Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"I believe that getting Mahaado would be the best course of action, not only because of his status and knowledge. But also because if there is something magical going on involving their family now, he'll be the best to address it," Bakura finally stated, seeing the logic in both Malik and Jounouchi's assessments. "We can set that up now, given the hour I'm sure the pair are exhausted so..."

With both Malik and Jounouchi's unspoken consent, Bakura turned to give the twins his attention once more. "As its late, would you both be willing to consent to meeting someone tomorrow? We realize that we're essentially telling you things far beyond the fantastic of the world. However; while we can provide proof that extends beyond our ability to just move between places quickly. We'd like to introduce you to the person who created our magical item and who might be able to help."

"'Might'," Fred repeated raising an eyebrow, curious what this trio would produce this time.

"I would like to describe more, however; I think we've pushed your ability to believe to the limits. Simply by being as accepting of your situation as we have been," Bakura replied politely.

"Try us," George answered with a faint shrug, "you've heard our fantastic tales and you're fine with it. Lets see what you can do."

Bakura gave a soft, amused snort, nodding slightly in agreement before adding a slight shrug. "Would you be willing to believe he is a three thousand year old Magician, a magician who if you saw how he is normally garbed... I'd be willing to believe he would call to mind one of those tablets."

Fred shrugged, yet Georges' mouth fell open and then clamped shut as he began thinking. Recalling the unique image and being told 'that' was a magician, causing him to think of Merlin from 'Sword in the Stone'. That flompish conical hat that Merlin wore, even the robes were a good call back with only the strange upper part causing him confusion.

"You mean like Merlin? From 'Sword in the Stone'?" George asked, causing Fred to think back on the movie and begin to nod as well.

But George's thoughts didn't stop 'there' because there 'was' one other magician that made him think of the tablet on sight. It wasn't as old as that Disney cartoon movie either, rather it was in the same place that the card came from. "In those promotional things for that card game, there's a purple magician that faces off against the dragon..."

"So you've seen him! Pegasus based the starting monsters of the game off of items he found hidden in Egypt and other places around the world. That dragon and the magician are two such artifacts he found. More over, the magician in question may have some insight for the things that have happened to your mother if not more." Bakura offered, partly glad that movies and card games were giving him in routes to explain things. Without having to spend 'more' time to find some form of common ground between them.

Leaving the twins with conundrum, either believe this strange trio as they had believed the twins, or refuse them. The trio began cleaning up their spots at the table, piling up the napkins they used. While Malik leaned against the seat and gave a contented sigh, his eyes closed.

"That was huge, but interesting and tastes good," Malik commented to the table in general though he didn't have expectations on Bakura or the American's answering him.

"Yeah, I'm not used to American food as made by American's, but this was great," Jounouchi agreed nodding as he spoke. "I don't envy whoever is going to argue with Moneybags."

"He'll probably listen, as stubborn as we normally say, he wouldn't be a good business man if he put his pride before helping us. Even if he doesn't like us or want to be involved in this, the fact remains that it's happening. If he can help, he pretty much has no choice, to do anything else would make things get worse. He's not an idiot, he's seen enough to know its going to happen," Malik pointed out, barely opening one eye to look at Jounouchi through his eye lashes. "My concern is that these guys won't be able to help us. We have no way to communicate with the two people in their family who may even know what their sacred duty 'was'. What with one dead and the other in a hospital, even if the twins let us, we're still semi blind about what their involvement 'is'. Unless somehow we can restore their mother, but that's not something I know of to be in 'his' skill set."

"Why aren't we saying his name?" Jounouchi asked, before a belch rumbled up from his belly, resulting in Malik's eyes to shoot open in surprise.

"They're not stupid and I don't want to keep repeating his name before they ask questions," Malik answered a little stunned by the belch.

"This is rather sudden," Fred confessed, wishing he had more time to talk privately with his brother. It seemed too good to be true that there was someone who would just drop into their lives like this. If so, why now? "Where would we even meet..."

Bakura nodded understandingly, he didn't like letting off this pair, their situation was sad, with their uncle murdered by a demon, and their mother in the hospital. He wanted to lend them all the time necessary to talk things over and process this. It was the humane thing to do, and something that Bakura would prefer. But they simply didn't have the luxury to be humane. They could possibly learn something about the Book and also, the Demon.

"I weep for this family," a young woman remarked as the spirit observed the conversation.

"Yes, there is a great deal to mourn for, they apparently spent a long time protecting the Book from criminals. Why else would thieves try to steal it if not for the demon? Perhaps it was because of the Demon that these two started drifting from our ways. The ways 'were' preserved for an incredibly long time undisturbed."

"Until now," Bakura's mother finished as she walked to join them.

"So true..." The young farmer agreed with a sigh, his eyes drifting towards where the pizzas' once rested. They 'did' look interesting, but he was unsure if Lady Isis would be fine with her sacred animal being used for the cheese.

"However; we've found the remaining woman in this group, though she lives on an island off the western coast of the northern lands... that 'Europe' place." She announced as she struggled to figure out where to point. If she had been in her homeland or even in Japan she knew easily which way. Now she was a bit lost on where the sun rose and set, which way to point.

"Your son will be grateful for the information," the young woman acknowledged with a half smile.

"Indeed, and once the conversation has come to a close I'll let him know," Bakuras' mother agreed. "It'll be better than watching the Pharaoh, he's been on that phone thing talking to his priestess for quite a while."

"Royal gossip?" the farmer asked hopefully, only to become crestfallen as he saw the head shake. "Nothing interesting goes on over there anymore, why do we bother observing them?"

"Because little Mokuba is a sad, lonely child and we promised to keep an eye on him so he doesn't feel utterly abandoned." The woman commented as though reciting an unspoken rule before drifting behind the wall to check out the kitchen. Clearly these American's had a different sense of space than the Japanese, and why not study?

"The child can't see us either... and we're not allowed to haunt because of the staff," he grumbled following the young woman into the kitchen.

Yet Bakura had sharp enough ears to hear the conversation and found a good out, if the twins needed time. Why not find Josie and talk to her? There was always a chance that she remembered more of that night if she had no tie to the twins and their family. Getting more information about that camping trip would be valuable and would allow the pair to talk. Though his instincts protested letting the twins get their heads on straight. The thief in him warned that he 'wanted' them to be off focus so they could get more information.

Discovering what happened to the family felt more important, it was a risk he had to take that the twins would still accept the trio's help. Well, realistically it wasn't the trio that would do anything, if it came down to it all the help would come from Mahaado's end. But man that felt awkward asking the Priest to do anything for Bakura, what with the whole reason Mahaado was 'dead' to start with. So long as they didn't have a social conversation and the twins found out that Mahaado was both dead and dead because of Bakura.

"How... how about the day after tomorrow?" George asked, the pair could talk in the morning over things, turning to look at Fred. He knew his schedule was free in the afternoon, but what of his twin? Their dad had a doctors' appointment after all and they agreed to help take him to the doctor and look after the shop. Also it gave the pair extra time to talk about what had been discussed...

Yet Bakura gave a slight wince as he thought about class, "would it be ok if we came in the later evening then. I would much prefer not skipping school, we're about to graduate after all."

It was a rather innocent reminder that the trio 'were' high school students, no matter how mature and adult Ryou presented himself. As well as the fact that they were using magic to literally cross an ocean to get there, meaning their sense of days and time would be a little distorted.

"Would the weekend be better for you?" George asked, before glancing at Malik's sated cat, sleepy expression.

Bakura honestly wished Jounouchi cared for his education as much as Bakura did, and Malik was home schooled, but this was the hand he was dealt with. "Well we have a small problem," he began explaining to the pair with him. "They're going to be busy tomorrow so we're going to have to post pone this until next weekend. Though the spirits may have found someone else we can talk to while we wait."

The pair exchanged glances before shrugging, "I'd say let them have the time to talk, I mean we're going to blow their minds regardless. It will feel less trust worthy to try and force them to do everything on our own timetable." Jounouchi commented thoughtfully, "they're going to listen to us, its a gamble, but they have to take it. Given the situation with their mother, if we find a way to help or save her, they're going to take it."

"You sure," Malik asked with a raised eyebrow, while not surprised at the gambling term he 'was' surprised by the confidence that Jounouchi spoke with.

"Yeah, we're the only people who believe them for starters, but even if they don't believe in magic? They 'have' been raised by people who either believed in magic or at least superstition, so they're not complete unbelievers. Not only that, but this costs them nothing, humoring us amounts to nothing at their end. Say we can't help their mom, at the very least we can a clue as to why it even happened."

Bakura and Malik listened to Jounouchi fully, and neither could find an objection to the logic given to them. It also did a good job of reassuring Bakura of his concern regarding the situation. Easing the thief side of him into more introspective thoughts.

"Lets go with that, set up the appointment Bakura, you know my schedule," Malik noted blinking back sleep.

"Well, I have to check mine, I won't know for sure until tomorrow our time anyway," Jounouchi remarked going over his work schedule.

Bakura nodded and went back to discussing times and places for meeting the twins while Malik let his gaze wander to the ceiling for a bit. "This is turning out to be more complicated than I anticipated when my family and I was asked to leave Egypt."

"Yeah, when I think back to how things were after we were kidnapped, and how I thought this was just something that involved Moneybags... I..." Jounouchi shook his head glancing out of the window as he did so. "There hadn't been any real 'magic' involved in anything since the Other Yugi left, and I was getting so comfortable with 'normal'. Only to get that phone call. I mean we were in Canada for free, getting to see a brand new country.. And 'wham' gramps is dead, and Honda is crippled, leaving me wishing 'badly' that the Other Yugi was still here. I was so used to Yugi always being the little shrimp, and even though he had 'grown'. I still couldn't imagine him as anything save that passive, submissive personality."

"Not much of that anymore huh, he is taking charge a bit more. A shame he didn't back during that time before this group showed up, he might have been better braced for this."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The office was quiet, the walls were lined with books, there was thick, dark carpet on the ground, the room lit by a large window covered by a thin opaque lining of a matching dark curtain. A desk rested before the window made of sturdy oak wood with a pair of sturdy chairs with one behind the desk. The other chair faced the desk as a one on one type of meeting style. Thick wood with no carvings or designs to accentuate the pieces, just the hard smooth surface of expectancy.

Behind the desk, Kaiba sat leaning back against the office chair, his eyes closed as though lost in contemplation. While across from him Mahaado sat with an utterly un-amused expression on his face, though he was in modern attire, with slacks and a button on covering his frame. Even his feet were in socks and slippers, showing just how far Kaiba had gone in working on Mahaado's modern attire. He didn't look very impressed, as the sound of a conversation carried over the box that rested on Kaibas' desk.

The sound of the Thief speaking with those American's filled the air of the room, since neither Kaiba or Mahaado were speaking. Yet Kaiba was able to follow the conversation fluently realizing that this family apparently had their hands on 'his' Blue Eyes White Dragon. Before it ended up in the hands of... well which ever person it ended up with. It sounded like Bakura was on to something interesting, and was going to be visiting, again.

But he really didn't see a reason to deny the request, if Mahaado could help them find that damn book he wasn't going to object. As much as he didn't want to be involved in magic anymore, he would be a trice damned fool if he let the Demon loose. With the attempt of thefts of the Book once the Dragon tablet was damaged, it would be realistic to believe the demon either 'in' the Book or using it as a last ditch hiding place.

"He'll probably listen, as stubborn as we normally say, he wouldn't be a good business man if he put his pride before helping us. Even if he doesn't like us or want to be involved in this, the fact remains that it's happening. If he can help, he pretty much has no choice, to do anything else would make things get worse. He's not an idiot, he's seen enough to know its going to happen,"

He could feel Mahaado's flat unimpressed and unamused stare fixed on him as he sat there listening in. One thing to be said for the dead, once they set their minds to something they didn't ever stop until acknowledged. "Is there a problem Maha?"

"Are you seriously going to keep spying on the Tomb Robber and his little group? I thought this to be beneath you," Mahaado asked with a flat glare leveled at the CEO. Given the amount of privacy invasion that was going on, and that Seto was all too willing to complain about the actions of others.

"Even you had your spymasters I'm sure," Kaiba pointed out as he listened to his speaker phone as it relayed the conversation in a manner he would be most accepting of.

"Yes, however; if you are willing to lend aid should you not do it properly? Without all this smoke and mirrors?" Mahaado pointed out with a sigh only to watch Kaiba smirk.

"Trust a magician to use the term 'smoke and mirrors'," the CEO smirked, before finally opening his eyes to face the magician. "Do you know anything about the tablet? Since obviously they didn't have the one your soul was sealed to."

"I fear not, my image was probably kept to keep the themes of your message to the Pharaoh. If the Blue Eyes was in the tablet herself, as I don't have a reason to believe she 'was'. It may have just been an enchantment. However; this family was 'yours' to command it would seem, can you not remember anything of them? Their actual task or duty?"

"Yugi and the others can gallivant after the past like it was some 'Golden Age', I have a business to run," Kaiba retorted. That tired auto answer he gave whenever the suggestion of 'remembering the past' came up. "Otherwise, given what we've heard, what do you plan to do when you finally get summoned over to help these stage magicians out?"

"I don't know, until I see the mother in question I don't know if I even can help them. A twin situation can be tricky given what I heard so far. It wouldn't do if I accidentally destroyed a soul or leave her permanently damaged."