In the Eye of the Beholder
Chapter Seven:
The First Test
By: fairysphinxfairysphinx: Hey, guys! I'm back! Sorry, this chapter's going to be kind of short. I ran out of time, and it's very late at night. But, that doesn't mean that the quality is below par! Now, before I get on with the story, I received a review from firefly of hell saying, "How come you don't write a prequel to an Unknown Card? I really want to know what happened when Yata and Yami were in Egypt." Just wondering, how many would be interested in that? I think that I am going to write a prequel to it, firefly. That was a very good idea! Thanks! But, I won't be posting it until some of my ongoing fics are finished * looks at list, and notices eight unfinished stories, plus another new one * O_OU Heh. I think I'll wait until I finish a few before starting it, though. Oh, well! 'tis the life of an authoress! Anyhow, enjoy the story, and please review!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh, but I DO own Ktara and Yata.
/Yugi talking to Yami/
//Yami talking to Yugi//
!Bakura talking to Y. Bakura/Yaku!
!!Y. Bakura/Yaku talking to Bakura!!
{Ktara talking to Y. Ktara/Yata}
[Y. Ktara/Yata talking to Ktara]
* indicates action taking place *
indicates a passage in time
"Yami, I think that we've stood on this piece of sand before," Yata whispered in his ear. Yami growled in aggravation.
"Don't you think that I know that, Yata?" he asked. They had been walking around for hours, looking for the tomb with no avail. Everyone was dusty, dirty, and extremely grumpy. "Oh, Ra, why did you make me loose my memory?!?! Why, Ra?!?!?!?!?!" He fell to his knees, and started pulling at his hair.
"If you don't stop that, Yami, I'll have to sedate you, too!" Yata lectured.
"No!" the rest of the boys exclaimed. They were already caring Yugi and Mokuba, the latter who had passed out from exhaustion, and former who was (still) sedated. Bakura was turning bright red from the heat, and every step was labored. His breathing was heavy, and his shirt was soaked in perspiration.
"We need to find this tomb, soon, Yami, before all of us are spent!"
"Weren't you and your family supposed to protect Yami's tomb, Ishtar?" Malik gave Seto a blank look.
"And I would remember, why?" * all facefault * "Well, I wanted the Pharaoh's powers, not the job of protecting his tomb." He paused and looked around. "But, I do know who would know where it is. Unfortunately, he isn't around here."
"Well, if I'm thinking of who you're thinking of, then he is around here." All eyes turned toward the horizon. There stood a man with a white turban wrapped around his head, the Millennium Ankh on a rope around his neck. A look of relief flooded all of the faces.
"Shadi!" Yata exclaimed. "It's nice to see you again!"
"And it's nice to see you again as well. But, I don't see young Ktara with you. Where did that girl get off to?" Yata dragged the toe of her shoe through the sand.
"Long story short: Ktara's dead, we need to get her back to destroy the Eye, and the only way to do that is to go to that place that Yaku talked about, which the only way to get there is through Pharaoh Yami's tomb." Shadi mused over this information for a while.
"Shame on you, Malik. You are supposed to know where the Pharaoh's tomb lies." (Malik: o) He sighed. "Alright. I will show you the tomb…on one condition." They gulped.
"And what's that?" Seto asked.
"Take HIM with you! He's been bugging me all day!" He picked up Joey by the collar who had, unnoticed, snuck up beside the Egyptian man. Yata sighed, and wiped a hand over her sweaty forehead.
"And I thought that it would be a serious condition! Deal!"
"Come, then. Follow me. I will show you the tomb." Shadi led the group, three now unconscious (Bakura had passed out), to a large stairway, away from civilization. "This is the tomb. Beware. The first test is not what it seems." They nodded, and waved goodbye. Shadi disappeared over a sand dune.
"I cannot thank you enough for saving me from that creepy guy!" Joey said. "What's he hiding under that turban, do you wonder? Does he even have hair?" * Yata hits herself in the head *
"Ra, why did I agree to taking him along with us?!?!"
"Because you felt sorry for me?"
"No…. Why are you here, anyhow?" she asked. Joey shrugged.
"I don't know. I went to bed last night, and woke up here."
"Huh. Wonder how the dog got here, then," Seto mused. (* fairysphinx whistles innocently * What? Why are you looking at me like that?! It wasn't me, I tell you! It was…it was…it was the sock!). Joey growled.
"I'm not a dog!"
"Mutt, then." * Joey growls *
"Enough, you too! Let's go inside!" Yata began to walk up the steps, holding onto Yami's arm. She could feel his muscles twitching in anticipation of the upcoming events, possibly even finding out more of his past. "Don't worry," Yata whispered in his ear, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "Everything will turn out fine. You'll see!" Placing a tender kiss on his cheek, she turned her attention back onto the long stairway leading into a dark hallway.
A thick layer of dust covered the walls and floors, which silenced their footsteps. As they walked on, an occasional torch lit up, shining on the path. It was as if they had been expected. With the meters they left behind them, the air became cooler, and the two boys began to wake (Yugi was still sedated). "Where are we, Seto?" Mokuba asked.
"In Yami's tomb," he answered simply. The younger Kaiba yawned, as he slid off of his brother's back.
"Strange tomb," he said, observing the odd hallway. The dust was melting away, and the walls, ceilings, floors all began to glimmer in the torchlight. A spot of light grew larger and larger in the distance as they walked on in the small, enclosed place.
Soon, they entered a large room. A white mist covered the floor, and a man appeared out of it. He was very tall, perhaps twelve feet. Long, white hair flowed over his shoulders, and a stern expression was plastered on his blue-skinned face. Long robes covered his tall frame. "Quath nosay toeth nay lanke se."
"What did he say?" Yaro and Yaku asked.
"He said, 'Come to me, the youngest one,'" Yata said. "That means you, Mokuba." The boy hesitated.
"No," Seto said. "I won't allow it! I won't allow my little brother to go to him!"
"Seto," Yata said, smacking him across the face. "This is the first test," she hissed under her breath. "Let him go." Seto reluctantly stepped aside, a hand pressed to his stinging cheek. Mokuba, however, still hesitated. "Mokuba," she said, bending down to his level. "Don't be afraid. No harm will come to you. You trust me, don't you?" He nodded. "Then go." Mokuba stutter-stepped into the room, and then walked the rest of the way half-confident. The white mist enveloped him, and he disappeared.
For minutes that seemed like hours, Seto nervously chewed on his fingernails, waiting for his little brother to come back. Finally, the fog lifted. Mokuba was standing in the middle of the room, alone. The man was gone. "Mokuba!" Seto yelled, as he ran over to his little brother. "What happened? What did he do to you?" The boy just looked at his brother.
"He asked me a couple of questions. I answered them, then he left." He shrugged. "Nothing big." Yata smiled, as the others looked questioningly around.
'A small step, then a big leap.' They walked on.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
fairysphinx: Well, what did you think? Sorry, the ending got a little rushed. It's one thirty in the morning, and I'm worn out! Oh, well. G'night all! Sorry for the short chapter! And please review! Bye!