Author's Note: Aha! Here's the next chapter everyone! Hope you like it! (A really good song...is Automatic by Danny Fernandes. Just sayin'! xD)
A new finding. Realization. And a new voice. Everything ties together right here.
Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^
Battle City-New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite Chapter 8
"So...how does it feel to finally be free from within the Millennium Puzzle?" I asked Yami, sounding a lot like a tv reporter, but I sure wasn't walking like one, nor did I have the proper equipment for the job in the first place. My hands were on the back of my head and we were walking down another busy sidewalk of downtown Domino. I swear I was walking a lot like Sora, the dude from Kingdom Hearts. xD
Yami looked off into the distance with the small traces of a smile on his face. "It feels...amazing," he replied, the thoughtful look not leaving his eyes. "But I felt free one minute and confused the next."
This puzzled me shortly. "How so?" I asked.
Yami let out a small sigh in light frustration. "After Duelist Kingdom, I wasn't sure where to go with this life." he said. I almost actually face-palmed myself in real life instead of in my mind. Without memory, I'm pretty sure I would be lost too. I'm such an idiot...
"I didn't know what Fate had in store for Yugi and me," he continued, latching his hands together. "So our path was unclear. The future; a mystery." Then he smiled at me. "But now that you're here, it's like there's a light at the end of our path now, telling us which way to go."
I tried my hardest to keep my face from flushing. He actually had Faith in me. He trusted my help. (Author's Note: Yeah...I know. She's doubtful like that. She thinks the only reason she's there is to be Yami's shield, like I wrote in the last chapter. But Yami's going to change her way of thinking. XD If you get where I'm going with that. He's going to show her something. xD)
"I'll try my best in your search," I said, "After all, that's why I've been reborn; to help you."
"But...how is that?" questioned Yami. "Your body is in perfect condition-" When I cocked my head to the side, Yami blushed. "I mean, how was it kept all these years? There's no signs of decomposition anywhere and your spirit hasn't changed I believe. I don't understand..."
I didn't understand why Yami was blushing all of a sudden. The question he asked was actually a pretty good one. (lol. Jee...I wonder. xD) "My spirit hasn't aged because the Gods of Egypt kept it frozen in time," I said. "And my body was preserved in an enchanted sarcophagus, one that's really, really simple, so I could be in top shape when I found you. That's all there is to it."
Yami nodded and glanced towards me from the corner of his eye. That blush was starting to falter but traces of it was still left. I still couldn't understand the whole concept of blushing, it was so confusing. His expression soon puzzled. "Gods of Egypt?" he asked.
"They are the very beings we worship," I said. He looked down, probably somewhat ashamed to have forgotten about the group of beings most important in Ancient Egypt. I quickly said, "But they knew about your case, Yami. That's why they helped." He seemed to feel better, but I knew his mind was still clouded. I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose your memory. Just for an evil Destiny wanted destroyed again. If that's even her will. Gods forbid the worst. Thinking of Yami's dilemma now, I was even more determined to stay and help. Not that I had even thought about stopping.
Suddenly my phone started ringing. It was actually the beginning of Fireflies by Owl City; with all the beeping and bopping, I found it catchy. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the LG. Gesturing to Yami for a minute, I pressed the 'talk' button and held it up to my ear. The caller ID read 'unknown caller' so I didn't want to give this person too much of my reply. Usually I said my last name, but since people can track much better with the last name, I said my first name instead.
"Hello? Sarah here," I said into the mic. There was a satisfied sigh from the other end before the voice spoke up. A shiver almost went up my spine.
"Ah, Sarah. I've been meaning to talk with you." The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Even with only my first name, this person was able to know who I was? They've known which number to call then...all they needed was a confirmation and me saying my first name in the greeting did just that. Damn...
The voice on the other side was unfamiliar. It was smooth, slithery, and, I thought, sinister. He gave me a shiver down my spine causing Yami to stop walking and start looking at me in confusion.
"Enjoying life?" asked the man before cackling from not hearing my reply. I paled.
"What is it?" Yami asked, gripping my elbow in worry. I gave him a glance and simply fingered my lips to make him quiet. He immediately quietened so I could listen to what this maniac wanted.
"Wh-who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly at the scare he gave me from not expecting this.
"That does not matter," said, what appeared to be, a male's voice. My thoughts automatically went to Keith and the man who controlled him. Could this be him? Or another one of his pawns? "I have some very important information for you. It's in your best interest to see what I have to say."
I licked my lips nervously and tried to keep my breathing normal. If this guy wanted me to lose it and fall right into his trap, he was downright wrong. "What if I don't want to listen to you?" I asked the man boldly, trying to see how he would react. Yami still held his hand on my arm.
The man almost sneered in annoyance. "You'll have to," he said. "Come to the Domino Museum as soon as this phone call finishes."
He wasn't giving me much of a choice. I mean, I could walk away or go to where he said. But since he never said anything relatively close to threatening or something like that, he'll lure me in with curiosity.
Plus...I couldn't really let up this chance. Every step was all part of the path...
But...Domino Museum? What could he want from me? How the hell had this wannabee gotten my phone number in the first place?
"Why can't you just tell me what you want to tell me on the phone?" I demanded.
"Because I want to meet you in person." The call ended and I was left shivering in sudden fear. This person wanted to meet me in person, why, so he can kill me then?
"We have to go," I said to Yami suddenly, turning off the call from my end and returning my phone back to my pocket. He gave me a confused look.
"What's going on?" he asked me, half in demand, and half in concern. His grip on my arm didn't falter either.
Not wanting to waste so much time with the details, I pulled Yami's hand into my own (which felt strangely comfortable and sent a warm tinkle through my arm) I started walking briskly into the direction of the museum. Yami hurried beside me as I explained.
"Mystery caller," I said simply, stopping at an intersection. I waited for the cars to go by and the light to change green before continuing on our way. "He said to meet him at Domino Museum."
Yami's eyebrows furrowed. "Did he say why?" he asked, watching my hand now cradling his this time.
"He said he had information for me," I said. "That it was in my best interest to see what he had to say."
Upon reaching the Domino Museum located near the center of town, Yami and I walked in through the oak front doors. Inside, there were display cases and shelves full of old, dusty, and ancient artifacts. People looking around took a great interest in them. Children tried to reach in and touch the monument that's been roped off. Adults told them it's wrong and pulled them back without much complaint. Mother's holding children, who are tired from walking, point at the dirt and clay pottery and stone tools inside the built in shelves stuck in the walls with only glass separating them. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but they're oblivious to an evil threat that's possibly among them.
I bought Yami's and my admission for the museum at the ticket counter and began strolling down one hall to our immediate right. It was lined with stone carvings found in the desert. The clothes in one case were decorative and ancient, and the pottery in some were cracked and chipped. The design and pictures on all the artifacts, and the aroma in general, just the feel of it all, seemed so familiar. Could it be...
Just as Yami and I were about to walk into the gallery, I brought my head back to read the banner, naming the gallery. As I read the words, my heart skipped a beat and my hunch was correct.
"This wing holds the Ancient Egyptian Exhibit," I said to Yami in excitement. This was so cool! To have a part of home right here on Domino. Yami even began looking a lot more interested,
"Do you think this is what the person who called you earlier was talking about?" Yami asked, peering into a glass case holding small stone carvings. It had the same symbol as the Millennium Puzzle and Locket carved on them. In the well-lit room, the symbol glinted, despite the dust and dirt caking its edges.
I shrugged. "I haven't an idea," I admitted sadly. "This man knew who I was. I haven't told my name to any modern strangers so obviously this man isn't a normal person. He knows who I really am. I'm sure of it. My past, my rate, and my intentions. He probably knew I was with you Yami, otherwise he would have called for another place or just told me on the phone instead of luring me into a public museum."
Yami nodded. "First the man phoning you and now the Ancient Egypt Exhibit. I don't think these are just coincidences."
I shook my head, somewhat thrilled Yami figured that out. "Not at all." I agreed. "There has to be something in particular here that he wanted to show just me and you."
As Yami and I were about to turn a corner for the next set of shelves and cases, simultaneously, we both stopped. We sensed something from the back door our right. The 'Keep Out' sign made it all the more intriguing when we stopped to look at it. Something was pulling us in this direction. I opened the door, cautiously, and we peered into it to find a staircase.
The Millennium Symbol glowed on both our foreheads. Something...ancient and historic was down there. I could feel that rhythm of battle I grew into back in Ancient Egypt pump through my veins.
"I sense something," we said together, both wanting to tell the other. I looked to Yami and he looked to me.
"Should we?" I asked him. Even though I felt something familiar in my heart, I didn't want to go in without having Yami's approval first.
To my relief, he nodded his head. "We have to," he said and began descending down the stairs. "Something is calling out to us. We have to see what it could be."
I was kinda thinking it had something to do with the mystery caller. Why else would we sense something together? And especially at the same time? This could be strong.
The room we entered after the stairs was more lit than the stairs themselves. There were tiled floor and ceiling, the same pattern as the rest of the museum. It all looked the same, so how could this room differ from the rest of the museum? When our eyes fell onto the wall next to us, holding what looked to be the most ancient and powerful artifact in the whole building, we found the difference.
"...Holy...Ra..." I said in complete awe and surprise. Yami's eyes were as equally as wide as mine. The artifact we were looking at was a giant stone tablet with carvings of what looked to be Duel Monster cards.
"Sarah," Yami called in fascination. "Is Duel Monsters and this carving related in some way?"
This is it. If Yami and I were led here to find this carving then that obviously means the Prophecy is set into motion. Here is where a lot of everything starts then.
Slowly, I answered, "Yes, Yami. The game we play as Duel Monsters was real," I pointed at the carving of one of the card shapes. "In Ancient Egypt, theses monsters were living, breathing souls. They existed."
Yami's eyes widened in astonishment. "But...how did they appear here?" he asked. "Who discovered it in this time and then made it into a game?"
"You know very well the answer to that question," I said, turning to face him.
It took him a fast moment to figure it out, but he did. "Of course," he realized, "Pegasus."
I nodded. "Maximillion Pegasus wanted a way to bring back his wife, Cecilia. His research led him to Egypt where he found carvings like these. He decided to remake it as a game, but back then, this was played for life or death."
Yami arched an eyebrow at me in question. "How do you know all this?" he asked, curiously.
"My caretaker sent me a letter with this story in it recently, when we finished the Duelist Kingdom tournament," I said truthfully. Ishizu and I sent many letters back and forth. This story was in one of the ones she sent me.
Yami nodded and returned his gaze back to the tablet, but his eyes caught something else. It was another artifact in the display case next to the tablet we were already looking at. But this one was far more interesting. Yami couldn't tear his eyes away from it which made me kind of confused.
"Sarah," said Yami, gripping my arm lightly and pointing at the artifact that swallowed his attention. "Look."
I turned around and looked into the display case. My body stilled and all thoughts drained from my mind. Only the artifact and Yami remained.
"Oh my gods..." I whispered in disbelief, covering my mouth with my hand in shock. Joy slowly began coursing through me, because with this artifact, we're one step closer to our Destiny.
Because with this artifact, comes the key to the past.
Beyond the glass separating us and the artifact is a tablet much like the other one with all the cracks and signs of erosion, but this one held the Prophecy. Three smaller tablets, which looked like Duel Monster cards, and the Millennium Puzzle were at the top while three figures were underneath; two opposing the third. Above their heads were their symbolized monsters. At the very bottom, was a line of hieroglyphs depicting what was happening. The figure on the left was male and the figures on the right were male and female. The male standing alone was familiar, but we already knew who the other two are.
"That looks like us!" exclaimed Yami, gesturing at the two people standing together on one side; side by side.
I nodded, my head almost spinning from the knowledge of the tablet being here. "Right," I said. Then I pointed to each of them, "That's you as Pharaoh and that's me as your Guardian. Even though we fought many battles together, this one was carved to show what happened, because he was your greatest rival."
Yami looked over the other figure, only to realize who it was. "It's Kaiba!" he said. "He was my enemy from the past and even now?"
I nodded my head again. "Seto Kaiba is Priest Seto's reincarnation," I explained. "He was your opponent back then and now he's your opponent once again."
"Priest Seto?" Yami asked.
"He was one of the priests in your court," I said a bit solemnly. "Evil overtook him and he began going against you."
"So we're dueling in this carving," said Yami. Then he looked over the carving, trying to find something. "Does it say who won?"
"I'm afraid that's a mystery to all of us," I said, staring at a spot on the carving that caught my attention. I bent down onto my knees and placed my hand on the glass over the area I was looking at. "The winner of the duel was written here, but now it's been worn away. Nobody knows who was victorious now."
Yami turned to me just as I was standing back up. His eyes were half glazed with wonder. "You were there," he said. "Surely you might remember who won?"
Sadly, I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I frowned. "but that's been erased from my memory. There were some things too dangerous to keep in anyone's mind and whoever knew it had that thought removed. I'm here to help you find those answers. I have leads that can lead me there. But I'm afraid, the winner from this duel is one of the pieces of information that are off limits until you and Kaiba duel again."
Yami sighed. It must have been aggravating for him and I felt almost completely useless. But I knew this was going to take time. Taking the steps little by little, we'll get to where we want to be.
"Just when I think I find an answer to one question, a thousand more doors appear that are locked," Yami said, closing his eyes and thinking over what he just learned. I felt bad. It hurt to see him like this. His mind was clouded with unanswered questions. My leads to the answers are bits and pieces that even I need to figure out what they mean. But taking this slowly, carefully, and little by little, we'll find those answers. I just know we will.
A new voice interrupted our thoughts, and upon hearing it made my heart skip a few beats, "My Pharaoh, Guardian. I've been expecting you."
Author's Note: Woot! Done another one! Hope you guys like it! Reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks so much for reading! ^^