Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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Anzu wiped the tears away as she finished her good byes and hung up. Reeling herself back in the chair as she surveyed the room. In her mind she could see Yugis' room back in the Game Shop with its numerous toys and games superimposed on her surroundings. But this wasn't the Game Shop, there were servants, not familiar adults. Friends, but not Yugi.

She had found Maha sitting at Yugi's desk on the chair, as though Yugi had left the toy for them. With both Yugi and Kaiba incapacitated there was no real 'Maha' to talk to. Leaving Anzu with the toy that she had dolled up for Yugi to cling to. Standing up, Anzu walked over to the door, opening it to reveal Ryou patiently waiting for her, only a small tilt of the head as his 'voice'.

"Yeah, thanks for giving me this," Anzu replied, doll held in her arms before she stepped outside the room.

"Well, it helps that it took this long before Isis and Rashid were able to get Kaiba settled into his room. Though Rashid won't be joining us, which is fine, I feel like Isis is the one we need to speak with anyway." Ryou explained as he moved to walk beside Anzu. "Is... if its ok, how does Mai sound?"

"She mentioned that what Malik did to her is still going on," Anzu confessed, seeing Ryou start in surprise. "Well its changed somehow, but the focus was more about Yugi so we didn't talk much about it..."

"Thing is that the only people who would know the best are currently incapacitated or sealed," Ryou added, a soft breath that was used to push at his bangs. The nap he had taken felt no where near even power nap in length. The desire to sleep was only noticeable in his slightly slower step as Anzu pulled ahead easily.

"Wouldn't Isis or Rashid know?" Anzu asked turning to see Ryou shrug slightly.

"I can't tell, Isis and Rashid don't use magic, remember that Mahaado is the High Magician. A pharaoh who keeps nothing but magicians as his circle creates a different type of weakness.." Ryou pointed out as they walked. "Remember Yugi's style of dueling so strategy and versatility, which... makes Kaiba interesting."

"Kaiba..." Anzu murmured, "could he... what was that book? What was..." She wanted to continue when she found her voice silenced by the realization that they were approaching Mokuba's room. Through the door they could hear the soft cries of a child, and suddenly the tears that Anzu barely had control over were reinvigorated.

She looked over at Ryou, her eyes pleading for guidance, despite the unfairness. Suddenly remembering that he had lost a sister, Anzu turned away, 'no, I can't just let everyone handle everything. I need to contribute... somehow...'

But what could she, or anyone, really do? The drive back had been positively murder, they had been denied the chance to see Yugi, everyone wanted to ask Kaiba questions about him saving Yugi. Only to be reminded quickly that despite how he looked, he 'wasn't' Kaiba. He had the mannerisms, which made it clear how far long Kaiba went with his way of dealing with the world. But he wasn't Kaiba and the person they wanted was Kaiba.

Where as Mokuba needed his brother.

"Mokuba? We're going to be downstairs, if you need us, just give a shout, we'll be right here," she offered encouragingly, through the door. The hollowness of her offer ringing foul even to her, as no one had the type of bond with the boy like his brother. The crying stopped, yet Anzu waited for an answer from the boy before leaving.

From the corner of her eye she could see Ryou give the empty space around them a startled glance. Which spoke to her that he was looking or hearing one of the spirits, but that he would react...

The door to the bedroom opened, red eyed though he was, Mokuba was standing there, his vest was gone but his striped shirt was still on. Beyond him there was nothing but his bedroom, as typical as any rich child she could only imagine. Yet as she spoke his name she was startled to watch him step out and shut the door.

"I'm the only Kaiba you have right now and this is our mansion," Mokuba dully answered.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The Kaiba Mansion Living Room \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

None of them knew if this was connected to the group that blew up the Game shop, or the group that kidnapped the Kaiba's earlier in the year. That ambiguity of who the shooter was left the room fragile with nerves. Jounouchi was sitting by Honda, with only the wealth of a Kaiba allowing for a couch so long that it afforded Malik a spot next to his fellow blond. Another couch, only connected by a side table rested creating a loose L shape was empty with one lone seat occupied by Isis with something in her hands and a lone empty seat.

Perhaps his experience with siblings motivated Ryou to share the seat with Mokuba and herself. Keeping the child between them so Mokuba couldn't sit alone on the remaining plush chair. Silence dominated the conversations, if Malik had anything to say or ask of his sister he had already gotten the answers. Jounouchi's head in his hands, while Honda stared up at the ceiling with his notebook on his lap with its pages idly being flipped.

"Isis, as the Pharaoh's Seeress, I'm assuming you know the best what's going on. Hence why you're here alone, and given the comments from Yugi..." Ryou began, his voice tired; expectant.

Isis turned to acknowledge Ryou's opener with a small nod, her expression was apologetic as she looked at everyone in the room. Watching as distractions were pushed aside and the High Seeress was given the floor. "I received a vision, my first true vision since I first donned the Sennen Tauk three thousand years ago. I confided these visions to Yugi, as the reincarnation of the Pharaoh I swore my service and allegiance to all those years ago."

Isis stood up and the thing in her hand turned out to be a CD, "I realize that all of you have questions about what happened today. What happened to Seto," she added with a small, sympathetic nod acknowledging Mokuba. She walked to the massive television that the Kaiba's owned, a screen easily taller than Isis herself. The screen came to life, as the woman slipped in the disc, "but I believe he should be heard first."

'He?' Anzu thought for a moment as she watched the screen turn blue then swap rapidly to a familiar chest. White shirt and the vivid tips of Yugi's hair appeared on the screen, and Anzu felt her heart stop for a moment.

The room went silent as every pair of eyes fixated on the screen before them watching as Yugi sat back into the chair revealing he was in his room. He would glance at the camera, before his eyes would slide away to look at something else. He shifted several times, shifts that loudly spoke of his feelings of awkwardness.

"Well, this is a little awkward," Yugi began before a half smile crossed his face dripping with apologies. "So if you're watching this that means I'm in a coma at the moment... And you have a lot of questions so.. I'm going to try to help Isis out by explaining for her, and let me start by pointing out this was 'not' her fault. I made these choices on my own so don't take it out on her, if you have to, save it for when I wake up. I'm certainly aware of how much I deserve what's coming for this stunt."

"Isis is fully capable of explaining how her visions work. But I can say that the shooting wasn't from the people who bombed my home. This involves the kidnapping that happened earlier this year," Yugi began. "They were planning to assassinate Seto or failing that, Mokuba, at the press conference, and because of the style of Visions Isis has. Well we couldn't find a better solution than for me to take the bullet."

Jounouchi shot up out of his seat, his protests seemingly reaching Yugi. Despite being a recording Yugi already had his hands raised as though to appease Jounouchis' aggressive response.

"I know, Jounouchi I know," Yugi began, amazingly enough addressing the very person who 'did' end up jumping up. Despite this video being older, though by how long ago Yugi had made it was still a question. "We tried everyone, I had Isis go down every possible path, look at every possible outcome and none of them ended better than this. Because this is dealing with corporations we're not going to be able to hide this under magical methods. Keeping Mokuba home forced them to stay on Seto," Yugi began.

Jounouchi slunk down into his seat even as Anzu gave a horrified gasp. Her free hand dropped down to the child by her side. Yugi gave a soft sigh and leaned back in his seat.

"I suppose you want the list of possibilities. Well, we call the police the shooter was going to split and the attempts would be at the Grand Prix and it wouldn't be just the pair. It would be a massacre, because it would be the audience as well. If I wore a bullet proof vest, they were going to raise 'concerns' about how I could be already prepped for the shooting. If I wasn't part of it. Having Mahaado get involved would mean that these 'business men' would be free to continue unabated."

Yugi closed his eyes and steeled himself, opening his eyes showed only the slightest of glimmers. "Let you guys know and you would have broken in and died... No matter the options one of you at the 'least' was going to die. The only person safe enough to get the shooter caught, arrested and survive was me. Not because 'Kaiba' could do what you heard about at the hospital, rather what 'Set' can do."

"As you're aware, Set pulled me back from death, but this gambit has a high cost," Yugi began before his internal anguish pushed to the front. "I'm sorry Mokuba, but Big Brother will be gone for a while. His commitment to obligations like school and work will mean that during school or business hours, you'll see Kaiba again. But the moment the office closes he's going to go back to Set. I know that this is harsh, but he'll be stronger for this. Where as if I left you vulnerable and he lost you..." Yugi shook his head, "Please forgive your brothers?"

By her side, Mokuba trembled with tears pouring silently down the boy's face. It was enough to send her into open sobs as she hugged the boy, as much for herself as for the child. 'What if it didn't work though? What if Kaiba didn't do what you thought he would? Yugi you'd be dead!' she thought as she buried her face into Mokuba's soft black hair.

"I won't be waking up soon either, but that is a personal choice. When I sleep I remember more of the past, I'm not sure how much time I have to live in the past. Since the Other Me was not be aware of how old he actually was. But I think its imperative that I get those memories and that..." Yugi shrugged.

"Isis and Rashid are going to be busy at Kaiba Mansion, they're the only ones who can talk to Set. He thinks this is the Field of Reeds and Anzu, please help them, but not with Set." Yugi looked down his lips straightening to a thin line. "Dad's not going to be happy, by now he may have heard I had been shot and he's going to be furious with Seto and I."

"Tell him that I'm safe because the phone lines aren't safe, that this is a set up to catch the people who kidnapped the Kaibas. I sent him an invitation to the Grand Prix, in the letter I told him that the shooting was real, but that I was wearing a vest. That we faked it to lure out would be killers. Because of that I'm in hiding for my own safety and as proof I'm using the Grand Prix as my grand coming out... Seeing that I'm now so much taller than I was last year."

Yugi took a deep, seemingly cleansing breath as he straightened up, "Ryou... I don't have anyone else to turn to so I have to ask you to do a small favor for me. Right now Mahaado has no one who can summon him from his tablet. Moreover; Isis and Rashid are bound to look after Set," Ryou began muttering 'no' in increasingly panicked tones by Anzus' side, as Yugi continued. "Seto can't do it, Set... is not someone who 'should' do this. I need someone to lead the group."

"Nooooo..." Ryou dragged out.

Looking over at the guy, Anzu saw Ryou doing his best 'bunny in headlights' expression'.

"You're literally the only person with the experience and skills to deal with the demons' followers should they start anything. It won't be forever, I just need you to look after..." Yugi began cutting off in embarrassment as Ryou uselessly replied.

"The world, you want me to look after the world just say it. Because that's the duty of the Pharaoh, have you lost your mind Yugi?!"

"Just think of it as a LARP?" Yugi offered weakly.

"I'm going to the hospital to kill you myself!" Ryou declared uselessly before covering his face and resting his elbows on his knees.

Obviously, a meaningless threat, it was no less ironic or surprising that Yugi would ask the former King of Thieves to look after everything. "Isis' visions stop at the shooting, she couldn't see beyond this point. So I don't know if the group is going to become active while I'm in a coma. I've given what advice and thoughts as I could about what you experienced in California. I'm sorry that there's not much more I can do at this point. All I can do is hope that you won't have to do more than keep everyone behaved..."

"If I had the choice I wouldn't do this, but I don't know when the demons' servants are going to come looking for us. They know we're here, so realistically there's no reason to rush or scurry about getting info. We're still going to school, we still have clear and regular patterns, so the focus for us should be our own protection."

Yugi's expression slowly crept into tones of regret, his eyes wouldn't stay focused on the camera as he spoke. Yet now, there was an air of finality in his posture, as some unspoken trepidation seemed to come forward. Or perhaps, to Anzu, it felt like regret.

"So this is good bye I guess. Because diving into memories like this has a cost, more than just the physical cost to my body. Or the emotional costs that are being paid right now by all of you. Isis can't see past this point, and I don't know the person I'll be when I wake up. I was never meant to reincarnate, I realize that now. But I'm here, I did, even though it was fragmented, the Other Me was a part of who I am as a whole. What we associated as traits that belonged to him, are traits that belong to me."

Yugi covered his lips with his fingers, leaning back with his expression distant, and for all the warmth and engagement that Anzu might have felt as she watched the video. As though Yugi had tried to treat this as a two way conversation and not a message for the future. It started to cool down...

"There's a possibility that by doing this the Other Me will return to me the way he should have always been. Filling pieces that were missing since my birth, so I don't know... I don't know the man I would be in modern Japan if I had him from the start. What I do know is that this is going to change me, I may not be the same Yugi you know. I hope you don't find how ever I change as off putting or that you'll leave. But in a sense I hope you do leave me, you shouldn't be a part of this battle to start with. What was started with the demon and I should stay between us, you shouldn't have been dragged into this."

Jounouchi was out of his seat again, shouting at the screen that he wasn't going anywhere, that Yugi was Yugi.

"I don't know what the future holds, or how I'm going to relate or handle things. But I love you guys and I want you to be safe. I'll see you before the KC Grand Prix," Yugi finished. He sat still for a moment before finally standing up. Just seeing Yugi walking towards the camera knowing he was about to shut it off... There was a finality that made her want to be with him not to before the screen went black.

Somehow with the video running it felt like Yugi was there with them. His voice, his presence, the fact that he had acted as though he 'was' in the room. Now with only a black screen before them the reality that he was in a coma at the hospital left her crushed. Somewhere her body found more tears to shed, as the weight of his words tied themselves to her heart.

"He knew... He played a game with all of us, set this completely up... How does anyone think they have a chance against him? He protected the Kaibas, has people ready to look after Kaiba's past self and Mokuba, planned out deflections for when his dad finds out about this, gave us a person to take charge automatically..."

"I don't 'want' to be in charge..." Ryou retorted automatically, his tone transforming from one of irritation into awe. "Honda?"