Hopefully you guys will be happier with this chapter. Its much longer and took quite a lot out of me to write, though the first half is very boring (despite the fact that I tried my hardest to make it relatively worthwhile to read). ^_^;; Not much romance, I'm afraid, but we get to see Yami's body and stuff. U know, plot building; boring but necessary. ^_^;; At least for my stories... Ugh, I am officially out of descriptive juice and refuse to describe anything. Besides, the present day world isn't nearly as romantic or interesting as ancient Egypt. -_-;;
ANYWAY, wow I never realized people LIKED my long chapters. O_o Thanks guys! Yup, we all luv Mokie to bits, don't we? *squeal* *glomps the poor guy* None of the people in the last chapter were OCC? Okay, cool. I prefer Mokuba more like the ickle little brother cuz being mature is Seto's job. (doesn't to a good job sometimes, eh? O_o) Oh yeah, I should mention that I've been soaking up Reiron Club and Rapan's art, so thus Yami will be very feminine in descriptions cuz that's how I see him now. O_o Sorry if anyone's bugged by that; me a HUGE fan of cute uke Yami. ^_^ Yup, we should all welcome Ishizu and yes, ickle Seto's always stubborn and will remain that way (hopefully) for the rest of the story. ^_^ Yes, this chapter is more revolving around Yami (actually, the next chapter is too and even more so) and Yugi and gang. Oh, for those of you wondering, Ishizu does know about Yami/Kaiba's past, to some extent. She only has a general idea since she's been reborn and can really only rely on the Necklace (which, as u will see later in the story, is rather fickle and prefers to leave some things private ^_^) on what to do or what happened in the past. Lol, no, the folder isn't THAT important; the story's not going to revolve around it or anything, but at one point its going pop back up and slap Kaiba in the face. ^_^
EMERGENCY REPLIES:
To S.K Hashmi: first of all, I usually don't reply personally cuz I don't want people feeling left out, but I just HAD to reply to you because you have just given me the longest review of my life. O_o Hm... just curious; how did CWM's epilogue change the feel of the story? I was going for hopeful so people weren't just going to think Yami died and... stayed dead. ^_^;; Thanks for liking the rest of the story though. ^_^ Ah, yes, Harry Potter. I was actually thinking that and I've played around with that idea (believe me, I'm getting desperate) but I'm not fully sure of how that might work. I might use it, though, but I think the first dream was already too developed. Or not. I dunno, I'm very confused about the whole thing. ^_^;; I think I'll give up on the rational line of dreams and just make them completely random. Mainly, I think the dream will be in two parts: the first part will be completely fluffy and pointless, since it is mainly Kaiba longing for some kind of companionship; the second will have much more to do with his memories and *might* possibly evolve, but I'm not up to brainstorming yet. ^_^;; Lol okay okay, I swear to make my chapters longer from now on!! And thank you for liking those passages in the last chapter. I felt like the chapter was lagging and getting boring so I tossed in some strange stuff off the top of my head; u can tell I don't normally write humor though. -_-;; Okay, I'll keep tone and mood in mind when I write, though I can't assure you it'll come out great. ^_^ Thank you so much for your feedback!
To Komioji Fin: okay this will sound very dumb but I'm not too familiar with your choice of words in your review. ^_^;; What does 'shiznat' mean? O_o Hm... yeah I thought it was weird too how the poem seemed to rhyme so well in English but oh well, beats me. Yeah, incredible isn't it? I happen to recall it might be from somewhere in the 1600-1300 B.C. time, but I could be totally off. ^_^;; You named your newts Osirius and Isis? How cute!! I'm touched! Glad I could... er... help you name your pets. Lol, yup, Yami will come back in this chapter (the next one is almost completely him too ^_^). Thanks for ur support! I feel luved. ^_^ Much love back, Komioji Fin!
To Yummy Yami: lol I could just email you but I'm too lazy. Anyway, thanks lots for the more links! I'm so happy now. :-p Eh, little problem. I don't know Japanese and certainly don't know how to type it or which characters represent Yami or Kaiba. ;_; Thanks for trying to help anyway! Lol yeah actually you're probably the first person to guess (relatively) why Ishizu hadn't just blurt out the whole thing. Do you think Seto would listen? I think Ishizu's just gunna save her time and effort and let him be his stubborn self and find out the hard way. :-p Mokie and Seto are so cute together. *glomp* I think I have another chapter (number 10 or something) that's going to be dedicated to their relationship, but I'm not giving anything away. ^_^ Shorter chapters are good in a way cuz yes, I get to update more and I don't have to completely waste my reserves trying to write something so bloody long. *pant pant* I think generally DC's chapters are going to be shorter then CWM's, but that means its already up to 13 chapters (and counting O_o), not including a possible epilogue. LOL yes, here I am, mentioning you again. You don't have to be so flattered; I don't ignore my reviewers, you know. ^_^
~~~~~~~~~~
/.../ = mindlink connection (between aibou's and yami's)
'...' = personal thoughts
... = translated ancient Egyptian
//...// = thought speak (for gods only, assumed to be ancient Egyptian though understandable to all)
"..." = spoken dialogue (if in English, assumed to be Japanese)
lots of italics = dreams/flashbacks/visions
bold = song lyrics
[ ] = footnotes
AN = author's note
~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*~*~*~*~The Second Boy King~*~*~*~*~*~
Ever so slowly, sleep lifted from his mind and the first thing Yugi was able to make out was the happy chirping of birds outside his window. Fighting a yawn, he sat up stiffly and rubbed his eyes, wincing when he remembered the rather nasty tumble he took in the middle of the night. Rubbing his sore behind, he kicked off the blankets and limped into an upright position, toes curling in the chill. Blinking, he realized the cards that he had spilled so carelessly across the floor the night before were gone. Panic rose in his throat, and the boy spun around in a searching circle only to find his deck balanced neatly beside where his head at been on his pillow.
Frowning, Yugi turned slowly to the rest of his room, still rubbing his butt. The curtains, usually left wide open, were now closed, not a wrinkle on them. Beyond the cloth he could make out bright sunlight and the shadow of trees, though not much else. His homework, which had been strewn across the ground, now laid precisely upon his desk, his pens and pencils in perfect order. His furniture, which consisted of the table by the window, the bed on the nearest wall, a drawer on the wall beside it, and a huge bookcase against the other, were now miraculously clear of the dust bunnies that slowly accumulated over time. The large posters taped around the room, mainly of Duel Monsters and what not, had been sagging and hanging, but now they were tightly stuck to the wall to the point that tape no longer seemed needed. Here and there the spots of blue paint that Yugi had accidentally spilled were gone, despite the fact that the boy knew no type of cleaner could possibly be powerful enough to erase the color from his carpet. Speaking of the carpet, Yugi was sure that he had never seen it quite that white before.
Scratching his head, Yugi let out a sigh.
Yami must have been brooding more then normal last night. Having the pride and often the ego of the king that he is, Yami usually refused to do chores of any sort, lacking the body to do so in the first place. But often in the middle of the night, when he had nothing to do, the spirit took his mind off more important manners by playing around with his magic, taking on the challenge of cleaning Yugi's stuff.
Needless to say, if Yami got really kinky, Yugi usually couldn't figure out exactly where his all his things went or where other things came from. At one point the boy found a frozen turkey stuck in his underwear drawer. He figured his yami had a very strange sense of humor. Of course, he also figured Bakura was worse; Ryou once burst into tears when he told of how the tomb robber had stuck the pet goldfish out on the roof and let them bake.
Not terribly surprised to find that Yami had retreated back to his soul room, Yugi yawned a massive yawn and stretched painfully, sighing in bliss as his back popped. Slipping his Puzzle around his head, he grabbed some clothes for the day and shuffled out the door.
Down the hall to the bathroom, he was met by Sugoroku, who was dressed in his best and looked much too cheerful for his own good.
"Mornin', Grandpa," yawned Yugi, still rubbing his eyes as he stumbled down the corridor.
"Ah, Yugi, finally!" Sugoroku beamed, stopping the boy easily with two large hands upon his shoulders, "I called so many times I was worried you might have died in your sleep!" He continued on excitedly before Yugi got a chance to retort, "Listen, there's a new exhibit at the museum and I just got a personal invitation to go before it opens."
Yugi's eyes lit up, though the dark bags under them sagged. "Oh, that's great, Grandpa!"
Sugoroku rolled his eyes, messing up Yugi's hair as if to shake the boy awake. "No, little one, I was hoping you could come along with me! The invitation said to bring some family and friends, so if you want you can invite Jou and Honda and--" he continued on for a while, ranting off some of Yugi's friends which weren't even considered close to the boy.
Yugi had never seen the old man so excited. He grinned, hoping he didn't look too tired. "Sure, Grandpa, I'll get the gang. Just lemme get a shower and get something to eat. Then we can go, okay?"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Sugoroku's good mood continued on through most of the morning, bouncing and skipping around to the point of annoyance. Grumbling, Yugi tried to dry his hair and eat at the same time, failing to swallow properly in the process. His yami chuckled at him through their bond, using a little bit of magic to help evaporate the moisture from Yugi's hair. Yugi sent him a dry thanks, making a mental note to eat slower.
Cheerfully humming, his grandfather dumped more pancakes on his plate, ignoring the fact that it was overloading. "Eat up, Yugi. We're going to be at the museum for a while."
"Really?" Yugi sighed, taking a small bite. "Why are you so excited about this, Grandpa? Its not like we haven't been there before."
Sugoroku dumped the pan in the sink and turned, a mysterious twinkle in his eyes. "Lets just say... I have a special relationship with this particular exhibit."
"You mean you're friends with the researchers?"
"Not really, but--" Sugoroku suddenly looked troubled, as if he had said too much. Mumbling, he turned away, managing a light shrug as he began to clean the plates. "Never mind. Anyway, this exhibit is special. Its about a new tomb they just excavated down in the Valley of the Kings," he explained slowly, almost imagining his grandson's eyes lighting up behind his eyes.
Indeed they did, Yugi leaning forward in his seat, unsure he heard right, his eyes sparkling.
/Valley of the Kings.../ Yami whispered, a flash of both pain and joy flooding through him. /The Great Place.../ [1] That was where the kings of Egypt were buried... Where his ancestors must be buried, and where, theoretically, he should be buried...
...if he had been buried at all. Of course, judging by his chaotic rein and no doubt even more chaotic death, Yami doubted his tomb --assuming he had one-- would be anything like the ordinary. Despite the fact he slept in it for thousands of years, he had very little memory of the place, his powers having been limited by the broken state of the Puzzle. Heck, Yami doubted if he had even been in his tomb for all those years, let alone knew where the tomb itself was. For all he knew, Shadi's ancestors could have kept the Puzzle under their bathtub and he would have no recollection of it. He did remember, however, that he 'slept' in a rather dark and dingy place, though at the time the physical world had been a low point of interest to him. Plus, almost immediately after his death, the Puzzle went dead, robbing from him the ability to form conscious thought. No doubt that coma-like state led to the complete wipeout of his memories. The next thing Yami knew, he and Yugi were screaming hysterically at each other from the opposite sides of the same body.
Sugoroku continued, knowing that he had caught the boy's interest. "It hasn't been fully excavated yet, but they have seen enough to believe it far exceeds Tutankhamun's."
/Tutankhamun?!?/ scoffed Yami.
/Tutankhamun?/ Yugi echoed, feeling the spirit's utter outrage at the name. He quelled it as best as he could, though he was much too wound up to do so. "More then Tutankhamun's...?" he breathed, heart racing.
Of all the things he had read about... Of all the things his grandfather and his yami had told him about... Of all the things that he had seen... He never imagined this. A tomb greater then Tutankhamun's! It was unheard of!
Indeed, Yami, always eager for some memory of his homeland, seemed ready to take over and run for the museum once given the chance.
Sugoroku grinned broadly, equally excited, turning briefly to hand his grandson a cup of orange juice before going back to his chores. "Yup, but don't say anything just yet. This exhibit's only a sample; researchers have been trying to open it fully for years but they've met..." his eyes twinkled, "...plenty of obstacles."
Yugi's eyebrows rose, and he felt Yami's interest peak to dangerous levels. /Yami, you know anything about this?/
/...I... um.../ Yami mumbled, in an uncharacteristically meek manner, /I don't think so.../ There was a wave of bitterness that followed his words.
/...Oh./ Yugi cursed himself for poking at such a tender subject. /Well, um, we'll go see then, huh?/ "How long ago was this tomb opened?" he asked slowly, trying to sort through the gibberish of excited questions that swam in his mind.
"Very recently, in fact, though there had been many--" Sugoroku winced, though the expression went unseen, "--failures in the past. There's a rumor that a man went through it a few decades ago, but..." Here a shadow crossed Sugoroku's face, his eyes suddenly distant.
Yugi watched his grandfather's back eagerly, food forgotten.
A long moment of silence.
Sugoroku shook his head, finally shaking himself out of it. "Eat, Yugi," he said finally, voice soft and hollow.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jou could not drive for his life. At least that's what Anzu shrieked when she and Honda appeared from Jou's beat up truck, both extremely pale and a tad on the green side. They all but leapt out of the car just in time to see an angry fellow driver zoom past Jou, giving him a non-too-friendly finger sign. Jou stuck his head out the window and screamed back some rather uncouth words, grumbling as he parked. Anzu and Honda backed away quickly as he did so, as if the truck might just grow a mouth and eat them alive. Jou sent them a sour pout as he climbed out.
The three kids cheered up considerably when they saw Sugoroku and Yugi waiting for them on the highest stairs of the Domino Museum. Beside them, to the newcomers' surprise, was Mokuba Kaiba.
"Hey, guys," greeted Anzu cheerfully, nodding respectively at Sugoroku. "Mr. Motou."
"I take it you survived the car ride here," teased Sugoroku with a smile.
"You rode in Jou's car?" echoed Mokuba, eyes wide. "Big brother said that was suicide!"
"It is suicide," piped in Honda, brushing himself off and trying desperately to bring some color back to his cheeks, "But you know, after the whole virtual realm thing, we're used to it."
"Money-bags knows nothing of my driving skills," growled Jou as he came up, proudly jingling his car keys.
Mokuba raised an eyebrow, suddenly defensive. "He saw your car flip and nearly run him over!"
"Yeah, well stupid virtual trucks don't drive too well. Besides, what are you doing here? I thought Kaiba kept you chained to a pole after Noah and all."
Mokuba laughed and shrugged. "He got sick of me whining and kicked me out."
Everyone stared.
Yugi frowned worriedly, the expression infecting the others quickly.
"He kicked you out? Old money-bags kicked you out?! What kind of a brother is he?!" raged Jou, steaming at the ears.
Mokuba looked down at his sneakers, almost ashamed. "He's had a bad headache for the last few days and didn't want to be disturbed," he whispered quietly, with a forced shrug. "Besides, he didn't want to come anyway."
Everyone frowned at each other, but the moment was broken when a soft voice interrupted them.
"Good morning."
The kids and Sugoroku turned to see Ishizu standing at the door, smiling serenely at them.
Jou gaped. "Wait... but didn't you leave for Egypt?"
"I did."
Silence.
Yugi stepped up awkwardly, shaking her hand, eyes wide. "Well then, its... er... good to have you back then, Ishizu." Regaining control of his face, he grinned broadly.
He had been in a heap of trouble without Ishizu, though he hadn't really told anyone. Despite his natural curiosity and longing, Yami couldn't stand to research on Egypt, pictures of the crumbling ancient world often sending him into long lapses of mourning. The spirit often depended on Ishizu's stories, taking superficial comfort in believing that they were real, that perhaps she could really see into the world that was once his but is now long gone. However, once Ishizu and Malik left for their long-awaited return to Egypt after Battle City, Yami fell into something like a depression and hasn't pulled out of it ever since.
But now that Ishizu was, quite obviously, back, Yugi prayed that Yami would just get over his dreary spell. Somehow though, he doubted even Ishizu's return could help his poor suffering yami. Something had been bothering the spirit dreadfully as of late, and Yugi feared that it came from Yami's sudden habit to brood, not terribly surprising given that they had a lack of anything to do.
Invisible to everyone else, Yami appeared in a shimmer of wispy magic beside Yugi, dressed in the identical black leather outfit that so proudly donned his hikari. He watched Ishizu intensely with his sharp eyes, clearly curious but relieved by her reappearance.
Ishizu could not see him exactly like Yugi could, but with a Millennium Item, she sensed his presence and immediately sank into a small bow, head lowered. "My king..."
/It is good to see you again, Ishizu.../ murmured Yami quietly, unmoving lips twisting upward in a tired but genuine smile. Though the woman could not reply like Yugi, he took comfort in her small nod of a response.
Jou, unwittingly, stepped right through Yami to greet Ishizu happily, followed by Anzu, Honda and a curious Sugoroku who had only heard of this amazing woman-friend of his grandson. The two immediately struck out a conversation about Egypt and what not, and in moments were chatting like old friends.
Yugi spent the next few minutes alone, trying to sooth his yami's annoyance in getting simply 'stepped through'. Unfortunately, his efforts were rudely interrupted by the screeching approach of a badly driven taxi.
They all turned to find Ryou scrambling out of the car, pulling on a jacket while he paid the driver. "Am I late?" he panted as he rushed up to them, British accent clear but soft.
"Just in time, actually," announced Ishizu warmly, her eyes drifting to the air beside Ryou, sensing Bakura's presence. She narrowed her eyes but turned away, stepping inside. "Follow me please, everyone."
~*~*~*~*~*~
/Yami... are you seeing what I'm seeing...?/ Yugi wasn't terribly surprised to hear no answer, watching Yami's ghostly form wandering about with his head in the clouds and his eyes wide with fascination.
Yugi himself was in a similar state.
This tomb... Kami-sama, how could Tutankhamun's compare...?
When Ishizu had turned on the lights to the museum's unfinished new exhibit, there wasn't a soul in the room who hadn't stopped breathing. Littering the ground in marked spots or already under their air-tight glass chambers were, literally, pieces of ancient Egypt. There was an astonishing amount of jewelry strewn haphazardly across the floor, each and every one made of such tiny beads and perfectly molded pendants that made you wonder if the ancients were really as backwards as they were supposed to be. Here and there were chairs and couches of pure gold made in the shape of cats and lions, their paws perfectly carved down to every last claw, their heads high and proud. Beautiful stone statues of kings, animals and gods --some remarkably intact-- were planted all over the places, some of them as small and tiny as dolls, others amazingly life-like and towering even over Honda. At the far end of the winding exhibit was an impressive collection of busts and mannequins, each propped up on half-pillars and clearly bearing Egyptian attire.
It was here that, eventually, Yugi ran back into Yami.
The spirit stood under one of the central mannequins, looking up at it with severe curiosity, his unwavering look so intense that Yugi was surprised the mannequin hadn't already burst into flames. Yugi followed his yami's gaze, taking in the dummy's strangely small size and the white tunic that tightly clothed it. A long purple cape was draped across its chest and back, hiding a gold collar plate and two wings that wrapped around the shoulders. A gold belt enfolded the mannequin's slender waist, matching the leg and arm bands that wrapped around the model's limbs. An exquisite pair of large earrings the shape of ankhs hung from the dummy's ears, flashing brilliantly in the light at every disturbance.
/That could probably fit you./ Yugi teased gently.
To his surprise, Yami narrowed his eyes, gaze never breaking. /...Perhaps.../ he murmured absent-mindedly, obviously deep in thought.
Yugi felt a violent shudder run up his spine.
"This is a model of the owner of this tomb. I designed it myself," came Ishizu's voice, so close and so sudden that she made them both jump. The woman stood just behind them, making it obvious that she was avoiding the so-called 'empty' space beside Yugi. "Supposedly this was the king's most common attire... At least, that is what I believe." There was a strange twinkle in her eyes.
Yami remained strangely silent, his gaze returning once more to the mannequin, a flash of sadness and longing in his brilliant eyes.
He didn't catch the ghost of a secretive smile on Ishizu's face.
She raised her hand to pat the dummy's foot fondly, drawing attention to the delicate gold sandals that adored the mannequin's slender feet. "This model is made of plaster, as you can see. It was made based off the mummy itself."
"Mummy?" Jou peeked his head into the group, his hair unknowingly passing right through Yami's stomach. "Wow, you got the actual mummy here?"
Yugi felt an uncomfortable twinge from his yami and sent him a wave of sympathy, though not just to calm him from Jou's rather rude... er... intrusion of the spirit's form. As it turned out, Yami was absolutely outraged when he first learned that most recovered Egyptian mummies had been removed from their tombs for further research or, even worse, for burning. Disturbance of the dead --especially the royal ones-- was against everything the Egyptians believed in, and Yami had been quite touchy about this subject. Needless to say, Yugi let him be and never mentioned it again.
Now it seems the issue was unavoidable.
Ishizu must have sensed this because she blushed lightly, slim shoulders slumping in shame. "It was not my orders to remove the mummy, though it was necessary to transport it for research purposes. I wish that once all investigation is done, I might led an expedition to return the body back to its rightful resting place."
/Research purposes...!/ snorted Yami bitterly. In a flash of disgust, he disappeared back in his soul room, leaving a stunned hikari and blinking Ishizu behind him.
/Yami--/ started Yugi, but was met by abnormally tight mental barriers. The boy backed away instantly, feeling hurt. He knew Yami had been extremely moody recently, but never had the spirit blocked him out.
Ishizu seemed embarrassed, shifting uneasily. "Would you like to see the mummy?" she asked after a moment, as if in an attempt to make Yugi feel better.
Anzu, Mokuba and Honda, now drawn by the commotion, rushed over from where they had been debating the worth of a particularly valuable-looking jar. Mokuba had been winning of course, humiliating the other two with his superior knowledge of money and trade that he had inherited from his brother. Ryou had been standing to the side, listening intently though wincing every so often when his yami mentally screamed out disagreements. Needless to say, the Spirit of the Ring had been very very happy up until then, and despite both Ryou and Yami's displeasure, had been openly mumbling his plans of how to overtake this place and sell all the treasure on the black market, something that Bakura was pleased to find hadn't changed much since ancient times.
"Would we? Yeah!" Mokuba exclaimed, looking at Ishizu and the mannequin excitedly, "Wait until I tell big brother! HA, he'll FREAK when I tell him I saw a dead guy!"
Yugi was very glad Yami didn't hear that.
Nodding, Ishizu silently motioned for them to follow her. "I will be honored to show you."
Yugi bit his lip, unsure of what his yami's reaction would be if the spirit ever found out that an Egyptian mummy was on open display right here in this very building. Hesitantly, the hikari prodded gently at Yami's presence, but still met amazingly high barriers. Sighing and deciding that his yami would just have to suck it up, Yugi rushed after his friends before skidding to a stop, turning. "Grandpa? You coming?"
He found Sugoroku back by the mannequin, mumbling to himself and staring up at it with a frantic, strange look in his eyes.
Frowning, Yugi edged closer, catching the word 'impossible!' over and over again. "Er... Grandpa?"
Sugoroku didn't hear him. "No... This can't be..." He reached up with a shaking hand, eyes wide and teary.
~~~FLASHBACK~~~
"Give me your hand, Shimon..."
Sugoroku looked at him dazedly, his vision wavering and his fingers going numb with strain. 'W-What...?' Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that he was going into shock. He was losing too much blood...
"Listen to me, Shimon..." Though his lips never once moved, the boy's voice turned urgent, his large eyes worried. "You must give me your hand...!"
'So tired...' Blinking owlishly, Shimon processed the boy's unspoken words slowly in his head and deemed them worthy of attention, though it was so bloody hard to focus. Slowly, painfully, his wounded arm rose. It was torture every inch of the way, and Sugoroku bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming in agony. But slowly and surely his trembling hand rose, torn muscles working in overload to try and pull it ever higher.
"That's it, Shimon..." The boy's hands lowered, encouragingly, a smile upon his pale lips.
A pained whimper escaped Sugoroku's lips despite his efforts, the bullet in his shoulder happily protesting his every movement.
"Almost there, Shimon...Come on...!"
It happened so fast the poor man barely realized it before an airy, evanescent hand snagged his own, pulling him upward with the strength and swiftness of ten men. A tingling sensation like nothing he had ever felt before spread like wildfire throughout his body, and for a moment Sugoroku felt utterly refreshed, pain nothing but a distant memory. In a flash, he found himself laying face first on the bridge, the cold stone against his cheek, the engravings digging into his skin, his breath coming in frantic, hysterical gasps.
For long moments he laid there in a puddle of his own blood, unmoving, drifting in and out of consciousness. He was a pathetic sight, his face pale and covered in sweat, his once glorious suit ripped and ruined. But still the poor man felt the angel's presence beside him, ghostly fingers brushing his face and his body, healing and soothing his pain everywhere they touched.
"Stay with me, Shimon..." the boy whispered, voice tight, "Stay with me... I need you to live."
~~~END FLASHBACK~~~
'It can't be...!' Sugoroku felt his blood run cold.
Even after all this time, he hadn't forgotten one single detail of the benevolent spirit that had saved him all those years ago. He hadn't forgotten how ageless the boy's eyes were, or how deep and wise they seemed as they smiled down upon him. Not had he forgotten the slender hands that had pulled him up from sure death, nor the strange warmth from the spirit's fingers that had given him enough strength to stand and grab the Puzzle. He hadn't forgotten the soft voice that had directed him to an exit, nor the invisible arms that had helped him to walk when he was overwhelmed by pain.
The boy saved him that day.
Faithfully, the spirit had followed and assisted Sugoroku for the many hours it took for him to stumble back outside. Even when the wounded man fell to the ground in a dead faint, the ageless spirit had stayed by his side, watching him from the protective shadows of the tomb, somehow keeping him warm throughout the freezing night. That dawn, Sugoroku's camel had wandered from camp and found him laying against the tomb's doorway, slumped over himself and a strange box tucked under his torn arm. The beast nudged him curiously, sniffing his hair before nipping him awake. Weak, thirsty and dazed, Sugoroku could only whimper a response.
Somehow, though he had no recollection of it, he managed to climb on the camel's back, Puzzle in tow. The beast cheerfully found its own way back to a nearby village, loping into town where startled tourists and Egyptologists rushed to find a doctor for the wounded stranger on its back. The bullet was removed in an emergency surgery, and distant relatives were quickly contacted in Japan.
And yet, when he groggily awoke in the hospital many days later, Sugoroku could only think of one thing.
He never got to say goodbye.
Strangely enough, he never again mentioned one single word about his little 'adventure' in Egypt back when he was wild and free. Perhaps it was better kept a secret, he had decided the moment he healed from the Theban City hospital and was released for Japan, his hard-won ancient box tucked safety under his arm. Sugoroku never told Yugi the truth of the scar on his shoulder either; the mere memory made it sting. And even when he found out that a powerful Egyptian spirit lived in his grandson's Puzzle, the man refused to reveal anything to anyone. That day was gone and dead, as far as he was concerned. That fateful night was the night that he abandoned gambling and turned to Egyptology, and when he was too old for that he started the Game Shop back in good ol' Domino City, hoping to rest peacefully in the last years of his life. Never again did he visit the accursed tomb, and never again did he dare to utter its name.
But now it seems the past was coming back to haunt him. [2]
By some strange twist of fate, here he was, standing in the in the Domino Museum many years after his visit to Egypt, before what was undoubtedly a mirror image of his ghostly savior. Indeed, there was now no doubt in Sugoroku's mind that this exhibit was that of the most fabled tomb in all Egyptian history. KV 88 had finally been opened. He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset.
Suddenly, a small hand on his elbow made him jump.
"Grandpa?" Yugi looked worried sick, violet eyes big and wide. "Are you okay?"
Sugoroku shot him an almost frantic look before he quickly calmed, trying desperately to still his racing heart. "Why y-Yes... Yes, I'm fine." He took one last, long look at the mannequin, eyes distant, then turned back to his grandson with a distinctly fake grin. "Oh, um, let's go see that mummy, shall we?"
Yugi frowned as Sugoroku took him by the elbow and half dragged him away, in a hurry to either get away from the mannequin or to see the mummy. The boy's frown deepened as they rejoined the group. 'Geez, everyone's been acting so weird lately...'
Ishizu led them deep into the exhibit and through an unlocked door labeled 'Staff Only', slipping past it without hesitance. They filed into a long, rather bland white hallway dotted with equally bland doors, not too different from the corridors of a hospital. The air here was drafty and dry, almost unbearably cold, their breaths all but freezing in front of them. Ishizu explained that it had to be this way for a reason, for mummies decompose quickly when exposed to open air; Anzu made a face. A few men and women of all different age and races fluttered about, some in white lab coats with clipboards, others delicately cradling some Egyptian artifact with gloved hands. Disappearing and reappearing effortlessly through numerous doorways, they carried that distinct, edgy excitement of scientists who had made a grand discovery, some even grinning to themselves as they hurried to their duties. Though few of the workers looked up at the group's entrance, some nodded respectively at Ishizu.
Not sooner did they take two steps did Yugi and Ishizu feel a twinge in the back of their minds, signaling that Bakura must be out and about... most likely doing something very strange. Indeed, not seconds later, a scientist suddenly slipped for no apparent reason, his clipboard flying and covering them in a shower of paper. With an audible curse, Ryou rushed forward to help the stunned man, gushing apologies.
Yami, who had apparently been aware enough to sense this, sent a rather rude remark toward Bakura that he wanted Yugi to pass on. Yugi wisely kept his mouth silent, not wanting to be subject to Bakura's irritation. One of his hands drifted protectively up to his Puzzle while the other covered to his wallet pocket, knowing that, given the chance, the tomb robber would be up to his old tricks. Not that Bakura could do anything with Yami around, but unfortunately, the Pharaoh had once again locked himself from the outside world. Which meant that the less-then-sane Spirit of the Ring was free to do whatever he wanted; never a good thing.
'Poor Ryou,' Yugi thought with a wince, hearing Ryou stammer some more apologies as he sent the dazed and confused scientist on his way.
Indeed, with Ryou scolding 'empty air' and stopping only to help more suddenly 'clumsy' historians, the group continued on, peeking into doorways with open admiration. Each room was distinctly different from any other; some were normal, warm-looking offices that led right back to the public part of the museum, while others looked like they had been taken straight from MIB's headquarters, filled with huge machines, blinking buttons and data flying across futuristic screens.
"I never knew Egyptology was so technical," whispered Jou to Yugi and Sugoroku.
"It usually isn't," explained Sugoroku with a slight frown, "but then again, I'm a little behind the times."
"Hmph."
They walked straight for a while longer, turning occasionally and going up or down stairways. The size of this portion of the museum was impressive; never in his experienced years had Sugoroku even dreamed that the museum was indeed this big. But then again, he had been retired before it was even built.
Finally, Ishizu stopped at a large silver door, one of the largest around. "In here," she explained, punching a code into the doorway, "are where we do our research on the mummies."
"Mummies. Plural? You mean there's more then just the king in there?" asked Mokuba with wide eyes. More dead people! Gee, Seto was never going to let him go to anywhere after this.
Ishizu smirked. "Indeed, while this particular exhibit is based off of one Pharaoh's tomb, we had more then enough time and resources to search around the Valley itself. And we made a few surprising..." she hesitated, as if searching for the correct word, "...discoveries."
The door opened, revealing a large, dimly-lit chamber filled with machines, computers and communication devices of all kinds. The air was surprisingly warm here, filled with the happy beeping and ringing of machines. The instruments were manned, however, by just three elderly men, one of which was soundly asleep on a table in the corner, head on sheets of data and hand still on the cup of his now-cold coffee. By the far wall --which was made entirely of transparent blue glass-- were the other men; a stout, grandpa-like guy with a dingy lab coat typed away madly at a large computer in the corner; his companion stood staring into the glass barrier, a tall, broad-shouldered man dressed in dark slacks and a dress shirt that had apparently lost its tie and two buttons.
Beyond this man and through the glass was another room altogether, brilliant white in color and filled with what seemed like dry ice mist. Inside the air churned to an invisible wind, the mist flapping and dying as quickly as it poured out from vents in the ground. Many machines lined walls, some the kids had only seen on TV; CAT scanners, MRI machines, X-ray equipments and something that looked suspiciously like a surgery table, complete with trays upon trays of tools that varied from huge chisels to tiny dental picks. Four men walked about in the mist of these horrendous machines, all dressed in surgeon-like blue robes, a stretch cap over their hair, goggles on their eyes and a mouth-nose protector over their face. Two of them were currently unloading what looked suspiciously like a body from one of the MRI's, gently easing the small corpse from the opening in the large machine. The two other men carried clipboards and were scribbling away on them, one watching his companions' progress, the other hovering near a row of square-shaped lockers, no doubt holding more mummies.
Taking in this all in a flash, Ryou went rigid, very quickly and very fast.
Something had startled Bakura. Something that had absolutely nothing to do with the various machines that the tomb robber no doubt would want to sabotage later. Bakura's sudden wave of shock and uncharacteristic fear nearly overwhelmed Ryou, who himself was shocked to find his fearless yami in such a state. /B-Bakura...?/ He flinched, expecting to fly against the wall to an invisible attacker.
But nothing of that sort happened.
Instead, Bakura seemed frozen in time and space, somewhere in the vicinity of Ryou's right shoulder. /Ra.../ he whispered finally, his raspy tone rather tight, /...I think I'm in there, Ryou./
Ryou shuddered, in fright and confusion. /What... What do you mean?/
/My body's in there, you nitwit./
~*~*~*~*~*~
It took a few moments for the group to gather in the room, shuddering off the cold and looking around in awe. Sugoroku struck it up with computer technician immediately, and had been fascinated by the man's explanation of what they were doing and what not. Jou and Honda went to the other computers, studying them mischievously and occasionally poking a random button or so. Mokuba was pressed against the observation wall in fascination, eyes huge, his warm breath leaving nose and hand marks on the cold glass. Yugi, on the other hand, was making sure to block any mental openings that his yami had left exposed; he didn't want the spirit to see those guys dragging around the Egyptian dead.
"This is Professor Wilson," said Ishizu finally, when she finally coaxed the tallest man to turn around. "He is our leading Egyptologist for this excavation." There was a rather dry tone in her words, but it was barely noticed.
Wilson was a rather frightening looking man with a stone-hard face, his dark eyes intense and his gaze fierce. He resembled an eagle of some sort with his huge, strong nose, complete with a mop of graying blond hair and a thin beard. He eyed the kids down one by one, piercing them through with his disdainful glare. "And these are your friends, are they, Aisha?" His voice was deep and raspy, dripping with discontent.
"--Ishizu, sir," corrected Ishizu promptly, and not skipping a beat, continued on, "and yes, they are my friends. I wished to show them our work."
Wilson snorted, clearly thinking the statement ridiculous. "Fine, but hurry while you're at it. We can't afford any delays."
The gang exchanged brief looks. Clearly Ishizu was unfavored by this man.
Impressively, Ishizu showed no emotion, though one of her eyes twitched. She directed them all over to the machine where Sugoroku awaited them, introducing the stout Japanese man at the computer as 'Mr. Takashi'.
Takashi seemed nice enough, his cheeks flushed and eyes bright. He kinda looked like a teddy bear; at least in Mokuba's point of view. "Well, well, well, you folks are Ishizu's friends, huh? You're in for a treat!" he patted the computer fondly. "We've only done this a few times, and only with Egyptian mummies."
"And what, pray tell, are you doing?" demanded Jou curiously.
Mr. Takashi's eyes lit up and he quickly explained that Egyptologists were now using advanced computer arts to study mummies. [3] He went on and, explaining X-rays to crime investigation to Tutankhamun with vigor and enthusiasm that made up for his companion's rather stolid bearings.
Meanwhile, Yugi felt a tug on his jacket and turned to find Ryou cowering beside him, the boy's amber eyes wide, his pale skin now ashen white. "Ryou... Geez, what is it? What's wrong?"
Ryou hesitated for a long moment, then lowered his voice and pulled Yugi away. "Bakura... H-He told me he senses his body here."
Yugi blinked once. Then again. Well, that was certainly unexpected. A shiver of both excitement and shock ran through him. "Here? Are you sure...?"
This could mean...
Ryou seemed frantic, eyes darting about, "I don't know," he mumbled, "but if Bakura's body is here, there might... there might...um..." He struggled to say it, afraid of being overheard. "Look," he whispered finally, as if there was no other word to describe it. He pointed to the glass wall.
Yugi huddled near him, following the pointed direction with his eyes.
The men inside the frozen chamber were still hard at work, having pulled the mummy out of the machine with great care and tenderness. Amazingly enough, one man held the body --jewelry and all-- quite effortlessly in his arms as his co-worker reset the machine. The mummy itself was small and delicate in size, half unwrapped though jewelry and pendants were clearly visible under the faded linen.
"Oh my god..." whispered Yugi when the mummy came into view, pressing his forehead against the cold glass. "Ryou, look! On his head..."
Left on the mummy's head was a single gold item, a tiara of some sort, shaped like a strange eye with brilliant wings extending to either side of the king's head.
Yugi and Ryou looked at each other with wide eyes, then, as one, down to their respective Items. There was no mistaking it; the Millennium Eye of Ra...!
"Yugi! Ryou!"
The two hikaris nearly jumped out of their skins.
Sugoroku frowned at them. "Come over here and look at this. Its fascinating!"
Sharing a meaningful, worried glance, the two boys scrambled back into the group, leaving the men inside to handle a body that now had far more importance then they would ever know.
Not missing a beat, Takashi continued on excitedly. "Here, look," he insisted, typing away and clicking on a few files. An image popped up of a rotating, 3-D figure, roughly made out to be a mummy with its legs extended and its arms crossed over its chest. There was a general outline around its form to give the image of flesh and blood, while a skeleton was clearly visible within. "This is the Pharaoh of the tomb," Takashi traced the outline with his finger. "It took us a while to build this model, but with the help of X-rays and the other scans you can see almost everything about his physical form; he was a young male, about five foot four, weighing perhaps 100-120 pounds when alive. DNA samples showed that he was quite healthy, anywhere from 15-18 years of age at the time of death. The black dots and the streaks you see around him are just jewelry and pendants in the linen wrappings that we have not yet been able to remove. And then there--"
"See here?" interrupted Wilson suddenly, deep voice more of a growl. He leaned over poor Mokuba to point at the screen, typing with his other hand to zoom in. The image zoomed down to a portion of the mummy's torso, right under his arms.
Anzu gasped.
Clearly visible, even on this rough digital scale, was a gaping hole straight through the corpse's abdomen.
Jou and Honda backed away instantly, looking slightly green. Mokuba's eyes widened in both horror and fascination. Ryou winced. Yugi looked away, praying his yami hadn't seen.
Sugoroku took this in rather well, leaning closer toward the computer with a furrowed brow, "What is that, some kind of wound?"
"Yes, but not a battle one," stated Wilson matter-of-factly, typing away as data began to fly beside the image of the mummy. "You see, it was too clean of a cut and well-aimed, straight through the vital organs. There was very little struggle if any at all, and the body had no other wounds, revealing that he did not defend himself."
Heavy silence.
"Holy--" whispered Mokuba, the first to realize. "Was he...?"
"--murdered." finished Wilson for him, grimly.
Immediate silence.
"He. Was. Not."
Many pairs of heads and eyes turned to focus on Ishizu, who had, up until now, remained silent and hidden in the shadows. She stepped forward, chin high, flames in her blue eyes. "The Pharaoh was not murdered."
"Oh, and I suppose you have a better explanation, young lady?" challenged Wilson, crossing his arms, an equally challenging look in his eyes.
Ishizu pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes. "Sacrifice."
Wilson stared at her like she had grown scales. "What? Human *sacrifice*?" He scoffed, eyes wild and furious. "Bullshit! The Egyptians had no history of such a thing, especially none performed upon their own kings!"
"There's a first for everything," whispered Ishizu, deathly calm. Despite Wilson's towering height, she stood tall and proud, slender body tight and taut. Her gaze never wavered, meeting Wilson's evenly. "But he was not *murdered*, do I make that clear? "
Tense silence.
Everyone else shifted uneasily. Jou looked from Ishizu to Wilson and back, nudging Honda nervously. Anzu looked ready for another one of her friendship speeches, though she was too timid to start. Mokuba still stared at the computer screen, too used to this sort of thing to be bothered.
A few edgy moments later, Ishizu was the first to relax, though not to back down. Gently, her voice betraying nothing and her gaze still fixed upon Wilson's, she murmured, "Go on, Takashi. Show them the face."
Takashi, who had been watching this battle of wills with worry, immediately cheered up. He quickly redrew attention to himself, adding on to his former explanation about the advances of modern technology. They could now take CAT and MRI scans to build a computer model of the mummy's skull, then use the science of anatomy to digitally add muscles and skin to make a reconstructed face of the dead. It has worked amazingly well, apparently, and now the scientists were hoping on using it in this major project to pave the road for all of archaeology. "We were hoping to perform this on Tutankhamun or Ramses II first, but this particular tomb was just so facina--"
"Show them the goddamn face, Takashi," Wilson broke in finally, apparently fed up with his employee's gibberish. He turned away from Ishizu, fury all but radiating from him.
Ishizu seemed smug.
Takashi stopped talking immediately, mumbling an apology. He turned, bit his tongue and typed away.
In an instant, the 3-D scan of the mummy's body disappeared, replaced by a bald head rotating slowly around the screen. It was, undoubtedly, the head of a boy, and a quite handsome one at that. His eyes were large and exquisitely shaped, open though devoid of any pupils. His lips were small but shapely, tightly drawn in a neutral expression. His nose was delicate and small, in good angle with his sculpted jaw and his elegant neck. He was beautiful...
"Oh my god..." Yugi felt his heart stop. Literally. His breathing went frantic. /Yami... Yami, are you seeing this?!/
He felt his yami stir, growling irritably as he connected once more with Yugi's body. /What is it, aibou?/
Yugi gulped, unable to tear his gaze away from the computer screen. /Yami... That's you./
~*~*~*~*~*~
[1] - 'The Great Place' was the ancient Egyptian's name for the Valley of the Kings, burial grounds for the Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, including Ramses II and Tutankhamun.
[2] - Er, I suppose Sugoroku's just old and senile here. Its probably fairly easy to figure out that the 'angel' that saved him is the same 'spirit' that came out from the Puzzle, but I suppose Sugoroku doesn't understand magic any more then Kaiba does. Plus the only glimpses ol' Gramps here --or anyone else, for that matter-- caught of 'Yami' was, by my theory, in the shadow realm, meaning that Kaiba, Sugoroku, Mokuba, and Pegasus are the only 'outsiders' that had ever seen the actually SPIRIT of the Puzzle before without him in Yugi's body. To me, Pegasus was the only one that had a good, long look at Yami, so no one else really remembers what he looked like.
[3] - This might be hard to believe, but this computer thing is true. Nowadays they've done lots of scanning with Egyptian mummies and managed to actually 'remake' the faces of those long dead by taking the skulls and digitally adding muscles to it. The newly discovered mummy now suspected to be Queen Nefertiti underwent this, and the mummy's reconstructed face --which seemed amazingly alike to the busts of Nefertiti-- was on the cover of a recent science magazine (I didn't read the article, but she looked mad freaky, in a pretty way O_o). More often then on royalty (I think anyway) Egyptologists also try to scan in the faces of more common Egyptians; they rebuilt the face of a girl who had died for some attack to her legs, as well as the faces of a few men. I read this in lots of ancient Egypt books and found it VERY fascinating. :-p
~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Hm, hope that was more interesting then the second chapter. Arg, sorry this is taking so bloody long to develop the plot. This chapter was probably just as crappy as the last, I know. -_-;; Ugh, the wording was really awkward. I keep trying to alternate between names and 'she' and 'he' and 'the Pharaoh' and stuff, but I don't think it flows. -_-;; My LA teacher would kill me.
NEXT UPDATE: Yami gets his body! Yay! *cheers* And there's a fluffy moment in Kaiba's dream and another one when they finally meet! And after that, things heat up for our favorite bishonens and the fun can begin! :-p So don't abandon me here!