Blue Eyes White Dragon:

Kisara’s Shadow

Disclaimer: I don’t own Yugioh, seriously! I own the DVDs and some of the manga, but that’s it. If I owned Yugioh, do you seriously think I’m going to hang around writing fanfics? This would be on screen, dammit!

Summary: Kisara was the first Blue Eyes White Dragon, but it was the second who made an impact on Ancient Egypt. This is the untold tale of Ryou, the second Blue Eyes, who is a youth with a deadly curse.

Warnings: AEAU (Ancient Egypt Alternative Universe), implied shounen-ai and yaoi (both!), angst, fluff, OOC (never forget OOC!) and spoilers

Important Points:

This goes by ANIME Ancient Egypt and NOT the manga. Much as I want to, I do not know the entire AE story within the manga and so cannot write about it.

I will be using Japanese honorific because it is easier for me to keep track of the way people address each other. Translations for the honorific are at the end of the chapters.

Mahaado, Shada and Karimu are NOT dead as far as this fic is concerned

Kisara IS dead

Akunadin isn't evil (he was evil, but he didn’t die after Zork was defeated)

Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda and Anzu do not exist in Ancient Egypt (well, not this fic) – only Ryou does.

Yami (Atemu) is twenty two years old, Seto is twenty three and Ryou is nineteen. The other ages aren’t really that important.

Ryou is now officially an albino in this fic. He has blue eyes now.

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Prologue

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The first Blue Eyes White Dragon was discovered on the streets of the capital by two of the six Shinkan, Seth and Shada. The girl who possessed the soul of the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kisara, was brought to the palace and was cared for by Shinkan Seth. Seth and Kisara faced the evil powers of Zork, which resulted in Kisara’s death and the Blue Eyes White Dragon to be sealed away.

Zork was defeated by Pharaoh Atemu and Shinkan Seth’s birth father, Shinkan Akunadin, was freed from his control. There were no casualties among the Six Shinkan and the kingdom continued on.

Two years later, among the ruins of Kuru Eruna, the second Blue Eyes White Dragon is found, deep in the heart of a mysterious albino boy.

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Chapter One

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In the depths of the palace, Pharaoh Atemu was holding court. The Six Shinkan stood on either side of the throne, the Sennen Items in their hands and around their necks.

First on the left side of the Pharaoh’s throne was Shinkan Seth, the keeper of the Sennen Rod. Next to him was Shinkan Isis, who wore the Sennen Tauk around her neck. She stood next to Shinkan Shada, who clutched the Sennen Ankh in his hand. On the other side, opposite Seth, was Shinkan Akunadin, who had the Sennen Eye. Next to him was Shinkan Karimu, opposite Isis and he held the Sennen Balance. The last Shinkan was Mahaado, the Sennen Ring around his neck glinting underneath the folds of his cloak and headdress.

Pharaoh Atemu looked around at them. The Sennen Puzzle hung around his neck, glinting in the light.

“Is there anything important we must address in court?” he asked.

“Yes, Pharaoh, there is one important matter at hand,” Mahaado said, stepping out of his position and kneeling in front of the throne.

“Then speak, Mahaado.”

“Movements have been detected in the ruins of Kuru Eruna,” Mahaado reported. “It is not a large movement, or one that could possibly be a militaristic threat, but I suggest, my Pharaoh, that something should be done to ensure that there is absolutely no threat to the kingdom.”

The other five Shinkan and the Pharaoh tensed. They clearly remembered the last time they had disregarded Kuru Eruna. It had led to an all-out war in the kingdom. The tense silence was broken by an impatient ‘humph’ from Shinkan Seth, who looked down his nose at the older Shinkan.

“This is your job, Mahaado,” he sneered. “You should take care of it.”

“Shinkan Seth, that’s enough,” the Pharaoh’s most trusted advisor, Shimon, said curtly from his place next to the throne.

Seth smirked and bowed his head, silent again. Atemu ignored that little exchange, deep in thought over the matter. Finally, he looked up at Mahaado with a nod.

“Mahaado, you and Shada will go to Kuru Eruna with the first squadron to investigate this matter,” he ordered. “Bring back anyone who seems suspicious.”

“Yes, Pharaoh.”

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The first squadron marched behind the two sedan chairs that carried Shinkan Mahaado and Shinkan Shada towards the village of Kuru Eruna. The residents of the capital stood aside for them as they passed, whispering to each other. They all wondered why the Shinkan had been dispatched – and not for regular patrols either.

Mahaado looked particularly grim. The last time he had set off with a force larger than his usual eight men, it was to face off with Bakura. He had almost lost his life then. Shada noticed his grim expression and shifted in his seat.

“What do you think we will find in Kuru Eruna?” he asked.

“I can detect a large, powerful force growing as we approach Kuru Eruna,” Mahaado replied, looking down at his Sennen Ring. “It isn’t dark – and yet not entirely pure either.”

The rest of the journey passed in relative silence. Mahaado’s thoughts drifted back to the time he had set off to face Bakura. Just before that, Isis had come to talk to him. She told him to be careful, and that his future was bleak. He believed her and told her not to worry. She told him he would win in the end.

Had he won? Bakura had defeated him and it had almost cost him his life. But he had improved his Magician’s power tenfold in the battle. So what had been the outcome?

Before long, they reached the edges of Kuru Eruna. The village was a mass of ruin, even worse than two years before, when the war had occurred. There was not a single definable structure in the whole stretch of barren land. All that remained of the buildings were mounds of rubble and dust.

“Was this really a den of thieves and tomb robbers?” Mahaado wondered to himself. “Did they really have so many sins on their shoulders?”

“I don’t know, Mahaado,” Shada replied, almost surprising the magician. “Perhaps it was just one of the propaganda tactics to demonise the victims.”

“Search the place thoroughly!” Mahaado barked to the soldiers. “Make sure every place is searched! Bypass nothing, understood?!”

“YES SIR!”

He and Shada split to search the area as well. Shada had gone off further, leaving him to search the surrounding piles of rubble. The Sennen Ring trembled violently, the needles on the edges standing up straight and pointing to a mound of rubble on his right.

Venturing forward, he moved aside the larger pieces of rock from the pile, before he heard a soft groan. Freezing in place, he watched as a pale arm came into view, shifting the dirt and pebbles away. The head came next, a mop of pale hair falling messily around a small, dirty face.

“Who - ?” the soft, raspy voice said.

“I’m from the palace of Pharaoh Atemu,” Mahaado said slowly. Blue eyes blinked up at him from underneath a messy fringe. “What is your name?”

“M-My name is . . .” a burst of coughs wracked the thin frame. “M-My name is R-Ryou.”

Mahaado helped the boy up from the rubble gently. Ryou was shorter than him about half a head, thin and unusually pale. His large, blue eyes and white hair classified him as an albino and a foreigner, which was rare in Egypt. He wore rags barely resembling a large tunic and tattered cloth shoes.

“Where are you from, Ryou?”

“I-I don’t remember,” Ryou confessed. “I was sold as a slave when I was five . . . And I’ve been there ever since.”

His knees buckled violently and he collapsed, knees hitting the ground. Mahaado supported him, frowning. Ryou looked to be underfed and severely exhausted, as if he had travelled for days and gone without food or water. Footsteps made their way towards where he knelt next to Ryou, announcing Shada’s arrival.

“Mahaado, did you find anything?”

“One person,” Mahaado told him, looking over Ryou’s head at Shada. “We’d better bring him back to the palace.”

The Sennen Ankh in Shada’s hand glowed to life and trembled as his eyes looked at Ryou. In his mind, the overwhelming presence of a powerful Ka filled his sight and he stumbled back with a cry. The last time he had felt something so powerful was when they had found the girl with the White Dragon Ka.

Mahaado saw his expression and looked grim. Ryou had drifted into a semi-conscious state, unaware of what was going on.

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“What’s going on here?”

A pale girl lay curled up on the ground, shielding her face with her arms. The people circling her had been pelting stones and pebbles in her direction, calling her a witch and making a commotion. Behind him, Shinkan Shada gave a cry of horror, the Sennen Ankh trembling violently.

“Her Ka is so powerful,” he cried. “What kind of power is this?”

Kisara. He still remembered meeting her so clearly, as if it had only occurred yesterday. But two years had passed since they had met and she and died. When she did, he thought his whole world had collapsed around him. Their lives had been closely bonded since their childhood and it was as if a piece of his soul had been torn away.

But now was not the time to be thinking about Kisara. Seth shook himself awake mentally to focus on the issue at hand. Mahaado and Shada had returned after a few hours to report on what they had found in Kuru Eruna.

“The village is now in ruins,” Shada reported. “There were no signs of evil or spirits within the village and it would pose no threat to the kingdom.”

“However, Pharaoh,” Mahaado added, “we have found one person.”

The rest of the Shinkan stirred in surprise. Atemu leaned forward on his throne, eyes wide. Someone had been found in Kuru Eruna? Mahaado cleared his throat.

“He is a slave boy called Ryou. He was found amongst the rubble and ruin of Kuru Eruna. My presumption is that he ran away from his slave master and arrived in the village.”

“Where is this boy now?” Atemu asked.

“He was unconscious by the time we returned, Pharaoh,” Mahaado replied. “I have had him taken to a chamber for rest and care.”

Shada spoke again, this time urgently.

“The boy has a most incredible Ka,” he told them. “It is not unlike the Ka of the White Dragon, with the same, overwhelming power and presence. His Ka is almost an exact replica of the White Dragon.”

All eyes turned to Seth. He had frozen in place, mind reeling at the new information. The slave boy had the same Ka as Kisara. That wasn’t possible. Each and every Ka was unique to their owner. Atemu directed all attention back to him by sinking back onto his throne and looking at Seth.

“If what Shada says is true, then I suggest this slave boy be left in your care, Seth,” he said. “After all, you are known to have a connection with the White Dragon. This will probably be likewise.”

“Begging pardon, Pharaoh,” Seth said, bowing. “I seriously doubt that there would be any connection between the White Dragon and this boy’s Ka. The creature derived from a person’s Ka is unique to their person, their habits and their natures. It is impossible for two people to share the same Ka creature.”

“You and I both know what the power of the White Dragon feels like, Seth,” Shada said coldly. “I could clearly feel the same from this boy.”

“Even so, Shada, I refuse to acknowledge that there is another White Dragon other than Kisara. I cannot take this boy into my care, Pharaoh.”

He looked resolute. Akunadin nodded slightly at his decision from across the aisle. The last time they had come into contact with a White Dragon, it was disastrous. Atemu sighed and pressed the tips of his fingers together in front of him, frowning. Mahaado had to train Mana, Akunadin was not suitable, Shada was much too busy and Isis again, along with Karimu, would not be able to connect with Ryou.

“Then I will.”

“Pharaoh, you cannot possibly . . .” Shimon protested, but Atemu silenced him with a raised hand.

“I will undertake the responsibility of taking care of this boy.” He reassured them with a smile. “There will be no problems, protests or otherwise.”

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Mana skipped off towards her room, waving goodnight to her master and teacher, who waved back. She disappeared around a corner, leaving Mahaado in the palace gardens, staring into the fountain.

Had he won the battle with Bakura? Even though the tomb robber was dead, Mahaado was haunted daily by the fact that he could have died, that he would have died, that day in the underground practice grounds. Bakura’s Diabaundo was frightfully strong and he had doubted if he would be able to beat it.

In the end, he had enhanced his Magician’s power by transferring part of his Bah into it. Its power increased tenfold and matched with Diabaundo almost equally. But he had lost the Sennen Ring in the battle, only getting it back after Pharaoh Atemu had destroyed Zork.

He rested a hand over the Sennen Ring hanging from his neck. The Item had shown him many things since he received it. The truth behind the making of the seven Items was only one.

“What are you contemplating out here, Mahaado?”

He turned around and faced the speaker.

“Isis.” He shook his head. “I was clearing my head.”

“You’ve been unsettled for a long time now, Mahaado,” she said. “I can tell something is troubling your mind.”

A smile graced his features slightly, uncertainly, as if he were not used to the gesture. Isis was firm and unyielding, refusing to back down from her goal to prove that there was indeed something on his mind. In some ways, she reminded him of the Pharaoh when they were growing up together. Atemu was insistent that he and Mana treat him as they equal and not just the crown prince. He told them that he was going to build a new world that didn’t have titles, formalities and ranks in society – a world in which everyone was equal.

“In the battle with Bakura,” he began, “I sacrificed some of my Bah in order to increase my Magician’s power.”

“An extraordinary accomplishment,” Isis told him. “I did not think anyone would be able to do so without taking their life, but deep inside, I believed you would be the one to.”

“There is nothing extraordinary about it.” Mahaado turned back to the fountain. “In that instant, I just wanted to protect the Pharaoh, but I also wanted to live. There was so much I hadn’t done yet, like see the day when Mana would finally remember the counters to her little spells.”

They shared a quiet chuckle. Mana was infamous for her forgetfulness. After a brief moment of amusement, Mahaado’s expression became serious again.

“And so I feared death.” His voice was low. “I feared the sacrifice I would have to make. I feared stepping forward and letting the blade do its work. But somehow, the Gods answered my fears and let me live.”

Isis looked at him, sympathy in her dark eyes. She knew the difficulties of his situation back then. His honour at stake after Bakura storming the city and palace, Mahaado had to prove himself. But he knew the risks – that his life was on the line and that the life of his best friend was in potential danger.

“You are only human, Mahaado.”

“But it was honour, duty and lives that had been at stake, Isis,” he said, voice laced with bitterness she had never thought to hear from him. “I should not have feared death. I made a vow to protect the Pharaoh, beside the former Pharaoh’s deathbed. I had to protect the people and the Pharaoh.”

“But you did in the end,” she reminded him gently. “Your Magician saved the Pharaoh – it saved Seth and countless lives in the battle against Zork. You succeeded it preserving honour, duty and lives.”

“Then why do I feel as if I have accomplished nothing?” he asked. He raised both hands, palm-up, staring down at them. “Why do I feel empty?”

Isis took both his hands gently in hers, drawing his eyes to her. The warmth in her dark eyes was reassuring and gentle.

“Because you doubt yourself,” she said. “You fear your weaknesses.”

A moment of silence passed between them. The moon was near full that night, though the majority of it was covered by the night clouds. All around them, crickets hummed and a small breeze picked up scattered leaves. Several of those leaves came to a rest in the fountain, rippling the clear waters.

“Then what do I do?” he asked, whispering.

“Believe in who you are,” she told him. “Have faith. Know that you can conquer your weaknesses and fears. Overstep the wall you have created in your heart, the one that limits what you are able to achieve.”

“How?”

“Take it one step at a time. Your heart will lead you.”

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End Chapter One

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Author’s Notes:

As you can probably tell, I love Mahaado. Yeps, he’s my favourite Shinkan, after Seth. In fact, Seth is my favourite, then Mahaado and then Atemu. So yeah, you could tell that I love Mahaado, though there will be more Seth in the next chapter (hopefully).

Honorific/Translations:

Shinkan: along the lines of ‘God’s official’. The kanji for ‘shin’ means ‘god’. You can also say ‘kami’ for the same kanji. ‘Kan’ means ‘official’, I think.

Ka: the Ka is what the Ancient Egyptians called a person’s soul. In this instance, the Ka is the ‘duel monster’ creature within people. Kisara’s Ka is the Blue Eyes White Dragon and Bakura’s is Diabaundo.

Bah: I’m not entirely sure of the spelling for this one, but the Bah is a person’s life force. In the anime, Mahaado gave his life force to his Magician (like the Black Magician, only without the face) in order to increase its power. He fused his Bah with the Magician by taking his life.

The AE cast didn’t called the BEWD ‘Blue Eyes’, like the modern cast did. I would assume that they cut back on the Western words where possible. BEWD was simply referred to as ‘shiroki ryuu’, which means ‘White Dragon’. I used that in this fic.

So I don’t know how the AE cast called the Sennen Items. I used the modern names for them. So, anyone know the AE names for them? I’m assuming that the Sennen Tauk was kept the same. Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Sennen Key is called the Sennen Chyou, or something similar, right?

Oh yeah and since this is AU, YAMI DIDN’T SEAL HIMSELF AWAY AFTER HE DEFEATED ZORK! I will probably put that near the end of this fic.

Anyway, that’s about all the questions and notes I have for this chapter. Please leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated, since this is my first time attempting to write an Ancient Egypt fic, even if it is in AU. Constructive criticism allowed, but NO FLAMES. I am currently running low on self confidence and am lucky to even try to attempt this fic.

REVIEW!

Relinquished