Disclaimer: Yugioh does not belong to me.

Yami: Is it just me or do you sound grumpy?

Luna14: *Gives him a death glare* I've just been working on my freakin school work for the last 4 hours. Plus finishing this chapter.

Yami: *Mutters to the readers* She's a little gumpy right now...Maybe we can cheer her up by giving her reviews.

Luna14: *About ready to throw a pencil at someone*

Yami: *Scampers away*



Chapter 17 - The Amulet



Shadi strolled through the streets of Domino City with his hands casually behind his back. People walked by him as if he was invisible, like a ghost or spirit that wandered from a different realm.

"I sense great power in this city." he whispered.

He examined his surroundings cautiously. He kept on walking until he reached a secluded area a few blocks away from the Domino Museum. His eyes scanned the area, searching for someone. When he spotted him he released the powers from his millennium ankh. His form reappeared in plain sight.

"Thank you for meeting me." he said in a greeting manner.

His comrade jumped from behind. He stared blankly at Shadi who was not there a moment ago. "You really should stop doing that." he said irritably.

"I apologize." Shadi said calmly. "You've been keeping a close eye on things have you not?"

"Yes. It's about time you came. Strange occurrences are happening. Things have been getting worse and worse."

Shadi gave a heavy sigh. "The unfortunate death of Shiro Mayoto, no doubt disturbs me. His daughter must be devastated."

"I wouldn't exactly know would I?" he said sourly.

Shadi gave a tiny smile in amusement, but his face quickly turned serious. "The time will come soon when we must face our greatest fears. Let us hope they can find their past lives before it's too late."


********


She tossed and turned in her bed. Her eyes squinting with an upset indication of a nightmare.

She stood in a darkened alleyway. The brick walls closed between her in a tight narrow passage. She heard a faint distant voice.

"Ishizu will come to you..."

She swivelled her head around eagerly trying to find the voice. "Dad?" she called out. But he was not there.

"The chest..."

"Where are you dad!?" she called out through the narrow alleyway.

"It's your destiny Vari..." the voice said again.

"Dad! Come back! I can't see you!" Vari searched desperately. Her father had to be around here somewhere. "Where are you!?" she called again. There was no answer. She waited a couple of more minutes. Nothing. She became angry from the fact that he wasn't answering her.

Suddenly she heard two booming gunshots.

"Dad!" she screamed.

Her body shot up from the bed. She was shaking all over. Her heart beating fast against her chest. The sound of the gunshots still rung in her ears.

Her father's warning swam in her mind. "Dad what were you trying to say?"


********


It's been days since the funeral. The police still did not find any leads to the murderer. Vari couldn't help but give a distinct feeling that they laughed at her description of the murderer.

"I'm sorry but we just couldn't identify any man with a purple cloak. There have been no reports of such a man. And since there wasn't a face description, it could be anybody."

Her mother gave a sad sigh. "Please officer isn't there anything else that wasn't searched?"

"What about that emblem of the eye on the cloak. Isn't that something?" Vari asked.

"We've searched every list for any sightings on the emblem. So far no one has spotted anything. Our best guesses are the murderer was part of some kind of group or gang. We are looking into it.

Vari felt her frustration building. She had been holding back her anger until now. "Your people are such idiots! You have been investigating for days and all you come up with is that!? Who the hell do you think you are!?"

"Miss Mayoto please! We are trying our very best. We have men working on this case day and night." the officer said getting a little angry.

"Yeah? WELL I DON'T THINK YOUR WORKING HARD ENOUGH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone around the police station lifted their heads up and stared at them.

"Vari please stop it!" Maaya scolded harshly, noticing all the stares. "They're trying all they could."

"I can't stop it mom. If no one is going to bring the man who killed my father down. Then I'm going to do it myself!" she stomped away.

"Vari wait!" Maaya cried out, but Vari didn't listen, she walked out of the police station.


********


Seto paced around in his office at Kaiba Corp. His laptop was left opened, on the desk and strangely unused. Days have already passed when he met with Vari at the cemetery. They did not talked to each other since. He remembered the awkward silence when he drove her home. She didn't say anything, or was trying not to say anything. Seto was also just as quiet.

As he looked out from his office building his mind was mixed with confusion.

"I shouldn't have kissed her." he thought. It was a compulsive decision, which on his part went against his rules of not going all emotional. Emotion showed weakness. It was better not to get attached to anyone, or else you'll pay for it in the end. Well... at least in the cooperate world that's how the way things work.

"I was such an idiot." he couldn't help but curse himself repeatedly.

He didn't want to think about it anymore and decided to just focus on whatever was planned for the tournament finals. But her face came into his mind again. Those beautiful green eyes and soft black hair.

He couldn't help but feel empty inside.


********


Ishizu Ishtar walked discreetly down the neighborhood until she found the house she had been looking for. Her millennium item gave a faint glow. Satisfied that she had found the right house she rung the doorbell. It took a couple of minutes and a few more rings until the door finally opened. It was Vari who opened the door.

Vari looked strangely at her with puzzlement. The women look Egyptian, dark tan skin with a simple white dress robe on her, trim with a bit of gold on the edges of her sleeves and collar.

"You are Vari Mayoto." she it more as a fact then a question.

"Yes?" Vari looked suspiciously at her. "How do you know my name?"

"My name is Ishizu Ishtar. I worked with your father at the museum before he died."

"Ishizu?" Vari eyes widen. Her father said that name to her.

"By that look on your face, you already know who I am." Ishizu said.

"My father mentioned you." she said quietly.

From there Ishizu quickly went to business, there wasn't much time. "I come to you in a matter of great importance."

Vari narrowed her eyes fixedly on Ishizu. Why would she come to her with something that sounded so urgent? She was merely a high school girl. Could it be possible that she would have answers about the murderer?

Vari felt like saying "Go away." She didn't want to deal with any more problems then she already had. But the thought of how she might be able to help bring down the murderer of her father was the only thing clear in her mind. She opened the door for her. "Come in."

"Is anyone with you at home?" Ishizu asked, clutching the handle of a suitcase that she was carrying close to her.

"No." Vari replied, since she ditched her mother at the police station.

"Good." said Ishizu. "What I'm going to talk to you about is for your ears only." They went inside the living room. Ishizu gently placed the suitcase on the coffee table.

"You know who killed my father. Don't you?" she blurted out so suddenly even she didn't realize it. There was no point in bringing it up.

Ishizu stood calmly, without even flinching at her sudden question. "There is no reason to deny the death of your father." she said sadly. "But as of now, you are not ready to hear the whole truth."

Vari felt a crushing blow. She became frustrated and angry. "What truth? I'm tired of this nonsense! I want answers! I don't want everyone hiding everything from me!"

Ishizu couldn't help but pity the poor girl. "What you feel now is pain. But you can't let that pain take over you." She opened the suitcase containing the gold chest protected in a foam covering. "I give this to you." She took the chest out and placed it on the coffee table. The gold gleamed with a high amount of splendor. Anyone who looked at it couldn't help but feel it's beauty.

"This was the project my father was working on." Vari said. "Why am I getting it?"

"Because it belongs to you." Ishizu explained.

"No it doesn't." The whole thing was absurd. How can it belong to her when it should be in the museum?

"I tell you the truth." Ishizu said. "I'm not here to deceive you."

"How can I believe you? I hardly know you." Vari glared suspiciously.

"Maybe you will believe me if I give you this." She took a small leather book out from one of the pockets in the suitcase and handed it to her. Her father's journal.

"Where did you get this?" she asked amazed. She stroke the leather covering with the initials S. M on it. It was her father's alright.

"Your father told me to give it to you before he died."

Vari stared at the journal in her hands. The image of her father came back into clear view. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Your father knew it was your destiny. He only wanted to protected you until the time came." Ishizu said gently.

"What's my destiny? Tell me I want to know!" Vari pleaded. "Tell me why is this happening to me?"

"I must go now. I can't stay here any longer." Ishizu reached for the door.

Vari chased after her. "Wait! You can't go now! I need you to tell me!"

"Deep down you know already. The chest belongs to you. Protect it. I foresee that we will meet again soon." Ishizu turned and walked out.

Vari felt too exhausted to pursue her anymore. Everything was cluttered in her head with questions upon questions. She saw her exit then turned her attention back to the journal and the chest. It sat there on the table. She cocked her head to the side, unsure of what to do.

"Great, she just up and leaves me with this." Vari grumbled. "What the hell am I suppose to do with it?"

She examined the box all around. It was no doubt, beautifully crafted. Pictures and symbols carved across, column by column. Not that she knew what it said or what it meant. She knew many languages but hieroglyphics wasn't one of them.

Suddenly she felt something strange. An irresistible urge that drew her close to it. Bewildered by the feeling, she touched the top latch of the box. It gave a faint glow. Vari quickly pulled her hand away and gasped.

"What the..."

She touched the latch again with curiosity. It started to glow brighter. Then without warning her hand was stuck on it like glue. She couldn't pull away. It began to glow even brighter to the point that it blinded her eyes. She felt a heat rush up from her hand and surged through her body. It was overwhelming. She saw the box giving off sparks as if it was going to explode any second.

But it didn't explode. Her hand was suddenly released as an energy wave pushed her onto the floor. She landed with a painful thud. The latch began to twist and turn like a puzzle cube. Vari just stared, more with fascination then fear.

Then the latch opened. Her father had spent months trying to unlock it's secrets, she had done it with merely the touch of her magic hand. The credibility of it all was ironic.

The box beamed with increasing power. She could feel it pulling her, closer and closer, she cautiously walked over until she was just an inch away. Her hand shook as she slowly reached over. She lifted the cover and gasp.

Inside was the most beautiful amulet she had ever seen. It was made out of pure gold. On it was a scarab beetle crafted in the middle of the millennium eye symbol. It held a emerald gem that dangled from the middle. The chain was beaded blue halfway, the rest was gold.

Vari took it out, examining it all over. So many problems from such a small object. She could hardly believe it all. Ishizu said before it was her destiny. Was this small necklace her destiny? She had half a mind to chuck it out to sea. This thing caused her nothing but grief and pain, but yet she kept it and walked over to the mirror and placed it on her neck. She would bear all the troubles from it and in the end she'll find the one who killed her father no matter what.



Author's Notes: I finally got rid of that annoying "the chest" title. Of course you must be happy to find out what's inside, not that it was such a secret. And surprise, surprise. Shadi is back again. Is anyone a Shadi fan? I hardly ever see him in any fics at all, even the ones that writes about ancient Egypt. I think he's cool and mysterious. And he pops out of nowhere in the TV series. Quiet amazing how he appears and disappears. What's up with that? Does anyone know anything about Shadi? He was a priest in the Ancient Egypt Arc manga, that much I know.

Now there's the question of what Vari is going to do next. And let's just say it's going to be a whole lot of trouble. Might get her killed in fact.

*Gasp* Would Luna14 really kill off Vari?

*Evil grin* Stick around to find out.

You know what to do, click on that button on the bottom and review!

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