The question has been raised as to why Mokuba would have a fan club. Though I have given a response to the person who asked the question (welcome back!), I thought that—since the subject comes up again in this chapter—I would mention it here.

In this, I am taking a leaf out of the manga's book. In said manga, Seto and Mokuba are more than celebrities, more than corporate bigwigs. Originally, they were—and are—the best gamers in all of Domino City. As professional gaming is reaching a more distinct level of importance in the mainstream these days, I'm thinking that it's not too much of a stretch to think that Mokuba is, in his own right, just that: a professional gamer.

Starcraft competitions, Counterstrike tournaments, World of Warcraft arena battles; stuff like that would all be within the realm of possibility for the little Kaiba to pursue. And it would garner some amount of response online.

Add to that the fact that he is the richest kid in Domino, and that he's been through any number of adventures, and I think a fan club works out rather well. He's charismatic, charitable, cute, et cetera. He's made TV appearances, given speeches.

It's a little club, I'm sure, mostly inhabited and pursued by residents of the city, but I think that it's safe to say that if Seto is the rising star of Domino, then Mokuba is the golden boy.


Verse One.


After his discussion with Seto, Noa kept on his absolute best behavior.

He stayed in the hospital, eating only what he was given by the staff, and wouldn't even partake of the popcorn Mokuba brought with him that Saturday to Noa's room, where he intended to stay the night in some species of sleepover. "Are you sure?" the boy asked as he tore open the bag and sat down. "I know it's not high-class or anything. Niisama only eats the kind you cook on the stove, and only that like...once a year. But it's still good." He held up the bag again.

Noa held up a hand. "No, thanks. I don't really like popcorn." It was rather clear that he was lying. Mokuba was more observant than most children his age, and he knew something was going on, but so far he hadn't been able to get an answer out of anybody. Seto wouldn't talk, none of the team would talk because Seto wouldn't talk, and Noa was pretending that life was perfect and there was nothing at all to talk about.

"So, uh…" Mokuba said, when it was clear that Noa had no intention of accepting the snack, "…I talked to Doctor Ishtar. She says there's a spot open in her weekend class. It's starting next week. Do you think I should go?"

Noa shrugged. "I don't know if what I think matters. Do you want to go?"

The black-haired boy shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's Saturdays and Sundays, so I'd be going to school every day. I haven't talked to Niisama about it yet. He doesn't really like Doctor Ishtar very much. I'm not sure if he'd like it if I went."

"It's not like you're going to her for psychological counseling," Noa said, chuckling. "It's a class. It's academia. I think Seto would be pleased…as much as he can be pleased, anyway. Besides, you're doing well, aren't you?"

Mokuba shrugged self-consciously. "I guess."

Noa grinned. "Not that modesty again. You're doing fine and I think you know it. Let me guess: you're not doing as well as Seto did when he was in school, so you don't think you're doing well enough. That's good, I guess. You have high standards. But seriously, what's with that look? Do you even have any C's?" Mokuba shook his head, looking scandalized. "So just A's and B's." Nod. "And I'll bet there aren't even that many B's on that report card of yours, are there?"

Mokuba flinched. "…Two. I have trouble with math and science."

"How many classes are you taking?"

"Seven."

"So you have five A's, then. Normal humans call that doing well. Now, I may not be a normal human…anymore. My father would have been angry, but his standards were a fair share past abjectly ridiculous. You shouldn't hold yourself to them." He suddenly stopped, frowning as if he'd just thought of something. He said, rather sharply, "Does Seto reprimand you?"

Mokuba shook his head. "No. He says I'm doing fine. He says I'm doing better than he has any right to expect, and he's proud of me." A smile came to the boy's lips. "I just wish I could bring him home a report card with all A's on it. Like he used to."

Noa snickered. "Otousama probably would have found fault with that, too. 'Why aren't these A+'s? Have you been slacking?' Hey, if you want to push for perfect grades, I won't just accept it, I'll encourage it. And if you need help with math and science, I'll help." He tapped his temple. "I'm pretty qualified in those particular subjects, I'm sure you can guess."

Mokuba grinned. "Really? Thanks!"

"But," the light-haired Kaiba continued, "and you may have heard this before, but don't push yourself too hard. You don't want to turn into Seto…or maybe you do. Well, don't. You'll turn out miserable." Mokuba frowned, not quite seeing (or appreciating) the joke, and Noa cleared his throat. "…Until I find something to do with myself…or until I'm allowed, anyway, I'm probably going to have plenty of time on my hands. So come to me if you want some help. I owe you at least that much. But don't go overboard. Don't let yourself turn into us."

Mokuba looked thoughtful, even skeptical, but he nodded. "Okay."

Noa shook his head, chuckling again. "Only a Kaiba," he said, almost to himself.


Verse Two.


"…And Mister Willis said that I could do my report on Niisama! So now I need to figure out what I'm going to do. You know, like, what stuff to focus on. What do you think?"

Noa walked along the hallway as Mokuba skipped ahead of him, bursting with energy as always. The sandy-haired man chuckled. "Well, since it's for a science course, I would say you should write about me. But I guess he wants to keep me a secret just now."

"Yeah," Mokuba said. "Oh! I told Niisama about what you told that lady, about how you're our cousin? He said that's good, and that we should keep up with that story. If anybody asks about you, we'll say you were named after…well, you. 'Kay?"

Noa shrugged. "I don't think many people even remember me. Me me. But anyway, if you're going to write a report about your brother for a science class, you should focus on what makes him a scientist. I don't think Mister Willis is going to accept a report about his career in tournament dueling."

Mokuba smiled. "I guess not. But maybe I could write about how he came up with the Duel Disk, or Solid Vision or something. I have some biographies and science journals and stuff about him at home. I guess I should look at those again. Maybe there's something in there. Or maybe I could interview him. Hm. Niisama doesn't like interviews, though."

"You're being thorough. He'll suck it up."

They passed Kim Ueda—a petite woman with a sharp face and a (usually) sharper tongue—who stopped and smiled. "Well, well," she said, "out for a stroll again, I see. How are you feeling, Noa-sama?"

"Noa," the middle Kaiba brother said. "Just Noa. You're one of the reasons I'm standing here. I'd say you've earned the right. I'm okay. Things are coming along well, I hear. Still a bit of wiggle room, so to speak, on just how much I should eat in one sitting. Doctor Jay is trying to figure out just how much energy I convert from a given meal. See if we can find a happy medium, so I don't give myself another power surge."

Ueda chuckled. "Yes. We wouldn't want that. You had us frightened for a while, there."

Noa shrugged. "With luck, it won't happen again."

"…I'm sorry," Mokuba said, sounding like he couldn't quite help himself. "I should have known better. I didn't think something like that would happen, and…and…"

Ueda's face softened as she looked at the youngest Kaiba, and she actually grinned. "Kaiba-shachou told us you'd blame yourself for what happened. Don't you worry about it, now. Even we didn't predict a reaction like that. It's not your fault for wanting to treat your brother to a nice lunch. After all, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" She turned her gaze back to Noa.

"You have no idea," Noa said. "Even the creamed corn they serve here at the hospital, though I'm not entirely sure there's actually any corn in it, is delicious compared to…well, before. I don't know when I'm going to get used to eating real food again, but if you want to know the truth, I hope I never do."

Ueda laughed. "I'll tell you, Noa, I'm not sure that's corn, either. Well, you two have a fine afternoon. I have a few reports to look over and sign off for Kaiba-shachou before Tuesday, and if I'm not mistaken, you have another checkup with Jay later on in the evening."

"Six-thirty," Noa said. "And another this Tuesday at five."

"Ah. I might have known. I hear tell your mind is sharp."

Noa beamed. "Sharp as it's ever been."

Ueda waved as she continued down the hall. Noa and Mokuba waved back, and continued their own walk. Mokuba said, "Do you really like the creamed corn?"

"Kid, I like anything and everything. I'd eat shoe leather if somebody cooked it. You don't know how heavenly this is. Well…maybe you do. You have experienced the…oddity that was my home for a while. Now try to magnify that by about thirty-thousand."

Mokuba fidgeted uncomfortably. "…I'm sorry, Noa."

Noa blinked. "Oh, no, no! Don't feel bad. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. It's just that…" He trailed off suddenly, looking straight ahead, and Mokuba looked confusedly up at him.

"Noa?"

Mokuba followed his stepbrother's gaze to see Seto striding up the walkway. He was dressed today in dark blue dress jeans, a white button-down shirt and a charcoal sport coat. Looking up from the folder in his hands, the eldest Kaiba stopped walking and looked at his brothers with a raised eyebrow. "Going somewhere?" he asked dryly.

Noa straightened his body and bowed. "Just a walk, Seto-sama."

With his eyes downcast as they were, Noa didn't see the almost-disgusted expression on Seto's face in response to the gesture (and the title). Noa lifted his head and smiled brightly. "Mm," Seto responded, and glanced at Mokuba. "Someone at the front desk on the ground floor is asking for you. She is waiting with Roland."

Mokuba's eyebrows rose. "Really? Who is she?"

"She is apparently a student of Isis Ishtar's."

"Oh. I…wonder what she wants."

Seto shrugged, and continued walking without further comment.

Noa turned to watch him for a moment before following Mokuba to the elevator.


Verse Three.


The apparent student of Isis Ishtar was a young woman with messy blond hair and an expression on her face that was so familiar that it was almost funny.

She sat on a plastic chair, legs crossed, reading a pocket-sized notebook. Roland Ackerman was standing beside her, arms straight at his side. His right hand continually twitched toward the pistol beneath his suit jacket; Seto had no doubt told him to be on guard. It wasn't often that anybody asked for Mokuba specifically. In fact, it was so rare that Mokuba couldn't actually remember the last time it had happened outside of school, although he was sure that it must have at some point or another.

The young woman had thin, wire-rimmed glasses perched at the edge of her sharp nose, and her eyes scanned the notebook in her right hand so quickly that—if he hadn't grown used to seeing how fast Seto could read—Mokuba might have thought she wasn't actually reading at all. Everything about this girl's bearing reminded Mokuba of his older brother, except maybe her hair. Unlike Seto, who kept his thick brown hair sculpted to a very specific style, this girl looked as though she'd simply combed it back with her hands and tied it into a tail to keep it out of her eyes. Style seemed a distant concern to her.

This wasn't to say she looked grubby, or unattractive. She was quite pretty, actually, in a natural, detached sort of way that said she never actually tried. She wore black jeans, leather sandals, and a pale green sweater with the sleeves pushed up past her elbows. She glanced up from her notes, saw that Mokuba had arrived, and stood up smoothly.

Roland nodded his head. "Young Master," he said. "Master Noa."

The young woman raised an eyebrow, suddenly keenly interested in Noa. She said, in a smooth but snappish sort of voice, "Noa…not the Noa? Kaiba Gozaburo's firstborn? Not even the great Kaiba Seto could be that good."

Noa raised an eyebrow. "No. Cousin. My great-aunt told our mothers once, mine and Noa-sama's, that is, that their imaginations were so pitiful they'd probably name their sons the same thing just to save time. Well…I suppose they thought it would be funny to prove Miko-baasama right, because that's precisely what they did."

The young woman regarded Noa for a moment, perhaps trying to decide if she believed this story or not, but eventually shrugged. "Is that right?" she asked, and turned her attention to Mokuba, showing that the question was rhetorical. "You would be Mokuba, then. The new golden boy of the Kaiba legacy. Am I right?"

Mokuba blushed slightly. "Some…people call me that."

"My niece is in your fan club," the woman said.

Mokuba rolled his eyes. "Is everyone in that thing?"

"I've begun to ask myself the same thing," the woman said, and extended a hand. "She's watched some of the Starcraft videos you put up, read your tutorials and such things on…oh, what was it…? Anyway. Never mind. Teresa Lundwin. An honor to meet you."

Mokuba shook Teresa's hand. "Niisama says you wanted to see me about something."

"Yes," Teresa said. She glanced at the notebook still in her hand, then slipped it into a back pocket of her jeans. She cleared her throat and pushed her glasses up. "Doctor Ishtar tells me you're interested in taking her class on Egyptian mythology."

Mokuba blinked. "Well…yeah. I've been thinking about it."

"Are you interested in mythology, or Egypt, primarily?"

"I…well, I've always liked myths and stuff. Niisama used to read them to me. For bedtime stories." Teresa quirked an eyebrow at this, clearly surprised. "And…well, I kind of wanted to learn about Egypt, too, since…"

"Since you met Yugi Mutou."

Mokuba looked at her strangely. "How did you…?"

Teresa shrugged. "Doctor Ishtar covers some rather unorthodox theories. I've taken it upon myself to study their validity. One of them deals in reincarnation. Apparently, she is of the opinion that Mister Mutou lived in the Old Kingdom, as the nameless king who succeeded Akhmenkhuamun."

A small, unconscious smile curved Noa's lips. "Knowledgeable, aren't you, Miss Lundwin?"

"Atemhotep," Mokuba said. Both Teresa and Noa turned their attention back to him. "That's…the pharaoh. The nameless one. His name is Atemhotep."

Teresa blinked several times. "Is it, now…? Where did you come by that information?" She didn't sound like she didn't believe him. She took the notebook out of her pocket, grabbed the pen she'd tucked behind one ear, and scribbled down the name on a fresh page toward the back. "The name of Akhmenkhuamun's successor is one of the field's most long-running cases."

Mokuba shrugged. "I've done some research of my own. Talk to Yugi. Or Doctor Ishtar. They would...know more."

Teresa put the notebook and pen back into place and frowned. "Interesting…I think I will. So, it seems like you already have an introduction to the subject. Not to discourage you from taking mythology, but it's a soft option. You might want to consider Egyptology 1A, instead."

"I don't know," Mokuba said. "It sounds hard. I like stories. I just kind of wanted to hear how Doctor Ishtar tells them."

"Hmmm…I see. Well, if all you're looking for right now is a way to pass the weekend, I guess you're better off going that route. Still, if you want to move on to the actual science, I recommend you do so. You might be…interested to hear some of Doctor Ishtar's conclusions. Specifically as they pertain to you."

"…Huh? Me?"

"Certain meetings," Teresa said, "are designated for 'speculative Egyptology,' as she calls it. She discusses unproven and…sketchy ideas regarding lineage, chronology, things of that nature. Last week she discussed the king who supposedly ruled over the Jews in Exodus."

"The Bible?" Mokuba asked. Teresa nodded.

"The common consensus is Ramesses II, yes?" Noa asked.

"That's a common theory, yes," Teresa said, almost dismissively. "Anyway, the week before, she spoke to us about the Egyptian theory of reincarnation, and that while the common timeline of three millennia is obviously off, the reincarnations of various kings have been…well, not proven, obviously, but…some of the more radical scholars have taken to calling our city in particular 'New Egypt,' because evidence can be linked to three prominent kings of the Fourth Dynasty. Yugi Mutou, as I mentioned, to…Atemhotep." She nodded toward Mokuba with a slight smile. "Kaiba Seto has been linked to Sethos I, or…Seti I, if you prefer. I don't. I like Greek. He was one of Atemhotep's advisors and his eventual successor. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"

Mokuba laughed. "Niisama's heard that one, I think. He says it's stupid."

Teresa chuckled. "I used to, as well. Now…I'm not so sure. But anyway, the chief reason I wanted to speak to you is because of the third link to the Old Kingdom that just happens to reside in this city." She adjusted her glasses, which had begun to slide down her nose again. "You."

Mokuba stared. "…Me."

Teresa nodded.

"Yes. You, Kaiba Mokuba, are believed by some to be the second coming of Menkaura."


Verse Four.


Mokuba laughed. "Me? A pharaoh? Are you serious?"

Teresa Lundwin shrugged. "It's an odd theory, I admit. And to truly understand how someone could believe it, you pretty much have to listen to Doctor Ishtar." She cleared her throat and retrieved her notebook again. "Let's see…ah. Here we are. 'Before taking the throne, Menkaura was an apprentice to Sethos I.' Sethos, I believe it's been largely proven, was the son of Akhenaten I."

"The heretic?" Noa asked. "I thought you said this was in the Old Kingdom."

"No," Teresa said, shaking her head. "That was Amenhotep IV. We've only recently uncovered the name of Akhmenkhuamun's brother, so we didn't know until now that the name had been taken before. Amenhotep is now being called Akhenaten II. We don't know if the first believed in the Aten or not, but it's likely."

"Heretic?" Mokuba asked. "The Aten?"

"Akhenaten tried to force monotheism onto Egypt after he took the throne," Noa said. Teresa raised an eyebrow at him. "All other gods were replaced with the deified disc of the sun, the Aten,. Usually, he was an aspect of Ra, but when Amenhotep IV took over as king, he announced Aten as the one true god, the creator and giver of life. He changed his name to commemorate this shift."

Teresa nodded, becoming more and more excited as she continued to talk. "He was the father of King Tutankhaten, who changed his name to the more familiar Tutankhamun to reestablish the old Egyptian religion after Akhenaten passed. If I remember correctly, Akhenaten I was responsible, directly or indirectly, for an uprising of religion in his own right. Details are sketchy, though."

"Maybe I should take the other class…" Mokuba murmured. "This is interesting. So, what about this Menkaura person?"

"Menkaura was younger than Sethos," Teresa said. "By how much, we're not exactly sure, but the tentative timeline points to about a decade. Sethos joined the priesthood, and took in Menkaura as his apprentice. Sethos had no legitimate heir when he died. His reign as king was short. He appointed Menkaura as his successor."

Noa looked thoughtful. "And Doctor Ishtar believes that Seto and Mokuba are Sethos and Menkaura, reincarnated."

"I believe she does, yes. She's never flat-out stated that it's true, but she's been quite thorough in her research on the subject." Teresa looked at him. "Do you believe it?"

Noa shrugged. "I never did much research on Egypt, personally, past the rudimentary history. I know about the Amarna heresy, I know about the Roman takeover, I know about Herodotus. I never dug very deep. I can't really make a call on this. Still, Seto is eight years older than Mokuba, almost nine. Pretty close. There's that."

"It sounds kind of cool, though," Mokuba said, smiling. "I used to be a king."

"You may as well be a prince, already," Teresa said, "Crown Prince of the West Coast, Heir Apparent to His Holy Lordship Seto Kaiba, richest teenager in the hemisphere…or is he twenty now? He's twenty, isn't he? Damn." She chuckled. "Anyway, enough of my blathering. Doctor Ishtar wanted one of her students to visit you about this newfound interest in the subject. I volunteered." She glanced down at her chair. A backpack was slung over the back of it. She picked it up, took out a large hardbound book and handed it to Mokuba. "She also wanted to give you this. It's the textbook she prefers to use."

The book, Secrets of the Black Land, was written by someone Mokuba had never heard of, but the introduction, according to the bottom of the front cover, was written by Isis Ishtar herself. He smiled and looked back up at Teresa. "Thanks," he said. "That was nice of you."

"I suppose Doctor Ishtar wants you to attend. The book is expensive, but I don't think you need to worry about that. Still, there you have it. Take a look, see if you're interested. I'm going to be acting as her TA starting next semester, so you'll probably see me there. If you need any help, don't hesitate to ask me."

Teresa winked as she lifted her backpack over her shoulder.

"Doctor Ishtar thinks I'm a misanthrope, but I only hate stupid people."

Mokuba grinned.

"That sounds familiar."


END.


Historical information referenced in this chapter came from two sources:

Ancient Egypt – Lorna Oakes and Lucia Gahlin
Magic and Religion in Ancient Egypt – Rosalie David

Also, in regards to the names of the kings:

I know that Yami's father's name is, in canon, Aknamkanon (or Akhenamkhanon). My choice of the name Akhmenkhuamun is based upon my admittedly rudimentary understanding of the Egyptian language, and is comprised of the words "Akh," "men," "khu," and "Amun."

The word "akh" refers to an abstract concept of death, the "aspect of a person that would join the gods in the underworld being immortal and unchangeable. " Perhaps a part of the soul?
Since, "Menkaura" is said to mean, "Eternal like the souls of Ra," I assume that "men," is a reference to eternity.
"Khu" I've taken from the name "Khnum-Khufu," the full name of Khufu, supposed builder of the Great Pyramid, which means, "The god Khnum protects me."
Lastly, "Amun" is one spelling of a prominent creator god, whose cult was centered in Thebes.

Taken extremely liberally, one could potentially say that this name means, "Soul eternally protected by Amun," although I'm almost positive that that is incorrect, so please take this with a hefty grain of salt.

I've used the name "Akhenaten" for Yami's uncle instead of "Akhenaden," because the similarity of the two names is far too close to be a coincidence. Symbolically, it makes a lot of sense. So there you have it.

Lastly, I've added the popular suffice "-hotep" to Yami's real name because "Atem," by itself, is the name of a creator god. While innumerable kings in Egypt were named after gods, I am unaware of a situation in which the king simply took the name of said god as his own. Thus, Atemhotep, or "Atem is satisfied." This same rationale extends to his successor; Seti/Sethos makes more sense than Seto (in my opinion) because the latter is the Japanese romanization of the name of the god of chaos, Set. By adding an "-i" to it, it changes the meaning of Seto's previous incarnation to, "Man of Set."

Okay. I've rambled on about Egyptian linguistics long enough. I not only accept but embrace any criticism in regards to my research. I'm an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to Egyptology; nothing more.

'Til next time.