A/N: Whee, a bunch of reviews! Also, before anything else, I'd like to credit Borath for something she mentioned in
her review that I'm using her terminology for. ^_^
Borath: ^_^ Glad you liked the chapter, even though I was rereading and realizing I kept having mistakes. XD
The pickpocketing was fun to write, so I'm glad it was so well received. And I figured Yami B would be the type to whine about Malik's driving. XD
I'm sadistic too. *Innocent look* Can't you tell?
^_^ I was worried the last few scenes with Yami would be a little off. (And they may still be.) But I'm glad you liked. And I'm gonna have even more fun with later.
Sorry about the delay. XD Tried to get this chapter out sooner. Thanks for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: Glad you like. ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Shadow Spirits: Wow, you read my whole fic so far in one sitting too? *Gives cookie* And I may have to write a darkshipper fic, now, seeing as both you and Borath want one, and I want to write one too. XD
Heh, the first few chapters are icky. I rewrote chapter one, but it doesn't have any real spark. *Sigh* Glad you kept reading though, and I hope I didn't bore you too much with the first few chapters. XD Glad you like how I'm writing the characters, and don't worry, you'll find out who the girl is (besides that yeah, she's the OC) in this chapter, along with many more things. And whacked OC's are fun. XD
Glad you're liking the fic. And you mentioned a Bakura/Yami/Mariku fic. *Twitches a second* YOU MUST PUT IT OUT! ... *Blink* Sorry. I love Bakura*Yami, and I like Mariku*Yami in a twisted way, and Mariku*Bakura/Bakura*Mariku if that's in there too. I want to read! XD Thanks for the review!
Wingleader Sora Jade: Glad you liked. ^_^ But there's only one girl. The two people'll be explained in this chapter. Also, I have something important I need to ask you about. It's also in the last author note. I tried to Email, but never got a response, so I'll tell you here though you'll be able to guess most likely part way through the chapter.
Silverlight3: Why'd I stop? I'm evil. XD No, actually, I'd taken forever to update so I left off then so I could use this chapter for explaining. Yami's just... Moody. Very. And Shaadii's here because... He's Shaadii. He shows up conveniently. XD Thanks for the review.
yugiohluver: Too many people? You're telling me. XD Thanks for the review.
bast4: Plan? Our group? You should know that those don't go together. XD As I said, Shaadii's Shaadii. He shows up conveniently. XD And very close with the Mill. Item bearer/Magic Users guess. You'll see in this chapter. Heh, I'm updating! No need to break out the knives. XD
Other Notes: Explaining chapter! Many of the little things are explained, such as the yami's ages, full names, and other things. Note that I've changed some things but not others. Such as the ages are off I'll tell the correct ages in the ending notes. Otherwise, not much to say besides that there are spoilers of the whacked AE arc. And this chapter's shorter than my last few.
Warnings: SPOILERS! AE arc spoilers. And the usual cursing.
Diclaimer: Yugioh ain't mine.
Summary of Last Chapter: Yami B and Malik went pickpocketing, found out that something was happening, and headed back to the house to discuss with the others. Everyone went to bed, the next morning Yami threw a hissy, and the group got three visitors.
Preview of this time: The visitors are revealed, and they give a lot of information. Mostly explanations, more information, and some motives for the enemy. Mana makes her first appearance. Set up for the last phases of the story.
Japanese:
None
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eien; part 21
by: Amiasha
Rishid just stared at the man in front of him. So did Malik.
"Shaadii?" Isis asked, walking around her brothers to see the visitors. Shaadii dipped his head respectfully toward her. As he did so, more of the man behind him's face was revealed. Isis's blue eyes widened and she gasped. "Pegasus!"
That sent the rest of the room's occupants into near hysterics. The people involved in Duelist Kingdom scattered to take cover or huddled together, and left poor Ryuuji just standing there confused, and Mafdet, who just didn't care.
Pegasus smiled broadly at Isis, ignoring the other's reactions, or perhaps not noticing them. "Hello, Ms. Ishtar! Nice to see you again!" He greeted cheerfully.
Isis gaped for a few seconds, having forgotten Shaadii. "Pegasus? But... But I thought you were..." She sputtered, only to be interrupted.
"He was supposed to be!" Yami B called out from the living room, earning a few smacks from Ryou.
Pegasus, unpeturbed, kept grinning. "You thought wrong. I'm alive and kicking!" He said.
"Unfortunately." Yami commented dryly, leaning heavily on Tea. He was a little less than pleased to see Pegasus, even if the silver haired man wasn't being threatening at all. He was just creepy.
Pegasus kept his mouth shut, having run out of things to say and not really in the mood to trade insults with the spirit. Or anyone, for that matter.
"Can we come in?" The forgotten Shaadii repeated, gesturing vaguely toward himself, Pegasus, and the little girl that was with them.
"Oh, of course." Isis said, somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't let them in earlier. She pointedly ignored the glare Malik gave the blue eyed Egyptian as he swept in, but the rude gesture behind his back caused Isis to kick her brother in the shin.
Shaadii, Pegasus, and the little girl arranged themselves in the livingroom, as the rest of the group slowly came out of hiding.
"Damn white haired bastard." Joey muttered darkly, sitting down on the floor with Yuugi and Yami. Yami Bakura glared at him for a few seconds, until Joey laughed nervously. "Not you, Yami B." He said.
The thief glared a little more before turning back toward the visitors and sitting down between Malik and Yami.
"I don't mean to be rude..." Isis started, "But what are you all doing here?"
Shaadii smiled gently toward her. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything." He assured. "But first, introductions are in order." The robed man said, gesturing toward the girl sitting between him and Pegasus. "This is Ahondra, and she's six years old."
The group murmured hello, and the curly blond haired girl smiled cutely and waved back.
A few minutes later, everyone had been introduced to her, and the people Pegasus hadn't met's names told. Seto suddenly blinked and noticed something.
"Pegasus." He said. "You have two eyes." The brunette commented, confused.
Pegasus nodded, and the rest of the group saw for themselves that Seto was right as Pegasus's hair fell out of his face. "Magic's a wonderful thing." He said simply.
About a second later, the deck in Yuugi's coat pocket began to glow, surprising everyone. The glow grew brighter, until suddenly in solidified.
Mahaado and Mana looked around at the group's surprised expressions. "We couldn't miss this." Mana explained cheerfully. "That and Mahaado's been whining incessantly about how no one's called on him since the beginning of this mess." She added, earning a glare from the purple clad spirit sorcerer.
Shaadii cleared his throat and looked around for everyone's attention.
"I hadn't really expected you all here, but that only makes everything easier." He said. "I'm here with Pegasus and Ahondra, because I have information to give you. More has been discovered about your lives in ancient Egypt."
Yami and Yami B looked very interested in that, their memories either nearly nonexistent or lacking. "Like what?" Yami B asked curiously.
Shaadii smiled at the two spirits. "Like that you two and the High Priest weren't the only ones in Egypt."
Yami blinked. "You mean that the others, like Joey, had past lives with us as well?" He asked, ignoring his illness in the excitement of learning something about his past.
At Shaadii's nod, the group started murmuring to each other. Seto, meanwhile, snorted.
"As much of your so called 'magic' I've seen, I still don't believe in this past life nonsense. I have no proof I've lived before, even if there may be enough evidence to convince me that there may be something supernatural now." He said, giving a glance toward Yami and Yami B. "Unfortunately." Seto added, earning the Death Stares of Doom the duo of spirits were so good at.
Pegasus shrugged at Seto. "It doesn't really matter, Kaiba-boy." He said nonchalantly. "If I said I didn't believe flowers existed they still would."
Seto scowled at the other billionaire but didn't comment.
"Moving on." Shaadii said, looking down as Mafdet mewed and climbed onto his lap and shaking his head slightly in amusement. "We've discovered a few things that are possibly a little more shocking."
This got the group's attention more. What was more shocking than that they all had past lives in Egypt?
Shaadii smiled again, obviously quite amused with what he was going to say. He turned so he could look at Seto and Yami easily. "It concerns the two of you." He said in his thick accent.
Yami cocked his head slightly in interest. "Tell us already Shaadii, please." He said, almost unable to keep his excitement in check.
"Well." Shaadii said. "It turns out, that we've found out more about the royal family." Glancing around at the confused expressions, he continued, looking into Yami's eyes. "Your father, Akunamukannon, had a younger brother named Akunadin." He said, before locking his eyes with Seto. "And your previous incarnation, High Priest Seth... His father was that brother."
The Egyptian let that sink in for a moment, until Yami spoke. "Gods..." The spirit murmured. His eyes were wide and round. "Kaiba and I are cousins."
Seto looked as if he would have a heart attack, and for that matter so did Sugoroku. The rest of the group, besides Mokuba, were shocked. Mokuba though, stood up and cheered.
"This is so great!" He said, smiling broadly. "Wow!" The raven haired boy was very excited.
Yuugi found his voice after a few moments. "That's... Definitely shocking. I can't believe it..."
Yami and Seto looked at each other a moment, their expressions identical, before looking away. Joey twitched. "Ya' mean 'dat the whole time those two 'ave been competin' 'dey've been cousins!? 'Dat's so wrong...."
"It should be known that Seth had no idea he was Akunadin's son until just before the sealing. And so, neither the Pharaoh nor Seth knew they were related.
Seto muttered something dark and likely rude under his breath. "This can't be true." He said loud enough to be heard.
"Sorry, but it is." Shaadii said, obviously not sorry in the slightest. "Now settle down again. I have more to say." He waited as everyone gave their attention again. "There were more texts discovered in the Pharaoh's tomb. They told of a few different things of importance. Such as the Pharaoh's exact age."
Yami, again, was very interested along with Yuugi and Sugoroku. The spirit knew he was 17, but had no idea how long he had been that age.
"The texts, after being deciphered, gave us the knowledge that the Pharaoh, you," Shaadii said, looking again at Yami, "Sealed the games on his birthday. You couldn't have been more than a few hours 17."
Yami nodded, his emotions mixed over that information. He has died on his birthday, which was really depressing, and yet he was very happy to learn his exact age, down to almost the hour. All he had to do was add the days since he'd been released to 17, and he'd know how old he was close enough to be very, very happy. A small smile crept onto his face, despite how badly he felt.
Shaadii looked toward Yami B. "Surprisingly, there was information on about you, too." He said, gaining the white haired thief's attention. "Your age, and even your full Egyptian name were written."
Yami B's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He asked.
Shaadii nodded, absently petting Mafdet. "Yes. Apparently, you were of great importance to the Pharaoh."
Yami B and Yami exchanged looks. Didn't they hate each other? Why would Yami have Yami B's information written?
Ahondra, surprisingly, spoke up for the first time. "Yami Bakura, you are 19. I'm not sure exactly, but I think you were nearing 20. You were probably only 4 months from your birthday."
"Which means you're nearly twenty!" Ryou exclaimed, touching his dark on the shoulder. "Wow!"
Yami Bakura, however, hearing this, had something else in mind. He grinned devilishly. "I am legal drinking age after all."
Ryou slapped his forehead as the others sweatdropped at Yami B. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Ryou commented dryly, rolling his eyes.
"I am not." Yami B protested. "I just know what's important."
"Here here." Pegasus agreed enthusiastically, clapping daintily. "You're my kind of person."
It was Shaadii's turn to sweatdrop. "Pegasus." He said in his accent. "Please."
"You're no fun." Pegasus pouted, crossing a leg over the other and folding his arms, leaning back against the back of the sofa. Ahondra mimicked.
Shaadii shook his head, and looked back at Yami B. "More importantly, I have your name."
That definitely got everyone's attention. Yami B's eyes went round like Yami's had, and he leaned forward expectantly. "Don't make me wait." He said. "Tell me!"
The blue eyed Egyptian nodded. "Of course. It is Bekhura."
The spirit blinked. "Bekhura?" He repeated. "Truly? It sounds so similar to the name I use now..." He murmured, looking at Ryou. "But I do feel connected to that name..."
Again, Ahondra spoke up. "Yes, Bekhura is your name. That it's also so similar to your reincarnate's last name is just a joke of fate." She said, smiling.
Bekhura nodded slowly, still mulling over the new information. He looked at Yami, who seemed almost in the same state as him.
Shaadii looked around. "There's a little more." He added, yet again gaining expectant looks from the group who looked as if their brains couldn't handle anymore shocks. "We've found more about your enemy."
Yami looked at the blue eyed man. "How did you know we had an enemy?"
Shaadii considered for a moment. "I know everything." He answered stoically.
Pegasus snorted loudly, his hair falling into his face as he began to giggle hyperly. "Gods Shaadii, that was hilarious!" He exclaimed, continuing to giggle.
Shaadii looked disdainfully and yet amusedly at him, shaking his head yet again and glancing back at the others. "Your enemy is named Nebenkharu, but I assume you already know that." He said, getting nods and murmurs in response. "He was 35 at death, and his soul was sealed away by the Pharaoh about two years before the sealing. He was one of the advisors in Akunamukannon's court. And, like so many others, he was a traitor who wanted the throne. After Akunamukannon's death he didn't feel that a child should be king, and so he was devising a plan to kill both the prince and Seth, since they were, he thought, the only heirs."
"How nice." Seto commented dryly. "What a wonderful person." He paused a moment. "Wait, what do you mean 'he thought' that Seth and the prince were the only heirs?"
Shaadii looked at him. "Your brother, Mokuba, would have accended to the throne had you and the prince been killed. Nebenkharu either didn't know about Mokuba, forgot, or didn't put it together that he was another heir. But for any reason, he wasn't counting him."
Mokuba frowned and crossed his arms. "Idiot." He muttered.
Ahondra giggled but said nothing.
"That's a lot of information." Isis finally said, looking at Shaadii.
Shaadii nodded. "I was nearly overwhelmed and it didn't even concern me directly. However," He added, "I am here to help, now. As is Pegasus."
Pegasus looked up at the sound of his name. "What? Huh?" He asked, looking around.
Shaadii ignored him. "Unfortunately, Ahondra has to stay back and guard these new carvings we've found so she cannot accompany us."
"Shaadii." Yami spoke up, looking up at the Egyptian. "Do you know what we should do? Do you have any idea where this traitor is right now?"
Shaadii nodded. "Yes, my Pharaoh." He said. "I believe he is in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings."
Yami nodded slowly, thinking. "So that's where we'll be going next." He said.
"My Pharaoh..." Shaadii started, getting his first really good look at Yami. "What's wrong with you? Are you ill?"
The dark blinked a few times, having forgotten his sickness in the excitement. He haltingly shook his head. "No. I'm fine." He said.
"You're such a liar." Sugoroku sighed from behind the boy. "You didn't learn that from me." He muttered as an afterthought.
Shaadii looked concerned. "Pharaoh, if you aren't well, then your shouldn't be going out to try to defeat Nebenkharu." He said sensibly. "When did you come down with this? I wouldn't think that you would be able to become ill, unless you were in a physical body long enough to catch something."
Yami shook his head slightly. "I don't know how I got it." He said truthfully. "I only became badly sick Monday; yesterday morning. I felt slightly badly the day before that."
"Did anything else happen before?" Shaadii asked, reaching a hand out to touch Yami's forehead.
Yami thought a moment. "The Tomb Robber and I fought duel monsters Saturday, that is, three days ago." He said. "That's all I can really think of."
Bekhura began nodding his agreement before stopping mid nod, brown eyes wide. "Pharaoh." He said. "What about the first day, four days ago? When Nebenkharu attacked you?" He asked.
Yami blinked again. "... You're right." He said. "I had forgotten. But he hadn't hit me with anything. The spells collided and reacted, remember?"
"That still could have done something to you." Shaadii said. "I wouldn't be surprised if something had happened to your magic, and therefore your body, when the spells reacted." He took his hand from Yami's head. "You may have been magically poisoned."
Yuugi didn't like the sound of that at all, and neither did Sugoroku. "What does that mean?" The oldest Motou asked Shaadii.
"Essentially the same as many other poisons." Shaadii said softly. "It's killing him."
Yami was shocked, his eyes again round, and Yuugi simply burst into tears. He clutched onto his dark and buried his face in his shoulder, sobbing. The rest of the group, Sugoroku especially, looked horrified. "Isn't there something we can do?" He asked Shaadii hopefully, placing a hand on his older grandson's shoulder and trying to reassure him.
Shaadii sighed. "Maybe. If there is though, I do not know of it. Pegasus? Ahondra?" He asked his companions.
The silvery haired American shook his head, a serious look on his face. "No. I have no idea." He answered, for once sounding truly sincere and worried.
Ahondra shook her head too, blond curls bouncing. "I'm sorry." She said. "I've never dealt with magical poisons. Mahaado?"
Mahaado, eyes downcast, shook his head.
Yuugi's sobs increased at the hopeless news, until another person spoke.
"I don't want you to get your hopes up..." Mana said softly in her sweet, musical voice. "But.... It's possible that one of the tombs would have a cure."
Yuugi lifted his head, and Yami, who's eyes had darkened to almost navy as he stared at the floor, looked up. "Really?" Yuugi asked, his tone regaining some of it's usual spark.
"You're brilliant, Mana!" Ahondra cheered, and Mahaado nodded proudly to the girl magician.
"It is very possible that there is a cure somewhere in the Valley of Kings." Shaadii agreed. "There may be a chance yet for you, my Pharaoh." He said, looking at Yami. "Though we'll have to get going quickly. If you were indeed poisoned four days ago, then we haven't a lot of time left."
Yami nodded, his determination back after being lost when he heard he was dying. "Then let's set off for the valley." He said.
Isis looked toward Shaadii. "How do we expect to get into the Valley of Kings and go through the tombs? Just because Mr. Motou, Pegasus, and I are archeologists doesn't mean we can just decide to go in."
The blue eyed man turned his attention toward her. "We'll have to go in secret. I can use the powers of the Ankh to conceal us for short times, essentially while we move between tombs, but we'll have to use a method other than the usual to get into the Valley itself."
Everyone directly involved considered a moment, as the others began to gather up their belongings. A mischievous smile began to grow on Isis's face.
"What about camels?" She asked, and the thing she had obviously been waiting for happened.
"Noooooooooooooo!" Malik howled loudly. "Not camels!" The blond was not happy in the slightest.
"Oh, Malik, they're not bloodthirsty like you're so convinced." Isis said calmly, earning another snort from Pegasus. "Just relax."
"Truly, camels may be the best choice." Shaadii agreed, nodding slowly. Once again, there was a cry of protest, but this time it was both from Malik and Bekhura.
"I hate camels." The white haired thief said, his eyes narrowed. "If anything, I'm riding a horse." He declared.
Yami, who had sat down and was trying to regain some energy, opened an eye. "Something tells me that camels don't like me." He muttered.
Malik nodded, as if that was what he would have said. "See? It's not just me!"
"Hush Malik, and sit down." Isis said, glaring. "Fine, camel for everyone but Bekhura, the Pharaoh, and my brother. Ryou and Yuugi will probably end up riding with their others anyway. Mokuba can ride with Kaiba, most likely, too. So... Ten camels and three horses?"
"I think so." Mana said, counting everyone. "Mahaado and I will follow along, but we don't need camels or horses, of course."
Isis stood up. "Alright." She said. "It's decided. We're leaving in an hour. Everyone needs to get packed and ready."
Yuugi nodded, looking up a few inches at his dark. "We're going to get this all made right." He said softly, so no one else could hear. "Everything'll turn out fine."
Yami turned his head towards his aibou and nodded before shifting his gaze to stare out into space. "Yes. I certainly hope so."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: That sucked. XD This chapter'll be getting a rewrite faster than the others, I feel. XD
Yes, Seto and Yami really are cousins. I'm not making that up. Seth isn't Seto's official AE name, but it's the one I use. Bekhura is also not the official name, and first used by Wingleader Sora Jade. I'm still working that out. XD
As promised, here are the correct ages.
Yami - 15, maybe 16. He's an infant in a flashback 15 years before the incidents in the AE arc. Which means that quite possibly, Yami is younger than Yuugi. Scary, yes?
High Priest Seth - 18, 19, maybe 20. He looked about 3 or 4, maybe 5 in the flashback.
Bekhura - 22, maybe 23. He's about 7 in the flashback.
Wingleader Sora Jade: I tried to Email you about Yami B's name, since it turns out we use the same one (go figure XD) and I didn't want you to feel that I was copying... If it bothers you that I'm using the same one, I'll change it somehow. Just tell me in your review. ^_^'
Anyway, please review! I'll hurry up with the next chapter, I hope, and they'll be off to the Valley of the Kings!
Borath: ^_^ Glad you liked the chapter, even though I was rereading and realizing I kept having mistakes. XD
The pickpocketing was fun to write, so I'm glad it was so well received. And I figured Yami B would be the type to whine about Malik's driving. XD
I'm sadistic too. *Innocent look* Can't you tell?
^_^ I was worried the last few scenes with Yami would be a little off. (And they may still be.) But I'm glad you liked. And I'm gonna have even more fun with later.
Sorry about the delay. XD Tried to get this chapter out sooner. Thanks for the review!
Ryuujin Dragon King: Glad you like. ^_^ Thanks for the review!
Shadow Spirits: Wow, you read my whole fic so far in one sitting too? *Gives cookie* And I may have to write a darkshipper fic, now, seeing as both you and Borath want one, and I want to write one too. XD
Heh, the first few chapters are icky. I rewrote chapter one, but it doesn't have any real spark. *Sigh* Glad you kept reading though, and I hope I didn't bore you too much with the first few chapters. XD Glad you like how I'm writing the characters, and don't worry, you'll find out who the girl is (besides that yeah, she's the OC) in this chapter, along with many more things. And whacked OC's are fun. XD
Glad you're liking the fic. And you mentioned a Bakura/Yami/Mariku fic. *Twitches a second* YOU MUST PUT IT OUT! ... *Blink* Sorry. I love Bakura*Yami, and I like Mariku*Yami in a twisted way, and Mariku*Bakura/Bakura*Mariku if that's in there too. I want to read! XD Thanks for the review!
Wingleader Sora Jade: Glad you liked. ^_^ But there's only one girl. The two people'll be explained in this chapter. Also, I have something important I need to ask you about. It's also in the last author note. I tried to Email, but never got a response, so I'll tell you here though you'll be able to guess most likely part way through the chapter.
Silverlight3: Why'd I stop? I'm evil. XD No, actually, I'd taken forever to update so I left off then so I could use this chapter for explaining. Yami's just... Moody. Very. And Shaadii's here because... He's Shaadii. He shows up conveniently. XD Thanks for the review.
yugiohluver: Too many people? You're telling me. XD Thanks for the review.
bast4: Plan? Our group? You should know that those don't go together. XD As I said, Shaadii's Shaadii. He shows up conveniently. XD And very close with the Mill. Item bearer/Magic Users guess. You'll see in this chapter. Heh, I'm updating! No need to break out the knives. XD
Other Notes: Explaining chapter! Many of the little things are explained, such as the yami's ages, full names, and other things. Note that I've changed some things but not others. Such as the ages are off I'll tell the correct ages in the ending notes. Otherwise, not much to say besides that there are spoilers of the whacked AE arc. And this chapter's shorter than my last few.
Warnings: SPOILERS! AE arc spoilers. And the usual cursing.
Diclaimer: Yugioh ain't mine.
Summary of Last Chapter: Yami B and Malik went pickpocketing, found out that something was happening, and headed back to the house to discuss with the others. Everyone went to bed, the next morning Yami threw a hissy, and the group got three visitors.
Preview of this time: The visitors are revealed, and they give a lot of information. Mostly explanations, more information, and some motives for the enemy. Mana makes her first appearance. Set up for the last phases of the story.
Japanese:
None
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eien; part 21
by: Amiasha
Rishid just stared at the man in front of him. So did Malik.
"Shaadii?" Isis asked, walking around her brothers to see the visitors. Shaadii dipped his head respectfully toward her. As he did so, more of the man behind him's face was revealed. Isis's blue eyes widened and she gasped. "Pegasus!"
That sent the rest of the room's occupants into near hysterics. The people involved in Duelist Kingdom scattered to take cover or huddled together, and left poor Ryuuji just standing there confused, and Mafdet, who just didn't care.
Pegasus smiled broadly at Isis, ignoring the other's reactions, or perhaps not noticing them. "Hello, Ms. Ishtar! Nice to see you again!" He greeted cheerfully.
Isis gaped for a few seconds, having forgotten Shaadii. "Pegasus? But... But I thought you were..." She sputtered, only to be interrupted.
"He was supposed to be!" Yami B called out from the living room, earning a few smacks from Ryou.
Pegasus, unpeturbed, kept grinning. "You thought wrong. I'm alive and kicking!" He said.
"Unfortunately." Yami commented dryly, leaning heavily on Tea. He was a little less than pleased to see Pegasus, even if the silver haired man wasn't being threatening at all. He was just creepy.
Pegasus kept his mouth shut, having run out of things to say and not really in the mood to trade insults with the spirit. Or anyone, for that matter.
"Can we come in?" The forgotten Shaadii repeated, gesturing vaguely toward himself, Pegasus, and the little girl that was with them.
"Oh, of course." Isis said, somewhat embarrassed that she hadn't let them in earlier. She pointedly ignored the glare Malik gave the blue eyed Egyptian as he swept in, but the rude gesture behind his back caused Isis to kick her brother in the shin.
Shaadii, Pegasus, and the little girl arranged themselves in the livingroom, as the rest of the group slowly came out of hiding.
"Damn white haired bastard." Joey muttered darkly, sitting down on the floor with Yuugi and Yami. Yami Bakura glared at him for a few seconds, until Joey laughed nervously. "Not you, Yami B." He said.
The thief glared a little more before turning back toward the visitors and sitting down between Malik and Yami.
"I don't mean to be rude..." Isis started, "But what are you all doing here?"
Shaadii smiled gently toward her. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything." He assured. "But first, introductions are in order." The robed man said, gesturing toward the girl sitting between him and Pegasus. "This is Ahondra, and she's six years old."
The group murmured hello, and the curly blond haired girl smiled cutely and waved back.
A few minutes later, everyone had been introduced to her, and the people Pegasus hadn't met's names told. Seto suddenly blinked and noticed something.
"Pegasus." He said. "You have two eyes." The brunette commented, confused.
Pegasus nodded, and the rest of the group saw for themselves that Seto was right as Pegasus's hair fell out of his face. "Magic's a wonderful thing." He said simply.
About a second later, the deck in Yuugi's coat pocket began to glow, surprising everyone. The glow grew brighter, until suddenly in solidified.
Mahaado and Mana looked around at the group's surprised expressions. "We couldn't miss this." Mana explained cheerfully. "That and Mahaado's been whining incessantly about how no one's called on him since the beginning of this mess." She added, earning a glare from the purple clad spirit sorcerer.
Shaadii cleared his throat and looked around for everyone's attention.
"I hadn't really expected you all here, but that only makes everything easier." He said. "I'm here with Pegasus and Ahondra, because I have information to give you. More has been discovered about your lives in ancient Egypt."
Yami and Yami B looked very interested in that, their memories either nearly nonexistent or lacking. "Like what?" Yami B asked curiously.
Shaadii smiled at the two spirits. "Like that you two and the High Priest weren't the only ones in Egypt."
Yami blinked. "You mean that the others, like Joey, had past lives with us as well?" He asked, ignoring his illness in the excitement of learning something about his past.
At Shaadii's nod, the group started murmuring to each other. Seto, meanwhile, snorted.
"As much of your so called 'magic' I've seen, I still don't believe in this past life nonsense. I have no proof I've lived before, even if there may be enough evidence to convince me that there may be something supernatural now." He said, giving a glance toward Yami and Yami B. "Unfortunately." Seto added, earning the Death Stares of Doom the duo of spirits were so good at.
Pegasus shrugged at Seto. "It doesn't really matter, Kaiba-boy." He said nonchalantly. "If I said I didn't believe flowers existed they still would."
Seto scowled at the other billionaire but didn't comment.
"Moving on." Shaadii said, looking down as Mafdet mewed and climbed onto his lap and shaking his head slightly in amusement. "We've discovered a few things that are possibly a little more shocking."
This got the group's attention more. What was more shocking than that they all had past lives in Egypt?
Shaadii smiled again, obviously quite amused with what he was going to say. He turned so he could look at Seto and Yami easily. "It concerns the two of you." He said in his thick accent.
Yami cocked his head slightly in interest. "Tell us already Shaadii, please." He said, almost unable to keep his excitement in check.
"Well." Shaadii said. "It turns out, that we've found out more about the royal family." Glancing around at the confused expressions, he continued, looking into Yami's eyes. "Your father, Akunamukannon, had a younger brother named Akunadin." He said, before locking his eyes with Seto. "And your previous incarnation, High Priest Seth... His father was that brother."
The Egyptian let that sink in for a moment, until Yami spoke. "Gods..." The spirit murmured. His eyes were wide and round. "Kaiba and I are cousins."
Seto looked as if he would have a heart attack, and for that matter so did Sugoroku. The rest of the group, besides Mokuba, were shocked. Mokuba though, stood up and cheered.
"This is so great!" He said, smiling broadly. "Wow!" The raven haired boy was very excited.
Yuugi found his voice after a few moments. "That's... Definitely shocking. I can't believe it..."
Yami and Seto looked at each other a moment, their expressions identical, before looking away. Joey twitched. "Ya' mean 'dat the whole time those two 'ave been competin' 'dey've been cousins!? 'Dat's so wrong...."
"It should be known that Seth had no idea he was Akunadin's son until just before the sealing. And so, neither the Pharaoh nor Seth knew they were related.
Seto muttered something dark and likely rude under his breath. "This can't be true." He said loud enough to be heard.
"Sorry, but it is." Shaadii said, obviously not sorry in the slightest. "Now settle down again. I have more to say." He waited as everyone gave their attention again. "There were more texts discovered in the Pharaoh's tomb. They told of a few different things of importance. Such as the Pharaoh's exact age."
Yami, again, was very interested along with Yuugi and Sugoroku. The spirit knew he was 17, but had no idea how long he had been that age.
"The texts, after being deciphered, gave us the knowledge that the Pharaoh, you," Shaadii said, looking again at Yami, "Sealed the games on his birthday. You couldn't have been more than a few hours 17."
Yami nodded, his emotions mixed over that information. He has died on his birthday, which was really depressing, and yet he was very happy to learn his exact age, down to almost the hour. All he had to do was add the days since he'd been released to 17, and he'd know how old he was close enough to be very, very happy. A small smile crept onto his face, despite how badly he felt.
Shaadii looked toward Yami B. "Surprisingly, there was information on about you, too." He said, gaining the white haired thief's attention. "Your age, and even your full Egyptian name were written."
Yami B's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?" He asked.
Shaadii nodded, absently petting Mafdet. "Yes. Apparently, you were of great importance to the Pharaoh."
Yami B and Yami exchanged looks. Didn't they hate each other? Why would Yami have Yami B's information written?
Ahondra, surprisingly, spoke up for the first time. "Yami Bakura, you are 19. I'm not sure exactly, but I think you were nearing 20. You were probably only 4 months from your birthday."
"Which means you're nearly twenty!" Ryou exclaimed, touching his dark on the shoulder. "Wow!"
Yami Bakura, however, hearing this, had something else in mind. He grinned devilishly. "I am legal drinking age after all."
Ryou slapped his forehead as the others sweatdropped at Yami B. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Ryou commented dryly, rolling his eyes.
"I am not." Yami B protested. "I just know what's important."
"Here here." Pegasus agreed enthusiastically, clapping daintily. "You're my kind of person."
It was Shaadii's turn to sweatdrop. "Pegasus." He said in his accent. "Please."
"You're no fun." Pegasus pouted, crossing a leg over the other and folding his arms, leaning back against the back of the sofa. Ahondra mimicked.
Shaadii shook his head, and looked back at Yami B. "More importantly, I have your name."
That definitely got everyone's attention. Yami B's eyes went round like Yami's had, and he leaned forward expectantly. "Don't make me wait." He said. "Tell me!"
The blue eyed Egyptian nodded. "Of course. It is Bekhura."
The spirit blinked. "Bekhura?" He repeated. "Truly? It sounds so similar to the name I use now..." He murmured, looking at Ryou. "But I do feel connected to that name..."
Again, Ahondra spoke up. "Yes, Bekhura is your name. That it's also so similar to your reincarnate's last name is just a joke of fate." She said, smiling.
Bekhura nodded slowly, still mulling over the new information. He looked at Yami, who seemed almost in the same state as him.
Shaadii looked around. "There's a little more." He added, yet again gaining expectant looks from the group who looked as if their brains couldn't handle anymore shocks. "We've found more about your enemy."
Yami looked at the blue eyed man. "How did you know we had an enemy?"
Shaadii considered for a moment. "I know everything." He answered stoically.
Pegasus snorted loudly, his hair falling into his face as he began to giggle hyperly. "Gods Shaadii, that was hilarious!" He exclaimed, continuing to giggle.
Shaadii looked disdainfully and yet amusedly at him, shaking his head yet again and glancing back at the others. "Your enemy is named Nebenkharu, but I assume you already know that." He said, getting nods and murmurs in response. "He was 35 at death, and his soul was sealed away by the Pharaoh about two years before the sealing. He was one of the advisors in Akunamukannon's court. And, like so many others, he was a traitor who wanted the throne. After Akunamukannon's death he didn't feel that a child should be king, and so he was devising a plan to kill both the prince and Seth, since they were, he thought, the only heirs."
"How nice." Seto commented dryly. "What a wonderful person." He paused a moment. "Wait, what do you mean 'he thought' that Seth and the prince were the only heirs?"
Shaadii looked at him. "Your brother, Mokuba, would have accended to the throne had you and the prince been killed. Nebenkharu either didn't know about Mokuba, forgot, or didn't put it together that he was another heir. But for any reason, he wasn't counting him."
Mokuba frowned and crossed his arms. "Idiot." He muttered.
Ahondra giggled but said nothing.
"That's a lot of information." Isis finally said, looking at Shaadii.
Shaadii nodded. "I was nearly overwhelmed and it didn't even concern me directly. However," He added, "I am here to help, now. As is Pegasus."
Pegasus looked up at the sound of his name. "What? Huh?" He asked, looking around.
Shaadii ignored him. "Unfortunately, Ahondra has to stay back and guard these new carvings we've found so she cannot accompany us."
"Shaadii." Yami spoke up, looking up at the Egyptian. "Do you know what we should do? Do you have any idea where this traitor is right now?"
Shaadii nodded. "Yes, my Pharaoh." He said. "I believe he is in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings."
Yami nodded slowly, thinking. "So that's where we'll be going next." He said.
"My Pharaoh..." Shaadii started, getting his first really good look at Yami. "What's wrong with you? Are you ill?"
The dark blinked a few times, having forgotten his sickness in the excitement. He haltingly shook his head. "No. I'm fine." He said.
"You're such a liar." Sugoroku sighed from behind the boy. "You didn't learn that from me." He muttered as an afterthought.
Shaadii looked concerned. "Pharaoh, if you aren't well, then your shouldn't be going out to try to defeat Nebenkharu." He said sensibly. "When did you come down with this? I wouldn't think that you would be able to become ill, unless you were in a physical body long enough to catch something."
Yami shook his head slightly. "I don't know how I got it." He said truthfully. "I only became badly sick Monday; yesterday morning. I felt slightly badly the day before that."
"Did anything else happen before?" Shaadii asked, reaching a hand out to touch Yami's forehead.
Yami thought a moment. "The Tomb Robber and I fought duel monsters Saturday, that is, three days ago." He said. "That's all I can really think of."
Bekhura began nodding his agreement before stopping mid nod, brown eyes wide. "Pharaoh." He said. "What about the first day, four days ago? When Nebenkharu attacked you?" He asked.
Yami blinked again. "... You're right." He said. "I had forgotten. But he hadn't hit me with anything. The spells collided and reacted, remember?"
"That still could have done something to you." Shaadii said. "I wouldn't be surprised if something had happened to your magic, and therefore your body, when the spells reacted." He took his hand from Yami's head. "You may have been magically poisoned."
Yuugi didn't like the sound of that at all, and neither did Sugoroku. "What does that mean?" The oldest Motou asked Shaadii.
"Essentially the same as many other poisons." Shaadii said softly. "It's killing him."
Yami was shocked, his eyes again round, and Yuugi simply burst into tears. He clutched onto his dark and buried his face in his shoulder, sobbing. The rest of the group, Sugoroku especially, looked horrified. "Isn't there something we can do?" He asked Shaadii hopefully, placing a hand on his older grandson's shoulder and trying to reassure him.
Shaadii sighed. "Maybe. If there is though, I do not know of it. Pegasus? Ahondra?" He asked his companions.
The silvery haired American shook his head, a serious look on his face. "No. I have no idea." He answered, for once sounding truly sincere and worried.
Ahondra shook her head too, blond curls bouncing. "I'm sorry." She said. "I've never dealt with magical poisons. Mahaado?"
Mahaado, eyes downcast, shook his head.
Yuugi's sobs increased at the hopeless news, until another person spoke.
"I don't want you to get your hopes up..." Mana said softly in her sweet, musical voice. "But.... It's possible that one of the tombs would have a cure."
Yuugi lifted his head, and Yami, who's eyes had darkened to almost navy as he stared at the floor, looked up. "Really?" Yuugi asked, his tone regaining some of it's usual spark.
"You're brilliant, Mana!" Ahondra cheered, and Mahaado nodded proudly to the girl magician.
"It is very possible that there is a cure somewhere in the Valley of Kings." Shaadii agreed. "There may be a chance yet for you, my Pharaoh." He said, looking at Yami. "Though we'll have to get going quickly. If you were indeed poisoned four days ago, then we haven't a lot of time left."
Yami nodded, his determination back after being lost when he heard he was dying. "Then let's set off for the valley." He said.
Isis looked toward Shaadii. "How do we expect to get into the Valley of Kings and go through the tombs? Just because Mr. Motou, Pegasus, and I are archeologists doesn't mean we can just decide to go in."
The blue eyed man turned his attention toward her. "We'll have to go in secret. I can use the powers of the Ankh to conceal us for short times, essentially while we move between tombs, but we'll have to use a method other than the usual to get into the Valley itself."
Everyone directly involved considered a moment, as the others began to gather up their belongings. A mischievous smile began to grow on Isis's face.
"What about camels?" She asked, and the thing she had obviously been waiting for happened.
"Noooooooooooooo!" Malik howled loudly. "Not camels!" The blond was not happy in the slightest.
"Oh, Malik, they're not bloodthirsty like you're so convinced." Isis said calmly, earning another snort from Pegasus. "Just relax."
"Truly, camels may be the best choice." Shaadii agreed, nodding slowly. Once again, there was a cry of protest, but this time it was both from Malik and Bekhura.
"I hate camels." The white haired thief said, his eyes narrowed. "If anything, I'm riding a horse." He declared.
Yami, who had sat down and was trying to regain some energy, opened an eye. "Something tells me that camels don't like me." He muttered.
Malik nodded, as if that was what he would have said. "See? It's not just me!"
"Hush Malik, and sit down." Isis said, glaring. "Fine, camel for everyone but Bekhura, the Pharaoh, and my brother. Ryou and Yuugi will probably end up riding with their others anyway. Mokuba can ride with Kaiba, most likely, too. So... Ten camels and three horses?"
"I think so." Mana said, counting everyone. "Mahaado and I will follow along, but we don't need camels or horses, of course."
Isis stood up. "Alright." She said. "It's decided. We're leaving in an hour. Everyone needs to get packed and ready."
Yuugi nodded, looking up a few inches at his dark. "We're going to get this all made right." He said softly, so no one else could hear. "Everything'll turn out fine."
Yami turned his head towards his aibou and nodded before shifting his gaze to stare out into space. "Yes. I certainly hope so."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: That sucked. XD This chapter'll be getting a rewrite faster than the others, I feel. XD
Yes, Seto and Yami really are cousins. I'm not making that up. Seth isn't Seto's official AE name, but it's the one I use. Bekhura is also not the official name, and first used by Wingleader Sora Jade. I'm still working that out. XD
As promised, here are the correct ages.
Yami - 15, maybe 16. He's an infant in a flashback 15 years before the incidents in the AE arc. Which means that quite possibly, Yami is younger than Yuugi. Scary, yes?
High Priest Seth - 18, 19, maybe 20. He looked about 3 or 4, maybe 5 in the flashback.
Bekhura - 22, maybe 23. He's about 7 in the flashback.
Wingleader Sora Jade: I tried to Email you about Yami B's name, since it turns out we use the same one (go figure XD) and I didn't want you to feel that I was copying... If it bothers you that I'm using the same one, I'll change it somehow. Just tell me in your review. ^_^'
Anyway, please review! I'll hurry up with the next chapter, I hope, and they'll be off to the Valley of the Kings!