Sands of Time
By: Neko-Chibi-Faithkitty
Summery: Yami discovers that an evil wizard is destroying the souls of the people of Egypt. Fearing that this vile creature is seeking the power of the Shadow Realms, he follows him back to a land with as much magical history as Egypt. There he discovers that this new threat doesn't want the Pharaoh's ancient power…he wants the Spirit's very life.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or Harry Potter.
Author's Notes: Hello, everybody. I have a huge favor to ask. I need some help with this story. Later on there is going to be some Japanese in this story. So, I need some help translating. I do know some Japanese, but admittedly, I never did get very good at the language and would prefer not to butcher it with bad grammar. So, if any of you know Japanese, and would like to help me out, could you drop me a line… please? Just let me know in a review or an e-mail. I'd be e-mailing you with the stuff I need translated. It would be very, very, very much appreciated.
Chapter 11: Words of Faith
Misaki sat in the glamorous hallway, a soft smile on her painted lips. Her soft brown eyes roamed the screen of the laptop in front of her as the light music played gently over the overhead speakers. After finishing the memo, she opened a new screen. Soon, her fingers were clacking over the keys at a rapid pace as she typed up the report for her superior. Suddenly she stopped. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as her eyes flickered over the lobby in mild confusion. After a moment, she shrugged, glancing back over the report. "Oh well." She muttered to herself. "Must've imagined it."
Moments later a startled cry erupted, disturbing the styled calm that held sway over the office. Misaki yelped, falling from her plush leather chair to the hard marble flooring. Jumping up, she ran to the door of her superior's office, her black stiletto heels clicking on the hard floors. "Sir?" She asked nervously, poking her head through the great oak doors. "Is everything all right?"
The lanky man was sprawled on the floor behind his desk, his green eyes wide and his mouth still open from his earlier shout. "Everything's fine." He said with all the dignity he could muster. "If you will please get back to work."
"But sir?"
"Yes?"
She pointed shyly to his cheek. "Um, sir, you're bleeding."
Otogi Ryuji lifted one hand to his cheek and lowered it when he felt the warm wetness of blood. "That damn son of a…" He glanced up at his secretary. "Don't worry about it Misaki-dono. It's nothing."
"Yes sir, if you're sure."
He smiled warmly, rising from his inelegant sprawl. "Yes, I'm sure." She slipped from the room and back to her desk. Sliding behind his desk his gaze wandered cautiously over every inch of the expansive office until he found what he wanted on the far wall. Instantly he rose from his desk and went to the still quivering dagger, and jerked it out. The whole it left was impressive, at least an inch deep. It would also be costly to repair. He glared at the hole before allowing his gaze to drop to the dagger itself. His green eyes narrowed and he flew to his secretary's desk. "Misaki, get the jet ready. I want to be on my way to Egypt within the hour. And have two pilots ready and waiting."
She blinked up at him in confusion, then down to the very long knife he still held in one hand. "Sir?"
"Just do it! I don't really have time to explain."
"Yes sir."
Less than an hour later, Otogi Ryuji was seated comfortably in the Industrial Illusions private jet, a spare pilot on his right, and several empty seats behind him. The current pilot was quickly preparing for take-off. The harsh cockpit was exposed to the plush interior of the plane, the partition that normally separated them having been pulled back so that the pilot and his actions could be viewed. "Otogi-sama?" he said, turning back to look at his employer. "The tower needs to know where we're headed."
"Memphis, Egypt." Came the sharp reply.
"Memphis?"
"It's close enough to where we're going. And there's not really an airport at Wedju."
"Yes, sir." The pilot said calmly. "I'll let them know sir."
The green eyes watched him as he radioed the tower with the information they desired. Then, finally he turned back to the darkly tanned man in the passenger seat behind him. "Sir, if I may, Master Crawford had a private airstrip built in that area. Would you like us to land there?"
"Where exactly is it?" Otogi asked, buckling his seatbelt for take off.
"Just outside of a small village. You can see the ruins from the landing site. It really is very close to Wedju."
"How close is it to the tombs there?"
"The tombs, sir?"
"Yes! The tombs! How close?"
"Not more than a few minutes by jeep, sir. But-"
"Go there." The man said, cutting off the pilot's words.
"Yes, sir."
Bill sat glaring at the woman. "So, when is this supposed transportation going to get here? Next year?" She ignored him in favor of checking the temperature of her three patients. "Well?" He asked angrily.
"They will get here soon." She responded softly, starting to redress the wound on Yugi's side.
"I thought you said it would heal on it's own." He snarled.
"It will, but it will heal faster with help."
"We've been here for hours!" Bill growled for the umpteenth time. "Why aren't they here yet?"
Ishizu gave him a glare that spoke volumes. "You sound like a petulant child." She told him. "It's about time you learned patience."
The redhead stared at her in shock. "The three of them are unconscious, Yugi could be dying, Sirius and Remus could have lost their minds and you sit there and lecture me about patience?!"
"Yugi will not die." She said calmly. "The Shadows would not permit his death. And as for your friends, they have not lost their minds, and I can't even be sure they've lost their memories. It's only a possibility. One that you need to prepare yourself for."
"If you would let me apperate them to St. Mungo's I'm sure they would be fine."
"It's not necessary." She said calmly. "There is nothing they could do. Perhaps Yugi can restore their lost memories, but he needs to recover first, and if you wake him before the end of the week, you'll wish you hadn't." Her threat was delivered with the same confident composure she had had the entire time.
Suddenly, overhead they heard the roaring of a jets engines. Bill's eyes wandered to the top of the tent, then fell to the older woman again. "Please tell me it's not the brunette again."
She smiled indulgently. "No, I'm afraid Seto would not leave Japan again, not unless Yugi ordered it. That should be Otogi. If everything has gone according to plan, he should be here soon."
"Plan?" Bill groused. "So now we have a plan? Please tell me this Otogi is at least taking us back to Europe."
She looked up at him, her amber eyes smiling again. "Yes. Otogi will fly us to England. There, we will meet our guide. If anyone can find his way in Europe it's Bakura. His father still lives there I believe."
Bills own green eyes seemed to swallow his face. "Bakura? You mean the guy that Yugi told us to stay away from?"
Ishizu nodded. "That would be him. I won't lie to you, he is very dangerous, and you will need to keep a close eye on your valuables, but you should be fine as long as you stay away from Ryou." She looked up at him, her expression serious. "Bill, I need you to promise me something."
"What?"
"If Bakura acts with anything other than animosity towards you, keep your distance. Ryou likes to make friends, and Bakura likes to ensure his friends never leave him. More than once, we've had to free a soul that Bakura has captured as a gift for his akhu.(light)"
Bill was still pondering her words when the sound of a jeep's engines came into the camp. Moments later a tall young man about Yugi's age entered the tent, his expression dark. "Ishizu." He said, nodding to the woman. "I got your message."
"I'm glad." She smiled. "I trust Bakura didn't hurt you to much."
He ran a slender finger over a scabbed cut on his cheek. "Considering the message… He clipped me with it to get my attention. That is, after he broke into my office in the middle of the day."
"He is a thief." She reminded him. "Otogi, I'd like you to meet Bill Weasly." She said, nodding to the redhead. "Bill, this is Yugi's business partner, Otogi Ryuji."
"Business partner?" Bill asked, holding out his hand.
The lanky Japanese man took it firmly. "Yes. Actually, I'm more his employee. I only own a fourth of the company. The rest is Yugi's."
"But when did he buy a company?" Bill asked, confusion and shock warring across his features.
"You mean Yugi didn't tell you?" Ishizu asked.
Otogi just smiled. "Not surprised. Yugioh is rather modest." His green eyes locked onto Bill's. "Yugi never bought Industrial Illusions. He defeated its previous owner to become the Yugioh. Then Pegasus gave his share of the company to him as a gift. A tribute if you will."
"I'm lost."
Otogi smiled. "I'm sure he'll fill you in later. Help me get these three into the jeep and we'll be on our way to Heathrow in no time." He glanced around at the three unconscious forms. "So, who's first?"
"Yugi." Ishizu said with no hesitation. "He has a wound in his side that does not need to be jostled. You'll need to place him in the safest place in the jeep."
Otogi looked at her then with respect and fear. "Is it life threatening?"
"It was at one time. But not anymore. The Shadows are healing it." Otogi suddenly looked very relieved.
Going over to the cot where the Game King slept, he carefully lifted him into his arms and carried him gently out of the tent, Ishizu and Bill close behind. The jeep he led the to was an old military jeep, with a bench seat in the front and an empty bed that was made into one large cot and carefully padded to make transporting the injured men easier and safer. With the tenderness of a mother hen, the dark haired man lowered Yugi into the center of the makeshift bed. Then he went back to get the others. The priestess watched him like a hawk as he carefully transported her charges out of the tent.
"Will there be room for them to lie down on the jet?" She asked as he lowered Sirius into the jeep.
"Yes." He grunted under the weight of the wizard. As soon as the escaped convict was in the bed, he turned to her. "When I left they were replacing some of the seats with beds for them. They should be done by the time we get back."
She nodded her approval. "Good. Marik will take care of your belongings." She said, turning to Bill. "So that leaves us free to go."
Otogi looked at her confused, then his gaze wandered over the desolated campsite and the setting sun beyond it. "Don't you need to perform funeral rites?"
The Egyptian shook her head. "No. Marik or Shadi can do that just as well as I. It is more important to get Yugi and the others somewhere safe."
"Okay then." He motioned for them to pile into the jeep.
From the time they left the encampment to the time they arrived at the jet, not a word was spoken between the three of them. Each was lost in his or her own thoughts, either unable or unwilling to speak to the others. Finally, when they were preparing to board the plane, Bill turned to Otogi. "How exactly are you connected to all this?" He asked. "You're not one of the priests that we saw, and you aren't a wizard, so just how is this any of your concern?"
Otogi's emerald eyes considered him for quite some time before the younger man sighed. "Truthfully, I don't have much to do with anything at all." He confided. "I know the rules of the shadow games, and I've played one or two of them, but really, I don't have any powers; I don't have an item and I'm not connected to Egypt in anyway. I'm just a bystander who was lucky enough to become Yugi's friend, and unlucky enough to find out what happens when the Shadows get out of control."
Bill regarded them man, his every instinct telling him to trust the lanky CEO, but his mind telling him how dangerous it would be to do so. "So what do you do?"
"What do I do?"
"When the world's about to end, and there's nothing you can do?"
Otogi's green eyes were warm with respect as he turned to look at the still form of the Game King. "I trust him." He said simply. "Yugi's a lot more powerful than he looks and he never loses. But his greatest weapon is his friends. We've watched him enough that we know he'd give his soul to save us, and he will. Sometimes all he needs is some one to cheer from the sideline and have faith in him. It's all we can do, and it's more than he would ever ask of us." His gaze shifted to rest on the Englishman once again. "You should really try trusting him a bit more. I promise he'll never let you down."
Akhu – light; being of light; divine spirit
Isis The Sphinx – I'm glad you enjoyed it. Bill's moment to shine! About Isis and Kalim, no, they aren't brother and sister. When Kalim called her sister, he was acknowledging that she was his equal, but still someone to be protected, kind of like a younger sister. It was also kind of like when the kings of different countries call each other brothers. They aren't related to each other, but they share the same responsibilities. Does that make any sense? Well, anyway, I'm glad you liked that chapter!
Kit – Hi! I'm glad you like it, and here's more. I'm not quite sure how long it's going to be. It will be several chapters, I know that much. I just finished writing chapter fourteen, and they've only just made it to Hogwarts in that chapter. All of my stories do tend to be fairly long.
Crazy Hyper Lady – Is it still getting better? I know this chapter was a little gushy, but I hope you like it as much as the others!
Gecko-grl-2 – Thanks! Keep enjoying it!
vanumi-victoria – Yay! Favorites! I'm so happy! I updated so fast because I felt so bad about making everyone wait so long. And here's another update, just for you guys!
KagomeGirl021 – I know what you mean. I have my own computer, but I don't have Internet access in my room. SO I have to wait until everyone is at work and then make a dive for the computer before my sister gets up…that or wait until she gets off around 2:30 in the morning. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I had a blast writing chapter 10. It's one of my favorites, although, the beginning of this one was rather fun to write too.
Rosekyo – I love it! I've gotten reviews from so many new people! I'm so stoked! And I hope this came out fast enough for you!
seithrkairy – Here it is, the next chapter! I'd love to tell you what happens next, but that would spoil the story. Only two people other than myself know what happens next, and not even the three of us are sure how it will end. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything… but it'll be that much better when you read it…right? Well, keep on enjoying it!