A/N: Alright, second chapter is up! I had a massive plot realization last night, making me dash to my computer to type this up. I feel like the beginning is a little rushed, but I made myself slow down towards the end.
For those of you eager to see some Mobiumshipping, Yami will be appearing fulltime in the next chapter. I've also decided to add in Bakushipping (Akefia & Bakura & Ryou) and Bronzeshipping (Malik & Mariku). Bakura and Mariku will also be appearing next chapter, while Atemu and Akefia will come in sometime in the future (haven't decided exactly when yet). Now onto reviews~
Great (Anonymous review): No, Yuugi isn't a big duelist in this story. He still plays Duel Monsters occasionally, but has more of an obsession over the Nameless Pharaoh (hehe). I've always seen Jounouchi as the type to pursue his Duel Monster dreams even into adulthood, so that's what I did.
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed/favorited/followed this story and enjoy the next chapter~
Yuugi stretched his tired muscles, groaning as pleasure seeped into his body.
The trip to Egypt had been terrible. Crying babies, a yapping dog who sat rather uncomfortably in a purse, a seating neighbor who wouldn't stop talking about how they were all going to die every time the plane hit the slightest amount of turbulence.
Oh, yes. Yuugi Mutou was just peachy.
His colleague and trusted friend, Ishizu Ishtar, had taken the liberty of booking him a comfortable hotel for his stay. She had also called in her slightly annoying and flirty younger brother Malik to pick Yuugi up and take him there. Which was more than okay, since Malik was known to make anyone, no matter how grouchy, smile like an imbecile.
Yuugi dragged his luggage behind him, sending silent thanks to his grandfather for getting him the rolling ones. He didn't bring much, however. Just a suitcase of clothes and a carry on bag filled with other essentials. Like Aspirin for this massive headache.
A car horn alerted Yuugi to the frantically waving blond, tanned man. He had sparkling lavender eyes and was wearing a purple hoodie with the sleeves cut off. Golden bands hugged his upper biceps, wrists, and neck. Heavy earrings clung to his ears and tight pants left almost nothing to imagination. And the way his hoodie cut off at the abs wasn't helping. He was half sitting, half leaning out of the car's window, yelling Yuugi's name like a mantra. Slightly embarrassed by all the attention the loud man was getting, Yuugi hurried over and slapped his hand over the other's mouth to shut the guy up.
"I'm here! I'm here!" Yuugi hissed, face tinted a subtle red. "Now help me get these bags in the car."
Malik quickly got out of the car and squeezed the smaller man in a bear hug. "Yuugi! Man, what's it been? A whole year? We seriously need to catch up."
Yuugi shoved his friend away once the need for air overpowered him. "Good to see you, too, Malik. Now help me."
After packing the backseat of the car, the two young men drove off. Malik was quick into engaging about all the little events Yuugi had missed, his mouth never ceasing to move even when he had to breath. Yuugi just nodded occasionally, wondering how far this hotel was so he could take his Aspirin.
Finally arriving and checking in, Yuugi collapsed onto his double bed. Malik had left as soon as they had arrived at his room, telling the tri-colored haired man that his sister expected to see him tomorrow.
"She's got a pretty big surprise for all of us!" Malik had exclaimed.
Yuugi's eyebrow quirked. "All of us?" he repeated uneasily.
"Yeah. Apparently, ane has something for all of us. That includes this other guy. I've only met him once - he's from London or something - and his name's Ryou...I think. Ane won't tell me what she has planned, but she's always like that. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow, Yuugi-kun!"
Yuugi groaned, wondering what the hell Ishizu had in mind. Over the phone, she had told him that she had found something worth seeing. It had to do with the Nameless Pharaoh that Yuugi was more or less obsessed about. That was enough for Yuugi to start packing.
But what did Malik and this Ryou person have to do with anything? Malik obviously knew nothing, and Ryou was a complete stranger. What could they do to help Yuugi in uncovering this mystery?
All of his thinkings had made Yuugi's headache come back with vengence. Grumbling under his breath, Yuugi was quick to start digging into his carry on bag for the little white pills.
Around an hour of unpacking later, Yuugi's cell called out its familiar ringtone, causing the young man to dash from his small bedroom to the living room area to answer it.
"Hello?" Yuugi muttered breathlessly to the other end.
"Mutou-san. It's Ishizu."
"Ah, Ishtar-san." He shifted on his feet. "Please, we've gone over this. Call me Yuugi."
"Only if you call me Ishizu, then we've got a deal."
Chuckling shortly, Yuugi agreed. "Anyways, Ishizu, I was wondering what you wanted to show me. Malik said something about him and another person named Ryou were involved. May I ask what they have to do with anything?"
There was the sound of shuffling papers on the other end before Ishizu replied. "Malik and Ryou have play an important role in this, Yuugi. All will be explained tomorrow. Anyways, how was the flight in."
The groan Yuugi gave was more than enough information Ishizu needed. "I see, well, I hope you get some good rest, because I want to meet you and the others at my place before noon. Goodnight, Yuugi."
"Yes, I'll see you soon. Goodnight, Ishizu."
After hanging up, Yuugi promptly tossed the phone onto a nearby chair and glared at the clock. It was mocking him with it's late time, and the bed was calling to him. However, Yuugi was still not done unpacking, so he ignored the urges to rest and continued the exhausting task of getting everything organized for his weeklong stay.
The annoying ringing of his phone awoke Yuugi early the next morning. Growling, he tried his best to ignore it, but it was as if the ringer was purposely trying to get him up at…
Yuugi gaped at the digital clock by his bed. "Six o'clock in the morning?!" He cried out into the darkened room, not caring if he woke up any of his neighbors.
Flailing with the heavy covers that begged him to rest again, Yuugi eventually climbed out of bed and dashed to the living portion of his hotel room, grabbing his phone just as the last ring cried out.
"H-hello?" Yuugi gasped, rubbing his eyes with the other hand.
"Yuugi? Is that you? Why didn't you call?"
The tri-colored haired man resisted the urged to punch something, mainly himself. Of course he had forgotten to call his grandfather as soon as he arrived.
"Yeah, I'm here, Jii-chan." Yuugi mumbled, collapsing on the chair. "Sorry I forgot to call last night...What time is it there anyways?"
"Around one in the afternoon...Why?"
He gave out a loud groan. "Because it's six in the morning where I am, Jii-chan."
Sugoroku gasped, and Yuugi heard the faint screech of a chair in the background. "Oh, I'm sorry, Yuugi. I thought it was six in the afternoon there, not morning...Stupid computer always messing me up."
Yuugi laughed wholeheartedly. "Naw, it's alright, Jii-chan. I'm going to have to get ready anyways to meet Ishizu. I'll call you tonight when I'm more coherent, okay?"
"Well, alright. Talk to you soon."
"Bye, Jii-chan."
After hanging up, Yuugi forced himself to ignored the calling bed and get himself ready. it was around an hour later when his phone rang again. He was seriously starting to considering turning the dang thing off.
"Yuugi!" Came Malik's excited cry before the other could even mutter a greeting. "You have to come over right now! Ryou just arrived and I'm getting really sick of waiting, so get your lazy ass down here!"
Yuugi opened his mouth to protest, but the dialtone was quick to interrupt him. Scowling at his friend's overzealous attitude at such an early hour in the morning, he got on his shoes and stalked out of the hotel in one of his worst moods.
Calling a taxi, Yuugi tried to calm himself down by reminding himself that this was for the Nameless Pharaoh mystery and that if this helped him even the tiniest of bits, it was all going to be worth it.
Malik, Ishizu, and another man who Yuugi guessed was Ryou were waiting for him as the car pulled up. Paying the driver, Yuugi stepped out and was immediately swallowed into a crushing hug by Malik.
Pushing the man off of him, Yuugi smiled at the older woman. "Ishizu, it's nice to see you again." He turned and politely nodded to the other man. He had snowy white hair that reached over his shoulders and kind, doe brown eyes that radiated warmth. "And you must be Ryou. Nice to meet you at last."
Ryou nodded, gently shaking Yuugi's outstretched hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you as well. Mutou-san."
"Please, call me Yuugi. Mutou-san makes me sound like an old man."
Ishizu stepped forward, placing a delicate hand on Yuugi's shoulder. "I am sorry, but now that we are all here, I do not want to waste anymore time. You two will have plenty of time to get to know each other once I show you three what I have."
The three men nodded, quickly following her inside. As they walked, Yuugi slowly felt a chill of unease come over him. Swallowing thickly, he cleared his throat to speak. "What is it you wish to show us, Ishizu? You mentioned that this has to do with the Nameless Pharaoh. Care to elaborate?"
An unknown glint passed over Ishizu's aqua gaze and she smirk down at Yuugi. "Anxious, are we? Well, I guess I could explain a bit, but it will all make sense once you've properly examined the artifacts I have discovered."
"Artifacts?" Ryou spoke up, his voice quiet. "What kind of artifacts?"
"Items that I have concluded do indeed come from the time of the Nameless Pharaoh, and I am certain they hold many answers to our questions on this mystery." Ishizu answered, stopping outside a room that looked like it was for storage. "Excuse me a moment. Malik, show them to the living room while I gather the items."
Nodding, Malik grabbed Yuugi's and Ryou's wrists and pulled them towards the said room. "Ane never allows me to go into that room. It's kind of like she's hiding every known answer to every known question in there, and she won't even tell me if there's an old chair hiding in the corner! Trust me, I've tried to bust in, but it's like she's booby trapped the whole door...Eheh...Booby trapped."
Yuugi and Ryou exchanged an amused gaze, rolling their eyes dramatically. Soon they arrived in the living room area and each took a seat. Malik kept tapping his foot against the floor, creating an annoying sound that caused Yuugi to glare at him. That was, until Malik caught him staring and gave him a toothy grin, winking.
Before Yuugi could retaliate, Ishizu suddenly popped back in to join them. "Alright, now I want you all to separate for this. Please don't ask why, because I can't answer that right now. Malik, I want you to guide Ryou and Yuugi to different guest rooms and then head back here. I'll give you each one item to examine, then leave. Understood?"
The three of them blinked at the business tone in her voice, something that she rarely brought out unless the topic was of serious proportions. Malik was up instantly, again pulling Ryou and Yuugi behind him to the second floor. At the first door, Malik deposited Ryou and slammed it shut, then promptly did the same to Yuugi at the next door before either could protest.
Sighing somewhat dejectedly, Yuugi glanced at the simple decoration of the guest room he was in. A plain tan bed, dressers, a mirror in the corner, a chair in the other, and a couple pictures on the walls.
A sudden knock on his door alerted him to Ishizu's arrival a few minutes later. Opening the plain wood, Yuugi took in the grim stare his older friend had on. She shoved something into his arms before closing the door into his face. Yuugi listened to her rapidly retreating footsteps in confusion before looking at the item in his hands.
It was a golden box, old hieroglyphics carved deeply in the sides. Yuugi recognized the Eye of Horus on the front side, and he traced the gold carefully. Unconsciously, he walked over to the bed and sat down, his mind in a trace at the strange beauty calling out to him.
He swallowed, suddenly feeling apprehensive. What was inside? Why was Ishizu acting so strangely? Was this item...dangerous?
Somehow, Yuugi's mind immediately answered yes to the his last musing, and yet his hand moved to lift the lid off anyways. It came off easily with a soft click, and he gently placed it beside him.
Nothing happened at first, so he leaned in closer to see what was inside the darkened box. Suddenly, black tendrils shot out of it, causing Yuugi to yelp and fling the box into the air in surprise. It landed on the floor, but the dark matter continued to rush out like a flood, gathering beside the bed in a flame-like shape.
Cold, clammy hands came from the black flame and locked onto his throat, lifting the archeologist up against the wall. Yuugi gagged, squinting to find himself staring into blazing violet eyes tinted red.
Ane: Elder Sister
Ryou: In this story, we won't ever know his last name for reasons I'll explain later. All we know is that it's not going to be Bakura.
R&R~
