The gardens were just as stunning as Yugi remembered. The wooden walkways led out over koi ponds, which were full of spectacular-looking fish, to the beautiful waterfall that she fully suspected was man-made. She could see, in a tucked away part of the gardens, towards some sliding doors that she suspected led into the event rooms, some cut-outs of Duel Monsters being set up by staff, probably ready for the photoshoot.

It was not hard to spot the pair she was looking for. Karim and Azra were waiting by the sliding doors and nodded respectfully to her and Katsuya as they approached.

'You ready, Anesan?'

When the Spirit of the Puzzle took a tentative step forward, her twin took one back and they traded places. Katsuya felt the change happen and glanced down at his friend, noting the change of bearing and posture, from Yugi's nervous but warm body language to a more regal, colder posture. "I've got your back, Mei."

The Pharaoh glanced up at him, still unused to the nickname, then gave him a brief smile and nod before turning to the two Tomb Keepers. "You wished to speak with me?"

"May we step inside, my Pharaoh? We have something of great import to show you," Karim pressed, looking Jou up and down with a wary look. "It will help us explain things better."

Not wanting to discuss the important matters of her history around those who were setting up for the shoot, she nodded. "Of course."

Stepping inside the Maiogi room, Meisa found herself surprised by how little decoration there actually was. The room itself was stunning, but there were none of the tacky cut-outs they were using outside, and only a large banner with the logos of both Kaiba Corp and Industrial Illusions hanging over the plinth where the announcements were going to be made.

Then her eyes fell on the area that had been clearly left empty for the duel, and then on the back wall, where there stood several stone tablets. Six of them depicted Duel Monsters; three of them were Kaiba's monsters, while the other three were beasts she had used.

Not one of those six held her attention, though. The one in the middle had hieroglyphs on and depicted a pair of familiar figures. Familiar enough that her friend let out a low hiss.

She let go of Katsuya's arm and walked forward, examining the carvings of herself and Kaiba. Her first thought was that they were fighting, then she remembered what her Jii-san had taught her. Enemies of the Pharaoh were always depicted bound and kneeling at the feet of the monarch. Kaiba had not been her enemy. She did not know what he had been to her, but that instinct that had told her that Kaiba could have been an ally looked like it was correct.

"Can you read it?" Katsuya asked softly as he put a hand on her shoulder, giving her support and noting the bristling of the two Tomb Keepers at his actions, as if he did not have the right to touch his friend.

"Blessed be the Pharaoh, who gave their life for our world." Meisa's voice shook slightly as she realized that this tablet had been carved in her memory, glad that her twin had been learning hieroglyphs from their Jii-san. "We pray that their travels through Duat are not eternal, that their soul will become whole again and that they will return to us when we are in need once more. May our souls be there when they need us and may those who serve fulfil their roles once again."

"Not bad, your majesty." Karim sounded impressed. "You remember the ancient languages?"

"No, but I've been learning from an Egyptologist." She shook her head as she answered. "Where… where were these?"

"These are a few of the tablets we were protecting for you," Azra explained as she stepped forward. "This one in particular was carved by your cousin, Pharaoh Seth, in your memory."

Meisa just nodded, her eyes resting on the cartouche underneath her image and her heart sinking a little as she realized her name had been scrubbed off, unlike the one underneath Seto's image, which named him as Seth. Possibly the same Seth that the demon had claimed to have killed over and over again. She shook her head, trying to get her mind off of those thoughts and back onto what the Tomb Keepers were telling her. The fact that Kaiba had supposedly been her cousin in a former life was not entirely surprising. There was a level of rivalry that only really came from family and Kaiba certainly pushed the boundaries of it.

"My Pharaoh?" Karim asked softly. "We have much to show and tell you and not much time to do so."

"I have questions of my own," she conceded, examining the carvings of some of her most loyal duel monsters, as well as the three at the top that surrounded a clear carving of the Millennium Puzzle. "About what happened in Egypt. Also, if it's wise to have this on display for something like this?"

"The Millennium Necklace allows me to see both forward and back," Azra cut in softly, "and not showing this to you now has graver consequences than allowing it to be used in such a manner."

"Explain." Meisa's eyes narrowed as she looked over at the Bearer of the Millennium Necklace.

"There will be a tournament announced at this event that you need to enter. If we had not spoken with you, you would not have survived it." Azra spoke with such certainty that Meisa grimaced, Yugi mentally shuddered, and Katsuya huffed. "Obviously, we do not wish you to fall."

"If you're here to say I need to kill Bakura and get on with getting to the afterlife, I won't do it. I'm not ready and I have much to do before then," the Pharaoh bit out, still angry about Ishizu's snap.

"Oh, Ra, no." Karim shook his head rapidly. "While you are destined to fight her and save the world, we are aware you're not ready for that. We're here to give you a step towards being ready for that goal, but we don't expect you to jump straight there. If you're going to stand a hope against the Demon Thief, you need your true power, and to get that back, you need to unlock your true Ren."

"And that can only be recovered when you present the three God cards to this tablet." Azra gestured to the tablet bearing her and Kaiba.

"God cards?" Meisa frowned, glancing again at the three surrounding the Puzzle.

"May I show you?" Azra asked gently, the Millennium Necklace glowing softly.

"Can I see too?" Katsuya asked, his tone protective.

"It's up to her majesty." Azra looked to Meisa.

"Anything you want to show me, you can show him. He's my partner." Katsuya glanced at her, wondering if she was aware of how what she had just said sounded. The Pharaoh seemed oblivious, but he did notice a distinct warming towards him from the Necklace Bearer and a cooling from the man accompanying her.

"Very well then."

The world around them faded out. When it came back, it was to the site of a battle, where an older, male Pharaoh and his Item wielding priests, along with several soldiers, were fighting a giant brute of a man, who Meisa recognised as the same Anubis who had murdered her brother, his goons, and his own priests, who had blue glowing items of their own.

"The traitor, Anubis, wanted to overthrow your father," Azra explained as a dirty, sack-wearing Princess emerged from a tent on the edge of the fighting, accompanied by Mahad and a couple of soldiers, and darted for the ritual circle in the centre of the battlefield. "He ripped the soul from your dying brother and used its power to summon the divine beasts into this world…"

The mage in question, holding a golden glowing orb of light, raised his free hand, calling Shadows into it. As he raised the soul he was holding to the dark rift Katsuya's eyes widened and Meisa went to dart forward to stop Anubis, only to feel her Imoto wrap her hand around her wrist, grounding her and reminding her that this was just a vision.

The darkness absorbed the sacrifice, constricted for a moment, then exploded in pure light. Light which split into three incredibly powerful forms. Even in a vision, the Pharaoh could sense the sheer power and aura of fear that rippled off of the creatures as a red, serpentine dragon, a huge humanoid blue figure and a golden armoured mix between and dragon and a phoenix appeared from the light.

"The Sky Dragon of Osiris, Obelisk the Tormentor, and the Winged Dragon of Ra were avatars granted to the world by the gods themselves. A gift to the future Pharaoh so he could protect his land. A gift that was stolen when his soul was fed to the Shadows," the Necklace Bearer continued, "and Anubis wanted them for himself."

With a mighty cry and a combined burst of magic from Anubis and his priests, the Gods shattered into light particles and drained into an orb in the centre of a ritual circle. An orb that glowed and shook as Anubis and his men chanted, the light within progressively getting brighter until, just as the dirty, younger Meisa reached it, the red, blue, and yellow lights erupted from it and struck the Princess in the chest.

The light soaked into the girl, who screamed in fear and pain before collapsing to the floor. From where they were, it was impossible to see if she was breathing, but the snarl Anubis let out told them that her interference was not welcome.

He moved to approach the Princess, only for her father to get in the way.

"Anubis was in the middle of a sealing spell when the divine beasts erupted from their prison," Azra shared. "Instead of being sealed into the orb, like he had planned…"

"They were sealed in me," Meisa breathed, eyes wide.

"Giving you access to the power the Gods had granted your brother," the Necklace Bearer agreed as the young Princess stood up, looking unsteady and like she was not entirely sure where she was or what she was doing. "And you proved that day that you could control them."

At the sound of her father crying out in pain, the young Princess, who could not have been more than eleven or twelve, let out a feral howl of fury, and the world erupted as the three God Monsters took form, blasting everyone and everything belonging to Anubis. Below them the sands turned to glass and their mortal forms were burned away, shocked to death or sucked into the desert sands...

And yet not a single one of the Pharaoh's men were harmed.

Meisa watched as her younger self, breathing like she had run a marathon, reached up and petted Osiris, who had lowered his head to check on her, on the nose before collapsing to the sands, the divine beasts fading as the Pharaoh rushed over to her, and the whole scene faded out as the ruler scooped his unconscious child up into his arms.

"Shit, Yuge," Katsuya breathed, stunned by the sheer power his friend could control.

"The God Monsters are the only reason you stood as long as you did against the Demon Thief when she turned on Egypt, but your priests fell, one by one, until it was just you, your cousin, and Priestess Mana left. You did not have the support you needed to defeat the demon for good, so you paused the game by sealing yourself and the Demon Thief away until you could regain your strength." Karim picked up the story. "But when the Shadows rended your soul in two during the sealing, you lost your connection to the divine beasts and the power they provided. At least that's what the scriptures tell us. But we can help you get it back."

With that he presented a monster card to the Pharaoh. A monster card with the same red serpentine creature on that had been in the air alongside the other two in the vision.

"Osiris," Meisa breathed as she took the card, able to sense its sheer strength the moment she touched it. An electric shock crashed through her for a moment, accompanied by a feel of howling winds and the rumbling of thunder. Then the power wrapped around her, like a protective shield, and she let out a soft gasp as she felt most of its energy meld with hers.

"If you want the other two, you will need to compete in Kaiba's tournament," Azra explained to her as Katsuya handed her the deck holster so she could slip it into her side deck for now. "Kaiba holds Obelisk and plans to use it against you, while Ra…"

When his wife trailed off, Karim grimaced. "Is held by Ishtar."

"Ishtar? As in Ishtar Ishizu?" Katsuya yelped. "She has one?"

"I had forgotten you had met that kinslayer." The man's voice turned vicious. "The Ishtars are traitors and…"

"The Ishtars were betrayed by their father." Meisa cut Karim off sharply. "Ishizu was meant to inherit my secret. Not that I'm pleased about how that was being passed on."

"It doesn't matter what she thought, she could never have been leader of the tribe," Karim dared to snap back. "There are only seven people in the entire tribe who know the truth of your gender, and the Ishtars are three of them. The rest believe that you were male and that men should lead and be in charge. It's how the tribe has grown and survived for millennia. The Leader of the tribe has always been male and has held the Millennium Rod, and been the sword of the catacombs, while his sister or wife has always held the Millennium Necklace and been a shield. That is how it has always been."

"That doesn't make it right." Yugi burst into control, the building outrage and protest pushing her to the front accidently. "No one should be forced into a position that they don't want, and no one should have to suffer what Marik did!"

Karim looked startled as he beheld the smaller, gentler-looking girl, who right now looked determined and a little like a hissing kitten.

"You couldn't understand, young one," Azra interrupted before her husband could snap at the child in front of him. "These were our ways. Our traditions."

"That doesn't make them right!" Yugi hissed out, shocking Katsuya with her anger. "How many people died getting those marks?!"

Karim's hands balled into fists for a moment, then he turned away, refusing to lash out at the young Pharaoh.

"Yuge." Jou's call and the hand on her shoulder snapped Yugi out of her fury, and she paused as she realized what she had done and looked away.

"S…" She trailed off. She could not say she was sorry because it would have been a lie.

"You said you had questions?" Azra interjected, trying to calm the situation.

Yugi took a deep breath as she nodded, looking at the Necklace Bearer. "We're trying to find out the truth of what happened to make Egypt fall apart. We know that Ba-Khu-Ra was betrayed and thought it was us; we also know that we were betrayed and the palace thought it was Ba-Khu-Ra. But we know I didn't order the hit on her, and she only turned on us after the guards tried to kill her… so my question is, can you use the Necklace to show us who did order both hits?"

Azra paused, surprised by the question. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the Necklace glowing for a moment before dying down. Her tone was full of disbelief as she breathed, "I… can't see who ordered the thief's death."

"Oh? Why?"

"The Millennium Necklace cannot see other item holders." The Necklace Bearer sighed with a slight grimace. "I can't see them directly, but we were taught the Sacred Guardians were loyal to you."

"Apparently not." Katsuya grimaced.

Yugi pursed her lips, thinking about what Bakura had explained about the Necklace. "What about looking from another angle? Like someone who doesn't hold an item but would have been in the scene? And what about who ordered my assassination?"

Azra paused to consider, tilting her head as she thought. It would not be the first time she had tracked someone that way. It was how she had helped the tribe keep track of Ishizu, and how she had been watching the Pharaoh. Through those close to them.

"I can try." She nodded, closing her eyes again. When the Necklace glowed this time, the world around them faded once again, coming back into view to reveal Ba-Khu-Ra talking to some rather vicious-looking men and handing them a bag of money and a vial of poison, before offering them a larger sum for taking out the Pharaoh. The men left and the illusion of Ba-Khu-Ra faded away, revealing a tall, hooded figure. One of his eyes glowed green as he turned away from the door and moved over to the ancient Egyptian version of a mirror. The hooded figure put his hand on the reflective bronze surface, which suddenly moved like water. As he stepped through it, the scene darkened and faded to nothing.

When the world returned from the darkness, the vision shifted to another figure, body shape different and dressed like a priest, a glint of gold at his waist, not that they could see which item it was from their angle. They could work out though that it was long and thin, with a round shape at the top as they watched him speak to a group of men dressed like the soldiers from the Anubis vision. However, that only narrowed it down to the Rod or the Key. The Priest's voice was familiar as he ordered them to do whatever needed to be done in order to protect Egypt and to protect their Pharaoh, and if that included eliminating the thief known as Ba-Khu-Ra, so be it. Unfortunately Meisa could not recognize whose voice it was.

Notably though, the figure from the first vision was stood to one side, still hooded, preventing them from getting a good look at him.

Then they were back in the modern age and Yugi groaned. "There were two of them. One betrayed me, one targeted Ba-Khu-Ra. Between them they caused everything and we still don't know who they are."

'At least now we have confirmation that Bakura was betrayed by one of our High Priests.' Meisa sounded angry. 'I just wish I knew which one.'

'And if he was being manipulated by the man who ordered the hit on us.' Yugi's heavy sigh made Azra wince.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more service, Your Majesty." The Necklace Bearer bowed.

"No, no, you've given me food for thought at least. My source might be able to give me names when I get home." Yugi waved it off.

"Is there anything else I can help you with? We still have a little time before you need to be back outside," Azra offered, looking thoughtful.

"Two things." Yugi bit her lip as she decided. "First… when the time comes for… for Meisa to leave, how will that work? Will it…"

The Pharaoh took control again when Yugi trailed off. "I've been informed that trying to pass into the afterlife will kill my Imoto. Is that true?"

"No!" Azra's shocked yelp helped ease the knot in the spirit's chest. "No… Sorry, just… Where did you even hear that? The Ishtars?"

"An ally." Meisa shook her head, not wanting to name Ba-Khu-Ra as such in front of these two and noting the look of relief on Katsuya's face. "So what is the truth?"

"When you have your name and the time comes for you to leave, you'll need to come to Egypt and return the Millennium Items to the tablet that created them. Once you've done that, it will unlock your Jb's trial, the Ceremonial Duel. You and your vessel will duel one last time. If she can defeat you fairly and you can accept that defeat gracefully, she will have earned the right to exist as her own person and you will have earned the right to enter the afterlife."

"So Imoto will be okay? She'll be able to live on?"

"Your leaving won't kill her," Azra promised.

The Pharaoh let out a relieved breath and swapped out with her twin, wondering what the second question was.

When Azra tilted her head curiously at Yugi, the girl smiled nervously. "Can you show me my ancient family?"

The older woman paused, surprised. "You wish to see them?"

"If it's not an inconvenience." Yugi nodded, able to sense Meisa's shock and intense focus, hoping to get to see those who she left behind.

"Of course, my Pharaoh." The Necklace Bearer nodded, her tone soft and understanding as the Necklace lit up brightly.

Suddenly they were in a room that was probably a nursery, where a woman with plain black hair, but the same bright purple eyes that Yugi did, was nursing a barely three-month-old baby with wide red eyes, while a girl of possibly three or four with the tri-coloured hair and purple-red eyes of her siblings clung to her leg. Across the room a pair of almost identical children, bar gender and hair length, had the same three-colour hair and purple-red eyes, and could not be more than seven or eight.

"Pharaoh Seth sent a lot of the records that weren't destroyed during the downfall with us when we were formed to protect your tomb and your secret, so the names of your family weren't lost and they could remain in the afterlife. Before the Ishtars rebelled, I helped my husband organise the records. There wasn't much to do in the catacombs, so I used to read everything we had stored away." Azra spoke softly. "So I know their names and the name of your mother, Queen Tiamat. She and your father, Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, had many children; you were not the only one left until your twelfth year."

"Azra?" Hope rushed through Yugi as a thought occurred to her. "If my family's names were written down, what about mine?"

"I'm sorry, my Pharaoh. We have the name you took on, but your true name was erased to prevent it falling into the wrong hands." The Necklace Bearer apologised, a sad, sympathetic smile on her features. "We don't have it on record."

Yugi's shoulders sank but she nodded, having expected that response, as she felt Meisa was absorbed in the scene around them, "What were their names, and can you write them down for me?"

"Your twin brother was Atem." She gestured to the boy in question. "He's the one whose name you took on when you survived the battle and he did not."

"Your little sister was Nephthys. She, unfortunately, fell into the Nile during a Festival to Sobek." She gestured to the small girl attached to the Queen. "While the little one was a boy." She gestured to the baby. "He was named Thoth the same day he and your mother were assassinated."

Yugi's heart twisted at the casual mention of her Ancient Mother's death as it reawakened old memories of her own parents, who were also gone. She felt Meisa's emotions plumet too. They had known the deaths would have been a thing, but hearing it so cleanly explained hurt more than she had expected.

"There were other siblings, ones you would not remember, three brothers: Khepri, Maahes, and Anhur." The vision shifted to three teens, two with purple eyes, one with red, all who had the same hair as their father, who was watching from a nearby tent, without the Millennium Puzzle. "They died in the war that erupted not long after you were born, the same war that the Items put a stop to."

Then the images shifted again, to a girl of around nine to ten years old with plain black hair but red-purple eyes, spinning her four-year-old twin siblings around, laughing brightly. "Your older sister, Amunet, supposedly ran away after a fight with your father. We don't know what happened to her after that."

"Can… can you look into Amunet? You have the Necklace, so if she had a happy life, you should be able to see her, right?" Yugi pressed, hoping to give her twin one good memory about her ancient family.

Azra paused and tried to shift the scene to follow her request. They got to see a darkened room, a small figure asleep on the bed, and the door slipping open silently, then the vision faded out as Azra swooned and started to fall.

Katsuya darted forward to help her, Karim supporting the other side, as they assisted her to the nearest chair.

"Azra, are you okay?" Yugi squeaked as she darted over.

"Sorry… Seeing that far back takes a lot of energy," the woman breathed, Karim hovering over her, worried.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," the Puzzle Bearer said, pouring the woman a glass of water from one of jugs on the tables.

"No, no, we Tomb Keepers are supposed to serve you." Karim sighed unhappily. "If you wanted to know, it's our duty to show you."

The Necklace Bearer took the drink gratefully and leaned into her husband as she drank.

"I'm sorry I couldn't give you better news, but I suspect you always knew it was going to be bad," the older woman said as she wrote down the names on a napkin and handed them to the light-souled girl, who clutched them to her chest.

Yugi winced and nodded. "Yes… but sometimes we want to know our past, because there's so many holes and questions we just…"

"It can't be easy to not remember anything and have all of this dumped on you." Karim nodded, understanding. "You will be careful who you approach about this, won't you? If you fall…"

"I know what could happen." Yugi grimaced. "I know how close a second downfall is."

"That's why she has us," Katsuya interjected. "Honda, Anzu, and I are looking out for her. She's our friend, and we'll protect her."

"And you will die trying." Azra spoke softly, her voice shaking as the Necklace glowed softly. "If you get between Ishtar and our Pharaoh, you will die and your death will lead to the death of our Pharaoh and the world."

Yugi looked at her friend, frightened, remembering Zorc's words about having killed Katsuya before, but Jou shrugged, looking fierce. "The past is written, it can't be changed, but the future? That's still to come. Anything could happen."

Those were the right words, as he saw his friend relax a little, but Azra paused and pursed her lips. "I can only tell you what I've seen. If you don't want to listen to my warnings, I cannot stop you, but I have cautioned you. Allow yourself to die, and you will take our Pharaoh with you."

"Then I just won't die. Simple." Katsuya put his hand over his heart.

Before anyone could respond, one of the crew from outside poked their head in the sliding door, "Mutou-san, we're ready for you now."

Yugi hesitated, not entirely ready to end the conversation, but Karim waved her off.

"Go on. There's nothing more we can give you for now anyway." He bowed to the girl. "And have fun. You really do look like a Queen."

Yugi blushed at the compliment and headed for the door.

Katsuya turned to leave, paused, and looked back. "You were serious? Ishtar's gunna kill me?"

Azra nodded, looking worried. "And your death will send our Pharaoh into a downwards spiral that will result in her own demise… Please. Stay alive."

"I'll try."

With that he turned to follow his friend.

Outside Yugi was leaning against the wooden beams, taking a deep breath and trying to center herself. Between all the information that had been thrown her way and the threats to both her life and Katsuya's, the relatively calm mood she had been in pre-meeting was blown to smithereens and she could feel her twin felt the same way.

She should not have asked about her siblings. It had been a selfish question to ask, but the chance to get their names had been too much of a draw for her. She took a photo of the paper using her phone and hit send, forwarding the message to Anzu, who she knew she could trust to not delete anything, just in case she lost the paper.

'Anesan?' She spoke over the bond, her mental voice shaking slightly. When she felt she had a little of her twin's attention, she offered, 'If you like, we can add their names to the family shrine.'

The Pharaoh paused to consider, then gratitude flooded the bond. 'Their names could go with your parents, if that's okay?'

'I don't have a problem with it, and I'm sure Jii-san won't either,' the girl reassured her twin, relieved to be able to offer something. 'And this way we can honour your ancestors, too.'

Katsuya's hand on her shoulder made her jump, and she gave her best friend a rueful smile as he asked, "Hey, you okay?"

"No. Not really, but…" She shrugged, glancing towards where the photographer was setting up, reminding him that they could not really discuss these matters in public. The former gang member nodded, catching her drift, but did not get the chance to say anything before Kaiba swept into the scene, wearing a black long-sleeved turtleneck and black trousers underneath a trench coat whose exterior was so white that it almost did not look real, while its interior was deep burgundy red, several shades darker than the red Katsuya was wearing. Silver stud detailing worked its way around the collar and down the fastenings, along with a silver KC on the collar. Around his neck hung a leather cord, which a Duel Monsters card hung from. Yugi thought she could see a catch on the gold part.

It matched the pendant around Mokuba's neck as the younger Kaiba caught up to his brother, licking his fingers like he had not long finished breakfast, and wearing a white suit jacket over a black shirt, and black trousers, clearly mimicking his brother.

Yugi recognised the pendants as something the pair of brothers had been wearing at Duelist Kingdom, but did not think she had any right to ask about them.

The CEO of Kaiba Corp looked the pair of them up and down, his eyes narrowing slightly. Katsuya bristled, but Yugi knew the look was considering rather than dismissive.

"So you can look presentable." The elder Kaiba brother snorted, looking at Yugi and ignoring Jonouchi completely.

"It takes some effort." Yugi's shrug came a lot easier than it would normally as she tried not to show that the comment bothered her. "I'd normally be more focused on my duelling. That's more important after all."

Kaiba nodded, acknowledging her point. "I would hope you're ready for our match later."

"Don't worry, I," And her hand went to the Puzzle, indicating which 'I' she meant, "Am looking forward to our rematch."

There was a brief pause, then a sharp nod as Kaiba considered if he was irritated that it was not the normal Yugi who would be dueling, then decided he did not really care. Meisa had defeated him, too, and he wanted a chance to crush both Mutou sisters in battle. This would just give him a chance to prove that the ancient spirit's victory using Exodia had been nothing but sheer dumb luck.

Mokuba grinned. "Of course my brother is going to win."

"Yeah, right, Yuge will kick his butt," Katsuya protested on their behalf. "In both looks and Duel Monsters."

The confidence in her made her smile as she trusted Katsuya with the oh-so-important piece of paper. He put it in the bag as the photographer herded her and Kaiba away, leaving the younger Kaiba and Yugi's best friend to debate while they started taking photos, beginning near the cut-outs and working their way around the garden, finishing up with a photo by the waterfall. By the time they had made their way around the garden, the workers by the sliding door had packed up and headed inside.

As Katsuya and Mokuba watched their companions get herded and posed by the cameraman, Mokuba asked softly, keeping his voice low as he leaned against the railing next to the pond, "Have the Tomb Keepers spoken to you guys yet?"

"Just now." Katsuya joined him with a slight grimace as he glanced over this shoulder and decided that they should not be able to be overheard. "Yuge got some answers she wanted… and a warning of a threat that we didn't."

"Oh?" the younger Kaiba asked, peeking at him.

Jou grimaced. "Me and Yuge could get killed in your tournament, by the cow who wants Meisa to kill Bakura and bugger off to the afterlife. The same woman that apparently holds the Winged Dragon of Ra."

Mokuba huffed, "We already have plans to have a rapid response unit ready to go. It would be irresponsible of Kaiba Corp to allow competitors to die."

The former thug let out an amused bark of laughter at the boy's words, causing both Yugi and Kaiba to glance his way momentarily before the photographer was herding them again. "So we don't have anything to worry about, huh?"

"We have to show Industrial Illusions up." Mokuba shrugged. "And that means taking care of our competitors."

Jou just nodded, thoughtful, as he watched his friend pose for the camera. His compliment seemed to have boosted her morale, and as he tracked her around the garden, keeping an eye out for trouble so he could be at her side if she needed him, he could not help but agree with his earlier thoughts about her.

She was stunning.

And, he decided, it was not only because of how she looked right now. Yugi was a bright light in a dark world. A genuinely good person who always tried to treat people the way she wished to be treated herself. Even when death was on the table, she considered others before herself.

The feelings had been building for a long time, he realized as he finally admitted to them. He was more open and honest around her, tried to be a better person for her…

And he did not want to lose her.

He knew, if he let her, that after Zorc's gloating and Azra's warning, Yugi would try to push him away to protect him. Try to convince him that he was not safe around her.

But he was not willing to go.

She meant too much to him to let her stand alone against the threats that wanted to put out her light forever.

He just did not really know how to explain that to her.

Across the lake, where the photographer was finishing up, Yugi nervously bit her lip for a moment before asking, "Can I get a copy of the photos, please?"

"Industrial Illusions have made it clear that they're the ones distributing these." The man with the camera shook his head, causing Yugi to let out a soft sigh, slightly disappointed.

"Kaiba Corp will be receiving a set," Kaiba informed her coolly. "I'm sure that Mokuba will be willing to pass them on to you should you ask."

The Puzzle Bearer smiled at the CEO and bowed slightly before heading back to her friend. Startled by the respect shown, Kaiba snorted and headed over to his brother before stepping inside to prepare for the presentation.

Yugi leaned into Katsuya when she reached her friend, glad that, for now, they were alone as she closed her eyes momentarily before speaking, downcast. "Hey… I'm sorry."

"For what?" Katsuya looked down at her, concerned by the pain in her tone.

"I know you were hoping for a semi-normal weekend after what happened with Zorc, and…" She swallowed hard. "With what Azra said…"

"I'm not afraid, Yuge." It was a lie, but he was not going to admit that to her as he cut her off and turned to face her, his eyes gazing into hers as he made her a promise. "I mean what I said during Death-T. Friends are meant to be there when the going gets tough, and I'm not giving up on you. So this time, promise me, whatever happens, you won't give up on me either."

"I won't, Katsuya, but you made me a promise. You would stand back and let me and Anesan handle things," Yugi reminded him, her voice shaking slightly as she referenced his oath from back, nearly a year ago, when Imori had Challenged them both with the Dragon Cards.

"And I'll keep that promise as long as you keep your promise that you won't risk your life or soul if you don't think you'll come back," Jonouchi prompted her, far too easily able to remember Yugi throwing her soul away to save his soul and recover her stolen Puzzle from the thief.

Yugi let out a slightly bitter laugh. "I don't know if I can keep that promise. Things are moving so fast that I'm just getting swept along. I don't have control of my own life anymore. I need to be too much to too many people and apparently I have a destiny! And now there's a risk that we're both going to die because of something we didn't even start! It's all too much."

"That's why you have me. I'm here to support you." He tried to put his hands on her shoulders, but the Queen of Games backed up, shaking her head.

"If you help me, you could die." Her voice shook as her vision blurred, water building up in her eyes. "I can't… I don't want… You should go away. You're safer if you leave me to deal with this alone."

"I'm not leaving you alone, Yuge, I promise." Katsuya spoke softly, trying to calm and reassure her. "I'm not going anywhere. Ever."

"Why?" Yugi demanded with a slight hiccup as she tried to suppress the tears so she did not ruin her makeup or upset her friend. "You could die. You HAVE died protecting me before. Why won't you leave?!"

Katsuya's answer was to kiss her.

Yugi froze momentarily, then melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around him as she returned the embrace.

When the two separated, needing air, Yugi blushed brightly as Katsuya wiped her shimmering lip gloss off of his lips.

"Because I like you, Yuge, like, like you like you," the blond admitted. "You're my best friend and the one person I know will never, ever give up on me. I don't want to lose you. Don't make me walk away. Please."

"I…" Yugi breathed, slightly stunned by the kiss and the confession. "I don't want to lose you either."

The relief on his face made her smile.

"So, we're in this together?" Katsuya asked hopefully.

"Together," Yugi promised, feeling like she could take on the world with him at her back.

"Okay then." Katsuya took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Now, we should head inside before things get started."

"Yeah. I know Kaiba's looking forward to losing to Anesan." The Queen of Games giggled, her entire world having shifted slightly and seeming a lot brighter than it had half an hour ago as they headed inside, Jou's arm around her shoulder.

Neither teen spotted the photographer who had risked poking his head out of the doors to see if he could get one last photo and was lowering his camera with a great big grin, having just snapped the picture that would earn him big bucks.