Ancient Magics
By Silverdust
Chap 9. Messenger
***
Sekhmet stared up at the ceiling. Yeah, Ra, any day now. Great, the minute I need guidance he abandons me. The world is doomed. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in the pillow. Too many worries, too many responsibilities, she was growing old before her age.
Someone knocked on her door. "Go away! I'm wallowing in my self pity, I'll get back to you later."
"Sekhmet!" cried Seto's muffled voice. "Can't you get out here for awhile! Mokuba is driving me crazy and I've got to complete five shipping orders today and go to a meeting!"
"It's friggin Saturday! Cancel!"
"I can't!"
"I have to wait for a divine message! What's more important, your company or the survival of the human race?!"
She heard muttered cursing and then Seto calling. "Mokuba, you're coming with me. Now remember, don't play with the computer, no LaRosa's at the office, don't stay on the cable to long and no prank calls to India, China, Timbuktu or wherever!"
Minutes later she heard a car pull out of the driveway, and then everything was abnormally silent. She sighed into the pillow. Where was Kiiraa? She had brought the cat for a reminder of her old life, and now even she was gone.
"Is the whole world out to make me miserable!!!!!" she screamed to no one in general, listening to the echoes through the house.
She fell back onto the pillow. Come on Ra I need anything! Anything at all! A message, a dream, a friggin sentence in alphabet soup!
Ring!
A telephone call? Whatever works…
Ring!
She picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Hey Sekhmet."
"Ryou?"
"No his spirit. Call me Bakura."
"Oh hey."
"So what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"Me and Malik are going out on the town. You want to go along?"
"Okay!" What, it's not like she was going to wait forever for a sign. Maybe she would get one when she least expected it.
"Cool. We'll pick you up at Kaiba's, 'kay?"
"Right. See you then."
"Bye."
He hung up. Sekhmet leaped off the bed and went to get dressed. She slipped on a black skirt and red tank-top, tying a black bandana over her loose hair. She threw on a black jean jacket and fastened a silver chain belt on the skirt, letting it hang from an angle. She put on her earrings and bangles, then stood back from the mirror to see the effect. Okay, it as a little to foxy for her style, but what the heck? Mai wore this kind of thing all the time. She ran down the stairs to wait.
***
The roar of the engine was deafening as the trio sped down the highway. The dust choked Sekhmet's lungs and the wind whipped her hair onto her face with stinging accuracy, but she didn't care. Now was one of the few times she could forget herself, totally.
"WHERE ARE WE GOING?!?!" she shouted to Malik, straining to be heard over the wind and machinery.
"THE AMUSEMENT PARK!" the Egyptian answered. "WE'LL HAVE A BIT OF FUN!"
"LIKE WHAT?!?! STEALING CANDY?!"
"MAYBE!"
She grinned. You could never get a straight answer with these two, possibly because they didn't often consider what the plans were. Just taking life as it came. Not that it mattered, it was always fun around them.
***
PING!
For some reason, Bakura found great enjoyment shooting the wooden ducks, even if it wasn't with a real gun. So far they had visited this booth three times, each time walking away with a prize. Right now, there was a giraffe, a puppy, and a giant-sized penguin. Sekhmet and Malik had no idea how they would get these on a motorcycle, and Bakura was just obsessed with denting the ducks.
The last duck fell, eventually, and the prize man gave them one of those monkey dolls with the Velcro fasteners on the hands and feet so you could hang it around your neck. He threw it toward Sekhmet who made the catch, which is hard considering she had a slushy in one hand and was holding the giraffe in the other. But she made it anyways, and then put Mr. Munky-Munk around her neck.
"So where now?" asked Malik's muffled voice from behind the penguin.
"We haven't gone on the roller coaster," Bakura pointed out, grinning devilishly.
Sekhmet choked on the slushy. "No, no, no, no, no, and no!"
"Why not?"
"If I can't handle dimensional transportation portals I sure as hell can't handle a roller coaster."
"Aw, come on! It's nothing I swear!"
Sekhmet looked at him skeptically. "Cross your heart hope to die?"
Bakura nodded and smiled, looking muck like his Hikari. A small golden halo appeared over his head.
"Fine," she sighed, giving in to the kawaii-ness.
***
Fifteen minutes and five barf-bags later…
Sekhmet was currently beating Bakura to death with the giant penguin while Malik was ordering the Hot Dogs.
"'It's nothing I swear' he said, 'Cross my heart and hope to die' he said," Sekhmet fumed, giving a good measured whack with the penguin for each word. "Tell that to my stomach!"
"Sorry, Ra, I said sorry already quit it!" yelled Bakura, shielding himself with his arms.
"Guys, you're making a scene," said Malik, bringing over the food. "Quit it and eat something."
"I second that idea," said Bakura, grabbing a hot dog and scooting as far away from the furious demi-goddess as possible.
"No thanks," said Sekhmet, glaring viciously at Bakura. "I don't think I'll even want to see food again after that accursed ride."
"More for me then," said Malik, eyeing the untouched hot dog greedily.
"Pig, you haven't even started you're first one."
"If you've had to live on Isis's cooking, you'll learn you have to eat what you can when you're out."
"Malik! That's a mean thing to say to your sister!"
"The truth hurts."
"Aye! Bakas."
***
"Oh! Dippin' Dots! Let's get some!"
"You just said you never wanted to see food again!"
"I was trying to get Bakura to feel bad, give me five bucks!"
Malik sighed as he forked over five bucks and Sekhmet ran over to the ice cream vendor. "She doesn't act much like a goddess."
"Tell me about it," said Bakura, still a little traumatized about his near death experience by Mr. Chilly. "Death by giant stuffed penguin, take a goddess to think up that one."
"Not with you, you're the kind of person that someone would want to kill with the nearest thing possible."
"That made no sense."
"Hi I'm back," Sekhmet greeted skipping back.
"Oh the horror."
"Shut up or it'll be death by a spork."
"What the hell is a spork?"
"You know those little things that are a sort of a mix between a fork and a spoon."
"The ones they give in KFC to eat the mash potatoes with?"
"Yeah."
"Count on you to relate it with food."
"Hey!"
"Who wants to go to the House of Mirrors?" asked Malik after studying the map.
"Cool," said Sekhmet, peering over his shoulder.
"Oh no!" said Bakura. "I always get friggin lost in those damn things."
"Hey, you dragged me onto a ride that I didn't want to go on and now it's your turn! I want my revenge."
"Revenge? Oh brother."
So with that Sekhmet dragged off Bakura while Malik followed behind, a couple of feet behind. Hey, just deny you know the wierdos.
***
Bakura soon forgot his phobia of the mirror house. It was actually quite fun, once you got used to it.
"Hey Malik! This one makes your head big!"
"Like it isn't big enough already."
"Hey, it's just my hair."
"Right, and your ego."
"Sekhmet! I didn't ask for your opinion!"
"Remember guys, I'm on a higher plane of existence than you pitiful spirits and mortals."
"And I have a big ego?!"
"Oh, come on. I was just doing an impression on Horus!"
"Right Ms. High and Mighty."
Sekhmet pushed Malik lightly. Yeah, this was so much better than being stuck at home waiting for a sign. A sign? A dark cloud of responsibilities hovered over, raining on her good mood. What if the sign had come when she had left? Kiiraa was right, if she had any hope of winning, she would have to start getting serious.
She snapped back to reality when her eyes caught a glimmer of light. She looked up and found nothing. "Malik? Bakura?"
She must have wandered off when she was thinking. She looked around. She had moved deeper into the maze, away from the light Shadows played around her, making ghosts upon the mirrors, which, unlike he others, were not distorted. Only showed the true image. Ra, this place was creepy.
Sekhmet turned. Maybe if she retraced her steps, but where was she. The mirrors were confusing her. Bakura was right, it was easy to get lost. And for some reason, she felt she wasn't alone. "Hello? Malik, is that you?"
No answer. She shuddered. Something was not right, was it her, or were the mirrors glowing. No, it was a reflection of one of the mirrors. But which one?
Closing her eyes she tried to focus on the air around her. A change in the atmosphere, energy pattern, magical force. Any which one of those would reveal to her what was going on, if only she could focus. Taking a deep breath, she let everything go except that searching power.
Then, there! An aura of mystical energy so powerful it hurt her mind just thinking about it. Right behind her. Her eyes snapped open and she whirled around, the magic around her hands crackling with anticipation.
Familiar golden eyes stared at her through the shadows. Her silver eyes widened in surprise and recognition, and all her defenses fell away. Tears pricked, threatening to fall there and then.
"Anubis!"
***
SilverD: Okay, Malik and Bakura were so OOC! Sorry! It's been awhile I know. My writing hasn't been flowing that easy right now. Thanks for all the nice reviews *sniff* all the love! Okay, now I'm over reacting. Comments, suggestions, pairings? I'll even let you send in characters if you want, I think I might need some for the journey through the Shadow Realm. Tell me if you think I should and I'll put up a sign-up sheet. Till next time!