Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Fourth God ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )

The Fourth "God"

A Yu-Gi-Oh!/X-Men: Evolution crossover fic.

Written by Rogue Moon

"Into the Abyss I'll fall-

the eye of Horus,

Into the eyes of the night-

watching me go.

Green is the cat's eye that glows-

in this Temple,

Enter the risen Osiris-

risen again.

:::::

When I was living this lie-

fear was my game,

People would worship and fall-

drop to their knees.

So bring me the blood and red wine-

for the one to succeed me,

For he is a man and a God-

and He will die too.

:::::

Now I am cold-

but a ghost lives in my veins,

Silent the terror that reigned-

marbled in stone.

A shell of a man God preserved-

a thousand ages,

But open the gates of my Hell-

I will strike from my grave. "

~ Iron Maiden, "Powerslave" (minus the chorus)

Chapter Thirteen

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Dust.

The first thing they saw was dust.

It was everywhere, covered everything, muted what little light there was and colored all it touched a uniform gray. It seemed an eternity before they realized they were in a room long unused, its door propped open just wide enough to squeeze through. A single set of footprints led through the door, but there was no such evidence of a return trip… As if the room had been abandoned for good.

Yami touched Yugi's shoulder and tilted his head at the door. The sound of someone sobbing could be heard beyond it. Yugi nodded and stepped up to the door, easing it open a little further as Yami took the lead and went through.

The hall between the two rooms was free of dust and the light filtering into the first room came from the light pouring from the second. The spirit of the ring was curled up to the entrance, as close as he could get, for there was indeed a barrier closing it off to him. Held in his arms was a doll that looked suspiciously like Malik.

Yami examined the barrier while Yugi approached the spirit, "Are you all right?"

Khaibit looked up and then looked away, trying to hide the tears that just wouldn't stop flowing from his eyes. He felt like the Nile during the flood season. He also made the doll go away, "What do you want?"

"Just to see how you're doing. Ishizu and Malik are very worried about you…"

The spirit snorted and rubbed away some of the tears, "It figures the bitch would bring me to see you. Malik places too much value on her words…"

"And you not enough," Yami interjected, not looking at the thief.

Khaibit stood, crossing his arms and pretended to examine his shoes, "Shut up. Who asked you anyway?"

Yugi exchanged a glance with his dark that told the spirit not to respond. Yugi did so instead, "We didn't come here to argue with you. We came to help. Ryu is our friend and that makes you are friend as well."

Both Yami and the Spirit of the Ring snorted at that comment and then exchanged glares.

Yugi crossed his arms and huffed, "Admit it or not, it's still true. Now…" Yugi turned to the barrier, "What is this all about?"

Khaibit turned his back to the both of them as more tears spilled. He didn't want the Pharaoh to see any more weakness than he already had, "Didn't the bitch tell you? Ryu cast me out. He somehow made it so I cannot enter…"

"Ryu didn't make this," Yami replied, his hands hovering just over the shield. He could feel the evil radiating off of it. Ryu was not evil and had never been one to hold an evil thought. That part of him was embodied in the Spirit of the Ring.

"Than why can't I enter?" the spirit spat out, turning around in anger. "Why else wouldn't I be able to enter his mind? Nothing short of Shadow magic can keep me out! His modern mind knows nothing of controlling the Shadows!" The tears were coming freely now and the spirit couldn't stop himself from sobbing, "How else would I be kept out?! He hates me! That's why this thing is here! He hates me!"

Yugi embraced Khaibit in a hug, trying to comfort the spirit as he collapsed to the floor in a fit of emotion that completely surprised Yami. In all his memories of the man, he could not remember a single time the thief had shown any emotion akin to sorrow or regret. Even during their last days when he had been condemned to share the fate the Pharaoh had willingly chosen to undergo.

Yami kneeled beside his light and his former enemy, "Ryu did not erect this barrier. You are right that nothing short of a man who can control the shadows has done this. In this day and age, there are those born with the ability to tap into a man's mind without magic. One such has bound Ryu's mind into service. You cannot enter because he has the power of the shadows backing him. But you have not been cut off from Ryu. You do not need the Eye to stay in this world. The power of the Ring will support you."

The thief stared daggers at Yami, "How do you know?"

"The barrier has a signature on it," he replied waving at the shield. "You were never properly trained in the way of magic, so I'm not surprised you can't tell. But there is a signature on it. It is a mixed barrier. Made more of metal power than magic. The mental power is there to keep Ryu in, and the magic to keep you out."

Anger rose in the spirit. Someone dared to keep him from what was his? Make him think Ryu was the cause? They would pay, and pay dearly, "Who is it? Can you tell their name?"

Yami shook his head, "I'm sorry, no. But if we encountered him on the street I could point him out. His signature is not one I recognize."

"What is his signature?"

Yami studied the shield for a moment, wanting to get all the details, "A snake… wrapped around a mind with the wings of kite sprouting from just below its head… it isn't an asp, though… I don't recognize the snake as one of Egypt… a second symbol below it… a cartouche… World's End?"

Khaibit's head snapped around, gazing at the shield, trying to see what the Pharaoh saw, "World's End? It says World's End?"

"Yes. Do you know what it means?"

"Oh, yes… I certainly do… That fucking son of a…"

Yami's hands closed over Khaibit's mouth, "Watch your language please. You are in the presence of the Pharaoh."

The Spirit pushed Yami's hand away, "News flash, baka, your reign ended over a millennia ago. I can fucking say whatever the bloody hell I want."

"At least be polite enough to wait until we leave."

Khaibit gave him an 'oh, please' look, "Me? Polite? Your eyes must be going, oh great one… You've got me confused with Ryu."

:::::

What had seemed a half hour to Yugi and Yami, had taken place in less than a second in reality. To all observers it looked as though Yugi had just raised the Key and then immediately lowered it. Shadi and his companions knew a lot more had happened and Xavier had a strong suspicion.

Khaibit opened his eyes as Yami Yugi stepped backward, separating. Yami held the Key out to Shadi, "We thank you for loaning it to us, High Priest."

The Egyptian's cheeks colored and he bowed his head as he took the Item, "Thank you, my Pharaoh."

"He doesn't hold that title anymore, baka," Khaibit interjected, holding out the Eye to Yami. When the Pharaoh took it, he pushed himself into a more comfortable position. It was not lost on Yugi and Ishizu that the spirit moved closer to Malik when he did so. Yugi started grinning.

Malik frowned, shifting his body to allow Khaibit room, "What are you grinning at?"

Yugi couldn't help it as he had never noticed it before now. But it made sense that they liked each other after he thought about it for a just a little bit. And he also couldn't help the words that started to pour from his mouth. It was an English rhyme he had learned from Ryu, "Malik and Bakura, sitting in a tree…"

Several people had to spit out their drinks to avoid choking from surprise as the boys' faces went red, whether from embarrassment or anger or both wasn't apparent. Their simultaneous leap at Yugi, however, was very apparent. The small boy dodged the tackle by jumping over the second couch, letting the two fall into in a tangled heap.

Yami smirked and crossed his arms as he sat down where Malik had just been, "You two make a very cute couple. Almost as cute as Bakura and the little doll he was holding in his Room."

Malik scooted away from Bakura, feigning disgust, and gave the spirit a wary look, "You have a doll of me?"

Khaibit growled and glared at Yami, "I. Do. Not. Have. A. Doll. Of. Malik."

Yugi popped his head up from behind the couch, "Sure you do. It's one of those little UFO plushies. You were snuggling with it."

"SHUT UP!" Khaibit jumped over the couch, trying to grab Yugi as the small boy scrambled away to hide behind Ishizu. "I don't have a plushie and I don't snuggle!"

Yami's grin got wider and he leaned forward, "You don't snuggle? Then what were you doing when you arrived? If it wasn't snuggling…"

Khaibit stood, shaking in anger as Ishizu took another sip of her tea and then replied for him, "I believe an appropriate term would be 'cuddle'. He was doing it for several hours while we waited for Shadi to arrive."

"Really? Did he do anything else?"

Ishizu put her tea down and smiled at her brother, "Well… just before arrived, Khaibit was clinging to Malik and moaning very loudly."

Yami pretended to be horrified, "In public?! Couldn't you two at least get a room?"

"I'm fucking going to kill you!" the spirit and Malik screamed together and dived for Yami. The dark one disappeared by entering the puzzle and then leaving it, appearing next to Yugi, "Now, now… What have I told you about your language? And Malik, all your promises…"

Rashid stood and placed himself between his brother and Yami, blocking their way, "Please. We are guests in this house and your behavior is inappropriate."

"Oh, no, keep going ya'll," Rogue answered from the door, Rahnae hanging back behind her. "We're enjoying the show."

Xavier turned himself to look at her, "Are you all right?"

"Never better," She replied, joining the others and finding a place to sit next to Kurt. Her brother had long forgotten to be afraid of her power when some of the others still flinched. She smiled at the twins, "Hey. You doing all right?"

Yugi nodded and Yami frowned, "We did not hurt you, did we?"

Rogue waved her hand, dismissing any blame, "Nothing more than I do to mahself on a regular basis."

"Now that everyone is here and you are done with whatever it is that you did," Xavier drew the room's attention to himself as he watched Rahnae lean against the doorway, clearly wanting to be somewhere else, "Would you care to make some introductions and perhaps honor us with an explanation?"

The twins blushed and sat down on the couch they had started on. Yugi met Yami's eyes as they talked to each other, trying to decide how to go about this. When they were done, Yami spoke for them, "Can we give you our presentation?"

It took a moment for Xavier to remember that he had them working on researching Egypt, "I suppose…"

"Great!" Yugi grinned and Yami disappeared. When he reappeared seconds later, he was holding what Millennium Items he still had. Yugi glanced over at Shadi, "Could you put the Ankh on the table for a moment?"

Shadi did as he was asked while Yami arranged the five items. He left the puzzle around Yugi's neck for obvious reasons and could not place the Ring amongst them because it still hung around Ryu's neck. And Ryu was who knows where.

Yugi stood and cleared his throat, and then started his narration, "Five thousand years ago, Egypt's culture had just begun to develop into what it is recognized as today. During what is referred to as the First Dynasty, before Pharaoh Narmer, currently the oldest recorded Pharaoh, came to power, there existed the Pharaoh Rama-tut. His reign is not recorded because he forbade the writing of his existence upon the halls of the temples. Writing was magic and magic written wrong could cost a man his life…"

"If his reign wasn't recorded, how do you know about it?" Scott interrupted.

Yugi smiled, "That will be explained further in the presentation.

"During his reign, Rama-tut brought the first of the slaves to Egypt. Some were from Nubian tribes that bordered the Upper Kingdom, others were from the Hebrew tribes that wandered the Lower Kingdom. Amongst these many mixed slaves was a man unlike any other. He called himself En-Sabah-Nur. The First One.

"Rama-tut saw potential in the slave and offered him the world in exchange for complete obedience. En-Sabah-Nur refused and started a rebellion against his Pharaoh. During the next few years, Rama-tut led armies to try and destroy the slave. During one raid, he failed to return home and was proclaimed dead by the Priests who scryed for him but could not find his ba anywhere in the living world. The world of the dead could not be looked into.

"His first son, Akunumkanon, became Pharaoh and his second son, Akunadin became High Priest of Ra. Akunadin was a great magician, just as his father was, and could read and write several languages. All except that of a book Rama-tut had left. It took Akunadin one long year to even decipher part of it. The part that he could eventually read, told of a way to stop the slave who had powers the like of which had never been seen by most magicians. The book told of a place called the Shadow Realm. It was a place inhabited by the monsters that hid within the hearts of all peoples. The book told of a way to take power from that place. Rama-tut had been working on creating a weapon against En-Sabah-Nur using the power of the Shadow Realm. He had died before he could complete it.

"Akunadin asked his brother for permission to continue their fathers' work and Akunumkanon agreed. Akunadin soon presented his Pharaoh with the makaoa-kha-renput."

Khaibit growled and glared at Yami, "Which is a nice way of saying he slaughtered hundreds of innocents just to stop one small thorn of a man."

Yami glared back, "He did not. Father would never have permitted that to happen. He learned from grandfathers mistake of power through terror."

"You really are an idiot. Do you actually believe that? Akunadin slaughtered most of the Kuruelna Village just to get enough power from their blood to create the Puzzle you so proudly wear."

Yami stood, shaking in anger, "Liar! Akunadin did no such thing! My father would never have allowed it!"

Khaibit stood and returned Yami's anger with his own, "Lair?! I watched my mother get

raped and gutted by your father's personal army just so that thrice-cursed Akunadin could use

the power released in her death and put it into Ring! I watched my sister strung up like dead animal as the blood was emptied from her body to be gathered in wine bottles. I watched her shrivel into a living mummy and then I watched as her ka was harvested and became the first monster to be controlled by the Items!" Khaibit was shouting now, Shadi and Rashid holding onto his arms to keep him from hurting Yami. Yugi was attempting not to throw up from the images the spirit made him envision. "I then watched my father be killed by that ka! They slaughtered my entire village! I was one of the few to escape notice! And only because my mother hid me! I watched as my friends died on the swords of the soldiers! Both the metal ones and ones between their legs! They didn't even let the bodies remain for a proper burial! They set fire to the bodies and kept it burning until all that was left was ash! Their souls weren't even allowed to attempt the crossing! Their ka was enslaved and sundered from their ba! Oh, yes! What a wonderful gift your father received! What an absolute joy of a gift Akunadin gave!"

Yugi stopped trying to hold back the bile that wanted to escape his mouth. He ran outside to the garden and retched into one of the potted plants. Yami had tears in his eyes as denial burned through him. His father would never have allowed such a thing to occur. But he knew that Akunadin was capable of such evil. Had the man not possessed Seto and forced him to duel for the right to be Pharaoh?

Khaibit had stopped trying to fight the arms that kept him from the object of his anger. Grief, fresh from newly awakened memories, and the lack of his lighter half to lash out at left the spirit drained. He slumped in the arms of his captors, sobbing over the loss of his family. Revenge was all that had fueled his life until he had encountered the reborn half of his soul. Ryu had changed him and now he openly wept at the memories.

Yami fell to his knees, tears coming from his eyes as Yugi's sympathetic grief flooded through him. Ishizu attempted to keep herself from following Yugi outside and Malik couldn't think of a thing to do to help either his sister or his friend.

Many of the X-men wanted to do the same as Yugi. The ones that did broke for the bathroom instead of the garden.

Xavier and Logan exchanged glances that spoke volumes to each other.

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It took another half hour for everyone to calm down and regroup. Yugi joined Yami on the couch, burrowing himself into the arms of his other half. Yami continued the presentation:

"After Akunadin presented the Items to Akunumkanon, the Pharaoh divided the seven pieces amongst his most trusted Priests, keeping the Puzzle of Unity for himself. Using the power of the Items, he summoned Monsters from the hearts of criminals to use as soldiers in the fight against En-Sabah-Nur.

"During one such fight, he was killed. The Puzzle passed to the new Pharaoh, Akunumkanon's son: Atemu.

"Atemu was fourteen years of age when he became the living embodiment of Ra. During this period of Egypt' history, that was a very literal thing. He was anointed and the Ritual of Ascension performed ten days after Akunumkanon was felled. He entered the temple as a man and left as a living God. His full magical powers unleashed and at his disposal.

"The Puzzle allowed him access to the power of the Shadow Realm and all the ka that had been captured by the makaoa-kha-renput. But his own powers of magic were already great and his will so strong that it exceeded that of the High Priest Shimon Muran, his most trusted advisor.

"Atemu was so strong in mind that no one could best him in any game he was challenged to. He always won. During his reign he was given the title Suten-nu-heba."

"King of games," Rogue translated.

Yami nodded, "Yes. The King of Games. He continued his father's campaign against the accursed one. But he did not hold it in as high a priority as his father had. He was more concerned with making his country a just and lawful one. A country where there were no slaves, and people were equal. His father had raised him to believe in equality. Something his grandfather had used all his power to keep from the realm.

"Atemu did his best to rule fairly and campaign against criminals. His greatest adversary was a tomb robber who arrogantly proclaimed himself as Thief King Ba-khu-Ra."

Khaibit snorted, "Arrogant? Look who's talking, Mr. I'm-a-living-God-and-whatever-I-say-goes."

Yami started another glare-fest with the spirit, so Yugi took up the story, "Four years passed before the two actually met. The thief had just plundered Akunumkanon's tomb and was flaunting it. He challenged the Atemu to a duel for the body of the former Pharaoh. Atemu refused and Ba-khu-Ra threw the mummy down a canyon.

"Atemu wished to fight the thief then and there, but his Chief of the Guard, Mahado, refused to let his Pharaoh risk his life. So Mahado challenged the thief to a Shadow Game. Mahado lost the game, his life and the Ring that night. The thief took the Ring as his own. The Ring was one of the makaoa-kha-renput.

"Shortly after this, Akunadin used his makaoa-kha-renput to take control of High Priest Seto in an attempt to make the man Pharaoh in place of Atemu. At the end of the Game, Akunadin's soul was lost and Seto abdicated his place as a High Priest. He felt he had betrayed his Pharaoh by not being strong enough to prevent Akunadin's possession. Atemu did not feel the same, but he also could not force his friend to remain when his spirit was so broken.

"Eventually the Thief King and the Pharaoh met again and fought a Shadow Game that forced Atemu to summon the Gods to his aid. In the end, Atemu won the game. But by this point the accursed one had made himself more than a simply a thorn. En-Sabah-Nur had those with him that could use the power of the Shadow realm. He named the four servants his Horsemen and sent them to attack the Pharaoh.

"Atemu had just won his battle with Ba-khu-Ra and was exhausted when the Horsemen attacked. His remaining High Priests: Isis, Shada, and Karim fought the attackers and forced them to retreat for a time. But without the full power of the makaoa-kha-renput, Atemu knew that En-Sabah-Nur would not again be beaten back."

Yugi leaned over the coffee table and ran his hand down the haft of the Rod, "He also knew of a way to rid the world of the accursed one's evil. It involved the destruction of the Items and the end of the Shadow Games. It also involved the destruction of his own soul.

"When he informed his High Priests of his plan, they protested furiously. But his word was law and he told them they must do as he said. So they agreed to his words, but thought of plots to avoid the destruction of his soul. They felt that his soul was truly worthy of joining with Osiris on the throne of the afterlife. So when Atemu set himself into the final sleep, his High Priests altered the ritual. They brought in the Thief King, who had been forced into the final sleep and joined with Atemu in the ritual.

"To rid the world of the great evil, one soul would have to be sacrificed. But they believed it did not have to be a single soul. They believed that two halves of a soul could do the work of a single, whole one. So they bound the darkness of the two souls within the makaoa-kha-renput they carried and in doing so, bound En-Sabah-Nur to a sleep that would only end if either of the souls were fully joined with their other half.

"To do this, the mage that preformed the rite would need to hold all seven of the items. So the High Priests did what they could to scatter the items. In the case of the puzzle, they broke it into pieces and placed it in a false tomb. Atemu was not buried with it for fear that his spirit would put it back together again."

Yami and Khaibit shared a grin at the irony of that statement. Then they remembered that they were enemies and returned to their glaring contest. Yugi touched his pendant and held it out for the room to see, "The makaoa-kha-renput consists of seven items. This one is the Puzzle of Unity. The Millennium Puzzle. I completed it two years ago, when I was fourteen, on the anniversary of the day Atemu received it and completed the Ritual of Ascension, though I did not know that until just recently. That's when I met Yami." His hand left the puzzle and picked up the Eye, "The Eye of the Mind, the Millennium Eye, was found in Egypt by Mr. Pegasus Crawford a little over thirty years ago. Soon after he 'created' the card game Duel Monsters and almost ten years later it became a worldwide phenomenon amongst gamers. But its power was not meant for him." He held the Eye out to Malik, "its power was given to the wrong person."

Malik's eyes widened at the significance of Yugi's words. Gulping in apprehension, he took the Item and held it carefully. He knew that the only way to access its full power was to replace one of his own eyes with it. He wasn't too sure he wanted to go through the pain. Not wanting to make that decision at this point, he tucked the Item in his pocket.

Yugi picked up the Ankh, "The Key of the Soul, the Millennium Key, has been passed down from father to son in Shadi's family since the days of Atemu's reign." Yugi handed the Ankh to Shadi, who slipped its cord around his neck. The Japanese boy moved up the necklace, "The Necklace of Truth, the Millennium Necklace, was also held by Shadi's family. But he gave it to Ishizu. This time he correctly chose it's bearer." Yugi held the Necklace out to Ishizu who slipped around her neck as she had a thousand times before, comforted in its returned presence.

Yugi turned his attention to the scales, pushing down on one side, trying to get it to move even though he knew it wouldn't, "The Scales of Justice, the Millennium Scales. A mortal can use these to perform the job that rightly falls to Anubis." He looked up at Rahnae to see if she understood, but her eyes were filled with discomfort, not understanding. Sighing, the Japanese boy picked the scales up and held them out to Rashid, "Karim once held these, now it's your turn."

The Egyptian took the Scales, noting that no matter how they were held, both sides stayed level with each other, neither going lower than the other. Shadi took the feather pinned to his turban and handed it to Rashid, "This will be useful."

Yugi's attention turned to the Rod, picking it up and placing it on his lap "The Scepter of Justice, the Millennium Rod. This belongs to Seto."

The final Item was not there to show off, but Yami spoke of it, never breaking his focus on Khaibit, "The final item of the set is the Ring of Wisdom, the Millennium Ring. It once belonged to Mahado but now belongs to the soul of the tomb robber. Mahado still serves, though not in a way that can be readily seen.

"These treasures were only one of three sets used to seal away En-Sabah-Nur. The second set was a green stone that held the soul of a magical spider who was to spin a web to entangle any who tried to enter the sealed tomb of the accursed one. He could only be summoned if both halves to the stone were brought together. The final door, and first that would need to be opened, was sealed with a Key made from a scepter and three rings, the pieces of which were scattered to the ends of the Earth. Atemu assured that these treasures were formed before he entered the final sleep.

"We are not mutants. We are sorry for lying to you but it was the only way we could think to cover for our powers. We are also not brothers. Yugi and I… we are the two halves of Atemu's soul, split apart five thousand years ago in an attempt to seal away the accursed one.

"One half trapped in the Puzzle of Unity and the other left to be reborn. Yugi is the half that was reborn in this century. I am the half that was sealed."

Yugi took a deep breath and then barreled on with the explanation before any of the X-Men could interrupt, "Our powers come from the Shadow Realm and our magic centers around Duel Monsters. The card game that is so popular is actually the modern version of the Shadow Games. Duels fought long ago to decide the fate of the world. The only ones who can now directly access these powers are the holders of the Millennium Items. Six of who… well, five and a half… are here in this room. Seto Kaiba, C.E.O. of Kaiba Corp. is the other holder. And Bakura's other half who isn't here because of who knows why…"

"Because that fucking interloper Mesmero has him, that's why," Khaibit growled and then spit on the floor to clear the taste of the word from his mouth. Just saying the man's name made him sick.

Yugi expected Xavier to call him crazy, Logan to threatened to kill him unless he told the truth, Ororo to shake her head in disappointment and the rest of the X-Men to do their own versions of the above.

What he got was all of them asking one question at the same time:

"You know what Mesmero's doing?"

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End Chapter Thirteen

Yes, there's a little yoai going on with Malik and Khaibit. I think those two make a great couple. So there is romance, just like the category marker says.

I stick my tongue out at all who complained about no romance and those who requested no yoai. I support all forms of true love and enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoy writing it. But no, there will be nothing too explicit. This story is rated more for language and subject matter than for actual descriptions. So nothing more descriptive will happen than a 'they spent the night having more fun than they had in a long time' description. Not that that particular one will happen, it's simply an example of the most I will write on the matter. In this story anyway.

I hope most of you liked the past two chapters that started out as one. Good luck to whoever will try to figure out where I got Rama-tut from. See you in a month or so, maybe less if I have the time.