Kiroko: Wohoo! A big warm thank you goes out to Keeper of the Times for my first review that was not from a friend. Keeper, you made my day. Thanks also to OreoozNmiLk. Hey everybody, sorry if the opening chapter was a little weak; it's going to take me a while to build up to the good parts.
Chapter Two: Imena
"Are you sure about this, Yugi?" Tea asked as she gave her friend a hug good bye. The entire gang was at the airport to see Yugi off on his flight to Egypt.
"Pretty sure," Yugi answered. "I really need to get some sleep and the Pharaoh and I both need answers. This is the only lead we have. Besides, we've been planning on going to Egypt at some point anyway."
"Yeah," said Joey with a worried expression on his face. "But you're going off to meet somebody thousands of miles away on the word of some crazy lady we met on the street."
"The Pharaoh trusts her, so I do too," was all Yugi had time to say before his flight was called over the intercom. "See you around." Yugi hurried off up the boarding ramp. On the plane, Yugi pulled out a small pillow and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost immediately. And as soon as sleep claimed him, so did the dream.
"Son...Help me," came the voice out of the darkness. This time Yugi didn't wake up at the sound of it. Something was beginning to appear at the end of the path. It looked like a spot of flickering flames. All Yugi could do was keep running towards it. The flames began to take shape. Just when Yugi could see that the flames formed an archway, he woke up. The plane was in the air and he had completely missed the safety video.
"Any idea what all that was about?" he asked the Pharaoh.
"Hmm..." the Pharaoh mused. "A doorway made of fire... All I can say is that it sounds familiar, but again I can't place it."
"Well," Yugi sighed, "So much for getting any real sleep on the plane."
The plane touched down in Cairo (A.N.: Capital of Egypt, if you didn't already know. It's near the Great Pyramids of Giza.) at about 5:00 am the next morning. Yugi got is bags at the baggage claim and began to wander around near the airport door. The woman in the alley had said that the person he had been sent to meet would pick him up at the airport. However, she had been rather vague as to who exactly this person was. Yugi was starting to get worried, and he seemed to be drawing stares for some reason.
"Yugi Motou?" asked a voice from directly behind him. Yugi whorled around and came face to face with girl about his age. Well, not really face to face, she was about a foot taller than him. She stared at him with tawny colored eyes that glowed like cats eyes in a dark skinned face. Her brown-black hair fell lose almost to her waist, except for a few slim braids mixed in.
"Yes," said Yugi hesitantly. The girl smiled a smile that was slightly too big for her face and extended a hand for him to shake. Upon shaking it, Yugi found that she had a very firm grip.
"I thought so," she said. "My aunt told me that the hair would be noticeable. Oh, sorry. My name is Imena. My aunt told me that you were coming with a dream problem. Oh and where are my manners." She bowed in to him, eyes looking over his right shoulder. Yugi turned his head and saw that the Pharaoh was floating there, staring at the girl with a surprised look on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."
"Wait, wait, wait," stuttered Yugi. "You can actually see him?"
"Of course," she replied as she straitened back upright. She took in both of the uncomprehending looks that were being cast her way. "Didn't my aunt tell you what I am?" Yugi was starting to get a little exasperated. He was running on lack of sleep, after all.
"I was told, by some crazy lady in a back alley, that if I came to Egypt somebody would meet me who could help me to get rid of the dreams I've been having. That's all I know."
"Trust Auntie to not give the necessary information," Imena sighed. "You'll have to forgive her. She had a nasty run in with a poltergeist and was never the same. As for me, I'm a mediator."
"A what?" asked Yugi. He was having a bit of trouble keeping up with this girl's way of talking. She seemed to jump from topic to topic without much connection.
"A mediator. I talk to ghosts and, if possible, I help them move on to the Afterlife."
"Okay," said Yugi uncertainly. This was starting to get very creepy. At the phrase 'move on to the afterlife' the Pharaoh had retreated to his soul room. Imena seemed to notice.
"I assume your not here to exorcise the Pharaoh's ghost, since all you would have to do is take off that necklace and smash it." She said this in such a plain, matter-of-fact way that Yugi took a step back in surprise. The idea of simply tossing the Pharaoh aside shook him to the bone. Or maybe that was the Pharaoh shaking, as he seemed to be curled up in a ball in a dark corner. Then again, it might have just been Yugi.
"No, no." Yugi said hurriedly. "That's not what I'm here for."
"Good," said Imena cheerfully. "Come on, let's go get something to eat and then you can tell me what the problem is." She led them over to a small restaurant. They ordered their food at the counter then went and sat down. Between bites, Yugi explained about the dreams. After he had finished, Imena leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed, obviously thinking.
"No doubt about it," she said finally. "That's the path to the Afterlife. However...interesting."
"What's interesting?" asked Yugi.
"Are you sure there is nobody with you on the path?" Imena asked instead of answering.
"Yes," said Yugi. He was fairly sure, at least.
"How odd"
"What's odd?" Yugi asked, this time with a note of exasperation in his voice. Imena's cat like eyes snapped down from where they had been starring at the ceiling to look at Yugi's face.
"When a person dies, the god Horus usually appears to guide the soul to the Hall of Judgment. That you are walking the path alone could be due to one of two things. One would be that you, Yugi, as the host body, have not died yet. Or it could be because the Pharaoh died a long time ago. Now, who do you believe is the one calling to you?"
"I believe it is my father," said the Pharaoh, taking control.
"Then that gives us a third option. Perhaps your father's spirit is summoning you to the realm of the dead."
"Why would he do that?" asked the Pharaoh, looking more and more confused.
"He may be in need of assistance," Imena said in that same, matter-of-fact tone. The Pharaoh got a look on his face like he was listening to something. Then he said:
"Yugi wants to know what the fire in the distance is. So do I, for that matter."
"You really don't remember anything about your past, due you Pharaoh. The fire you see is the First Gate. Ring any bells?"
"No," said the Pharaoh shortly. Imena sighed.
"The path to the Hall of Judgment is guarded by two doorways. One is made of fire and the other is made of cobras. Once in the Hall the dead person's heart is weighed by the god Anubis. On side of the scale is the heart; on the other is the feather of maat. If the heart weighs the same as the feather the soul may pass into the Afterlife. If the heart does not weigh the same then the soul is devoured by the eater of the dead." The Pharaoh was replaced by Yugi, who gulped visibly.
"The eater of the dead?" he asked shakily.
"Yes, a monster called Amut. It is part crocodile, part hippo and part lion," Imena wasn't looking at him again. She was just starring off into space.
"So what do we do to stop the dreams?" asked Yugi, trying to change the subject. Imena looked at him again.
"The spirit of the Pharaoh's father is obviously restless. Our first task should be to try and communicate with it."
"Is this going to be like a séance? Like the one's they have on TV?" Yugi asked, getting up to follow Imena as she started walking away.
"No," said Imena quickly. She even looked a little insulted. "Our first stop is the library."
So what did you think? In case you can't tell, I'm obsessed with Egyptian Mythology. It's one reason I like Yu-Gi-Oh so much. Another reason is Kaiba. He's not in this story. (sob ) And I'm going to try not to put any romance in this story. I...must...resist. Anyway, hope you liked it. Next chapter: Can Imena succeed in contacting the Pharaoh's father?