Please keep in mind that this is an AU, so the events of the past are going to be different than what was shown in the anime.

I would also like to apologize in advance to anyone that studies linguistics. My knowledge of certain words/phrases come from the all-mighty Google. There is one word/phrase that is actually and amalgamation of two words from two different languages. This is 100% intentional and I plan to eventually reveal their sources and meanings. It's a ways down the road though, sorry.

I should also apologize to anyone that understands Latin. I'm certain you noticed the 'incantation' from the previous chapter is pretty much just a combination of Latin words I took a meat cleaver to. In the original version that lingered in my head, I took from popular media (as I'm certain most people with OC fics do). The original incantation was 'Avada Kedavra'. It didn't feel right keeping a borrowed incantation, so I did a short Google search and hacked away at the results. Once again, I apologize. Especially if my butchery gave you an eye twitch.

The walk to school did in fact help, much to Marik's relief. He hadn't brought up the dream to Yugi, deciding to mull over whether it was even worth mentioning.

He wasn't sure if it had actually been a dream. Perhaps it was a vision of the past from Bast herself (he really hoped not after recalling his irritation towards the feline). But it could also have been just his subconscious taking him for a wild ride based on the events from the night before. He was really hoping for the latter.

It made some sense that it could have been just a dream and nothing more. Being back in the soul room. Seeing the man from the photo. His darker self wielding the Millennium Rod, while mind controlling someone at that. Even the cat he could chalk up to his knowledge of Bast being the Goddess of Protection. He had silently prayed for protection from his former darkness the night before. The only thing that didn't fit was the woman. Maybe she was someone he had once used as a pawn? He remembered so few of the faces from his days leading the Rare Hunters, it was entirely possible.

They arrived later than expected, which didn't leave much time before the starting bell. The conversation with the others would have to wait until lunch.

Marik heaved a sigh of relief upon discovering Bakura hadn't shown up yet. He wondered if the Spirit would show at all. Bakura had shown obvious distaste towards attending school the previous day. It was a safe bet that he most likely wouldn't be returning.

He wandered the endless labyrinth of the puzzle, as he often did during the hours his host was in school. On occasion he would stop at a door and attempt to open it. He knew it wouldn't budge, but it didn't keep him from trying. He continued to hold out hope that one day he would encounter a door that would open, restoring the memories he had lost. He wasn't entirely certain why he wanted them. Ishizu had said they were needed to stop an ancient evil. If his memories were truly that important, why would he have forgotten in the first place? It didn't matter, he determined, as he was still compelled to search.

As Yami tried yet another door, and yet again it refused to open, he found himself feeling vexed. Usually he would ignore the locked barrier and proceed onward to the next, but he was still irritated by the previous night's events. How did an entire soul vanish? What was Bakura hiding?

He balled a fist and slammed it against the door. A hollow 'thud' echoed as a result. He sighed in defeat before continuing back into the labyrinth.

As he extended a hand towards the next door, he found he couldn't bring himself to try opening it. Instead he turned, placed his back onto it, and slid to the floor. He sat there, eyes closed, listening to the deafening silence that permeated throughout the Puzzle.

A low 'thunk' followed by the sound of an object rolling across the floor broke the silence. Opening his eyes, he watched as an apple rolled to a stop near his feet. Just beyond the apple was a small girl, her dark blue eyes staring down at him.

She couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 years in age, with gold-bronze skin. The tight waves of her midnight black hair tumbled down to the middle of her back. She wore a simple linen tunic, the neck opening a bit too large causing it to hang off one shoulder, her feet bare.

Yami wasn't sure of what he felt more: Shock or curiosity. He had never seen anyone else in the Puzzle. Yugi visited on occasion, but he never traveled farther than where Yami's room was located. Even the Spirit that originally bore the Millennium Key, Shadi, hadn't traversed farther into the maze than the Pharaoh's own door.

He slowly extended his arm towards the red fruit at his feet, not wanting to scare away the child before him. She tilted her head in curiosity, her sapphire gaze watching his every move.

He procured the apple from the floor, then proceeded to offer it to the girl before him (whom he had assumed dropped it in the first place). She looked at it for a moment, turned, then walked off into the labyrinth.

"Wait!" Yami called out, quickly getting to his feet. He chased after, nearly catching up before she rounded the next corner.

A bright light blinded him as he approached the bend.

When he was able to open his eyes, he was shocked to find himself now standing in a lush garden full of palms, jasmine, lotus, papyrus, and more. The blinding midday sun overhead gazed down intensely, its rays attempting to scorch those below.

Yami looked around, his hand raised to protect his eyes from the sun's glare, searching for any sign of the apparition that had led him to….wherever he was. He had encountered strange stuff before, and knowing the magics that existed within the Millennium Items, felt anything was possible.

He thought he saw movement over by a nearby pond and went to investigate.

"Hello? Where did you-"

Yami paused as the sound of his voice registered in his ears. It was no longer the usual deep tone he was accustomed to. It sounded very similar to Yugi's.

He rushed to the pond's surface to check his reflection. His violet eyes widened as he noticed his new appearance. He was still nearly identical to his host, but as a small boy with deeply bronzed skin. Instead of Yugi's high school uniform, he now wore a linen tunic cinched at the waist with a gold belt. He bore a golden wesekh around his neck, with large matching earrings, and a...crown? Was this his actual body from five thousand years ago?

Something stirred in the reeds nearby, drawing his attention from the shock of his new appearance.

"Sa-nesu!" came a familiar voice in a panicked whisper.

He made his way towards her voice, finding the girl hidden low in the papyrus.

Her blue eyes wide with fear at being discovered, she bolted out from her hiding place.

"Please, don't run!" he begged.

She stopped, faced him, then fell to her hands and knees bowing before him.

"F...forgive me Sa-nesu! I got lost! I am not an intruder! Please, don't call the guards!" she plead, her voice quivering.

He stared down in confusion, unsure how to react. He wasn't even certain what was going on. His best guess was that perhaps this was a memory. Would he be compelled to play out the memory as it was intended, or would he be able to interact with it to gain information? There was only one way to find out.

"Why do you call me Sa-nesu?"

The girl stiffened in surprise, her head still low.

"Wh...what do you mean? Y..you are Sa-nesu. Pharaoh's heir."

"So my name, it is Sa-nesu?"

"I...am confused? Are you trying to determine if I know something that I should not?"

Yami was becoming more confused by the second, and the girl's continued bow made him feel uncomfortable.

He extended his hand towards her, inviting her to stand. She raised her head enough to see the appendage before her, then glanced slightly upwards in confusion.

"I don't understand?"

"You don't have to bow before me," he replied.

"But….you are Sa-nesu. If I do not show you the proper respect…"

"Please, do not bow before me. I wish for you to look at me as an equal."

"But-"

Yami interrupted her by pulling her up by the hand, forcing her to stand. Her eyes widened in shock.

"You...you touched me?"

The confusion in her expression made Yami wonder if he had done something taboo.

"Are you going to answer my question?" he asked, slightly irritated.

She continued to stare at the boy before her for several moments.

"I am sorry Sa-nesu, but I do not know your true name. I am not allowed. Only Pharaoh, Vizier, and Pharaoh's priests are permitted to know the true name of Sa-nesu. Only when Sa-nesu becomes Pharaoh will I know your true name," she finally replied.

Yami had hoped the girl could shine some light on his true identity so that he might recover his memories. Instead she had confirmed that he was the son of the (current) Pharaoh, something that was a given considering what he already knew. He needed to get some sort of answer about who the girl was and why she had brought him into this evocation.

As he stood thinking, the girl walked over towards a nearby table. There was a cornucopia in its center, brimming with exotic fruits. From it she plucked a small red apple. He watched as she curiously inspected it.

"Sa-nesu, is it true that you know everything?" she questioned, her brow furled as she continued to examine the fruit in her hand.

"I wouldn't say I know everything."

"Oh…" She appeared to be disappointed by his answer.

"But if you have a question, I'll do my best to answer it."

The girl pulled a section of her midnight waves in an attempt to hide her face.

"I...uh...I have never seen this before. I was wondering…wh-...what is it?" she asked in a sheepish whisper.

It took a moment for Yami to realize she was asking about the fruit in her hand.

"You mean the apple? It's a type of fruit."

She lifted her head slightly, continuing to look at the red object in her hand.

"You should try it," he suggested.

She continued to stare at the apple. Yami walked over to the cornucopia and retrieved an apple of his own.

"Here, like this."

He sunk his teeth deep into the apple's flesh, detached a piece, chewed, then swallowed. The girl timidly did the same.

Her eyes went wide with surprise as the juices touched her tongue.

"This...this is really good! It's so sweet!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Yami couldn't help but smile at her reaction, letting out a low chuckle.

The girl eagerly devoured the fruit in her hand. Yami had to stop her before she ate the core.

"Sorry, I should have explained that part from the start. Then again I didn't think you would try to eat it as if you were Ammit," he joked, comparing her to the Devourer of Souls.

The girl glowered at him, a blush of embarrassment forming across her cheeks.

"You know, not everyone gets to enjoy fruits from foreign lands. Not everyone is Sa-nesu or Pharaoh," she commented bitterly.

He was taken aback at the sudden harshness of her demeanor.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

She looked towards him, sudden realization and fear marked her face. She fell back into the bow from earlier.

"I am the one who is sorry Sa-nesu! I should not have spoken like I did!"

Yami sighed in annoyance, looking down at the girl who was once again trembling before him.

"Stop doing that!" he exclaimed in irritation. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but it did.

"I'm...I'm sorry….I don't mean to anger you Sa-nesu," she sniffled. It was obvious she was on the verge of tears.

He crossed his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes in an attempt to re-compose himself.

"Please...stand up."

The girl before him hesitated, then rose to her feet slowly. She wiped the corners of her eyes, but kept her gaze low.

Yami realized he wasn't going to get anywhere at this rate. He decided to try a new approach.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know. I'm just a kid, like you."

She raised her eyes to the boy before her, but kept her chin bowed.

"Forgive me Sa-nesu, I-"

"Stop talking like that. I'm sure you don't talk to your friends with formality," he interrupted, staring at the girl in annoyance.

"I-...no. My friends don't hold the power to end my life if I offend them," she said quietly, looking down towards her feet.

Yami was dumbfounded. How had this not occurred to him? No wonder the girl was terrified of him. Her appearance obviously marked her as someone who was probably the child of a servant, yet he was trying to talk to her as he would to Yugi and his friends.

His friends! That was what he needed! A small smile formed on his face as he came up with a great idea.

"What if I make you a promise?"

"A promise? What sort of promise?"

"I promise I won't let any harm come to you, but in exchange you have to promise to treat me like I'm one of your friends. No bowing. No formalities. And no more calling me Sa-nesu."

"You...want us...to be friends?"

"Yeah!" he said enthusiastically.

She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, her brow furled in contemplation. After a moment she peeked an eye up at him.

"What if you say something dumb and I have to hit you? Then what?" she questioned, obviously testing the extent of the offer.

He paled a bit. "I...uh...I guess then I probably deserved it? But I'll try to not to say anything too dumb so you don't have to," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"Hmmm….sounds good to me!" she beamed. Both eyes were now open and sparkling with enthusiasm, a smile spread widely across her face. "So what do I call you? Friends should know each other's names."

"Uh...you can call me...Yugi. Oh wait! I mean-" he stammered. He had meant to say Yami, but had still been thinking about Yugi and the others. He placed the palm of his hand across his face as he realized the mistake.

"That's an odd name? I'm certain it's not your true name….but I like it!" she exclaimed.

He lowered his hand slightly, still hiding a part of his face in embarrassment.

"You do?"

"Yeah! Now I'm not the only one with a weird name!" she said happily. "I'm Katrina by the way! All my friends call me Kat."

Yami stared at her, blinking in astonishment.

"You're right, that is a weird name. Especially for an Egyptian."

Kat pouted slightly. "Remember that part you mentioned about trying not to say anything that might make me hit you?"

He took a few steps back. "Um...yes?"

"Good. It's not my fault I have a strange name. Ama-shae isn't from these lands. She was born in a place far to the north, where there is green as far as the eye can see and the earth touches the sky. She's the reason I was allowed into the palace today. Ama-shae was summoned by Pharaoh to perform for tonight's ceremonies," she stated matter-of-factly, placing her hands on her hips. "My brothers and I were supposed to stay over by the Ishtari, but I...kind of...maybe...wanted to explore...then I sort of...got lost..." she trailed off, looking back at her feet.

Yami became focused on the name that sounded oddly close to that of the Tomb Keepers.

"The Ishtari?"

"Yeah! Mal is-"

"There you are! We have been looking everywhere for you!" interrupted a teenage male voice from across the garden.

Both Yami and Kat looked over to see a teenage boy that looked a lot like Odion running towards them, with three boys their age not far behind.

"Rishid!" she exclaimed in surprise. "I'm sorry! I went to look at one of the rooms we passed earlier, but then I got lost…" she apologized.

The older boy looked down at Kat with disapproval, before noticing who she had been keeping company with. He quickly paled, taking a few steps back.

"Sa-nesu! I beg your forgiveness!" the teenager bowed at the waste, hands folded in apology. "It was my job to keep watch over this girl and her brothers! If this girl has caused you any trouble, I will gladly accept any punishment on her behalf!"

"It's okay. If you hadn't lost track of her, Katrina and I wouldn't have become friends just now." Yami replied with a smile.

"What!?" came a shocked unison of voices.

Yami looked over to see the three younger boys staring in disbelief. He was a bit shocked as well after seeing that two of the three had familiar faces. One looked like a near exact copy of Marik, except his hair was more spiked almost like a lion's mane. The other familiar face looked like a young Seto Kaiba, except his eyes were dark green and his skin was pale like Ryou's.

"Yeah! Yugi and I are friends now!" Kat beamed excitedly.

"You...you know Sa-nesu's true name?!" the boy that resembled Kaiba said in astonishment.

The girl walked over and smacked the Seto look-alike across the back of the head.

"Don't be stupid, Set. It's just a made up name so I don't have to keep calling him Sa-nesu."

The boy that looked like Kaiba rubbed the back of his head while glaring at the girl that had assaulted him.

"Should've figured, especially with a stupid name like Yugi. Let me guess, you picked it?"

Kat smacked him again.

"Ow! If you don't stop hitting me I'm going to tell Ama-shae!"

"Stop making fun of the names I come up with! And for your information, Sa-nesu came up with it," Kat said irritably. "But if you think the name is dumb...then I guess that means that you think the one that came up with it is dumb too," she teased.

The Kaiba double looked over towards Yami, with an expression of instant regret.

"N-no! I...I would never…!" he blanched.

While the two continued to bicker, he began studying the third boy, feeling there was something familiar about him as well. The boy had darker bronze skin, and chin length gray-white hair that frayed out in all directions. His eyes were ash-violet, with a scar that ran down the right side and double stitched across the cheek.

Yami froze, recalling the description that Marik had given of a man in a photo. A photo that had been found inside the Spirit of the Ring's soul room. Was this boy that same Spirit? If so, how could he have been in a photo with Ryou as a child? He needed to know more.

"Katrina, are these the brothers you mentioned earlier?"

The girl released the paler boy, who was now on the ground, from the choke hold she had on him. She jumped up and skipped over to stand beside her new friend (who reminded himself to never get on the girl's bad side).

"Oh yeah! So the dummy on the ground there is my twin brother, Set," she motioned to the ground.

Yami was surprised to learn that the two were twins. He wondered how they could look so different from one another. It was like looking at night and day.

"You probably already know Malik since he's an Ishtar. He's not my brother, but he is one of my best friends, isn't that right Mal!" she pointed at the Marik double. "And that's his older brother, Rishid." her finger re-directed towards the Odion replica.

The blond just stood there with his arms across his chest, eyeing the young prince warily.

Yami wasn't sure what Kat had meant by already knowing the boy simply by his family name, but decided it was best at this time to pretend he did by nodding in agreement.

"And the one with the scar, that's Bakura. He's new. Ama-shae brought him home one day and said that he's going to be our brother now. Bakura isn't his real name, but he was broken and couldn't talk because of something bad that happened. I don't know what exactly, but I remembered that Ama-shae said giving someone a new name gives them a new life, so that's what I did," she rambled on excitedly. "Set thinks the name I picked is stupid," she finished with a grumble of disapproval while glaring at her twin.

Bakura. The exact same name the Spirit of the Ring used. It couldn't be a coincidence.

Yami opened his mouth to ask more about 'Bakura', but nothing came out. He tried to take a step forward, but found he was unable to move. Kat looked over towards him smiling, her lips moving without any sound. Darkness began to swallow up the scene before him.

The memory ended, and Yami found himself standing back inside the Puzzle. His appearance had returned to being a replica of his host. Looking around, he realized he was standing beside his Soul Room door.

He wondered how much of the 'memory' was real, and how much had been possibly influenced by his interaction. Was the reason everyone looked so familiar was because they were faces he knew? Was the Bakura he saw just a created image based on the description Marik had given him? The more he thought about it, the more he questioned what he had witnessed.

The girl. If it had only been a trick of the mind, how could he explain Kat. She had appeared and led him to the memory. Perhaps she was a Spirit trapped like him? If that was the case, why had she only appeared to him now?

A sudden wave of exhaustion overcame him, making him decide to go rest inside his Soul Room. He was grateful for the one object that existed in the room: His throne.

Yami practically plopped down into its seat, sinking as far back as he could. He wanted to talk to Yugi about the encounter, but his eyes felt too heavy. Surely he had time for a small rest before Yugi met up with the others?

His head nodded forward. Somewhere within the Soul Room a low 'thunk' sounded as an apple rolled across the floor, coming to a rest by the foot of the now sleeping Pharaoh.

Ancient Egyptian/Kemetic is a dead language. No one knows for certain how the words were actually spelled/spoken. That being said, I have hunted down the closest thing to 'Crowned Prince' and what the phonetic pronunciation would be, which would be (phonetically) Sa-nesu.