Alright, I'm updating early because the first chapter is considerably shorter than all the rest of them, sorry.
Oh, and thank you soooo much, my single reviewer and two story alerters!
That review made me laugh pretty hard, xKatsuyanx. Thanks again and enjoy! I dedicate this one to you!
Send me a memorable review and I will dedicate future chappies to you guys.
Chapter One: Three years
There was yet another storm over Domino, but once again it held no power over the outpost at Kaiba mansion, which now acted as a base and a home to them both. It had for three years, ever since that nearly inexplicable event that erased (as there was simply nothing left of them when they all had disintegrated) every human in the world, all except for two: Yugi Motou and Seto Kaiba.
XXX Yugi's POV XXX
The holographic screen activated on my wall shows signs of a storm brewing over Domino again. It wasn't something to worry about while inside the Kaiba Mansion; the building was completely secure. The home had been converted into a type of military base within the first few months that Seto and I had decided to live together, right after Armageddon. Was that event three years previous dramatic enough to be dubbed so? There's no doubt in my mind.
For one thing, over six billion people died in less than five minutes. If that's not worth the biblical title, I'm clueless as to what is.
I guess you're wondering how I can talk so calmly about this now. It has only been three years since that event left Seto and me the only humans alive on this earth. Oh? You're surprised that I call him by his first name. Well, you try living exclusively with one person and not get to know them intimately. And yes, I mean intimately in that sense as well. Get your jaws off the ground! This is Yugi Motou, the once innocent fifteen year old, 'deflowered' (uhg, what a weird term) and damn proud of it. Of course, I didn't imagine or exactly wish for my first time to be with him, but he really isn't as bad as he once pretended to be. Believe it or not, he actually believes in magic now. Some of his old memories returned, and with all that has happened…even Einstein would have to forego scientific explanations or head trauma.
Anyway, back to the coming storm. It's about time for me to head out. You see, I'm like the field agent in this operation. Seto's the techno genius, flight coordinator, and all that other base communication junk. He leads from the ground; I go and get the stuff done. Simple really. Well, it is now. It wasn't so much so in the beginning, when I had absolutely no fucking clue what I was doing. AH! Don't bug your eyes out at me! I'm eighteen; I can cuss when I want to.
I've got all my gear together, and now I'm headed off to the docking station. It's built underground behind the mansion. I learned how to fly all of the planes down here, including Seto's Blue Eyes jet. But my favorite to fly is the one I'm taking out now, called the Silver Millennium. It's all black, save for the name pained on both wings. It looks very similar to one of those air force jets you see in the movies, just personalized.
Once inside, I sit in the captain's seat and buckle up. There isn't much need for any preparation, considering the fact that I'd never let this baby be in any condition except tip-top shape. The small screen on my right activates and I see Seto's head and shoulders in its square shape. I smiled slightly at his mussed appearance; he had obviously just tumbled out of bed from a much needed nap. "So, what's the story this time, mon capiton?" I said, trying to get straight to the point so he could rest once more. I could tell that he'd been up late again playing with a new invention that popped into his mind.
"This storm is bigger than usual; the area it encompasses stretches at least three miles. I'm counting about twenty non-friendlies at this time." Seto was all business.
"I'll make sure to have my radar on at all times, as usual," I said as I powered the ship on. "I'll scan the area and try to see what's attracting so many to our humble little town," I added mockingly. I saw Seto smile slightly.
"All systems are go, Dark Magi ready for liftoff," I went through all the necessary procedures. "See you when I get back," I told him, not giving a time frame. The area was too big at this time to give an estimate. I'd go to the epicenter of the brewing storm and let him know from there.
"Itireshi, Blue Eyes on base control," He said, and the screen flickered off; I knew he understood my plan; there was no need to confirm it verbally. I waited for the roof to open before I hovered the plane and took off into the sky towards my destination.
It wasn't long before I found an ideal landing space behind a store warehouse that was about five blocks from the epicenter of the storm's source. Oddly enough, it was very near my grandpa's game shop, and this made me highly uneasy. I tried my best to preserve certain places in Domino and other cities around the world, usually having to resort to placing protection circles around them. The magic that warded off the monsters was not highly powerful, so they were not drawn to it as they were other energy sources.
Another strange thing about the monsters that invaded our world was that they were attracted to energy. Once they found the source, be it life, electrical, or magical energy, they would absorb it, but only if it was strong enough to attract them. That was probably the only reason why the earth had any forests or creatures left on its surface. Most of the time, this is the reasons the storms happen: they have found a new energy source or some object they deem useful to Epsilon.
Who is Epsilon? He -- or at least we think it's a he – is the one who controls the duel monsters using the magic of the Shadow Realm. How is that possible? Don't duel monsters live in the Shadow Realm? You might wonder. Well, in short, no. That is what I thought at first as well, but the monsters dwell in their own dimension – the Shadow Realm is merely a place that they can be used to battle in. But, until three years ago, the monsters and the Shadows were separate.
This is what happened: three years ago the rifts between four realms were ripped open. The barriers between the human, monster, Shadow, and spirit worlds had dissipated because of the magic that Epsilon wielded. Seto and I have poured over many volumes of the supernatural and lore to find how this one entity could have obtained such magic and have decided on one possibility: because of the give and take nature of magic, much like life, Epsilon would have to have given up his soul in order to have been afforded such power. Not by a natural death, either. Similar to a contract with the Devil, you have to give up your own life by suicide or someone else's murder of you. Sounds fun, ne?
Distracted by my thoughts, I almost missed the noises and growls coming from behind the building I was walking by. I saw an Armaill and Masaki the Legendary Swordsman followed by a Disk Magician rushing past the alley where I was standing towards the Kame Game Shop. I silently ran around the other side of the building, hoping to surprise them and make it a quick kill, but I was frozen to that spot after seeing a sight I thought I would never see again…
XXX Yami's POV XXX
The vortex that had served its purpose of taking us across the short span of time now disappeared. We had ended up back at the game shop, just as we had planned. But something was wrong, very, very, wrong.
Everything was in ruins.
The shop next to us seemed to be the only thing intact. The buildings surrounding us all were torn to pieces, the foundations barely recognizable among the rubble. There were cement chunks in random places on the street, steel rusted beams fallen everywhere, and no signs of any living things anywhere.
"What in the hell…?" Joey trailed off.
"Yeah, what happened here?" Tristan agreed.
"Where the fuck did we go wrong? We're obviously still in Domino…" Marik looked to the game shop beside us.
"I just want to know what happened to all those people before we left…I mean…they can't be…" Tea shivered. I couldn't blame her. I could barely stomach what I had seen only moments before.
"Dead? Sorry Tea, but I think they were more then just dead," Bakura commented emotionlessly. I knew that the event and what was transpiring now had more of an effect on him then he let on, but Bakura was never one to show when he was disturbed. And this had to be the most unsettling situation he had ever been in. I know it was for me.
"It doesn't look or sound like there's any one left," Ryou said in his soft and scared voice.
I noticed something even more unsettling. "Yugi?" I called out. I started to panic. I could not feel his presence anywhere near. "YUGI!" I cried.
Everyone else looked around as well, all confused and worried. "Shit," Bakura said under his breath, "How did we fuck this up? Between the three of us, everything should have worked,"
"Well obviously it didn't," I said vehemently.
"Uh, guys?" Tristan interjected, "I am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
We all looked to where Tristan was pointing, and I wondered what the hell else could have gone wrong at this moment. There, slithering toward us with determination, was Armaill. And behind him was the Masaki the Legendary Swordsman, followed by what was most likely a Disk Magician. Needless to say, by this point, none of us had recovered enough magic to defend against anything yet. Another monster had appeared, this one a Sangan, and it was hopping straight for Tea…
XXX Author's POV XXX
Before Tea could even react to the monster closing in on her, a figure dressed in black leapt from behind one of the only remaining intact walls and attacked with a long samurai sword. When the dark figure sliced the beast in half, the pieces fell to ash and dissipated. Everyone was too shocked by the sudden intruder to move, but the figure, whose face was covered by wrap-around sunglasses and a black bandana, turned to them and shouted, "DUCK!"
They all complied instantly, years of adventure teaching them to ask questions later. The mysterious male then pulled a silver handgun from his thigh holster and fired at the Koumori Dragon that had been flying at their backs. After four shots, the dragon fell to the same fate as the Sangan.
"BEHIND YOU!" Marik warned the stranger as the Armaill came too close to his back. The man in black defended himself with the blade he still had in his hand and shot the monster twice in the head. The Legendary Swordsman befell the same fate but the Disk Magician shot at the stranger before he could get another hit in. The stranger dodged the projectiles with graceful flips and leaps before closing in on the creature and driving the sword into its stomach and then decapitating it.
There was a cry from the group's right and they saw Malik being attacked by a Feral Imp. The stranger shot at the monster but missed by centimeters as it suddenly took flight.
"You want to play hard to get, I see," The stranger muttered under his breath, highly agitated by the attack on the group of teens. He shoved the gun back into its holster and held his hand straight above his head.
"Valgustus!" The man shouted, and a streak of lightening came from the sky and landed in his palm, forming a sporadic ball. "Korgahi!" With this second incomprehensible command, the electric ball was thrown from his hand and hit the Feral Imp dead on. The Imp was no more as soon as the shot connected, not even turning to ash before disappearing.
The stranger in black scanned the area for any more of the monsters and looked to the group when he found none. They stared back. This man was wearing black leather pants, slightly loose, tucked into knee high, steel-toed, leather boots that had five silver buckles on the side, with a black tee shirt under a leather jacket, half zipped to his mid chest. His hands were partially covered by black fingerless gloves with sliver knuckle guards. The dark gray plastic shielded his eyes from view under the sunglasses, the same with his hair under the bandana.
"We need to get moving. Follow me, and I'll take you somewhere safe," The stranger finally spoke.
"The hell we do! What the fuck just went on here? Why are Duel Monsters coming into the human world all of a sudden?" Bakura growled.
"I will explain everything soon. But we are in danger of meeting more of those monsters if we don't move now." The man tried to goad them into moving.
"I'm not going anywhere until I know that our friend is safe," Yami declared, glaring at the stranger for suggesting otherwise.
"No. You are going to follow me back to the base where you can be safe. There is no point searching for your friend while a storm is going on. It would be the wiser and safer course for everyone." The man was not fazed by Yami's stern gaze.
"But…Yugi…" Joey said brokenly.
"We will find him, soon, I promise. But we need to move now. What good will you be to your friend if you are all dead?" The stranger asked, looking around the area for any signs of more danger.
"He's right," Tristan grudgingly agreed as they looked at each other. Malik nodded and they all began to follow the man to wherever he would lead them. They soon arrived back at a black ship that dropped a ramp down from its hold. The stranger paid no mind to their staring as he walked up into the ship and sat down in front of the control panel. The group came in soon after and found that there were enough seats for them all.
"Buckle up," The stranger commanded. The group wasn't about to argue with him on that safety detail. There was a high-pitched whine as the ship's engine powered up and the plane began to hover seconds later. Everyone was a little on edge at this point. The man in black put on a headset with a microphone and switched it on. He grasped the two joysticks in front of him and spoke into the mic.
"Blue Eyes, Blue Eyes, this is Dark Magi, do you copy?" There was a pause. "Blue Eyes, this is Dark Magi, are you with me?" Everyone watched as the stranger's eyebrow twitched.
"Blue Eyes, if you don't answer me, I'm gonna shove that control panel up your ass when I get back," The man growled, and some of the others in back chuckled.
"Language, language, Dark Magi," They could hear another voice through the headphones. "I'm at my station. What do you need me to copy?" The amused tone was difficult to miss.
"I'm coming in earlier than expected. I've got some… new arrivals," The man glanced back at the others in the plane.
"Alright, copy that. Do they need anything?" the male voice asked.
"I think they should be fine, just be in the hanger when I get back. ETA is about four minutes."
"Copy and copy. See you soon, Blue Eyes out."
"Dark Magi, out." There was some static over the line as the connection broke.
"Hey guys! Look, it's my house!" Mokuba pointed out one of the side windows to the view below. The rest looked and saw that the Kaiba mansion was still standing, strong as ever. The buildings around it had met the same fate as most of the city, though. The group watched as the ground behind the house split in two to reveal the underground hanger beneath and the plane start to descend into the hole.
"Wait, if the house is still here, then that means…My brother might still be alive!" Mokuba shouted ecstatically, unlocking his restraints as soon as the plane stilled and the engine turned off. Everyone else did the same and they all crowed down the ramp as it opened. They were pleasantly surprised as Seto was the one who stood there waiting for them.
"BIG BROTHER!!!" Mokuba literally jumped into his brother's shocked arms.
"Mokuba… Thank the Gods… You're alive…" Seto was barely breathing, he was so happy.
"Seto, I was so scared. The people just started disappearing around us, and I couldn't think of anything to do…" Mokuba shook with repressed fear and held his brother tight.
"It's alright now. You can stay here where it's safe." Seto said.
"Well that's one less person we have to worry about. I'm glad that you're alive Kaiba, but did anyone else survive?" Joey asked, looking agitated but somewhat relieved.
Seto looked down, his eyes the epitome of sadness. "No…"
And in that simple answer, everyone's hopes were shattered. "That means…no…Yugi is gone?" Yami was beyond comprehension.
"Yugi?" Seto looked up suddenly, a very confused expression on his face. "What are you talking about…?" He turned towards the stranger that was still behind them. Seto took in his disguised appearance for a moment before saying:
"Yugi, you're a real heartless bastard sometimes, you know that?" Seto looked downright flabbergasted. The stranger managed to look sheepish.
"I know," He said, pulling off his sunglasses and bandana. The amethyst eyes were slightly hidden by his blond bangs. "But I was seriously thinking that this was all just a dream,"
The group stood and looked upon their friend in shook. Yugi had just kicked ass and saved their hides from the big scary duel monsters, using a gun and magic, no less? There was something seriously wrong with this picture.
And Yami couldn't have cared less.
As soon as his mind had registered who it was in front of him, he was on auto pilot. He walked up to his shorter look a like and pulled him into his arms. "Don't ever scare me like that again," He whispered into Yugi's ear, holding onto him like a life line.
"Don't ever leave me again," Yugi whispered back, wrapping his arms around Yami's waist tightly. He pulled back after a short time, taking his time to examine all his friends that he had not seen in years.
XXXXXX
Longer, yeah? Hope you guys enjoy it.
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