Jaid: Hi everybody! Thanks for your patience. Well, here's the next chapter. It does have a bit of a cliff-hanger and I apologize ahead of time. But cliff-hangers are what keep you reading, ne? lol

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like I said about geography…the dig and the temple in this chapter are completely made up; to tell the truth I have no idea if these places could actually exist. Let's just pretend they do in the Yu-Gi-Oh world, okay? *sweatdrop*

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            As they got off the bus that had brought them to Luxor, Ryou stopped to take in everything for a moment. This was the fourth time he had been to Egypt but the sight, sounds and smells brought back a multitude of memories.

            People milled around, especially around the teens and Mr. Hawkings. Sellers offered 'cheap' hotel rooms (cheap meaning that they didn't cost much, but also meaning that they most likely came with out a door on the room, and probably some unwanted room mates). Children jumped in and out, shouting "Baksheesh!" in high pitched voices. Ryou smiled at one little girl and pulled out a pen and gave to her. He looked up to Rei's questioning glance.

            "They don't want just money." He explained. "Actually, they'd probably prefer something like that pen. That little girl will be the highlight of her school classes and I've just earned a helper if I need one."

            "You know a lot about this place, huh?" Rei smiled. "Do hair ties work just as well?"

            Ryou laughed. "I suppose."

            The group pushed their way through the streets. Arabic, English and other languages such as French were mingled in the air. Spices gave off a sweet and spicy smell that was mixed with the odor of sewage and unwashed bodies. The whole display was colorful and bright, not to mention exotic. Tara giggled.      

            "I feel like I'm in a movie." She said. Duke looked down at her.

            "Nani? Not more Indiana Jones." He said in a fake moan. Tara punched his arm sourly. Mr. Hawkins turned to the group.

            "We'll be staying in this hotel tonight." He said, smiling. "But don't get comfortable. Tomorrow morning we head for the dig; early."

            "Early?" Tara squeaked. Rei grinned.

            "Hai, like waking up at six." She said. Tara groaned while the others laughed. Katya made a face.

            "I am with you, Tara. I'm not a morning person." She said.

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            Isis was quiet as she sat on the flat roof of Shadi's home. It was near evening and there was a breeze in the air. Closing her eyes, she smiled. She had forgotten how she had missed Egypt. How she had missed home.

            Footsteps approaching caused her to turn. Shadi approached and sat down beside her. Neither spoke. It was a little hard, knowing what to say. They hadn't seen each other since early February and it was now summer. Would they just pick up where they had left off? Isis wasn't sure. Hesitantly, she leaned against Shadi's shoulder. He made no comment, but let an arm hang loosely about her waist. She smiled, as they watched the sun set. If only the rest of her life could be this peaceful.

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            "Is that it?" Yugi called as they rode over the desert. "Is that the dig?"

            Mr. Hawkins looked up from his granddaughter; who was seated next to him. The car/truck/cart they were riding gave another jarring bump.

            "Hai." The man answered.

            "Doesn't look like much." Mai observed. Mr. Hawkins smiled.

            "You just wait till we get close." He said.

            The cart/truck pulled up and everyone dismounted. An Arab came up and Mr. Hawkins spoke to him in Arabic. The man bowed after speaking for a few moments with Arthur, then seemed to give orders to move the groups' luggage.

            "Arthur!" a voice called. A man, with brown hair and gray eyes was walking up, waving.

            "Father!" Ryou cried, before Mr. Hawkins could answer him. The boy rang up and threw his arms around the man. James Bakura laughed.

            "So you arrived all right." He said. "But with something of a group, I see."

            "We're willing to help." Yugi stated, seeing the momentary flicker in the man's gray eyes.

            A smile curved James Bakura's lips. "We'll see." The English man said. "Come Arthur, we just uncovered some tablets you might want to look at. Ryou, why don't you show all your friends were the tents and trailers are? We'll get better acquainted at dinner."

            Ryou smiled and nodded obediently. "Come on guys, over here."

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            The tents were for living quarters; the few trailers that were there had been reserved for storage of equipment and artifacts. There were four to a tent. Duke, Yugi, Tristan and Joey were in the first and Mokuba, Seto, Ryou and Mr. Hawkins in the second. Opposite them was a tent with Tara, Katya, Rei and Tea, and the second had Rebecca, Mai and Serenity.

            "Ugh. Sand everywhere." Tara said, storing her suitcase underneath her low cot. "I wouldn't advise keeping anything out, girls."

            "Yeah." Katya agreed.

            "Rei?" Tea asked. "Something wrong?"

            "Hm?" the dark haired girl looked up. "Oh, iie. It's just that…didn't the way Mr. Bakura greeted Ryou bother you guys? I mean, it was a little cold and they obviously haven't seen each other for a long time."

            "Yeah, I guess." Tara said. "But you and your parents aren't on the best of terms. Maybe Ryou and his otousan aren't either."

            "I guess." Rei shrugged. "So what are we supposed to do? Unpack and then stay here?"

            "I'm going over to the boys' tent." Tara decided. "Anybody with me?"

            "Let's get Mai and Serenity first." Tea suggested.

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            "Guys, this is Hashim. He's sort of my otousan's steward." Ryou said, lifting the tent flap and coming in, followed by the Arab man who they had seen earlier.

            "I am pleased to meet all of you." Hashim said in heavily accented English. "If you need anything, please tell me. All your luggage is here, yes?"

            "Everything's fine so far." Yugi said with a smile. "Arigato."

            Hashim smiled back, then left. Ryou sat down on his cot. "It gets stuffy in here, but it's really a lot more comfortable than a trailer." He said.

            "Eh, I always liked camping out." Joey shrugged. Tristan grinned.

            "Yeah, its all those bugs you get to eat in your sleep, ne?"

            Joey glared, while the other boys laughed.

            "Well, I don't know about you, but it's kinda getting hot." Duke said. "I'd rather be outside where there's a chance to catch a breeze."

            He opened the flap only to come face to face with the girls.

            "Hey!" Tara said. "We're going off to find Mr. Hawkins. You guys care to tag along?"

            "Sure." Duke told her. "We were wanting something to do anyways."

            The group left the tent. Serenity had politely declined their offer. She and Rebecca were in the second boys' tent with Mokuba and Seto.

            "Gosh, look at all the people." Katya commented. Men with baskets full of dirt walked back and forth out of large holes in the ground in continuous lines. It reminded one of an anthill.

            "It's crazy." Joey said.

            "Yeah, I wonder what they're digging up." Mai commented. Everyone turned to look at Ryou. He caught their glances and blinked.

            "I'm not sure exactly. I think some sort of rooms….not really a tomb mind you, but sort of a, uh…" Ryou frowned. "Oh! I remember. I think there was a small temple out here to Anubis and another nearby to Osiris. Both were mostly shrines really, but there were tombs and store rooms and things like that that surrounded them."

            "Who's Anubis and Osiris?" Katya asked, her gray eyes wide with attention.

            "Ahh…Anubis is the god of the dead and Osiris is the god of the underworld."

            "So what's the difference?" Tristan wanted to know.

            "Anubis was responsible for the preparation of mummies. He taught the Ancient Egyptians how to prepare for burial so that they would be able to live in the Underworld. Osiris was the Pharaoh there. He used to be King of Egypt, but his evil brother Set killed him and tore him to pieces to prevent his resurrection. Osiris' wife, Isis, managed to find the pieces of Osiris' body and Anubis sewed them together and mummified the king. Osiris did come back to life, but since he had been mummified, he was not allowed to rule the living. Instead, he rules the dead."

            Everyone was staring at Rei. The girl was staring at one of the digs, then turned to them with a smile. "What?"

            "How did you know that?" Tara asked.

            "You'd be surprised what you learn in the library." Rei commented dryly. "Ryou, where would Mr. Hawkins and your dad be?"

            "Uh, this way." The British boy continued leading them through the bustling workers. They found the two archeologists bent over some tablets in an all ready excavated room.

            "Hello there." Arthur smiled as the teens walked in. "Settled all ready?"

            "Hai, arigato." Yugi smiled back. "We were just wondering what happens now."

            "I'll have someone take you on a tour of the digs." Mr. Bakura answered. "We'll go from there."

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            "Its close, isn't it?"

            Shadi turned to face Isis. He nodded.

            "But I can not pin point it exactly." The man frowned. "I have been trying to do so since I left you, but it never would…" Shadi broke off, shaking his head. "I thought I had gotten to it and sealed it. But it escaped me again. How, I do not know."

            Isis nodded. "I see." She sank on to a chair. Shadi looked at her critically. She seemed paler, thinner, than he remembered. He came over and put a hand on her shoulder.

            "Are you all right?"

            "I am tired." She swallowed. "I have been having odd dreams lately."

            Shadi waited for an explanation, but none was given. Isis just stared at the opposite wall, looking far older than she should have. With a sigh, Shadi straightened.

            "You said Yugi Mouto was here?" he said, walking back to the door way and standing in it.

            "Yes." Isis answered.

            Shadi nodded, but said nothing more.

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            For the next few days, the teens actually spent most of their time in Luxor, sight seeing and such. One morning, before they left, Mr. Bakura joined them for breakfast.

            "There's going to be a special event at a temple in Luxor." He stated. "A sort of tour where they show you what sort of services the Ancient Egyptians did. I thought you might be interested."

            The youths exchanged looks.

            "Sounds like fun to me." Tea said. The others agreed.

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            Isis had been sleeping; taking a nap really. Why, she didn't really know, except she felt a lot more tired than usual and felt it would help. But now, something had woken her up and she wasn't sure what it was.

            Opening her eyes, she saw Shadi above her. He smiled and sat down.

            "I was about to wake you." He said, then the smile faded. "Do you feel it?"

            Isis blinked, then sat up. "Can you pinpoint it now?"

            "Yes, except…" Shadi broke off.

            "It doesn't feel evil." Isis finished softly.

            "It feels like a hole." Shadi put in. "Are you up to coming with us?"

            Isis glanced at Ankh and Scales, who had appeared in the doorway in front of them.

            "Yes." She answered.

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            "Everyone have something warm? The desert can get quite cool at night." Mr. Hawkins was talking with the group, while Mr. Bakura talked with their driver. Everyone nodded and got in. Yugi frowned and turned around to face Ryou.

            "Hey, do you feel like something is wrong?" he asked softly.

            Ryou was quiet, then looked up with concern. "I can't really tell. I mean, I do sort of feel something…."

            Yugi frowned, then sighed as he turned back around as Tea sat next to him, still teasing Joey as she did so.

            /Yami, why do I feel like this?/

            \I don't know.\ Yugi could feel the spirit's frown. \It doesn't feel dangerous, but keep a watch out anyways.\

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            "Are you all right?" Shadi asked. Isis glanced at him then nodded.

            "I forgot how many people flood Luxor at times." She admitted softly, then stepped to be closer with him. "Which temple did you say you felt the rift?"

            "The temple of AmunRa." Shadi said quietly.

            They walked silently, following the crowd to an excavated temple that was still being restored. Isis looked around at the crowd.

            "It will be difficult to seal with so many about." She murmured.

            "Indeed." Shadi frowned and sighed mentally.

            \\Difficult.\\ Scales snorted. \\It'll be impossible.\\

            //Shadi, what are we going to do?// Ankh asked worriedly.

            /\The best we can./\ Shadi answered. /\We may have to wait until everyone is gone. That could be well past midnight./\

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            "Look at all the guards." Tara murmured.

            "Probably to keep vandals away." Rei commented.

            "And thieves." Ryou said, looking back. "Otousan told me that there has been quite a lot of things missing lately."

            Yugi suddenly stopped and looked out at the crowd.

            "Yugi?" Tea looked at him, confused. The boy turned to her.

            "I thought I saw Pegasus." He said. Tea walked over to him and they both looked at all the people.

            "I don't see him now." Yugi said, then shook himself. "Probably just my imagination." He smiled and continued walking. Tea smiled back, but when he had passed her, she looked back with an apprehensive expression.

            The demonstration was rather entertaining, though both Ryou and Yugi had to suppress giggles when their Yamis decided to play critics. It took several hours, and by the time it was done, everyone was ready to go get dinner.

            Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Bakura told everyone to stay put while they went to find out what was available. The teens sat on the steps (Rebecca and Mokuba had gone with the adults).

            Everyone had been silent for a bit when Mai chuckled.

            "We sure are a talkative group." She commented wryly. Everyone grinned.

            "Man, I'm tired." Tristan commented, rubbing his eyes. Katya, who was sitting behind him, reached out and tugged on his hair affectionately.

            "Hey," Yugi grabbed Tea's arm. "Look."

            The red-head's eyes widened. "You're right; that does look a lot like Pegasus."

            "What? Where?" Joey said startled. Seto straightened and his jaw tightened.

            "Over there." Yugi pointed farther up. "It looked like he was going in."

            "Who's Pegasus?" Tara suddenly asked.

            "We'll tell you later." Duke patted her arm as they stood.

            "Why do you suppose he's here?" Yugi asked.

            "I dunno." Joey frowned, then started climbing the steps.

            "Joey, where are you going?" Tea called out. The boy didn't answer. The others exchanged glances, then followed.

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            Shadi and Isis arrived at the temple. It was almost eerily quiet, as the moon shone on the temple roof. Silently, the two of them climbed the steps and entered. Voices could be heard and they exchanged looks. Nobody should have been here.

            "It might be guards." Isis murmured. Shadi shook his head.

            "These voices are young and they do not speak Arabic." He pointed out. The two of them walked quietly towards the noise, when Isis paused.

            "Isis?"

            The woman shook her head. "I just…nothing. I thought another vision was coming, that's all." She smiled a little shakily. "Let's go."

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            "Wow." Katya looked around as they entered a room. "I don't remember this one."

            "We probably didn't come in this one." Rei said.

            "Well, no sign of Pegasus." Joey murmured.

            "Are you sure you saw him?" Seto asked.

            "Yeah, Tea. You seem to see white-haired guys all the time." Tristan chipped in with a grin. Tea glared at him.

            "Yugi saw him too." She said with a growl.

            "No one's here now-" Duke began, then broke off as Ryou and Yugi both gasped simontanisously.

            "What's wrong?" Tea asked, as Yugi suddenly clutched his head. Rei and Tristan were all ready at Ryou's side.

            "I don't know." Yugi said through gritted teeth. "Some sort of power…I can't…Yami can't speak to me!"

            Tea opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out as a tangible and horrid amount of power waved over her. She thought she might be screaming, but she couldn't be sure. Feeling like she was in a windstorm, Tea desperately clutched Yugi's hand, but lost her grip and fell into a long darkness.

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            Shadi and Isis broke into a run, only to feel the same as the teenagers had. With a shout, Shadi grabbed Isis and pushed her against the wall, covering her with himself as the wind became stronger and stronger. The power that accompanied it was the type that made you lose your head; you couldn't think or move. Suddenly, it died down. Isis and Shadi looked at each other in shock, the looked back into the room.

            "Oh, by Set." Isis breathed, running over and kneeling down next to Yugi. He was still; his eyes vacant as if his soul were gone. Looking around, she realized they all looked the same. She looked up at Shadi. His jaw was tight.

            Then the Puzzle and the Ring glowed as the Tomb Robber and Pharaoh took control of their hosts' bodies. Bakura shook his head, as if trying to clear it, while Yami stood, looking rather disoriented. He looked at Isis, then Shadi, and then looked at the room.

            "What happened?" he asked, rather shakily. Isis stood as the spirit wavered for a moment blinking. Scales and Ankh appeared.

            "What in the name of the Devourer was that?" Bakura demanded. "My hikari is gone!"

            "Mine too." Yami's face was rather pale. "Where is Yugi?"

            Isis shook her head. "I wish I could tell you."

            Scales reached out and poked Joey's body with his foot. Ankh looked at Shadi.

            "What are we going to do with them?" he asked.

            "Are they alive?" Shadi asked. Ankh bent down and checked Mai's pulse.

            "Yes. It's as if their souls have been stolen. It's just a shell." He answered after a moment.

            "We need to get them somewhere." Isis said.

            "And what are we going to tell my aibou's father and that old man?" Bakura demanded. "Not too mention the little brats."

            Shadi and Isis exchanged un-easy glances.

            "I don't suppose you could suggest something to their minds, could you Ankh?" Isis asked. Ankh nodded.

            "I could. But we still need to get them out of here." Ankh frowned, as if he were trying to figure something out, then prodded Mai's body to sit up and then stand. It was a little odd; she stood mostly straight, but the blank look in her violet eyes was frightening.

            "I think we can get them to walk out of here on their own accord." The healer commented. "But, after that…"

            Shadi sighed. "We can take them home."

            Scales made a face. "What, so we can have a bunch of lifeless bodies hanging around?"

            "I do not look forward to it either." Shadi said sharply. "But we must do something."

            A little bit later, the group's bodies had been prodded into standing, then walking. Shadi and Ankh broke off from the group to find Mr. Bakura, Mr. Hawkins, and the two kids, while Isis, Scales, Yami and Ryou helped guide the teens to Shadi's house. Isis sighed as she looked up to the moon. How would they get the teenagers' souls back? Who had stolen them in the first place? Where were they all now? And what had caused that power?

            So many questions and no answers. Isis glanced at Yami and met his crimson eyes. The expression in them was un-readable and the spirit turned away.

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I'm going to start putting any non-English words in italics and then providing the translations down here. I will be using more than Japanese in future chapters, so I will also be giving what language they are. ^__^ And I will provide translations even if they were in a previous chapter. That way, I have all my bases covered. Also, there will be no Japanese with Shadi, Isis, Ankh or Scales because that isn't their native language.

Nani – What?

Hai – Yes

Iie – No

Otousan – Father

Arigato – Thank you

Ne – Sort of like a sentence ender. Nearest translation could be like "eh?" Actually, I'm not sure, but I think it can be used at the beginning of a sentence too. Does anybody know for sure?

Set – God of chaos and the desert; killed Osiris. Is Horus' rival. Also called Seth.

The Devourer – A creature that was part hippo, part lion, and part crocodile. When Anubis measured a person's heart against Ma'at's feather of truth, if the heart sank below the feather, then the Devourer got to eat that person's soul.

A cliffie! Sorry, but this was the best place to break it. Most of the next chapter will concentrate on where the teens ended up and chapter four will concentrate on Shadi, Isis and the yamis. ^__^ So, be ready for chapter three next Friday!

Indigo – Um…well, in her vision she did. There's a reason she had that vision…I just can't say right now…..

Serena – I know! I felt sorry for him while writing that; he's protective of Yugi and just being scared that he could do something to harm his aibou. You're absolutely right! Isis does remind me of Cassandra too; it has to be hard to see the future and not know whether you should try and change it or not. It would be a difficult decision. X__X Thanks! I hope your presentation went well!

Iris – I know; I'd rather read that then about the Pilgrims…AGAIN!!!! X__X Hey, when you're president, we can go to Egypt, remember? ^__^

Black Mistress – Glad you liked it! Um…I didn't think it was that scary…but then again, I know what's happening later. O.o Eh, I think I accidentally deleted your e-mail; what was the story you referred me too? Pharaoh's Red Cap or something like that?

Lynx wings – Um, I'm not sure. He really doesn't do anything till chapter Four and then it's pretty small. I'm just not good with his character for some reason. He will have a more active role than he did in Aishiteru though.

SweetSweet – Well, this is several months later, and since they all know Joey, then she would have met the eventually, especially if she started going to the same school. That was my reasoning anywayz. Arigato for the compliment. ^___^

Shadow Dragon – lol, glad you liked it!

LilxAznxDragonz – Here you go! ^__^

K*Fox – Thanks!

K-chan – Glad you like!

Queen of Games - *cries and hugs Queen* THANK YOU! I rather like these OC's myself; can't help it; they all act like my best friends. ^__^  I think I e-mailed you, but in case I didn't, I just picked up the Japanese by hanging around fellow otakus (Jap. For anime fans).

Dragon Spirits – Like your new name! Of course I missed you!!! Oh really? Do you happen to know if it's a different dialect, because the one I have is "wakaranai"…hm…of course they could be different uses. I think mine may mean "I don't understand" in the personal sense, whereas yours could mean you don't understand in the…language sense…does any of this make sense? I thought not…

Dr. Vorlon – I hope this is keeping your interest.

Fire Pendant – Ankh and Scale will have a bigger part come chapter four. ^__^ They even get to play heroes later on! If everything works out like it's supposed too…Um, I don't know much about Yami's past, but I am going to try a little bit. Still on the look out for his real name…