Yami: Last time, Yugi died, but then was brought back by Jonouchi and the Shen. Now, he says he knows what's happened in the past.

Chapter 13 - The Final Piece; "O Dulcis memoria difficultatis praeteritae!"

"Everything," Yami asked the angel curiously. "What do you mean you know everything? Who are you, anyway? Aren't you my brother?"

Yugi gave a small chuckle. "Yes and no."

"There are no two ways about the question, Aibou."

"I was your brother. Past tense."

"And here I thought you arriving into my soul room with giant wings was strange. Now you are not making any sense at all!"

"In our time, we believed that the soul is split in two: Ba and Ka. The Ka holds our personality, and is connected to our bodies. The Ba our life force, maintaining identity and memory. Yugi and Naeem's Ba fused into one. So, technically, I'm both Yugi and Naeem at once."

Yami simply stared. He wasn't sure if he understood, but he was just happy Yugi was back!

Yugi sighed deeply and gave him a very patronizing look. "I don't have a lot of time, Yami. I cast a spell to freeze time, but it won't last long, and there's a lot to explain. We'll talk as we walk, alright?"

Yami nodded. "Just start at the beginning with what I need to know."

Yugi led the way down some corridors, Yami keeping a careful eye on him as Yugi spoke. "I suppose this all starts with the creation of the Millennium Items. You know how the Millennium Spell Book was going to be stolen, and how the Items were made from the thieves of Kuruelna. Also how Father – Pharaoh Akunamukanon, I mean – sealed the monsters away into the tablets, which Pegasus later recreated in the form of the Duel Monster card game.

"But Akunadean was not the first to translate the Spell Book. Minkabh, Father's High Priest at the time, knew the language himself. He agreed to work with Akunadean in exchange for more power. In fact, Minkabh selected the village himself! He was the real mastermind behind the dark alchemy. He even created the forms and specific powers each Item holds, while our uncle got the credit.

"Seven Millennium Items, each represented a certain ability the gods possessed: Omnipotence, Control, Premonition, Judgment, Exploration, Embodiment, and Power. The Puzzle was a combination of many pieces, and believe it or not, has an ability for each piece. That's why it can check and be checked by the other Items.

"Didn't you ever wonder why the strongest Item was in the shape of an upside-down pyramid? Our culture believed the pyramids to be an ascension way into Heaven and to the gods. So an upside-down pyramid-"

"- is a descent into Hell and damnation," finished Yami, staring at the Puzzle around his neck.

"Right. Minkabh created the Puzzle to be used for nothing but evil. Father never used its full potential because he feared its possible power. So Minkabh tried to train you to fall into its evil charms. He requested for you to be tutored by him for years, to drive the humanity out of you. Fortunately, you cared too deeply for Seto, Kei, and me to fully trust him."

"Why didn't he use it himself," reasoned Yami, noticing that Yugi was leading them into the deeper chambers of the soul room.

Yugi trembled. "You have no idea the power that the complete Millennium Puzzle holds! Its more than all of the other six combined! Anyone who wields it is equal in strength to a god! Each puzzle piece controls one element of that power, and only the entire Item can obtain the full amount! A mortal would burn alive instantly!"

"Ra's blood… That explains why Minkabh needed Bakura!"

"Correct! He intended to use Bakura as a conductor for its magic.

"After he was banished," Yugi continued, "Minkabh spent years trying to make himself stronger and gather followers. Once he felt he had enough, he contacted Father telepathically and told him the secret of the Item's creation. Father became so ashamed to have supported the creation of such evil, and the deaths of the ninety-nine people of Bakura's village, his health failed him and he died a broken man. His last act was to smash the Puzzle in hopes of its purification."

"How?"

"I'm getting to that. Minkabh anticipated we would not understand Father's actions. He knew that the Puzzle was the only Item powerful enough to face him, so he attacked the kingdom while we were still vulnerable. I remember that day so vividly… I wanted to help by solving the Puzzle again. I almost did, but as soon as I touched the part now known as the Shen…"

[Flashback ]

Twelve-year-old Prince Naeem felt a flash and found himself in a dark palace he did not recognize. The walls lifted high and disappeared into the darkness, and the blood red carpet appeared to be frayed and battered. "What is this place," Naeem wondered aloud. "Hello?" His voice echoed in the darkness. "Hello? Is anyone out here? Where am I?"

A tall man in royal robes emerged from the darkness. He had a strong composure, dark crimson eyes, a gray beard, and the face of a man who had lost a lot of weight in a short period of time. Behind him spread large, golden wings. "Hello, young one."

Naeem's voice shook with suppressed tears of joy. "Honored Father? Father! Its you!" He rushed over and embraced the old pharaoh's mid-section. "Oh gods, I thought I'd never… never…" The boy was overcome with sobs. "How? You were dead!"

"By the power of the Shen, I am allowed to linger." The pharaoh pulled him back. "I'm sorry, my son, but I do not have much time." He explained what Minkabh had revealed to him, and about the evil power within the Puzzle. "You must not allow it to be fully completed! It is too dangerous in anyone's hands!"

"But Honored Brother-"

"Your brother may be able to wield such power, but at a terrible cost! I love my oldest son dearly, but I cannot deny the ambitions of his heart. The evil of the completed Puzzle would eventually enshroud his soul, and your brother will become more dangerous than Minkabh himself."

Naeem's already teary eyes widened and filled further. "No!"

"He has already been tainted by the dark forces of Minkabh's magic. Naeem, you must make me a man's promise." His grip on Naeem's shoulders tightened. "Swear, on your love for me and your brother, that you will not let the complete Millennium Puzzle be used by your brother or anyone ever! Keep two of the pieces separate at all times!"

"Which two pieces?"

Akunamukanon held up the band that wrapped around the main part. "Give this to the woman who will become the queen. Only a woman can make good use of it, since it is triggered by emotions. By itself, this piece controls the power to delve into people's memories without reserve.

"This piece," he said, holding up the golden snake that encircled the pyramid, "has the power of life and death when attached to the rest. By itself, it can revitalize any injuries which will heal with time, or speed up time and cause the body to rot." He handed it to Naeem and closed the boy's fingers around it. "I know you are scared, my boy. You think you are not strong enough to help save Kemet. But this piece is triggered by your greatest strength… your courage of tenderness. It is my final gift to you."

"Father…"

"Do you swear to watch over your brother, and make sure he does not allow his heart to be overcome?"

"I swear it, Father!"

"Good! Solve the rest of the Puzzle. Perhaps your innocence will soften the evil within the pieces."

[End of flashback]

They continued deeper into the catacombs of Yami's mind, further than Yugi normally traveled for fear of such unnatural darkness. Yami shook with both anticipation and unease at the prospect of such power hidden inside his soul room, now attached to the Puzzle. A twinge of jealousy at not being told the full secrets of the Puzzle struck him, but only for a second. After all, their father had his reasons.

A silver aura illuminated around the angel, and the spirit caught none of it; the light passed right through the dark. Figures carved into the walls followed them silently, leaving them to speak and search.

"Honored Brother did not question me as to why I did not complete it. As long as the pyramid worked alone, he - or rather you- were satisfied. And I did as Father asked, keeping the three pieces separate. I traveled around Kemet for a year to avoid the temptation of telling you everything he said. But I died not too long after my return to Thebes on our next encounter with Minkabh."

Yami tried to suppress the vision of his partner's death, but the angel sensed it. "So, you remember that? Makes sense. Its what drove you to it…"

"To what?"

"To cast the spell that would curse us all."

"NANI!" Curse Yugi? Yami would die first! "Wh-what are you saying," demanded Yami angrily. "I'm responsible for all of this? Did Minkabh speak the truth when he told me that my love for my family destroyed our peace!"

"I don't place the blame squarely on you," the other said very softly. "That would be far too easy to accept. It took me a while to accept some of the responsibility myself, and partially on Minkabh, Akunadean, and Father." He paused. "But your spell didn't make anything easier."

Yami ran in front of Yugi and grabbed the angel's shoulders. He ignored the pure energy of the boy's skin burning into his solid darkness. "What was it! What did I do? Why! I must know!"

Yugi did not meet Yami's eyes at all. "You used the Puzzle to curse Minkabh with damned immortality."

"SO! HE KILLED YOU!"

A muscle in Yugi's face twitched. "Any good wizard, monster, or magician knows that the power of the gods is not to be used in personal gain-"

"Personal gain! I lost you! I had nothing but the remains of myself to lose"

Yugi tried to hold his own temper. "Shukura was th"

"But this is different! Minkabh killed you!"

Yugi pushed Yami's arms away. Yami stepped backwards, and Yugi stepped forwards, his wings spreading out menacingly. "Quit being so goddamn selfish! Who am I! I chose to die to save your life! But I'm not so special that you defy the gods to avenge a choice I made! You cast the spell in my name! You sealed me in this world permanently! I had to give up my identity as Prince Naeem in order be reborn! I had to give up my god given right to see Father and Mother and you again in the afterlife! Your selfishness took that away from me!" [3]

Yugi took a few breaths and calmed down. "Yami-kun… I… Gomen-yo! I shouldn't have lost it! This Time Stopper spell is getting to me. We gotta keep going." He walked past Yami a few steps. "Yami-kun? Are you coming?"

Yami snapped out of his thoughts. "Ah!" He followed, but remained very quiet from then on.

"Because you defied the gods, they allowed Bakura's soul to enter the Ring, and swayed his battle against you in the end. But you did the only thing possible by sacrificing yourself and your memories to save Kemet. You managed to seal everything - memories, spirit, powers, and all - into the Puzzle."

Yami felt like Yugi was trying to gloss over what he had just said in Yami's favor as an apology, but it didn't make Yami feel any better. Perhaps he was nothing more than a spoiled brat after all. 'Perhaps I deserved this after all.'

Yugi stopped and turned around. "None of us did, Yami-kun, so don't think that! We all did what we felt was right. As much as we were taught that the blood of Horus flowed in our veins, we were mortals, and subject to all the frailties mortals have. We are proud, vengeful, frail creatures who can make mistakes. The problem is what we do as atonement for those mistakes!"

"But Nazo wasn't part of the family directly. Why did she do to deserve her fate?"

"Shukura loved you so strongly that the pride of your lineage was dulled once you met. Your connection to her is deeper than you can imagine! That's why she was meant to have the Bracelet; memories make us who we are. For better or for worse, our identities rely on memories to shape them." Yugi smiled. "That is why you are so different from the Pharaoh! You have the same soul, but you are Yami-kun!"

This idea made Yami feel slightly better. "Will I still be 'Yami' when I get my memories back? Or will I be..." He still didn't know the Pharoah's name.

"Like me, you'll be both. Your new identity will be determined by the knowledge from both lifetimes. How you-" Yugi suddenly shut his eyes and held his head with one hand, moaning.

"Aibou? What's wrong?"

"I'm taking too long, that's what." He recovered. "Sorry, again. We need to hurry."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." They went down even deeper, crossing a narrow bridge that lead to another stairwell. "Minkabh spent his time over the next few centuries aiding foreign powers to take over Egypt in hopes that he could return. But neither Alexander nor his followers helped Minkabh with his revenge, and the wizard spent the rest of his time traveling, learning all sorts of dark arts. [1]

"By 1960AD, he'd somehow figured out that our souls would be reborn. He set up circumstances to destroy us all: He was involved with Kaiba Gozoburo's company in its early stages, helping the man become almost as evil as himself. He set up the mysterious death of Cecilia Pegasus not long after Keiko was born. He even influenced Tanaka Hitoshi, Nazo's dad, to either kill or break her! Luckily, their spirits were too strong to straggle away from their respective fates."

"Did he attack you or Jiichan"

Yugi shuddered at the memory of the Motos' encounters with Minkabh. "Yes." [3]

The two rounded a corner, and Yugi pointed. "See that doorway?"

Yami gaped. He could hardly call it a 'doorway.' A large mural of a cartouche loomed at the end of a long, dark hall. He walked towards it, mesmerized by a strange energy leaking from the large cracks. "Aibou… What?"

"Your memories, your full power, and those of the Millennium Puzzle are sealed in there. There's no way to find out what kind of energy is in there unless its opened." To answer Yami's unspoken question, Yugi added, "Your name will open the seal, and the complete Puzzle will help you channel the power."

"This is… my true soul room!"

"Correct again."

Yami ran his fingers, sore as they were, over the carvings. The edges were smoothed with time, and the dampness of the labyrinth left a rather moist film along the surface of the stone and now his fingertips. Through the film, he could feel the power radiating from behind the walls. As Yugi said, there was no way to tell if it was purely dark energy or simply a tainted light. Still, it frightened Yami how concentrated it was! It may be enough to conquer Minkabh, but Yugi's fears were not unfounded; it was more than enough to destroy Yami's soul.

"And you say all I need do is complete the Millennium Puzzle" He turned back to his partner and saw that Yugi was leaning awkwardly against the wall. Due to the silver wings now a part of his back, Yugi had to rest his shoulder at a less-than-comfortable angle. His eyes were closed, and he seemed to be breathing heavily, but Yami heard nothing. "Aibou"

Yugi's eyes snapped opened. "Uh" He held his head again and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Yami. Yeah, the complete Puzzle can master the power, but only through you. It has to do with you being the Heir of the Shadow Games. Your name is the spell to"

"Aibou, are you alright? And don't tell me 'Yes,'" he said before Yugi's mouth fully opened. "I know something is wrong. Tell me! Please"

Yugi closed his mouth a moment, thinking hard. "I'm tired. That's all. And sad. I'm just… lingering, I guess."

"Lingering?" The truth hit Yami like a sledgehammer. Akunamukanon's comment to Prince Naeem from the flashback! "By the power of the Shen, I am allowed to linger." "But… you're alive!"

Yugi's bangs covered his sad face. "I'm not alive anymore, Yami. My fate was to die again for you and my friends, and that mission is complete. I stayed behind to help you with everything left that I can..." Yugi let his knees buckle and fall to a sitting position on the stone floor. "I'm so tired, Yami. My soul hasn't been at peace for 3,300 or so years." 2

"Aibou..."

"Don't be sad, Yami-kun. I'm going to a better place." He smiled as he recalled how he met Anzu in the park, when he, Jonouchi, and Honda became friends, when he solved the Puzzle, and all of their adventures together. "I'm going to miss being 'Moto Yugi,' though. I had more fun in this lifetime than as a prince. But, when you're an angel, emotions are kind of trivial. Most of my memories will be erased, so I'll be happy."

"But you're not finished yet."

"Mm"

"You are not finished with this life" Yami knelt to Yugi's eye level. "Think about your fiends, Aibou! Do you really want to leave them yet"

"I have no choice."

"Just do it"

Yugi closed his eyes. It is odd how, when thinking about someone, one tends to remember little things, like small habits or traits. He thought of how good his mother's pancakes were. Ryou's fav color was light blue, and he really hated namagaki. [4] Keiko's cat ears were black, and went backwards when she giggled. Kaiba was the only boy in their class who buttoned up his uniform jacket every freakin' day! His grandfather liked to sweep up girls' skirts in the spring time, and pretend it was an accident. Honda's eye twitches when he yells at Otogi over Shizuka. Jonouchi once ate sixteen burgers in one sitting on a dare, and was sick afterwards. When he first met Anzu, he called her "Peach Girl" to remember her name...

He didn't want to forget her name! He didn't want to forget any of them.

"Do you really want to die now, Yugi"

Yugi looked up at Yami, and shook his head.

"That settles it then."

"Settles what? Nothing can resurrect the dead except"

"Except the power of the gods." Yami turned to the blank cartouche mural. "The moment I solve the rest of the Puzzle, I'm bringing you back for good"

As Yugi and Yami quickly planned an escape, only seconds had passed in the real world. Keiko noticed the time lapse, as well as the vacant look in both teens' eyes. She could be very observant when she wanted to be. 'I just hope they come up with something smart,' she thought.

Yami blinked, and hurried to the far wall south of Seto's room. Before he could be asked, Yami pushed a stone inward, and the entire wall faded away.

"How"

Yami grabbed a lantern. "Don't ask, just follow."

"Yes, Pharaoh" responded Calpurnia in earnest. She and Marik began gathering the supplies left around the room.

Ryou looked inside the foreboding darkness. "Underground tunnels? And here I thought they were invented by the Romans" [5]

"Keiko, can you travel," asked Yami.

"I think so." Her eyes widened. "Are we going to save Seto now?"

"Yes." Yami looked at the confused stares of everyone but Keiko. "Someone needs to carry Yugi" instructed Yami.

Jonouchi, who already had Yugi on his lap, picked up his limp figure. "He ain't doing too good" he commented.

"He doesn't have much time" said Yami, as they moved into the tunnel. "I need all of the Items and bearers as quickly as possible, or there's no hope of Yugi coming back to life."

Not really understanding, the rest of them followed the Pharaoh into the dark tunnels beneath the palace. Yugi had explained to Yami that these were designed for the Pharaoh's protection before the creation of the Millennium Items, back in the Middle Kingdom. Few knew the routes and secret doors. Unfortunately, Prince Naeem spent too much time playing with Shukura and not enough time paying attention to Mahado's teachings, so Yami had to find his way out on his own. His only prayer at the moment was to rely on his own skills as a puzzle master, and finish this maze in time to save Yugi.

The darkness of the stone passageways was interrupted only by the light of Yami's lantern and three flashlights behind him. No one said a word; they all believed that Yami knew exactly where to go. Five minutes passed, and they arrived at a four-way fork. 'This is going to be very hard, even without a time limit,' Yami thought. 'How am I going to locate the Items in a maze in the dark?'

Calpurnia screamed. Yami turned the lantern to one of the openings. Looming in the entrance were two chocolate-colored eyes surrounded by a mane of silver hair. A familiar feral grin appeared. "Well," said Bakura, "look who I found!"

1 Alexander the Great - Yes folks, in case you never knew, it was good old (young) Alexander, king of the Greeks, who finally conquered the last pharaoh of ancient Egypt for Greece around 330BC.
2 Naeem/Yugi's age - Takahashi-sama has confirmed that he based Yami off of the pharaoh Amenhotep IV, whose reign ended in approximately 1350BC.
3 The Motos and Minkabh - from "Canto Alla Vita", coming soon
4 Namagaki - Japanese dish: oysters with ponzu sauce
5 Underground tunnels - Actually, Ryou is referring to the sewer system. Slight difference in usage, but not far off

Title - "Oh, sweet memory of past troubles!" - Michael Wigglesworth, Translated from Latin

Yugi: "That settles it?" Easier said than done! We still need to escape from right under Minkabh's nose, get all of the Items, and put the Puzzle back together with the Shen and Bracelet. And it's too painful to stay in my body very long, conscious or not. You'd better hurry, guys, because I can't last much longer!