Chapter Text
Leaving Hekigan and boarding the plane back to Domino was almost a shame.
Once Battle City had been over and the threats of soul stealing and devastation had stopped, they were no longer under threat of immediate death. Once that’d ended, they’d been easily able to relax and enjoy themselves in Kaiba’s theme park.
Between the many rollercoasters, the duel Yugi got to have against the Queen of the Merfolk during one of the mermaid shows, and the huge card library, where they had refreshed their decks and met up with their friends from the Domino Senshi, Domino High’s Duel Club, as well as a young, powerful, magical duelist and her Duel Spirit Guardian, they’d explored every inch of the park over the course of the two weeks.
Katsuya and Shizuka had gotten to spend some time together enjoying the beach along the top edge of the island, which was something they hadn’t since before their parents divorced.
Sakhmet, the Spirit of the Puzzle, had previously been known by as Pharaoh Atem, while sat upon the throne of Egypt, a name she had used in memory of her twin brother, and more recently she'd been named Meisa, by her modern Grandfather. However, Battle City and the events afterward, had enabled her to recover her given name, along with her full magical power and memories.
Not that she had needed any of that while playing games on Hekigan, and between her and the Bearer of the Puzzle and girl she called her twin sister, Yugi, they had won a lot of plush toys from the carnival stands in the Spellcaster, Fiend and Machine-based Yami section.
So many, that they had ended up stuffing some in the suitcases of their friends, while others had been given to some of the kids in the apartments around the one they’d been given to use during the Battle City finals.
Yugi, Anzu and Katsuya had managed to get their Duel Disks customized at the various custom stores across the park, with Yugi using the Allure of Darkness store in Yami, while Katsuya had got the work done at the Dragon Mirror store, in the more Dragon, Thunder, Pyro and Winged Beast-based Yama, or Mountain, section, and Anzu had utilized the Wild Nature’s Release, which was based in the Beast, Beast-Warror and Insect based-Sogen, or Meadow, section.
Honda and Katsuya had been fascinated by the staged motorcycle dueling show, Speed World, where it looked like two people were dueling while doing motorcycle tricks and racing around an arena, to the point that Anzu needed to remind them not to try and emulate it on Honda’s motorcycle.
The only place they’d avoided was the Virtual Reality lounge in the stadium, not wanting to get caught in another trap like the one that’d locked them into a dangerous game against Kaiba’s older brother, Noa, a few months ago. The brother no one had known existed because his father had put his mind into a computer, planning to stuff it in someone else, only for Kaiba to prove more competent and the poor boy to be left behind in a server that never changed, day in day out.
Yugi still couldn’t blame him for going a little nuts.
They’d even managed, with the permission of the Kaiba brothers, to free the souls of those who were lost because of Akhenaden’s assault on Kul Elna, into the park, so they could enjoy some freedom and peace before they moved on.
Still, as they checked in for their flight, none of them wanted to return to normality and Yugi’s suitcase was so overstuffed with toys that she and her twin had won, that it was heavier than it should be. That meant she had to pay an overweight baggage fee and endure some less than subtle teasing from her friends.
“You could’ve let me have a few more.” Shizuka grinned at her, walking backward at the side of her mother as Mai strode ahead, her long legs giving her the advantage.
“Seriously Yuge, how many are in there?” Her boyfriend, Jonouchi Katsuya, snickered as they headed for their gate, both looking forward to going home and sleeping in their own beds, and not wanting to go back to work and practice and everything else returning to normality would entail.
“Well, there’s at least eight variants of Kuriboh.” Mazaki Anzu betrayed her with a huge grin while ticking them off on her fingers. “One for each colour of the rainbow, plus the brown one.”
“Nine.” Bakura Amane joined in, causing Yugi to fake a pout. “With the rainbow sparkly one.”
“Ten with the winged one. Plus, the miniature Blue Eyes and Red Eyes figures she got from that archery game,” Honda Hiroto continued to tease, reminding Yugi of just how good Sakhmet was at archery now that she had her memories back and making her wonder if the Pharaoh would like to join Domino High’s archery club.
‘Only if you want to as well,’ The Pharaoh answered. ‘It’s your body after all.’
Yugi paused, sadness flickering through her. Since they’d faced Hanaq, a woman possessed by Zorc, born from the wrath of Ishizu Ishtar, made a deal with the demon God to protect themselves and their friends in the future, and found out about Isis’s Menfet and their murderous actions towards several of Yugi’s previous incarnations, her Anesan had been more careful about using Yugi’s form and intruding on her life.
Sakhmet had gone from wanting to spend as much time at her side as Yugi allowed, to being unwilling to take more of Yugi’s life than she needed to. Even though the Pharaoh had returned the parts of the soul that’d been taken during the duel, and even though Yugi wanted to share her life with her twin.
‘We share it, Anesan. Which means you get to do things you like too.’
‘We’ll see. We don’t get much spare time.’
That was true. Between running the Duel club at their school and helping Jiisan with the family store, it wasn’t like they had a lot of free time. Plus, with the upcoming threat of the one who’d stolen the Millennium Necklace from its Bearer during the Battle City tournament, it wasn’t like getting involved in something else they might have to spend time away from was a good idea.
Not that they had to worry about making that choice until the school year started again. They still had another couple of weeks before that happened.
“And the three different Dark Magicians from that one guy who was cheating at the card game.”
Katsuya’s addition to the count brought Yugi’s focus back to the conversation and reminded Yugi of the gentleman in question. She’d reported him to Mokuba in the middle of their first week, after she’d counted the cards and realized that he was palming the winning numbers. Mokuba had him replaced in hours.
Not that card counting wasn’t cheating as well, but if the vendor was cheating, she wasn’t above doing it to beat him at his own game. Something her sister hadn’t been able to say anything against, since she’d done the same against the Thief Queen when they’d played their first Shadow Game against each other and Ba-Khu-Ra had been using dice tricks to ensure her rolls.
“One of those is in my carryon though,” Yugi opened her satchel to reveal the purple robed and armoured Dark Magician. “The red and blue ones are in my suitcase, but he wouldn’t fit.”
Before her friends could continue their teasing, boarding started, forcing them to pay attention to what the attendants were saying, and by the time they settled in their seats and taken off, Yugi’s mind was elsewhere.
As she thought about what was still to come, her hand went to the pendant Amane had given her after she emerged from the island’s hospital, having needed a few days to recover from drowning and then burning through most of her life energy to protect and save her friends.
Glancing down at it drew a smile from her. The sun pendant bore the given names of almost everyone important to her, except for her grandfather’s, and having it there was a comfort. The supposedly silver pendant was warm to the touch and helped her take a deep breath and chase away the worry about what she’d been told by the Tomb Keepers.
It was one of the many things that’d overshadowed the whole vacation.
Yugi didn’t understand why the King of Atlantis wanted the Millennium Necklace. From her own experience and that of the Thief Queen, Ba-Khu-Ra, his power easily overwhelmed that of the Items. The Necklace was probably much less powerful than any scrying spell he could use.
The only thing she could think of, was that the man who was now known by the name Azaes Dartz Vasillikos, and was CEO of Paradius, had links to the Day of Betrayals, that had led to the war between Sakhmet and Ba-Khu-Ra back in Ancient Egypt. Taking the Necklace now prevented the pair from opening the gates to the afterlife and leaving before he could take their souls, though why he hadn’t done so back in Egypt was beyond her.
She knew, at some point, they would have to go after him, but the King of Atlantis had yet to show his face during their post Battle City recovery period and Ba-Khu-Ra was still pulling herself together after Hanaq had nearly burned Amane’s soul to ashes and had successfully managed to drive the Thief Queen to the very brink of destruction. Only a combined effort between Yugi and Sakhmet had saved the Thief’s soul.
Until she was fully recovered, and they had a way to counter act the green magic that overwhelmed theirs so easily, it was far too dangerous to even try to recover the missing Millennium Item.
Until then, she was going to enjoy the three-hour flight and the peace and quiet that would soon end when she returned to the shop, including the in-flight movie selection, from which she was delighted to see the new Disney movie, Tarzan. Something that she’d been wanting to see and unable to, since it’d only just been released in the States.
She couldn’t help but wonder how Kaiba had gotten the newest movies on the small fleet of planes he’d bought specifically for transporting park guests to and from the mainland. He must’ve paid a small fortune. One she was certain would pay itself back in short order with how busy the park’s airport had been.
As she settled in to watch the movie, she felt her twin uncurl from her mind and watch through her eyes, enjoying the view. Slowly Yugi drifted back, allowing the Pharaoh more control. Still watching but dozing off, bit by bit, until the words drifted through her mind, the visuals completely passing her by, til she was drifting, floating in the very clouds she was flying through, until she slipped completely into darkness.
Able to sense her twin’s slumber, the Pharaoh chuckled and paused the movie, not wanting her to miss a moment. Instead of watching without her, she turned her attention out the window and watched the waters pass by below them.
Despite the memories of her modern life, the Ancient memories that made up so much more, made the Pharaoh part of her absolutely enthralled at being able to be this high up, astounded by the sight of so much water, and utterly unnerved of the idea of being in a metal tube that could levitate like this.
“Easy, Met,” Katsuya’s voice was low enough that only she could hear him. “It’s perfectly safe, you don’t have to be afraid.”
“Who says I’m afraid?” She shot back in a whisper, almost offended that he could read it on her face.
He just glanced down at her hand, which, when she looked, was clenched around the arm so tightly that her knuckles were white.
“Oh.”
She took a deep breath and released the arm of the chair, releasing the breath in a small chuckle, “I guess I’m not quite able to suppress my ancient tendencies yet. Back when I lived, something like this would’ve been quite impossible and it’s harder than I realised to push back against the need to have my feet firmly back on solid sand again.”
“We’ll have to go to the beach sometime soon then,” Katsuya leaned back in his chair. “If you don’t mind Shizuka coming, of course.”
“Buy me an ice cream and we’ll call it even. Not that I’d ever object to Shizuka’s presence.”
She really wouldn’t. Shizuka had been the first person outside of her main group of friends who’d accepted her without question. Even Mai had had a million questions and not entirely believed she was her own person to start with. For that, she would always be grateful.
Stirrings of magic within her own mind and a powerful burst of fear grabbed her focus and she dove into the corridor between the Soul Sanctuaries, only to be drawn into her twin’s soul room by the sounds of whimpering.
Entering revealed her Imoto, tossing and turning on the bed, caught in the throes of a nightmare and the Pharaoh reached out to wake her, only to be dragged into darkness, where a huge, easily nine or ten foot tall figure whose shoulders were at least as broad as two Yugis, was menacing her twin.
A figure whose shadowy shape reminded Sakhmet of someone from her past, sending terror coursing through her as she dove forward, planting herself between her twin and the brute. “Leave her alone!”
The laugh that erupted from the dark figure was dark, dangerous, vicious and the hand that swept her aside send her tumbling to the ground, her head bouncing off the ground as something in the world around her shattered like broken glass.
Hearing the sound, feeling the world break around her, she pushed herself to her hands and knees, panic flooding her system to find her twin in the brute’s grasp, dangling by her throat, her breath coming in hoarse rasping gasps.
Fury crashed through the Pharaoh, causing the air to shimmer and her eyes to glow as she staggered to her feet, feeling weak, like she’d been drained of strength, forming a ball of light magic, her personal magic, the first magic she’d learned in Egypt before the Shadows had twisted her aura, in her hand, even as she hesitated to launch it, in case she hit her twin.
Glowing amber eyes and sharp canine teeth on a face full of vindictive mirth sneered at her hesitation.
And dropped Yugi.
Before the girl could push herself up, the Shadows had risen around her, forming into vicious canines that leapt at her, dragging her down, down, away from her twin, away from the light…
“Imoto!!”
As Sakhmet dove forward, the darkness exploded in a burst of fire and heat, driving the Pharaoh back.
“Let the games begin!”
And suddenly she was back in Yugi’s soul room, with a gasping, trembling twin who latched onto her, shaking. Sakhmet clung to her sister, having been terrified that the flames had claimed her, just as they’d claimed Atem.
“I’m okay… I’m okay…” Yugi’s voice shook as she tried to process what she’d seen. “That… that wasn’t real. Just a nightmare.”
Sakhmet shook her head, finding it hard to calm down when the brute had looked like the monster of her childhood, the sorcerer Anubis, who’d killed her brother and tributed his soul to the Shadows.
It was Anubis’ fault that Atem was trapped in the darkness to this day, and Sakhmet wanted nothing more than to never see the brute again.
“We need to get the rest of my memories out of your soul room, so my old night terrors stop haunting you,” The Pharaoh sighed finally when she was able to calm herself, drawing on her twin’s strength for comfort.
“He was huge.” Yugi’s nervous laugh echoed Sakhmet’s trembling, “I think he’s even taller than Kaiba.”
“Easily,” The reply came with a deep breath. “Now imagine running into him when you were thirteen.”
Yugi, who was tiny at thirteen, tiny enough to be mistaken for seven or eight, squeaked.
“Come, Imoto,” Sakhmet pulled away and tugged on her sister’s sleeve, needing to push the image of the brute harassing her twin out of her mind with something fun and distracting. “I paused the film and there’s still time before we land.”
“R… right, right.” Yugi nodded, still unnerved by the memory-laced vision that weighed upon her much the same way the nightmare of falling and scattered gold had just before she’d been pushed down the stairs and the Puzzle had shattered.
She just hoped that it meant nothing as she slipped into the body to finish watching, rewinding to the point she’d started drifting off, so she could watch the whole movie, glad she had found a way to change the language, since sections of the film moved too fast for her to keep up with the English.
Having to rewatch some of the film extended its play time enough that between her nap and the meal that the stewardess provided, it was just ending when the plane touched down at Domino International, bouncing twice before smoothly taxiing into their gate.
However, getting through customs was a nightmare.
Yugi didn’t have to worry about attempting to bring weapons through, since Kaiba had already brought the Millennium Rod and the dagger within, through on his private jet and paid for it to be ignored. She just needed to collect it from him when she got home.
That didn’t mean she didn’t have to wait in the huge crowd of daytime commuters, in a boiling hot customs line which moved at a snail’s pace.
As the friend group slowly shuffled through the rope drawn line, Yugi checked her passport, unable to help but wonder what her twin’s passport would look like, if she had one. Would it be an Egyptian one, or Japanese?
And what name would she choose to put on it?
‘Do Japanese people have middle names?’ The Pharaoh asked curiously, seriously considering her twin’s flippant consideration.
‘No.’ Yugi grimaced, confusing her friends until they saw the far away look and realised she was talking to her Anesan. ‘If someone has a foreign parent they might have two given names, but it’ll cause chaos with any legal paperwork. There’s no space for a middle name anywhere.’
‘Then I’d have to pick one…’
The Pharaoh wasn’t sure she liked that. Sakhmet was her name, but she didn’t want Jiisan to think she didn’t still appreciate the name that he had given her.
‘I mean Mutou would still be my surname. I didn’t have one in Egypt. I was just Princess Sakhmet of Kemet.’
‘Mutou Sakhmet is still a nice name.’
‘If Jiisan approves. And if it ever became relevant,’ Yugi felt her Anesan stretch. ‘It’s not like I have my own vessel to need one.’
That was true. Even the Shadow-gifted ability to create a solid form, earned through their attempts to fight through Ishizu’s insane minions and the Shadow Games they’d created, still wasn’t a real body of her own. It could fade at any moment or be ‘put away’ when going through somewhere that needed ID.
A nudge from one of her friends drew Yugi’s attention back to the real world. Anzu’s subtle point made Yugi look two or three groups down, where a pair of young women were staring at something on their phone while chattering.
Confusion flickered through Yugi, as she wondered why she needed to pay attention, only for her to hear...
“...It’s a new exhibit too. It’s a shame.”
“Did they really take the mummy?”
“Some priceless artefact too. The museum’s offering a lot of yen for information for their return.”
Yugi squeaked and ripped her own phone out of her pocket to search for information, suddenly worried that the exhibit that’d been broken into had been the one with her sister’s tablet and jewels in.
Thankfully it wasn’t. Instead, the theft had taken place in the exhibit that was being set up to replace Anesan’s when it was taken back to Egypt, as the museum in Cairo was demanding the rightful return of ‘their’ artefacts. Something Sakhmet was tempted to dispute, since she lived in Japan and those were HER things, but didn’t dare in case she landed her twin in trouble.
She was minorly irritated at the Tomb Keepers for transporting them unofficially, because once they were back in Egypt and being examined by experts there, she wouldn’t get to see her things ever again. Not until they went on display for the general public at least, and even then, she’d have to travel to Egypt, and she didn’t want to do that.
Because she couldn’t ignore the thought that when she returned to her homeland, she probably wouldn’t ever leave again.
And she wasn’t ready for that. She wasn’t sure when she would be.
It had to come at some point, but she didn’t really want to think about it. Not until she had all seven Millennium Items and had dealt with the Zorc issue.
She didn’t get to flick through the photos of the stolen artefacts before she was being directed to a customs booth where she found herself under scrutiny from a border agent.
“Passport.”
Yugi handed it over, photo page open, and waited, not expecting too much of an issue, only for the woman to scowl and look her up and down.
“Is there a problem?” Yugi asked, suddenly nervous despite being a Japanese citizen trying to re-enter her own country.
“Your photo doesn’t match up.” The woman answered sharply, staring at her with sharp eyes.
Yugi winced, her hand rising to her hair.
When the photo had been taken, she had long hair. Hair she’d grown out over months and months, until she liked how it had looked and felt like more than the bullied child she’d been for so long.
But during the final moments of the conflict with Hanaq, Sakhmet had been manhandled by their brainwashed best friend and forced to kneel, left foot forward, pressing her into a position of submission and respect that was utterly humiliating for the Pharaoh.
But it hadn’t been enough for the creature.
Hanaq had drawn the blade from the Millennium Rod and forcibly sliced through her hair, chopping it short and leaving it a complete mess, in a show of power over the Pharaoh’s life and soul. Worse, it’d reduced Yugi’s appearance back to that tormented child she’d tried so hard to distance herself from, stripping her of confidence and pride.
It was a harsh violation that’d shamed Sakhmet and left deep wounds in Yugi’s heart and would take months to fix. After all, hair couldn’t just be glued back on. Even if it could, the memory would still be there, and it wouldn’t look the same.
Anzu, Mai and Shizuka had tried their best to help her tidy it up, and the resort’s hairdresser had managed to make it look presentable, but it was a far cry from the hair in the photo.
“I was attacked by another competitor at the tournament, but does this help?” Yugi pulled out her Duelist ID, which the Kaibas had updated for her, and her Student ID, which still had her photo from before she had started growing her hair out, so it still looked like a starfish.
The customs officer took both with a scowl and checked their validity in the system, something that only worked because Yugi was re-entering at the Domino City airport. The confirmation that Yugi was who she said she was, and was also, in fact, a celebrity made the woman pause, huff, and look at her.
“Make sure you update your passport before you travel again.”
“I will.”
Yugi let out a relieved sigh as the woman FINALLY stamped her passport and handed it back, before allowing her through the barricades, letting her back into Japan, and she joined her friends on the other side.
It’d taken so long to get through that their bags were already on the baggage carousel and they had just enough time to see Mai off to her next flight, which would take her to Paris, before racing to get Amane to check in for her flight back out.
The Bearer of the Millennium Ring was nervous as she gave her ID to the woman at the desk, her friends hovering behind her, but soon Bakura Amane was all checked in for her three-stop flight to England. A trip that would’ve been nonstop if she’d flown from Tokyo, but instead had to bounce through San Francisco and New York, since she was flying out of Domino.
It was a trip that would take almost two days but would allow her to finally get back to the manor she’d been left by her aunt. Both to raid the library there and decide what she was doing with the place.
The English half of her bloodline, the Flamels, had been occultists, long before Bakura Sora, Amane’s father, had ever met Diana Flamel, her mother, or had her or her little brother Ryou, and Amane hoped to find something in their archives that would help them against the King of Atlantis.
Or at least something that would help the spirit of the Ring finally start atoning for all the harm she’d caused across the millennia.
It wasn’t like Zorc could stop her anymore.
The Pharaoh’s deal, forged after they’d put an end to the threat of the Ishtars, had ensured safety for all those named by the Pharaoh, in exchange for her allowing the creature that was fragmented between the Items to live a little longer, and for his assistance in defeating the Atlantean jackass.
And both Amane and Ba-Khu-Ra had been named by the Pharaoh as people under her protection.
Much to their delight and Zorc’s irritation.
Plus, Ba-Khu-Ra herself had managed to re-negotiate her contract with the Embodiment of Suffering. Having discovered the truth, that while Zorc, then known as Apophis, HAD saved her life, the Pharaoh hadn’t betrayed her when the deal with the Dark God was struck. That meant only half the contract was able to be fulfilled. As such, she’d managed to ensure the safety of her soul and that of her sister, Amane, in exchange for working to help the creature reassemble himself.
He could still ruin Amane’s work, which is why she planned to keep it mostly in her soul room, where he was no longer allowed to tread, but he couldn’t threaten or hurt her to stop her trying to save her sister any longer.
She paused outside security to hug her closest friend, who’d saved her life and soul at Battle City and given her a reason to live long before that.
“Mutou Yugi, you’d better stay safe till I get back.”
“I’m more worried about you. I wish I could come with you.” Yugi shifted from foot to foot, once Amane released her.
“I’ll be fine,” The Ring Bearer was certain of that, “I have to be. School starts in a couple of weeks. I don’t have time to get into trouble.”
Two weeks was more than plenty of time to get into trouble, especially when she was soul-bound to a demon and a thief, but she appreciated that Yugi didn’t point that out and grinned around at the others.
“You lot keep her out of trouble. She’s the one who attracts it.”
“Not deliberately,” Yugi’s half-hearted, pouting protest made her friends chuckle.
“Don’t worry, we’ve got her back.” Katsuya promised, patting Yugi on the shoulder, “Not that any of us plan on dealing with magical bullshit, or ghosts, till you get back. No more than normal anyway.”
“I was about to say,” Sakhmet took over, raising an eyebrow at him even as she was grinning.
“You don’t count,” Katsuya’s hands went up, aware that the Pharaoh wasn’t above embarrassing him if he insulted her. Or throwing pillows, after she’d learned how to move things like a poltergeist over the last few months.
“Do I count?” The Thief Queen’s appearance startled Katsuya, who let out a low curse, but pleased Sakhmet, who’d hoped to speak with her before they split ways.
“It appears so.” The Pharaoh’s reply was as amused as the smirk on the thief’s face, “If you need me…”
“I’ll be halfway across the globe, Pharaoh. There’s nothing you’ll be able to do.”
Sakhmet grimaced. Ever since the quarter-final duel with Hanq had reduced Ba-Khu-Ra’s soul to ashes and nearly ended Amane forever, the pair of them had been in recovery. They were definitely stronger now than they were a couple of weeks ago, but the Pharaoh knew her former Shadow was nowhere near back to full strength.
So, she handed her a small plastic keychain with Dark Necrofear on it.
“I have one of these, remember?” Ba-Khu-Ra asked, jangling her keys at her, where an identical one hung. “I picked it up from that dart game on Hekigan.”
“Scan the one I gave you with your magical senses.”
The Thief paused and followed instructions for a change, reaching out with her aura and trying to work out what was different about the one the Pharaoh had given her, only to pause when she felt Shadows locked into the trinket, ready to be unleashed at any given moment.
The same way the Shadows had been locked within the Mementos that Ishizu had given to the minions that she had set upon the Pharaoh during Battle City. The ones that could be broken to provide enough power for a summon or Shadow Game.
“You made me a Memento?” Ba-Khu-Ra’s eyes locked with Sakhmet’s, shock widening them and throwing her off balance. “But…”
“It takes a memory. I know. I don’t need to remember how awful that cayenne pepper ice cream tasted, and I thought…”
The Pharaoh hesitated. Once she and the Thief Queen had been more than just allies. They’d been friends and very much more.
And while she refused to allow Ba-Khu-Ra to hurt her again, the way she had in Egypt, while caught up in the throes of PTSD from the trauma of seeing her entire village and family burn, or while she’d been deep in the clutches of the demon, she did miss the companionship and comfort that they’d offered each other.
She hoped that showing how much she wanted the Thief Queen to stay safe, that she wanted it enough to give up a memory for her, despite her memories being one of the most precious things she owned, would indicate that she had the hope still burning in her heart that one day they might have that connection again.
The Thief’s hands shook as she swapped the keychains over, understanding just what a gift the Pharaoh had given her. Not because of what it was, but because of what it took to make.
Then she turned back to the Pharaoh, hiding how disconcerted she was behind an amused smile, “Guess I’ll have to come back with a better gift to show you up.”
“Just having you back sane would be enough.”
It really would, considering this was the first time she had ‘sent her Shadow on a mission’ since the disaster of the day that Ba-Khu-Ra had nearly been killed by palace guards, and thought Sakhmet had ordered the hit after her right-hand man and High Priest, Mahad, had tried to bring her in. Ba-Khu-Ra had needed to make a deal with Apophis that day to save her life and he’d been more than willing to take on a new Priestess.
While the Pharaoh had been attacked by assassins carrying the ensignia of the Thieves Guild, Ba-Khu-Ra’s guild, who’d managed to score her with their poison laced blades, creating a drug induced illness that had left her incoherent for two weeks and allowed those around her to screw up so many things that recovery and peace between them had been impossible.
Three thousand years later they thought they knew the truth. That the King of Atlantis had set them at each other’s throats. However, the downfall of Sakhmet’s reign had entirely spawned from that day and now the Pharaoh worried they were giving their foe another opening.
“Remember, you have to uphold your end of the bargain too, so I’ll know it’s not you if shit hits the fan this time,” The Thief Queen reassured her. “Because otherwise you’d get stabbed, a lot, and I know you value your twin’s life too much for that.”
That was a valid point. Her end of the bargain with the demon, had included not being able to harm, or arrange an attack, or cause an accident for anyone on the demon’s list of names without getting stabbed. Of course, Ba-Khu-Ra and Amane had been on that list, since they were his most valuable pieces on the board.
Or some of them.
The name Mutou Yugi, the name of her own twin had also been on that list.
It had confused the Pharaoh to start with, since she valued Imoto’s life far too much for that and it went against the demon’s stated goal of her demise. Until Imoto had pointed out that technically draining her of energy to access the full power of the reborn Pharaoh could be counted as harming, if the demon really wanted it to, meaning he’d essentially put a leash on Sakhmet’s magic.
Since if she harmed Yugi, Zorc would know and be able to start stabbing.
And probably wouldn’t stop.
A line from the Broadway show Anzu had made them watch, Chicago, popped into her head, suggesting possible consequences.
“He ran onto my knife. He ran onto my knife ten times.”
She acknowledged the probable accuracy of that thought, then pushed the consideration aside, not wanting to think about her potential death if she screwed up.
Instead, she nodded to the thief, accepting her words. “Just come home safely. Imoto and Amane are only halfway through that game board they’re working on.”
“That? I was going to use that as the trap for when you got your memories back,” the Thief’s snicker made the Pharaoh give her a very flat look, “But it would be nice to see it finished. Plus, we need to work on all the pieces for the Kul Elna shrine.”
That was true. Alongside the memory-gemstones from Sakhmet’s past life friends and family that’d been given to her, had also been Sakhmet’s copy of the list that she’d assigned Isis to create. One that held all the names, jobs and a light description of the people of Kul Elna. Every last one her uncle had murdered or seen to the death of.
It was a heavy scroll, both because of how large it was, and because of the importance of that which was written upon it.
Which, thinking about it, was more likely the reason Imoto’s case was overweight…
‘Oops.’
The giggle her twin gave in response to her embarrassment at not figuring that out sooner helped her relax and smile at Ba-Khu-Ra.
“I look forward to working with you on it, upon your return.”
Taking that for a dismissal, the Thief Queen retreated to the Ring and Amane shifted her carry-on bag so it sat comfortably.
“I’ll see you all just before school starts.”
The delighted and shocked squeak she gave as her friends hugged her amused them, but their actions warmed her heart greatly and made it hard for her to head through security.
Still, she went, reminding herself she would be back in two weeks and would, hopefully, have some useful information with her.
Once they could no longer see their friend, the six of them headed for the taxi rank to go to their respective homes.
“You gunna be alright tonight?” Honda asked Yugi as he held open the door for her, Shizuka, Anzu and Katsuya’s mother, before letting it shut in Katsuya’s face, “Rebecca’s still at the shop, isn’t she?”
Yugi let out a sigh. Rebecca Hopkins, the granddaughter of her Jiisan’s best friend and the formerly All-American Champion, had been avoiding her ever since she’d used a Memento against Yugi and nearly gotten one of them stripped of the ability to play games ever again, and then gotten herself and Katsuya into a game that’d nearly gotten Katsuya killed by Ra.
Rebecca had travelled back four days earlier, on the original travel date, while Yugi and her friends had gotten an extra four days out of the trip because Yugi had spent four days in the island’s hospital after the Battle City finals and the final showdown with Hanaq. So, the coming confrontation had been stalled.
However, they weren’t going to be able to avoid each other once they were staying in the same home, and she knew Rebecca was still bitter about the absolute humiliation of her Quarter-final defeat, where Yugi had defeated her in just two turns.
And of being stripped of the Senior Division National Championship, after Industrial Illusions had made it clear that her false accusations of cheating, which had not only slandered Yugi, but also the company that made Duel Monsters and the CEO of Kaiba Corp, and her temper tantrum on a livestream that was being broadcast worldwide, was not fitting for the Senior Division Champion.
It made sense, since the Senior Division was sixteen and up, a bracket that Yugi and her friends were only just old enough for, so the twelve-year-old Rebecca certainly wasn’t old enough to claim the title, even though she’d worked hard to earn it by dueling her way through all of Bandit Keith’s replacements.
There were other Senior Division Champions that were below that age. Kaiba and Yugi for example had both been overall World Champions of the game long before their sixteenth birthday. In fact, Yugi was pretty sure Kaiba wasn’t sixteen till October. However, neither of them had humiliated themselves or Industrial Illusions on international television.
And it wasn’t like Rebecca no longer retained her Junior Division title; it just was humiliating for her to have the Senior Division title stripped away and given to the one who’d lost to her during the American National Finals.
Especially when Industrial Illusions had released a press statement explaining exactly why.
“I’m hoping her Jiisan’s come to pick her up,” Yugi admitted, still not sure how she felt about the girl and feeling guilty about Ishizu dragging her into Yugi’s mess. “So, she doesn’t start yelling at me again.”
“Good luck?” Anzu offered, “You have my number if you need me.”
“Mine too.” Honda added.
“Thanks guys.”
It did help to know they had her back, and the hand Katsuya put on her shoulder reminded her that he would be there in person as well.
‘Plus, you have me.’
‘Yes, yes I do.’ Her twin’s reminder drew a smile from her, and she directed it at her friends.
“Let me know when you’re home safe?” She asked as four separate drivers put their cases in the different car boots and opened the doors for their passengers. Anzu in one, Honda another, Shizuka and her mother in another, while Yugi and Katsuya were at the rear.
“Will do.”
With the promises of her friends secured, Yugi clambered into her taxi, Katsuya behind her and the driver shut the door behind them.
“Where you heading?” He asked as he clambered into the driver’s seat.
“Home please, the Kame Game Shop.”
“It’ll be about thirty minutes.”
As much as she wasn’t looking forward to dealing with Rebecca, if she was there, that sounded wonderful and, as she buckled her seatbelt and pulled out the cash to pay the man on arrival, she couldn’t help but be excited to see her grandfather again.
