Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! and its cast. All I own is my OC!

- o - o - o -

CHAPTER II:

A Sin Within A Forgotten Memory

- o - o - o -

A trip back to Japan was not what Atem had expected after his loss to Yugi in the Ceremonial Battle.

What he expected was to finally see the nostalgic scenery of his life in Egypt that he had long missed when he regained his memories. He longed to be reunited with his old friends and family that he had been parted from on that fateful day. Although parting with Yugi and his new-found friends in this time did bring ache to his heart, Atem knew that it would not be fair to Yugi if he stayed.

While it's true that the boy wouldn't mind that they would continue to share the same body, if it meant that he didn't have to leave, Atem still did not want to burden Yugi with such a life. They've done well so far, yes, but what about their life beyond just dueling?

Yugi still had a future to live. His own dreams and aspirations that Atem too once had when he was alive. Yugi is living his life and Atem has already lived his.

It was his time to go and yet-

Atem tried to recall the words that had been spoken by the disembodied voice that carried authority in it. The divine being that Atem's people revered as their gods.

The words that sealed him in a terrible fate.

- o - o - o -

Atem was ready.

Turning his back to them, to the people he fondly called his friends, he lifted his hand to give them a final farewell and accepted his long-awaited peace.

"I'll miss them." His eyes glanced to his side and was met with the glistening honey-brown eyes of his beloved.

"You could have stayed. You still have a future ahead of you." Atem meant those words from the bottom of his heart. Even though they'd be parted from each other once again for a few more years, he still didn't want to deprive her of the future she still could have.

"A future without you is meaningless." She started, biting her lips to control the sob escaping from her mouth as she shook her head. "I've lived my whole life knowing that I did not belong in this time... Something within me was missing and that ache grew even with the company of Yugi and my family."

Atem knew this story very well. She had once confided this to him before.

Mutou Meikou was Yugi's cousin from his mother's side. Her parents had died from a plane crash when she was only five, forcing her to move in with her only remaining relative- which was Yugi's mother. Yugi and Meikou were as close as siblings, her overprotectiveness stemming from the trauma she endured of losing her parents.

Before Atem regained his memories, he had always been curious about her. She was like the unpredictable currents of the Nile, a storm to be reckoned with yet held the gentleness of a trickling stream. She was fiercely loyal and true to her family and friends, many times she had risked her life to save them even if it meant she'd get hurt in the process.

Yet amidst the amazing facade she had put up- Atem had always seen it- the sense of unusual longing in her eyes as if she were never whole even in the company of everyone she loved.

It had been only when Atem made himself known that her walls had cracked. As if guided by an invisible string, their fates were far more intertwined than they had believed it to be.

When Atem regained his memories... That was when he realized it. Meikou, by some divine twist of fate, was the reincarnation of his queen-

Queen Nephthys.

The queen who ruled by his side with undying love for both him and the people of Egypt all those many years ago. An unbreakable wall that, even after Atem's death, carried herself with courage and faith as she continued to rule by Priest Seto's side as his most trusted advisor-

As explained by Ishizu's historical study when they asked her about Nephthys.

In the haze of his memories, she shone brightly in them. A vivid fondness that explained why Atem grew an attachment to Meikou.

The gods have indeed been kind. To have given him this chance to reunite with her once more. Perhaps it was their way of saying thanks, for the sacrifices he had done to protect the world from the evil that threatened to destroy it thousands of years ago.

"Even without my memories..." Meikou whispered, her hand firmly gripping his as if he were her lifeline. "My feelings don't lie. This- with you gone I-,"

He firmly returned her grip, letting her know that there was no need to explain herself. They all made this decision long ago. Even if it was too painful to accept for those they'd leave behind- especially for Yugi whom she had considered like a brother- Meikou had made her choice.

She chose Atem over the future she could've had... It would take a lot of lying on Yugi's part to convince his mother that Meikou would soon be no longer part of this world- having chosen to return with Atem to the paradise of reeds that he had long awaited for.

Beyond the door brimming with light- only eternal peace awaited them-

Or so he had thought.

The moment he had taken his first step, the bright light before him had suddenly becoming electrifying, as if the doorway had been blocked by an electrical fence before rebounding them to the ground ungracefully on their backs.

Everyone suddenly scrambled to their side after that, the trance lost as if a strong force had returned them to reality. Atem barely noticed them come to his aid, his gaze remained glued on the light that had denied them.

"Are you okay? What the hell happened?" Honda asked them both, unable to comprehend the sight he had witnessed.

All of them wore similar looks of confusion as well, all thinking the same thing Honda had thought moments prior. Yugi had done his part, hadn't he? He had defeated Atem and freed the Pharaoh's soul. Atem was free to return to the afterlife and yet why?

Why did the gods deny him entrance?

'Unforgivable.' A voice bellowed, the echo of the voice powerful enough to make the ground beneath them shake. 'The sinner has stained the holy ground of the gods!'

'To walk into the light without knowledge of your sins! Disgraceful.' Another voice joined in, almost feral like a cat's hiss.

"Sins? What sins did I commit?" Tearing himself away from his friends, Atem rose to meet the divine light before him, the light that now pulsed brightly with blinding anger.

If there's one thing Atem knew well- it was that angering the gods always led to terrible consequences.

'You have been judged and your sins deemed forgiven in exchange for the sacrifice you have made, young Pharaoh. Yet, your ignorance will be your downfall. To bring with you a doomed soul to the afterlife - we cannot allow it!'

"Doomed soul?! What are they yapping about?" Jounouchi yelled in confusion, the only one within the group brave enough to stand his ground before the gods.

The collective voices were a cacophony of words too hard to pinpoint and understand, the light pulsing bigger and bigger as if threatening to swallow them whole in its divine rage.

'Wait-!' The divine light shimmered brightly at that retort, the voice a mix of deep and high pitches as if two voices resided within that single word. A small speck of light soon separated from the bigger one, the luminous orb standing between Atem and the light that belonged to the collective voices of the gods.

'His heart was weighed upon the scale! He has been deemed worthy to enter the afterlife as overseen by Ma'at herself.' The female voice of the small orb spoke, the gentleness in them almost like that of a mother protecting her child.

'But because of her then he must share her fate.' And that was enough for Atem's eyes to widen in horror, his head snapping to face Meikou who looked bewildered at the accusation being thrown at her.

"The doomed soul- is her?" It was Yugi who had spoken for Atem when no words could leave his lips to ask that question. Everyone's eyes suddenly shifted from the light to Meikou, the attention enough to make the young woman snap.

"I-I don't understand! What did I ever do to doom my soul to an eternity of punishment?!"

"Meikou-,"

"What could I have possibly done wrong, Atem? Did I- was I an evil person in my past life?"

To see her eyes nearing tears, searching his own for an answer- Atem couldn't stomach it. He didn't know how to approach her, to calm her and assure her with every fiber of his being that she wasn't evil as the gods judged her to be. In the inner recesses of his memories, Nephthys had been with him since they were children. She was his support, his source of balance whenever the burden of his title as a prince grew too much for him sometimes.

She loved Egypt just as much as he did. She swore her life to the kingdom and to him. Even through the passage of time, from the moment he met her again as Meikou, not once did she bear any ill intentions against those around her. So why-

Why was her soul doomed to an eternity of punishment?

'In her past, she had conjured an unforgivable spell. A spell to overturn the balance of Ma'at and escape her fate.' The small ball of light spoke as if reading his mind.

"But why? Why would she try to do something like that? Meikou would never do something like that!" Anzu rose as she spoke in disbelief, her voice louder than intended. "You saw her past in Atem's memories! She was every bit of a good person as well when she was Nephthys! So why-," the emotion in Anzu's eyes swam like a torrent, the idea of her friend suffering in hell because of something she didn't know frightening her.

'Within the eyes of the Pharoah, you see what he sees. It is but a biased observation. She has doomed not only herself but the Pharoah as well by casting that accursed spell.' The larger light scoffed.

'A spell that not even gods can undo. A dark sorcery that transcends even after a thousand years.' Another voice from within the looming light spoke, silence reigning in as if suffocating them in an inescapable fate.

'Her curse was created because of her sin. Unless she repents for it with a ready and genuine heart then neither of you can enter the after life. Ma'at has judged you, young Pharaoh, a blessed soul yet whatever curse your queen has cast has tied you to share her sin.'

"What is this sin, anyway? If you told us then-,"

'Only an earnest heart can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven. The answer you seek lies within the memories she threw away as payment for the curse.' The small orb cut Jounouchi off, its light hovering before Atem and Meikou in a warm fluttering dance.

"Memories? But I- How do I recall them?" Meikou asked, adjusting herself so that she kneeled before the smaller light. "All I know is that I've been missing something my whole life. An ache in me that yearns to be whole. Is that the clue?"

'Sinful child,' Meikou cowered at the name given to her, the tone similar to that of disappointed parent, 'you have stained the sanctity and order of this world. A heart tainted cannot enter the afterlife and yet you are given another chance. In a way- you have been manipulated and, for that, your sins may be overlooked if you are truly earnest in your repentance. This is a chance to undo your mistake so that you may free those whom you've tormented into a millennia of purgatory.' The orb backs away from them after this and returns to the bigger light.

'The sin you committed has doomed both yourself and another to forever walk the plane of mortals. A repetitive cycle of rebirth without judgement.'

'Seek the soul whose life has been protected by the presence of Sekhmet. A millennia of rebirth without the blessing of Osiris has torn their memories apart, sharing in your fate without knowing who they are yet knowing they do not belong.'

'Connected by fate, from their lost memories a piece of the truth will be recalled.'

At this, the light started to turn faint. The room beginning to shake as the door to the afterlife began to close.

'In the Temple of Ma'at, two hearts will be judged before the presence of Pharaohs and Queens once passed. Free of the curse, the truth sealed will be laid bare. You are given only a year. Seek the torn soul and reclaim your memories...' Were their final words before the light vanished as the doors closed shut once again.

- o - o - o -

"The temple of Ma'at... Do you know anything about that, Atem? Or what about this torn soul they spoke of?" It was Honda who had finally decided to break the silence permeating between the quiet group.

They were back on the private ship Ishizu and Malik had rented, the morning air cold and salty as they all sat quietly on the deck of the ship.

Anzu and Meikou were together in the latter's room, Anzu volunteering herself to watch over Meikou who still looked shaken from the ordeal that they had gone through just the other day.

"Don't worry, Atem. Anzu will make sure to stay by Meikou's side." Atem snapped back to Yugi who had called him out, Yugi noticing that Atem had yet to contribute anything to the conversation due to the worry eating him up.

Who wouldn't be though? As the gods had said, they had one year to search for Meikou's memories and undo the curse that she had cast when she was Nephthys. That's too short a time and add to the fact that they had to search for the soul who bore Sekhmet's protection? It's enough to put everybody on edge.

The gods didn't say what would become of them assuming they failed. They probably didn't need to since the answer was obvious enough. Meikou would be dragged to an eternity of punishment, her heart to be eaten whole by Ammit without even a chance for redemption.

There's no surprise that Atem would share in her fate. Although a hero and worthy to enter the field of reeds, his soul had been tied to Meikou and her curse... The thought of two important people to him suffering such a fate terrified Yugi.

That's why he would do his best to make sure Atem and Meikou got their well-deserved ending.

"There is an excavation site within the Karnak Temple Complex called the Precinct of Montu. Within that precinct, there is a temple dedicated to the worship of Ma'at." Ishizu's voice broke through the uncomfortable pressure that plagued the silent group, all eyes turning to her after she spoke.

"Although, the term 'before the presence of Pharoahs and Queens once passed' doesn't fit the temple's description. The temple in Karnak was mostly used to judge tomb raiders by Ramesses IX during his rule."

At this, Ishizu takes her spot beside Otogi, her eyes passing each and everyone of them with a silent stare before landing on Atem's hunched form, the worry evident in his eyes when she regarded him. "Surely, my king, you would know the temple they spoke of?"

"I know of one possible place..." Atem trailed off, his eyes distant as if recalling an old memory. "The Set Ma'at... An abandoned village to the west bank of the Nile river."

"The Place of Truth." Ishizu translated with a thoughtful look. "To its north is the Valley of the Kings and the west- the Valley of the Queens. Before the Pharaohs and Queens once passed..."

"But the temple-" Atem's eyes narrowed with frustration, his hands balling into fists at the memory, "I read before, in a papyrus I was studying, that the temple was destroyed long before I was born. Add to a millenia of decay-" He didn't need to finish for them to get the point.

The temple had long since been gone. How was Meikou and the other soul going to be judged if there wasn't an altar for them to be judged upon?

"We will never know unless we try. I can send my men to excavate the site a second time."

Ishizu's assurance of her aid had at least dampened the gloomy atmosphere threatening to swallow them whole. It's only been a day, Yugi thought to himself. It's true that their time to fulfill the task at hand was limited to only a year but that didn't mean that it was impossible to achieve.

They've all gone through so much, after all. Just like all the mysteries and dangers they encountered, Yugi believed they would get out of this predicament too.

"Wallowing in despair will get us nowhere." Suguroku spoke as he stood from where he sat next to Bakura, eyeing both his grandson and Atem with a faint smile. "Have hope. We'll all be in Japan soon. Take a rest to clear your minds."

-Michiru's PoV-

"Closed?" I read the sign aloud just as the thunder roared from the darkening sky.

Squinting my eyes to make out anything from the game shop's window-paned door, I could see a shelf filled with what appeared to be card packs. There was also a large poster with the words 'Duel Monsters' and anything probably related to that tapered on the back of the cashier, some words barely legible since the sky began to darken and obscure my sight.

Nobody seemed to be answering the doorbell from the side door as well, meaning that everyone living here was probably out.

I couldn't afford to wait if anybody would be back, seeing as the weather was turning sour, so I decided to return the envelope inside my messenger bag and opted to head back home before the rain caught up to me.

While I am a bit relieved that Mutou Suguroku wasn't home, if it meant giving me time to prepare myself before the man my mother cowered from, there was still that slight disappointment that came when I realized that I couldn't peruse his stash of card packs that were tempting me from the shelves.

Duel Monsters was a TCG recently created by Pegasus J. Crawford that was taking the gaming industry by storm. I saw a lot of my classmates playing the game during lunchbreak back in my old school and it was also the talk of the town when the Battle City at Domino City was announced a few months prior.

Normally, I barely touched upon subjects that didn't contribute to the search for my identity. Such was the case with Duel Monsters at first when I deemed it nothing more but a passing fad I wouldn't delve deeper into.

Oh how wrong I was.

The moment I had picked up a card, I had become quickly enamored by it. Every rule had been meticulously studied and every card scrutinized.

There was just something about the game that called to me.

Like a faint whisper that beckoned me- inviting me.

An invitation to a battle it knows I can't resist.

I sighed at the thought before turning away from the game shop to head home. The thrill of a duel. That was what called me and yet, to my dismay, I actually didn't do well in the game.

I may have the obsession but never the strategy to play it myself.

But that didn't deter me from trying.

Maybe it's time for me to revise my deck again. Seeing as I will probably be meeting Suguroku tomorrow (hopefully I'll be ready this time) that would mean that the shop would be open. I can check out the card packs by then and start building a new deck from it.

"That sounds like a good plan."

-To Be Continued-