"Wha-what about it?" I asked.
"Well, mostly about how did you get it?" He asked scratching behind his head.
"Grandpa gave it to me at the same time as Yugi got the puzzle. Although, I never wore it, till some years ago." I told him.
"Does it do anything?" He asked.
"You mean beside makes my life more complicated?" I asked a bit annoyed.
"Sorry, didn't mean to make it sound so negative. It just that most of the people who have had them, have also, been somewhat suspicious." He explained.
"You refer Pegasus, Bakura and Marik," I guessed.
"Yes. But I know there are some good people who held these items too. Like Izizu. I didn't have time to ask her more, but maybe you could..." He explained.
"Sorry, to crush your hope, but... this isn't one of the Millenium items." I said and took the necklace off my neck.
"According to Izizu it belonged to someone else in your court." I said and handed him the necklace.
"Now that I see it so close, I see you are right. This is different than other items. It's not as simple as Millenium items, but very decorative. As if it was made for a woman." He said as he inspected the necklace.
"It was made for a woman." I told him. "Your bodyguard to be exact."
"A female bodyguard?" He asked looking at me.
I just raised my shoulders as showing him that hadn't any better clue than he did.
"Was she yo...?" He was about to ask, but I cut him.
"Before we continue this conversation, let's make one thing clear. I don't believe this past-life-thing, nor that I used to be someone in ancient Egypt. So, whatever you were told about this necklace or its owner, has nothing to do with me." I said.
"After all that happened, you don't believe what you have seen?" He asked me.
"I believe what I saw, but not necessarily in the same as you do." I said and lifted my hands up in defense.
"What were you told then about your 'NOT past-life'?" He asked looking at the necklace.
"From Izizu or from Marik when he was still crazy?" I asked.
"Izizu." He chose.
"She said, that the previous owner was Pharaoh's, your bodyguard. The necklace was made for her so, she could protect you even past the shadow games." I told him.
"That's all?" He asked looking at the necklace.
"Crazy-Marik said, she was your bride to be, but she had an affair with the sorcerer." I said.
"What?" He asked looking at me.
"I know, I know, sounds like typical Egyptian soap opera to me." I said.
"I had a bride? My bodyguard?" He asked as if he tried to process it.
"Hey, recall that evil Marik said that. He could have tried to confuse me. And that was something he did best even during the duel." I reminded him.
He rested his forehead on his arms and gave a big sigh. He looked at the necklace sometime before he handed it back to me.
"Was there something else you wanted to know?" I asked as I took the necklace back and laid back on my bed.
"Was it you, who couple of years ago challenged me to a Hexxagon duel?" He asked.
It was my turn to be surprised. How could he remember? I couldn't help but blush a little. To think now he knew how I acted even behind the mask, when I wasn't dueling. It was the nasty side of me.
"I won't tell anyone, if it makes you feel uncomfortable." He said.
He must have seen how embarrassed I was.
"And Yugi?" I asked.
"He doesn't know all of it. He wasn't present when we had that game." He told me.
I simply let a sigh of relief. Yugi already knew my bad habits at dueling, if he knew anymore, I would never be over it.
"Why do you hide so much from your brother?" Pharaoh asked.
"There is just so much pain in my past that he doesn't know. And I prefer to keep it that way." I said and turned to face the wall on my bed.
"Why is that?" He asked.
"Let's just say, that I made very, VERY bad choices in the past." I said without realizing how my lips began to tremble.
"I'm sure your brother won't start to hate you even if he knew." He said.
"It's not that. When I left to US, I became something, I don't want him to know. And what happened then..."my voice broke after wards.
I heard him get up from the chair and soon I felt some weight on the bed next to me.
"Let's just say I got involved in something very bad. I got myself out of it, but with a heavy price." I said and tried to keep myself from crying.
I felt his hand on my head and began to cares my head softly. I don't know why I felt like I could tell him all this, but I knew that keeping it hidden would be also futile someday.
"There is a force out there, which both terrifies me and makes me mad at it. I decided not get involved, but it has made me more aware other kind of magic. Like your puzzle and Izizu's necklace. But I'm also aware of other things, like ill intentions and such. My life is already a mess, I don't want my family to go through it, or suffer because of it." I kept saying as he caressed my head.
"Whatever it is, if it is in my power I will help. Just remember that." He said.
I got up and wiped whatever tears might have come out and looked at him straight to his eyes.
"Pharaoh, if there ever comes a time that I must face that force again. Do whatever you can to keep my brother away from it. As much as possible. There are some things, that can take more than give, even if you win." I said to him.
"I can't promise that, since I don't know what kind situation it will be, but I try to remain at side and hopefully take some of the pain. Yugi won't get hurt that way." He said.
"It better be that way. I'm asking you to keep my brother safe. I know, he is brave, but when I'll tell you to stay away from the danger, make sure, he does that." I told him.
"I'll try." He said.
For some reason I felt a bit calmer. At least I had now an ally, who could keep my brother a bit safer than I. Seeing me now calmer, Pharaoh leaned a bit and gave a soft kiss to my forehead. It took me by total surprise. I felt my cheeks turn so hot and red, that it felt even to the ears.
"Sorry, that felt like proper thing to do." He said when he saw my expression.
I think I saw him blushing too, why? I didn't know what to say. I was still a bit shocked or dazed. He excused himself after one moment of silence. I just kept looking at my lap. Was I getting a bit crazy? Why was I so embarrassed that some other guy who looks like my brother, gives me a little kiss to my forehead? I have given small kisses to my brother and grandpa, some to the cheek and some to the forehead. I mean it was my American side. It didn't have much effect. But this somehow made me embarrassed. Could it be because I know it's not my brother? NO, snap out of it? I tried to sleep, but just then I remembered that my necklace has habit of showing memories without a warning. Just when I barely saw a figure of a young Yugi wearing some Egyptian cotton tunic running towards me, I knew I was seeing another memory fragment of the previous owner of the necklace. Before anything could happen, I got up and pulled the necklace away and left it at my night stand.
"Not now." I hissed and got back to sleep.
I had my own worries in this timeline, I didn't need more drama from the past.
I'll write separate story about what happened in ancient Egypt.
Sorry about any grammar errors that you may find.