Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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It was chaos on the floor.

Panic ignited a fire under the staff as they rushed from room to room checking patients. Nurses forced to call to each other as they checked each patients' vital signs. For now they were safe, each nurse was a touch more relieved as they confirmed whoever they were checking on. Movement in the hallway was barely contained rushes, the squeak of work shoes as they raced through the hallway with well remembered ease.

It was the only sound they could hear, bouncing against the walls towards the group in the hallway. All the emergency flashlights and cellphones lost the glow of their power, and if not for the sake of the patients perhaps some of those nurses would have been screaming. Anzu would have joined in on the screaming once upon a time.

Instead she could only give a sympathetic smile that was lost to the darkness as she heard the staff struggle with their situation. Instead she reached out and rested her fingers against the back of Kaibas' white coat. In her other hand she held onto Mokuba and followed the elder Kaiba through the hospital. Blindly trusting Kaiba's dragons to navigate them to Yugi safely while keeping Mokuba as close to her.

Granted she was no magician or priestess, but there 'was' something she could sense on the edge of the darkness around them. "Kaiba?" If not for the feeling of the coat one would have forgiven her for thinking Kaiba had left, from his lack of reaction. "Is the hospital safe?" She asked in English, leaning closer to him in case there was someone who needed that information who wasn't on their side.

"Inside? Yes." Was the only answer he gave her as he turned a corner and continued down the hallway.

Clarity was found at the bend in the hallway, as she could hear more clearly the staff as they moved about. The rare flash of lightning threw their shadows against the wall, but nothing looked particularly evil in them. 'Yay for small victories', after everything that the Spirit of the Ring had put them through. 'This' was painfully easy.

It was too dark.

The rooms 'needed' to be lit up, the life support systems needed to be running and the darkness slammed a horrible reality into Anzu's mind. "They're dying aren't they?" She asked sounding so small and meek to her ears. Without the machines there were people who were going to die, people who's families wouldn't be here for.

Yugi would be fine, he was more or less sleeping and could survive without the machines for a bit.. But what about everyone else? 'Kaiba brought everyone close back... but that was because of Yugi's death. He won't do it again will he?' She thought before shaking her head. 'What are you saying Anzu? He's exhausted still, even if by some chance he wanted to, I doubt he could.'

But could Kaiba do something if he was worshiped? It was a ridiculous, even insane idea to her. 'Worship Kaiba'? What an ego inflating thought that was! Yet in a situation like this would it work? It wouldn't be inflating his ego to try to empower him to... to what? What was Kaiba's exact 'sphere'? He was Yugi's General in the past, Isis called him a 'Sorcerer' apparently. It was also clear that Mahaado taught Kaiba magic. But 'Mahaado' was the Magician, not the healer, and Kaiba...

"Dr. Iijima? Is that you?" one of the nurses called out, breaking into Anzu's internal thoughts as the two staff members with them were pulled away. What the security guards could be heard moving about as well, more blindly than the staff.

"Big Brother? Can't you call big brother Mahaado? He could help us after all," Mokuba offered at Anzu's side.

"Your brother is a member of royalty," Anzu began when Kaiba stopped abruptly. So abruptly in fact that she walked right into his chest, as he apparently had turned around in the darkness.

"Don't speak his name." It was low, tense, almost a growl of displeasure and one that made Anzu frown. While Mokuba's shock and hurt reaction was telegraphed into her hand as she held his.

"He's a person you have no right-" she began when he cut her off.

"For him, names have power, if you say his name and someone uses it on him he'll be compelled against his will. At least until Yugi is awake, 'do not speak his name in public'."

Suddenly the use of 'Maha' and and 'Magician' became enlightening, even if Yugi had done so out of innocent playfulness. That Kaiba randomly recalled and could inform them was a strong indicator of how important that was. It wasn't like Kaiba was there at the final duel, when the Other Yugi summoned Mahaado and used his real name. In fact how Mahaado came fully to life in that moment! Instead of his vacant stare but emotive or the reverse.

'That would be assassin? Oh no! He's right, if someone found out and somehow called Mahaado through one of the other Dark Magician cards...' She recalled being told about that, how all the Dark Magicians were spirits of their own. But Mahaado could reach through them, so why not go in reverse? What if someone used his name to pull him to one of those copies?!

"Sorry Big Brother," Mokuba replied, not downcast though, having the reason for the correction explained. The boys' tone was apologetic and embarrassed but this was such new grounds for the two of them.

'Of course he's grown attached to Mahaado,' Anzu thought her lips twitching into a half smile in the darkness. 'I wonder how Kaiba feels, knowing his little brother is fond of Yugi's cherished Dark Magician.'

"Hey!"

"Stop!"

Scuffling could be heard in the distance, mens' voices that silenced the nurses in the area. Letting the darkness carry the noise of men struggling off in a darken hallway, the squeak of sneakers on tiled floor. Anzu froze as she tried to figure out where the sound was coming from, Kaiba stopped and probably was doing the same thing. Mokuba's small hand was gripping her hand more tightly now probably as a hold over from how he would hold his brothers' hand.

"Stay with Yugi," Kaiba suddenly ordered as he began moving forward into the darkness. Startling Anzu and Mokuba who both soundly protested.

"Stay? You can't expect us to leave you alone when there's a possible danger here!" Anzu protested. 'Yugi's counting on me look after you both,' she thought stubbornly as she bumped into something smooth yet hard. It couldn't be a wall... then it dawned on her she might have been lead near the nurses station of the floor.

"Big Brother?" Mokuba joined his concerned voice with Anzus' as she reached into the darkness to find the taller teen.

The sound of sharp steps from a pair of boots clipped along the ground as it strode off into the distance. For which the pair immediately took to following in mounting concern. 'I can understand why Kaiba would be concerned. If this guy is our first tangible link to the group that killed Yugi's grandfather and mom then we can't afford to lose him.'

But the guy came after Yugi with a 'knife'. He was serious, or possessed, or seriously possessed... Frustration marred Anzu usual supportive disposition as she ran her hand along the station wall. Ryou was supposed to be the one in charge, but the storm ensured he wouldn't be here, not in time. Malik had been left where ever, but where that was wasn't with his older siblings. Jounouchi was at work and Honda was probably at home. All in all, it was just them and the older Ishtar siblings down below. 'I can't send Mokuba to get them either, he's a kid and he's not leaving his brother.'

Hell she was grateful that he kept a hold of her hand in the dark and didn't just dash into the hospital blindly looking for his brother! Just the possibilities of if someone came after Mokuba. If Kaiba caused a storm because of Yugi, what would he do about Mokuba?

"What do we do? We need the power for the life support system," one of the nurses anxiously voiced a very real concern among the staff. Several other voices joined in their worry as Anzu guided Mokuba.

Anzu couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like, working at the hospital that Kaiba had kind of... Bailed out in the best way possible. All these patients were transfers from other hospitals that could use relief after everyone Kaiba saved was able to go home.

Save Yugi.

But these people from neighboring cities had families of their own, They drove over on what little free time they had to be with their loved ones. Everyone here was now in danger if this strange man had either back up, or could actually summon something.

"Pray to Kaiba?" She offered, partly flippant, but there was a part of her that actually felt that 'was' a good idea.

"Pray? To... Lord Kaiba?" One nurse repeated sounding a touch confused at the suggestion.

"I mean, I love my Big Brother... But..." Mokuba began with a half smile in his tone.

"Yeah but let's remember what your brother did before... and I mean..." Anzu shrugged with her voice low into the darkness. "Maybe he can do something again?"

"You realize how weird that's going to be," Mokuba asked in English with some mirth in his voice.

Anzu didn't even get a chance to reply before she heard the soft familiar sounds of prayer going on in the behind the nurses station.

"I mean, what can he do? Turn the power back on?" Mokuba asked as he pressed himself a little closer to Anzu.

"Or hold back death long enough for the power to restart," Anzu suggested quietly idly as they passed by Yugi's room. 'Yugi please wake up. We need you...'

She felt chills running down her arms when the air was obviously not working, bringing to mind Ryou's spirit helpers. 'We're not alone... but what good can Ryou do from where he is? He can't summon Mahaado.' Frustration began to mount in the back of her mind as she was reminded how she wasn't the strategist of the group.

If only she could summon Dark Magician Girl!

The noise of the floor was suddenly shattered by the sound of a door being slammed open. Hitting a wall, the sound rebounded quickly into the hallway, echoing slightly in the darkness while the voices of men continued. Kaiba's among them and that was all that was needed to galvanize Mokuba into going forward. Even if Anzu wanted to wait or leave Mokuba somewhere safe.

'Ha! 'Safe', where is safe in a hospital where a guy slipped into Yugi's room with a knife? Even if there's no threat from the Kaiba's business life. Yugi's life is still drawing in crazies.' She thought to herself. 'If every hour Yugi sleeps restores a set amount of memories, how many more do you need Yugi?' Anzu wondered again.

She had worked the numbers over and over in her mind and by her roughest of estimations he should have been awake.

The palms of her hand were chilled even when holding Mokuba's hand, yet not the top. Calling to mind the sensation of someone...

Leading her by the hand! The spirits! Not alive, they must have decided to try and help guide her along! Reaching outwards with her empty hand, palm facing down she felt nothing but the stagnant air of the hospital ward before the first wisp of chill. It slid along the pads of her finger tips and along her fingers to her palm. 'Well at least we're not alone,' she thought to herself as she continued to follow the touch.

The back of her hand finally bumped into a chill bit of metal and she reached out to grasp it. Encountering the smooth metallic feel of a bar, the push bar that opened the emergency exit in fact. It would open to a stairwell, explaining the faintly echoing sound from when the men reached this part of the hospital ward.

'Yugi wanted me to look after the Kaibas. I guess I need to do my duty,' Anzu thought to herself as she steeled herself to push open the door. "Mokuba... Do you want us to go after your brother? This won't be like before... Its just us and you know your brothers' situation."

Mokuba was quiet for a moment before he pressed his own hand in front of him and found the door they were standing in front of. "Yeah, I wish my big brothers were here to help Big Brother... but I can't just hide forever right?"

Anzu frowned at that reply, 'I wish I phrased that better.' Regret colored the words before she sighed and pushed on the bar, swinging open the weighted door into what she suspected was the hospital stairwell. The sound of the door echoed more loudly in her ears, taking up the space normally filled with voices. Doctors or nurses being paged having been silenced left her ears ringing from the silence making her feel far more alone than she was.

It also made the pair feel rather small as the door seeming hissed at them as they stepped into the dark stairwell. The temperature in the stairwell was noticably below the rest of the hospital. Sending goosebumps up Anzu's exposed arms and legs that had nothing to do with the spirits that followed Ryou. Even the feeling of space around them felt warped, with the four walls closer yet the ceiling far above.

"How do we know which way they went?" Mokuba asked, his voice distorted...

Anzu frowned at the sound as her mind noted how it warped. 'Sure we're in an different space, but should his voice sound distorted... What if this is a Duel Spirit?' She couldn't rely on the feeling of the spirits, the stairwell was already too cold for that. But she knew how Mokuba 'should' have sounded and there was just this feeling of slanted tone.

"I wonder if they're summoning a Duel Spirit..." Anzu suddenly asked into the darkness.

"Who?" Mokuba asked as he began walking blindly towards where he hoped to find the first set of steps.

Anzu felt him move off, but he didn't let go of Anzu's hand, so she followed him until she bumped into the handrail. "The people after Yugi. Kaiba has made it possible again to summon Duel Spirits, well Ka beasts. But Duel Spirits could be summoned as well given Dark Magician and Kuriboh. So why not the bad guys? They won't be a threat if they can't do similar stuff that the guys can do right?"

"Big Brother is going to face a Duel Spirit?" Mokuba asked, it 'sounded' cool, and at first Mokuba's voice sounded excited. But his enthusiasm tapered off the more he spoke, as though the weight of what was being said was settling down. "On a hospital roof? What about everyone in here? Its not like its Big Brothers' hologram system..." Mokuba realized.

Anzu was left standing in this horrible darkness and stuck at a crossroads she couldn't even see. "Well we can go downstairs and see about getting Isis and Rashid, or we can go upstairs and hope we can help Kaiba."

"Help Big Brother," it was an automatic answer out of Mokuba and he began moving forward with it.

'Well I guess. Worse comes to worst and Kaiba passes out or is hurt, we can help move him...' Anzu reasoned with herself as her toe stubbed into the first step of the stairs. 'Here's to hoping he can just summon Blue Eyes and one shot whatever they have...' It felt like a fools hope though, her thoughts shying away from the one aspect of 'summoning' that neither she or Mokuba gave voice to.

Life Points.

Yugi had told her once that Rashid died because he ran out of 'points' as it were. Kaiba could die too. They could all die.

While the stairs, like open floor space, had a pace easily recognized rather than her thoughts. Once Anzu's brain figured out the size of the steps it was easy to walk up, and when she ran into the flat ground of the platform she knew to turn at a ninety degree angle to ascend higher. The soft squeak of Mokuba's shoes were a gentle grounding to help keep her worry at bay.

Until her feet bumped into something that wasn't a step.

Weighted and kickable.