Where is it? Gentle yet determined hazelnut eyes stared down at the rubble before their master's feet. It must be here. There's no where else it could be. The figure collapsed down onto both knees then began to toss stone and rubble off to his side.
It had been calling to him for nearly a whole year now. He was positive he could ignore it and that it would possibly give up. …Till it started affecting his slumber.
Images of the curve of a circle would race with golden light till the pointed shards along the lower half of the circle spread apart and the triangle with the eye would finally appear. Glowing like the morning sun but the area around it was engulfed with shadows and a sense of dark purpose.
A chunk of rough stone tore a small bit of flesh in the boy's hand. Drawing blood from the wound but he still searched on for the artifact his father had given to him so long ago. The vary same item that hated him but just couldn't keep away from him at the same time.
Tell me. Am I close? He thought to himself as he rummaged some more in the filthy mess. Don't tell me someone has gotten to you before I could. The blood from his cut was already getting dried and coated with the mixture of sand and dust from the massive pile he was searching through.
He was breaking his promise to his friends by leading his father out here to this forbidden area. The same area in which his friend's other self had returned to the afterlife at last only for the entire place to start to crumble and decay. They had all narrowly made it out safe and the millennium items that were used to split Yugi and the pharaoh apart from one another were lost, buried within the mess and never to be thought about ever again.
The boy, Ryou, had told his father about this forbidden place and suggested that it might hold something of value to him and his research on Ancient Egypt. Of course, in order to show his father and his research crew where to go, Ryou himself would have to come along as well. Besides, it would give him some time to see his father before he would return back to Japan.
How he was ever going to look his friends in the face ever again, he wasn't sure but he had to do this. If he didn't he would have ended up in the nut house before a full year since the dark soul within the millennium ring had left him. The longer he tried to resist the temptation of finding his lost ring, the worse his symptoms became.
It was finally beginning to seem a little hopeless. Ryou's father's research team had removed a majority of the wasted tomb till it was no longer safe to use their heavy equipment in fear of damaging anything they might find important. Reasonable enough since he wanted to find the lost item before any of the others had a chance.
"Snap!" the white haired boy grumbled as his flashlight started to roll away. The mass of crumbled stone before him now thrown into the dark, much like himself thanks to the renegade source of light. "Get back here you little scamp."
Standing up without dusting himself off, the British boy meandered to retrieve the flashlight but as he bend down to pick it up, the object turned northeast. Normally one wouldn't think much over it had the item not stopped in full and then make a complete 170 degree turn.
Coincidence? Ryou pondered. He didn't think it was one for long when the flashlight started to flicker deliberately. It was as if someone were clicking it on and off but were invisible.
Sharp pain sliced through his chest when the light had ceased its flickering state.
This was it. Ryou knew for sure the object he sought was in the direction his flashlight was pointed at. The pain in his chest only confirmed it when he questioned it being a true sign of the rings presence.
Moving his hand way, the long haired boy let go of his chest and slowly walked deeper into the shadows. His flashlight, now dead from the phenomenon, no longer mattered to him for he knew almost exactly where to look.
Kneeling down once more on top of a new mess, little Ryou shifted through this piles content. Scrapping up his hands and getting dirt under his fingernails as time went on but he didn't doubt that he was getting closer. Perhaps he could finally rest once the ancient tool was in his grasp. The spirit of the ring had been dispelled along with the pharaoh wasn't he?
As much as he wanted to believe it, he knew a small piece of the dark soul resided in the golden ring. How strong it was though was undetermined but he must have had enough strength to call out his old vessel, Ryou, and drive them almost off the deep end till he caved and went to find it.
Shoveling bits of rubble asunder, Ryou slowed down in pace dramatically. The last few scoops of grit and stone were pushed aside till at last a metallic prong lay limply in the air. The Millennium Ring had finally been unearthed after almost a year.
"Will you let me be at rest now?" Ryou said into the darkness as he hoisted the metal artifact from the mess. Sand and dust fell off its smooth surface and onto his pant leg but he paid that no mind. What was a little dirt compared to achieving a task that had for so long been ignored?
Dusting off the item itself however was something entirely different. After being hidden in filth for so long, it deserved to be cleaned. So the young male blew off what little impurities remained and then proceeded to use his shirt to do the rest.
Looking at the almost luminous object, Ryou moved it to one hand and put his other into his jacket pocket. "I need to get back before father notices I'm missing." He pulled out a thin but sturdy string from his pocket. The very same one he used before when he had the ring till Yugi took it and placed it into the stone tablet to separate himself from the former pharaoh.
The string was laced through the smaller loop then through itself once till securely tightened. It was hard to believe so much misery could be caused over one object but then again, it was hard to believe what everyone had said that occurred when he was out cold during the majority of Battle City but he knew it had to be true. How else could he have ended up in the middle of a duel with the pharaoh on a blimp?
Placing the item around his neck, he released it from his grasp and allowed it to dangle over his chest. It was almost comforting having something around his neck again but he was still a little nervous about it. What if-
"It's funny how cold mornings are in Egypt when in the day time it's so hot," Came a voice from just a distance. Clearly now he had to be going unless if he wanted to explain why he was the only one rummaging through the ruins.
Sparing a glimpse in the general direction the voices had come from; the young Brit then headed in the opposite direction so he could take a longer rout back to his pup tent and avoid being seen.
He had come close to making it out clean from the project area when his father had just caught him coming out from the excavated hole to the ruined tomb. His eyebrow was raised in a confused questioning expression.
"Oh, there you are father." Ryou smiled most pleasantly like he usually did when trying to play innocent. Something he was extremely good at. "I thought you'd be with your team."
His parental unit then simply smiled at his son before speaking. "I was just about to join them but first," he paused and looked his child over for half a second. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come along again since you've been so helpful. By the way, what happened to you? You're absolutely filthy."
Now this was a bit of a tight spot he gotten himself into. Ryou placed one hand along the side of his newly regained artifact and fingered it a little while looking straight at his dad.
"I tripped when I went into the excavation site," it was true but not the real truth on how he became so dirty. "You weren't in there so I came back." It was funny how believable it sounded to himself even since he and everyone how knew him also knew how much of a klutz he really was.
"I see…" he replied almost skeptically. "Oh, I see you still wear that ring I've gotten you." His face now held the trademark friendly smile that his son adorn so often.
The owner of the said item returned the grin and nodded. "Yes, I thought I'd wear it today." His father had been oblivious to the fact that Ryou had not been in possession of the gift for quite some time. He also was thus not aware that, that was the entire reason he had mentioned this area and asked to come along in the first place just so he could get the millennium item back.
"So, are you coming with us? I have a feeling we're getting close to a great discovery. And it's all thanks to you." Ryou's research was most valuable in the past but this was by far the greatest in his father's eyes. He wanted to share the father son moment while his son happened to be in the same area.
"I'm sorry. I'd love to but I really am tired. That's why I was hoping to ask if I could get some sleep and then perhaps join you?" He didn't mean to lie just then, it just kind of came out wrong. He really did want to catch a few zees.
The white haired boy's dad looked almost sad for half a second till he heard his name being called from another crew member. "Very well. Do join us when you've rested. See you later son." He patted the younger on the head then rushed off to meet with the person whom had called for him.
That went better then he thought it would. Mentally shrugging it off, little Ryou meandered back towards his pup tent to finally do as he had asked from his father. There he collapsed onto the sleeping bag exhausted. The millennium Ring just managed to keep from getting laid upon. Though Ryou was finally going to be able to get some sleep for the first time in months, he had no real idea how horrible the nightmare of reality was going to be later on...
(My apologies. I've been getting terrible 'plot bunnies' and they won't let me sleep till I write and I thought. Hell, why not post this drabble and see what readers think of it? However, I do have other stories I must update as well. Just... Tell me if you think this is worth adding to or not. Thank you for reading and ja ne for now!)