Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Three-In-One Combo ❯ Guardians of the Past ( Chapter 16 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Author's Notes: Whew, I should make a separate chapter just for notes... Glad at least some of you liked the last chapter! Yeah, Mao's meant to be confusing. It's so fun if you have a lot of patience and intelligence, and a good memory, though! It's a real game, I learned it last year.
I'm going to make some trouble and conflict for everyone this time! Not a lot of humor here, but there's a nice bit towards the end that you may not appreciate except in hindsight. This is the longest chapter yet! And I think it's really good, too! Rejoice at my hard labor! I used the tomb guardian Sadin from Forbidden Memories as the model for the leader of the guardians. Shadi proves how amazingly cool he is in this chapter. Oh he rules so much! I know the carving didn't really show the Rod, but let's pretend, shall we? I'm off to take exams now, and after that I'll be home for about four and a half weeks. I'll have to work for most of that time, but I'll still try to update once in a while.
Mmm, thanks for the chocolate, Saki and Ayrrie! And the er... "typoes" correction...
Scale: Eew, the reviewers are hugging me! How disgusting! *goes to scrub himself clean, but sees a pile of presents* Hmm, a deck of cards... That's good, I think my last deck rotted away a few hundred years ago. And is that flower-number person giving me more strange things? *shakes the big plastic pixie stick, whacks the wall with it, and bites the end* Bleh, she's trying to choke me... Wait, here's some more of that sweet stuff! Mmm! *goes off to bounce around his soul room... and Ankh's... and Indigo's... breaking many things in the process*
Ankh: *dodges Scale* Oh, thank you! I'm getting a whole library here... Hmm... *goes off to read, locking Scale out of his soul room*

Shadi: Indigo does not own any part of Yu-Gi-Oh except some cards, a poster, a CD, some stickers, a video game, and a bit of manga that she cannot understand. And if she would like to borrow Ankh and Scale for an extended period of time, I would not mind in the least. But please do not attempt to sue her, or she may use Scale against you. In one way or another… However, if you would like to borrow Ankh and Scale for a story of your own, she is not likely to say no. And I appreciate the new turban, my old one was getting a bit stiff...


Three-In-One Combo!


The crowd of ghostly guardians gathered around Shadi. Some argued loudly while others merely stared at him. Ankh and Scale moved almost imperceptibly to put Shadi between them and the crowd. Then a quiet but demanding voice behind them spoke, causing all three of them to turn, and silencing the crowd.

"My sons, here is the guardian of this time," the voice said. The speaker looked quite a bit like Shadi, but his eyes were green, his robes and turban were black, and he had a neat, graying beard and mustache. Ankh and Scale quickly moved to put Shadi between them and this man, while being careful not to get too close to the crowd. Shadi ignored his nervous spirits and bowed respectfully to this man, who he assumed was the leader and probably the first guardian.

"Young one, you have been called here to decide the matter of succession," the man said. Shadi didn't consider himself as young as this man made him sound, but compared to how old the others looked, and their archaic clothing, Shadi was very young indeed. "Since you have no children or other living relatives, you must choose another to carry on when you have journeyed to meet Anubis. It must be someone who currently or previously held a Millennium Item." He fixed his penetrating gaze on Shadi. It was much like Shadi's own stare, but far more unnerving.

"Do you… expect him to die soon?" Ankh asked timidly.

The whole assembly fell deathly silent. All the past guardians glared at Ankh, who wished he had never spoken. A tall man with thick black eyebrows stepped up closer to Shadi. Ankh shrank back and Scale carefully kept far away.

"Don't you know how to keep your own Items in line? When they were mine, they knew who was in charge. Especially that one. What are you doing wrong? Items have no right to ask questions, or to speak at all! Have a spine for once, son!"

Shadi sighed quietly and rolled his eyes slightly. "I have no interest in using your… methods… for anything. Except Scale occasionally. But with all due respect, I've done much more than you ever did. So please leave me and my Items alone." He turned back to the leader. "I believe that either the Puzzle's owner or the one who possesses the Tauk would do well. The others… are far too easily influenced by the spirits of their Items."

A very tall, thin man spoke up. "You let such weak people hold the Items?"

"If they were not strong enough, or not meant to hold the Items, they would have died or gone mad," Shadi said calmly. But then he thought about Malik, and began to doubt his own abilities and worthiness. Perhaps he was just as easily influenced as Malik, Ryou, and Pegasus.

Ankh, sensing his host's self-doubt, took a step closer to him and whispered, "He'd be worse off if you took the Rod away now. Don't feel bad, you're a hundred times the guardian any of them was."

Shadi's father stepped up to Ankh menacingly. "What the hell got into this thing? Shut your mouth, ankh." While Shadi used "Ankh" and "Scale" as names, they sounded like mere objects coming from his father. He raised his hand as if to hit Ankh, and the spirit flinched away.

Scale had been keeping quiet, knowing it was safer that way, but now he was getting mad. "Listen you disease-ridden flea! We're not yours anymore, so bug off. You're dead. Get over yourself!"

A number of other guardians joined Shadi's father, looking violent. Scale backed into Ankh. Shadi frowned and stepped in front of them. "I realize that my Items are annoying, but there's no reason for this behavior. As he said, they are MINE now. So if I believe they need to be dealt with, I will be the one to do it." Staying carefully between his spirits and the angry mob, Shadi turned back to the leader. "I assume that you know a bit about the owners of the Puzzle and the Tauk. Which would you recommend, Elder?"

The ancient guardian frowned thoughtfully. Scale and Ankh were reluctant to remain directly in his line of sight, but even more reluctant to step out of his way and closer to the others.

"The choice is yours, guardian. We shall see how well you judge," said the elder neutrally.

Shadi nodded, pondering his choice. "I believe that Isis Ishtar, who holds the Tauk, would make an excellent guardian. She is very conscientious and responsible. Her family has guarded the Items in secret since they were created. She has every characteristic anyone could expect of a guardian."

There was some muttering among the others. Many of the men didn't like the idea of a female guardian. The few women in the crowd voiced their approval, as did some of the more tolerant men.

The leader cleared his throat and the others fell silent. "A wise choice, I believe." Some of the others muttered, but none dared to contest his judgment. "However, your competence as a guardian has been questioned, as has your mastery of your Items. How do you respond?"

"Almost all of the people I chose have been well-matched with their Items," Shadi said.

A short old woman stepped up. "Almost? That isn't good enough. How do you explain the man who held the Eye? Or the boy who still has the Rod?"

Shadi glanced at Scale for a moment. Scale swallowed and shook his head, but tried not to let the others see his movement. Shadi turned to the crowd. "Both of those instances were the Scales' spirit's fault. I have since learned to control him more effectively, and I assume full responsibility for his actions, of course. The Eye is now held by a new person, the same boy who holds the Ring. I went immediately to make sure everything was in order when I sensed it change hands. The Ring spirit is very ambitious, but I have reason to believe that his host will at some point gain more influence over him. The great balance was not terribly upset, and it will quickly fall back into place."

Shadi's father looked disgusted. Still weak-willed… And the Rod? What about that boy?"

Shadi opened his mouth to say something, but his father interrupted. "Well? What's your excuse?"

Shadi glared icily at his ghostly father. "Let me speak, and I'll tell you. I went into his mind to see about it. The Rod spirit isn't cooperating with him, or even paying attention to the boy because he wants a different host, his descendent. Eventually, I'm sure he'll succeed. And that should be a much more suitable match."

"Did you do anything to get the Rod to its more suitable host?" a very quiet, average-looking guardian asked.

"Well… I believe Ankh did something about it," said Shadi, glancing at Ankh, who looked like he really didn't appreciate all the eyes suddenly on him again.

"You allow your Items to act independently?" the same guardian asked doubtfully.

"I admit they're sometimes incompetent, but they can be very useful on their own if they want to be," Shadi said.

"Tch… I doubt it," said a young guardian with long spiky black hair. "What could that useless weakling possibly do?"

"Actually, I'm not sure what he did," Shadi said. "But if you'll allow him to speak without trying to lynch him, I'm sure he'll tell you." Ankh sometimes annoyed him, and Scale usually did, but the way the others were treating them really got under his skin.

The other guardians muttered amongst themselves, but reluctantly agreed. Ankh spoke, just as reluctantly. "I just… made sure that the host the Rod spirit wants would be shown the ancient carvings of the Rod spirit dueling the Pharaoh. They look identical, and the carving shows him holding the Rod, so it should make the boy of this time want to acquire the Rod."

The crowd began to mutter things like "What nonsense," "The nerve!" and "Back in my day, Millennium Items knew they should be seen and not heard!"

"Silence!" the leader thundered. Ankh and Scale jumped back, nearly knocking each other and Shadi over. Shadi flinched, then fought to keep his balance as his two high-strung spirits collided with him. The others fell silent. "Although I highly disapprove of the Items speaking and acting independently, I believe that you have been performing your duties well." Shadi bowed respectfully. "The Scales are too weak to cause any real harm to the cosmic balance. And it seems that over time you have learned to manage both of your Items more effectively… I suppose. So I hereby drop any doubt as to your worth as a guardian. However, the Ankh and the Scales must be punished, and taught to know their place again."

Ankh and Scale looked frightened. The past guardians were all voicing their agreement. Some yelled out suggestions, like "Throw them to the minions of Set!"

"Quiet," commanded the first guardian. "He makes a good point. They are his now. So he should be the one to discipline them." The two spirits looked at Shadi fearfully.

"Of course," Shadi said. He thought for a long moment. His calm gaze did little to reassure Ankh and Scale, since he always looked like that. "Will beating them and using Scale's power against them be enough?"

The crowd agreed in approval, surprised that he would suggest something so acceptable to them.

"That will do," said the head guardian. Scale looked scared and betrayed. Ankh looked hurt and about to faint from fear. "Now go, wake from your sleep and carry out this task." He raised his hand to Shadi, who disappeared to wake up back in his home.

Ankh and Scale stood petrified between the sward of guardians and their leader, afraid to move or even follow Shadi. The first guardian frowned at them. "Begone, parasites," he said, and they too disappeared.

***************************************************** *****************************

As Ankh and Scale reappeared in their physical human forms, Shadi sat up. They looked at him with a mix of uncertainty and fear. He simply stared at them for a moment. "I arrived first, it seems." Ankh and Scale stayed silent, confused. To their surprise, Shadi did something they had never seen him do before. He grinned. "…So I believe I've beaten you both."

"WHAT!?" Ankh and Scale exclaimed simultaneously.

"Scale's luck probably had something to do with all of us getting away unharmed. So that would complete the requirement of using his powers against you."

Ankh and Scale stared at him, wide-eyed. Both of them slowly walked toward him. Scale seized Shadi's turban in both hands and began to shake it violently. Ankh threw his arms around Shadi's neck.

"How could you DO that to us!?" Scale screeched.

"You're the best friend anyone could ever wish for!" Ankh said, almost crying in relief. Since Scale was making his head hurt and Ankh was making him choke, Shadi didn't answer for a minute.

"Ack… argh… let go!" Shadi choked, prying Ankh off his neck and pulling his head away from Scale. He took a few deep breaths. "You didn't think I'd take any suggestions from THEM, did you? If I ever start acting even remotely like that, you have my permission to hit me. I can't imagine how you survived with any of them."

"Barely," Ankh said with a weak smile.

Scale whacked Shadi across the top of his turban. "Don't EVER pull something like that again, you freak!"

Shadi shrugged slightly. "If I had not suggested that, they would have likely given you to Set's ravenous beasts." Scale muttered halfheartedly. "Now, thanks to them, I'm feeling quite generous towards you both at the moment. Come, why don't we go to the market and see if we can find some chocolate." He stood up and beckoned for them to follow him outside.

Scale's eyes lit up, and Ankh smiled. "Mmm, I haven't had chocolate in ages!" Ankh said, excited.

"You'd better have a lot of money, because I plan to buy every piece of chocolate in town!" declared Scale. "The expensive stuff first! Let's go!"



Endnote: Okay, anyone who really thought Shadi was going to hurt Ankh and Scale, go walk to Anubis yourselves. You don't even deserve to be sent! Yeah, I know you guys thought so. You know who you are! Get walking.
Shadi's father wasn't abusive to him or anything just loud and overbearing. On the other hand, all of the guardians treated Ankh and Scale quite badly. And any other Items they might have had, because some had others. Let's just say that until Shadi, the nicer ones completely ignored them.
This is not the end! I have more! Not a lot, but some. Including a fun mini-chapter for Tuesday, so don't miss it!

Scale: Rrg! Indigo let ANOTHER fool borrow us! I'll kill her for this! Now she's letting Jaid Skywalker put us in one, maybe even TWO of her stories! What's with these stupid authors!? Why on earth would they want to use anything that moron Indigo created? So go read Jaid Skywalker's story(ies), and laugh at her incompetence in portraying the greatness that is me! She'd better think of who I remind her of SOON! I have no patience for idiocy!