Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Trust Me ❯ Visions of the Future ( Chapter 2 )

Priestess: Just for the record-just because Fun Fact is called Fun Fact doesn't mean the fact has to be fun. I'm thinking of renaming it 'Freaky' Fact...it would probably be more accurate.
Fun Fact: Many years ago when Pharaoh Akunumkanon ruled Egypt, the kingdom was invaded by the other country. In order to gain greater power to protect the kingdom, Pharaoh allowed his brother, Akunadin, to undergo a secret ritual. Akunadin succeeded in translating an ancient Millennium Magic book and lead his troops forward to the Village of Thieves, Kuru Eruna. More about Kuru Eruna next chapter. Following the magic book, seven treasures having tremendous power could be made using the sacrifice of 99 lives. He murdered 999 people to melt their flesh and bones into gold for the Millennium Items, and only a little child survived. Of course, after lying in a pile of burnt corpses for three years, he either went insane or died after all.

***

Since the sun had risen a few minutes before they went to sleep, it was infinitely easy for Nahkti to see the boy lying beside him. Nahkti was used to being up all night then sleeping by day, but the boy certainly wasn't. He lay perfectly still, except for the steady rise and plunge of his chest, wrapped in the scarlet cloth which was sufficient to completely drape him like a blanket. He was fast asleep.

Nahkti didn't need much sleep, so he took this time to simply enjoy the sight of him. Such a beautiful site, so pure and perfect. Nahkti smiled lightly, remembering the boy's stubborn determination to keep up with him. It had been incredibly obvious that Namu wanted nothing more than to simply fall over and fall asleep, but he never did. Even though he was visibly tired, he never complained or slowed down. An ideal servant, really.

But he didn't need a servant.

And it wasn't that ideal if Namu hated Nahkti enough that Nahkti was sure he would be perfectly willing to have him murdered or at the very least seriously hurt if given half a chance. Luckily, Nahkti knew he wouldn't let him have that half chance, or even a quarter of it.

And he wouldn't give anybody else that quarter chance, either. To hurt him-or Namu.

"Face it, kid, I'm all you have left," he murmured. "And I'll always protect you. Trust me."

***

"High Priestess Aishisu! High Priestess Aishisu! Your presence is requested in the Great Hall-at once!"

Aishisu glanced at the door. Usually she would've been in the grand hall before even Pharaoh Atemu, but she wasn't feeling very up to much that day. She had been having awful, frightful, terrible, hideous dreams about the former Pharaoh's tomb being robbed and the Tomb-Keepers being viciously murdered.

Except her son...

With a heavy sigh, she lifted her statuesque figure from the bed. Her skirts swished gracefully around her as she walked down the hallways into the Great Hall.

***

Namu yawned sleepily, stretching luxuriously like a beautiful little gold cat. The sun blazed against his eyelids. Nahkti watched with amusement, eyes gleaming hungrily, as Namu sat up, the cloth slipping off his shoulders as he wiped his eyes. His dress was an unusual color. Something between sand and onion skins. It looked fine on him, but Nahkti was certain a different color would suit him better. Most likely something purple, to bring out those extraordinary eyes. He was sure he could find him something later.

"It's noon, you know," he remarked coolly, gazing at the boy. It didn't matter, though, since was obvious Namu hadn't heard a word Nahkti had said.

Namu was gazing, wide-eyed, his mouth slightly open, at the sun.

It was the most beautiful site he'd ever seen-besides Isis. It was like a gleaming coin in the sky; blazing white and gold; the sky beautiful clear blue, even more beautiful than Isis's eyes...Nahkti's...the finest sapphire. A white-gold coin shining against the brightest blue in the world. Beautiful.

Nahkti gazed at Namu's expression as he stared at the sun with the blissful expression of a religious fanatic who'd come face-to-face with his god, but even more thrilled.

It was definitely the most beautiful thing Nahkti had ever seen.

***

As soon as Aishisu entered, she knew something was wrong. The Pharaoh and the Priests all seemed somewhere between anxious and furious. They didn't even notice her enter, and not noticing Aishisu was about as easy as chewing your eyeballs right out of their sockets using nothing but one tooth.

"What's going on?" Her voice was such a soft murmur that she hadn't expected anybody to hear, not that they could have in such a vast room. But she was replied anyway.

"The former Pharaoh's tomb was plundered last night," a deep voice growled from behind her. All color drained from Aishisu's beautiful face as she turned to stare into the glinting eyes of the palace's chief soldier, Mariku.

Noting her obvious unease with a mixture of satisfaction and concern, Mariku continued, "Everybody was murdered. The thief not only poisoned the servants, drugged and slaughtered the master Tomb-Keeper and his adoptive daughter or whatever, somehow got the chosen one to help him enter the tomb, and dragged out an abundant portion of the valuables within, he actually removed Akunamukanon's mummy from the tomb."

"Tell me that isn't true!"

Now, of course, the Pharaoh and all five Priests all turned to stare at her.

Quivering so hard she felt she would pass out, Aishisu stood straiter (if that was possible) and practically shouted, "somebody tell me what happened!"

***

"Why do we have to take this route again?" inquired Namu, walking quickly to keep up with Nahkti's strides through the arid climate and wishing his legs were longer.

"So we aren't seen," Nahkti replied, as if it should have been obvious. "We have to keep a low profile, at least until we reach the palace."

"Palace?" repeated Namu. "What do you mean, the palace?"

Nahkti threw Namu one of his smirks-which it seemed he had in abundant supply. "Do you think I removed the former Pharaoh's corpse for fun? I'm going to present it to King Atemu and his court, then challenging him to a game which will decide the fate of Egypt. They should see how pitiful their security system is. I used some of the finest drugs money can buy, but you'd think they would get some poison-detectors."

Furious with and insulted by the indifferent way he spoke of his crime, Namu fought to keep his temper in check "Well, it didn't seem that important. I mean, we had to have guards and servants, but you were the first person brave enough to attempt to rob the former Pharaoh's tomb."

'Would somebody tell me why I'm telling all this to the monster who murdered my family?' he stormed silently.

***

"My father's tomb has been plundered. His treasures and his very corpse. All the Tomb-Keepers and their servants are dead," said King Atemu in as flat a tone as he could manage while quivering with fury.

Aishisu gasped, and started shuddering violently. "Isis..."

"Dead," Akunadin replied. "Though the servants were poisoned, she and Mister Ishtar were simply drugged. The finest drugs money can buy. His back was slashed in a manner that makes it likely he bled to death, but her death was less painful. It was a simple incision at her neck-just enough to kill, nothing more."

The shudders were worsening. Mariku wondered if she was going to faint. "Namu..."

"No one knows," Mahaado replied. "Though it is likely the thief forced him to help him enter the tomb, though how your child could have entered without the sacred scriptures imprinted upon him is beyond me."

Aishisu's shuddering went beyond intense as she covered her mouth to suppress a sob, tears prickling her eyes. "I-I must...must go."

With that, she sprinted as fast as she could out of the Great Hall.

***

"I still think this is a suicide mission," Malik pointed out bluntly as he tilted his head lightly to stare at Nahkti. Nahkti rolled his eyes lightly. "What's the matter? Don't you trust me?"

"Not. At. All."

Nahkti's lips twitched into a smirk, but his voice was irritated. "Kid-" "Namu." "Whatever. If you're going to come with me, you'll have to trust me."

Namu turned his head again, this time glaring. "One, I didn't ask to come with you. Two, no I don't!"

With that, he stormed past Nahkti and kept walking. Nahkti smirked at his audacity, more amused than irked that the stubborn young child had turned his back on him. 'And what a sexy back!' His mind shrieked.

Namu was surprised to feel Nahkti gripping his shoulders. Before he even had the chance to react, Nahkti had pulled the boy's slim figure against his and crushed his lips against Namu's.

***

"What did happen to Aishisu's brat?" Seth inquired, staring at the still-open double-doors where Aishisu had sprinted out.

"Well," Shadi replied, "since he couldn't have run away, either he's dead and his body was either destroyed or never found or whoever it was who plundered the former Pharaoh's tomb kidnapped him and took him for his own."

Karimu shuddered. "If he looks anything like Aishisu, I personally would prefer being dead."

"No, he looked nothing like me. But the only person more beautiful than him is Isis. And I don't like my recent vision. But he is alive. The Tomb-Robber kidnapped him for his own purposes, just like Shadi suggested." They turned to see Aishisu, graceful and collected as ever, with no sign of her hysterics mere minutes before.

"Who is the thief?" demanded Seth. "Who has betrayed the Pharaoh and sullied the kingdom's reputation?"

Aishisu shrugged slightly, walking past Mariku, who she couldn't help notice still kept his gaze upon her. Was it just her, or had he been staring at her more often recently?

***

Mmmmm....he tasted delicious. So unique, like spices and pineapples. Nahkti didn't free the quivering child from his mouth until an infuriating fact came up-he was still human, and at that, he needed air.

Mourning the loss of the succulent taste and spectacular warmth, Nahkti sighed silently and removed his lips from Namu's. "All right, then," he said, his nose breathing in the smell of sandalwood oil and desert winds as he ran his pale fingers through the boy's soft silky hair. "I'll wait."

Turning, he picked up the treasures he had let goof when he grabbed Namu and started walking in the direction they had been going.

Tilting his head back, he glanced at the boy, who was still standing there, quivering like crazy.

"Come on! If we're going to be at the palace by tomorrow, we still have some ground to cover before we go to sleep."

***

Mahaado gasped, his vision blurring, all words drowned out by a roar.

And then...

***

The top of a castle? There was a blue-white dragon in front of him, and a ways back was Seth. His skin was very pale and he was dressed strangely, deep maniacal laughter rising from his throat.

Then everything was normal again, and no one seemed to have noticed anything.

***

"A white-haired man with haunted blue eyes?" repeated Akunadin.

This time it was Mariku's turn to be knocked breathless, to have his hearing and vision shut off before returning, leaving him in a situation he had never been in before.

***

He was in the middle of an inferno, and there was a boy in front of him. No, a man. Pale skin, long wild white hair, lines of insanity contorting an otherwise attractive face. He had a strange light blue-and-white outfit, but it was difficult to tell because he was vanishing into the fire. But he showed no signs of pain.

"I am the darkness, and the darkness cannot die! I will be back!"

Even as the vision vanished, just as the man had, his wild cackling echoed in Mariku's ears.

***

"Well, how many of them can be walking arou-" Karimu's lighthearted remark was cut off as he, too, had a vision. He, too, was somehow in the middle of a duel. And he, too, gasped in surprise.

***

"Karimu?" King Atemu's deep, warm voice was uncharacteristically concerned-he had noticed both his Tomb Guardian (Mahaado) and his chief soldier (Mariku) both act the same, though he had decided not to remark on it until it happened three times. And it had. "Are you all rig-"

The words caught in his throat as a loud buzzing filled his ears. His violet eyes widened as his vision blurred. Then, suddenly-

***

He was standing at the base of a long flight of steps, and Seth was standing at the top, skin unusually white, dressed queerly. His arms were crossed, his blue eyes frigid and calculating. "The winds of change are blowing, Yugi Mutou."

***

Aishisu had noticed Karimu, Mahaado, Mariku, and now the Pharaoh all suddenly space out. Now she knew something was wrong. But before she could say a word, another vision seized her.

***

Mariku was standing in front of her, dressed very strangely. He was grinning wickedly, and he held the Millennium Rod.

"So are you going to tell me where Rishid is-" still smirking, he lifted the Rod and put the axe-like wings against her neck. "Or shall I send you to the Shadow Realm?"

***

Shadi's blue eyes narrowed. He could tell much, much more had happened than Aishisu having a vision. Something which had happened to everybody there; well, except Seth and Akunadin and hi-

***

There was a little boy in front of him. Very beautiful, with pale blonde hair and soft lilac eyes and smooth tan skin. There was also a man with bound wrists and tattoos on his cheek. He was holding the boy, who seemed frantic and afraid.

"The stranger!"

***

A gasp rose from Seth's throat, suddenly and unexpectedly. His vision blurred, his breathing stilling, the ever-so-slight buzz in his ears grew into a roar.

***

Aishisu was standing in front of him, wearing a simple off-the-shoulder dress of flowing white silk, the only decoration being thick black lines edging the sleeves and off-the-shoulder neckline. She had no rings or gold helmet, or even her veil, but she had her green elliptical gem on a gold band and the Millennium Necklace adorned her swanlike neck.

"Duel monsters originated from an ancient five-thousand-year-old game."

A harsh voice, which he recognized with a start as his own, replied, "who cares?"

Before his mind could process what was going on, he was back in the Great Hall.

***

Akunadin stared at every face. "Am I missing something?"

"I saw something...unusual..."

"Me, too."

"And me."

"That was too unusual to be a vision."

"I had one, as well."

"And I."

"I guess we all did."

"Except me. But why?"

"Because, you have no future life to see flashes of."

They all whirled to see a supple, familiar young woman. Especially to Seth, because he had just seen her in a vision minutes before. And just as familiar to the others, because the same woman was standing right there with them.

Aishisu was the first to speak. "W-Who are you?"

The mysterious woman's flawless features remained unruffled. "I'm Isis."