(Update: 5/23/2022) Hi, guys! I just wanted to give the chapters a much-needed makeover. There were some grammar mistakes and formatting errors that needed to be corrected. I know I said there wouldn't be any spoilers for Pharaoh's Reign, but ultimately decided against it. This is still a "what if story" so the events here may or may not even happen down the road. Because of that, I did add in some new information. So be on the look out for it!
This idea originated from watching the episode where Yami and Téa go to the museum in Season 2. It's quite a fun episode, especially if you're a nerd like me looking at all the stuff in the background! Also, did anyone else cringe when Ishizu called the Pharaoh, "King Yami", in the 4kids version? I know I did!
Once again, I thank everyone for their faves and support! It really does mean a lot to me! :D
Today was going to be like any other Sunday for the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. School was out which meant Yugi would either sleep in till noon or go run around town with his friends. Or so Yami thought. For some reason, Yugi had been up since before seven trying on every article of clothing he owned. He would try on one outfit, look at himself in the mirror, scowl, then try another. This process repeated itself multiple times until Yami finally asked what was going on.
"Why are you up so early? It's Sunday." He asked dodging a shirt even though it would have passed through him.
"I'm going to see Téa!" Yugi said excitedly looking back at him in the mirror.
"So that's why you're up so early!" The Spirit grinned. "You've got a date!"
"Well…you can call it that." Yugi answered back with a sly smile.
And that was how his day started. The Spirit wasn't quite sure what was planned for him. All he knew was that he was the one meeting up with Téa. It was apparently important, otherwise Yugi wouldn't be hiding from him in the Puzzle. Plus, there was no way he would be willing to leave him alone with her the whole day. Yami never understood his antics. Téa was Yugi's interest and he understood that. Anyway, he and Téa had agreed on a café to get something to drink. From there they could plan out where to go next.
"What did you want to do today? I know you haven't seen all of the city yet. There's a lot of stuff to do around here!" Téa asked Yami cheerfully while sorting out the Domino brochures she brought.
Silence greeted her from the opposite end of the table. She thought the Spirit would be more talkative than this! It seemed like he had finally come out of his shell at Duelist Kingdom. But judging from their interactions today, maybe not. Noticing the design on his shirt gave her an idea. It was a black t-shirt that read, "King of Games", on the front in golden lettering along with hieroglyphics underneath it.
"Your shirt is really cool! Did you make it?"
Yami sighed. "I didn't, Yugi did. He's been really excited about Ancient Egypt since I mentioned I originated from there. Although, there are times I question if he can properly dress himself to suit the occasion." He glanced over at Téa to see her reaction.
She half laughed. "Hey, it's not that bad! I can tell he dressed up for today."
Yami in the meantime gazed out the window. "He spent almost three hours trying to decide what to wear today. He wouldn't even tell me what for until you and I met up."
Téa dropped her smile. "He didn't want me to say it but, he's worried about you."
"Worried? Why?" Yami asked surprised.
"He said you've been acting distant since we heard about the Ancient Egypt exhibit the other day. There might be something in there that could help out with your memories…or is it you don't want to know?"
The Spirit was quiet for a moment. "It's not that, Téa. I do want to know who I am and why I'm here." He held up the Puzzle. "My soul has been locked inside this for thousands upon thousands of years. When I find out the answer as to why, what if I have to leave? What if I can no longer stay here…?" His voice trailed off.
Téa could see the emotion behind his usually stoic expression. He was reluctant to know about his past because he didn't want to leave them…she hadn't thought of it that way. "I can see why you're hesitant…you don't want to leave us or Yugi behind. But we want to help you in any way we can. You're our friend, even if it means going to the ends of the Earth, we'll get your memories back. You deserve to know about your past."
The Spirit looked at her for a moment before smiling. "Thank you, Téa."
She returned his smile. "You're welcome! That's what friends are for!" She stood up. "Enough hanging around here, where'd you want to go?"
Looking at the pamphlets spread out on the table in front of him, Yami knew exactly where their next destination was.
"Are you sure about this? We can wait until later if you'd like." Téa asked as she stood next to Yami.
The two were standing outside the Domino City Museum. The wind was blowing the various banners for the Ancient Egyptian exhibit as if beckoning them in. Yami nodded and began walking up the stairs. What was he going to find in there? The thought was almost paralyzing. Having no memories of his previous life was certainly of no help. Had he really been a pharaoh like the hieroglyphs on the Millennium Puzzle box said? If so, why had he been trapped in the Puzzle? Had he been a just ruler or corrupt…?
"Sir? Two tickets?" The receptionist asked.
Yami snapped out of his thoughts. He hadn't even realized that they were already inside. Talk about autopilot.
"Yes! I'm sorry." He quickly pulled out his wallet to pay for their admission.
Téa could tell that this was already going to be hard for him. Once inside the exhibit hall, he didn't say another word. She really couldn't blame him though; it was probably a lot to take in. Memories or not, seeing things from your time that were now ancient was more than likely mind blowing. The two continued to walk along with nothing really catching Yami's interest. He would stop briefly to look in a case before moving on to the next.
Téa came to a display and looked inside. There was stones of various reds, blues, and greens that ranged from about an inch to even smaller cut to look like scarab beetles. Interested, she read the information plate.
"Heart scarabs were amulets used by Ancient Egyptian priests during the embalming process. According to ancient beliefs, the heart was the source of all emotion. The brain was seen as useless and was thus discarded. When the heart was removed, it was placed inside a special vessel known as a canopic jar. The heart scarab was then placed in between the bandages above where the individual's heart once was. These amulets were said to take the form of a spiritual heart that would then speak to the god Osiris and the judges of the dead that the deceased had lived a life of truth devoid of evil thoughts or intentions."
"Oh, wow, Yugi! Check these out!" Téa called out to him. Hearing no response made her turn around. "Yugi?"
For whatever reason, he was standing over by a doorway that led to the basement. A sign on the door read, "Museum Staff Only", despite it being slightly ajar. What was so interesting about that?
The Spirit took the handle and pushed the door open further. "There's something down there, I can feel it."
"Down there? In the basement?" Téa looked around to see if anyone was watching. "Can we really go in?"
Yami didn't say anything as he descended the staircase. It was almost like something was calling out to him! Téa quickly followed closely behind, they were totally going to get kicked out!
Once inside the room, the lights suddenly flipped on. "Ok…that's a little freaky!" She commented looking around wide eyed.
The room seemed to be more of a storage area containing several crates and statues. Perhaps they were kept down here until they were approved for the exhibit?
"Huh, I wonder when these will go out." Tea said looking at a small statue depicting a frog. Yami scanned the room as the strange feeling grew stronger. What exactly was down here? Looking over the artifacts, one in particular caught his eyes. It was a small mural about four foot tall with three figures depicted on it. The appearance of two of the figures were damaged to the point of them being unrecognizable. As for the other one…
"Wh-how?!" Téa gasped.
Yami looked on without a change of emotion, it was just as he thought. Téa began reading the plate's inscription with a somewhat shaky voice. "Not much is known about this pharaoh who may have reigned less than ten years during the New Kingdom Era (1570-1070 B.C). Name is thought to be Hudjefa." She glanced back at the Spirit. "Is that really your name?"
"Hudjefa is nothing more than a pseudonym." The sound of a woman's voice startled the two making them turn around.
"Who are you?" Yami asked slightly tensed.
The woman gave a slight bow. "My name is Ishizu Ishtar, I am head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Furthermore, I know more about your past than you do, my king."
Her necklace immediately caught his attention. "Your necklace is a Millennium Item, is it not?"
She nodded. "Yes, it is known as the Millennium Tauk. It grants me the power to see into the future and past. I knew you would be visiting."
"Um…so what can you tell us about his past?" Téa asked. "You said that the name listed here was a pseudonym. What do you mean by that?"
"The word means "erased" or "missing" in my land's ancient language. If you look closely on the palette, you will see the pharaoh's cartouche." Ishizu pointed to an oval shaped object near the pharaoh's feet. Only the outline of it was left since the rest had been seemly gouged out. "These usually contain the name of the king, however this one has been destroyed, along with all other known instances of his name."
"My name? What significance does it hold?" Yami asked.
Ishizu stayed quiet giving him an eerie feeling. "Out of all the pharaohs that have reigned, your true name has eluded the King's Lists throughout time. Some believe it is merely an error on the scribes' part. However, I don't believe that is the case." She led the two over to a much smaller palette that was broken into multiple fragments. The paint was faded, but the faint outline of what appeared to be a serpent was still present.
"Legends tell of a pharaoh that fought against a powerful monster of darkness. The creature's strength was said to rival the very gods themselves. Its only goal was to revert the world back to its origins within the waters of Nun. A place of absolute chaos. The Pharaoh and his forces fought bravely against the monster, but it could not be slain. To destroy it completely, its true name had to be known."
"The waters of Nun? What's that supposed to mean? Téa asked. "Also, how does knowing a monster's name defeat it?"
"The origin of the world has many different stories varying by culture. In this instance, the legend is derived from the creation myth of the god Atum. He created light when there was none, warmth when there was only cold. It was he that planted the first seeds of life. The creature did not agree with Atum's actions. It wished to remain in darkness forever. Atum was able to subdue it allowing for life to begin. Millenia passed allowing the serpent to regain its strength. When it once again reared its head in defiance of the creator, it fell upon the Pharaoh to defeat it. However, the creature's name had been lost to time. If you think about it, names are incredibly mysterious. They define who a person truly is. Without your name, could you truly call yourself an individual? In ancient times, knowing a person's true name was thought to hold power over them. For instance, a legend of the goddess Isis tricking the sun god Ra into revealing his name gave her complete power over him. This allowed for her son Horus to become king in the time of the gods."
"As for the monster depicted here." She turned back to the palette. "In the end, it could not be slain because its name was not known, leaving it virtually indestructible. The only way the Pharaoh was able to defeat it was by dividing its soul into certain Millennium Items. He then placed himself inside the Puzzle to keep the seals from breaking."
"So that's why I'm here. To clean up a mess I couldn't finish. " Yami thought half laughing. "You said that the monster was sealed into "certain" items. Which ones?" He asked uncertain looking down at the Millennium Puzzle. Was he carrying a piece of it?
"You can relax, they are neither my Necklace nor your Puzzle. I do know that the Millennium Eye that Pegasus possessed contained a very small fragment of the beast. That was why he had such mastery over shadow magic. However, according to my sources, it has turned up missing. As for the rest of them, they are scattered throughout the world." Ishizu's tone turned darker. "We must find them at all costs. If they fall into the wrong hands history will repeat itself by the serpent of chaos reawakening."
Téa laughed nervously. "Right…but there's a chance of it not. How can we know for certain?"
"Because I have seen it." The room grew almost cold in response to Ishizu's answer. The end of the world…was coming? Yami and Téa both glanced at each other.
"Is there any way we can stop this thing?" He asked.
"If it was to break free, I regret to say this, but you would not be able to stop it in your current condition. The only way now is to gather the rest of the Millennium Items. This will keep it from awakening. Fate has brought this task to you once again, my king."
Yami felt almost sick. It was all on him? He had almost no memories of his past life, much less how he fought the monster. How was he going to do this? Ishizu saw the look on his face.
"Is it perhaps that your memory has faded?"
He nodded slowly. "I have very little memories. There are times I can remember snippets and I can read the ancient text somewhat, but as for everything else, nothing."
"I see…" Ishizu stopped for a moment. Something seemingly had caught her attention behind Yami. "So soon?" She smiled turning her attention back to him. "All hope is not lost, my king. I feel that an important part of your memories will be making its appearance very soon."
"Really? In what way?" The Spirit questioned glancing behind himself. He had noticed that her attention was diverted for a brief moment.
Ishizu started to walk towards the exit. "Meet me back here in a week's time. By then you will have learned more about yourself. From there, we can plan on our course of action."
The two were silent as they watched her leave. Téa tried to wrap her head around what just happened. If they couldn't recover the Pharaoh's memories and the Millennium Items soon then the whole world was going to end! And to think, she thought today was just going to be a normal day!
"I'm ready to go, Téa." Yami's voice brought her back out of her thoughts.
"Oh? Are you sure? We can stay longer if you want." She asked.
The Spirit shook his head and started walking towards the exit. However, something caught his eye. Over in the corner was a stone statue, about five foot tall. In all honestly, if you weren't looking in its particular direction, you would miss it. Curious, Yami walked over to it. Even though the paint was almost completely faded, something about it intrigued him. The statue was of a seated woman wearing some kind of headdress with a bird's head on it. The plate below read, "Woman that is believed to have once been a queen or Great Royal Wife. The Vulture Headdress is only worn by select females of high status. Believed to have once been part of a larger monument due to indications of damage on the base and sides." Yami studied it for a moment. The woman that it was sculpted for was beautiful. Something within him stirred. Had he known her? Or was she before his time?
"Wow, she's really pretty! And look at the detailing on her headdress! I wonder who she was?" Téa said coming up behind him. The Spirit didn't say anything, there was just too much going on right now. He gave the statue one last look before walking up the stairs back into the exhibit hall. To think that just when he solved the mystery of who he was something even bigger came up. No, not bigger, absolutely terrifying.
Téa stayed behind to look at the pharaoh's palette one more time. If only there was something that could help him get his memories back! Sighing, she took to the stairs to meet back up with the Spirit. Reaching the top step, she noticed that he was nowhere to be seen. "That's weird." She thought, maybe he went to look at another part of the exhibit?
Looking around the room, something caught her attention. It was a small boy that looked to be no more than five. His spiky blonde and crimson hair made her grin thinking of Yugi's. But…there was something odd about him. First of all, he seemed to be very out of place. His clothes looked like they belonged in the exhibit. He was wearing a white tunic, a blue bandana, a red sash, and sandals. The only logical explanation would be that maybe he was part of a show the museum was putting on as a promotion. They had done one for the previous Ancient Greek one.
The boy came to one of the glass cases and raised up on his toes to get a better look. He tapped on the glass a couple of times almost like he didn't understand what it was. Dropping back down, tears filled his eyes.
"Mwt? It?" He cried looking around.
Téa was confused. What did he just say? In any case, he seemed to be upset and at the very least she could offer help.
"Hi there, little guy! Did you lose your parents?" She asked walking towards him. This startled the boy making him dart down the basement stairs.
"Hey, wait up! You can't go in there!" She called after him. Back in the basement, she looked around.
"Where'd he go?" There weren't many hiding spots. Plus, she knew for certain he had come this way…right?
"Téa?"
Jumping at her name, she turned around laughing to see Yami at the top of the staircase. "Oh, hey, Yugi! You didn't happen to see a little boy run in here, did you?"
The Spirit gave her a puzzled look. "No, I don't believe so. I just heard you down here."
"Huh, ok. I thought I saw one run in here." She turned away to where he couldn't see her face. "So, is the museum haunted or something? I know for certain I saw a little boy!" She thought a little more than freaked out.
Back at home, the Spirit had to undergo a gauntlet of questions. "Wow, you really were a pharaoh! That's so cool, Spirit!" Yugi said excitedly. "Do you remember anything at all about it? Like how you used to rule? Or what your palace was like? I bet it was huge! I guess I should call you, "Pharaoh", now! And…"
While Yugi continued on with his chatter, Yami tuned him out. "I thought he was in his soul room for that part. Oh well." He stared out the window at the night sky allowing his mind to wander. That woman…why did she seem so familiar? Even finding about his past today didn't compare to that mystery. Could she be the one Ishizu said would help with his memories?
Yugi felt the confusion swirling around in the Spirit's head making him quiet down. He couldn't exactly make out what it was about, but he had a slight idea.
"Did you remember someone?"
Yami glanced toward him and sighed. "I keep having this strange feeling, almost like I've seen this royal woman that was depicted as a statue. There was little information about her so maybe I just saw the statue while I was ruling." He shook his head. "I shouldn't be worrying about something so trival anyways. Did you hear about the monster that could be revived soon? If what Ishizu said is true, we need to be prepared for it. As in, we have to find the rest of the Millennium Items."
Yugi slowly nodded. He was kind of wanting to forget that part. He felt sorry for his friend. Instead of just finding out the answers of who he was, they got news the world could be destroyed. The Spirit had retreated to his soul room once he and Téa got back, leaving Yugi completely in the dark about what they saw. It took a while just to coax him out to talk. He did know that he felt a hint of sadness every now and then from the Spirit. Maybe going back to the museum tomorrow could shed some light on what needed to be done.
"Yugi, you do remember you have school tomorrow, right?"
Yami's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Oh, dang! I completely forgot I've got a test tomorrow!" He yelled scrambling off his bed to his book bag.
"What's it over?" Yami asked moving out of the desk chair onto the bed.
"Funny enough, Ancient Egypt." Yugi walked over to his desk and plopped the book down. "Want to help? I know you listen in on the instructor's lectures."
"I…I'm sorry, Yugi…" The Spirit disappeared back into the Puzzle with a flash. Yugi sat there for a moment. What just happened?
"Hey, are you ok?" Yugi thought worriedly. He never just vanished like that!
"Yes, forgive me. But I'm going to stay in here for a while…" Yami's voice sounded almost distance, even his presence was growing fainter. Yugi could only guess that he was going in the Puzzle's labyrinth instead of his usual soul room. But why? He knew that the Spirit hated the place. Maybe he just needed to be left alone for a while. Today was quite hectic. Yugi looked at the clock. Ugh, 11:00 P.M., he really needed to get to studying.
About an hour or so passed before Yugi's concentration broke. Propping his head up with his arm, he sighed. How could he be studying at a time like this? He looked over at the Puzzle on the nightstand. Hopefully, he and his friends could figure out some way to help the Pharaoh.
"Please…just rest now. Everyone is going to be alright…I'll see you two later…ok?"
Yami bolted awake. Who was that?! Taking deep breaths, he tried to collect his thoughts. That voice…it was definitely a woman's. Was it Téa? No, it sounded older. Whoever it belonged to, it sounded very reassuring almost soothing. It felt like she was telling him the truth. Only, what had she been talking about? Besides that, was the message even for him? Sometimes he could listen in on Yugi's dreams, but this didn't seem to be the case. Just who was "everyone" and "you two"? Was it he and his friends or someone else?
He leaned his head against the cold stone of the labyrinth. This was exactly why he never wanted to sleep. Every time he did something like this happened. What caused the dreams he was unsure of. At this point, he wasn't even sure if he was actually sleeping or if his consciousness just resided elsewhere for a time. The Millennium Puzzle kept many secrets, many of which would probably never be solved. In fact, within the past couple of days, a new mystery appeared. It wasn't often, but sometimes he could feel another presence. When Ishizu had mentioned that the monster had been sealed in some of the Items, he feared the worse. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. It didn't narrow down who or what it was though. The presence never felt malicious, in fact it had a sense of warmth to it. Kind of familiar in a way. Only, that couldn't be right. He should be the only one here since it was apparently his own doing…
A sudden rush of anxiety flooded the Puzzle. Yami rolled his eyes, he knew this feeling all too well. It had to be morning and Yugi must have overslept his alarm…again. He couldn't help but smile. Even though he no longer had his previous memories, he genuinely believed he had never met anyone quite like Yugi. Disappearing back into his soul room he waited for his friend to contact him. He really needed to apologize for the way he acted last night. Plus talking with Yugi would keep his mind off things for a while. At least he hoped so.
Hudjefa was an actual pharaoh whose name is a placeholder. Like Ishizu said, it does mean "erased" or "missing". Many believe that the name had been lost before it was added to the King's List (which contains the names of all the reigning pharaohs). It is also possible that he was pharaoh Seth Peribsen (circa 2740 BC).
Mwt-pronounced like "me-what", means mother in Ancient Egyptian.
It-pronounced like "ya-tee", means father in Ancient Egyptian.