Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I've put them in. Everything else belongs to somebody else because obviously if I did own everything I'd make this into a series muhahaha. Anyways, thanks for reading and please, please review!

Acting Like Children

"Somehow...that doesn't shock me." Rika said with a laugh as Suzi came flying over to give her a hug as well. "You know you've had a really weird summer when reincarnations of people long dead are popping up everywhere without fazing you."

"So it was you, I'd wondered." Henry said softly, studying Mai with a rather sad smile on his face. "Seeing you in my dreams freaked me out even more then seeing Rika in them."

"Wait..you knew me back then?" Mai demanded to know, the shock plainly written all over her face. "But how can that be? I didn't live anywhere near the palace and we were never visited by either of the pharaohs that ruled during my lifetime. Plus, I would have remembered dreaming slash meeting you in the past, Henry."

"I could be mistaken,unless the name Joseph means something to you?"

"Joseph..you knew Joseph?" Mai reached out and grabbed Henry's shirt sleeve in a tight grip, her expression fierce. "Do you..do you know what happened to him? Did my husband kill him? Please tell me."

"I met you for the first and last time in the desert." Henry said quietly, his voice taking on a far off quality as he told his story from the dreams he'd had the nights before. "We were transporting what remained of the royal family to Queen Suna's people, hoping that whoever took over for Rameses's brother Terian wouldn't want to risk war with her people on top of all the other political and economic problems. We were less then five hours away from the river, where we were to meet her people, when you appeared. You'd been beaten within an inch of your life and were spitting up blood from your internal injuries. You'd tied yourself to the saddle. You were half out of your mind when our scouts brought you to us but you pulled it together when Joseph appeared and recognized you. Luckily most of your wounds were below the shoulder."

"He never hit me in the face unless he was too consumed by rage to think." Mai said softly, tears silently welling up in her eyes. "He always said that he'd paid more than I was worth and that I had to always look my best so everyone would see what a beautiful wife he'd purchased. That looking beautiful was all I was good for."

"And in that he misjudged you horribly." Henry said gently, taking her pale hand in his for a gentle squeeze. "You'd come to warn us, Mai. To tell us that your husband had offered his troops to the kingdom to hunt us down. You already knew that you were dying, the healers had all told your husband that you were hanging on by a thread. That's why he thought it was okay to brag in front of you as to what a high position he was going to be appointed to for assassinating what was left of the true royals of Egypt. You snuck out to warn us. You said you wanted to die with at least a shred of honor. To atone for your life."

"And did I? Did I die with honor, Henry?" Mai asked, holding back her tears through sheer will.

"Because of you almost everyone in that party got to safety. You died after putting a dagger through your husband's head, Mai. So yes, you died with honor."

Bursting into tears Mai threw herself into Henry's arms, the young man's arms closing around her as she sobbed quietly into his chest, her nails digging into his back though he said not a word. Placing a hand on her cousin's back Rika stood on one side while Suzi stood on the other. "You fought like a warrior." Suzi said after Mai's sobs had quieted down to the occasional hiccup and sigh. "I was there too. And you told Joseph why you sent him away, that you did it to protect him from your husband. He died knowing you loved him, Mai."

Pulling away, her face streaked with tears Mai gave Suzi a wobbly smile. "Thank you for that. I couldn't stand...I hated her, myself so much for not having the courage to leave him. For not putting that dagger through his black heart and running off with the true love of our life. But she did, when it matted we did do the right thing and we won. We beat him, damn his soul."

"So you stayed behind to fight too, Suzi?" Rika asked. She couldn't call her friends by their Egyptian names, it was just too weird and it wasn't how she thought of them.

"Yup, that's where Henry and I kicked the bucket so to speak. Everyone who stayed behind didn't make it. We were really outnumbered and it wasn't like we were in the best shape after crossing all that damn desert. Well, at least I know why I've never been all that fond of sand." Suzi said with a wink, her smile serene and at peace. She'd died a totally kick ass death, fighting to protect what remained of her friends. It just didn't get better than that.

"I'm sorry." Rika said softly, not knowing what else to say. "And thank you for giving up your lives for my loved ones. I know Yami and High Priest Mahado would be proud. Or was Mahado there too?" She couldn't imagine that because it would take a hell of a lot to bring down that High Priest.

"No, That damn Bakura killed him. Master had to resort to transforming himself into the Pharaoh's Dark Magician." Dark and hot hatred bloomed into those dark eyes as her lips moved to form that bastards name. She'd never hated anyone the way she hated that so called King of Thieves.

"Bakura...no it can't be." Rika muttered to herself, remember the pale, sweet guy that had been with Yami's friends when she'd dueled against that idiot Joey Wheeler. His name had been Bakura but there was no way that guy was a killer. He was definitely the wouldn't hurt a fly type. "So who is this Bakura guy anyway? I don't remember anyone going by that name. Was he one of Rameses's stooges?"

"No, Bakura was the one who's responsible for our pharaoh being sealed into the Millennium Puzzle. Bakura was a thief who came and nearly destroyed the kingdom before Rameses even had a chance to. He was sealed away into the Millennium Ring." Henry explained, his own eyes filled with a deep and burning hatred for the man who'd taken Yami away from him. "It was because of that thief that we lost the pharaoh, thus giving Rameses's possession of the throne."

"Freya has that Millennium item now. I saw her wearing it." Rika said slowly, her eyes going wide as the implications hit home. Could the spirit of this thief be controlling Freya?

"Freya? Oh dear God." Suzi said with a groan, slapping her hand against her forehead. "Dammit, why the hell did Isis have to preserve her too with that stupid spell? Heaven help whatever man gets stuck with her. One can only pray the pharaoh shows some sense this time and stays away from her. I don't care how good she is in bed, that woman is trouble with a capital T!"

"She has possession of the Ring?" Henry repeated, that being more important than the news that his former master's mistress was apparently somewhere in Japan. "Well I suppose that makes sense. I was told that the thief inside could use the power of the Ring to manipulate it's wearer. Isis said that when the four of them returned to this world they'd have to earn the right to be completely human once more. In her present condition the thief is probably unable to control her, making her neck the ideal place for it to be."

"That's comforting..sorta." Mai said with a slight smirk. "I've only met her once and she made..quite the impression."

"She tends to. She's not really that bad once you get to know her." Henry said with a small smile, understanding what Mai was saying. Freya had poor social skills when it came to her sex. She was fine surrounded by men but ask her to make friends with other women and the temptress lost most of her charm quickly.

"I don't know how you can say that. Especially since she was the number one person in the way of you having a relationship with our hunky pharaoh." Suzi teased, elbowing her brother teasingly in the side.

"Quit talking like that, Suzi! I'm straight dammit and quit calling him hunky!" Glaring at his little sister with a fine blush appearing on his cheekbones it was obvious that what his sister had said bothered him a great deal. "And you hated her for no other reason then the fact that she could make Mahado blush and stammer around her. I pitied her."

"You pitied her?" Rika repeated, her surprise plainly written all over her face. "Why? My brother spoiled her rotten!"

"And who loved her, Rika? Who really, in the whole of the world gave a damn about her?" Henry said firmly, seeing the look on their faces as his meaning hit home. "She was a toy for Yami, we all know it. She meant no more to him then his horse. He didn't mistreat her or neglect her in any way but you wouldn't have seen him distraught by her death either. Her father gave her to the pharaoh as a f#kin present, like she was nothing but a possession to be taken off his hands. Do you think she asked to be the mistress of the pharaoh, that she grew up wanting to be nothing but a plaything for a man who paid her attention only when he wants her body? She had no friends, no family, and do you think, given that she was his favorite, that she was well liked in the pharaoh's harem? Yes she's a selfish, self serving woman who can be a real bitch but she's also a woman who's never known what it is to matter to anyone. To see anyone look at her as if she were a human being with feelings and as having as much worth as themselves."

Rika wanted to defend her brother but the sad truth was that Henry was absolutely right. Yami would never have mistreated a woman but he had been the pharaoh and considered a god in many ways or at the very least a representative for the gods. The women of his harem had been window dressings to him, something he was supposed to have because of his wealth and his station. Freya might have been his favorite but that wasn't saying much. "Damn..now you've got me feeling guilty for always avoiding her like the plague. Dammit, why couldn't you let me continue to happily hate her like I have for the last few centuries?"

"You asked." Was his reply, shrugging when she just glared at him.

"Well...dammit." Hanging her head Suzi looked just as miserable as Rika. "I liked you so much better when you were nothing but a gorgeous example of the male species that I could admire from afar."

"For Christ sakes, Suzi. I'M YOUR BROTHER!"

"Yeah, but back then you weren't and damn but you were ripped. You could have grated cheese on those abs."

Going as red as a tomato Henry could just gap at his sister, stunned speechless. this was his kid sister after all, no matter what their relationship had been back then. Oh dear God, what would this be like if they'd actually had a physical relationship in the past? Feeling physically ill at the idea he sent up a thanks to the gods that she'd been too gaga over Mahado to do more than flirt with him occasionally. Thank you God!

"Poor Henry." Patting her friend awkwardly on the shoulder Rika did her best not to laugh. But really, it was pretty funny.

"Hey, Rika. Do you remember those awards we used to give out after the Virgin Dance at the Solar Temple?" Suzi asked, deciding to make her brother squirm that much more.

"The awards...oh my God! I so remember that. When we got plastered and spent the night giving out awards to the guys in our life. God, that first time we did it we were so plastered we were giving out awards for best feet and the ways they said our names." Laughing delighted Rika could see it all in her minds. The tradition had started two years before she'd died. The Virgin Dance was a women's festival and the presence of men was forbidden. Those who'd danced, bare naked of course, had been virgins and the ceremony was to celebrate the purity of their bodies and to make them fertile for the day when they did give their virginity to the man they were given to. After the dancing the dancers and their female relatives were shut up in a room for the night with plenty of food and alcohol. After quite a number of drinks one of the women had suggested the contest and soon everyone had gotten into it, picking their favorite men in the palace and awarding them various titles through voting. It had been a hilarious tradition that she'd been looking forward to repeating when she'd passed away.

"What are you talking about?" Henry asked slowly, getting a really bad feeling about this. "Are you guys saying you girls spent those nights drinking and talking about us men like we were horses at auction for your amusement?"

"Well you should be pleased to know that both years we did it you were runner up for best overall catch." Suzi told him with a definitely mischievous look in her eye. "Oh please, don't look at us that way. It's not like you guys don't do it all the time. You should be flattered we all thought so highly of you, even if most of us thought you were gay or at the very least bi."

"For the last time I am not gay! I never slept with the PHARAOH!"

"That you can remember you mean." Was her sly reply.

Since he couldn't argue with that Henry just groaned and dropped his face into his hands. Trying to take his mind off the whole possibly being gay thing Rika struggled to come up with something to take his mind off things. "Uhm...according to Latoya I'm going to be tested soon and if I survive that I think they can become normal again and hopefully things in the future will be okay. Do you know anything about that?"

"No, I don't." Henry said through his hands, forcing himself to lift his very red face to look at her. "By the way..do..was there...you said there were a lot of reincarnates where you were. Was she...was Seto's sister Isis there?"

Raising an eyebrow Rika nodded her head. "Well I don't know if she's the Isis but that was her name and she and Seto seemed to be close. I'm surprised you'd ask, you didn't seem to really notice her last time I checked."

"Oh he noticed her all right." Suzi snickered, grinning at her brother. "She's his whole basis for claiming he wasn't gay back then."

"So she finally got you to notice her. Way to go, Isis." Rika said with a smile that only got wider as an idea struck. "Oh man I bet Seto was pissed off when he found out or did he?"

"That son of a bitch. I'm going to kill him." Marik hissed as he stared up at the image if a man who'd apparently been screwing around with his sister.

"She was my sister then. I get to kill him! I have more of a right then you do. That son of a bitch," Seto argued, alternating between glaring at the screen and Marik. Of course he'd been well aware of the fact that his sister had been in love with the pharaoh's personal bodyguard but it had been fine because Aries had never given any indication that he even remotely returned Isis's feelings. Apparently he'd been mistaken. "I'm going to chop that son of a bitch into pieces so small not even a mouse will be able to spot them!"

"Stop it you two, you're acting like children." Yami ordered, their noise making it hard to hear what was being said on the screen.

If Isis had been paying attention to them she probably would have yelled at them both as they loudly argued over who had the most right to kill Aries. All she could was stare at the screen and soak in the image of her beloved, alive and whole as he blushed over the girls teasing. You came back, was all she could think. You came back to me.

"No, he never knew." Henry answered, looking down at the ground since this was just getting more and more embarrassing by the minute. "He was dead before it got really serious between us." Seeing the look on her face Henry quickly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Rika. I shouldn't have said it that way. I know how much he meant to you."

"What? How could you?" It was her confusion over what he'd said that kept her from asking about Seto's death.

A small grin crossing his features Henry couldn't help but be amused. "When I was brought back wounded and you came to visit me that night...well I wasn't quite so out of it that I didn't overhear bits and pieces of just what you two were talking about. Needless to say it was definitely in the priest's best interests that I couldn't lift my eyelids, much less a sword. Not that you seemed to mind what he was suggesting."

Remembering just when Seto had been suggesting that night with his hands running over her body it was Rika's turn to go as red as a tomato. "A gentleman would have tuned out of the conversation."

"You brother's personal bodyguard and friend would be an idiot to tune out when someone was suggesting drizzling honey all over various parts of your pharaoh's sister's body."

"Wha? Wait a minute...Rika and High Priest Seto? The Ice Man himself?" Goggling Suzi stared at Rika in shock, mental images coming to mind. "You were going hot and heavy with him and you never told me! How could you!"

"HENRY! You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Seto." Was all the warning Seto had as Yami barreled into him, a fist connecting with his face before he had time to duck. Hitting the ground with Yami on top of him Seto had just enough time to catch his breath before Yami's fist connected with his stomach, the air coming out in a whoosh. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Pulling back his fist with rage shining in those reddish purple eyes it was obvious that the former pharaoh of Egypt intended to beat his former high priest to a bloody pulp. "I'll kill you for putting your hands on her!"

Anything else he would have said was cut off as Seto's own fist slammed into Yami's face, causing the older man to tumble off of him. "She put hers on me first, you bastard and that would never have happened if you'd done you job and not left Rameses in charge."

A war cry his answer the two were quickly engaged in hand to hand combat, the fists flying as they pummeled each other.

"And he said we were acting like children." Marik sniffed.