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Characters: Atem and Yuugi
Location: Egypt, various
Rating: PG for mission violence
Time June 28th - July 1st
Description Catch all log for Atem and Yuugi's mission in Egypt and their subsequent travels.

The second they stepped through the mirror it was like entering another world, another time, where the past and the present collided with immensity and Atem stumbled forward before he could get his bearings. The mission mentioned tombs. What it had failed to mention was that they would be fighting within the most famous tombs in the world. Towering before them were three magnificent shapes, not covered in pristine white limestone but the color of dusty dessert sand. The pyramids of the earliest kings.

They stood in the embrace of a chorus of car horns and exhaust fumes and children playing football in the crumbling streets and the run down tightly packed honeycombs of housing that was the heartbeat of Giza. A heart sustained by a skeleton of the past.

Atem had all of two minutes maybe three to take it all in and render the image, to strip away the processing and filters and realign it with the place of memory, before an agent approached them. He was a portly man clad in a galabiya who bowed and bid them Salaam and Welcome And Shukran and thank you for coming.

It was a terrible thing to have the iconic monuments afflicted by kishin eggs; they were a national treasure and a huge source of tourists after all. They would be venturing into the grand gallery to confront their foe. He explained all of this quickly and eagerly and never once did he comment on the strange pair who looked so similar but were obviously of different stock. Shibusen had a reputation for such oddities, even one that looked as if he were plucked from the very walls they were now changed with protecting.

Atem, with one foot firmly planted within two different lands, looked ahead as the words washed over him, unheard. The assignment was clear, resolve firm, and he turned to give Yuugi a curt nod.

“Take us there.”

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Yuugi's own resolve was strong as well, but the moment they arrived it was forced to do battle with the awestruck fascination that their surroundings inspired in him. They may have been in a different world, but Egypt was still Atem's homeland... And though the time was different as well history stared them in the face at every turn, towering over them in the pyramids themselves. Yuugi felt the slightest sense of familiarity about the place, from just the little pieces of memory Atem had shown him before; he couldn't imagine what it must be like for the pharaoh himself to return to Egypt after such a long absence.

He wanted to ask, to take Atem's hand and look in his eyes and understand what it meant for him to stand here on this ground, but their guide beckoned them on and so instead he returned his partner's nod, keeping stride with him as they began to follow the other man towards the base of the nearest and largest of the structures rising from the desert. It quickly became necessary to lift one hand to his eyes, shielding them from the bright glare of the sun, the other hanging at his side and as before hovering close to that of his partner. The kishin were supposedly confined to the tombs themselves but after the mission to Japan, neither Yuugi nor Atem were going to take any chances.

Even so, though he directed most of his thinking to the task at hand, Yuugi couldn't keep his wonder to himself.

"It's amazing..." he murmured quietly, an observation that required no reply as they made their dusty trek across the hot sands.

It wasn't a long walk from the gate, over the paving stones that still grounded the foundations of the funerary complex. A fine layer of sand still covered them and they bore the cracks of time and wear, unlike the smooth polished floor of memory. The complex had been abandoned by the time of his rule but the decay had accelerated after three thousand subsequent years, some of it hidden beneath mounds of the ever evolving desert landscapes, others leaving an empty impression where it had disappeared for all time.

It wasn't a long walk, but it was a slow one, giving the pharaoh ample time to take it all in.

"They used to look magnificent in the spring" He replied, with his gazed fixed on the tops of the ben shaped tombs. "When the sun was high, they would shine so brightly that you couldn't even look directly at them. And the flooded river would line the banks at the end of the causeway just down there."

He turned back and pointed to where there was still a deep impression cut through the land, the river no longer comprised of water but an inundated city. The Nile completely obscured by it.

Before long they gained the top of the ridge and the largest of the three great monoliths rose to brush the sky. There were attendants bustling around a crumbling, gaping hole that marked the entrance. Atem stood transfixed; it was the most startling symbol of change he had encountered thus far.

"Do they really just allow people to come and go as they please?"

Yuugi hadn't really expected a response, but when Atem began to describe the place as he remembered it the smaller duelist held on to every word, attentively followed his gaze and the gestures of his hand, trying to take it all in and layer the new images from his mind over what his eyes actually perceived.

The question made him frown, his heart tugging in response to his partner's disturbance.

"Mm..." He lifted his eyes again to the monument before them, answering with thoughtful, measured words. "Because the pyramids are such an important part of this place. No one in this time is really even sure how they were built, but there are people who want to understand--and to protect them." He could easily understand if Atem didn't see it that way, but....

"This is the closest they can get now, to seeing them the way you did. If it weren't for your memories, it'd be the same for me."

"But they were the final resting place of someone. Of kings." And not just any kings but some of the earliest kings of Egypt. By Atem’s time they were all but renowned as gods in their own right. While it was true that thieves had done the real work of desecrating such places – that was no secret in the new kingdom – they were still sacred, and it left a bad taste in his mouth to think that anyone could pay their way to experience them like a mere attraction.

What they were doing was different, there was a real threat in there. Something that didn't belong there and they had a real capacity to protect them.

Though he understood what Yuugi was saying, he couldn't prevent his misgivings from coloring his expression.

"This is where we part." Their attendant chose an opportune moment to interject, having arrived at the massive stone foundations skirting the edge of the pyramid. They would have to climb the rest of the way to reach the entrance. "Once inside you must always choose the ascending path and you will find them in no time."

Atem merely nodded his response, understanding instinctively. A tomb was a tomb, meant to be misleading.

Yuugi felt a tug in his chest in response to Atem's words, and though he knew there was no way to change what time had done to this place he wished that there were at least something they could do to make things more right, for his partner's sake. He didn't have a chance to answer, however, as they reached their destination.

"Thank you," he said, offering their guide an appreciative bow, one last gesture before his expression hardened with resolve and he turned toward the task at hand.

Now that they were truly here the first tremors of anticipation began in his gut, reminding him of the failure that had become of their last mission and his determination that this time would not be the same. He slipped his hand into Atem's without a word as they began the climb to the entrance, not yet forming the bond of resonance but ready for it at any moment.

He wouldn't screw up again, not now. Without question or hesitation his heart adopted his partner's cause as his own, ready to do whatever it took to clear the tombs of at least one sort of unwelcome visitor, even if he could do nothing about the other.

For someone coming face to face with the ruin of his past, someone who had a lot to make up for in coming here, Atem remained surprisingly collected, allowing a purposeful calm to steal over him as they mounted the granite blocks. He gave Yuugi a helping hand, experiencing little trouble with the climb himself.

Together they ascended more than a dozen steps before they stood, hands clasped before the entrance that felt so much smaller now that they were standing within the arch that was crumbling in disrepair. The dimly lit shaft awaited them, the walls rough and barren without any of the text or images that Atem was used to seeing. Yet, rather than appearing unfinished, it only added to the mystery surrounding the builders.

The pharaoh uttered something, seemingly to himself, in words that had not echoed the through such halls in thousands of years. If they were here to restore order to the physical grounds then he could at least appeal for a small measure of balance in the name of the spirits that belonged here as well. That was what he had to focus on as he took the first steps inside, taking Yuugi in his stride

Yuugi sensed that purposeful calm and allowed it to cover him as well as they finished the climb, which he managed appreciative of the assistance. He didn't have any prayers of his own to offer but he mirrored his partner's respect as well with a small incline of his head before crossing the threshold. Even so, a small shiver traveled down his spine as the tomb closed over them, and he found himself blinking hard in an attempt to adjust to the dimmer light.

"There's not much room," he murmured, a little surprised and not too pleased. Already one element of the situation--the confined space--was the same as their last mission. There was no way of knowing how many enemies lurked further on within the passageways, either. Yuugi squeezed Atem's hand gently and turned to fix him with a determined look. "Let me go first. I'll transform if I see anything." He didn't wait for an answer, quickly stepping ahead of his partner but staying close enough to keep their physical connection. If he assumed correctly, it would be much more difficult for anything to sneak up on them in these deathly quiet tunnels than it had been for the teke teke to corner them on a crowded train.

In the same moment he reached out and touched Atem with his soul, establishing the groundwork for their resonance, unwilling to be caught off guard again.

Atem didn't say a word, too preoccupied with checking every corner, and every little crevice. He knew these halls, mazes that they were, knew that even a plain wall could conceal the worst kind of trap. Although, the thieves and scholars had likely cleared out anything left from the ancient world, it would be the perfect place for a Kishin egg to hide.

They were barely inside when the path made a drastic split. To the left the tunnel descended, almost vertically but as the guide had said, they would be following the path to the right, a proper incline but still every bit as steep as Atem recalled. It had been fixed with a wooden ramp lined with dim, flickering yellow lights that reverberated with a fluorescent hum.

“It won’t make much of a difference in there.” He indicated the cramped passage that was so narrow they could only pass single file and so low that they would be mere inches away from crawling on all fours. “Our best chance will be to make it to the burial chamber, unnoticed. It still won’t be spacious but there will enough room to move around.”

"All right," Yuugi agrees quietly, immediately, though he observes the chosen passage with a frown. They carefully crouch down and make their way inside one at a time, and he thinks to himself that at least if he has to go in here, there's no one he'd rather have with him than Atem. There are apparently a few advantages to being a small person, but even with his diminutive build the tunnel is too cramped. Claustrophobia is not one of his great weaknesses but he still feels stifled and has to remind himself once or twice to keep breathing.

What is it like, to plan on this as one's final resting place? The great pharaoh may have found it comforting to know he would be buried under tons of stone with only this narrow passage leading to his chamber but to Yuugi it's unnerving; the thought causes a small shiver to pass through him and he quickly dismisses it, shifting his concentration to more important matters. Now that his eyes have adjusted the lights seem almost too bright, providing more than enough illumination for they themselves to be spotted easily by an approaching enemy.

There's nowhere to go but forward, however; the thought of turning back never even comes close to crossing Yuugi's mind and they continue the climb, thankfully without interruption.

The pharaoh wouldn't expect his partner to understand the magic of a tomb, certainly not while crawling through dim, ancient corridors devoid of the sumptuous offerings left with the initial burial. These walls construction of coarse granite were mere facades, screens on which images of the afterlife could be imprinted, where the dead transcend the mortal world and the images take physical form.

When the tunnel opened up into the grand gallery, a long hall with an elegant vaulted ceiling built into the very structure of the edifice, Atem could see it. The grandiosity of a long lost time, an architectural marvel that trumped those of his finest engineers. He could just imagine that living passages that might have inspired it, fill with the court of his forefathers. Were they, even now celebrating, their deaths in this hollow space?

The sheer height of the gallery lifted his attention to the very apex of the ceiling, amazement quickly turning to a frown, tension returning to his limbs as the fight or flight instincts kicked in.

"Yuugi!"

Reaching for his partner's hand he takes off to avoid the attack that had been poised from above. He didn't need to look back, knew it would be there, knew they would both be ready as he planted his foot at the far end of the hall and pivoted, bringing both arms forward to strike back.

When Yuugi hears that note in his partner's voice it puts an end to his open-mouthed staring as immediately as though a switch had been flipped in his mind. He doesn't let Atem down, the glow of his body filling the tomb as he changes to his weapon form; an instant later there is a sickening crunch and the Kishin scurries back in grotesque retreat, its remaining claws skittering loudly over the granite floor. With the gleaming, over-sized scarab beetle just out of range, Yuugi has at least a second or two to examine their surroundings, a task made much easier by the superior perception of his weapon form.

Aside from the scarab in front of them, which maintains a threatening and twitchy position between them and the exit, he sees no movement; the only other notable presence in the tomb lies in the far corner, and appears to be shadowed mounds of-- Wait, are those...? Oh, gross.

I think that's the only one--let's take care of it!

The reports had indicated that the tombs were overrun, but Yuugi doesn't question what he sees. Perhaps the others are lurking in another part of the pyramid. They don't have time to wonder, because their enemy takes only a few seconds to attack again, rash and unpredictable in its injured state.

From his vantage point at the top of the steeply sloping ramp, the pharaoh had a moment to marvel at the oversized scarab, with its green black carapace gleaming in the low lights. He experienced a moment of revulsion, a microsecond of nausea that crashed around him with the force of a tidal wave. He didn't bother to hide it, the apprehension flowing freely through their connection.

It was irreverent, it felt completely wrong but in the time it took the fiendish bug to round on them again, the waves had receded and Atem was master over them once again. He shifted his stance, springing more than running to meet their opponent with his weapon poised to stab head on. Only at the last second did he turn the blade aside, passing over the scarab’s head and sliding neatly into the juncture between skull and thorax. They struck, utterly silent but the scarab stilled, emitted a violent shudder and collapsed to the ground.

"Hmph." He couldn't help but smirk as he pulled Yuugi free, wiping the blade down on the hem of his cloak. "That's more like it."

"Bloodthirsty" would be one of the last words used to describe Yuugi by any person who knew him at all, but when Atem struck at the Kishin egg he felt the brief, triumphant thrill of success. This time--this time they had made good their mission, and in a small way it began to erase the shamefulness of their defeat in Japan.

That thrill did not last long, however, cut rudely short by the actual thrust of the blade and then it was his turn to be nauseated, a faint shudder of disgust rippling over the connection of their resonance. He was still nowhere near used to that feeling.

"Thanks," he offered even as Atem wiped him clean, glad to be rid of what scarab beetle insides had clung stickily to his blade. With that taken care of he re-directed his focus, matching himself up with his partner's sense of victory. "That's one down. The rest must be in another part of the pyramid." Though it was clear he intended to fight either until they had the place cleared out or they couldn't go any further, there was the slightest of falterings before he spoke again. "I guess I should take care of this one first."

The egg's soul gave off a faint glow, unassuming enough now that their enemy lay dead, or it would be if Yuugi didn't know what came next.

Once the soul began to rise, Atem could finally relax, lowering the his partner till the tip brushed the ground. He had been expecting more of a struggle, more of these things by the sound of the mission post. After the last mission he wasn't about to complain about an easy victory but he wasn't going to get caught off guard again either. He gives the room another look around. The ceiling wasn't that high, there wasn't really anywhere for them to hide so he felt it was safe to say that this room was clear. Just for good measure they might as well explore the rest of the tomb, maybe even find some kind of source if they had in fact been such a nuisance for the people here.

As soon as Atem comes to that decisions he realizes his hand still wrapped around the hilt of the sword, Yuugi still in his weapon form, still resonating. He hadn't realized because the sensation was utterly natural, a second nature akin to breathing.

"Are you waiting for a drink to wash it down or what?"

"Er, no--I've got it," Yuugi answered quickly, embarrassed, and the tomb lit up again with the glow of his body as he changed back to his regular form, which was necessary for what came next. Even then he stared at their defeated enemy for a split second before taking action, and the thought clearly crossed his mind to shake his hand free from Atem's for a few moments, to break their resonance and keep this part to himself.

That would be a pretty stupid thing to do, though--especially after what happened in Japan--so he didn't let go, leaving the pharaoh privy to all his discomfort and reluctance and even a twinge of chagrin as Yuugi plucked up the soul with his free hand, lifted it to his mouth, and forced himself to swallow it, making a face as it went down.

Definitely not his favorite part.

Then again, he wasn't much fond of being attacked unawares and that seemed to keep happening as well; in fact the moment he finished with the first kishin's soul there came a very unpleasant sound of movement behind them. Instinct kicked in and Yuugi was back in his weapon form in almost an instant, just in time to see not one but two more of the huge beetles clawing their way out of what had seemed to be such inconspicuous (if disgusting) heaps of dung the other scarab had piled up in the corner.

Damn, he hadn't thought they'd be inside those things.

"Two more, over there!"

"It should be just over here"

Atem has a hand raised to his eyes, looking down on Yuugi from the top of the ridge he had just surmounted. The pharaoh is light on his feet, sure footed even among the rocky pathways and his sense of of direction has eroded little with the passage of time. He seems to know exactly where he's going although he implies little in answer to Yuugi's questions about it.

Yuugi makes his way up the path, less graceful but certainly determined, following in Atem's footsteps as best as he can. He's only somewhat out of breath when he joins his partner at the top of the ridge, cheeks ruddy from the heat and effort and not a little sunburn after their adventures of the day before, but his disposition remains fresh and enthusiastic. He could follow Atem all day (and he probably will, since he managed to leave his new map behind at their hotel.)

"Okay, now which-- whoa." The view before him cuts him off mid-sentence.

That reaction is all Atem needs to hear to smile. Stretched out within view of the holy mountain of al-Qurn, the famous valley, with it's fabric-like folds etched into the earth, looks much more pristine and impressive from above, without the crush of bodies and voices all vying to get into the tombs. It was a display that had frankly disgusted the pharaoh but he maintained composure. He was on a mission.

"Come on." He takes Yuugi's hand before long and turns away from the view, and down into a deep, natural ravine, careful to avoid the guards that decorated the lookouts all around.

Yuugi isn't quite finished looking but he lets Atem lead him away; obviously his partner has somewhere for them to be. He keeps up pretty well, aware that this particular choice in pathway is meant to keep them out of trouble, though he does learn to appreciate the hold Atem has on his hand before they reach their destination.

"You know where we're going, don't you?" It's hardly that he has any doubts, but he hopes the question will prod the pharaoh into telling him a little more.

"Not as well as the workers who scales these hills every day but I would not forget this place."

As the path angled downward, the monolithic hills rose all around, channeling them to the source of all the secrecy. The ground beneath them crunched agreeably, the pharaoh slowing with every step and it wasn't long before the valley opens up around them to reveal a small oblong clearing that slops gently up to the horizon. It's plain. Devoid of any indication of disturbance, an understated climax to all the anticipation.

Again with the vaguest of hints, Yuugi thinks to himself, giving a slight shake of his head and unable to keep from smiling faintly. He drops Atem's hand when they reach the clearing and steps forward by himself, turning his head every which way in an attempt to find some kind of clue as to why they've come all this way, to here. But he draws a blank and ends up facing his partner with a questioning look on his face.

"Here...?"

Atem rubs the back of his neck in response, perfectly aware of what this must look like to his partner. It hardly looks any different to him in away but beneath the veil draped over the landscape of this world lies something deeply important that resonates with the pharaoh even now.

“Here.” He confirms, gliding past Yuugi and leading him to sun burnt red walls to their right. He faces one, a bit smoother than the rest of their surroundings and runs his hand along the surface as high as he can reach, as if searching for something, a crack or a crevice or some switch to part the way to the unforetold secret.

“In our world this place would look quite a bit different. It is the final resting place of the pharaoh Osiris Akhenamkhanen.”

If this place is important to to his partner then it's important to Yuugi, even though he doesn't immediately see why. He isn't disappointed by the seeming plainness of the place, just confused, at least until Atem explains. Then, the shadow falls from his face and he lifts his gaze, wide-eyed, as though seeing where they are for the first time.

"Osiris Akhenamkhanen..." he repeats slowly, treating each syllable with care, unconsciously stepping closer to Atem again. The next words are spoken even more carefully as understanding dawns further. "Is he... your dad?"

Why is he suddenly overcome with the need to pick at a few stray thread on his cloak. The urge is there but he smothers it properly, his fingers twitching then falling loosely to his side. He brought Yuugi here for a reason and this was it.

"Yeah." But it's so much more than that. Father and pharaoh and mentor and even a curse. So much of his life has been influenced by one person, so much blood had been shed on the very same ground where they stood in another place and another time. Even now, as Atem looked to Yuugi, he was standing in the same place where a blank tablet had awaited for the dawn to give it a familiar and heartbreaking form.

"Yeah he is."

Yuugi watches him, and as he does he almost senses the murky stirrings from within the depths of Atem's soul. It makes his heart ache a little. There's no way he can know what it's like to stand at the grave of one's own father, and yet there is no uncertainty in his response.

"Tell me about him?" The prompting is gentle, deliberately open-ended--and genuine.

Atem hesitates, not out of uncertainty so much as not knowing exactly where to start. Yuugi had already seen his mother for whom he still felt an overflowing love, especially at the memory of leaving her behind, a thought that does nothing to ease his anxiety. It was his mother who had encouraged him with wonder and grace. His father, the former pharaoh, was a monolith of expectation. Even now he stood in its shadow as the sun sank into the western sky.

“He was the most important person in the world.”

Even the words have a weight to them. Yuugi is silent for a moment, his fingers thoughtfully tracing the edge of the Sennen Puzzle--an item that had once belonged to the man in question. It felt a little heavier too, when he thought of it that way.

"That sounds like a lot to live up to," he realizes, stepping closer to join Atem in that shadow now.

Turning, with his back pressed firmly against the solid foundation behind him, Atem peers up into the vibrant sky. He shouldn't be surprised by Yuugi's foresight but it touches him all the same.

"Exactly."

He falls silent again, allowing that to sink in. It was perhaps the first time it had ever been put so plainly. But he owes his partner more than that. I was bound to come out eventually so he would rather it be like this.

"He was a good man. I used to think he was infallible, that I had to be just like him. But in the end he was still... just a man. Who did his best."

Yuugi wants to move even closer and join him against the wall, but he can't quite bring himself to lean against what in another world was such an important person's tomb.

"Mm... That's what I would've expected," he admits, flashing a brief and gentle grin, his shoulders rising and falling almost sheepishly. That kind of person--it's easy to imagine Atem looking up to him, and Yuugi can see the influence as plainly as the clearing around them. The pharaoh lives on in his son.

"What do you..."

The look he turns on Yuugi is querulous one, fed by the slow drip of understanding until the enlightenment overflows in a rush. Yuugi had a way of doing that, and Atem turns his head down to hide the smirk, the utterly contented feelings that well up inside.

"Maybe I did turn out like him after all."

And then it's Yuugi's turn to be utterly contented, a warm happiness rising in his chest when he sees the response his words bring. He smiles at his partner, though with his head turned down Atem might miss the absolute fondness in Yuugi's expression.

"Maybe you did," he agrees simply, but he speaks with such faith that says a great deal more. Standing in the shade, he's able to lift his eyes up to the bright sky without being blinded.

"Thank you, for bringing me here."

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July 30th - Valley of the Kings

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