A/N: Oh my Gosh, it must be the apocalypse because this is a Fanfic that -gasp- DOESN'T have Bakura OR Ryou in it. At All!!! Watch out, the end of the world has come. BGA wrote something that wasn't about either of the Bakurae.
Waves crashed against the side of the huge boat, again and again, an endless pounding, like dull thunder, against the unyielding hull. A heavy wind blew sea spray off the waves and sent it swirling onto the deck where violet-robed figures worked diligently or stood silently, staring out upon the sparkling blue sea.
On the deck was a large cabin. No one ever entered or exited, and the robed figures avoided the door, rarely daring to even go near it. Though the one inside was revered and respected, he was feared. One misstep, one wrong word, and at a single command he could obliterate you. Or worse…he could enter you, go inside your mind and control your every movement, your every thought.
All of the crew members had experienced what they'd fearfully called mind-control at least once. Some had never come back to themselves, some lost their minds completely, most aroused slightly shaken, but fine… And some, some very few foolish, attempted to fight their master, to fight his control, and that was truly a mistake. Because then the master would send them into a frightening world where their deepest nightmares, their most hidden terrors, were lived over and over for all of eternity, and they never came back.
No, it was best to avoid the master unless he had specific reason to speak with you, or you had specific reason to speak with him. That's what it was to be a Rare Hunter. Follow orders; you lived to serve your master.
A large wave crashed over the boat, sending water washing over the deck, sending the Rare Hunters scattering to avoid getting soaked. The choppy waves sent the boat rocking back and forth. Despite the clear blue skies and bright sun, the sea was rough, violently attempting to steal the solid ship into its deep blue depths.
"Lumis," One of the purple-clad figures suddenly called out to his companion. Another short robed figure came to stand near the rail on the edge of the boat.
"What is it, Umbra?" He said, glancing up at the man beside him.
"Look out there, I thought I saw something." Umbra said, pointing out at the empty blue sea. White caps broke the surface of the water and waves obscured their vision. They stood in silence for a few moments.
Finally Lumis sighed and said impatiently, "There's nothing there, my friend. Nothing except the empty ocean. Now get back to work. We'll be reaching the next extraction point by the end of the day, and Master Malik will be angry if we aren't prepared. I won't be punished for your hallucinations."
He stalked off. Umbra kept his gaze trained out on the sea. He was sure he'd seen something. He turned, but then something caught his eye; a dark patch on the bright blue ocean, floating hazardously over the large waves. "Lumis! There it is." He called. The short man scuffled back, grumbling.
"How many times must I tell you, Umbra, there is nothing—" He cut off as the dark figure came floating into view again. He could just make out the ragged figure collapsed over a large piece of driftwood. "Quick, go retrieve Master Rishid!" He ordered, and Umbra ran off, heading below deck to where Master Rishid would be studying.
Lumis walked briskly to another figure standing silently on the other side of the boat. "Karash, fetch some rope." He said, returning to the side of the boat, keeping his eyes trained on the man floating slowly towards them on the crashing waves. Karash came up behind him, holding a large coiled length of thick rope. Just then Umbra, followed by a grim-faced Rishid, joined him on the railing.
"Throw him the rope." Rishid ordered, crossing his arms and glaring down at the soaked form below them. Lumis snatched the rope from Karash and tossed it into the water. The man below looked up at them, struggling to maintain his balance on the unstable log he was draped over. He reached up and grabbed hold of the rope. Hanging on to it to avoid being tossed against the hull of the boat, he let the log drift away, disappearing into the wake of the large boat.
"Umbra, go and get the ladder." Rishid said. Immediately the Rare Hunter got it and rolled it over the edge of the boat. Slowly, the man traversed the ladder and finally collapsed onto the deck at the feet of all the purple-robed men who stared down at him with expressions of curiousity, amusement, annoyance, even sympathy for what they knew must become of this man. He would become one of them, a Rare Hunter to serve their superiors, but not until Master Malik had shredded through his mind, taking any and all information he found to be useful. It was what one might have called an 'initiation'.
"Who are all you freaks?" The man said, clearly exhausted and out of breath. His bright blue eyes were dull with fatigue. He wore a soaked blue vest with gold studs inlaid into it over a dripping bright red shirt. His tan pants were torn in a few spots, and he wore a bandana with an American flag pattern on it. His blonde hair was plastered to his forehead, wet with salty sea water. A few necklaces were tangled around his neck. "Well?" He asked again. "Who the heck are you?" He jabbed a finger at Rishid, seeing that he was clearly the boss.
"Take this American rat and get him into a dry set of clothes." Rishid said in guttural Arabic. Turning away, he began to walk towards the cabin.
"Hey, don't you walk away from me. No one ignores Bandit Keith!" The man yelled, running, fist curled, towards Rishid. The Egyptian turned, dodging the fist and grabbed Keith by his shirt, lifting him up.
"You would be wise to learn your place." Rished said emotionlessly. Then he released Keith and turned away again.
Rishid stepped up to the cabin door, knocked twice, and then entered slowly. The room was dim, few lights lit.
"What is it this time, Rishid, another disobedient mind-slave that needs to be taught a lesson?" said a harsh voice from a shadowed corner.
Rishid knelt down in front of the chair where his master sat, tapping his fingers against a long golden scepter. "I apologize for the intrusion, Master Malik, but we've picked up a man. He was drifting on a piece of driftwood. He says his name is Bandit Keith."
"Ah, I see." Malik said, a smirk slipping onto his face as he lifted his scepter to look at it admiringly. "How unfortunate for him. Did you get him a robe?"
"Yes, Master Malik." Rishid said, standing again.
"Well we wouldn't want to keep our guest waiting. After all, it's rude to leave him in confusion. Bring him in immediately." Malik said.
"Yes, Master Malik." Rishid repeated, turning. He stepped out the door to where Keith was standing between two Rare Hunters. He still wore his flag bandana, but was now garbed in the violet dressings that all the other Rare Hunters wore.
"You! I want some answers." He said as soon as he saw Rishid coming towards him.
"My master would like to speak with you. He has an offer to make that I think you'll find hard to resist." Rishid explained, gesturing for Keith to follow. Rishid paused in front of the door. He knew well what fate would befall Bandit Keith. No matter what sort of man this Keith was, no mortal being should be subjected to the torment that came with being a servant of Master Malik's. The large Egyptian frowned, knowing that he might as well be leading this man to the slave market.
"Know this, Bandit Keith." Rishid said solemnly. "My master is very powerful. Do not be deceived by his youth. He can take your life in a single breath if you offend or prove yourself to be an annoyance to him. Do not insult or order him to do anything. You will speak only when spoken to. You will answer his questions honestly. You will show him respect and fear. If you do not, you may find yourself thrown overboard, or worse." Rishid said, and before Keith could argue or object, he opened the door and led the American in.
Keith stepped forward, glaring at the big man who'd brought him in who was now kneeling in front of a ornate chair where sat his master. His eyes widened, taking in the youthful face of the person before him. The big man had said that he was young, but this brat was only a teenager! He was probably the youngest person on this entire ship, and the entire crew took orders from this kid? What kind of crazy ship was this? And yet, there was a sharp piercing edge to the way the teen gazed silently at Keith with his violet eyes.
"Bandit Keith." The teen said, his eyes analyzing the man critically. After a short pause he said "Tell me what an American is doing floating fifteen miles off-shore of South Korea."
"Listen kid, I was in a Duel Monsters tournament at an island called Duelist Kingdom. Belongs to Maximilian J. Pegasus, ever heard of him? Yeah, well he kicked me off his island because he owed me something, and I've been trying to get back to land ever since then." Keith said brusquely.
Malik frowned, his eyes narrowing. "…I'm afraid that isn't enough information for me, Keith."
"Well what do you want me to tell you?" Keith said angrily. "I told you, I was a finalist at Duelist Kingdom and got kicked out. That's what happened."
Malik laughed softly. "You'd be surprised at what type of information I can find useful." He stroked his scepter, and the eye in the center began to glow slightly.
"Keith, have you ever considered what it would be like to be only a witness to your life? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be...controlled?" Malik said, looking down at Keith with bright violet eyes.
"Who would think about something like that?" Keith asked. "What kind of lunatic boat are you running?"
"You'll find that it isn't such a strange concept when you work for me." Malik said pleasantly. "In fact, being in control is often more strange for my Rare Hunters than not. They struggle on their own, you see, without and outside...influence."
"You know what, who do you think you are, you little brat?" Keith said. "No way am I taking orders from you, or anyone else." He was going to get off this boat, he decided silently. No way was he staying here with these crazy freaks and their teenage leader. "I'm getting out of here." He snapped, turning around.
"I don't think so, Bandit Keith." Malik said. "Because, whether you like it or not, your mind is now mine."
Keith turned around to ask what he was talking about when a sudden pain ripped through his skull, like fire and ice all at once, freezing, burning, freezing, burning. The teen's voice echoed around in his mind. Your mind is mine. Your mind is mine. Over and over, freezing and burning.
'Let us see what else you can divulge, mind-slave.'
Flashes, his own memories he realized, began to flip in front of his eyes, each searing a burning pain through his mind as it appeared. They moved too quickly, coming and going, for him to really be able to tell what each was, that is until he began to see memories of Duelist Kingdom. His memories slowed, and he could see each, as though watching them like a movie. He saw Bonz, Zigor, and Sid, his cronies in Duelist Kingdom who helped him get into the castle. He relived smashing duelist after duelist, him and his thugs defeating all who fell into their path. He saw again a duel in a cave against Joey Wheeler where Bonz had taken his first defeat. He recalled ditching his thugs, and the victory of being the first finalist to get into the castle.
Then…a duel on a roof where he'd watched Kaiba get his butt kicked until Yugi had broken down for some reason. Why? he wondered. This memory replayed itself. Over and over, he kept looking at Yugi's face, the way it changed during that last turn. The way he'd gone from confident, sure of himself, to a scared crying little kid. Where had that confident Yugi gone in those last moments? He'd thrown the duel. Everyone knew that Yugi could've won. Kaiba had used black mail and it had worked like a charm.
'That's it!' said Malik's voice in his mind, exulted by this specific memory for some reason.
"Get…out of…my head!" Keith suddenly screamed, falling to his knees, holding his head.
'I don't think so, Bandit Keith. You've proved to be very useful to me, and now you are mine to control. You cannot fight me, so don't try.'
"How is this…possible?" Keith said, his fingers twitching as he struggled against the foreign influence that was in his mind.
'You can't understand the ultimate powers of a Millennium Item, Keith, much less fight them. You are helpless.'
Keith let out a scream that echoed around the cabin, and then collapsed onto the floor completely, his fingers still twitching, his eyes flickering behind closed lids. Malik smiled satisfactorily.
"Master Malik, what did you discover?" Rishid askedn curiously, gazing at the shivering form of Bandit Keith, lying at his master's feet. Malik had never reacted so happily to a memory of one of his victims.
"Our quest is almost at its end, Rishid. Through this man's memories I have found the Pharaoh's vessel. Soon I will be able to challenge him, and then the omnipotent powers of the Pharaoh will become mine!" He reveled. "Soon…"
"What of Keith?" Rishid asked. "Will he remain with us?"
Malik smiled, standing from his chair. He lifted his scepter and Bandit Keith stood like a puppet lifted by his strings. His eyes were no longer bright and willful, but dim. Empty. Controlled. He turned mechanically and left the room, pulling the hood over his head as he did so. The door clicked softly shut. "Bandit Keith is now mine to control. He will be useful to me…I will use him to get to this Yugi Moto." Malik turned to Rishid, smiling coldly. "Fetch him the motorized raft and I shall send him East to Japan. Through him I will challenge little Yugi, and the ultimate powers of the Millennium Puzzle will finally belong to me, as they should."
"As you wish Master Malik." Rishid said, nodding his head submissively.
"It will all be over soon, my brother." Malik said, relaxing back into his chair as Rishid left the room. Malik sighed, his heart pounding in excitement. He was close, so close, to his goal. How long he'd waited to challenge this 'revered' Pharaoh. This cursed, hated Pharaoh. Oh how he hated him. And finally, after so many years, he'd be able to sate that hatred. He lifted his Millennium Rod, tracing it with slender fingers.
With a smile he said softly, "I'm coming for you little Yugi."
So...this was a new experience for me. Please tell me what you thought about my very first non-Bakurae fic. That means review. Please!