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Cry of the Black Magician

Chappie Eight: Of the Past

"Quick! Get him in!"

"He's still throwing up, sir!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that! At this rate, he'll suffocate before we can get him to a room! Hurry!"

Doctors and nurses swarmed around the bustling emergency room as two paramedics quickly rushed Atemu from being examined into a hospital room, where they hurriedly laid him down on the bed. The older of the two wedged a plastic dish under Atemu's chin as the boy continued to vomit violently.

"Get him hooked up to his IV, Igor."

"Yes sir." By the time the younger man was done, Atemu had finally stopped throwing up. He slowly opened his eyes.

"W-Where am I?"

"Domino hospital."

"I fainted, didn't I?"

Igor smirked. "Very perceptive." But he didn't get an answer. Atemu was mumbling to himself, and his doctor startled when he saw that the boy had begun to cry quietly.

"Hey there," he said soothingly. "What's wrong?" He tilted the boy's chin up so their eyes met. Atemu's face was wet from spilled tears.

"I know it hurts now, but don't worry about a thing. We'll have you fixed up in no time at all, don't you worry."

"Please take no offense sir, but I highly doubt that." Terrifying, paralyzing ruby eyes pierced the doctor's, and only then did Igor figure out exactly whom he was talking to.

"You... are Pharaoh Atemu!"

Atemu was shocked. Then he noticed. The doctor had straight black hair, formidable, indigo-colored, beetle-like eyes, a strongly tanned complexion and a ferocious angular face, jawline firmly set. His shoulders were broad and his dark arms visibly muscled. Atemu gasped.

"Karim!"

"Who?" Igor had recognized his pharaoh without realizing it.

"I'm sorry. You do not know yourself as Karim. Allow me to refresh your memory."

There was a blast of green light throughout the room as Igor/Karim was knocked to the floor. He looked dazed for a second, then got up. Atemu spoke to him again.

"Karim."

"P-Pharaoh!" He immediately knelt by his patient's bedside. "You have come back!"

"Just to die properly, Karim."

"You will live well in the afterlife, my pharaoh. The gods must hold you in very high esteem."

"I can only hope. What time is it, Karim?"

"Eight by the night, my pharaoh."

Atemu waved a silencing hand. "Call me Atemu. And you may rise, by the way." As his ancient high priest stood and dusted himself off, Atemu chuckled. "Gomen. I still find this whole 'pharaoh' persona hard to get used to again, after three thousand years. And really, it's ever so much easier just to be another teenager, Game King or not."

Karim laughed, then smirked. "So, have we a lover, or even a wife, perhaps, to meet in the afterlife?"

Atemu blushed a hue nearly as deep as his eyes, and mumbled something to the bleak covers of his bed.

"Oh, so I take it there is?

"Mazaki Anzu. I doubt she'll love again, in this life anyway, unless it's little Yugi.We secretly were planning to marry once she was through with high school and college, and planned to break the news the last day of high school for everyone else in the gang. I'm a year ahead."

Karim nodded, eyes fixed on the floor. "I must go now, my Pharaoh."

"Would you like to go back to only knowing yourself as Igor?"

"No. It is an honor to serve my King." He left, and Atemu sighed, settling down on his pillow. "My High Priest... Who would've thought?"

"I would," came a sudden decidedly female voice from the direction of the doorway. Atemu jerked around. "Who's there?"

"I apologize. We didn't mean to startle you, my Pharaoh." A young, tan woman stepped through the doorway followed by four men, plus a smiling Karim.

"Isis, Karim, Malik, Shaadi, Rishid, and... Kaiba? How did you -what- Where did you all COME from?"

"The Sennen power can even surprise me," Shaadi replied. "We sensed... the coming of your death, sire, and contacted Karim."

"In the second since he left my room?"

"Yes. And Seto, too. Pharaoh, when you die, the five of us, your loyal priests, will be there to send you to a deserved afterlife."

"Kaiba?"

"I respect you, even though I may not like you, and... I wouldn't wish of your death, but Ghost-man here says that it's 'inevitable destiny' so... have Yugi give me a call when you stop breathing and I'll... I'll be there for you, all right?" He left the room, succeeding in stunning Atemu very much.

"We must go, my King. But know that when you fight the final battle with yourself, to win or lose, we will be there to see the losing part of you off." Isis said. The group of Egyptians turned and left as one, and then Atemu realized- His five loyal priests were Seto, Isis, Karim, Shaad, and... Mahaado. But, how could Mahaado be there in his 'final battle with himself?'

Against myself... battle... What's THAT supposed to mean? My only 'battles' are duels; when it comes time for me to pass into the afterlife I don't think I'll have the strength to fight the blackness... 'against myself'... Well, technically Yugi IS me...

Atemu sat bolt upright. Isis's words had not been just for reassurance, they had been a cryptic warning! "No. I can't duel him. I'll have to give him an honorable duel, but if I win... No! I will not be responsible for his death!"

He fell back onto the bed and cried.

Review Replies!

Electric Fire, if you want him to have tuberculosis, I'm not stoppin' ya! People have been asking that, and ya know what, I give up! People, he can have tuberculosis if you want! Yeah, Josh looked pretty terrified when we cornered him! He looked like... dead!

So SonicYugiShadow, a supersonic hedgehog just... shows up one day? Odd people in this world...

YamiLoverGurlz, yes, my fics are all QUITE sappy, as three quarters of them are sick fics, with either Ryo or Atemu the sick ones... I seem to be picking on poor Atemu a lot at the moment, but after I wrap up this, and then Band War, I've got a fluffy Ryo one! I LOVE RYO! Thanks for the compliment!

Dark Magician's Girl,I'm mean and heartless, I know. I'm gonna cry when I type him dying! I'm gonna be like, "I will NOT cry. I will NOT... WAAA!" ahem

What's "Bubble Boy Syndrome," Jgal? Yeah, it really is becoming a soap opera... sigh Oh well. Nah, the Hawkinses only came so that basically everyone he knew would be at his bedside when he dies. : ) That's a good idea, but actually I thought up his death scene first, months ago, and the plot last, so I'm keeping him dying. Sorry. Good idea though!

Black-Caracal,you people are making me feel so GUILTY! I feel evil and... sadistic. I love Yami too... WAAA!

Ninqe, you flatter me. Even my angst can't go without some fluff! I am PATHETIC! Yeah, he IS going to die... sniff sniff Do you go to a school called EJHS? "Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours..." That's what people at my school say EVERY DAY over the PA system... Do you go to my school? That would be so COOL! Hey, that rhymes...

Heh. Well, there y'all go! Seven reviews! I'm in heaven! blows kisses to all the wonderful reviewers THANK YOU! Sorry for the shortness of this one, but... I needed a LITTLE suspense... sorta. PLEASE REVIEW!