Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story and Hui Xie especially for beta-reading! Two weeks seemed longer than I thought but here it is.

Summary: Sequel to TPTH Sometimes being reborn doesn't always go as planned. But Marik will soon learn that with destiny, nothing should be expected, and with Ryou… anything's possible. (yaoi)

--Reconciliation--

Chapter 1: Forget Me Not

Ryou carefully sat the box down in the sand and straightened up, wiping the sweat off his face.

"That's the last one, father," he said happily, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, son," his father grinned. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ryou's smile turned sad, but his father did not see. He wanted to answer, "What you always do", but decided against it.

His father was usually never around. Being an eccentric archaeologist meant less time at home and even less with family. In fact, it was only through Ryou's insistence that his father had agreed upon Ryou coming to see him.

Yes, he was in Egypt. Cairo to be exact, the lush capital. After Battle City was finally over, Ryou rushed there in high hopes of seeing his father, though it seemed all he got was sand.

And today just happened to be his last day there.

"Oh yes," his father spoke up, "I almost forgot. This is for you."

From his pocket he pulled a small package covered in brown paper and fastened with twine.

"Thanks," Ryou said surprised, taking the gift into his hands.

He rarely got gifts, but when he did, they were usually something... important. Ah yes, like once upon a time when he had received a certain mysterious golden ring.

Tearing through the paper, he finally came to its surprise- a small piece of pewter stone. Ryou almost thought it to be plain, but upon turning it over, he found there to be a strange eye etched into the gray stone.

"Father... what is this?" he asked.

"Ah, it is a piece of a very old artifact of some sort. I'm not really sure what it is, though that looks to be a Wdjat eye."

"Yes," Ryou murmured brushing his fingers over the cold stone.

How strange. For a moment he had this strange feeling of deja vu.

"Thank you dad."

"You're very welcome son. I believe your train leaves in about two hours," he said looking at his watch. "Are you packed and ready to go?"

Ryou slipped the rock into his pocket. "Yes... I'll miss you..."

"Hey," the man said, patting him on his shoulder. "I'll miss you too, but we're not that far away." Embracing him for a short moment, almost too short, he pulled back and tipped his hat. "You'd better be goin'. Wouldn't want to be stuck here."

Ryou nodded and waved before slinging his duffle bag over his shoulder and leaving.

Passing through the streets he saw many faces he didn't know, but paid them rare mind as he made his way to the station. Once again he pulled the strange stone out of his pocket and examined it. It almost radiated with mystery, and that eye... So familiar...

Suddenly he slammed right into someone sending them both in opposite directions and onto the sand. Ryou muttered a small "ow" and the other person was groaning. Noticing that a hand had been outstretched to him, Ryou took it gladly and got to his feet.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," Ryou said, rubbing his head. "I wasn't watching where I was going.

"No, that's fine," the other person said. "I wasn't either." Suddenly, the person gasped. "Hey, it's you...!"

Ryou faced the person who obviously recognized him... but he didn't quite recognize them.

This person couldn't have been much older than he himself and might've arguably been the same age. Platinum-blond hair covered their head and spilled over their shoulders, and light violet eyes stared with wonder at him.

Strangely, Ryou felt as though he recognized him.

"You're Ryou, right?" the teen asked.

Ryou nodded. "Yes, but how do you know who I am?"

The boy smiled and slapped a hand to his head. "How silly of me. My name is Malik," he shook Ryou's hand. "I used to be... a friend of Bakura."

"Bakura?" Ryou repeated. Oh dear. "You knew him?"

"Yes, we used to be partners. I was wrong to say "friend". I don't even think he believed in that word."

"Oh," he sighed relief. "So you don't want to hurt him."

Malik raised a brow. "Hurt him? Of course not. If anything I want to see him again. It's been a while of course... since he disappeared."

His gaze was downcast and Ryou wondered what kind of relationship they had had. Bakura had disappeared some time during the duration of Battle City; Ryou wasn't sure when. He'd spent most of it unconscious and asleep in the blimp. Though, seeing Malik sad made him sad and he remembered how much he missed his yami. He might not have been the cheeriest fellow on earth, actually he wasn't very cheery at all, but still, when you share a body with someone, you tend to learn to like them.

"He really was a jerk most of the time," Malik commented dryly, maybe trying to forget that he missed him. "Anyways, I don't know if you know this, but I'm, well, I used to be Marik's hikari."

"Who's Marik?" Ryou inquired, blinking.

"Oh... never mind. It's not important."

If he didn't know who Marik was... it was most definitely for the best.

"Here... you dropped this." Malik held out the small stone piece, then looked more closely at it. "What exactly is it?"

Ryou shrugged taking the rock shard into his hands. "It was a gift from my father. I'm not sure what it is."

Malik chewed on his lip. "This is going to sound really weird...But-" Looking up, he faced a skeptical look upon the ivory-haired boy.

"You feel like you've seen it before," Ryou finished.

"Yes," Malik said, slightly awed. "But how did you-"

"Because I felt the same way the moment I saw it."

Before either could say anything more, the piece began to glow a deep lavender, almost black. Then, the light spiraled upward suddenly, widening substantially in width until both Ryou and Malik were both caught in it, and with one final flash, they both disappeared.

Ryou opened his eyes and looked around him. "Whoa..."

All that could be seen was sand in all directions. The city people had disappeared and the travelers and merchant tents were all gone.

"What happened?" he wondered aloud. "Everything's vanished."

"You're right."

Ryou jumped around quickly once again facing Malik. "Oh, you scared me."

Malik tapped his chin in concentration. "But... has everything really disappeared... or have we just be transported somewhere else?"

Ryou looked back at the stone eye in his hand, then immediately, his gaze was drawn upward... straight toward a huge rock that jetted out of the sand.

"Why is it in the middle of nowhere?" Ryou murmured, slowing approaching it.

The stone was a dark gray color... just like the piece in his hand.

Malik followed closely behind him. "Isn't this at all freaking you out?"

"After everything I've been through, this is cake."

The blonde definitely agreed with him on that.

Upon reaching the rock, both were shocked to see the hole upon it... where a piece was missing. Ryou looked at the small stone, and without hesitation, fit it into the break.

"A perfect match," Malik whispered.

There was a strange rumbling sound, like pebbles dropping, then the stone slowly began to push back. When it stopped, steps descending downward were revealed.

Ryou swallowed hard. "Now I'm getting freaked out."

Malik raised a brow then proceeded to walk down the steps.

"Wait," Ryou said quickly, "You're not actually going down there are you?"

Malik threw him a smirk. "Yep. Dark and scary things amuse me. Why don't you tag along?"

Ryou sighed, throwing all caution to the wind, and rushed to Malik's side. They continued together like this until they finally reached the bottom where the old ravels of a once-upon-a-time cloth hung. Walking through, they were both greatly surprised to find that the place was nicely lit.

"How is this possible?" Ryou wondered, looking around for an answer.

"Up there," Malik pointed, "There are somehow holes in the ceiling. And look... those shacks and houses... this is underground city!"

It was true! Old buildings sat here and there and a very large one was even situated near the back.

"But..." Ryou said frowning, "No one lives here anymore..." Kneeling down, he ran his hands through the sand. "A river once flowed through here."

Malik blinked. "And you would know that how?"

"If you look at the indents in the sand and the flow marks, it's easy to perceive." Sometimes, his father's intelligence rubbed off on him. "Besides, that old bridge over there is a dead giveaway."

"...Ok."

"This place must've been here on purpose. Maybe the people who lived here didn't like other people."

"Or they were hiding."

"...True."

Ryou stood up and dusted off his hands. "A city under the sand... how is it possible?"

"I don't know," Malik said, eyeing the ceiling skeptically, "But I don't trust that sand. Something has kept it there for many years... maybe even thousands, so what's to say that it won't collapse on us any minute?"

"That's highly unlikely," Ryou said happily. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to come down here. Don't tell me that now you're scared..."

Malik's look was priceless. "I once tried to take over the world. It takes a lot to scare me." Turning, he almost screamed. "Oh my Ra!"

A strange statue sat strangely in the middle of the place. There was a head but no face and in its hands was a tablet with ancient hieroglyphics carved into it.

When Malik recomposed himself, he walked over to the statue where Ryou already stood trying to figure out the meaning of the words.

"I would be careful if I were you," Malik warned. "You might be reading a curse."

Ryou shook his head, his shoulder burning strangely. "No... I don't think this is a curse. Could you help me?"

"Of course. I'm Egyptian." Looking closer at the mysterious symbols, he began to read. "Hm... it says... He who approaches this stone will be destroyed... unless thou are the chosen one... meant to return. You are the key that will unlock the darkness and hold the symbol... of forever." He threw his hands up. "Great... it is a curse."

Turning to face him again, he jumped back quite a few feet. "Bakura?!"

There was no way... Yet there he stood plain as day. Pale skin, sharp feral yet handsome facial features, and those stunning brown eyes. But how?

"This is not a curse," Bakura said gruffly. "I thought you of all people would know that."

Malik was still in slight shock. "What are you doing here? I thought-"

"You thought wrong," he cut him off. "Now shut up, we must hurry."

Malik narrowed his gaze. "Yeah, it's nice to see you again too."

Bakura paused for a moment, focusing an unreadable gaze upon the blonde, then shook his head and pulled a very familiar object out of his shirt.

"The Millennium Ring?!" Malik gasped. "But I thought you lost it."

"I'm a thief. Stealing is what I do best."

Sitting the Item down in front of the statue, he stepped back and crossed his arms.

"Is that the symbol?" Malik inquired.

"No," Bakura said simply. "Ryou is."

The golden ring began to glow, with each of the five spikes that hung off of it pointing directly at Malik. They shot a single golden beam forward striking Malik in the chest and he instantly fell back and would've collapsed had not Bakura quickly caught him. The light swirled up, then spiraled down embedding itself into his body. Bakura thought that would be the end of it, but an explosion of luminosity seemed to erupt from nowhere and it spread in all directions until the whole place was almost blinding, and then... it disappeared and there was only darkness.

--

Ryou's eyes cracked open and his hand immediately went to his head, which was spinning.

What had happened?

The last thing he remembered was...

"Malik!"

Standing up, he did so too quickly and stumbled, but was quickly supported by helping hands.

"Oh," Ryou sighed, "Thank you so much, Malik... whom you are not."

He stood there for a moment, eyeing the person across from him with shock.

"I thought you were dead," he muttered.

Bakura grinned devilishly. "I know. Did you miss me, honey?"

Ryou blinked. "You're really here... but why, and in Egypt of all places?"

The thief let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms. "I had to come back." Glaring he said, "Oh Ra, I hate owing people!"

Suddenly something in Ryou's mind clicked and a hand quickly went to his mouth. "Wait! We're not sharing a body!"

"I know," he grinned evilly. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"How is this possible?"

Realizing that Ryou was now steady, he released him and took a step back. "Don't ask me. I just did as I was told. That idiot owes me big now."

"Who?"

"TWO of you?" Malik said, still sitting on the ground. "How is there two?"

Bakura focused hard brown eyes upon the blonde. "Because there were originally two."

"What?" Ryou asked, confused.

"In the past, we did not share a body. We lived separate." Ryou still looked clueless. "Not only did I exist in the past, but so did you!"

"Me?"

"Yes," Bakura sighed, "... And Malik too."

Malik glared. "I did not! He's just yanking our chains."

"Actually," an ominous voice echoed, "He speaks the truth."

Ryou's eyes went wide and he took a few steps back. "Where did that voice come from?" Bumping into something, he instantly froze.

You know that feeling when you're so scared you don't move and you wait to hear every single solitary sound because you're so petrified? Well, Ryou was experiencing this right now... because it honestly felt like he had bumped into a person...

Feeling a hand hold his own was all it took. Ryou turned, locking eyes with someone at least a head taller than him, maybe more, with beautiful plum eyes covered slightly with sandy bangs and the rest of the hair that shot up quite strangely. Most interesting was the bronze-like skin that seemed to complement the other features so gracefully.

If only it hadn't been for that scowl.

"Welcome back," the stranger said darkly.

Ryou blinked. "Welcome...back?"

"That is what I said."

Malik was on his feet in mere seconds. "What are YOU doing here?!"

Bakura placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Malik."

"Calm down?" he looked at him like he was insane. "How can I calm down when MARIK of all people is standing so close?"

"Marik?" Ryou repeated the name.

Marik ran a hand through his hair. "You'd better be lucky that being with you taught me patience, because waiting a couple thousand years for you isn't what I call fun."

"Being with me?" Okay, Ryou was confused as hell.

"Are you a parrot? Of course we were together." His voice was becoming quite angry, quite fast.

Bakura snickered. "Well, this ain't exactly the reunion you had planned, ne?"

"Shut up, thief."

"You shut up, stupid shadow-dealer."

"Idiot bandit."

"Dumb gloom bringer."

"Gloom bringer?" Marik said in disgust. "Thousands of years still weren't enough for you to come up with good rebuttals."

"That's it!" Bakura said gravely. "One more comment, just ONE MORE, and you'll be sorry we ever crossed paths!"

"I can't get any sorrier than this."

Bakura bared his teeth and made a move to actually strike Marik, who was equally as angry, but Malik stepped in between the two.

"Stop this right now," he said sternly. "Your childish antics are enough to drive anyone insane. Besides, it's getting us nowhere."

Marik raised a brow. "Ah, so Malik, you're still trying to stop us from ripping each other's throats out. It's amazing how people never really change."

"Listen," Ryou said quietly, "There will be no throat ripping. Can we all just stop fighting? This is obviously a little confusing."

"What is there to understand?" Marik inquired. "Remember? You and I?"

"You must have the wrong person," Ryou shook his head. "I have no idea who you are."

Marik narrowed his gaze. "Did Bakura do this to you, because if he did, I SWEAR-"

"No," Bakura said leaning against a wall with his arms still crossed. "...They honestly don't remember."

Malik glared. "Remember what? Stop leaving us in the dark!"

At this comment, Marik raised a brow. "Malik... you mean to say that you don't remember screwing around with Bakura? You two dared to team up against me, and lost as you should have during that stupid tournament, and after all that you don't even remember the past?"

"I don't want to talk to you!" Malik yelled. "You're probably the last person on earth I want to see right now! You tried to KILL me, or don't you remember that?"

Bakura rubbed his forehead. "Please calm down Malik. It'll make things easier."

"Yes," Marik said, a leer upon his face, "Listen to your master. A servant shouldn't disobey."

Ryou tilted his head. "You all know each other?"

Malik rolled his eyes. "Regretfully so. Here's some advice: Stay the hell away from him. He's my previous yami that I was talking about. He's responsible for all the chaos of Battle City. He threatened to take over the world and murder half the people involved. He's the reason you were unconscious after that one duel where Bakura and I teamed up. He's the quintessence of evil."

Ryou looked fearfully in his direction. "He really did all that?"

"Yes," Marik said, gritting his teeth. Flashing blazing lilac eyes upon the ivory-haired boy he growled, "But I did it all for you!"

...For some reason, that made Ryou's heartbeat speed up.

Marik calmed down, running a hand over his face. "Ryou... you honestly don't remember me?"

Strangely, Ryou could see sadness in his eyes somewhere. So familiar. "I'm sorry but... I don't."

---TBC---

My gawd. This is getting really complicated. Yes, there is a perfectly good explanation for their memory loss, but that's for the next chapter because I honestly can't see this one ending any time soon. This story won't always take place in Egypt. Chapter 2 is the last one and then they go back home... but who is tagging along, if anyone?

Please review, and thanks as always for reading.

AmethystRoze