IT'S RENOVATION TIME PEOPLE! In other words, I'm re-vamping this fic! though the whole plot will remain, you'll only find some… uh… quirks amuck the chapters!
Disclaimer on everything that I don't own!
For Friendship… and Love,
By Winterwing3000
"Téa!" Everyone exclaimed.
"Oh yes… the girl… Téa…" The feminine voice said with sardonic amusement. Slowly, the taller of the two kidnappers marched around the table and stood in front of the tied brunette girl. He took out a small packet from inside his cloak and carefully unfolded a little corner. Using his gloved hand, he cupped Téa's chin and held the packet up to her pale lips, shaking it a little to pour some green powder into her mouth.
Serenity let out a sharp gasp as Mai's face drained of colors. Yugi's eyes widened in shock, as well as Duke's and Tristan's. Seto glared dangerously at the back of the hood, ground his teeth together from expanding anger.
"Hands off her ya buffoon! What the hell are ya tryin' ta do ta her!" Joey shouted when he thought the powder was poisonous.
"Oh shut up." The girly voice said, apparently bored at the moment. And if anyone could see her face, they would've noticed that she emphasized what she said with a roll of her reddish eyes. The man folded the mini pack and placed it back in his cloak and stepped back, waiting.
Seconds ticked by and gradually, they heard a dry groan coming from the now-conscious captive.
Soon, Téa forced her blurry eyes open and saw a pair of sea greens eyes blinking expectantly at her. Still dazed, she shook her swirling mind to clear her head. "Un… where am I?" Téa asked groggily, lifting her bowed head and saw distinct forms of her friends.
"Téa!" Yugi shouted desperately
"No… she won't be Téa once the ritual's complete." The male whispered, still gazing at the dumbfounded girl before him. Stunned and confused, Téa furrowed her brows. "W-what do you mean…. I'm not going to be me?" The man turned his head to look at his partner.
"Why don't you explain while I get things ready?"
"Okay… let's see… where should I start?" She said mockingly.
"If you got something to say, then just say it." Seto snapped, slightly interested in the explanation.
"Okay!" She replied in a fake bubbly tone. "Hm… five thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Yami and his six High Priest wield the seven millennium items, created by the previous Pharaoh Akunumakanon." The girl started.
"What the heck are you telling? A fairy tale?" Tristan snorted. Fuming, she trained her ruby orbs on him. "Fine! If you don't wanna listen, then I could just slit your throat right now!" With that, Tristan closed his mouth and refused to comment.
"As I was saying," She resumed in her cheery tone, "Pharaoh Yami had six Priests with him. And they had the millennium items… blah blah blah blah, and all that. Now here's my favorite part. Each person had his or her own Ka, or a spirit monster, and there's this girl who had a very special Ka. And cutie right here cherishes it very very much. Don't you sweetie?" The girl hinted slyly, as she walked over to Seto and ran a finger from his ear to his chin.
"I would appreciate it 'very very much' if you keep your slimy hand to yourself." Seto sneered, fighting his binds.
"It is getting a bit boring, why don't you cut the chase?" The cloaked man requested, arranging the odd looking medallions. "Humph. This girl, or Kisara, had a Ka of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. And one of the priests, High Priest SETO, wants her Ka, but ends up falling in love with her. Ha ha. Soon she dies, which Priest Seto had taken fault in aside from his father, High Priest Akunadin, because the holder of the millennium eye wanted her Ka. But to do that, they needed to sacrifice the body and soul. So now, the reason that we kidnap you all is to fulfill our master's wish. To permanently extinguish Kisara's existence, which lives within your friend." She finished haughtily, fingering her half of the eye of Horus.
"Er… so ya sayin' that this weirdo is tryin' ta get this whatcha might call it thingy inside Téa?" Joey asked, not really processing the concept that was just exposed to them. "Hey Yug, didn't ya have this sorta thing goin' on wit ya millennium puzzle or somethin'?" Yugi turned his head to Joey.
"I saw something like that during Battle City and at the Egyptian Exhibit in the museum, but Yami never really explained much of his past since he doesn't know it very well himself."
"Just great. When are you people ever going to end this fairy tale? This millennium item and hocus-pocus crap has nothing of my concern. So why the heck would you want to capture me when it's Téa that you wanted?" Seto said nonchalantly, even though his head is pounding with worry of her security.
Her friends, feeling very bitter at his uncaring words, all glared at him, even though their own lives were in danger as well.
"Oh… don't tell me…" Téa said nervously as she examined what she was wearing and why her body felt immobile. It was plain black down dress, with hood at the back of her neck and two golden chains linked around her waist and neck with the Horus eye in the middle of her chest. Her blue eyes scanned the two-cloaked figures.
Something in the back of her mind was trying to wriggle free, as if reminding her that she had seen them somewhere before. Why me! She thought grumpily, seeing that this was the third time in her life that she had been abducted.
"Now now… settle down." The girl said in a fake motherly tone.
"It's ready." The deep masculine voice said, standing behind the wooden table. Slowly, the shortest drew closer to the locked up brunette girl and a small dagger appeared in her hand with a flick of her pale wrist. Smoke from some incenses rose ghostly and rectangular pieces of paper were stacked next to various colored needles. A small waxen figure stood in between the burning candles, which looked ironically like Téa.
The poor girl was nearly trembling in fear when the dagger came closer to her body. The short hooded figure hesitated to bring down her knife. "I don't think we should. After all, once we're done, master does need a body. And the one inside this girl would do fit. So what do you say?" The female spoke as she halted her assault and looked from Téa's frightened blue eyes to her stomach.
"Hn… I suppose. We wouldn't want to injure the little one. Master said to dispose of the spirit within her and conquer her body, but I don't see the harm of letting them live for now…but she shall be ridden once the little one is born." The male agreed logically.
"What tha hell are ya talkin' 'bout!" Joey exclaimed, wriggling his hands free from the ropes. Yugi and Seto were both looking at each other with penetrating eyes. Tristan was trying to undo his hand bindings and Duke was following his procedure, but both were also curious of the last said words.
Serenity looked at Mai since the older female seemed to have lost all the colors from her face. "Mai… do you know something?" She asked softly. The strawberry blonde looked at Serenity with eyes that said 'I'll-explain-later'.
Hearing this, Téa released a small sigh of relief but stiffened at the mention of the 'little one'. How could they know! I never seen then before… Wait! Those eyes… why do they look so familiar… ? She thought. "Have I seen you somewhere before…?" The tied up dancer asked suspiciously, cocking her head to one side. "Yes, no, maybe so." The female said tauntingly.
"We should be going… it seems that we have some company heading our way." The male said sweeping his hand over the wooden table. All the objects placed on the surface vanished and a claw rope appeared on the tabletop.
A loud rumbling sound came from above them and soon, it came closer as something landed on top of the metal roof. There were murmurs and stomping before a large piece of the roof fell down, crushing the table and causing the dust to rise. All of the captives tilted their heads upwards to have a better look. There was a chopper above them and two people stood at the edge of the opened square of the roof.
The girl latched herself onto the guy as he threw the metal claw tied to the rope towards the other two mysterious figures. As they caught it, they hauled the two up. "Au revior. We'll meet again and next time, you won't be so lucky!" The girl shouted gleefully, but in an overly sweet manner.
Soon the copter ascended from its landing spot and flew into the starless night. Everyone's attention was still focused at the roof until they heard a loud banging from the walls. It sounded like metal against metal. A few more times with the banging and bright lights came from the door. Seto, Yugi and Téa being the only ones facing in that direction, saw Ryou Bakura standing at the doorway with a flashlight and a large rock in his hand.
With the courtesy of Ryou coming to rescue after noticing that both of their vehicles speeding off into the opposite direction of their respectful homes, all were now at the Game Shop trying to solve the puzzle to their kidnapping. The girls were upstairs, having a so-called girl talk, while the boys took the living room to sort out the little story that they were told to back there.
"Okay, Kaiba, it's obvious that you know something about this since you said it happened before, care to explain?" Duke said, trying to break the tension in the room. "She was kidnapped last month and there was an Egyptian ritual going on." Seto said monotonously. "Did something happen to her?" Yugi asked brows furrowed.
The CEO nodded. "They collected her blood while she was strung onto a similar tablet." Joey shuddered involuntarily. They took blood from a person to do a ritual? And that person happens to be one of his best friends. How cruel and sick can this kind of thing get? "Are ya sayin' that these creeps are outta get Téa just for sum ritual? That's just plain sick. They ain't knowin' whose best friend they messin' wit. Hey Yug, why don't ya call on that spirit thingy inside ya millennium puzzle and ask him if this kinda thing happens back in his time?" Joey suggested.
The King of Games shook his head in dismay and cupped the golden object that hung from his neck. "I can't Joey. Yami's already back in the past, where he belongs. Now the puzzle is just a puzzle."
"Hey guys, don't you wonder why they didn't well… collect Téa's blood?" Duke said puzzlingly. Tristan nodded with a frown on his face. "They said something about not hurting the little one and the body see fit? And they would kill Téa when it was born? What to you think it means?" Ryou, being left out from most of the nightly excitement was having doubts of the thoughts he collected in his mind.
The majority of it was about 'killing Téa after the little one was born' and it seemed to fit the thought of Téa BEING pregnant. But she didn't show any signs of it being possible. She didn't look like she was gaining weight nor did her belly bulge. However, he could be wrong. He doesn't keep tabs on his friend all the time, only the duration of school and when they hung out around the park.
"Ya don't think she's havin' a babe would ya?" Joey said, his forehead wrinkled. "Right now, we can't just guess what's going on with Téa's body or if she's having a kid guys. One way or another, we need to find out what will happen in the future, though that isn't possible." Yugi said.
"But wait, didn't Ishizu give you a millennium item? That necklace thing she gave to you when Kaiba defeated her at Battle City? Didn't she say that she could look into the past and the FUTURE?" Tristan said, tapping his chin. Yugi went to the shelves that was next to the window and opened the glass door, taking out a rectangular box. He sighed before opening it and taking out the millennium necklace, which still shined even though it was put away for a whole year.
"I guess she said that. But I don't know… what if it doesn't work anymore?" Yugi said doubtfully, holding the necklace around the eye of Horus. Seto snorted quietly. "Great more hocus pocus. When are they ever going to stop this stupid fairytale? Ishizu might have shone me the past before but this is just ludicrous. These magic tricks and Egyptian folktales are becoming very old." "Come on Yugi, it might be the only way to find out what would happen so we could just warn Téa and maybe avoid it." Duke crowed.
"I'm with Yugi, you guys. Even my darker side has returned to his past and I only still keep this ring around my neck because well… because I'm just used to it. Right Yugi?" Ryou said. The tri-colored hair boy nodded in agreement.
They went into another long silence with grieving tension only to be broken when they heard a young voice shout "Seto Kaiba!". The boys turned their head to look oddly at the boy who was leaning against the wall with a small-perplexed expression on his face. Concerned, Yugi shouted up the stairs. "You guys okay?" The door opened and Téa's dry humorous voice was heard. "Ehehe… it was nothing guys… just girl talk!"
"If you say so…" The duelist champion said uncertainly. When Joey heard the girl's voice, he felt distraught at the position that they were all in. "Yug, ya know that we want ta protect Téa, right? Why don't ya just have faith and try? Téa's been there fer all of us and tha only thin' we coulda do in return is ta be there fer her when she needs us. And Téa needs us now Yugi. So just try it fer Téa, fer her and fer our friendship." Joey spoke up, his yellow bangs covering his eyes.
"Joey…" Most of the guys in the room felt touched at what the duelist just said. Nodding, Yugi looked down at the winking necklace.
I'll give it a try for friendship. He thought. As if the necklace read his mind, it illuminated a white flash before taking them all to the past. Five thousand years back in Ancient Egypt to be more precise.
Téa lied on Yugi's mattress, completely exhausted. Mai and Serenity sat on the chairs in the room, exchanging glances back and forth then to Téa. "Are you okay, Téa?" Serenity asked gently. She groaned bit and gave the younger girl a weak smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little dizzy. It isn't the best thing to be chained onto a stone without your feet touching the ground." Mai gave a tiny smirk before looking at the red head, which said her name.
"Didn't you say that you'd be telling me something? Back from the warehouse?" Serenity cocked her head to one side, green eyes glimmering with curiosity. Sighing a little, the blond turned to look at the brunette that was still lying on the bed, eyes closed. "I… I think it would be best if Téa tell you. It's none of my business to spread it." Mai said. Téa's blue eyes snapped opened at the mention of her name.
"What explanation?" She asked, propping herself up by her elbows. "You know… that you're…" The female duelist trailed off.
"Huh… oh… OH!" The dancer came to recognition and turned to look straight at the youngest girl in the room. "Did she… figure it out?" The azure-eyed girl asked. "You can say that."
Feeling a little left out, Serenity inquired, "Um… Téa, I don't want to intrude, but I'm guessing it's something that no one knows but Mai right? And if I could guess correctly, does it mean that you're… well…" The girl felt hesitant before blurting out the word. "Pregnant?"
Téa closed her sapphire eyes in sadness and nodded. Serenity's forest eyes widened in shock and her hand covered her gaping mouth.
"Who is…. The father?" This girl might be young, but she's known about the adult world since she was living in America where series of these problems happen.
"It's… well… him." The brunette stuttered, falling back on the bed and smashed her face into Yugi's pillow. Confusion was written all over Serenity's pale face. Mai rolled her eyes and plainly said, "Seto Kaiba."
"Seto Kaiba!" The girl exclaimed in surprise.
"SHH!" The two older girls shushed her, hoping that the boys downstairs hadn't heard Kaiba's name. "You guys okay?" Yugi's voice went up to the room.
Téa slapped her forehead before walking over to the door and said nervously, "Ehehe… it was nothing guys… just girl talk!" They heard Yugi reply with a worried, "If you say so…" Closing the door gently with a snap, Téa slid down the door and buried her face in her knees.
"Just when you think things are going to get better, it doesn't…" She said her voice muffled. Unknown to them, a golden light came in from the cracks of the door and swallowed them, taking them into the past.
Unlocking the door, Anita took off her shoes and slipped on her slippers. She deposited her leather bag on the foot of the stairs before busying herself in the kitchen. Sweeping back her hair, the lawyer pushed the button on her coffee machine and pressed 'start' on her microwave to heat her frozen dinner.
When she heard a beeping sound of her pickup machine coming from her room upstairs, Anita sighed and went to the stairs, passing the opening to the living room. Catching a glimpse of something moving in the room, a tiny fear rose in her stomach before she reminded herself that it was only the cushions.
Reaching the platform of the next level, she headed into her room and pressed the 'play' button on the black box and pulled out some pajamas to change in to. There was a long silence before the machine activated, telling her that she had only one message. It clicked and a deep tone started speaking.
"Mrs. Gardner, I have an offer for you that you might be unable to refuse. I shall be waiting for you… in your living room." Anita's breathing hitched when she heard that there was an intruder inside her living space. Running quickly to her draws, the widow shuffled the objects inside and took out a gun.
Her grandfather, as a wedding gift, gave her this handgun. The note from the many years was still there, thought it was pale yellow color and the print was slightly smudged. "May it bring you love and fortune should it be time when you needed it." Ripping it off, Anita cocked the gun and checked for ammo.
Using such a deadly weapon wasn't new to her at all; in fact it was like a second habit to her. Her father used to take her hunting for fun in the US and Anita experienced different types of firearms. Cocking the gun, it was now usable to kill if she aimed correctly. Heaving a calm breath, Anita quietly and noiselessly paddled down the stairs, gun in her hands.
Leaning on the wall next to the entrance to the living room, the lawyer closed her eyes before jumping at the opening with the gun held in front of her. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Are you that nervous about me?" An amused voice said nearby the couches. Swerving her gun to that direction, Anita carefully turned on the lights.
"Let me introduce myself before you 'accidentally' fire at me. I'm Youko and I've come to offer you something I highly doubt that you would refuse to." The man stood up from his comfortable seat and gave her a graceful bow before eying her with a sharp look in his eyes.
Not feeling really trusting at the moment, Anita kept the gun in her hand, but lowered it so it was pointing at the floor. "What is this offer?" She asked suspiciously carefully examining the boy in front of her.
Cracking a devious smile with a pair of narrowed eyes, Youko said, "You'll be surprised. But let me clear up some things related to it first." "Get to the point before I shoot you." Anita threatened, lifting the gun to the shooting range of his chest. He held up his arms in a surrendering way. "No need to get hostile now. Just listen carefully and I'll give you a week to decide on it. It has something to do with your daughter, Téa Gardner." "She no longer lives in my mind." Anita snarled.
"Well, she's in a very big bundle. You see I'm planning to do as my master says and remove her from this world permanently. But there's a catch to it." An eyebrow rose, telling him to continue.
"She's current holding a child within her, which would be reborn as my master. We would need your assistance to somehow regain her trust and bring her to me. As your reward, we would give you a sum of money in return." The mother had an incredulous look in her eyes. "How could she pregnant at a time like this?" Youko gave her a grim smile.
"That's the interesting part. It belongs to Seto Kaiba, the billionaire of KaibaCorp. So you see, it would become a benefit if something wrong should occur to your daughter, Mr. Kaiba would most definitely be blamed being the father and such. Of course, he knows nothing of it and might act rashly that would affect our little pawn."
"In other words, you want me to take my daughter back and let her be killed by you. But then Seto Kaiba would become responsible of what would happen because he would be blamed since he's so… cruel and ruthless? And in the end… I could benefit from both you and him… hm…" Anita never took her eyes off the boy, but they had a distant look in them, telling him that she was thinking hard.
"Like I said Ms. Gardner, I'll give you a week's worth of time to think it over… but remember this… it's for your own benefit…" Youko gave her a smirk before walking out the door casually with his hands in his pockets.
"My benefit…" Anita said. It sounded like a song to her. Just those two simple words sounded like a short melody created by her. "It's for my own benefit… I would not only get rid of her out of my life forever, but I would become rich…"
The lawyer smiled coldly, but something inside her heart grew. It felt sad and depressing… it was pain. However, the love of rich overpowered the feeling, Anita narrowed her eyes and started chortling
AN: ehehe…. So sorry for the long update! It's also short, I've noticed but I'm really unsure of how to gradually proceed with the idea of transported back to Egypt. And I need to do more research. So stick with me! I've been side tracked by this new story that I've been working on. And yes, it's SA pairing that's why I'm putting so much effort into it. But as of yet, it's still untitled. I've been thinking of taking things here slowly since school near starting for me and I am nervous (almost chewing my nails everyday). I hope that the next few chapters would come easily for me and I'll try to wrap loose ends up as quickly as possible. I wouldn't promise you that I would be updating every month, but four at most. Still being in middle school and entering high isn't an easy transition for me. But hopefully, all would stick by me with your reviews and that's all I ask for just for my encouragement. If I know that you've reviewed, I might work quicker with confidence instead of fumbling with the chapters! And thanks all for the wonderful reviews!