Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I do own my OC, Akunriou / Tory and Kishtoh / Lucca, plus the storyline.

Read the notices!

MidnightBallad: So many reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you! (runs around throwing confetti in the air) By the way, I stared to do my Egyptian website thing for this story, which is all very exciting...and boring, all at the same time. But I've had fun making the layout (wohoo, Egyptian clip art!). I'll eventually post the site in the next update or so.

I get my chapters up fast because I am magical.

Comments/replies on/to reviews...

T-Bone: Yeah, griffins do have wings. Oops.

Sylvia Viridian: I can't believe your name's really Tory! Talk about a Co-incidence. Anyway, thanks for the positive feedback on the verse, I was hoping that someone would get it. And I like making Kaiba evil. If I do a sequel, I plan to use him as the main guy character / hero.

Scottishwolf: True to the Yu-Gi-Oh plot? Wow, that's one of the best reviews I've gotten...I'm almost flattered!

On with the fic!

Past / Present: The Palace Chambers

Present:

The helicopter landed in the parking lot of the hospital. Jackets (or in Seto's case, coat) flew in the air as the helicopter blades, still spinning in a blur, kicked up a windstorm and blew fallen leaves around.

'Come back in an hour or so,' Seto said to the pilot through an in-built microphone in the collar of his coat. 'I may need and excuse to get out of here.'

The pilot gave Seto the thumbs up, and then lifted the helicopter off the ground and back into the air. As soon as it had left the ground, Seto and Yugi made their way into the foyer of the hospital. Behind the desk was a pretty female receptionist sucking on a pen. She yanked it out of her mouth and smiled up at Seto, only seeing the spiky points of Yugi's hair from behind her desk. 'What can I do for you?'

'We need to check up on someone who was just administered into this hospital,' Seto said flatly. 'Can you help us?'

The woman wheeled her chair over to a computer on the other side of her desk; Seto and Yugi followed her around. The woman began to type away very quickly on the computer.

'Alright,' she said. 'I need the person's name and –' she gave Seto a look out the corner of her eye. ' – I need some of your personal information. You see, I'm only supposed to be letting family in right now.'

Yugi could see why the receptionist was being so nice: she was not a fool enough to turn down the CEO of Kaiba Corp.

Seto turned to Yugi. 'Alright, what's this girl's name?'

'Tory.' Yugi said.

'I know that, you dolt. I mean what's her surname.'

Yugi went rather pink. He didn't actually know Tory's last name. He hadn't really been listening when Tory was introduced to the class. It started with a 'B', Yugi knew that much.

'Uh...' Yugi muttered. 'I'm not sure.' He stood on his toes, so that the tops of his eyes just cleared the top of the desk. 'It starts with B, if that helps.'

The woman slimed. 'Certainly...' There was a pause as the computer searched. 'Here we go: Tory Bryson. I'll just write down where she's staying for you.'

Yugi sighed. 'Thanks.'

The receptionist handed him over a piece of paper. 'If you need some help, just ask one of our staff.'

Yugi hurried off in the direction of the elevators, whilst Seto followed, almost annoyingly, at a slow walk. As soon as he stepped in the elevator, Yugi pressed a button down hard and the doors slid shut. Seto jumped forward a few feet.

'You didn't have to come, you know,' Yugi said lowly to Seto. 'It's not like Tory knows you or anything.'

Seto leant against the wall of the elevator. Yugi shoved his hands in his pockets, and frowned; pulling out a small bag, he tipped its contents into the palm of his hand. In his hand was a shining crystal attached to a brass plate. On the back of the plates were a few Egyptian hieroglyphs. Tory's Egyptian necklace. Yugi gripped it tightly in his hand until the brass dug into his skin.

Ping! The elevator reached floor six, where Tory was supposed to be staying. Yugi and Seto stepped out into the brilliantly white ward, looking up and down the corridor for a place to go.

'Now what?' Seto asked Yugi impatiently. Yugi went off in one direction, not even asking for Seto to follow – to be honest, he was quite sick of him already.

Finally, Yugi and Seto came to the room where Tory was. The door had a large sign stuck to it, which read, Silence Please. Yugi took the handle and quietly stepped into the room.

The room was grey; the blinds had been drawn shut. The quiet beeping of the computer that read Tory's heartbeat was the only noise in the room. Tory breathed soundlessly through an oxygen mask, and had a drip in her arm – why, Yugi didn't know.

Seto sat down noisily on the other side of the room. From there, he could see some sort of burn that had stretched from somewhere on Tory's chest up onto her cheek. From what Yugi had told him, it probably had come from the attack of the Essence Rod.

Yugi stepped up next to Tory's bed, switching forms with Yami as he did so. Tory did not stir as Yami drew up beside her and slid her card, the Griffin of Horus, under one of her palms. 'I told you I'd give it back.'

Yami then leant forward and put his arms around Tory's neck – to Seto, it looked like he was going to hug her – and placed the Egyptian necklace around her neck. As soon as he pulled away, he noticed that it was glowing bright; acting on its own behalf, ready to warp himself and Seto back into Tory's memories.

The room was consumed in darkness, and another memory began before the eyes of Yami and Seto.

- -

Past:

The chamber was clad in the still darkness of the night, only a few torches blazing away angrily on oiled sticks of wood; their light bounced off the hieroglyphs marking the walls.

'This chamber is marked with the writing of my father, and my father's father, and his father.' Atemu was explaining, arm linked around Akunriou's. 'Until the beginning of the reign of the first Pharaoh.' He stopped, unlinked his arms from Akunriou's, and stepped up onto a small platform built into the wall. Above his head was written a series of words, almost like a verse...and as Akunriou read them, she slowly began to understand what was going on.

'My Pharaoh?' Akunriou asked politely. 'What is the Winged Dragon of Ra? And the Griffin of Horus?'

'They, Akunriou, are creatures,' Atemu said, turning around to face the golden-haired girl. 'Creatures that fight for us. Yet, one of them was so powerful, I had to seal it away...'

Atemu pressed his hand against the stone wall; it sank away beneath his fingertips, and a small slot opened up in the wall just next to his hand. Inside was a small, flat piece of stone, like a tablet, with a peculiar creature carved into it – something that looked half eagle, half lion. Carefully, so as not to drop it, Atemu took the tablet from the wall.

'This is the Griffin of Horus – spoken of in the verse.' Atemu handed Akunriou the tablet, and she clasped it firmly in her hand. As she stared down at it, the carved outline of the griffin glowed a pale golden colour.

'How...it is mere stone!'

Atemu said quietly, 'His spirit is trapped, and cannot break free until the stone is broken.'

'I believe,' Atemu went on. 'That you must summon this beast in order to defeat your brother, Akunriou.'

Akunriou ran a soft palm over the stone, and then looked up at Atemu. 'That is it? However do I summon this creature?'

Atemu took back the Griffin of Horus and placed it back in the wall. 'I will teach you tomorrow. I will teach you of magic.'

Akunriou frowned deeply. Magic? It was supposed to be a thing that only a chosen few could control. Did the Pharaoh really think she had the potential to be a mage?

As if he had read her thoughts, Atemu said, 'The Gods have chosen you to save us, Akunriou.' He smiled warmly at her. 'And I would not have it any other way.'

Akunriou smiled back at him, and bowed. 'I shall not let you down, my Pharaoh.'

Atemu held his hand on the wall, and watched as the tablet that contained the Griffin of Horus was hidden back behind the stone wall.

A cold breeze blew through the chamber. Akunriou felt something on the wind...something that she couldn't describe. She felt the Pharaoh take her hand from behind, but took no notice of it. When she felt that she could no longer sense the same 'something' any longer, she turned back to Atemu. 'Good night. I am sorry that your guests are mortally afraid of coming back here, now.'

Atemu laughed. 'Do not be so negative, Akunriou.'

Taking off at a swift walk, Akunriou left the chambers and took a flight of stairs up a level, and proceeded to her room. Several minutes later, Atemu left, the torches in the chambers going out as he passed them.

In the darkness, he did not see the High Priest Seto watching him.

'I must show you...but, promise me, you will keep it a secret. It is for the royal's eyes only, and if anyone ever found out...' Atemu's words were not useless. The scriptures were for the eyes of the priests and royals, and now that Akunriou knew – and the High Priest knew that she had knowledge of the scriptures – she would never be able to speak of it again, or else she would face death.

Or maybe she didn't need to speak of it.

- -

Past:

The night wore on, and as the guests of the Pharaoh's left and the Pharaoh himself went to bed, the High Priest called a meeting amongst the other priests; the priests Akunadin, Shada (o), Karim (o), Mahado (o) and Isis. The five priests sat in a private chamber, located on the other side of the palace, as they listened in silence to what Seto had to say. And when he was finished, there was more silence as the priests thought about what their Pharaoh was doing.

'She is no one,' the old man Akunadin, said. 'She is a weak child with some talent, but certainly not that of which can destroy the dark forces.'

'I agree,' Mahado replied. 'There was no sign of her in any other prophecy, nor did the Gods or the stars say that Akunriou was coming to us.'

Isis rolled her hands into a ball and looked at her feet. 'I have seen her alone, and she is a frightened girl. But if we give her a chance –'

'No, Isis!' Akunadin said forcefully. 'You know that the scriptures are supposed to be secret '

'Commoner? She is no commoner!' Isis retorted, standing up. 'Have you not seen her? Akunriou may be the only one who can help us, and if she is not...then she will die and I will accept that I am wrong.'

There was more silence. Finally, Karim spoke. 'So...' he sighed. 'Whatever do we do?'

'The Pharaoh wants to test Akunriou to see if she can take on the dark forces,' Seto explained again. 'I say we let him.'

Isis frowned at Seto, the pain almost showing in her eyes. 'And then...?'

Seto closed his eyes thoughtfully. 'And then we take over.'

-End chapter 14-

MidnightBallad: Woah! Sorry for the slow update – I have had yet another writer's block. Anyway, I hope this update makes you happy (sorry, ended with a 'mini cliffy'). Please review and tell me what you think of the story, like if it's too confusing or something.

Next update soon, I promise!

(o) - These names I wasn't too sure about, but I used them anyway. I also found out that all the priests in this story were High Priests, yet I made Seto the only High Priest – sorry, I wanted to use this to make Seto seem a little more important.