Authors note: Okay guys so the hard part is out of the way! Whoo! Beginnings are hard, you see the direction the story is going, it's just introductions can be stressful. It will make sense why these mysterious people are in here soon, and just a heads up: While I love the anime and the manga equally there are very few pieces out there that are dedicated to BOTH canons-it's either one or the other. It is my hope that I can honor elements and character traits from both the anime and manga versions, as well as paying respects to 'fan-canon' qualities that have shaped this fanfic community. Also, I apologize in advance for any characters who are not in this story, or those who were canonically crucial but only play a small part in this-no offense, they either did not have a place in it (I will justify reasons later) or I feel like I wouldn't properly do that character justice. More on that later...for now-Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Here We Go Again

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Marik groaned before fumbling with the covers, his hand snaking out and smacking the snooze button with as much vigor as he could in his befuddled state. He rolled over onto his side and allowed himself to drift back to sleep. What seemed like only seconds passed before the alarm blared again.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Grunting, he slid his hand out from the blankets and again went to silence the annoying clock, only to have another hand get there first. The absence of noise caused Marik to open a bleary eye which searched the room before landing on his sister. She gave a small smile before turning the alarm completely off.

"I think you've slept long enough now, and if you don't mind, Odion and I could use your help with a few things before we head out to the site." Ishizu's long dark hair was pulled back in a loose braid, and her normal golden headband had been replaced with only her gold-encased emerald sitting in the middle of her forehead. She wore a white long sleeve button up and dark slacks. She walked over to the small window and threw open the curtains, much to her brothers dismay. Marik mentally swore at the sudden brightness, pulling the blankets up to cover his eyes.

Ishizu continued, "If you don't hurry you'll miss breakfast! We're very close to breaking through to the second chamber and we will be busy all day. Lunch will not be the usual affair." She came back over to the bed and ruffled his shaggy blonde hair, "Come on, or I'll send in your brother to force you out of bed."

He grunted to show she had heard her, and she left him to finish getting ready. Marik stretched before sitting up, sleep still clouding his mind as he looked around at the tiny room he occupied. It was more of a closet really, at the back of a double wide trailer which temporarily housed his brother Odion, Ishizu and himself, while they were working on the dig site. He would have preferred to stay at the hotel but due to tourism and the large team working for his sister and Professor Hawkins there hadn't been any rooms available. Getting off the bed and looking out the window he could see nothing but sand for miles. The bleak landscape filled Marik with a sense of discontent. The endless sand bringing up old memories he'd rather forget about completely. Why he had agreed to come along in the first place he still didn't know. He had left Egypt in the rearview mirrors of his motorcycle about seven and a half years ago and took up residence in America. Moving around the tiny room, he grabbed a pair of light pants and a navy long sleeve shirt that was a bit loose around his shoulders, dressing as his mind replayed all the negative thoughts and emotions leading to his departure from his homeland-and his family.

Ever since Yugi and the Pharaoh had defeated him-or rather, the other him- in Battle City, a feeling of incompleteness..no, not incomplete so much as changed...yeah, that was it. Made new with whatever had been left behind and it was disorienting. Whichever it was, it had made itself known in the back of Marik's mind. Like a storm cloud shadowing his footsteps and disrupting his life. For a time he had been convinced that the Other Marik hadn't been destroyed completely and that he still harboured the demon, spending the better half of that year being shaken from his vivid night terrors by Ishizu or Odion. A small shudder went through his frame as he recalled the inky shadows that clung to him, pulling him into its depths as a cruel, double-timbered laugh reverberated through him before swallowing him whole. His brother and sister eventually got him to see reason that with no connection to the Millenium Rod-or the Shadows in general- there was no possible way for his demonic side to re-manifest. His sister had even impressed upon him that when his soul had split in two and Dark Marik had seized control of his body and cast his good side out, that the darkness in essence had become its own flesh and blood individual which the Pharaoh had ultimately destroyed. Leaving only the good part of his soul intact. It made sense. Explained why he felt off-kilter even. He knew she was right; looking back he had felt the moment when his dark half had ceased to exist. Goosebumps covered his arms as he recalled the peaceful clarity of waking up back in his own body, forever free of the physical incarnation of his hate and rage. Rubbing his arms, he walked over to closet space and grabbed his shoes before heading to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and ran a hand through his shaggy locks, shaking tangled strands loose from his gold earrings. He splashed some water on his face and stared at his reflection. 'I need a haircut.' Hearing movement from the front of the trailer, he made his way to the kitchenette to join his family.

Odion sat at the small booth in the kitchenette going through the day's plans with Ishizu while eating breakfast. They both paused as he came in. He couldn't help but frown at the slight tension in the air. After the Ceremonial Duel, things had taken a rather unexpected dark turn for the Ishtar clan. Being free from their blood-line's sacred duty to the ancient king had brought happiness yes, but also the harsh realities of moving on and finding a new purpose in life. When one's whole life had been associated with the dark for so long...being thrust into the light can be disorienting-literally and figuratively. It had been easiest for his sister to adjust Marik thought bitterly. Ishizu had transitioned fully into her work as a procurer for Egypt's historical museums and Odion had become her personal assistant, as well as an overseer for the expeditions and artifact display shows around the world. Both had worked to include him in the business but he turned them down. Up until he had met the Pharaoh he had only lived his life with one goal. Revenge. He hated that he had been so engrossed in dark magic. Controlling those around him through the Rod had given him not only power to influence the hands of Fate but had given him a sort of shortcut through life. He hadn't even had proper schooling or basic credentials needed to live among society. You didn't need any of that when you grew up underground and all you wanted was to control the world.

Now he wanted nothing to do with magic from any culture-especially his heritage. Which left him with virtually nothing to influence him, to grasp onto and use as a mental compass. He hit a low point, and he hadn't been strong enough to break out of it. All the stress of reintroducing himself to the world, of creating a new identity-a purpose, the nightmares, the anxiety, the mood swings and all the sleepless nights... on top of the constant fear of losing himself to the darkness again had brought about a depression, a pent up frustration and a slew of bad habits. Between the sleeping pills and empty liquor bottles, something had come apart within himself, and he had violently lashed out at the two people he loved the most. Guilt filled him as he recalled the screaming match (over who knows what cause he couldn't remember) that erupted into a physical altercation with his brother- and then he had run away like a coward...even looking at him now, years afterwards, brought shame crashing down on him. His brooding thoughts were interrupted by his sister's voice.

"Glad you decided to join the waking world. Make yourself a plate, we'll be heading out in about thirty minutes." Ishizu stated, and proceeded to fill her bag with important documents and tools.

Marik nodded and traded glances with his adopted elder brother, "Morning." He mumbled, going to busy himself with a plate.

Odion's eyes followed his movements, his deep voice rumbling out a firm, "Good morning Marik." He wore a khaki jacket over a white shirt and matching cargo pants with heavy work boots. Coming over, Marik took in the messy state of the room-forms, various lists and a range of technical and hand tools littered the table, leaving little room for him to work with. Odion took note of this and cleared a space next to him. As Marik sat down Odion gave him a small smile before returning to his and Ishizu's previous conversation. Marik ate in silence while listening to the day's agenda. He knew they had long forgiven him for his actions and disappearing to Washington. Had he forgiven himself? No way. Never would if he was being honest with himself. He still technically hadn't even asked for their forgiveness, never able to find the right words to potentially fix what he had broken. In an attempt to form some semblance of apology he had kept close to the Smithsonian Museum in America to ease his sister's worry. They traveled frequently but made multiple trips to Washington throughout the year. He never ignored their phone calls, or refused their requests to visit him or coming to spend time with them while they worked. None of them ever brought up The Incident and so far all visits and conversations had been cordial so he supposed they had let it go.

When something big had popped up in the Valley of the Kings about six weeks ago, Ishizu had all but begged Marik to come back to Egypt; when he heard what they were digging up he'd been horrified and flat out refused. Horror only half covered it-he had been seriously pissed! After all they had gone through he couldn't believe she and Odion had even considered attempting to recover those cursed items. Things that are buried that deep should STAY buried in his opinion. It had taken weeks to get him to agree to come along with the team. The final argument that broke his resolve was Ishizu assuring him the sole purpose was to salvage pieces of history, the ancient magic was gone forever; she adamantly believed that this would bring him-bring all of them closure. To simply trust her that if things even remotely went bad he could leave and she'd never make such a request again, and he'd reluctantly agreed. He'd booked a flight out and had been 'assisting' with whatever he could handle for the past few weeks. Mostly he filed paperwork or made coffee runs for the Professor or crew. He felt like a glorified mascot for a team that had tortured him for the better part of childhood. Finishing his meal, he and Odion cleared the dishes and grabbed more supplies they'd need for the extraction.

His brother noticed his silence, "Brother, we have some good news for you. Professor Hawkin's grandchild is flying in to join us in a couple of days, and I hear that she is bringing some old friends of yours." Marik's eyes shot up to stare at Odion. 'Old friends? Who was coming? Was that supposed to cheer me up?' His mind struggled to think of who might be coming.

Ishizu beamed hopefully at him, "Perhaps having a bit of company will make all of this easier on you. I know being here is asking a lot of you Marik. I had mentioned to the Professor that it might be beneficial for us to see some familiar faces. After all, we didn't take this journey alone the first time."

'Beneficial for ME, you mean, seeing as I'm the only one who took away any real damage.' Marik tried to smile and nod like he was excited about the surprise visitors. He had a pretty good idea who might just be coming. They couldn't really be considered friends considering he had tried to kill them all at one point or another. Inwardly he cringed, he felt bad about that too, but he'd be happier if they didn't show up. Not that they had no place being here for this too, because if anyone had a right to be a part of this then they were at the top of the list, but damn. Let's just throw fuel onto his personal hellfire, why don't we…

They finished collecting their work tools and headed for the Jeep parked outside. Across from the trailer door a display box made of thick glass sat atop a makeshift desk. As Marik passed by he couldn't stop himself from shuddering as his eyes were drawn to its contents. Inside the case, nestled in dark blue velvet sat the Millenium Eye and Key. Two of the seven cursed items of darkness that once again had been unearthed by happy accident. Even though they sat glinting harmlessly in their case Marik hurried out the door eager to put as much distance between him and those relics as possible. Once outside, he looked around at the other double wide white trailers in the area. All looked presumably empty and with no other Jeeps in sight he figured everyone else had already headed up to the dig site early. Odion fired up the engine and they piled in, driving towards towards the Valley of the Kings.

The drive from their team's temporary trailer park and the Valley only took a couple of minutes; if one seemed inclined to do so they could walk there but the heat was sweltering and could cause dehydration or heat stroke. Even as early as it was the sun still burned down on the sand, throwing heat waves off of every surface and rock face. Odion eased the Jeep as close to the edge of the valley as possible and parked next to a government Rover. They got out and made their way down one of the many old walking trail down into excavation site. Amidst the sounds of workers digging and chipping away at various points in the ground, the air was hot and weighed heavily on the area. In the very heart of the Valley, where a limestone cliff had once stood, was now a 15 x 10 foot dug pit filled with diggers and archeologists. All of them making slow progress to the little-known collapsed tomb underneath.

'The Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh..' Marik grimaced, 'We should not be here.' He worried his lip between his teeth. They walked into a nearby pop-up tent under which stood Professor Hawkins with a couple of his assistants standing over a table covered in hand-drawn sketches of their findings. He was an old, pleasant looking fellow with white hair and dancing eyes. Currently those eyes were focused the drawings in front of him depicting levels in the tomb. According to Ishizu his reputation preceded him-his recent discoveries relating to the lost culture of Atlantis had changed everything the world had based it's history books on, and he was now the most prestigious archeologist in the world. Marik knew his history with the Mutou's, so he could understand his involvement here too-before Atlantis has stolen his attention he had been deeply invested in Egyptian history. The Professor glanced up to and waved them in. Ishizu and Odion wasting no time striking up conversation on how much progress had been made. Marik tuned them out as he looked over the many sketches on the table…All giving an accurate description of what had been destroyed seven years ago. About 100 ft below the sand a pyramid had stood, housing the many chambers of the Pharaoh's resting place- including the many traps and challenges set to protect it's contents within. There had been a long stair that led down to the entrance of the pyramid, but with the tunnel collapsed as well if anyone wanted to get in they'd have to find another way in-which they did.

Six weeks prior, Ishizu and Odion had received a call from a contact with the Egyptian government about a disturbance in the Valley of the Kings. They needed to come back immediately; upon arrival they found that the ground above where the original cave-in had occurred sunk further down into the ground creating a sinkhole. The shift had been so big that the top of the King's pyramid was sticking up out of the bottom of the crater. No one could believe it- Marik barely understood it himself. When they had escaped the tomb after it fell in it had seemed as if the entire thing had crumbled-by all reasoning there shouldn't be anything left of the structure; all it's treasures and secrets forever buried by sand and limestone. His sister had immediately called in every connection she could to form a team to help see just how much of the pyramid was left intact, and Professor Hawkins caught wind of the find. They teamed up with Hawkin's staff working the dig, and Ishizu and Odion preserving the artifacts, translating hieroglyphics and recreating on paper each chamber of the tomb. It was the fastest moving excavation the world had ever seen. Two weeks to go through the necessary red tape obtaining government permission, three to assemble staff and equipment and one week to start making finds. Half of the staff worked on uncovering the structure bit by bit. The other attempting to get inside without causing it to fall apart again. A hole had been gently carved out of the apex, and finding the structure strong enough to hold a number of people, they sent in teams of two to find and recover anything they could. Thus, two of the Millenium Items had been found.

Damn those items. Whether or not they were still magically tied to the Shadow Realm, he didn't really care. He wished someone would just melt them down and make a vase or something…do away with them for good! As for the other items, he desperately hoped they NEVER found the Rod. With any luck, it was buried beyond recover or better yet, crushed or broken by the sheer weight of the collapsed tunnels. They'd find some glyphs written on stone and pieces of jewelry and old weapons and that would be that. No magic, no spirits hell-bent on revenge, no Duel Monsters come to life, no Shadow ga-

Marik was shaken from his thoughts by a commotion coming towards the tent. A young woman burst through the tent flap, exclaiming loudly, "Professor! Ms. Ishtar! We've breached the second chamber! Come quickly! You're not going to BELIEVE what we've found!"

Well, shit. There went his fantasy..

Abruptly, the messenger turned and left the tent in such a rush they all just kind of stood there not sure they'd heard correctly. Exchanging excited looks (or in Marik's case nervous) they bolted from the tent and headed towards the lip of the pit. People were working strenuously on the pulley lift built to lower members into the pyramid, pulling up all who had been excavating inside the chambers. Three individuals wearing climbing gear were pulled out, each carrying a large satchel-full looking satchels at that.

"Oh my, three bags...what did they find?" Ishizu gasped, hustling down a nearby ladder into to dig site. Odion followed, then Professor Hawkins with Marik right behind him. As he turned to lower himself down onto the ladder something caught his eye. Up on a far away outcrop of stone looking down into the valley a figure in all black stood. Marik blinked in the sunlight, maybe the heat was affecting his vision. No, it was still there. He couldn't make out any details but it looked like a woman or a child in a full abaya, complete with the headcover. He only stared for a few moments but the figure turned and disappeared from the cliff top. 'That was strange, looks like our soldiers are slacking on the privacy detail.' Mentally he made a note to mention this to Odion later, seeing as his brother was very particular about trespassers. He shrugged to himself and climbed down the ladder. They grouped around the three excavators who were breathing heavily as they described the state of the second chamber.

"It's a maze...Lots of dead ends, *huffs* ..and the hall that leads down to the Trial Halls is completely buried.."-

*Gasps* "Incredible! There's a hidden chamber off to the side with an opening in the ceiling and floor *gestures wildly* that leads straight down to the bottom.. We'll need stronger pivots to lower ourselves down.. we lost the few we had-the piece ceiling they were embedded in gave out as soon as we came up.."

"The bottom chamber looks to be what's left of the floor of *wheeeeeezes* of the pyramid! *fumbles with climbing equipment* "We need to get back down there an-"

Ishizu quickly cut him off, "Floor of the pyramid? That part should have been destroyed, I witnessed the entire chamber fall. How is there anything still there?" The smallest excavator, a woman, spoke up.

"Yes, but that was the front part of the floor chamber. The bottom was divided into two large sections-the front leading outside held the stone tablets and the Millenium Dias. But the back part! Almost all of the back chamber, the upper Trial rooms-the last two traps, I believe, and the vents leading to the apex are still standing. It's accessing it that will be the problem. But that's not the best part! Ishizu, this is what we found in the bottom chamber.." She reached into her satchel and pulled a large square object wrapped in cloth, gently uncovering for all to see. The collective gasp would have been startling if anyone hadn't been paying attention. A leather bound book lay within her grasp, decorated with golden symbols all over the cover. In the middle sat a large Sennen Eye, and the book remained locked with a gold clasp with no apparent keyhole. The woman was almost turning purple with her excitement, "Whatever this book is it must be important. It was set in a stone box, like a chest, in a small room connecting to the vent we found; that room's back wall holds a door with writing describing its contents." At this, her grin expanded to show all her teeth, "We think it's him, we think it's the actual burial chamber of the Pharaoh!"

Marik was stunned, and felt a bit queasy all of a sudden. The burial chamber. That means there was a body-no, a MUMMY. There was a goddamn MUMMY corpse of his ex-nemesis somewhere below his feet. His eyes dropped to the sand below his feet like he could see all the way down to the chamber. He knew that the Pharaoh had died saving Egypt in the past but it had never really occurred to him that he'd been buried-embalmed and preserved and all that… It was fucking weird! Maybe because he'd seen him, interacted with him in the flesh and blood of his vessel Yugi, that made it so hard to process this information. Ishizu reached for the book and carefully wrapped it back up before taking it in her arms. He had an eerie feeling she knew the importance of the book, or at least a pretty good idea. He watched as the other two staff members pulled out their treasures from the chambers. He immediately regretted it.

'GODDAMMIT! NO!' His queasiness intensified as the Millenium Ring and Necklace made their appearance from the bags, as well as bits and pieces of pottery and stone with hieroglyphics in it. He fought the panicked urge to snatch the items up and fling them back down the black hellhole they came from. Rubbing his temples, he sat down and just tried to breathe. Professor Hawkins and Ishizu were talking with the team about sending them back down after the rested and taking pictures so they could map out the floor plans as well as sending down equipment to get the closed chamber door open. Man, he hoped that by some miracle it didn't open. What are the chances of the tomb being cursed? Probably a pretty good chance. Pity these poor bastards were too engrossed in their work to see the dangers that could be ahead. He wasn't going down there even if his life depended on it. He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder, looking up into Odion's concerned face. Marik smoothed his features, smiled and patted him brothers arm before heading back to the ladder to climb out. He'd had enough excitement for today.

From her spot atop the cliff face, she could see humans milling about like insects to and fro within the sand basin. Donning native clothing had been a simple task. Entering the local museums to do some research on the history and culture-even the vernacular speak- had been even more so. Being a quick-learner was part of her job description. It appeared these humans were after the same thing she was.

Hmmm, that would not do. She'd have to come up with a plan. There were too many eyes for her to use stealth during the day. Perhaps she could sneak past under the cover of night-

Her eyes widened as she watched groups of men pull what looked like enormous electrical machines with bulbous capsules at the top to the edge of the basin. They rigged them up till they stood high on their bases and whirring could be heard as the bulbous shapes on top lit up, before going dark again.

Damn. It seemed they planned on working through the night. Time was wasting away and this needed to be done now. New strategy then… If she couldn't sneak in past so many wandering eyes perhaps she just needed to divert their attention. Something big and loud, sure to cause a panic and enough cover for her to get into that stone temple. Smiling to herself, she walked back to the horse she has commandeered from a local villagers stable. Steering his head in the direction of a path into the valley of sand, she made her way down to find a suitable place for cover and shade. This world was uncomfortably warm, she found she did not care for it much. With any luck she'd be gone before their lone sun rose, with a King in tow.