HUGE TRIGGER/TALK WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER!
If you recall during Bakura's mental breakdown in Chapter 8 where he mentions all of the people he's watched die, he brings up that the woman that took him in was beheaded. The memory portion of this chapter goes into more detail of that specific day. I have tried my best to not be too overly descriptive of this event, but unfortunately there were parts that needed it to properly convey the scene. There is also an implication of rape in the memory scene.
This chapter is more emotionally painful and sad than any other I currently have planned. To make up for this, I am hoping to lighten the mood a bit with the next chapter.
If you want to skip the part where it breaks for a memory scene (since it is the more violent portion) I will leave a TL:DR at the bottom. The end of the memory scene doesn't have anything graphic in the event you happen to glance over it while reading the TL:DR.
Several hours had passed since both Yugi and Marik had gone to bed. Yami stood as an ethereal sentinel, ready to awaken his host through their link at the first sign of danger. Like most nights, the room remained dark, with only the light glow from the streetlamp below piercing through. With a good portion of the Millennium Items now in their possession, both had agreed it was best to stay alert. Since Yami did not need to rest in the same manner as his host, he had decided staying outside of the Puzzle during the late hours of the night was the best solution.
He stared about the room, studying it as he had as least a hundred times before. With the exception of the ever changing miscellaneous clothing on the floor, the room was at it had been every night since Yami had started his nightly vigil. He could hear Grandpa Solomon snoring from his own bedroom. He sat in Yugi's chair, which his host had been kind enough to turn to face the door. Yami knew he wasn't actually sitting in the chair, but his placement on it made it appear as if he were. Standing wasn't exactly tiring, but changing locations about the room helped with the tediousness of not really being able to do anything other than alert his host.
He had just closed his eyes to think about what had happened in the Halls of Osiris when the door to Yugi's room quietly opened, causing him to become fully alert. Yugi's grandfather was still snoring away, signaling to Yami that the figure cloaked in darkness was indeed an intruder. He tried to wake his host through their shared link, but Yugi only responded with a groan before turning over and going back to sleep. He watched as the small shadow walked directly towards him, stopping once it was less than an arm's length away. A car drove by, brightening the room momentarily. The short burst of increased light allowed him to identify the trespasser, and made him grateful that she had been hidden in darkness. Kat stood before him, sans clothing. Her eyes stared at him, unfocused and distant, as though she were somewhere else entirely. Yami watched as she raised one of her hands, gently placing it on his ethereal cheek. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, despite the fact that he was merely a spirit.
"Ibib…" she whispered as a single tear traced its way down her own cheek.
That one word caused the tightness in his chest to become painful. He could physically feel his throat closing up, stinging as it did so. There was a strange burning sensation behind his eyes. He wanted to reach out and pull her in close, to make her tears go away. He attempted to place a hand on the one that rested on his cheek, but it passed through. The burning sensation behind his eyes intensified as he began to shed a few tears of his own. What was going on? He was only a spirit, an ethereal being. He couldn't recall ever feeling anything so strong that it was capable of afflicting him in such a physical manner.
She collapsed before him, the sound of her body falling to the floor rousing his host. His roommate however remained fast asleep.
"Yami…" Yugi questioned sleepily, "what was that sound?"
The Pharaoh did his best to compose himself, not wanting to alert his host. "I'm not sure how to explain….but bring a blanket."
Yugi shuffled slowly out of his bed, dragging his comforter along. "I'm confused, why do I need a bl-" he stopped as he noticed the shape of a person lying in the darkness on the floor. "Who is that?"
Yami glanced over at Marik, who was still sleeping soundly. "It's the girl from earlier, Katrina...she's not exactly decent though."
"Not decent? Wait...you don't mean she's-!" Yugi turned red at the thought of a naked girl being in his room.
"I can take over if it's an issue," Yami offered, sensing his host's unease towards the situation. Yugi bashfully nodded his head as he placed the chain of the Puzzle around his neck, allowing the Pharaoh to take control.
Yami carefully wrapped the blanket around the girl's body, tempted to just sit on the floor and hold her. Something inside of him said it was wrong though, so he placed her gently on Yugi's bed.
"We should wake Marik. He can call Bakura to come get her," Yugi suggested.
Yami felt a bitterness in his chest. He didn't want the Tomb Keeper to see her...at all. Thinking back to her display towards Marik before she had left earlier made him feel even more bitter. He felt possessive over the girl on the bed. As if she belonged only to him. The very thought of anyone else possibly taking her away made him angry.
"Pharaoh? Is everything okay?" Yugi asked, worried as he watched the one controlling their shared body stiffen and clench his fists.
"Everything is fine. I'm not certain how she got in, but she didn't look well. We should let her rest."
"If she isn't well, then we should definitely call Bakura! He'll know what t-"
"No. This may be one of the few opportunities I will get to ask her about the things she said to Osiris," Yami interrupted. The part about wanting to ask about the Halls of Osiris wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the main reason he wanted to keep her there.
"Yami, we can't keep a girl in here...especially a naked one!"
"She's covered. We'll call Bakura in the morning."
Yugi groaned in frustration. "Alright. But it's on you if Bakura gets mad. And if Grandpa finds out, you're taking control. I'm not going to have 'the talk' again."
Yami nodded, agreeing to the terms his host had set. "Thank you. Now get some rest, but keep the Puzzle around your neck in case she wakes up. I'll keep watch."
After the two had traded control Yugi walked over and turned his chair back towards the desk, sitting down and placing his arms on the desk while resting his head against them. The tiredness in his body that hadn't been there when the Pharaoh was in control quickly returned. He watched as Yami took up his sentinel post at the foot of the bed. "I hope you get the answers you're looking for," he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.
Yami sat on the bed, looking over the curled up figure hidden beneath the comforter. Her midnight waves framing her golden face being the only part visible to the naked eye. He watched as her face contorted, obviously having some sort of nightmare. Not once did she call out though, even as tears occasionally streamed from the corners of her tightly closed lids.
He closed his eyes, trying to think of what he might say to her once she woke.
"Yugi! Yugi!"
Kat's small panicked voice rang through the palace halls. Yami opened his eyes, quickly perceiving that he had entered another memory. He saw her adolescent frame running towards him, her face full of fear, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.
"Yugi! Please, you have to do something! He's going to execute Ama-shae!" She had grabbed his hand and was dragging him back the way she had come.
"Katrina, slow down! What are you talking about?"
"Pharaoh! He'll have her killed! He'll listen to you! He has to!"
"I don't understand? Why would he-"
Kat had come to a sudden stop not far from a man wearing a Nemes headdress standing before a woman kneeling. The woman looked nearly identical to the girl standing beside him. Like Kat's twin, Set, she had extremely pale skin and emerald eyes. The waves of her hair were the color of fire, a stark contrast to Kat's midnight locks. Yami could only assume this was the woman Kat referred to as 'Ama-shae'. The woman held what appeared to be a bundle of cloth in her outstretched palms, offering it up to the man Yami could only assume was his father.
"Great Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, I have served your bed and your bed alone for the past three seasons. During that time, Meskhenet has seen to it that I bear you a son. I will not ask that he ever lay claim to what rightfully belongs to Sa-nesu, just that you take him into your home and see to it that he always has a place to lay his head and food to fill his belly." The woman's voice was highly accented, making it obvious the Egyptian tongue was not her native one.
Yami couldn't believe it: He'd had a younger half-brother?
Akhenamkhanen stared down at the small bundle, which had begun to quietly fuss. "One of your offspring already infests my home of her own volition and infects the mind of Sa-nesu. Now you ask that I allow another? What proof other than your word do you have that this child shares the royal bloodline?"
"I'm afraid my word is all I have, Great Pharaoh, but if you like I shall offer up a sign of conviction that this is indeed your son. Name it, and it shall be done."
"Would you even offer up your own life?"
Yami's heart nearly stopped hearing those words. Was his father suggesting that Kat's mother die as proof that the child she had borne was his?
"I would," replied the woman.
Akhenamkhanen motioned for someone to come take the child. "Shimon, see to it that all the children under this woman's care find their new home here." Yami did a double take seeing that the one to step forward was an older man that looked identical to Yugi's grandfather.
"Of course Mighty Pharaoh," Shimon said with a slight bow before removing the swaddled infant from the outstretched arms of the fiery-haired woman.
"NO! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" Yami shouted in his adolescent voice while running between his father and Kat's mother.
The Pharaoh turned his gaze to the boy that had interrupted. "I see that your 'friend' has taught you the art of not holding your tongue in matters that do not concern you."
"Don't concern me? That is my friend's mother, and the mother of my half-brother! You could have suggested anything else as a sign of her conviction, but you chose her life?!" Yami argued back.
"My son, we are living gods. That is the only proof of conviction a mortal being can offer us."
"WE ARE NOT GODS! WE ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN ANYONE ELSE!" Yami screamed, tears of frustration coming from the corners of his eyes.
There were gasps from all around. Yami hadn't realized until now how many people could see and hear everything that was taking place. There were servants, priests, guards, and even a few Ishtari. He even spotted Set and Bakura hiding behind a pillar, and Malik was not far behind Kat.
Akhenamkhanen raised a hand and everyone fell silent. "Is that how you truly feel?" he questioned.
"Y-yes!" Yami stammered, trying to not think of how he had openly defied his own father in front of so many.
"So you believe all these people fell silent with a single motion because they see me as a mortal man, and not because I willed it?" The Pharaoh's eyes glared down at his heir, daring him to continue testing his patience.
Yami swallowed hard. His father was angry with him, but he couldn't just let him kill an innocent woman because she had borne an illegitimate child. "They fall silent because they fear you. Because they know that you can take their life at any time with the same gesture. Having people fear you does not make you a god. God's should be respected and loved by all. Even Osiris and Anubis are respected and loved by the living."
Akhenamkhanen considered the words of his heir. "Perhaps you are the one that should be the Pharaoh standing before these people. You speak with wisdom far beyond your years." He looked back at the flame-haired woman. "Nabirye, would you prefer to choose another form of conviction? I will not take in all those under your care should you choose to remain in this life, but I will still take the child you claim to be of my blood."
The woman shook her head, rising proudly to her feet."If all my children will be guaranteed a home that will ensure they will have a better life, then I would gladly give my own."
"No Ama-shae! You can't!" Kat ran up, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother's side, tears streaming down her face. "I'll stop coming here! I'll stop fighting! I promise!"
Her mother looked down at her, smiling softly while patting her head. "M'in-een, my time is done here. I have done what I came to do. Now it is your turn. You say you will stop fighting, but that is not what I want. I want you to fight. I want you to be able to be strong, to protect those you care about. Never stop fighting."
Yami watched as she pulled her daughter in close, holding her tight, then looked Akhenamkhanen directly in the eye with a slight nod. His eyes went wide as he registered the guard standing directly behind her with a Khopesh in full swing. His stomach churned at both the sound of metal slicing through flesh and bone, and the sound the fiery ball of flame made as it rolled before him. He tried to look away, but saw something that made the sickness in his stomach vanish as his body went numb with shock. Kat's eyes were wide, and beyond horror stricken, as a crimson liquid pooled down over her. The body in her arms had fallen forward, being barely held up by the tiny arms that were frozen around it.
A couple guards came and removed the remains of Kat's mother, easily prying her arms off the body. She stood, staring. Her eyes, while still wide, had become glazed over. She turned and began walking slowly out of the palace entrance, wandering into the city beyond.
Yami felt someone tapping his shoulder, trying to get his attention.
"Sa-nesu, I know I am meant to stay by your side...but I would like to search for my friend and make sure she's okay." said a soft-spoken Malik.
Yami nodded and watched as the Ishtari ran off into the city. He was slowly becoming aware of his surroundings again, realizing that those that had been witness to the atrocity were now nowhere to be seen. The only exceptions being Set and Bakura. Set stood staring at the spot his mother had fallen, his eyes glazed over just like his sister's. Bakura was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees, his face buried to presumably hide the fact that he was crying.
"I-I'm sorry. I...I tried…" Yami choked. He didn't know what to say, what to do. His mind and body were still somewhat numb, as if trying to deny what had just happened.
Bakura raised his head, his cheeks stained with tears. His ash-violet gaze staring hard and full of anger towards Yami. "You…" he whispered. "….you angered Pharaoh. Ama-shae is gone….Kat is gone...all because of you. Another family...destroyed...and it's your fault. I hate you."
Yami took a step back. Was this why Bakura acted the way he did towards him? Did he still blame him for what happened?
Set walked away, prompting Bakura to follow. Yami sat on a nearby step. He didn't like this memory. He wanted out of it. He sat, watching as the sky went from midday blue to sunset orange, the memory not yet ready to release him. He saw Malik's lion-like mane approach, hanging low.
"I checked the brothel, every temple, down the alleys, down by the river, everywhere she would normally go, and I couldn't find a trace of her anywhere," Malik stated as he got closer. "Sa-nesu, I am worried. My heart hurts for her, but it hurts even more knowing that she is out there all alone and in so much pain." His eyes were fighting back tears.
Yami placed a hand on the Ishtari's shoulder. "You and me both. I'll have the other Ishtari continue searching for her. I'll make sure you are one of the first to know when she is found."
Malik nodded, walking slowly into the palace. Yami looked around, and spotted another Ishtari watching from a distance. The guard nodded his head, already aware of the order, vanishing into the shadows of the late evening.
The reds and oranges of the evening were quickly replaced by the blue-black of night. Servants had lit the braziers along the entrance, allowing Yami to continue watching for the small figure that he hoped and prayed would come walking up any moment. The stars were high in the midnight sky when something small and golden wearing a tattered blood-stained tunic began to slowly walk up the lit path. Her eyes appeared weary, their usual sapphire luster now a faded blue. She bore cuts and bruises that hadn't been present earlier, particularly on her face and wrists.
"Katrina!" Yami shouted, running up to the girl. He was beyond relieved that she had come back, though he wondered what had happened to leave her looking even worse than before. He turned to a guard. "Go inform the Ishtari and her brothers that she's back. Have someone get water for bathing and get her new clothing." The guard bowed and rushed away. Yami took her gently by the hand. "Let's get you cleaned up."
He led her through the palace, instinctively knowing how to find his way to the baths. "Get her cleaned up. Call me when you are done." Yami gently ordered a couple of female servants. He then tried to walk away, but Kat held his hand tightly.
"I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be right for me to stay."
She squeezed his hand even tighter.
He let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll stay. But I'm going to keep my back turned, okay?"
She shook her head slightly, drawing herself close to him and resting her head in the crook of his shoulder.
The same longing to protect her that he had felt in Yugi's room flooded back into him. "I understand," was his reply to her action. He motioned for the servants to leave. Once they were alone he stepped back from her, looking into her eyes. "Can I turn around while you get undressed and into the water?" She paused for a minute, then gave a simple nod. He turned his back to her and waited until he heard the water ripple, checking slowly to see if she was submerged enough before turning fully around. He grabbed a nearby pitcher and filled it, pouring it slowly over top of her. She sat perfectly still as he washed away all the blood and dirt from her body. Neither spoke during the remainder of the bath. When it came time for her to step out, he closed his eyes while holding open a sheet of drying linen. A servant entered, presenting a tunic dress and sandals. Kat allowed the servant to help dress her, while Yami kept his back turned.
"Would you like to see your brothers?" he asked once she was fully dressed. She nodded.
Yami took her once again by the hand and led her to another part of the palace, the memory helping him to navigate.
"Kat!" Bakura's eyes lit up, rushing to his adopted sister's side. "What happened to you?! Where have you been?!"
Kat continued to not speak. Yami was certain seeing Set and Bakura would help bring her back at least a little.
"Kat?" Bakura had a puzzled expression on his face. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
She continued to clench tightly onto Yami's hand.
Bakura looked at him, anger flashing across his features. "What did you do to her?! Why isn't she talking?!"
"She hasn't spoken a word since…" Yami stopped and looked away. He couldn't bring himself to say it aloud, and was certain present company didn't want to hear it either. "I hoped maybe seeing the two of you would change that."
Set walked over, his face puffy from crying. "Drih-foor…" He wrapped his arms around his sister.
Yami wasn't certain what Set had said, but assumed that perhaps it was a word that belonged to their mother's native tongue. Whatever it was though, had broken through enough to allow her to let go of his hand and embrace her brother in return, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. She then motioned for Bakura to come join them. She wrapped her arms tightly around Bakura, with Set embracing the both of them.
Shimon walked in, slowly approaching the trio. "I don't wish to interrupt, but Pharaoh has asked if your mother had given the infant a name?"
The three looked at one another for a moment, before Kat stepped forward shaking her head lightly. "No." she said quietly, her voice hoarse.
"I see. I shall inform Pharaoh right away then."
"Wait!" Yami called out, stopping the older man. He turned to Kat. "Would you like to be the one to give your younger brother a name?" He recalled that she enjoyed coming up with new names for people.
The dullness in Kat's eyes faded slightly, life slowly returning to them. She nodded. "Could I?" she asked while facing Shimon.
He smiled down at the girl. "I can always tell Pharaoh that your mother did indeed name him," he said with a wink. "So what will it be?"
She thought only for a moment. "Mkhai. It means 'fight'."
Shimon smiled in amusement. "Perfect!" He turned and walked away to report his 'findings'.
A head of golden-blond hair rushed in, nearly knocking over the small girl with his rushed embrace. "I looked everywhere for you!" Malik cried out. As he released his grip, he noticed the cuts and bruises on her body. "What happened? Who did this to you?!"
Kat looked down at the floor. "I just want to go to bed."
Malik nodded, giving her a final embrace. He turned to Yami. "Can you have one of the Ishtari stand guard outside of her room? I know she's not a member of-"
Yami raised his hand, interrupting the young guardian. "She is a member of this house now. She and her brothers will all be given the same protection as my father and I. You have my word."
"Thank you Sa-nesu," Malik said with a polite bow before turning to walk away.
Yami looked over towards Kat and her siblings. "Set, Bakura, have you been shown where you will be staying?" Both nodded in reply. "Katrina, did you want to follow your brothers, or did you want me to take you?"
Kat walked over, taking Yami by the hand again, still looking at the floor. "I'll go with you."
Bakura and Set both gave him an angry glare. Yami couldn't blame them. He was certain Set probably felt the same way as Bakura, blaming him for what had happened. They walked off, Set's hand on Bakura's shoulder as he spoke quietly to him.
Yami motioned for a guard to lead the way this time. They walked across to the far side of the palace, not far from the gardens where they had first met. The guard stopped before a doorway, announcing their arrival. "This hall is reserved for Pharaoh and those who are members of his great house. This is where you will be staying. Pharaoh has been kind enough to give you the chambers next to Sa-nesu, seeing as Sa-nesu has placed favor upon you." The guard bowed, then walked across the hall, taking his post as the room's sentinel.
The young prince escorted the new ward of his house inside the room. "I'll be right next door if you need anything, and the guard is right outside. I'm going to assume that Set and Bakura are in one of the neighboring rooms as well. Now get some rest. I'll come for you personally in the morning." He tried to walk away, but as before Kat refused to let go of his hand.
"You promised no one would harm me…."
Her words pierced through him. The tightness in his chest returned. "I did. I'm sorry. I won't let it happen again."
"How can you protect me if you aren't around?"
She had a point. How could he protect her? He couldn't walk the city like she had. But there was someone who could…
"How about I assign you an Ishtari? One that I know will give everything to keep you safe when I'm not around."
"You mean like how Mal will be for you when you become Pharaoh?"
"Exactly. Except what if instead of protecting me, I assigned him to protect you?"
"But Mal already belongs to you?"
"I don't 'own' anyone. Besides, there are already enough guards and other Ishtari protecting me," he commented, smiling down at the girl beside him.
Kat grabbed him and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace, cradling her protectively. He didn't want to let go. This is what he had wanted to do back in Yugi's room, but was unable to. Earlier he had begged for the memory to end. Now he didn't want it to stop. In here he could hold her. He could feel her warmth. In here he wasn't just a specter. He could physically interact with everything and everyone. He didn't feel helpless, only able to stand by and watch until he was able to take control of a shared body.
Yami closed his eyes, burying his face into her silky midnight waves. There was shouting and people running down the halls, but it sounded so far away.
"What is going on? What has happened?" he heard Shimon call out in the distance.
A guard replied, his voice drifting farther and farther away as he spoke. "It's the Pharaoh! He and his personal Ishtari are both dead!"
TL:DR FOR MEMORY PORTION
Yami returns to a memory from the past. Kat runs to Yami for help because her mother is going to be executed for bearing his father an illegitimate son. His father offers Kat's mother a chance for all her children to live a better life in exchange for her own. After graphic events occur, Kat leaves for several hours, looking worse than when she left. After getting cleaned up and re-acquainted with her siblings, Yami shows Kat her new room and offers to assign Malik as her personal guardian, instead of being his. Earlier in the day Bakura flatly states that he hates Yami, blaming him for the death of Kat's mother. Kat's twin, Set, displays similar feelings. Yami suggests that Kat give their shared half-brother a name. She chooses Mkhai, because it means 'fight'. (I am including the short scene to explain the reasoning for the name she chose)
"No Ama-shae! You can't!" Kat ran up, wrapping her tiny arms around her mother's side, tears streaming down her face. "I'll stop coming here! I'll stop fighting! I promise!"
Her mother looked down at her, smiling softly while patting her head. "M'in-een, my time is done here. I have done what I came to do. Now it is your turn. You say you will stop fighting, but that is not what I want. I want you to fight. I want you to be able to be strong, to protect those you care about. Never stop fighting."
At the end of the memory scene, it is announced that Yami's father has been found dead (leading up to how he became Pharaoh himself in this AU).
That's it for the TL:DR.
There are a few foreign words in this chapter. I have used the great and powerful Google to determine their meanings. If the great and powerful Google is wrong, please feel free to correct me so that I may edit. The two Irish Gaelic words, I used the phonetic versions (just as I did with Sa-nesu) to help with pronunciation instead of people's brains just saying "I don't know how to say this right so we'll just bleep it out" (as my brain does in these situations). The first one is supposed to mean 'My Daughter' and the other is supposed to mean 'Sister'.
I can't help your brain trying to pronounce Akhenamkhanen. It's a canon name. I can't change it.