Brood: Hey everyone! I'm finally done with another chapter! I know I
know...seven LONG MONTHS....
Zutsokaki: THERE SHE IS!!! GET HER!!!
Brood: What!?!?!
Zutsokaki: *leading a large group of readers, all carrying torches, pitchforks, silly putty, ect.* Get her!
Brood: Hey! Why are you leading an angry mob!? You don't even care about this story!
Zutsokaki: Eerrr....GET HER ANYWAY!!!!! *chases*
Brood: AHH!! *clicks "post" and runs away*
~*~ Bakura= Yami Bakura Ryou= Normal Ryou Marik= Yami Malik Malik= Normal Malik Yami= Yami Yugi Yugi= Yugi Motou
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Seto Kaiba stirred and sat up. It was early in the morning, as the darkness and dew on the ground suggested. He glanced down and noticed Lisa propped up against one end of his mattress, and Mai curled up close to the dying fire.
On an impulse, Seto took out his Duelist ID and opened up the hidden Duelist Locator feature. He hit in Yugi Motou's name and Seto found out that Yugi was about four miles away to the north.
That's not far at all! Maybe if I leave now.........
He looked around. Could he leave Lisa with Mai? Disappear without a trace? Mai didn't know of the Duelist Locator. In fact, Seto doubted anyone else besides him had even found it yet. Pegasus had been sly in hiding that feature.
Aside from the locator, Mai did express her wishes to be reunited with Yugi and the others. And Lisa's own unwillingness to be parted with Seto....
"K....kebby-kun?" Seto's eyes darted down to where Lisa's own were fluttering open.
"Go back to sleep."
"But why are you...up right now?" She yawned largely after saying this.
"I....heard a noise."
"K-k-k-kebby-kun..." She had to hold back another yawn as she spoke. "If it's a bear, will you protect me?"
"................" He looked at the girl for a moment. "......Hai. I will." But the young girl didn't hear him, for she had already fallen back asleep against his matress.
Seto looked at her and shook his head lightly. He was going soft, and he knew it. The little warmth in his cold heart had been given to him by Mokuba, and Lisa was helping it grow. He didn't like that feeling much. He glanced over at Mai, then at Lisa again. He made up his mind. He'd go alone. Maybe this would help turn him back to normal.
~*~
Bakura's head lifted from the ground where Marik had kicked him.
"Give...me back the Millennium Eye!!" Bakura hissed evilly at his attacker.
Marik looked down at him, grinning.
"Lucky I don't take one of your OWN! .....Shall I relieve you of your beloved Ring, next, Tomb Robber?" Marik sneered down at the crumpled form of the famous Tomb Robber.
"To HELL WITH THAT!!" Bakura suddenly shot up and a beam of Shadow Energy poured out of the Ring, striking Marik square in the chest.
RUN, BAKURA!! It was Ryou, speaking to him from the Soul Room.
What did his other half care? All he ever did was beat the little weakling and try to kill his so called friends. And here he was telling him to run!
Wait. RUN!? What are you TALKING about you worthless human!?
You can't get the Eye back! Just RUN! Now! Do you want him to get the Ring too!?
He hated to admit it, but Ryou had a point. Marik was getting up off of the ground from where he fell now.
"Mark my words, Marik!! This is NOT the last you'll see from me! I WILL be back, and I WILL kill you, for I AM the darkness!" At this, Bakura backed away from Ishtar and ran off, kicking up a bit of dirt and grass as he went.
Marik swore fervently as he stood up. "That's what you said the LAST time I got the better of you!," he yelled after the retreating back of Bakura.
He regained his footing and paused. He had gotten basically what he needed. Marik lifted the Eye to get a good look at it. There were fingerprints all over it, probably from where Bakura had been pawing at it day after day, wondering if he should put it in his own socket or not.
Marik thought fleetingly of putting it in Malik's eye, but decided against it. He didn't want to risk his vessel at this point. Even though he didn't have the "promised" two items for Pegasus upon his arrival, the Eye would serve to mollify his "partner."
He grinned anyway, and stuffed the small object in his own pants pocket. Then, adopting a modern custom, put his hands in his pockets, and whistled a tune he'd picked up as he walked off.
Malik couldn't help it. He had to giggle. [Hehehe.......]
{What's that you're giggling at?}
[If you're going to whistle, try something you DIDN'T pick up while terrorizing small girls in a park. I doubt the Care Bears theme song suits you....]
{What in the Underworld is the "Care Bears," you pathetic shell?}
[....Forget I said anything. Please continue.] Then Malik gave Marik the equivalent of a mental shrug, and Marik reminded himself to coop up his vessel longer inside of the Spirt Room. Then he continued his whistling and walking, the night deepening around him.
~*~
The mentally disturbed Keith tossed and turned in his sleep. Just as before in his troubled dreams, amoeba-like blobs of light pulsated through his mind, but this time, they began to actually take some kind of shape. One turned into an image that reminded him vaugely as a rabbit, and another looked a bit like some kind of elaborate choker. Yet another looked a bit like a square or a cube or something like that, but it moved too quickly for him to really see it.
While he dreamed, he had peace from his mental "companions." Here, in these dreams, they couldn't touch him. He only had the dreams to look forward to, as much as they didn't make sense. They were the only respite he had against the continual headaches and feelings of violence. He figured that Terrence would like it there. He seemed to appreciate quiet.
He now thought of those two in a cliche'd kind of way. He saw Terrence as a smaller version of himself in a white robe and bandana, sitting on his right shoulder, and Duke as a red leather clad likeness sitting on his left, with a red bandana that had teeny little horns on the top of it. Shoulder Angel and Devil. Good way to think of them, really, even though they never popped up on his shoulders. They always simply talked to his mind. And God, did it ever hurt when they began yelling.
But right now, he had the dreams, and finally, those dreams began taking some kind of form. He felt less helpless now, but he knew when he woke, he'd once again take up his Magnum cross and bear it's burden across the island. Even though he had his breaks, he felt as if they were his reward for the greater good he was going to do. He was going to rid the world of the filthy people who took joy in ruining his very livelihood. Yes, this was good for the world, and yes, those dreams were a reward for taking on this burden.
Inside of his mind, Duke chuckled and Terrence shook his head. Duke was winning again.
~*~
The light steps of Pegasus echoed through the manor's halls as he strode towards the room that he was holding his "prisoners."
His key entered the lock, and after a turn and the subsequent "click," he opened the door and walked inside. There before him was a large bed, and Isis laying under the covers. Otogi was lying beside of her, only on top of the covers. Pegasus chuckled at his little arrangement. Of course he'd put Otogi over the covers, Isis WAS a lady after all. Pegasus chuckled once again and sat down at the foot of their shared bed.
The guards, after taking out the still forms of the two, had wanted them put into a dungeon-like room, but Pegasus had insisted on more comfortable rooming. After all, they weren't going anywhere......
"What was your goal in coming here, 'Togi-boy? What made you come with Isis here? It couldn't have been just one psycho boy gone missing that made you want to come here....." Pegasus knew he wouldn't get an answer from the quiet form, but it didn't stop him from asking in the first place. He looked over at Isis then.
"And what was it that made you seek out his help, Isis? The only person you could turn to? After all, Kaiba-boy is at my tournament, and doing very well for that matter. So surely he couldn't help you, and little Yugi doesn't have those kinds of resources. Was he a last resort? Oh well, I have you both, and I know that Malik, if not his very friendly other half, will be anxious to see you, young Miss Ishtar."
Pegasus just sat there for a moment, looking at the two on the large plush bed, then he stood and went to the dresser where the two's personal effects had been taken off of their persons. Otogi had some dice on him, plus his wallet, and inside the wallet was a bit of money, about four credit cards, a few plays for Dungeon Dice Monsters scribbled out onto some paper, and his driver's license. Isis too, had a wallet, tucked into the back of her jeans with the same sorts of personal effects, but did not find the Millennium Tauk like he had wanted.
That could only mean that it was on the island, which meant something else for Marik to collect. But knowing the odd ways of Marik, or not knowing them, as the case may be, he might have already known that the Tauk was on the island.
He pushed a lock of silver-white hair behind his left ear, revealing his white eyepatch. He touched it lightly as his thoughts turned to the Items. Marik had promised him two or three by the time of Pegasus' arrival in a week's time. Pegasus surely hoped and was confident in Marik's skills, but did not know for how long his tentative alliance with the old spirit could be held. For now though, his only choice was to trust, as weak as it may be, the spirit to get all the items and keep his part of the bargain.
The deal even seemed a bit shady to Pegasus. Marik had accepted the proposition after only a few questions. It didn't even benefit Marik as much as Pegasus had thought he might require. Marik had to do the most work, AND he got to use the items second.
Pegasus had even offered money to sweeten the deal, but Marik had declined. Marik had simmply agreed to collect all seven Millennium Items, give them all to Pegasus, including the Rod already in Marik's possession, and wait for Pegasus to complete his purpose before he could get those items. Seemed to really kick Marik in the pants, but he accepted.
He shook the negative thoughts from his head. It was useless to look back on the "negotiations" right now. What mattered now was that Marik was out now looking for the items and eliminating duelists. Maybe that's what the Egyptian was in it for. The fun of eliminating duelers from the island. As he'd heard, Marik did have a special love for inflicting all kinds of pains.
Pegasus moved back to the bedside of the pair, and he looked down at their quiet and pale faces. He looked at them for a moment, then walked out of the room, locking the door behind him once again. Not that they'd be going anywhere....it was more to keep a couple of his younger guards out. After all, there WAS a lady in there......
He chuckled and walked down the hallway, flipping open a small personal computer from his pocket built specifically to keep track of a few certain duelists. As was expected, Yugi and Joey were doing well, and Seto Kaiba had all of his own needed chips. It even said that he had three extra.
"Going a little overkill, Kaiba-boy?" He grinned and checked in with a couple of his eliminators. Marik of course, had the most, at one hundred and seventy seven chips, with the next eliminator to come near that was thirty two chips behind Marik. All five of his eliminators were doing their jobs well. In fact, just a little too well. He'd have to make a mental note of it to contact them all later and tell them to ease up a bit.
~*~
Yami looked over at the girl sitting next to him in the dark night. "So you say that your name is Ahmunet, but you can't remember much else beyond that point?"
"No, I can't. The first thing I can remember is coming into my aibou about two weeks ago."
"Really now? I don't have much memories either of Egypt, but it's not nearly that vauge with me. At least, not anymore. It used to be that way. But now I have a few memories. Maybe as time passes with you, it will become clearer for you."
"Actually.....I do have only one real recollection. The thief...Bakura. He stole something very valuable from me. I feel like I really need it back."
"Bakura! He stole something from you? And you can't remember what it is?"
"Not at all....." She shook her head, sending some of her long straight hair tumbling over her shoulders. Yami had to marvel how women could just do that thing....look really pretty without trying. It was just the way they looked. He had seen it with Anzu, and with Mai, and with Amoura, and now with this young woman. The moonlight caught her hair easily as it fell over her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were cast downwards. Her voice brought him out of his small reverie.
"It really hurts, knowing where you're from, but not remembering a thing about it. All I can seem to see is that thief, in his mortal self, laughing as something odd is happening to me....and saying how I'd never get this back. And it was all over this....." She held the Millennium Ankh lightly in her hands, staring down at it.
"And how did you get that from the guardian of the Items?"
"Oh, I didn't get it, I came out of it....but I don't understand why. I just know when I saw aibou, that I needed to help and protect....." She was interrupted as a shuffle was heard. Both of the spirit's lifted their heads and turned around swiftly, but whatever made that noise was gone.
"Shadi......" Yami muttered lightly under his breath.
"Who?" Ahmunet turned to look at him.
"The Guardian of the Millennium Items. The owner of that Ankh."
"..........Aibou says for me to give it to him."
"I think he was listening to us talk. I think he left because he wants you to have it a little while longer. He wants you to stay with you aibou for awhile longer."
"Aibou's protesting........anyway, I believe we've talked enough for one night.....except..."
"Yes?" Yami tilted his head to look at her.
"Do you know where the thief is right now?"
"No......we lost him in that storm. His own innocent aibou is along for the ride."
"I feel a sadness for his aibou." With that, she stood up. Yami nodded, understanding that this was the end of their conversation. He reverted back to Yugi, and Ahmunet reverted back to her aibou, who promptly collapsed to the ground in a fit of sobs.
"Shhhhh........it's alright...." Yugi said softly. "It's not a bad thing, having a friend to be there for you whenever you need it...." He knew immedeatly what was bothering the holder of the Millennium Ankh.
"Nooo.....not....alright......frightened..." Yugi held them while sobs shook his companion's body.
"Come....let me walk you back to your tent......it WILL be okay...." Yugi stood and helped his companion up, and together, they walked back to the mini duelist settlement.
(A/N: I know I know, seven months and you STILL don't know the whole story! I'm just not ready to let that cat out of it's bag yet! So Nyah! :P )
~*~
Shadi strode carefully from the site where the two had been talking.
So there WAS a spirit inside of the Millennium Ankh....but he had heard of no lore about this, or felt any of her presense inside of the Item. This indeed was odd. He decided that it would be a good idea to watch from afar, and learn what he could before reclaiming his Millennium Item. Or even if that would be a good idea.
After all, it seemed that all of this....with the Items all being on the island and all....it was happening for a reason. It was a reason yet to be revealed, even to him, but there was a reason, none the less. This was one of those times he wished that Isis Ishtar still held the Tauk. Maybe she could have gotten it to work one last time and see what was going on.
~*~
"Where are you going?"
Seto stopped dead in his tracks.
"None of your business. Where I go is my own affair."
Mai sat up easily in her sleeping bag. "You weren't thinking of just leaving Lisa and I behind, were you? Wasn't it obvious when Lisa saw you again that she idolizes you, and that also, I need to get back to Yugi and Joey and the others? Why are you always doing this?"
Seto turned to face her, his eyes boring holes through her practically. "What do you mean by that?"
Mai stood by the embers of the fire. "Leaving. You're always leaving. You left Mokuba with us so you could take care of some "business," and now you're abandoning me without a clue to where I should go, or without any kind of word as to what I should do about being separated from Yugi!"
"I can go where I want to, when I want to!" Seto raised his voice to a hard and mean sounding kind of stage whisper, as if minding the sleeping girl close to them both.
"Wait a second....when did you find Lisa?" Mai rocked back on her heels and looked at Seto.
"Only the first night, I think." He didn't know why he was answering her questions really....
"How long did you have her?"
"About a day and a half after that, probably."
"AH-HAH!" Mai didn't even bother keeping that down, and Lisa stirred a bit. Seto looked down at her, frozen for a moment, then glared at Mai.
"Ah-hah, what?"
"Ah-hah, I know why you left Mokuba with us."
"..........I don't know what you're talking about, Mai.
Mai put on a superior sort of smirk and folded her arms. "Sure. Pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. But before you walk off, tell me this....where is Yugi. You can't just abandon me here. Anyway, if you go, what's going to stop Lisa from wanting to track you down?"
Seto realized this was true. ".........Fine. We'll wait until Lisa gets up and we've all eaten something. Then we'll go find Yugi and his merry band." Seto cast his eyes down to the ground and frowned.
How did he get into these things?
~*~*~*~
Brood: *doing this from inside of a closet, since the Angry Mob is still out for her blood* Wow, seven long months, and here we are! You realize that I started this story about a year ago, two days ago!? Wow, time flies, ne? Unfortunately, I didn't spend as much of it writing as I should have...... And yes, I am truly sorry for simply dumping this story for so long, and I swear that I never want this to happen again. At first it was writers block, then other things just kept cropping up.
But on Friday evening, I got inspired to write again, as a friend came home from his heart operation. I just felt so happy that he was home and safe, that I looked at my stories and was like, DANG! I gotta get WRITING! And it just flowed from me....it was great to feel my muses returning. I'll get a chapter of Just Another Day on the Job up soon, as well. Then heck, I'll get started on something else!
To my Contest WINNERS!! Email me saying either, "One," or "Two." This will determine what story your appearance will be in! If you both say the same thing, the first person to email me will get first pick! You each will be in one story! This means you, Wingleader and Myot-chan! LOL!
Zutsokaki: *flings the door open* THERE SHE IS!!!
Brood: AAAAAHHHHHHHH!! *Review and make me feel good about myself please!!!*
Zutsokaki: THERE SHE IS!!! GET HER!!!
Brood: What!?!?!
Zutsokaki: *leading a large group of readers, all carrying torches, pitchforks, silly putty, ect.* Get her!
Brood: Hey! Why are you leading an angry mob!? You don't even care about this story!
Zutsokaki: Eerrr....GET HER ANYWAY!!!!! *chases*
Brood: AHH!! *clicks "post" and runs away*
~*~ Bakura= Yami Bakura Ryou= Normal Ryou Marik= Yami Malik Malik= Normal Malik Yami= Yami Yugi Yugi= Yugi Motou
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Seto Kaiba stirred and sat up. It was early in the morning, as the darkness and dew on the ground suggested. He glanced down and noticed Lisa propped up against one end of his mattress, and Mai curled up close to the dying fire.
On an impulse, Seto took out his Duelist ID and opened up the hidden Duelist Locator feature. He hit in Yugi Motou's name and Seto found out that Yugi was about four miles away to the north.
That's not far at all! Maybe if I leave now.........
He looked around. Could he leave Lisa with Mai? Disappear without a trace? Mai didn't know of the Duelist Locator. In fact, Seto doubted anyone else besides him had even found it yet. Pegasus had been sly in hiding that feature.
Aside from the locator, Mai did express her wishes to be reunited with Yugi and the others. And Lisa's own unwillingness to be parted with Seto....
"K....kebby-kun?" Seto's eyes darted down to where Lisa's own were fluttering open.
"Go back to sleep."
"But why are you...up right now?" She yawned largely after saying this.
"I....heard a noise."
"K-k-k-kebby-kun..." She had to hold back another yawn as she spoke. "If it's a bear, will you protect me?"
"................" He looked at the girl for a moment. "......Hai. I will." But the young girl didn't hear him, for she had already fallen back asleep against his matress.
Seto looked at her and shook his head lightly. He was going soft, and he knew it. The little warmth in his cold heart had been given to him by Mokuba, and Lisa was helping it grow. He didn't like that feeling much. He glanced over at Mai, then at Lisa again. He made up his mind. He'd go alone. Maybe this would help turn him back to normal.
~*~
Bakura's head lifted from the ground where Marik had kicked him.
"Give...me back the Millennium Eye!!" Bakura hissed evilly at his attacker.
Marik looked down at him, grinning.
"Lucky I don't take one of your OWN! .....Shall I relieve you of your beloved Ring, next, Tomb Robber?" Marik sneered down at the crumpled form of the famous Tomb Robber.
"To HELL WITH THAT!!" Bakura suddenly shot up and a beam of Shadow Energy poured out of the Ring, striking Marik square in the chest.
RUN, BAKURA!! It was Ryou, speaking to him from the Soul Room.
What did his other half care? All he ever did was beat the little weakling and try to kill his so called friends. And here he was telling him to run!
Wait. RUN!? What are you TALKING about you worthless human!?
You can't get the Eye back! Just RUN! Now! Do you want him to get the Ring too!?
He hated to admit it, but Ryou had a point. Marik was getting up off of the ground from where he fell now.
"Mark my words, Marik!! This is NOT the last you'll see from me! I WILL be back, and I WILL kill you, for I AM the darkness!" At this, Bakura backed away from Ishtar and ran off, kicking up a bit of dirt and grass as he went.
Marik swore fervently as he stood up. "That's what you said the LAST time I got the better of you!," he yelled after the retreating back of Bakura.
He regained his footing and paused. He had gotten basically what he needed. Marik lifted the Eye to get a good look at it. There were fingerprints all over it, probably from where Bakura had been pawing at it day after day, wondering if he should put it in his own socket or not.
Marik thought fleetingly of putting it in Malik's eye, but decided against it. He didn't want to risk his vessel at this point. Even though he didn't have the "promised" two items for Pegasus upon his arrival, the Eye would serve to mollify his "partner."
He grinned anyway, and stuffed the small object in his own pants pocket. Then, adopting a modern custom, put his hands in his pockets, and whistled a tune he'd picked up as he walked off.
Malik couldn't help it. He had to giggle. [Hehehe.......]
{What's that you're giggling at?}
[If you're going to whistle, try something you DIDN'T pick up while terrorizing small girls in a park. I doubt the Care Bears theme song suits you....]
{What in the Underworld is the "Care Bears," you pathetic shell?}
[....Forget I said anything. Please continue.] Then Malik gave Marik the equivalent of a mental shrug, and Marik reminded himself to coop up his vessel longer inside of the Spirt Room. Then he continued his whistling and walking, the night deepening around him.
~*~
The mentally disturbed Keith tossed and turned in his sleep. Just as before in his troubled dreams, amoeba-like blobs of light pulsated through his mind, but this time, they began to actually take some kind of shape. One turned into an image that reminded him vaugely as a rabbit, and another looked a bit like some kind of elaborate choker. Yet another looked a bit like a square or a cube or something like that, but it moved too quickly for him to really see it.
While he dreamed, he had peace from his mental "companions." Here, in these dreams, they couldn't touch him. He only had the dreams to look forward to, as much as they didn't make sense. They were the only respite he had against the continual headaches and feelings of violence. He figured that Terrence would like it there. He seemed to appreciate quiet.
He now thought of those two in a cliche'd kind of way. He saw Terrence as a smaller version of himself in a white robe and bandana, sitting on his right shoulder, and Duke as a red leather clad likeness sitting on his left, with a red bandana that had teeny little horns on the top of it. Shoulder Angel and Devil. Good way to think of them, really, even though they never popped up on his shoulders. They always simply talked to his mind. And God, did it ever hurt when they began yelling.
But right now, he had the dreams, and finally, those dreams began taking some kind of form. He felt less helpless now, but he knew when he woke, he'd once again take up his Magnum cross and bear it's burden across the island. Even though he had his breaks, he felt as if they were his reward for the greater good he was going to do. He was going to rid the world of the filthy people who took joy in ruining his very livelihood. Yes, this was good for the world, and yes, those dreams were a reward for taking on this burden.
Inside of his mind, Duke chuckled and Terrence shook his head. Duke was winning again.
~*~
The light steps of Pegasus echoed through the manor's halls as he strode towards the room that he was holding his "prisoners."
His key entered the lock, and after a turn and the subsequent "click," he opened the door and walked inside. There before him was a large bed, and Isis laying under the covers. Otogi was lying beside of her, only on top of the covers. Pegasus chuckled at his little arrangement. Of course he'd put Otogi over the covers, Isis WAS a lady after all. Pegasus chuckled once again and sat down at the foot of their shared bed.
The guards, after taking out the still forms of the two, had wanted them put into a dungeon-like room, but Pegasus had insisted on more comfortable rooming. After all, they weren't going anywhere......
"What was your goal in coming here, 'Togi-boy? What made you come with Isis here? It couldn't have been just one psycho boy gone missing that made you want to come here....." Pegasus knew he wouldn't get an answer from the quiet form, but it didn't stop him from asking in the first place. He looked over at Isis then.
"And what was it that made you seek out his help, Isis? The only person you could turn to? After all, Kaiba-boy is at my tournament, and doing very well for that matter. So surely he couldn't help you, and little Yugi doesn't have those kinds of resources. Was he a last resort? Oh well, I have you both, and I know that Malik, if not his very friendly other half, will be anxious to see you, young Miss Ishtar."
Pegasus just sat there for a moment, looking at the two on the large plush bed, then he stood and went to the dresser where the two's personal effects had been taken off of their persons. Otogi had some dice on him, plus his wallet, and inside the wallet was a bit of money, about four credit cards, a few plays for Dungeon Dice Monsters scribbled out onto some paper, and his driver's license. Isis too, had a wallet, tucked into the back of her jeans with the same sorts of personal effects, but did not find the Millennium Tauk like he had wanted.
That could only mean that it was on the island, which meant something else for Marik to collect. But knowing the odd ways of Marik, or not knowing them, as the case may be, he might have already known that the Tauk was on the island.
He pushed a lock of silver-white hair behind his left ear, revealing his white eyepatch. He touched it lightly as his thoughts turned to the Items. Marik had promised him two or three by the time of Pegasus' arrival in a week's time. Pegasus surely hoped and was confident in Marik's skills, but did not know for how long his tentative alliance with the old spirit could be held. For now though, his only choice was to trust, as weak as it may be, the spirit to get all the items and keep his part of the bargain.
The deal even seemed a bit shady to Pegasus. Marik had accepted the proposition after only a few questions. It didn't even benefit Marik as much as Pegasus had thought he might require. Marik had to do the most work, AND he got to use the items second.
Pegasus had even offered money to sweeten the deal, but Marik had declined. Marik had simmply agreed to collect all seven Millennium Items, give them all to Pegasus, including the Rod already in Marik's possession, and wait for Pegasus to complete his purpose before he could get those items. Seemed to really kick Marik in the pants, but he accepted.
He shook the negative thoughts from his head. It was useless to look back on the "negotiations" right now. What mattered now was that Marik was out now looking for the items and eliminating duelists. Maybe that's what the Egyptian was in it for. The fun of eliminating duelers from the island. As he'd heard, Marik did have a special love for inflicting all kinds of pains.
Pegasus moved back to the bedside of the pair, and he looked down at their quiet and pale faces. He looked at them for a moment, then walked out of the room, locking the door behind him once again. Not that they'd be going anywhere....it was more to keep a couple of his younger guards out. After all, there WAS a lady in there......
He chuckled and walked down the hallway, flipping open a small personal computer from his pocket built specifically to keep track of a few certain duelists. As was expected, Yugi and Joey were doing well, and Seto Kaiba had all of his own needed chips. It even said that he had three extra.
"Going a little overkill, Kaiba-boy?" He grinned and checked in with a couple of his eliminators. Marik of course, had the most, at one hundred and seventy seven chips, with the next eliminator to come near that was thirty two chips behind Marik. All five of his eliminators were doing their jobs well. In fact, just a little too well. He'd have to make a mental note of it to contact them all later and tell them to ease up a bit.
~*~
Yami looked over at the girl sitting next to him in the dark night. "So you say that your name is Ahmunet, but you can't remember much else beyond that point?"
"No, I can't. The first thing I can remember is coming into my aibou about two weeks ago."
"Really now? I don't have much memories either of Egypt, but it's not nearly that vauge with me. At least, not anymore. It used to be that way. But now I have a few memories. Maybe as time passes with you, it will become clearer for you."
"Actually.....I do have only one real recollection. The thief...Bakura. He stole something very valuable from me. I feel like I really need it back."
"Bakura! He stole something from you? And you can't remember what it is?"
"Not at all....." She shook her head, sending some of her long straight hair tumbling over her shoulders. Yami had to marvel how women could just do that thing....look really pretty without trying. It was just the way they looked. He had seen it with Anzu, and with Mai, and with Amoura, and now with this young woman. The moonlight caught her hair easily as it fell over her shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were cast downwards. Her voice brought him out of his small reverie.
"It really hurts, knowing where you're from, but not remembering a thing about it. All I can seem to see is that thief, in his mortal self, laughing as something odd is happening to me....and saying how I'd never get this back. And it was all over this....." She held the Millennium Ankh lightly in her hands, staring down at it.
"And how did you get that from the guardian of the Items?"
"Oh, I didn't get it, I came out of it....but I don't understand why. I just know when I saw aibou, that I needed to help and protect....." She was interrupted as a shuffle was heard. Both of the spirit's lifted their heads and turned around swiftly, but whatever made that noise was gone.
"Shadi......" Yami muttered lightly under his breath.
"Who?" Ahmunet turned to look at him.
"The Guardian of the Millennium Items. The owner of that Ankh."
"..........Aibou says for me to give it to him."
"I think he was listening to us talk. I think he left because he wants you to have it a little while longer. He wants you to stay with you aibou for awhile longer."
"Aibou's protesting........anyway, I believe we've talked enough for one night.....except..."
"Yes?" Yami tilted his head to look at her.
"Do you know where the thief is right now?"
"No......we lost him in that storm. His own innocent aibou is along for the ride."
"I feel a sadness for his aibou." With that, she stood up. Yami nodded, understanding that this was the end of their conversation. He reverted back to Yugi, and Ahmunet reverted back to her aibou, who promptly collapsed to the ground in a fit of sobs.
"Shhhhh........it's alright...." Yugi said softly. "It's not a bad thing, having a friend to be there for you whenever you need it...." He knew immedeatly what was bothering the holder of the Millennium Ankh.
"Nooo.....not....alright......frightened..." Yugi held them while sobs shook his companion's body.
"Come....let me walk you back to your tent......it WILL be okay...." Yugi stood and helped his companion up, and together, they walked back to the mini duelist settlement.
(A/N: I know I know, seven months and you STILL don't know the whole story! I'm just not ready to let that cat out of it's bag yet! So Nyah! :P )
~*~
Shadi strode carefully from the site where the two had been talking.
So there WAS a spirit inside of the Millennium Ankh....but he had heard of no lore about this, or felt any of her presense inside of the Item. This indeed was odd. He decided that it would be a good idea to watch from afar, and learn what he could before reclaiming his Millennium Item. Or even if that would be a good idea.
After all, it seemed that all of this....with the Items all being on the island and all....it was happening for a reason. It was a reason yet to be revealed, even to him, but there was a reason, none the less. This was one of those times he wished that Isis Ishtar still held the Tauk. Maybe she could have gotten it to work one last time and see what was going on.
~*~
"Where are you going?"
Seto stopped dead in his tracks.
"None of your business. Where I go is my own affair."
Mai sat up easily in her sleeping bag. "You weren't thinking of just leaving Lisa and I behind, were you? Wasn't it obvious when Lisa saw you again that she idolizes you, and that also, I need to get back to Yugi and Joey and the others? Why are you always doing this?"
Seto turned to face her, his eyes boring holes through her practically. "What do you mean by that?"
Mai stood by the embers of the fire. "Leaving. You're always leaving. You left Mokuba with us so you could take care of some "business," and now you're abandoning me without a clue to where I should go, or without any kind of word as to what I should do about being separated from Yugi!"
"I can go where I want to, when I want to!" Seto raised his voice to a hard and mean sounding kind of stage whisper, as if minding the sleeping girl close to them both.
"Wait a second....when did you find Lisa?" Mai rocked back on her heels and looked at Seto.
"Only the first night, I think." He didn't know why he was answering her questions really....
"How long did you have her?"
"About a day and a half after that, probably."
"AH-HAH!" Mai didn't even bother keeping that down, and Lisa stirred a bit. Seto looked down at her, frozen for a moment, then glared at Mai.
"Ah-hah, what?"
"Ah-hah, I know why you left Mokuba with us."
"..........I don't know what you're talking about, Mai.
Mai put on a superior sort of smirk and folded her arms. "Sure. Pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. But before you walk off, tell me this....where is Yugi. You can't just abandon me here. Anyway, if you go, what's going to stop Lisa from wanting to track you down?"
Seto realized this was true. ".........Fine. We'll wait until Lisa gets up and we've all eaten something. Then we'll go find Yugi and his merry band." Seto cast his eyes down to the ground and frowned.
How did he get into these things?
~*~*~*~
Brood: *doing this from inside of a closet, since the Angry Mob is still out for her blood* Wow, seven long months, and here we are! You realize that I started this story about a year ago, two days ago!? Wow, time flies, ne? Unfortunately, I didn't spend as much of it writing as I should have...... And yes, I am truly sorry for simply dumping this story for so long, and I swear that I never want this to happen again. At first it was writers block, then other things just kept cropping up.
But on Friday evening, I got inspired to write again, as a friend came home from his heart operation. I just felt so happy that he was home and safe, that I looked at my stories and was like, DANG! I gotta get WRITING! And it just flowed from me....it was great to feel my muses returning. I'll get a chapter of Just Another Day on the Job up soon, as well. Then heck, I'll get started on something else!
To my Contest WINNERS!! Email me saying either, "One," or "Two." This will determine what story your appearance will be in! If you both say the same thing, the first person to email me will get first pick! You each will be in one story! This means you, Wingleader and Myot-chan! LOL!
Zutsokaki: *flings the door open* THERE SHE IS!!!
Brood: AAAAAHHHHHHHH!! *Review and make me feel good about myself please!!!*
