A few months later, Yugi had had a very bad day. He had finally opened up to Tea about his prized possession, but a run in with the school's disciplinary monitor had put a damper on his reconnection with his childhood friend. It was not a good start to the school year, he mused. First, his puzzle had been snatched by two boys who always picked on him. Granted, Joey and Tristan weren't the worst of the bullies that he had to deal with and they had always said that their intentions were to 'help him grow as a man'. It seemed in many ways like how Umi's friends on the robotics team behaved. He could not tell if they were really being mean or if they were just being sarcastic. He had never had a good grasp of sarcasm. Maybe it was a little of both. Still, they were better than the alternatives if he had to call anyone at the school his friend. He did not know what Joey would have done with his puzzle had Tea not stepped in though.

Still, he hadn't wanted them beaten up over it.

And now Ushio had demanded money that he didn't have as payment for it.

He seems far more like a bully than Joey and Tristan, he thought as his fingers worked through the pieces, clicking them together. He consulted the many notes he had scattered over his room—his eight years of research into solving the puzzle. He tried to focus on what he had previously learned and to build off of it, but thoughts of what had been done to the other two young men kept intruding. He felt so guilty about what had been done. He wanted to make Ushio pay for it, but he knew he had no power to do so.

Through the anger and guilt, his fingers flew and pieces snapped together with amazing ease. Before he knew it, the puzzle was all but completed. Only one piece was left, but it was missing. He ran back to school frantically, only to be confronted by Ushio and to be attacked himself for not paying for his protection. He was half conscious when he felt the piece being pressed into his hand. He must have placed it into the puzzle as he passed out, because when he came to, he was in his room and the puzzle was completed. He wondered if he had dreamed it all.

Umi was studying with Christa, Theresa and Josh at a coffee shop after school. They were trying to prepare for their upcoming AP tests when Umi blanched white and doubled over as in pain. Before her eyes she saw the desert expanse of Egypt with a glittering mirage of a city in the distance illuminated by the sunset. She was bathed in shadows, protected from the overwhelming heat and wrapped in darkness. But walking away from her, towards the distant city was a figure that she knew well.

"Yugi." She whispered. She closed her eyes and when she opened them once more, she was back in the coffee shop. Her friends faces ranged from shock to concern. She was suddenly very cold and uneasy in the small cafe. She could feel shadows closing in on her.

"I… I just need some air." She said, trying to stand. The shadows swirled before her eyes and she swayed on her feet before collapsing to the floor.

"What have you done?" she whispered before passing out. She regained consciousness after only a few seconds, but she was disoriented. She felt like there was something else within her, something that was trying to get out, but it could not. And so, she was filled with turmoil that she could not explain.

"Umi, are you alright?" Christa asked, craddling her head and neck. She looked up at her friend, realizing that without Christa's quick reflexes, she might have gotten hurt. She sat up.

"Yeah. I'm… Yeah." She nodded her head after a moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. With every part of her being, Umi stretched out, reaching for her brother, but she felt nothing. It was as if he had vanished from the earth. She sighed and reached for him again, hoping to feel the familiar glimmer in the distance that she could usually sense when they were so far apart. Again she was met with nothing. She then turned inward, trying to trace him from the small spot he had always occupied in her heart. When she found where he should be, all she could sense was shadows.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Josh asked as he helped Christa get Umi back into her chair. Umi nodded.

"It's just…" she was reluctant to give voice to her worry. "I can't feel him."

"Who? Your cutie pie brother?" Theresa asked.

Umi nodded her head.

"I think something happened to him." She packed her books up. "I need to get home." She started to stand once more. She felt unsteady on her feet and sat down quickly once more.

"Come on." Josh said, offering her his arm. "I'll bring you."

Once she was home, Umi tried calling her grandfather's house. She knew it was late there and that he was probably asleep, but she was hoping that Yugi would at least pick up. The phone rang and rang. Eventually the machine picked up and she left a worried message asking for someone to call her when they got it. She paced the house, waiting. She tried to study, but could not concentrate. Eventually her mother came home and she told her mother what had happened. Her mother was skeptical and told her that it was probably the stress of her upcoming tests adding to her disappointment over him staying in Japan for the next school year. She tried to lose herself in the warm water of a long shower, but she could not shake the feeling of darkness that swirled within her nor her concern for the missing sense of her brother. After the shower, she lay on her bed, feeling the cool air from her fan blowing against her bare skin. As she lay there, she drifted off to sleep.

And the shadows took over.

Umi stood on the edge of a river that was so still it looked like glass. She leaned over to see her reflections. The face was her face, but her hair was twisted and locked in fine spirals and flecked with gold. She wore a gold circlet above her brow and her eyes were darkened with makeup. She looked that one of the princess statues she had seen carved into Abu Simbel years ago, only it was her. As she gazed at the reflection, she was startled when she saw the shadows swirling in the water. And when the reflection spoke, she practically fell in.

"Hello, Umi. It is good to finally meet you." The voice even sounded like her—well, like a recording of her, which was awkward, because she hated to hear her recorded voice.

"What do you mean?" Umi asked, feeling the shadows linking her with the her that was in the water.

"My name is Neferet, and I am you. Well, you are me. Reincarnation is… difficult."

"Wait, what?" Umi asked.

"We do not have much time, Umi. I will try to explain more if I can, but right now I need to tell you that your brother has awoken a dark power, a dangerous power. And you will need to help him find the key to that power. He can only solve the puzzle with your help."

"What puzzle? The Millennium Puzzle? He's been trying to solve it for ages."

"And he has succeeded. It is because he has succeeded that I am able to speak directly to you."

"Wait… Neferet… Like in my dreams."

"Memories, Umi."

"Memories? Memories of what? Of when?"

"Memories of my life. To help you on your way. You have to help him find the key, Umi. I cannot stress it enough. The universe will conspire against you if you resist. Without the key, all may be lost to the darkness, just as I was."

When she awoke, Umi reached out for Yugi again. This time she found him safe and secure, but confused. She reached deeper and found herself within his room. She watched him staring at the completed Millennium Puzzle. He was a cacophony of emotions: pride and satisfaction mixed with uncertainty, confusion and exhaustion. She saw him pick up the rope which had been secured to the loop on the puzzle and slip it over his head. It seemed as if the room grew darker as the upside down pyramid settled against his chest. He turned then and saw her.

"Umi, don't scare me like that!" he said breathlessly after gasping in surprise. "And… why are you naked?" he blushed as he averted his eyes.

"Sorry." She said, as her form shifted so that her body was now obscured. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine. I'm great actually. Tired, but good."

"You look like hell." She nodded to the black eye that was forming.

"Yeah, well, I did get my ass handed to me yesterday. But look! I finished the puzzle! Finally!" His excitement was palpable, despite her astral form.

"Congratulations." She smiled, but felt the strength of her form waver. It was as if there was something within the puzzle that was pushing her back. "I hope it grants your wish, Yugi." She said as she faded.

Later, Yugi stood at the gate that led to his school. The puzzle's weight was heavy but also comforting around his neck. He took a deep breath, his hands tight on his school bag as he crossed into the yard.

"I can do this." He whispered to himself with newfound confidence. "I have, literally, done the impossible. I can do this."

The students in the yard were talking in hushed voices about Ushio and his fate as he passed. He caught Joey's eye before the taller boy walked into the building. From that one look, Yugi knew. From today on, everything was going to be different.

A month later:

"Yugi, come on!" Joey called from the stairwell. "We're gonna be late."

Yugi Muto sat diligently at the computer, sending a message to his sister. He cursed the fact that his English wasn't better as he tried to dash off the quick note. He smiled briefly knowing that she was likely to be doing the same, or at least that she would when she could. He always forgot about the time difference now that they used email and messengers more than phone calls. Being sixteen hours in the future was no small difference. He would have called as he much prefered talking to her, but his new friends had decided to take him out for his birthday. It was an experience that he had always wanted, but had always been too cowardly to make happen. Since he had completed the puzzle though, things had changed. He had changed. He smiled as he thought about his sister, knowing that she was likely to be celebrating with friends of her own. He hoped she would visit soon so he could introduce her to his own friends. He wished that she lived closer, and not for the first time.

"Yugi!" Tèa called. "Do you want to celebrate your birthday or not?" He could hear their voices at the bottom of the stairs. They had the camaraderie among them that he had seen between Umi and her friends. It filled his heart with joy.

"I'm coming." He called down to them as he hit send. Closing the door behind him, he whispered to himself. "Happy Birthday, Umi-chan." Hurrying down the stairs, he glanced over his shoulder quickly. "Did you hear that?" He asked.

"Oh great… So now he's hearing things…" The taller blond boy ran a hand through his hair.

"Hush Joey. Hear what, Yugi?" Tèa questioned.

Yugi, rubbing the back of his head, chuckled a bit nervously.

"I guess it was nothing." He glanced over his shoulder again as he followed two of his closest friends out of the store. Once again he thought he heard her voice calling to him, answering him.

"Happy Birthday, Yugi-chan." The voice whispered back to him. He smiled softly, feeling the warmth of his sister's voice surround his heart.

"So, what was taking you so long, Yuge?" Joey asked as they stepped out into the night air.

"Hmm? Oh, I was sending a message to my sister."

"You have a sister? Since when?" Tristan asked.

"And is she cute?" Joey asked, throwing an arm over Yugi's shoulder.

"Um, since always, and how should I know? She's my sister." Yugi blushed at the sudden interest.

"And why haven't you told us about her before?" Tristan continued with the questioning.

"Maybe because he didn't want to answer twenty questions about her from the likes of you two?" Tea swooped in to the rescue like the mother bird she often was when it came to Yugi. "Besides, she moved away when they were kids."

"Huh. Kind of like me and my sister. Was it because your parents got divorced? Oh wait, sorry, Yugi. I forgot."

Yugi shook his head, and smiled.

"No, it's fine. My mom and Umi moved to America when we were six. My mom got a really good job at a university there. It would have been a tragedy to pass it up. But after Dad died, I didn't want to leave Grandpa."

"Wait, I'm confused…" Joey said as they found seats at a local restaurant.

"It doesn't take much…" Tristan added. Joey shot him a look that would kill. Tristan just grinned back.

"If you're mom's in America, who's the lady that lives with you?" Joey continued with his question.

"Grandpa's girlfriend. It's weird and I don't like to talk about it." Yugi said uncomfortably.

"Way to go Gramps…" Tristan added with admiration.

"Is she older or younger, Yugi?" Joey added with a sidelong glance at his oldest friend.

"Who, Grandpa's girlfriend?" Yugi was both confused and uncomfortable.

"No, your sister, man! And do you have a picture?"

"You are really hung up on what she looks like aren't you?" Yugi dug out his wallet and pulled a picture one of Umi's friends had taken of them in San Francisco while he was there in the winter. Her friend Theresa had asked Umi to model some clothes she had made for her design portfolio so they had made a trip to Golden Gate Park for a photo shoot. While there, it had started to rain, and Theresa had snapped the photo of them as they ran for cover. It was one of his favorite pictures of the two of them together. He smiled at the memory as he passed the picture around the table. Joey whistled admiringly.

"She looks our age." Tristan said, looking over at the image.

"Yugi and Umi are twins." Tea said. "Think she'll come for a visit this summer?" She asked, looking over at Yugi.

"I don't know." He took the photo and placed it back in its place of honor. "She said something about helping out with a summer camp before she and Mom go out to the digs, so, probably not."

"Oh." Tea replied sadly. Yugi knew that she still felt guilty about how she had treated him in middle school and for having Umi witness her standing idly by while other tormented him. She was thankful that Yugi had forgiven her so easily, but she did not think his sister would be so kind.

"Though she hasn't visited for a couple of years." He shrugged. "So maybe? Last time it was a surprise, so, who knows?"

"Well, that would be a great birthday surprise. And speaking of birthdays… let's get this one started!" Tristan said as a waitress showed up at their table.

Umi sat on the floor of her bedroom with Christa and Theresa, giggling and discussing the events of the prior school year. While other girls her age chose to have elaborate parties for their sweet sixteen, Umi was just happy to spend it with some of the people who she cared the most about. She wished she could share the day with her brother, but she knew that he was thinking about her, and likely thinking the same thing. The music in the small bedroom was loud, and the girls' discussion was louder.

"So I told him, not on your life…" Christa was relaying her exploits over the last weekend. With the end of the school year, they have had little time to just hang out. Over the din of girlish discussion, Umi managed to hear her computer ping a notification. She had gotten a message. Still keeping one ear on the story, she crawled to her desk across the room and her laptop sitting on it. She quickly opened her messenger to find a not from her brother. She got lost in the words on the screen and did not notice as her friends clustered around her.

"So… who's it from, Umi? Maybe from Josh?" Her best friend, Christa, said teasingly. She had agreed to be Josh's date for prom a couple of months back and now he seemed to think they were a couple. It bothered Umi and Christa knew it.

"No. It's from my brother." She stated, matter-of-factly, as skimmed through the text. She smiled at his clumsy use of English grammar, wondering how he had ever passed his entrance exams, and sort of wishing that he had not. They had made a deal when he had visited in December that he would move in with her and Mom if he had not passed. Part of her ached to have him near and she felt a darkness growing within him that she felt she could hold back if they were together.

"Man, Umi. It's weird how you know stuff like that before you see it. Especially when it comes to your brother." Theresa observed as she read the message over Umi's shoulder. Umi had gotten a bit of a reputation in recent weeks for being able to predict things. Like she had predicted that Tyrell's prom date would end badly, and that they would blow one of the transmissions on the robot at competition. But Umi, herself paid the gossip no mind. She could not predict the future. She was simply observant. And it was just a simple observation that her brother would send her a message on their birthday, even if it was still the night before in California. But everyone always made it seem so supernatural. She usually rolled her eyes at it, but sometimes there were things that she could do that she could not quite explain—like she could hear his voice in her head, or feel his thoughts. She had even appeared before him, like a ghost, on occasion. She wondered if it was all related to the dreams she had had her entire life—the dreams that a voice inside her had said were memories, the dreams where she was a queen in another world.

"Well, he is my twin." Umi dismissed the thought with the same excuse that she always used when it came to her sense about her brother. As she got to the end of the note, a picture loaded of Yugi, their grandfather and three other people, two of whom she had never met. She assumed these were the friends he had told her about in one of their recent phone calls. She was concerned that he had forgiven Tea so easily, but she realized that he would not be his too-big-hearted self had he not. Still, she worried about him.

"Still a cutie." Theresa commented as she looked at the picture. Umi chuckled, knowing that Theresa had a bit of a crush on her twin. Christa looked over her shoulder as well.

"He looks happy." She said. Umi smiled. He did look happy, and that alone was one of the best birthday presents she could have ever asked for.

"Yeah." Umi said, downloading the image and closing the messenger window. Theresa and Christa returned to painting each other's nails as she returned to her spot on the floor.

"Happy Birthday, Yugi-chan." She whispered under her breath. She closed her eyes, blocking out the noise as she felt the faint touch of her brother's presence. A small smile danced on her lips.

"So, Umi, you never did tell us what happened when Josh brought you home that night you collapsed." Theresa said as she smoothed the pale green fluid onto Christa's finger nail.

"Um. Nothing. I just… Something was going on with Yugi and I got a… backlash? I think?" She still did not know what happened the night he had finished the puzzle or what the darkness was that she had felt blossom within him before she lost contact. And since that night their contact had been sparse and strained. In the years they had been separated, they had found ways to strengthen their connection, to make it grow despite the distance. She could not explain it, and as she got older, she grew more cynical about why it even existed in the first place. But since that night, it had weakened significantly as the darkness had grown.

"But what happened with you and Josh?" Christa asked.

"What do you mean?"

The other girls looked at each other with surprise.

"You didn't hear?" Christa asked as Theresa looked at her sympathetically.

"Hear what?"

"Josh was saying that you and he… messed around that night. That you couldn't keep your hands off of him." Theresa carefully.

"What?" Umi was livid. It was about a month since that night. She had no idea how she had not heard of this until now, especially since they shared so many friends. "That fucker…"

She hissed under her breath. She could not remember much about the trip home with him. She had been so focused on finding her brother that night. She knew that something… shifted within, and wondered if that dark presence—Neferet it had called itself—had taken over while she searched.

"Whatever he said, none of it happened." She said, her face flushed with anger, or perhaps embarrassment as she did not know how she could be sure of her statement. All she did know was that if she saw Josh any time soon, she was liable to punch him in the face.

"See, I told you she didn't, Theresa." Christa said, coming to her best friend's defense. "Besides, I think we all know that there's someone else who has captured her fascination." Christa winked at her. And Umi's flush turned to a blush.

"Ugh, I thought we've dropped this." Umi said, throwing herself back against the shaggy carpet on her floor.

"So, who's the better kisser, Umi? Josh or Seto Kaiba?" Christa teased as Umi grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it. She wished that it would smoother her, lest she die of embarrassment. Josh had kissed her awkwardly after their ill-fated prom date. It was a memory she had hoped to bury, especially given recent revelations. But the memory of her kiss with the multi-billionaire genius was one that she wanted to keep just to herself. She tossed the pillow toward Christa, who dodged it. It knocked over the nail polish bottle which seeped pale green liquid onto the fluffy carpet.

"Oh shit." Theresa said as Umi sat up. They tried to quickly clean up the mess, but the some of the paint had already dried onto the fibers and the acrid smell hung heavily in the air. The girls sat in silence for a few moments afterward before Christa decided to speak up.

"So… Which on it is, Umi?" She asked.

"I don't know!" Umi blushed heavily as she chewed on her lip. She often thought about that day, about the intensity in his eyes and the surprising desperation in his touch. If she were to be honest with herself, she thought about him quite a bit. Occasionally, she wondered if he thought about her, but in the end she decided that it was a silly fantasy. She had been a game to him, a challenge to see if he could, a power trip.

"Oh yes you do. You at least have an opinion." Christa challenged. "Come on, Umi. We will likely never have a brush like that. We'll probably be lucky to move away from here after graduation to find some fish from a different pond. You have to let us live vicariously through you!"

"It's Kaiba, isn't it." Theresa said with finality. As much as Umi tried, she had a difficult time concealing her emotions.

"Hands down." She said, breathlessly. "Ugh, it's been months, but even now, just thinking about it… It's like it's happening all over again." She sighed as her mind raced back. Her friends leaned in closely, hoping for more of the story.

"His eyes are so blue up close. Huh. They are the bluest eyes that I've ever seen. And he's so tall. He's almost as tall as Tyrell." She leaned back against the side of her bed, staring off into space and relishing in the memory. "He speaks perfect English, but… when he spoke Japanese to me…" she sighed, her tongue unconsciously wetting her lips. "His voice is deep, rich. Like the rest of him, I guess."

"Umm… deep voiced boys are so my thing." Theresa said, bringing Umi out of her memory.

"Resa, boys, in general, are your thing." She shot back accusingly. Christa laughed. "I mean, you were hitting on my brother, and he is anything but deep voiced."

Theresa looked up at the ceiling.

"True, but he's so adorable…"

Umi sighed, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Hey, let's watch a movie, huh?" Christa suggested, changing the subject.

Yugi sat at his desk, trying to study for a literature test. His celebration with his friends had been wonderful, but it did not stop time from marching forward, or his test from coming. He was comforted by the fact that they also had the same test the next day. But the party had taken its toll and he was exhausted. He kept drifting off to sleep and rereading the same paragraph over and over. As he dozed off, he heard a voice which brought him back to wakefulness.

"Hello?" it asked. It was not Umi's voice, of that he was certain. It was far more uncertain, tentative. It also seemed masculine, but he could not say how he knew that. He sat quietly, wondering if he would hear it again, or if it was a figment of his imagination. After a long while, he tried to focus on the text in front of him once more and promptly started dozing again.

"Hello?" the voice was more insistent this time. He listened intently once more, sure that he had indeed heard it.

"Hello?" he asked back, still unsure if the voice was real or in his head. It answered in a laugh as he lost consciousness.

Well, lost consciousness may not be the best way to describe what happened, he thought as he looked around him. He stood surrounded by mist and shadows. Looking around, he could see nothing of the world he knew. As he turned around he stopped short, gasping. Before him stood… himself. But it was not him. The person before him had cold, unyielding eyes. He seemed hard, intense, proud, confident, and just a little bit crazy. He had a presence to him that Yugi felt he lacked. He was overpowering, and Yugi felt as if he would suffocate in his presence.

"We meet at last." The figure said.

"Who are you?" Yugi asked, feeling the weight of him pressing in on all sides. The figure smirked. It was too mirthless to be a smile.

"Would you believe me if I said that I am you?"

Yugi looked at him, skeptical, but he had to admit that part of him wished it to be true.

"No?" The figure put his hands on his hips. "I really don't know who I am. All I know is that I awoke when you finished this." He held up the puzzle that they both wore around their necks.

"Then why wait until now to show yourself?" Yugi asked.

"I… couldn't. I don't know why." The spirit said.

"Are you the reason I keep blacking out? Not remembering things, even though people say they saw me places and doing… things?" Yugi asked cautiously. He could not give voice to some of the things people had said he had done. He had no memory of them and could not imagine ever doing willingly doing some of them.

"I… Yes." The spirit replied. He seemed proud of his actions and unrepentant. "Those people deserved to be punished if they cannot play by the rules."

Yugi felt his face blanch white and his stomach tie itself in knots.

"You can't do that. It's not your job to punish people." Yugi said, his voice rising in anger.

"But… It's what you wanted." The spirit seemed confused. "I don't understand."

"If you think that's what I want, you can just leave." Yugi felt hot tears on his cheeks.

"I can't. Leave that is." He touched Yugi's chest. "I am here. And part of you did want those people punished. I just did what you could not."

"You did what I would not. There is a difference."

The other him cocked his head trying to fathom what he had just been told. He considered it for a long moment.

"I am sorry, then." He said. His eyes seemed to warm. "It seems I have to learn a great deal."

"Perhaps we both have a lot to learn. About ourselves, and each other." Yugi sighed. "And if you can't leave, I guess we should make the best of this."

The spirit—the other him nodded.

"So, what should I call you?" Yugi asked. The other him shrugged his shoulders.

"I do not know."

"Ok." Yugi sighed. "Well, since we have to share my body, and you… look like me, and since you say you act like me, though I don't believe you."

"I act like you want to."

Yugi looked up at him. Deep down, he realized that it was true. He wished he had the confidence and the pride—one could say arrogance, of this spirit within.

"Regardless… I guess I will call you… My Other Me."

Yugi watched his face, seeing it transform with a variety of emotions before it finally set into a true smile. He nodded before fading into the shadows. When Yugi opened his eyes, he realized he had fallen asleep on his textbook. Looking around the small bedroom, he found that the world looked the same as it had before. He had been sure that something would have shifted, just as he now felt a warmth from a dark spot in his heart. The spot had been empty for so long—since his dad died and his sister left, that he had stopped noticing the emptiness. It felt weird to have this spirit, his other self, take up residence. It was weird, but good. He stood up from his desk and stretched. Yawning, he decided that he would not be able to get any more studying done that night and would just have to take whatever grade he got on the test in the morning.

The house was quiet and her friends had gone to sleep, but as much as she tried, Umi just could not keep her eyes closed. She reached for her brother and could feel the shadows swirling around him, clawing at him. But despite their presence, she could still feel him—small and distant, but there, embraced by the darkness. Every fiber in her being told her to beat it back, to keep his light shining, but he was too far and there was something holding her back.

"It will not help." The voice told her. She turned away from him to see her face reflected.

"You. I thought you were a dream." She glared at the woman who wore her appearance.

"Perhaps I am. But you cannot help him from here. Not when he has accepted the darkness." She placed her hands on Umi's shoulders and spun her back to see the distant place where her brother stood. "And maybe that is for the best."

"What is the darkness surrounding him? Why is he in shadows?" Umi asked.

"Just as you are me, your brother is him. The darkness is his spirit."

"Whose spirit?"

"The spirit of the puzzle. The one who sealed away the evil." Her voice was sad and filled with regret.

"I see." Umi said, though she did not, not really.

"He was not always darkness and shadows." She mused. "Once he was the light that spread across the land and he shone like the sun."

"You loved him, didn't you?" Umi asked, noting the affection that colored her voice.

"I did. It was difficult not to." She chuckled as a memory washed around them. His violet eyes stared down into hers; his hand caressed her cheek. His lips pressed lightly against hers. Umi blushed.

"My apologies. He was my brother too, but things have changed since then, have they not?"

"Yes." Umi said breathlessly. "They have."

"Your brother shines like he did so long ago. Perhaps he can restore the light."

"Restore the light?" Umi asked. "Neferet, what are you talking about?"

"His heart is in darkness now. Before he can be freed, he must defeat the evil. He sealed it once before, but only by joining with it. He must obliterate it, and he can only do that if he is shining like the sun. You will be the key to help him unlock his destiny, but he can only do so once his light has been restored." The princess—no, Umi realized, the queen was determined and convinced that she had a role to play. Her conviction shone in her too familiar eyes.

"You talk about light and darkness. What if I don't believe you?"

"I told you before, Umi. The universe will do what it must to place you where you need to be. You do not have to believe me. The fact that I am here is proof enough."

Umi looked at her skeptically. She had grown so cynical over the last few months that it sometimes scared her. She once believed in destiny, but her childish fantasies had been challenged lately and she had found them lacking.

"What do you mean? Can you stop talking in riddles? The fact that you're here?" Umi just wanted to sleep and wake up in the morning without the weight of the darkness surrounding her pressing in like a vice. She wanted for once to feel normal.

"I will explain another time, perhaps…" the queen said as she faded into the shadows. Another memory washed over Umi.

She stood to her father's left side—No, not me, Umi thought, Neferet, and slightly behind him. The appropriate place for the first born daughter who would be queen and who had already been taken as the Wife of the Gods. She glanced over to her right; the bells woven into her hair jingled as she turned. He stood there, to the right of their father, his face an unreadable mask. She marvelled at how much he had changed from the child she had known when they played together in the harem. She must have been staring because he eventually turned her way. He still looked so young, but there was a weight in his eyes that had not been there when they were children. He smiled, bringing a touch of the old innocence back to his features for a brief moment before movement at the bottom of the dais drew both of their attentions. The old priest had finally retired, and their father was welcoming his replacement. Neferet sucked in her breath as his Nile blue eyes glanced her way. The quick glance brought memories rushing back to her—memories of his body against hers, his voice within her ears, their hearts beating as one. She forced herself to look straight ahead as her father conducted the ceremony that installed her cousin as the High Priest of Amun. Her father said something, but she could not hear it over the blood rushing in her ears. She felt his eyes on her suddenly and a great wave of sadness struck her as she met his eyes. Her brother reached out for her hand, and she remembered the other reason she was there. Her father was announcing their marriage. She placed her hand within her brother's. He gave her the same small smile from before, the one that made him look so young and innocent.

Umi was amazed at how much the young prince looked like her brother when he smiled.

As a pair, they walked to the front of the dais, hand in hand, brother and sister—like Isis and Osiris, greeting the people they would one day rule. Neferet held her head up high, feeling the blessings of the Gods upon them as they stood among thunderous applause. But she also felt the mournful presence of a pair of cerulean eyes.

A/N: Apologies for any typos, misspellings or grammar issues in this chapter. I am trying to write like mad and have not done much in the way of editing before posting. Reviews appreciated.