Chapter 8:

Azula sat in one of the many great rooms in Kaiba's mansion. Now that she was in this new world, how would she adjust? There was no going back now. She was here to stay. She was sure that she would integrate herself well; learn new and fascinating things that surrounded her. She couldn't wait to see what the rest of the world had to offer.

As excited as she was, Azula was also completely stressed out. How was she going to adjust being around Seto? What her eyes saw made her heart dance also confused her brain. Were the gods playing a joke on her? She couldn't be with the one that she loved in her old life and she couldn't in this one.

Azula scrubbed her face with her hand in frustration. Maybe she could find a way to make him remember his past life. Remember all the memories that the two of them shared. Maybe then he…

She shook her head. How cruel would it be to impose such a burden for him; to relive a life that wasn't his own and discard the life that he lived now.

"There you are." The sound of her brother's voice came from behind her. "You were missed at breakfast." Azula didn't look up but shrugged her shoulders. She never had an appetite in the mornings and when so many things that were happening in such a short time, she was overwhelmed to say the least.

"Don't stress yourself out."

"Easier said than done." She closed her eyes; a headache was brewing behind them.

Atem closed his hand over hers. "You're not alone in this. We will help you sort out your new life here."

Azula let out a small laugh. If only he knew the true reason for her inner turmoil. She needed to get her mind off Seto. At least for now.

"You and that boy, Yugi." She felt Atem jump slightly and she smiled; even though her eyes were closed, she knew his face was burning with embarrassment.

"What." He cleared his throat. "What about him?"

"You tell me."

"There's nothing to tell." He began. "He's a nice boy. Kindhearted and a loyal and dear friend."

"Hm. He seems very close to you. The way he came to your defense yesterday, I swear, he would have struck me if he were not held back."

"We have a bond. We shared the same body for nearly three years before my spirit was released from the Millennium puzzle." He touched the gold object that hung around his neck. "I wouldn't be here if it were not for him."

Azula heard something in his voice; something that went beyond admiration or gratitude.

"Uh huh."

"What are you grinning for?"

"It is not every day that I learn that my brother may actually be in love."

"What!?" He moved away from her as if she had a plague. "I—I don't!"

Azula made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Do not think you can hide anything from your dear sister. I have known for a long time that…" She tried to think of a way to describe it. "…you didn't desire women romantically." Azula turned, tucking her legs under, she faced her brother who looked mortified.

"Do not look so shocked, Atem. After the countless women that threw themselves at you during our time, and you declined every one, I figured you preferred men." She told herself not to laugh; she watched as dread formed on his face then absolute shock, and finally ended with shame.

"Atem." She reached out. only to have the Pharaoh recoil from her touch. "There is nothing for you to be upset about."

"But there is! I-I'm not supposed to feel this way. Not...not about..." He fell silent again. What the hell was going on? Why was this so hard for him to admit it to himself?

"Before, you were Pharaoh. You were supposed to marry and give the nation an heir to your kingdom. But that is no longer an obligation. You do not have to worry about that anymore." She unfolded herself, and crawled into his lap. trying to relieve his tension, she poked him in the head, repeatedly, as she continued to lecture him.

"It is ok. This realization does not change who you are. You are still Atem, Pharaoh and ruler of ancient Egypt. A leader, bold and brave to the core."

He batted her hand away but that didn't stop her; wrapping her arms around his allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder. "Do not make my mistake. Do not deny yourself from true happiness. It may not be love, but I am sure you have some sort of feelings towards him." She paused when he nodded his head. "Then tell him. Let there be no questions between you two. and let it go from there."

Atem didn't respond; he rested his head, absorbing her words. She was right, as usual.

"Now." She patted his knee before getting up. "When do we leave for our new home?"

Atem smiled seeing that the shine behind her eyes had returned. "Tomorrow morning."

"Good." She turned and walked away. That would give her enough time to do one more thing.

Seto found her, on the patio, looking down at her hands. He had slept peacefully for once in over a month. But when he woke up, all he wanted to do was find Azula. He fought the urge as he sat down at breakfast with his brother and the others. He didn't speak his inquire of why she wasn't present at the table. It was only until Atem had reminded everyone that Azula never ate meals in the morning and apologized for her absence.

He barely ate as well; his mind kept bouncing around as to where she could be in his mansion. It didn't take him long; he couldn't explain it but it was as if were attached to an end of a rope and she on the other. He followed that rope until he spotted her.

He could feel his heart pounding as a warm feeling washed over him. He stayed out of her sight as he studied her. Her long hair was now groomed properly and pulled away from her face in a sleek tail. Her face was now flush and rosy with life; eyes were bright with curiosity and determination. She had changed out of her outfit the night before, now dressed in a simple white tank top and jeans; a small brown leather jacket covered her shoulders. She looked like she belonged there. No one would question that she was just revived from a 5,000-year-old sleep least than a day ago.

"Are you going to stand there all day?"

Seto frowned at the words that flowed from her mouth. The language was foreign to him, as beautiful as it was when she spoke, he had no response for her.

"Seto had a penchant of watching me from a far." She looked up at him apologetic. "Not that I am referring to you as Seto. But you are…Seto…and..." She stopped going on in a circle. And then it hit her, he couldn't understand her. She held back her tears in frustration. How cruel was this world that she was able to find her way back to her brother; back to her family and the man that she loved, only to be stopped by yet another obstacle.

Seto sat down next to her. The smell of his cologne sent her head spinning; she wanted to lean in and inhale every second. It was different. His smell was different. His aura was different. This wasn't High Priest Seto from 5,000 years ago. This was someone that she didn't know. It broke her heart a little.

The man next to her saw her facial expression change; she went from a starry eyed to sadness in seconds. He wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but he felt a pinch in his gut. He didn't like it. He didn't like seeing her that way. He had the urge to wrap her in his arms, to comfort her, to tell her it was going to be ok. He wanted to protect her badly.

Again, he fought the urge. Why? Why did he care? What was pulling his soul and drawing it towards her? This wasn't like him at all.

Seto cleared his throat, more so to snap himself from his own thoughts than to get her attention. Azula tilted her head in curiosity as she saw the two oblong pieces connected together by a tangled cord in his hand.

"Mobuka and I have been developing this technology since Duel Monsters and the holograms have been a success. Eventually we will be worldwide and have players competing with each other from different countries."

Seto knew that he was basically talking to himself as magenta eyes stared at him in puzzlement. He supposed it would be better to show her than to tell her. He held out the strange device for her to take.

Azula took it, studied it. It was small, the size of her thumbnail. One side was round and hollow, attached to the cord that Azula found out was not tangled at all. She pulled the other end gently and watched as it stretched; gasped softly in surprise when it snapped back as if nothing had happened. Inspecting the other end what looked like to her a barrette; the clip on the underside of it snapped shut when she pushed and released it; a gear was hidden just on the side of the barrette.

"What is this?" She was fascinated. She looked up and watched as the man demonstrated for her. He tapped the small oblong hollow end and placed it in his ear.

Azula paused; this went in her ear? Intrigued, she did the same. Seto let out a small laugh when she tapped it twice, just as he had. He didn't mean for her to copy him; he was just getting her attention as to what end to use first.

Once she had done so, he clipped the other end to the lapel of his shirt. He waiting patiently as she looked over the more revealing clothes she had on. Seeing that the flimsy straps wouldn't hold, she placed the box on the necklace she was wearing.

"Now it's going to take some adjusting, but…" As Seto started to speak, he flicked on both devices, his fingers turned the dials. "…we should be able to communicate with these. It's definitely a work in progress. The dialing part anyways, which is what I've been telling Mokuba to figure out how to make it easier to program, especially for the competitions. Because seriously, no one has time to be doing this sh-"

"AH! I can understand you!" Azula suddenly screeched. She was in awe. How? What magic was this? She heard complete gibberish for a short time as Seto continued to go on about whatever he was saying. Then she heard her language flow from his lips into her ears and she lost it.

How?! Only moments before, she didn't understand him and now she can hear him clear as day.

"Azula! Pay attention!" Seto snapped at her, bring her back to reality. "If you can understand me, nod your head." She did so profusely, making her somewhat dizzy. "Great, now you need to talk while I find which frequency is your language, got it?"

"Ah, this is amazing! I didn't know such-"

"Found it." Seto said causally, cutting off the woman before she could begin to babble on. He took out his phone and made a note of the frequencies. Yes; there needed to be a more efficient way to program these headsets.

He tucked the phone in his inner pocket before turning back to Azula. Again, the sense of urgency to protect her washed over him as the glistening of tears swam in her eyes.

"What? What's wrong now?"

"Nothing." She blotted the tears away. She was beyond happy.

"Kaiba." He offered.

"What?" He took the seat next to her.

"You can call me Kaiba so it won't be as confusing."

Her smile; why did he want to see that smile more? This wasn't fair. These feelings weren't his. He didn't know this woman from any other so why...

"Thank you." He heard her say. She didn't look up at him but stared down at her hands. "I did not thank you last night for saving me."

"I didn't do it alone."

"Yes, but if you had not helped, then I would not be alive." Seto was silent as his heart pounded in his chest. She looked up and smiled at him and he felt like he couldn't breathe. It was unsettling. What magic did this woman have over him? And how could he make it go away?

"Uh…hmm. Sorry to interrupt but everyone is getting ready to leave." Seto tried not be annoyed when his younger brother announced that their guests were leaving…finally!

"Well, I guess this it goodbye, Kaiba." He heard Azula say in the distance. When did she get up? She had moved before he had a chance to react.

"Wait…what?" Seto moved from the bench quickly, blocking her exit. "What do you mean goodbye?"

"I cannot stay." Azula announced. "My brother is leaving so I must go with him."

"But you can't."

"Why?" Both Azula and Mokuba said together. Seto was acting even more strange now that his so called 'dream girl' was here in the flesh.

"I…we…" Seto cleared his throat, hoping that it would dislodge the words that were jumbling over his tongue. "We have to make sure that the language transmitter is working properly."

"Well, I can do that from here." Mokuba answered. "And it seems like it's working fine. But if you think you're having issues, you can always call."

"You can't leave." Seto couldn't understand this bubbling of desperation that was rising. The thought of her leaving from his home was ridiculous for him to feel this way. She wouldn't be far; she would be at that game shop the old man adored so much.

"There won't be much space where you're going. At least you'll have enough room to do whatever you wish to do."

"I don't know." Azula wished for this; she wished back then they didn't have the royal obligations that High Priest Seto had was held against them and they were unable to be together the way they truly wanted to be. Now, the time has come and… and… "I don't feel comfortable." She was hesitating. She was scared. She didn't know what was beyond the walls of Seto's home. Furthermore, she didn't know this Seto. "I don't feel comfortable without my brother. So, where he goes, I need to go with him."

"Both of you stay here." The words fell from his mouth before he had a chance to catch them. He knew he wasn't mistaken with what he said as Mokuba had the 'wtf are you doing?' reading across his face. "If staying with Atem is what you need…" He couldn't finish. He wasn't about extend that sort of invitation. That would mean the others would follow. He would never get rid of that group.

Azula shook her head. "I would need to ask Atem first."

Atem took his time alone to bag the jewelry and gold that he had buried with his sister. He would allow Solomon to take the coffin and a few gold pieces back with them and submit it to the national museum, but he would allow Azula to choose some articles to keep if she wished. He moved more pieces around and stopped when he saw a small doll made out of an old sack. The misshapen head and limbs he let out a small laugh when he found the second one. One of Azula's many craft projects when they were younger. He only buried Azula with the gold and jewels out of tradition, though his sister hardly wore the things because that's all they were to her, things. Only a few items actually held value to her and the dolls were a start.

He moved more jewelry in the luggage that Solomon had brought with them, packing them away neatly, he all but missed the other presence in the room. He peered over his shoulder.

"Yugi." He patted his hands on his thighs before rising. "What's wrong?"

Yugi clenched his fists in his pockets as he shifted from foot to foot nervously. He had thought all morning and part of the afternoon about how to approach the subject. His was now for sure of his feelings for the Pharaoh.

"I have something I need to tell you." He started to walk towards him.

At first, he thought it was the love of friendship, the same that he shared with Joey. But when he believed that there was a potential threat, another love interest in Atem's life, that green monster sat on his heart as Azula gripped his attention away from him. He never felt like that before, with anyone. No one made him feel crazier and happier at the same time. He couldn't say it was love, but it was getting there.

"Yes, what it is?"

"But you have to promise me that you won't freak out or …or even hate me for saying this."

Atem laughed. What on earth was he talking about? "I could never hate you, Yugi."

Yugi stopped just a few feet away. It was funny that no one mistook them for siblings. They were the exact height, almost the same features, but there were differences both inside and out.

What if he didn't like him that way? What if he rejected him? God, how would he face him every day knowing that he had been pining for his affection all along? They lived in the same house! How awkward was that going to be? But if he didn't tell him now and someone else took his spot at his side, he would hate himself for the rest of his life.

"I like you, Pharaoh." There he said it. He said it! Oh God, he said it! And Atem was saying nothing; why was he just standing there staring?

Azula's words rang in his ears; "Do not make my mistake. Do not deny yourself from true happiness.

This couldn't have come at such a time. If this time had come weeks ago, he would have brushed him off; shame would have controlled him. But now… it felt like the moments he had with his twin gave him permission to be his true self.

"I like you too, Yugi" The pharaoh sighed feeling a surge of nerves form at the base of his neck.

"No. That's not what I mean." Yugi gulped. Apparently, he was going to have to spell it out for him. "I like you. I like knowing that you're here with me, when I wake up and when I fall asleep. I like that we can talk about anything and there's no judgment between us. I like hearing your voice, I like your passion, your heart. I like that you are everything that I'm not. You're like a missing piece to my puzzle."

Yugi took a deep cleansing breath. He said it and it felt good. But it would feel a little better if Atem would say something, anything! Anything but stare at him as if he were crazy.

The Pharaoh casually walked over to the smaller half; reaching over; he touched the back of his neck gently. "I heard you the first time."

Yugi face flushed. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction from Atem. That's it? That's all it took?! This whole time his feelings had grown for the Pharaoh in more than just a friendship, all he had to do was say it out right? Yugi felt foolish for letting this go on for so long, but at the same time, he was relieved.

"Yugi?" When did Atem get so close to him? When did there bodied pressed against each other? Atem move slowly; feeling out the other's body language to see if he would protest. He leaned lower, just to show Yugi just how much he meant to him.

"Atem!" His sister burst through the door, catching the pair of guard. Her eyes glittered with emotion; she was breathing heavily. Atem and Yugi quickly jumped back.

Where the hell did she come from? Yugi held a hand to his chest to calm down his racing heart. Did she see them? Would she be upset? Was this something that she would accept? Not that he cared for her opinion, but he knew for sure that Atem would.

"What's wrong?" Forgetting the events that had taken place moments before, Atem went to her side.

"Seto…he…" She placed a hand on her chest in hopes to calm her down. "Seto, umm…Kaiba, offered for us to stay here."

"What?" Atem gave her a worried look. "Why?"

She looked down to hide her eyes from telling the truth. She wasn't so sure if Atem would be so enthused about the idea of them living under the same roof again.

"No." The sound of her heart shattering echoed in her ears. He didn't even give her a chance to explain!

"But-" She gripped his forearms that were so causally crossed over his chest; a frown etched over his face as she instantly placed quivering lips and sad pink hued eyes. A ploy she used to do when they were younger to sway him.

He signed. "You know, let me rephrase. I didn't mean to say 'no'." He paused. "I meant to say, Hell No!"

Azula wanted to cry.

"What's the matter?" Seto came from behind the doorway. "My home isn't to your liking?" The tall man stood by his sister.

"Oh no, it's lovely. But the last time we all lived together, our souls were trapped for over five millennia!"

"So over dramatic." Seto scoffed. "That had nothing to do with me."

"It doesn't matter!" Atem would not allow the same fate befall them again. Azula was jerked away when her twin took her by the arm, pulling her behind him as if to protect her. "Let's face it." Atem circled a finger in the air. "When we're together, shit always happens. Whether it's kidnapping, soul possession, near death situations, it's all because we're together. We're connected and our fates never end well!"

The pharaoh let out a shaky breath; the thoughts of his past came rushing back but not just of when he was pharaoh and his sister was taken away right in front of him, it was also a few years ago with his newfound family. Every other month, something or someone was threatening to take what he had away from him and it always occurred when both he and Seto were present. Now, he finally had a part of his old life that he needed to protect.

"Atem?" He felt her small hands close over his.

"I said no." Atem shook his head. "I'm not trying to keep you away from whatever destiny you two have, but I'd rather die again then to have to be taken care of by Seto. Not if I can help it."

"Well, why don't y'all just get an apartment." Mokuba fiddled with his phone. He may be the youngest in the room, but he damn sure couldn't tell. They were all acting like children throwing tantrums instead of thinking logically. "There are a few in the area close by. Perfect and big enough for the two of you."

"That wouldn't be possible as we would need money for that." Atem rubbed the back of his neck as tension began to build again. "The last of the earnings for the Duel Monsters tournaments are nearly gone."

"I have money." Azula said.

"You can use some of mine." Yugi offered. After all, the earnings that they had won years ago were a joint effort. The money was just as much his as it was Atem's.

"I have money." The twin said again; clearly, they didn't hear her the first time. It was like old times; the two of them fighting amongst each other and, as usual, it was always over protecting her in some way. Azula sighed. While the men fought over who's plan was better, she tapped Mokuba on the shoulder, waving him to follow her. They escaped to the hallway.

"Has he always been like that?" Azula asked as they walked away from the bedroom; the argument now muffled murmurs.

"Seto?" Mokuba rubbed the back of his neck. "Only when it's business or Duel Monsters. But I guess that's one in the same most times." He let out a small laugh as he discreetly sized up the woman. Not to say that she wasn't beautiful, but there had been other women that threw themselves at his brother that were more stunning than her. He barely gave them a second thought. His only goal was to be the best at everything he did. Make a name for himself; surpass their adoptive father's legacy and create his own. He did that. He accomplished everything he set out to do. That was the norm of the two brothers. Now…now? Mokuba didn't know who his brother was turning into. All he knew was it had something to do with her and he wasn't completely sure if it was a good thing.

"Anxious?" He looked forward; seeing as how he got caught looking at her. "I understand what you're feeling." Azula voice flowed out of the mini speaker that was attached to her necklace. Though Mokuba could her the dialect of her language, he could clearly understand her in his own. "Your life is almost perfect. You have routines and structure that you live by. There are a few ripples here and there, but it's nothing that you can't handle. Until you can't.

"Now the life you thought you knew is over before you know it." Azula let out a shaky breath; catching the tears that rolled down her face. "I knew. I had dreams of my fate. I was terrified. It was weeks before it happened, but each time, I could feel that the time was approaching. I wanted to run away. I figured if I weren't in the room, then I would be safe. I wanted to run away with Seto." She let you a watery laugh. Leaning against a nearby wall, she slid to the floor. "He told me no."

"Seto said no?" Mokuba took a place next to her. "If the old Seto is anything like my brother, I can't see him saying no to you."

"In so many words, he had said no." Azula shook her head. "Forever dutiful and bounded to being High Priest. He vowed to protect his Pharaoh as well as his Queen. And leaving would dishonor that vow. I can't say that I was surprised; his loyalty was a great attribute and one of the reasons he was appointed to such a high status. When I realized I couldn't run from my fate and accept it, the feeling of anxiousness went away." She turned to the younger brother. "That's when I gave my handmaiden the spell and instructions on what to do."

"Cena." Mokuba said, remembering the heartfelt appreciation speech she had given him yesterday.

Azula smile and nodded. "If one lesson I have learned, it would be that we cannot run away from what we are destined to do; what we are destined to become. Our lives were disturbed by jealous, greed, corruption; that is what tore us apart. That is why our souls were torn apart. And now, across time and space, we are able to be together again. All of us."

"But the Seto that you are talking about isn't the one that's here now." Mokuba's words hurt a little. Azula knew that. Even though she was pretending not to, she knew deep down that the man that looked like her lost lover, they were not the same.

"Even though he has dreamt about you, has practically gone insane looking for you. But he isn't the same person."

"I know that."

"But…but maybe there is something that is linking the both of you. I don't know. I just don't want to see brother like that again. Lost and worried."

"I do not want that either." Mokuba couldn't place it but he could feel something was different about her. Maybe it was because she was technically a mummy. Or maybe a zombie; literally she was dead until roughly twenty-four hours ago. He would have to do more research on the topic when he had the time.

"So, you said you had money? How?" Mokuba bought them back to the reason why they were having the conversation in the hallway.

"Oh!" The blonde tapped a finger to her bottom lip as she thought. "Well, I had about fifty pieces of gold put away. It was supposed to be our funds for Seto and I to run away with. Once that plan fell through, I had one of my hand maidens put it in the bank."

"There were banks back then?"

"Yes. We had just one for the public. I put it there."

"But why the public bank?"

"So our uncle wouldn't find it. If he had found out I was taking gold from our treasury for personal use, he would have punished me." Azula rolled her eyes at that, remember how cruel her uncle had been to her.

Mokuba took her hand. "Let's go catch the Ishtars before they leave. If there is any gold from your family, they would know where it is now."

Azula sat on the arm of the couch. Everything was so foreign to her. She didn't know what was going on. Banking information, routing numbers, security questions. What was any of that?

Ishizu was familiar with the ancient banking system during her time and how it had transferred from financial institutions over the thousands of years. It took some research, but with the help of Mokuba, they were able to locate the bank.

"Yes, yes. But my client is the descendant of the family and I have authority over gaining access to it." Ishizu spoke into some box that she held to her ear. Azula had no idea how she was talking to someone way over in Egypt with it. She watched in awe as Mokuba ran his fingers over a tiny screen in his lap. Numbers and pictures came and went. She was fascinated.

"What is that?"

"Your banking information. Once Ishizu gets the authorization, you can access your account from anywhere."

"Yes. I appreciate your time. Thank you." Ishizu hung up. "The supervisor said no one had accessed that account since it was opened, so he asked for some time for online access." She smiled at the queen. "But you should be good to go soon."

"Thank you." Azula nodded. "I guess 50 pieces of gold should get us something, no?" She looked over at her brother who shrugged. He didn't have a clue. He didn't even know anything about this. The gold that she was referring to may or may not had any value today; but for Ishizu to be on the phone for over an hour convincing the higher ups that this wasn't a hoax, there had to be something in there.

"Hopefully, it'll be enough for us to continue our lives here." Azula said hopefully.

"Oh shit!" Mokuba exclaimed. He nearly dropped his tablet. Azula leaned over his shoulder, the screen had changed, and numbers appeared; and then more numbers appeared. She had no idea what she was looking at, but from the slacked jaws and wide eyes from the Ishtars she supposed it was a good thing.

"So, this is enough?"

"Enough?! You're a freaking billionaire!" Mokuba tossed his tablet on the couch and walked away, scratching his head in disbelief. He had had enough. He was in need of a long nap to get over today.

"So, that's enough?" Azula smiled up at her brother who could do nothing but laugh. No matter what, Azula was full of surprises.

"Yes, that's enough."

TBC

SMOOCHES!