Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters, the rest belongs to someone else who's very lucky. Thanks to all those who have been reviewing my fic and I really appreciate those who took the time. Thanks also to those who've been reading my fic and I hope you enjoy this latest installment. Thanks to W.D. for your review especially, hope you approve of this latest chap.

Twice in Two Days

An hour and a half later Seto was pretty sure that they'd gone over every square inch of the mall and was pretty sure that he didn't ever want to see it again, or at least if Rika wasn't with him. He had to hand it to the girl; she sure knew how to clear out a store. The places they'd gone to get the Digimon Cards were also filled with Duel Monster cards, which meant that Duel Monster fans shopped there. As soon as they'd recognized him they'd descended for autographs and info, he'd actually grabbed Rika's hand so that she couldn't desert him. Surprisingly enough she hadn't seemed to mind, Seto thought as he looked at her out of the corner of her mind. They'd finished their shopping for now and were heading out of the mall, luckily fan free thanks to Rika.

"Well that wasn't so bad now was it?" Rika said and Seto smirked a bit at the almost teasing smile on Rika's face. They'd barely gotten out of there alive and she knew it. They'd been repeatedly ambushed and he had a feeling Rika had to restrain herself from doing damage several times.

"Walk in the park." Seto agreed, allowing a quick smile to cross his features. "Lifting that guy off his feet by his collar really got your point across. You're stronger then you look."

"It's a dog eat dog world." Rika said with a smirk, glad he wasn't mad at her. She'd known that Seto had meetings today and that it was important that they do the shopping as quickly as humanly possible. So when they'd been mobbed by his fans she'd simply done what she'd always done when she got mobbed. Scared the hell out of them until they left them alone. "And it worked, didn't it?"

"Is that what you do when your fans mobbed you?" Seto asked, thinking that maybe he'd been going about his fans the wrong way. Normally he just ignored them or sent them death glares; perhaps he should take the more hands on approach.

"Pretty much, it depends on who it is. I'm not about to slam a preschooler against the wall." Rika said with a shake of her head. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit." Seto said, thinking about it. "Are you?"

"Yeah, and speaking of dogs how do you feel about a hot dog and Coke?" Rika asked, pointing to a hot dog vendor who had positioned himself at the end of the street near the park where there was convenient park benches to use.

"I suppose." Seto replied, surprised that she hadn't suggested they go to a restaurant or back to the mall for the food court. When was the last time he'd eaten food from a street vendor? He didn't recall doing it since he was a small child if at all. "Sounds good to me." He added, deciding to go with the flow, for once.

"Kay, why don't we get that bench over there first, then we can be assured a place to eat." Rika said pointing to a bench which was being vacated as she spoke. Nodding his agreement the two walked quickly over to the bench and happily set down their bags. Most of it was just Digimon cards and such which weren't heavy but it felt good not to be holding them just the same. "I'll go get the stuff if you want to guard the seats, I know how you guys find shopping so exhausting." Rika said with a smirk as set down her last bag on the bench. "You can guard the cards too."

"I can get them." Seto said, manners coming into play. "I'm not tired at all either."

"Well you're meaner looking then I am, no one would think to try to get you off our bench or grab one of the bags. Besides, it's a short walk there and back again, I'll be perfectly fine."

Sensing that there was no way in hell he was going to win Seto pulled out his wallet and a ten. "I like ketchup and mustard."

"Got it." Rika said taking the ten dollar bill from him. Giving him a mock salute Rika walked over to the cart, wondering what on earth was going to happen next.

Seto watched her go, the summer sun shining down on her hair to pick up the different shades of red, blonde and brown in her hair. She'd worn it up again today and Seto wondered what she'd look like with it down, hanging straight down her shoulders. And then as though she'd heard him her hair was suddenly down, but not loose. It know swung at her shoulders in many braids, brushing her bare shoulders as she made her way through the marketplace with four palace guards covering her from all sides. Marketplace, palace guards? Blinking around him Seto saw that he was no longer facing a busy street corner but a market place similar to those found in the Middle East. The buildings in front and around him were similar in that aspect too. Large square buildings with few windows and plenty of wear and grim to them. And the noise, my god but it was overwhelming. But instead of it coming from cars and people walking in the street it came from vendors, hawking their wares in loud voices that carried Egyptian accents. The only traffic noise was that of a cart being pulled by a donkey nearby, the driver ordering his animal on. There were people everywhere as well, buying and selling as they tried to get their money's worth. And the smell, Seto thought as he wrinkled his nose, it was nearly overpowering. The smells of too many people, food going bad and animals was heavy in the air and that combine, with the dust made it nearly intolerable.

Yet Ri showed none of this, Seto thought then shook his head slowly. What did he mean by Ri, her name was Rika. Or at least the person he'd come here with was named Rika. He couldn't see her anywhere and straining his neck the only one he could see resembling Rika was the one being guarded so carefully. The sound of hoof beats came and turning his head he saw several riders draw closer, tightly circled around the two individuals in the middle who sat astride the obviously superior horseflesh.

"She should not be in such a place, my Pharaoh. It is too dangerous." The dark haired one said, looking at the other man by his side. His eyes were on the girl that resembled Rika and Seto took it to mean that he was referring to her. And he was absolutely right, Seto thought, this was no place for the sister of the Pharaoh. The sister of the Pharaoh, now where had he gotten an idea like that?

Wait a minute, Seto thought as he stared at the man the other had been talking too. It was Yami. Astride a black stallion his dueling enemy sat straight and tall in the saddle, dressed in what could only be described as royal Egyptian garbs. What was he doing here?

"You worry too much, my friend. Besides, she would not listen to me even if I ordered her to remain behind the walls of the palace." Yami said and Seto watched him shoot a warm and affectionate look at the girl who'd stopped to look at some cloth a vendor had held out for her inspection. "Ri has never been one to allow herself to be caged."

"Her name is Ri, how did I know that?" Seto said under his breath, openly staring at the riders, hoping foolishly that they would provide some clue.

"You give her too much freedom, Pharaoh. She needs to learn her place in the world." The other man said and Seto decided right then and there that he disliked the other man intensely. What did he mean learn her place? Ri was quite fine the way she was, thank you very much. What was wrong with him? Where were these thought's coming from?

"Ri," Yami called out and somehow through all the noise she heard him because she turned around and seeing Yami smiled so brightly that even Seto could see it from the distance where he stood. Handing the material back to the vendor she made her way towards Yami, her guards around her as the people in the market moved aside to allow her to pass. She was well loved by her people, Seto thought as he watched her nod her head in thanks for their actions. Unlike many of her half sisters Ri treated everyone around her the same way and Seto thought that that above all else showed her character. She would make someone a good wife someday.

"Kaiba? Kaiba, can you hear me?"

Blinking rapidly Seto stared at Rika for a moment, trying to regain his balance. Looking around him he saw that he was sitting on the park bench, cars and people racing past him as they hurried along at break necking speed. He could see the hot dog vendor accepting money from a customer and he could see Rika standing in front of him, two hot dogs on hand and a container of some sort with two cans of coke in the other hand.

"Are you feeling okay, Kaiba?" Rika asked him and blinking again Seto nodded his head, unsure of what else to say to convey his situation. He was hallucinating, Seto thought with a sinking feeling in his chest. He was seeing things that weren't there and then believing them to be truly happening. What was wrong with him?

"I'm fine." Seto finally managed and tried a weak smile, which only made her frown more. None the less she sat down beside him, setting the container with the drinks between them. Then handing him his hot dog she smiled at him before taking a bite of her own.

"These are pretty good." Rika said as she reached for her pop. "The guy makes some of the best dogs I've ever had. Whenever I come here to visit my cousin we always come here for a dog after shopping, a messed up family tradition I guess."

"Does she look like you, your cousin I mean." Seto asked after he'd worked his way through his first bite. It was good and Seto made a note to maybe bring Mokuba here some time, he'd love the idea.

"Not at all, except for the eyes. She looks a lot like my mom actually, which isn't surprising since our moms are twins. I look more like my grandmother. Purple eyes run in my mom's side of the family." Rika said after she'd swallowed. "It's really funny too because my uncle's got brown hair so people always mistaken him for my dad and my mom gets mistaken for my cousin's mom all the time."

"You're close." Seto said, thinking that she was very lucky. All he and Mokuba had were each other. Sometimes he wondered what would it be like to be part of a large family.

"Yeah, me and Kitten get along pretty well, she's only a year older then me. We're actually quite different but my aunt says we level each other out." Rika said with a smirk.

"Oh, your cousin's name is Kitten?" Seto asked, trying to figure out what kind of people would give their daughter a name like Kitten. Very disturbed people, he decided.

"Here name's really not Kitten, we just call her that. One of my friends is always calling me Wildcat so it became a kinda joke to call my cousin Kitten and me Wildcat." Rika said with a smirk. "Cause she's cute and lovable and I'm claws and hisses."

"You're not that bad." Seto said before he could think about it. "I'm much worse."

"Yeah, you are. If I had to think of an animal to suit you I'd either pick a shark or a wolf, they both suit you." Rika said figuring he wouldn't take offense. Some might but she had the feeling that Kaiba did a lot of things involving his rep on purpose. He wanted people to fear and obey him without question. That's what predators did.

"Oh really," Seto said, deciding to take her words as a compliment. Both animal and fish suited him. He wasn't at all surprised that she'd pegged him so quickly, she was very observant and similar to him in personality as strange as that was. "Thanks."

"There are worse things to be then a predator, better to be the hunter then the hunted." Rika commented as she finished the last of her hot dog.

"I couldn't have put it better." Seto agreed as he watched her wipe off some ketchup from her fingers. Finishing his own hot dog and drink Seto tried to remember the last time he'd simple sat down and talked to someone besides his brother. It was a very hard thing to do. "Are you ready to go?" He asked as he pushed the thought aside. Now was not the time.

"You bet." Rika said finishing off her pop with a smile. "Let's get you back to the office before you're late for a meeting."

It was three in the afternoon and Rika decided to wonder around the neighborhood, stretch her legs a little. It had been fun shopping with Seto, Rika thought with a smirk as she strolled down the sidewalk, hands in her pockets. Normally she wasn't big on doing anything that could even be remotely described as shopping but this had been kinda fun, in a way. Except for when she'd come back with the hot dogs he'd been acting weird, well maybe he hadn't been him self when she'd fallen on him either. Would he have kissed her if she hadn't said his name? Did she wish he had?

"Of course not." Rika said aloud, picking up the pace slightly. Sure the guy was gorgeous with his piercing blue eyes and his well-muscled body but she knew plenty of good looking guys. She'd been around male models all her life for god sakes. She'd seen better. So what was it about him that wouldn't let her dismiss him as just another guy? Whenever she was around him it was as if some part of her came alive, everything seemed some how better whenever she saw him which was stupid. Wasn't it? She'd met the guy two days ago, she barely knew him at all and yet she felt as though she did. She talked to him as easily as if he were Takato or Henry, maybe even more so. And what was with all this smiling and trying to get him to smile too? Neither were really her style and they obviously weren't his either.

Well she'd figure it out eventually, just like she'd figure out what had happened last night, not to mention the weird dream she'd had to go with it. She'd been stuck in a tree trying to get a cat down and had gotten stuck only to be rescued by a bare chested hunk who bore too much of a resemblance to Kaiba for comfort. Jeri said that dreams were a window into the soul and Rika really didn't want to believe that, at all.

"Even if he is hot there's no way you're getting involved with him, absolutely no way." Rika said under her breath as she continued walking, becoming vaguely aware that she could no longer hear the sound of her shoes hitting concrete. Slowing down Rika looked down at her feet and saw that under them lay not sidewalk but stone. Looking up slowly Rika gave a gasp as she realized that for the second time in as many days she had no idea where the hell she was. She wasn't outside, Rika thought as she turned her head this way and that. Spinning around in a circle Rika realized that she appeared to be in some sort of hallway. A hallway made of stone with drawings on it. Walking closer Rika's eyes widened when she realized that what she was looking at were hieroglyphics on the wall, depicting scenes she'd seen in countless copies of pictures found in tombs. "This………… is really weird."

"So I wish you would seriously think about getting get rid of that rule, Pharaoh. I could provide your sister with everything her heart desires. What more could you ask for?" Hearing the male voice Rika moved away from the wall and instinctively moved closer to the voice, which appeared to be coming from a nearby room. She recognized that voice from somewhere but where? And why did she have the feeling she really didn't like this guy.

"I have made that decision and I stand by it Ali. No one may seek my sister's hand unless he can defeat me in a battle." The other voice said and Rika smiled at the sound of it. She knew that voice and unlike the other man's Rika knew instinctively that she could trust the other man's voice. Which was strange, Rika thought given that it was the later's voice that held a trace of steel.

"But, Pharaoh, no one but the High Priest Seto can even begin to match you in skill. Do you wish her not to marry at all?" The other man argued in a slightly exasperated voice.

"I have made my decree and even had I not my sister has shown no interest in becoming your wife. I will not be swayed no matter what you offer Ali. She will not be bartered like a horse while I draw breath." The other man's voice said and Rika silently applauded him. That's right, get out pal because here's a guy who's not about to sell out his family. Good for him, Rika thought with a pleased look.

"As you wish, Pharaoh. I had hope that you will reconsider but I bow to your decision." The voice said and Rika hoped that the other man heard the snake quality in the other man's voice. This was not a good guy he was talking to. Definitely not someone you wanted in your family. "I will leave you to your thoughts."

"You're dismissed." The voice replied and a few moments later Rika watched a man dressed in Egyptian finery walk out of the room. He wore white robes that did little to give him a more angelic look as he glared at the wall separating him from the Pharaoh. A headpiece covered his hair and there was black make-up under his eyes, which made him rather resemble a raccoon in her opinion. Smirking at the idea Rika decided to wait for the other to leave before approaching the one called Pharaoh. As though he sensed her presence the other man turned, a smile that sent shivers down her spine on his face. She supposed the man could be called handsome but he was nowhere in the High Priest's leagues. Who? Then Rika recalled the Pharaoh mentioning him but had no idea how she knew the priest was better looking.

"Well, well, eavesdropping are we?" The man said to her as he walked slowly towards her, reminding her of a snake slithering carefully towards its prey. Holding her ground Rika simply lifted her chin and glared at him. Watching him come Rika frowned as he began to change in front of her eyes, his headpiece and robes disappearing until a man dressed in jogging clothing was nearly in her face.

"Are you lost? You looked confused?" The jogger asked her and vaguely Rika shook her head, turning her head to watch him jog away. What on earth had just happened, she wondered as she looked around her, trying to get her perspective centered. A moment ago she'd been in a hallway talking to a snake in human clothing and now she stood in the middle of a sidewalk on her cousin's block, not a hieroglyphic or robe in sight. What on earth was wrong with her? This was the second time this had happened. Shaking her head to clear it Rika looked all around her and then deciding to play it safe turned around and began heading back in the direction of her Aunt's house. She was to begin teaching Seto tomorrow and she needed to be at the top of her game to do it well. She'd go back and get some sleep. If this happened again she'd make an appointment with her Aunt's family doctor. Right away.

Well that's all for now, folks. Did you like it, hate it, think that I'm on the wrong track? Well whichever applies please let me know by reviewing cause I really appreciate it when people review. Thanks for reading and please stay tuned for the next chapter which will feature another look into the past and the secrets the sands of Egypt hold.