Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: … Welp here's my 200th chapter. No I don't write a lot...

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Kaiba was walking the length of the stage for the final grand duel.

The stadium was large, easily an American Football team could host their Super Bowl here. It was currently empty with only the chairs as his audience. The dueling stage was up for another row of inspections but those working on that were below. Out of sight... somewhere doing whatever...

Below him, currently looking over the programming code to ensure each hologram works accordingly.

There was a dome overhead that was closed to the sky and the lights above were all on in standard operating system.

Given the random weather patterns that just been 'happening' in Colorado then Japan there was extra focus on satellite feed. 'Just in case', can't have the boss's big event overshadowed by a 'little rain'.

His fingers curled into fists as he stared more intensely at the wires until...

"You're going to make it explode if you keep staring..."

It was Yugi's old polite gentle worded voice but not his modern voice. As easily as it was for him to step in and say whatever, he was silent.

'My inner voice better NOT start trying to become Yugi...'

Resentment? Disappointment? He was 'not' going to feel ashamed over everything! 'I have spent my life building myself up from nothing. I won't be shamed by my methods or the consequences!' he mentally snarled at the Yugi voice.

'But your mother died because you literally are upending the natural order on so many levels.' 'The Yugi' pointed out, 'and its getting worse because by forcing Yugi back into the living world you let Zorc back into the living world too.'

'I did what I had to do...'

'Are you sure about that?'

"Seto?" Mahaado's voice came from somewhere at the back of him. Discreet and cautious he waited patiently for Kaiba to acknowledge his presence. Because if he didn't stop glaring at that light it was going to set fire.

"What?"

Mahaado reported the glare with the same quiet efficiency that set Kaiba's nerves screaming. Used to be Mahaado would just say it, fix whatever Kaiba was about to screw up and be done with it. Even now using 'Seto' was still a formal term, he was accenting the 'o' just enough to reinforce he was saying, essentially, Set O. Or 'Lord Set' using his growing grasp of Japanese to continue this asinine divide between them.

Kaiba turned away and began trying to seek the magician out under the guise of examining his surroundings again.

"Are you willing to explain your anxiety yet? Mokuba was concerned and he doesn't need added stress given what he's gone through recently."

"I'm fine. Mahaado... I don't need you lashing out during this, and there will be a great deal of people here. If its a person or thing, I want an answer." Kaiba growled as he reached up to touch his collar to touch his collar and towards its subtle communication button.

"I will be too busy attending to the Pharaoh's commands on the field to be bothered with that," Mahaado answered simply. Layered in there was the anxiety, the anguish and plaintive wail for someone to protect him.

'I didn't used to understand that,' Kaiba realized as he stood there. He never needed to be protected since his plans had been to protect others. 'Children' in the sense the modern world had didn't match back then. Once a baby was old enough to be of use, they were put to work. Even Yugi's Inner Circle and Mana worked when they were 'children'. Though the modern world would be repulsed by the idea of personal servants and meat shields, that 'was' their duty.

Kaiba wanted to extend the conversation but there was only so much he could do standing alone on the dueling field. "Manifest yourself in a proper manner."

He bit his tongue out of self inflicted spite as he felt Mahaado's presence move back from him. Kaiba glanced coldly over at where the feeling stopped moving and watched as Mahaado manifested himself into the visible world. Straight into modern clothes, the styles and cuts that Kaiba had recommended, and walked back.

Mahaado looked good in that cut, professional and with his hair brushed back, it wasn't long enough to clip without going extremely feminine and he wasn't a man bun type. Well...

Professional expectation was the expression on Mahaado's face but so long as he was here and visible...

"Ok... What happened. Why were you sent to play with those idiots?" He finally asked once the magician was closer than ear shot.

"They were displeased with Lady Mai's presence in your event... though I fail to see how Lady Wong was allowed to go unbothered..." Mahaado explained, he had his walking stick and his fingers gently stroked the top. It was an illusion of his magician staff, but that was obviously not going to work in this environment. But the smooth sides were a comfort as he looked about before settling his gaze back onto Kaiba. "I am aware that there are few women who openly compete in this game, but why not bother Lady Wong? Am I missing some modern reference?"

"In the business world its always good to have contacts, the more the better. Her presence here is much like that, seeking contacts in all areas." Kaiba explained as he resumed walking the length of the field.

"But what is her 'business' is she not an actress?" Mahaado asked... "Is it truly just finding a suitor?"

"Well that 'can' be a business..." Kaiba began slowly. "And her current attempts have also been directed towards myself and Yugi so..."

"... Lady Anzu will not take that well," Mahaado noted, the soft sound of his walking cane tapping on the ground began to fade into the air as they walked.

"Which is why Kujaka is posing as Yugi's fiancee." Kaiba agreed.

"Posing? You mean she isn't?"

…

Kaiba's train of thought crashed into the train station, the passengers were violently upended from their seats. Screaming in alarm and panic as they were flung against the walls of his mind! Meanwhile the station walls were destroyed as the train kept going indifferent to the sudden presence of a solid thought. "What?"

"I... thought that Lady Mai was making a statement of fact... perhaps a betrothal that took place before my... um... awaken..." Mahaado stopped walking, and instead planted both his hands on the top of his walking cane and looked away. The rolling energy coming off of Kaiba could easily have started another storm...

"You just recognized that 'Lady Anzu will not take that well'..." Kaiba pointed out in their native Kemet tongue. No he wasn't going to use Japanese 'or' English for this conversation! Not when there was a chance of a full snowman in HELL of someone knowing enough to find out what they were talking about. His thoughts were still a bit scattered and trying to crawl back onto the train.

"People still have harems in this day and age... I figured that Lady Mai, with her age and experience, would just be the Great Queen... And..." Kaiba had stopped walking, his eyes had shut and Mahaado was pretty sure that his assessment must have been wrong for that response.

'Yugi I want a word with you.'

'No.'

'Yugi.'

'The 'word' you are getting from me is 'No'.'

Kaiba stood there for a moment, he wasn't going to rub his face, he was going to stand there. Be firm, and wonder what the hell he did to deserve 'this'. Mother dying? Understandable. Forced to endure Gozoboros' 'upbringing'? It wasn't as though Kaiba was a saint before or after... 'This?'

"Yugi isn't going to form a harem Mahaado."

"But there are so many woman who would..." Ahh Kemet, Mahaado relaxed a touch as he had far more versatility when speaking in his native tongue! As many times as Mahaado had watched the Pharaoh run away from a surprising number of people... It wasn't dignified and their elders would have been terribly disappointed if they stilled lived in the palace. Though on the other hand, the Pharaoh did not have the plethora of bodyguards to look after him as Kaiba did. The Pharaoh even seemed a touch amused when he was forced to run...

Perhaps people watching 'was' the best option. But not everyone lived the lives that the Pharaoh now did or what Kaiba was used to?

"Mahaado... This isn't the world you know anymore, and he's not going to 'have' multiple wives..." Kaiba began slowly. There was this slight awkwardness that Kaiba felt. Mahaado seemed to sway between recognizing Yugi as God and still treating him like a normal human with the expectations of nobility on him.

A worrisome sign given the bond between person and duel spirit, Yugi was still summoning Kuriboh for Mokuba and himself. 'Great the universe is currently dealing with the 'cuddly' edition of God...'

Yet Mahaado was upset about something and refusing to talk about it. Whatever it was, Yugi knew and Kaiba felt this growing concern that it would influence Yugi. Given the magician didn't reply Kaiba resigned himself to try and force the conversation. 'Not that I can push too hard, after all Mahaado is scared of me too...'

That acknowledgment rose up as bile through Kaiba's gut to his throat. Yes he could, essentially, bully Mahaado into telling him what he wanted to know. Only for it to negatively impact Yugi in some fashion possibly...

"So you went and played with the 'guests' who would have tormented Kujaka..." Kaiba clarified as he pulled them back onto the original topic.

"Yes, illusions of all manners, but I made sure not to disturb the natural order of those around them..."

"And returned those food carts to their nations of origin I expect," Kaiba added, having heard about the noodle cart.

"Yes, though Lady Wong was rather stubborn in attempting to pursue it. I suppose the food the man made was extraordinarily good. I regret not being able to sample some of it," Mahaado expressed as he recounted the day.

"So what is it about the reason for your fear that you don't just 'play' with them as well? You are literally existing under the providence of God. You are very well aware of how the Little Prince is going to react if someone hurts his Maha. We could very well be wiped out of existence. So how is it possible that you could be scared?"

Mahaado was looking away, past the stage, rows of seats or even the walls of the building. He was so perfectly still, that Kaiba actively felt the magician slip away. Nothing but an illusion of the Duel Spirit instead of his actual presence.

'Seriously? You're going to run away?'

The CEO stood there and tried to figure out who in the world would inspire this in Mahaado. The mage had faced a violent death, been killed repeatedly as part of the game, spent thousands of years sleeping in his tablet waiting for Yugi. Yet someone existed that generated this much fear in the man? Kaiba wasn't pleased.

'It can't be those idiots working for the demon...' but the Dark Magician card wasn't a rarity like Blue Eyes. 'So there is always a possibility that he's picking up on whatever copies those idiots have...' A thought that had never occurred to him at the time finally roused up. After all it 'would' make sense that they would feed back into 'him' the way his state would feed into Yugi...

'I never even thought of that,' the realization was unsettling. It would force the Dark Magician into a higher tier of rarity if the other cards were destroyed...

"Mahaado I want to know more about those other versions of you." Kaiba instructed as he began to itemize all the questions he had. While the illusion became the spirit once more and turned to face him.

"What about them?"

"Do you experience what they experience? Either as cards being used in the game or being used by this group?" Kaiba asked in Japanese, as much as it would pain him to discuss this around potential ears. The reality was that they were going to be walking among strangers and English and Japanese were very unique sounding languages compared to Kemet. A person could easily confusion American and European forms of English, or Japanese with Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese or such. But Kemet?

"When I choose, I can cut myself off from it when I wish. That said, they have been... There are issues currently..." Mahaado began slowly as he went back into using Japanese. Kaiba stayed silent, as they walked with expectation beginning to outweigh the noise of families outside. "There are those that, knowing I am staying with the Pharaoh, have been trying to force me to answer their summons. While there are those that are trying to reach my original Ka..."

"Can they? Can the Magician of Black Chaos be summoned 'and' controlled by someone else?" Kaiba asked in genuine surprise. It had been ages since he thought of that particular Ka, having never seen it, he had only heard whispers of it.

"Its a Ka, no different than myself or Blue Eyes White Dragon honestly." Mahaado pointed out while the families drifted along. Many recognized Kaiba and while some pointed or openly stared others did so with a great deal more discretion.

"But its 'your' Ka. How would that even work with your own Ka apart from you being controlled by someone else?" Kaiba pointed out, Mahaado had a limit in terms of power in the game, Magician of Black Chaos exceeded him so what would happen in terms of Ka?

"I... do not know, outside of myself and your Blue Eyes there are no other Ka's that share our situation." Mahaado confessed as he walked. It was a shaved off part of a human soul, so would it be reabsorbed? Could it be? If he encountered his original Ka could he reabsorb it into himself? With that power he could...

Mahaado slammed down on the thought so hard he was sure someone heard it.

"So what happened to the tablet that held that Ka? Given that Pegasus made a card for it, it would mean that it had been found correct?" Kaiba asked but was surprised when Mahaado shook his head.

"No, it was never found, thus I can not tell you what inspired him to create a card based on a Ka he never saw... Unless it was some residual from encountering my tablet," Mahaado explained. "Master had never placed it in the Temple of Tablets..." he explained.

Though 'how' he explained it got Kaiba's eyebrow raised, while not exactly tripping over the Japanese sentences, Mahaado was clearly not happy. 'Still thinking of his master sends him into fear...' Kaiba mentally shook his head in annoyance and disappointment.

"Do you want the Ka back?" Kaiba asked finally earning a small shrug from Mahaado.

"I would like it back yes, but I would not actively seek it out. Given how things are in this age..." Mahaado confessed quietly. Above the trees rustled with the touch of breeze, a sensation that he missed. A cool breeze across the skin, or the cooling touch of water on a hot day. The children enjoyed such fruits and foods, Mokuba had tried to help him by describing it. Only Mahaado had forgotten what food tasted like in general and could only just politely nod.

'What would you do?' Kaiba wanted to ask, but it was invasive and he couldn't bring himself to do it. Mahaado would be whole with his full Ka restored, he would possibly evolve into the person he would have been had it not been taken.

Or go bat shit insane with the amount of power restored to him coupled with the weight of all the abuse he had been subjected too...