The card thing in this is something I made up myself - it is mine so don't
steal it! (Yay!!!!! I own something!!!!!) I like this chappy but the next
one will be a bit late in coming coz I don't have much idea of what's going
to happen. Hope you like!
Chapter 11
Yugi opened his eyes. The torch was still flickering on the wall, and from its glow he could make out the slumbering forms of his friends. As he watched, Joey gave a snort and turned over, fast asleep. The darkness was silent apart from noises of sleep, and at first Yugi didn't know what had woken him. He sat up and looked around, and then he saw it. Up ahead, a soft dancing light was coming from a small doorway to one of the unremarkable rooms.
Silently so as not to wake the others, he got up and cautiously walked over. It wasn't his imagination; the light grew brighter as he approached. He peered inside.
Sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, watching him with dark, unreadable eyes, was Shadi.
'Welcome, young one.'
Yugi wasn't sure how to reply, so he came inside.
'Please be seated.'
Yugi took up a position on the floor in front of Shadi, still searching for words.
'What are you doing here?' was the best he came up with. He guessed afterwards that it must have sounded a bit rude, but if Shadi was here there was probably something wrong. Well, more wrong. (me: it's not like everything's OK if ur trapped in a pyramid!)
Shadi smiled.
'I, too, am a player in this unseen game. There are forces at work which are shaping the destinies of all... and, unfortunately, our world may be forfeit.'
As he spoke he revealed a deck from the folds of his robe, and began placing cards out on the floor in front of him.
'Forces? What do you mean?'
Shadi didn't look up, but kept placing cards methodically on the floor. Yugi looked down at the pattern forming - eight cards had been placed, face down, to form a square. As he watched, Shadi placed one more card off to the side, and put down the deck.
'This is a cage,' he said quietly, pointing to the square. He drew a card from the deck, and showed it to Yugi. The Dark Magician. He placed it face down inside the square.
'The Dark Magician is trapped. You have to free him.'
Yugi looked down at the cards, then up at Shadi again.
'If I do it, then will you answer my questions?'
Shadi smiled.
'If you do it, you will have your answers.'
He pointed to the eight cards of the square.
'These are magic cards. Some will free the magician and some will destroy him. Which you pick depends on what kind of a person you are.'
He turned over the card at the top right corner.
'Mystic boxes. The Dark Magician uses his magic survive the swords and emerge safely. I, too, act unseen and do what it is in my nature - my duty, to do.
He smiled sadly.
'Even if it means that another may suffer in my stead. I must think of the greater good.'
He flipped over the card off to the side to reveal.. the Dark Magician.
'You see - he is free.'
He flipped both cards over again. Yugi looked down at them for a moment. It could be just a trick.. but then why would Shadi show him a card which would free the Magician?
'It isn't a trick.'
Yugi looked up. Shadi was coolly regarding him.
'I know that you believe in the heart of the cards. It is that heart which guides your hand now and determines which card you turn.'
He wasn't sure why.. but Yugi believed him. He extended a hand over the cards, which hovered over them for a second as he made his decision. Then he turned over the middle card in the bottom row. The brightly coloured image of the Monster Reborn card stared up at them from the dusty stones.
Yugi looked up at Shadi with apprehension. He was almost afraid of what this card meant. Shadi was looking down at the card, his face giving no clue as to his thoughts. Finally he spoke.
'The cards.. say different things to different people. The Monster Reborn card frees monsters - any monsters - from the graveyard. To me, this shows that you go out of your way to help others, to free them from whatever makes the cage in their mind.' He smiled. 'Like when you saved me. You have a kind soul, Yugi Motou. Don't let anyone take advantage of it.'
Yugi looked down in embarrassment, not sure what to say. Shadi's tanned hands deftly flipped over the card off to the side.
'The Dark Magician is free,' he stated simply.
Yugi looked up again, curiosity afire in his eyes.
'So, you will answer my questions?'
Shadi laughed, and the clear, warm sound echoed in the cold stone room.
'You already have the answers to every question that matters, inside of you.'
He smiled at Yugi's bewilderment, and then began to place the cards back in the deck.
'But if you ever need reminding of it, then ask the cards.'
He handed the deck to Yugi, and although his tone and face were serious there was a sparkle in his eye.
'They don't lie. Trust in them, and trust in who you are. When all else seems lost, you can always trust in that.'
Yugi looked down at the cards in his hand.
'Thankyou..' he said, confused.
Shadi nodded.
'You had best get back. Your friends will wonder where you are.'
Yugi got up, but Shadi didn't move.
'..won't you come with us? We can find the way out together,' Yugi asked hopefully of the mysterious man.
Shadi smiled, and shook his head. Not knowing what else to do, Yugi started out the door. He turned the cards over and began to absently flip through them, then stopped in his tracks. It was _his_ deck. He turned around, a million questions forming anew in his mind, but light no longer came from the doorway. Amazed, he looked back inside... but there was nothing. No sound, no light, only thick darkness.
He looked down at the deck in his hand. Its comforting reality argued against the theory that the whole meeting had only been a dream, but still.. Yugi shook his head in confusion. Even if he had dreamed it all, the encounter had left him nervous - something was about to happen, he knew it. Something big.
-------------------------------------
Shadi sighed. It was a dangerous game he was playing. He was aware that the others didn't trust him, but he hoped that caution would stay their hand for a while longer. They must not, under any circumstances, find out what he knew... if the details of the prophecy were realised, the boy was as good as dead.
It would probably be too risky to approach the Pharaoh again. He would wait until his hand was forced before revealing his true standing. In fact, there was little else he could do... he had given them what help he could, but he doubted that, in the end, anything he did would be enough. The fates and the prophecies were working against him.
It was a dangerous and unpredictable game, indeed. But he couldn't afford to lose.
Yeah, kinda short chappy. Thankyou to people who answered my question - unfortunately I received one opinion that Malik was more calculating, and one that Bakura was. So I'm back to square one. O well, I'll just go with what works best for my story. Also thankyou to peeples who answered my question waaaaaaaaaay back in chappy 1! I am learning Japanese, but some of the words which appear in manga we don't exactly cover... and for some reason that wasn't in my dictionary. Now I gotta think what happens next.. this is getting hard!
Chapter 11
Yugi opened his eyes. The torch was still flickering on the wall, and from its glow he could make out the slumbering forms of his friends. As he watched, Joey gave a snort and turned over, fast asleep. The darkness was silent apart from noises of sleep, and at first Yugi didn't know what had woken him. He sat up and looked around, and then he saw it. Up ahead, a soft dancing light was coming from a small doorway to one of the unremarkable rooms.
Silently so as not to wake the others, he got up and cautiously walked over. It wasn't his imagination; the light grew brighter as he approached. He peered inside.
Sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, watching him with dark, unreadable eyes, was Shadi.
'Welcome, young one.'
Yugi wasn't sure how to reply, so he came inside.
'Please be seated.'
Yugi took up a position on the floor in front of Shadi, still searching for words.
'What are you doing here?' was the best he came up with. He guessed afterwards that it must have sounded a bit rude, but if Shadi was here there was probably something wrong. Well, more wrong. (me: it's not like everything's OK if ur trapped in a pyramid!)
Shadi smiled.
'I, too, am a player in this unseen game. There are forces at work which are shaping the destinies of all... and, unfortunately, our world may be forfeit.'
As he spoke he revealed a deck from the folds of his robe, and began placing cards out on the floor in front of him.
'Forces? What do you mean?'
Shadi didn't look up, but kept placing cards methodically on the floor. Yugi looked down at the pattern forming - eight cards had been placed, face down, to form a square. As he watched, Shadi placed one more card off to the side, and put down the deck.
'This is a cage,' he said quietly, pointing to the square. He drew a card from the deck, and showed it to Yugi. The Dark Magician. He placed it face down inside the square.
'The Dark Magician is trapped. You have to free him.'
Yugi looked down at the cards, then up at Shadi again.
'If I do it, then will you answer my questions?'
Shadi smiled.
'If you do it, you will have your answers.'
He pointed to the eight cards of the square.
'These are magic cards. Some will free the magician and some will destroy him. Which you pick depends on what kind of a person you are.'
He turned over the card at the top right corner.
'Mystic boxes. The Dark Magician uses his magic survive the swords and emerge safely. I, too, act unseen and do what it is in my nature - my duty, to do.
He smiled sadly.
'Even if it means that another may suffer in my stead. I must think of the greater good.'
He flipped over the card off to the side to reveal.. the Dark Magician.
'You see - he is free.'
He flipped both cards over again. Yugi looked down at them for a moment. It could be just a trick.. but then why would Shadi show him a card which would free the Magician?
'It isn't a trick.'
Yugi looked up. Shadi was coolly regarding him.
'I know that you believe in the heart of the cards. It is that heart which guides your hand now and determines which card you turn.'
He wasn't sure why.. but Yugi believed him. He extended a hand over the cards, which hovered over them for a second as he made his decision. Then he turned over the middle card in the bottom row. The brightly coloured image of the Monster Reborn card stared up at them from the dusty stones.
Yugi looked up at Shadi with apprehension. He was almost afraid of what this card meant. Shadi was looking down at the card, his face giving no clue as to his thoughts. Finally he spoke.
'The cards.. say different things to different people. The Monster Reborn card frees monsters - any monsters - from the graveyard. To me, this shows that you go out of your way to help others, to free them from whatever makes the cage in their mind.' He smiled. 'Like when you saved me. You have a kind soul, Yugi Motou. Don't let anyone take advantage of it.'
Yugi looked down in embarrassment, not sure what to say. Shadi's tanned hands deftly flipped over the card off to the side.
'The Dark Magician is free,' he stated simply.
Yugi looked up again, curiosity afire in his eyes.
'So, you will answer my questions?'
Shadi laughed, and the clear, warm sound echoed in the cold stone room.
'You already have the answers to every question that matters, inside of you.'
He smiled at Yugi's bewilderment, and then began to place the cards back in the deck.
'But if you ever need reminding of it, then ask the cards.'
He handed the deck to Yugi, and although his tone and face were serious there was a sparkle in his eye.
'They don't lie. Trust in them, and trust in who you are. When all else seems lost, you can always trust in that.'
Yugi looked down at the cards in his hand.
'Thankyou..' he said, confused.
Shadi nodded.
'You had best get back. Your friends will wonder where you are.'
Yugi got up, but Shadi didn't move.
'..won't you come with us? We can find the way out together,' Yugi asked hopefully of the mysterious man.
Shadi smiled, and shook his head. Not knowing what else to do, Yugi started out the door. He turned the cards over and began to absently flip through them, then stopped in his tracks. It was _his_ deck. He turned around, a million questions forming anew in his mind, but light no longer came from the doorway. Amazed, he looked back inside... but there was nothing. No sound, no light, only thick darkness.
He looked down at the deck in his hand. Its comforting reality argued against the theory that the whole meeting had only been a dream, but still.. Yugi shook his head in confusion. Even if he had dreamed it all, the encounter had left him nervous - something was about to happen, he knew it. Something big.
-------------------------------------
Shadi sighed. It was a dangerous game he was playing. He was aware that the others didn't trust him, but he hoped that caution would stay their hand for a while longer. They must not, under any circumstances, find out what he knew... if the details of the prophecy were realised, the boy was as good as dead.
It would probably be too risky to approach the Pharaoh again. He would wait until his hand was forced before revealing his true standing. In fact, there was little else he could do... he had given them what help he could, but he doubted that, in the end, anything he did would be enough. The fates and the prophecies were working against him.
It was a dangerous and unpredictable game, indeed. But he couldn't afford to lose.
Yeah, kinda short chappy. Thankyou to people who answered my question - unfortunately I received one opinion that Malik was more calculating, and one that Bakura was. So I'm back to square one. O well, I'll just go with what works best for my story. Also thankyou to peeples who answered my question waaaaaaaaaay back in chappy 1! I am learning Japanese, but some of the words which appear in manga we don't exactly cover... and for some reason that wasn't in my dictionary. Now I gotta think what happens next.. this is getting hard!