Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Meskhenet ❯ Mesore ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 6

Mesore (Last month of summer)

"Open your eyes, see what you're missing," Seto sung to himself as he dug this years vegetables up from the soil with his hoe. "Open your eyes, see what your missing. It's staring you in the face. Open your eyes and look at me. You'll be surprised at what you see..."(110)

He was soon distracted by the sounds of amused laughter from Si-Amun and Mutnodjmet nearby.

"Hey!." He crossed his arms in mock indignance, trying to force back a grin. "Come on! My singing isn't that bad!."

They chuckled as they gathered up the vegetables and placed them in the baskets to ready them for storage.

"Oh no, it isn't that," the elderly lady smiled.

Her husband nodded. "Yes, it's just that it seems like such a change. Who would have guessed that when you first arrived we would see you singing as you worked in the vegetable patch."

At this, Kaiba laughed. "You have a point there." He leaned easily against the hoe. "I guess it must be something about this place, hmm?."

"Indeed," Mut agreed, brushing a few strands of gray hair from her face. "I remember, after my first husband was taken from me, Si and this villa were my only comfort for a long time afterwards."

"Your first husband?." The young CEO blinked. He hadn't known she had been married before Si-Amun.

The two looked at each other for a moment… Then Mut turned back to Seto…

"It was such a long time ago," she sighed. "His name was Amenpanufer… He was a quarryman…"(111)

"A quarryman?."

"Yes, we lived near Set Ma'at(112), but we were paid less then most others… Neither of us had any other family to support us, and sometimes we could not even afford food and clothing for our children…"

At this, Si put a protective hand on his wife's shoulder. "Dearest, you don't have to tell the whole story if it is to painful for you."

In response, she placed her hand on his. "No, it's all right, my love." Then she continued. "Amenpanufer was so desperate… he… he was convinced to join a gang of tomb robbers to support the children and I…"

Tomb robbers?!. He had been in ancient Egypt long enough to know just how serious a crime that was… and what the usual punishment for it was…(113)

As if reading his mind, Mut nodded sadly. "He was caught just after the birth of our fourth child… They… They came into our house and took him away at the end of a rope… He was tortured and interrogated until he confessed to everything…"

Si lowered his head somberly, his arm still around his wife. "It wasn't long after that when the former master and mistress and I found poor Mut grieving by the spikes with her children, the new baby in her arms…" He had already been in their service for over a year by that time, and he, along with the late Humu Neter and his wife, had immediately taken pity on the widowed Mutnodjmet and her fatherless children.

"So that's how you came to be here," Kaiba nodded understandingly.

"Yes," Mut answered. "The late master and mistress used what power and money they had to arrange for Amunpenafurs burial, then they invited me to bring my children here and work as a wet nurse for their new baby girl."

"Nephthys." The young CEO had to smile.

Mut and Si smiled back. "Yes, Nephthys," the elderly lady answered. "Now you know why you two are as much our children as our own were."

Seto wasn't really sure what to say to that… He'd never had much success with parental figures after all… What with his mother dying giving birth to Mokuba, his father having died in that car accident and his foster father throwing himself out of a two story window at Kaiba Corp…

Just thinking about that made him frown, and he took his hoe and began to make his way over to the other side of the vegetable patch…

He couldn't help overhearing Mutnodjmet whisper to Si Amun when they thought he was getting out of earshot…

"Poor boy, he's just the same as I and young Asha were. Sometimes I long to hold him and comfort him like I did our children, but he is still so hardened and prideful he would probably push me away."

Kaiba frowned again as he began digging up the next batch of vegetables… He couldn't help but think that if Mut tried she might not find him as hardened and prideful as she thought…

**********

"Well, my mother was a music teacher and my father ran a shop that sold games and manga and anime and all that," Seto explained as he and Nephthys played a quiet game of Hounds And Jackals later that evening.

The lady of the house tilted her head and gave him a compassionate look. "It must have been hard to lose them." She remembered how grieved she and Asha had been upon her own parents deaths from fever. Thank Eset they had had Si-Amun and Mutnodjmet for comfort.

Kaiba nodded slowly. "Hmmph, it was," he scoffed bitterly. "Mom died giving birth to Mokuba, and when our relatives grabbed up everything and sent us to that orphanage after Dad died my brother and I thought it was the end of the world. The only thing that saved us was the games we brought with us."

"And that's why you turned Kaiba Corp into a gaming company." Nephthys put her chin in her hand thoughtfully.

"It wasn't just that. Kaiba Corp used to make military weapons under Gozaburo. He'd take advantage of a war, any war, and sell tanks and fighter jets to both sides."

She frowned as she moved her white piece on the board. She wasn't sure what modern military weapons like that did, but they were obviously more powerful and lethal then any found here. "That's horrible."

The young CEO clenched his hand around his black playing piece in anger at the memories. "Yes, not only was he a war monger, but he was also a thief. I came to him with ideas for computer software for games, but he just shot them down. Then he went behind my back and stole them to upgrade his military machines!."

"Your stepfather sounds like some piece of work," Nephthys commented as she made her next move on the board.

"He was," the young man agreed. "I was very angry with him." Then he grinned. "It cost me over a thousand dollars in therapy to say that. I say it very well, don't you think?. I'll say it again. I was very angry with him. Hello, my name is Seto Kaiba, I am very angry with my stepfather."(114)

The lady of the house laughed at that. "I would have been angry too," she admitted…

Those were the only words they exchanged about Gozaburo or Kaiba Corp for the remainder of the game…

"Hmmm…" Seto eyed the game board critically… Now what would be the best move here?…

Nephthys grinned. "This is a game of chance, Anu. You have to roll the sticks to make your move, remember?."

"Hmmph!." With a disgruntled growl, Kaiba picked up and rolled the sticks for his turn… Ahhh! Double black! His color!.

With a smug smile he moved his first black jackal two spaces, getting closer and closer to Nephthys's nearest white hound. "Ah hah! My jackals have your hounds at bey, Vixen!."

"Ooo, but dogs at bey are dangerous," the lady of the house purred with a wry smile…

"Not for long!. Don't forget, you're talking to a gaming champion!."

"Gaming champion?. Since you've arrived here, you've only managed to beat me four times out of ten games of Hounds And Jackals!. And even then, I'm still convinced you are cheating!."

He made a face. He'd only cheated in a game once in his entire life, and even then he did not call that cheating, he called it desperation!. "You'll see who's cheating when I win this game, Kitsune!."

"You crocodile!," she laughed, picking up the sticks and dropping them on the game board for her turn… Three white sticks!. She was in luck!. "There, triples!." Triumphantly, she moved her nearest white hound to the end of the board, winning the game!. "You've lost!," the lady of the house exclaimed, leaning forward and resting her arms on the board. "I'll never let you win again!."(115)

He grinned back at her. "Oh, never say never, vixen!."

They both laughed, agreeing to a re-match later after dinner, and the young CEO helped Nephthys clear away the game board and put it away.

It was funny, Seto noted, studying Nephthys as she stored the playing pieces back in the cabinet, a year or so ago he would have been humiliated and angered at losing a game, any game… but now… Now, he just found himself smiling, no matter who won or lost…

**********

It was the beginning of the last month of Shemu and all the harvesting in the fields and orchards had been completed. The weather was growing hotter and the family once more began taking refuge from the sweltering afternoons on the top of the villas main house…

Everyone was happily cooling themselves under the shade of the large white canopy and the surrounding palm trees... Si-Amun was carving a little toy for Kiya while Mutnodjmet mended yet another tear Khu had put in her dress from her roughhousing. The elderly lady smiled fondly at her oldest granddaughter. Children often were careless with their clothing, but Khu was growing to old to be running around undressed all the time.

Young Mariasha lovingly stroked a now fully grown Kuribo and dangled a piece of string over him to get him to jump and pounce after it. Little Khu and Kiya giggled with amusement as the brownish black cat jumped and danced after the string.

"So there's been no sign of Ra, or any of the other God Monsters, since Pahons?," Seto inquired as he and Nephthys shared a bottle of pomegranate juice.

The lady of the house poured juice in her own glass, then his. "That is correct," she answered with a nod. "I've spoken with the Medjay, and they have not seen any of the Shadow Game beasts since then. They still have no idea who might have summoned Ra, or why. It confuses me too."

"I still say it was this Setekh or Set or whoever my past self is supposed to be." Kaiba ran his hand through his brown hair. "I doubt it was just coincidence that Ra was close to this particular town."

"Ahh, but something tells me that the town was not Ra's target. It was almost as if it were actually waiting for us... expecting us to come after it..."

The young CEO was about to say that he thought that was a crazy idea, when Nephthys stood up from her chair.

'I believe it is time to make our rounds in the next village, Anu," she said. "We had best get started if we want to be back before nightfall."

"Hmmph!. Why do we have to tend to villages outside town anyway?," Seto grumbled.

Her response was a playful swat to his shoulder. "Come now! Don't start that again!. You know you enjoy it!."

Everyone laughed good naturdly as Kaiba and Nephthys went back into the house to gather the things they would need for this afternoons rounds...

**********

By the time Nephthys and her assistant had finished checking in on each of their patients Ra had already begun to make it's journey downwards into the Nile's sparkling waters...

This time, Mariasha had been permitted to come with her foster mother. Her dream was to become a physician, just like Nephthys, and the lady of the house had decided it was time to gain some experience as another assistant. Of course, the young CEO had had his doubts about this; was it fair to a blind child to expect her to help with examining a patient or fetching and mixing ingredients for medicines?. However, by the end of the day Asha had made him eat his words!. She had been slow to start, but with a little help from them she had caught on quickly. She soon learned how to recognize ingredients by their smells and textures, and how to measure them with her fingers or by the feel of the size of the bowl, cup or spoon. By the last doctors visit she had barely needed any help at all!.

"You should be proud of yourself, kiddo," Seto commented. "You were a great help today."

Asha beamed proudly. "Thank you!. Do you really think I'll make a good doctor someday?."

"Of course you will, Miw-sher. You are an incredibly fast learner, and, most importantly, you have the desire to become a good doctor. That is more then I can say for our anu here." Nephthys gave Seto a mischievous grin.

"Hmmph!," Kaiba snorted, but good naturdly. "I see no point in throwing myself into learning how to be a doctor's assistant when I'm not going to be here for much longer anyway. Remember what Isis said?."

The lady of the house was about to answer that, yes, of course she remembered what Isis had said that time, but before she could speak Asha put a scarred little hand in her's...

"Umayma," she whispered. "I hear something... Horse's hooves... Wheels on the ground... Is there a chariot coming?..."

Nephthys put a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun... She looked ahead, but could see no horses or chariot approaching... just a cloud of desert dust in the distance...

A look of fear crossed the little girl's face... "It sounds like... like that other time I heard the chariots..." The last time she had heard the sound of a number of chariots approaching had been the attack on her village...

"Are you sure, darling?." The lady of the house put a protective hand on her foster daughter's scarred shoulder.

"It's probably nothing," the young CEO tried to reassure them. "Even if it is a chariot, aren't they supposed to be common here?."

"Yes, for the royalty and upper class, and that is what worries me." Nephthys stopped and turned to face them. "Anu, it may be nothing, but I would feel much better if you would take Asha back home while I find out what this is all about."

To her dismay, Seto crossed his arms and looked at her as if she was some paranoid, overbearing mother, nagging him about not playing in the dirty mud puddles.

"Just do it!," the lady of the house hissed. "We can argue about this later!."

Asha placed her hand in Kaiba's. "Yes, Niisama," she added. "Don't be afraid. I'll come with you."

Smiling a little at this, he reluctantly gave in. "All right," he said, rolling his eyes. "I guess I'll need someone to 'protect' me on the way back." He then tousled her hair fondly. "Let's go then, kid."

Nephthys had to smile herself as she watched them go on ahead... Holding hands and chatting as easily as if they really were an elder brother and little sister... She wondered how it was that the children were always the ones who seemed to bring out the best in the young man... Perhaps it had to do with the guilt he felt over Mokubas death, and for, supposedly, being a less then perfect brother to the child while he was alive... Was he trying to make it up to Mokuba through Asha?...

The sounds of hoof beats and whinnying soon distracted her from her thoughts... As the approaching figure bringing up the dust drew nearer she realized that her foster daughter had been right; It was chariots approaching... The lead chariot drew closer and closer until she could make out the figure driving it...

"Set!," Nephthys exclaimed in shock. She recognized his priests headdress and robes... Her first instinct was to run from the approaching high priest, but running was just an invitation to be chased, and doing that would be putting Seto and Asha at risk as well...

The lead chariot soon came to a standstill and Set ordered his men to halt. Then, with that he stepped down from his chariot and approached the lady of the house with a wry smile.

"Well well well, Lady Nephthys. What a coincidence, meeting you here of all places." He gave her a mocking bow.

Coincidence? Hardly!. The young woman crossed her arms and gave him a tight smile. "Now, if it isn't the high and mighty Priest Set," she purred. "Have you broken out of your nursery to come and irritate the adults?."

To her irritation, he chuckled. "Oh!." He put on a falsely injured expression. "Now is this the way you treat the man who would have been your husband?," he crooned. "And after I came all this way just to pay you a visit, my love!."

Nephthys studied him for a moment... In the few years since she had annulled their betrothal and left Waset he had changed somewhat... His eyes were narrower, his features sharper and he stood with the usual straight backed arrogance of the Khemetan upper class... Strange, she remembered when those eyes had been wide and innocent, when that face had been soft and always smiling...

"Since when did you make pleasant house calls?," she hissed.

"Ahh, but how could I miss this chance to say hello to that little Hittite whelp, and to meet my future incarnation, my dear?."

So, he knew?. She might have known that this was all about them!. What did this obnoxious little boy who thought himself to be a sem priest want with them?.

At this, Set shook his head with a smile. "Nephthys, Nephthys, my lovely little kitten. Did you honestly think you could harbor Seto Kaiba for long without me knowing?." Instantly, he snapped his fingers twice and two of his men came forward. "But don't worry," he added. "I intend to put them both to very good use.."

"No!," the lady of the house cried, but Set's men had already seized her by her arms. "No!. Set! You stay away from them!. Leave them alone!." She struggled to free herself, but their grip on her arms only tightened. She watched helplessly as her former betrothed approached her...

"Calm yourself, my sweet," the priest said coolly as he placed the tip of the Millennium Rod under her chin, forcing her to face him. "They are not the only ones who will be coming with me."

"What?!," Nephthys gasped.

Her only answer was Set's arrogant smile, and the quick, blinding flash of the Millennium Rod before her eyes... Then there was nothing...

**********

"But why didn't Hiei ever tell Yukina the truth, that he was her brother, Seto?," Mariasha asked as the two of them headed back to the villa. She had been a little worried about Nephthys, so Seto had offered to finish the story of "Yu Yu Hakusho" as they walked the rest of the way home, and it took her mind off her fears. They had just gotten to the part where Yusuke, Keiko, Botan, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Yukina and the others had finished the last tournament in the Spirit World and were on their way home to the Human World...

"Hmmm, well I think it was mostly because of that deal he made; that he could have the eye to be able to find her, but he could never tell her who he was," Kaiba answered. Even though he'd never believed in all that supernatural mumbo jumbo like spirit detectives, fox spirits, fire demons and ice maidens, at least the stores were entertaining. "Or maybe he was ashamed of the things he'd done, and didn't think he was good enough to be Yukina's brother."

Asha tilted her head thoughtfully. "Maybe... but that seems so sad though..." she commented. "Yukina is is only family after all."

"Well, families change, kiddo. I think we both know that," came the dry reply.

At this, the girl frowned and bit her lip... "Mmm hmm," she mumbled uncomfortably... Then she shrugged her shoulders, lifted her head and smiled a little. "But, you know what, Niisama?."

"What?," he asked.

"I think Yukina already knew in her heart that Hiei was her brother. He never had to tell her. I mean, she seemed the most attached to him out of everybody, and she even called him Nissan!."

"Hmmph." The young CEO had to smile in spite of himself. "That just might be true, kid. I have to say, I thought Yukina was a compulsive crybaby, but I can hardly say she was stupid."

At this, Asha chuckled and shook her head in amusement at her big brother.

"Stop right there!." A commanding shout, followed by a number of others, came from behind them.

Seto and Asha both spun around and Seto's eyes widened in shock. Fast approaching them were three armed Egyptian royal soldiers!. How had they gotten so close without either him or the child noticing until now?. What had happened to Nephthys?.

"Surrender!," the first soldier ordered. "You and the girl!." He and the other two came closer, bringing their hands to the hilts of their swords...

Asha clutched Kaiba's sleeve tightly. "Seto?... Seto what is it?..." She was beginning to feel terribly frightened...

"Just get behind me, kiddo," he hissed, standing in front of her... What did these three jokers want with them?...

The second soldier pointed at them. "Hand yourself and the girl over, in the name of High Priest Setekh, and no harm shall come to you!."

The young CEO sneered. "If you mean my ugly loser of a past counterpart then I can't think of a better reason not to hand myself or Asha over to you morons!."

But this didn't intimidate them. On their leaders signal, the royal sentries charged forwards. The young man grunted and struggled against the first two men who pulled him away, while the leader went for Asha.

"Get away from her!," Seto screamed. He fought to free his arms, but his captors roughly forced them behind his back, nearly breaking them. He cried out in pain.

"Seto!," Asha cried. Her big brother had been pulled away from her, she knew that, but from his shouts she could tell where he was. She tried to get to him, but a pair of rough, strong hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back. "Seto, what's happening?!," she screamed as her arms were forced behind her back. "I'm scared!."

"Silence, you burned Hittite whelp!." Her cries were met with a sharp slap to her face from her captor.

"Asha!." At once Seto became filled with uncontrollable rage!. Nobody hurt his little sister! Nobody!. He couldn't free his arms, but if he tried he could reach the back pocket of his trousers... A wicked grin spread across his face as his fingers managed to reach one of his Blue Eyes White Dragon cards...

"You buffoons are going to regret ever laying a finger on us!," Kaiba growled. He didn't have to have his arms free to summon his favorite monster!. "Go, Blue Eyes White Dragon!."

Instantly, a huge shadow fell over them from behind, followed by an ear splitting roar!. In shock and terror the two sentries released his arms. The young CEO spun around and smiled in relief at the sight of his old friend!.

"It's the great dragon the high priest spoke of!," cried Ashas captor. In his terror he loosened his grip on the girl's arms and backed away.

"We cannot hope to overpower it!," the other two sentries gasped.

The first soldier spoke quickly. "We will make you a deal! Call off the dragon, hand over yourself and the girl and we will ask the high priest to give you the girl's ka for your own!."

At this proposal, Seto's face darkened and his teeth clenched. These three goons had just signed their own death warrants!. "Blue Eyes, attack with white lightning!," he shouted, raising the card he had drawn.

At it's master's command, the great white dragon reared back it's head and prepared its attack... Kaiba rushed forward and pulled Asha to safety, away from the white lightning blast that was now being aimed directly towards the three sentries... There was a brilliant flash of radiant white light, the sound of the men's horrified, painful screams... Then at once the Blue Eyes White Dragon was gone and their three attackers lay unconscious on the dusty ground...

Still furious, the young CEO stormed over to them, eyes narrowed in hatred. "You three just made your third mistake today!. The first was attacking Asha and I, the second was thinking you could bribe me into surrendering her to you." He kicked the unconscious leader in the side. "And the third was not dying when my Blue Eyes attacked you!. That only saved you for a much slower and painful death!." He picked up the unconscious man by his cape and raised his fist...

"Nooo!!!," Asha screamed. "No! Don't!."

"Huh?!." Seto grunted and stared at her in shock. These men were trying to take her away! To bring her to Set so he could imprison her, perhaps even torture her to get her ka and make it stronger so he could take it for himself!. Why would she want them spared?!.

The little girl put a scarred hand on his sleeve. "Don't do it, Niisama!," she pleaded. "If you kill them, it would only cause more pain and I couldn't bear it!. I couldn't bear it again!."(116)

Frowning, Kaiba slowly put the unconscious sentry down... "All right then, kiddo..." She was right... There'd been enough bloodshed already...

"Thank you," Asha whispered, relieved... Then her face grew concerned. "I think these men must have been part of that group of chariots that were coming... Umayma is still back there... What if something's happened to her?..."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, kid. I'm sure she's fine." If he knew the vixen, she was already three steps ahead of these losers. "But I'll go back, just to be sure."

"I'll come with you then," she volunteered.

"No, you'd better get back home, Asha. It's getting late and Si-Amun, Mutnodjmet and the girls will be getting worried. Someone needs to reassure them."

She frowned, reluctant to leave both Nephthys and Seto on their own, but forced herself to nod obediently. "All right, I'll go on ahead. You and Umayma be safe, all right?."

"We'll be fine," he assured her, tousling her hair. "Now move it, runt."

She smiled halfheartedly at that, and obeyed. Turning on her heel, she gave him a last pat on the arm and trotted down the familiar path back in the direction of the villa...

She would be all right, the young CEO thought as he watched her disappear over a dune... Even with no sight, she could easily find her way around the villa and around the town now... So, now there was nothing left to do but find the vixen and see if she might know anything about those worthless thugs that had gone after him and the kid...

"Well well well, if it isn't the little orphan boy!."

He knew that voice... It was the exact same as his own... Breathing heavily, Seto turned around to look into a pair of startling, deep set blue eyes identical to his own... "Set..." he whispered...

The young priest gave him a haughty smile. "Hello, my little future incarnation. At last we meet."

Kaiba's face tightened. "How did you and those goons of yours get here?," he demanded. "Where's Nephthys?."

"What, no hello, no how are you, no it's a pleasure to meet you?. I thought we had a special bond, Orphan."

"You thought wrong!," the young CEO snapped. "Now answer me!."

Set chuckled as he fingered the Millennium Rod in his hands. "You needn't worry about Lady Nephthys. You'll be seeing her again soon if you cooperate. And as for how I and my men got here so suddenly, I should think it quite obvious. I just had to use this!." As he spoke he raised the rod and aimed a powerful blast at Seto, forcing him to leap out of the way and land to the ground on his hands and knees.

"But where is that little girl, the burned monster?," Set smirked. "It looks as if she and the others have abandoned you…" Then his smirk turned into a cruel grin. "Just like you abandoned your little brother." Indeed, Akunadin had used his Millennium Eye to peer into the boy's mind, thoughts and memories, so he knew nearly everything about Seto Kaiba now!.

Seto glared up at his past incarnation. "I didn't abandon Mokuba!," he snapped. "I loved him!. I loved him more then you could ever love anyone!."

At this Set chuckled and knelt down to Kaiba's level. "When did you love him more, Orphan," he sneered, placing the end of the Millennium Rod under his future incarnation's chin to make him raise his head and meet his gaze, "when you hurt and used him to gain control of your stepfather's company, when you told him there was no such thing as brotherly love and tried to murder him as punishment for losing in your little Death T game, when you abandoned him after your loss to Yugi and waking up from that coma, or when you let Pegasus kill him in front of you, then failed to save him?."

"Stop!," the young CEO cried, covering his face with his hands. "Stop it! Stop it!." He was shaking with grief and guilt. "That was not my fault! It wasn't!."

"You cannot hide from the truth, Orphan!." Even though Seto covered his ears and closed his eyes, he could not block out the sight of Set's mocking face and his accusing words.

"It wasn't my fault!," he kept repeating, rocking himself back and forth, trying to drive away the painful guilt within himself that his past incarnation had brought to the surface. "It wasn't my fault! It wasn't!."

The young priest shook his head with a tight smile. "You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more then me. He then raised his now glowing rod over Kaiba. It was now time to break him and turn him into a willing accomplice!. "I can show you the truth with the power of the Millennium Rod."

Before the young CEO knew what was happening, there was a flash of bright, golden light… And even though he tried to shut his eyes and ears against Set, he could not stop the horrible images from playing and replaying themselves in his mind…

First, he saw a younger version of himself… He watched in shock as the image before him roughly seized Mokuba and pinned him up against the wall of Kaiba Corps main office…

"How dare you betray me?!," the younger Seto snarled.

"Seto!?." Mokuba's eyes widened in pain at his brothers accusations.

But the younger image of himself wouldn't listen to his pleas. "Tell me, how could you rat me out like that?!."

"I didn't tell Gozaburo! I swear, Seto!." Tears were beginning to form in the child's eyes.

In response, the younger Seto threw his little brother roughly to the floor. "You liar! Get out of my site!."

"Do you remember this?," Set asked. "You allied yourself with your stepfathers employees, the Big Five, to take over Kaiba Corp, then you purposely let him find out and blamed Mokuba for leaking that information!."

"Look, I never said I was Wally bloody Cleaver!," Seto snapped. "But you don't know the whole story!. Gozaburo threatened to send us back to the orphanage if we didn't earn the right to inherit the company!. I made sure Mokuba would go to Gozaburo so he could stay at the mansion, even if I was sent back to that rat hole!."

At this, the young priest laughed. "That's what makes your betrayal even worse, Orphan!. You were willing to abandon your own little brother to the clutches of that bastard!."

Kaiba said nothing in reply… "How… How do you know all this?…" he finally demanded halfheartedly.

"I am you!. Remember, Orphan?. Just as you gain more and more of my memories the longer you remain here in Khemet, I gain just as many of yours! And the Millennium Rod and Eye are quite useful for that purpose as well!."

The young CEO shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Search my memories all you want, I never once tried to hurt my little brother on purpose!."

"Oh, didn't you?. Look again, Orphan!."

Seto did look… He saw himself in the control room of the Death T theme park, seated smugly in his chair and watching the computer screens as Mokuba shouted at him…

"We bet on which stage of the theme park Yugi would die in, and you bet on Death T-5! Isn't that right, big brother?," the little boy demanded.

"You bet on Death T-4, didn't you?," he had answered, without even turning around in his office chair to look at him.

Death T-4 had been the stage where Mokuba was to fight Yugi, and the boy had been extremely hurt and angered that his big brother had bet on Death T-5 instead…

"You bet on Yugi instead of me, your own brother!," he had yelled. "How do you think that feels?!."

Seto lowered his head as he heard his past images cold reply…

"And I still feel the same. You can't beat Yugi. I opposed your participation from the beginning." In spite of his little brothers growl of protest he continued. "Mokuba, you tried to show me up by challenging Yugi to a game before, didn't you?. Do you think I don't know the outcome of that game?."

Kaiba ran his hand through his hair. How could he have been so callous?. That geek, Yugi, had nearly driven Mokuba insane by giving him an illusion of being trapped inside a capsule, then deliberately poisoned him, and all he could do was scold him for losing!?.

Now Mokuba lowered his head… "Th… That's not…" his voice grew quieter and sadder… "I… I just… I just thought you'd like me if I beat him…"

The young CEO wanted to run over and hug Mokuba, to tell him that he loved him more then anything, no matter weather he won or lost against Yugi… But he could to nothing but watch as the image of his former self spun around angrily in his chair…

"Know this!," he shouted, giving the little boy a chilling glare, the same glare their stepfather had once given them. "There is no such thing as brotherly love in the gaming world!. Until you figure that out, you will always be a loser, Mokuba!."

"No! Don't listen!," Seto cried out to the image of his little brother. "It's not true!. I didn't mean it!. I didn't mean it, Mokuba!." But it was no use. The past images before him could neither see or hear him.

The next image he saw was even worse…

His eyes glared down from the computer screen into the simulation box at his little brother…

"S… Seto…" Mokuba stuttered in fear and humiliation at losing the Capsule Monsters game to Yugi. "Ah… I…"

"I've felt your pathetic, clinging loser's gaze staring at my back for years!," his past self growled, his voice dangerously calm. "I kept telling you over and over, Mokuba. If you play with fire you'll get burned."

Tears started to well up in the little one's eyes. "B.. Big brother!."

But his pleas did no good…

"You understand, don't you?. Only the winner is allowed out of that duel box!." And with that, Kaiba watched in horror as the terrible memory played itself out before him and his past self clicked on the Death T simulator. "A penalty game awaits the loser!. That is the law of Death T!."

"Nooo!!!," the young CEO screamed, collapsing to his knees. "Don't show me this! Don't make me watch!."

"Ahhh, but you fashioned these memories yourself, Orphan," came Set's mocking voice. "That they are what they are, do not blame me!."

As hard as he tried, he could not block out the sounds of Mokuba's terrified screams as the lethal Death T simulation was set on him. "S… Save me, Big Brother!."

Shaking violently with grief and self loathing, Seto buried his face in his hands. "Mokuba…" he sobbed. "I'm so sorry… I… I didn't mean to… Please… Please forgive me…"

"Sorry?. Sorry won't erase all those terrible things you did to him. Sorry won't bring him back to life."

With another brilliant flash of golden light, they were back in the real world.

"Face it," Set continued. "You are alone now. We are born alone and we die alone. That is a lesson I learned long ago, and one you had best not forget, Orphan."

"Stop calling me that!," Kaiba growled, though his face was wet with tears.

"Why?. It's what you are, and what you always will be."

In response the young CEO closed his eyes wearily. "You said you learned to be alone a long time ago, right?."

The young priest frowned. Suddenly, for the first time, he felt rather taken aback by his future incarnation.

"Yes," he hissed. "What of it?."

The young man in front of him slowly raised his head and opened his eyes… For a moment, both pairs of identical deep set blue eyes met…

"Then that makes you an orphan too," Seto answered quietly…

Enraged, Set backhanded his future incarnation across the face, sending him sprawling back down to the ground. "Why, you insolent little gutter rat!," he snarled. "How dare you?!."

Kaiba's response was wry smile. "Heh! The truth hurts, doesn't it?," he goaded his past incarnation, ignoring his smarting face. "And watch who you're calling names! You just might be insulting yourself too!."

"I am nothing like you! I am of noble blood!," the young priest hissed, pointing his rod at him. "I am one of the most powerful sem priests in Per-aa's royal court, as was my late father before me!. You are merely an orphaned wanderer from the streets! You were not born or destined for power or privilege!."

"You mean the power and privilege to order the massacre of entire Hittite villages and to kidnap young women against their will?."

Set's hand grew tighter on the rod's handle. "You are quite the little hypocrite, aren't you?. At least I am not responsible for the death of my own family, Orphan!." With this, he leaned closer to the young CEO. "But I can give you a chance to repent for your sins, my future self."

"What?… What are you talking about?…" The young man's eyes widened…

The young priest brought the end of the rod under Seto's chin again. "Join me, Seto Kaiba. With you, Nephthys and that little girl, the Millennium Priesthood would grow and increase in power!. We who guard the six items would be able to serve and protect Per-aa and Khemet even further!."

"And what makes you think the three of us would be any help?," Kaiba snapped.

Set grinned. "Think about it!. You possess knowledge of the far future, you have the power to activate those three incredible blue eyed white dragons! The ones that merged into that astonishing three headed creature!."

The young man's mouth opened in shock!. "You know about that?!."

"Come now, don't tell me you haven't already figured out who sent Ra to test you?."

The young CEO blinked. So, his suspicions had been right all along!. But Nephthys had also been right. Set's target had been the two of them and not the town!.

"And weather she likes it or not, Nephthys is a chosen priestess of the Millennium Torque, and she is more familiar with it's power then Esetnefret," Set continued. "That little Hittite whelp she rescued also has incredible powers, or at least her ka does. It would be incredibly useful to…"

"No!," Seto shouted, pushing the end of the rod away. "You stay away from Nephthys and Asha!. Leave them alone!. We want no part of this and we're not joining you! None of us!. Understand?!."

At this, the young priest glared at him angrily. "You are making a grave mistake, Orphan!." As he spoke he drew out the three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards. "Last chance!. Join me!. The court and the priesthood need the power of these beasts and you are the one who knows best how to control them!!."

"What part of 'no' don't you understand you caped moron?!," his future incarnation snarled.

Set shook his head. "Very well," he sighed in a falsely sympathetic tone. "Then you leave me no choice, Orphan."

Kaiba gasped in horror as his past incarnation took the three Blue Eyes White Dragon cards and tore them all into pieces in front of him!.

"Nooo!!!," the young CEO cried. He scrambled to his feet to try to pick up the ripped pieces of his beloved cards… but before he could collect all the scraps a strong desert wind whistled past him and blew the pieces away, as if tauntingly adding insult to injury…

"I am sorry, but if these beasts are not part of the Millennium Cult, then there is to much danger of them being stolen and put in the wrong hands, like that thief, Bakura's!," the young priest explained harshly.

Seto didn't answer… Instead he slowly, laboriously, gathered what torn pieces of his cards he could find and stared at them brokenly…

"That's right, Orphan!. Get down! Get down and beg like the dog I've turned you into!."

The broken young man closed his eyes and choked back a sob as he heard his own words to Joey repeated and spoken to him.

Smirking, Set then raised the Millennium Rod over his future incarnation… "I think you need a little more persuasion, so I shall give you more time to think over your decision… in the Shadow Realm!."

Before Kaiba could say anything in response, there was a brilliant flash of golden light, the kind he'd come to associate with the Millennium Items… It surrounded him and overcame him until he could feel the energy leaving his body… With a gasp of pain and shock, he collapsed in an unconscious heap on the desert ground…

The young priest eyed the still form of his future incarnation… "Take as long as you need to change mind," he said, his voice eerily calm, before he turned and left, making his way towards his waiting chariot… He knew that after the pain and suffering Seto Kaiba would receive in the Shadow Realm, he would have to choose to hand himself and the child over eventually… In spite of what Akunadin said, there was no great hurry…

Unknown to him, young Mariasha had been hiding nearby… She had heard the whole thing… The little girl had wanted to intervene and stop the wicked priest from harming her big brother somehow, but the presence within her, the presence that had saved her life when her village had been put to flames and had protected her, her mother and brother from Ra, was telling her to wait and save her strength…

Once the sounds of the horse's hoof beats and chariots rumbling had disappeared and she was certain Set and his men were gone, she slowly crept out of her hiding place… She could hear Seto's breathing nearby and she knew he was unconscious… The priest had said something about a Shadow Realm…

"Niisama?…" Asha whispered as she knelt down by him… "Niisama, wake up… Please..." She brought her hands to his shoulders and shook him gently. "Niisama, please… You have to wake up so we can save Umayma…"

**********

The first thing he realized once he came to his senses was that he was surrounded by a black fog, overwhelming clouds of darkness…

"It must be difficult to be hated by everybody," Set's voice came from somewhere in the black distance. "Even by yourself."

"I don't hate myself!," the young man shouted back defiantly. "And nobody else does either!."

"Oh?… I would look again if I were you, Orphan…"

Instantly, a group of familiar figures appeared in front of him… Kaiba's mouth opened in surprise as he recognized Yugi, Tea, Joey and the others… They were standing there and glowering at him in pure hatred…

"My Grandpa is a great man, and a better duelist than you'll ever be. He entrusted me with his cards and I feel his heart in this deck. I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba."

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and that is why you lost."

"Go ahead and run! Everyone knows your nothing but a washed up has been."

"That's right, tough guy!. I bet ever since Yugi mopped the floor with ya, you can't even lay a trap card without flinching!."

"You've had it, Kaiba!. You're never gonna win this match!."

"Once again your attack has failed, Kaiba. My defense holds and you have no other strategy to use against me. Your time is running out. You should have never challenged me, Kaiba!."

"He spared you!. Kaiba, he showed you compassion, which is more then you deserve!."

"Yugi may have lost one lousy Duel Monsters game, but at least he hasn't lost his heart!. Not like you, Seto Kaiba!. You spend so much time with your machines you've forgotten what being human is about!. Yugi has a heart, Kaiba!. Yugi has us!. Friends who'll stand by him no matter weather he wins or loses some lousy game!. And what do you have, Seto Kaiba?. What do you have at the end of the day?. Tell me!. Tell me!."

"Yeah, keep foolin' yourself, Kaiba!. Yugi's twice the man you'll ever be!."

"Hmmph!," the young CEO glared back at them. "You think I care what a bunch of geeks like you say about me?." Nice try! But Set was going to have to do better then that!.

It was then he heard a child's voice behind him… "Don't you care what I say about you, big brother?."

He spun around and found himself face to face with someone he thought he would never see again… "Mokuba!?," he gasped.

To his shock, the little boy glared at him with hatred. "But then again, why should you care about that?. You never cared about anything or anyone in your whole life, right?."

"What?!."

"It's all your fault!,' Mokuba yelled at him. "All your fault!. If it hadn't been for you Dad would never have gone out that night and we never would have been sent to that orphanage!. He wanted to stay home with us, but you wanted to prove you could look after me yourself for awhile, even though you were only eight!. Remember?!."

At these accusations, Seto's eyes widened. "Mokuba… I…"

But the little boy didn't stop there. "And if it hadn't been for you cheating at that chess game we'd never have been adopted by that creep, Gozaburo!."

"I… I only wanted a better life for us, Mokuba…" he protested weakly.

"Better life?!. You think we were better off with a guy like Gozaburo Kaiba?!. Wake up, Seto!."

Kaiba could only shut his eyes tight and clamp his hands over his ears. "Little brother!," he begged. "Please! I never meant to…"

"Don't call me that!," the little boy shouted. "You killed our dad! You brought us into that hell we had to live in for nearly six years! You used me to get control of Kaiba Corp! You tried to kill me in the Death T games! Then you abandon me to be kidnapped and murdered by Pegasus!. You don't deserve to call me your brother!."

"Mokuba!," he gasped, looking at him in horrified bewilderment, tears streaming down his face. "What… What are you saying?…"

The child began to turn away from him. "As far as I'm concerned, you're not my big brother anymore, Seto!."

The young CEO shook his head vigorously in denial. "I know you can't really mean that, Mokuba!. Not after everything we've been through together!."

"Oh, but I do mean it, Seto!. Yugi is my true big brother now!," Mokuba called over his shoulder as started to walk away. "He saved me when you betrayed me and tried to kill me with the Death T simulator!. He and the others fought relentlessly for me at Duelist Kingdom, like true friends!. They taught me what true friendship is all about!. That's something you'll never have or understand, Seto!."

"No!," Seto cried as his little brother grew farther and farther away from him and closer and closer to Yugi and his friends. "Mokuba, please don't go!. Don't leave me alone!." He reached out his hands in pleading, but the boy only continued to walk without even looking back.

"You've always been alone, Seto, and you always will be!," came the bitter answer. "Yugi and the others are my true family and friends now!. I'm better off with them then with a monster and a loser like you!."

This was to much for Kaiba… With a strangled cry, he collapsed to his hands and knees, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably… He did not even have the strength to close his eyes and cover his ears to shut out those hurtful, accusing words…

Suddenly, his surroundings began to grow warmer and brighter around him… like the sun rising after a long, cold night…

"Hey! Nobody talks to my big brother that way!. Get lost, you phony!."

At the sound of the familiar childish voice the young CEO somehow found the strength to turn his head… His eyes widened when he saw who it was that had spoken…

"Mokuba?!," he cried. He looked back at the first "Mokuba" in confusion… Slowly, he, Yugi, Tea, Joey and the others disappeared with the increasing of the light…

Smiling, the little boy approached him. "That wasn't me, Seto, that was just your own guilt and doubts getting the better of you." He knelt by him and affectionately wiped the tears from his brother's face. "You know the real me would never blame you for what happened to Dad and I, just like you and Dad never blamed me for Moms death."

Seto nodded slowly, his throat tightening. "Of course… Of course we never blamed you for that, kiddo… You were all we had left of Mom… I couldn't just…" Then his voice trailed off as he struggled to regain his composure. "I'm so sorry, little brother… I didn't just break my promise to you… I broke my promise to our parents as well…"

"No! No you didn't!." Mokuba put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "You took care of me all the time we were at the orphanage, you made sure our step dad didn't put me through all those horrible accelerated training programs, you came to rescue me from Pegasus, and you were willing to give your life and your soul to save me!. That more then makes up for those other times!."

At this, Kaiba looked at him with new hope. "Really?…"

"Yes," Mokuba laughed warmly. "And don't you worry, Big Brother, Mom, Dad and I are all very happy together!. I can have as many chocolate parfaits as I want now!," he added jokingly.

Now it was the young CEO's turn to laugh!. His little brother had never been able to resist a chocolate parfait!.

Mokuba put his arms around his big brother's neck and Seto drew him into a tight embrace, never wanting to let him go ever again…

"I wish I could be with you, and Mom and Dad, again…" Kaiba whispered…

At this, the little boy raised his head and drew away slightly. "No, Big Brother. It's not your time yet, and you know it."

The young CEO did not even have time to answer before Mokuba raised his hand and spoke again.

"Look around, Seto. We're in your soul room."

Soul room?… He did look, and if Shadi could have seen it now he would have been surprised at the changes…

The mirrors were still there, only now they were clean and no longer cracked... There were also new windows in which bright sunlight shone through, a little bit at a time... The office with the desk, computer, and Gozaburo Kaiba's portrait only occupied a small corner of the room now…

Seto's gaze fell on the picture of him and his parents… He reached out and touched the locket with Mokuba's picture on the table…

"I miss them…" he confessed. "I miss all of you…"

"I know," Mokuba answered. "But there are other people who love you, need you and want you right now, Big Brother." He gestured to one of the walls of the soul room. "Look!."

Kaiba's breath nearly caught in his throat!. The light from his soul room's window seemed to fall directly on the exact same mural Nephthys and her family had painted for him!.

Then, suddenly, it wasn't only a mural he was looking at… Nephthys, Mariasha, Si-Amun, Mutnodjmet and little Khu and Kiya were all there, standing in front of him…

"We love you, Anu," the lady of the house smiled warmly. "Even if you are a bit of a pain sometimes," she added with a wink.

Asha nodded and stretched her hand out to him. "Yes, please come back to us, Niisama!."

"We couldn't love you any more then if you were one of out own children," Mut said.

Si put a loving arm around his wife's shoulder. "That's right, son. Our family would not be the same without you."

"We love you, Uncle Setty!," the girls called out in unison, laughing and waving. "Please come back to us!."

The young CEO turned back to Mokuba… "They're all here with me, aren't they?…" he asked softly…

"That's right," the little boy answered with a knowing smile. "They're a part of you now, just like I am."

"I… I don't know what to say… I want to go back to them, but I can't leave you, Mokuba…"

At this, his little brother chuckled and shook his head. "But how could you ever leave me, Big Brother?. Mom, Dad and I are all right here with you and nothing can change that."

"Really?…" Seto asked hopefully. Coming from Yugi, or any of those other geeks in his little fan club, he wouldn't have believed in things like Soul Rooms or lost loved ones remaining with you, even after they were gone… but from Mokuba…

The boy smiled and nodded. "Uh huh! Really, Seto! I promise!. Now it's time for you to go back, Niisama…"

"Niisama…"

"Niisama…"

"Niisama?…" Slowly, Mokuba's voice changed into Mariasha's as Kaiba began to awake…

He was back in his room at the villa… Mariasha, Mutnodjmet, Si-Amun and the little ones were all gathered around him, with deeply concerned expressions on their faces, and Kuribo was sleeping peacefully at his feet...

"Are you all right, Niisama?…" Asha asked reaching out to touch his arm…

Si put his arm around his shoulders in a fatherly fashion and helped him sit up in bed. "We were worried about you, son. What happened to you?."

"Dearest," Mut chastised gently. "He has just been through a terrible ordeal from what Asha has told us. Let him have a moment to recover. He is not even really awake yet." As she spoke she took a cool, damp washcloth and ran it gently over the young man's forehead and face.

Soon he began to feel better and was able to think more clearly. Once Mut was finished with her doctoring the young CEO brought a hand to his forehead. "It was Set…" he explained as he remembered the recent incidents. "I… I think he did something to my head… I had the strangest dream…" Then he quickly raised his head and glanced almost desperately around the room. "Nephthys!. He took Nephthys, didn't he?!."

At this, Si and Mut looked at each other sadly, Asha lowered her head and tears started to well up in Khu and Kiya's eyes…

Dammit!. Seto clenched his hands and teeth in frustration. That vixen was such a hypocrite!. One minute she was on his case and telling him not to put everything on his own shoulder, the next she was putting herself on the line to protect him and Asha!.

"Everyone... May I please talk to Seto alone?..." Mariasha finally asked...

Mutnodjmet and Si-Amun looked at each other... Finally, the elderly lady nodded and gathered little Kiya in her arms. "All right then, dear. We'll be waiting downstairs."

"Don't exert yourselves," her husband added as he took young Khu's hand and they followed Mut and Kiya out of the room. "You've both been through a great deal today."

Once they had gone Asha reached down to stroke Kuribo, then she spoke to Kaiba, her voice and expression serious... "He took Umayma because she was the holder of that magic necklace, didn't he?," she asked.

"Isis called it The Millennium Torque," the young CEO answered regretfully with a slow nod.

"And now he wants both of us... You because you know the secrets of the white dragon with the blue eyes... and me because I house a magical elfin ka..."

Seto was silent...

Asha put a gentle, scarred hand on his shoulder... "Niisama, I want to thank you for not letting the high priest get me..."

At this, Kaiba crossed his arms and lowered his head... "You don't have to thank me, kid... You don't have to call me that either... I... I don't deserve to be your big brother... I don't deserve to be anybody's big brother..."

"Why, because you're Priest Set's future self?."

The young CEO's head shot up and he stared in shock at the knowing expression on the little girl's face. "What?!," he gasped. "How... How did you..." his voice trailed off...

"I recognized your voices, they were the same," she explained calmly. "Besides, I've heard Umayma talking often enough when she thinks I'm not listening. I heard you and Priest Set talking too."

So she had known all along... She must hate him so much, not just for being the future incarnation of the one who destroyed her family and her body, but for keeping it from her all this time...

"I... I'm so sorry, kiddo..." Seto brought his hands to his forehead. Now he was even more unworthy of her then before...

Then, to his surprise, he felt Asha's roughened, but gentle, hands on his as she drew them away from his face...

"There is nothing to forgive, Niisama," she tried to smile. "It is not your fault who you were in your past life."

Kaiba sighed and shook his head. "But I'm just as bad, maybe even worse, in my present life, kid."

"No, no, that's not true, Seto, and you know it!," Asha exclaimed. How could he say this after the kindness he had shown her and the other children? After he had saved her life? After he had helped to protect her from The Winged Dragon Of Ra and then Priest Set and his men?. "Your little brother would say the same thing!," she continued, reaching up to touch his face.

"You think so?..." he whispered, remembering his recent dream...

She nodded. "Yes!." Then she bit her lip and her face scrunched up, as though she were fighting back tears. "I... I know you don't like to be helped... That you don't think you need anyone to believe in you... But... maybe if you let someone believe in you... You could believe in yourself more..." As she spoke, tears started to flow down her cheeks... "Maybe... Maybe if I had believed in myself more I could have protected my parents and Umayma..."

So that's what this was about. She blamed herself not only for Nephthys capture, but for the deaths of her first family as well... Just as he'd always blamed himself for his own parents and little brothers deaths...

"Oh, kiddo," he whispered, reaching out and gently brushing the tears from her face. "Come on now, no crying. It wasn't your fault, none of it."

In response, she nodded half heartedly. "Do... Do you think we'll ever see Umayma again?," she asked. "I know what happens when the royal court takes people with special kas away... but Umayma said that she did not have that sort of ka..."

Seto frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "That's right, but she was the holder of the Millennium Torque before Esetnefret. Maybe that's why..." Suddenly, his voice trailed off in mid sentence... A vision appeared before his eyes... A huge lake sparkling in the Egyptian sunlight... A large, decedent, sprawling palace compound... He saw Priest Set and his men... He was driving his chariot towards this place... Nephthys stood beside him, but her eyes were wide, empty and emotionless, as though in a trance... The eye shaped symbol of the Millennium Items shone briefly on her forehead...

"Malqata..."(117) Kaiba whispered to himself as the vision faded... Of course!. They were taking her back to the main temples of the Millennium Cult!. One particular room came to mind, and he recognized it's significance... All of a sudden, he began to feel rather smug. That pompous egomaniac, Set, had bragged that he knew everything about him because of their connection. Well, now it was a two way street!.

He remembered the time he'd been in a near catatonic state and Nephthys had been the one to bring him out of it with the words she had said to him...

"Listen to me, Seto Kaiba!. I am not only priestess of this town, but also its physician!. I am doing everything I can to aid and heal others to atone for the sins of serving under those bloodstained Millennium items, and that's how much I truly love Asha!. I would not be walking this path if it hadn't been for her!. She is the one who inspired me!. So even if, Eset forbid, I should ever lose my child the way you lost your Mokuba, I still plan to live, and to help others to live!. How dare you mock my feelings when you're doing nothing but acting like a brat!. You just want everyone to feel sorry for you, don't you?!."

"You don't have to be alone, Anu. Nobody has to be alone."

He remembered what the vixen had told him when he had first started helping her on her doctors rounds...

"In order for you to return to your own time and country, and to avenge your brother, it's important that you get yourself together, Seto."

"You know that doctors cannot heal everything, and bringing the dead back to life is most definitely something we can never do... But those who have a strong will to live survive more often then not… That's why it's so important you are never as foolish or selfish as you were the time you tried to steal the Millennium Torque. If you ever are again, I'll never forgive you. Do you understand?."

Yes, he understood now. No longer would he value anything above life, his own or anyone else's. Mokuba, Yugi and Isis had shown and set him down this path, and Nephthys, Mariasha and the others had kept him going along it when he was ready to give it up. He owed them, and there was only one way he knew he could repay them all...

"Asha, listen to me, Imouto," he said, smiling at how her face brightened when he called her "Imouto". "I know where Nephthys is. I can find her and bring her back home."

"You can?... But how?..." the little girl asked, though her voice was hopeful.

The young CEO gently drew her to him and stroked her hair in his usual fatherly fashion. "I have to go to Malqata," he explained as she rested her head against his shoulder.

At this, she squeezed his hand tightly. "You mean the royal palace?," she whispered fearfully. "But that's so dangerous... If you are found trying to sneak in and get caught..."

"It'll be all right, I promise." Seto assured her, planting a soft kiss on the top of her head. "And this is one promise I intend to keep."

Asha raised her head with a worried expression on her scarred face. "Please be careful, Niisama... I... I don't want to lose both of you..." The death of one family had been agony enough. She didn't think she could bear the loss of another. What if neither Seto or Nephthys came back?.

Kaiba was silent for a moment... Then he brought his hands to his neck and took off his locket...

"I'll be back for this," he reassured his little sister as he placed the card shaped pendant around her own neck...

To Be Continued...

**********

(110) Actual lyrics to "Staring You In The Face", written and performed by Seto Kaiba's voice actor, Eric Stuart.

(111) This idea comes from the series "Ancient Egyptians", which was based on actual ancient Egyptian texts found by archeologists. I felt so sorry for poor Amenpanufer who was brutally tortured and executed just because he was trying to feed his family!.

(112) Set Ma'at, "Place Of Truth", now called Deir El Medina, was the village where all tomb builders and craftsmen lived with their families.

(113) Ancient Egyptians viewed tomb robbery as both a crime and a sacrilege because they believed that disturbing the Pharaoh's resting place was to upset his existence in the afterlife. Therefore, the usual punishment for robbing a Pharaohs tomb was death by empalment, and to never be buried, thus denying the thief entrance to the afterlife.

(114) A nod to Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman"! LOL!

(115) Couldn't resist this nod to the Hounds And Jackals scene between Seti and Nefertari in "The Ten Commandments"!.

(116) Based off of the scene in "Yu Yu Hakusho" when Hiei first meets with Yukina and rescues her from her captors, but she stops him from killing them.

(117) Pharaoh Amenhotep III founded the royal city and palace complex at Malqata on the western shore of Thebes. The Theban necropolis is on the West Bank of the Nile in the Luxor area. Malqata includes many kinds of structures in the desert such as various residential palaces, a temple of Amun, a festival hall, elite villas used for the relatives of the King, apartments for attendants, and a desert altar called Kom al-Samak and at least four other palaces.