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What Should Have Been	By : tavia454 Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1842 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh and I swear I make no money from this story!

Chapter List
- 1-What Should Have Been
- 2-Chapter 2
- 1
- 2
Yugi Motou is an aspiring historical fiction writer with a gloomy
future. The character in his latest novel is the hardest one that
he’s had to write yet – an arrogant, deviously sexy young
Pharaoh, modeled after his favorite Egyptian, the nameless pharaoh.
Walking home from his college classes, something happens to cause
this talented writer to fall back into the past. With no memory of
how he came to be where he is, Yugi ends up in the land of his
stories, his presence foretold in legends. Somehow he ends up falling
in love with a man suspiciously like the main character in his
book-and ancient history. But will their love, and some help from the
gods, be enough to save them from a future that has already been?

AN: I
know I should be working on MA (and I am) but this has been sitting
on my comp for almost 6 months waiting as I slowly do research into
the ancient Egyptian culture, so I decided to post the first chap to
get an answer as to whether or not I should continue to research it.
Since I am not from Khemet you can expect this story to have no
historical value whatsoever other than small tidbits that will
enhance the tale, so if you are looking for historical correctness
this is not the fic for you. And this one will probably not be
updated very frequently as I have another one to finish first.

So
here's my latest offering until I can get MA back on the straight and
narrow. Please let me know if I should continue.

I own
nothing! Pity!

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Chapter
15 – page 324

The
Pharaoh jerked forward in reflexive shock as he felt the touch of a
malevolent presence against the back of his leg. It slithered up the
side of his body leaving a trail of coldness where it came into
contact with his skin. A shiver ran the length of his spine at the
bone chilling sensation. Even though he couldn't see it he could feel
it, hear it, smell it even. The essence of evil seemed to permeate
the very air he breathed.

And
he was afraid – more so than he had ever been in his life.

The
ground trembled violently beneath his feet every so often, making the
young royal constantly aware of the danger that was drawing ever
nearer, even as his men scurried to complete the tasks that he had
set upon them. He feared that this was one battle his Khemet would
not withstand. The sheer hopelessness of their situation nearly
overwhelmed his mind and he shook with the consequences of what would
become of their world should he fail in his appointed task as
guardian of the black-lands.

In
an effort to calm his desperate thoughts he turned his attention to
overseeing the placement of their artillery. Shadows surrounded the
barren landscape as far as the eye could see, making the set up
difficult – if not impossible, but still his men persevered.
Here, in this barren wasteland, was where their final stand would
take place, far outside the border of the royal city. Should the
demon make it past their defenses all hope for the world as they knew
it would be lost.

Their
only reprieve lay in the ancient scrolls that Hm-nTr Seth had
retrieved from the wreckage of his father’s tomb. If his High
Priest couldn’t decipher them then their world would most
likely return to the dust from whence it came – for they had no
other recourse but to fight until there was not a one left to resist.

“Pharoah!!!”
He turned his head as a welcome voice reached his ears. Now if only
his Priest had the answers he sought…

“ARG!!!!”

The
furious clicking stopped and letter by letter the words on the screen
began to disappear even quicker than they had formed, courtesy of one
slender finger resting on the delete button.

Once
the screen was completely blank the owner of that finger thrust his
hands into his unusual tricolor hair and tugged viciously in helpless
frustration. Damn it all!!! He couldn’t do this! He couldn’t!
The colors on the screen blurred together through his tears, as if
mocking him and he
turned away from his newest failure to stare blankly out at the
dismal sky in an attempt to gather his scattered thoughts.

He
had been on this chapter for so long, attempting to string together
another thread, put together another thought. It wasn’t as if
he hadn’t imagined this scene in his head at least a hundred
times in the past two weeks. But after everything that had happened
in the past couple of days he couldn’t find the words to
describe it. And at that moment he wasn’t sure if he would ever
be able to.

The
icy rain drizzled continuously down the frost laden window, its
persistence only adding to the overall depressing atmosphere inside
of the dimly lit room. And in the gloom a lone teardrop trickled down
the side of his face as he reflected on his past mistakes and a
future that had once looked so bright to him, if only for a short
time. A choked sob cut through the near silence…

It
shouldn’t have been this way. Not like this. The whole
situation was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong! Slender hands slapped down
on the desktop, as he fought for control over his unruly emotions.

Writing
was supposed to be his emotional outlet.
But how was he to relieve his stress through the characters if he
couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought, much less write one
down. Why couldn’t
he get this to come out right? Why was this so hard?!

“Why
can’t I get this right?!” He screamed aloud into the
room, as if expecting an answer. And in a way he got one.

It’s
your fault! Your fault Yugi Mutou! It was your stupidity that did it.
You killed Ryou! You!

“No!
G-go away!!” Yugi cringed, lashing out against the niggling
little voice in the back of his head that had, for the last three
days, plagued him to
distraction for all of his poor decision-making in the past seven
months. But really, what other choice did he have at the time?
“I-I didn’t do it! I didn’t…” He
choked back a muffled sob and gave another violent tug to his hair in
order to relieve some of the pressure that threatened to tear him
apart from the inside. “It wasn’t my fault…please…I
didn’t do it…”

After
a few tense moments he managed to untangle his hands from his hair,
allowing them to drop to the desk, where he laid his head down on top
of them, tears flowing freely down his face to form a puddle on the
expensive oak. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe.
The pressure was killing him. It was tearing him apart.

Why
did every choice he made in life come back to haunt him in this way?

The
only thing he wanted out of life was a friend. It was the only thing
he ever longed for – someone to talk to, someone to share
interests with, someone to listen, and maybe for them to confide in
him as well, despite his weirdness. And for the last year and a half
he had been in heaven, his wish granted in the form of a shy,
soft-spoken white haired teen named Ryou that had been living in the
last foster home that he was remanded to before he was able to scrape
up enough money to file for emancipation.

But
thanks to his stupidity, and one judge’s decision that he was
not responsible enough to take on the burden of caring for another,
Ryou was lost. Taken from the world by his own hand.

For
a moment Yugi thought he would choke on the bitterness. It was all
his fault! Maybe the judge was right. It was his big mouth and rash
decisions that brought about this tragedy, after all. His fault. He
should have been the one to pay for his own mistakes. Not Ryou…never
Ryou. Tears flowed relentlessly and the petite teenager pounded his
head repeatedly against the desk in an effort to relieve his inner
pain.

If
only he could finish this story, the one they had both worked so hard
to bring to life. Then, maybe he could find peace with his friend –
join him in the abyss – find him in the next life. But he
couldn’t…not yet. He had obligations.

He
had promised. Promised to tell the story, to find his spot in the
limelight, to make something of himself – even if it was only
for a moment or two. He owed Ryou the completion of this pledge
before he joined him, even if it meant that he now had to deal with a
character that was solely based off of his friend’s ideals and
personality.

It
wasn’t fair; Ryou should have been able to see this through to
the end, to see the character born of his own imagination become an
icon. They had made so many plans for when he would become a famous
author. And now that he was here...

Without
Ryou.

He
cringed again. Sometimes there was no silencing that little voice.
But it was his decision to take his signing bonus and strike out on
his own. And it had been his – and only his – decision to
file the motion for emancipation three months later, after the story
that Ryou had hand picked to send to the publisher hit the big time,
when he got the massive bonus check in the amount of $253,000 for
coming in tenth on the national best-selling list.

It
was his decision to leave his friend behind – sort of.

He
dropped his head in his hands with a silent sob. Ryou…Ryou,
who had always been there with a bright smile and a kind word,
despite the pain that he kept so well hidden from prying eyes.

He
sniffled and closed his eyes wearily, one more silent tear slipping
from beneath his lashes as he remembered what he wished so badly to
forget. That day, the beginning of their dreams, the beginning of
their plans…the beginning of the end. Why did Ryou have to pay
for his mistakes?

…He
gripped what was left of the shredded envelope in his trembling
hands, as tears rolled down his pale face. He hated his life. He
hated the foster care system, hated the officials that always looked
down their noses at him, as if he were a piece of dog shit smeared
across their polished courtroom floors.

And
most of all, he hated the families that took him in – not to
give a stable, loving environment as they claimed – but for the
measly amount of money that the state wanted to pay them for his
keep.

He
sighed, closing his eyes. Alright, so maybe he didn’t hate
anyone. But right now it sure felt like he did – even though he
did understand their motives. He understood that everyone was just
trying to get along in this cold, unfeeling world. His hands clenched
uselessly. It’s just…just…why did they have to
step on him – and others like him in order to do it?

He
was so close to having enough money to file for independence. So
close. Or he was, anyways, before his newest foster mother learned
about his talent for writing – or rather the pay that came with
it. Maybe it was his fault. Maybe he should have found a better
hiding spot for his cherished acceptance letter and signing bonus
than in between loose floorboard in the tiny room that he was made to
share with three other boys.

Someone
was bound to come across the envelope eventually. He knew that. But
he had figured that, since no one other than himself and his three
roommates ever ventured into that far into the room, his treasure
would be safe for a time. Now he was out almost twelve hundred
dollars due to that mistaken assumption, and it remained to be seen
whether or not he would be out the rest of the money that came from
his illegally signed contract.

If
he were honest with himself, he would have to say that he hated
tattle-tales most of all. Well, okay, maybe not hate – but an
intense dislike at the very least. Oh god how was he going to tell
Ryou?!

Shaking
himself out of the depressing memory of almost a year ago he let out
a pathetic sniff, wiping the rest of the tears on the sleeve of his
brand new shirt and turned the laptop off. It was no use now.
He had nothing to give to this story right now.
He couldn’t concentrate to save his life.

Or
anyone else’s…

“Stop
it! J-just s-stop it!!” He cried out to no one in particular as
the tears threatened again at the internal reprimand.

A
listless glance at the clock told him that he still had another
twenty minutes before he had to deal with his twice weekly torture
that most students called English Lit. For a moment he wasn’t
sure whether he was relieved or not. It would bring him a most needed
break from his nagging conscience, but at the cost of what was left
of his sanity. His professor was a real slave driver.

For
a couple of seconds he actually considered skipping the class
completely. No one would blame him with what he had been through this
week. And the class really wasn’t worth much to him now. But
again, it was a part of his promise to Ryou that he would get his
degree. And he was quite certain that no one would give him the
homework assignment that he’d miss if he didn’t go.
Rarely anyone talked to him as it was.

Just
like high school. Only more expensive.

He
had always had a hard time making friends. Being two grade levels
ahead of a person’s age tends to isolate them a bit. And after
his first novel was published and his pen name was declared a
literary genius life became even tougher.

To
the avid fiction reader his books were like a work of art, flowing
seamlessly from romance to mystery, horror to heartbreak without
losing sight of the characters true personalities. But to the foster
families that took him in after his parents’ untimely deaths he
was an anomaly. A petite, slightly feminine child who rarely spoke,
preferring to spend his time with his nose buried in the legends of
the past as if that alone would bring him closer to his long lost
loved ones.

He
was often looked at with pity by those who became his temporary
guardians – and scorn by the rest of the foster charges that
shared the household as well as the students in whatever school he
attended. He had nothing in common with anyone his age.

But
when he met Ryou that day it was like the two of them clicked
together – almost like two consecutive pieces of a puzzle. They
had so many things in common. Besides both being children of
archaeologists, both of them were enamored of the ancient Egyptian
culture. And both of them were orphaned around the age of ten.

But
it was their combined interest in the legend of The Nameless Pharaoh,
a young royal who had saved his world from certain destruction –
giving up his life in the process, which had brought them together.
This story was born of a well known Egyptian legend that they both
had heard long ago and fell in love with.

This
story that he was working on was to be the culmination of their
combined love for ancient history and the Egyptian culture. But now
there was no one to share the victory with when their prized creation
was finally unveiled to the public.

Yugi
grimaced at the thought. Ryou…Oh god...Ryou...I'm sorry...

…His
sullen gaze lowered to the over sized, blue school uniform that had
been handed down to him from one of the family’s previous
foster children. It was two sizes too large, making him look as if he
were swimming in his clothes, faded and literally coming apart at the
seams.

According
to his foster father with his diminutive size he was lucky to have
been given one of the boys’ uniforms rather than a girls’
– which was almost the same thing, really, the cut of the
jacket being the only difference. He hadn’t found the man’s
insinuation very funny at the time, and still had a hard time finding
humor in his inadequacies, even though everyone else did.

Oh
how he loved being on the shorter side of life. High school uniforms
didn’t cater to people of his petite size. This travesty was
literally all he had to wear. Even at home.

Unless,
of course, he had a court date or Family Services was coming over for
a surprise visit. Surprise. What a laugh, he smirked sourly at his
reflection. They always announced their visits. And on those days he
had real clothes to wear, not this noticeably poor attempt at saving
money. Every home was the same. This one would be too, of that he had
no doubt. A forlorn sigh escaped his lips at the thought.

“Don’t
worry about it so much.” Another solemn face appeared in the
mirror beside his. “You get used to it after a while.”

“Really?
When?” Yugi softly questioned the other teen, wondering why he
had chosen to talk to him. No one ever talked to him! He was too good
at making himself invisible.

The
pale, white-haired teen gave an imperceptible shrug before walking
away. “When you learn to stop caring.”

Not
long after that moment that he learned what it was like to have a
friend. A true friend. Someone to share his deepest, darkest secrets
with – and have them share theirs in return. Why did he have to
bring up the subject of taking Ryou with him? If it weren’t for
his big mouth maybe his friend would still be alive…maybe…

…“What
in the hell did you do now?” Ryou hissed quietly when they were
out of earshot.

“Nothing,
why?”

“I’ve
never seen her so happy, yet almost…feral, in my life.”
The white haired teen replied. “So give over, what’d you
do?”

Yugi
kept his gaze on the ground. “I submitted one of the stories as
a historical fiction to that Tri-Star publishing you found.”

Ryou
paused in his walking to stare at the other teen in astonishment. “No
‘effin’ way! You really did it?! You really turned one of
‘em in?! Which one? Wow! I didn’t think…So then
what happened?!”

“I
sent them Destiny Preordained.” Yugi blushed fiercely as he
tried to answer the other teen’s rapid-fire questions. “They
gave me money, said they wanted more.”

“The
legend of the twins?! That was one of the best ones!” Ryou
sucked in a breath. “I told you you were good! I’m proud
of you man…but what’s she all up in arms about. This’s
got nothing to do with her!” Ryou angrily jerked a thumb back
at the house they had just left.

The
smaller teen’s shoulders drooped. “She found the money
from my first check.”

“Oh.”
Ryou shook his head, marveling at his friend’s newest
misfortune. “I’m sorry. I take it they spent it and now
want us to respect their new property? Damn, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t
worry about it. It wasn’t your fault. It was Arlen that ratted
me out. He saw me try to hide it. I didn’t think anyone was
around when I hid it. But I guess he was…somewhere.”
Yugi’s gaze drifted back towards the ground.

“That
little jack-ass!”

“Yeah,
but they took the book!” Yugi smiled at him, and for once it
reached his eyes. “Mr. Jamison, when he asked for rights to
publish said that they were impressed with the whole story in
general. And it was all thanks to you! Thank you for finding that
address. I don’t know if I would have had the courage to even
go looking for it. You’re the greatest friend I’ve ever
had!”

The
smaller teen gave him a quick hug and Ryou embraced him back with a
grin. “I always knew you had it in you. Good for you Yugi.”

“So…you
comin’ with me?” Yugi asked hesitantly.

Ryou
squeaked once before catching the smaller teen up in a bone crushing
hug. “I thought you’d never ask! Hell yeah!”

So
now here he was, a famous author with two books on the best selling
list, and another partially complete story waiting in the wings –
a story book ending for someone who had lived with nothing for so
long. But the sacrifice
had been so great…too great.
Amethyst eyes clouded over again and Yugi quickly grabbed the remote,
switching on the news to try and take his mind off his torment.

“– In
other news today archaeologists believe that they have found evidence
of a previously undiscovered tomb tucked against the cliff-side in
the Valley of the Kings. There is even speculation that this tomb may
belong to the Nameless Pharaoh that, as legend would have it, saved
the world from certain destruction 3000 years ago –“

Danger!

Yugi’s
hair stood up on end as he jerked his head back in fright. The hissed
voice had sounded so real, so near. He shot up out of the chair
instantly, searching franticly for the owner of that eerie voice that
he had heard in the completely vacant room. That voice had sounded so
real. But there was no one there.

In
fact, there was no one else in the quaint little two bedroom house
that he had been renting for the past couple of months. By the time
he had finished scouring every inch of the place for an intruder –
and finding none – the anchor woman on the television had gone
on to different, and less exciting, topics and his heart had slowed
to a more acceptable rhythm. For a moment he thought he was going to
have a heart attack.

Yugi
pondered the coincidence of having that particular tomb being
discovered before glancing at the clock. It was time to get ready if
he intended to go to class, once again rethinking skipping out. He
flipped the television off, shakily making his way out of the tiny
room and into the even tinier bathroom. He tripped the light switch
and flinched at the ghostly-pale figure that stared back at him from
the hazy mirror over the sink.

When
was the last time he’d had the presence of mind to clean?

His
reflection looked horrible, that fact refused to remain hidden by the
haze distorting the mirror. Enormous bags circled underneath blank,
defeated amethyst eyes, his complexion bordering on a pasty white
with the exception of the newly forming bruise where he had banged
his head against the desk.

The
blonde bangs that hung into his slightly child-like face were split
and dry. The rest of his hair, which probably would have stood
straight up had he the time – and the desire to actually care
for it – drooped in black swirls around the nape of his neck
ending in faded reddish highlights.

He
sure as hell didn’t look like a best-selling author. In fact he
looked more like a vagabond. Small wonder no one liked him, he was
such a freak. If only Ryou was here, maybe…Abruptly he turned
on the faucet and splashed his face with the cold water. Was there
anything that could take this pain away? Even for a moment?

Yet
another tear slipped down his cheeks to mingle with the water and he
let it go for the time being. If only he could change the past. If
only he had said something, done something different, or maybe not
said anything at all. But would it have changed anything? Anything at
all?

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Unknown
to the petite youth he was being observed, his pain and turmoil clear
as day to the one who watched over him from afar. And she was
distinctly unhappy with what she was seeing. She brushed a tear of
her own away and murmured a brief, calming prayer into the still
waters of the viewing pool.

“I
knew I would find you here…” A commanding voice echoed
around the cavern. “Isis, why is it that I always find you here
brooding over the pool? What’s done is done. There is nothing
you can do now.”

“I
was just checking on the young one…” The lady addressed
glanced over at the shimmering brightness that heralded the
appearance of another of her kind with a solemn smile on her face.
“Do you not realize that in each lifetime they seek out each
others’ company and stay together until they are forcefully
separated? One has already fallen and I do not feel his presence in
the afterlife this time. Soon he too shall follow in the others
footsteps. The evil of the past is awakening and I fear there will be
no one with the power to stop it this time.”

The
brightness shimmered closer to the pool, for the first time actually
peering into the reflection of the sobbing teen. “It appears
that he shall…”

With
that useless comment the lady lost her temper, rounding on the other
being with an unmistakable snarl. “Of all the…! What
will it take for you to admit that we were mistaken?! This is our
fault! Our fault! We should have interfered before it got to that
point! He was one of us! They both were. Or have you forgotten that
fact.”

“We
are gods! We do not make mistakes.” The other being snapped
loftily. “You dare accuse me of forgetting who they truly are?!
They both chose their path millennia ago…and it wasn’t
here with us. Their need to walk the earth is the source of this
whole mess. Apophis would not have dared approach either of them if
they had stayed where they belonged. He is not strong enough!”

Isis
pushed away from her uncomfortable perch beside the pool, wandering
around the cavern, her gaze lighting on the many stalactite
formations, anywhere but on the being who had spoken so harshly of
her only son, as she wrapped her arms around her form.

She
understood her elder’s obvious reluctance to contend with this
matter but this was so unfair to those who were caught up in this
catastrophe not of their making. And if her vision of the future came
about it would be more than just her child and his rival that
suffered. The evil from their past was about to make its presence
known again.

But
until Re admitted to their blunder there was nothing she or the
others could do. He was their leader, the one they looked up to for
advice and difficult decisions. If he had a problem with what she
wanted to accomplish then there was a good chance that The Creator
would deny her what she sought without even hearing her out. They
needed to present a united front before requesting the almost
impossible.

“Everybody
makes mistakes. Even the gods.” Isis replied softly.
“Everybody.”

“If
we were in the wrong by staying out of it, do you not think that Ptah
would have brought it to our attention at the time of our error?”
Re countered with a casual wave of his arm.

“Bah”
Isis dismissed irately. “He is the Creator. He needs not voice
his opinion on any of our doings. If we are wrong he would expect
that we right the situation, but he will not interfere. You, of all
beings, know this. You are often guilty of using the same tactic.”
She turned to face the other being, but found his attention immersed
in the viewing pool for the first time ever.

“He
never chastised Horus for his need to walk among the people, nor
Set…no matter what his thoughts.” She whispered gently.

Re
blinked away his heavy thoughts. Isis had spoken so softly that he
had nearly missed her comments in his distraction. The sight of one
of their own in such a sorry state was startling and the god was
almost stricken speechless. He had never looked directly into the
pool, preferring to leave his fallen friend to his fate without
looking back. But this time he had caught just the slightest glance
of what was left of his old ally, and found himself unable to look
away from the pitiful sight.

Eventually
Re found his voice. He nodded his acknowledgment, deeply disturbed
with the thought of what his disregard of the entire situation had
wrought. “…Thus I do know.”

“…Please,
my lord. The human realm needs their savior. I cannot foresee the
outcome of this fight as anything short of a catastrophe without his
aid…without their aid.” Isis’ words trailed off as
she perched at the edge of the pool, awaiting her friend’s
decision after presenting her case. “There are no options
left…”

“It
is a pity that he split his soul and allowed one half to be destroyed
Isis, but it is not our world any longer. We are merely bystanders.
As for Set…I refuse to make any concessions on his behalf. If
it were not for his direct involvement this would have never come
about in the first place. Even if he did recant his ways towards the
end.”

“But
if you could…” The lady’s tearful plea was more
than Re could stand.

The
luminous being sighed deeply. They had had this discussion many times
over the millennia and each time he wondered if they had done the
human realm a grave injustice by refusing to interfere on their
behalf. “Very well, I shall request an audience with the
Christian and Muslim gods. If…and I say IF they agree, I shall
request an audience with Ptah. You know how much I hate this. This is
their time to shine.”

“It
would mean the world to me. I can see the young ones' futures with
their other halves. It would mean a great many changes, but none that
would affect the gods’ rule.” Isis bowed graciously. “I
wish for my child to return…even if only in pieces…

“I
will do what I can. But I will not promise you what you desire. It is
not for me to decide.”

With
a flare of brightness the being was gone from the room, leaving the
other to contemplate the fates of her two fallen companions were the
others agreeable to her plan. “I do hope they take kindly to
this idea.”

The
lady stood as she glanced around the desolate cavern. For so many
years she and others of her kind had been left, forgotten. Their
world shattered by the evil that had tried to make its way into the
human realm. And that evil had left its taint on mankind. If only
they were allowed to undo the one mistake that had been theirs to
make – to let one half of the Nameless Pharaoh be completely
and utterly destroyed.

It
had been the down fall of their race.

Perhaps
they would have the chance to rectify the situation. All she could do
now was hope and pray.

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