The Fourth "God"

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

Written by Rogue Moon

"Don't think I didn't notice, Betts. But that double of me was an exact duplicate from head to toe… So how'd you know I was the real me?"

"I'm the one who cuts your hair, Warren. And you may not have noticed a difference… But whoever's behind all this doesn't know a thing about hairstyling."

"Hairstyling? Hardly the most scientific approach…"

"Some things are beyond science."

~Warren Worthington III and Elizabeth Braddock, "I Am Not Now, Nor Have I Ever Been…", Uncanny X-Men, No. 375

Chapter Twelve

:::::

Malik growled low in his throat, earning a returned growl from the now asleep Khaibit who was latched to the blonde's waist. The Egyptian tried to get the spirit to let go for the eighth time, "Can someone help me here? Ishizu? Rashid? Some help?"

         &nb sp;  Malik's sister sat down in a chair near him, shaking her head and chuckling, "I'm sorry, my brother, but I am afraid that if I tried he might bite my arm off. Even asleep he is very possessive. If we tried to take what is his, then we would surely get sent to the Shadow Realm. Or have you not noticed the Eye clamped in his hand?"

         &nb sp;  "Of course I noticed it. It's the only thing keeping him in the physical world. If what he says is true. Emphasis on the 'if'. Personally, I think he's overreacting to Ryu deciding to get a backbone."

         &nb sp;  Ishizu sighed and took a sip of her tea, "I suppose you'd know better than anyone else… But, we shall find out soon enough. Once Shadi arrives we can go visit the Pharaoh and see if he can make anything of this." The decision to go had been made almost two hours ago, just after Khaibit finally fell asleep.

         &nb sp;  Malik snorted and tried to get comfortable, not an easy task at the moment, "Baka Pharaoh and his idiot sheep... I'm just glad the cheerleaders left. Personally, I could care less if the head cheerleader has gone missing. Ryu is another matter." The group in question- consisting of Kitty, Honda, and Jonouchi- had left several hours earlier to comb the city in search of their friends. After they were gone, Malik had rung the front door and told the guard not to let them back up until the morning unless Ryu was with them. He was tired of their oh-so-positive attitudes. His decision had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Khaibit had asked him to do it. Absolutely nothing.

         &nb sp;  "I'm glad you value your friend so much, my brother. It is good to see that something brings you happiness once more."

         &nb sp;  "Oh, please… Not this again. And stop looking at me like that!"

         &nb sp;  "Like what?"

         &nb sp;  "Like that! With the googly-eyes. Your looking at me with the same eyes you watch romance films, or read tearjerker novels with. Its… its… disgusting! So stop it!"

         &nb sp;  "Why must you deny your feelings all the time?" Ishizu knew Malik wanted to be more than friends with the ancient spirit and liked to tease him about it.

         &nb sp;  "Why must you always acknowledge yours?" Malik knew she knew and hated it.

         &nb sp;  "Why must the both of you always argue about things?" Shadi interrupted as he entered the living room, led by Rashid. "You said this was urgent, Ishizu. What needs to be done?" Shadi and Rashid were ignorant of Malik's feelings regarding Khaibit.

         &nb sp;  The woman waved at her brother and the white-haired boy burying his face in the blonde's chest, "We need to take him to the Pharaoh. He is a spirit without a home, so he claims. He said that Ryu cast him out and closed him off from his mind, and the Ring."

         &nb sp;  Shadi studied the spirit, "And yet he is still here, in this world… How is that?"

         &nb sp;  "He has the Eye."

         &nb sp;  "What!?"

         &nb sp;  "He has the Eye. I am not sure how he came to get it, but it is currently being held in his right hand."

         &nb sp;  Shadi stepped forward and Ishizu laid a hand on his arm, "Unless you wish to visit the Shadow Realm, my friend, I would not take the chance of trying to pry it from him. Even asleep, he is a force to be reckoned with. More so, now that he is lost to despair."

         &nb sp;  The magician lowered his head in reluctant agreement, "What time is it?"

         &nb sp;  "Almost three in the morning. It took some time to contact you."

         &nb sp;  "That is not my worry. The Pharaoh is in New York. His time it will be right around three in the afternoon. Maybe four. I hope he is at home and not in some public place. I have not been to 'Bayville' before. The only way to teleport to him is to focus on his energy, since I do not have a location near him memorized. I do not wish to start a riot by popping up in the middle of…" Shadi stopped mid thought as Khaibit started to moan loudly.

Ishizu rolled her eyes, "Malik, I know you two are close, but could you please wait until later?"

The Egyptian boy glared at his sister, a blush darkening his cheeks, "I am not doing anything! And I wouldn't anyway! What you imply is completely… OW! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow! Make him let go!"

            Khaibit had tightened his grip and started to wail. At first it was a low, keening note; then it grew louder, higher. High enough to make much of the glass objects in the room start to shake. Khaibit let out a scream, throwing his head back in pain. Most of the glass broke right before the spirit stopped and fell back into Malik's chest.

            Shadi started the spell that would take them to Yami.

:::::

Atemu groaned and cracked his eyes open. Light blinded him and he shut them tightly once more. His felt like the entire palace had fallen on him. His head hurt so much. He'd only felt like this once before, just after he had gotten himself so drunk on date wine that he wouldn't have known the difference between a camel and a courtesan, and wouldn't have cared either. But that's what Seto was around for. To steer him in the right direction, keep him from choosing the camel or courtesan and lead him to a proper bed.

         &nb sp;  But Atemu couldn't remember getting drunk last night. Or any other night for a very long time. And if he hadn't gotten drunk, why did his head hurt so? And where was Seto, anyway?

         &nb sp;  He cracked open his eyes again and tried to make sense of what he saw. He wasn't in his chambers, or any familiar place for that matter. Although he couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was familiar. The walls were made of polished metal and on his right was a blue furry creature pressing colored lights on one of the wall panels. The creature was muttering in a language he didn't know, yet could somehow understand…

         &nb sp;  /// English…///

         &nb sp;  The name of the language floated across his mind in a voice that was his, but wasn't his. Atemu couldn't concentrate well enough to make sense of it and pushed himself into a sitting position, hoping that it would help to clear his head.

         &nb sp;  "Yugi? Are you alright?" A pretty redhead in strange clothes addressed him and reached out her hands to steady him. "Yugi? Do you know what happened? Do you know where Yami is?"

         &nb sp;  /// Yami… I go by that name…Yugi…that is my name as well…///

         &nb sp;  Atemu stared at the girl, trying to place her face. He knew her, but didn't know her. He should have been frightened by the confusion these thoughts and the strangeness of his surroundings brought. Yet he wasn't.

         &nb sp;  The girl was pretty, with hair that should have been out of place. Blond hair was uncommon, but not unknown, in his kingdom, where most people had hair the color of night. He had been one of the few with hair that varied out of the normal spectrum. But that was because his grandfather, Rama-tut, had hair the color of the burning sun as it rose from its nightly fight with Set. Only members of the royal family had hair with any red in them.

         &nb sp;  But she wasn't a noble. Atemu knew they weren't related. He also knew that others outside of the royal family somehow had red in their hair, as well as white, brown, orange and the occasional green streak here and there for fashion. But how could that be?

         &nb sp;  His varied thoughts of what he knew to be true clashed with each other, neither winning and yet both sides victorious in their truth. Maybe he shouldn't have sat up. It only seemed to have prompted further confusion within him.

         &nb sp;  // I bet I did have too much date wine…// Atemu thought to himself, ignoring the girl and lying down again, covering his eyes with one of his arms to block out any further light. Maybe if he went back to sleep and woke up again, this would all prove to be a very strange dream.

         &nb sp;  Peeking out at his arm, which should have been bare, he saw he was not imagining the cloth he felt. It was a blue so dark it bordered on black and was made of a cloth far more supple than the normal linens he was dressed in each morning.

         &nb sp;  /// Cotton… the cloth is 100% pure Cotton… and the color is Navy… This is my school jacket. I wear it everywhere…///

         &nb sp;  The thought that was not his own, but was, echoed through him as fleeting visions of others dressed in the same clothes winked through his mind. The memories were not his but were a part of him at the same time. They were his memories. But they could not be. He was Pharaoh of all Egypt and besides, clothes like that would kill a person in the heat of the desert.

         &nb sp;  /// I am not in the desert… I am in Bayville, New York… In the United States… America… ///

         &nb sp;  More thoughts that were his but not his. He pulled his arm off his face to look for the red haired girl so he could question her. What he found was a blue furry face with pointed ears and even pointier teeth hovering just over his own.

         &nb sp;  With a most undignified yelp, the Pharaoh pushed himself away from the creature and ended up rolling off the bed. The bed stood a good three feet off the floor and Atemu hit the ground hard before pushing himself across it until he hit the supports of the second bed. His eyes never left the blue thing, which was suspending itself by its feet and tail from one of the ceiling lights.

         &nb sp;  "Sorry, Yugi! I didn't mean to startle you like that!" It spoke hurriedly as it dropped to the mattress.

         &nb sp;  /// Kurt. His name is Kurt. He is my friend. He is a mutant. He can- ///

         &nb sp;  "…teleport," Atemu finished the thought out loud as both his heartbeat and breathing slowed to a more acceptable level. "You… are… Kurt. We remember that you… are Kurt." He gulped down a breath and used the bed at his back to help himself stand, "How… do We know you?"

         &nb sp;  The red head appeared in his line of sight, "We? Who's 'we', Yugi? Is Yami around again? Can you ask him to show himself? We've been really worried."

         &nb sp;  Atemu gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was crazy, "We are We. Why do you speak of Us as if we are more than one? We are Yugi and We are Yami. Both names belong to Us."

         &nb sp;  Kurt and the redhead-

/// Jean ///

-exchanged worried glances. The telepath stepped around the side of the bed, approaching Atemu, "Are you alright? We know you're Yugi, but Yami is your brother… Did something happen to him? Something you haven't told us about?"

 A third person came into view. A beautiful woman with hair that had gone white before it's time. She was dressed stranger than the other two. Yet it did not strike Atemu as strange to see her in the outfit. As if he had seen her in it enough times before to grow accustomed to it.

         &nb sp;  The woman-

/// Ororo ///

-looked curiously at him and lifted an ungloved hand to his forehead, "You don't have a fever. Perhaps you hit your head harder than we thought. Or maybe the magic flying about this room five minutes ago took its toll on you."

         &nb sp;  Atemu leaned his head away from her hand, separating them, "Magic? Is that why Our head feels like it was trampled by a ram?"

         &nb sp;  "Probably. I don't know if this is conscious or not, but you've been referring to yourself in the third person. You might want to stop. You'll make people think you're royalty or something," the weather witch joked, trying to get him to relax.

         &nb sp;  // But I am royalty… I am Pharaoh, //  He thought to himself, looking away from the woman. // Why do they not know this? Wouldn't I have told them? If I didn't…But why? Why wouldn't I tell them? //

            / We couldn't tell them…/

         &nb sp;  Atemu started, looking around wildly, "Who's there?"

         &nb sp;  "It's just us," Ororo answered as the boy turned around and saw the other X-men, who had been gathered behind him. But they hadn't spoken…

         &nb sp;   / We didn't know what to tell them. We didn't know ourselves for sure…/  the voice came again and Atemu recognized it as his own. It was a part of him that had been taken away, sealed for an eternity until…

         &nb sp;  "Yugi?" Yami whispered to the air, his newest memories resurfacing as the tide of his old memories started to recede.

         &nb sp;  …until a puzzle had been solved by a fourteen-year-old boy in need of a friend.

         &nb sp;  "Right here, Yami," the small light whispered back as his arms encircled the spirit, who had just separated from the boy. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Yugi had weathered the storm of memories from inside his soul room. The tide had slammed shut his door and held it tightly. All Yugi could do was yell and scream and push on it to try and open it. It took everything that he had to do so and when he finally emerged, he was more exhausted than when Pegasus had forced him to Duel unprepared in the Shadow Realm.

         &nb sp;  Yami was floating within his old memories, unanchored and without a star to guide him through the ocean that had invaded his mind. Yugi found him and held on tight, pleading with his other half to remember.

         &nb sp;  The dark one started to come around and Yugi separated their physical selves in hope of giving the other something concrete to focus on. His efforts were not in vain, for Yami could always focus on his personal light of hope.

The memories came to Yugi as Yami opened himself to his light. Atemu truly remembered himself then, when both halves were joined for but a moment. The Pharaoh reborn in the instant the light and dark within him shared the same thoughts, and killed the next when they were forced to separate once more.

:::::

         &nb sp;  Xavier pulled himself away from where Rogue lay, still asleep. He couldn't find a way into her mind. A maze of shields surrounded her consciousness and from what he saw, it would take decades to get through them. Whatever had happened with her and Yugi would have to be explained after she woke, because he doubted the twins would want to talk about it.

         &nb sp;  The professor honestly wanted them to open up on their own and let the X-Men into their lives. He didn't want to force the issue, but if more incidents like these took place…

         &nb sp;  ~I may just have to.~

          &nb sp; Jean met Xavier's eyes and sent a thought his way, :: Professor? Any ideas on what's up with Yugi? ::

             The bald man steepled his fingers and nodded, :: The twins share a telepathic bond. I don't know how deep it is, but it could be possible that their minds merge on occasion. I have never encountered a pair of twin telepaths before, but I have shared a deep mental bond with someone. If left unchecked, the bond can grow so much that one person might as well be the other.

They are 16, with 16 years for a bond to grow without being hedged in or shaped. I doubt this is the first time their minds have merged. Remember when they first arrived and how strangely they acted when they had to explain themselves? Their minds were probably partially merged then.:: Xavier linked his mind to Ororo, Henry and Wolverine, letting them join the conversation.

             :: In fact, now that I think about it… Yugi said that Yami could shield both their minds. That kind of control- to constantly have shields up for a second person- is beyond their experience level. But only if their minds were completely separate. If their minds have merged and are practically one and the same, then one would have no problem shielding the other.

             It could also explain about their scent. Logan? What to do you think?::

          &nb sp; Wolverine lit a cigar and leaned against a wall, :: I've never dealt with that before, but it sounds pretty logical to me. But what about the magic?::

             ::Well, it's not like we didn't have a warning on it,:: Storm added, backing away from the twins, who were oblivious to everything. :: Remember when Yami stole away into town? Yugi got on his case at breakfast while they were talking because Yami mentioned magic. I thought he meant slight of hand, but now… I think it's quite obvious they meant magic of another sort.::

          &nb sp; Henry McCoy, resident doctor and walking rug, checked Rogue one last time and then leapt to the ceiling, :: Well, I don't know a lot about telepathic bonds or magic… But I can tell you that whatever energy was just flying about this room a moment ago didn't register on the room's sensors. Nothing but an increased heartbeat from either Rogue or Mr. Motou. Nothing else.::

             Xavier nodded, :: It seems we shall have to confront the Motou's on this. They are proving to be far more dangerous than I'm sure they would want to be. If their minds are partially merged, then they are a danger to each other. And the outburst of magic they have shown is a danger to those around them. I would prefer to help them in whatever way we can, but that will be hard to do if they keep hiding the full extent of their power.::

:: What if they don't know the full extent of their power? :: Ororo asked. No one answered.

:::::

         &nb sp;  The twins, previously engrossed with each other, became suddenly alert; both heads snapped up as they stared intently at the wall directly in front of them. Its mirrored surface began to distort, like a raindrop falling into a still pond. The surface darkened and silhouettes of light appeared, walking out of it.

         &nb sp;  Before the light made itself into figures recognizable as human, the X-Men had them surrounded. Wolverine's claws were out and at the throat of the being that ended up turning into a dark haired woman. Evan had the bones in his right arm ready to fire at a tall man with tattoos on the left half of his face. Scott and Bobby were ready to hold back a blond kid their age that was carrying a boy with wild white hair. Kurt and Jean took up positions on either side of the group, ready to take out the man with the turban. Rahnae and Jamie stood near Rogue, protecting her body.

         &nb sp;  It took less than a second for the newcomers to realize they were in danger. The blond dropped his friend, ignoring the groan of pain, and pulled a knife, placing it at the throat of the man who threatened Ishizu. Khaibit might be his friend and hopefully more, but Malik had his own priorities, "Back away now."

 The short man had only one set of claws pointed at the girl. He brought his other arm up to the boy and popped his second set so that the tips just touched the tanned throat, "And if I don't?"

         &nb sp;  No fear in the boy's eyes and he didn't flinch when the claws came out. Instead, he smiled as if he was the devil himself with the secret of creation hidden behind his back, "Then I let the shadows take you."

         &nb sp;  "Don't you dare, Malik!" Yami barked at the intruder.

         &nb sp;  "Why not? They threaten me, I destroy them. That's how these things work."

         &nb sp;  Yami stood and drew his deck, casually shuffling it, "No, that is not how these things work. Put the blade away."

         &nb sp;  Malik's eyes left the short man's and met Yami's, fully aware of the threat in the cards, "Not until he drops the blades at Ishizu's throat."

         &nb sp;  Yugi came over to the group and placed a hand on the arm that threatened Ishizu, gently pushing it away, "Please Logan-san, put them away. These are friends."

         &nb sp;  A cough and a groan from the floor drew Yami's attention. He smiled cheerfully and pointed at Khaibit, "Except for him. You can hurt him all you want."

         &nb sp;  "Yami!" Yugi gasped in horror. "No!"

         &nb sp;  The spirit ignored his light and continued, "In fact, I insist you hurt him. The more the better. And if you can get out a few gut wrenching screams, I will be in your debt for eternity. I know! You can peg him to the floor with your claws and I'll jump up and down on his chest!"

         &nb sp;  The light ducked under Logan's arms and stepped between his twin and the new arrivals, "No! Not happening."

         &nb sp;  "Oh, come on! Indulge me just this once! He deserves it! It would be so much fun to…"

         &nb sp;  "No, he doesn't. And neither does Ryu."

         &nb sp;  "Yes he does. Ryu doesn't but he does! I know you remember what he did to father!"

         &nb sp;  "That was along time ago, in another life. That's not who he is now."

         &nb sp;  "Sure it is…"

         &nb sp;  "Yami," Yugi gave his dark a glare. The twin looked the other way and huffed, muttering to himself all the reasons why Khaibit deserved to be tortured. Yugi ignored him and turned back to the group, "Malik, please put the knife away. We're all friends here, there's no reason to get upset at each other."

         &nb sp;  Xavier rolled to the front of the group and addressed the transfer student, "Maybe if you explained what is going on, our minds would be better put at ease. I take it you know these… visitors?"

         &nb sp;  When Yugi nodded an affirmative, Logan lowered his arms and sheathed his claws, giving the other X-Men the silent signal they needed to relax. Malik snorted and sheathed his blade, then bent over and picked Khaibit back up. A task for which he needed Rashid's help.

         &nb sp;  Xavier motored to the door, "Perhaps we should all retire to the lounge. We will have more room to sit and relax and… gain some insight."

:::::

         &nb sp;  The newcomers were shown to the lounge by Scott and Jean. Yugi and Yami joined them and started to talk with their visitors while the rest of the X-Men regrouped and Ororo gathered refreshments. She rather liked taking part in domestic affairs, it kept her down to earth when she was otherwise lost in the clouds. Both literally and figuratively.

         &nb sp;  Back in the lounge, before Xavier joined them and started his questioning, Yami took the time to inquire about why Ishizu and the others had come to see them. He did so in Japanese.

         &nb sp;  The woman pointed at Khaibit, who was still unconscious and once again welded to Malik's side, "<He seems to believe that Ryu hates him and has cast him out.>"

         &nb sp;  Yami snorted, "<About time.>"

         &nb sp;  Yugi elbowed his dark. He was the only one who could physically hurt the spirit without hurting himself as well. If anyone else tried they would only end up hurting Yugi. It was the same for Ryu and his dark half. A fact that was painfully obvious to Yugi as he rubbed his palm where Logan had cut Yami.

         &nb sp;  Ishizu ignored the comment and continued, "<He was found at home, barricaded in the downstairs bathroom. He ran in there after Ryu attacked, pushing him down the stairs>"

         &nb sp;  Yami gave the woman a look of disbelief, "<Ryu? Attacked him? We're talking about the same Ryu, right?>"

         &nb sp;  "<So he claims, my Pharaoh. And yes, we are talking about the same one. We came to see if you could discern the truth in this matter.>"

         &nb sp;  "<Well, I can try Isis. But I don't know if- >"

         &nb sp;  Ishizu raised an eyebrow, "<Isis, my Pharaoh?>"

         &nb sp;  The twins looked at each other and Yugi sighed, "<Sorry. That's what you were called back then. The memories just resurfaced and have been mixing with the here and now.>"

         &nb sp;  "<You have remembered yourself?>" Shadi asked, a hint of excitement in his otherwise bored voice.

         &nb sp;  "<Yes, just before you arrived. Rogue did something and Yami and I remembered our name and then you arrived. You, Shadi, were once called Sha-da.>"

         &nb sp;  "<Shada? Hmm… Than I am the reborn soul of one of my ancestors. In my family, we have passed down the name of 'Shadi' from father to son. It would come as no surprise that with thousands of years between then and now, the name would have become distorted. Are there any others you know in this time that were around then as well?>"

         &nb sp;  Yugi nodded and leaned against Yami, "<Yep. You already know about Seto. But Jii-chan was there as well. He was our senior Advisor and had carried the Rod while our father ruled. It was then passed to Seto when we became Pharaoh. Jii-chan was called Shimon Muran. He was a powerful magician and taught us a lot of spells and how to use the power granted by the shadow realm. But he wasn't as powerful as Mahado…>" Yugi stopped talking, his excitement leaving him as he remembered his captain of the guard.

         &nb sp;  "<Who was Mahado?>" Ishizu inquired, curiosity getting to her.

         &nb sp;  The dark half put his feet up on the coffee table and leaned his head back, "<We can discuss this later. It is a painful memory that has just resurfaced. We will tell you later, after we figure out how we're going to explain this to Xavier-sama and the others…>"

         &nb sp;  "<How about you start with the truth, bub?>" Logan replied, announcing the presence of himself and the others. "Let's see where that gets you and go from there."

         &nb sp;  Yami sat up and gave the man a glare while the rest of the X-Men found places to sit. Ororo led Kurt and Jean in with trays of refreshments, which were placed on the coffee table. The African poured a cup and offered it to Ishizu, who politely accepted it before handing it to Malik. She took the second offered cup for herself. Yami leaned over and poured Yugi a cup while the light inspected Khaibit.

         &nb sp;  Yugi smiled at Xavier and the others, "If you will give us just a moment, our friend needs our help."

         &nb sp;  Xavier waved his hand in assent, curiosity getting to him. As far as he knew, Yugi's only real abilities lay in creating shields and talking to his brother via the mind.

         &nb sp;  "You know how to do this?" Shadi asked curiously.

         &nb sp;  Yugi nodded as he gently pried the tomb robber's arms off of Malik and leaned the white haired boy against the couch, "We've remembered a lot. Including how to control the power of the Shadows and of the individual Items. What we learned so long ago is fresh in our minds. We'll have to use the Key to go inside and see if the connection has been lost. If it has, we'll leave the Eye with him. If not, we'll take it until it can be given to its rightful bearer."

         &nb sp;  Shadi titled his head as he studied Yugi. The memories he had gained seemed to have affected him already. And not in a bad way. The Egyptian stood and walked behind the couch, ready to hold Khaibit down. He met Yugi's eyes just before the boy used the Key, "It is good that you have remembered so much."

         &nb sp;  Yugi smiled at the praise and then pulled the Ankh from Yami's soul room as the spirit merged with his light. The Key shone brightly as the Sennen Eye appeared on the boy's forehead. A second eye appeared on Khaibit as Yugi raised the Ankh to the tomb robber's chest. He turned the Key and entered the spirit's mind.

:::::

End Chapter Twelve

To all the people who read chapter 11 before I fixed the problems with the scene breaks: I'm sorry. FF.net striped the coding and I forgot to re-edit them in before posting. They have since been fixed. Thank you for attempting to read it that way.

The good news is that the next chapter and this one have been posted on the same day, so you won't have to wait to read it. I wrote both of these chapters simultaneously because they just flowed into each other. The break between them is actually the halfway point of what was originally going to be one chapter. But since twenty pages is a lot to read in one sitting, I cut it in half.

Bonus points, cookies, my personal 'Biggest Comic/Manga Geek in the World' crown- straight off the top of my head- first look at chapter 14 and the 'cover art' I'm working on for this story if anyone can correctly tell me where I got Atemu's grandfather (Rama-tut) from.

If you do participate, leave your e-mail so I can send you the chapter and pic.