Unfinished Gems

Sands of Time - 10

Yugi was half asleep when she walked in. He couldn't explain why he took notice of this particular girl, but he knew he couldn't look away.

She was absolutely beautiful...deep red hair that shone like fire, green eyes brighter than any emerald. Her skin was a nice healthy tan from spending time outdoors, and there was an ageless wisdom behind her gaze. More importantly was the way she held herself...she felt like a queen and damn well knew it.

Then her eyes met his own, and she smiled. Yugi felt like he could get lost in that smile very easily.

Unnoticed, the spirit of the Puzzle woke up when he sensed the presence of another. Someone whom he had loved very dearly and would have moved heaven and earth for without hesitation.

Yugi's grandfather gave his grandson a knowing look, before turning his attention to the rather nice young woman in his shop. He would swear he had seen her before.

Then she turned her full attention onto Yugi. Something inside him sat up and took notice.

"Shaadi warned me that the Puzzle had been completed, but he neglected to tell me how strong the resemblance was."

"What?" said Yugi, a feeling of dread filling his stomach.

"Tell me, what do you know of that Puzzle around your neck?"

Yugi only knew limited pieces of information about the Puzzle and at the gentle smile of the mystery girl, he relayed them. She chuckled.

"I suppose I should have guessed you have no idea what you carry around your neck. It's not like any shadow mages have been around since the Items were sealed after all."

"Items?"

"The Millenium Items. There were seven made, and of them only the Puzzle was worn by the Pharoah himself. You've already run into two of them...Shaadi had the Ankh and the Scales with him when he came here recently," said Lotus.

"Wait...you mean that strange Egyptian man?" said Yugi.

"That was him. He had sensed the use of the shadows in Japan, so he decided to track down a pair of thieves as an excuse to find out what was causing it. Obviously, he found the source. Once he realized the Puzzle was completed, he contacted me immediately," said Lotus.

"Why?" asked Solomon.

"Simple. Because an untrained shadow mage is incredibly dangerous. Regular magic is bad enough, but shadow magic has a habit of directly affecting the soul. If it were to go out of control, the consequences would be catastrophic to say the least. I'm one of the few trained shadow mages who knows how to handle it and train others in how to use it."

And most of that she learned from Mahaad with the help of Mana.

Yugi went pale at that.

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" he asked, looking at the Puzzle with new caution.

"Fortunately, the spirit trapped inside the Puzzle is more...well, I'm going to go with benevolent...towards others. There was another spirit that was quite unpleasant, though I have no idea where that particular Item vanished off to. That spirit is the one who's likely been using shadow magic, but his control needs considerable work. Have you been blacking out a lot recently?"

Yugi nodded emphatically.

"Yeah! Several times I've blacked out only to find out I've been in a dangerous situation!" said Yugi.

Lotus looked exasperated hearing that.

"Well we are going to put a stop to that right now," she said flatly. "I'm going to teach you how to remain awake whenever he takes control."