"Let's get you cleaned up." A woman who reminded Umi of Ishizu said to her, pushing her way through the faces of worried men surrounding her. "Siamon, I assume you have a proper bath?"

"Of course, Isis. I may even have a few things of my daughter's still." An old man who looked like her grandpa said. Umi looked up at the faces surrounding her. They all looked familiar, but different, off in some way.

"Come, my dear." The woman held her hand out to Umi. A protective arm slid from her shoulders. Umi looked into the eyes of its owner. Her Seto gazed down at her, his face awash in relief.

"It's alright." He breathed in her ear as he rubbed her back. "They are here to help."

The woman had enlisted Tea's help in getting Umi scrubbed clean. Umi sighed in relief as she saw the other girl, even if the other girl had taken to dressing like the locals. Tea hugged her quickly when she saw Umi.

"We've all been so worried." She said, as they led her to the bath. The water turned red as they washed the dried blood from her skin and hair. They had to empty and refill the tub before they could truly scrub the dirt from her fully. When they had finished, Umi felt physically clean, but was still uneasy. They dressed her in fine white linen and banded her arms in gold. Umi watched in confusion as the woman, Isis placed exquisite golden sandals on her feet.

"You were a queen here, Umi. Though Neferet is no longer bound to you, you are still her successor." Isis told her. "As such, you should look the part."

"I don't feel like a queen."

"Maybe not, Umi, but you sure look like one." Tea said as Isis lined her eyes in black khol highlighted in malachite dust to accentuate the green in her eyes. When Umi looked at herself in the small mirror, she had to agree. She looked every bit like the Neferet she had seen in her dream memories. She took a deep breath, trying to breath through the pain that she felt every time she turned her mind to where Neferet had always been nestled. All she felt there now was emptiness, an infinite void that threatened to swallow her if she stepped to close.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Isis asked as she sat back and admired her handiwork. She leaned forward and brushed a little more stain on Umi's lips, deepening the rosy color there.

"I don't really remember what happened. I remember meeting Bakura at a cafe and chatting. He goaded me into putting on the Ring. The next thing I remember was being on a boat and then a warehouse, I think? I remember talking to Seto and that's it."

"Are you sure?" Tea asked. Umi nodded.

"Yeah, that's all I remember for certain, but, I don't know. I think, maybe, there was more. I, um, I think he said something about a child."

"Did he force himself upon you, Umi?"

"I, I'm not sure. I don't even think it was really Bakura."

"Yugi and Kaiba said they saw him... raping you in the warehouse." Tea added, pulling her arms across her chest nervously. "And Atem said something similar happened in the palace. That's, um, that's why you were covered in blood, he thought."

Umi pulled her knees to her chest, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on her-her time with Derek, her brief stint as a prostitute, and now this. She was grateful that she could not remember Bakura's face as he forced himself on her as she could with every other man who had assaulted her before. She wondered if Neferet had taken those memories with her or had protected her from them somehow. She felt the tears on her cheeks before she felt the breaking within her heart. Her entire body shook as sobs rocked through her. Tea placed her arms around the trembling girl. Umi laid her head on Tea's shoulder, not caring if her newly made face was ruined. Isis slipped out of the room and spoke in hushed tones with the old man who reminded Umi of her grandfather.

"They want to talk to you, Umi. But when you are ready." She said.

Umi nodded. She did not want to talk about what happened, mostly because she could not remember the extent of it. She knew that something was wrong, though she could not explain what. Without Neferet, everything felt... off. She did her best to calm herself.

"Tea, what is going on?" She asked once she found her voice.

"I don't really know how, but we were pulled into Ancient Egypt, or at least Atem's memories of Ancient Egypt. You were kidnapped by Bakura, only he's calling himself Akefia now apparently, and he's taken over the palace. We're hiding out in one of Atem's advisor's homes. They are trying to come up with a plan to stop Bakura from summoning a darkness that can destroy the world. At least that's what I've gathered from the bits and pieces I've been able to overhear."

"It wasn't Bakura who kidnapped me. Neferet called him by another name before she surpressed me fully."

"Do you remember what it was?" Isis asked gently.

Umi thought for a moment as she searched the recesses of her mind and waded through the darkness of recent events. She shook her head.

"It's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't remember."

"Maybe it will come to you later." Tea said, rubbing her back comfortingly. "Yugi has been so worried about you." She said, changing the subject. "He practically blacked out when he lost you."

"You mean, when Neferet took control?"

"I guess."

"The same thing happened to me when he first completed the puzzle. It's not a surprise."

"Still, it scared all of us."

"Your other friend has also been worried." Isis added. Umi looked up at her in confusion. "The tall one, who looks like Seto. He carried you back here from the palace."

Umi smiled softly. The feel of his arms around her as she awoke panicked came rushing back.

"Isis had to practically fight him to let you go take a bath." Tea chuckled. "In fact, I bet he's outside the door right now." She said loud enough for any eavesdroppers to hear. Footsteps echoed in the hallway beyond as someone retreated quickly.

"He loves you." Isis said.

"I know."

"He hasn't told you though, has he?" Tea asked. Umi shook her head.

"He doesn't have to."

Umi took her time acclimating herself with her new surroundings before addressing how she had come to them. She wandered the courtyard at the center of the estate and explored the architecture of the building. Isis and Tea walked with her, standing guard over her in an effort to keep the men from interfering. Umi was amazed at how close she had gotten to the actual architectural designs of such abodes, but she wondered if her precision was a result of Neferet's influence. As she walked around, looking at columns and windows, a mewling sound from behind a bench caught her attention.

"Kittens!" She exclaimed as she knelt down next to the bench and beckoned the tiny creatures out from their hiding spot. A large black mother cat strode into the courtyard from the door that led into the kitchen and meowed at her.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt them." Umi said softly to the protective mother as she laid down her recent acquisition for her children to feast upon. The mother cat watched the kittens creep from their hiding spot toward the freshly killed mouse. Umi held her hand out low near the mother cat. The cat looked at the hand before rubbing her head against it. Umi smiled as she scratched the cat behind the ears.

"It seems you have Neferet's affinity for animals." Siamon said, stepping out of the kitchen.

"Cats just love me. Which is great, because I love them too." She said scratching the mother cat's chin. The kittens, now distracted from their meal began to swarm her feet. Umi giggled.

"They are wonderful creatures, aren't they?" He smiled, kneeling down next to her to play with the kittens. "You really are her, aren't you?" He looked at Umi. "You are Neferet reborn."

Umi shrugged.

"I'm not sure about that. She called me her successor, but I don't quite know what she meant by that. She never got a chance to tell me."

"She meant that you had inherited her power. I wonder if she was right?" He stroked the back of the mother cat who circled her way through his hands. "If she was, then we may still have a way to salvage things."

"What do you mean?"

"He still has Neferet. Somehow, he stripped her spirit from you."

"That would explain the emptiness I've been feeling."

He smiled sympathetically.

"But we do not know if she can still wield the power of the Gods. Or if that power has passed fully to you. Or if you can both do so."

Umi sighed.

"There are too many variables. We need more data." She said as Tea and Isis joined them from across the courtyard.

"You sound like, Kaiba." Tea noted. Umi smiled.

"Where is he?" Her voice was wistful and full of longing.

"I believe that he is with Atem and Seto trying to make plans and devise strategies for a second assault on the palace." Siamon supplied.

"I'll play more with you cuties later." Umi told the kittens, given each of them one last scratch before standing and turning toward the house.

Kaiba sat bored as he watched his double and Atem verbally spar over their next course of action. He could not care less about the monsters they summoned or how the forces of darkness were amassing against them. He had gotten Umi back, that was all that mattered. She was safe, but he worried about her still. The split between her and Neferet seemed to affect her greatly, though Kaiba was not sure how or why it had happened. No one else seemed able to explain it either. She had seemed so fragile, so weak as he carried her back to the estate, but he could tell that she was back to herself. He had not left her side as they tried to rouse her. He did not want to leave her side when that woman took her to bathe, but the woman had insisted.

He had not seen her since she had gone to clean up and he was anxious without her near by. He crossed his arms as he watched the tennis match of an argument, his fingers tapping rapidly against his arm. Movement in the doorway drew his eyes and he felt himself still. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling the nervous energy flow from him.

She looked like a goddess, draped in white and illuminated by the sunlight from behind her. She shone in a halo of light that made his heart flutter. She stepped through the door into the room and he rose to meet her. Nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing else existed to him.

When he reached her and looked down into her upturned face, it was his Umi staring back at him. Her green eyes were clear, with no hint of the darkness that he had seen before. They were lined in black, as was the native fashion, but it was her soul gazing into his. He stood there, admiring her but uncertain what to do when she slid her arms around his waist and pressed her face into his chest. His fingers stroked through her hair as he wrapped her in his arms. Relief washed over him and he felt renewed, like the city after a hard rain had washed away the grime and dust. He leaned over and pressed his cheek into her head.

"Are you alright?" He sighed as they melted into each other. She shook her head.

"No."

He squeezed her more tightly.

"But I will be." She breathed against him as she clinged to him. They stood like that oblivious to all that surrounded them. Kaiba felt whole in a way that he never thought possible. When she lifted her head, he felt a little disoriented by her absence. But she pulled away from him when she saw her brother-not the Pharaoh, who had been in control this whole time, but actually Yugi. She hugged Yugi tightly and Kaiba felt a pang of jealousy. He tried to tell himself that he was her brother and had every right to some of her affection. After all, Yugi had come all this way to rescue her as well. He started to walk back to his seat when he felt her arms encircle his waist and her body press against his back. His hands covered hers for a brief moment before he threw all caution to the wind and turned to claim the kiss he had wanted for what seemed like an eternity.

Her hands met his face and pulled him into her as their lips met. She wiped tears he had not noticed shedding from his cheeks.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." he pleaded, his lips brushing hers lightly as he spoke before he captured them once more.

Nervous shuffling next to them made Umi back away from him. She did not completely let him go, but she looked to the noise to see her brother chewing his lip in embarrassment. As she turned her head, Kaiba's lips brushed her cheek. She smiled as she bit her lip in response.

"Sorry." she muttered. She pushed Kaiba back toward his seat as she joined him and listened to the fomenting of plans. She kept glancing at her Seto, and how their fingers were intertwined. She knew then that Isis had indeed been correct. He did love her.

News had come in from distant villages of dark clouds swallowing entire towns whole. A barrier of shadows seemed to encroach upon the kingdom, destroying everything in its path as it converged on the capital. Nothing that crossed the barrier returned, so no one knew what was on the other side, except the possibility of darkness and death. The priests had hurried to the temples in an effort to appeal to the Gods for protection. Siamon and Seto asked Umi to accompany them.

"Why me? What do you think I can do?"

"If you are Neferet's successor, then you are the God's Wife. You may be able to make them listen." Siamon suggested. Kaiba, overhearing the mention of gods, snorted at the idea. Umi raised a skeptical eyebrow. Seto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You have more power than you know, Umi." He said softly to her

"I guess I can try." She stuttered.

"You have an affinity for cats. Perhaps Bast will heed your call." The old retired priest added.

Kaiba followed them out of the house. His double stopped him.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm not letting her out of my sight." The look in his eyes was threatening as the pair stared each other down. Seto finally sighed as he relented and gestured for Kaiba to hurry up.

They walked in silence to the imposing edifice of the temple complex. Large stone pylons marked the entrance and they were flanked by towering obelisks describing the deeds of generations past. Kaiba whistled softly at the sheer size of the opening. Umi was struck by a strong sense of familiarity. She had grown up seeing images of what such complexes must look like, but seeing the real thing with her own eyes was both awe-inspiring and oppressive. The sight filled her with a sense of reverence and fear. The one thing that struck her was how colorful everything was. The carvings were familiar, but she was used to seeing them in naked stone. She never imagined that each carving and relief would be painted so brightly. She was staring at the structures, dumb-struck and her mouth agape when she felt Kaiba's hand slip into hers.

"Do you really believe all this mumbo jumbo?" he whispered as he leaned close to her. She sighed.

"I'm not sure what I believe." she admitted. She had seen so much recently that she could not be sure what was real anymore. The idea that magic was real and could summon monsters from another world was just as logical to her at this point as the idea that her mother had dated a man who, after taking over guardianship of her, would sell her into sexual slavery. Frankly, she felt like her beliefs had been set adrift. She felt disconnected and confused, and it made her uncomfortable.

"Do you think it will help?" He asked skeptically. He seemed to be begging for her agreement on the matter.

"I don't know. But I think they believe it will. Or that it will at least give them some comfort, and maybe that's all that matters."

He stopped and watched her continue on through the massive stone gates as he considered her words. He knit his brow trying to understand why she might be so adamant about helping them with this task, even if she believed it to be pointless. Her ability to put others' well-being before her own convictions stymied him. She had passed from the shadows of the pylons into the light beyond by the time he managed to make his feet move once more.

Umi gasped at the vastness of the courtyard beyond the pylons. She knew from her time in Karnak with her mother that in later times, this area would be filled with massive tree-like columns, but now, it was open to the sun's light.

"I bet the entire city could fit here." She murmured to herself as Kaiba caught up to her. She glanced at him, but he was still in a contemplative state. Siamon and Seto continued quickly across the courtyard into the temple beyond. She wanted to linger and explore the building, but they had a job to do. She hurried after the group of men. As they entered the temple, each of them underwent purification. Siamon stopped Kaiba at the doorway into the shrine where the statues of the Gods were kept.

"You are not going to keep me out." Kaiba explained. His eyes were determined and his voice bordered on possessive. Seto looked at his double and pulled Siamon aside, negotiating with the older man. After a some brief discussion, the old man eyed Kaiba and nodded. Seto took his double to a small room. Umi watched curiously as the pair disappeared.

"Hey!" Kaiba cried as his doppelganger pulled him by the arm. Once the door was closed, their eyes met.

"You are not a priest." Seto explained. "You have had none of the training, nor the temperament to enter that room."

"But Umi..." Kaiba protested.

"She is the God's Wife. Aside from priests, only two others are allowed in there-the Pharaoh and the God's Wife. You are neither."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed at his double and he crossed his arms over his chest.

"But, Siamon has agreed to allow you in. If you are properly purified and you are silent. Do you understand?"

Kaiba released an angry breath in a huff.

"Fine. As long as I'm with her."

"Do not worry. Even with her position, Umi also needs further purification. The priestesses are attending her now." Seto said as a pair of acolytes entered the room from another door and stripped Kaiba naked. The entire time, he watched his native version through narrowed eyes.

A pair of young women called Umi into a separate small room and helped her prepare. They bathed her and anointed her with strong smelling oils that reminded her of the incense she had burned at her mother's funeral mixed with the strong scent of the catholic church she had gone to Christmas mass at once with Therese. They dressed her in a very finely woven, ethereal cloth that wrapped around her body strategically. It felt as if she was wearing nothing at all, at least until they laid a delicately beaded gown over the top of it. They placed a thick black wig and a heavy golden crown upon her head that framed her face in golden wings. When they had finished, they led her back to the entrance to the innermost shrine-the home of the Gods. As she stepped out, she saw a peeved looking Kaiba, now dressed in a simple handspun tunic and sandals. His arms were crossed over his chest and he silently fumed as he looked at the two priests. She suppressed at chuckle at his discomfort, the golden bracelets jingling together as she covered her mouth with her hand. He turned to her at the sound. She could feel his eyes caressing her as they traveled up her body. He looked away quickly as she met his eyes. He kept glancing back at her repeatedly. She could feel the intensity of his gaze boring through her as she followed the priests into the sanctuary.

When they entered the dark, smoky room, lamplight reflected dully off of the golden shrines that marked the homes of the Gods on earth. Siamon began the rites to appeal to the Gods and began to open the doors to reveal the statues within, starting with the shrine of Amun in the center of the room.

Only the shrine was empty.

Siamon stopped and stared at the place where the statue should have been, his face ashen even in the dim light.

Seto peeked over his shoulder before turning to the rest of the golden boxes. He opened each in turn to find that they were all empty as well.

"No wonder the Gods have abandoned us." Siamon cried in desperation.

Umi watched the priests' worry grow with each step. She crinkled her brows together in pity and compassion for the heartache she felt they must be experiencing. Kaiba crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. She stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on the old priest.

"It will be alright." She said softly when his panicked eyes met hers. She sprinkled some resin on the coals that filled the room with the heady smell of incense. As she did so, a golden light spread throughout the room, emanating from the shrine that had once been home to the Goddess Isis. The light struck Umi in the torso and encased her briefly. When the light faded, Umi's eyes glowed golden and she spoke with a multi-faceted voice that resonated in all octaves at once.

"Who has desecrated our home?" the Goddess asked. The two priests fell to the floor in prostration before the Goddess. Kaiba, arms crossed and eyebrow raised, looked directly at the form of his would-be lover. Seto frowned at his double before pulling him also to the floor.

"Great Goddess, we do not know, but we intend to find out." Siamon said formally, his face turned to the ground. "We will return you, all of you to your rightful place."

"Good." the word reverberated throughout the dark room.

"But, Most Compassionate Goddess, we have a question."

"You awaken me in this time of crisis for a question?"

"We believe it is related to the crisis, Great Mother."

"What is it?"

"What is the darkness devouring the land and how might we stop it?" The old priest asked.

"This doom is not of our making, but of your own. "

"How can we stop this then?"

"It was the sins of the fathers that summoned the God of Darkness. It will be the task of the sons to return him to the shadows. You already have that which you need."

"What is it?"

"This vessel, though she is impure."

The three men looked at Umi, and the goddess within her.

"How is she impure?" Kaiba asked the obvious question that the others seemed reluctant to address. He had his suspicions about the answer, but they needed to know for sure. If Umi could turn back the darkness, it was imperative that she be allowed to do so.

"The child she carries is a child of the shadows. Conceived in anger and fear, it will raise the darkness if she brings it forth and destroy the world. It must be expunged before she can wield the power of creation."

Kaiba doubled over as the bile rose within him. He wanted to throw up. Despite knowing what he knew about her past and seeing what he saw before they were taken to this land of memories, he grew livid whenever he thought about another man touching her. She was his. And now, learning that she carried the child of another, he alternated between rage and pain in a way that he had not felt since Gozaburo had threatened to hurt Mokuba. He could not conceive of Umi having a child that was anything but the goodness and light he saw within her.

"She will bear a child of great power, but even I cannot foresee if that power will be used for good or ill." The goddess told them as she faded from Umi's body.

Umi swayed unsteadily on her feet as the power drained from her. Siamon and Seto stood to the side in private conference as Kaiba kept her from falling. He sank with her to the ground as she collapsed under the weight of the news she had just learned.

"You know, don't you." Kaiba said softly to her as he held her against his chest and brushed her hair.

"Yeah, I heard." she sighed back. She pressed her face against the roughspun tunic he had been forced to wear. She sobbed, but the tears she had expected did not come. "I don't know how it happened. I'm on birth control. I have been for a while. I can't be pregnant, not with his child." She said. "Maybe they were wrong." She tried to convince herself.

Kaiba slipped the headdress and wig from her head and pressed his cheek into the top of her head. Her hair was silky against his skin and smelled of strong herbs and musk that set his body ablaze. He wanted her. His desire for her was now something that he needed to sate more than anything else he had ever wanted in his life. The temptation to take what he wanted as he had so often done in the past was growing difficult to control, but he could still keep himself in check. He wanted her, but he wanted so much more of her than her body. He wanted a union with her that was complete-body, mind, and soul. He felt he already had two of the three. But the last was elusive because of what had happened to her. He was angry that so many other had taken from her what he would not allow himself to take. He would not force her to complete their union, for doing so would destroy it.

She slid her arms around his waist. She knew what he wanted, and she could feel how difficult it was growing for him to resist. She wanted him too. She wanted his love for her to burn the child she carried out of her womb, but still she froze when she thought about moving forward.

"I love you, Seto." she whispered. She felt him stiffen as he heard, but then he pulled her more tightly to him, surrounding her protectively.

"I..." He breathed. His heart pounded against his ribs, threatening to break free. He wanted to tell her, to make sure that she knew he cared about her, that he wanted to be with her, to protect her, to share his future with her, but he could not get the words out of his mouth.

"You don't have to say anything." She said, squeezing him tightly as he released a tense breath. She looked up at him. His eyes were shining and reflected the dim lamplight. She brushed a stray tear from his cheek before she kissed him lightly. He kissed her back, matching the gentleness of her actions, before shaking his head in embarrassed frustration as more tears slid down his cheeks. She smiled before kissing away the offending droplets. Her giggle echoed through the dark chamber, cutting through the hushed argument occurring near the doorway. The priests looked at the oblivious couple.

"Come on." Siamon called to them, barely able to keep his annoyance from his voice.

Seto glared at them as Kaiba helped Umi to her feet. The young priest could tell that something had changed between the would-be lovers, something subtle, but noticeable. It filled him with jealousy that he found difficult to mask. Watching his double with Umi made him miss Neferet all the more. He longed for what could have been and what should have been. Seeing them stare so lovingly at each other as they left the sanctuary, Seto was reminded of prophecy his father had shared with him when he was younger. It mentioned the birth of a prince being the downfall of the dynasty. His father had been driven by the prophecy to do all that he had done, at least that is what the man had told him as a child. Seto was not sure if he should take such stock in vague predictions of the future, even now, as the kingdom seemed to be falling apart around the young pharaoh. His father had repeatedly told him that he should have been his uncle's heir, and Neferet's husband, but his father was also cruel and devious. Seto was certain that it was his father's sins about which the Goddess had spoken-sins against his brother, the dynasty and the kingdom itself. His father had promised him the crown and the world that went with it, but Seto was certain that he had been more interested in such things for himself than for his legacy. But now, watching the doubles of himself and Neferet, Seto could not help but wonder how things might have played out if his father had succeeded.

He had thought that he had forgiven Atem for what had happened to her, but now, watching them, and seeing his Neferet under thrall to the usurper, his anger and pain was renewed. His grief over the loss of Kisara only heightened the feelings. He tried to tell himself that jealousy would not help the situation, but he could not shake the feeling. He needed to free Neferet-from both Akefia and Atem. He longed for her now that he no longer had another to fill the void left by her disappearance. But more importantly, he realized, he missed his friend. No one had understood him quite like she had. He missed their talks and the long comfortable silences as they lay in each other's arms. As he watched the pair pass by him, he wondered just how much they understood each other and if they were each other's best friends as well as lovers.