Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Of The Night ❯ The Heart of Darkness ( Chapter 12 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The Heart of Darkness
Aten and Robbie stepped into the Shadow Realm and shivered as the bitter air hit them, a sharp contrast to the heat of the desert. Robbie held Aten’s hand tightly as he used the walking stick to walk. Robbie saw the Red Eyes Black Dragon collapse beside the Blue Eyes White Dragon.
Robbie gasped and pulled Aten towards the Red Eyes Black Dragon.  When the teens approached the black dragon, Robbie placed a gentle hand on the dragon’s snout. “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Robbie told the dragon as he caressed the dragon.
The Red Eyes Black Dragon offered Robbie a weak roar and closed its eyes.
Aten saw the White Eyes Black Dragon whimper as it tried to coax the Black Dragon to its feet.  
The baby dragon looked up at Robbie and towards the Black Dragon. “I don’t know what to tell you, buddy,” Robbie said. “We’ll find what is making this happen.”
The baby dragon rubbed its snout against Robbie’s leg. Robbie pat the Dragon’s neck.  
Aten watched the dragon bump Robbie’s leg. “I have an idea.” Aten placed Robbie’s arm around his shoulder and helped his husband sit on the dragon’s back. “Hey, that’s much easier,” Robbie said as he held the walking stick.
Aten lead the small dragon through the Shadow Realm where monsters lay unconscious on the ground. Aten gasped in alarm when he saw the Helpless Child laying lifelessly on the ground. Aten ran to the little boy and kneeled beside him.  Aten caressed the small boy’s hair. “Helpless Child, wake up.” Aten tried to gently shake the child awake, but the boy didn’t move. Aten lowered his head and caressed the boy’s cheek. “He won’t wake up, Robbie. He’s....he’s gone.”
Robbie looked sadly at Aten trying to rouse the boy to consciousness.  Aten breathed into the boy’s mouth and pressed on his chest.  When CPR failed, Aten lowered his head. “I can’t resuscitate him, Robbie.”
“We’ll find out what happened, Aten.  Don’t worry.”
Aten removed his cape and wrapped the two-year-old boy in the material.  “We have to find out who is behind this.”
Aten walked beside the tiny dragon. Robbie saw Robotic Knight standing on the outskirts of the Shadow Realm Badlands. Robbie looked up at the motionless robot standing sentinel before the Badlands.
“I was wondering why he didn’t come and greet us when we entered,” Robbie said. Robbie dismounted the small dragon and slowly approached the robot. “Hello? Don’t you see me?”
The monster remained motionless.
Aten shook his head. “He doesn’t see you.” The Egyptian looked towards Yami’s temple in the Badlands. “We need to check there.”
Robbie looked at the temple in the distance. “Are you sure you want to go there?”
Aten swallowed nervously. “If Yami is behind this, he will be there.”
Robbie walked towards the dragon.  “It’s worth a try.”
The dragon carried Robbie towards Yami’s temple. Aten felt his heart almost leap into his throat the closer he approached the familiar temple.  “Nobody has heard from Yami since my father trapped him here.  I wonder if he is here.”
The temple loomed above them as they stood at the foot of the stone staircase.  Robbie used the stick to help him climb the steps. “I wish Yami thought of an elevator or escalator.”
Aten held Robbie’s hand as they climbed the steps.  They entered the tall archway into the inner sanctum of the temple.  Torches were burning in the sanctuary.  Robbie looked at a stone altar with blood dried onto the stone. “Somebody was hurt here badly. There’s blood here.”
Aten swallowed nervously as he looked around the throne. “That would be me, Robbie. I was brought here as a toddler. This is where my grandfather carved ‘MINE’ onto my back.”
Robbie bit his lip as his fingertips brushed across the dried blood. “Really? Sorry, Aten.”
Aten blinked as he looked around. “I don’t see Yami here.”
“No, there’s nothing here.”
Aten sighed. “Yami’s not here. He must be here somewhere.”
“Perhaps he is out there trying to figure out why the monsters are dropping like flies.”
“Yami couldn’t have escaped the Shadow Realm. He can’t be summoned until Yugi puts together the Puzzle.”
Robbie gasped and screamed from across the hall. “Aten! Get over here! Quick!”
Aten ran towards Robbie and gasped when he saw the monster laying on the ground. The Dark Magician laid on the ground motionless, his eyes closed. The magician’s staff laid near his hand. “The Dark Magician isn’t the only casualty.”
Robbie looked nearby and saw the Pharaonic Protector and Pharaoh’s Servant laying prostrate on the ground.
Aten went to the Pharaonic Protector and examined the zombie. “He’s gone, too. Robbie, what in the world is going on?”
“I don’t know, but we should get out of here before Yami gets back.”
Aten and Robbie walked down the stairs. Their eyes looked around the multitude of motionless duel monsters.
When they stepped out of the Shadow Realm, Ryou was snacking on some grapes found in Seto’s bag. He looked up when the boys stepped from the campfire smoke.
“Did you find Yami?” Ryou asked.
“What did you see?” Bakura inquired as he jumped to his feet.
Aten shook his head. “We didn’t see anything. All of the monsters were dead or unconscious.  None of them responded to us except the White Eyes Black Dragon.”
“The Robotic Knight, Dark Magician, Blue Eyes White Dragon, and the Red Eyes Black Dragon were all unconscious.”
“The pharaoh was nowhere to be found?” Bakura asked.
“No.”
The yami sighed. “Yugi couldn’t have completed the Puzzle.” Bakura scratched his head. “Wait a minute. Yami has the Puzzle assembled in this time. Could this Yami be the Yami we sealed in the Shadow Realm?”
Ryou shivered. “Well, your little self is here as well as Marik.”
Bakura sighed. “I have to get into the palace. I have to see Seto and warn him.”
Ryou put his hand on Bakura’s shoulder. “Yami, perhaps I should go.”
“And have you so close to Yami’s slimy grip? Hell no.”
Aten looked down at his mother. “We need to find a decent place to spend the night.”
Robbie nodded. “Perhaps that should be our priority before Marik returns and captures the rest of us.”
Bakura sighed and stood.  He grabbed the bag of food and held it over his shoulder.  The thief took Ryou’s hand. “It’s time to find a place to stay.”
Ryou took Bakura’s hand and followed his husband toward the Valley of the Kings.
*************************
Seto stood before the pharaoh anxiously. The pharaoh’s slave boy stood beside the throne timidly. “The men have not yet found the Millennium Ring bearer!  Seth, where is he?”
“I do not know, my pharaoh,” Seto said.
“The Tombkeepers are breathing down my neck to dethrone me. The Millennium Items will help me to protect my kingship while you will help me ensure that I have heirs to take my throne.”
Seto looked up curiously at Yami. “But, your lordship, Yugi is your son.”
“If any accident should befall Yugi, I shall need an heir.”
Seto cringed. “My lord, I cannot create an heir for you.”
Yami narrowed his eyes as he glared at Seto from his throne. “Are you defying my will, High Priest? Do you know what I do to those who defy me?”
“As you  will, my king,” Seto answered quickly.
Seto and Yami heard Slyfer the Sky Dragon roar outside.  “What was that?” Seto asked as he ran towards Yami’s balcony. Yami rose from his throne and followed Seto onto his balcony.
The pharaoh and High Priest stood on the balcony and saw Skyfer raise his head to the sky and roar. “What is wrong, my dragon?” Yami asked.
Seto watched the dragon fall towards the ground below.  Yami’s eyes widened as the dragon fell onto the ground and disappeared. “What magic is this?”
“The castle will be left defenseless without Slyfer,” Seto said.  “Did you dismiss the dragon?”
Yami shook his head. “No. Something is wrong with Slyfer.” Yami raised his hand into the air. “Obelisk the Tormentor! Protect your master!”
The clouds above the palace did not darken. The wind did not pick up speed.
Seto looked below at Kai and Rhett playing in the garden with Yugi.  Joey stepped from below the balcony and sat beside Glenn.  
“Why is Obelisk not responding?” Seto asked.
Yami swallowed hard. “Obelisk the Tormentor! Protect your master!”
Nothing happened.
Seto clenched his fists. “This is not good. If Marik and his men attack the palace, the Egyptian gods will not be able to defend us. Something is wrong, my king.”
“Send General Anubis to examine the sacred tablets.  The Egyptian gods have never forsaken me.”
Seto bowed his head. “Yes, my pharaoh.”
Seto rushed from the throne room to the arena where he found Anubis drilling his troops. Seto’s eyes watched the man who Bakura had said murdered him in cold blood.  He narrowed his eyes at the man with big hands and looming presence.  
“General Anubis, the pharaoh has ordered you to examine the sacred tablets.  Something is wrong with the Egyptian gods.  If Marik’s men attack, our monsters cannot aid in our defense.”
General Anubis grinned. “My men are all the pharaoh needs. We shall crush the heads of our enemies!”
“Find the sacred tablets and determine why Slyfer disappeared.”
General Anubis slightly bowed his head. “Yes, High Priest.”
Seto turned and walked toward the garden where Yugi was chasing Rhett and Kai. “Yugi!” Seto called. “Come here!”
Yugi, Kai, and Rhett stopped running. Yugi called to Glenn sitting by Joey. “Glenn, can you play with them until I get back?”
Glenn stood up. “No problem, Yugi. I’m it!”
Kai and Rhett ran away from Glenn happily as they played Tag.
Yugi ran to Seto. “What is it, Seto?”
“We have a problem.” Seto saw Joey sitting on the grass nearby. “Joey, come here.”
The blond slowly raised his eyes to Seto, but didn’t stand up.
“Joey, this sounds important,” Yugi said.
The blond hesitantly rose to his feet and approached Yugi and Seto. “What is it?”
Seto looked at Joey and Yugi. “Something is wrong with our monsters.  Slyfer was protecting the palace when he just roared and disappeared.”
“Did Yami dismiss him?” Yugi asked.
“No.Yami just sent General Anubis to look into the sacred tablets.”
Yugi looked up worriedly at Joey. “What do you think, Joey?”
“Maybe I should try summoning my Red Eyes.”
“It’s worth a try,” Yugi said.
Joey closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his Red Eyes Black Dragon.  “Red Eyes Black Dragon, come to me!”
Yugi and Seto looked around for the arrival of the black dragon. “Why isn’t he coming?”
Seto sighed. “Something is wrong. Very wrong.”
“What are we going to do if Marik’s men do invade?” Yugi asked nervously.
“I guess we’ll depend on the army,” Joey added.
Seto swallowed nervously. “Perhaps this was part of Marik’s strategy all along.”
“If Marik knows the location of the tablets, he could cripple our defense if he damages them.”
Yugi crossed his arms against his chest. “What are we going to do?”
“Right now, just wait for the army,” Joey said.
Yugi shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I guess you’re right.”
“I’ll inform you what the army finds when they return,” Seto said.
“Thanks, Seto.”
Joey and Seto watched Yugi join the games with Aria’s children and Glenn.  Joey turned his back to walk away with Seto.
“Wait, Joey,” Seto said quickly. “Talk to me.”
Joey stopped and lowered his head. “I have nothing to say, Seto.”
“Joey, please believe me.  I couldn’t stop myself. I fought it. Joey, I fought it with every fiber of my being, but I wasn’t strong enough.  Joey, I wasn’t strong enough to stop it.”
The blond’s shoulders sagged. “How could you not fight harder?”
Seto walked around to Joey and placed his hands on the blond’s shoulders. He looked into his lover’s amber eyes. “Joey....baby, I fought with everything I had in my head, mind, body, and soul.  If I known what was happening, I would chopped off the hand that touched her.”
Joey lowered his head as tears crept down his cheek again. “I wish I could believe you, Seto.” Joey stepped back from Seto and walked around him to sit on the grass.  
Glenn watched the blond sit solemnly on the grass. Seto walked away without saying a word.  Glenn sat beside Joey and put his hand on Joey’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy, what’s wrong?”
Joey sniffled and wiped his eyes free of tears. “Nothing.”
“No, no no...something’s wrong or you wouldn’t be sitting here ready to sob the Mississippi. Tell Glenn what the problem is. Perhaps I can help.”
Joey sighed. “I don’t know if I can tell you.”
Glenn pat Joey’s back. “I’m a nurse, Joey. Do you know how many secrets I have locked up in this tiny brain of mine? Thousands. Do you know how many of them I’ll take to the grave? 167,963."
Joey looked over at Glenn. “Why the odd number?”
“Well, some of the patients said they wanted to commit suicide and, well....I had to report that. It would be unethical if I didn’t. I have to report that kind of crap.”
Joey sighed heavily. “It’s about Seto.”
“What’s going on, Joey? I’ve never seen you so quiet and upset.”
Joey slouched on the grass. “Seto told me that he’s Kailani’s father, not Umi.”
Glenn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wow. That must be very tough for him.”
“For him?”
Glenn nodded. “Yeah. I mean, he loves you very much.  When Bakura finds out, he’s going to go bat-crap crazy.”
“He says he and Aria had been having flashbacks to Ancient Egypt about being together. Apparently, Aria was his lover.”
“Hmm...the plot thickens.”
Joey sighed. “He said he and Aria tried to fight the flashbacks, but wasn’t able to fight them away.”
Glenn looked at Joey’s arm, reached over, and pinched his skin. Joey jumped and rubbed his arm.
“Hey! What was that for, Glenn?”
Glenn relaxed on the grass. “Does it still hurt?”
“Hell yeah!”
“Keep rubbing it all day. Eventually it will get easier, but you’ll still remember a moment ago when I pinched you.  Flashbacks are like that. Joey, I know you had difficulty with your father, right?”
Joey looked down at Glenn and turned his head away. “My father was an asshole.”
“How many times have you thought about him, even if it was a moment from twenty years ago?”
“Sometimes my mind wanders to him. I can’t help it.”
Glenn looked up at Joey. “Do you think Seto could help it when caught in a flashback? What about Aten? Do you remember when he was a little boy and you tried to bathe him? He fought tooth and nail not to get naked in a bathtub. Don’t you think he still occasionally thinks about it?”
Joey’s eyes glared at Glenn.   “Aria is Ryou’s daughter.  She is his niece!”
“Not by blood.  Ryou and Seto are not related.”
“But he changed her diapers!”
Glenn shrugged. “All the more reason for Seto to feel very guilty and very bad about what he’s done.”
“I can’t believe this,” Joey said. “Are you taking his side?”
Glenn raised his hand. “I’m not taking anybody’s side. I’m speaking from the position of a medical professional who has had experience working with many people.  This older lady named Wilifred was suffering from Alzheimer’s and was convinced that it was 1963. She kept telling me how she was watching John F. Kennedy’s assassination on the television. She was watching the “Price Is Right.”  When Yugi and I were first dating, I was helping this family through hospice. This family had a  boy with cancer and they needed my help. The boy was talking to me about how he remembered his family home burning down when he was younger. Sometimes he would wake from his nap screaming that his home was on fire.”
Joey looked down at the dark-haired man. “That must have been difficult.”
“I’ve seen alot of crap as a nurse, Joey.  But whenever my patients would talk about what they were seeing, I’d sit and listen to them because I knew it wasn’t always easy for them to talk about their experiences.  I’ll never forget that morning Wilifred woke up and told me to hurry up and get her ready for her wedding day. Her husband had died ten years before in a car accident.  I found her wedding dress and the other nurses and I made her look pretty. She insisted her husband was beside her through the ceremony we had in the banquet room.  Poor Wilifred. Her kids never came to see her.  I was with her at the end, though. I just held her hand and watched her slip away into her next life.”
Joey sniffled. “That’s so sad, Glenn.”
“I know you’re upset with Seto. It just bleeds off you. I can feel it from down here. Look, just as it is hard for you to fight your flashbacks, there are some you have difficulty fighting.  Please understand that Seto probably feels very shitty about what happened and very guilty.  We can’t change the past, Joseph, but you cannot allow this to break you two apart.”
Joey watched Yugi hide underneath a bush. “It’s going to be hard to ignore it.”
“Don’t ignore it. Deal with it. Talk about what you can do to overcome this hurdle in your relationship. That is better than shoving it under a rug. If you shove it under the rug, it’s going to become the Elephant in the room that you can’t ignore.”
Joey nodded and touched Glenn’s leg. “You’re a smart guy, Glenn.”
“Me? Smart? Nah. I’ve seen everything from A to Z.  I’ve seen people from the moment they take their first breath in the doctor’s arms to their last breath on a hospital bed. I’ve seen the best and worst that humanity has to offer.”
Joey stood up. “Thank you, Glenn.”
“No problem,” Glenn said as he stretched on the grass. “Take care, Joe.”
************************
Aten and Robbie watched Bakura chip away at the tomb entrance.  Ryou kept a watchful eye for a few tomb builders who had lingered behind.  Many of the tomb builders had returned to their villages for their break, much to Bakura’s relief.  The area would be less guarded and have less activity.
“Are you sure this will work, Bakura?”
“Yami never visited his father’s tomb, Robbie,” Bakura said. “This was the last tomb that Marik and I robbed before Marik was killed. We heard Anubis’ forces closing in and we-.”Ryou gasped. “Bakura! Hide! Soldiers!”
Bakura’s heart leapt into his throat as he gathered the tools. “Fuck! Hide! Quick!”
Aten grabbed his mother’s hand and pulled him around the side of the pyramid.  Robbie and Bakura rushed around the temple’s side and hid behind a low sand dune.  Robbie closed his eyes and prayed that the men would not see him.  
“Dismount, men!”
Bakura’s eyes widened in alarm. //Ryou....that’s Anubis! The General who killed me!//
Ryou winced as he felt a wave of panic come from his yami. /Baby, it’s going to be alright. Stay hidden and he won’t find you./
Sweat poured on Bakura’s forehead as he heard the battalion dismount.  Bakura took Robbie’s hand as his body trembled. He heard the soldiers’ footsteps upon the sand as they approached the pyramid’s entrance.
“Thieves have tried to make their way into this tomb.  It appears they were unsuccessful.” Anubis kneeled on the sand and brushed away some sand from the bottom of the doorway. He revealed a latch with a handle. He pulled the handle.
Aten and Ryou felt the ground open up from below their feet.  Aten screamed as he fell down the steps.  Ryou fell forward onto the sand to prevent falling down the stairs.
Ryou heard Aten groaning from the bottom of the steps. He quickly rose to his feet and rushed down the steps to help his son. Ryou took Aten’s arms and quickly looked around the dimly-lit antechamber.   Tall pillars rose high above them with torches burning incessantly.
“Come, baby, we have to hide!”
Aten heard the soldiers’ voices approach the opening above the steps. He rose to his feet and felt his mother pull him behind a pillar.  Ryou held onto his son tightly as the soldiers and General descended the stairs.  Aten sat behind the pillar as Ryou held his upper body and caressed his white and blond hair.  Ryou held his breath as the soldiers walked by.  
//Ryou, are you alright?//
/Yes, ‘Kura. Aten fell down the stairs. I didn’t anticipate that./
//Is he alright?//
/Yes, he’s fine, but the soldiers are down here./
//Stay calm and stay hidden. Do you see any soldiers around?//
/No, they’re in the other room./
//Alright, angel. Stay where you are.//
Ryou heard light, fast footsteps sneak down the staircase.  Aten heard Robbie’s walking stick limp down the stairs.  Bakura saw shadows creeping on the walls of the adjoining room. The yami dashed from behind the pillar and helped Robbie down the steps.  He pulled Robbie behind the pillar and heard the soldiers walking on rubble.
“What desecration is this?” Anubis bellowed, his voice echoing through the underground tomb.
Ryou’s eyes went wide as he felt the baby kick below him. Ryou opened his mouth in a silent scream. //Oh, bugger! Yami, he just kicked me!//
Bakura looked down. /Where?/
/Yami, I have to use the loo!/
//Ryou, we don’t have a loo! You have to wait.//
Ryou rubbed his belly. //Oh, please, little one, don’t kick me there again!//
“Who could have caused such carnage?” another soldier asked.
Aten looked around the edge of the pillar with Bakura. The yami put his arm across Aten’s chest to stop him from slipping into the light of the torch flames.
“What shall we tell the pharaoh?”
“Thieves must have destroyed the sacred tablets. What other answer is there?” Anubis said. “When the thieves are caught, Pharaoh Yami will make them pay.”
“My lord, even the Dark Magician has been destroyed!”
Bakura and Aten exchanged surprise glances. “This is bad, Ishtar,” Bakura whispered.
“Father, what have you done?”
Bakura saw the shadows dancing on the walls and pulled Aten backwards into the dark corner.  The soldiers marched out of the adjoining room towards the staircase.
Ryou tried to hold back the surprise gasp when the unborn child kicked his prostate.  Ryou threw his head back and bit his lip to keep from screaming. //Yami, your boy just kicked me again!//
Bakura kneeled as the soldiers walked up the stairs. He put his hand on Ryou’s stomach and began to rub the belly lightly.
Robbie watched the soldiers finish climbing the stairs. The door closed behind the marching soldiers. “We’re trapped down here,” Robbie said with a fearful quiver in his voice.
Aten stood up and looked at the closed entrance. “Maybe we can get out.”
Aten ran up the stairs and touched the brick door. He banged on it with his open palm. “Hey, open the door!”
“They won’t hear you, boy,” Bakura said.  “This place is sealed tight. Let’s see what they found. Ry, you coming?”
Ryou shook his head quickly as he sat in the dark. “No. I think....umm...I think I’ll just sit here.”
Bakura looked down at his husband. “Are you alright?”
“Baby, he keeps kicking my prostate and well....you know what happens when we make love and you do that.”
Bakura raised an eyebrow. “Ohhh....I get it. Alright. You stay here. Just relax until he settles down a bit.”
Bakura lead Aten and Robbie into the next antechamber.  The yami’s eyes widened when he saw broken pieces of tablet littering the ground.  Only the bottom pieces of the statues remained among the shattered pieces of rock. “The sacred tablets which housed the souls of the duel monsters! They’re all destroyed!”
“No wonder the monsters became unconscious! Their stones were being vandalized!” Robbie exclaimed.
“This is terrible,” Aten said as he kneeled before one tablet and grabbing a piece of tablet with the Mystic Swordsman’s face.  
Robbie walked along the edge of the hallway and looked up at one of the monsters. “Oh my god! Aten! Bakura!”
Bakura and Aten ran towards Robbie. “What is it, Robert?”
“Look! The Nightmare Dragon’s tablet!”
Bakura saw the spiky dragon’s tablet half shattered.  Its head had been smashed off.  “All of the monsters have been destroyed.” Bakura walked around the other side of the hallway when he saw Dark Necrofear’s tablet busted into little rocks. The yami fell to his knees before the tablet. “My faithful servant.”
Aten stepped behind Bakura and put his hands on the thief’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Father Bakura.”
Bakura lowered his head. “Marik must have done this.”
Robbie grabbed a piece of rock and threw it against the wall angrily. “How could he do this?”
Bakura stood up. “I have to check on your mother. You two stay here.”
The yami slowly walked into the tall room with pillars.  He found Ryou in the corner holding his stomach and relaxed. Bakura kneeled down beside Ryou.
“Ry, are you alright, angel?”
Ryou nodded as he rubbed his stomach. “What did you find?”
“All the tablets are destroyed. All the monsters are destroyed. “
“Oh no, that’s terrible!”
“Ishtar must have done it.”
Ryou sighed. “What are we going to do?”
Bakura rubbed Ryou’s belly lightly. “We can’t get out of here from the door above. We’ll have to find a way out another way.”
Ryou took Bakura’s hand and rose to his feet. He felt Bakura waver on his feet. “Baby, you’re tired. You didn’t sleep all night, did you?”
Bakura shook his head. “No, I stayed awake to keep you, Aten, and Robbie safe.”
“You should sleep, Bakura.”
Bakura yawned and shook his head. “No, you need a decent place to sleep and we need to get somewhere safe.”
“Bakura, we are safe. We’ll get out of this place.”
Bakura shook his head and caressed Ryou’s cheek. “Let’s go, Ry. I’ll be alright.”
Ryou winced as the baby kicked downward. “I’ll be right with you, baby. I can’t hold it in anymore.”
Bakura nodded and kissed Ryou on the cheek. “Alright. Do what you have to do. Meet us when you are done.”
Bakura returned to the tablet room and grabbed a torch from the wall. “When Ryou gets here, we’ll get moving.”
“Is mom alright?”
Bakura scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, your mother....I think the baby is kicking your mother’s bladder.”
“Oh,” Robbie and Aten said quietly.
Ryou walked into the room and gasped quietly at the devastation around him. “Oh my, this is terrible,” Ryou said as he picked up a piece of broken tablet. “Bloody hell."
Bakura stood beside Ryou and took his hand. The thief lead Ryou and the teens into the next room.  His hands gripped the bag tightly in his hands. The tablets in the next room were in ruins.  Ryou’s brown eyes looked at the shattered tablets. “This is awful.”
Aten and Robbie held hands as they moved through the hallway.  Aten walked close to Robbie as they stepped through the tablets’ debris.
Bakura lead the group to a tall staircase. “I’ll go first.”
Ryou watched Bakura climb the steps. Bakura held his dagger in front of him as he grabbed the bag of food. Ryou held his breath as his husband slowly climbed the steps. Bakura stepped out of the stairwell and looked at the burial chamber.
“Come up, guys!” Bakura called to the others.
Bakura waited for the others who climb the stairs. Ryou, Aten, and Robbie arrived beside Bakura. Aten and Robbie’s eyes widened as they looked at the decorated chamber. Ryou saw a sarcophagus in the corner of the room. He walked to the tomb and placed his hand on the stone.
“The burial chamber of Yami’s father,” Bakura said with a satisfied grin. The thief walked over to the corner where a chest of gold rested. Bakura dipped his hand into the coins with a mischievous chuckle. “Jackpot.”
Robbie and Aten looked at the elaborately decorated tomb.  “This is amazing! I’ve never been in an Egyptian tomb!”
Aten touched the murals along the walls. “Father Bakura, look at this!”
Bakura removed his hand from the chest of gold coins when he walked toward Aten. The mural depicted  the three Egyptian gods hovering above him. Slyfer, Ra, and Obelisk surrounded Yami’s father.
“I didn’t know Yami’s father was protected by the Egyptian gods, too.”
“They are the sacred guardians of the pharaoh,” Bakura explained.
Ryou looked at the walls and saw an image of the mortal pharaoh attacking a village. “What is happening here?”
Bakura stepped towards Ryou and looked up at the Village slaughter immortalized on the wall. “It was a village of thieves.”
Ryou looked at the next mural as the pharaoh set prisoners ablaze. Men, women, and children raised their hands in agony as the pharaoh burned them. “This is terrible.”
Bakura put his arm around Ryou. “Let’s go, Ry.” Bakura lead the group up the stairs to the next level.  An antechamber held the pharaoh’s chariots, seats, and table games.
Down the hallway they saw another room.  They stepped into the room with the pharaoh’s bed and food offerings.  Two statues of Ra flanked the room’s entrance. Bakura grabbed two baskets of food and removed them from the room.  “We rest here.” The thief placed the bag of food on the ground and sat at the edge of the bed.
“Baby, get some rest. I’ll cook dinner.”
Bakura laid on the bed and closed his eyes. Within minutes, Aten heard his stepfather snoring quietly.
Aten lead Robbie into the next room and saw another large chamber.  The chamber was built to worship Osiris. Robbie gasped and pulled Aten towards the wall. “Look! Millennium Items!”
Aten looked at the walls and saw Yami’s father holding the Millennium Puzzle into the air. Aten saw the pharaoh invading another city with people fleeing from the pharaoh’s chariot. The Egyptian teen looked at the buildings. “Hey, Robbie, don’t these buildings look familiar?”
Robbie looked at the wall. “It looks like town.”
“Yami’s father invaded Father Bakura’s neighborhood and killed those people!”
Robbie saw the people burning alive in a cauldron. “This is terrible!”
“Father Bakura never said anything about this. Perhaps he wasn’t born yet.”
Robbie saw streams of darkness flowing from the people boiling alive into the Millennium Ring. “What are those dark streams?”
Aten touched the wall. “It is the darkness in the souls of the victims.  The Millennium Item is being powered by the darkness in the hearts of men.”
Robbie and Aten examined the next mural. The Millennium Eye was being forged by the pharaoh’s goldsmiths.
Aten looked down. “I never knew the creation of the Millennium Items was made possible by so much hate and blood.”
“I’ve heard Bakura say that he is Dark. I never really understood what that meant until now.” Robbie looked over at Aten. “Do you think that we are capable of Darkness, Aten? I mean, we were resurrected and we live in the Scepter of Ra. I tell you, right now, I’d give anything to have that little baby with us.”
Aten sighed. “I know. I wish we had it with us. I feel kind of naked without it.”
Robbie walked to the next mural and covered his mouth. “Oh my god, Aten, it’s the Millennium Rod!”
Aten cautiously walked to the next mural where the pharaoh was using the Millennium Rod as a mace. The pharaoh had clubbed a man and had stole the souls of his family.  Aten watched their pained faces look at him from their eternal, silent scream.
The pharaoh held the Millennium Rod into the air and stole the souls of people before he pushed them into a boiling cauldron of liquid gold. “He murdered them, Robbie. He stole their souls and boiled them alive.” Aten swallowed in fear and shook his head. “Yami was no better than his father.”
Robbie watched Aten walk away. “Aten!”
Aten returned to his mother’s side. Ryou looked at his disturbed son. “Baby boy, what’s wrong?”
Aten shivered. “I came to help you cook dinner.”
Ryou saw a drop of sweat creep down Aten’s cheek. “Baby?”
Aten struggled to smile for his mother. “I’ll be alright, mother. Let’s get dinner going. I’m starving.”