First of all this chapter was a blast to write, I hope ya'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

We are finally getting somewhere with the plot but while some questions will be answered here many more will stick around for later.

Also I did a minor edit to my formatting to make the readers' life easier. Now Tesem's thoughts are in italic and bold while everyone else's (including her head mate) will remain in just italic. Hopefully this will make this and the following chapters easier to read.

Also also, gotta advertise that teaser in the end. This is supposedly an adventure/romance M story and so far I haven't added nearly enough fanservice. What better way to celebrate my tenth chapter than by throwing some hormonal teen shenans at you all? stay tuned for it 7u7

Tesem had somewhat expected to be escorted to an obscure part of town, through dark alleys and secret routes, like one of those gangster movies her protector so adored. In the end her imagination proved to be darker than reality as the route they took was one she knew very well since it led to Domino's Museum, the place where Arthur worked.

When they entered it was through the front door. The egyptian girl was growing more curious by the second.

Seeking guidance she turned her attention inward, feeling that entity once more unobscured by that invisible wall it had conjured to conceal its feelings before. It was alert but curious rather than wary, and it was practically vibrating with expectation. It became clear that it knew more than it was willing to share but Tesem wouldn't ask, it appeared that her questions would be answered soon enough and she didn't wish to risk having her head-mate shun her again. Even if it remained unclear why it had happened before she refused to take that chance.

It was lonely inside her head without the other's company… gods it made her feel like such a needy teenager but it was true, without that other presence she didn't feel strong enough to face the future.

They came upon the newest exhibit and she had to pause to take in what was a straight up slice of her homeland's history. It wasn't a cheap mock up, not even an expensive one. The artefacts, mummies and other ancient items displayed were all genuine, holding that mystique aura of objects belonging to a different time and place, once touched by people who had lived lives so different most people couldn't even picture them or understand.

When she gravitated to the first display the men escorting her didn't stop her, instead they stepped back, letting her examine a particularly interesting engraved goblet for a moment before one of them stated the purpose for taking her there.

"I apologize if we have caused any inconvenience but our employer has insisted that it is imperative that she has a word with you."

She turned to face them with a quirked eyebrow, more curious than ever as to who these men were and who their so-called employer could be.

"We are currently waiting for the arrival of someone else important, a friend of yours in fact. Feel free to enjoy the exhibit in the meantime." Upon saying this they took their leave, allowing her some time alone with her thoughts.

Now who could that other person be? Her particular brand of sarcasm was sharper in the private setting of her thoughts and her mental companion couldn't help but snicker at it.

Who else bore an item adorned with the same eye of wdjat she spied on many of the objects around the room? Her fingers ran over the eye of anubis on her own choker as she pondered whether she liked the idea of Yugi coming too or not. It was still too soon after the warehouse incident and friendly as they appeared so far these people didn't seem to be the kind who would steer them away from danger but rather lead them straight into it. The boy needed a break.

Sadly it didn't seem like she could do anything to prevent her friend from arriving so instead she shifted her focus to the neat pieces of ancient history scattered throughout the room

From gold cutlery that had belonged to kings and Queens, to entire segments of wall removed from tombs and temples, that was perhaps the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian treasure she had seen outside of El Cairo. Strangely enough these were all from the same timeframe, around 1000 b.C., the late New Kingdom period if she recalled correctly.

It wasn't a widely studied period as it had been a time of great turmoil for the Egyptian Empire, thus many historical documents were either missing or had been damaged beyond possible translation, making the exhibit all the more impressive and peculiar.

Tesem knew all of this because she had become nearly obsessed with the study of her homeland's ancient past during her time spent in the USA. It had been almost as if she was searching for something hidden in the vast collection of Arthur's academic books but in the end all that knowledge became little more than brain candy. Simply entertainment for the idle hours.

The hieratic scriptures and the hieroglyphs carved into stone or painted in papyrus for the most part held nothing but the gibberish of nobles and other notable individuals who as per tradition sought to leave a 'faithful' account of who they were and their legacy. Honestly it wasn't hard to figure out that many of the descriptions were highly embellished especially when it came to the subject's virtues and achievements but amongst all that gibberish the mentions of significant events that those people had witnessed during their lifetime offered some valuable insight on things of greater importance.

"Blessed I was for walking the same path as the child of the Gods, may the good deeds I did in life and the wealth I shall bring before the eternal judges lead me to his side in the afterlife." It wasn't uncommon for great devotion and praise to be expressed for the Pharaohs of old since they were elevated to godhood in the eyes of their people but something about the way this particular figure was spoken about caught her attention.

"—and me and my children wept for a hundreth nights after our good King's passing, for with him ended the Great Shadow but also a golden era of Khemet." She scowled at the term 'the great shadow', confused by the vagueness of it. It was repeated in several mortuary pieces, its relevance enough to preoccupy several people in life and death.

Many enemies had arisen during the last centuries of Egyptian independence but something in her gut told her that this didn't refer to the Nubians or the Asiatics but something more obscure and certainly more threatening than just men and their wars… Inside her head her invisible companion bristled, silently simmering in a cold rage that chilled Tesem to the bone.

"Tesem? What are you doing here?" Although familiar his voice still made her jolt as it found her deep in thought.

Anzu hurried into the room to greet her but the Egyptian girl only blinked and stared into crimson orbs, mildly acknowledging her female friend as feelings that weren't entirely her own stunned her into place, the most discernible amongst them being her growing apprehension.

They stole everything from us… Our enemy.

Tesem was unsure who her headmate was talking about but she had to force herself to tune out the sudden surge of intruding emotions to focus on obtaining the knowledge she so desperately needed. "I figure that the same as you, looking for answers."

He didn't look too convinced by her answer, not that he thought she was lying but her whole demeanour showed that she was very much on edge and it was only natural that he wanted to know why.

Sensing the imminent questioning she shot first, looking around for the same men who had escorted her there. "Are you two alone?"

He cocked an eyebrow at the question, evidently confused by it. Had they not been invited like she had? It didn't look like it.

Fate led him here.

Tesem mentally rolled her eyes and answered the voice with exasperation. For fuck's sake. Of course it was 'fate'. Then surely they were about to learn that he was some sort of 'chosen one'. Was it too much to ask for a life that didn't work like a goddamned action flick?

"Y-yeah, I thought this would be a neat place to look into the origin of the puzzle. You know, since it is Egyptian and all that." Anzu interceded, easily dispelling the building tension that seemed to always make an appearance whenever Tesem and Yami shared the same space.

Tesem regarded her amiably, grateful for the change in atmosphere although when she took a good look at her friend the girl didn't appear as enthusiastic as she usually did. For some reason the brunette appeared a little apprehensive herself, fidgety, with slightly tinted cheeks and dodgy eyes. Tesem looked at Anzu then at the spirit and back at Anzu, then it finally hit her. Oh, it was a date alright, but not with Yugi… and I am interrupting.

It was such a ridiculous contrast, them being just teenagers in a world that insisted on involving them with shadier stuff. She would have laughed then if she wasn't convinced that it would make her look like a proper maniac.

A knowing grin still made its way to her lips which in turn made the rosy shade in the girl's cheeks deepen a couple shades. Meanwhile Yami looked perfectly oblivious, making Tesem wonder if he was in fact aware that this was more than just an outing between friends.

"Well have a look, I'll be checking out the mummies over there to give you guys some space, do tell me if you find anything interesting." Tesem probably should have felt more concern for the massive crush Anzu appeared to have for Yami (for several reasons actually, some she wouldn't admit even to herself) but at the moment she just felt glad that her earlier bout of jealousy had been unfounded.

The nameless entity inside her head didn't quite agree and instead recoiled into a deeper corner of her mind, frustration swirling like a swarm around it. It must have really fancied the red-eyed bastard for it to be throwing what was basically a tantrum.

Looking around again she found no traces of the men who had escorted her to the museum nor their secretive employer. They couldn't have gone through all the effort of fetching Tesem at the same time Yami was about to show up only to abandon them to their luck. It would be in really poor taste as a joke and decidedly idiotic strategy if they were trying to teach them something for real.

Examining the exhibition it occurred to her that maybe this was a test of sorts, that perhaps they were expected to figure out something from the pieces of history scattered about the museum.

Which were the important facts? If she was to go by intuition alone, the great evil that had plagued the land in the past and the nameless King who had perished in the process of defeating it were the key to it all, but what did their story have to do with Yami and herself?

"Tesem!" Anzu's voice rang with urgency prompting her to hurriedly join them in the contiguous room where they had just found a staircase that led down to a restricted area of the museum, likely the basement.

"I don't think we are allowed down there." The brunette stated as Yami went straight past the sign that stated as much without skipping a beat.

When he didn't bother with an answer Tesem grabbed Anzu's hand and gently coaxed her forward. "Don't worry, if we get into trouble I am sure Arthur will be able to help us out." To the girl's credit Anzu didn't need much more convincing than that for her to move on ahead with renewed resolve leaving the sunkissed teen to fall to the back of their group as they descended.

They came upon a room very similar to the previous one but with a little mess here and there which hinted at that particular section not being quite ready for the public yet.

The items displayed there were considerably larger and looked grander somehow, more important and rare than those found on the floor above. Her chest throbbed with anticipation and impatience. They were so close to it, to the reason for all these mysteries and the intranquility in their life.

"Yugi, this looks just like you."

Pale turquoise and rubies landed on the large stone tablet at the same time where the somewhat crude but unmistakable likeness of Yugi —no, Yami— was indeed engraved with such detail it just couldn't be a coincidence. No one else in the world, death or alive, had hair like that.

"Tablet of Memories" The spirit read from the small info card before he continued examining the ancient writings so intently it made Tesem wonder if he could read them just like she could. Suddenly his expression lit up like a torch with pure glee. "I know who I am, the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh of Egypt that has lived inside the Sennen Puzzle for millenia…"

The certainty in his voice was enough to persuade even the most skeptical into believing such a thing but Tesem didn't need to be convinced. She too had read the stone and in her heart she already knew that every word was the truth.

Her eyes returned to the ancient engravings and for a moment she nearly forgot how to breathe. To the right of the Pharaoh's likeness beneath an image that resembled one of Yugi's favorite duelling cards there it was, the winged hound, the same icon that had been found inside the tomb where she had awoken, beneath it the drawings of the star of Sirius, a man with an an arm extended in offering, a symbol of ownership and a sekhmet scepter held in a king's hand.

"...So much time has passed, no wonder I lost my memories."

Tesem wasn't quite listening anymore, her eyes were glued to the carved sandstone, her mind racing to find meaning in words that seemed condemning no matter how she tried to spin them. The power of the Pharaoh, a servant, a tool. Her stomach sank, the bitterness imprinted in her mind's voice was confirmation enough, no matter what future revelations said she was unlikely to like the outcome.

"I have been waiting for you."

The three of them turned around to see a woman, tan, tall and undeniably beautiful, clad in linen and gold as if she was the subject of one of the paintings surrounding them magically brought back to life.

"Who are you?" Yami demanded and out of a sense of self-preservation Tesem gravitated to his side, curiosity and unease mingling queerly in her features.

"My name is Ishizu Ishtar."

.oOoOoOo.

She inhaled deeply, finding a little solace in the cool night air and the few stars that managed to wink at her from above despite the smog and the city lights.

Perhaps Dr. Hegazy was right. She thought bitterly as she trailed behind her friends, the subject of their chat now lost to her as she mulled over what was said in the museum.

Looking for answers didn't render the results she had hoped for and with the little bits of truth they had been granted that day new and more confusing questions had arisen to replace the old ones, leaving Tesem to feel as empty and unfulfilled as before and maybe a little worse due to the pain caused by unmet expectations.

Ishizu had confirmed Yami's identity as the man depicted in the tablet. Her following explanations had been infuriatingly vague but they still managed to give direction to his search, making his path a little more certain with a tangible goal in sight.

Tesem wasn't as lucky. The facts stopped with the statement that her choker wasn't a Millennium item and that it had some sort of magical connection to the puzzle, both things she had already suspected.

Then came the result of pure speculation as the woman commented on the same golden collar being depicted in a protective figure portrayed as an asset to the King, a protector and a warrior but also an agent of darkness. It remained unclear whether this figure associated with the image of a winged hound was a man, a woman or a spirit, but what the Egyptian curator firmly believed is that her coming to Japan wasn't a coincidence and that the inhabitant of her own artefact must be drawn to the Pharaoh in order to fulfill its duty once more.

It had to be 'fate'. She was starting to develop a strong dislike for the word, it left a bitter taste in her mouth as did the idea of being a mere vessel in the grand scheme of things. It didn't help that her head-mate had fallen silent once again, not quite shutting her off but clearly dealing with its own demons in a troubled state that was like gasoline to her own fire thanks to their shared mind space.

Tesem could have used some assurance that things weren't as dire as they seemed. Optimism wasn't a natural part of her character and she desperately needed it to bring some semblance of calm to her head.

"Are you alright?"

Concerned words had her looking up to find scarlet eyes and a handsome face way closer than she had expected them. The pharaoh was by no means invading her personal space but still Tesem felt over conscious of the body next to her and thus it became easier to avert her eyes elsewhere as she answered.

"Yeah— well, not really, but I will be." Her own sincerity surprised her as it was the kind she would normally only show Arthur or Yugi. Perhaps their friends' constant habit of treating spirit and boy the same way was rubbing off on her, or maybe she had finally realized that in a way they were both on the same boat which made the animosity between them completely pointless.

"Wait, where is Anzu?" Looking around she noticed that the brunette was nowhere to be found. They had walked all the way back to the busy downtown streets, stopping next to a large building that read 'Domino Station' and although there were many strangers present there was no way she could miss her friend in the crowd, the place was so well-lit that the sky looked a uniform shade of dark grey above their heads.

"She already went home, she figured that we needed time to process." He gave a short snorty laugh, looking up ahead without humour in his expression. "Maybe she was right, she usually is about these things." He fell silent and looked back at her, clearly expecting her to further expand on her answer to his question.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "So… you and Anzu are a thing now, huh?" a masterful dodge, she believed. The barrier between them was slowly crumbling but old habits die hard and the new subject she tried to veer them toward was much safer in her opinion..

"No, none of that. I am not Yugi, you can't get me to drop it that easily." Stubbornly he crossed his arms and walked a step away to lean against a pole so he was fully facing her. "But just to answer your question, no we aren't."

So the ancient ghost of a Pharaoh wasn't into teenage girls with dreams of America, dancing and a talent por speeches? Fair enough. She had only ever witnessed him show some semblance of affection for Yugi anyways and that was… well, hopefully that was only friendship and maybe a touch of brotherly love.

"Fine." Her exasperation came and went with the breeze. She had to admit that it was nice of him to care, which made it really hard for her to be annoyed by his meddling. "I guess that I am just frustrated. I have been wanting to get answers for so long and this wasn't what I expected."

Silence and the weight of his gaze compelled her to continue as she struggled to keep herself from fidgeting or pacing around the way she usually did when she fell prey to intranquility. "I am glad that Ishizu found us but I must admit that I am getting tired of these overly-cryptic individuals. Can't they understand that speaking in riddles is just impractical?"

He snickered at that. "I'd like to think that it is part of the game, we have to figure the rest out ourselves until we reach the end."

Her head tilted to the side as she mulled this over, her fingers absently tracing the curve of the piece of jewelry around her throat. That way of thinking explained just why Yami looked quite happy at the moment. He was the king of games after all. If he made one out of this whole mess then he must be feeling just like a fish in the water.

Tesem finally sighed and allowed herself a small smile. "I suppose you are right, there is nothing wrong with another adventure." She turned to look at the wide pedestrian walkway, where a surprising amount of people had gathered over the past couple of minutes, seemingly without intention of shopping or doing any of the other popular activities in the area. They were just hanging around, waiting for something to happen.

"Hey Yugi!" A female voice rang loudly and both teenagers turned in time to see Kujaku Mai fast approaching with a massive smile on her face.

They both greeted her cordially, Tesem with a little more reserve since she didn't know the older female all that well. The beautiful blonde didn't seem to care and was quick to cross the pesky border of unfamiliarity between them by embracing her in a half-hug and openly questioning if she and Yami were dating since they were together alone at such a late hour and of course that is what couples do.

"Mai, that is—"

"Why are you here anyways?"

Thank the gods for Yami's intervention. A little more prodding from Mai and Tesem would have gotten proper flustered. Did she and Yami really look like a couple from an outsider's perspective? Surely not.

"You don't know?" Mai proceeded to explain that apparently there had been a message passed around on the net, about a tournament that was to take place in Domino. The organizer was supposed to give more info then and there but it remained unclear who they were or where exactly they would make their appearance.

"Haven't you noticed Yugi? All around us."

"Yeah. Multiple opponents, watching us."

Tesem looked around and saw them, predatory eyes glued to the winner and one of the finalists from Duellist Kingdom, hungry for a shot at glory. She didn't know any of these people but some of them she managed to recognize thanks to the vivid descriptions from the past tournament that Jonouchi had made sure would forever reside in her memory.

"Look." She exclaimed as the picture in the nearest massive screen suddenly changed, then another screen in another building and the next until every single one that she could see showed the same picture of no other than Seto Kaiba.

"Duelists, listen closely!" Unseen speakers blared at them the passionate announcement of a competition that was to start in a week's time hosted by the man's very own corporation. He afterwards stated the rules and specifics every participant ought to agree to beforehand, taking of course the chance to advertise the new technology that was to enhance the experience for them since instead of an arena the entire city would become the setting for the ensuing battles.

Just how much money does this man have?

A commotion nearby had them all turning around to see a helicopter descending upon them. Hanging from it in an admirable and possibly stupid show of bravado was Kaiba corp's CEO in the flesh, whose voice rose about the ruckus to fuel the excitement of those gathered.

There were many things to be said about the teen millionaire but to be fair he did look good in the spotlight, it was as if he was meant for it, to be heard and admired by all onlookers.

Tesem had already felt intrigue for the man after finding out about the passionate rivalry between him and Yugi (She didn't know if he knew the difference between the boy and the spirit he had actually lost against). His methods were well within the realm of the psychotic in his quest to one up the only person that had ever bested him but despite that the two of them had collaborated on multiple occasions and actually seemed to make a pretty formidable team.

In a way Seto reminded her of Yami, especially the way that the spirit had been during the first months after the puzzle was assembled. The high-stake games, the dire consequences for the participants and the utter ruthlessness of their judgement.

No wonder the two couldn't stand each other. They were very much the same and like vain men they despised to get to know their equal.

Looking at the pharaoh she had no doubt that he would not shy away from this new challenge. It would be an interesting thing to be able to see him go against the eccentric rich boy with her very own eyes.

.oOoOoOo.

The helicopter left and the commotion passed, leaving the pumped up duellists to mingle for a while or scatter in order to prepare for and await the grand event.

Still very much in need of a distraction to tame the rollercoaster that were her feelings and thoughts, Tesem lingered, feeding off of Mai's contagious energy to feel like a young woman out on a Saturday night should, energized and restless. There was just something about the dark hours that made usually mundane streets feel as if they were full of adventure and potential.

For some reason Yami stayed with them, a silent presence that surprisingly did not feel awkward or unwelcome, he simply blended in the background of their conversations and even participated from time to time whenever the tall blonde allowed the subject to be something else than saucy or girly. He didn't look particularly used to the scene but apparently Yugi had decided that the day was for him to enjoy the full modern teen experience so he would have to stick it out until the end.

She found his well disguised reluctance to be good at subduing her own doubts. While she was more than willing to follow Mai into any adventure she cooked up for the night it was good to know that she wasn't the only one feeling a little out of it due to how unfamiliar everything was.

Eventually Tesem suggested inviting their other friends to join in on the fun, after all the more the merrier and the night was still young.

Yami's fingers glided over Yugi's cell phone keys and within minutes they received positive answers from Jonouchi and Anzu while Honda appeared to be already unconscious to the point of not hearing his cellphone.

"Where should we meet up?" He asked and they both looked up at Mai, curious as to where exactly she intended to take them at such an hour.

"Ask them if they know where WOMB is, we can meet up at the store that is right in front."

The spirit seemed to consider this for a moment before he started typing. Two dings followed, one of a message sent and almost immediately after that of a message received.

His head snapped up after he finished reading, his eyes widening in disbelief. "Isn't that a nightclub?" Tesem couldn't believe it but the usually stoic and self-assured man looked almost scared as he asked that.

"Yeah it is." Mai's smile looked just evil.

Well this is going to be great.