Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Three-In-One Combo ❯ Preparations ( Chapter 25 )

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

Author's Notes: Thanks so much for reminding me to write chapters based on content, not page amount. ^_^ I took a break from the norm in the second part of this one, and I'm much happier with it.
Wow, suddenly I almost have 300 reviews… How did that happen!? Thanks everyone! ^_^
I haven't even started on the next chapter yet, although I have a vague idea of what I want to do. So I may not be able to update regularly for a while… But we'll see.
Astrology isn't my strong point, but hey, this could happen!
I finally found a great, interesting, tragic ending!! Now, if I can just make it up to that point… I know my writing's been sub-par lately. Sorry about that. This chapter will start slow but it'll get better when the scene changes.

Scale: At last, a couple people realize how stupid this story is… Took you long enough, morons! And the rest of you are completely hopeless… How could Indigo own Yu-Gi-Oh if THIS is the best she can do!?


Three-In-One Combo


By the time Scale woke up the next morning, Shadi had placed a spell on the hole in the Pharaoh's tomb to repel all living things. He was currently above the cave's mouth trying to cause a rockslide to block it.
\\What are you doing, frog legs?\\

/I do not want anyone else to intrude on the Pharaoh's resting place and become a child as you did./

\\Ha, no one else could ever hope to compare with me!\\

/True. Though you weren't quite as bad as I feared./ Shadi finally succeeded in toppling a pile of rocks so they landed in front of the cave. It was mostly blocked, but Shadi found a few more large stones to drop on top, sealing the cave's mouth completely.

\\You ARE paying attention to the planetary alignment, aren't you? And that scroll from the other day? You'd better be ready.\\

/Of course. I have it well under control. Worried, Scale?/

\\Do you realize what this eclipse does, you ninny? It makes all of us sealed in the Millennium Items act the opposite of the way we normally do!\\

/Ah, I see. You're worried that you'll be so kind and helpful that your fine reputation will be ruined?/ Shadi laughed slightly as he began walking home.

\\The ONE time you decide to have a sense of humor, and it's when nothing is funny! As disgusting as I may act, have you thought about that green freak!? He's so sticky-sweet… He'll kill us all! And probably torture us first!\\

/You know, if I didn't know what you were talking about, I'd think you were crazy. But don't worry, I'm prepared./

\\Knock off the jokes, papyrus-face. It's not funny!\\

/In any case, I know what I'm doing. Don't worry./

The event Scale was worried about was an especially rare double solar eclipse by Mercury and Venus, blocking out the sun's light for a good two hours. The sun, being Ra's light, was very important to the spirits sealed in the Millennium Items. This special eclipse only happened once every ten thousand years or so, but it was serious business to Millennium Item holders, though no one but the guardians and the Ishtars understood this. It caused the Millennium spirits to act oppositely of the way they normally would. Someone who acted mean but was not exactly evil, like Scale, would still become very sweet and polite, even open to other people. But someone like Ankh, who acted just as kind and caring as he was, would be as evil as Malik's self-made spirit.

Shadi, of course, had a plan for counteracting this. His scrolls provided a spell to keep the spirits from changing. He would have to read this spell seven different times, changing it slightly for each Item. It couldn't be done any more than twelve hours before the eclipse began. This eclipse was scheduled to start at 8:19 am the next morning, and could probably be seen most clearly from Japan, where the rest of the Items were.

\\And what if your plan fails? Got a backup plan to make sure spinach-face doesn't kill us all and conquer the world in the two hours or so that he's psycho?\\

/Well then, I'll enlist your help to keep him locked in his soul room, I suppose. We should be able to manage him, between the two of us./

\\I wonder if the Pharaoh or one of the others would come out and kill the others…\\

//Why would they do that?// Ankh asked, having just woken up.

As Scale proceeded to angrily fill him in, Shadi went to the marketplace. He would need a few special incenses and other ingredients for the spell he was about to attempt. He passed by the large, welcoming shops and stalls, heading for the darker alleyways on the other side of twon. He carefully slipped the Ankh under his robe so as not to attract trouble.

Shadi found a dim, narrow road lined with plain wooden doors. He went to the third one on the left and knocked twice, paused, then knocked once more and entered.

\\…And if you had been paying attention instead of SLEEPING, you'd know that already!\\

//All RIGHT Scale, I'm sorry!//

/Quiet./ Shadi approached the counter where a person (or so he assumed) of indeterminable gender, age, and just about everything else stood eyeing him warily. This shopkeeper was covered so heavily in robes, a turban, face mask, veils, and other such trappings that no skin was visible.

Shadi gave a slight nod and stuck out a sheet of paper with the things he needed written on it. He knew that the shopkeeper's dislike of conversation had resulted in death for more than one customer. The woman -- or man -- took the list, gave Shadi a dark look (or so he assumed), and went to the back room, presumably to get the supplies.

\\…What a freak…\\

/Perhaps. I wouldn't know. But he -- or she -- always has what I need. As long as I keep quiet, I get what I want./

//This place smells… strange. I can't quite describe it.//

/That would be a combination of everything back there. I suspect that you don't want to know anything beyond that./


A few minutes later, the shopkeeper returned. She -- or he -- let Shadi look at everything as it was placed in a large paper bag. Shadi gave a nod, showing that it was to his satisfaction, and the shopkeeper handed him a piece of paper with a rather large number on it. Shadi dug into his pocket and brought out some money.

\\WHAT!? You're paying this much for that paltry amount? At least haggle a little, you wasteful… camel root!\\

/No, I'd like to live to see next week, thank you Scale. And you're really getting quite imaginative with your insults, if a bit lame./

Scale gave an infuriated growl. He tried to take over Shadi's body, but Shadi was ready to mentally beat him back, and Ankh did the same. Shadi collected his change, nodded to the shopkeeper, and left.

//So… What do you know about that… person?//

/To be honest, I'm not even sure it's human. But some things are safer not to know./

Upon returning home, Shadi unpacked his wide array of bizarre ingredients and started setting up for a complicated, very time-consuming series of spells.

//Would you like any help, Shadi?//

/Thank you for the offer, but no. It would be far more helpful if you would leave me alone for the rest of the day. If I think either of you can be of assistance, I will certainly let you know./

//All right.// Ankh replied, not amazingly disappointed.

As Shadi prepared for the next day, Ankh got out a piece of parchment and a pen and began drawing an intricately coiled snake. Suddenly, Scale walked in without any warning.

"Oh, hello Scale. How are you?" Ankh asked.

Scale snatched the drawing, glanced at it, and tore it in half. "What's this crap? You can do better."

"Um… I…" Ankh wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"As unlikely as it is, you're going to figure out how to be mean for a change," Scale said, ripping the papyrus to shreds and dropping it all over the floor.

"Does this have anything to do with acting differently tomorrow? Do you think it would help? I don't want to hurt anyone if something goes wrong," Ankh said, looking worriedly at the plant fibers all over the floor.

"No, ibis ankles! It's not that simple," Scale said quickly with an irritated glare.

"Then why?"

"Because you're so damn weak… nice… you're just too good for MY own good!" Scale kicked the closest leg of Ankh's bed.

Ankh blinked and then laughed. "Scale, are you trying to give me evil lessons?"

"…Not that they'd do you any good," Scale muttered in disgust.

"Oh, if it doesn't work, can I give you… good lessons?" Ankh asked, still laughing.

"Damn you to Osiris himself!! Why id everyone convinced that they're so funny today!?"

"Come on Scale, lighten up! You normally have some sense of humor too!" Ankh said.

"I would if anything was funny. Now shut up and pay attention…"


While Shadi chanted and mixed things, Scale tried (and mostly failed) to teach Ankh how to be evil, or as he said, "have a spine."


The planets moved slowly, but they would come together soon.


Shadi finished warding the Puzzle and the Rod against the eclipse, and moved on to the others…


Far away, across land and sea, a spirit and a mortal planned their next move. Other dueled intensely, but for the moment these two had a different agenda…

**********************************Somewhere in Japan*********************************************

"So I will help you kill the Pharaoh and in return you will help me get all of the Millennium Items. Agreed?" the white-haired former tomb robber said with a smirk.

"Agreed," said the young blond Egyptian. He took out his golden Millennium Rod and pointed the dagger at his accomplice. The ancient spirit offered his arm. The mortal boy made a cut in the thief's arm, and then in his own, and they pressed them together to seal their pact in blood.

"So Bakura… what do we go for first, hmm? I think we should gather more power before we go after the Pharaoh," Malik, the wielder of the Rod said.

"Indeed. So that eliminates the Puzzle," Bakura said, idly rolling the Millennium Eye around in his hand. What about your sister's Item, the Tauk? That shouldn't be too much of a challenge."

"Are you growing senile in your old age, Bakura?" Malik sneered. "The Tauk's power allows her to see future events. I've tried to take it before, and she was always waiting for me."

"But surely when she's deeply asleep she wouldn't notice. I suspect you could even slip it off without slitting her throat," Bakura said.

"It's not that simple," Malik snarled, looking away. "First of all, to really own a Millennium Item, you have to win it. You know that. And besides, unless I brought Rishid with me, I WOULD end up slitting her throat."

"What?" Bakura exclaimed. "What do you mean? Who is Rishid?"

A dark cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows. "This is Rishid, my friend and servant. Only his presence seems to be able to banish the darkness that overtakes me," Malik said, gesturing towards Rishid with the Rod.

"I see… Well he seems… quiet enough. Take him with you, then," Bakura said with a shrug.

"No, you really don't get it!" Malik said in annoyance. "She'd know as soon as I entered the apartment."

"You're not making any sense," Bakura said, frowning at Malik. "Won't you already be in the apartment?"

"Isis does not allow threats to the world to live under her roof," Malik said stiffly, glaring at Bakura from under his uneven bangs. "And I nearly killed her numerous times. We agreed that it would be best if I left."

Bakura's eyes widened in surprise. "Then… where are you living now?"

"Surely you've heard of my card-hunting organization, the Ghouls. We have quite a few pieces of property in this city, not to mention our ship. I am quite well-off, and I don't want pity from a tomb robber," Malik said icily.

"I wasn't offering any pity. I merely wondered. So if the Tauk and Puzzle are temporarily unattainable, that leaves… the Ankh and the Scales," Bakura said thoughtfully. Their eyes met. "Shadi…" Bakura hissed softly.

"You know of him too?" Malik asked.

"A bit more than I'd like to. After I acquired the Millennium Eye, he came to question me about it. The spirits of his Items gave me quite a bit of trouble." Bakura growled at the memory and began licking the blood off his arm.

"Oh Ra, don't do that in front of me," Malik complained, turning away in disgust. "I don't suppose you have a plan to get the Ankh and Scales, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do… Mmm, wish I had some nice raw meat to go with this!" Bakura exclaimed with a slurp, hoping to annoy Malik more. "We'd have to use our Items together though." Bakura's other hand strayed to the Ring on his chest.

"Damn you! Stop that before I cut your tongue out! What's your idiotic plan!?" Malik screamed, pointing the Rod at Bakura.

"Fine then," Bakura said with one last lick. "I'll read his mind with the Eye to figure out how to do that transportation spell he does, and you can take over his body and make him do it to bring him and his Items here."

"Oh, I see!" Malik exclaimed. "Then we win his Items from him, and their powers become ours."

"MINE. Yes," agreed Bakura.

"Your host won't cause any trouble for us, will he?" Malik suddenly asked.

"Not a chance. He doesn't even know what goes on when I take over. And when he finds the cut he'll just assume I was either in a fight or torturing his body again. That boy can be so dense sometimes…" Bakura muttered.

"Perfect. Then let's get to work, shall we?" Malik asked with a fiendish grin. Bakura laughed evilly, squeezed his hand around the Eye, and reached out across the distance to the only other mind connected to two Millennium Items…



Endnote: Oh it was so refreshing to write about other people! How's their characterization?