V.E.: Hello, I'm V.E. I remember it so you don't have to. Yes, I'm referencing the Nostalgia Critic, but come on the guy is god damn funny! Anyway, I promised that I would do this story next when I finished my last update. This is a hard nut to crack. Thankfully I got my weekend work done, so that's all open. Strange week in that it was only four days. The end of the semester, she's a coming. I already picked out four of my classes for next semester today.
But you guys really don't care about my college drama except when it affects my updates and stories. Well, I guess I'll go back to my fairytale after this and then my Star Wars flicks. I know I'm becoming lazy in Yugioh, but I think every author with stories in different fan fiction universes understand it's good to keep a variety.
Hopefully, I will able to finish this story eventually. Out of all the ones I have going now, this is this closest to getting done.
I've decided to throw away the disclaimer for this chapter and place a quote from the movie that was not used in this fic (or at least yet, still debating).
Rick: [after a mysterious wind blows up for the umpteenth time] That happens a lot around here.
Getting to a Tomb Keeper safe house in a relatively nearby small village wasn't a problem with magic dragon transport, though it did cause some concern after the monster disappeared and Mana almost fainted from depleted magic. No, the problem was what followed and Atem caught her and carried her ntil they were inside the modest dwelling. She couldn't look him in the face as the arrangements were made for doctors for the two older men on the expedition.
As soon as they were out of the room and the majority were no longer concerned with the immediate physical injuries of the grandfathers, the green eyed brunette could only look around at the sure fire tension around the room. Atem was resolutely not looking at her, over by Rebecca who was split between worry for Yugi and her grandfather. Mahad was the closest by her, who also seemed uncomfortable about this. Ishizu seemed to be having a looks only discussion with her brothers, seemingly taking using facial expressions.
Bakura kept flicking his knife out and back again, probably a way to keep his mind off the fact that his little brother was once again in the hands of a mad man. Seto Kaiba on the other hand, looked the most like how Mana was feeling, annoyed and looking ready to punch someone for answers.
Seated down, halfheartedly flipping through her sketchbook drawings and getting frustrated with it all, she finally stood up and spoke up.
"Alright, that's enough."
That got the attention of everyone, especially Ishizu and her brothers as Mana went on and caught Ishizu's gaze.
"I am tired of this crappy silent tension that is going on because there's nothing going on and getting settled. Well that's not going to cut, based on that conversation from earlier as there are a lot things going on I had no idea about."
Mahad was standing with his arms crossed and nodded, also turning his gaze in the direction of the Ishtars.
"Took the words right out of my mouth. Anything you three would like to tell us?"
The three siblings looked at each other, Marik and Odion nodding to Ishizu. The Egyptian woman sighed before seemingly agreeing, her eyes taking on a steel like quality.
"Back in the time of Atem's previous life, you all knew from Shadi that Mahad, Mana, and Atem were close friends. What Shadi didn't tell you is that the Pharaoh and Mana's life had become…involved before the king's early death. We just thought it wasn't important enough to mention as it really didn't relate to help defeat Zorc. The same goes with that other bit he said in that sentence."
Mahad did not look at all amused as Atem and Mana were still not looking at each other, but now contained more of a blush. He seemed to pushing off what happened that focused on him, for simple desire to get the other facts straight.
"I could gather that from our last encounter with our current risen undead psychopath. Anything else that we should probably know about?"
Ishizu surveyed the interested and somewhat demanding faces of her audience.
"Do you recall when Aknadin called Yugi's the pharaoh's light?"
Atem perked up out of his embarrassment, more sure of himself now that the talk had shifted from is crush to his little brother.
"Yeah. Does this have anything to do with how he's able to cause Shadow Creatures to be destroyed from his touch?"
She nodded to that.
"It's a rather obscure legend held in the Tomb Keepers' library, only members of the Ishtar family are allowed access to the area it's kept in. The recording details of some promise made by the Goddess Ma'at, who supposedly reincarnated you all to meet again and stop Zorc when the time came for him to rise again."
Rebecca drank all this in, but still had confusion in the green eyes behind her glasses.
"That's very generous of her, but what does this have to do with Yugi?"
Odion took up the conversation then.
"It is written that the High Priest Seto and Magican Mana, the only survivors of Zorc's war, were concerned about the Pharaoh being alone or starting out alone. Ma'at took their concerns and promised that the he would not be alone, that she would create a light to follow and protect him."
Atem's face twisted in confusions, but it slowly dawned on him.
"So wait, then Yugi is…supposed to protect me? That's the reason we're twins?"
Ishizu nodded grimly.
"Yes."
That had a very profound effect on the spiky haired great duelist. His little brother, the one he had always had to protect from bullies, who easily cried when they were little kids, was the one who had been protecting him. That the bond they had as twins was for his protection. It was practically mind blowing.
Mana also seemed to be connecting the dots as well.
"Not just that. Without Yugi, you can't summon monsters."
Bakura nodded, the only one aside from Kaiba who didn't look surprised about anything.
"That is a problem now, since it looks like that demon is probably going to get raised soon."
Rebecca shot an irate look at the white haired teen.
"Can't you offer something positive?"
The thief shrugged.
"Don't blame me for being realistic about the horror story that seems to have become our life."
Seto Kaiba rolled his eyes.
"This supernatural bullshit isn't really helping at all."
Atem shot a rather piercing glare at his rival.
"Kaiba…"
Mana spoke with a tired tone to Ishizu.
"Is there anything else we should be aware of?"
Marik raised a finger, looking a little sheepish.
"Umm, does the little fact that Aknadin was High Priest Seto's father count?"
That certainly brought a shock to the room, even Kaiba seemed to have a chink in his perfect poker face then. But the CEO regained his composure quickly as the scorn was evident in his eye and reply.
"Are you trying to tell me that the two of us are cousins?"
Marik replied weakly.
"Technically, in your past lives, yes. You also became pharaoh after his death."
Seto did not look impressed at all, as Atem was staring at him incredulously.
"I can't believe you think I'm that gullible enough to…."
Bakura pondered that.
"Actually, that does make sense considering how much you're focused on you two's rivalry."
The brunet duelist rolled his eyes at the thief.
"Not you too!"
Bakura simply shrugged.
"Ryou and I have always been open to supernatural phenomenons. After all the stuff I've heard, there's very little that can actually surprise me."
Seto bristled in repressed anger, his deck loosened from the puch that kept it by his side in place of his suitcase falling to the floor in disarray.
"Of all the ridiculous…."
Mana crouched down to the fallen cards that had fallen in her direction.
"I'll get your cards while you have your hissy fit."
Seto's glare was frightening, but she didn't noticed as she was picking up the cards.
"HISSY FIT?!"
Marik pondered with that a mock serious look.
"Well, you do sound kind of shrill."
Bakura gave as amused chuckle he shot Marik a tired look.
"You think this bad, you should hear him when he goes into his egotistical rants during duels. Now that is just plain annoying and repetitive."
Seto turned his anger on the duo then, forgetting about Mana for a while, and they almost cowered as they got the full force of it.
"Listen you little….!"
Mana was completely ignoring them for the moment, getting the deck back together and careful not to end the cars or give a small rip (even she knew how touchy duelists could be about their cards, especially Seto Kaiba). Collecting carefully, she picked up one of Seto Kaiba's infamous Blue Eyes White Dragons and admiredit for a mere moment.
Hard to believe such a beautiful thing really existed.
Then she stopped and just looked at, a nag growing in her mind like form before as she was flipping through her sketchbook. Focusing on the dragon made her realize how much she had seen the image, but there wasn't that much explanation for….
Suddenly, her mind flashed. From her own dream images, to the card, to her pictures, to the reading…
"The unknown power that is known…."
He went so far as to take the power upon the power of a sacred beast that protected one of the pharaoh's guardians.
The tablet with the Dragon facing the Dark Magician.
"You already know what it is."
"Anyway, I have to go on to the Millennium Stone's chamber and get ready to greet the guest of honor coming soon."
Kisara smiling as she peeked in over Mana's shoulder, at a drawing that looked a little bit like her with the silver white hair.
Mana stopped with the card in her hand, disbelief on her face.
"Oh my god."
Mahad looked at Mana like most of the room was aside from Kaiba who seemed to still be chewing out the terrible twosome.
"Mana?"
She sat right up, spilling the deck of card she had picked up back onto the floor, keeping only the Blue Eyes as she marched back over to where she was sitting. She flipped thoruhg the pages of her sketchbook with a fury like how she was talking.
"I can't believe it, right there the whole time, how could I have been so stupid!"
That got Kaiba off of Marik and Bakura as Mahad and Atem as they walked over to her. Atem finally spoke to his crush without feeling a little bit embarrassed after their encounter with Aknadin earlier.
"Mana, what are you talking about?"
The girl still flipped through the drawings as she talked.
"Mahad, do you remember that night in the library when you showed me that thing about the Eighth Key?"
The older brother nodded, not seeing where this was going.
"Yeah?"
"Well, it said that the power from the Eighth Key was needed for a sacrifice because of the great power that it possesses. Well, what if it wasn't a thing? It's a person."
Rebecca looked confused at that.
"A person?"
Mana raised a hand, asking to roll with it.
"I'll get to it. I kept on thinking that I'd gone through everything I knew and just now I realized that I forgot about the Blue Eyes."
Bakura shot a sardonic glare at Kaiba at that.
"Gee, I can hardly believe that considering how prominent it's displayed in everything Kaiba does."
Kaiba only turned a small glare on thief.
"Don't push it Bakura!"
"Well, we've seen the Blue Eyes White Dragon a lot and no real reason for it, and then I remembered in that book it said Aknadin taking the power of sacred beast I mena, if what I dreamed was right…"
Mahad's tone was pretty brisk with his sister.
"Mana, you're rambling. Get to the point."
Mana still flipped through the book as her voice became mush more solid.
"Anyone who knows Duel Monsters knows how powerful it is, but what if it was someone's Ka? Someone who was back in Ancient Egypt."
Odion took on the alarm as it slowly spread to his siblings.
"The girl recorded….."
Marik shok his head only slightly.
"We thought it was a coincidence, but now that you think about it, it makes sense that Pharaoh Seto would keep that scroll so closely guarded. If it was to protect…."
Ishizu nodded.
"True. The Blue Eyes White Dragon was the former priest's most faithful and powerful servant. If that power could be harnessed, it would be enough to resurrect Zorc the Dark One."
Though they didn't notice, Seto was taking a strange amount of interest in this conversation as Atem spoke on.
"But we have no clue where to look for this person."
Mana shook her head warily, her voice deceptively calm.
"We don't have to. Besides, she's probably already with Aknadin if he's planned ahead as much I think he has."
Mahad was the one to ask the question on a lot of their minds.
"Mana, do you know who this girl is?"
"You do too. Remember what we also talked about that night, the one thing I didn't regret about moving in with you for?"
"Again, yeah."
The pages finally stopped flipping furiously as Mana stopped and turned around for everyone to see the picture.
"Remind you of anyone?"
Everyone was stunned with shock as they saw the picture depicted. The sketch was of the Blue Eyes White Dragon (though with less color as it was in progress) next to a young woman dressed in a shabby brown sack of a dress, but was colored in beautifully pale with moon beam like hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to match the color of the dragon.
Seto Kaiba's shocked and speechless face was priceless beyond all words.
Mahad looked not too far behind.
"Oh my…..Kisara."
Seto Kaiba turned, still shocked turned from brother to sister.
"You know her?"
Mana nodded grimly.
"She's my best friend."
That got Kaiba to think as his face morphed back to reality and he pulled out his phone and dialed. Everyone looked at him at the change in mood for him as someone as he talked.
"Mokuba, it's me. Yes I know I'm…Okay, I should have called earlier, but there was stuff going on. Anyway, I need the big jet."
That seemed to provoke a furious refusal and talk from his little brother on the other side which prompted Kaiba on.
"Look, I'm not asking for Kaiba Corp's stocks, just the jet. Please Mokuba, this is important."
His brother gave a reply to which Seto Kaiba almost seemed to smile.
"Thanks Mokuba. Talk to you soon."
With that, the phone was switched off, Atem asked the question of most of their minds about the CEO.
"What was that all about?"
"If I am really going and crazy and giving into this magic nonsense, might as well go out with a bang. Can't use those bracelet summon things for everything."
V.E.: Well, I think I'm down to at least less than ten chapters left for this fan fiction. Again that might change, but this is my closest story to being done at the moment. Then I think I'll take a break from vaseshipping for a while. This story has given me more trouble than BEC.
Please review, next time you see me in this section will be the next chapter in Princess of Egpyt.
