I am owning of nothing, especially not Yu-Gi-Oh nor the universe created for it…

Kaiba POV. I'm drawing on the Shadi storyarc from the original manga for inspiration on this one, hence Shadi is in legitimate possession of the Scales. Everyone's favorite Egyptian is a little chattier in this chapter than usual, but I don't think everyone's favorite villain would have let him get away with his usual taciturnity.

~~~~~***ygo***~~~~~

Chapter 12: In Which: The Freaky Egyptian Levels with Us…Mostly. Maybe. We Think.

The Egyptian… what had Tristan called him? Shadi? sat on the far side of the room, staring at us. Well, at me, mostly, though he occasionally spared a glance for the muscle. What can I say? Tristan may be skinny, but he's got a talent for hulking. Wish I could do that. He had Shadi nervous by just standing there. I know I felt protected. Of course, he'd just saved my life for the second time in less than twelve hours. Maybe I should put him on retainer.

"Now," Tristan said. "Shadi. Talk."

The white-robed man shot him a glare. "Very well. It started three weeks ago.

"The business of my order is sacred, and I will not speak of it. Nevertheless, know that I use many mystic items in the pursuit of my goals. Among them is the Millennium Key, with which you are now familiar." He gestured towards his chest, where the Ankh hung. Tristan leaned forward menacingly, and Shadi held out his hands, placating.

"One item with which you are not familiar, but your Chosen One is, is the Millennium Scales. This." He looked for permission to Tristan, then reached slowly into his robes and withdrew a pair of scales, golden, and with elaborate designs etched into it. The eye-of-Horus-type thing glinted from the central balance. I suppressed a shudder. It looked like Pegasus' Eye. And like the decoration on Yugi's pendant, now that I thought about it… Yugi? Really? I filed the thought away for later study.

"Three weeks ago, the Millennium Scales tipped."

"Aren't they supposed to do that?" I asked, smarminess masking my uncertainty.

The mystic glared at me. "Not without a weight, no. Look at them now." He placed the item on the table before him with a slight, open handed flourish. The dishes were clearly empty, but the arms were tipped significantly. "The angle gets worse as each day passes," Shadi intoned. "Something has occurred which should not have come to pass. I have followed the pull of my Millennium Items here, to you, Seto Kaiba. You are the one who has done this thing. And you are the only one who can undo it."

I put all the derision I could into my snort. "Oh? And why should I want to help you?" When you want information, you don't go asking for it. You challenge them to give it to you.

He frowned. "Because destiny is out of balance. The world hangs by a thread." He twanged one of the slim metal wires holding the leftmost dish. "If things are not placed back on their right path, then all the world will be in jeopardy."

"And? What's in it for me?"

"Kaiba!" Tristan protested. Right, he was a Yugi-crony. Altruistic as hell, the whole lot of 'em. Explains why they keep saving me, anyway. The thought made me inexplicably irritated.

"All I'm hearing right now is a lot of nonsense. And this guy still hasn't said why he chose me. Likely he's just a fraud who saw how he could make a quick buck." I knew the type well. Scare 'em, then pass the collection plate. Crazy whackos, the lot of them. The only way to deal with his type was to be firm, open the door, and if they don't leave on their own, give 'em a taste of the boot.

Shadi glared. "Do you need me to take another trip inside your head, Seto Kaiba?" he threatened. "Perhaps then you will see the truth."

Tristan lurched forward and I, much to my chagrin, shrank back. A little. That wacky dream… hadn't been explained yet. For one thing, I still had that weird rod in my hand. I'd had crazy dreams before, but never one where I came back with souvenirs.

"Alright," I admitted, grudgingly. "The smoke and mirrors were impressive. So I'll let you make your pitch. Explain."

Tristan rolled his eyes, exasperation writ clearly on his face. Shadi was more composed.

"The Millennium Scales weigh many things. Primarily, they judge a soul's heart and actions, but there are other, more arcane uses. One of which is to keep the measure of the balance of reality. Three weeks ago, you did something that disrupted the stability of fate. Something that you have not yet corrected. Without this correction, destiny will continue its inexorable slide." He indicated the Scales in front of him. "If the dish drops so low as to touch the ground, it will spark cataclysmic events, such as the world has not witnessed since the sealing of the Dark Powers five millennia ago. The world today has no magic with which to stop such an apocalypse." His eyes were intense, boring into mine. "No living person would survive. And you, Seto Kaiba, and the people you are close to, would be the first to perish."

He still hadn't answered my question. "Why me?"

"What happened three weeks ago?" he demanded. "What event caused the balance of reality to shift like this?"

Tristan had paled. "Joey," he muttered, then repeated himself, louder. "Joey died."

Shadi glared at me. "Who is this Joey?"

I shrugged carelessly, all of my defenses shooting up instantly. "A kid who saved my life." Tristan glared, and I relented, a little. "He's a duelist. He pulled me out of my limo when it was on fire, then took the bullet that was meant for me. He died because of it."

"When?"

I knew what he was after. "You think it was Joey's death that set your little toy off?"

Shadi menaced me with his Key, and I knew better than to mock him again. I decided that I would accept his account of things, for the moment and provisionally, and take him at his word. At least until he got the freak-stick away from me. I tapped the rod by my side, oddly comforted by its presence.

"It is the explanation that makes the most sense. Only something so drastic as an untimely death could set the Scales tipping so severely." His eyes riveted on the rod in my hand. "And only in the presence of an Ancient One could such a death occur."

"Huh?" Okay, that threw me for a loop. Ancient One? I wasn't even out of high school yet.

Shadi closed his eyes meditatively. "You will have to take it on trust; my bloodline has not had access to the historical tablets for several millennia. But you are the reincarnation of an Ancient Priest who had charge of one of the original Millennium Items. The Millennium Rod, in point of fact."

"Right. And my mother was the Queen of Sheba."

"Your aunt, actually," he replied, straight faced. "Several facts point to this. You were able to enter your Soul Room – and bring your friend along – at the time that I was exploring it. Only the Chosen One has ever been able to do this, and his spirit is as ancient as yours. Point two. You were able to work magic, to use your cards to open a door into my Soul Room. Point three. You forged yourself a Millennium Rod, straight from the buried memories of your own soul." He held up a hand to forestall my argument. "Examine the rod you still carry and tell me it is not so."

For the first time, I held up the rod that had saved my life and looked at it, really looked at it. About eighteen inches long, gold – though I would bet there was some stronger alloy in it, since it had held the weight of two grown men without bending. And topped with a really gaudy pair of wings and that familiar, creepy-looking eye. I recoiled.

Shadi nodded. "It is not the actual Rod, of course, but a likely facsimile all the same. And enough to point to your birthright. With leads to point four. The entire floor in that chamber ought to have crumbled. One tablet, bearing one monster, remained solid. And from that one tablet, you were able to call forth – in the ancient manner, no less – the creature associated with that same ancient priest. The Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"Blue Eyes has always been my favorite monster," I defended, grumpily.

"Another clue pointing to your past."

It had been a dream. It had to have been a dream. Because if it hadn't been a dream… But how the hell did this freak know those sorts of details? Unless he really was there…

Too much to process right now. Facts.

"So you're saying that Joey's death is going to destroy the universe. And that that 'error' has to be corrected. By me." Scorn loaded my voice. "Do I look like Jesus Christ to you? Resurrection of the dead is a little beyond me." I'd have brought him back three weeks ago if I could.

Shadi shook his head. "You will be required, yes. But the spell will be a complex one. The magic of this time is diluted. Great power will have to be concentrated to perform the ritual."

"From where?" I demanded. Shadi glared.

"That is my concern. In the meantime, I suggest you make yourself useful."

I saw Tristan wince. My hackles rose instantly. "Useful?"

Shadi was standing by now, paused in the doorway. "I have been seeking you for three weeks, Seto Kaiba. I followed the pull of my Millennium Items here to Domino City, but once here, I found that my ability to sense you was being interfered with. I sought the source of that interference, another who bears an Item."

Tristan nodded. "Yugi."

The Egyptian didn't spare him a glance. "Not the Chosen One, no. A white-haired boy."

"Bakura?" Tristan's voice had an edge to it. Not used to being ignored? Not that he got much attention anyway, with Yugi and Joey always in the spotlight. You'd think he'd be used to it by now.

"That is his name, I believe, yes. Ryu Bakura. He was a singularly pleasant young man. He used his Ring to point me in the correct direction."

"And you're telling me this why?" I glowered.

Shadi spoke to me over his shoulder. "Because while I was in his apartment, I saw a laptop computer on the desk. One with the initials 'SK' above a stylized 'KC.' He did not seem to know how it came to be there."

If he said anything else, I'm afraid I missed it. I was too busy charging headfirst towards the garage.