Useless Atem (Part 1)

Game Shop

Atem found himself transported to a familiar place. The inside of the Game Shop. "It survived?" He glanced at Bakura. "You!"

"Don't go there like a royal snob." Bakura growled, his face none the happier but he clearly had his ring back. "Sit back and ride out the end like everybody else." He looked at who brought Atem. "Who are you?"

"Li. I am your subordinate," he said.

"Well where the fuck have you been?" Bakura went off on him.

"Saving all the cats in the Domino City area," he said. "Taking down mankind's population is one thing, but let a cat be killed and the goddess Bastet will claw me past my next death."

"Great. Out saving kitties. How's anybody supposed to survive any of this if I don't get some fucking help! So far, all I've seen is some upstarts demanding Rider go with them." He gestured to the people by the door. "Of which they haven't gotten a willing participant for yet."

"We'd rather not hurt her," one of the unknowns in the doorway said. "There is death, and then there's death of peace in the afterlife. It's not worth it."

"Atem."

Atem turned around. She had been right behind him. Masika was okay. "I'm glad you are safe. Did the others make it safely?"

"Mai and Mokuba are upstairs," she said. "Kaiba had gone with Shizuka to get Honda. She wouldn't quit asking, she felt it was only right to get him and tell him about her deal with Kaiba. Kaiba said it was best to follow her instincts."

///Atem: I know they are alive then.///

"Do not get mad at Bakura, he saved more than us." She gestured for the ring from him. He gave it up to her. "He needed time to adjust. He still needs time to adjust." She had kept her head down. "How is Anzu?"

"Anzu, Jounouchi and Yuugi are all fine." Atem looked around. Home. "It's really okay."

"They did it." Now, Ryou Bakura had to be back in control. There was no ring to give Bakura power. "It all happened so fast. Yuugi has been visiting so often for Anzu or Satiah, that when the door rang I just answered it. I never thought someone would thrust the ring in my hands."

Ryou Bakura looked toward him. His eyes glistened. Clearly coming to terms with things too. "It wasn't perfect, and I feared he'd become like Zorc. This time, once he had power, he started to balance out. He hates that I'm telling you, but it's true. He isn't Zorc. He used the ring to find who was responsible and they were waiting for him. Hanasake."

Hanasake. "He is claiming rulership over the area Yuugi and the others are at."

"He sat The Bandit King down. The things they spoke of. He's not Tomoyo Hanasake," Ryou Bakura revealed, starting to slightly choke. "All of them, these followers, they were given hosts. Then? Hanasake, he offered it to Bakura. A game. A game called Dragon Cards. He said it would sever the users soul from the body. A clean cut. I don't know how it could work, but they made it work. They said the gods allowed it."

Oh no. "Hanasake isn't possessed."

"He's dead. They all are. These spirits, they took their lives, their children, even their wives. Everything that was the hosts was theirs!" He covered his face. "Bakura didn't do it. He. He hung on. We both hung on, hoping that someone would do something. But? It? Domino City. It would fall with or without his input."

"He saved the schools he could," Masika said for Ryou Bakura. "He gave the biggest grocery store. A bank because he didn't trust Hanasake. The Game Shop. What he could, 20% of . . ." She finally stumbled. "Of what he could."

Oh. She was gesturing to the ring she was holding. ///Atem: She could give it to me, or she could give it to him. With it, I might be able to summon the gods. She trusts Bakura as well, he had saved her and the others./// She would give it back to Bakura, he knew that. Bakura was almost all she remembered of her past. She'd barely known him a day, and the whole sacrificing issue hadn't been a good way to start it. "I could try summoning the gods." Some context to help his chances. "If nothing happens when I do, I can give it back."

The men in the doorway laughed.

"Only Greatest Pharaoh of All Time Who Ever Lived can summon the gods. Maybe when you were alive you could do it, but things have changed. You can't do it."

"You're wrong," Masika told them. "He is alive."

"Can't be. Worthy kings become gods after death, he would destroy a host. Besides, gods aren't going to want to cross other gods anyhow." That man in the doorway. The next thing he said, made it all make sense. "Greatest Pharaoh of Anyone Who Ever Lived is related to Horus, why would any god want to cross him?"

That's it! That's why it was optional! None of the gods must have wanted to wage war with Horus, but they didn't agree. The gods like games. He wasn't meant to stop it. He was meant to challenge it. ///Atem: That's why I'm here. There is at least one god who doesn't agree with this./// The stone hiding away from the palace. The optional statement. Kaiba actually being able to come back and forth to the afterlife. ///Atem: With what I have been given, there must be a way to stop this new reign.///

He couldn't save anything that had been lost. Countless lives. Billions of lives. But? ///Atem: There must be a way for me to end this Pharoah./// He looked toward Masika. The big question mark still. "Why do they want you?"

"I don't know." She was still hanging onto the ring. "Let me try something. Lean forward and bend down slightly."

Bend down? ///Atem: I need her to trust me. I will have to trust her first./// Atem bent down. She placed the ring around his neck and then held his chin, opening his mouth. What was she doing? Her mouth was coming closer.

She pulled in closer, keeping his mouth open, but never touched his lips. Instead, she gently breathed into it, long and slow. She let go. "Does it feel like you can summon gods, Atem?"

Atem blinked and looked down at the ring. She was trusting him with it. She even tried to give him some of the power she had inside of her. Summon. Power. Ka. "I will give this back when I find the god images to summon." He was sure they had to have them. Either cards or stones.

Everyone in the room except Ryou Bakura, Masika and him chuckled.

"Some ruler. Who needs an image? Face it. You can either help lead or live like the others," Li said. "Even I could kill you if I wanted. Pick your choice."

Who needs an image? "Alright, I'll try without one." Atem had to try something and Masika did stir his energy. He went outside and looked up. If it came, it would need room. "I call upon you, Celestial Dragon of Osiris!"

The sky lit up with lightning. Did he make it happen? From the sky coming down, the Dragon had appeared. It did not attack though, and went back up and away. What? It was as he feared. One Pharaoh to listen to. That Pharaoh was not him. ///Atem: Even with the power, the gods won't listen to me.///

"Masika!"

Atem went back inside and saw another figure emerge, grabbing Masika.

"You must come to The Greatest Pharaoh of All Time." The figure growled and pulled her closer.

"Why?" She asked. "Can they tell me who I am? I want to know before I go. The others wouldn't say who wanted me or why. Why?"

She was being taken to see this new ruler. "Let me go with her," Atem insisted.

"No," the figure said.

"Why?" It was the only thing Masika could say. "Why would anyone let this happen, just because some person by Horus' will command it to be so! Do I know this person? Do I know you?" She was starting to break down. "I want to see Anzu. Take me to Anzu first, let me see her. Then." She looked toward Atem, as if to make sure he was okay with it. He nodded. "Then take me and Atem together and I'll see this person in charge."

"Fine, Masika," this new figure said. "Who is Anzu?"

"She was my host." The conversation was starting to turn.

" . . . you aren't with your host, nor did you dispose of it?" the figure asked.

"No. I emerged here from a card into my host," she said. "I want to see her."

Conflicted. "You came from a card . . . to a host? That wouldn't be able to be traced. You have a body away from your host then, like Atem?" The unknown figure pointed at Li. "Where is this Anzu?!"

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