Welcome back! I know it's been quite a while since my last post, but as usual, life and work got in the way. And I of course had to keep catching myself up every time I sat down to write this chapter because I couldn't continuously work on it, so it took twice as long as it should have. Sorry for the extended wait.

However, it's finally here!

I've done everything I can to polish this chapter so it's up to your expectations, but I am always open to constructive criticism. Remember that I do write these chapters in bursts, which means there may be some small time/continuity errors. Don't be afraid to let me know if something seems off to you!

Anyway, back to the story. We left off at Kaiba's publicity event, where a certain someone has made a timely appearance.

Enjoy!

Chapter 30

Neferu smiled softly. "I was half afraid you wouldn't remember me," he said, handing me one of the wine glasses passed over by the bartender. If the worker cared about my being a minor and drinking wine, he didn't seem to show it.

I swirled the wine around in the glass, not knowing what else to do. What does a girl do when she unexpectedly meets a man from her Ancient Egyptian past? "You've been watching me."

"I have," he took a short sip of his drink and tilted his head, indicating he wanted to take the conversation somewhere else. "Come. There is much I need to tell you."

I shook my head. "I'd prefer to stay somewhere with witnesses."

He cocked his head. "Why?"

"I don't trust you." Though true, I didn't like the sound of the words. All I'd seen of Neferu was him being kind. Plus, the cloaked figure from Devon's basement had expressed clear distaste for the man standing in front of me.

However, one could never be too careful. Sagira's past was much too complicated to take anything lightly. If he was an enemy, I couldn't let him know that I really didn't remember much about him.

His smile disintegrated faster than a cloud of mist in the wind. An almost hurt look flashed in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Besides the fact that you just admitted to stalking me for the past hour?" I put the wine glass to my lips, but then thought better of it and took it away before I could get a drink.

"Sagira -"

"Erin." I corrected. The guy had sought me out and he hadn't even attempted to call me by the right name.

Neferu gave me an incredulous look. "Erin," he repeated, not seeming to like the sound of it on his tongue, "I promise you that I am not here to harm you in any way."

I narrowed my eyes. "Then you won't have a problem telling me why you're here and why there's a cult full of creepy cloaked men chasing me. In this room, where there are witnesses for my sake."

"Ra, even after three thousand years, you still manage to be the single most stubborn person I have ever met."

"Clearly you haven't spent much time with Atem."

Neferu sighed and shook his head. "We're getting off topic. I don't have much time. There are -" he took a quick glance over my shoulder, up to the table of duelists. "-others watching you who might disagree with my interference."

I followed his gaze. We were well into the throng of people gathered near the bar, and about as far from the platform up front that we could be. Who could possibly be able to see us from there? "Do you mean the cult?"

His eyes snapped back to me. "Yes, though that is not what they call themselves."

"Who are they? What do they have to do with me?"

With another shake of his head, he took one more careful sip of his drink. "I will get to that if I can."

My frown deepened. Obviously, whoever he was afraid of wasn't someone he wanted to screw around with. "What are you here to tell me, then?"

"Do you have your amulet? The one I made you?"

I nodded. "Not with me, but I have it."

This seemed to unsettle him. "As soon as you get back home, I want you to keep it with you at all times. Wear it if you can."

"Why?" As beautiful as it was, the amulet was a bit large to be wearing around my neck, in school or otherwise. It may have been fashionable in Ancient Egypt, but it was just obnoxious here.

"Do you know what the eye of Horus is a symbol of?"

"Protection."

He nodded, relieved I at least knew that much. "Exactly. Even keeping it near you will prevent malevolent forces from attempting to harm you."

I waved my wine glass in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You do know that the cult gave me the amulet in the first place, right? You're making yourself out to be just as sketchy as everyone else from my past."

My continued suspicion was beginning to irritate him. When he spoke again, it sounded like he was trying to explain the function of a stuffed animal to a small child. "The way it got into your hands is purely your doing, not mine." At my dubious expression, he sighed and continued, "When you saw the mage that night, you didn't go empty-handed. You were far too clever. You tricked him into thinking the amulet would aid him in his plans when you and the Pharaoh rose again. Being a foreigner by birth, he was unaware of the magical properties of the symbol. Evil is unable to tarnish its abilities."

"So...I left the amulet behind because I knew I would need it? What kind of crappy deal did I make with the mage that it would become necessary?" Memories of the dream I'd had in which a hooded man offered me an escape from my pain came back to me in fragments. I had enough evidence to rightly assume that he was the mage Neferu spoke of.

Neferu's look was patronizing. "I don't know. You made it in secret."

"Then how do you know about any of this?"

"You told me." He said matter-of-factly.

"Why would I-"

I was interrupted by the sound of my name being called over the chatter of the crowd around us. When I turned to see who it was, I found Joey wading through the crowd, eyes fixed on me and an excitable smile on his face. Behind him were way too many reporters for me to be comfortable with.

"I apologize for leaving you with more questions, but my time has grown short. Here," Neferu brought my attention back to him as he slipped a folded-up piece of what I recognized as papyrus into my hand. "Perhaps this may provide some answers."

"Wait, Neferu -" As soon as he had appeared, he was suddenly gone, dematerializing back into the throng of socialites. I craned my neck in an effort to find him again, but to no avail. I cursed under my breath.

An arm was slung around my shoulders. "This here's my good friend Erin Stephenson!" Joey's exclamation forced me to acknowledge the flashing cameras that now surrounded me. I blinked the stars out of my vision as Joey turned me to face them. A barrage of voices rang through my ears.

"Miss Stephenson, how long have you known Joey Wheeler?"

"Do you duel, too?"

"What do you think of his strategy?"

I made a face as I put hand over my eyes. "Uh...I've known him for a while now. He's a swell guy." Another camera flash forced me to squeeze my eyes shut. "I'm just a beginner, so I don't know much about his strategy."

"Smile!" Joey called as an especially large shutter bathed us in white light.

I had no idea if I smiled or not. I was too busy trying to prevent my corneas from bursting into flames.

Then Joey's hand was on my arm, pulling me with him through the crowd. The sudden absence of the bright lights made it even more difficult to discern my surroundings. I wondered if Joey even knew where we were going. The reporters followed us, snapping pictures of our backs. An intrusive thought told me there could possibly be headlines tomorrow proclaiming a scandal between my friend and I based only on the way he was helping me move around.

When I finally managed to clear my vision enough to see semi-clearly, I found that Joey was bringing me towards the platform in the front of the room. I could see that Tristan and Tea had already joined Yugi and Atem at the table, trying to speak to them and the slightly more organized paparazzi surrounding them. Surely Kaiba would regulate the craziness of the journalists interviewing the King of Games, right?

Though I knew I wouldn't find him, I again scanned the room for Neferu, and came up empty-handed. He had disappeared. My hand tightened around the piece of papyrus he'd given to me, his words still rolling around in my mind.

The band of cameramen waiting on the steps parted for Joey as he brought me past them, curious about my relationship to the duelists. I could feel more cameras taking unwanted photos of me as we passed by.

No wonder celebrities tended to hate press events.

It wasn't until Joey stopped me abruptly and I found myself stumbling into someone else that I realized we had finally gotten around the cluster of the press surrounding Yugi and Atem. I looked up, ready to apologize to whoever I had bumped into for the possible wine stain on their shirt, but Atem's eyes met mine as he took my arm to steady me.

"How have you survived this long?" I asked, indicating the reporters with a jerk of my head.

He gave me a strained smile. "They remind me of my council."

I snorted and blew a stray hair out of my eyes. "If your council was a pack of hyenas."

He chuckled at that, and was about to say something else when a microphone was held out to him. "Atem, what was it like growing up with the King of Games? Are you nervous to be in your first tournament?"

"Uh…I'm excited to be dueling here, yes..." he must not have been expecting those questions. I took his arm in an effort to reassure him.

However, this only prompted more questions. The microphones were suddenly in my face. "What is your name and relationship to Atem?"

Shit. I blinked in irritation as a camera once again flashed in my face, but tried to put a smile on. "I'm, uh, Erin Stephenson. Atem is my…" Star-crossed ancient Egyptian lover.

"Erin is my girlfriend." He answered for me, picking up on my hesitation.

A chorus of "awww"s and cooing met our answer, and I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. If Yugi and Tea didn't make headlines, Atem and I definitely would. I could see it now: "Young Love in the Dueling Arena." Or something equally as cheesy.

My mother worked for a publicity agency. I'd seen much, much worse.

The reporters continued hounding us for any piece of information they could get, the obnoxious flashing lights of their cameras blinding us. I had no idea how much time had passed, but we were eventually thrown into a panel of sorts with Joey, Tristan, Yugi, and Tea. The whole thing was so surreal that I almost forgot what it was like to not have microphones being shoved down my throat and paparazzi trying to exploit my answers to their questions. It must have been a long time, because suddenly a voice over the PA system announced that it was time for the press to pack up and get out - in the nicest way possible.

I took a deep breath to recompose myself in the ensuing retreat. At some point, Atem had realized how overwhelmed I was and put his arm around my waist to keep me upright, and I gladly leaned against him for support. As the press filed away, he looked down at me. "Will you be alright?"

I nodded and straightened myself back up as his arm fell from around my waist. "I don't envy you. This is going to happen all weekend, you know that?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately." Then he cocked his head. "Are you drinking wine?"

"Uh…" I frowned and looked down in confusion at the long-stemmed glass still clutched in my hand. In all of the craziness of being attacked by reporters, I'd forgotten to put it down. "Not really. I haven't tried it yet."

"Do you mind?" He asked, holding out his hand to take it from me. At my shrug of indifference, he relieved me of the alcohol and took a long, draining swig. He scrunched his face up at the taste, then finished the glass.

"Thirsty?" I asked teasingly.

He set the glass on the table and cracked a small smile. "Not at all."

"Aw, look at the two lovebirds," called a remarkably irritating voice, and I knew without looking who it belonged to. "The paparazzi about ate you up."

Joey mumbled something under his breath as the off-brand Team Rocket approached. Atem's arm immediately returned to my back, as if he could shield me from whatever came of this encounter. Devon's smirk widened when we turned to him, and Astrid's grin put even the most sadistic of Bond villains to shame. Wrapped around his arm like the serpent she was, she completed his _ look.

"You're just jealous they got more attention than you did," Tristan said, crossing his arms. I realized he and Joey had subconsciously stepped forward in an effort to intimidate the duo into staying away from the rest of us.

Too bad Devon was more ambitious than that. He chuckled and shook his head as if we were a group of children trying to level with him. "I would rather their faces end up on tomorrow morning's newspapers than mine. It'll only make my winning this tournament all the more amazing." He outstretched his free hand, as if to spell out a newspaper headline. "Unlikely Champion Defeats King of Games. Now that's good press."

Yugi, who had never actually interacted with Devon before, tried for a lighthearted laugh to ease the tension. It came out much too forced. "I guess we'll just have to see in the finals."

"I guess we will," Devon said. Something about the tone he used twisted my stomach into knots. His eyes found mine, and I was once again trapped under his gaze like a frog under a snake's. "After all the work I've put into getting in this tournament, it would be a shame to lose my one chance to take down the King."

Atem pulled me closer. I didn't have to see his face to know he was glaring daggers at the former basketball star.

"All remaining guests are asked to return to their seats for tomorrow night's dueling order." The voice on the PA system made all of us jump a little. The sounds of people beginning to do as they were asked with excited chatter echoed around us.

Surprisingly, Tea was the one to break the silence. "Erin, Tristan? Let's go. I'm sure Kaiba wouldn't appreciate us starting a fight up here."

I forced my eyes away from Devon and to my friend, who was giving me a significant look. It was blatantly obvious she wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. With a deep breath, I nodded. "Let's."

However, Atem's arm around me didn't budge. I glanced questioningly up at him to find him still staring Devon down. The look on his face was terrifying; I had never seen his eyes so hard or his features so sharp.

"Atem," I murmured, resting my hand on his upper back to get his attention. Devon and Astrid were still watching us with their wretched sneers, but I tried my hardest to ignore them.

When he didn't respond, I repeated myself. Slowly - almost as if it caused him physical pain - he tore his gaze from the two snakes and looked down at me. His eyes visibly softened, but his face remained harsh. Keeping my voice low so only he could hear me, I said, "I need to go sit down. We can't make a scene here."

It took a moment for my words to register, and then the scary expression faded from his face. He sighed. "I know. You're right."

Realizing that his arm had loosened around my back, I pulled away and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Then, partly to calm him down and partly to piss off both Devon and Astrid, I leaned up and placed a light kiss on his cheek before I followed Tea and Tristan down the steps from the platform.

As we settled ourselves into our seats, Astrid returning to the table just moments after we did, we watched as Kaiba once again placed himself center-stage. "Now that we've all had time for pleasantries, I'd like to bring us back to the real reason I've brought you here tonight: the ultimate dueling tournament!" Applause echoed briefly, and when it stopped, he continued. "As you all know, this tournament will be three days long, beginning tomorrow evening and ending Sunday morning with the championship duel. Because of the span of the tournament and the expected length of each duel, the bracket we have generated will be a bit different than other tournaments. Instead of all of the first duels happening tomorrow night, some of the duelists we've randomly placed together will be given a by until Saturday. If that is the case, these duelists will still be expected to show up tomorrow night with those who will be dueling, as I will be announcing your order for Saturday morning once the last duel of the night ends."

I leaned back in my seat and watched the duelists at the table exchange glances. Atem briefly met my eyes, and I gave him a small smile and a thumbs-up.

"Now, with explanations out of the way, it's time to announce who will be dueling who tomorrow night!"

The clapping was just as deafening as it had been at the beginning of the publicity event, but this time, it died down much more quickly, as everyone was eager to hear the order.

"There will be three duels. The first will kick off the tournament at exactly five p.m. with Joey Wheeler and Mona Luna!"

Joey stood up to wave at the cheering crowd, as did his competition, a small girl with dark skin and kind eyes. She wore a flowy lavender dress and a matching tiara of flowers. She was beautiful, but in a different way than Mai Valentine - where Mai was all sharp edges and temptation, Mona was soft and sweet. She smiled at Joey, giving him a little wave. His attempt at intimidation dissolved, and he grinned back as he returned her gesture.

The clapping died down, and Joey and Mona sat back in their seats.

"Right after the first duel ends, there will be a thirty-minute intermission before the next takes place. When the break is over, we will see Mai Valentine face Mako Tsunami!"

More applause echoed as Mai and the happy-looking Mako stood and shook hands since they were close to each other. They looked to be exchanging a few words before they seated themselves once more.

"And lastly, after another intermission, the final duel of the night will be Soga Kei versus Atem Muto!"

A tall, muscular man stood when Atem did. Even with Atem's regal facade, Soga Kei towered over him. His hair was tied back into a bun in true hipster fashion, and his tweed coat completed the aesthetic.

Atem nodded to him in an effort to be respectful.

The look he gave Atem could have easily been interpreted in numerous ways. I hoped it was one of the more positive ones.

Once the applause died down, both men took a seat. Atem's gaze once more turned to me, but it seemed to be more out of habit than actual communication this time, because it immediately flitted away when Kaiba spoke up again for closing comments.

I blew out a breath and listened to Tristan and Tea discuss Atem's upcoming duel, all the while picking at a stray thread on the tablecloth in contemplation. Halfway through Kaiba's speech, I had remembered the folded-up papyrus in my hand, which had gotten pretty worn from my tightly-clenched fist. I didn't want to open it in full view of everyone (especially Astrid), though, so I kept it hidden beneath the table. I would have to read it later.

Before I knew it, the event was over. Vendors and paparazzi once more returned to their calling, though by the time they made their way to the stage, Atem, Joey, and Yugi had already made their way back to us, Mai Valentine in tow. Luckily, Astrid and Devon were nowhere to be seen.

"So, you're Atem's girlfriend, huh?" Mai asked with a teasing note in her voice. Her sharp violet eyes softened as they gazed upon me, and I instantly felt an odd sense of camaraderie with the woman.

I nodded and held my hand out. "Nice to meet you. I'm Erin."

She smiled at me as she accepted my handshake. "Mai Valentine. I'm sure you've heard about me from your boyfriend and his buddies."

I blushed slightly at her continues use of the term "boyfriend," even if that was my technical relationship status with Atem. "Loads. Joey never shuts up about you."

It was Joey's turn to blush. I shot him a sadistic grin while Yugi snorted and Tristan coughed extremely loudly into a napkin.

Mai's smile widened. She glanced at Joey out of the corners of her eyes, then looked back at me with a wink. "I can tell we'll get along just fine, Erin."

With that, she excused herself to escape the approaching paparazzi. We decided to do the same, ducking back out the door we'd come from, which was guarded by two members of Kaiba's security to prevent our being followed.

None of us realized how exhausted we were until we said our goodbyes to Joey and Tristan and piled back into Yugi's car. I slumped back into my seat and began pulling bobby pins from my hair to release some tension in my scalp, while Tea fanned herself with a program pamphlet from the ballroom. The car ride home was quiet, not counting the Muto brothers' half-excited, half-worn out chatter about the upcoming duels. This would be Atem's first time dueling in a tournament without Yugi or strings attached, and it was obvious in the set of his shoulders that he was ecstatic about the opportunity.

When Atem walked me to my door, I smiled softly at him. "You'll be great."

"You haven't even seen me duel seriously before."

"But I've seen you with Joey and Yugi and part of that time with Devon…" I trailed off as the memories of that night returned, and I decided to move past them. "I know this tournament is important to you." I took his hands in mine and wove our fingers together. "And I know you'll do amazing, just like you always do."

The smile he gave me could have lit up a thousand suns. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen from him in what seemed like a very long time. "Thank you for believing in me."

My lips twitched as I blinked the mist from my eyes. "Always."

It wasn't until I sat on the edge of my bed, in an old volleyball shirt and pajama pants, that I finally unfolded the papyrus and read the hastily drawn hieroglyphics inside.

Neferu,

I did not think it would come to this.

After years of happiness in the palace, I have been experiencing a childhood nightmare over and over again. I cannot describe the terror I have felt in it, but only the sense that something would go horribly wrong. That something would hurt the Pharaoh, and that it would be my fault.

And now that the nightmare is becoming reality, there is no other way to repent for my sins. This is something I have to do.

There are things you do not know about me, Neferu. About my family and the circumstances of my upbringing. My extended presence in the palace was not by pure luck and kindness of the Pharaoh's part. Every part of my existence has been carefully planned, and my survival of Zorc's attack on Egypt was no accident. There is more to come. If I want to stop this evil from rising again, I cannot stay.

Enclosed is a set of instructions. I have tried to make them as straightforward as possible. I know it is a lot to ask, but Mana would never help me go through with this. You're the last person alive whom I trust to ensure that my will is done.

Please forgive me. I promise we will meet again.

The letter was marked with my - Sagira's - signature. Blurry images of a spellbook, my amulet, and my own ink-stained fingers spread across a desk came to me in whispers, but disappeared when I blinked.

Water dripped onto the faded ink, splotching it and probably damaging the old paper, but I ignored it, because more followed as I finally allowed myself to cry.

Whether I was crying from exhaustion, fear, or regret, I had no idea.

All I knew was that I finally understood why Sagira had disappeared from Egypt three millennia ago.

*dies of writer's flu*

So, we finally got to meet Neferu in person! What did you guys think of him? Does he seem sketchy, or should Erin trust him?

How will the tournament go?

Will Erin and Atem be okay, or is there more tension between them looming on the horizon?

What are Devon and Astrid up to?

And finally, what do you think really happened to Sagira?

Like I said above, if the chapter seems choppy, definitely let me know so I can fix it. By the time I get to editing these, I've already written and rewritten each scene numerous times during periods of writer's block, so they might not make as much sense in context to you guys as they do to me.

Anyway, I hope you liked it! Hopefully this was a nice transition into the first night of the tournament, where things will really start to get spicy.

Stay tuned, and don't forget to drop me a review to let me know how you feel!

See you soon!

-creativelybored