Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return of a Master ❯ A New Item ( Chapter 3 )

Part Three

"Who are you?" asks Yugi, as my apprentice comes closer.

"Me? My name is Nebamun. But, come now, Yu...I mean, little one. That's not really what's important here, is it?" He grins, with only a hint of the arrogance he'd had when he first came to me. "What's important is who you are."

Yugi stares at him, obviously puzzled. Good, I think. Keep him off guard. Maybe this won't turn into a disaster after all. His eyes, faintly visible beyond the black netting covering his face, suddenly lock with mine, and a sliver of worry crosses his face. Ahh, so he finally recognizes his mistake. Luckily, it can still be used as an advantage. I smile slightly, to let him know that all is not lost. But please, I beg him mentally, whatever you do, just don't remove your hood!

"Umm...what are you talking about, mister?" asks Tea cautiously.

He turns back to them, and grins again. "I mean that this boy is the holder of the Millennium Puzzle. The most powerful of any of the Millennium Items."

"Huh?" They all look up in shock. Yugi quickly asks, "What do you know about my Puzzle?"

"Actually, I know a great deal, little one. I know that the spirit of the Pharaoh lies within. I also know that it has the ability to counter the powers of any of the other Millennium Items. But what's this?" He turns, and acts as if he is just noticing the Ring on Bakura's chest. But I can see his lip curl under, ever so slightly. Fortunately, he regains control before any of them can notice.

"The Millennium Ring!" He cries in surprise, as if he hadn't already known. "The item with the power to find all the others! The most highly coveted item of them all!"

"What?" cries Tristan. "But I thought I got rid of that thing...Bakura, how'd it come back?"

"Umm..." He hesitates, searching for a plausible excuse. As he struggles to find one, I can see the smirk on Nebamun's face. He is clearly enjoying Bakura's agitation.

I lock eyes with my apprentice, frowning. Don't torture the boy too much. That will come later. He sighs softly, as if he'd read my thought. But he does respond, coming to Bakura's rescue.

"One of the Millennium Ring's most amazing powers is its ability to find its owner. It is almost impossible to get rid of." He turns toward Tristan. "I take it, then, that you know of the evil spirit it holds?"

"Yeah," Tristan answers. "It's taken control of Bakura several times. It only recently tried to-" He suddenly glances at Mokuba, still standing there, and stops talking immediately.

I wonder why he stopped? But before anyone can say anything more, Yugi's grandpa cuts in.

"Excuse me, sir, but you obviously know a great deal about these two. What about you? What can your item do?"

Uh-oh. I squirm, praying that Nebamun doesn't screw this up.

He briefly looks at me, reassuring me with his eyes that he can, indeed, handle this. Then, before they have a chance to wonder at his apparent hesitation, he speaks. "My Bow? Ahh, this item is very special. Not even the Pharaoh himself knew about it."

"What?" they all gasp. Tea asks, "But I thought Yami made all the items...how could he not know that one existed?"

Unfazed, Nebamun recites the information I gave him. "Many years after the Pharaoh was imprisoned within the chambers of the Puzzle, his most loyal servant, who had become Pharaoh in his place, longed to free his master. He delved deeply into the books of sorcery that remained in the palace library, searching for a way to revive him. Although he could find no spells that could directly release the bonds, he did find the incantations for giving a golden object magical powers."

"A Millennium Item! So that's how they were created..." Yugi breathes.

"Yes. The new Pharaoh immediately commanded that a new item be made. After examining the many treasures that his subjects had presented to him, he chose a beautifully crafted bow, complete with gold-tipped arrows." He holds up the Bow. "The item was immediately taken to a private chamber, where the few sorcerers remaining after the Great War had prepared an altar for the enchantment. The Pharaoh took out the book, and began the spell. But in his haste, he forgot one crucial element." He shakes his head, showing sorrow for the poor man.

I look on in amazement, for although I composed this story, he has given it new meaning. Perhaps I underestimated his ability to mislead others. He has certainly done an excellent job so far...

Nebamun glances at me, triumph briefly shining on his partially obscured face. He then continues with the story. "He forgot that the incantation is greatly damaged if exposed to sunlight. Thus, this item-" He holds it up again, allowing them to see it more clearly- "did not gain the abilities he wanted. Instead, the sun's full power flooded into it, granting it the ability to fire bolts of energy. And though this power is by no means weak, it did not fulfill its purpose."

"So...what happened to the servant? Did he just give up?" Tea prompts.

"Not at first. He wanted to try again, but by that time, the kingdom had recovered from the horrors of the Great War." He grins ironically. "Like any disaster-stricken crowd, his subjects began demanding that he repair the damage they'd suffered. He was soon far too busy with the burdens of a ruler to concentrate on such vain hopes."

"Wow," Tea says, softly. "Wait a minute...didn't you say the Bow had come with golden arrows?" She looks at the Bow again, suddenly noticing the small ring fused to its center, opposite the arrow point. "Oh...how did that happen?"

Not that...that's one of the few things I forgot to explain! I stare worriedly at my apprentice, who also hesitates. He opens his mouth, to quickly cover up, but is interrupted.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" I turn my head towards the voice, and see a teenage boy with blond hair walking up to the group. "What's up, guys?" He moves closer, then stops as he sees Nebamun. "What the...Yug, who the heck is this guy?"

"Hey, Joey! This is Nebamun. He saved our lives from a group of Rare Hunters!"

"Really? Well, any guy who can do that is all right in my books. But...uh...you wanna tell me how them Hunters got ya cornered in the firs' place?"

"Well, actually, I was trapped by a guy named Arkana..."

"Listen, Yugi, you can explain it to him later. I really need to get back to KaibaCorp," Mokuba quickly cuts in.

"Yeah, and I should probably go check on Serenity. It's been a few hours since I've--ulp!" Tristan chokes off the rest of his sentence when he sees the look on Joey's face.

"I, too, have places to go," Nebamun interrupts, with a quick glance at me. "Here--if those Rare Hunters come back, you can contact me with this." He holds out a comlink, the spare one we'd packed for an emergency. "Let's see...I think Bakura would be the best one to hold on to this. He can easily find any of you with his Ring if something should happen." He hands the circular object to the thief. "Call me immediately if you see them. I'll see you later!"

Very nice, I think. This situation has definitely worked to our advantage. The trap has been set...part one of our plan is complete.