AN: Sorry for taking so long, and thanks for all the reviews.
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Chapter 4
And I'm supposed to be insane, Malik thought, watching the shopkeeper who was unreasonably happy about the pile of tried wands mounting on the counter. The man rarely blinked and that pale stare of his made the Egyptian uneasy.
Yugi was thinking very hard. It could be that having Shadow powers and two souls had something to do with their dilemma. But he couldn't well tell Mr. Olivander about that.
"Excuse me," Ryou piped up unexpectedly. "Do you have any-wands-that have anything to do with Egypt?"
"Eh? Egypt?" The man seemed slightly perplexed. "Very possible, let me see . . ."
He disappeared into a back room.
[ Ryou, ] Malik hissed. [ make sure you know what you're doing. ]
[[ Unless you want to spend all afternoon in this dump, don't complain. ]] Bakura sounded irritable.
The shopkeeper reappeared, holding a black, leather case and beaming. "Here it is. I'm afraid there are only three so if they don't work, you'll have to have them custom made."
Inside, the box was inlaid with velvet and on them was three, slender, ornately decorated wands. Malik grinned, now these were worth something. All three rods were ebony black with varying gold, silver, and pearl designs. Set near the tip of each was a tiny gemstone, a ruby one in the gold, a violet in the silver, and an ice blue one in the pearl white.
[ They look expensive. ] Ryou thought doubtfully.
Malik shot him a quick, incredulous glance. [ Look at all the gold I wear. Do you really think money will be a problem? ]
Mr. Olivander picked up the first and handed it to Yugi.
"These wands are very unusual and ver, very old. I had almost forgotten about them. The makers put a great deal of care into the creation of these, but since then, they've just been lying about collecting dust. Come, come, give it a wave."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Malik weighed the value of the violet gem in his wand with a thief's practiced eye. The whole thing was a worthy piece of artwork. Lupin had left them on their own with a map to respond to an 'urgent summons', as he had put it. He would be back to pick them up.
"We only have one more stop," Ryou said, consulting the list Lupin had given him. "Do either of you want a pet?"
They shook their heads.
"We don't need owls to send messages," Malik stated matter-of-factly.
"Well then, we had better head to the Leaky Cauldron to wait for Professor Lupin."
Matter settled, they started down the street with Ryou in the lead. The albino stopped abruptly and the Egyptian almost ran into him.
"Curses, Ry-" Malik began then narrowed his eyes. "Bakura, what are you doing out?"
The Tomb Robber smirked. "I think you'll be interested in that story just behind you."
Malik glanced over his shoulder and a devilish gleam entered his gaze.
"What is it?" Yami snapped impatiently. He followed the direction of their glances. "Oh no, absolutely not."
"We are going into a war, right?"
"And I doubt you would allow your hikari to walk into an inevitable battle armed only with magic, Pharaoh."
Yami was torn between responsibility and curiosity. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."
Malik and Bakura exchanged triumphant grins. The shop was not richly decorated like its neighbors and most people walked past it without sparing a glance, but the walls were covered with weapons of every shape and size. Even the Pharaoh was genuinely interested.
The storekeeper was a lean man in his twenties with dark brown hair and matching eyes. He stood no taller than Yami Yugi and wore a finely constructed, chain mail shirt over his robs. He greeted them with a cheerful smile, asked them if they required any assistance, and went back to polishing a circular shield.
A dark, wood sighn in the middle of the back wall proclaimed in golden letters that all items available were enchanted so the blades never dulled or stained, and the mettle would not rust. The two thieves were delighted and went about selecting the best they could find.
"They sure are fascinated by these weapons," the shopkeeper remarked amiably, hanging the shield upon its hook. "Are they always like this?"
Yami, to which this inquiry had been addressed, nodded with a disapproving set to his jaw. "They love anything sharp and capable of killing or causing pain."
The young man chuckled. Obviously, he had not taken it seriously. "Name's Ryan."
"Yugi," Yami replied without missing a beat. He was used to giving his partner's name instead of his own. It made matters simpler for all of them and saved the bother of explanations.
Ryan nodded. "Will you be looking for anything?"
"No. I find magic far more efficient and far less barbaric. Knowing them, however-"
They were interrupted when Malik and Bakura set a pile of gear on the counter.
"We're taking all of these," Malik said, indicating the stack.
Bakura had chosen a set of ten daggers with wicked blades and of varying lengths, convenient for hiding in various places on his person. Malik had equipped himself with two, slender blades and a dirk to keep up one sleeve. Yami's gaze halted on the extra sword.
"Who is that for?"
Malik laughed. "For you, of course."
The Pharaoh rolled his eyes. "As I was about to say, they would probably get me one anyway. How are we going to pay for all this?"
The Egyptian shrugged casually. "I am."
"You have way too much money for your own good. And a lot of it unjustly won."
Malik chose to ignor this last comment. On the other hand, he was inclined to believe the Pharaoh was not one to talk about possessing too much gold.
*******************
"Malik Ishtar! What, by Ra, do you think you are doing?"
The Egyptian stared at his sister in shock. "Isis, I didn't know you could do this!"
"I've only recently learned how to communicate through visions. Now, listen here, Malik. I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!"
"Don't lecture," Malik complained. "I don't go looking for trouble-not this time anyway-trouble comes looking for me."
His sister sighed but could not rightly argue with that. "Be careful then, brother. I trust your senses as a thief have not slackened."
Malik made a face. "Of course not!"
"-And judge your actions. Please try to think before you act. Something or someone may be after you." . . .
Malik opened his eyes. His two friends were both giving him strange looks. Before he could launch into a recount of the 'vision', there was a crack and Lupin apparated beside their table.
[ Isis, ] he said shortly. [ I'll explain later. ]
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lucious Malfoy bowed deeply to his lord. "We have obtained some minimal information on these Millenium Items."
Voldemort turned from the single window of the fire lit room to focus his red eyes on the death eater. "Well?"
"I am afraid it is not very-"
"Just continue," the Dark Lord snapped, raising his wand threateningly.
"Yes, master. Over the past few years, there have been hints-rumors-of these items being used in several places all over the world. The one we have been able to track is supposed to belong to a member of a former gang of thieves known as the Ghouls. We don't know who it belongs to however."
Voldemort twirled his wand thoughtfully. "Do you have the identity of any of these . . . Ghouls?"
"Of course, master."
"Good." A wicked smile curled his thin lips. "Find him or her and bring them to me alive."
Lucious bowed again and departed. Voldemort sank into his armchair and tapped his long, pale fingers on the armrest. He had one more visitor this night. The large snake coiled on the hearthrug raised its head and hissed.
A skeletal man with lank hair and red-green eyes stepped into the room. He knelt and held out a scroll for his master's inspection.
"I have done as you commanded. This is the data you required. Three of the Egyptian magicians have offered their allegiance."
Voldemort accepted the scroll and smiled with satisfaction. "Very good . . ."
The man hesitated. "May I propose a question?"
The Dark Lord's gaze swiveled toward him once again. "Yes?"
"Is it really necessary to ally ourselves with these foreign magicians? How do we know we can trust them?"
"Are you questioning my judgement?"
"No, no. I would never do such a thing, master! I assure you!"
"See that you do not. As to why . . . Egyptian magic is very powerful in its way. Do not underestimate their usefulness. Go. Take your crew and return to Egypt. Begin your search for the items there. My plans will not be thwarted."
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AN: The usual. Thanks for reading and please review!
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Chapter 4
And I'm supposed to be insane, Malik thought, watching the shopkeeper who was unreasonably happy about the pile of tried wands mounting on the counter. The man rarely blinked and that pale stare of his made the Egyptian uneasy.
Yugi was thinking very hard. It could be that having Shadow powers and two souls had something to do with their dilemma. But he couldn't well tell Mr. Olivander about that.
"Excuse me," Ryou piped up unexpectedly. "Do you have any-wands-that have anything to do with Egypt?"
"Eh? Egypt?" The man seemed slightly perplexed. "Very possible, let me see . . ."
He disappeared into a back room.
[ Ryou, ] Malik hissed. [ make sure you know what you're doing. ]
[[ Unless you want to spend all afternoon in this dump, don't complain. ]] Bakura sounded irritable.
The shopkeeper reappeared, holding a black, leather case and beaming. "Here it is. I'm afraid there are only three so if they don't work, you'll have to have them custom made."
Inside, the box was inlaid with velvet and on them was three, slender, ornately decorated wands. Malik grinned, now these were worth something. All three rods were ebony black with varying gold, silver, and pearl designs. Set near the tip of each was a tiny gemstone, a ruby one in the gold, a violet in the silver, and an ice blue one in the pearl white.
[ They look expensive. ] Ryou thought doubtfully.
Malik shot him a quick, incredulous glance. [ Look at all the gold I wear. Do you really think money will be a problem? ]
Mr. Olivander picked up the first and handed it to Yugi.
"These wands are very unusual and ver, very old. I had almost forgotten about them. The makers put a great deal of care into the creation of these, but since then, they've just been lying about collecting dust. Come, come, give it a wave."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Malik weighed the value of the violet gem in his wand with a thief's practiced eye. The whole thing was a worthy piece of artwork. Lupin had left them on their own with a map to respond to an 'urgent summons', as he had put it. He would be back to pick them up.
"We only have one more stop," Ryou said, consulting the list Lupin had given him. "Do either of you want a pet?"
They shook their heads.
"We don't need owls to send messages," Malik stated matter-of-factly.
"Well then, we had better head to the Leaky Cauldron to wait for Professor Lupin."
Matter settled, they started down the street with Ryou in the lead. The albino stopped abruptly and the Egyptian almost ran into him.
"Curses, Ry-" Malik began then narrowed his eyes. "Bakura, what are you doing out?"
The Tomb Robber smirked. "I think you'll be interested in that story just behind you."
Malik glanced over his shoulder and a devilish gleam entered his gaze.
"What is it?" Yami snapped impatiently. He followed the direction of their glances. "Oh no, absolutely not."
"We are going into a war, right?"
"And I doubt you would allow your hikari to walk into an inevitable battle armed only with magic, Pharaoh."
Yami was torn between responsibility and curiosity. "I suppose it couldn't hurt."
Malik and Bakura exchanged triumphant grins. The shop was not richly decorated like its neighbors and most people walked past it without sparing a glance, but the walls were covered with weapons of every shape and size. Even the Pharaoh was genuinely interested.
The storekeeper was a lean man in his twenties with dark brown hair and matching eyes. He stood no taller than Yami Yugi and wore a finely constructed, chain mail shirt over his robs. He greeted them with a cheerful smile, asked them if they required any assistance, and went back to polishing a circular shield.
A dark, wood sighn in the middle of the back wall proclaimed in golden letters that all items available were enchanted so the blades never dulled or stained, and the mettle would not rust. The two thieves were delighted and went about selecting the best they could find.
"They sure are fascinated by these weapons," the shopkeeper remarked amiably, hanging the shield upon its hook. "Are they always like this?"
Yami, to which this inquiry had been addressed, nodded with a disapproving set to his jaw. "They love anything sharp and capable of killing or causing pain."
The young man chuckled. Obviously, he had not taken it seriously. "Name's Ryan."
"Yugi," Yami replied without missing a beat. He was used to giving his partner's name instead of his own. It made matters simpler for all of them and saved the bother of explanations.
Ryan nodded. "Will you be looking for anything?"
"No. I find magic far more efficient and far less barbaric. Knowing them, however-"
They were interrupted when Malik and Bakura set a pile of gear on the counter.
"We're taking all of these," Malik said, indicating the stack.
Bakura had chosen a set of ten daggers with wicked blades and of varying lengths, convenient for hiding in various places on his person. Malik had equipped himself with two, slender blades and a dirk to keep up one sleeve. Yami's gaze halted on the extra sword.
"Who is that for?"
Malik laughed. "For you, of course."
The Pharaoh rolled his eyes. "As I was about to say, they would probably get me one anyway. How are we going to pay for all this?"
The Egyptian shrugged casually. "I am."
"You have way too much money for your own good. And a lot of it unjustly won."
Malik chose to ignor this last comment. On the other hand, he was inclined to believe the Pharaoh was not one to talk about possessing too much gold.
*******************
"Malik Ishtar! What, by Ra, do you think you are doing?"
The Egyptian stared at his sister in shock. "Isis, I didn't know you could do this!"
"I've only recently learned how to communicate through visions. Now, listen here, Malik. I thought I told you to stay out of trouble!"
"Don't lecture," Malik complained. "I don't go looking for trouble-not this time anyway-trouble comes looking for me."
His sister sighed but could not rightly argue with that. "Be careful then, brother. I trust your senses as a thief have not slackened."
Malik made a face. "Of course not!"
"-And judge your actions. Please try to think before you act. Something or someone may be after you." . . .
Malik opened his eyes. His two friends were both giving him strange looks. Before he could launch into a recount of the 'vision', there was a crack and Lupin apparated beside their table.
[ Isis, ] he said shortly. [ I'll explain later. ]
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lucious Malfoy bowed deeply to his lord. "We have obtained some minimal information on these Millenium Items."
Voldemort turned from the single window of the fire lit room to focus his red eyes on the death eater. "Well?"
"I am afraid it is not very-"
"Just continue," the Dark Lord snapped, raising his wand threateningly.
"Yes, master. Over the past few years, there have been hints-rumors-of these items being used in several places all over the world. The one we have been able to track is supposed to belong to a member of a former gang of thieves known as the Ghouls. We don't know who it belongs to however."
Voldemort twirled his wand thoughtfully. "Do you have the identity of any of these . . . Ghouls?"
"Of course, master."
"Good." A wicked smile curled his thin lips. "Find him or her and bring them to me alive."
Lucious bowed again and departed. Voldemort sank into his armchair and tapped his long, pale fingers on the armrest. He had one more visitor this night. The large snake coiled on the hearthrug raised its head and hissed.
A skeletal man with lank hair and red-green eyes stepped into the room. He knelt and held out a scroll for his master's inspection.
"I have done as you commanded. This is the data you required. Three of the Egyptian magicians have offered their allegiance."
Voldemort accepted the scroll and smiled with satisfaction. "Very good . . ."
The man hesitated. "May I propose a question?"
The Dark Lord's gaze swiveled toward him once again. "Yes?"
"Is it really necessary to ally ourselves with these foreign magicians? How do we know we can trust them?"
"Are you questioning my judgement?"
"No, no. I would never do such a thing, master! I assure you!"
"See that you do not. As to why . . . Egyptian magic is very powerful in its way. Do not underestimate their usefulness. Go. Take your crew and return to Egypt. Begin your search for the items there. My plans will not be thwarted."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: The usual. Thanks for reading and please review!