Rebirth

Warning:If I didn't mention it before, there will be some boyxboy lovey dovey moments going on. I will post a warning before chapters based on content.

Chapter 3: The Missing Piece

Christmas music was playing along, warming up the game shop with even more spirit as Yuugi hummed while cooking the couple dishes that he would bring to Ryou's. Christmas Eve still wasn't for another couple of days, but Yuugi liked to complete things ahead of time. That was only part of the reason though. The real reason was so he could spend extra time with Yami without worrying about having to get the meals completed. His mood had taken a drastic turn and now he was constantly smiling and excited about the holidays. His grandpa hadn't even needed to question Yami's arrival and just had welcomed him back into the house.

Yami of course wanted to help as much as he could. He was still new to the Christmas tradition but he was catching along fast. Sugoroku had suggested that Yami help him wrap some gifts (some of which were for him, Yuugi bet) while Yuugi finished cooking. He still needed to go out and buy some gifts for his friends, but he knew that could wait until later. He heard soft footsteps outside the kitchen and turned to see Yami entering, carrying baskets full of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows and more. Yuugi smiled, chuckling as Yami's eyes caught sight of all the food out on the counter. Yami set the baskets down and approached the stove.

"Are you making a feast, Yuugi?"

Yuugi smiled warmly, still feeling that Yami beside him was too surreal to be true. He had doubts about seeing him again, but luckily that little bit of faith had gotten him through it.

"I'm only bringing a few dishes," Yuugi smiled up at him. "It will be a feast when everyone puts their food together at Ryou's house."

Yami blinked down at him, his red eyes capturing Yuugi's attention not for the first time, "And you're sure I'm allowed to come?"

"Of course! There's plenty of food and seats. Besides, you're a guest and a friend. They'll all be happy to see you again," Yuugi smiled. "Until Christmas Eve though, we should keep your arrival a secret, just to surprise them."

A soft smile crossed Yami's face as he saw the spark of mischief in Yuugi's bright amethyst eyes. That spark hadn't been there since the last day they had seen each other in Egypt. Yami's smile faded slightly as flashes played out before him. He had healed from the physical injuries, but hadn't quite forgotten what had happened.

"Yami, are you all right?"

Yami blinked and turned to him, seeing the concern in his eyes. "I'm fine, Yuugi. What are these gifts for?"

Yuugi turned to where Yami had pointed toward the baskets and smiled, "The gifts are just part of the celebration. It's a way of showing your thanks, I suppose. Mostly it's just become a tradition now, but not everyone has to give gifts. It's kind of like…like celebrating your birthday," Yuugi said turning to him.

"A…birthday?"

Yuugi saw Yami's eyes reflecting pain and his smile faded slightly. He had nearly forgotten that Yami indeed knew about the birthday celebration. When Yuugi had been in Egypt with him he had explained it and Yami and his viziers had planned to make an incredible birthday feast for him. It would've been an exceptional party, one that Yuugi never would've forgotten, except…it hadn't happened. The night before Yuugi's birthday he had been kidnapped as bait for Yami because of Kontar. The fight had lasted long and Yuugi had been so afraid both he and Yami wouldn't live through it. He had thought he wouldn't live to be fifteen when Kontar had nearly killed him.

Luckily, in the end everything worked out, but Yami was too weak to do much. He had collapsed the moment they had reached where Fidil and Sugoroku and others were. Yuugi wanted to have Yami at his birthday party in Domino, after he too had recovered after being in the hospital for a day and in bed for two. Yami had been unconscious though and was still in recovery so he hadn't been able to attend Yuugi's birthday. He had gotten together with his friends who not only celebrated his birthday, but that he was also alive. They had taken him to watch a professional dueling matching at Kaiba's new tournament tower.

Yuugi put down the wooden spoon and wrapped his arms securely around Yami, who blinked in surprise.

"Yami, I don't care that you missed my birthday," he said softly, pulling away only to look up at him. "I only care that you're here now and we can spend time together again, without worrying about your duties as pharaoh and saving all of Egypt. There are more things than a birthday. Besides, Christmas is my favorite holiday so as long as you have a lot of fun it'll make up for that."

Smiling warmly, Yami wrapped his arms around him pulling him close, "Thank you, Yuugi, for everything."

Yuugi smiled back, relishing in the warmth and friendship radiating off of him, until a familiar sound caught his ear. He turned to see that the pot was bubbling over.

"OH NO!" Yuugi screeched, startling Yami as he turned down the flames and began stirring rapidly to make sure he hadn't burned the sauce. Yami watched with an amused expression while leaning up against the counter.

Yuugi sighed with relief when he was finally able to turn the stove off. "I guess I'll let this cool."

"What is it?" Yami asked, sniffing nearby it. "It smells good."

"It's sauce for the chicken. Usually grandpa only cooks chicken thighs and marinates them and then there's a special Mutoh recipe for the sauce as he calls it. It mostly has different herbs and spices in it, but I don't remember everything in it. I know there's sage and rosemary in it. And I'm bringing the cake!" Yuugi smiled. "I've all ready started on it, but it's almost impossible to do a sponge cake from scratch so grandpa helps him. I've gotten pretty good at it!"

"I suppose I'll let you do the cooking. I admit I don't have much experience," Yami smiled.

Yuugi shrugged, "That's no problem. We usually do it ourselves anyway, but you can help wrap the gifts. Well, I'll have to wait until this cools a bit before putting it on the chicken in the fridge. Maybe grandpa will let us take a break and go get some hot chocolate!"

Just as Yuugi turned around Sugoroku walked in carrying extra wrapping paper.

"What's this about hot chocolate?" he asked, spotting the boxes Yami had set down on the table and approached it.

"Grandpa, can I take Yami out for a bit? He's never had hot chocolate."

Sugoroku smiled and nodded, "Of course. You two have worked hard enough."

Grinning widely, Yuugi practically skipped out of the kitchen and went to grab his coat after throwing his apron off. Yami followed him toward the door.

"Yami, do you have a coat?" Yuugi asked, studying his robes.

"Yes," he answered, taking out his cloak from the closet. Yuugi tried not to giggle at the sight of the long, elegant robe that wound perfectly around his shoulders. It was made completely out of velvet and clasped nicely over his collar bone. Yuugi wanted to comment that it looked something like what a vampire from a movie might wear, only it looked like it could be for royalty too.

"We may have to get you a scarf or something," Yuugi said, raising his eyebrows. "Does that really keep you warm?"

Yami blinked, "This was the warmest material my viziers had to offer."

Yuugi scratched the back of his head and nodded, "That's okay, you can wear it over your clothes, but you'll have to wear more underneath. We might be able to get good deals on something. Come on!"

Yuugi grabbed Yami's arm and pulled him out the door, waving quickly to his grandpa as they left. The temperature had dropped a little since the previous day and the snow was still falling lightly. It had yet to stick, but at least there was snow. Although Yuugi hated the cold, he loved snow and he loved being warmed up by hot chocolate. He suddenly felt his hand grasped into something warm. Yuugi blinked and glanced up at Yami who had stopped him by grabbing his hand. Yami's eyes were mesmerized by one of the gift shops that were decorated in Christmas lights with a large, very decorative Christmas tree in the window. As Yuugi watched the joy and curiosity on Yami's face, a thought occurred to him.

I've got to get Yami a Christmas present! I almost forgot…It just felt so natural for him to be here, but I hadn't even thought of what to get him. I know if I asked him he'd just tell me he doesn't need anything, but I've got to get him something special.

Yuugi was lost in thought, wondering what the pharaoh of Egypt could possibly want. He didn't want to say that Yami had everything, but…if he had wanted anything his viziers would've gotten it for him. Not to mention, Yami rarely asked for anything that was solely for himself. Yuugi bit his lip and decided that he'd have to think on it later. For the time being, he had to teach Yami the true meaning of Christmas.

"Come on Yami," Yuugi smiled, grabbing hold of his hand again and tugging him in the direction of the café.

As they walked, Yami glanced around at the snow falling. He most likely had never seen snow before since he lived in a relatively hot climate. Yuugi was amazed at the look of innocent curiosity that played on his features. He looked so peaceful and gentle, not at all like the ruler of an entire kingdom. Yuugi made sure not to relinquish the hold on Yami's hand until they came to the place. There was a person outside ringing a bell on the street corner and Yami tilted his head in wonder.

"Yuugi, why is that person standing in the cold with that bell?"

Yuugi smiled, "Well, he's trying to collect donations for something. It could be for anything from a children's orphanage to cancer research. Christmas is a time of giving so usually donations are given around this time. It's sad that others don't donate at other times as well when it's most needed, but I suppose it's better than nothing," Yuugi sighed wistfully.

Yami glanced down at him and saw the concern etched into his features. His eyes held an almost pained expression and Yami squeezed Yuugi's hand warmly.

"Is something bothering you?" Yami asked quietly.

Yuugi held back his emotions and glanced up at Yami with a reluctant smile, "Nothing's wrong. I can't wait for you to try hot chocolate!" Yuugi exclaimed, forcing himself to be cheerful again in Yami's company. Changing the subject usually always worked with his friends, however he didn't notice the contemplating expression taking over Yami's face as they walked inside.

The two of them sat at a table together and Yuugi ordered two large hot chocolates. He explained more about what he and grandpa usually did around the Christmas holidays, besides the gifts and preparing food. He explained about some of the traditions that were done, but strangely Yuugi couldn't bring himself to tell Yami about mistletoe. It was the one tradition that came to mind that he couldn't bring himself to say out loud. Yuugi was always the shy type, especially if a girl called him cute. To tell Yami mistletoe meant kissing someone would make his whole face turn crimson.

At this point, Yuugi was utterly confused at what was occurring between him and Yami. Their bond had started out a magical bond, bound by fate and a prophecy, but now that the prophecy had been completed, at least to Yuugi's knowledge, the bond had somehow…been altered into more than a magical bond. During his time in Egypt they had become friends, close friends. And then Yuugi started to feel something stronger, like he wanted to protect and help Yami as if he was his own family. That was why Yuugi had wanted the kiss goodnight months before because his grandpa used to kiss him on the forehead and cheeks all the time when he was younger. It was a comfort to him since he didn't really remember his mother much and his father at all. But then…the innocent kiss had not been what Yuugi had expected. It should've felt as if his own grandpa was kissing him, but what had happened was that Yami had not only kissed his cheeks but he had brushed across his lips.

He felt a warm hand on his and he blinked up into Yami's face, feeling his cheeks heat up slightly. He hoped that Yami didn't figure out what he was thinking about. Yuugi had never had an official girlfriend. The only girls he had ever been around were Anzu and a couple older girls that were in his classes who thought he was cute. Then there were the girls that Yuugi hadn't met personally (or really Jou helped to keep him away from them) that were usually a bit younger than he was who liked him because of his semi fame as a duelist. Occasionally girls who found him stopped by the game shop and asked for an "autograph" and told him how cute and awesome he was. He had never had much experience with girls personally; never a one-on-one basis besides spending alone time with Anzu just hanging out. And now he was feeling emotions stir that he hadn't ever felt before, but now he was actually thinking about couples and remembering seeing girls shrieking about Valentine's Day and how they'd gloat about their boyfriends and such.

Jou was a bit bitter on Valentine's Day only because he had seen the thousands of girls that crowded around Kaiba's office tower each year with flowers and candies and wanting him to be their Valentine. Jou thought that Kaiba was a rich, spoiled brat who didn't know the meaning of love or fairness and that he didn't deserve all the "hot babes" drooling all over him. Jou had had his share of girlfriends, but the one girl who Anzu was positive Jou was in love with was Mai Kujyaku. She was a senior at their school who Yuugi had seen several times. She had even come up to him and congratulated him on defeating Pegasus at one point. She too was a duelist trying to make a name for herself, but she also had other dreams in mind. She was a bright, intelligent girl and extremely beautiful, which was why Jou had been practically drooling beside him at the time. But Yuugi hadn't thought much about Valentine's Day; it had just been about getting fan cards in the mail and eating some chocolate and watching couples in the hallways but not really paying much attention. Now though he was beginning to think more on it, but he didn't understand why.

"Yuugi?"

He felt Yami's warm fingers caress his face and his eyes automatically fluttered closed. He'd obviously been too much in thought and hadn't seen the look of concern across Yami's face. His eyes opened again and he blinked sleepily.

"You look tired," Yami observed with a soft smile.

"A little. I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I know I still won't for a while because of getting ready for the Christmas Eve party. I'm fine though," Yuugi smiled, holding back a yawn. "So, do you like hot chocolate?"

Yami blinked down at his drink before taking a sip, "It is very good, Yuugi, but why does it have to be so hot?"

Yuugi smiled widely, "I suppose because it warms you up when it's cold out. Plus, I don't think it'd taste very good cold."

Yami smiled and took another sip, "This reminds me of a drink my father used to have made for him. I believe my viziers now call it Kakoow bil laban (Egyptian hot chocolate). It tastes very similar to this only this tastes sweeter."

The strange tongue sounded soothing to Yuugi's ears, despite the fact that he wasn't sure exactly what it is. Obviously it was something close to hot chocolate that they made in Egypt. Or rather now it was considered hot chocolate, but it was most likely very different during Yami's father's reign. Yuugi's eyebrows furrowed as a thought occurred to him.

"Yami…I have a question," Yuugi spoke softly.

He felt Yami's bright crimson eyes staring at him serenely, "Yes Yuugi?"

"Well…it's about…," Yuugi licked his dry lips, unsure if Yami was particularly sensitive about personally questions like he was when asked about certain subjects. "It's about your family."

It felt like minutes had gone by full of silence, but it literally had only been seconds. Yuugi was staring down at the table, unable to reach Yami's gaze in case he felt like his personal space was being intruded. He felt a warm hand upon his own and looked up into Yami's gentle, understanding gaze. A soft smile played on his lips and from their close distance, being since Yami leaned forward, Yuugi could again see the bright color of his eyes gleaming at him, full of life and warmth and he could see Yami's tanned skin very closely and noticed that it had a bronze tint to it rather than just a light tan color.

"You can ask me anything, Yuugi," Yami said, seeing in the uncertainty in his gaze.

Yuugi bit his lip but nodded, "Okay…Well, I was wondering…at least in history books Cleopatra is the last known pharaoh of Egypt. Although my grandpa and other archaeologists have been studying your family and the general past of Egypt and what has occurred, your lineage didn't show up for thousands of years until not more than a century ago when they started finding traces of it. So I was just curious…I think my grandpa said you came from the Akim dynasty, but I just wanted to ask you personally."

Yami nodded, his smile never wavering as he pulled back into his seat, looking thoughtful.

"My family line hasn't been recorded in your history, that's true, but that is because our lineage was guarded by magic. The pharaohs many, many centuries before my family and other rulers before came about, were regular people, Yuugi. They were like kings and queens; in other words mortal. The first true pharaoh lineage came about a century before my father's reign. That was when power was becoming known and immortality was being searched for. The Millennium Items were actually discovered during that time before my family. They had been items that were discovered by those like the mortal pharaohs, but the mortals could never tap into the items' powers. Not until evolution took place, Yuugi.

"Life is still a mystery, but we are certain that near the beginning of humans there were people that had powers and what most would consider unnatural abilities. They weren't human. It is said that the day a natural disaster occurred they were buried alive and life appeared to have ended, until somehow people were born in Egypt…as if magically new life had been brought to an oasis. Egypt hadn't been surrounded by so many miles of desert as it is now, but of course landscape changes over time as well. That is evolution…that we all have evolved from somewhere and somehow people in Egypt began figuring out those special abilities that were known before our time," Yami said, as Yuugi listened intently with wide eyes.

"My family's dynasty started with the first immortal pharaoh, whose name was Akil. He was the one who poured his life into trying to unlock the mysteries of these items. They couldn't be melted into gold; somehow they just stayed as they were. And eventually, when my father's reign came, there would finally be some control over unlocking the powers. Some of them could use the powers a little, but it would eventually drain their life energy away until they withered away. And others accidentally trapped their own minds in what we found out later was the Shadow Realm, a realm of no return. We recorded our own history so that the Millennium Items could be kept a secret."

"So…keeping the pharaoh lineage a secret after Cleopatra then was for Egypt's safety?" Yuugi asked.

Yami nodded solemnly, "Yes, Yuugi. If anyone outside of Egypt, and even in Egypt, found out about what powers could be possessed there would be wars after wars. The people of Egypt mainly wanted peace, with the exception of people like my father and Kontar's father. They were ambitious and power hungry, wanting to solve the mystery of Millennium Items to claim ultimate power over them. That is why Shadi's family had hid them and formed the alliance that Isis and I, along with the others like Hadi, are in. With the alliance the Millennium Items wouldn't be tampered with. Their mystery has almost completely been solved, which is how it is known that the Items choose select individuals to wear them. But even I, especially now once again human, can be in danger if I use too much power."

Yuugi blinked confused, "So the Puzzle isn't what gives you immortality?"

Yami shook his head. "The Millennium Item is in fact what gives me this immortality, but it's not a permanent immortality. It's confusing for you to understand, Yuugi. It's hard even for me to understand centuries of my ancestral heritage, but for you it's even more difficult."

Yuugi nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the information given to him. It was in fact confusing and he wasn't sure why the prophecy had only happened during Yami's reign, but he was determined to figure out the secrets behind the "immortal" pharaohs' lineage.

"So…how is it these Millennium Items came to be?"

Yami's eyes glistened. "It's because of the Egyptian Gods, Yuugi. Not much has been discovered about where these beasts of the sky came from, but we do know that sometime around the time my ancestor took the throne probably 10,000 years ago, these beasts were suddenly spotted. And they were protecting these items. However, the beasts are said to have suddenly vanished, according to old parchments, but the Items were left behind. It wasn't until my reign that Shadi discovered how to tap into the Millennium Items, thereby releasing these beasts from their slumber."

"Wow! That's amazing, thank you," Yuugi smiled, pushing the information into the back of his mind for later use. "So, you won't live forever then?"

"No, not forever," Yami said, chuckling. "I was granted immortality by the Items so I could return after my sacrifice, due to the prophecy. But once I have no more use for the Items, or rather perhaps when the Egyptian Gods take back their sacred Items, I will be mortal once again."

Yuugi's eyes widened. "I see…I'm sorry if you don't like me asking about your family."

Yami smiled and shook his head, "It's fine, Yuugi, I don't mind. There is one thing I'd like to ask you."

Yuugi blinked and nodded, "Sure."

"Earlier you seemed upset because of something," Yami said, watching him intently. "And it was after you explained to me about the man with the bell."

Yuugi inwardly winced, feeling a bit uneasy. Yami caught on much faster than his friends had but Yuugi wasn't quite ready to share everything with him. They hadn't known each other more than a few months and Yami had become a very close friend and a young man Yuugi admired very much and cared very much about. But he had yet to tell Yami everything about himself. He felt like sharing that with Yami would be giving him everything—it would be like opening his soul up for Yami to see. Yuugi hadn't even completely done that with his best friends, not even Ryou whom he usually had the deepest conversations with. It was hard looking into his past at what he could remember and he just wasn't ready quite yet to let Yami know.

"There's nothing wrong, Yami," Yuugi said, knowing it was partially true. "It's nothing that you need to be concerned with. Christmas just sometimes makes me feel sad because there are those who can't celebrate it."

Yami's eyes seemed to soften in understanding and Yuugi knew that for now Yami had bought it. It wasn't that what he said wasn't true, but he wasn't telling the whole story. It was keeping it impersonal so that Yami didn't delve too deeply inside him, at least not yet. Smiling again, Yuugi changed the topic to sledding, something that he had almost forgotten to tell Yami about. By the way Yami's eyes widened very curiously, Yuugi knew he was going to have fun once the snow began to pile up.

XXXXXXX

Aswan, Egypt: Isis' Temple

Bright torches lit the finely built structure, illuminating the cement walls of the ancient rooms. Long hallways aligned perpendicular to marble pillars that held the temple together, leading to many rooms throughout the vast area. The main room in the temple was very spacious and had statues of all three Egyptian gods. At the front was a pedestal standing in a pool of clear water all inside a circular structure that held the water inside. Carvings of each Millennium Item had been placed on the pedestal as a symbol that the ancient temple was the meeting place of those in charge of protecting all the Millennium Items.

A figure cloaked in white flowing robes proceeded to walk down the long isle toward the front. Candles and torches were set all around the room since day had become night. The figure's hands were folded out in front and slowly unclasped when approach the pedestal. Slowly, the white hood was pulled down to reveal the concerned but lovely face of Isis. This was where the priestess came for answers when she wanted the necklace to give her a vision, but it was also the home to the guardians of the Millennium Items. Shadi would've been there but he had become preoccupied with trying to find the stolen Millennium Item. It wasn't just any Item it was the item that had been stolen away from the temple...The Millennium Scale.

That particular item had been placed on the pedestal and locked within the temple. The room of the temple itself was hidden behind a secret doorway that was incredibly hard, if not impossible, to see or figure out. It was to keep the members and guardians of the Millennium Items safe, especially in the beginning when it was needed most. However, Isis had a feeling the temple's sanctuary might be needed sometime soon again. She wished her Millennium Necklace would confirm her suspicions but she had yet to have a vision.

Isis approached the pedestal and glanced down at the object set down upon it. It was a gorgeous necklace worn by Cleopatra many, many centuries ago. She wore it for its appearance but she had never known the true meaning behind the necklace. It was the missing piece of the puzzle—the mystery surrounding the Orb. The prophecy had only been a part of the Orb, but there had been a greater use for the Orb and it took Isis some time to figure it out. It was only just a few moments ago she had discovered what might be happening and she knew she had to tell Shadi immediately so that the message could reach the pharaoh.

I know now why I've been feeling that the prophecy is incomplete. It is not because of the prophecy itself, but what lies within the Orb; the second part of the prophecy that will reveal the Orb's true purpose.

She had her suspicions but only with the held of the other members would it be solved. She had come to the temple in search of anyone being there but found that none were. Most likely they were helping Shadi try to locate the missing Millennium Scale and hopefully no other Millennium Items would go missing. Isis stared down at the necklace, her eyes dimming. She knew the necklace wasn't safe there. The temple was the safest place besides behind the pharaoh's palace walls, but her instincts were telling her that the necklace was vulnerable sitting in front of her. She had to get rid of it, to send it away from Egypt in case it fell into the wrong hands.

The necklace was of greatest importance to them now…it would solve the meaning of the Orb and possibly of the Millennium Items' existence. If she had only found that out sooner she would've handed the finely crafted necklace over to Yami immediately, but instead it had been placed in the treasury with the rest of the gold and silver and items that were discovered from Egypt's history. Many times Isis found herself wandering in the chamber where the jewels and finely crafted items were kept and found herself staring at the necklace. She had taken it only the day before and had been trying to get a vision by holding the necklace while at the front of the temple, but it hadn't worked. She had gotten an immediate message from Fidil that the pharaoh was well and wanted to go back to Japan to visit with Yuugi for a while so she had placed the necklace upon the pedestal and went right away to wish her pharaoh a safe journey. Now she found herself contemplating where the necklace should go. She didn't know exactly how it was important to the discovery of the Orb, but she knew to trust her instincts.

Isis whistled loudly, the soft high-pitched tune echoing off the walls. It sounded like a verse from a song of some sort and held a tune not recognizable. In minutes, there were specks of a golden-yellow color that were seeping through the walls of the temple. A shape was molding out of the specks and slowly wings were produced, followed by the body of a bird. Horus screeched softly and fluttered down toward Isis who held her arm out for the bird to land on.

"My good pet, please take this somewhere safe," she whispered, rubbing Horus' feathers gently.

The bird tilted his head and replied by stretching out his wings and fluttering over the pedestal, carefully taking the necklace in his beak. With nothing more than a blink toward her, Horus flapped his wings, rising toward the ceiling until magically he vanished leaving nothing more than the glittering specks of golden-yellow dust that disappeared a moment after lingering. Isis took in a deep breath, feeling like a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She knew she had done the right thing. After all, she had created Horus binding her blood and Yami's along with magic from her own Millennium Necklace and he would protect the necklace as best as he could.

Again, Isis knelt in front of the pedestal and closed her eyes, placing a hand upon her millennium item. She wanted some sort of a vision, anything to show her what might be going on. Her eyebrows furrowed as she concentrated as hard as possible, putting all her energy into it as she had done before, only this time she was more than determined she was desperate. Sweat was beginning to appear beneath her hairline and on her forehead as she felt her powers reaching their peak to try and force fate to be guided to her. Her Millennium Necklace suddenly began to glow brightly as flashes invaded her mind.

The vision came to her as she wanted, but what she saw she did not expect. She saw the answer to her questions about the Orb. More flashes appeared to her and she was panting from exertion. There were things she didn't want to see; something terrible was going to happen. She was watching it…she could see it…lives were in great danger! She had to warn him! It was coming again, the ancient myth that she had heard of was coming to life and she could see everything…She could see what fate had in store for them and the great danger that lie just ahead in Yami's path. And she saw…she saw Yuugi again and what fate had in store for him. And then…then she saw it…she saw what she had suspected from the beginning but had never voiced…she saw exactly who was the source of the danger that lie ahead and the source that would bring about a new terror.

Isis' eyes snapped open and she nearly collapsed from the power of the vision. She took deep breaths, her eyes wide with fear. She knew everything now…everything except how it ended, per usual. She would've never been able to tell Yuugi that Yami would nearly die, or that he would nearly die himself or even that Kontar would die. She could only see certain things and this time she saw much more than she had wanted.

"It…it can't be…," she whispered, sweat dripping down the side of her face.

Chills crawled up her spine as she heard something being dragged behind her. She knew, without looking, that there was another presence in the room with her. Slowly, she stood up, wiping the sweat from her face and clasping her Necklace tightly in her hand. With great courage and knowledge in what would happen next, she turned around to face the intruder. The figure was cloaked in darkness, but she all ready knew who it was.

"Hello dear Isis," the voice whispered coldly. "I believe you have something I want."

"The item you desire is no longer here," she answered calmly. "I sensed your arrival and now I know the truth. I didn't want to believe this was where fate was going to lead everyone. If I would've known that…," she trailed off, unable to continue her sentence.

The figure only seemed amused and chuckled, "So you've finally had a vision? Good. You'll be of some service to me now. I'm sure you all ready know what I'm after and I assure you it will be mine."

"If you think I won't fight you, you are mistaken!" Isis said strongly. "Although I have seen much of the future I haven't seen all, but I sense this will get out of control unless it is stopped soon! You must know of the risks that you are taken in this mission of yours."

"Why yes, I do know of the risks but I thank you for your concern, dear priestess. Trust me when I say it will be well worth the risk."

Isis' eyes narrowed, "And what of our pharaoh?"

The figure's lips curled into a smirk, "You will see that in time. Until then, I am afraid you will now be coming with me."

With the last of her strength, Isis conjured a phoenix that burst into flames to surround her. The figure laughed coldly in amusement as the bird took shape and put distance between them.

"I'm afraid that won't work…this time."

Isis' eyes went wide as the phoenix was swallowed whole by a much stronger power. If she hadn't forced herself to have the vision then perhaps she would've been stronger. But the figure had known the entire time and had been waiting for the right moment…Fate was now, again, resting in innocent hands.

TO BE CONTINUED…

I know the preview I gave in the previous chapter said there would be more flowers and Yuugi would show Yami the Orb. Well, there's been a change of plans. I was going to add something like that in this chapter, but I decided that this part was more crucial and should be in this chapter, so now my preview to the next chapter should have that in it…

Preview to next chapter: Yuugi receives more mysterious flowers and questions who he's receiving them from. News of Isis' disappearance reaches Yami, lining the Christmas holidays with a dark shadow. Ryou's Christmas Eve party finally comes but the night ends with an unexpected event…

To Reviewers:

Cherazz22784: Yes, it's great to have Yami back again, isn't it? Hehehe! There wasn't much fluff in this chapter, but there will be loads to come! Romance development is the most difficult because it really can't be rushed. You won't find out Yuugi's secret sender for a while, but I will dropping hints. There will be another clue next chapter!

Citrus luver: Well, I will tell you the reason for the flower on the tree is because you're right, Lotus flowers are one of Egypt's precious flowers. However, if you think very carefully, a lot of the characters are from Egypt, right? So it could be Yami, or anyone from Egypt, or perhaps even someone who knows about the flowers in Egypt…Take your pick! I'll be dropping hints, don't worry! Yami and Bakura are human, but they also have powers. Yami didn't materialize in front of Yuugi, he was hiding in the room. The way he arrived was of course by Isis' traveling powers, like in The Lost Pharaoh, but Bakura's secret is a little different. It wasn't actually him that was there. He doesn't quite have the power to transport himself so far. That'll be explained later. Hehehe!

MetallicbubblesHehehee! Yep, it was definitely a bigger plant, huh? Yes, Lotus flowers are a symbol of Egypt! However, as a hint, there's more than just Yami who's from Egypt, right? I love questions, don't worry! If anything's confusing let me know!

MisseystarYep! The flowers are beautiful aren't they? Of course, if you think about it, Yami's not the only one from Egypt right? So Yuugi could be getting the flowers from anyone. WOW! You're onto something! Hehehe! But I'm not going to point out exactly what you're onto…just know that you're starting to think about the bigger picture. Actually, I did hint near the end of The Lost Pharaoh about a new threat coming, but it was very minor. And yes, about Marik, he has no loyalties to anyone but himself. OH wow! You're 20 hours ahead of me? Lol! That's incredible! I'd get confused with the times too. Sorry for the slow update. I tried to get it up but FF apparently doesn't like me.

Yana5: Hehehe, I'm glad you liked that part about the tree. I tried to include some back ground info on Christmas trees and such. About Yuugi going to Egypt, you'll see! He WILL be going back when the climax of the plot approaches, but for what reason you'll have to see.

Amber Eyes23: Yeah, I know, I can make it very fluffy, can't I? Hehehe…I'll try not to drown you too much, but there will be loads of fluff as the romance is developing. Keep in mind the action is still the main genre, but the romance will balance it a bit. See if you can figure out who the mysterious bad-guy figure is this time. Hehe!

UsagiLovesDuochan: I'm glad you liked it! I hope you had a nice birthday! Yes, I agree! I hate it when people make Yuugi out to be a wimp just because he's a bit short. He's got a lot of inner strength and it will be shown a lot more in this plotline. Oh! Well, actually, Yuugi's friends and grandpa don't know anything about their growing relationship. Although they're very affectionate it's not noticeable to other people and even Yuugi and Yami haven't figured it out yet. Oh yes, don't worry, there will be RyouBakura too! That one is going to go a little slower because Bakura wasn't a main role in the last story, at least not with Ryou. You know what, I am only going to do the kissing because the main genre of this is suspense, but romance to balance it out a bit, but I'm thinking about possibly putting up a link or having like an extra part of the ending or something in which might be very intimate between them all. Or I could just do a separate one-shot in which I do intimate romance between our lovely couples! Yes, I figured yaoi meant that. Hehe! I have written a yaoi story before, my Gundam Wing story, but I'm eager to try it out now with Yu-Gi-Oh. Perhaps the separate story idea might work. Oh! I signed up on your ML but haven't had time to post. I'll have to figure out how to do it this week! How exactly do I post there? And yes, I'll need you to remind me! Hehe! Oh, I understand. It takes me a while to sometimes finish stories up, hopefully not this one though. I'd love to read some of your works sometime though!

Inuyasha0001: WHAT? That's ridiculous! Why are some people so stupid? It baffles me! Don't worry, they will get bored once they realize how stupid that is in the first place. Lol! Yes, poor Yami can't sing Christmas carols yet, but he's learning. I'll try and update this asap!

Kitty Neko: Hehehe! Yep, you guessed right! They're Lotus flowers. Yes, they are the symbol of Egypt, but I'll give you a hint. There are more characters than just Yami who are from Egypt…I'll hint in the next chapter who it might be, but it might not be Yami. Yep, there's going to be some RyouBakura too!

Masami: Awww, thanks! I really hope this sequel will be as good as The Lost Pharaoh. So we'll see! I'll be trying my best to update as often and consistently as I can! Especially over breaks it helps.

RussaOh! That's a good title for it too. I guess I just wanted it to be simple…I don't know. That's true, Bakura is usually evil in the TV series and in a lot of fanfictions. But in this one, I like him being more mysterious and helpful in a way, but not evil. I'll update as soon as I can!

SilverWing147: Yep, Yami and Bakura are back! Bakura and Ryou will have their part, don't worry, I just needed to set up the plotline. OO! I hope you did good on your tests. I know how stressful tests can get. Thanks for that! I think I did okay on my Civ actually. You're the only one who caught that! Yep, the flowers being from Egypt doesn't necessarily mean they're from Yami, they could be from anyone! You're onto something! Keep up with the good work because you hinted at something very good.

Skuld-himeHehehe! Yes, Yami and orange juice…Unfortunately, he's going to find more strange things at the Christmas Eve party. Tehehehe! But I guess that's our lovely pharaoh, huh?

DfsThank you! This is my first romance fic with Yu-Gi-Oh (well second to The Lost Pharaoh) so I'm glad you're liking it. The romance will pick up eventually, but I hate rushing it. There will be loads of fluffiness though!

LinkfreakAww, thanks! I'm glad you're liking this. Oh, and thanks so much for reminding me about the birthday thing! I was supposed to plan it in the prologue but I forgot so I had to add it into this chapter! Hehehe! Thanks!

Consumed Rachel: Thank you! I'm really grateful you're liking the plot so far, especially since the real plot is only beginning. That makes me feel better because I'm afraid this might be going too slow. It will pick up though! Sorry this update was a little slow, well, compared to what I wanted it to be, but luckily I've been updating pretty consistently. I won't make you wait too long for the next update!