Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Three-In-One Combo ❯ Three IN One ( Chapter 30 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Indigo Tantarian 
Here's what's under Bobasa's vest... Beware of gloom and tragedy ahead.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.23.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 252 | Status: Completed
Here's what's under Bobasa's vest... Beware of gloom and tragedy ahead.
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.23.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 252 | Status: Completed
Author's Notes: *sob* I love this story so much… First I'll let you know that I'm not completely satisfied with this as an ending. I'm leaving it wide open for a sequel, but I probably won't write one. I may write a prequel, but I don't know about that either. Or a Shadi/Isis, but it would have to be timed before this. You'll see why when you read. And I can't see myself going through life never writing about Ankh and Scale again, so expect to see them again some day. Oh, and I may take a while off from "The Cost of Weakness" to get caught up on school stuff and find a way to get it into the Monster World storyline…
Just so you know, any fics written with Ankh and Scale in them, or just Shadi but written because of this (I'm so cool ^_^) will be listed in my bio for you to check out. So please go read and review them, if you haven't already.
Yep, the last chapter was based on episode 85. That'll be next season for those of us stuck with the dub.
Okay, you need a new picture of Bobasa now. Because now you'll find out what's on his chest. So here: http: / / theria. net/ yugioh/ gallery/ 282/ 282-01. gif Just take out the spaces. Disturbing, huh?
Scale: OH THANK RA IT'S OVER! And that moron still doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Or us anymore!!
Indigo: Who told you that? I'm far too attached to you guys to get rid of you now! ^_^
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Three-In-One Combo!
-
Bobasa was waiting for Shadi when he returned. His eyes went to Shadi's chest and waist where his Items lay, as they often did.
\\I wish that oaf would just go away. Or at least bathe more often!\\
"Welcome back, Master Shadi. Did your trip go well?" Bobasa asked.
"As well as could be expected," Shadi said with a slight shrug. "Did anything happen here while I was away?"
"I believe one of the neighbors came to visit, but she left quickly when I said you were not home." Bobasa wasn't smiling quite as much as he normally did. He seemed to be thinking about something.
\\Why don't we just let them forcefully evict him?\\ Scale suggested evilly.
//We can't do that!//
/They are too intimidated by his size to do so anyway./ "Very well," Shadi said aloud. He went and got a book to read, but Bobasa wasn't finished yet.
"Then the Items are safe?" the big man asked, never taking his eyes off Shadi.
"Yes, for the moment. Do not concern yourself," Shadi answered, not looking up.
Bobasa smiled and rubbed the locks on his vest. "You must be tired, Master Shadi. Why don't you go… rest for a while," he said quietly, staring at the Items he knew were under Shadi's robe.
"…No. I am not at all tired. Though perhaps YOU have something else to do," Shadi said, narrowing his eyes suggestively.
"Ah. Perhaps." Bobasa's eyes were narrower than usual as well. He gave a short bow before leaving the house.
//What do you think he's planning?//
\\I told you we should have kicked him out.\\
/At the time it seemed like a bad idea. And I doubt trying now would deter him from any plan he has. From the way he watches the Items, I'd say he plans to take them, though he seems to think it would be for their own good./
\\Let me send him to Anubis!\\
//But he's not a bad person. I think he'd pass the test.//
\\It's infuriating when that happens… I lose so many victims that way.\\
//So what should we do, Shadi?//
/Wait. And be cautious. What else CAN we do?/
//We could at least try to talk to him.//
/That's true. When he gets back, perhaps I will./
However, Bobasa did not return. Shadi read, meditated, talked to Ankh and Scale, and took a walk around town before coming back to polish his Items. As the night deepened, he started feeling tired.
/I probably should stay up at least until Bobasa returns./
//He wouldn't attack you in your sleep. At least I don't think so. You can talk to him tomorrow.//
\\Don't count on it! He'll slit your throat the moment you let your guard down!\\
Despite Scale's paranoia, all three fell asleep after an hour or so. So none of them noticed when a large dark shadow crept into Shadi's home and came to stand beside his bed. A knife flashed in the low torchlight. It hovered by Shadi's neck, but lowered to cut a slit in Shadi's robe over his chest. The person's hand held the rope that tied the Ankh around Shadi's neck, carefully cutting through it…
-
Ankh was sleeping peacefully in his soul room when he sat up quickly, realizing that something was wrong. Shadi… no, he wasn't in mortal danger. But the Ankh was being held in the hands of someone else.
"SHADI!" Ankh shouted before separating from his Item and appearing in the room.
-
Shadi's eyes snapped open in time to see Bobasa holding the Ankh in one hand and putting his other hand up to his mouth. Ankh looked frightened and angry as he grabbed the Ankh and tried to take it back.
"What are you doing!? Return the Ankh to me," Shadi ordered, stalking over to stand beside the green-clad spirit.
"Let go of my Ankh!" Ankh demanded, trying to take it back.
Bobasa's eyes flashed in annoyance. He reached into his mouth and took a key off of his tongue. Never relinquishing his hold on the Ankh, he carefully unlocked his vest. "Master Shadi, you cannot keep the spirits of your Items locked away and silenced? It appears I was almost too late. This parasite could have been some trouble." With a flick of his wrist, he sent the Ankh's spirit flying into the wall.
"You will not harm them," Shadi stated coldly, eyes flashing in anger. The Scales glowed and Scale appeared. He glanced angrily at Ankh, who was getting to his feet, rubbing his back, then he approached Bobasa with a deadly glint in his eye.
Bobasa narrowed his eyes and opened his vest. Shadi, Ankh and Scale's eyes widened and Ankh let out a small gasp as they saw what lay beneath it. Bobasa's chest had imprints in it shaped like the Millennium Items. He placed the Ankh in front of its imprint.
"NO!" Ankh shouted, dashing towards Bobasa. He didn't know what would happen when the Ankh was placed in the imprint, but he had a bad feeling about it. Scale didn't trust it either. He grabbed his Scales and swung them at Bobasa like a mace, but Shadi grabbed him and pulled him back. He tried to reach for Ankh too, but the other spirit wasn't close enough to him.
"STOP!" Shadi commanded, whether to Bobasa or Ankh. But it was too late. As the Ankh settled in Bobasa's chest, the imprint behind it glowed. Ankh cried out in agony as he was sucked into his Item against his will. Shadi felt an intense pain in his mind and couldn't help letting out his own shout of pain. Scale clenched his teeth and tried to pull away from Shadi, who drew him farther away from Bobasa.
"Bobasa," Shadi said angrily, "Give me back my Ankh. NOW."
"The duty of a guardian is to protect the Items. Even from another guardian, or the errant spirits inside them," Bobasa said, now eyeing Scale.
"ERRANT! I'll show YOU errant, you goon!" Scale yanked his arm out of Shadi's grasp and stooped to pick up the knife Bobasa had dropped. He charged the huge man, feigning to the left and then stabbing high up almost on Bobasa's shoulder blade, right next to the Ankh. He twisted the knife and pulled, but the Ankh didn't move. Scale's eyes widened in shock. Bobasa growled and reached out to grab the Scales. Shadi quickly stepped in and managed to strike Bobasa's hand hard enough to make him draw it back.
"My Items need no protection," Shadi said icily. "Return my Ankh and leave Scale alone"
"I told you, I can keep the Items safest in the flesh safe," Bobasa said, patting the shape of the Scales in his belly.
"Be that as it may, they are mine. No one but their true owner may use them. If you will not give my Ankh back, we will have to challenge you for it." Shadi glared at Bobasa.
"You think you're so superior… you couldn't beat me at any game, mortal… And if Ankh's right, you're not even a real mortal!" Scale hissed. "Go on, just try it. And when I win, the Ankh is mine."
Bobasa gave a disgusted snort and looked at Shadi, refusing to speak to Scale. "I do not wish to fight you or any strange ghosts. I only want to keep the Items safe, not own them. I will not tell you again. Give me the Scales now."
"You DARE ignore me!?" Scale screamed.
"Scale." Shadi commanded his silence with a single word, taking the Scales out form under his robe. Scale gave a determined glare and disappeared back into his Item to optimize its strength. Shadi held the Scales out in front of him. "What makes you think the Items are not safe with me?"
"Perhaps they are now. But for the Pharaoh to be restored, they will need better protection. And he must be assisted before anything else." Shadi watched, expecting to see the white feather of Ma'at and the physical form of Bobasa's soul. But there was nothing. The Scales did not move.
Bobasa took advantage of Shadi's surprise and snatched the Scales from him. Shadi held on out of instinct, so his fingers were caught between the post of the Scales and the skin behind them. He grabbed at the Ankh with his free hand and tried to jerk them both out of Bobasa's flesh. The spirits of the Ankh and Scales grabbed on to his own spirit and tried to hold on as much as they could. Their bond with him was all that allowed them to reach out to him.
Unfortunately, the only thing Bobasa had been missing was Shadi himself. Drawing on Shadi's ownership of the Items, he used the raw power of the Items to do what the Ring was best at. Shadi's fingers unclenched and his limp body collapsed at Bobasa's feet. Using the Ankh far more easily now, the large guardian healed the knife wound next to the Ankh. Then he locked his vest again, put the key on his tongue, and swallowed it for safekeeping. Patting his chest once more in satisfaction, he went to the back room to get some sleep.
*********************************************************** ***********************************************************************
Shadi woke up to find Ankh frantically shaking him. The spirit's green eyes were wide with fear, which didn't completely vanish when he saw that Shadi was awake. Scale stood nearby, his back to Shadi and Ankh with is arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Oh Shadi, I'm so glad you're all right," Ankh said in a shaky voice.
Scale turned and walked over to the other two. "I wouldn't quite say that. But I told you that lump wouldn't be here if he was dead and gone."
Shadi frowned at Scale. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"If you weren't such a dunce…" Scale muttered. "That hippo used your own powers connected to the Items to separate your soul from your body, so now it looks like you have to stay here with us."
"I think… your body's dead," Ankh said softly, looking miserable. "You're a spirit now. Like… us."
"My body…" Shadi said quietly, looking down at himself. His robe was no longer ripped, and he still had both of his Items in their customary positions.
"Consider yourself lucky," Scale said. "Maybe now you'll have time to learn how to stop being such a loser. If you had kicked that… enormous… THING out when he first showed up, we wouldn't be stuck here!"
Shadi narrowed his eyes. "Have you tried to escape yet?"
"Of course I have, buzzard beak!" Scale snapped irritably. "We're stuck here!" He gestured at the wide expanse of gray space around them. "We can't separate from our Items while they're in… HIM. I can't even get to the Shadow Realm, and we can't do a transporation spell either."
"We can hardly even see or hear what's going on around him…" Ankh said, his voice breaking in fear.
Shadi looked at his lighter spirit, who looked about ready to have a nervous breakdown. "Calm down, Ankh," he said, laying a hand lightly on Ankh's shoulder. "I suppose we're all really stuck, so we may as well get used to the idea…"
"You expect me to just sit here and do NOTHING!?" Scale exclaimed. His eyes were wild, and Shadi could see that in his own way he was just as panicked as Ankh.
"Certainly not," Shadi said. "We have to be ready to try to escape again at a moment's notice. Keep track of what Bobasa does as much as you can. Especially you, Ankh. You should be more attuned to his thoughts than either of us. Perhaps when he opens his vest, or certainly when he takes out the Items to use them, we should be able to try to escape."
Ankh nodded, but then Scale spoke up. "Wait, what are YOU talking about?" He kicked Shadi's leg lightly. "You don't have your OWN Item. You just use ours. And your body should rot soon. You're just a disembodied spirit, even worse than us."
Shadi blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize… I could come out through your Items though. Did it take a long time to get used to being… the way you are?"
"From what I can tell, I lost all my memories when I was sealed into the Ankh. So it took me a long time to get used to anything," Ankh said, far more worried about his former host than he was about himself now.
"It's strange at first but if you're not a COMPLETE idiot you'll deal with ti," Scale said, shrugging. Then he suddenly looked up.
"What is it?" Shadi asked.
"I think… he's in the Shadow Realm," Scale said, not paying much attention to the surroundings, and with his eyes unfocused. "Looks like he's dumping your body. Probably doesn't want your smell to get even worse. Or anyone to find the body. It's lucky for you, fungus face."
"How is that lucky?" Ankh wondered.
"You idiot! Don't you know why the creatures of the Shadow Realm never get any older? Why the zombies never rot any more than they already have?" Scale said condescendingly. "The Shadow Realm preserves everything."
"That's wonderful, then!" Ankh said, smiling in relief. "Your body will be fine and when we get out, everything will be all right." He sounded desperate to believe it.
"I hope so," said Shadi. "If nothing eats it. Perhaps we will find a way out, but we should have a plan to disable or at least avoid Bobasa. We cannot use the Scales, and it would take a great deal to physically injure him…"
"So then we're stuck here, aren't we?" Ankh asked quietly.
"Ra damn those guardians! This is all their fault! My Osiris devour their souls for all ETERNITY!" Scale screamed, enraged.
"You may as well calm down and accept things for the moment, Scale. It will save you a lot of stress," Shadi suggested, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. Scale muttered some ancient curses.
The three of them bided their time, not knowing when, or it, they would get their chance to escape. They did get used to it after a while. Luckily they didn't have to live with Bobasa really among them, or anyone else. But yes, an eternity with Scale IS a long time. Although it's just as long with anyone else, and could have been even longer alone.
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Endnotes: You have no idea how hard it was to even do that much to them. I was going to just let Shadi's body die, but I couldn't even bring myself to do that. Ending on a light note helped it seem a little better, though.
Of course Ankh, Scale, and Shadi deserve most of the credit for this amazing story. And me, I suppose. But aside from the obvious, I want to thank all you great readers. ^_^ Especially the ones who've been reading since I started. Especially especially Seena and her yami, Chibi, who have been as good as another set of muses in the latter part of this story. Without them, I couldn't have quite seen Scale as human, and neither he nor Ankh would have had a past at all. So yes, I love you all and you rule. I never thought I'd get this many reviews for anything besides my Rants. ^_^
I really hope you liked this! Keep writing more fanfics about Shadi (and Ankh and Scale!), because it makes me happy. ^_^
Just so you know, any fics written with Ankh and Scale in them, or just Shadi but written because of this (I'm so cool ^_^) will be listed in my bio for you to check out. So please go read and review them, if you haven't already.
Yep, the last chapter was based on episode 85. That'll be next season for those of us stuck with the dub.
Okay, you need a new picture of Bobasa now. Because now you'll find out what's on his chest. So here: http: / / theria. net/ yugioh/ gallery/ 282/ 282-01. gif Just take out the spaces. Disturbing, huh?
Scale: OH THANK RA IT'S OVER! And that moron still doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Or us anymore!!
Indigo: Who told you that? I'm far too attached to you guys to get rid of you now! ^_^
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Three-In-One Combo!
-
Bobasa was waiting for Shadi when he returned. His eyes went to Shadi's chest and waist where his Items lay, as they often did.
\\I wish that oaf would just go away. Or at least bathe more often!\\
"Welcome back, Master Shadi. Did your trip go well?" Bobasa asked.
"As well as could be expected," Shadi said with a slight shrug. "Did anything happen here while I was away?"
"I believe one of the neighbors came to visit, but she left quickly when I said you were not home." Bobasa wasn't smiling quite as much as he normally did. He seemed to be thinking about something.
\\Why don't we just let them forcefully evict him?\\ Scale suggested evilly.
//We can't do that!//
/They are too intimidated by his size to do so anyway./ "Very well," Shadi said aloud. He went and got a book to read, but Bobasa wasn't finished yet.
"Then the Items are safe?" the big man asked, never taking his eyes off Shadi.
"Yes, for the moment. Do not concern yourself," Shadi answered, not looking up.
Bobasa smiled and rubbed the locks on his vest. "You must be tired, Master Shadi. Why don't you go… rest for a while," he said quietly, staring at the Items he knew were under Shadi's robe.
"…No. I am not at all tired. Though perhaps YOU have something else to do," Shadi said, narrowing his eyes suggestively.
"Ah. Perhaps." Bobasa's eyes were narrower than usual as well. He gave a short bow before leaving the house.
//What do you think he's planning?//
\\I told you we should have kicked him out.\\
/At the time it seemed like a bad idea. And I doubt trying now would deter him from any plan he has. From the way he watches the Items, I'd say he plans to take them, though he seems to think it would be for their own good./
\\Let me send him to Anubis!\\
//But he's not a bad person. I think he'd pass the test.//
\\It's infuriating when that happens… I lose so many victims that way.\\
//So what should we do, Shadi?//
/Wait. And be cautious. What else CAN we do?/
//We could at least try to talk to him.//
/That's true. When he gets back, perhaps I will./
However, Bobasa did not return. Shadi read, meditated, talked to Ankh and Scale, and took a walk around town before coming back to polish his Items. As the night deepened, he started feeling tired.
/I probably should stay up at least until Bobasa returns./
//He wouldn't attack you in your sleep. At least I don't think so. You can talk to him tomorrow.//
\\Don't count on it! He'll slit your throat the moment you let your guard down!\\
Despite Scale's paranoia, all three fell asleep after an hour or so. So none of them noticed when a large dark shadow crept into Shadi's home and came to stand beside his bed. A knife flashed in the low torchlight. It hovered by Shadi's neck, but lowered to cut a slit in Shadi's robe over his chest. The person's hand held the rope that tied the Ankh around Shadi's neck, carefully cutting through it…
-
Ankh was sleeping peacefully in his soul room when he sat up quickly, realizing that something was wrong. Shadi… no, he wasn't in mortal danger. But the Ankh was being held in the hands of someone else.
"SHADI!" Ankh shouted before separating from his Item and appearing in the room.
-
Shadi's eyes snapped open in time to see Bobasa holding the Ankh in one hand and putting his other hand up to his mouth. Ankh looked frightened and angry as he grabbed the Ankh and tried to take it back.
"What are you doing!? Return the Ankh to me," Shadi ordered, stalking over to stand beside the green-clad spirit.
"Let go of my Ankh!" Ankh demanded, trying to take it back.
Bobasa's eyes flashed in annoyance. He reached into his mouth and took a key off of his tongue. Never relinquishing his hold on the Ankh, he carefully unlocked his vest. "Master Shadi, you cannot keep the spirits of your Items locked away and silenced? It appears I was almost too late. This parasite could have been some trouble." With a flick of his wrist, he sent the Ankh's spirit flying into the wall.
"You will not harm them," Shadi stated coldly, eyes flashing in anger. The Scales glowed and Scale appeared. He glanced angrily at Ankh, who was getting to his feet, rubbing his back, then he approached Bobasa with a deadly glint in his eye.
Bobasa narrowed his eyes and opened his vest. Shadi, Ankh and Scale's eyes widened and Ankh let out a small gasp as they saw what lay beneath it. Bobasa's chest had imprints in it shaped like the Millennium Items. He placed the Ankh in front of its imprint.
"NO!" Ankh shouted, dashing towards Bobasa. He didn't know what would happen when the Ankh was placed in the imprint, but he had a bad feeling about it. Scale didn't trust it either. He grabbed his Scales and swung them at Bobasa like a mace, but Shadi grabbed him and pulled him back. He tried to reach for Ankh too, but the other spirit wasn't close enough to him.
"STOP!" Shadi commanded, whether to Bobasa or Ankh. But it was too late. As the Ankh settled in Bobasa's chest, the imprint behind it glowed. Ankh cried out in agony as he was sucked into his Item against his will. Shadi felt an intense pain in his mind and couldn't help letting out his own shout of pain. Scale clenched his teeth and tried to pull away from Shadi, who drew him farther away from Bobasa.
"Bobasa," Shadi said angrily, "Give me back my Ankh. NOW."
"The duty of a guardian is to protect the Items. Even from another guardian, or the errant spirits inside them," Bobasa said, now eyeing Scale.
"ERRANT! I'll show YOU errant, you goon!" Scale yanked his arm out of Shadi's grasp and stooped to pick up the knife Bobasa had dropped. He charged the huge man, feigning to the left and then stabbing high up almost on Bobasa's shoulder blade, right next to the Ankh. He twisted the knife and pulled, but the Ankh didn't move. Scale's eyes widened in shock. Bobasa growled and reached out to grab the Scales. Shadi quickly stepped in and managed to strike Bobasa's hand hard enough to make him draw it back.
"My Items need no protection," Shadi said icily. "Return my Ankh and leave Scale alone"
"I told you, I can keep the Items safest in the flesh safe," Bobasa said, patting the shape of the Scales in his belly.
"Be that as it may, they are mine. No one but their true owner may use them. If you will not give my Ankh back, we will have to challenge you for it." Shadi glared at Bobasa.
"You think you're so superior… you couldn't beat me at any game, mortal… And if Ankh's right, you're not even a real mortal!" Scale hissed. "Go on, just try it. And when I win, the Ankh is mine."
Bobasa gave a disgusted snort and looked at Shadi, refusing to speak to Scale. "I do not wish to fight you or any strange ghosts. I only want to keep the Items safe, not own them. I will not tell you again. Give me the Scales now."
"You DARE ignore me!?" Scale screamed.
"Scale." Shadi commanded his silence with a single word, taking the Scales out form under his robe. Scale gave a determined glare and disappeared back into his Item to optimize its strength. Shadi held the Scales out in front of him. "What makes you think the Items are not safe with me?"
"Perhaps they are now. But for the Pharaoh to be restored, they will need better protection. And he must be assisted before anything else." Shadi watched, expecting to see the white feather of Ma'at and the physical form of Bobasa's soul. But there was nothing. The Scales did not move.
Bobasa took advantage of Shadi's surprise and snatched the Scales from him. Shadi held on out of instinct, so his fingers were caught between the post of the Scales and the skin behind them. He grabbed at the Ankh with his free hand and tried to jerk them both out of Bobasa's flesh. The spirits of the Ankh and Scales grabbed on to his own spirit and tried to hold on as much as they could. Their bond with him was all that allowed them to reach out to him.
Unfortunately, the only thing Bobasa had been missing was Shadi himself. Drawing on Shadi's ownership of the Items, he used the raw power of the Items to do what the Ring was best at. Shadi's fingers unclenched and his limp body collapsed at Bobasa's feet. Using the Ankh far more easily now, the large guardian healed the knife wound next to the Ankh. Then he locked his vest again, put the key on his tongue, and swallowed it for safekeeping. Patting his chest once more in satisfaction, he went to the back room to get some sleep.
*********************************************************** ***********************************************************************
Shadi woke up to find Ankh frantically shaking him. The spirit's green eyes were wide with fear, which didn't completely vanish when he saw that Shadi was awake. Scale stood nearby, his back to Shadi and Ankh with is arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"Oh Shadi, I'm so glad you're all right," Ankh said in a shaky voice.
Scale turned and walked over to the other two. "I wouldn't quite say that. But I told you that lump wouldn't be here if he was dead and gone."
Shadi frowned at Scale. "What do you mean? What happened?"
"If you weren't such a dunce…" Scale muttered. "That hippo used your own powers connected to the Items to separate your soul from your body, so now it looks like you have to stay here with us."
"I think… your body's dead," Ankh said softly, looking miserable. "You're a spirit now. Like… us."
"My body…" Shadi said quietly, looking down at himself. His robe was no longer ripped, and he still had both of his Items in their customary positions.
"Consider yourself lucky," Scale said. "Maybe now you'll have time to learn how to stop being such a loser. If you had kicked that… enormous… THING out when he first showed up, we wouldn't be stuck here!"
Shadi narrowed his eyes. "Have you tried to escape yet?"
"Of course I have, buzzard beak!" Scale snapped irritably. "We're stuck here!" He gestured at the wide expanse of gray space around them. "We can't separate from our Items while they're in… HIM. I can't even get to the Shadow Realm, and we can't do a transporation spell either."
"We can hardly even see or hear what's going on around him…" Ankh said, his voice breaking in fear.
Shadi looked at his lighter spirit, who looked about ready to have a nervous breakdown. "Calm down, Ankh," he said, laying a hand lightly on Ankh's shoulder. "I suppose we're all really stuck, so we may as well get used to the idea…"
"You expect me to just sit here and do NOTHING!?" Scale exclaimed. His eyes were wild, and Shadi could see that in his own way he was just as panicked as Ankh.
"Certainly not," Shadi said. "We have to be ready to try to escape again at a moment's notice. Keep track of what Bobasa does as much as you can. Especially you, Ankh. You should be more attuned to his thoughts than either of us. Perhaps when he opens his vest, or certainly when he takes out the Items to use them, we should be able to try to escape."
Ankh nodded, but then Scale spoke up. "Wait, what are YOU talking about?" He kicked Shadi's leg lightly. "You don't have your OWN Item. You just use ours. And your body should rot soon. You're just a disembodied spirit, even worse than us."
Shadi blinked in surprise. "I didn't realize… I could come out through your Items though. Did it take a long time to get used to being… the way you are?"
"From what I can tell, I lost all my memories when I was sealed into the Ankh. So it took me a long time to get used to anything," Ankh said, far more worried about his former host than he was about himself now.
"It's strange at first but if you're not a COMPLETE idiot you'll deal with ti," Scale said, shrugging. Then he suddenly looked up.
"What is it?" Shadi asked.
"I think… he's in the Shadow Realm," Scale said, not paying much attention to the surroundings, and with his eyes unfocused. "Looks like he's dumping your body. Probably doesn't want your smell to get even worse. Or anyone to find the body. It's lucky for you, fungus face."
"How is that lucky?" Ankh wondered.
"You idiot! Don't you know why the creatures of the Shadow Realm never get any older? Why the zombies never rot any more than they already have?" Scale said condescendingly. "The Shadow Realm preserves everything."
"That's wonderful, then!" Ankh said, smiling in relief. "Your body will be fine and when we get out, everything will be all right." He sounded desperate to believe it.
"I hope so," said Shadi. "If nothing eats it. Perhaps we will find a way out, but we should have a plan to disable or at least avoid Bobasa. We cannot use the Scales, and it would take a great deal to physically injure him…"
"So then we're stuck here, aren't we?" Ankh asked quietly.
"Ra damn those guardians! This is all their fault! My Osiris devour their souls for all ETERNITY!" Scale screamed, enraged.
"You may as well calm down and accept things for the moment, Scale. It will save you a lot of stress," Shadi suggested, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them. Scale muttered some ancient curses.
The three of them bided their time, not knowing when, or it, they would get their chance to escape. They did get used to it after a while. Luckily they didn't have to live with Bobasa really among them, or anyone else. But yes, an eternity with Scale IS a long time. Although it's just as long with anyone else, and could have been even longer alone.
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-
Endnotes: You have no idea how hard it was to even do that much to them. I was going to just let Shadi's body die, but I couldn't even bring myself to do that. Ending on a light note helped it seem a little better, though.
Of course Ankh, Scale, and Shadi deserve most of the credit for this amazing story. And me, I suppose. But aside from the obvious, I want to thank all you great readers. ^_^ Especially the ones who've been reading since I started. Especially especially Seena and her yami, Chibi, who have been as good as another set of muses in the latter part of this story. Without them, I couldn't have quite seen Scale as human, and neither he nor Ankh would have had a past at all. So yes, I love you all and you rule. I never thought I'd get this many reviews for anything besides my Rants. ^_^
I really hope you liked this! Keep writing more fanfics about Shadi (and Ankh and Scale!), because it makes me happy. ^_^