Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return of a Master ❯ Memories ( Chapter 5 )

Part Five

As Bakura hurries ahead, I start breathing again. I take out the comlink once more, automatically pressing the first button on the left. "Nebamun?"

His voice sounds hushed as he replies, "Yes?"

"Ahh...I didn't mean to startle you. I hope you're not in the middle of anything important..."

"What? No, I'm just in the middle of a busy street...they might stare at me if they saw me talking to myself," he whispers. "So...what is it? I hope it's nothing too urgent...you know I don't like to run, it's rather unbecoming for someone like me."

I sigh. Some things never change. "It's not quite that urgent. I simply need you to be at the docks a little sooner than we planned."

"Hmm...I was going to have dinner first...how long do I have?"

I chuckle. "About ten minutes."

"Oh!" he gasps. "I guess I can do without my nightly wine...but just this once." He pauses. "So, does this mean Bakura's already on his way?"

"Yes. Part two went much faster than we anticipated."

"Oh, goody! This is going to be so much fun!"

I shake my head at his show of excitement. "Are you certain you're ready for this?" I ask.

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting ages for this moment!" He pauses, then snickers a little. "Besides, you spent three months training me! Why wouldn't I be ready?"

"Yes...I remember..." I pause, thinking back to a day that seemed so long ago....

I had just gotten back from a long day of studying the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that lined my walls. I was trying to find more info about the days that followed the Pharaoh's "death." I understand most hieroglyphs perfectly, but these walls were more damaged than usual. Exhausted from my unsuccessful efforts, I made my way back to the front chamber, intending to rest for a few hours before returning to work. But as I entered the room, I was shocked to find a bedraggled figure kneeling on the ground, his head in his hands. His clothes, which looked rather expensive, were coated with dust. There was a slight rip in one shoulder, and a small patch of blood had seeped into the white coat. This was contrasted by a mass of uneven black hair, which completely covered his face at the moment.

He must have realized that he was no longer alone, because he suddenly lifted his head. His face was caked in dirt, apparently hardened by the tears that still flowed from his right eye. Then I noticed the gaping hole where his left eye should have been. I wondered if that was where the blood had come from, and suddenly realized that I knew who this was. But before I could say a word, he jumped up and hurried over to me.

"Please...help...me..." he gasped. Then he fell into my arms, exhaustion overcoming him.

In the days that followed, he explained what had happened in the past few years since I had seen him last. Only recently, he told me, he had suffered a humiliating defeat in his favorite pastime, Duel Monsters. And shortly after that he lost the most important thing he possessed. I felt his pain, having experienced a great deal myself, and offered him a chance to start over, to train with me. In order to increase the sense that his life was changing, I gave him a new name: Nebamun.

In the weeks that followed, I taught him all I knew about Duel Monsters. He was no amateur; in fact, he was one of the best. But he had relied on cheating and rare cards to win in the past. I taught him many of my secret strategies, and how to trust in the heart of the cards. Gradually he improved, and I decided the time had come for him to...

Suddenly Nebamun clears his throat, and I realize that I'd spaced off. "Oh...sorry." I shake off the memory, and return my mind to the present. I look around, realizing to my dismay that Bakura is nowhere in sight. For a moment, I panic, but then I remember that I sent him to the docks. I quickly tell Nebamun that I'll be there in a few moments, and take off at a run.