LazerWulf: ((Plops down in computer chair)) Whoo! I'm finally caught up enough to bring you guys a new chapter!

Joey: Humph!

LazerWulf: ((exasperated)) Ugh, what is it, now?

Joey: You called me scruffy!

LazerWulf: So what? It's a complement!

Joey: Yeah, if yer a wookiee!

LazerWulf: Oh, come on. It's a good look for you. Would you rather have me call you a disheveled slob? I think the girls would prefer scruffy. It gives you that "je ne sais pas" feel.

Joey: Genesis WHAT?

LazerWulf: "je ne sais pas" is what the French use to describe something that eludes description. Literally, it means "I don't know" n'est pas?

Joey: Since when do you know French?

LazerWulf: I don't. All I know is a few phrases, like that one and "n'est pas". Now, let's answer the reviews.

AllDayIDreamAboutFics - You know, Joey probably wouldn't have noticed that I called him scruffy if you hadn't pointed it out. Yes, I know about Jenniyah, I've read all the AE manga she has that still works. More research. But, in case you're wondering, this will more than likely deal with the Anime.

thefutureMrs.Kaiba - To be accurate, this is actually a SetoOC fic, with hints of SethKisara. Even though Lyn is Kisara's reincarnate, she's still her own distinct person.

Evil StormSister - I find it funny that your too lazy to write out the "t-o-r-m" and "i-s-t-e-r", but your not to lazy to write "too lazy to write the whole thing". No, I said Ba, and I meant Ba. Ba and Ka are different, as you will see in this chapter.

Lady Shinigami - Well, I must say that this review was a whole lot less creepy than the last one. Anyway, I'm glad you like my characterizations. I can't promise any old-lady bickering, but you might see a stubborn High Priest butting heads with a stubborn CEO. And thanks for the recommendation. It was a pretty good Mokuba/Serenity fic. I was enjoying it until I got to the last chapter. I've got real problems with yaoi/yuri/shounen-ai. But I don't blame you. 1) You didn't know about my preference, and 2) at the time you reviewed, that little piece wasn't there. So no need to apologize. Besides, I don't hold grudges. They're too heavy to carry around.

Minor Arcana - Thank you for reviewing chapter-by-chapter. It means a lot to me when someone new to my fic tells me what they think of each chapter, and not just the story so far as a whole. Judging from where you left off, you still have three more chapters to go, including this one. I say again: Thank You.

KatrinaKaiba - Yeah, I think it's funny when teachers do that, too, except when it's YOU that they have to wake up.

Amme Moto - A girl thing, huh? No wonder I didn't get it. Yes, there's a sequel planned. I got a bit carried away in Chapter 2. The sequel will be centered around Mokuba, Abukom, the Millennium Scales, and Serenity. (much to Joey's annoyance). I think I'll be calling it "The Return of the Priest's Little Brother".

pheonica - I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to reading your fic. I've been busy. Thank you for reviewing though. As I said above, Abukom will have a big part in the sequel. I got plans. Not the same plans I had back when I wrote Chapter 2, but I can still make it work.

Lady Moofin - No, Kisara wasn't murdered by Seth. She was murdered by Akunadin, just like I wrote in the last chapter. I wrote that chapter using Janime as a reference, so when you get far enough, it'll make sense.

Joey: Hey, are you gonna tell 'em 'bout your new fic?

LazerWulf: I was just getting to that. It's another OneShot SongFic that I put out called "Last Words". I got the idea from the song by Thousand Foot Krutch of the same name. It's a bit angsty, but there's a bit of hope mixed in. I deliberately left the characters nameless, but, to all of you who guessed who "he" is, you were right. On the other hand, I will not tell you who "she" is, because I did not write "her" with a specific character in mind. "She" can be whoever you want her to be. I'd like to know who you pictured "her" as, though.

Joey: Lesse, Cheezy intro?

LazerWulf: Check.

Joey: Reviewer response?

LazerWulf: Check.

Joey: Shameless self-promotion?

LazerWulf: Check. Oh, wait! I forgot something!

Joey: What now?

LazerWulf: SSJ4Takeru, aka Kanius, has finally started his tournament, and he's using the duels and battle situations I lined up for him! Do both of us a favor and go check it out! There should be a link at the bottom of my profile.

Joey: OK! So now all dat's left is ta start da fic!

LazerWulf: I should probably mention that this chapter is mostly explanations, with a few spoilers for the Anime. Or, at least, my interpretation of the events that will happen in the Anime. It might get a bit boring, but you'd be lost if I didn't mention these things.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kisara, but I own Lyn. I don't own Mokuba, but I own Abukom. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I own this AU.

'Yami to Hikari'

'Hikari to Yami'

The Return of the Priest

Chapter 9: You BaKa!


Seto's POV

'You know, it's startling how much your brother Mokuba looks like my brother, Abukom.'

I was in the limo being driven home after school. We had just picked up Mokuba from the middle school and he was sitting across from me. He was going on and on about his day, but I wasn't really listening. I was reading the Business section of the newspaper and trying to ignore my "Yami". I did hear something about new friends, though. That's good. I'm glad he's having a normal childhood. I sacrificed mine so that he could.

'I could say the same thing about you and me. But then again, I am your reincarnate, aren't I?'

'So, you've finally accepted the truth have you?'

'Let's just say that I'm admitting that it could be a possibility. This whole "reincarnation" business is a bit farfetched.'

'How else would you explain it?'

'I... I don't know,' I admitted. 'All I know is what's real.'

'Fair enough.'

We finally pulled into the driveway of Kaiba Manor, where I quickly retreated to my study. I pulled out the Millennium Rod from inside my school jacket and set it on the desk.

'All right, you promised me explanations, now spill.'

The Rod emitted a small glow, and the translucent figure of Seth appeared before me, now dressed in the same outfit I had on.

"What do you want to know?" he asked.

"You can start by telling me why you're dressed like that."

"Simple, I found these in your Soul Room. They're actually quite comfortable, compared to the robes we wore in Egypt."

"Okay... next question. What the heck are Ba and Ka?"

"A Ka is sometimes called a soul beast, but it more accurately represents the mind. Everyone has a Ka, but only certain people can call upon it to help them. A person's Ba is their life force. It is what sustains them. If they lose their Ba, they die. A person's Ba and Ka are connected, though loosely so. If it takes damage, the Ba also takes damage. However, thanks to the Millennium Items, the other priests and I were able to separate the Ka and Ba, and sealed the Ka away in stone tablets to use later. The person whose Ka was sealed was left unharmed, and was no longer linked to it. We reserved this punishment for criminals, however, whose Ka had grown too strong and took over their bodies, thus causing them to do things they would not normally do. We did have ways to tell if it was the person who was committing these acts, or if they had an evil Ka. Using the Millennium Items, we were able to summon them, but we became linked to these summoned Ka as if they were our own."

"So, let me get this straight. The Ka are like the Duel Monsters themselves, and Ba is like your Life Points. By destroying monsters, you damage Life Points, just like by destroying Ka, you damage Ba."

"Precisely."

"But if you could seal Ka without killing the person, why was that man trying to get you to kill Kisara?"

"Because her Ka, the Blue Eyes White Dragon, was so strong that it had fused itself to her Ba, so that it could not be separated. Thus, sealing her Ka could not be done without sealing her Ba, which, in turn, could not be done without killing her. By killing Kisara, Akunadin destroyed the link to her body, and sealed the Ba and Ka together."

"Was Akunadin really your father?"

"He was at one point, I guess, before he created the Millennium Items. I was 5 years old at that time, and my brother had just been born. I remember that my father went out one day, but he never returned. I found out later that he had returned, but that I was so frightened of him because he had the Millennium Eye, he and my mother decided that it was best that they told me my father had died, and that he stay at a distance. For eleven years, I never knew that Akunadin, the man who had mentored me ever since my mother died, was really my father. Then the incident with Zork happened."

"Who's Zork?"

"Zork Necrophidius is the ultimate evil. When the Millennium Items were created, he was found to dwell within the Millennium Ring. Akunadin used the power of the Millennium Eye to banish him from the Ring, but Zork retreated into the soul of a young thief nearby; Bakura, the lone survivor of Kuruelna Village."

"So Bakura was... wait, what do you mean survivor?"

"It was a little known fact that the Items were created through a type of Dark Alchemy. In order to create the gold and give it magic properties, a sacrifice was required, 'the blood of 99' to be exact. Kuruelna was known to be a village of thieves, so Akunadin went and slaughtered them, using their blood for the ritual. I guess Bakura must have been lucky number 100."

"Some luck, to have the ultimate evil take residence in your soul," I remarked.

"Yes, Zork eventually stirred up hatred within Bakura directed toward Akunumkanon, the current pharaoh, which was redirected, after Akunumkanon's death, toward his son, the 'Nameless Pharaoh'. A hatred shared by Akunumkanon's brother, Akunadin."

"So if Akunadin and Akunumkanon were brothers, then that means..."

"Yes, I was the cousin of the 'Nameless Pharaoh'. Akunadin was jealous and wanted to become pharaoh himself, but when that didn't happen, he tried to force his will for his son, me, by any means necessary, including receiving power from the Dark Lord himself. Meanwhile, Bakura, or, rather, Zork, was able to steal the Ring and implant part of his spirit into it. Together, he and Akunadin were able to gather the rest of the Items and summon Zork's true form. Several of the current Item holders died along the way: Mahaado, Karim, Shada. The Pharaoh tried his best, but he was unable to defeat Zork. Two of his Gods, Slifer and Obelisk, were defeated, and he was left too weak to summon Ra. In the end, he sacrificed himself to seal Zork, along with himself, away inside the Millennium Puzzle."

"The same Puzzle Yugi has..."

"Ah, so you've noticed."

"Noticed what?"

"That Yugi is different."

"I have been wondering..."

"As I was saying, 5000 years ago, "Nameless Pharaoh" sealed himself and Zork inside the Puzzle, but before he did, he asked me to make sure that his real name was erased from time."

"But why you?"

"As the Pharaoh's cousin, I was next in line for the throne. This is why Akunadin tried so hard to have him killed. In a way, I guess his final wish was granted. I became the next pharaoh, and erased all knowledge of the 'Nameless Pharaoh's' real name."

"Thus making him a 'Nameless Pharaoh'."

"Precisely."

"So where does Abukom fit into all this? Ishizu said that he inherited the Millennium Scales."

"And so he did. When I became pharaoh, the Puzzle passed into my possession. Of the 6 priests who held Millennium Items, only Isis and I survived, so I had to choose new holders for the items. Of them, I chose Abukom to wield the Scales, though at that point, he was too young, so they were given to Shada to protect."

"Wait, didn't you say that Shada had died?"

"Shada was a necromancer, meaning he had power over the dead. When he died, he was able to give his spirit physical form. He, at this point, chose to be called Shadi, because he was no longer the person he was when he was alive. He was a close friend of Karim's, so it was only natural that he held the Scales until Abukom was ready."

"So Shadi is actually..."

"A 5000 year old spirit, just like myself, except he was never sealed within his Item."

"So why did you seal yourself into the Rod?"

"After the Zork incident, new evils kept arising. They were not as powerful as Zork was, so we were able to defeat them easily. It was actually Abukom who pointed out the fact that it was the evil that created the Items that was drawing out the evils we were fighting. So, we decided that the Items themselves needed to be sealed away. The Puzzle was broken into its many pieces and placed in the Pharaoh's tomb; however, I knew that the battle with Zork was not over, and that the Pharaoh would need help when he was finally awakened. It was for this reason that I decided to seal myself into the Rod. Abukom, likewise, sealed himself in the Scales. The Ring and the Eye were considered too marred by evil to be used for good, so they were sealed away as well. Isis chose to raise a family of Tomb Guardians to protect the Pharaoh's tomb, and two Items were placed in her care, hers and mine. Shadi, as a living spirit, was appointed the task of guarding the rest of the Items until they were needed again. Do you have any other questions?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then I believe your brother wants to talk to you."

"What do you..."

Before I could finish that statement, I turned around to see Mokuba staring wide-eyed at me.

"Nii-sama," he asked, "why are you talking to yourself?"

Great, he must not be able to see Seth. Even more proof that I'm going crazy.

"It's none of your concern, Mokuba," I snapped. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm still a little on the edge from this whole Battle City ordeal. Now, did you want something?"

"I finished my homework, and I was wondering if you could take me to the mall. I wanted to hang out with some of my friends."

"Why can't you get one of the drivers to take you?"

"It's 5:00. They're all off duty now."

Stupid Union.

"Fine," I replied.

"Great, now I gotta call Max and Sam and tell them I'll be there."


Lyn's POV

"Stromberg residence, Lyn speaking," I answered, after picking up the ringing phone.

"Hey, Lyn, this is Mokuba, Max and Sam's friend. Are either of them around?"

"Sure, hold on. Hey, Max, telephone."

Max ran over from the living room and took the phone.

"Hey, Mokuba, what's up...? The mall...? Hold on, let me ask... Hey Mom, Mokuba wants to know if Sam and I can go hang out with him at the mall."

"Sure," my mother, who was a few feet away getting dinner ready, replied. "If your sister will agree to take you, and if you can be back in time for dinner at 8:00."

"Please, sis?" he turned to me, puppy-dog eyes at full power.

I succumbed.

"All right, go get your brother."

Max turned back to the phone.

"Okay, Mok, we'll see you there."

He hung up and ran upstairs to get Sam. A few minutes later, we were out the door.


LazerWulf: Ah phooey.

Joey: What?

LazerWulf: I'm stuck. I mean, I was going to make this chapter a bit longer, and I know what's supposed to happen next, but I've got a bit of the writer's block about how to make it happen.

Joey: Well, it's kinda obvious dat Kaiba and Lyn are gonna meet again.

LazerWulf: Yeah, well I'm clueless about what to do next. I mean, it's still too soon for Seto to spill his guts out to her.

Joey: Dat's true.

LazerWulf: Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter was boring, but I had to explain these things, or I would have gotten lost. Call it the obligatory chapter that has to fill in plot holes before they form. It shouldn't be that hard to follow. I mean Joey followed it. Didn't you, Joey?

Joey: ((looks around distractedly, whistling and making circles with his toe))

LazerWulf: JOEY!

Joey: Come on, I was just kiddin'. Pharaoh's in da Puzzle, Seth's in da Rod, and Abukom's in da Scales. Shadi has da Key and is guarding da scales, just like he did before Abukom was ready. Isis is not in the Necklace, which explains why we've neva seen a Yami Ishizu. Da Ring and Da Eye were too evil, so they were sealed, apparently, without spirits of priests.

LazerWulf: Right, the Ring had Zork/Bakura's spirit, so it couldn't house another one.

Joey: I see.

LazerWulf: As for the Eye... all I'm saying is that just because the priests didn't put a spirit in there, it doesn't mean that someone else didn't... but that won't come into play until the sequel.

Joey: And when can we expect da sequel?

LazerWulf: Whenever this fic is finished, of course. No telling how long that'll be though. On a lighter note, Janime has finally finished the summary of the last episode of Yu-Gi-Oh. That's right, folks. It's officially over. Now, on to Yu-Gi-Oh GX! I just hope we don't have to wait another 2 years for it to appear in the States. I, for one, can't wait.

Joey: In da meantime, why don't you guys click on da little button that let's you review.

LazerWulf: And don't forget to add me to your Author Alerts list... Please?

P.S. Did anyone get the pun in the chapter title?