Chapter 20

When the blinding explosion of light faded, Isis crumpled to the floor, keening as she cradled her singed right hand against her body. The Rod lay beside her where she'd dropped it. Pegasus was doubled over, both hands clasped over his Eye. Malik remained slumped against the side of the sarcophagus. And Yami...

Yugi stared.

Yami stood atop the makeshift altar, head held high and feet braced shoulder-width apart. Gone was his usual jeans-and-shirt combo. In its place, he wore a white linen kilt beneath a golden apron that fell to just above his knees. On his feet, gilded leather sandals replaced dusty work-boots, and jeweled bands encircled both ankles. Bracelets made of gold and semi-precious stones clasped his wrists. A wide, beaded collar lay across his shoulders, covering part of his otherwise bare chest. The Puzzle hung from a newly acquired gold chain about his neck. On his head rested the red and white Double Crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.

His expression -- when Yugi finally tore his astonished gaze away from the spectacle of Yami in pharaonic regalia to notice it -- was very, very angry.

Yami stretched out a be-ringed hand toward the Millennium Rod, and, in a commanding tone that did strange things to Yugi's equilibrium, uttered what sounded like a string of nonsense syllables.

"Sedjem en djed medu in nebek! Iw!"

The two halves of the Rod rose into the air and came to rest in his outstretched hands. Yami replaced the dagger into its golden sheath, then dropped it carelessly at his feet. The metal clattered against the stone lid on which he stood. He repeated the process with the Eye.

Pegasus shrieked as the Millennium Eye tore itself from his skull and returned to its true master. Blood streamed through the fingers Pegasus clutched to his face as he collapsed. Forgetting his own safety, Yugi ran to the fallen tour operator. Very quickly, he could see that Pegasus was in danger of bleeding to death if something wasn't done. "Yami! We have to help him or he'll die!"

"Let him." Yami's voice held none of the warmth Yugi had grown accustomed to hearing. The warmth that had been pooling in his abdomen evaporated as quickly as it had come. His tone hard and regal, Yami continued, "It is no more than he deserves for his trespasses."

Stunned by this sudden coldness, Yugi turned to look at the impressive figure still atop the sarcophagus-cum-altar. "Yami?"

"Not... entirely." Yami rubbed at his brow. When his hand encountered the rearing cobra that was a part of his crown, he assayed an irritated grimace.

"Atem?"

Yami looked frustrated. "Yes -- and no. It is... difficult to explain. I can feel both..." He shook his head as if to clear it. "I think I have Atem's memories now in addition to my own. It's making it hard to think clearly."

"Then... You know how to use his powers, right? All of them, not just that weird levitation thing you just did?"

A reluctant nod and another grimace. "I…think so. The memories are not-- It's like the Puzzle downloaded them directly into my brain, but…. It's almost as if I don't really know the specific memory is there until something triggers it."

"We'll figure it out," Yugi assured him. "For now, can you help Pegasus?"

The cold mask tried to settle over Yami's features once more. It shattered in the face of Yugi's pleading gaze. Yami sighed. "Very well. Because you ask it."

Yami jumped nimbly down from his perch and came to Yugi's side. Kneeling, he took Pegasus' face between his hands. The Puzzle flared brightly as he intoned something too softly for Yugi to make out the words. When Yami took his hands away, Pegasus tortured writhing ceased, and his body relaxed as he slumped to the floor. When Yami relased him, Pegasus curled onto his side, his hands coming up to hide his face. Frowning, Yami started to rise.

Yugi snagged his arm, fingers curling around the gold encircling Yami's wrist. "Thank you."

Yami's expression softened, and he stroked his palm over Yugi's cheek. "For you, mery-i, anything."

Isis' heart-broken keening drew their attention to where she crouched beside her brother. Yugi turned imploring eyes on Yami.

Yami sighed.

--

Tears cascaded down Isis' face, but they were tears of joy. Malik hugged her, whispering over and over, "It's all right, Sister. It's all right."

It was the first time he'd spoken in six years, a fact she'd sobbed out to them before collapsing in Malik's arms. To give the siblings some privacy, Yugi tugged Yami over to the opposite side of the sarcophagus. He didn't want to go near the disturbingly fresh mummies in their box against the wall, and it didn't seem like a good idea to put Pegasus at their backs. For the moment, the man was simply lying where they'd left him, staring at the mummified remains of his wife and infant.

"What's going to happen to them?" Yugi wondered aloud.

"Pegasus and Isis will have to pay for their crimes," Yami said. At Yugi's look, he added, "They tried to kill you, aibou! I don't care what their reasons were, that's unforgivable. Besides, in this time, my word is not law. It will be up to Interpol to deal with them."

"But, I'm okay now, and--" The thundercloud expression gathering on Yami's face made Yugi decide to change the subject. He glanced around the burial chamber, which was piled high with artifacts, many of which gleamed with gold and semi-precious stones. All of them were priceless from a historical standpoint. "What are we going to do about... all this?"

Yami swept a professional eye over the room and its contents. "It's the find of a lifetime, that's for sure. Two lifetimes. Sugoroku's place in the history books is guaranteed -- right up there with Flinders Petrie and Howard Carter."

"Yeah, but... Is it really safe to let the whole world know about the Millennium Items and what they can do? Won't more people just try to steal them in order to gain their power for themselves?" Yugi couldn't stand the thought that the Items might make Yami a target, or that another madman might go after his grandfather.

All of the Items except the Puzzle lay on top of the sarcophagus where Yami had left them. He reached out and prodded the Ring with his index finger, a thoughtful look on his handsome face. "I don't think I can destroy them. I'm not even sure it's possible to destroy them. But... I think I may be able to take away their power, at least temporarily. That could buy us some time to figure out how to deal with them."

"No!" Before the echoes of the shout had faded, Pegasus lunged to his feet, gun in hand. He swung the pistol up to aim at Yami's heart. "I won't let you destroy my only chance to get Cecelia back!"

Pegasus fired.

Without conscious thought, Yugi flung himself between Yami and the gun. Fire seared through him, tracing a blazing path across his shoulder and down his arm. Knees buckling, he cried out as the pain painted his world crimson. As his legs turned to water, Yugi heard Yami's deep, voice ring out with the power of an angry god.

"Mind Crush!"

And then the red wave crashed over him. It pulled him under….

And all was silent.