Author's Notes: First of all, I need to clarify the end of the last chapter. Ankh and Scale were not drinking. Shedsunefertum was upset over losing the Tauk (understandably so), so he went to the tavern to drink. And since Ankh and Scale share his mind, they were affected by it. Especially Ankh, since he can feel the minds around him without even trying.
Shedsunefertum is turning out a lot meaner than I really intended. He's horrible, but he's not THAT bad! He'll be nicer, for the moment anyway. And he wasn't encouraging Shadi to be a delinquent, just to be more social!
No, I don't think I'll have Shadi and Isis get together. Definitely not in this story, anyway!
I recently learned that in fact, Malik's family DID have the Rod and Tauk when he was little. So I had to fix that quickly… But things will get back to the beginning of Three-In-One Combo eventually.
Heh, and as for the request for me to write a Scale/Ankh story… I think that pairing could work out without too much trouble, but I'm really bad at writing romance. If you're looking for a good one though, go read Chibigreen Tanuki's "A Place Lit By Sunlight," and tell her to update it once in a while!
This chapter starts too slowly, and yet I think it would have been better if I had taken it slower. But either way, the end is more fun. Oh, and thanks for all your ideas! I used a few in this chapter. Keep them coming!
Ankhkare: Er… Indigo doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Or Shadi. But Senui and I are hers. And so are Shedsunefertum, Neema, and Khnum. But you can have them, if you want… Please don't try to take Indigo's money, though! It would be better to sue a rich person who is actually claiming to own something that doesn't belong to them, don't you think?
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Millennial Inheritance
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Shadi and Shedsunefertum circled each other, staves held in defensive positions. Every so often one of them would strike out at the other. Shadi managed to give his father a few hard whacks, but seen he was knocked to the ground. He got up slowly, a hand on his throbbing knee.
"Sloppy," his father commented, laughing slightly. "Getting a little better, though."
"I did not sleep well last night," Shadi said a bit defensively. "I'm tired."
"Making excuses won't help you," Shadi's father said, frowning. "You need to take responsibility for yourself. Is your leg okay, or do you need to stop for the day?"
"…It hurts," Shadi said, hissing in pain as he pressed on the joint. "Can you look at it, and do something for it?"
"I'll look at it, but I won't always be here to do that. You need to learn to do it yourself or find someone else," the older Egyptian said, frowning. He had Shadi sit down while he poked and prodded at his son's knee as Shadi flinched. "Just bruised, I think. You'll be fine. But if that had been a blade, you'd have lost your leg. You're betting better, but I wish you'd learn a little faster."
"Yes father," Shadi sighed.
"You know, I was thinking…" Shadi's father said, helping his son to his feet again, "I know you're still a little young, but I wasn't much older when I had my marriage arranged for me. It's never too early to be looking for a wife."
Shadi blinked. "WHAT!?" Surely he had just heard his father wrong.
"Well, you'll need an heir some day! You can't let Ishtar or anyone else take over as guardian. It should be kept in the family. I know you're not too friendly, but that's all the more reason to start looking early."
"FATHER!" Shadi exclaimed, blushing indignantly.
"Hey, how about this," said his father, ignoring Shadi's embarrassment. "I have a friend with a daughter about your age. I'll invite them to our house tonight. Us adults can play some games and discuss your future, and you can get to know the girl. I think her name's Nina or something like that."
"I…"
"It'll be FUN," Shedsunefertum said firmly.
"But Father, I'm only eight! I can't get married! Please, stop it!" Shadi protested.
"I'm not asking you to get married right now, but you need to make sure you'll be taken care of later. And the guardians' line needs to be continued."
Shadi frowned at his father for a moment. "Is this about how I should be like you but not end up like you again?"
"No! Well, maybe. Look, go home and polish the Items, will you? And put some ice on that knee. I'll stop by my friend's house," Shedsunefertum said, waving his son away dismissively.
Shadi regarded his father doubtfully before reluctantly limping home. He was especially careful to avoid the neighborhood children, because he felt particularly antisocial today. He got home without any run-ins, and went to the freezer to get an ice pack for his knee. He almost fell into the huge freezer-chest, but he pulled himself out in time. Then Shadi went over to sit by the tablet with the ice pack. He quickly brushed dust off the Puzzle Box, and spent a while rubbing the Ankh and Scales. He ignored the Scales' malicious shocks, but as he rubbed the Ankh, most of the pain in his knee disappeared. Both Items felt nicely familiar to him, and he took comfort from them. He had a feeling that today would be quite annoying.
After Shadi had run out of things to do, and he had completely forgotten about his knee, his father finally came home.
"Here, I got you a hot dog. They're from America, you know," Shedsunefertum said. He handed Shadi a big hot dog in a bun and went to put some other things away. "How's that leg doing?"
"I know what a hot dog is, father…" Shadi said, rolling his eyes. "My knee doesn't hurt any more."
"Good, good. Hey, I picked up some chocolate for you to give your new girlfriend," his father said with a grin.
Shadi blushed dark red. "Father! She is NOT my girlfriend! I have not even met her! Please do not say that when they get here," he begged.
His father laughed. "Fine. You know it's just fun to mess with you! Oh, and they'll be here around eight tonight. So clean up a little for the occasion, huh?"
Shadi blinked. "The house is clean…" he said, slightly confused.
"No, I mean clean yourself up! Wear some nicer clothes! Wash your face and hands. Try to look nice for a change," his father suggested.
So after some debating, arguing, and finally the absolute paternal "NOW!" Shadi grudgingly went to wash his face and hands. Then he rummaged through his drawers until he found a mismatched cape and turban like his father wore that looked about his size. He brought them out to get his father's approval.
"By Horus son, are you blind!? A black cape and a red turban?" His father seemed angrier than usual. "They don't even fit you! Look, that cape's too small and the turban's too big. Go pick something else. I know you've got some white stuff somewhere. Maybe it's in with my clothes. But don't EVER wear red and black!"
Shadi blinked in surprise at his father's fashion tips, but he found a white cape to put on over his plain robe, and his father helped him wrap his turban around his head. After that Shedsunefertum had to pause to scream at the Scales, but Shadi tuned it out. Then the two found a few decks of cards and some poker chips, because Shadi's father planned to make good use of his time as well.
Since Shedsunefertum didn't want Shadi to get ink on his nice clothes, he didn't have his son copy scrolls today. Instead he spoke to him of the Items' powers. Shadi listened attentively, and tried to store every bit of information away for later.
-
Later that night, two visitors came to the door.
"Ah, Khnum! Come in. This is Shadi," Shedsunefertum said, ushering his friend in.
"Shed," the older man said with a slight nod. He was tall and thin, with thin, greasy black hair. "This is my daughter, Neema." He stepped inside, and a young girl with big brown eyes and a ponytail of thick black hair quickly followed him. "Go play," he told her, pushing him towards Shadi.
Both children blushed slightly, but then Neema saw a glint of gold over Shadi's shoulder. "What's that?" she asked, running over to look.
Shadi looked to his father, worried.
"Hey, you can show off to her!" his father said with a suggestive wink.
"But… the Items…" Shadi protested. This didn't seem right.
"She's not even as old as you are! What are you worried about? Besides, you can actually start doing some guarding for a change! It'll be good practice," his father laughed. Shadi tried to argue, but was waved away. Sighing, he went down the stairs to the girl admiring the gold.
"These are so pretty! What are they? Is it jewelry? Can I try it on?" Neema asked, picking up the Ankh and putting its rope around her neck.
"They are… um… artifacts. Just Items that my family keeps," Shadi said awkwardly.
"I'll bet they're for a princess! And they look magic! This is… the princess key," she declared. Shadi wrinkled his nose as she continued. "And that can be my box to put my treasures in. But this is kind of dumb," she commented, looking at the Scales. They trembled almost angrily.
"That is the Millennium Ankh," said Shadi reproachfully. "The box holds the Millennium Puzzle, and these are the Millennium Scales."
"Those names are boring. But that looks like the scales Ma'at uses in the pictures. It's still dumb, though. Who wants to weigh things? But this one's pretty." She stroked the large Ankh.
The Scales began to shake harder, and Shadi quickly clamped a hand over them. "They all belong to my father. And then they'll be mine," he said, frowning possessively.
"You can't have ALL of them," Neema whined. She picked up the Puzzle's box and shook it. "This is a puzzle? Can I put it together?"
"The Ankh and Scales are really ours. But… we're just keeping the Puzzle. I guess… you can try to solve the Puzzle," Shadi said reluctantly. "But give me back the Ankh."
The girl discarded the Ankh and quickly spilled the Puzzle's pieces all over the ground. Shadi shook his head in disgust and put the Ankh away.
"Wow…" Neema exclaimed, admiring all of the strangely-shaped gold pieces. She quickly started trying to fit various pieces together.
"No one has ever solved the Millennium Puzzle," Shadi commented, watching her. He ran his hands over the Ankh and Scales idly.
Neema glared at him. "Shut up, that's because they're too stupid. I'll solve it."
Shadi shrugged. "I guess it could be possible." Of course, he didn't believe that for a second.
So Shadi watched until Neema got tired of trying to shove the same pieces together in the same ways.
"This is boring," the frustrated girl complained. She looked up at Shadi. "Do you have any candy here?"
"I… Oh. Yes, my father bought some chocolate today," Shadi said. He still had his hands over the Items, so he was surprised to feel the Scales almost leap out of the tablet as he spoke. He quickly clamped his hands down over the Item again.
"Yeah! I want some chocolate!" she said, grinning. Shadi nodded and went to the refrigerator. He looked back to make sure Neema hadn't seen the Scales still rattling, but she was busy admiring the oddly-shaped Puzzle pieces. So he quickly got a couple of bars of dark chocolate and brought them out. Neema's eyes lit up at the sight, and Shadi handed her one of the chocolate bars, opening the other for himself.
As they ate the chocolate, Shadi noticed that the Scales were still shaking. He frowned and gave them a light whack in frustration. They gave an angry clatter loud enough to make Neema look up, and he quickly clamped his whole arm over them, took a big bite of chocolate, and tried to look casual.
"What are you doing?" Neema asked, frowning at Shadi. "This is boring, let's play something!" Her eyes lit up again. "Hey, I know how to play Go Fish! Wanna play?"
"…All right," Shadi agreed. He ran to get a deck of cards that his father wasn't using, and quickly returned. They played a few rounds of Go Fish. Shadi got tired of Neema whining about losing, so he let her win a couple of games. Then her gloating got annoying, so he allowed himself to win for the next three games.
"I don't want to play any more," Neema said, scowling. "This is dumb. And your turban looks stupid!" The Scales rattled in what seemed like agreement. "I don't like playing with you. And I'm thirsty!"
Shadi didn't bother to hide his frustrated sigh. It would be nice to at least have someone with more of an attention span than a flea, even if he couldn't find someone who could win or lose gracefully. "I'll get you some water. Put the Puzzle pieces away." He went to the kitchen and took a drink himself before pouring a glass of water and bringing it out to Neema. The girl was quickly shoving the lid on the Puzzle box. She glanced at him quickly before taking the water from him.
Shadi frowned. He thought something was slightly off about the scene before him, but he couldn't put his finger on what.
"Neema, time to go!" the girl's father called. He sounded happy.
"Okay!" The girl shoved the water glass back into Shadi's hands and ran up the stairs to where their fathers were waiting. Shadi paused to put the glass in the sink before following her.
"That was fun, we should do this again soon!" said Neema's father, putting a thick wad of money into his pocket.
Shedsunefertum muttered resentfully, clenching a few coins tightly as the two guests went out into the cool night.
"Well I hope you didn't get too attached to that girl, because her father's a lying cheat!" the guardian of the Items spat.
Shadi shook his head. "No, not really."
"Good. Ah, look at the time! You haven't gotten much done today. Go hold the Puzzle and then go to bed."
Shadi nodded. He WAS starting to feel tired. Of course having to hold the Puzzle would probably wake him right up… Shadi went back to the tablet holding the Items. He picked up the Puzzle's box, flinching slightly as he opened it… and he sensed something wrong immediately. The Puzzle seemed… incomplete.
Shadi caught his breath and his heart skipped a beat. A piece was missing. It was the piece with the Eye of Horus on it. He shuffled through the box over and over, but finally calmed down. He knew what had happened, and what had to be done. He put the Puzzle's box back and picked up the Ankh and Scales, finessing his plan.
After a moment, Shadi put the two Items back and lay down on his bed, facing the wall. He lay trying to stay awake, but pretending to be asleep, for about an hour and a half before his father finally went to bed. Then he waited another fifteen minutes before getting up. He silently slipped a dark cloak over his clothes, took a moment to ask the gods' blessing, grabbed the Ankh and crept up the stairs and outside.
Shadi stood in the doorway, looking around for a second. He squeezed the Ankh uncertainly. "She could live anywhere…" he murmured softly to himself. "How can I possibly find the Puzzle piece?"
The Ankh began to glow softly. It pulled slightly in his hands to point to the right. Shadi blinked in surprise.
"Oh… …um… …I didn't know… …well… that's good," Shadi said to no one in particular. He walked in the direction it was pointing, changing direction when it did.
Finally Shadi found himself in front of a house near the marketplace. He reached out with the Ankh's energy and sensed three adults and two children, most of whom were asleep. Trying the door, he found it locked, but there was a basement window he managed to open. The Ankh had stopped glowing, so he used it to make sure he didn't run into anyone else as he quietly slipped into the house.
Shadi stepped on something hard and muffled a yelp as he hopped away. He tripped on something else and just barely caught himself, but finally found a place to stand.
"Oh Set…" Shadi muttered, swearing to the god of chaos. "Glow," he told the Ankh, knowing that no one was around to see him. Someone would hear him if he kept tripping over things, though. The Ankh lit up just enough to show the various shapes in the room. Shadi nodded in satisfaction and crept up the stairs, wincing at each little creak.
"Stop glowing," Shadi whispered as he reached the first floor of the house. The Ankh's light went out immediately and Shadi used it to locate Neema, but avoid everyone else. As he passed a mirror, he didn't notice that he cast almost no reflection.
After a minute, Shadi found the girl's room. He stepped in and flinched as his foot came down on something pointed. Before he could say anything, the Ankh began to glow softly again. His foot ceased to hurt, and the rest of the room seemed to darken, but Shadi could see a clear path to the bed. So he carefully walked over, unsure of what to do next. The Ankh pointed to her head, and Shadi noticed that her hand was partially under her pillow, clutching the gold Puzzle piece. He bit his lip and carefully reached out, trying to keep his hand steady. Just as Shadi's fingers grasped the Puzzle piece, Neema sighed and turned over. Shadi nearly had a heart attack, but he was still holding the Puzzle piece. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and left, being careful not to step on anything. He rushed back down the stairs, out the window, and back to his own home.
Shadi crept inside and quickly put the Puzzle piece back with the others. He gave the Ankh one last squeeze before putting it in its place, and then he dragged himself back to his bed. Using the Ankh so much had worn on him, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
**********************************************************************************************************************************
Moments later, two voices met in the older guardian's sleeping mind.
\\Hmph, you're as slow as that lump of a son the guardian has.\\
//We went as fast as we could…//
\\You got the Puzzle piece back, I assume? Or are you too incompetent to even take something from a sleeping child?\\
//Yes, we got it back. I had to make sure no one saw him, though. I'm afraid he has your talent for finding sharp objects on the floor of a dark room.//
\\Ha, I'm surprised he had the ambition to go out on his own! What a little fool… And if you ever suggest that I'm anything but perfect again, I'll hurt you so bad, you won't be able to heal it!\\
//I'm sorry… Shadi's getting so much better, though!//
\\Don't you dare praise that boy! You were wrong about him, like you've been wrong about every other guardian! He hit my Scales, did you see!?\\
//He didn't mean to hurt you. You were being loud and annoying, and he just wanted you to stop so the girl wouldn't notice! You could be more thoughtful yourself…//
\\I hope you at least gave that girl a suitable punishment!\\
//She's only a child… She was selfish and thoughtless, but no harm was done… I doubt she's really a bad person.//
\\Tch, and that miniature lump was supposed to get together with her? This may be the most idiotic guardian I've ever been with. …Well, there was that one who declared herself queen of Egypt and tried to use the Tauk as a crown… …But this freak has no taste, in clothing OR in friends! By Anubis, he should keep those sneaky, traitorous, thieving friends to himself!\\
//It's a shame… Though Shadi's far too young to have to worry about marriage! And after this, I don't think he'll have to worry about being set up with that girl, at least. Master Shedsunefertum didn't seem very happy with her father.//
\\It's all a conspiracy… And how dare he get chocolate and not eat any himself so I could taste it!\\
//…Oh, you've had chocolate before? When?//
\\Of course I've had chocolate! That guardian who had the Scales and the Eye, who was obsessed with death, ate some once when I was almost in control of him. I got a taste…\\ There was a nostalgic sigh. \\I'd take over THIS dung-foot and eat the leftovers if he wasn't such a damn light sleeper… I wonder if I can use his empty-headed son's body yet…\\
There was a tired laugh. //Probably not… Um… I don't mean to be rude, but I haven't used that much energy in a while… I'm a little tired.//
\\Well then go! No one's holding you here, frog-face!\\
//Er… But this is my room. I guess if you really WANT to you can stay, but…// The voice sounded reluctant.
\\Not a chance! Just shut up, you moronic onion-head.\\
A door slammed shut, followed quickly by another.
-
Endnote: Well, I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not. What do you think? Keep giving me ideas, because I'm very likely to use them! ^_^
Oh, and I drew a picture of little Shadi. ^_^ It's on my website which you can get to through my bio, but if you're impatient you can find it here (just take out the spaces): http : / / indigo. 1afm. com/ images/ littleshadidraw. jpg So cute! Enjoy!
Shedsunefertum is turning out a lot meaner than I really intended. He's horrible, but he's not THAT bad! He'll be nicer, for the moment anyway. And he wasn't encouraging Shadi to be a delinquent, just to be more social!
No, I don't think I'll have Shadi and Isis get together. Definitely not in this story, anyway!
I recently learned that in fact, Malik's family DID have the Rod and Tauk when he was little. So I had to fix that quickly… But things will get back to the beginning of Three-In-One Combo eventually.
Heh, and as for the request for me to write a Scale/Ankh story… I think that pairing could work out without too much trouble, but I'm really bad at writing romance. If you're looking for a good one though, go read Chibigreen Tanuki's "A Place Lit By Sunlight," and tell her to update it once in a while!
This chapter starts too slowly, and yet I think it would have been better if I had taken it slower. But either way, the end is more fun. Oh, and thanks for all your ideas! I used a few in this chapter. Keep them coming!
Ankhkare: Er… Indigo doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Or Shadi. But Senui and I are hers. And so are Shedsunefertum, Neema, and Khnum. But you can have them, if you want… Please don't try to take Indigo's money, though! It would be better to sue a rich person who is actually claiming to own something that doesn't belong to them, don't you think?
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Millennial Inheritance
-
Shadi and Shedsunefertum circled each other, staves held in defensive positions. Every so often one of them would strike out at the other. Shadi managed to give his father a few hard whacks, but seen he was knocked to the ground. He got up slowly, a hand on his throbbing knee.
"Sloppy," his father commented, laughing slightly. "Getting a little better, though."
"I did not sleep well last night," Shadi said a bit defensively. "I'm tired."
"Making excuses won't help you," Shadi's father said, frowning. "You need to take responsibility for yourself. Is your leg okay, or do you need to stop for the day?"
"…It hurts," Shadi said, hissing in pain as he pressed on the joint. "Can you look at it, and do something for it?"
"I'll look at it, but I won't always be here to do that. You need to learn to do it yourself or find someone else," the older Egyptian said, frowning. He had Shadi sit down while he poked and prodded at his son's knee as Shadi flinched. "Just bruised, I think. You'll be fine. But if that had been a blade, you'd have lost your leg. You're betting better, but I wish you'd learn a little faster."
"Yes father," Shadi sighed.
"You know, I was thinking…" Shadi's father said, helping his son to his feet again, "I know you're still a little young, but I wasn't much older when I had my marriage arranged for me. It's never too early to be looking for a wife."
Shadi blinked. "WHAT!?" Surely he had just heard his father wrong.
"Well, you'll need an heir some day! You can't let Ishtar or anyone else take over as guardian. It should be kept in the family. I know you're not too friendly, but that's all the more reason to start looking early."
"FATHER!" Shadi exclaimed, blushing indignantly.
"Hey, how about this," said his father, ignoring Shadi's embarrassment. "I have a friend with a daughter about your age. I'll invite them to our house tonight. Us adults can play some games and discuss your future, and you can get to know the girl. I think her name's Nina or something like that."
"I…"
"It'll be FUN," Shedsunefertum said firmly.
"But Father, I'm only eight! I can't get married! Please, stop it!" Shadi protested.
"I'm not asking you to get married right now, but you need to make sure you'll be taken care of later. And the guardians' line needs to be continued."
Shadi frowned at his father for a moment. "Is this about how I should be like you but not end up like you again?"
"No! Well, maybe. Look, go home and polish the Items, will you? And put some ice on that knee. I'll stop by my friend's house," Shedsunefertum said, waving his son away dismissively.
Shadi regarded his father doubtfully before reluctantly limping home. He was especially careful to avoid the neighborhood children, because he felt particularly antisocial today. He got home without any run-ins, and went to the freezer to get an ice pack for his knee. He almost fell into the huge freezer-chest, but he pulled himself out in time. Then Shadi went over to sit by the tablet with the ice pack. He quickly brushed dust off the Puzzle Box, and spent a while rubbing the Ankh and Scales. He ignored the Scales' malicious shocks, but as he rubbed the Ankh, most of the pain in his knee disappeared. Both Items felt nicely familiar to him, and he took comfort from them. He had a feeling that today would be quite annoying.
After Shadi had run out of things to do, and he had completely forgotten about his knee, his father finally came home.
"Here, I got you a hot dog. They're from America, you know," Shedsunefertum said. He handed Shadi a big hot dog in a bun and went to put some other things away. "How's that leg doing?"
"I know what a hot dog is, father…" Shadi said, rolling his eyes. "My knee doesn't hurt any more."
"Good, good. Hey, I picked up some chocolate for you to give your new girlfriend," his father said with a grin.
Shadi blushed dark red. "Father! She is NOT my girlfriend! I have not even met her! Please do not say that when they get here," he begged.
His father laughed. "Fine. You know it's just fun to mess with you! Oh, and they'll be here around eight tonight. So clean up a little for the occasion, huh?"
Shadi blinked. "The house is clean…" he said, slightly confused.
"No, I mean clean yourself up! Wear some nicer clothes! Wash your face and hands. Try to look nice for a change," his father suggested.
So after some debating, arguing, and finally the absolute paternal "NOW!" Shadi grudgingly went to wash his face and hands. Then he rummaged through his drawers until he found a mismatched cape and turban like his father wore that looked about his size. He brought them out to get his father's approval.
"By Horus son, are you blind!? A black cape and a red turban?" His father seemed angrier than usual. "They don't even fit you! Look, that cape's too small and the turban's too big. Go pick something else. I know you've got some white stuff somewhere. Maybe it's in with my clothes. But don't EVER wear red and black!"
Shadi blinked in surprise at his father's fashion tips, but he found a white cape to put on over his plain robe, and his father helped him wrap his turban around his head. After that Shedsunefertum had to pause to scream at the Scales, but Shadi tuned it out. Then the two found a few decks of cards and some poker chips, because Shadi's father planned to make good use of his time as well.
Since Shedsunefertum didn't want Shadi to get ink on his nice clothes, he didn't have his son copy scrolls today. Instead he spoke to him of the Items' powers. Shadi listened attentively, and tried to store every bit of information away for later.
-
Later that night, two visitors came to the door.
"Ah, Khnum! Come in. This is Shadi," Shedsunefertum said, ushering his friend in.
"Shed," the older man said with a slight nod. He was tall and thin, with thin, greasy black hair. "This is my daughter, Neema." He stepped inside, and a young girl with big brown eyes and a ponytail of thick black hair quickly followed him. "Go play," he told her, pushing him towards Shadi.
Both children blushed slightly, but then Neema saw a glint of gold over Shadi's shoulder. "What's that?" she asked, running over to look.
Shadi looked to his father, worried.
"Hey, you can show off to her!" his father said with a suggestive wink.
"But… the Items…" Shadi protested. This didn't seem right.
"She's not even as old as you are! What are you worried about? Besides, you can actually start doing some guarding for a change! It'll be good practice," his father laughed. Shadi tried to argue, but was waved away. Sighing, he went down the stairs to the girl admiring the gold.
"These are so pretty! What are they? Is it jewelry? Can I try it on?" Neema asked, picking up the Ankh and putting its rope around her neck.
"They are… um… artifacts. Just Items that my family keeps," Shadi said awkwardly.
"I'll bet they're for a princess! And they look magic! This is… the princess key," she declared. Shadi wrinkled his nose as she continued. "And that can be my box to put my treasures in. But this is kind of dumb," she commented, looking at the Scales. They trembled almost angrily.
"That is the Millennium Ankh," said Shadi reproachfully. "The box holds the Millennium Puzzle, and these are the Millennium Scales."
"Those names are boring. But that looks like the scales Ma'at uses in the pictures. It's still dumb, though. Who wants to weigh things? But this one's pretty." She stroked the large Ankh.
The Scales began to shake harder, and Shadi quickly clamped a hand over them. "They all belong to my father. And then they'll be mine," he said, frowning possessively.
"You can't have ALL of them," Neema whined. She picked up the Puzzle's box and shook it. "This is a puzzle? Can I put it together?"
"The Ankh and Scales are really ours. But… we're just keeping the Puzzle. I guess… you can try to solve the Puzzle," Shadi said reluctantly. "But give me back the Ankh."
The girl discarded the Ankh and quickly spilled the Puzzle's pieces all over the ground. Shadi shook his head in disgust and put the Ankh away.
"Wow…" Neema exclaimed, admiring all of the strangely-shaped gold pieces. She quickly started trying to fit various pieces together.
"No one has ever solved the Millennium Puzzle," Shadi commented, watching her. He ran his hands over the Ankh and Scales idly.
Neema glared at him. "Shut up, that's because they're too stupid. I'll solve it."
Shadi shrugged. "I guess it could be possible." Of course, he didn't believe that for a second.
So Shadi watched until Neema got tired of trying to shove the same pieces together in the same ways.
"This is boring," the frustrated girl complained. She looked up at Shadi. "Do you have any candy here?"
"I… Oh. Yes, my father bought some chocolate today," Shadi said. He still had his hands over the Items, so he was surprised to feel the Scales almost leap out of the tablet as he spoke. He quickly clamped his hands down over the Item again.
"Yeah! I want some chocolate!" she said, grinning. Shadi nodded and went to the refrigerator. He looked back to make sure Neema hadn't seen the Scales still rattling, but she was busy admiring the oddly-shaped Puzzle pieces. So he quickly got a couple of bars of dark chocolate and brought them out. Neema's eyes lit up at the sight, and Shadi handed her one of the chocolate bars, opening the other for himself.
As they ate the chocolate, Shadi noticed that the Scales were still shaking. He frowned and gave them a light whack in frustration. They gave an angry clatter loud enough to make Neema look up, and he quickly clamped his whole arm over them, took a big bite of chocolate, and tried to look casual.
"What are you doing?" Neema asked, frowning at Shadi. "This is boring, let's play something!" Her eyes lit up again. "Hey, I know how to play Go Fish! Wanna play?"
"…All right," Shadi agreed. He ran to get a deck of cards that his father wasn't using, and quickly returned. They played a few rounds of Go Fish. Shadi got tired of Neema whining about losing, so he let her win a couple of games. Then her gloating got annoying, so he allowed himself to win for the next three games.
"I don't want to play any more," Neema said, scowling. "This is dumb. And your turban looks stupid!" The Scales rattled in what seemed like agreement. "I don't like playing with you. And I'm thirsty!"
Shadi didn't bother to hide his frustrated sigh. It would be nice to at least have someone with more of an attention span than a flea, even if he couldn't find someone who could win or lose gracefully. "I'll get you some water. Put the Puzzle pieces away." He went to the kitchen and took a drink himself before pouring a glass of water and bringing it out to Neema. The girl was quickly shoving the lid on the Puzzle box. She glanced at him quickly before taking the water from him.
Shadi frowned. He thought something was slightly off about the scene before him, but he couldn't put his finger on what.
"Neema, time to go!" the girl's father called. He sounded happy.
"Okay!" The girl shoved the water glass back into Shadi's hands and ran up the stairs to where their fathers were waiting. Shadi paused to put the glass in the sink before following her.
"That was fun, we should do this again soon!" said Neema's father, putting a thick wad of money into his pocket.
Shedsunefertum muttered resentfully, clenching a few coins tightly as the two guests went out into the cool night.
"Well I hope you didn't get too attached to that girl, because her father's a lying cheat!" the guardian of the Items spat.
Shadi shook his head. "No, not really."
"Good. Ah, look at the time! You haven't gotten much done today. Go hold the Puzzle and then go to bed."
Shadi nodded. He WAS starting to feel tired. Of course having to hold the Puzzle would probably wake him right up… Shadi went back to the tablet holding the Items. He picked up the Puzzle's box, flinching slightly as he opened it… and he sensed something wrong immediately. The Puzzle seemed… incomplete.
Shadi caught his breath and his heart skipped a beat. A piece was missing. It was the piece with the Eye of Horus on it. He shuffled through the box over and over, but finally calmed down. He knew what had happened, and what had to be done. He put the Puzzle's box back and picked up the Ankh and Scales, finessing his plan.
After a moment, Shadi put the two Items back and lay down on his bed, facing the wall. He lay trying to stay awake, but pretending to be asleep, for about an hour and a half before his father finally went to bed. Then he waited another fifteen minutes before getting up. He silently slipped a dark cloak over his clothes, took a moment to ask the gods' blessing, grabbed the Ankh and crept up the stairs and outside.
Shadi stood in the doorway, looking around for a second. He squeezed the Ankh uncertainly. "She could live anywhere…" he murmured softly to himself. "How can I possibly find the Puzzle piece?"
The Ankh began to glow softly. It pulled slightly in his hands to point to the right. Shadi blinked in surprise.
"Oh… …um… …I didn't know… …well… that's good," Shadi said to no one in particular. He walked in the direction it was pointing, changing direction when it did.
Finally Shadi found himself in front of a house near the marketplace. He reached out with the Ankh's energy and sensed three adults and two children, most of whom were asleep. Trying the door, he found it locked, but there was a basement window he managed to open. The Ankh had stopped glowing, so he used it to make sure he didn't run into anyone else as he quietly slipped into the house.
Shadi stepped on something hard and muffled a yelp as he hopped away. He tripped on something else and just barely caught himself, but finally found a place to stand.
"Oh Set…" Shadi muttered, swearing to the god of chaos. "Glow," he told the Ankh, knowing that no one was around to see him. Someone would hear him if he kept tripping over things, though. The Ankh lit up just enough to show the various shapes in the room. Shadi nodded in satisfaction and crept up the stairs, wincing at each little creak.
"Stop glowing," Shadi whispered as he reached the first floor of the house. The Ankh's light went out immediately and Shadi used it to locate Neema, but avoid everyone else. As he passed a mirror, he didn't notice that he cast almost no reflection.
After a minute, Shadi found the girl's room. He stepped in and flinched as his foot came down on something pointed. Before he could say anything, the Ankh began to glow softly again. His foot ceased to hurt, and the rest of the room seemed to darken, but Shadi could see a clear path to the bed. So he carefully walked over, unsure of what to do next. The Ankh pointed to her head, and Shadi noticed that her hand was partially under her pillow, clutching the gold Puzzle piece. He bit his lip and carefully reached out, trying to keep his hand steady. Just as Shadi's fingers grasped the Puzzle piece, Neema sighed and turned over. Shadi nearly had a heart attack, but he was still holding the Puzzle piece. He quickly stuffed it into his pocket and left, being careful not to step on anything. He rushed back down the stairs, out the window, and back to his own home.
Shadi crept inside and quickly put the Puzzle piece back with the others. He gave the Ankh one last squeeze before putting it in its place, and then he dragged himself back to his bed. Using the Ankh so much had worn on him, and he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
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Moments later, two voices met in the older guardian's sleeping mind.
\\Hmph, you're as slow as that lump of a son the guardian has.\\
//We went as fast as we could…//
\\You got the Puzzle piece back, I assume? Or are you too incompetent to even take something from a sleeping child?\\
//Yes, we got it back. I had to make sure no one saw him, though. I'm afraid he has your talent for finding sharp objects on the floor of a dark room.//
\\Ha, I'm surprised he had the ambition to go out on his own! What a little fool… And if you ever suggest that I'm anything but perfect again, I'll hurt you so bad, you won't be able to heal it!\\
//I'm sorry… Shadi's getting so much better, though!//
\\Don't you dare praise that boy! You were wrong about him, like you've been wrong about every other guardian! He hit my Scales, did you see!?\\
//He didn't mean to hurt you. You were being loud and annoying, and he just wanted you to stop so the girl wouldn't notice! You could be more thoughtful yourself…//
\\I hope you at least gave that girl a suitable punishment!\\
//She's only a child… She was selfish and thoughtless, but no harm was done… I doubt she's really a bad person.//
\\Tch, and that miniature lump was supposed to get together with her? This may be the most idiotic guardian I've ever been with. …Well, there was that one who declared herself queen of Egypt and tried to use the Tauk as a crown… …But this freak has no taste, in clothing OR in friends! By Anubis, he should keep those sneaky, traitorous, thieving friends to himself!\\
//It's a shame… Though Shadi's far too young to have to worry about marriage! And after this, I don't think he'll have to worry about being set up with that girl, at least. Master Shedsunefertum didn't seem very happy with her father.//
\\It's all a conspiracy… And how dare he get chocolate and not eat any himself so I could taste it!\\
//…Oh, you've had chocolate before? When?//
\\Of course I've had chocolate! That guardian who had the Scales and the Eye, who was obsessed with death, ate some once when I was almost in control of him. I got a taste…\\ There was a nostalgic sigh. \\I'd take over THIS dung-foot and eat the leftovers if he wasn't such a damn light sleeper… I wonder if I can use his empty-headed son's body yet…\\
There was a tired laugh. //Probably not… Um… I don't mean to be rude, but I haven't used that much energy in a while… I'm a little tired.//
\\Well then go! No one's holding you here, frog-face!\\
//Er… But this is my room. I guess if you really WANT to you can stay, but…// The voice sounded reluctant.
\\Not a chance! Just shut up, you moronic onion-head.\\
A door slammed shut, followed quickly by another.
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Endnote: Well, I'm not sure if I like this chapter or not. What do you think? Keep giving me ideas, because I'm very likely to use them! ^_^
Oh, and I drew a picture of little Shadi. ^_^ It's on my website which you can get to through my bio, but if you're impatient you can find it here (just take out the spaces): http : / / indigo. 1afm. com/ images/ littleshadidraw. jpg So cute! Enjoy!