Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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"Open door, we can let them know we'll think of something!" Vivian imperiously ordered for which the Receptionist readily hit the button. One of the male Masseuse' experienced with Florida winds got a solid hold of the door before pushing it open tentatively. Yet wind wasn't really an issue, it was merely a steady breeze of surprisingly biting chill.
"What type of storm is this?" was a question whispered over and over again amid the crowd.
"We see you! We try to get you to us!" Vivian called out to the families as her worry chopped up her English further. The ground was white as snow, powdered and terrifying while staff went about and gathered blankets meant for massages and prepped them for the families.
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Anzu sat with Mokuba, trying to shield him from the view of the spa attendants as they sat on these very plush benches. Mai was explaining how he just appeared, grateful for 'her' sudden inspiration to suggest the boy had come from behind the curtains.
'Thank the Kamis for coping mechanisms.' Rational thought was creating a new explanation for Mai as to how Mokuba 'just appeared' in their spa. The attendants had been utterly mortified that a small child had joined them. Until they realized it was 'Mokuba', their bosses' brother, and then the fun 'really' began. No one knew what to do with him since a child wasn't meant to be in the spa, yet he was the bosses brother?
'Whatever Kaiba would say, isn't the problem though,' Anzu thought anxiously. Mokuba had only said 'Yugi' and nothing else. Not big brother Yugi, just his name uttered with utter surprise as though any other thought had fled. So it Yugi who sent the child to them? Or was it Mahaado? Either way she had no way to find out besides the boy and he had apparently seen something.
"Are spas really 'that' nice?" Mokuba finally asked as he looked around. "I mean, just getting your back rubbed and all seems..." His head tilted to the side until he started getting too much boob from Anzu.
The teen clasped said robe more tightly closed before she settled in with a slight frown. "Yugi knows better, why are you 'here'."
"You haven't been outside right?" Mokuba's brain began churning, 'I can just say I was worried about them because the weather turned awful all of a sudden!' Then in his best charming 'I'm an adorable boy trying to speak your language' English, he began warning them about the bad weather outside. How he was just 'so' worried about the duelists...
"A 'storm'?" Mai repeated in disbelief as she looked around. It was so quiet, just the gentle sounds of water, soft piano and flute. The masseuses looked as stunned and confused as her, but on the other hand, they couldn't just call the younger brother of their boss a liar. Turning to confirm with Anzu how absurd this sounded, Mai was taken by the unique expression on Anzu's face.
She appeared more concerned than alarmed, and more importantly, if she didn't look alarmed. It meant this 'was' a Yugi or Kaiba thing! Storms were rapidly turning into a Kaiba thing, and given Mokuba's presence...
"Thoughts, Anzu?"
She blinked looking up at the blond, "a bad storm is a bad storm, we should warn the staff. They can't see the outside from here."
"Noooo, we're guests... We stay and relax," Mai countered before turning and giving a more clear english explanation for the two ladies.
"A storm? Uh like Japan?!" One of them had this look that seem conflicted between alarm and excitement.
"That seems to be the case, should we stay here? Is there concern the power could go off?" Mai inquired. The pair exchanged glances before they explained the internal power system that would keep the building running long enough to get things properly shut down.
"Umm Anzu?" Mokuba looked a little worried as he glanced up at her before giving Mai a slight concerned look.
Anzu gently patted his shoulder before looking up at the ceiling, "its, not hailing right so we don't have anything to worry..."
"It is, Yugi sent a message, 'ice from sky'... Anzu, its hailing outside."
Mokuba watched Anzu snap back to look at him with this horror filled gaze, "Mokuba, the guys and Valon are out in the town. If its hailing, they have nothing to protect themselves!" Even in the dim light of the spa he could see her face drain of color. "Mai does Valon... no that would be overly expensive right?"
Mai herself looked back at them in dismay as she realized the guys 'were' out on the town, hell EVERYONE was out!
"Miss, your phone... Your phone needs to be off except its ICE..." The attendant who was next to their belongings commented as she saw the flashing light of Anzu's phone, that didn't really exist. It vibrated with such determination where it had not originally been, with the English letters flashing across the screen on the purely Japanese made phone.
"Ice?" Anzu asked confused.
"In Case of Emergency." Mai cast a concerned look over her shoulder as she explained in Japanese, "Its a western wording for when they or a stranger needs to reach someone on the contact list. Instead of a random person its someone who has the ability to 'do' something."
Only Anzu had no 'ICE' and her phone had been on complete silence in the BOTTOM OF HER PURSE YUGI... but she answered, "hello?" she whispered huddling the phone close to her.
"Anzu? Who pissed off Yugi?!" Bakura growled into the phone with so much noise she could barely hear him while everyone could hear the outside weather. Thunder was a stampede of wild horses, trampling the grass, unfettered and free. Leaving the rain an endless waterfall of white noise that the five people in the room took a moment to just stare at the little slip of phone. Even if they weren't close, just the fact that they could hear that distant noise!
"Where are you? Are you three safe?" Anzu called out in concern.
"What?! Are you there Anzu?!" Bakura's voice was fighting to compete against the storm and she knew it was a fight he couldn't win.
"Yes! Are you guys ok?!" She called out, concern for spa ambiance a faded memory.
A sudden soft knock at the door startled the women into turning as one when the door opened and another older woman appeared. Sticking her head in she paused as she noticed everyone was just standing there not doing or receiving service. Only the noise on the phone shook her from her confusion.
"Mab! Jazz! Storm outside! Major! Orders are to get the guests back in their clothes, we're shutting down!"
'Jazz' left the room to help alert guests, and Mai found Mokuba at her side, his expression a thoughtful confusion.
"Oh my God," Jazz rushed back into the room not a minute later a glass pitcher of water, with a bed of ice floating top it with large cheery slices of tart lemon floating on that in her hands.
"What's wrong?" Mab asked in surprise as Jazz passed over the pitcher.
"Just got confirmation from one of the newly arrived guests that a massive storm just exploded over the building. The sky is pitch black, its hailing, massive lightning the works, thing is, the hail has 'stoppedt falling INTO the park!"
"What?" Mai's genuine shock covered Anzu's lack of one, while they listened to the gossip of the outside.
"They're prepping the rest of the building for people to rush in, so the orders are let the guests stay in here, for safety reasons." Jazz explained before she slipped back out.
"Just stay?" Mai blurted out in disbelief.
"You have to, the doors don't have locks and if someone panic runs in here and you're mid dressing..." Mokuba pointed out easily enough. Brother was told about how women get assaulted in these rooms so locks aren't permitted for guest safety." Then he frowned for a moment before sighing. "I wonder if that was big brother..."
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The 'shelter' was a little Mexican restaurant off to the side of the road the trio had been walking. The tables were small, with tired, almost defeated faded decorations and the people looked as tired but also incredibly distrustful. Years of poor treatment etched lines of suspicion to the corners of every pair of eyes and into the mouths of the elderly.
Hunched over, eyeing their drinks when outsiders entered everyone would often stare down and out these brightly dressed tourists. Only the storm outside had everyone eyeing the windows with open disbelief. They hadn't even noticed the trio as Bakura brought the pair into the building. Music blared over tired speakers loud and raucous until thunder erupted and then sounded meek and faded out completely. Only the flavored scents of true Mexican food seemed to have the courage to waft through the air from the back to the front.
"So is this 'Gods work'?" Valon quipped louder than he meant and was disheartened to see a pair of nods from the teens.
"Someone got under Kaiba's skin and the list of people who can directly reach him is small enough." Malik explained when Bakura interrupted.
"Stupid General, this is what happens to three thousand years of blue balled denial apparently."
For the Thief King pissed as hell, was swarmed by ghosts as well, drawn, pale and utterly distraught. Two women had been gossiping about his Ghost Mother, about how the Village Elders' only, and stolen, son had been discovered to serve the Pharaoh. Said Elder was inconsolable and Ryou had been at a loss to what he should say.
"Yes, she went before God and asked! God said that Maibe's son ended up serving under the royal house. But the demon killed everyone... we... 'helped' kill all those who served God when he was Pharaoh..."
Their tone annoyed Ryou, that nattering tone of women who were far too close to fits of sanctimonious. Girls in high school no manners at all, yet being out in the street Ryou couldn't say anything without looking odd. 'She lost her son, possessed as I was, I took part in that murder you pair of idiotic dithering...' Ryou shot the two a look and thankfully no one was across the way to see it. But the women did and were cowed at the sight of an irate 'Thief King'.
"Go! Inside! Oh sweet Hathor pray calm the General!"
"HURRY HURRY!" Ryou balked at the shouts and turned behind him to see, for lack of better term, the whole damn village rushing at him.
"The General called forth a storm!" was the shriek and Bakura could only afford a glance up to see the clouds blacker than the demons' soul begin to whirl into existence. 'Oh Hathors' tits...'
Malik and Valon both balked at the words Bakura used, though Valon never saw the 'Thief Kings' expression when he was in a mood.
"'Kura," Malik called out and bumped Bakura with his elbow to get the guy to calm down. But the sour look on the thiefs' face didn't fade.
"Pray to Yugi," Bakura replied in Egyptian before scouring the dinning area.
The windows that revealed the outside were filthy with dust, more effort to make this place unwelcomed to brash or clueless tourists. But it couldn't hide the pitch black darkness outside, or how the world exploded in vivid electric blue! Along the distant wall was a beautiful, yet tired, mask of a warrior hanging. When the instant arrival of thunder shook the building it shuddered and slide down just a razors' hair.
"You! Bartender!" Bakura barked in broken Mexican before he stalked his way to the mask. Another roll of thunder dashed at the heels of the lightning that just tore through the streets and the mask noticeably dipped down. There was an elderly couple sitting at the table the mask rested on and looked almost affronted at Bakura's predatory approach.
"Grandpa! Grandma! The white boy is right! Leave the table!" The bartender, this rotund man with a thick mustache turned pale under his tanned skin. His words to tell the teen to leave the couple had died when he saw the mask slipping. Despite his wide belly that his apron could barely encircle he began pushing his chunky legs to go to the table. "The mask! The mask! Its going to fall!"
A table of field workers, dusty and tired got up and while two helped pull the elderly away the other two rushed into the booths on either side. Newly vacated from the small families sitting there in mounting alarm. Bakura got into the booth, shoving away the urge to steal from the purse left behind, and grabbed the mask as the poor lonely nail finally surrendered to the war outside.
Between Bakura and the two remaining farm workers they kept the mask safe against the wall before sliding it down. Even as he did so Bakura kept trying to find other weaknesses in the building, it was old, tired, meant for those like it. 'Damn it Kaiba.' It wasn't Kaiba shielding, Bakura could feel it in the roots of his hair. This was Yugi, the roles completely swapped as Yugi was now trying to protect the city while Kaiba was lashing out.
Yet it felt off enough to think this storm was purely Kaiba and the ramifications of 'that' were horrifying.
The other guests moved from their booths, their plates gathered up and soon everyone was huddled in spots, eating meekly while anxiously watching the storm outside. Just islands of people strategically placed so the quaint candles that were hanging above them wouldn't fall 'on' them.
"What are you doing?" Valon asked as Bakura left them to go further into the restaurant.
"Praying..." Malik answered his face turned up at an angle.
"Don't you bow your head when you pray?" Valon asked as he tried to remember any faith that didn't.
"Why? I'm neither ashamed or a slave to my Gods." Malik answered easily enough glancing out of the corner of one eye. "It is an honor to be called to serve and shame doesn't show the proper appreciation of that." With that he shrugged then added, "if you want to think of it another way. I don't need the lesson of humility beaten repeatedly into my skull."
Valon blinked as he tried to fathom this completely different faith than he had been exposed to. TV showed both Islam and Jewish faiths, even the Asian ones, while not out right bowing, had a humble reverence... "Ok but..."
"Oh I was surprised about Japan's Shinto faith too. But their faith isn't really 'God' focused the way ours are. Had an old woman explain that Shinto is more about intention to nature not to really human gods. You or I can argue to any god why we had to cut down a tree, but in Shinto you have to justify to the 'tree' why you cut it down. For our faiths, our lives here are temporary, we die we go to an afterlife and this world is left behind. Some trash this world because its not the final destination, others seek to preserve it because they recognize it's significance to future generations. 'Its all fine to be about saving your soul to go to Heaven. But how do you explain to God why you damned you grandchildren to a dying planet?' she said."
Valon couldn't find the words to argue, he had some but they weren't forming a complete sentence so instead he stood there and watched as the hail began to fall. Thick as a baseball and twice as scary, hitting the ground and shattering.
"The world is full of religions and stuff, now I find out the God we're all turning to is sitting in a suite defying every perception we could have..."
"And right now we need to figure out a way to help him calm his General. There are orphans out in this possible..." Malik pointed out as he settled back into his prayers, hoping to reach Yugi.