Marik gasped and everyone's eyes widened.
"You have seen me?!" Marik cried, starting to feel uneasy. This was the second person who had recognized him—or his name—today, and he wondered if that was good or bad. Though his memories had been restored, he of course didn't remember every single thing he had done throughout the years, and some things were still veiled in shadow to him.
"It had to have been you!" Reilly said firmly.
Now over the initial shock, Marik stood tall, his eyes narrowed. "Well, for the love of Heaven, where on earth have you seen me before?!" he burst out.
Reilly also stood tall. "It was last week," he said, "during one of the robberies. I was looking out my window on the second floor, and I saw someone standing silhouetted in the shadows right outside the door below, and then he turned and looked up at me. It was you!!" he cried.
"WHAT?!" Marik exclaimed in disbelief.
"That is impossible," Yami Yugi said, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I know," Reilly said, nodding impatiently. "Your friend isn't a thief."
"Not only that," Tea broke in, "but Marik was with us on a cruise last week!"
"And hundreds of people can attest to that," Seto added.
Reilly backed up, blinking at this. "I am truly sorry," he apologized to Marik. "But the resemblance between you and the boy I saw is striking."
Rishid stepped up next to his adopted brother and laid his hand on Marik's shoulder. "He is not the one you seek," he said firmly.
"I can see that now," Reilly admitted sheepishly. "This boy looks much kinder than the one who was looking up at me."
Tristan gave Marik a sideways glance. "Man, if you've got a double running around, it could mean really big trouble—especially for you."
"You certainly are encouraging, Tristan," Bakura remarked.
Marik sighed and shook his head. "Tristan is right," he said, turning to look back at Reilly. "Tell me, what was stolen that night?" he asked.
The man rubbed at his temples as if he had a bad headache. "Several Ming vases," he replied.
"Someone braved all the security and alarms just to steal some vases?!" Joey exclaimed in disbelief.
"Not just any vases," Reilly scolded. "These were priceless artifacts from China!"
Joey blinked and shrugged, still not understanding how a vase could be so important. "Can I ask a question?" he said now.
"Certainly," Reilly replied, looking confused.
"If you were watching from your window while this robbery was going on, why the heck didn't you try to stop it?" Joey asked.
Everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief.
"It's alright," Reilly sighed, shaking his head. "I would have, except I found myself locked in my office. Most likely the work of the burglars themselves."
"How terrible!" Bakura exclaimed. "Do the police have any leads at all on who is behind this?"
"None so far," Reilly replied, "but I'd better call the police and make sure to tell them that the burglar I saw has a double who is innocent. Hopefully, then you won't get arrested by accident," he said to Marik.
"Hopefully," Marik grunted.
Ishizu stepped forward. "I have been told that most of the stolen artifacts are from ancient Egypt," she said smoothly.
"That is true," Reilly nodded.
"I work for the Egyptian Historical Society," Ishizu said now, "and I may be able to help you solve this mystery."
Yugi nodded. "We've all been solving mysteries lately," he admitted, "and we'd all be happy to help." He paused. "We won't be in San Francisco long, but while we're here, we could sure do what we can to catch the burglars!"
Reilly sighed, then smiled weakly. "I could use all the help I can get," he said.
"Then it's agreed," Yami Yugi smiled in return.
"Hey," Joey grinned, "with the way things go, we'll probably have things wrapped up in a couple of days!"
"We can hope," Mai said cynically.
****
Once the group was outside the museum, they continued to discuss this latest case.
"Man, why the heck are there so many Egyptian artifacts being stolen?!" Joey cried in disbelief. "It seems like lately we've been chasin' after all kinds of priests' purloined staffs and stuff like that!"
Yugi chuckled, but then became serious. "Back on the ship, Shadi told me that there've been thefts like that all over the world—not just in Egypt, and certainly not just here in San Francisco." He paused, unsure of exactly how much he could reveal. "He's afraid that there's another great evil about to be unleashed on the world," the boy said at last. "It started way back in January when Seth returned from the Shadow Realm, and Shadi thinks that it's been continuing on since then."
"Seth isn't gonna come back again, is he?!" Mokuba cried in horror, his gray eyes wide.
"Not if I can help it, kid," Seto replied comfortingly, pulling him close. Seth was the last person he wanted to meet up with right now—or any time, for that matter.
Yami Yugi shook his head. "I wish I could remember the man who took the staff," he remarked.
"Maybe it really was the dude the staff belonged to," Tristan suggested.
"Yeah," Joey said, "that Khu character, or whatever his name is."
From somewhere inside the Millennium Ring, Yami Bakura growled as unwelcome memories came back to him.
Yami Yugi smiled wryly. "I'm certain it was him," he said. "Somewhere in the back of my mind, I have a vague remembrance of someone named Khu, but I just can't place who he was."
Mai sighed, looking weary. "Well, you guys can keep your mysteries," she declared. "I think I'll go shopping."
"Hey, be our guest," Joey replied. "But be sure to tell us if somethin' strange happens!"
Mai groaned. "It'd better not," she said. "Enough strange things have happened to last me a good while." And with that, she wandered off to find the nearest shopping district.
Joey blinked as he watched her go. "Maybe we should all split up," he suggested, "and see if we can find anything out of the ordinary."
Seto grunted. "I doubt that, Wheeler," he said, but he still agreed to help look. As expected, nothing (or no one) unusual was found, and so the groups soon prepared to return to the ship, confused and befuddled.
Of course, no one was more confused than Marik.
"Why is all of this happening?!" he cried. "I do not know why everyone seems to know me today!"
Ishizu laid a hand on his shoulder. "We will find out who your double is," she assured him.
"It's not just that," Marik replied. "Why on earth would someone tell Mako that I could help him?!" he exclaimed, perplexed.
"That is strange," Ishizu said slowly, but then she smiled. "Perhaps, Marik, you truly can help," she told him now.
Marik lapsed into silence, knowing that he would need to speak with Mako again once they were all back at the ship. As he mulled over things in his mind, he suddenly remembered the uneasy way Ishizu had looked earlier when they were talking about the burglaries. "What is going on, you two?" he asked suddenly, looking up at his sister and brother. "I know you have some sort of suspicions about the robberies."
Again the two older Egyptians exchanged a look, and then Rishid turned to look at Marik. "Marik," he said slowly, "have you heard anything from your Yami lately?"
Marik blinked. "My Yami?" he repeated, shuddering. The last time he had seen his Yami was back in January, when they had fought for the Millennium Rod in a flaming warehouse. Marik had appeared to have perished in the fire, and as a result, Yami Marik had been sealed in the Rod. Or so they all thought. He hadn't bothered to try connecting with Marik through their mental bond since then, and Marik was perfectly alright with that. Still . . . since Marik wasn't dead and Yami Marik wasn't locked in the Rod anymore, it seemed odd that the ancient spirit hadn't tried to cause more trouble. "No, I haven't," he said at last. "But Rishid, what are you saying? My Yami wouldn't be interested in stealing Ming vases!"
"You are right, brother," Rishid agreed, still looking worried.
"But what if there is something more serious and important than vases being stolen?" Ishizu suggested quietly. "Brother, I know you don't want to think of doing this, but when we are back onboard the ship, perhaps you had best see if you can find your Yami."
Marik looked down, the thought obviously unappealing to him. But still . . . if his Yami was loose and causing trouble, it was very important for them to know. "Alright," he said at last. "I will do it."
At that moment, a cold, unfriendly voice called out to them. "Hey you!"
The trio turned to look. A grizzled man was leaning against the side of a building, watching them like a hawk.
"What do you want?!" Marik demanded.
The man grinned nastily. "I know we ain't supposed to talk in public, but I wanted to make sure you remembered our appointment tonight."
Marik's eyes narrowed. "I have never seen you before," he declared. "The person you want to speak with must be the double I have who is roaming through the city."
"You ain't got no double," the man retorted. "Just be sure to show up." Before Marik or the others could say anything more, he had vanished down a nearby alley.
"Come back here!!" Marik fumed, but it was no use.
"I do not like the looks of this," Ishizu said quietly. "We must move quickly to determine the true culprits behind this plot."
Rishid, immensely worried about the boy's safety, agreed.
****
Yugi, his Yami, and Bakura, meanwhile, were also on their way back to the ship, where they had planned beforehand to meet the others.
"It looks like a fog's coming in," Yugi remarked, trying to see through the thickening clouds of mist in his way.
"San Francisco is known for its fogs," Bakura remarked, glancing around. "I believe the docks are over that way," he said, pointing ahead.
Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and Yami Bakura appeared, looking ruffled. "You idiot," he muttered. "The docks are over this way." He gestured toward the right, and the others turned to see.
"That doesn't sound correct," Yami Yugi said, narrowing his eyes.
Yugi blinked worriedly. "Uh oh," he said now. "I think we might be lost!"
Yami Bakura growled something in Egyptian and then pulled out the Millennium Ring. "If you imbeciles truly are lost, the Ring can point you in the proper direction," he declared. The Ring's spindles glowed brightly, pointing to the left.
"Well," Bakura chuckled, "it appears that we were all wrong."
Yami Bakura growled and muttered something under his breath before gesturing to the others to follow him.
****
"Kaiba," Tea exclaimed, "I think someone's been following us!"
Seto grunted. He had reached the same conclusion several blocks ago. "Just don't let on that you see him," he cautioned.
Mokuba glanced back to look at the man curiously. He had dark hair and long bangs and in some odd way seemed to resemble Seto. The young boy quickly looked away again, his heart pounding. Could that be Seth, only with black, longer hair? "Seto!" Mokuba whispered urgently. "I think we're in big trouble!"
Seto glanced back himself and found, to his irritation, that the man had vanished.
"Was it Seth, big brother?" Mokuba cried in horror.
Tea gasped, alarmed by that thought.
Seto paused, mulling that over in his mind. "I don't know, kid," he said at last. "But if it was him, he must've had some kind of a makeover," he added wryly.
****
"Man, this case is freaky!" Joey cried as he, Tristan, and Mako wandered past an aquarium housing two enormous whales.
"Aren't they always?" Tristan retorted as they tried to weave their way past a huge crowd that was gathering.
"How many have you solved now?" Mako asked distractedly, his mind on the whales—and on entirely something else as well.
Joey was about to reply when he felt himself being heaved up and thrown headfirst into the aquarium! He splashed about in a daze, yelling for someone to get him out. Before long Mako heard the other boy's pleas and dived into the water to rescue him.
When they were both on dry land again, Mako and Tristan both gave Joey reproving looks.
"Man, Joey, what were you thinking?!" Tristan cried.
"You should not have leaned so far over the edge," Mako added.
"What?!" Joey burst out, wringing his shirt. "That was no accident!"
"What do you mean?" Mako asked suspiciously.
"I was pushed!!" Joey sputtered. "Someone pushed me in!!"
"You have seen me?!" Marik cried, starting to feel uneasy. This was the second person who had recognized him—or his name—today, and he wondered if that was good or bad. Though his memories had been restored, he of course didn't remember every single thing he had done throughout the years, and some things were still veiled in shadow to him.
"It had to have been you!" Reilly said firmly.
Now over the initial shock, Marik stood tall, his eyes narrowed. "Well, for the love of Heaven, where on earth have you seen me before?!" he burst out.
Reilly also stood tall. "It was last week," he said, "during one of the robberies. I was looking out my window on the second floor, and I saw someone standing silhouetted in the shadows right outside the door below, and then he turned and looked up at me. It was you!!" he cried.
"WHAT?!" Marik exclaimed in disbelief.
"That is impossible," Yami Yugi said, narrowing his eyes.
"Yes, yes, I know," Reilly said, nodding impatiently. "Your friend isn't a thief."
"Not only that," Tea broke in, "but Marik was with us on a cruise last week!"
"And hundreds of people can attest to that," Seto added.
Reilly backed up, blinking at this. "I am truly sorry," he apologized to Marik. "But the resemblance between you and the boy I saw is striking."
Rishid stepped up next to his adopted brother and laid his hand on Marik's shoulder. "He is not the one you seek," he said firmly.
"I can see that now," Reilly admitted sheepishly. "This boy looks much kinder than the one who was looking up at me."
Tristan gave Marik a sideways glance. "Man, if you've got a double running around, it could mean really big trouble—especially for you."
"You certainly are encouraging, Tristan," Bakura remarked.
Marik sighed and shook his head. "Tristan is right," he said, turning to look back at Reilly. "Tell me, what was stolen that night?" he asked.
The man rubbed at his temples as if he had a bad headache. "Several Ming vases," he replied.
"Someone braved all the security and alarms just to steal some vases?!" Joey exclaimed in disbelief.
"Not just any vases," Reilly scolded. "These were priceless artifacts from China!"
Joey blinked and shrugged, still not understanding how a vase could be so important. "Can I ask a question?" he said now.
"Certainly," Reilly replied, looking confused.
"If you were watching from your window while this robbery was going on, why the heck didn't you try to stop it?" Joey asked.
Everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief.
"It's alright," Reilly sighed, shaking his head. "I would have, except I found myself locked in my office. Most likely the work of the burglars themselves."
"How terrible!" Bakura exclaimed. "Do the police have any leads at all on who is behind this?"
"None so far," Reilly replied, "but I'd better call the police and make sure to tell them that the burglar I saw has a double who is innocent. Hopefully, then you won't get arrested by accident," he said to Marik.
"Hopefully," Marik grunted.
Ishizu stepped forward. "I have been told that most of the stolen artifacts are from ancient Egypt," she said smoothly.
"That is true," Reilly nodded.
"I work for the Egyptian Historical Society," Ishizu said now, "and I may be able to help you solve this mystery."
Yugi nodded. "We've all been solving mysteries lately," he admitted, "and we'd all be happy to help." He paused. "We won't be in San Francisco long, but while we're here, we could sure do what we can to catch the burglars!"
Reilly sighed, then smiled weakly. "I could use all the help I can get," he said.
"Then it's agreed," Yami Yugi smiled in return.
"Hey," Joey grinned, "with the way things go, we'll probably have things wrapped up in a couple of days!"
"We can hope," Mai said cynically.
****
Once the group was outside the museum, they continued to discuss this latest case.
"Man, why the heck are there so many Egyptian artifacts being stolen?!" Joey cried in disbelief. "It seems like lately we've been chasin' after all kinds of priests' purloined staffs and stuff like that!"
Yugi chuckled, but then became serious. "Back on the ship, Shadi told me that there've been thefts like that all over the world—not just in Egypt, and certainly not just here in San Francisco." He paused, unsure of exactly how much he could reveal. "He's afraid that there's another great evil about to be unleashed on the world," the boy said at last. "It started way back in January when Seth returned from the Shadow Realm, and Shadi thinks that it's been continuing on since then."
"Seth isn't gonna come back again, is he?!" Mokuba cried in horror, his gray eyes wide.
"Not if I can help it, kid," Seto replied comfortingly, pulling him close. Seth was the last person he wanted to meet up with right now—or any time, for that matter.
Yami Yugi shook his head. "I wish I could remember the man who took the staff," he remarked.
"Maybe it really was the dude the staff belonged to," Tristan suggested.
"Yeah," Joey said, "that Khu character, or whatever his name is."
From somewhere inside the Millennium Ring, Yami Bakura growled as unwelcome memories came back to him.
Yami Yugi smiled wryly. "I'm certain it was him," he said. "Somewhere in the back of my mind, I have a vague remembrance of someone named Khu, but I just can't place who he was."
Mai sighed, looking weary. "Well, you guys can keep your mysteries," she declared. "I think I'll go shopping."
"Hey, be our guest," Joey replied. "But be sure to tell us if somethin' strange happens!"
Mai groaned. "It'd better not," she said. "Enough strange things have happened to last me a good while." And with that, she wandered off to find the nearest shopping district.
Joey blinked as he watched her go. "Maybe we should all split up," he suggested, "and see if we can find anything out of the ordinary."
Seto grunted. "I doubt that, Wheeler," he said, but he still agreed to help look. As expected, nothing (or no one) unusual was found, and so the groups soon prepared to return to the ship, confused and befuddled.
Of course, no one was more confused than Marik.
"Why is all of this happening?!" he cried. "I do not know why everyone seems to know me today!"
Ishizu laid a hand on his shoulder. "We will find out who your double is," she assured him.
"It's not just that," Marik replied. "Why on earth would someone tell Mako that I could help him?!" he exclaimed, perplexed.
"That is strange," Ishizu said slowly, but then she smiled. "Perhaps, Marik, you truly can help," she told him now.
Marik lapsed into silence, knowing that he would need to speak with Mako again once they were all back at the ship. As he mulled over things in his mind, he suddenly remembered the uneasy way Ishizu had looked earlier when they were talking about the burglaries. "What is going on, you two?" he asked suddenly, looking up at his sister and brother. "I know you have some sort of suspicions about the robberies."
Again the two older Egyptians exchanged a look, and then Rishid turned to look at Marik. "Marik," he said slowly, "have you heard anything from your Yami lately?"
Marik blinked. "My Yami?" he repeated, shuddering. The last time he had seen his Yami was back in January, when they had fought for the Millennium Rod in a flaming warehouse. Marik had appeared to have perished in the fire, and as a result, Yami Marik had been sealed in the Rod. Or so they all thought. He hadn't bothered to try connecting with Marik through their mental bond since then, and Marik was perfectly alright with that. Still . . . since Marik wasn't dead and Yami Marik wasn't locked in the Rod anymore, it seemed odd that the ancient spirit hadn't tried to cause more trouble. "No, I haven't," he said at last. "But Rishid, what are you saying? My Yami wouldn't be interested in stealing Ming vases!"
"You are right, brother," Rishid agreed, still looking worried.
"But what if there is something more serious and important than vases being stolen?" Ishizu suggested quietly. "Brother, I know you don't want to think of doing this, but when we are back onboard the ship, perhaps you had best see if you can find your Yami."
Marik looked down, the thought obviously unappealing to him. But still . . . if his Yami was loose and causing trouble, it was very important for them to know. "Alright," he said at last. "I will do it."
At that moment, a cold, unfriendly voice called out to them. "Hey you!"
The trio turned to look. A grizzled man was leaning against the side of a building, watching them like a hawk.
"What do you want?!" Marik demanded.
The man grinned nastily. "I know we ain't supposed to talk in public, but I wanted to make sure you remembered our appointment tonight."
Marik's eyes narrowed. "I have never seen you before," he declared. "The person you want to speak with must be the double I have who is roaming through the city."
"You ain't got no double," the man retorted. "Just be sure to show up." Before Marik or the others could say anything more, he had vanished down a nearby alley.
"Come back here!!" Marik fumed, but it was no use.
"I do not like the looks of this," Ishizu said quietly. "We must move quickly to determine the true culprits behind this plot."
Rishid, immensely worried about the boy's safety, agreed.
****
Yugi, his Yami, and Bakura, meanwhile, were also on their way back to the ship, where they had planned beforehand to meet the others.
"It looks like a fog's coming in," Yugi remarked, trying to see through the thickening clouds of mist in his way.
"San Francisco is known for its fogs," Bakura remarked, glancing around. "I believe the docks are over that way," he said, pointing ahead.
Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and Yami Bakura appeared, looking ruffled. "You idiot," he muttered. "The docks are over this way." He gestured toward the right, and the others turned to see.
"That doesn't sound correct," Yami Yugi said, narrowing his eyes.
Yugi blinked worriedly. "Uh oh," he said now. "I think we might be lost!"
Yami Bakura growled something in Egyptian and then pulled out the Millennium Ring. "If you imbeciles truly are lost, the Ring can point you in the proper direction," he declared. The Ring's spindles glowed brightly, pointing to the left.
"Well," Bakura chuckled, "it appears that we were all wrong."
Yami Bakura growled and muttered something under his breath before gesturing to the others to follow him.
****
"Kaiba," Tea exclaimed, "I think someone's been following us!"
Seto grunted. He had reached the same conclusion several blocks ago. "Just don't let on that you see him," he cautioned.
Mokuba glanced back to look at the man curiously. He had dark hair and long bangs and in some odd way seemed to resemble Seto. The young boy quickly looked away again, his heart pounding. Could that be Seth, only with black, longer hair? "Seto!" Mokuba whispered urgently. "I think we're in big trouble!"
Seto glanced back himself and found, to his irritation, that the man had vanished.
"Was it Seth, big brother?" Mokuba cried in horror.
Tea gasped, alarmed by that thought.
Seto paused, mulling that over in his mind. "I don't know, kid," he said at last. "But if it was him, he must've had some kind of a makeover," he added wryly.
****
"Man, this case is freaky!" Joey cried as he, Tristan, and Mako wandered past an aquarium housing two enormous whales.
"Aren't they always?" Tristan retorted as they tried to weave their way past a huge crowd that was gathering.
"How many have you solved now?" Mako asked distractedly, his mind on the whales—and on entirely something else as well.
Joey was about to reply when he felt himself being heaved up and thrown headfirst into the aquarium! He splashed about in a daze, yelling for someone to get him out. Before long Mako heard the other boy's pleas and dived into the water to rescue him.
When they were both on dry land again, Mako and Tristan both gave Joey reproving looks.
"Man, Joey, what were you thinking?!" Tristan cried.
"You should not have leaned so far over the edge," Mako added.
"What?!" Joey burst out, wringing his shirt. "That was no accident!"
"What do you mean?" Mako asked suspiciously.
"I was pushed!!" Joey sputtered. "Someone pushed me in!!"