their way back to the main square, lugging the protesting thief with them, "My Prince, we have the thief," one of the guards announced as they dragged a youngish looking man with dirty hair and hands, pushing him kneel before the Prince's horse.

"Good work," Atemu nodded as one of the guards took the stolen tools from the kneeling man and handed them back to Gyasi who started at them curiously, "Take them, they're yours," he said to the young man.

"But, I…" Gyasi stuttered as the man placed the objects in his worn hands, "T…thank you, sire," he bowed and backed away slowly.

"Sire, we…had help," another of the men said when Gyasi was gone.

"Oh?" the Prince asked curiously.

"Yes, sire…there, it was them…" the man said as Joey and the other emerged practically dragging each other forwards and they joined Yugi and the others.

"Oh," young Atemu repeated with a raised eyebrow and a look of faint recognition, "Bring them here," he said and the guard nodded before leaving to do so.

"Who are they?" Mana asked and Seto regarded the group of teenagers with deep interest. All but the two women were dressed strangely in clothing styles he'd never seen before and their skin tones were paler than was normal for the country. He was especially intrigued by the young boy who greatly resembled the Prince, however this child was also pale and lacked the regal bearing of a royal, but the resemblance was nothing short of striking.

"You," the guard said and Joey jumped.

"It wasn't me, officer, I swear!" Joey yelled and his friends sighed.

"The Prince wishes to speak with you."

"Oh," Joey sighed in relief as the guard led the ten of them forwards towards the white horse of the Prince.

Young Atemu froze in place as his eyes settled on Yugi, it was almost like looking at himself in a mirror; it was also sightly unnerving. He also saw Solomon who was a dead ringer for his father's most trusted vizier Siamun and a woman who bore a striking resemble to one of the palace priests; Isis. This was turning out to be a very unusual day.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Yugi sighed when he noticed Atemu frowning in confusion at them.

"Yeah, good going, Joey," Teà rolled her eyes.

"Hey!" Joey exclaimed indignantly.

"Bow before the Prince of all Egypt," the guard told them as they slowed to a stop in front of said Prince.

"Wow...they're strange looking," Mana whispered not so quietly to the Prince.

"You have my thanks," the Prince said as they bowed awkwardly, only Ishizu and Marik managing to remain dignified and confident.

"Er...no problem, I guess," Joey rubbed the back of his neck. "Erm...we're..."

"I remember who you are," he nodded with a smile, making them look at him curiously, hoping that somehow he did actually know them. But they were disappointed when he continued, "You are the 'Americans' who lost their way in the Deshret." (*1)

"Yeah..." Joey laughed uncertainly as Yugi and the others stared at him, "That's us."

"The what?" Mana scoffed in confusion but Priest Seto scowled at her and she said nothing further.

"Would you join us?" the Prince asked them.

"Well, I..." Yugi trailed off. He didn't know whether it was a good idea for him to spend time with the young Prince in case he discovered something. On the other hand it would be interesting and no doubt fun to see what Atemu was like as a child. And it would be rude to turn down an offer from a Prince.

"Hey, Yug," Joey waved a hand in front of his face, "You in there, what're we doin'?"

"Let's go," Yugi answered.

"Sire, I should point out..." Seto began.

"Yes?" Atemu turned to him.

"This might be a little premature..."

"Do they seem dangerous to you?" the Prince asked skeptically.

"Things that pose a danger do not always appear as such."

"Perhaps not, but it was you and Mana suggesting that I remain out of the palace," Atemu told him.

"Yes," Seto sighed, "But I don't believe the Pharaoh meant..."

"And if they do pose a threat, I'm sure they will be no match for you," the Prince replied and Mana smiled.

"As you wish, my Prince," the man nodded simply and Atemu lead his horse forwards again.

Yugi and his friends felt slightly awkward at walking beside the Prince whom they actually knew as a great and powerful Pharaoh, and they found it difficult to keep in mind that this boy didn't actually know them yet. They introduced themselves and Mana marvelled at their foreign names.

It wasn't long before they made their way to the bank of the Nile and the Prince dismounted in the shade of a large but crumbling wall of sandstone and mud. His four guards and Priest Seto stood attentively a few feet away as Yugi and his friends sat down beside the Prince when he gestured for them to do so.

"So," he began, "What are you really doing here?"

"What? What'd you mean?" Yugi asked him.

"No one simply 'gets lost' in the desert, you didn't expect me to believe that, did you?"

"Nice one, Joey," Tristan muttered to his friend.

"So...does that make us a threat?" Yugi asked the Prince.

"I haven't decided yet," Atemu answered truthfully, "Why would you stop a petty thief if you truly were malicious? Unless it was part of a plan to deceive us, of course."

"You're over thinking, it, y'know dude," Joey said, but then cursed himself as he remembered that this wasn't quite his friend. The young Prince only looked at him with an amused expression.

"I like them," Mana said to him as she walked across the the Prince.

"You also liked the idea of wearing a three cubit wide hat in the sun." (*2)

"Okay, I admit that was a bad idea," the young girl floundered, "It was way too big and the spell didn't exactly work..."

"And you especially liked the idea you had about creating pomegranates from rocks."

"Erm...again...that wasn't one of my best ideas..." Mana stuttered from embarrassment.

"No, Mahad didn't seem to think so, did he?"

"Okay, so the healers didn't agree with me either...I...guess I'll leave the ideas to you then..." she smiled nervously.

"Thank you," he said with a raised eyebrow.

Yugi could only share a confused and shocked look with his friends as they heard the young Prince bantering with Mana so easily; this was not the dignified, stoic Pharaoh they were used to seeing as a disembodied spirit.

"Why did you help that man, anyway?" Mana asked them.

"'Cos he needed help..." Joey shrugged, "Doesn't have to be a reason to help someone. Why did you? Couldn't he have been lying about being robbed just to steal from someone else?" he asked the Prince, "I've seen some dirty tricks people use to steal stuff."

"He wasn't lying," the Prince said with familiar confidence.

"How'd you know for sure?" Duke asked.

"It was in his eyes."

"Huh..." Joey frowned.

"And it helps that I've met his father," Atemu continued, "He works in my father's temples quite often, and he doesn't make many friends in his profession...or so I've been told. The man who stole from him was another craftsman he'd had a disagreement with, I recognised his face; it was done out of spite, not greed or necessity."

"That's cheatin'," Joey muttered, openly impressed.

"No, it isn't," the Prince smiled, "...Master Aknadin tells me that remembering such things is not a task for the future King," he frowned. "He would disapprove of my interference in such matters."

"He 'disapproves' of almost everything," Mana sighed and the Prince shot her his own look of disapproval, "He makes a face just like that! That's really scary, you looked just like him for a second," she giggled.

"Why'd you help him then?" Yugi asked.

"I couldn't not help him," was the Prince's simple answer. "It's strange," the Prince added, "In truth I hardly know you at all...but I feel as though I do," he added. He glanced down at the ground with a concerned frown before standing immediately, "I should go," he shook his head and walked over to his horse.

"What? Why?" Teà asked but he didn't answer.

"Guards," the Prince called them unnecessarily as they already moved to mimic his movements to keep close to him. "We return to the palace."

"Yes, sir," they nodded.

"Thank you once more for your aid," he told them formally and urged the horse forwards, "Mana," he called back when she didn't follow.

"We'll see you again," she waved at them and ran to catch up to the Prince.

"Well...that went well..." Yugi sighed once the Prince was out of earshot and his friends nodded sadly.

But the young prince didn't get far before he saw a flicker of shadows in the light and it seemed to move in the distance before moving behind him. He glanced back across the river when he saw a shadow move across the reeds and he narrowed his eyes in search of it.

"Something wrong?" Mana asked him and he quickly turned back to her noting that his horse had stopped he moved it onwards again.

"No, no, nothing," he said, shaking his head as they continued on their way.


In the chambers of Egypt's great King Aknamkanon, his younger brother and trusted advisor Aknadin was sat at the King's bedside with a look of hidden concern for his brother's welfare. It hadn't been long since the man had been in good health, and now all of a sudden he was as weak as a newborn kitten starved of milk. It had all started when the King had taken his son and heir to the Sacred Cave Temple of the Gods and the Prince had called for aid via the trusted messenger hawk; Horus, trained for Pharaoh himself.

No one knew exactly what had transpired in the Temple because the King was not well enough to speak of it and the Prince refused to do so. However, Aknadin had a good idea of what had happened. He guessed that his brother the King, had confessed of the creation of the Millennium items to the Gods themselves and in so doing he had, in a sense, assumed complete responsibility for them, thus accepting the wrath of the Gods. Aknadin couldn't help but feel guilty, but his part in creating the items had saved the lives of thousands of innocent civilians; that had been what he and his brother had wanted.

"My brother," began the weak and dying Aknamkanon, "You must...help my son..."

"Pharaoh..." Aknadin began, "You must rest."

"No...no...my son...my son...will be king in...all but name...now...I am unable...to rule the people...but...he is still young..." the King spoke through coughs and pants of breath. "He is not ready...my son...is a good prince...he will be...an even better Pharaoh...he is safe now...he will not come to harm now..." he broke off and fell back against the soft cushions and pillows on his bed and breathed heavily.

"As you say, Pharaoh," said the bearer of the Millennium eye and he walked from the room, leaving the healers to their job once more.

He strode out into the spacious corridor with a concerned expression; now that the Pharaoh was unable to perform his royal duties his heir would be expected to take over and do so, but his heir was only a boy of thirteen. A very intelligent and capable prince nonetheless, but still just a boy. A boy could not be expected to rule over a great country as Egypt and not attract the attention and envious gaze of their enemies who would take advantage of such an opportunity.

While the Pharaoh was still alive, the young prince would still be considered just that, however, unless the King recovered quickly, it would be the prince who would be expected to receive important guests in the throne room, he would need to sign and approve important documents and plans, he would need to conduct religious ceremonies with dignity and pride, which he did have in spades, but he did have a childlike mind overruling all of that still. The prince found more fun in hiding from his tutors than he did in their lessons- not that he didn't do exceedingly well at his studies, but how could a child be expected to be ruler of Egypt?

Aknadin was very concerned; he had sacrificed an awful amount in defence of his country already and he wouldn't let it come to harm now. He planned to have a very serious talk with his young nephew as soon as possible, but first he needed to meet with the other Guardian Priests of Pharaoh's high court.


(*1) Deshret was the formal name for the Red Crown of Lower Egypt and for the desert Red Land on either side of Kemet (the Black Land), the fertile Nile river basin.

(*2) Forms of measurements used for length ; Short cubit = 6 palms = 24 fingers c. 45 cm. Or a Royal cubit = 7 palms = 28 fingers c. 52.5 cm.