A/N: Does anyone still remember this story? --

By the way, a regent is a woman's job, but I'm just going to bend the rules for now.

Some of this was borrowed from the book "River God" by Wilbur Smith. If you love everything (and I mean everything) that has to do with Ancient Egypt, as told by a master story-teller, this is a definite must-read.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

A pair of blinding, white lights streaked through the darkness as two robed figures cautiously pawed their way through the unknown. The men knew this wasn't going to be an easy hunt yet they were driven by their duty. But this final step in maintaining one of Egypt's most important rituals had never been so difficult.

"We've been here too long; we must turn back before this world swallows us!"

"Just a little longer, I can feel a presence."

"There IS no presence, you're just fooling yourself."

"That way."

"Excuse me?"

"We move that way."

Before the younger man could protest, the elder turned his Millennium Item to his right, letting the light guide the way. The illumination provided by the Millennium Items had substantially dimmed since their first arrival, unsurprisingly since they were powered by their owners' life-force. The fact that this particular realm purposely drained their life-forces didn't help.

The icy cold winds of the shadow realm slapped against their faces as they moved forward, holding tightly onto their garments for warmth. Ghostly apparitions appeared here and there, their transparent hands reaching for them, in particular, for their hearts where their souls could be accessed. A grotesque hand snaked past Seto's defensive arm and attempted to reach into the fold of his cloak but a quick burst of energy from the Millennium Rod sent it receding with a high pitched squeal. Seto grumbled, stealing a glance at Shimon who seemed to be fairing quite well against the spirits.

"Old man, you are insane!"

Shimon ignored that comment, focusing completely on a faint wisp of magical energy somewhere ahead. He had to admit, he didn't know exactly where it was coming from or even what it was but it gave him a glimmer of hope.

A claw suddenly shot out from nowhere, catching Shimon off guard and sending him reeling back. Then, as if on cue, many others came forward at full speed, surrounding the man and knocking him over completely. Before Shimon could react, one of them snatched the Millennium Ankh from his throat and hurled it towards, the first one. Its partly-solid bony hand squeezed the Ankh tightly, causing bursts of sharp pains to erupt from the core of Shimon's body. He wrapped his arms around his torso tightly, clenching his teeth to suppress a scream. The light from the Ankh began to dim slowly, at instances, appearing to short circuit like a dying light bulb.

Weakened, Shimon peered through blurry eyes from his fetal position, knowing this could be the end. The claws closed in on him, preparing to finish off their prey. Now that Shimon was weakened, they had no need for the Millennium Ankh, rather choosing to aim for the owner of the item directly, savoring the final moments of his demise.

Mere inches away from Shimon's defenseless body, the claws suddenly stopped short. They began pulling back slowly, sending out vapors and hissing. The claws shriveled as the vaporization persisted, as if being evaporated by some unseen heat source. Shimon blanched at the smell of the fuming figures before him. The scent of burning carbon and old sewage filled his nostrils, forcing him to turn away.

As quickly as they appeared, they were gone; the only evidence of their presence being the lingering scent that didn't seem to leave him. Where the claws had initially appeared stood the high priest, looking irritated but smug at the same time. Seto casually picked up the Ankh and tossed it to the old man, turning to go before Shimon could utter a pitiful "thank you." The old man weakly got on his feet and followed quietly, secretly glad that the high priest was at least heading toward the direction Shimon had wanted to go before.

Seto's Millennium Rod tingled in his hand as they drew nearer toward the obscure destination. Perhaps the old man had something going when he insisted that he'd "felt" something but they were even now that Seto had saved his sorry arse, and that mattered more to him.

In the distance Seto spotted something that sent his senses into full alert. The Rod was reacting more strongly, causing him to quicken his pace until he was at full jog. Shimon, who had obviously felt the same thing, was right behind him, completely disregarding the unpleasantness that had occurred before. The light from the Rod magnified ten fold, almost burning Seto's hand as it guided him closer to a hazy figure ahead of him. He was running now, heart racing yet completely unaware of what was going on. Seto's mind reeled as the realization finally dawned on him. The only reason why the Rod was reacting that way was because it had sensed the presence of another Millennium Item.
Before this idea could register, the figure came into view, causing Seto to stop dead in his tracks. Shimon, having almost run right into him, let out a low moan.

The figure hung suspended low in the air, arms outstretched and head sagging heavily against his chest. He was in a crucified position but nothing seemed to be holding him up. His torn clothes draped loosely over his body, revealing sleek muscles that were evidently ravaged by the battle he'd been in before. Dried streaks where tears had been cut through the fine patch of dust and bruises on his chiseled face and once vibrant violent eyes were defensively shut. His elegant royal cape, which resembled a tattered washcloth, barely clung onto his shoulders, one side having slipped off already. At various parts of his body, raw flesh showed though where his skin had peel off or cracked open. There was no actual bleeding from what Shimon and Seto could see but the areas where blood had caked onto his skin was an indication of how long he'd been there.

Shimon's heart sank when he saw the object at the pharaoh's feet. The Millennium Puzzle, which appeared to be in one piece, was a lot duller than it had been before. From where Shimon stood, the puzzle was more rusty-brown in colour than gold yet it still emanated some sort of power, the same power Shimon had sensed before. Before Seto could stop him, Shimon ran to grab for the puzzle, but as he reached for it, the object went hazy and disappeared in a tiny wisp of smoke.

Shimon looked up at the remains of the pharaoh and reached to touch his cape. He couldn't help but let the tears flow. One of Egypt's greatest rulers was reduced to this by a no-name bandit from a troublesome village of thieves. As Shimon ran his fingers through the cloth, he could see images of a crumbling empire, of people frightened and distressed and of a little orphan who was completely unaware of what lay ahead of him.

Shimon felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Seto looking remorseful yet keeping his firm expression at the same time.

"The real puzzle is with us, remember?"

Shimon had almost forgotten that fact but was relieved to know that they really hadn't lost the puzzle to the shadows. He looked up sadly at the pharaoh's face and saw a vulnerability he hadn't seen since Atemu was just a boy. He almost looked like…Yuugi.

"We should bring him back now; those creatures will come back for us soon."

Shimon climbed to his feet and the two priests held their Millennium Items out in front of the pharaoh's outstretched body. They closed their eyes in deep meditation as Shimon led them in the Soul-Unbinding Chant.

The chant was composed by a series of sacred texts hidden in secret vaults that were accessed only by the elite. No one was allowed to use this language unless it was a grave emergency or if it concerned such things as the Shadow Realm. It was rumored that any unworthy person who heard the language would have molten lead poured in his ears. If the language was forgotten by anyone who learned it, he would be killed in the most gruesome and imaginative way the person sentencing the execution. Clearly it was a big Shimon said the last word, they both lowered their items and stepped back with their breaths held. At first nothing happened and as the seconds passed, the men grew more and more anxious. Then, with the tiniest movements, the pharaoh's body went rigid and without warning, collapsed face-first to the ground.

The priests were startled but Seto reflexively ran forward to catch the Atemu's body before it hit the ground. The body sagged heavily against Seto's chest and he maneuvered it so that he could carry it on his back.

Both men were silent as they prepared themselves to return to the living world. They were so wrapped up in their troubled thoughts that they barely noticed the spirits still grabbing for their souls. One thing, however, occurred to Seto that Shimon had overlooked…

Where was Bakura's body?

……………..ooooooooooo…………

The window to Seto's chamber overlooked one of the most beautiful sceneries in all of Egypt. Below the navy-blue sky, just past the gentle slopes of golden sands, was the outline of the main square where most of the commoner activities took place. In the day, it burst with life and colour, while at night, it was a breathtaking, almost romantic fixture that calmed anyone who saw it.

Seto stood in front of the window, eyes fixed on infinity and mind troubled by thoughts of the events that had occurred in the past few days. The gentle night breeze wisped past his window, grazing over his chiseled bronze chest and brushing against the pendant nestled against it. Seto heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his long brown tresses, trying to clear his mind. Despite the nighttime peacefulness of the palace and the refreshing night air, Seto was unable to sleep. He'd spent his nights at that spot until dawn broke when he was forced to resume to his daily duties. Staying up all night wasn't all that new to him; he just preferred to do it under different circumstances.

A soft knock came at Seto's door causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He turned sharply to see a young servant girl with her head lowered. She was carrying a tray with a cup sitting on it.

"For your insomnia, sir."

"I don't need it," he replied shortly.

"The elder priest insisted that you take it, sir," the girl continued, completely unaware of Seto's mood, "He said you need your sleep and he had the doctors brew this for you."

"Are you deaf? I said I don't need it," The priest snapped, "Now leave and take that with you."

"But-but sir," the girl stammered, "I was told I couldn't go without leaving this here with you. They said I would be punished."

The high priest walked over to the servant and loomed over her, locking his icy blue eyes on the girl. His voice was calm but venomous, "If you're so afraid of punishment then I suggest you obey me!"

The servant shrunk back trembling, almost spilling the boiling drink. From where Seto stood, he could smell the putrid stench of the elixir. The doctors at the palace had a knack for coming up with the most disgusting combinations of ingredients. This one was a thick dark green and smelled worse than what he'd experienced in the shadow realm earlier that day.

When Seto saw that the girl made no move to leave, he abruptly took the cup and threw it out into the hallway, satisfied at the loud smashing sound of clay. He didn't hesitate to shove the startled girl outside and slam the door as he turned his back to it. Grumbling, he headed back where he stood before the interruption.

Another knock came shortly after, causing Seto to turn angrily, preparing to yell at whoever was there. He stopped when he saw a familiar beauty grinning at him from the door.

"I saw the mess outside."

"What do you want?" The priest asked, hoping she'd leave.

"I want to talk to you."

"Well I do not."

"Since when did you want to talk to anyone?"

"What do you think?"

"High priest…" the woman continued, amused by the man's familiar antics. She sauntered gracefully over to where Seto stood, her figure highly accentuated through her almost transparently-thin garment. Her striking violet eyes radiated intelligence and seduction. Those orbs were further enhanced by elegantly long eyelashes and a thick waterfall of golden locks that framed her delicate countenance. Her long slender arms, were decorated with hair-thin jewelry. Her sense of style and attitude represented a move away from normality for higher-class women in the palace and that was the way she preferred it. The fact that she was in the high priest's chamber, at night no less, proved it. "You should get some sleep."

Seto arched an eyebrow, slightly irritated, "That's it? I thought you wanted to talk."

"You haven't slept in days, Seto," the blonde teased, as she folded her arms across her chest "Clearly you're not coherent enough to talk to me."

"And what makes you think you're coherent enough to talk to me?" Seto challenged, well aware of what she was trying to do.

"Because I'm me and you're you." She replied shortly.

The man had to laugh, "Need I say more?"

"I think I've said it clear enough for the both of us."

"Indeed."

"So Seto," the woman continued causally, taking a seat on his bed, "You represent a very important figure in this palace."

"So why should you care?" he replied coolly, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

The woman looked surprised and said in a concerned tone, "Because what happens in the palace affects all of us. No one in this place can rest easily until order is restored again, don't you know that?"

Seto leaned his shoulder against the edge of the window, crossing his arms and facing outside to hide his grin. "So of all the people who are concerned, why are you the only one to address me, Mai?"

"Well maybe I'm the only one who really knows what to do." She replied.

This caught Seto's attention and he turned to face her, tone full of skepticism, "Oh really?"

"Yeah really."

"How so?"

"Establish a regent, of course."

Again Seto laughed, "Ra himself would have never suggested such an ingenious idea," was the sarcastic remark.

"Well, high priest, do you have any idea who should be regent?" she countered, not ready end this rally just yet.

"You? Wouldn't that be amusing." he said exasperated, feeling like he was wasting time explaining something to someone who knew the answer already.

Mai suddenly seemed to change her tune and smiled, her eyes sparkling, "I think you should be regent."

"That's possible," Seto replied, unsurprised, "So why should you care?"

Mai grabbed a handful of the man's silky sheets, clenching her fist in annoyance. Through gritted teeth she managed to hold her smile and utter, "I already told you."

"Look," Seto said, after heaving a huge sigh, "Get straight to the point already. The intentions of a concubine are very clear to me so whatever point you're trying to make, make it quickly."

Mai was momentarily thrown back by that comment but she recovered and stood her ground. "Clearly Yuugi is too young to ascend to the throne and with his immature, bratty attitude, who knows when he can. Besides, even though you say there are plenty of "candidates" in this place, do you really respect or even trust any of them?."

"So why should you care?"

"Because," Mai shouted, standing up and looking Seto hard in the eyes, "Everyone in this palace is affected and I am part of everyone."

The priest was far more than willing to return the gaze, "So you're saying that the reigning pharaoh is a determining factor in who you choose to sleep with?"

Ideally that would have been a huge insult but not this time. "You know as well as I do that there is truth to that," was the sly remark.

Seto growled under his breath.

Mai smiled and snaked an arm around Seto's lean torso, placing her other hand on his pectoral. She stroked it delicately, almost seductively and tried to lean her head against his shoulder but he pushed her away.

"You forget that I'm a priest," he said irritably.

"So did you."

"That was the past."

"Who cares, you're impure regardless."

Seto's rage flared and he slapped her with a force that knocked her onto his bed. She turned up at him sharply with a hand on her right cheek and eyes glaring daggers. "Don't you dare call me impure," he hissed.

"So the great and mighty high priest is afraid to face the truth?" she retaliated, "You revel in the idea of uncovering other people's faults but deny your own."

"And how about yours? You're just a pleasure-seeking whore who manipulates others for your own purposes. Other people may be too idiotic and blind mlrto see that, but your act cannot fool me."

"You're lucky they are blinder to what you are than to what I am."

"I am what is holding this place together right now," Seto replied sternly, regarding the woman with contempt.

"Exactly."

"I will not repeat myself again, what do you want?"

"And I will not repeat myself again," Mai retorted, "I want you to be regent."

Seto snorted.

Mai ignored it and continued, "Look, high priest, you might not believe me, but I really do want to see this palace at peace once again. It is something that will benefit all of us."

"And," she continued, "I don't think anyone else is better for the job than you. Besides you, being the cousin to the late pharaoh, would naturally take the throne for little Yuugi anyways, right?"

Seto's eyes narrowed at the women, "If Yuugi wasn't born, I would have been the next to take the throne should anything happen to my cousin."

"Exactly," Mai's eyes lit up, elated that she managed the steer the high priest in the right direction.

Seto chuckled and with a swift move that Mai would never have anticipated, grabbed the woman's wrist and lifted her off the bed, bringing her face close to his. "Despite everything you know about me, you still insult my intelligence? Don't you dare use me to get vengeance against the pharaoh. Whatever heartache you have against him for abandoning you as his favorite concubine and marrying Lostris is none of my concern. You just can not accept that he never loved you so you want to take your anger out on his son. Well," Seto's voice was twisted in an attempt at controlling his anger as he pulled Mai closer to him until they were nose to nose, "Who do you honestly think I will side with?"

With as much force as he used to yank her off the bed, he threw her back down and was satisfied to see the fear in her lavender eyes as she stared up at him, genuinely stunned. "Remember, YOU are the tool in this palace, not me. And never consider using me as one again."

Without bothering to take one last look at her, Seto swung his velvet cape over his shoulders and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

"Is everything ready Master Shimon."

"Yes."

"Thank you, master. Come Prince, we're going to go see your father now."

"I dun wanna!"

"I thought you wanted to see him, Prince. You were crying for him all night."

"But he lefd me, he said he would come back, he said, he said, but he didn! I'm angy at fada now!"

Anzu sighed and picked up the boy in her arms. She hadn't received much sleep for he last few months and this was definitely not what she needed.

"Prince," Anzu said gently, wiping the tears from the boy's soft little cheeks, "Today is a very important day for all of us. You need to be good now and do as master Shimon says. And if you do that, everyone will be proud of you. So what do you say? Do it for me?"

The boy looked down for a moment, playing with his fingers. Anzu leaned her head down to try to read his face and with the tiniest whisper, he mumbled, "K. But I am still angy at fada, k?"

She smiled sadly, Òkay, Prince, let's go."

After seventy days, the pharaoh's mummification was complete. The first thirty days was spent removing the organs and soaking the body in a natron salt while the latter forty was used to allow the pharaoh's body to dry out thoroughly. Once the body completely dried, the first layers of linen were intricately wrapped around the pharaoh's limbs and torso, leaving the neck and head exposed. Now, the ceremony of Opening-the-Mouth was to take place, which was usually done by the pharaoh's closest relation, in this case, his son 1.

Anzu held Yuugi's hand and followed Shimon in silence as the three solemnly headed toward the chapel. Dawn was slowly approaching, casting a blood-red streak against the gentle slopes of golden sand. A chilling wind wisped by them, causing Yuugi to shudder and cling harder onto Anzu. In response, the servant girl wrapped an arm around the boy, holding onto him tightly to lend her warmth. Very little lighting could be seen as they approached the building and whatever light that was there, cast eerie shadows on just about everything. When the group reached the doorway, Anzu turned the young prince over to Shimon and stayed there while the two continued on.

The grand room was lit by a total of six torches spread out amongst the four walls. It was decorated with heavy velvet drapes in various shades of lavender. In the centre was the mottled stone slab where the Atemu's body lay. At the head of the slab were five canopic jars, each carrying a vital organ. The priest of Ammon-Ra and the grand master of the guild of embalmers stood waiting, preparing the instruments for the ceremony2.

As soon as Yuugi saw his father's body, his excitement exploded and he immediately tried to run over to it. Luckily for Shimon, he'd seen this coming and held tightly onto the boy before he could do anything.

"I wanna see fada! Let go of me, Simon, what're you doing?" Yuugi tried to struggle loose but the man maintained his grip.

"Hush child, and do as I tell you." Shimon whispered sternly but Yuugi didn't seem to listen.

"I wanna wake fada up, Simon, I miss him so much! Fada wake up! Why didn you come see me for so long? I'm angy at you now! I dun wanna talk to you!"

"I said hush child!" Shimon tugged the boy backwards a bit more forcefully this time and knelt down on one knee to face him, "Yuugi, listen to me. This is very, very important and you must be good and obey. After this, you may do as you wish. Do you understand? Nod if you understand me."

The prince looked at him for a little while, feeling as if he'd done something wrong. Finally he nodded and Shimon, satisfied with the response, led him by the hand to where the pharaoh lay. Atemu's face had been painted with rouge and his eyes outlined with kohl to give him a surprisingly lifelike appearance 3. Yuugi attempted to reach out his hand to touch the pharaoh's cheeks but Shimon managed to stop him. He and the attendants sang the Incantation against Dying for a Second Time, allowing the younger to skip this part of the ceremony.

He is the reflection and not the mirror.
He is the music and not the lyre.
He is the stone and not the chisel that forms it.
He will live forever.
He will not die a second time 4.

Yuugi looked up at Shimon, confused, "But why?"

"Just do as I say." Shimon guided Yuugi's hand to place the spoon of life on Atemu's lips. "Now repeat after me. 'I open thy lips that thou mayest speak once more.'"6

Yuugi backed away from the body shaking a little from fear, "But why? Why are we doing dis? What's wong wit fada?"

"Just repeat after me, Yuugi."

"But why, why?"

"Do it child!!"

Yuugi reluctantly placed the spoon back on the pharaoh's lips, "I... I… open dye lips dat dou mayse speak once more."

"Good. Now say 'I open thy nostrils that thou mayest breathe.'" 7

"But dat's gwoss!"

"Yuugi!!"

"I open dye nostrils dat dou mayse breate."

Shimon wirily guided Yuugi's hand so that the spoon now touched his eyelids. "Repeat after me now 'I open thy eyes that thou mayest behold once more…'" 8

"I open dye eyes so dat dou mayse behold once more…"

"…the glory of this world and the nether-world of the gods..." 9

"…da glowy of dis world and da neder-world of da gods…"

"…where you shall dwell from this day forward." 10

"…where you shall d-dw-ell from dis day forward."

Shimon breathed a heavy sigh, "Very good, just one more time now, Prince." He directed Yuugi's hand so that the spoon now laid over the pharaoh's heart, " 'I quicken your heart, so that you may live forever." 11

"I… I… I dun wanna do dis anymore." Yuugi burst into tears and grabbed the old man's torso. "I'm scared, I dun wanna do dis, Simon!"

"Stop this Yuugi! You are the prince and it is your job to fulfill this duty." He tried to yank the sobbing child off him but Yuugi latched back on.

"B-but fada fadaaaaaaaaa!" He looked up as Shimon with big, scared, watery eyes, begging for the man to understand. But this only irritated the priest even more.

"Your father was never like this when he was young, so why are you?" he said angrily, "Now repeat what I said!"

"No! I wanna go home! I want Anzu!" Yuugi wailed, on the verge of a tantrum.

Shimon grabbed the hysterical boy roughly by the shoulders and shook him, "Child," he said in a more controlled manner, "Once this is done, you may go home and everything will he explained to you. Is that understood? Right now, we need to complete the ceremony. I promise it will be over soon. Just bit more, Yuugi."

Before the child could reply, Shimon put the golden spoon back into his hand. "Repeat after me now, 'I quicken your heart, so that you may live forever.'"

"I, sniff quicken your heart, so dat you may live foreva."

"Good, very good. Now say, 'You shall not die a second time.'" 12

"You sall not die a second time."

"You shall live forever!" 13

"You sall live foreva."

"Excellent job my boy! Now we wait." He embraced the sniffling boy and rubbed his back gently, relieved that it was over but also irritated that the solemn atmosphere had been destroyed by the child's antics.

Despite Yuugi's negative responses to the sealing of the pharaoh's body, Shimon made sure that he had to watch, it was, after all, part of the ceremony. As the embalmers wrapped up the pharaoh's head and placed the first of the four funeral masks over it, Yuugi trashed and screamed, hollering "Stop it, stop it!". However, the old man kept silent, making sure the child never escaped his grasp. He kept this up for remainder of the process, as the body was placed into each one of the seven coffins, including the massive sarcophagus that was to transfer the pharaoh to his tomb. When this was all done, he led a shaken, waterlogged Yuugi back outside where Anzu anxiously waited.

The servant girl had heard everything that had gone on in the grand room and immediately ran to embrace the boy when he finally emerged. Yuugi collapsed into her arms, slurring inaudible words through his sobs. Although she'd been holding it in, Anzu, too, broke out in tears, partly for herself but mostly for the anguished boy.

"Anzu," Shimon said gently, placing an arm on her shoulder, "You are to explain everything to the Prince."

"Yes, Master Shimon," she said quietly, knowing this would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do.

……………..ooooooooooo…………

1 "River God," Wilbur Smith (London: Pan Books, 1994). 442.
2 "River God" 442.
3 "River God" 442.
4 "River God" 442.
5 "River God" 442.
6 "River God" 442.
7 "River God" 442.
8 "River God" 442.
9 "River God" 442.
10 "River God" 442.
11 "River God" 443.
12 "River God" 443.
13 "River God" 443.

Hope this sad excuse for footnoting is somewhat close to being right haha. Many thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing, two years is just way too long to be updating.