A/N: For those who aren't familiar with Egyptian mythology and/or Tut's background, specifically the infamous "curse" surrounding his tomb and the mystery of his untimely death, prepare yourselves for a little dash of history!

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just this funkiness!

Chapter 6: Ambrosia

Upon the illuminating revelation of the youthful pharaoh's true identity, fireworks exploded from behind the throne, drums crashed and a sweet orchestra of tambourines, pipes and harps swelled through the palace chamber like a spectacular motion picture soundtrack.

Of course, Matt had always had an incredibly vivid imagination.

In reality, there were no dazzling bursts of color, no such symphonic music, no thundering applause to accompany the young man's pronouncement. In fact, it was so quiet, one could've heard a scorpion chirrup at the opposite end of the Theban palace.

"Tutankhamun?" Mello exclaimed, his mouth flapping open in astonishment. He quickly slammed it shut, though. "You're King Tut?"

The brash blond received an affirmative, quirked brow in response.

"Tut," Matt echoed reverently. The nickname itself, the three most renowned letters to ever grace history's proverbial pages, was already a wonder to behold.

How many shovels had been sacrificed in the world's most prolonged and agonizing dig? How many pens had recorded the days leading up to the earth-shattering discovery of the hidden pharaoh? How many archaeologists had wailed over their fruitless excavations before Howard Carter remained and prevailed?

How many people had mysteriously died not too long after uncovering – disturbing – the ancient mummy's resting place?

Well, just one. But it was one too many for the redhead not to be quivering in his new robe.

Hundreds of thousands of journals, books, films, video games and other profit-seeking merchandise had been spawned from the very legend of Tutankhamun's curse. The fanatical gamer was unable to tear his eyes away from the namesake of Mello's Christmas gift, The Pharaoh's Vendetta.

King Tut was exactly as Matt, along with professional Egyptologists of course, had pictured him: bronzed, fit, graceful and...

...physically deformed.

The royal's slightly curved spine wasn't the only thing that he had inherited from the questionable union of his deceased biological parents. The then-common incest had also resulted in an awkwardly rotated foot and a twisted upper lip, which in turn accentuated the dark-skinned youth's white but oversized teeth.

Near tilted his head to one side, scrutinizing the famed boy king with shrewd eyes. "What do you want from us?" the youngest teenager said coolly.

"That is rather complicated," the Egyptian man sighed, carefully settling back down into his gilded seat. "But then again, you three do possess the sharpest minds that the scribes could find. To put it simply, I... I am in dire need of your assistance. I am hoping you will oblige me."

Matt finally found his voice. "Excuse me? I don't know how to say this, but... we're not exactly from around here."

"I know." Tut's kohl-rimmed eyes bore right through Matt, as though he were still standing in the nude. "My sorcerers and sorceresses have summoned you from the future at my request."

"W-Why?" Matt spluttered.

The young king raised his face to the ceiling, and the three genius misfits followed his gaze accordingly. The inner surface of the palace roof was glazed with paintings that depicted Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the afterlife, and Thoth, the scribe entrusted with the judgment of the dead, lingering by a massive scale that held a heart at one end and a single feather at the other. A crocodile, lion and hippopotamus hybrid lay beneath the scale, its yellow eyes wild with hunger and expectancy.

"Many of my men have already perished in their attempts to breach the underworld on my behalf. Are you familiar with our concepts of immortality?"

"Not really," was Matt's humble reply.

"I see. Well. That," Tut said softly, still gazing at the mural above their heads, "is the scale of Ma'at."

Ma'at? Seriously? Matt let loose a nervous giggle. Three sets of eyes flashed briefly to his furiously blushing face. "I'm sorry," he apologized hastily. "It's just that, well…"

"How childish," Near mumbled under his breath.

"So tell us more about this scale," Mello cut in, glaring at Near in Matt's defense.

The pharaoh looked bemused. "Alright then… as you can probably imagine, the afterlife is filled with obstacles that one must overcome in order to earn eternal life, if the gods wish it. When a man dies, he is sent to the Hall of Two Truths, where his heart is weighed against the feather of truth." Tut took a deep breath. "If it is deemed to be impure, the heart will outweigh Ma'at's feather. So far, my priests were reportedly unable to pass this test, and their hearts were devoured by the demon Ammut, Devourer of the Dead, Eater of Hearts…"

"Reportedly?" Mello said sharply, his eyebrows disappearing underneath his bangs. "Who…?"

"My Grand Vizier and grandfather, Ay, was the only survivor. He was able to complete the reversal spells in time to escape the temporary limbo. You see, none of my men were actually dead to begin with. Their souls had simply been transferred to the afterlife using the Book of the Dead."

Matt's mind was whirling. He could barely comprehend what Tut was telling them. Was he implying that he wanted the three of them to take on this quest?

Indeed, he knew what was coming. He knew what the pharaoh had in mind.

"What the hell were they all risking their lives for?" Mello demanded.

Tut's face became flushed with embarrassment. But it was Matt who answered.

"Honey."

"Ambrosia, the nectar of the gods!" the young pharaoh declared, flustered by Near's suddenly accusatory glare. "You do not understand!" Tut blurted loudly, dropping his calm demeanor. "Do you know what it is like to be aware of your impending doom? I am prophesized to die this year! Any day now, I will fall victim to Death when I am least prepared for it… and I have bore no son, no heirs, my legacy will be ripped to shreds! If you succeed with the mission, I will be more than happy to share it with you!"

"You're mad. No deal," Mello snapped, obviously irked by the fact that the pharaoh was clearly intending to use them like mere guinea pigs, like tools. "We'd like to go home now."

Tut's bronzed shoulders slumped. "I had thought that you two, of all people, would especially appreciate a shot at immortality. Another chance to live life to its fullest before it is cruelly snatched away."

As he said this, he was staring straight at L's second and third-ranked successors.

A/N: Ouch. Yeah, he went THERE.

Trivia: Bees were worshipped as a source of eternal life, so many Egyptian pharaohs were buried with jars of honey.

Special thanks to the latest reviewers: akatsukifan (your comment for SAUC was very touching, thanks so much!), Kishimojin, Kira the Wolf, Living in a Fantasy, Sailormercury117 (and yours was utterly hilarious!)~

Reviews would be awesome! They're to me like… what honey is to bees ;)