YUGIOH RESURRECTION
Part Two: One Light
Walls will crumble at our feet
All we know we will finally see
We'll fight for hope, and we'll kill this doubt
Angels of war, let me out
So come with me, let's take this world and make a change
And we'll give this, more than we can take away
And we'll see this, through eyes we always thought were blind
If we could find, just one light to shine
Just one light to shine
-3 Doors Down
The dark was cold and thick, winding around him like a mass of cobwebs. It clung to him as he struggled against it, tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe, couldn't see-
When the pressure stopped, Kaiba lay still a moment, taking stock. Whatever he was lying on was cool, hard, smelled of lemon. Cautiously he raised his head, looking around. His eyes widened, then narrowed, and he got to his feet, glaring at the walls of the ancestral Kaiba mansion."This joke is over," he said aloud. "Show yourselves. I know you're there."
/That's the last thing you should be asking for. Believe me, you don't want our host showing up. It would be unfortunate./
"You again?" Kaiba turned to confront his doppelganger. "I should've known you had something to do with this."
The other Seto folded his arms. /If truth be told, this is your doing, not mine. This place is drawn from YOUR memories. If you'd have our prison appear any different, you should have long ago faced this down./
"Faced it down? What are you talking about?"
/This house... you fear it./
"Nonsense! It's just a house, and not a particularly interesting one at that. I don't even know why I bother to keep it. I should put it on the market and sell the wretched thing."
/You never will. You keep it because it was his: Gozaburo's. You keep all that is his to prove your victory over him, and nothing is farther from the truth. Save that his ghost lies elsewhere, it would haunt you to this day. Then again, perhaps it does./
"Screw you. I'm out of here."
/Let me know how well you fare with that./
Kaiba spun on his heels and strode over to a random door, tugging it open. It led into a parlor. Crossing the room, he opened the door at the far end,walking out...
Into the hall he'd just left.
/Welcome back./
"What is this? What are you trying to pull on me?"
/Are you habitually that much of an idiot, or is this just a momentary lapse?/
Kaiba answered by pivoting and choosing a second door. He pulled it open, strode across to the opposite side, yanked open the door there-
And confronted his duplicate.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His patience worn thinner than usual, Kaiba strode up to the other man. "You're going to explain exactly what's going on," he said, "or I'll beat it out of you."
/As Gozaburo did?/
"You can stop talking about him as if you knew him. You didn't. You have no idea what I went through."
/He abused you in every way that wouldn't leave a physical mark. Mentally, verbally, emotionally, all to erase you and replace you with what he thought would be his perfect son. You endured it all for two reasons: your own stubborn will, and Mokuba, your brother. The world had already taken away everything else from the two of you. You were determined that from that time on the world would give you everything you wanted of it. I would take it that's a fair assessment./
Kaiba raised a shaking hand; noticed the tremor; clenched it tight to stop it from betraying him any further. "Who are you?" he hissed.
/We've been through this. Would it make you feel better to call me Seth instead of Seto? Either rendering of my name into your language is equally valid. As for job titles, High Priest of Amon'wnu, The Pillars of the Sun, cousin and advisor to its Pharaoh./
"Amon'wnu? I've never heard of that city."
/Because it was destroyed. Left in ruins. I rebuilt it and changed its name simply to Awnu. Later they would call it Heliopolis. Now it lies buried under your present day Cairo./
"I fail to see why that should impress me, or even what bearing it has upon what we're doing here."
/The evil which destroyed my city, my home, is what holds us here now. The Corruptor, Zorc Necrophades, has made of your memories our prison. While we lie here, helpless, it is out there using your body as its vessel./
"Look. this is all very fascinating-" Kaiba stopped as Seth raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine, it isn't fascinating. It's boring. It's irrelevant. All I want to know from you is, how do we get out of here. I don't have time to listen to your fairy tales. That is, of course, assuming that you're even a real person."
/Anything I say at this point isn't going to do you much good. Not as long as you continue to insist I'm nothing but a hallucination. The only reason Zorc gained control of you before I did was the fact that I have morals. I'm beginning to regret that fact./
Kaiba laughed curtly. "You might not find that as easy a task as you seem to think it is."
/On the contrary. Since you and I share the same soul, I have as much of a right to your body as you do. Moreover, unlike you, I know the capabilities of the Millennium Rod, and I know how to wield it. I am its true master. It would be a simple task for me to unite our sundered spirts once I'm released. Simple... but ultimately futile. As I said earlier, I have morals. I will not simply push you out of the way. No matter how desperate the situation becomes, and it's exceptionally desperate already./
"No wonder you haven't been able to get anything accomplished aside from haunting me. Morals are for idiots. You shouldn't let anything hold you back from what you truly desire. Someone or something gets in your way, you mow them down. Without mercy, without hesitation. A strong man takes what he wants and tells the world to quit whining about it."
/And if it were Mokuba?/
"You leave my brother out of this!"
/I'd be happy to. Zorc, on the other hand, won't show that same consideration. It has no restraint. If your little brother gets in its way, it will destroy him. It is a monster. A demon born from the darkness within us all. It was never human, and it hungers to make the world over to suit itself./ Seth turned his back. /This conversation is over. I'm tired of talking to the deaf. Go search the damn house over. If you find a way out, take it. Please. It'll get you out of my sight./
Pegasus studied the watery field before him. I can see shapes, but nothing is clear. With Umi on the field, it's impossible to tell what creatures Mako has in play. I could use my Millennium Eye... But that would be cheating.
So, then, Maximillion. How exactly do we get around that pesky ocean? It's a field spell... Have I got anything in my deck that would interrupt a field spell? He glanced down at his Duel Disk. Heart of the Cards, speak to me. He drew a card, studied it, smiled. "I'm getting a little tired of the seaside," he said, "I think I need a change. Or rather, I need you to change, Mako."
"Surely you jest! My powerful marine friends have brought you to a mere 1500 Life Points, and in another turn will end this Duel! Why should I change anything?"
"Who said anything about you choosing the change? I play the spell card DNA Surgery, which lets me change all the monsters on your side to a type I specify. And I'm choosing the Pyro type, which is weakened by Umi!"
"What? No! You can't do that!" Mako gasped as his monsters surfaced from the depths, shaking their heads and thrashing. "Octoberser... Legendary Fisherman! They can no longer hide beneath the waves!"
"Too bad, but everyone knows fire and water don't mix. And now, it's my turn to reveal what I've been hiding. Now that I can see what I'm aiming at, let me introduce you to a whole new level of terror. I pay half my remaining points to play my spell card, Toon World! And with its help, the fun is about to begin. Watch as I summon my Toon Mermaid! Isn't she a cutie?"
"This isn't over yet, Maximillion Pegasus." Mako reached for his deck. "Your monster is fearsome, but never let it be said that Mako Tsunami did not fight to the very- what's that?! By the harbor!"