Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Young God ❯ Chapter 10b ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter 10b

" Finally. We're here!" Jou smiled. " You feelin okay, Seto? Look a bit sick t'me."

Seto nodded drowsily. He was too weary to notice where they are.
" Well, doesn't it feel like home, Yami?" Pegasus smiled. " A lot has changed over the centuries. Come along, we first go to the place where the wind blew my hat away, and then if they're not there, we can try the pyramids of Giza."
" Why would my sister be in Giza?" Malik blinked.
" It's just a guess." Cecilia answered. " She's not at your home anyway."
" Maybe she came back by now." Ryou offered. " Should we look there first?"
" Maybe we should split up." Honda suggested. " And we all meet here by nightfall."
" Don't get lost." Pegasus warned. " Cecilia, Ryou, and Anzu will come with me. Yugi, Malik, Jou and Honda will go the other way, but who will Seto go with?"
" You, since no one in your group freaks him out." Yami answered.
" True. Malik didn't prove to be a good soother." Pegasus said, as he took Seto while Cecilia took Mokuba by the hand. They parted ways.

" Well, looks like Isis isn't here," Jou looked at the door and knocked again. " Guess she didn't come home yet."
" Guess she didn't." Malik blinked. " Maybe I can call her through my item."
" I doubt it." Yami pointed out. " Isis was always protective of her Tauk. She won't hear you."

Malik sighed. " Since when did things get extremely complicated?"
" Since we found Seto's circlet. And it glowed when he put it on." Yugi answered.

Malik grumbled a little. " So that's how we got ourselves into trying to risk our souls in returning Seto home."
" Do you have a problem with that?" Jou inquired.
" Not really. As long as it's successful." Malik admitted. " Gomen. I'm just annoyed at my sister."

Honda looked around for a moment. " Well, where did she say she was going?"
" She didn't say." Malik answered. " I just know she's in Egypt."
" Egypt's a pretty big place for us people." Jou answered.
" Oh dear." Yugi sighed. " Now where do we start searching? Did she mention any reason why she went out?"
" She said she was going to meet another Mi..."
" Shadi!" They cried.

" Well, here we are." Pegasus blinked.
" No signs of wind blowing." Ryou muttered.
" Of course not." Pegasus rolled his eyes. " Come on, oh no, don't panic now, it's going to be alright," He tried to comfort the nervous god.

Seto didn't like it at all. He wanted out.

Pegasus rubbed Seto's arms affectionately before gently leading him towards the door. Seto was getting increasingly nervous and edgy. Mokuba wasn't doing well either.

The stairs were dark and it was hard to walk down them. But with the aid of Seto's natural glowing skin they were able to make it down without tripping. Anzu was more frightened of the dark though.

But no one was more edgy and nervous than Seto, who was downright terrified of what was down there.
" At least we know one thing," Pegasus whispered bitterly as he tried his best to comfort the boy, " Someone with a Millennium Item is down there, no doubt."
" Probably Shadi." Ryou answered. " Seto's starting to get a nervous breakdown, I think."

There was light at the bottom of the long stairway and Pegasus paused. Seto started whimpering and Cecilia hushed him.
" Shadi!" He called. At first there was a silence, but then Pegasus started forward again and the others followed.
" Shadi!" He called again. This time they were in the room. There was a man in a turban, his back facing them.
" I trust you remember Seto Kaiba." Pegasus began, as Banat materialized beside Ryou.

Shadi froze for a moment and there was a brief silence. Then the guardian of the Millennium Items turned around and gazed at Seto straight in the eye.

Seto started to glow again and the device started to release static. Pegasus squeezed Seto's shoulders comfortingly before turning back to Shadi.

" You know what we want." He said. " Well?"

Shadi looked at Seto for a moment before giving a barely noticeable sigh.
" I'll do it." He said.

" Alright, without Pegasus in here, how are we supposed to find out where Shadi is?" Honda asked. " It's not like he has this banner that says " Shadi's Department Store"".
" Well, if Isis knew where Shadi was, Malik would too...right?" Jou offered.

" Not really," Malik answered. " I know the area where Shadi might live. Isis didn't know where Shadi was either, but she probably would find it by now. In any case, we're pretty far from where Shadi probably is."
" Well, that just stinks." Honda muttered.

The group stood in a hushed silence as the noisy crowd bustled around them.
" Why are there so many people?" Yugi asked.
" This is the tourist area."
" Well, don't you think that Shadi would want to go to a place more quiet, Malik?" Honda asked.

There was another brief pause.

" Come on, let's get going." Malik said.

Jou tripped over a man.
" Hey! Watch where you're going!" He yelled.

Unfortunately, the man understood neither English nor Japanese. He cursed at Jou.
" And what are you going to do about it? Huh?" Of course, Jou didn't know what that man said at all, but he could always pretend.
" Jou, give it a rest." Honda dragged the blonde away, murmuring an apology. The man understood and went away fuming, but quiet nonetheless.

" Isis!"

The girl turned around and looked in their direction.
" Malik! Yami!" She smiled, rushing over. " What brings you here?"
" We've been looking all over for ye." Jou answered. " We have this thing with Seto Kaiba."

The Millennium Tauk glowed and Yami Isis appeared beside her.
" What's wrong with Seto?" She asked.
" Our little god is still pretty much sick." Yami Malik answered. " Homesick and sick, for that matter. In any case, we're trying to bring him back home, and we're gathering all the Millennium holders together to open the portal."
" Oh." The former Queen nodded. " I see. In that case...well, I'll help. But...where is Seto, and where are Banat and Pegasus?"
" Well, they're off to find Shadi," Yugi answered. " Seto is extremely freaked out at the thought of coming here, and the others simply refused to tell me what's wrong!"

Yami Isis was not willing to tell him either, but felt that it was his job to know.
" Yugi, you care for Yami, right?" She began.
" Anksuna." Yami Malik warned.
" Of course I care for Yami!" Yugi cried. " How can I not? He's...he's part of me."
" Well..." Yami Isis seemed greatly uncomfortable. " Yami did some stupid things in his past life."
" That's what I keep on hearing!" Yugi looked distressed. " Just what could be so terrible that I can't know?"
" A lot of things." Yami answered shamefully, and Yugi stared at him in surprise.
" Come along, the time for storytelling is for later." Yami Isis began.
" Wait, where is Shadi if he's not with you?" Honda asked.
" I just left him half an hour ago." Isis answered beside her yami. " He's still where Pegasus might find him, if Pegasus remembers where."
" Apparently, Pegasus does." Jou answered. " Come on, guys, let's go back to where we're s'posed to meet 'em."

" No signs of any of them going mad yet," Ashika observed from Pegasus's back. " And they're all in pretty much the same place."
" Not really." Rishna answered. " Come along, my fair stallion. Drop us in for a closer look."

The great winged horse whinnied and dove down slightly, hovering above the view of the people. Onlookers would only think he was a bird.

" They're coming closer. Seto is panicking again." Rishna observed. " Should we go down?"
" If any one of them lays a hand on Seto, I can always throw my thunderbolt, and that wouldn't be too late." Ashika answered.
" Look, the items are starting to react." Rishna pointed. " All seven of them."
" Good gracious." Ashika muttered. " Are they going to create some kind of web or something?"
" I doubt it. They're just flickering, that's all. Come on, boy, let's drop in for a closer look, and don't mind anyone staring at us because it's not going to matter anyway."

The great horse neighed and landed, frightening every tourist there is. Ashika sighed.
" What are you going to do, just wait here with Pegasus here while people stare at us with their mouths open?"
" Why not?" Rishna inquired. " It's not like they can do anything to us. We're not sick like Seto is. Pegasus is an immortal horse. And look, Seto and Ryou and the others are already coming from that way with Shadi, and Yugi with Isis is coming from that way. What stupid names they have, but why is the name Seto mean Turmoil?"
" What in the world are you talking about?" Ashika shook his head. " Come on, let's get out of here. These stares are making me uncomfortable."
" You're a coward and an idiot." Rishna chided. " We're not going anywhere. Toughen up. They're almost here, and if we can catch them before they do anything..."

Pegasus did not like the stares any more than Ashika did and started to fidget.
" Stop that!" Rishna tugged at the mane. " You can't go around stampeding over people. Stay put. These are mortals, of course they're going to stare at you. You're the giant among these mortal horses. And you have wings, for that matter."

Pegasus still did not like the stares and bucked his head repeatedly. Rishna groaned.

Shadi looked over.
" There are Rishna and Ashika, the two immortals." He observed. " I wonder what they're waiting for."
" Perhaps us." Pegasus answered. Seto shivered and Mokuba clung to his side like the little brother that he was. Seto squeezed Mokuba's hand, trying to calm himself.

As long as immortals are here, they won't do me harm. Seto thought to himself. They won't do me harm, they won't do me harm, they won't do me harm.

" Rishna!" Pegasus called, first taking the device off Seto's circlet. Seto fell over from the sudden rush of energy in his veins.
" Whoa, watch it," Banat helped him up.
" Rishna! Ashika!" Pegasus called again, and Cecilia waved as well. Rishna and Ashika, both trying to control the fidgety horse, turned around.
" About time!" Rishna called, then left Ashika with Pegasus while she made her way towards them.

" Where is Isis?" Pegasus asked.
" She's coming." Rishna looked at Seto. " It's alright Sana. Of kon telenhiu."

Seto was too tired to glare at her and dropped to his knees, exhausted. Mokuba rushed to him and Seto wrapped his arms around Mokuba's neck.

" Good news to see that you guys aren't going crazy yet." Ashika observed. " Feeling strange?"
" Cecilia casted a spell over us so that we're immune to Sennen temptations." Pegasus answered quite flatly.
" Well, at least that's some good you did, Seto." Ashika muttered. " Rishna! Help me control this stupid horse!"

Pegasus ( the horse) answered with a neigh and reared up, fanning his wings. Seto looked up.
" Pegasus, tut! Tut! Sahidame!"

The horse immediately obeyed. It trotted over to Seto and nudged his neck.

Seto lowered his head in exhaustion and leaned against the horse's head as Yugi and his group arrived.
" Well, you guys aren't affected either. Did Cecilia cast a spell over you guys too? She did? Good." Rishna smiled.
" Rishna? Ashika?" Yami sputtered in amazement. " You're...here again."
" Sure. Why not? Seto's our best friend." Ashika answered. " Now, do you have any idea what to do from here?"

Pegasus knew what she meant. " Apparently not." He said, " Since you are here to teach us. What should we do?"
" Back to Shadi's little dwelling!" Ashika lifted the surprised Seto up along with Mokuba onto Pegasus's back, and the great horse stood still for it. " It's extremely obvious you don't know since you came all the way out here. Remember the statue at Shadi's?"

The spirits suddenly realized what the god was talking about.
" The statue!" They cried.
" That's right. We'll be meeting you there," Ashika climbed onto the great horse's back. " Seto won't make it on foot. We'll have to carry him. Hurry up! Pegasus, Jia!"

The great horse whinnied and spread his wings, flapping them and in a swoop became airborne. Flying over the amazed crowd the horse disappeared into the distant buildings.

" Come along," Yami said to the group. " We have a long way to go. Good thing Ashika took Mokuba."

The group began making their way to the underground cavern, suddenly conscious of how soon this adventure was ending, and wondering how it will turn out.