Hello, everyone. How are you? I hope you're all safe. Greece is under a lockdown again. My city has been under one for more than a week. I'm not gonna lie. This may have helped me with my writing and editing. Working from home can be equally taxing as going to work but it has saved me time since I don't have to take a bus anymore.

So, now I can bring you a new chapter on time. As always I want to thank you all for your reviews and views. And I want to thank my Bakura for being a constant companion to me through this long journey, Julia for her wonderful comments, and Kathy for being her!

Enjoy this new chapter.

Chapter 15

To say Yuugi's departure had created a commotion would have been an understatement. Joey had tried to follow him only to be stopped by his grandfather. There was no reason to believe Yuugi would be hurt as long as he was in the mansion so letting him go after his friend was alright. The old man instantly understood that his grandson had created a bond with the other boy and wanted to comfort him. He was the right person to do so. Everything mentioned in that room was a great surprise to Yuugi so who could better sympathize with Marik? His only concern was that neither of the boys were dressed for the cold weather so he hoped they would return soon.

His knowing eyes took in the other occupants of the room. Amused, he noticed that his grandson's department had upset quite a few people. Other than Joey who was busy pouting on the sofa, Kaiba and Atem had their eyes on the door. It was pretty clear that for reasons of their own, they both wanted to go after Yuugi. His grandson had quite an effect on people, but as amusement was replaced by dread, Solomon felt maybe that wasn't a good thing. After all, he needed to keep Yuugi away from all these people, not encourage him to befriend them. He especially had to make sure Yuugi would stay away from Atem.

The crimson eyed boy was clenching and unclenching his fists causing his white haired friend to chuckle. He wanted to run after Yuugi. That much was clear. He knew Marik needed some time off and would come back so he wasn't worried about him. Quite honestly, he wasn't surprised by the way Marik had reacted. Atem now understood that things were much more complicated than he thought. Marik's father had sought and trusted Solomon Mutou. Things weren't black and white, and Atem would have to find out more before he decided what to do. So, he would let Marik compose himself and wait until he heard the rest of the story.

This didn't stop him from wondering why he so desperately wanted to run after Yuugi. Why did he feel his stomach twisting at the thought of Yuugi comforting Marik? When would those conflicting feelings stop? No matter what, he couldn't be involved with Yuugi.

"Can't you stand still?" Seto's sarcastic voice pierced through Atem's thoughts, forcing him to face his cousin.

Seto had been silent while Solomon Mutou was explaining his ability to see things that weren't supposed to be there, taking things considerably slow in an effort to make the three wielders of magic trust him as well as let his grandson know the basics of his story. Since he was young, Seto had been an impatient person who didn't like wasting his time with a lot of words when fewer words could bring the same result. He would have cut in, explaining to his cousin and his friends that it didn't matter how they knew what they knew. Atem was doing a poor job keeping his secret and Seto had to step in. But there was someone in that room other than Mokuba that mattered, and, because of him, Seto had to keep his temper in check. Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't tease his dear cousin.

Atem narrowed his eyes. "You aren't doing any better. Your eyes have been on Yuugi since we walked into your office."

Before Seto could make another scorching remark, Atem stood up, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the office. Huffing, he walked all the way towards the entrance. He could feel Marik's presence becoming more apparent the closest he walked to the door, ignoring the looks he received from the uniformed men. Throwing the door open, he almost fell on Yuugi who was about to knock on the door. Instinctively, he reached for the younger boy and steadied him.

"Sorry." Atem said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Yuugi shook his head saying that it was alright, while Marik chuckled. "Was anything new mentioned that made you leave as well or are you here to find us?" The Egyptian seemed to know the answer but if Atem was to once again mess things up with Yuugi, he could at least make it harder for him.

Ignoring Marik's question, Atem placed his jacket around Yuugi's shivering form. "We should go back." Feeling a slight blush appearing on his face, he turned and started walking towards the staircase.

Marik followed him, shrugging his shoulders, but it took Yuugi a moment to follow. He placed his arms through the sleeves of the jacket, properly wearing it, and inhaled Atem's scent. His cheeks turned red, as his mind caught up with what he had done and looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. Luckily, no one had, so he hurried after the other two boys; his mind full of questions he wouldn't ask. Somehow he knew that if he asked Atem whether he came all the way there just to give him his jacket, the older boy wouldn't give him an answer. Accepting the sweet gesture, Yuugi decided not to ask a thing.

Marik reached the office first and opened the door, not waiting for the other two to catch up. Yuugi would be alright. Atem waited until Yuugi was there before he walked inside himself. A soft sensation filled him seeing the younger boy wearing his jacket. It was slightly big on him, but somehow that made him look cuter. Shaking his head to rid himself of such thoughts, he sat down on his chair before Yuugi could even think of returning the jacket, not missing how everyone noticed whose jacket Yuugi was wearing. The younger boy resumed his seat by his brother and patiently waited for his grandpa to start talking again. If he playfully swap Joey's hand away when the blonde pointed at the jacket, no one said a thing.

The old man turned his eyes towards Marik as soon as everyone was seated. "I am sorry, my boy. I should have taken into account the effect my words would have on you. However, I hope now you know I mean you no harm." Solomon felt bad for all three boys. They seemed to have gone through so much, and they were all so young. Hopefully, after all things were explained, Kaiba and he would be able to help them somehow.

"We don't need your sympathy, old man." Bakura finally decided to talk. He had been quiet and attentive until that moment, almost pleased no one seemed to care about him. Forgetting about him would be a mistake they would pay dearly if he ended up having to defend himself and his friends. "Tell us what you know." Pushing for information while appearing eager and vulnerable was just an act. He didn't want these people to focus on them. He needed to know what they knew.

Solomon sighed and started talking again. "Amon explained to me the reason why I could see things no one else could was that I wasn't affected by an ancient spell casted thousands of years ago. He seemed to believe my soul was somehow connected to that of Pharaoh Atemu's circle." The old man's eyes sparkled with fire, remembering the day the young Egyptian told him the most unbelievable story he had heard so far. "His words seemed incredulous and I would be a liar if I claimed I didn't wonder if he was crazy, but my curiosity didn't let me send him away."

He had considered sending him away but he didn't want to. Then, Amon mentioned the pendant. "The Pharaoh's pendant. Everything comes back to that pendant, but it's not the only missing object. It's not the only important object that people don't know about." The young Egyptian had said. "There are another six but I only know about one of them."

Solomon saw it, the moment the atmosphere in the room changed. Suddenly, it felt as if the air was thicker and he had to swallow multiple times to ease the dryness of his throat. He allowed his eyes to casually scan the room, stopping on each face for less than a second, but even without that, he knew the three magic wielders were the ones causing the change, probably subconsciously. He could see the effort it took the three boys to relax their stance and look uninterested, but he knew it was all in vain.

"Amon was reluctant to betray his clan's secret and I didn't push him to. To betray the secret would mean instant death for him and his family." The old man continued as if nothing had happened. He wished there was a glass of water somewhere. "But during our talk, he told me quite some things. He explained to me that the monsters I saw on the walls and the tablet were based on magical creatures that used to roam the world back in the ancient world and be attached to human souls. He told me that some of them created a bond with a certain soul but most of them existed parasitical with their human vessel."

Back when magic wasn't fantasy but a reality people accepted even if only few could be part of it, the world was different. The gods and goddesses were closer to the mortals and creatures of all kinds existed, even though they preferred keeping their distance from the mortal world or blending in the shadows. Egypt was a place of magic, with its rituals being more than words and phantasmagoric events. They meant something. They had real use. And the shadow creatures were real. They had come to Earth from a different dimension no one knew about and had attached themselves to mortal souls. Their forms varied as did their intentions. Some were malevolent, some were mischievous and some were kind. Each one of them was attracted to a matching soul.

Some of them helped people in need. Some of them caused chaos, stealing or devouring souls. The stories young Egyptians had heard as warnings from their parents were more than stories; they were the truth. And the stories became even scarier. Wanting to save the world, the sorcerers of Egypt had found a way to imprison the shadow creatures to giant tablets. That would have stopped the malevolent creatures from destroying the mortal world. But malice and greed can be found in the human soul as well. Experiments were made, and the sorcerers discovered not only that they could summon the imprisoned creatures and create a bond with them, if they wished, but they could also use them to destroy other creatures and mortals. Many a great sorcerers were destroyed in such battles that were later called the shadow games.

"It is said that the Shadow Games took place in another dimension, probably the world of the shadow creatures, and they were lethal. To lose the game usually meant to lose what we now consider our soul." Solomon felt a shiver running down his spine. As exciting as the existence of magic sounded, it was terrifying to know that one could lose their soul to such a dangerous game. "As most of you know," he started explaining as he would do in a lecture to help Mokuba understand, "the Ancient Egyptians believed that they were consisted of a great variety of parts. Het was the living body. A corpse was left behind so het was mostly unaffected by the Shadow Games." It wasn't needed to tell the boy the state the body was left in. "Ren was the name. It's an important part of an Egyptian's existence. Consider that if someone was found guilty enough to suffer "damnatio memoriae", they weren't just excluded from every single official document; they weren't allowed to enter the afterlife. Ren was also unaffected by the Shadow Games. However, everything else was affected, or so we believe. Ib, the heart, was destroyed so there was nothing to be judged by Anubis, no chance to enter the afterlife, even if every other part of the soul was reclaimed. If the wielder allowed it, the Shadow Monsters would devour all the other parts."

Mokuba looked at the old man with great interest, even if his revulsion for that kind of death was apparent. Being eaten by monsters didn't sound like a great way to die. "What other parts?"

Solomon felt elated to have a young boy interested in what he had to say. It reminded him of when Yuugi first started being interested in Egyptology. "Sheut was a shadow of the person. Ka was the earthly soul and was believed it had to be fed so people would often leave food offerings in the tombs. Ba determined your personality. We don't know if the parts associated with the afterlife were also devoured but since everything else was, there was no possible way for the loser to reach that stage. You can think of Akh as a ghost, a spiritual power that had to be resurrected in order to enter the afterlife. Sekhem was believed to be a living force which showed up only after the heart of the dead was judged and allowed to enter the afterlife. Lastly, Sakh, the spiritual reflection of Het, was the body the Egyptian had in the afterlife."

Mokuba was about to ask more information but a look from his brother kept him quiet. It wasn't the right time for a lecture. Sighing, he wished his teachers were as interesting as Solomon Mutou. He turned his eyes towards Yuugi wondering how it felt to have a grandfather that taught you such interesting things and was surprised to see that the tricolor haired boy was looking back at him. Then, Yuugi mouthed 'later' and winked at him. Grinning, Mokuba kept his mouth closed.

"The Games became a way of power for some wielders of magic, a fight for survival for others, but luckily only a handful of people could play them. They weren't common knowledge and the great council wished to keep it that way." The old man returned to the original topic.

Atem knew what was coming. The different Pharaohs and their councils knew about the existence of the Shadow Games. Some of their sorcerers knew how to trap the shadow creatures and utilize their abilities. It wasn't a surprise when it was suggested they take this a step further and use the shadow creatures as a kind of protection. For centuries, secretly, the Pharaohs' most trusted scholars and sorcerers sought a solution; a way to channel that energy in an effective way. Finally, during the reign of Pharaoh Aknamkanon, a way was found.

The crimson eyed boy cleared his throat and, directing his speech to the amethyst eyed boy, he started talking. "I understand you want answers. I understand this story is captivating and you want to know more. But we need answers too. You know why. So, allow me to cut this story short and get to what is important."

Yuugi bit his lower lip. He wanted to know more about the past and the Millennium Items. The story was getting quite interesting but there was time to learn more, and he wanted answers too. He nodded his head. "I understand."

"Let me make one thing clear. We allowed this to get this far because we wanted to know if you are a danger to us. You possess this strange ability, Mr. Mutou, but your curiosity seems to be the one that drives you and makes you a part of this story. You helped Marik's parents to escape and make a life for themselves here and you seem like an honorable man." Atem's words were all the respect he could show to the old man but he didn't have the luxury to be careless. "But you still haven't told us how you are connected to my cousin or why you all brought us here."

He knew, oh he knew that everything came back to the Millennium Items, but he didn't want to hear about them. He didn't want to hear about how they were created or how they were used. That could wait. They could talk about them when the three boys had left. And if they knew where the Items were, Atem didn't want to know. He didn't want to know anything that could be used against him later on. He simply needed to know how much damage was done and how soon he could leave the city.

Surprisingly, Solomon Mutou went quiet. He had been pretty talkative all this time but suddenly it seemed as if the words had run out. He turned his grape colored eyes towards the owner of the mansion, slightly tilting his head.

"I've been keeping tabs on you for a while." Seto admitted as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Your friend," he turned his icy blue eyes towards the white haired boy, "managed to hide you well enough. Much like everyone else who is looking for you, we thought you were somewhere in Egypt or another country in Africa. The trail you left that led people there is impressive."

It was true. Bakura had managed not only to forge a paper trail that would lead anyone to believe the three boys had run away to Egypt but also hide their identities even though they worked and attended classes in Japan. He could hack almost any system and plant false information as well as protect their own identities. Seto had accidentally found Atem worked in the Dice and from there he had managed to track the other two boys. However, he had no idea Atem was attending Domino's University until Solomon Mutou informed him. Bakura's system would redirect anyone trying to access any of their information and eventually crash their system. Furthering their education was a risk, but Bakura was confident enough his system would hold, and he knew no one would suspect a quiet young student enough to search for additional information. After all, all the papers Atem had provided were legitimate. However, if anyone started a search for Atem Sennen, they would never find that he was studying in a Japanese University.

"I wasn't actively searching for you. Not really." Seto wanted to roll his eyes at the way Atem looked at him, but he was Seto Kaiba and he never rolled his eyes. "I didn't even know you and your friends had run away until two years ago. Kaiba Corp was still unsteady when you left your house. You understand that the well-being of my brother and my company were my top priorities in compare to a cousin I could hardly remember and a hocus pocus story."

But it wasn't hocus pocus no matter how much Seto wanted to believe the opposite. It was all real. And Seto didn't like it. It didn't matter that he had a bit more than four years to get used to the idea. He thought himself as a practical man. Magic wasn't practical.

"My father was a complicated man. He made a fortune as a businessman, selling weapons to the higher bidder. He was dedicated to his work and well-known in the world. He kept appearances so good that no one would ever guess his company wasn't his whole life; that he wasn't just a serious businessman that only cared about numbers and money." Seto's voice was full of sarcasm. "I grew up listening to stories about the pharaohs and the Millennium Items like other kids listen to fairytales about sleeping princesses and little girls who get lost in the woods. But my father wasn't a kind man. Each story was drilled to me until I knew it as well as I knew my math and science lessons." There was no rest until he knew the Pharaohs' names or the customs of the court.

"You need to know everything, Seto. One day, you'll be Pharaoh…again." His father kept saying. His eyes would sparkle then with the wildness of madness and Seto knew that trying to remind him Pharaohs didn't exist anymore or that he had never been a Pharaoh to begin with was in vain. It would only anger him more.

"I was forbidden of mentioning anything about the Millennium Items or my father's ambitions to anyone, and quite honestly, why would I want to? I didn't want anyone to know my father was insane. If word got out, we could lose the company. When Mokuba was born and our mother died, my father stopped caring about his plans for a while. We had some quiet years. Until one night, your parents," Seto's eyes pinned Atem on the spot, "and my father had an argument during one of those tiring visits we had. That night, when we got home and Mokuba was in bed, my father told me all about you."

His father had explained to him that Atem was supposed to be the reincarnation of Pharaoh Atemu and once he would come of age, he would reclaim his lost powers and, with the aid of the Millennium Items, his lost crown. He had told him that Atem's parents knew all about it and would encourage his son to bring chaos because they wanted the glory Atem could give them. He reminded Seto of his lessons and how Atemu was only Pharaoh for a while, an unworthy Pharaoh who destroyed Egypt, until Pharaoh Seth replaced him.

Seto's eyes were colder than the Antarctic as he repeated what his father had told him that night. No matter how many years had passed since that night, he would never forget those words. Back then, he thought they were the words of an insane man. He thought they were rubbish. Later on, he found out they were lies that held a bit of truth.

Seeing Atem ready to dispute his words, he dismissively shook his hand. "I know it's not true. Or I should better say, almost everything is a lie." He let Atem's discomfort relax his tense muscles as he enjoyed how his cousin's eyes quickly looked towards Yuugi before turning back to him. He enjoyed seeing those crimson eyes narrowing at him.

"Why did you search for us? Why after all these years?" Atem's voice was almost a growl. He was tired of the games. He was tired of being told who he was and what he could do. He was tired of hearing everyone talking about a past that wasn't his.

"I searched for you because most of the Millennium Items were found and I believe the people who are after you finally decided to actively find you. You managed to hide your trail very well, but until now, they only wanted to keep track of you. Now they need you."

Atem felt fear ran down his spine like a frozen river. He knew they couldn't run forever but they wouldn't go down without a fight. Deep inside, he hoped that after some years, they would stop trying to get them. They would stop that delusion and let them be. It seemed like he was the only one deluding himself.

"The bug…" Marik started, but Hinata interrupted him knowing already what he was about to ask.

"Did you bring anything at home this morning? Or did someone else bring you something? Did you go somewhere and someone bumped on you or touched you enough to plant the bug?"

Atem was about to shake his head when he remembered what had happened that morning. He had woken up with a bad headache after having that argument with Marik. He had been exhausted but instead of going back to sleep, he got dressed and went out for a walk. At some point, he had stopped to get a cup of coffee. The place had been crowded and he had to wait for a while in line to get his coffee but he hadn't cared much. His mind was full of Yuugi and how the boy had left him on the dance floor. It was just about his turn to order when someone touched his shoulder.

"Excuse me." The voice belonged to a teenage girl with short brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. "I believe this is yours?" She held in her hands Atem's wallet. When had he dropped it? "It is yours, right?" She hesitated when Atem simply continued staring at her.

"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry." Atem apologized to the girl for his staring and thanked her for finding his wallet.

"It's alright. Just don't lose it again." She had said with a smile.

Then, it was Atem's turn to order. As soon as he finished, he turned to thank the girl again but she was gone. He had found it strange back then but he didn't really think much about it. Instead, he made sure his wallet was back in his pocket and, taking his coffee, he returned home.

"My wallet…" Atem whispered, his hands searching for the offensive object. Could it still be on him? Could he have brought the bug with him?

He was about to ask Yuugi to check his jacket's pockets when Hinata spoke again. "My team found the bug in your wallet back in the apartment. We left it there for now and your place is under watch. No one has approached."

Atem sighed in relief while wondering how he could be so stupid. He had brought a bug in his apartment. In hindsight, there was no way to know the girl had planted a bug on him but still he felt like an idiot.

"We need to go back." He said, his voice strong again. He had to be strong and do what he could to get his friends and himself out of such a sticky place. They had to move as fast as possible. "I hate asking for help, but we need to be out of town before the sun comes out so it would be a great help if someone could drive us back. There are things back in the apartment that we cannot risk leaving behind and we've already lost precious time."

Silence followed Atem's words. Bakura and Marik, mostly silent throughout this exchange, knew Atem's plan from the very beginning. They wanted to protest. Up until that moment, they hadn't believed they were discovered. They had chosen to believe they were brought there by Kaiba because of the brunette's own reasons and the bug was only an excuse. But apparently, that wasn't true. They had to move, even if it was for a while, to throw their pursuers off their trail.

"You can go back to get your things." Seto started, a strange glim in his eyes. "One of you will go there and bring anything you dim important. My men will come with you. You'll go and come back."

It sounded like the order it was, and none of the three magic wielders did well with orders. They were off their seat as soon as Seto stopped talking. Anticipating this, the brunette didn't seem fazed when Bakura cursed him or Atem and Marik demanded why they should do what he said. He simply waited until they quieted down as if they were unruly kids trying to disrupt a lesson.

"You'll do as I said because this time you aren't the only ones involved." His words chilled Atem. Before his mind could understand what Seto meant, his heart knew. "They know about Yuugi."

They know about Yuugi. Seto dropped the bomb. But really, I think this chapter gave you quite some things to think about. A lecture about Egyptians and their beliefs. The Shadow Games. More hints about the Millennium Items. They are found. Where are they right now? More info about Seto and Atem. This chapter is quite packed.

Atem is all about running away. But can he run away now?