Author's note:

Hello! Thank you for reading~! A little info: The image of Yami Yugi that I had in mind while writing my story was his more "casual" self, which he occasionally showed in Season 1 and 2. Nahyu began to embody what I used to perceive as his pharaonic side (in the early flashbacks, before the final season, his "aura" felt a lot more sinister and dark as pharaoh - hence the idea to add a brother). They share a common past that led to a discord, which I plan to embed at some later point. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

++++++ Chapter 04 - Briefing ++++++

Treating all kinds of wounds was something that Nahyu was exceptionally good at. His profound knowledge about the structure and physical substance of the human body as well as his skills in ancient medical arts were intimidating ...yet proved life-saving many times before. In situations like this you rather brush away that those skills had shady origins which involved ominous spells or experiments long ago.

In contrast to his twin brother, Nahyu's connection to their mutual ancient past was more vivid in his demeanor and appearance. His preferred clothing were a dark brown, sleeveless linen top and, in remembrance of their royal heritage, he liked to wear a wide, red cape that was attached to the garments around his shoulders and neck, forming a loose collar. The cape underlined his slender yet well-trained figure, but also added pride to his appearance. More than his younger brother, Nahyu embodied the presence of a king - a pharaoh - whom he was born to be ...yet deprived of being. Unlike Yami - or Atem, as his real name was - Nahyu also liked to wear traditional jewelry, most preferably golden bracelets around his wrists and upper arm that featured elaborate carvings, a golden metal belt around his waist and protectors made from golden metal straps around his calves. The golden ornaments matched his clear but cold yellow eyes and the equally yellow strands of hair. Being twins, they shared the same hair style, though with Nahyu having ember and yellow ends instead of the prominent pink and purple features his brother's hair showed. His outfit also included beige trousers (which he favoured over a traditional tunic for their mobility and agility), light leather footwear coloured in beige and a touch of blue, as well as a knee length blue-coloured but beige framed sash that was attached to his belt. The dominating beige colour of his clothing was a notable contrast to his tanned skin which marked him as a resident of the past - In contrast to Yami, who had become more accustomed to his modern-world self which was reflected in both his fashionable clothing and his pale skin.

Nahyu's skills fascinated Mally. She tried to learn as much as possible so that someday she might be able to cure people, too. Chances were limited, though, since the elder brother in question was rarely around to begin with. And if Nahyu was around, he either acted hostile or preferred to be alone.

On her own, Mally was able to treat the small cuts and minor slashes that covered the azure coated samurai's arms, legs and upper back. Most of his armour and garments needed to be removed before she could begin treatment. Carefully clean the wounds, apply ointment for better healing, add cover, and wrap around bandages, fix them. Her movements were anxiously slow and stiff, fearing that he might wake up any second - no matter how many times Nahyu reassured her that the drug he gave him would keep the warrior asleep for quite a while.

The deep wounds that penetrated the man's torso were still far beyond her abilities. However, she was allowed to assist and made herself useful by holding bandages or renewing the water for cleansing. She observed any step that Nahyu took, trying to understand and memorize them. After about two hours or three the warrior was patched up and put to bed. Her bed, to be precise.

With the siblings now taking each a seat at the kitchen table, Mally pouted as she dropped her chin into the palm of her hand. Strands of maroon hair fell around her slender fingers that sulkily pressed into her cheek. The group had decided to hold a meeting and discuss how to proceed.

"Why do wounded strangers always end up in my bed...?" Mally mumbled and narrowed her eyes, now cupping her face with both hands and playing with a spoon between her lips. "Because it is the only bed we have," Nahyu replied indifferently as he continued to wipe the blood from his medical equipment with a piece of cloth and stored each piece carefully away. "Or would you prefer to have him sleep on the floor?"

Of course she wouldn't... Mally growled silently with disapproval. Actually, she did not mind that her bed was needed for the sake of helping someone. The mere it-goes-without-saying-and-we-don't-have-another-option-anyway of it just made her sigh with a touch of faked annoyance. Normal guests would use normal sleeping bags or hammocks. But there were never "normal" guests! The majority of them were injured or half-dead individuals making a pit stop for medical treatment and catering. Some of them had stayed and joined their little group. Others left.

She began to wonder what that man will do.

"Find my people." She recalled his words. ...so he's probably going to leave... As soon as he is able to move again.

Mally exhaled softly as she looked into the direction of him; absent-minded and her gaze being parried by furniture, she still had a clear picture of the sight he had displayed. Laying unconscious and with his body covered in bandages... he was really in a devastating condition.

"He will probably be sleeping through some days." Nahyu announced as he closed the golden box that stored his surgical equipment. "You should make yourself comfortable in the armchair for a while."

His voice was as stoic as always but Mally was sure to have heard a trace of mockery in there. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would have kicked him out of the window. Nahyu took his tools and walked away to find some rest himself. He didn't show it, but the amount of concentration he needed during the past hours had drained him a little too.

All the same, there was not much Mally could do for now. She mustered her mug filled with warm cocoa before she slowly lifted it to take a sip. The warmth felt nice and calmed her shaky mind that still vividly recalled the warriors ferocious glare and evident hostility as she interrupted his attack.

Scary...

Mally silently placed her mug on the table again.

Never had she felt so uneasy about a "guest" before. And yet... something was strange about him. Though she couldn't really explain what it was.

The girl raised her cocoa mug again to feel its warm, ascending air on her skin as she dwelt on thoughts.

When Nahyu came back in, he casually retook his empty seat at the table again. Both Mally and Yami were puzzled at his sudden return. Didn't he say something about resting...? But neither of them dared to ask.

"So. How do we manage tomorrow?" Nahyu initiated the discussion about further action. It was evening already and with tomorrow, daily business would continue. All three of them had to leave home and would not come back before late afternoon – meaning that they had to leave their guest alone. Would that be alright? Would he be okay...?

"Shouldn't at least one of us stay here to keep an eye on him?" Yami asked.

"No," Mally replied. "After all, he is not our captive."

"Besides, we don't know how he will react once he wakes up," Nahyu added, "his hostility might have grown."

Yeah... thanks to you... Mally thought while narrowing her eyes at Nahyu. The eldest one at the table ignored her visual assault while calmly taking a sip of his black coffee.

"I don't like this..." Yami continued the discussion. "What if he tears down this place? Then we have a much bigger problem."

"Do you want to stay here and make sure he doesn't?" Nahyu returned, without deigning a look at his brother.

No words were needed to answer that question.

Nahyu proceeded after putting down his mug. "He does not bear a grudge against this place. Besides, right now he doesn't possess the physical stamina nor constitution to tear down this entire facility. That man is an experienced fighter. He should know better than to waste his energy on something as insignificant as this building." Nahyu analysed while carefully turning the mug back and forth as if to examine its shape and pattern. "IF he wakes up during our absence, he will either leave or stay put. That's how I see it." Nahyu stopped the mug abruptly upon drawing his conclusion.

Leave... or stay...

The young girl lowered her head, sombrely reflecting on Nahyu's words. "If he doesn't want to stay, I won't get in his way." By now, Mally had already accepted the fact that he won't be here for too long. Business as usual. It was nothing new.

Mally got up from her seat and stretched a little, trying to loosen up from the heavy mood. Then she walked over to her desk which was a few steps away. On her way, she brushed away a towel which functioned as some sort of curtain. The three of them (now four) shared one room in a student dormitory. It was not big, but not too small either. The clever arrangement of furniture divided that one single room into four "little rooms": corridor section, kitchen corner, living area and sleeping quarters. A central wall of cupboards had been placed in line so that each domain covers about a fourth of the room: After passing through the entrance door, you first access the corridor section where jackets, shoes, basecaps, pockets and anything you need to "set out" is quickly within reach. Moving on, next there is the kitchen corner with a medium-sized kitchen table, a fridge, a small cabinet for food or supplies and dishes at hand. If you get past it and turn to the right, you walk through a "gate" symbolized by a towel (which was just hanging on a rope for drying, but it became a convenient "intermediate door" to get a bit more privacy). Beyond that "towel gate" is the living area where you find a desk, a swivel chair, bookshelves, a TV, a radio and the armchair. Also, the floor there is carpeted which gives away a more comfortable and warm feeling. Along the opposite wall you find two windows, big curtains to dim the bright sunlight and a heater below the window sill. Completing the tour you head for the sleeping quarter featuring Mally's bed and three hammocks reserved for the two siblings and any other regular guest.

Even if one of the hammocks was vacant, Mally wasn't too much a fan of sleeping up there. It simply felt too shaky. She preferred to stay on something attached to the ground. Luckily, the armchair was big and comfortable enough to replace her fluffy bed for the time being.

There still was some homework left to do for the next day. The girl switched on the little desk lamp and sat down in her swivel chair. Walled by piles of books left and right, she pulled out one and started to continue reading the page that was marked with a neon green sticky note.

Nahyu and Yami remained silently at the table. With their past gaping like an abyss between, the two didn't have much to say to each other. One had no interest in talking, the other simply didn't know how to start. Eventually, it was Nahyu who stood up to escape that annoying silence and went outside, most likely to do some training. Yami lowered his eyes as he began to regret missing another opportunity to approach his brother.

Mally had paused her reading to secretly glance over to them. After Nahyu had left, however, she turned back to research. She, too, wished that the twins would finally get along with each other again. But there was not much she could do. Her countless attempts to mediate had already been in vain. Nahyu's grudge was too deep.. and justified. It was a miracle already that he had helped Yami today without hesitation. Maybe some remnants of a faint brotherly sense of duty...

Heavy air everywhere.

And her studies weren't going well either. She dumped her elbow on the desk and cupped her forehead. Strands of maroon bangs curled between her fingers as she was still stuck with research. There were too many books to read in too little time. The sickening feeling grew that the more she read, the less words began to make any sense. And the deadline for her project was coming closer. If she failed, she would have to start all over again. How can I still make it...

Panicking was no help. But not doing anything wouldn't help either. The anxiety was eating her up.

Yami watched from the distance. He wished he could help and give some of his strength. Confidence. Faith. After all, they had been friends for years. They were always there for each other. And it always worked. But with the challenges they were facing now - a bitter enemy out there, the alliance with his brother falling apart, his best friend at the verge of despair - he felt like there was nothing left he could do to help. Hence, the idea to bring someone who maybe can. Yami turned his head to that.. someone. A different kind of strength. A leader. Someone who can turn the tide. That was what he had been looking for. He silently placed his palm on his face and rubbed his forehead. What was he thinking... He made everything worse. Instead of help, he brought a another threat ...and reason to concern. What a fail..

Mally was still reading, despite the fact that she was way too occupied to even understand the words she stared at. But she couldn't bear the thought of sacrificing yet another day without achieving any results.

Slowly, the room turned dark, barely illuminated by her warm little desk lamp. It was in the middle of night now. Two hours had passed and the maroon-haired girl closed the last book. Her eyes were tired and so was her head. After yawning, she looked through her notes again and circled a few. OK. At least some ideas how to move on tomorrow. She gathered a few books and stored them in her backpack, adding a pencil case and a smaller notebook. Then Mally switched off the desk lamp and got up.

Time to sleep.

She grabbed a towel and left the room for a couple of minutes. Upon returning, she habitually asked for Nahyu's whereabouts as she still expected Yami to sit at the kitchen table, yet he wasn't. Yami was already vast asleep in his hammock. It was now that she realized how late it had gotten...

She switched into pyjamas and prepared the armchair for "sleeping". What a day... Mally exhaled and spread out a big blanket over the chair, letting it slowly cloak its shape, before her eyes and attention once more drifted to the one resting in her bed. The warrior hadn't moved a tiny inch. His breathing was calm though, which was a good sign given his critical condition. Nahyu really was second to none when it came to treating wounds.

There was a ladder at the right side of the bed that led up to the pair of hammocks hanging high above her head. Nahyu's was still empty. He was probably sleeping outside again or keeping guard. It was summer and the nights were quite mild. He wasn't comfortable around us anyway. Usually, he only returned from his wanderings to pick another fight and seek revenge. But for the time being, the twins had a common enemy out there. That was the only reason for their temporary (more or less peaceful) coexistence. How would that man now play into this conflict...? Or would he leave before the next big battle? Mally flopped down into her armchair and shifted herself into a comfortable position before she pulled the blanket over her body, nuzzling into its fluffy cloth. She threw a last glance over to the stranger ...secretly hoping he would not wake up while they were asleep. There was this subtle fear that he might attack and ki... No. She shook off that thought. Just sleep. And wait for tomorrow.