Chapter 4 The Tragedy of Queen Shukura

Calpurnia asked for a short leave of absence from her dancing, and offered her small house to the group of travelers. Kaiba Seto refused; he had already arranged for a double room suite in the nearest hotel for himself, Mokuba, and Keiko. The rest of the group accepted the offer with extreme gratitude.

Everyone met at the ramp at 4:00 to exit. But once Anzu got there, she pointed out to the city. The city of Luxor, formerly known as Thebes, seemed to be a pleasant mix of old world buildings and modern, urbanized streets. Ruins of ancient buildings stood tall amidst the well-kept palm trees and city buildings, serving as a center of attraction for the visitors of distant lands. Music from the local bazaars could be heard from nearby, and people of different colors, shapes, and sizes walked along the streets and waited by the docks.

"It's beautiful," exclaimed Anzu.

"I expected it to be, ya know, more ancient-looking," commented Jonouchi.

"Luxor has been a major tourist area ever since the invention of tourism," explained Ryou, whose knuckles were turning white from gripping the railing in his excitement. "The modernization of Luxor began all the way back when the Romans conquered it 2,000 years ago. They added their own contributions to the city, including temples, irrigation of the Nile, Romantic pillars and statues…"

"Not to mention the largest open air museum in the world," added Yugi, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Hey Ryou-kun, after we settle things with the Ayaats, let's go visit Karnak!"

"Nah! I wanna see a bazaar! Maybe I'll find the merchant who sold my father the Millennium Ring!"

"Why? You wanna punch his lights out?"

Jonouchi put his hands down on Yugi and Ryou's heads. "Sounds like the Egypto-geeks are gettin' a little too excited about a bunch of carved rocks!"

Yugi and Ryou made faces at him. Keiko came up from behind him and said, "You know, Katsuya, we could take a stroll around the Valley of the Kings sometime before we leave."

Jonouchi's eyes lit up. "Really? What's that?"

"You'll see!" Her cat ears poked out playfully.

Ryou nudged Yugi. "Oy," he whispered, "doesn't Jonouchi-kun have necrophobia?"

Yugi gave a mushroom cloud sigh. "Un! I think that was kind of the point, Ryou-kun." [1]

Kaiba smirked. 'That might actually be entertaining.'

Keiko suddenly let out a squeal. "Hey!! It's Isis-san!! ISIS-SAAAN!!" Sure enough, Isis Ishtal stood at the opening of the ramp waiting for them. Once she spotted them, she gave a wave. Calpurnia's lip curled. "Ulg! What's that woman doing here?"

Keiko didn't wait for the others. She instead hopped onto the railing of the ramp and bounced her way down into Isis' waiting arms. The mentor and student embraced happily at their reunion. "It is so good to see you again, Keiko," said Isis stroking her hair.

The rest of the group made their way to her side. "Isis-san," said Yugi over the noise of the crowd. "We didn't expect to see you here! But I'm glad we found you so quickly!"

Isis bowed then beamed at them. "I planned to write to you of my work for the FBA. It is tiring, but I did not wish to miss the chance to keep you informed of the robberies. But enough of that! What brings you all to Egypt?"

"Do you not think that they should rest a while first, old woman," said Calpurnia in an uncharacteristically cold voice.

An anime anger vein appeared on Isis' forehead, but she kept her smile. "And I suppose you offered them a room in that home you purchased by selling off your body?"

"My hard earned money is none of your concern, hag! And it is certainly more honorable than displaying sacred artifacts for foreigners to gawk at!"

"My exhibits are for the cultural benefit of the masses. At least Hanif shows interest in helping outsiders. The rest of your family should learn as much."

"At least my family didn't lose the Items!"

Keiko made a gesture to cast a nasty spell on Calpurnia, but Isis put out a hand to stop her. "It is alright, Keiko. She is not worth it." Sparks flew in between the two women. "If you will excuse me, Pharaoh," added Isis, "I have an appointment with my partners at the bureau. I will join you in an hour to inspect the Ayaat's documents."

"Ha," shouted Calpurnia to Isis' back as the elder woman left. "As if my father would be foolish enough to let you near the texts!!" He turned to the others and smiled cheerfully. "Come, let us drop off your luggage at my home. Then you can enjoy the sights of Luxor."

The rest of the group had sweat drops. "Well," said Yugi, "guess we have an hour to check out the local bazaar after all, Ryou-kun!"

The group split up to explore on their own. The hour flew by quickly, and at its end, they all met up at the dusty road that lead out of the city towards the desert. Keiko and Mai had new pieces of jewelry to show off, while Honda held up a dried wolf foot the stall owner swore kept demons away. Anzu bought a shimmery green top and veil to match. Jonouchi wore a turban which the seller claimed suited him. Mokuba scared the latter a bit by setting a stuffed rat on it, and yelled that Jou's turban was the home of a family of critters. All but Nazo laughed.

"Masu inu," chuckled Kaiba. "That is the dumbest thing you've ever done, believing a poor store owner. Who with any sense would wear something so ridiculous?"

"Oy minna," Yugi called as he ran to meet with them.

Kaiba groaned. "And here is Exhibit B!"

The others stared as the teen approached. He now wore something straight out of a 1930s comic book: Tractor boots, tight dark jeans, white button down shirt with a collar, what looked like a leather jacket, a single strap satchel, and a black fedora. "Like it," asked Yugi striking a pose.

"Depends," said Jonouchi, not resisting a joke. "Does it come with the whip and gun, Indiana Moto?"

Keiko cupped her hands around her mouth and blurted a heroic sounding fanfare. Then she jumped into Yugi's arms and pointed out. "Off to the next adventure," she called in an exaggerated fashion. "For fame and glory!"

"What possessed you to buy that, Yugi," giggled Mai.

"I think it makes me look cool," said Yugi setting Keiko down as gracefully as the scrawny teen could.

"It makes you look exactly like what you are," said Honda folding his arms. "A short, over enthusiastic geek who got beat up a lot in school as a kid!"

"You look like a hobo," said Mai.

"The colors should keep you rather inconspicuous," offered Ryou positively. "And that hat hides your hair quite nicely."

Yugi touched the brim of his hat. "Jiichan wore a hat like this when he went to Egypt and found the Puzzle. I've seen pictures of him in the hallway like that." Yugi paused. He missed his grandfather so much, it pained him to think of him.

Nazo said, "I think it looks great on you, Yugi! Very cool! You're on your way to being a heroic explorer!"

"Heaven help the profession," Mai muttered.

But Nazo's comment seemed to cheer Yugi up. Anzu gave a nod of agreement. He glanced at Anzu, then they both turned away blushing. They had yet to look at each other since 'the incident' in her suite.

Isis arrived shortly after, apologizing for her rudeness earlier. "As you may have guessed, the Ishtals and the Ayaats have their differences of opinion when it comes to our duties. We respect each other overall, as we all are decedents of the original priests who guarded the tombs and secrets of the pharaohs for millennia. Still," she added softly, "our differences may interfere with the recovery of the Pharaoh's memory."

"You think," Kaiba asked sarcastically.

"Karim Ayaat has not allowed me near the sacred scrolls that tell the story of the queen! He refused to believe that the Millennium Puzzle had been solved, and that the rest of the Items have been stolen. I had hoped Shadi could convince him, but there is still no word from him or my brother!" Isis clutched the fabric near her heart. "If the same force has captured them both, then I fear we are in far worse danger than ever before!"

The tense moment was broken when a desert jeep arrived, driven by a young Egyptian man in a western business suit. Calpurnia waved from the passenger's seat. "Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the city!"

"Yes, thank you," said Anzu and Keiko, as everyone else (minus Kaiba, who said nothing) said, "Hai, doumo arigato!" which means the same thing in Japanese.

"Good!" She got out and opened the door for Nazo. "My Lady, my brother and I will escort you and your husband's host to my father, Karim. He is most anxious-"

"What about us," asked Jonouchi.

"My father wishes that only these two enter the sacred tomb as a precaution. After all, we are not as easily deceived as the other guardians."

Keiko made a move to smack the girl, but Kaiba and Isis held her back. The driver rolled his eyes. "Can we get on with this," he grumbled.

Nazo stepped into the car followed by Yugi. "Sorry, guys," said Yugi out of the window. "I'd feel better if you came."

Keiko giggled, and cat ears sprouted from her head and a tail from behind her. "Heehee, don't worry about us, Yugi! I'm sure everything will turn out just fine! We'll wait ri-ight here!"

Yugi's eyes turned to dots, an anime mark of skepticism. "Funny how I don't believe you."

The car ride lasted about an hour into the desert. After nothing but Arabic pop music from the front stereo, Yugi finally said something to Nazo to pass the time. "Wanna see what else I got?"

Nazo gave a weak smile. "What is it?"

Yugi reached into his jeans pocket and took out some neatly protected DM cards. Nazo's interest peaked, and she shuffled through them slowly. "Wow, I've never seen these before. Must be the latest release!"

"Some of them are, but these ones," Yugi pointed, "I got from Jiichan before we left! They're the start of a whole new deck."

"But-"

"I consider these Yami's cards." Yugi indicated the deck in his holster on his belt. "I want to build my own. Test my own skills. Be my own duelist. I can't stay in Yami's shadow forever. No pun intended."

Nazo went quiet for a minute. "Is he… still angry?"

Yugi closed his eyes, feeling as best he could for any sign from the closed connection. "I don't think so. He's in what I call 'Standby Phase'."

Nazo cracked a smile. "His what?" [2]

"He's figuring out what to do next."

"Does he hate me?"

Yugi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Nazo-san. Everything is going to be fine. Yami's not unreasonable. He'll make his presence known soon."

Nazi sighed and looked away, teary eyed. "I wish I had your optimism!"

Yami sat in meditation in the center of the large gallery of his soul room. His anger had mostly subsided, but he still didn't feel ready to speak to Nazo or Yugi.

This was now the second time he locked his door to his Aibou, and he hated it! Yami kept thinking about the horrible, hateful things he'd said, and they stung him to the core. He didn't mean any of it. He was just angry. But not even Yugi would forgive him for all of that. Yugi was an innocent caught up in the crossfire between him and Nazo.

The thought of Nazo's name made him grip his pant legs hard. How could Nazo betray him like this? And why couldn't he let go of his love for her? He should hate her! He should banish her to the Shadow Realm! He should destroy her filthy, unworthy soul for such a crime!

And at the same time, the last thing he wanted was for her to be in harm's way and out of his sight! He still loved her with a passion. Part of his anger came out of frustration from not being able to physically please her.

Why are emotions so damn complicated?

Less than a year ago, he would punish crimes without a second thought. Many people fell victim to his games, and their souls descended into darkness with no consequence. But that changed once Yugi stopped him from killing Kaiba back at Duelist Kingdom. Yugi taught Yami the concepts of "guilt," "mercy," and the "gray area between right and wrong." Suddenly decisions became a thousand times more difficult.

"Decisions are supposed to be easy," a voice in his head whispered softly.

"Decisions are supposed to be easy," Yami repeated. And they were! Strategies for games always came naturally to him, so why not strategies for life?

"Pharaoh is as solid as a rock."

"Pharaoh is a rock."

"Pharaoh was blessed to make all the right decisions."

"Pharaoh is blessed."

"Pharaoh is always right."

"Pharaoh is always- ," Yami cut himself off. That didn't sound right. Where was that voice coming from? It sounded familiar. He followed the sound downward, to the dark areas of his soul room.

"Pharaoh is the reincarnation of Horus."

"Pharaoh is the reincarnation of Horus." This time, the speaker was a child. It sounded like… Yugi? That made no sense! Yami listened hard for the proper door.

"Betrayal is the ultimate sin."

"The ultimate sin." The voices came from the door to his left that was open a crack. Yami opened the door the noise came from. A tall man with smooth olive skin and green eyes stood to the side as a child with a gold crown on his forehead tortured a man with dark energy. The man writhed on the ground in agony, pleading and crying for mercy. But the child looked on without any remorse.

"All sins must be punished," the man whispered.

"Must be punished," the desensitized child repeated. He sent an extra sharp wave of energy, and the man started ripping off his own face, chunk by bloody chunk. The sloppy squishing noises made Yami's stomach turn. Yet, the boy made no reaction, even as a spurt of blood hit his shirt.

The man grinned, and a black tongue licked his lips through the pointed teeth. "Yes, dear boy, you will make an excellent monarch." The green eyes turned to the Yami standing in the doorway. "Don't you agree, Boy Pharaoh?"

Yami slammed the door shut, locked it, and put his back against it, panting. 'Gods above,' he thought trembling all over. 'That was me and Minkabh!'

Yugi and Nazo disembarked at the site of a stone fixture built into the ground in the middle of the desert. "That over there is the tomb," asked Yugi in broken English.

Calpurnia smiled and nodded. She walked forward to open the door. The man in the suit bent down to whisper, "So, who are you really?"

"What?" "Listen, whatever my sister is paying you to pretend, I'll double it if you expose her."

Yugi blinked. "I… not understand…"

Calpurnia beckoned them to the doorway. "Forgive my annoying brother, Hanif. He doesn't believe in the old ways anymore."

Hanif straightened his tie as the four of them descended the steps into the dark tomb. "It was fine when we were children, but this is reality! Not only that, but it's the twenty-first century! Magic and monsters do not exist!"

"That is enough, Hanif," came a booming voice from the shadows. By the light of the torches within the chambers, Nazo and Yugi saw a very large, very muscular man emerge dressed in traditional Egyptian garb. He stared at Nazo briefly, then bowed to the both of them. "Welcome at long last, my pharaoh and my queen. I am your humble servant, Karim Ayaat."

Both took one step back. "I expected him to be old," Nazo said to Yugi.

"Me too," Yugi replied.

Karim stood back up, took Nazo's hand, and kissed it. "It is an immense pleasure to meet you. You are far more beautiful than any picture could replicate."

Nazo blushed. Yugi put his hand on the Puzzle. 'God, I'm glad Yami didn't hear that!!'

Two small children ran around Karim and stopped at Nazo's feet. The girl, with mauve hair and amber eyes, held up a crown of lilacs for Nazo. "For you, Lady Nazo," she said in a small voice. The boy, black hair with amber eyes, held up a necklace made of beads and a peculiar-shaped pendant of reeds. "For you, Lord Yugi."

The two teenagers glanced at each other, and accepted the gifts. "It's a Sa amulet," the boy said eagerly. [3]

"This I know," said Yugi with a smile. "Thank you too very much!"

"Oh please," muttered Hanif. Calpunia elbowed him in his stomach.

Karim bowed again. "Please excuse each of my children. Calpurnia is impulsive, Hanif is cynical, and Gamil and Gama are simply rude."

"No, no! It is nice welcoming gift," insisted Yugi.

Gamil's eyes glowed with pride and Gama blushed. Nazo put on the crown. "Now," she said importantly, "where are these infamous documents of mine?"

Karim led the way down another stairwell - a ten minute decent at least - to a large room lit by torches and decorated with murals and cushioned seats. Yugi recognized some of the pictures depicting the triumphs of gods and kings. He took off his hat; they were on holy ground.

In the center of the room stood a large, stone podium. A thick scroll with gold handles lay open on the stone to a section were some markings were missing. Nazo and Yugi both crept closer, but Karim stopped them momentarily. "Be warned, the papyrus is millennia old, and is very fragile. Be careful." Yugi nodded and looked over the text. "Do you know what it says," asked Nazo.

"Vaguely," Yugi admitted. To Karim, he asked, "But why is some of these here symbols missing?"

"We have determined that Queen Shukura herself set a spell on certain passages to keep their contents secret."

"It could be invisible ink," said Hanif briskly. "I have repeatedly asked for a sample of the document to take to a laboratory for study, but Father refuses! The edited passages may tell us what happened to the queen, and it could be solved with modern science!"

"Nothing this endowed in magic can be solved through science," argued Calpurnia.

"Everything has an explanation!"

Yugi sweat-dropped. "I am thinking that you and Kaiba-kun will be making friends very quickly!"

Nazo examined the document herself very closely. Although she did not know a word of Ancient Egyptian, the pictures called to her, as if they waited three thousands years just for her. She reached out to touch them. A glow emitted from the Mil. Bracelet under her arm warmer, and words appeared on the paper.

Karim shouted a praise to her in Arabic, and Calpurnia and her younger siblings fell to their knees. Hanif only gaped.

Nazo smiled nervously. "Can you read it now, Yugi-kun?"

"Ano, we'd need someone more fluent in the language. If only-"

The words never left his mouth before a loud crash was heard from the top of the stairs. Terrified, Yugi grabbed Nazo to shield her from anything, Karim jumped ready to fight, and the rest hid behind something in the room.

Yugi heard the rev of a familiar motorcycle, and Keiko came zooming down the stairs to the room below. She made a sweeping landing, kicking up dust and dirt all over Calpurnia and Hanif. She removed her black helmet, flipping her blonde curls. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said sarcastically to Calpurnia. "I didn't see you there!"

"K-K-K-Keiko?" stuttered Yugi.

Keiko's two passengers still hadn't moved. The one at the back let go, and slid off shakily. "Ph-Pharaoh," said Isis, rather pale. "Are you alright?" Yugi just nodded.

Keiko turned to the one behind her. "Katsuya, you can let go now!" Jonouchi held Keiko in a death grip around her waist. "Oh, come on," exclaimed Keiko. "You've ridden on Honda's bike before!"

"Honda doesn't ride like you," Yugi muttered. [4]

Jonouchi finally let go, and fell off the bike, as if he had no legs to stand on. His face was stark white, and his eyes were larger than baseballs. "I… I thought… no big deal… could enjoy holding… but had no time… way too fast…"

Karim shook with fury at Keiko's disgrace. "What in the name of Lord Osiris are you doing?! These grounds are sacred!! How dare you-"

"The door wouldn't open," said Keiko simply. She grinned at Nazo. "Love your new crown, Oneesan!"

Nazo had slumped to the floor, relieved the noise was only Keiko. "Arigatio, Imoto."

Karim rounded on Isis. "Explain this, Ishtal!"

Isis shrugged. "The door wouldn't open," she repeated.

"Yugi! Nazo! Ya down there?!" Honda, Anzu, and Mokuba came hurrying down the steps. Honda still held onto his helmet. "Man! I didn't think she'd actually break the door down!"

"I didn't think she'd actually win," added Anzu.

"They had a race," explained Mokuba.

Kaiba and Ryou came down last, apparently due to walking down the stairs and not running. Kaiba had left his helmet upstairs. "I have a feeling I'm going to have to pay for that door," Kaiba grumbled.

Honda bent down over Jonouchi. "You okay, bud?"

Jonouchi grabbed Honda's shirt. "Honda, is that you?! Everything's gone black! I thought I saw God!"

"Jeez! What a drama queen!"

Karim's face turned purple. "NONE OF YOU SHOULD BE HERE!! I INVITED ONLY THE PHARAOH AND HIS QUEEN!!! THIS DISRESPECT IS UNFORGIVABLE!!!"

"Now who's a drama queen," pointed Jonouchi.

Calpurnia put her hands on her father's arm. "Please, calm yourself, Father! These are the queen's friends! It is only natural they would be concerned for her safety. The one to blame is…" Calpurnia caught sight of Isis next to Keiko, who was holding up the scroll to get a better look at it. "ACK!! WHAT THE (censored) ARE YOU DOING!?!"

"Why are you so white," Gama asked Ryou in fascination before Hanif covered her mouth.

"Wow," muttered Keiko. "This writing is bad, Shukura must not have been a good speller!"

Karim blinked. "That… That witch can read the old languages?"

Isis beamed. "Keiko is a shaman, actually. And yes, she can read and speak many languages. Her father, Pegasus Crawford, had her study under the best teachers. She personally got to view the Rosetta Stone." [5]

"Who's this Rosie Stone," asked Jonouchi.

Everyone froze. Yugi, Ryou, and Keiko face-vaulted.

"Never mind, Jonouchi-kun," Ryou said.

Keiko unraveled more of the scroll. Isis and Karim panicked, and helped her keep it in tact. "Hey," she said, oblivious to her reckless actions, "this is in different writing! I don't think it's even Egyptian!"

Karim peeked over. "You are correct. That was written by a nomad who stole the scroll on its way back to Thebes."

Keiko squinted to make out the writing. With Isis' help, she managed to determine what it said. "'Three pieces separated for eternity, one of power, one of memory, one of life. Three pieces joined together, bring the unlimited power of the gods. Until the three are united, the whole will not be controlled. One lies underground, guarded by stone traps. One lies above ground, guarded by Man. One kept in its owner's sight, guarded by none.'"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "How did I know a section would be in verse?"

"It is not verse," said Isis, "but it explains where the main pieces of the Puzzle are, or rather were. The one underground was the main part, which the pharaoh now has. The one guarded by Man must be the Bracelet, which Nazo-sama said is a family heirloom."

"But what does 'in its owner's sight' mean," asked Anzu.

"I do not know."

"No one does," said Karim, rolling up art of the scroll. "The final piece has disappeared, somehow. According to Queen Shukura's account, Prince Naeem did not have the Shen with him when he died. If he had, he may not have been killed. The palace was searched, but found nothing."

"Maybe this nomad guy knew where it was hidden, and this is a clue," suggested Jonouchi quietly. Unfortunately, everyone ignored him.

Keiko continued reading through the scroll, making a few comments here and there about more info on the Items, but nothing too extreme. Yugi-tachi started thinking that this was a dead end. Nazo, on the other hand, felt very strange. Hearing the words her past self had written made her feel… nervous. Somehow, she knew what was coming wasn't good. She took off her arm warmers and held her self.

Yugi sensed a change. Yami had opened his soul room door. {Welcome back,} he said sarcastically. {What took you so long?}

Yami appeared in transparent form next to his friend looking a bit ashamed. Yugi knew he was about to apologize, but suddenly Yugi found that he didn't need to hear it. {Forget it.}

{Aibou… The things I said...}

{Forget it!} He side-glanced his partner, whose attention was now on Nazo. {Have you forgiven her.}

Yami looked even more ashamed. {I should have spoken to her.}

{Yeah.}

{Does she hate me?}

Yugi tried not to laugh; Nazo had asked the exact same thing about Yami! {Nah! She's just lonely. She feels really guilty, and she didn't do anything. I can't get why.}

{It's because of her damn father. Its in her nature to feel guilt when none is warranted.} Yami put his transparent hand on her shoulder. {I'll speak with her once we're alone, and then apologize to the others.}

Keiko snorted. She had not lifted her head to look at the pharaoh, but Yugi saw her mouth out the word "Bastard." She flipped more of the scroll angrily, causing Isis and Karim to dive to catch a part of it from hitting the floor. This part was much darker, and began to peel.
"Why did this section get burned a little," asked Keiko, once again not noticing her clumsiness.

Karim bit his tongue in order to keep from scolding her. "We do not know. This section was blank before."

"And still is," added Isis. "The Bracelet did not undo the spell."

"Lady Nazo," called Karim.

Nazo's head snapped up. "Hai?"

"Would you please come and try to decipher this?"

Nazo hesitated, but then crept to the podium slowly. Keiko watched her. "I have a very bad feeling about this," she warned.

"It worked before," said Isis.

The others looked up. Nazo shuddered under the weight of the stares. How she hated being watched! As if they were judging her! She placed her left hand on the burnt area of the scroll. A bright energy shot from the scroll and into her hand. The Bracelet glowed, and an upside down triangle shown on her forehead. Nazo screamed, stepped back, and panted.

"Oneesan!" Keiko rushed over to grab her, but a bolt shot from the Bracelet and kept her away.

"What happened," asked Anzu shrilly.

A soft gold energy covered her eyes, and Nazo stood up. She said something to an invisible someone in a different language.

Keiko's eyes widened. "Oh? She thinks she is the sixteen-year-old Queen Shukura of 3,000 years ago! The scroll and Bracelet are making her relive what happened when the scroll got burned!"

{Aibou, Nazo hates fire}

{Oh crap, you're right!} "Keiko, how can we get her back into the eighteen-year-old Nazo?"

"We'll have to see."

Nazo said something else, more forcefully. "A messenger came from Egypt," translated Keiko. "She's demanding to know what happened to her husband."

{Dammit!}

Nazo's eyes widened. She gripped her shirt, and said (according to Keiko), "Dead? Mahaado, Shimon, Shadi, and my husband?"

Yami started breathing heavily. Yugi shuddered. 'Something's not right. This isn't good!'

"First my mother, then dear Naeem, and now…" Nazo/Shukura stood up straight again. "That will be all. Thank you." She took a few steps toward the scroll, but was stopped by another invisible person. "I'm alright, Kei. Do not worry."

Keiko paused. "Kei?"

Nazo/Shukura smiled sweetly. "I said it is alright. I'm sure you two will rule Kemet wisely. I had no ties to the crown other than through my husband. I will not stand against you." Another pause, then a laugh. "Really! I'm going to stay up for a while and finish my writing. Go on! Go to your beloved Seto!"

Kaiba's eyebrow rose.

Nazo proceeded to mime out a very creepy play. She poured oil into a lamp, walked to the podium, and continued to write with an invisible brush. As she did, she sang:

"Revel in pleasure while your life endures
And deck your head with myrrh. Be richly clad
In white and perfumed linen; like the gods
Anointed be; and never weary grow
In eager quest of what your heart desires-
Do as it prompts you ... until that sad day
Of lamentation comes…
Hear not the cry of mourners at the tomb,
Which have no meaning to the silent dead.
Then celebrate this festal time, nor pause-
For no man takes his riches to the grave;
Yea, none returns again when he goes hence." [7]

"That song has been pondered on by historians for decades," exclaimed Ryou. "And to think, we actually heard the tune! For the first time in nearly 2,000 years-"

"Hush," Anzu snapped.

{Stop her.} Yami sounded urgent.

Keiko walked over behind Nazo, and read over her shoulder. As Nazo mimed, words appeared on the page. "My beloved husband has fallen at the hands of some monstrous force. He gave his life for those he governed, like a true king. Horus will be proud. They are so much alike.

"He has left the kingdom to Seto and Kei. They deserve all the happiness of the gods. I am certain Kemet is in good hands. After all, if Seto messes up, Kei will put things right."

{Stop her!}

"I had expected to go home tonight, but it seems that the voyage is delayed until morning." She chuckled. "And here I bathed in perfumed oils and wore my best dress for nothing!" Pause. "No. Not for nothing. I'll see him again. Tonight."

{Stop her!!}

Nazo/Shukura finished writing a short conclusion, then strode past Ryou, Jonouchi, and Honda. She held out her left hand and said a spell to lock the door. Yami stood in front of her to block her way back, but she walked right through him and back to the scroll.

{What's she doing?}

{I'm not sure! But my gut instinct is telling me that this has to stop NOW}

Nazo/Shukura closed the scroll, sealed it with a spell, and set it to the side. She walked back to the place where the lamp should be, picked up a jug, and dumped it on herself. She grazed her hand against the flame.

A purple energy like fire enveloped her. The lilac crown and her clothes waved gracefully with the flames. She held her arms up. "I am coming to you, Dearest One!"

"She went crazy and burned herself," whispered Keiko in horrified awe.

Nazo/Shukura gave a small cry of pain. "It hurts, Dearest, but this is my penance. I should have been there with you! I failed you! I am so sorry!"

Anzu sobbed. Mokuba grabbed a hold of Kaiba's coat. Isis shielded the children's eyes. Yugi's stomach flipped.

{NAZO-SAA!!} Yami screamed. Yugi traded places with Yami.

Yami ran to Nazo's side and grabbed her. The Bracelet protested, but Yami kept hold. The Eye glowed on his forehead. "Nazo-sa! Wake up!! This is an illusion! Wake up!!"

"It may be caused by the Bracelet," said Karim grimly, "but this is no illusion." He, his family, and Isis fell to their knees. "Woe! Mourn and behold the tragedy of Queen Shukura!"

"NOO!!" Yami roared. "I refuse to believe she died like this!! Nazo-sa, wake up!! Wake up!!" He put his forehead on hers. The Eye hit the center of the glowing triangle.

[8 - Cut scenes]

The spell broke, and the room turned back into the tomb with Shukura's scroll. Nazo was still bruised and bloody, but fully clothed. Her eyes were wide open with fear. "Y-Yami-sa! Wh…What just-"

Yami didn't let her finish. He held her close. She was back! She was awake! He had her. She was alive and safe in his arms. "Nazo-sa," he whispered, "don't you ever feel guilty about anything to do with me ever again!!"

[1] "Un!" - Yugi's affirmitive response. Yami often says "Ah!" the same way.
[2] Standby Phase - a Duel Monsters term.
[3] Sa - an Ancient Egyptian symbol shaped like a rider's crop folded over and tied. Amulets of this signify protection.
[4] Keiko's motorcycle skills - Keiko rides a motorcyle like a crazy woman.
[5] Rosetta Stone - A stone found in Rosetta, thirty-five miles north of Alexandria, with three ancient languages incribed into it: one of Greek, and two of Ancient Egypt. It is considered to be one of the greatest treasures of Egypt, and gave archeologists the clues to decipher hieroglyphs.
[6] "Souka?" - "Is that so?"
[7] Shukura's song - Ladies and gentlemen, this is an actual Ancient Egyptian song! It's official name is "Lay of the Harper".
[8] Cut scenes - Due to the highly graphic nature of Yami and Nazo's experiences through her visions, these are rated R. As of 2008, these scenes have been lost. I will try to recreate them in time.

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Yugi: Yami has finally made up with Nazo, but what about me and Anzu? Can I really face her again? And why is Kaiba so pissed off with Isis? You'll see next time!