Part 2: The Wheel (Jounouchi vs Exodia Ghoul; Yami vs Exodia Ghoul)
Yami had been worried about something, so the day of the non-date with Anzu left him a bit out of sorts. Yugi had agreed to go into his soul room and not listen in on anything, but that didn't stop Yami from feeling upset over whatever odd feeling he was getting. It was low-level, like static on a radio from the other room, and he couldn't help but try to listen to it or even hear the noise no matter where it went.
It was something to do with the Shadows, he knew that much, but was stretched and hard to really pinpoint the source. He wondered if that meant it was something else, like someone giving over power to multiple people or simply multiple people finding their own power through that medium. The Shadows have enough of a hold in Domino due to his influence and the arrival of many to this area because of him - it's not surprising that it would take hold and begin to spread and influence others. He's just grateful that, thus far, things haven't turned too bad. Domino itself is peaceful and full of light, even in darker areas, so he's hopeful that it will be enough to keep back the darker shadows before he or someone else will have to step in to tame them and pull them under control.
He meets Anzu after Yugi has dressed them in a dark outfit, one that suits both of them in their own way. Yugi had been doing that more and more, finding ways to make sure that they can look similar yet different. Yugi's colors are always lighter, closer to blue, while Yami's is darker, with more purples and golds. Yugi mentioned that both were considered royal colors for a long time, and Yami considers if that is simply a memory of his old self, that darker colors are his.
"Oh, Yami," Anzu says when she sees him, smiling as she comes up, "Yugi's sense of style is coming out a bit more. I approve."
He manages a smile at that, grateful for the compliment to Yugi, and they head into a nearby cafe. Anzu seems to be fine with him for now, though sitting with him, it's obvious she's attempting to figure out where to start first on her questioning - if she wishes to dive right in or start on more neutral ground. He drinks the tea he'd gotten and finally says, "You wanted to talk about Yugi, and my intentions towards him?"
Anzu blushed a bit as she gave him a small smile. "Mostly, I wanted to talk about you. Yugi seems to know about all of the 'intentions' you guys have, and I would rather not start on that. Yugi's my friend and I care a great deal for him, which is why I want to get to know you a bit better, so I know where you're coming from." She grew serious as she considered. "Also, considering how things started out, not to mention the thing with Pegasus and anyone else who has Millennium Items, I want to know more about that so we can be safe. I'm not going to lie - I still don't trust you to be restrained, or for you to not get carried away in your attempts to 'protect' Yugi and instead end up hurting him like you did during that duel with Kaiba at Pegasus' castle."
Yami flinched a bit at the memory and how he'd acted. He knew now how things had looked, and even knowing his own motivations and reasons for pushing as far as he had, he could see how that would cause Anzu and the others to worry about Yugi.
"I understand the worry," he finally said, "and I know that, at the time, I felt I was under a great deal of pressure to win and make things right. Even back then, I viewed what had happened as my fault, and wished to shield Yugi from the effects of those battles."
"And even before that?"
Yami looked out the window, not wanting to think or even speak aloud about the time he'd not even thought of Yugi as something, when his attitude was simply that the young man would pass and Yami would have his body to merit out judgment to those that deserved it. "I was...violent, before that, and less interested in Yugi's health than in my own...calling. I always viewed it my duty to fight the bullies and like who preyed on Yugi and on those he called his friends, but I did not think much of him. It was only right before Duelist Kingdom that I began to see how that affected our friendship, and our abilities."
Anzu is quiet and at least doesn't judge him over the admission as he continues, "I don't know anything about my past, beyond a feeling or concept. I know a great deal about Egypt and the like, I can figure out what something says if I see it, but as to who I was or what happened to trap me in the Puzzle, I cannot answer that. What I have with Yugi now...I want that. I'm fine without knowing my past, but I also know that to ignore it would mean that I am opening us to danger. I cannot let that happen...I can't let Yugi, or any of you, be put in those situations again because I was selfish, or because I didn't learn what I should have when I had the chance."
Anzu is silent a moment longer before she says, "You want to go to that exhibit."
"It's no coincidence that the curator has an item like the one I carry, or that she's here. She is not hiding her involvement in my past, as Pegasus was. As well, I received this text a few days ago."
Anzu took the phone when offered frowning as she read the message. "'To the place where ancient duelists sleep'?"
"The Domino museum holds a great deal of exhibits, but the Egyptian one speaks of those who summoned monsters and fought, those that 'dueled' with magic, as the card game assumes we do now. It's a challenge, sent by KaibaCorp. Kaiba is working on something."
The conversation got Anzu to look down, and Yami frowned at her change of interest. "What?"
"Something happened...between him and Katsuye. I don't know what, but she's been...easily upset."
Yami is quiet, thinking. He doesn't know what the complicated history between the two are, beyond the fact that Kaiba doesn't view Katsuye as a very good Duelist, and that he had been helping her in some sense of repaying off an imagined debt for helping Mokuba. Even after all that happened with Otogi and the like, he seemed to have withdrawn from them and was determined to instead focus on his work. Yami understood his reasoning, but he also wondered if this wasn't still some part of the poisonous thoughts that had caused Kaiba to challenge him in the first place, or the ones he'd attempted to banish using the Mind Crush.
"I...forgive me. I don't always notice things when Yugi is in charge, or vice versa. He did not mention anything to me, so I didn't realize something had occurred."
Anzu seems to understand, and leans back in her seat. "I don't know what happened, but she's gotten really upset. Plus, I think it also has to do with her sister. She hasn't been back to see her in a while, and it's starting to get me worried." She considers quietly before adding, "I think if she joined the tournament, it would be good for her."
Yami nodded after a moment. Katsuye thrived on Dueling in tournaments like this, where her gender was not always called into question or where others would stand up or need help. Whatever Kaiba was planning, she would be able to hold her own in this tournament, if not make it at least to the semi-finals.
"Yami...I understand your point of view, that you wish to protect us from the dangers there are. We saw how bad things could get during Duelist Kingdom. But you also have to believe in us and in our abilities. Katsuye is strong in her own right, but she'd gotten a lot of hand-holding from us as well, especially after what happened with that gang." Yami looks away, not wanting to think of Hirutani or what he tried. The man was lost in the maze of his own making, lost in the Shadow Realm, which meant he wasn't a threat to them. "Let's go see what this all is about, then we can talk to Katsuye."
"I would rather Yugi spoke to her," Yami said as they got up, feeling uncomfortable. "We are not...friends, as she is with him. If anything, I think she doesn't trust me all that much."
Anzu didn't comment on it, and Yami was grateful as they walked through the city, stopping occasionally to look at something that interested one or both of them. Neither were in a hurry to get to where the gathering would be, or to find out what was inside the museum. It let Yami consider the fact that he and Katsuye could work together in a Duel setting, and were united in their wish to keep Yugi safe, but she didn't quite trust him with her full friendship. He could understand - their first few meetings had never ended well, and the ones afterwards had mostly been while he, Yugi, and Katsuye were in some sort of battle situation, or where he'd made a mistake about what she could or couldn't do. He knew she was a great Duelist, and also knew that she had every chance of beating them if she was lucky enough. He just wished that Kaiba could see that as well, and maybe get over whatever it was that held him back from acknowledging her as a Duelist.
They reach the museum with a little over an hour and a half to spare, Yami noticing Anzu's unease at entering and frowning as they walked up. "You're worried about something."
"I guess I'm worried about what the exhibit might show, and what that might mean for your future. I don't want to see Yugi hurt if you have to leave."
Yami nods in acknowledgement as they head further into the museum, coming up to the stone tablets that had been found recently and that show him and Kaiba fighting before a large tower, three monsters above it and in what appears to be card barriers. The others seemed to depict a story of some sort, and he was about to turn to speak to Anzu when a familiar voice cut through the empty space.
"You've taken your time to get here," a cool, accented voice said as they turned to see the woman from the newspapers. "Welcome."
"You hold an Item," he said, glancing at the Tauk around her neck as she slowly nodded.
"Unlike the Ring, it does not hold an evil intelligence, and unlike Pegasus, I was trained in what must be given up in order to use the Shadows." She looked at him then bowed her head slightly. "I am Ishizu Ishtar, the older of the Millennium Tauk. It was my predecessors that drew and spoke of what you see before you, your future."
Yami frowned, but he saw that she was right. The Shadows around her were calm and didn't move the same way that the ones that Pegasus or even the ones that Shadii had held them. He let himself relax around her, grateful to see someone who was willing to give the Shadows their due and not simply treat them as some dark tool. That seemed to get her to also relax as Anzu watched quietly, looking nervous.
"What does the upcoming battle have to do with me?" Yami asked, frowning as he looked at Ishizu critically.
"The battle will be for your lost memories. There are three items, three cards that will hold the key to your ability to regain your memories and choose your own fate. Whoever wins will gain power over that fate, and what happens to you in the future."
Yami tensed at the announcement, anger bubbling up as well as fear and resentment. He saw no reason why his fate, and thus the fates of those whom he befriended or even those he saw as rivals, should be so easily bartered. He turned to look back at the mural, working to collect his thoughts as Ishizu continued. "Those who hold Millennium Items are coming more and more to this place, and their powers are either bowing to you, remaining with them, or shifting against you and waiting for a new chance to strike. The holder of the final Millennium Item is coming here, and with him, a great deal of danger towards you. If you gain the power of the three God Cards, you can gain the power of the Items, and thus hold your own fate."
He didn't ask what would happen if he didn't, and instead looked up. "Three God Cards, you said."
"Yes. They are imbued with the powers of the Shadows, and have begun to spread them more and more around the city. Soon, others will notice small things, or be able to do things they never thought possible."
Yami turned to look at her, upset with the revelation. "That could cause more than a few problems."
"The focus is on the cards, and thus on that game only. However, that doesn't mean that there won't be trials." She paused, looking sad suddenly. "The Tauk can see some of the past, but mostly grants it's holder visions of the future. I am sorry I cannot help you more on your journey, except to say that you must enter the game, and be prepared for the worse."
Anzu can tell that Yami is still angry as they get outside, the other Duelists that look familiar starting to gather outside. Yami and she move to one side, Anzu silent and not sure what to say about the news that the woman has given them.
Yugi's going to be heartbroken, is all she can think about the news. Yugi will not take the news easily, not when they just started their relationship, and while Yami dislikes the corner he's been placed in, Anzu can tell that he's going to go through with the tournament.
"Anzu," Yami's voice breaks through her thoughts and she looks over at him as he watches the crowd gathering, "I want to speak to Yugi about this myself. Could you do your best to not mention the meeting to him?"
"I...yes, but…"
"He is aware of my emotions, as I am of his," Yami told her simply, "He'll know that I am hiding something, or that I'm...upset...over what happened. But I also know he will view this as something that could end up with us being separated. I don't think that will happen at this moment."
Anzu blinked. "Why?"
"I have told Yugi that I know some of Egyptian rites - as such, I know I am not the full soul of who I once was. I am a shadow of that person, and while powerful, I was only that for a long time. Since then, I have gained more and more things for myself - a name, an identity - and that makes it so I am not the same man I once was. No matter what the outcome, I am fighting so I can have my own fate, and so I can rid myself of the rest of my past. That person...who I was, the person who trapped themselves in the Millennium Puzzle...they need to be at peace and rest. I need to prove that I am my own person, and not a shadow. Yugi will prove himself as well, I think, and no matter what else, we need to do that. Too many view us as the same when we aren't, or view me as the one they must beat, when together, Yugi and I are the ones who have beaten the foes we come across." He's quiet again as Anzu considers what he said.
He has grown, since I first met him, and since Pegasus' challenge. He and Yugi are partners now. Whatever happens, they'll be equals.
She didn't know how she knew - probably some of the Shadows that Ishizu had said was leaking out or something - only that she realized quickly that Yami was going to care for Yugi. He was going to be a better person, and that even with the memories of his past, he would stay with Yugi for a long as he was needed.
"Yugi! Masaki!" the familiar voice had them both turn, brought out of their thoughts as Mai runs up to join them, smiling as she does. Anzu smiles back at the older woman, grateful for her presence and that she's not asking too many questions.
"You got one of the invitations as well?" Yami asked, looking happy at the news.
"Yep," she says happily, showing it off, "though a lot of the people here haven't, they came because they heard rumors or something." She let out a huff. "I hope they can get in, at least."
"Why do you say that?" Anzu asked, curious.
"Most of the ranking was done by ranking that a Duelist network sets up. It's all based on tournament results, including Pegasus', but that doesn't mean all the people here are really all that good." She motioned to one of the guys nearby, talking to a few others. "He loses a lot of Duels, but he made it pretty far in Pegasus' kingdom. That's the only reason he got in and Haga didn't."
Yami frowned as Mai added, "I tried to get hold of Katsuye, but she didn't want to come. What happened, exactly? She and Kaiba were getting along really well." She pulled out her phone, showing Anzu a picture of Katsuye in a blue dress, dancing stiffly with Kaiba. Anzu and Yami looked at it as Yami frowned, obviously upset that he didn't know the two had been close. Anzu was a bit confused as well - when did those two become close?
"Mokuba said that they knew each other a while back. He was all happy about it when they were able to dance." Mai smiled as she took the phone back. "I was too...got introduced to a really nice guy. Hopefully I can have my own cheer-squad now." She winked at Anzu as the younger girl felt herself blush.
"I'm glad you're here, and hopefully we can get enough information so Jounouchi is able to register," Yami said, looking around as a car stopped at the curb, Kaiba stepping out in a new coat that made Anzu's breath catch.
It was the same coat as the one in the mural - the white coat over the dark shirt. Anzu knew that Yugi's own coat and outfit would be the same dark outfit he's wearing now, and the purple coat he favors.
In other words, they will look like the two fighting in the mural, the Blue Eyes and Dark Magician that they favored coming out at one point to do battle.
It's already happening. No matter what we do, the battle for his fate, and his memories, has already begun.
"An ante rule?" Katsuye asked the next day during lunch, as the group met on the top of the school.
"Your Deck has to have at least one Rare card, and you have to use that as your ante. The rarest one is what goes up first, from what I remember," Anzu told her, leaning slightly against the fence. "Plus, we have to get a Duel Disk from one of the card shops around town."
Katsuye looked unhappy at the announcement, Yugi smiling at her to try to reassure her. "Yami and I don't like betting cards either, but I know that you're going to make it to the finals again! You're a great Duelist, Katsuye. You probably are already qualified to be in the tournament anyway."
Katsuye is silent at that, Honda finally saying, "Besides, I'm going to be working security there. KaibaCorp is really strict about who gets in and who doesn't."
"You're not making me feel any better, Honda," Katsuye said, "and I know Kaiba. He probably banned me personally."
Anzu frowned at the mention. "Why do you say that? He's not the nicest person around, but he wouldn't ban you."
"Yeah, he would. I'm not a good Duelist in his eyes, remember? I'm just a hanger-on, going blinding around with Yugi because I don't have anything else better to do."
Yugi looked upset over that, Anzu shifting and Honda letting out a sigh, as if he had dealt with this type of thing before. The two looked over at him as Bakura arrived, frowning at whatever was going on. Anzu moved to explain it to him as Honda said, "Don't tell me you messed up with some other guy you liked."
Katsuye bristled and glared at him as Anzu glared at him, upset with his tone and what he'd said as Honda glared back at her, not backing down. "You can say whatever you want about Yugi, I'm allowed to say what I mean about Jounouchi." He glanced back at her, "You act this way whenever some guy points out you're not the type of one he wants, or when they finally tell you that you're not relationship material. You knew going in that Kaiba wasn't about to take you up as a date, let alone that he'd be nice to you. I'm kinda amazed it took him so long to get around to telling you anything."
"Honda!" Bakura said, sounding upset, as Katsuye finally stood up, glaring at him and shaking slighlty as her hands balled up into fists. Yugi looked ready to comfort her right before she let out a breath and looked away from Honda.
"You would take your employer's side. You learn to brown-nose like that from Otogi?"
Honda turned red and suddenly stiffened, angry. "The hell does that have to do with anything?"
She didn't look back at him instead shifting to cross her arms. "You brought up Kaiba when the only thing we've been talking about is the fact he's got some tournament on and that he thinks I'm a bad Duelist. And Yugi said they were using the Duelist Database...that's guaranteed to have me out of the game."
"What?" Yugi asked, and she looked at him, frowning.
"I lost multiple games and got kicked out of simple neighborhood games, Yugi, remember? Even if I won during Duelist Kingdom, I'm not going to have a good score." She finally turned back to Honda. "So stop thinking this is about some unrequited love just 'cause Otogi hasn't given you the time of day since you were stupid enough to fall for his shell games, you asshole. And stop defending your employer just 'cause you happen to have a job as security for this particular tournament."
Honda was still red, though it was hard to tell if it was from anger or embarrassment, and he finally stalked away, leaving the group to glance over at Katsuye nervously. She'd stopped dressing like a girl recently, exploiting one of the loopholes in the dress code, and it was obvious she was less and less able to hold in her sometimes volatile temper. The only person who really calmed her down was Yugi, but he had yet to find out what Kaiba had done and what had happened. At the same time, he knew it was more than just Kaiba that had her acting the way she did, and he was worried that it would end up with her being hurt.
"I saw a place where we might be able to get the Duel Disks," he finally said to her, "apparently only the specialty Duel Monsters card shops have them. And maybe you being runner up for Duelist Kingdom will still qualify you...Mai's qualified, and she really wants to see you there."
Katsuye is silent a moment longer before relaxing, as if the mention of Mai and everything else was enough to calm her down. "Ok...I don't see why we can't try."
Layla ended up coming with them, as apparently she was worried about Katsuye and whatever had happened. Bakura seemed uneasy around her, but that was understandable, since the first few times they'd met, Layla had been either pounding on his door or being overly enthusiastic about Egyptian games. Still, she was one of the calming influences on Katsuye, and by the time they got to the place that Anzu and Yami had visited during their non-date, Katsuye was back to her old, happier self as they entered the store, the clerk someone different from the day before.
"Welcome," he said, "what can I help you with?"
"We're here to sign up for the KaibaCorp tournament," Yugi said, "and to get the new Duel Disk."
"Oh, you're in luck," the man said, "I have about five left...we've been busy with some of the Duelists coming in all day and registering. If I can get your names, I can see if you qualify."
Katsuye shifted a bit as the two gave their names, the man typing in Yugi's first before saying, "Well, you've qualified by quite a bit!" he showed them the Duelist Database, the Dark Magician to one side and Yugi's photo to the other, with a star rating underneath, similar to the star one used for Duel Monsters. Yugi has eight, one of the highest ranking for Duel Monsters, and he looks shy about it as well as a little upset as the man hands over a Duel Disk. "Here you go, you're qualified to enter. We got a memo saying that only those with ranks above five stars can enter the tournament, and right now they're the only ones who can get the Duel Disks."
Yugi takes it almost reluctantly but still manages as smile as the man types in Katsuye's name, frowning as he looks at it. "It looks like you have...well, hold on, there seems to be a glitch…" Laya frowns at him as he types a bit more before smiling at Katsuye. "You just qualified - five stars."
"Seriously?" Katsuye looks at the screen, where a rather sullen picture of her from an early tournament she enters glared back at them, the red-eyes roaring next to her. She suddenly beams as the guy hands her the Duel Disk and nearly lets out a cheer of delight. Layla smiles and it appears Katsuye's mood is infectious, as Anzu and Bakura are also smiling with her and her accomplishment.
The group finally parts as Yugi and Katsuye head to his house to look over their decks and figure out the Duel Disk system, the others going home. It's not until they're far enough away and closer to his house that Yugi finally asks, "What happened, Katsuye?"
She's quiet, her mood turning dark as he adds, "I don't need to hear it all, but I know something happened between you and Shizuka."
"You're not going to ask about me and Kaiba?"
"No," he says simply, "that's between you two, and either way, if he's going to try so hard to not be friends with you when it's obvious he is, then he's an idiot. But whatever happened between you and Shizuka, or you and your mother, is really affecting you."
Katsuye sighs, looking over at him and then back as they walked down the way. "Mom said I couldn't see Shizuka again, and that I'm a bad influence on her. This was after Shizuka said she wasn't ready to take the bandages off and after Mom tries to force her into taking them off. Kaiba saw the whole thing, and I haven't been back since. I don't want to upset Shizuka, and I'm tired of dealing with Mom." They got to Yugi's home as Katsuye finally lets out a loud sigh. "I'd rather focus on this, or on whatever else you want to talk about. And…I want to prove myself, so that maybe Shizuka can believe in herself as well."
Yugi doesn't bring it up again, instead helping her focus on her cards and the Duels. He smiles as he says, "Even if you manage to lose the Red Eyes, Time Wizard is an equally valuable card and it works well for your new Deck." He paused as he looked through a great deal of the cards, frowning. "You're focusing a lot on warriors and gamble cards."
"My luck's turning around, I guess, and Duel Monsters tends to be one of the few places I can gamble without loosing too badly," she pointed out, "plus, if I just ran a warrior deck, that'd be stupid."
"True. A balanced Deck is better than some of the themed ones." He frowns at one. "Fulgara?"
"Yeah, Layla got it for me a few days ago. Apparently this is the female version of Gilford the Lightning...just as powerful, only it's a female warrior." Katsuye smiled. "I like it."
"Wow, I think if they'd known, this one would've gone up to the top...Fulgara is a really rare card."
"Rarer than the Red Eyes?"
"...Well, no, but she is more versatile and powerful. I'm glad Layla was able to get her - it's a good card for your Deck." He showed off his happily. "This is the one that Yami and I put together, and it has all our strengths in it." He's quiet a moment longer. "We want to enter the tournament as a team, until the day we can enter it on our own and face each other. I keep hoping that's soon, but I'm also afraid of what that might entail. And...I think that he's worried over something that happened during his day with Anzu."
"Something like what?" Katsuye asked, putting her own deck away.
"I'm not sure. It's nothing to do with anything between us, but more what might have happened at one point in the day. He's...upset, but he's also sad and afraid of what's to come. He isn't sure how much he can tell me, only that he'll do all he can to protect us."
Katsuye let out a sigh, looking upset at the mention and finally saying, "I don't need protection, Yugi. Everyone seems to think that, and I don't. I don't need my mom telling me what people think of me, I don't need my dad telling me to live however I want and still worrying about me, and I don't need him to act like he's going to be my knight in shining armor or take on Kaiba or whatever. I haven't needed that since Duelist Kingdom, even before that." She shrugged. "I know I needed help with Hirutani, and I know that sometimes I do need help or for someone to rescue me, but I can't have that all the time, Yugi. I have to do stuff on my own and not just have people act like I don't know what I'm doing, or that I'm not capable of dealing with any of the dangers there are." She glanced up at him. "Whatever Yami is doing, he's been good to you, and he's not about to let anything bad happen to you. I don't like him as much as I like you, but that doesn't mean I won't be on his side for making sure you're safe."
Yugi smiled at that and they quickly set up looking over the Duel Disk. It was simple and easy to operate, luckily, so they quickly reboxed the item before Katsuye headed out, calling Layla first to let her know she was heading home.
The sky was already darkening as Katsuye headed home, taking the familiar shortcuts she'd gotten used to after nearly a year of working in the Kame Game Shop after she befriended Yugi.
When a group of three people suddenly step out, she stops quickly, glaring as she recognizes the man from the card shop. He smirks at her as he reveals his own Duel Disk, and she snorts. "Lemme guess...not Level 5?"
"Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon will make up for it, I'm sure. We have someone in our group in need of just that card, and others as well, after we replicate it."
"You'll need to get it first," she pointed out, "It's not time for the tournament yet, and I'm not staying here to take on some punks like you." She turned, stopping when three other, tall men in cloaks came out of the other alleyway.
"You don't Duel, we'll just have to take it by force."
"You're right," she said, putting her Duel Disk down and half turning so she could look at him out of the corner of her eye, seeing the other two advance at the same time as the other three. She wasn't used to fighting by herself, or in a small alley, but she knew enough that she could face down these guys, and besides, she wasn't going to let these dressed-up punks take her cards or anything else.
The first one to try to grab her is thrown into the trash left outside, and the next is tossed into one of the others, Katsuye moving to duck and punch the second to final one in the gut before tossing him towards the store clerk that had given her the Disk, the man dodging and going after her directly. He was using what height and strength he had on her, trying to push her back or overpower her to the ground as she used every dirty trick she could to get away from him or keep him away from her.
The guy is a hard one to throw off, and his other helpers are starting to get up to help him out, Jounouchi fighting but unable to really stop all of the attacks, one hit to her side causing her to fold down to the ground as one of the men started to kick her.
"Stop," the leader said, looking back over at them and reaching down to get out the scattered cards, smirking as he picked up the Red Eyes Black Dragon.
"Now then," he said as she slowly lost consciousness, "that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Layla glares at the sphinx as it lets out a low whine and bares her teeth at her, finally shifting underneath the continued look as the griffin let out its own sound before heading out and into the shadows. She rolled her eyes at them both. Katsuye wasn't too badly hurt, and the fact was that Katsuye was far too connected to her star and to the little star that her Pharaoh loved now.
The thought made her sigh and frown as the chimera, her oldest shadow, rubbed its lion's head against her affectionately, the others making soothing sounds as she moves to where she can check on Katsuye without alerting the other girl to her presence. Of the group, Katsuye was the closest to how she'd been, and was possibly the person who could most influence her star to accept his fate and to work in order to understand his past and, then, to give himself peace. As it was, his new identity meant that his power would be different, as would his fate. She was fine with that, so long as the fate of the one she'd known was not thrown away like Shadii and the others wanted it to be.
The chimera, Merew, let out a low growl and she looked over to see her other two returning, Itert the griffin looking upset and Menw, the sphinx that had bonded with Katsuye to a degree, shifting and looking upset.
"She'll be fine," Layla told them, "we have more important things to deal with, and you know that."
Menw let out another whine and Layla looked back, letting out a sigh. "I suppose I should come looking for her. I cannot be too involved in this. I'm not showing my hand just yet, and especially not when Shadii will likely return to try to direct the Ishtars as he did before."
Itert let out a low growl and she glanced at him before finally nodding. "Go then, and do what you can to protect this tournament. I'll do what I can to care for Katsuye until the time when she faces down the evil coming to this place."
Yugi wakes early to make sure everything is ready, dressing up in an outfit that he found comfortable and with Yami only asking for a few things, making it so the dark clothing and jewelry was comfortable for them both. Yugi knew that Yami was worried about something - last night he'd been restless and now, he appeared tired, even for a spirit, and seemed fine with Yugi taking the lead for the first part of the tournament.
"Something is coming, Yugi, and it will change how we are," he tells him as they get the Duel Disk and put in his Deck. "Whatever happened, the Shadows are spread through this tournament and will start to affect a few people. Not only that…" he paused, letting out a breath, "I felt something...like the one who spoke to you during the fire. Whoever that person is, she is not the woman from the paper, nor is she the dark Shadow that I fear is coming to Domino. I also know she is not a holder of the Millennium Items."
"Then...who is she?"
"I don't know. But I have felt her before...when we faced Shadii, and when we were leaving Duelist Kingdom. I don't know her influence or plans, only that she is not interfering or doing anything beyond fighting Shadii's influence. We have to be careful about that. She is powerful, and I feel she will be a far greater threat to us than anything else we face here."
Yugi looked at himself in the mirror, seeing Yami standing next to him, a shadow of himself. It was how they saw each other, now that they'd practiced and with Yugi now used to speaking to his other self. Yugi could, in some cases, control or use the Shadows as well, but not as well as Yami could. Still, their decision to go into this together, to be a team instead of one or the other controlling the outcome, meant that they needed to be able to watch and help the other out, and that they trusted the other's decisions.
Yugi knew that Yami would be doing the majority of Duels, because of the low-level buildup of the Shadows in Domino. He was fine with that, wanting to help and analyze the situation so Yami wouldn't have to panic or worry. Yami knew he wouldn't have to - Yugi and he both were good at seeing how things might go from afar or during a heated battle, and Yugi had the confidence now to speak up or use his own powers if needed. For that, Yami was grateful, though he hated that Yugi had to suffer hardships, and that many of those had been because of him or even at his own hands.
"We need to get going, if we're going to meet Katsuye and Mai there. I wanna meet this strange guy that Mai mentioned."
Yami gave him a small smile before disappearing back to the corner of their mind, Yugi rushing out to the main plaza where Kaiba had announced the tournament would start. He was about a half hour early, but already Duelists were gathering up, as were some of the security staff for the tournament and others. Most were giving out pamphlets and maps for how far the 'city' extended, locations of the main tents for medical assistance, and how to contact the various security members that were around. He didn't see Honda, but he did see Mai as she rode up on the back of a dark motorcycle, a man with unruly brown hair and only goggles smiling as he gave her a kiss. "You want me to come with you, Mai?" he asked, his voice accented.
"I'm good," she said, "but if you could, go and see about getting that one person we talked about. I want her to watch us kick everyone's ass and come on out top."
He smiled at that and nodded, "I'll find her and head into the city when it starts, then. All the luck, Mai." He rode off with various others who had dropped off their friends or loved ones, and as Mai approached, Yugi felt his other self on alert, as if something was making him worried.
"what is it?" he whispered before Mai got too close, glancing as his other self appeared in his shadow form. Only Yugi could see it, but that still meant he was worried.
"Something...familiar, but it's angry. The shadows are already reacting to things."
"Yugi," Mai said, smiling and looking him over. "Oh, not your 'other self' huh?"
"He's here, but he wanted to rest up before the Duel," Yugi told her as she smiled at him.
"Well, I look forward to maybe going at him this time. You were good, and I would appreciate a rematch, but...well, if I face him as well, then at least I'll have an idea of who I'm fighting."
Yugi gave her a smile. "We're partners, at the moment. If you fight him, it's the same as me, and vice versa. Though I'll tell him what you said."
She chuckled a bit. "I'd say that's cheating, but I'm not one to talk. I gave up the aromatactics for this." She looked around, frowning as they heard a small fight break out between Haga, who appeared upset he wasn't allowed into the Duel, and Ryuzaki, who had gotten in. Mako was there as well, being overly enthusiastic or something, and the two avoided it as Yugi finally asked, "Mai, have you seen Katsuye?"
"Not recently. Why?" She smiled at him, "She can hold her own, Yugi."
"It's not that. I'm just worried she'd late. She made it into the tournament, but she's been upset over something." He didn't mention it was about whatever Kaiba and Katsuye's mother had said to her, something that obviously made his friend go from being somewhat feminine to being completely masculine, as if trying to hide that she was a girl and, to some, would be considered weak. Not to mention what Honda had said the day before this tournament. "I want to make sure she's ok, since I don't think we can really take the same route to the finals in this tournament. I don't like that she's undermined by me being there, or that they only see her as part of my group."
Mai seemed to understand his worry. "She'll be fine in this. She was able to deal with people on her own, and this will only help her show Kaiba that she is a good Duelist and he needs to pull his head out of his ass."
He frowned, looking at her, and she let out a sigh. "I was able to go talk to her sister about a few things, and the hospital staff. Let's just say that if she doesn't take down Kaiba, I will."
"And you're not going to tell me?"
She gave him a pointed look as he blushed, realizing what the problem is. "You're worried that Yami will...do something drastic, and this time I won't stop him."
"That, plus I found out by going behind Katsuye's back only after Mokuba called in tears. So I'm invested because that cutie-pie wants me to be. You're Katsuye's best friend - me telling you and your other half is cheating."
"That makes no sense."
Yugi looked over at her and Mai groaned. "Look, Kaiba was a jerk to her, and at a time when she needed someone to listen, not to kick her while she was down. You have your own reason to fight Kaiba, and now I have mine. If you tell her…"
"I won't," Yugi said, "I'm just...confused."
"...about?"
"About Katsuye and Kaiba. They're just...um...friends, right?"
Mai gave him a look that said he was very slow in this case. Yami and he suddenly came to realization just as they heard a rather loud curse from nearby and turned, looking to see Katsuye standing in front of a man sitting at a cafe.
The same man who had sold them the Duel Disks.
"Don't start a scene now," the man said, standing, "I wouldn't want them to know you're in illegally, now would you?"
Yugi and Mai raced up as the timer begin to count down to the start of the Duel, a crowd gathering to look at her and the guy as she said, "I'm fine with that so long as the rest of them know you're a Rare Hunter who's ready to beat up some girl in an alley just for her Duel Monsters card!"
Yugi blinked and looked over at the guy as he tried to shift, looking around as the group, even Ryuzaki, closed in on him. Yugi felt Yami's anger in the back of his mind, and he looked down at the pamphlet as the guy tried to call Katsuye a liar.
On it was a simple warning, about those who stole or argued over Rare Cards, and between it, nearly invisible if you didn't have it near your Duel Disk, the pamphlet also talked about a group called the 'Rare Hunters'.
The group is part of the Ghouls, and we will do our best to arrest them, but there is no guarantee that they won't attack you physically to take the most valuable or rare card. Plain clothes police are around, and the Duel Disk operates to tell who has copied or invalid cards in their Deck. Help us catch this threat.
"Kaiba is using Duelists as bait, but I think there's another reason as well," Yami said as they finally strode forward, "And he attacked Katsuye before the tournament. There's no telling how many others were attacked last night either."
Apparently there was, since most of the group were now calling for their friends or noticing absences, and ganging up around a few others that were in the area and with similar computers and stats as the one Katsuye was glaring at.
"I'm challenging you to a Duel!" Katsuye growled at the man, who laughed.
"I'm not accepting. You didn't accept the easy way out last night, what makes you think you can beat me without your best monster?"
"The rarest monsters aren't always the best," Yugi said, stepping up next to Katsuye, "and if you're such a coward, then face me."
"Yugi," Katsuye started, but he shook his head.
"He took your card and now he's trying to hide from what he'd done. We're not going to stand for that." He glanced over at her, noting the Duel Disk and tournament items she had already. "Besides, even if he does try to throw you out, you're already in the system."
"You aren't giving me a reason to not kick this guy's ass."
"He's a Rare Hunter," Yugi said, "and he's not going to play fair. And, unless you grabbed another card to replace the Red-Eyes, you only have 39 cards in your Deck."
Katsuye let out a low curse as Yugi drew out a few spare cards he'd brought, smiling at her. "Figure out the best ones to add in, and let me deal with him. I'm not doing this to protect your honor, Katsuye. I'm doing this to force his hand."
The moment he turned back to the man, Yami took over, glaring at the man. "So, coward...are you going to face me and ante up the Red Eyes for my Dark Magician, or are you going to face Jounouchi and her Time Wizard?"
The man glanced at Katsuye, who had gone through the cards and selected a few to augment her Deck before handing the rest back, then back to Yami before saying, "Taking you down is a priority, according to our boss. I'll take you on, Yugi Muto."
Nine in the morning fell quickly, the Rare Hunter and his group surrounded and either taken out by security for not having a legal Deck, or facing off against one Duelist or another as the first Duels of the tournament. Katsuye stood next to Mai, watching Yami as the Duel started and wincing still from the fight last night. She hated that the bastard hadn't chosen to Duel her, and some part of her knew that Yami and Yugi weren't thinking her weak for not being chosen as the Duelist in this case either.
The card had said what they were, and enough of the other Duelists who'd gotten attacked were also remaking their Decks and struggling to get back into the tournament, with a few having to hand back their Duel Disks when they couldn't. It only showed that, at least, she hadn't been the only one attacked or forced into the tournament because of a rare card.
The Duels also gave others time to watch how the Duel Disks worked, as well as read through the rules. The fact that everyone had a virtual 'piece' of a puzzle to add up to a location, and you needed six unique pieces, only meant that you had to pick and choose who you fought and hope for the best. It also meant that there would be more battles than in Duelist Kingdom - you couldn't be certain who had what piece you wanted, so you had to Duel various people. It was meant not only for endurance, but also to take up most of the day, with the semi-finals and finals occurring late night and then into the next day.
At least unlike Duelist Kingdom, you were in an area that would give you discounts and the like for food and such. The only rule was you couldn't go into a card-shop - any Duel Monsters cards you got you had to either have on you before the tournament, or get during antes or trades in the tournament itself. If you had two Decks, it didn't matter - you played with one, since the Duel Disk only held enough for 40 cards, and it knew which cards were in the Deck. You had to ante a monster from the Deck, so your rarest monster had to be played during that Duel.
If he can do one thing, it's write rules for how things are supposed to work, she thought bitterly as Yami and the clerk Dueled, Yami watching a bit before smirking. "I see...I know exactly what you're doing."
"You're bluffing," the clerk said from behind the two wall monsters he had, Yami's smirk showing his confidence in what he knew.
"I won't let you summon Exodia."
And the bastard would have that type of Deck, Katsuye thought as Mai looked a bit surprised but also pretty amazed at Yami's abilities. Katsuye wasn't - if what she thought was true, he and Yugi were working together, and that was going to make them an even stronger Duelist to go against. Yami was cocky and took a lot of risks, but Yugi knew the game inside and out, and had been playing it since the first rules cards came out and since the first, somewhat broken rules came out. This one, which were more streamlined as far as tournament rules, also was one that was easy enough to follow and allowed for better and longer fights, or for ones to be short and sweet.
Like this one. Yami looked at his cards after drawing, smirked, and attacked one of the wall monsters before playing two more cards and ending his turn. The clerk looked triumphant as he started to draw, but Yami instead used that phase to activate a spell card he'd recently gotten, Lightforce Sword, and then the next card as one of the Hands of Exodia appeared.
"Chain Destruction means that your Deck is destroyed - without a limb, you cannot summon Exodia."
The clerk was shaking, the other Rare Hunters who'd been brought into Duels also failing against their own challenges, right before the clerk let out a sudden horrified scream, the others following as they lost and something seeming to swell up on their forehead, pulsing and pushing under his skin like something was trying to get out.
"What the hell?" a few people said, others calling for medics and Katsuye walking up, seeing the same type of weird eye that the Puzzle had as the man muttered, "He's here...Master...Marik."
The man's eyes went blank as the others fell down, the medics racing over as the one still standing let out a horrible, fake-sounding laugh.
"Yugi...I've heard so much about you."
"Who are you?" Yami demanded, glaring at him as the man moves unnaturally, as if being pushed more than doing anything of his own will.
"I'm a holder of a Millennium Item," the hollow voice of the clerk answered, "My name is Marik, and I hold the Millennium Rod. It's the second most strongest of the Items, I'm told, which is why I'm able to control this puppet from so far away. Would you like to see him dance?"
Yami looked suddenly very upset, and she could guess why. He'd been like this about Pegasus as well, when it came to those that 'abused' the power of the Shadows. She also guessed it reminded him too much of his old self, the one that hid and punished people and who'd frightened Yugi so often. She spoke up instead, hoping to get the person's attention away from Yami and Yugi.
I can't let them be hurt again.
The memory of what Kaiba said, that she didn't know the true horror of the Items because she'd never been at the recieving end, echoed in her mind as she glared the clerk down. She might not have been at that end, but she'd seen Kaiba's blank eyes, she'd seen Mokuba when he was hurt and scared, and she'd faced down both the spirit of the Ring and the soulless zombie that Shadii had made from a kind professor. She knew the risks. She knew what she was getting into, and she wasn't going to let Yugi and Yami shoulder all of the burden just because Kaiba thought she didn't understand the risks when they were right there, talking to them through a man that had attacked her with his lackeys and taken a card she'd prided herself on getting.
"Why the hell are you here? Aren't there better ways to get a freakin' rare card?"
Yami looked afraid suddenly, but she didn't think about it as the puppet turned to her and Marik had it give out the hollow laugh again.
"Not just any card...the three God Cards, which hold power over the fate of the holder of the Millennium Puzzle. We have two already, but the final one is in the hands of a Duelist in this tournament. Yugi...despite your skill, you will fail when you meet our Hunters, and especially when you face down our God Card."
Yami is quiet, then smirks, his cocky side appearing. "We'll have to see about that. I don't intend to lose to someone like you or your Hunters, and my fate is my own."
"We shall see about that." The clerk finally fell down, out cold, as Yami walked up and took out his Deck, looking upset over it before he pulled out the card he'd been looking for. His Duel Disk beeped, confirming that he'd gotten a new piece, and he turned back to Katsuye. Most of the group had scattered to do their own Duels, Mai included, leaving only Katsuye and Yugi in the plaza. The other Rare Hunters were being loaded into ambulances, the medics coming over to check on the unconscious clerk.
"This is yours," Yami said, starting to hand it over as Katsuye shook her head. He frowned at her as she said, "It's yours."
"Jounouchi-."
"We're not friends, Yami, and you know that. I know Yugi went after the guy to help me, and that you both did it because he was going to go after you and not me, but I can't take it back. The game started, and you won the card." She let out a breath. "I can't expect you to have my back, even though I know you do. And in this case, we have to take separate roads to the finals. I'm here to prove myself. I can win without the Red Eyes, and when this is over," she looked him in the eye, noticing how different he was from Yugi, remembering how he'd looked in the Virtual World, and realizing what he might want for his fate.
"Yami, when this is over, I'm taking you on for that Red Eyes. So you'd better not lose it to those punk Hunters."
He blinked, then smiled at her, confident as ever. "You're only taking on me because you know you'll lose to Yugi."
She snorted and smiled at him. They weren't friends - they were comrades-in-arms, both fighters and ones who could only relate to each other during the Duels that were going on, or when they were protecting Yugi. She was glad he could see that. "Please, like even you could win against Yugi if given the chance. He'd wipe the floor with your ass."
He chuckled and finally nodded. "We will keep it safe, and at the end of this, no matter what, we'll have our Duel. I look forward to seeing you in the finals, Jounouchi."
"You'd better not disappoint me, Yami," she told him before heading off towards the larger part of the town, where the most Duels would be. She wasn't going to really face off against the same type that Yami and Yugi would, but she was going to get stronger, and she was going to be ready to get back her Red Eyes when the time was right.