AN: Sorry for the long wait. Other matter interfered. But here's the new chapter!
Chapter Two Land of The Pyramids
The streets of Cairo were teaming. Cars, carts, camels, and pedestrians crowded every inch.
"Taxi!" yelled Tristan, waving his hand out into the street. No one stopped. "Yo! Taxi, hold up! Need a taxi! Any free cars?!"
"This isn't working," Tea complained. "And it's sweltering here!"
"May I try," Shadi asked. He held out one hand in a strange gesture, and before long, there were three Jeeps lined up to take them to their destination.
"Show off," Trustna muttered as he slid inside one of the taxis. The three vehicles were loaded down with teenagers and luggage, and then they took off. At first, they traveled the main, paved roads. Then, with one turn off, they found themselves on rough desert terrain. Sand and wind blew in their faces, up their noses, in the crevices of their clothes. Inu-yasha nearly lost his hat! But before the sun had moved much further in the sky, they reached a series of stone structures that looked like the remains of an ancient city. The Jeeps pulled to a stop, and the travelers stood in the middle of the wastelands.
"What a dump," Mai said.
"Indeed," Miroku agreed.
"I don't know," Joey said, "I feel somewhat at home." Everyone stared at him. Maybe the heat had fried his brain. "I'm not sayin I wanna build a summer home here, but it ain't that bad."
"Welcome, My Pharaoh," said a deep, rumbling voice. They all looked ahead, and from an opening in the ground stepped a familiar, tattooed face. He was tall, and bald except for a top not and ponytail, and he wore long, white and tan robes. He looked almost like a Berber Sheik.
"Odion," little Yugi said gladly, "Where's Ishizu?"
"She is down below, preparing your quarters." Odion said, with a low bow to Yugi. "And, I see you have brought many friends with you. Many of these faces I remember well, but five are here that I do not know."
"They're um…" Yugi tried to explain, but Odion took a closer look at Inu-yasha, and gasped.
"This one has the look of a demon," Odion said.
"Huh, so someone here some brains," Inu-yasha took off his hat and wiggled his ears freely. "Never could stand that stupid hat. At least here I can be who I really am."
"Indeed," Odion said, "Feel free to express yourself openly. In my home, all the Pharaoh's allies are welcome."
"You're home?" Kagome exclaimed, "You mean you live here permanently?"
"I and my family do not need the complications of the modern world. Merik alone sees uses for such trivialities." The tall man then turned and started to lead them down the opening in the ground.
"Where is Merik?" Yugi asked, "Doesn't he still live here?"
"He has a base of operations in Cairo," Odion said as the group descended into the dimly torch-lit tunnels underground, "We have some contact with him, but he is there, for the most part, to distract unwanted visitors form our lands."
"So… he's given on world domination?" Joey asked.
"For now," Odion said, "But one cannot deny their true nature for long." They trekked through the subterranean streets for what seemed like a mile - not good for people wearing loafers of high heels, as the girls soon realized- until they came to a large door. With a loud clang, which seemed to echo through the caverns, Odion knocked. Then, with the grinding and groaning, the door opened. There, in what looked like a primitive version of a living room, stood the Gravekeeper Ishizu.
"My darling," Odion said, embracing her, making room for her swollen belly.
"Ishizu!" Yugi cried, "You're-?"
"With child?" she asked, rubbing her stomach, "Yes. And I am filled with great joy."
"Congratulations!" Tea cried, grabbing Ishizu's hand.
"You have brought the time travelers?" Ishuzu asked, looking over Tea's shoulder at Kagome and the rest.
"How do you know them?" Mai asked.
"Even without my Millennium Necklace," Ishizu explained, with a glance to Serenity, "I am still quite clairvoyant. Once you have possessed a Millennium Item, it's power stays with you forever."
"Gee, that's good news," Tristan said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm tired and hungry, and I still have sand in my ears," Inu-yasha butted in.
"What he means is," Kagome said, looking at Inu-yasha and silently yelling at him to hold his tongue, "We're worn out. May we go to our rooms?"
"Of course," Ishizu said, "follow me." She led them through a doorway, and down another stone hallway. But this hallway had many regular wooden doors that led to private bed rooms. They were each given their own quarters to rest in, and were given time alone to unpack and dress appropriately for their surroundings.
---------------------------------------------------
"This is it," Merik said as he drove the Jeep into the heart of the desert. The man beside him, Maximillion Pegasus, looked on ahead at the large stone structure before them. The building was surrounded by their excavation workers, who were clearing sand and debris away furiously. It was a tomb, that they knew. Another of many tombs that were made for the great Pharaohs of the past. Ever since he brought back the ancient of Duel Monsters, Pegasus had become obsessed with Egypt. It was he new passion, his new dream. He'd devoted all his company's resources to the funding of digs around the country. This was one of only many sites that he toured in the last tow days. Now, with his new guide, Merik Ishtar, he was ready for yet another adventure.
"Have you found out which Pharaoh this tomb belonged to?" Pegasus asked Merik eagerly.
"It's no Pharaoh's tomb," Merik replied, "But it's too grand and lavish for a commoner or a mere servant. Therefore it must belong to someone within the royal family." They stopped the jeep, and climbed out. The two Egyptologists walked over, and down a set of stairs to long, expansive door that led inside the tomb.
"This must be the gateway to the antechamber!" Pegasus cried, "We must open it!"
"Be wary," Merik warned, "There is a curse on this tomb for any who disturb it. Certain death. "
"I've faced such curses before," Pegasus scoffed, "And I'm still alive."
"But this tomb bears no name," Merik said, "And the spirits of old cannot rest unless others know their identities."
"Then perhaps this tomb was not intended as a place of rest," Pegasus supposed. "There's only one way to know." He grabbed a crow bar, and threw his weight into opening the entrance. The stone barrier gave way, and crumbled. Pegasus and Merik gasped.
"We've destroyed the door and disturbed the tomb!" Merik cried, "The Pharaoh's curse will be onus all!"
"That's not the only thing, my boy," Pegasus said with great excitement, "Do you know who's tomb this is!?!" Merki gasped when he saw the sarcophagus.
"It cannot be!" Merik cried, as a ray of sunlight filled the tomb, making the old golden wall coverings, and the gold decorations on the sarcophagus shine with great intensity. "I must tell Ishizu!"
-------------------------------------------
That night, while she was laying in bed, awake, and unable to sleep, Kagome looked out her open bedroom door. She saw the shadows that the torchlight made dance across the walls. But suddenly, one shadow tore itself away from the rest. It was a real shadow. A human shadow.
Kagome blinked. She knew this shadow.
Kagome threw the coves from her bed, and, in her loose, short sleeved nightgown, she followed the shadow through the hallway, past the front room, and down the tunnels to the opening above that led outside. The hatch was open, and a ladder was fixed under it. Kagome climbed up the rungs of the ladder slowly, and poked her head out into the cold, still night. In front of her, looking out into the desert sands, was Joey.
"Uh… Joey?" Kagome whispered, "What are you doing out here?" She took a step towards him, and he suddenly turned around. His eyes were open, but… they looked empty. He looked at her… and smiled. Kagome looked at his hand, down at his side. One held the Key, now grown out into the Staff. It was glowing.
"Welcome, fair lady," Joey said. Kagome gasped. Something was wrong with his voice. It was deeper, and his accent… what had happened to his accent!?
"Joey…" Kagome said warily, "Are you asleep? Let me get Yugi," she turned, but Joey reached and grasped her hand. His hold was firm enough to tell her that he didn't want her to leave, but it was also gentle. She knew he meant no harm. She turned around to him, and he looked into her eyes.
"You, my dear, are the loveliest woman I have seen," Joey- yet, not Joey- said. "How does His Excellence know you, oh rarest flower of the Nile?"
"Okay, Joey, you're starting to creep me out," Kagome said, still trying to reach out to her friend. But suddenly, the Staff in Joey's other hand began to glow, and the ruins around them started to rebuild themselves! Toppled pillars and sand blasted dwellings rose up, and soon, large stone walls came from the ground around them, blocking the sight of the desert.
In moments, the strange phenomenon stopped, and Kagome found herself in a large, brightly lit palace. The walls of stone were covered in gold, and then the images of people, dressed in silks and jewels- except a few dressed like Ishizu and Odion, with turbans like Shadi, who stood along the walls- danced around them. Kagome looked at herself. She was still in her night gown, but Joey…
Joey was in robes similar to the other strange people dressed as Gravekeepers, except he wore no turban. His golden hair swept in a long braid down his back. He squeezed her hand, and started walking backwards into the crowd of dancers.
"Dance with me, oh great beauty," Joey- and not Joey- said. Kagome was so shocked and frightened at what she was witnessing that she didn't resist as the young man took her in his arms, and they danced with the rest of the people around them. She looked into his blank eyes… And old feelings that'd she felt for him once before came flooding back. She remembered the first time they met. Not the one the others remembered, but their original meeting. She remembered the original- the other- timeline. She and Joey had been crazy for each other, and he'd been so charming and sweet. This man must have been the Joey whom she'd seen then. The person inside him that was charming and dashing- in spite of his usual goofy nature.
She tore her eyes away from this young man for only moment, when a large throne came into view. On the seat sat a slender man, his face hidden from view… but she did recognize the hair… and the Millennium Puzzle…
"Yugi?" Kagome said. The man who held her gasped. She looked up at him. His face fell. He blinked his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was Joey, though he was till dressed funny.
"What…? Where am I?" Joey's normal voice asked. He looked at the girl in his arms. "Kagome?! What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Kagome asked, angry, "You're the one who embraced me!"
"What? I didn't-!" but then, the scene around them erupted in a blast of wind and burning sand. Joey and Kagome clung to each other, shielding their eyes from the hot grains. Then, all was dark. They both opened their eyes, and let go of each other. They stood in the ruins on the old city once more. It was still the dead of night. The moon hung above them, white and large.
"What happened?" Joey asked Kagome, shaking from fear and fatigue.
"I don't know," Kagome said, shivering. "It… It was the Staff."
"What…" Joey looked a the Staff, now the Key again, in his hands, "What did I do?" Then, he fainted, and collapsed to the ground.
"Joey!"Kagome cried into the darkness.
AN: Review! Or you get no more story!!!!
Chapter Two Land of The Pyramids
The streets of Cairo were teaming. Cars, carts, camels, and pedestrians crowded every inch.
"Taxi!" yelled Tristan, waving his hand out into the street. No one stopped. "Yo! Taxi, hold up! Need a taxi! Any free cars?!"
"This isn't working," Tea complained. "And it's sweltering here!"
"May I try," Shadi asked. He held out one hand in a strange gesture, and before long, there were three Jeeps lined up to take them to their destination.
"Show off," Trustna muttered as he slid inside one of the taxis. The three vehicles were loaded down with teenagers and luggage, and then they took off. At first, they traveled the main, paved roads. Then, with one turn off, they found themselves on rough desert terrain. Sand and wind blew in their faces, up their noses, in the crevices of their clothes. Inu-yasha nearly lost his hat! But before the sun had moved much further in the sky, they reached a series of stone structures that looked like the remains of an ancient city. The Jeeps pulled to a stop, and the travelers stood in the middle of the wastelands.
"What a dump," Mai said.
"Indeed," Miroku agreed.
"I don't know," Joey said, "I feel somewhat at home." Everyone stared at him. Maybe the heat had fried his brain. "I'm not sayin I wanna build a summer home here, but it ain't that bad."
"Welcome, My Pharaoh," said a deep, rumbling voice. They all looked ahead, and from an opening in the ground stepped a familiar, tattooed face. He was tall, and bald except for a top not and ponytail, and he wore long, white and tan robes. He looked almost like a Berber Sheik.
"Odion," little Yugi said gladly, "Where's Ishizu?"
"She is down below, preparing your quarters." Odion said, with a low bow to Yugi. "And, I see you have brought many friends with you. Many of these faces I remember well, but five are here that I do not know."
"They're um…" Yugi tried to explain, but Odion took a closer look at Inu-yasha, and gasped.
"This one has the look of a demon," Odion said.
"Huh, so someone here some brains," Inu-yasha took off his hat and wiggled his ears freely. "Never could stand that stupid hat. At least here I can be who I really am."
"Indeed," Odion said, "Feel free to express yourself openly. In my home, all the Pharaoh's allies are welcome."
"You're home?" Kagome exclaimed, "You mean you live here permanently?"
"I and my family do not need the complications of the modern world. Merik alone sees uses for such trivialities." The tall man then turned and started to lead them down the opening in the ground.
"Where is Merik?" Yugi asked, "Doesn't he still live here?"
"He has a base of operations in Cairo," Odion said as the group descended into the dimly torch-lit tunnels underground, "We have some contact with him, but he is there, for the most part, to distract unwanted visitors form our lands."
"So… he's given on world domination?" Joey asked.
"For now," Odion said, "But one cannot deny their true nature for long." They trekked through the subterranean streets for what seemed like a mile - not good for people wearing loafers of high heels, as the girls soon realized- until they came to a large door. With a loud clang, which seemed to echo through the caverns, Odion knocked. Then, with the grinding and groaning, the door opened. There, in what looked like a primitive version of a living room, stood the Gravekeeper Ishizu.
"My darling," Odion said, embracing her, making room for her swollen belly.
"Ishizu!" Yugi cried, "You're-?"
"With child?" she asked, rubbing her stomach, "Yes. And I am filled with great joy."
"Congratulations!" Tea cried, grabbing Ishizu's hand.
"You have brought the time travelers?" Ishuzu asked, looking over Tea's shoulder at Kagome and the rest.
"How do you know them?" Mai asked.
"Even without my Millennium Necklace," Ishizu explained, with a glance to Serenity, "I am still quite clairvoyant. Once you have possessed a Millennium Item, it's power stays with you forever."
"Gee, that's good news," Tristan said sarcastically.
"Well, I'm tired and hungry, and I still have sand in my ears," Inu-yasha butted in.
"What he means is," Kagome said, looking at Inu-yasha and silently yelling at him to hold his tongue, "We're worn out. May we go to our rooms?"
"Of course," Ishizu said, "follow me." She led them through a doorway, and down another stone hallway. But this hallway had many regular wooden doors that led to private bed rooms. They were each given their own quarters to rest in, and were given time alone to unpack and dress appropriately for their surroundings.
---------------------------------------------------
"This is it," Merik said as he drove the Jeep into the heart of the desert. The man beside him, Maximillion Pegasus, looked on ahead at the large stone structure before them. The building was surrounded by their excavation workers, who were clearing sand and debris away furiously. It was a tomb, that they knew. Another of many tombs that were made for the great Pharaohs of the past. Ever since he brought back the ancient of Duel Monsters, Pegasus had become obsessed with Egypt. It was he new passion, his new dream. He'd devoted all his company's resources to the funding of digs around the country. This was one of only many sites that he toured in the last tow days. Now, with his new guide, Merik Ishtar, he was ready for yet another adventure.
"Have you found out which Pharaoh this tomb belonged to?" Pegasus asked Merik eagerly.
"It's no Pharaoh's tomb," Merik replied, "But it's too grand and lavish for a commoner or a mere servant. Therefore it must belong to someone within the royal family." They stopped the jeep, and climbed out. The two Egyptologists walked over, and down a set of stairs to long, expansive door that led inside the tomb.
"This must be the gateway to the antechamber!" Pegasus cried, "We must open it!"
"Be wary," Merik warned, "There is a curse on this tomb for any who disturb it. Certain death. "
"I've faced such curses before," Pegasus scoffed, "And I'm still alive."
"But this tomb bears no name," Merik said, "And the spirits of old cannot rest unless others know their identities."
"Then perhaps this tomb was not intended as a place of rest," Pegasus supposed. "There's only one way to know." He grabbed a crow bar, and threw his weight into opening the entrance. The stone barrier gave way, and crumbled. Pegasus and Merik gasped.
"We've destroyed the door and disturbed the tomb!" Merik cried, "The Pharaoh's curse will be onus all!"
"That's not the only thing, my boy," Pegasus said with great excitement, "Do you know who's tomb this is!?!" Merki gasped when he saw the sarcophagus.
"It cannot be!" Merik cried, as a ray of sunlight filled the tomb, making the old golden wall coverings, and the gold decorations on the sarcophagus shine with great intensity. "I must tell Ishizu!"
-------------------------------------------
That night, while she was laying in bed, awake, and unable to sleep, Kagome looked out her open bedroom door. She saw the shadows that the torchlight made dance across the walls. But suddenly, one shadow tore itself away from the rest. It was a real shadow. A human shadow.
Kagome blinked. She knew this shadow.
Kagome threw the coves from her bed, and, in her loose, short sleeved nightgown, she followed the shadow through the hallway, past the front room, and down the tunnels to the opening above that led outside. The hatch was open, and a ladder was fixed under it. Kagome climbed up the rungs of the ladder slowly, and poked her head out into the cold, still night. In front of her, looking out into the desert sands, was Joey.
"Uh… Joey?" Kagome whispered, "What are you doing out here?" She took a step towards him, and he suddenly turned around. His eyes were open, but… they looked empty. He looked at her… and smiled. Kagome looked at his hand, down at his side. One held the Key, now grown out into the Staff. It was glowing.
"Welcome, fair lady," Joey said. Kagome gasped. Something was wrong with his voice. It was deeper, and his accent… what had happened to his accent!?
"Joey…" Kagome said warily, "Are you asleep? Let me get Yugi," she turned, but Joey reached and grasped her hand. His hold was firm enough to tell her that he didn't want her to leave, but it was also gentle. She knew he meant no harm. She turned around to him, and he looked into her eyes.
"You, my dear, are the loveliest woman I have seen," Joey- yet, not Joey- said. "How does His Excellence know you, oh rarest flower of the Nile?"
"Okay, Joey, you're starting to creep me out," Kagome said, still trying to reach out to her friend. But suddenly, the Staff in Joey's other hand began to glow, and the ruins around them started to rebuild themselves! Toppled pillars and sand blasted dwellings rose up, and soon, large stone walls came from the ground around them, blocking the sight of the desert.
In moments, the strange phenomenon stopped, and Kagome found herself in a large, brightly lit palace. The walls of stone were covered in gold, and then the images of people, dressed in silks and jewels- except a few dressed like Ishizu and Odion, with turbans like Shadi, who stood along the walls- danced around them. Kagome looked at herself. She was still in her night gown, but Joey…
Joey was in robes similar to the other strange people dressed as Gravekeepers, except he wore no turban. His golden hair swept in a long braid down his back. He squeezed her hand, and started walking backwards into the crowd of dancers.
"Dance with me, oh great beauty," Joey- and not Joey- said. Kagome was so shocked and frightened at what she was witnessing that she didn't resist as the young man took her in his arms, and they danced with the rest of the people around them. She looked into his blank eyes… And old feelings that'd she felt for him once before came flooding back. She remembered the first time they met. Not the one the others remembered, but their original meeting. She remembered the original- the other- timeline. She and Joey had been crazy for each other, and he'd been so charming and sweet. This man must have been the Joey whom she'd seen then. The person inside him that was charming and dashing- in spite of his usual goofy nature.
She tore her eyes away from this young man for only moment, when a large throne came into view. On the seat sat a slender man, his face hidden from view… but she did recognize the hair… and the Millennium Puzzle…
"Yugi?" Kagome said. The man who held her gasped. She looked up at him. His face fell. He blinked his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he was Joey, though he was till dressed funny.
"What…? Where am I?" Joey's normal voice asked. He looked at the girl in his arms. "Kagome?! What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Kagome asked, angry, "You're the one who embraced me!"
"What? I didn't-!" but then, the scene around them erupted in a blast of wind and burning sand. Joey and Kagome clung to each other, shielding their eyes from the hot grains. Then, all was dark. They both opened their eyes, and let go of each other. They stood in the ruins on the old city once more. It was still the dead of night. The moon hung above them, white and large.
"What happened?" Joey asked Kagome, shaking from fear and fatigue.
"I don't know," Kagome said, shivering. "It… It was the Staff."
"What…" Joey looked a the Staff, now the Key again, in his hands, "What did I do?" Then, he fainted, and collapsed to the ground.
"Joey!"Kagome cried into the darkness.
AN: Review! Or you get no more story!!!!