Chapter One

An Unexpected Encounter

"Kara! It's time to go!" Sakura yelled out to her daughter in the back yard.

"Okay!" Kara had yelled running towards her mom.

Sakura had strapped her daughter in the back seat. When she was safely secured. Sakura sat in the drivers seat of her car. She placed the key in the ignition and started the car as she turned the key.

Sakura had pulled out of the driveway and began driving down the road towards the port of where the boat was waiting for them and the delivery truck to board.

About forty minutes later they had arrived at the porting docks.

"Welcome ladies." A young shipmate said to Sakura and Kara.

"Hello," Sakura said smiling at the young man.

"Hi," Kara said

Kara began running towards the edge of the boat as soon as she was on board.

"Kara! Don't run too far! And stay away from the edge of the boat!"

"Alright!" Kara yelled back.

Soon everything was boarded onto the boat.

----------------------------------------------

"You should be careful with being outside. It's very hot in Egypt. You should always were protection when being outside." Karen had told Kara as she walked up to her.

"Okay," Kara said back while looking out at the sea. She smiled as she felt her hair blow in the wind.

"I wonder if I'll make any new freinds while I'm there?" Kara thought hopefully.

What she didn't know was that she would meet three of her closest friends in Egypt.

---------------------------------

Ishizu had taken her little brother outside for him to enjoy a little bit of fresh air.

"Don't touch anything and don't go too far Marik. Remember this world is forbidden to us." Ishizu said looking at him.

"Okay," Marik paused then said as he sheilded his eyes from the sunlight. "Wow. It's so bright out here." Marik said escaping the tomb. Marik was forbidden to leave the tombs. For he was known as a Tomb Keeper. And they were always strict about going outside. It was not allowed for Tomb Keepers to enjoy the world outside of the tombs underground.

Marik had gone to the city to look around for the first time since being born into the Tomb Keepers. On his way to a stand he had bumped into a young girl.

"Sorry. Are you okay?" He asked helping her up.

When she looked up at him. Marik had seen the greenest eyes he had ever seen.

"I'm fine. Sorry for not looking at where I was going." The girl said. She paused smiling at him as she said, "thank you for helping me up."

Marik was taken aback by the young girl's smile. It was the first time anyone had smiled at him with a friendly smile without knowing he was a Tomb Keeper.

"My name is Marik. What's yours?" He asked as he still held onto her hand after she had gotten up.

"My name is Kara. My family had just moved here from Japan." The young girl said. "It's nice to meet you Marik."

"It's nice to meet you Kara." Marik said smiling a true smile at the young friend he had made.

"Marik! What are you doing out here?!" A voice had spoken loudly behind him.

Marik turned around and had seen his father.

"I was enjoying the fresh air, Father." Marik said showing his disapproval as he spoke to his father.

"Get back to the tombs. How many times have I told you. The outside world is forbidden to us." Marik's father said in an angered tone.

"Yes, Father." Marik said showing his anger. He looked back at Kara and whispered in her ear, "I hope we'll meet eachother again someday, Kara."

Kara smiled as she blushed a little feeling Marik's warm breath against her cheek. She looked towards Marik and whispered the same thing to him.

Kara watched Marik's Father take him back home. All of a sudden a young girl about a few years older then her appeared next to her.

"I must apologize about how my Father acted towards you." She said looking towards Kara and smiled as she said, "my name is Ishizu Ishtar. You had just met my younger brother Marik."

"Nice to meet you." Kara said smiling at Ishizu. "My name is Kara. I had just moved here from Tokyo with my Mother. We had arrived here today."

"Welcome to Egypt Kara." Ishizu said smiling at her.

"Thank you, Ishizu." Kara said returing the smile.

"I hope to see you again someday too. I must return to my home." Ishizu said as she started walking away.

"Um, Ishizu?" Kara paused then asked looking at her with a little shyness in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"May I ask if I can be friends with you and your brother." She paused then said blushing deeper. "I've never had any friends berfore. Noone ever liked me where we had lived. It's one of the main reasons why my Mother had decided to move from Japan."

Ishizu looked towards Kara and saw how nervous she looked. She smiled at Kara as she replied, "of couurse. I would very much like to be your friend. And I'm sure Marik would too. You guys are alot alike. Marik only had me and Odian to play with. So he never really had any friends besides us either."

"Thank you, Ishizu." Kara said smiling at her.

"Sure," Ishizu paused then said. "I hope to meet you again as well Kara." She said leaving to go to her home.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Marik had returned home with his father. He had walked into one of the main rooms of their home and saw Odian unconscious. Ishizu had appeared right behind him.

"Odian? Arrgh!" Marik said holding his head.

"Marik?" Ishizu asked placing her hands on his shoulders. She looked and saw Marik's character had changed. His hair and voice had changed as he walked up to where the Millenium Rod and Millenium Neclace were. He reached forward and grabbed the Millenium Rod.

"You don't scare me anymore. From now on these items are mine."

"Marik! You shall inherit those items when the time is right. And no sooner."

Marik had picked up the Millenium Rod. He had then turned towards his father and said, "why don't you keep quiet, old man. I'm making my own rules now."

"I order you to put that down!" Marik's father yelled towards him.

Marik had then turned around with the Millenium Rod in his hand. There was a glowing eye symbol on his forehead. "And if I don't?"

"Marik. Drop it." His father said taking a step back.

"Marik! No!" Ishizu yelled towards her brother as he began to envoke the powers of the Millenium Rod.

All of a sudden Marik's father was surrounded by a golden energy as the Millenium Rod began activating. The next instant he was thrown against the wall and became unconscious as his mind was sent to the shadow realm. Before he lost consciousness he had whispered, "my son." And then became unconsciuos as he entered the shadow realm.

"Marik! No!" Ishizu yelled as she walked up towards him. "Marik. Stop this right now."

"This doesn't concern you, Ishizu." He had then once again envoked the powers of the Millenium Rod to knock her unconscious.

"You're not Marik." She said as she became unconscious.

"Very perceptive." Marik paused then said walking towards his father. "Now then, Father. Time to send you to the Shadow Realm." He paused then said after hearing his father scream, "the future is mine. Now to destroy my past." He said walking towards Odian.

"No. Master. You need me to protect you." Odian said looking towards Marik.

"Ungh," Marik said dropping the Millenium Rod. "Odian?! What have I done?!" Marik said falling to his knees as he began hurting.

"Master. Look at me." Odian said looking at Marik.

Marik raised his head up and looked towards Odian.

"Odian? But what? Happened?" He asked as Odian placed his arms around him.

"It's alright now."

"Wrong." Spoke a voice behind them. Marik turned around and saw the strange man from earlier outside of the tombs.

"That's him! Augh! The stranger! Stay away!" He yelled towards the person.

The man reached his hand out as he spoke to Marik. "You have taken your first step Marik. On a dangerous path of ultimate darkness. Now you must turn back before it's too late. Soon the Pharoh will return. Turn back." He said as he disappeared.

"Who are you?" Marik asked as he started to show in his face the good and bad sides of him.

------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome home, Kara." Karen said as she heard Kara walk into their house.

"Hi Mother." Kara paused then said, "I'm going to lay down for a while."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just still a little tired from the boat ride. That's all."

"Okay."

Kara had gone to lay down in her room and had thought about the two new people she had met. She smiled to herself glad that she had made friends with Marik and Ishizu. She had known in the instant she had met them. They would change her life. They would become the one true friends and family she would know in the future.

When Kara had met Ishizu. She had thought of her like a sister. Even though they had talked for about a minute. She had wanted to feel a family bond with her. Because she had been alone for all of her life. After Karen had Kara. Her father had left them behind to fend for themselves. So Karen had taken up two jobs to save enough money to pay for their house they had sold about a month ago after she was hired to work in an ancient egyptian museum.

As Kara was thinking about her friends she had fallen asleep. She never realized just how exhausted the boat ride was for her.

Karen checked in on Kara and smiled as she saw her sleeping.

"Goodnight Kara." Karen said placing a plate of friut, vegitables, and sandwiches on her desk. She also brought a glass of water for her for when she woke up. Karen had closed the door and went to her room to prepare herself for her first day of work in the museum.