Chapter 11

An email pinged in Ishizu's inbox. She was sitting at the hotel rooftop bar enjoying her wine and the city view as the city lights started to flicker on, sparking out into the night as darkness fell on Domino City. Pegasus and Kaiba were both scheduled to meet her soon to discuss the problem at hand. As much as Seto Kaiba wanted to deflect his responsibility to the missing Millennium Items, his overturning of Kul Elna had created an opportunity for evil to steal away with powerful ancient relics.

"That sounds like a personal problem for you, Ishizu. Why are you trying to make it my problem?" She could see Kaiba scoffing at her through the phone. Ishizu had to remind him of his responsibility to his employees, treacherous or not. It had taken Mokuba jumping into the conversation for Kaiba to finally agree to meet with her and Pegasus. She wasn't expecting him to acknowledge that he had made a mistake trying to revive Pharaoh Atem, but she did expect him to keep the reputation of Kaiba Corporation immaculate.

Another ping sounded from her email's inbox.

Opening her laptop to get a better view than that from her phone she read both emails.

The subject head on the first read DNA PROFILING TEST RESULTS: MOUTO

Very eager to read the results she clicked on that email and speed-read until she found what she was looking for,

Characteristics are remarkably similar...chances of a direct lineage NOT being of similar origin are 0.00000000013%...

A comparison of the DNA profiles of YUGI MOUTO and SAMPLE A does support the hypothesis that YUGI MOUTO is related to the donator of SAMPLE A. Based on testing results obtained from analysis of the DNA loci listed in the technical data, the probability of trace paternity lineage is 99% similar…

So there it was in digital black and white.

Ishizu was ecstatic about these findings and she was sure that Yugi would be as well. It proved her theory that Yugi was a direct descendant of Pharaoh Atem. Which brings the question, who was the mother? If Atem had managed to sire an heir before he died in the battle against Zorc, what happened to them after he died? Had Pharaoh Seti cared for them?

Without corroborating evidence, all of her questions only gave circumspect and speculative answers. Somehow, a crown prince or princess had been born from Atem and had escaped the possibility of death during his battle against the Shadow Realm. Ishizu could formulate that Atem saw the writing on the wall regarding his impending death against the enemy and had ensured that his child and his or her mother could escape. Thus, giving them a chance to survive and live past him into future generations. That child then had children and grandchildren and so on and so on until the line of an Egyptian king would eventually be found in a Japanese national thousands of years later.

Ishizu now knew that it was no coincidence that Yugi had inherited the Puzzle pieces and had been the one to put them together for the first time in millennia. It seems that Atem had placed a governor clause over the Puzzle itself, one that would only allow a descendant of his to be able to solve the Puzzle. No one else could possibly complete it. Yugi's duel against Ryuji and his father had proven that anyone else who tried to assemble the Puzzle would descend into madness. It also invalidated the possibility of Yugi being a descendant of a chance sexual encounter or born from some ancient mistress. Only a crown prince or princess could inherit and pass on the ability to solve the Puzzle, Atem would have made sure of it.

All of this was only theory, but Ishizu felt sure that she was correct. It made sense in her mind and it also explained how Yugi and the Pharaoh had looked so similar.

Yugi Mouto in the most liberal sense was a Prince of Egypt. Had the line of kings lasted into the modern era, Yugi may have found himself as Pharaoh in another life.

Ishizu hmm'd to herself. She was impressed by Pharaoh Atem's intelligence and attention to detail. He had been a cunning and judicious man, one that assured his own return into the modern era through his children. She had witnessed his craft and cunning first-hand during Battle City. She had seen him keep calm despite facing giants, monsters, and gods.

Taking a sip of her drink she clicked on her computer. The second email in her inbox had been from the technician who had completed the DNA analysis.

Ishizu,

Where did you find this Yugi Mouto?! This is an amazing find! We have veritable proof that descendants from ancient kings exist today. I don't have to remind you that this is the first time we have ever met a modern descendant from one of the ancient Pharaohs! Call me when you return to Cairo, we must discuss this in person.

-Abbas

Ishizu had no intention of pursuing the subject of Yugi's DNA further with anyone outside of their inner network. There would be no books or scientific articles written, no announcements or museum appearances for Yugi or anyone else. She would have to let Abbas down easy.

She wished had thought of this theory before Atem had left for the afterlife. It may have warmed his heart to know that there more than ancient relics had survived him. It may have given him comfort that his son or daughter had lived. Regretting missed opportunities, Ishizu's mind turned towards Yugi. Sharing the news with him had been more difficult than she had expected. She considered Yugi a friend and he was right in assuming that her proposition would place him and his loved ones in danger. Anytime the Shadow Realm was brought into this world, there were always casualties. Yugi could very well face death again, but this time without the support of Pharaoh Atem.

But the time had already come when Yugi had surpassed his predecessor. Yugi would only develop experience and skill the more time he spent growing and fighting against the Shadows. Yugi was probably the only one who could help her track the missing pieces. He was pivotal to solving the problem. He was probably the only one who could help her dismantle and eradicate the Millennium Items forever.

She prayed that she was right.

"Ms. Gray," A thick-necked thug grabbed the woman's attention. The woman had been looking at herself in her compact mirror, placing ruby red lipstick on her lush lips. She flicked her blue eyes at the man, snapped her mirror shut, and gave him a provoked look. The thug's name was Hendricks and he was an unconventional unicorn in this line of work. Hendricks was large, muscled, intimidating, and very intelligent. He was very astute in determining her needs and wants in the underground empire that she had built and was experienced in the type of violence her business sometimes prescribed.

"Hendricks," she said. "What is it?"

Her voice was soft and deep. She was beautiful, like a desert flower growing in the midst of death and barren ugliness. Her hair was a flaming red and was currently pulled back in an ornate braid.

"One of the…pieces has started to react to something,"

"Oh?" she said, rising from her seat. "Which one?"

Hendricks stood aside to let her pass him as she led the way to the vault. The vault itself was a large walk-in safe, one that required both a retina scan, pin number, and revolving lock. It was guarded by two other thugs, chosen for their intimidating stature. Their aggressive stance was amplified by the large automatic rifles in their hands.

"The necklace," Hendricks said. He knew she had a special interest in that particular item.

Unlocking the three lock methods, Gray entered into the walk-in safe. A low thrum had filled the intimate space. The closer they got to the source, the louder it sounded. It reminded Gray of a cat's purr.

Sure enough, upon opening the lockbox that housed the three Millennium Items the necklace was glowing at the eye's center. Curious as to what could have caused such a reaction, she reached into the container and pulled out the necklace. It felt warm to the touch.

It only took a second.

The moment her hand touched the braided gold, an image, no—a vision of someone taking the Millennium items from her grasp appeared in her mind.

He had wrenched the Millennium necklace from her hands and was yelling at her. He was handsome and held a ferocity in his eyes that both excited and enraged her. "Don't you understand! They have to be destroyed!" The man turned away from her, but she jumped at him trying to twist the necklace away from his hands. They struggled, two people wrestling desperately trying to win against the other. The other man was bigger than her and was able to subdue her, pinning her against the wall with his body weight.

"Don't you see?" He said, imploring her. His eyes were begging for her to understand.

Hendricks appeared behind the man, his arms snaking into a chokehold around her opponent's throat. The man dropped his weight and twisted his head, managing to save his airway and keep it open. The man jabbed his elbow into Hendrick's ribs as she pulled out her trusted knife to assist Hendricks against the man. He managed just barely to escape and the knife fell from her hands as the man kicked at her. Succeeding in freeing himself by ramming the back of his head into Hendrick's nose, he pushed him away. The man went for the blade. Gray and the man wrestled, tussled on the floor like a twisted show of lovemaking trying to keep the knife out of each other's hands. But he was bigger than her and Hendricks was struggling to breathe as blood poured down the back of his throat from his broken nose. He was no help to her now. The man would eventually succeed over her.

"Stop!" He yelled at her desperately. "Just let it go, Amara!"

Finally, getting out of her grasp and taking the knife and necklace away from her he turned to run. She refused to let him go so easily, she chased him and attempted to tackle him to the ground.

When she did, he turned at her at just the precisely wrong moment and stabbed her in her belly. She could tell from his stunned, horrified reaction that it was an accident. He hadn't meant to stab her, he had probably just meant to push her away, but the blade had still found its way into her flesh and was tearing at her insides. The horror on his face as he killed her was almost comical.

"Yugi," she murmured in his ear as she collapsed. Her legs could no longer hold her up. It felt as if all of her nerves had been severed. He let everything drop from his hands including the necklace and tried to catch her. She fell into him, blood staining his shirt. Blood was starting to seep into her mouth.

"Yugi, you bastard,"

"Ms. Gray!" Hendricks was shaking her shoulder. Amara Gray was leaning against the table. The Millennium necklace was wrapped in her vice-grip, the gold dug painfully into her palm helping her to burn the images into her mind.

"Are you ok?" Hendricks was holding her shoulders, trying to keep her from falling. She gasped, afraid from what she had seen.

She was playing the events that happened in her mind slowly, trying to analyze every second. She had known the man in her vision, seen the purple eyes that looked on in horror at her as he killed her. She had known his name and he had known hers. Few people called her by her given name. This man had known who she was, perhaps intimately. She had seen recognition and anguish in his eyes over her. It had hurt him to see her dying.

"Yugi,"

Yugi was the young man's name, she didn't currently know any Yugi's.

That was about to change.

"I am fine," she snapped. Finding that her legs could hold her up, she patted her belly where the knife had gone in from her vision. There was no wound, no blood to be seen, but she felt the hot cutting sensation still in her flesh.

So the rumors were true about the Millennium Items. It seemed that they were much more valuable than she had previously thought.

"I need you to find someone, Hendricks," she said as she collected herself. They walked out of the vault together. By the time other eyes looked upon her, she was perfectly collected again, poised and ready to strike like a desert cobra. Looking down at the necklace, she now felt rooted to it as if she shouldn't ever let it go from her site. She put it on. The Millennium necklace had a new owner now.

"What's the name?" Hendricks said, pulling out his notepad and pen, poised to write.

"Yugi," she said. She rattled off his physical description and Hendricks took detailed notes.

"What do you want me to do when I find him?" He asked. He already knew what she wanted.

"Report what you find to me," she said. She'd be damned if some person was going to stab her to death. She could only guess at the relationship her future self and this Yugi person had in this future time. Yugi was taller than her, handsome, had unique eyes, was well-built and fit, and his voice was a deep brassy tone that had made her shiver. He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties. There was kindness in his eyes, but also a fierce determination. Would this Yugi become an associate of hers? A friend? A lover? Speculative, it was all speculative and didn't matter anyway, but…but a nagging sensation irritated her.

He had known her. And then he had killed her.

"Gather as much information about him as you can," she said, barking orders.

Hendricks grunted in accession.

"And when I tell you to, you kill him,"

Yugi dragged Amy's cello out of the trunk of the car, happy to see it go. All of them, Yugi, Amy, Anzu, his grandpa, and their friends were converging on the airport to wish Anzu and Amy farewell as they took the long trip to New York. Amy gave everyone, even Sugoroku, a goodbye hug. Squeezing Anzu's hand, Amy said, "See you inside," Amy was being kind, giving Anzu space to say goodbye to the friends she was leaving behind in Japan. Turning around and waving, she yelled at Yugi.

"Thanks for the duel, Yugi!" she yelled. "It was a great match!"

Yugi gave her a thumbs-up and a smile.

"Don't your parents want to say goodbye, Anzu?" Sugoroku asked, inquisitive as to their absence.

"They're flying out to New York next week for a work conference that my dad is attending. I'll see them soon enough. Besides, we said our goodbyes this morning,"

Yugi was secretly thankful for this.

Anzu took the time to give each of her friends a personalized goodbye hug or high five. They laughed together, thankful for their time with her.

"Well," she said, grabbing her carry-on and suitcase. "I guess that's it, for now,"

Giving Yugi a lasting look, they smiled at each other. To the others, it looked as if they were communicating telepathically. Whatever had changed between them seemed to have fixed the awkwardness, much to Jounochi's relief.

"When I get my new number, I'll be in touch," she said as she started to pull away from her small tribe. "I have to get my email sorted out too,"

"If we get a random text or email, we promise not to immediately block it," Jounouchi said smiling.

"Since when do you block numbers, Jou?" Honda joked. "I thought you were still having phone se—

Jounouchi clapped his hand over Honda's mouth to keep him from spilling anything further.

"Se—se, sessions! Phone sessions! With amateur duelists, teaching them the ropes. You know, helping the future generation of duelists and all that, heh heh…" Jounouchi said as his face went beet red.

Choosing to ignore the potentially gross revelation, everyone turned their attention back to Anzu.

"Stay in touch," she said. She meant the sentiment to be for everyone but found that she was only looking at Yugi.

"I promise," he said.

They watched her leave. Running to catch up to Amy, Anzu dragged her bags and disappeared into the crowd of airport travelers.

So this is it…Yugi thought sadly. The woman he loved and had let go was really gone. He suddenly wished that he had not turned her down. That he should have thrown caution to the wind and continued kissing her, confusion of her feelings for him be damned.

I should have kissed her goodbye. You're a fool Yugi Mouto.

Perhaps after some time and distance, Yugi might be able to trust that her feelings had changed. Hope blossomed in his chest and he couldn't help but smile as airplanes and the hustle and bustle of a busy airport loomed around him and his friends.

…

Over the next several weeks, Yugi spent time finalizing his moving plans with Jounouchi and Honda. He had been so overwhelmed by the coming changes, that he hadn't realized so much time had passed since saying goodbye to Anzu. The emptiness of Anzu's absence was filled with his other responsibilities that demanded his immediate attention. When he informed his family that they were moving out he had gotten mixed reactions. From his mother, there was a bit of reluctance and gradual acceptance, but from his grandfather, he got nothing but overzealous excitement.

"You're moving out? Wonderful! Let me help you pack,"

His grandfather had taken it far too well. Yugi's mind went to images of his grandfather turning his old bedroom into storage or...worse.

"Uh, can I keep a few things in my old room?" Yugi asked his mother.

"Of course!" Kaoru said before Sugoroku could object.

Yugi's salary from the game store wouldn't cover his rent completely so he had to make other plans for a more permanent income. He could join the professional dueling circuits with Jounouchi, but they both had the same problem of timing. Finding the right job to cover his expenses until then would be a challenge. He was too proud to ask his family to help. It didn't seem right to ask them to help him cover his rent after telling him he was leaving.

He also had to figure out how he was going to start looking for the missing Millennium Items. Marik's clues had only led to dead ends and Ishizu hadn't been in contact since then. She also hadn't told him any news about the DNA test she was running. How long did those things take anyway?

He was looking at the classifieds, looking for something that would be a good fit for him as a second job when he got a phone call from a number with a +1 international code that he didn't recognize. Hoping it was Anzu having finally gotten her American number he answered immediately.

"Hello?" He said into the phone in English. Anzu?

"Hello, Yugi Mouto?" came a male American voice. Definitely not Anzu.

"Yes," He said, trying not to sound too disappointed.

"My name is Ryan Graffit, I am a writer for ESPN's E-sports magazine. I was wondering if I could talk to you about a piece we're doing about dueling. Would you have time available to do an extensive interview?"

What was an extensive interview?

"Uh, how much time do you need for this interview?"

"Oh! Not long," Ryan said, excited over the phone. Getting Yugi to say yes would do a lot for his career. "An hour, possibly less. I must say, you don't seem surprised that I am contacting you,"

"There were rumors," Yugi said.

"Ah, well. They were true! I'm flying out to Japan to conduct the interview. Our magazine will need a few pictures too if you don't mind,"

"You're coming to Japan?" Yugi thought that this would have been an easy over-the-phone interview or a video conference. I guess not, if they need pictures.

"Well, it is an extensive interview,"

"Well, I—

"We'd pay you of course, for your time. I'm sure someone like you has a lot of people to see and duels to win,"

He didn't. But that wasn't this man's business.

"Pay?"

"Well, of course!" Ryan said, excited again. Yugi had a ludicrous picture in his mind of an American journalist bouncing up and down at his office desk. "You can't book time with Yugi Mouto and not expect to pay him for his time,"

"Right," Yugi said, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. He was trying to see if this interview payment could cover some of his utility bills. When Ryan gave him the amount over the phone, Yugi quickly tried to do a mental exchange rate of American dollars to yen.

For a moment or two, Yugi thought this guy was pranking him. He wanted to give Yugi how much?!

"Are you kidding me?" Yugi asked. "Who pays someone that much for an interview?"

Apparently, ESPN did.

Ancient Egypt

The day Atem turned fourteen marked a milestone in his reign as prince of Egypt. Vassals, dignitaries, governors, nobles, princesses, and queens all made trips to formally introduce themselves or their daughters before the young prince. The already spotless palace was scrubbed from top to bottom, and decorations that had been collecting dust were removed from storage and placed in strategic places. Dancers, musicians, magicians, and artists tuned their trades and performed in the palace daily, awaiting the influx of company and audience.

All of the fanfare was because, at fourteen, Prince Aknatem was expected to court a potential bride and marry before his sixteenth birthday.

What a waste of time…Atem thought nastily. He had more important things on his mind. His father had taken his tutelage as Pharaoh even more seriously than he had before. What little free time he had was quickly spent. He didn't have much free time to enjoy anymore. There were many days when he collapsed in his bed, too tired to even change out of his clothes or doff his gear. There was one advantage to his new commission. Aknatem had found a new and worthwhile candidate who was willing to give him a challenge. Seti had indeed proven to be a remarkable and worthy opponent in any game or provocation. Their favorite game to play was Hounds and Jackels, a game of cunning and skill. When that didn't seem to satiate their ferocious need to prove themselves, they upped the ante and dueled using their heka. Summoning monsters to train and cultivate their ba and ka, they met every few weeks to challenge one another.

Seti didn't pull any punches because he was the prince. This fact alone excited and delighted Atem.

"Masterful," From Seti, this one word was a standing ovation. Atem had just beaten him in a duel and was pleased to see that Seti always had that cocky grin, win or lose. Seti wasn't kissing his ass. Atem had long since realized that Seti was not one to mince words or falsely aggrandize anyone, except for the Pharaoh. So far, Atem was the only one who could triumph against Seti's skills. Atem recognized the new high priest as an arrogantly honest man.

Seti was an asshole, but an honest asshole.

"You had me there for a while," Atem said. "I thought I was going to lose,"

"Your Highness!" A servant ran to him, quickly bowed, and while trying to regain his breath he managed to huff out, "The Pharaoh asks for your presence,"

"Again?" He asked, he had just left his father an hour ago. If his father wanted to flaunt another courtier for him, he would take his time getting to the throne room.

The servant looked uncomfortable.

"Fine, tell Pharaoh I will be there momentarily,"

Nodding, the servant boy left.

Seti dismissed himself from the prince's presence and Atem made a point of taking the long way to the throne room. He needed to take the opportunity to just…breathe. Sauntering his way to the orchard he found a bench, laid down, stretched his hands behind his head, and propped up his feet. Above him, the trees were dancing in the wind. Shadows and light danced to and fro on his face, giving him the vague sense that he was being hypnotized. He rested his eyes and thought of the girls and women he had met so far. They did not fill him with any yearning. They were beautiful, most of them, but he knew most (all) of them were there for his money or his proximity to power. Egypt was a wealthy and powerful nation, unsurpassed in military might and naval warfare. The peacetime it was currently experiencing was only because of the master political maneuvers of his father. Most of them didn't even look like they wanted to be in Egypt, much less rule it as queen.

Then there was Mana…

The kiss they had shared had been a surprise, but a welcome one. He still didn't know what to do about it. It had been weeks and they hadn't brought it up again after their talk in the garden. He liked it, but he wasn't sure if it was because it was his first kiss, or if it was because of Mana. He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he was not someone who was comfortable living in uncertainties. He wanted to make sure. It was so strange to think of a girl that he had known for nearly his whole life in the romantic sense. Thinking of his first kiss with her made a warm sensation churn in his chest.

Mana is a very pretty girl.

He was smart enough to know that, at least.

When did everything get so fucking complicated…

He wished he could talk to her again, but he had been busy and she had been as well, under Mahado's careful training as her new master. He wondered if the fight between them had ever resolved. He hadn't had any time to talk with either of them lately.

I miss my friends…

Mana and Mahado had not resolved their disagreement. Other than what was strictly necessary, they did not speak or spend time together. They avoided each other's eyes because when they met, Mana just glared at him. She had even refused to call him 'Master' out of spite. She had never gone this long without spending time with either Prince Aknatem or Mahado and she was starting to feel isolated and lonely. The flaunting of the beautiful girls and women in front of the prince at court was not helping her mood. She had never felt jealous before and didn't like the feeling it gave her in the pit of her stomach. Her stomach growled.

Jealously wasn't the only thing in the pit of her stomach.

Hungry, she scouted out the nearest source of food for a quick snack. Smelling the sweet apple blossoms she wandered into the orchard looking for an apple. The ladders were gone, all of the fruit that had fallen on the ground had already been collected and the choicest fruits on the lower branches seemed out of reach. She attempted to summon one to her by magic, but finding that her tank was empty, her only choice was to try and reach for one. She was eyeing the perfect apple, but couldn't quite get to it no matter how high she jumped.

As much as Atem enjoyed watching her, he couldn't let her struggle anymore. Mana was talking to the apple, trying to will it down by logic.

"Come here, you—

Another hand appeared from over her shoulder. Aknatem took the apple she was reaching for and handed it to her. She recognized his presence before she even turned around.

"Here you go, Mana," Prince Aknatem gave her a friendly smile. He was happy to see her. He felt warm when she turned and seemed just as delighted to see him.

"Thank you, prince," she said gratefully, biting into the apple.

Atem opened his mouth to speak to her, but the sound of approaching footsteps stopped him. Turning around, he saw Mahado walking up to them.

"Your Highness," he said in greeting.

"Let me guess," Atem said with disapproval. "My father asked you to inquire about me?"

Of course, he did. Atem thought irritably.

Mahado's expression turned fearful and he ran straight at Atem, knocking him over faster than he could blink. Atem barely had time to brace for impact before he was on the ground. – What the hell? – A convulsing howl of pain and Mana's crying sounded throughout the orchard. Turning over on the ground, Atem saw an asp slither away from their trio into the taller grass. Atem grabbed the arm that Mahado had been clutching and gave it a quick once-over.

"Mahado, are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me," Mahado said. Being bitten by an Egyptian asp was almost always a death sentence. Their venom was potent and painful to the victim. Mahado sat, resigned that at least he had kept the prince from being bitten

"Don't move," Atem ordered.

"Mana, go get help. Now!" Atem snapped her out of shock. She ran into the palace, hoping to find the nearest surgeon or priest.

The arm was bad. Where the two puncture marks were, Mahado's flesh was already growing into a massive red and purple bulge. His forearm started to swell to the size of a large grapefruit. Taking his belt, Atem wrapped it around Mahado's upper arm, twisting it until it became a tourniquet.

"Wha— Mahado murmured in pain.

Without further hesitation, the prince took Mahado's forearm and started to suck at the wound. In a synchronous rhythm, Aknatem was sucking the poison out, spitting, and trying again to get out more poison. The venom made his tongue go numb and his teeth itch. The saliva in his mouth started to congeal, nearly making him gag.

"No! My Prince. The future Pharaoh needn't do this—

If Prince Aknatem ingested any of the poison, he could die and it would be Mahado's fault.

"You were bit by a snake. I'm getting the poison out. Now shut up, quit fighting me, and let me save your life, you idiot!"

Sweat started to sprout on Mahado's brow. Atem had to work fast before the venom spread up his arm into his heart. Atem both felt and saw Mahado's pulse quicken, It reminded him of a galloping horse.

"Prince Aknatem! Mahado!"

Several priests and priestesses formed a circle around the two boys. It seemed that Mana's hysterics had brought in the right people.

"He was bitten by an asp. I think I got out most of the poison," Atem said through parted breaths. Stepping back, he watched as a worried group of adults surrounded Mahado. During their ministrations, Atem wandered over to the fountain and splashed his face into the water. Taking extra time to rinse out his mouth, he desperately tried to stop himself from vomiting.

"He needs medicine," Aknadin said, picking up the boy he handed him off to the more braw priest, Karim. Running, Karim slung Mahado over his shoulder and darted to the medical bay. They were followed by the others, leaving the prince behind with his uncle and Mana. Mana's face was still streamed with tears, but she had ceased crying out loud. She let out a small hiccup and her hands were shaking. Shaking off the excess water from his face, Atem watched as Mahado was carted away and he silently prayed to whoever would listen for Mahado's life.

"What about you Prince Aknatem?" Aknadin said. He kneeled on both knees to look directly into his eyes. "Are you alright, my boy?"

"Uncle," Atem said, slightly uncomfortable by his proximity. He had never been completely at ease around him, "I am fine,"

"I will feel better when you take some medicine as well,"

"I didn't ingest any venom," Atem reasoned. He was sure he hadn't, but he could use some potent alcohol to rid his mouth of the horrid taste. The saliva in his mouth was turning into jelly making him nauseous and it churned his stomach.

"Humor an old man," He said, not taking no for an answer. Atem finally nodded, but looking at Mana he paused.

"Uncle, I'll be right there,"

Aknadin stared at him for only a second then turned and left. His look told him, 'You better be there soon,'

When they were left alone. Atem took Mana's hands in his trying to still her trembling. Her hands were freezing and her breathing was rapid.

"I- I can't believe…Will he die?"

Atem couldn't let her go there.

"Mana, look at me,"

Tears formed in her eyes again but the threat of crying was temporarily abated. She looked at him and he tried to interpret her thinking. She looked like she was overwhelmed and had no idea what to say or do. Atem could relate, but unlike Mana, he didn't have the luxury of freezing. He was always required to move, to act. – Wait, did Mana get bitten? — Lightning in his heart filled him with fear. Desert cobras injected enough venom to kill multiple people. They were fully capable of biting more than one person and were capable of causing massive damage.

"Were you bitten?" He asked quickly.

"Was I— No, I wasn't,"

"You're sure?"

She nodded. He still gave her a cursory glance, looking her over until he was satisfied she wasn't hurt.

"Mahado will be ok," He said. He could see that she needed to hear those words, but the levee that was holding back her tears started to fall apart and her lip trembled.

"How do you know?"

"I know it to be true. I need you to trust me."

"O-Oh, Okay," She broke then, overloaded with guilt and shame at how she and Mahado had treated each other recently. If she had taken the effort to go to the kitchen to eat instead of the orchard…If she had enough magic to bring the apple down to her instead of Aknatem reaching for it, then the snake wouldn't have been agitated…If, if, if, if…

"Prince. I'm scared,"

What if this was the last encounter she had with her cousin? They had been so cold to each other for weeks on end. He had said awful things to her, but she shouldn't have slapped him. She had never raised a hand to him before. What if that was the last thing he remembered about her?

"I know," Atem said. He was frightened for Mahado too, but didn't vocalize it out loud. He thought that it might be cruel to say that to her.

Atem took her hands to his mouth and breathed into her fingers, trying to warm her. Without even thinking about it, he kissed her fingers and her palm. Neither of them noticed the intimate gesture. Turning, he dragged Mana behind him away from the orchard.

"Come," Atem said pulling her to himself. "Mahado needs his friends,"

Author's Note: 1) Egyptian men in this time period married as young as 15 up to 19. Young girls were married as young as 12. Atem is at the culturally appropriate age for courting. Considering most people didn't survive into their forties, people married and procreated early.

2) An asp is an outdated term used for viper snakes. Egyptian desert cobras, or Egyptian asps, are some of the most venomous snakes in the world. A bite from one of these snakes causes rapid coagulation of the blood, essentially turning the blood into jelly and making the blood acidic. This causes hemorrhage and simultaneous embolisms to spread throughout the body, leading to the victim's death. Anti-venom medicine today counteracts this by not allowing it to coagulate and acidize the blood.

3) The incident with the snake is from season 5, episode 32. In this episode, Atem, Mana, and Mahado appeared much younger, but for the sake of the story I made them older. The commentary is almost verbatim, except for Atem calling Mahado an idiot.

4) The 'Hounds and Jackels' game is a predecessor to chess. In the manga, Seto is a chess champion. So naturally, Atem and Seti would be good at this ancient game.

5) I cringed a little bit writing the conversation between Aknadin and Atem, considering how his uncle betrayed him. But Aknadin did have some good qualities before he chose evil. He was the one who urged Seti to choose mercy and wanted the best for the people in Egypt. Aknadin is a complicated character, he wasn't just good or evil, until the end at least. For him, I see him living the in grey areas of life.

6) Mana is going into shock. As epinephrine and norepinephrine surge through her body, she is placed in a heightened state of fight or flight. This is why her hands and fingers trembled and froze. During this state, the human body shunts blood flow into the core and brain to allow the person to run or fight to survive the threat. Atem has been trained on how to surpass this reaction, allowing him vital time to think and act.

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To Be Continued...