Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Also, I have a new story called, Desert Rose, if you want to read and review it. Thanks, and enjoy!
Adelianna: Get it away! Get it away! Adelianna ran behind Marik and put him as a barrier between Barney and her
Barney: hopping toward them With a great big hug, and a kiss from me to you....
Marik: Coves face The horror! Nothing I have ever faced could have prepared me for this!
Suddenly, out of nowhere Barney, get back here!
Barney: Stopped and hopped toward a boy who had come out of the shadows.
Adelianna: Staring at the boy Oh my gosh! It's Rex Raptor!
Rex Raptor: What are you two doing here?
Marik: Forget about us, what about that thing. He pointed to Barney Why does it listen to you?
Rex Raptor: Mwa ha ha ha. It's my new powerful duel monster card. Nothing can stand against it, not even an Egyptian God Card!
Marik: Took out his Egyptian God Card, which was busy shaking in fear of Barney
Marik looked at Adelianna, Adelianna looked at Marik. Things where getting too weird
Disclaimer: Do not own YGO, and definitely do not own Barney or else I'd be ridiculed with shame. I do own embarrassing memories of humiliating acts my brother's have done to me. *Shudders*
Chapter Eight
Kaiba remained silent while Jessica was telling her tale, nodding at the appropriate places, and motioning her to continue with his hands whenever she paused. Jessica at first thought that Kaiba would think her insane, but his sapphire eyes told a different story whenever she glanced up at him. For the most part of her tale, Jessica kept her head lowered and fiddled with her bed sheets, twirling one end around her finger. She still covered her neck wound with her sheets, contemplating whether she should tell Kaiba about her dream.
Outside Jessica's house, the sky was a brilliant shade of cerulean. Clouds hovered serenely in the air, dotting the sky as they blocked the blazing sun. Gently the clouds drifted away, and the sun's rays swiftly shone down toward the landscape.
Jessica had just finished her story when sunlight suddenly shot through her open bedroom window, past her ruffled, flowery curtains. The rays chased away the looming shadows, and brightened her room significantly. As she lifted her face to the sun, Jessica felt an enormous weight being lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a while, Jessica felt at peace. A strong gust of wind blew into her room, softly caressing her rosy cheeks and rippling her brown hair behind her back. It tickled her nostrils as a small smile crossed her red lips, lighting her face in peace. Jessica looked at Kaiba from the corner of her eyes. He was staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.
Jessica turned and faced the brown haired teen. "So, what do you think? I know it sounds crazy, but that's what happened."
Kaiba nodded slowly from his spot on the bed next to her. "You're correct in your assessment that it sounds absurd, but I do believe you." Kaiba almost smiled when he saw joy lighting the girls features. In a strange way Jessica reminded Kaiba of Mokuba, not that Jessica looked like him. Rather when Jessica was crying on her bed, Kaiba's big brother instincts took over. She seemed so small and helpless that Kaiba felt like he needed to protect her, like he protected Mokuba. Though something told Kaiba she wasn't all that vulnerable.
"Well." Jessica looked down at her hands. "Can I ask you a question?"
Kaiba smiled smugly. "You want to know why I believe you? After all, it is a far-fetched statement."
Jessica looked up at him with her aqua eyes and nodded vigorously.
Kaiba chuckled wryly. "With everything that I have been through the last year it would be hard not too."
"What have you been through?" Jessica asked, puzzled.
Kaiba stared deeply into her eyes. "Have you ever heard of the Millennium Items?"
Jessica tilted her head to the side, racking her brain. "Well, they sound sort of familiar."
"Well, it would be too long a story to explain it to you now, but perhaps you should go see the Curator of the Egyptian Exhibit at the Museum. She might have some answers for you."
Jessica was still confused. "Why would she have any answers? And what exactly are the Millennium Items? Do they have some sort of magical powers or something, like me?"
Kaiba nodded. "Something like that."
Jessica smiled again. "Well, I'll definitely go see her, then."
Kaiba stood up slowly, the soft bed squeaking at the movement. "Before I leave and reclaim my title as the number one duelist in the world, is there anything else that is important that you might have left out?"
Jessica frowned slightly, then slowly let her sheets drop around her, revealing her to be in a tight, red shirt. She was still pressing the crimson towel to her neck, but lowered that also.
Kaiba's eyes widened as he bent down to take a closer look at her wound. "What happened?"
Jessica smiled cynically. "Would you believe my cat scratched me?" Jessica thought of her snow white cat, Fluffy, as she heard him trying to climb through the dining room window as he sometimes did.
"That's no cat scratch." Kaiba bent down for a closer investigation, eyes narrowed in puzzlement. Jessica stretched her neck back as Kaiba tipped her chin up slightly, his hot breath softly stroking her neck. She closed her eyes and shivered. "It looks like someone ripped your neck with their fingernails. "
"Really? I haven't seen the wound yet." At Kaiba's bewildered look she continued. "I had a dream. In the dream someone hurt my throat and when I woke up, my neck was bleeding. That's when you came."
Kaiba backed away from her and sat on Jessica's bed again. "Well, your lucky the cut isn't deep, and it isn't bleeding profusely." Kaiba pointed out as Jessica pressed the crimson towel against her throat again. "I'm interested in this dream of yours, though. Can you give a more detailed description of your nightmare?"
Jessica nodded, allowing visions of what the dream entailed to flood her mind. "I-I was in a dungeon. It was very dark and freezing. I could feel the cold, I could feel the wall, and puddles of water. I could feel everything." Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered what then transpired.
"What happened then?" Kaiba asked gently, urging her to continue.
Jessica wiped the tears out of her eyes with her thumbs. "I then heard a little girl singing a song. It was so sad, and the voice that sung it. It was despairing, like she'd given up all hope. And then.... and then she was there," Jessica voice shook, as moisture spilled from her tear ducts. She didn't bother stopping them. "She was lying on the ground crying, and she was hurt and freezing, and someone had just left her there. Nobody cared–" Her voice broke again, as Jessica bowed her head and held it in her hands.
"It's okay, Jess." Kaiba was worried about her. He hated to see people cry. He hesitantly placed a hand on her back and patted Jessica lightly. "It's okay."
Jessica's body shook, her hands muffling her cries. "Sh-she looked exactly like I did when I was younger. An....and then she... she told me not to listen. It took everything in her just to say those words. She was warning me. Then something unseen attacked her. She was rolling on the ground screaming, and crying. And I couldn't do anything." Helplessness filled Jessica, as despair overwhelmed her. "And then something dark attacked me, I-I couldn't see what it was, and the girl was screaming, and so was I. And then it... it ripped my throat. Th-that's when I woke up."
Jessica glanced over at Kaiba who looked worried. "I'm sorry," Jessica said as she lifted her head and wiped away her tears. "You must think me to be a scared, little girl."
Kaiba smiled slightly, "You're condemning yourself, not me."
Jessica's lips twisted wryly upwards. "You weren't supposed to say that. You're supposed to say how brave I am, and comfort me, and stuff."
"But then I'd be in denial, and that's a psychological disorder which I'd prefer never happen to me."
That earned a small chuckle from Jessica, her eyes puffy and red.
"But seriously," Kaiba continued, lifting Jessica's chin around so she'd be facing him. "You have been through a lot today, and the repercussions of not having the answers is tolling heavily on you. I suggest that you rest, and then go visit Ishizu tomorrow at the museum."
Jessica nodded, agreeing with Kaiba. "Yes, I think I'll do that. Ishizu is her name, then?"
"Yes, and now if there is nothing else, I'll take my leave." Kaiba stood up from the bed.
"Thanks Kaiba," Jessica smiled. "You're really not that bad after all, like Joey said you were."
"Oh, really? Well, that mutt's days were numbered long ago. And as for me not being that bad, you're just fortunate you caught me on one of my good days." Kaiba stalked out of the room, leaving Jessica to wonder if he had been joking or not.
***
Excitement filled the air, shouts and yells adding to the exhilaration. The blazing sun shone heavily on Alex and his opponent, the sapphire sky unable to stop the downpour of sunlight. White clouds overhead were interrupted in their tranquility by the chirping of birds, thermals aiding the predators in their flight.
"Did you forget my face down card?" Alex's opponent shouted mockingly at him, a grin lighting his features. "Raigeki obliterate all the monsters on his side of the field."
A lightning bolt jumped up from the card on the field and prepared to destroy Alex's monsters. Alex just smiled. "For a moment, I actually thought I had something to worry about. Did you forget about my face down card? Magic Jammer, stop Raigeki!" The lightning bolt was negated, saving Alex's monsters. "Of course, now I have to discard one card from my hand, but since there won't be another turn, I won't need it. Now, Hyozanryu, attack his life point directly!"
The white dragon flew furiously towards his former master, and with one swipe of his yellow claws, reduced the teen's life points to zero. The overload of the duel disk caused Alex's opponent to fly backwards onto the dirt stained street, adding to his humiliation.
A load roar filled the air as the crowd cheered, congratulating Alex on his victory. Alex smiled smugly, but it was soon replaced with a look of embarrassment as Angela ran over to her son and threw her arms around Alex's neck in an embrace. The compliments of the other male members of his family reached Alex's ear as he looked at his father and brother, pleading with his aqua eyes to get his mom to back off. She finally let go of Alex, much to his relief.
"Hey Alex!" Timothy yelled up at him, his blue shirt magnifying the cerulean in his eyes. "You need to go get your locator card and the rare card from that guy you just beat."
Alex smiled and nodded, pulling away from his family and heading toward his former opponent. The teen was getting to his feet grudgingly, wiping himself off. Alex reached out his hand, his emerald sleeve sliding forward slightly. "Great game. You did really good."
The redheaded boy glared at Alex's outreached hand as though it was something repulsive, but finally relented and gripped Alex's hand in a firm handshake. "You too. I guess I owe you somethin', huh?"
Alex nodded, greedily anticipating his newly won cards, which were handed slowly to him. "Here, take my locator card, and my Hyozanryu." The teen looked at his prized card longingly, then gazed at Alex as though hoping he wouldn't take the card.
Alex didn't notice this, of course, his eyes were glued to his prize. He avariciously grabbed the cards out of the boy's hands, chuckling to himself inside. One more locator card to go and then he would be eligible for the finals.
Alex's former opponent trudged slowly off, lost deep in thought as he contemplated what he would do next.
"Lucky you." Timothy ran up to him, gazing at his brother's newly won cards. "Oh well, that Hyzany, no, wait. That Hyronuzu, that, oh, how do you say it?"
"It's pronounced Hyozanryu," corrected Alex.
"Yeah, whatever." Timothy rolled his eyes. "That card is no match for my Dark Magician." Timothy indicated to his shirt where a Dark Magician was stitched upon the cloth. "It'll cream ya."
"Well, right now I have one locator card more than you do." Alex snapped back.
Angela and Dwayne walked up to their children, their parental alert warning them that a fight was about to commence.
"Not for long. I'm better than you so it will be no problem for me to get the last two."
Alex glared at his younger brother. "You're not better than me, I'm wa–"
"Children," Angela cut in. "How about some lunch. All this excitement is getting me hungry."
"Yeah, sure," mumbled Alex, still staring at Timothy.
They soon walked down the street, looking for a restaurant. Dwayne stopped to get a newspaper for lunch, a bit bored since the conversation always seemed to center around duel monsters. The newspaper headline screamed out at him: Earthquake spouts gold in Japan. He walked quickly to catch up with his departing family.
***
"Bakura?!" Yugi was shocked. "We haven't seen him since the last Battle City tournament."
The five friends stared in the direction Téa was pointing at, down a deserted sidewalk. The air was cool, and smelled sweet, tickling their skin whenever it blew past. Sunlight streamed down from the bright, blue sky, giving warmth to the land.
"I don't see anyone. Are you sure you saw him, Téa?" Tristan asked, unconvinced. "Perhaps it was someone who looked like him?"
Téa was annoyed. "That's what you said last time at Duelist Kingdom, and it turned out he was there."
Joey grinned slyly. "Why are ya always da one t' spot him, Téa? Perhaps ya have a little crush on 'im?"
If looks could kill, Joey would be dead on the ground. But they couldn't, so all Joey received was a glare from Téa. "Of course not Joey! It's because I'm a girl and it's a known fact that girls are more observant that boys!" With that said she ran forward, trying to locate Bakura.
Tristan sighed, "Here we go again."
They chased after Téa, Yugi lagging behind the rest of the group. Their footsteps thumped on the grey pavement, blades of grass growing in between the cracks of the sidewalk.
Yugi's four friends quickly rounded the corner, Yugi still a few feet behind. "Hey guys! Wait up!"
Yugi ran around the corner too, and immediately smacked into Yami. "Ow!" Yugi shouted.
"Sorry Yugi," Yami apologized, grabbing Yugi by the arm to steady him.
"Why'd you stop?" Yugi looked at his friends.
"There are so many ways to choose from," Téa explained, disappointment evident in her voice, as she pointed to multiple alleys and streets. "I don't know which way he went." She leaned against a newsstand in defeat.
"I still think you were seeing things, Téa." Tristan tried to reasoned with her, and was rewarded with one of Téa's famous glares.
"Well," Yugi said cheerfully, trying to brighten Téa up. "If he's here I'm sure we'll see him again."
"Yeah, I guess so," said Téa heavily, still disappointed.
Joey snorted. "'Ope we don't. If we eva do, it'll probably be 'cause he's afta Yami's puzz–"
"Hey!" Joey was interrupted by Téa, who was pointing to the newsstand she had been leaning against, glittery bangles jingling at the abrupt movement of her arm. "Look at the headline: Ancient Egyptian Artifact Stolen. Maybe this has something to do with Yugi and Yami splitting."
"Perhaps," Yami mused, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Where's a quarter, where's a quarter?" Téa shouted at them, while searching her own pockets. "Aha!" Revealed in Téa hand was a silver coin. She quickly popped the quarter in the machine, and retrieved a crinkly newspaper.
"Well?" asked Joey, impatient. "What does it say?" Not waiting for a reply, Joey quickly looked over Téa's shoulder, beginning to read the newspaper article. The others did the same.
Onuris Okpara, curator of the Cairo Museum in Egypt, reported to the authorities
two Friday's ago that an ancient Egyptian stone tablet has been stolen. "This is
outrageous," spouted Mr. Okapara while being interviewed. "The museum
always had a benevolent reputation. The tablet had just been put on display."
When asked what the inscriptions on the tablet implied, Mr. Okpara denied
comment on the pretense of a headache. Authorities claim that the thief
or thieves stole the tablet after lockup, on one of the busiest days of the
year. As to how the perpetrator managed his caper is yet unknown. "We will
be sure that justice is served," stated Officer Doyle to DCN when interviewed.
As of yet, not much else is know. DCN news will keep you updated as the
story progresses.
"Hey," Tristan said, sounding surprised. "This newspaper is about a week old." He pointed to the date.
"Humph." Joey looked puzzled at first, then smiled, and pointed to himself. "Relax, Yer wit Joey. When Joey's 'round, good things happen 'cause I got lotsa good luck."
"Oh brother!" Everyone rolled their eyes.
"Well," Tristan concluded. "I guess we are lucky that someone put an old newspaper in with the new ones."
"Lookie!" Joey pressed his face to the newsstand glass, reading the article. "It's 'nother newspaper article. Dey found gold in Japan, it was uncovered by a earthquake dat happened three weeks ago."
"Oh, who cares!" shouted Téa, exasperated. "What I want to know is if the Egyptian tablets has anything to do with Yugi and Yami separating." Téa looked at the people in question.
Yugi just shrugged his shoulders, while Yami replied in a hushed voice. "I don't know Téa, I really don't know."
***
Jessica walked into her restroom, and stared herself in the mirror. Gazing back at her was a brunnette girl with puffy red eyes, aqua coloring the irises. Jessica's skin was paler that usual, her makeup washed away by her tears.
The cuts along her neck did indeed look like someone had ripped her skin with their nails. The gashes were crimson, with a pinkish tinge encircling the abrasion. Jessica sighed. It wasn't too serious. She doubted she needed stitches. Jessica quickly wrapped gauze from the first-aid kit around her neck, protecting the wound.
The counter of the bathroom was white tile, wooden drawers with gold handles attached to them. The faucet was silver, a slow trickle of water dripped from the spout. Thanks to the air-freshener, the restroom smelled of pears, lighting Jessica's mood somewhat.
You need some work, girl, she thought as she continued to look in the mirror, rummaging the drawers for make-up. Jessica put on some cosmetics, and then brushed her teeth and gurgled with mouthwash.
Deciding that rest, like Kaiba said, would do her some good, Jessica walked out of the bathroom in order to go to bed. Rounding the corner, she bumped hard against someone. Jessica gasped, a scream forming on her lips. She was shoved roughly against the white wall, hand clamped tightly over her mouth.
Jessica raised her blue-green eyes to those of her attacker's, and came face to face with Marik Ishtar.
Note: The narrator will not be back until Barney is out of the picture. In other words, I'm to lazy to write about him.
