Shifting Sands
PH/YGO crossover
Summary: The one with the golden eyes is the destined one says the Prophet of Anubis. The one with two golden eyes and raven locks. A sealed heart, a quest, an ancient treasure.
Warnings: boyxboy blood death violent themes ect
Pairings: Thiefshipping/Deathshipping GilxOz AdaxVincent BreakxSharon (The rest you can request)
Notes: There are duel monsters but instead the monsters on the cards are summoned from the abyss when dueling. The contract is on the card instead of the person and only 10% of the power can be used. Unlike with real contracts who have the contract personalized for them only and can see their chains in any situation.
There are the dark sides (Yamis) but instead they are different people, rather than souls trapped in items.
Gil gritted his teeth. He only had one change. Oz's life depended on him moving in the way, stopping the attack.
Her evil laughter infected him as he jumped in front of the brutal power. Oz screamed for him to move, that he'd die… Everything slowed down as he felt his energy drain from him, his eyes roll back… The pain was nothing.
Oz's beautiful face was still red and full of color. Ae wailed, trying to slice up any enemies in her path to get to the two of them.
"Gilbert! Gil… Nooooo…" Oz cried. Gil tried to smile. He lifted up his arm; when had it become so heavy?; and stroked the boy's soft cheek.
"I love you…" He whispered, feeling blood drip from his mouth. Oz's eyes were full of tears as he leaned over the man.
"I'll miss you." He choked out. Gil found that suddenly it was easy to smile… and his eyes drifted closed. Everything went black.
Gilbert wasn't entirely found of the Abyss but he had killed so many that it made sense he'd end up there instead of whatever heaven was. The abyss had a weird effect on time. Gil supposed he might have to wait forever until Vincent joined him, or only a few seconds. He might see Break, or other's he had once knew come down here soon. All he knew was that if Oz joined him Gilbert would go straight to Alyss and force her to send him back to the real world or heaven.
That beautiful face didn't belong down here, no matter how much light it could shine down on him.
Gilbert was ready to wait forever as long as that face was smiling. He could deal with being alone.
"Malik! Malik!" Ishizu called for him. Shit. He really didn't want to be found. There was a meeting he was shirking right now. Some great old fogey was lecturing about a prophecy that had nothing to do with Malik.
"Gotcha!" A guard caught him by the scruff of his neck. "Going somewhere?"
"Eheh…" He resigned defeat. The man dragged him into the large throne room, where the Pharaoh was listening to the speech the old fogey was giving.
"The one with the gold eyes it is! He will be found outside your palace in a fortnight and you will find a great scar on his chest. One that would be impossible to heal from without a miracle! The one with the golden eyes is the destined one. The one with two golden eyes and raven locks. A sealed heart, a quest, an ancient treasure, all his to unlock with his power of the black feathered hawk!" The prophet of Anubis raved. Gold dangled from his arms wildly.
Fake. Fake, fake, fake. Malik scoffed. A man with eyes made of gold? The only thing like that he'd ever heard of was the Senn eye, but that was just one and not two.
The pharaoh nodded and his servant, a brown haired street wench, escorted him out. The pharaoh would now decide whether to trust the man, and Malik knew already that they both swore it was bullshit.
By Ra, there was no one outside the palace. He could have all the servants check and then the old man would be proved a liar who just wanted money.
"Well, did a scribe record that? If a man is ound outside the palace in a fortnight with a great scar and two golden eyes, then I'll be damned. He could've just made up the whole thing." Malik said aloud this time. Ishizu cuffed him on the back of his head for saying it but he didn't really care.
"There is no man like that in my kingdom." Atem whispered. It hushed the entire room. He might be a boy, but the power he held was no puppet display. He controled the kingdom well and with force.
He could easily quiet his court.
"He could a be foreigner. That man was a trusted man and much respected. In all honesty, Pharaoh, please do not be skeptical if we do find this man." Ishizu replied boldy.
Malik rolled his eyes.
"I will take it into consideration judging on upcoming events. I will not blindly trust this man but if things come to be, then I will allow the man into my palace and give him care as well as enough supplies to go on this quest." Atem finally concluded. "Please, begone my friends. I have other matters to attend to."
Malik had at least accomplished one thing. The time he had to listen was short.
A prophecy, eh? He'd never believe in that sort of destiny. It'd take a miracle for him even to consider it.
Malik was smirking. He'd been right. It'd been a fortnight, with the prophecy on everyone's tongues, and nothing had happened. The old fogey was just that, an old fogey. Malik loved being right.
The dinner tonight was bland. Beer and duck consisted of the main course. But the duck was imported and old, while the beer was tastless. Marik wanted flavor and old stinking duck and flavorless beer were improper.
"Master Marik, Master Marik!" One of the servants called out. She had brown hair and brown eyes. What was her name again? All Marik knew was that the Pharaoh and her once had a fling and that she was now a prostitute rather than a servant.
Oh yeah, her name was Anzu. The bitch.
"What do you want?" He grumbled. He was probably the only one awake at this hour anyways, but why did they have to come to him about this?
"There's a man outside on the front door steps. He's covered in dried blood! What do we do?" Anzu whimpered.
Malik wanted to punch her. He got up and laid down the tray of beer and duck he'd stolen from the cooks after dinner. Anzu merely watched his naked form as he put on the closest article of clothing, a lavender sleeveless nightdress. He also put on a pair of commoners pants, since he'd be going outside and dealing with a body covered in blood plus nights were frozen in Egypt.
He walked out quietly through the main hall and the entryway before exiting out the main doors. Where this mystery man was located.
Malik froze once the doors were open. There was no lie, no trick. Anzu hadn't been lying. There was a man covered in a groteque pattern of reds and browns. His clothes were nothing but a tattered white sheet stained in red.
The man had extremely pale skin for a local. Malik didn't believe he was from here in seconds.
He pressed his hand to the man's chest. He felt the man's strong breathing. This man was alive. One could only assume the blood wasn't his, then. Malik knew that the Pharaoh was the one with the decision to let the man in the palace, but Malik already knew what the Pharaoh would say. Atem was a softy. The man would be invited in and catered to until he woke up.
"He's alive. Anzu, go take him to the healers. Let them examine him. Tell the Pharaoh when you wake him tomorrow that I made the decision to let him in and that I was only acting as I saw appropriate. That's all. Now let me get my beauty sleep." Malik commanded.
He then sauntered off back to his rooms. Hopefully nothing too horrible came from the pale man.
They were all gathered around the raven haired man. It was morning. The healers said he was in perfect condition. No one in the village was missing, and the prophet just smiled when he was asked about the prophecy.
The old fogey had gone so far as to say "Behold his golden gaze."
Malik watched the man start coming to. His eyelashes fluttered and breathing sped up. Ansu glanced down eagerly. Atem smiled gently at the man's handsome features. The servant that Atem had taken a fancy to this time around was standing behind the Pharaoh with a goofy grin. Joey or whatever his name was.
"O-Oz…" The man breathed as his eyes opened all the way. Whatever Oz meant Malik didn't know. Everyone else started talking and asking questions. Anzu was particularily loud, asking him how he got to the front steps to how he did his hair.
"Shh…" Atem held up a hand. He smiled down on the man, who's expression was that of utter shock.
"I should be dead." The man choked out. "I shouldn't be alive anymore… I sacrificed myself to save… what made me come back?"
Malik looked carefully at the man's eyes. Molten gold. There was a scar on the man's chest from his hip to his shoulder blade. It was old and scarred over. It couldn't have been what the blood was from. That blood was truly a mystery.
"May we know your name?" Atem asked. The man looked up. There was a collective gasp as the rest of the room noticed the man's eyes. They shined unnaturally in the dim light of the morning. Unlike how Malik had thought, it wasn't the whole that was made of gold, it was that the man's iris was a golden color.
"My name? It's… It's… Gilbert Nightray… That's all I know of my name." So he was a foreigner. Gilbert smiled sadly. "Where am I?"
Atem blinked, shocked enough that his har almost deflated. How could anyone not know where they were? The man didn't look like he was from egypt but he spoke it perfectly. He did have an accent, but it wasn't serious.
"You're in Egypt."
"When am I? That's the date? The year?"
Everyone was even more shocked than they were before. How could someone not know what year it was? It was common knowledge here.
"It's december 22nd." Anzu answered truthfully. "And this is the year of the Pharaoh Atem's 15th birthday. Why do you not remember?"
Gilbert smiled ruefully. Malik waited for his answer just as eagerly as the rest of them. "I can't remember anything really. I'm in Egypt, and this is not my time. I was born far after all of these events." The raven haired man laughed.
Atem slammed his fist down. "You aren't from the future! That's impossible! The great priests have already tried. You can't travel time."
Gilbert signed. "I may not have, but I get the feeling that this is far beyond what I should touch.. Maybe death is like that; when you come out, you never return to the time you started from."
Atem bit back any remarks of the man's so called lies. Malik was absorbing the information like a sponge, however. He wanted to know more. Anything called the abyss was worth knowing about.
"What's your life been like? What's the future like?" Malik asked eagerly. Gilbert shook his head. Malik felt himself getting annoyed. "Why not then, huh?"
"I can't reveal a future I don't remember. Yet I think all great empires fall. Yours will too." He smiled wistfully. There was wisdom in those older than time eyes. There was also a great deal of fear, confusion, innocence, and naivity. Atem snorted.
"While I am Pharaoh Egypt will never fall." He said, his ego seeping out.
"You are not immortal, Pharaoh." Gilbert reached out and snatched his hand back before he could touch Atem. It didn't seem as though he knew how rude it was, but more that he was scared of hurting the teenage pharaoh. Malik looked at the man's pale hands. Nothing unique or special. He wondered why Gilbert had restrained himself.
"Well, we can't sit around talking forever. Prepare this man a bath and then find me that priest who predicted his arrival. I have more questions about this quest." Atem commanded.
Gilbert seemed to notice the blood. "Ah… from my death."
Malik snorted. Whoever he was, he was worth dying for. Malik had never met anyone who he thought was worth dying for. But for some reason this man was entirely taken by the idea that this person was safe. Strange. Malik left the room. He had his duties to attend to.
Gilbert knew that ancient Egypt was going to be a nightmare. He didn't know how he knew the language. He didn't think he knew it when he was alive. Sending him here after death… how cruel.
The blonde with the bronze skin had intrigued him. He didn't seem like royalty, or like he wasn't anything but. Everyone else seemed scared of the Pharaoh, but he didn't smile loyally at the guy like the rest of them. Gilbert sighed and sunk lower into his bath. Now if he was alive, how did he remember what he'd forgotten? Or to get back to his time period? As much as he loved the idea he was going to be left alone in ancient Egypt without a manual on what the hell he was supposed to be doing, he didn't want to stay any longer than possible.
And then the blonde entered his thoughts again. Oh fuck it. Gilbert knew that instead of planning he was going to focus on the eccentric people he'd met when he'd woken up. Even at his own expense. The kid reminded him of someone. Fucked up on the inside, a perfect façade in place on the outside. But in a different way, he supposed. In a more sinister way. And it was definitely less creepy on a stranger than whoever he'd known before.
He wondered what that boy was. He wasn't a noble, his robes were made of plain cotton and not of the delicate fabrics like silk and linen that the rest of the nobles wore. However that boy was no commoner.
Then there was the Pharaoh himself. He seemed like a really good person, if not a bit harsh on the outside. He really seemed to love his friends though… Gilbert didn't like him. He wasn't the type of person Gil could be around without somehow corrupting. Well nothing really interested him more than what had come to pass. Why was he in ancient Egypt for god's sake? Why wasn't he in somewhere sane, like ancient France, or something? The roman empire?
Why was everyone so fascinated with him? He hadn't done anything by showing up. Okay, so it was a bit random, but not that random. He could've just been a wounded villager.
"Can I come in?" The voice was silky to cover up the teens emotions. Of course. Gilbert smiled a little when he grabbed a towel to cover up anything too embarrassing. He wasn't going to leave the bath, but just in case he was required to… He wanted one near in case.
"Sure. I was just relaxing." Gilbert said as he looked to the doorway for his visiter.
The blonde walked in. He was wearing something Gilbert could only describe as a sheet. Gilbert tried not to laugh as it swallowed the teenager's form and made him look like a ghost.
"I want to know more about you. Atem said not to, but I was too curious." The blonde sat down at the edge of the heated pool that Gilbert was resting in. The water was dark and unclean, but Gilbert didn't mind as long as the blood came off. It had caked on after the few hours he spent being alive and unconcious, he supposed.
"I have no problem with answering personal questions. But you have to let me ask you one for every answer I give you." Gilbert decided. If they were personal, then he saw no problem with revealing the information. Not like he remembered much, really. More and more faded by the minute, if he didn't consistantly think of it.
"As long as they aren't personal, I don't mind either. Um… How much do you know of the prophecy?"
Gilbert shook his head. His long raven locks flicked water out. "Nothing. I've never heard of any prophecies."
"Well, a man predicted you'd arrive a fortnight ago. We'd forgotten it until the maids had found you outside the palace." The blonde concluded.
Gilbert laughed. "Sorry kid, I'm no legend. I don't even remember who I am anymore."
"I'm not a kid! I'm a priest in training. That's more than you can say! I'm betting you were hired here to act and steal money and food from us!" The annoyed blonde snubbed his nose in the air.
"No. I just want to get back. To my own time." Gilbert said, liking how the blonde got irritated at the simple answer and started to whine about it.
"How dare you? You can't push us all aside! You won't get my sympathy that way you know! I don't take pity on liars and thieves!
"I don't intend to take anything more from you." Gilbert gritted his teeth. He wasn't a liar, nor did he appreciate being called one.
"My name is Malik! Malik Ishtar! Now use it! I'm not, you! I'm not, Kid! I'm Malik!" He protested, his long blonde hair spiking up a bit in the back.
Angeeeer issuuuueeees. Gilbert laughed. "Okay, Malik. Now call me by my name."
"W-what?" Malik had stopped ranted long enough to hear what Gil had just said. "I'm not calling you anything!"
"My name, Malik. It'll be more fun if we're both on first name basis." Gilbert insisted.
"Gilbert, wasn't it? Nightray?" Malik prodded.
Little did either of them know the truth of the destiny they now shared.
Malik supposed the newcomer was a bit too willing. Gilbert had already set up a system. Waking up at the crack of dawn and practicing with the bow and arrow. He had excellent aim, but he was flimsy with the weapon itself.
He then turned and helped the palace slaves cook, clean, or wait on their superiors until about noon. That's when the Pharaoh called him in and tried to coax information out of him and vica versa.
Then he ate dinner, something simple, and returned to his waiting duties. Malik sighed out of frustration.
Why doesn't that idiot use the status even talking to the pharaoh in private would get him? Why did he shake his head when Atem tried to keep him from doing anything below his level?
Malik hated getting told what to do, but Gilbert seemed more comfortable being told what his every move should be.
He was a curious man indeed.
Malik loved this time of year, honestly. It was time for the duel monsters tornament, in which all the young nobles, priests in training, tombkeepers, and whatever high ranking young ones could battle it out with their deck and with all other (even lower class) youngsters and their decks.
It was a children's card game, honestly. That's probably why Malik, who grudgingly admitted he was 14, was still very young in mind and loved this month of all months. 14 was an adult, but a young adult and he didn't like to consider himself old quite yet.
And he got to see the most interesting people there. Last year he had met Akefia, whose scar had been interesting to look at. He was a thief by nature. Malik had been very careful around the kleptomaniac with his gold.
He couldn't wait to meet other new teens his age this year. He had graduated into the teen selection at last, and now that he had, there would be all new players and competitors.
And since Malik was a priest in training, he had been one of the few entrusted with the egyptian god cards. The dragon of Ra, the winged serpent of Osiris, there were so many cards he cherished.
And had to protect from little kleptomaniacs like Akefia.
"You look happy, young master Malik." Gilbert said, waving his free hand. The other was filled with a broom. More chores. How did this idiot end up doing all the menial work?
"Yeah well, the duel monsters tornament is starting this morning, and I thought I should stop by and watch." Malik didn't really want to lie, but if someone overheard him telling Gilbert he was going to play in them, he'd been locked in his quarters for a month.
He was a priest in training, he had to be serious about his job. Pfft. Like Malik had ever been serious about becoming a priest. He justed wanted to learn the magic working process that came with it. The spell barriers, the enchantments, the curses. That was all so interesting, but everything else… not so much.
"Oh. What's duel monsters?" Gilbert frowned, as if he'd never heard of it before. By Ra, he probably hadn't. Malik sighed.
"You can drop the broom and come watch with me. Don't worry about it, because that's not your job. I'll send a messanger to Atem saying you're with me and that we've gone shopping or something."
"Why lie about the tornament?" The raven haired man had to question everything, didn't he?
Malik rubbed his cheek, it had started to itch a little. "Duel monsters is a bit of a kid's thing. You're an adult. Do you want to shame yourself by sending the pharaoh a message saying you've gone to see a bunch of children from all of Egypt play a game?"
Gilbert smiled. "It's been a while since I've even thought about games-" He cut himself off and stood frozen. It only was a second or two before he started acting normal again but it still was noticable that the subject was something that triggered a memory.
"What? What'd you remember?" Malik asked curiously. "Something about games?"
"I saw myself as a child… being chased. In a game of tag… I can't remember who the two people chasing me were. One was a girl, the other a guy… I get the feeling they were very important to me." He ended it with a solemn smile.
Tag was an even littler kid's game than duel monsters. Malik remembered playing it too. He grinned. "Well let's get off our bums and play some game! Duel monsters is the most amazing game ever in my opinion!"
Gilbert had just unleashed the chatterbox in Malik. It was rather scary, actually.
The location was far, but Malik's chatter was easily distracting, as were the sights all around the city. Many stalls, and many strange people and things. There was a strange scent in the air, something tropical and unique. It drowned out the horrid smell of how these people lived. After a bit of walking, Gilbert saw a thousand kids all swarming around and in a stadium. It was huge, The sun was beating down on them harshly. Gilbert supposed he should be happy that the toga like dress he was wearing was light but covered almost all of his body.
Gilbert wasn't the tallest one there, but he was amoungst the ranks of those who were. Malik was fitting in perfectly. There were others he'd noticed from around the palace running about. There was Jounouchi, one of the Pharaoh's friends. Anzu, who was the Pharaoh's conqubine.
And there must've been millions he'd never even seen. All surrounding a giant stage, in which competitors were stand with their strange decks of cards.
Malik jumped behind a bush with Gilbert out of the blue just as someone walked by. For a second it looked like… Atem? No, it couldn't be the pharaoh. The eyes were too kind and the hair was matted. The clothes were too tattered. Both of them sighed in relief. If anyone important saw them here together they would be in much trouble.
"I brought a spare change of clothes for me. I didn't remember that you would probably have to hide yourself. Let's split up. You can just watch and I'll hang around and maybe play a game or two to teach them a real power show."
"Okay, I'm good with just sitting and watching." Gilbert decided. "Or I could play a game…"
They hadn't been listening to the announcer, but if they had, they'd realize that the MC had just talked about a random player. And was now searching the crowd for a unknowing suspect.
"YOU THERE SIR! In the black robes!" He called. Gilbert froze and turned to see that the MC was pointing straight at him. Shit.
"Come on then, sir!" The MC climbed off the stage and grabbed Gilbert's arm. "Show us a good game!"
Gilbert had no choice but to comply. Malik looked absolutely shellshocked. This wouldn't end well.
"Well? Pull out your deck!"
"I…" GIlbert gulped. "don't have a deck. I only have…" He felt something heavy in his folds of his robes. He pulled out one card. There was a giant bird on the front, the writing in hierogylphs meaning "The Raven."
"Only one card? What a risky game! Come on, we need a challenger!"
"I will!" A loud voice from the crowd called. Gilbert looked up only to see the kid they had thought to be Atem wave. He had to play against that kid? Really now?
He was doomed. He didn't know the rules. All he had was one card. He checked it's stats. Not bad, not bad… but nothing as legendary as what that kid might have in store.
Then again Gilbert didn't know how to play this game.
The kid climbed down and smiled brightly at Gilbert. "My name is Yugi Motou. It'll be a pleasure playing against you!"
Especially since I have no clue what I'm doing, Gilbert grumbled. But he wasn't one to run away from a fight. He had his pride to protect.
They put their cards down, or card in Gilbert's case. Then Yugi said something strange… it sounded like a magic word that the priests would use. Gilbert had no idea what to do next.
Yugi flashed him another bright smile. "You have to say it's name to make your monster appear. Mine is the dark magician. So I activated my card."
Gilbert had barely said "Raven!" when the giant black bird burst out of the card and screeched. The crowd was hushed by it's sheer size. Compared to Yugi's dark magician, Raven was a colossal monster. It's black wings barely fit in the entire stadium, it's eyes gleaming an unearthly yellow.
Chains surrounded it coming from all different directions. They disapeared into another dimension when they stopped restraining the beast. The card it had been in lit on fire, and Gilbert felt something around his neck start to burn.
He grasped at his throat, trying to pull off the thing beore it started to strangle him. A necklace with a mirror on one side came off onto his hand. Raven cawed again.
The whole crowd cheered. Malik looked even more shocked than before, if that was even possible.
"I've never seen that card before! It seems to be restrained though, by that mirror of yours. That mirror is keeping your monster inside, just like a card. Maybe it chose to escape it's card form only to find that it's still constrained by your mirror."
Gilbert stared up at the bird. Was it really restrained by the power in his mirror necklace? It was so small. He noticed a seal on the inside. That must be what's keeping it constrained.
"Even so, this is my first time playing. I will probably be easy to beat." Gilbert frowned. Yugi seemed like a master.
"GO GIL!" Malik called from the audience. He had gotten over his initial shock and now was cheering on his friend. Gil smiled.
"Raven, attack position." Gilbert demanded. It cawed loudly, flying to the front. Yugi placed down another card.
"Sea goddess Calypso, defense position." He called out. Another card activated, before settling down softly behind the dark magician and vanishing.
"Raven, attack the dark magician with your blue flames!" Sure enough the bird breathed out massive walls of blue flame that consumed the poor card without trouble. Gilbert grinned. Maybe he could win after all.
"I can't believe I lost." Gilbert said wistfully as Malik dragged him down from the stage.
"Raven is an epic card. It's too bad the actual card part burned up, all you have left to control it is purely that mirror." Malik hummed happily. Gilbert was new at duel monsters, of course he'd lose the Yugi. Yugi was a master. The only person Malik had seen better was Atem himself.
But Akefia was no where to be found. Malik was almost disapointed.
"Hey bird brains." A harsh voice with a strange accent stopped them. Gilbert resonded first, his hand going for his side. There was nothing there, which seemed to surprise him.
"He just wants to talk." Malik interjected, turning to the kid. White hair that stuck out at various angles, and two particular strands standing up like ears almost. Since his hair was white, they looked like little angels wings.
Malik's tongue might've fallen out if he hadn't been careful. It was Akefia's little brother. The one that was raised across the sea in a distant, distant land. What was his name? Bakura? Or was he the younger one, Ryou?
"My name is Bakura. I want your mirror." He was especially blunt as he gave them a death glare.
Gilbert hands jumped to his mirror. It wasn't around his neck, Malik noted. So this boy was also a thief. First class too.
"I'll only take it if you don't help me." Bkaura dangled it from his hand. He smirked at Gilbert's expression. He was enraged, but also very very curious as to how the teen had stolen it from inside his shirt.
"What do you need our help for?" Malik asked, knowing that Gilbert would just ruin the whole situation.
Bakura seemed to sober up and turn serious. "My brother's dying. If you help him I'll let you have your mirror back, but please! You have to help Ryou!"
And their adventure starts! The secret is hidden in the shifting sands. Lol, I usually hate crossovers but I really wanted to do one this time!
I'm hinking I'll put a preview of the next chapter. One of my favorite authors did this and I thought the idea was brilliant and I really apperciated it, soooo... I thought you guys would too. I know this is in some really strange fandom catagory but please give the rest of my story a chance!
And for those of you who want chapters of Subsidal and whatever else, Subsidal is also getting another few chapters today so don't dispair. I'm actually almost done with it.
Preview:
"I told you! TIE DOWN THAT CARAVAN! It's got the goods!"
Oh fuck, Ryou. Gilbert jumped up, the mirror flinging in his hand. "Raven! Snatch that caravan! It's the one with Ryou! It has to be!" The bird erupted from the mirror before he had time to speak another word. The slave traders froze.
And last but not least, I DON'T OWN ANYTHING I SWEAR! NOT YU-GI-OH, NOT PANDORA HEARTS! If I did, why would this be called fanfiction?
