Paradigm Shift
Chapter 2: Mind Games
School in Japan seemed relatively normal. Each teacher had given her a very formal welcome to the class, and she sat next to Yugi every time. It was in his chemistry class (which reminded her of potions, only it was somehow even more complicated) that she met his only female friend, Anzu Mazaki.
Ginny had liked her at once. What with Anzu having almost all male friends, she had a very good handle on how to keep boys in line. She herself could easily relate, having had to live with six brothers throughout her entire life. When Ginny admitted that she didn't go out shopping very often (she didn't, what with her family not having a whole lot of money), Anzu had insisted that they go out together the next Saturday. Though she felt guilty about using the funds that Dumbledore had provided in such a way, she decided that she was entitled a treat at least once.
As Jonouchi and Honda had to stay behind to mop up for detention, Ginny, Yugi and Anzu all began the walk home together. Yugi seemed preoccupied about something and clearly wanted to talk about it with Anzu alone, but he also didn't seem to want to offend Ginny. She excused herself quickly to look in a shop window, letting the two of them walk on the other side of the street.
While she was examining an outrageously high pair of heels, a commotion made her turn around. Her eyes widened she caught sight of a hooded man shoving Yugi aside, grabbing the Millenium Puzzle from him and scurrying down an alley. Glancing to either side to check for cars, she sprinted across the street to where Yugi was sprawled on the ground, Anzu shouting furiously after the hooded man.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"Some loser pretended to check his fortune and then stole his Puzzle!" Anzu told her, still seething. "The nerve..."
Yugi pushed himself to his feet, looking about ready to panic. "I need to go after him!"
"You can't go by yourself!" Anzu argued, her expression changing from enraged to worried in a flash. "What if it's a trap?"
"You go with him," Ginny told her, mind racing. She didn't know why a piece of jewelry was so important to Yugi, but he was hosting her; she had to help him. "I'll get back to the school and tell Jonouchi and Honda." Something told her that the local authorities were not the ones to alert in this situation.
Yugi shook his head. "No, Anzu can get there faster." His friend reluctantly nodded.
They agreed to meet back there if they came up with nothing. Yugi and Ginny hurried into the alleyway, their eyes immediately drawn to the arrows posted on the sides of the buildings.
"Definitely a trap," muttered Ginny. Yugi nodded in agreement.
They followed the arrows, eventually reaching an abandoned warehouse. Glancing uneasily at one another, the two entered the decrepit building. Ginny fingered the wand she had hidden in her hoodie pocket, itching pull it out just in case she needed to cast a stunning spell. She felt naked and defenseless without her wand at her side, especially after all the DA lessons she'd taken the previous year.
"Hello?" called out Yugi warily. Ginny shadowed him, walking backwards just to make sure no one jumped them from behind. As their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he gasped, causing her to whip around to make sure he wasn't hurt.
Her eyes fell on a giant blue and red... thing. She opened her mouth to ask what it was, but he answered her question before she could speak.
"A duel arena?"
So this was a duel arena? It was pretty big, though it still didn't compare to the Quidditch pitch at Hogwarts. Even so, she'd seen the size of the cards. Exactly how big were the monsters supposed to be?
"There it is!"
Driven in by a peg on the blue platform was the Millenium Puzzle. Looking at it, Ginny felt something tug at her mind again- the same kind of familiarity that she'd felt when meeting Ryou Bakura earlier. Shaking off the strange sensation, she watched as the creepy hooded guy revealed himself to be on the red side, challenging Yugi to duel for the Puzzle.
Ginny winced. She'd wanted to eventually see one of those duels, but not like this.
Ryou sprinted in the direction that Anzu had pointed him towards, worry for Yugi giving him an extra burst of energy that let him run all the way there. The arrows leading through the maze of alleyways only served to increase his anxiety, and by the time he arrived at the warehouse he was almost panicking.
Yugi was dueling, but it was clear that he was struggling. To his surprise, Ginny was there as well, watching the game with avid interest and not just a little concern. He came to stand beside her, causing her to jump for the second time now. He tried not to let it bother him, but he wished he knew why he seemed to make her uneasy.
"Did Anzu send you?" she asked.
He nodded, still very out of breath from his run there. Both of them cringed when one of Yugi's monsters was destroyed by his opponent's Zera the Mant card.
"Hey, that's Bandit Keith," Bakura realized suddenly, frowning. "I remember him from Duelist Kingdom."
"I don't know what's going on here," she responded quietly. "But apparently it's not really Bandit Keith. He's being controlled by someone else. Like a puppet."
Bakura shuddered. He remembered all too well that some strange things had gone down at the last tournament, what with Pegasus's mind reading and Yugi's Puzzle holding a spirit of some kind inside it. He had snuck onto the boat there along with Anzu and Honda, but had not been prepared for all of the shadowy business that had gone down.
"He says he's using a Millenium Rod, or something," she continued, frowning. Turning, she looked him squarely in the eye. "What's happening? Why is there supposed to be some kind of Egyptian pharaoh inside Yugi's Puzzle? How can someone control someone else? Is this a different kind of magic?"
He gawked at her, nonplussed. "What? What do you mean... ah... you know, it'd be better if Yugi himself explained it to you," he admitted. "I'm pretty confused by it myself."
She held his gaze for a moment, then nodded and turned back to the duel.
They continued to watch the duel, calling out encouragement whenever they found it appropriate. Bakura noticed that Ginny's hand seemed to stray to her pocket a lot, but he was unable to get a glimpse at what was in there. Zera the Mant attacked Yugi's Dark Magician, destroying it and bringing Yugi down to just one hundred life points.
Abruptly, Ginny chuckled. Something about it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
"I think it's time we crashed this little party," she commented, suddenly sounding very different from her usual self. Catching his eye, he noticed a red glint that he was sure hadn't been there before. "Don't you agree, Ryou?"
He took a step back. "What-"
Light flashed blindingly, and he shielded his eyes with his wrist in an attempt to protect them. Ginny didn't look the least bit alarmed by it, seeing as the light was coming from her. His eyes widened upon noticing the thing that hung from her neck- something that had most certainly not been there before.
"I think the link between Bandit Keith and his master should be severed," she sneered, the same eye that sat upon Yugi's Puzzle flaring into existence on her forehead. Yugi didn't really seem to notice; Bakura wondered dazedly why he hadn't been blinded by the light. Suddenly, Keith was clutching at his forehead, groaning. Ginny was smiling smugly; the glare had died down, but the eye remained.
"What's going on?" roared Keith, sounding more like himself. Shocked, Bakura realized that Ginny had somehow freed him from the puppetmaster's control. Yugi looked surprised as well, but he still didn't seem to notice what was going on with Ginny. Abruptly, Keith slumped against the monitor on his side, eyes rolling into the back of his head. Yugi did the same a moment later.
Alarmed, Bakura took another step away when Ginny's scarlet orbs came to rest on him once more. Her eyes had been brown, before, and her expression had been kinder. He glanced from her to the ring around her neck.
She took another step forward; he stepped back again. The dangerous smile was still there.
"You seem to believe that I am a threat," she commented, her voice darker and edged with... something. He couldn't put a name to it. "Now ask yourself: why would I want to hurt someone as foolish and naive as you?"
He gulped, feeling his palms grow sweaty. "I... I... Who are you?"
She tilted her head. "You don't know me?"
Mustering his courage, Ryou tried to harden his gaze and replied, "I don't usually associate myself with psychopaths. Now l-let her go."
She chuckled again, sending chills down his spine. "I can't do that, Ryou. Ginevra has always been mine. It would be very... difficult to leave her." Her twisted grin didn't change, but she raised her right hand and gouged her nails into her left arm, ripping open the skin there.
"Stop that!" he cried, trying to run forward and not even questioning what he was doing. Faster than he could follow, she grabbed hold of his wrist and twisted it, making him yell in pain until she had forced him to his knees. Blood from the scratches on her arm dripped onto his hair.
She studied him intently, looking almost as though she was x-raying him. She appeared to have fangs as she bared her teeth in another smile. "Yes, I think you'll be very useful in the future." Almost casually, she produced a card from her pocket.
Ryou tried to pull out of her grasp. "I thought you said you didn't duel!"
"She doesn't, no."
He struggled even more furiously as the pendant she wore glowed again, and Man Eater Bug appeared, looking very substantial. Sheer panic gripped him and he tried to bite down on the hand of his captor, but she wrapped her hand around his throat and held him in the air very calmly while the monster approached.
No, was the thought that kept repeating in his head, over and over. No no no no no no...
Out loud, however, he screamed, "AMANE!" It came out as more of a choke. Not-Ginny laughed cruelly, digging her nails into the sides of his neck. Her other hand was holding his, strangely, her thumb gently stroking the back of his hand. He shuddered in revulsion and scrabbled against her grip on his throat.
Without warning, she crumpled. Man-Eater Bug vanished.
He took in several grateful gulps of air before he lost consciousness.
Someone was repeating sending the Reductor Curse at the inside of her skull.
Ginny heard low voices around her and immediately assumed it was her family. Someone was arguing with someone else, more loudly than the rest. There's Ron, she thought dully. A third person was trying to placate them- a girl. Hermione's here, too. I must be in the hospital wing for some reason. Did I get hurt in Quidditch?
She pried open her eyelids, squinting against the harsh white light. Ginny frowned, knowing that the hospital wing tended to be dimmer than this. Turning her head to the side, she blinked as everything that came rushing back.
It hadn't been Ron who was yelling- it was Jonouchi. Unsurprisingly, the person he was arguing with was Honda, while Anzu seemed to be overly exasperated with their behavior. Finally, she hit them both upside the head in what was probably an attempt to get them to shut up. They took the hint.
Turning her head to the right, she was able to make out Yugi, sitting up and looking somewhat content in spite of what had happened to him. Ginny frowned slightly, realizing just how many questions she had for him- was there really some kind of spirit inside his "good luck charm"? Who was the guy who was using the Imperius curse on Bandit Keith? Something was going on that she wasn't aware of- Duel Monsters seemed to run deeper than she'd originally believed.
And then of course, there was the main question on her mind: what had happened? She could only remember up to Yugi almost losing. She almost groaned aloud as it came to her: another memory relapse. It looked like getting away from the large concentration of magic had done nothing to help her.
There was a dull throbbing in her arm. She forced herself into a sitting position, causing Anzu to start and hurry over, trying to get her to lie back down. There was a bitter taste at the back of her throat and her head swam. A moan escaped her as the newly found headache intensified, and she clutched at her head, noticing the bandages wrapped around her arm.
She almost freaked when she saw that something was stuck inside her arm.
Ginny, now knowing that she was most likely inside a muggle hospital, forced herself not to freak out at the sight. Her eyes followed the tube coming from it to a packet of fluid next to her bed. She frowned, wondering if it was some way of healing her. She couldn't ask without sounding like a moron, though, so she just said nothing.
"You shouldn't be trying to sit up just yet," Anzu was warning her. "The doctors said that you hit your head pretty hard when you fell down and you might have a concussion. We're just lucky that we got there before the fire started to really get out of hand..."
"What..." Ginny broke into a fit of coughing when her voice came out raspy. "What fire?"
Anzu looked over at Yugi, who apart from looking completely exhausted seemed fine. He looked dismayed when he saw her. "I'm so sorry about this, Ginny. I didn't mean to-"
"Just tell me what happened," she cut him off, grimacing at the rasp in her voice.
"Something knocked us all out," he began without preamble. "I don't really know what. When I came to, Bandit Keith was going nuts. That guy controlling him made him smash my Puzzle, and I had to put it back together. You and Bakura never woke up during that time, and Bandit Keith smashed up some machinery that set off some sparks and started the fire." He looked extremely guilty now. "I should've gotten you out of there, but I couldn't... I couldn't leave it."
"Something scratched up your arm pretty bad," Honda said, taking up where Yugi left off. "We're not really sure what. Apparently Bakura's wrist got twisted badly too- we think he fell on it funny. Other than that and a bit of minor smoke inhalation, you should both be fine."
Ginny closed her eyes and nodded. So it wasn't really a memory lapse, then- the guy who was controlling Keith had probably shown up without their noticing and knocked them all out. Despite only having some scratches and smoke inhalation, she felt almost as bad as she had after the battle in the Department of Mysteries. At least this time her ankle wasn't broken.
A flash of white caught her eye, and she noticed that Bakura was still out of it on her left. For the briefest of moments, she felt amusement at the sight welling up in her- a kind of dark satisfaction that was unfamiliar to her- and then it was gone, leaving her feeling bad for the boy. He'd only come to help out his friend.
Turning back to her spiky-haired host, she said pointedly, "I think you owe me an explanation."
He nodded miserably and proceeded with his story: how the reason he became a prominent duelist in the first place was because the creator of Duel Monsters, Pegasus, had taken away his grandfather's soul. How there was a spirit inside the Millenium Puzzle that he gradually became friends with, as the spirit had helped him countless times. How he'd defeated Pegasus and gotten his grandfather released. How now there seemed to be someone else who was after his Puzzle and the spirit inside, who he was determined to protect.
Ginny remained silent throughout this explanation, but her mind was whirling. Being a witch, she knew that all of the things he was speaking of were theoretically possible, but a lot of it sounded a bit far-fetched. The fact that the spirit of the Puzzle was his friend was especially difficult for her to understand, having been a victim of possession in the past. Everyone, Yugi included, seemed surprised at how calmly she took it.
"I would understand it if you wanted to go back to England," he finished, hanging his head in shame. Ginny frowned.
Did she want to go back? Well, yes, but Yugi seemed to be a genuinely good person. This weird war thing that was starting to go on probably wasn't his fault; he just happened to be the owner of a three thousand year old puzzle that housed an ancient spirit inside of it.
Don't be stupid, Ginny, she berated herself. You've already got enough trouble as it is at home. You're already on the side that's fighting Voldemort. You don't need to get involved in another conflict when you're only going to be here for about two months anyway. You can't afford to stay here, not with this happening.
"Yeah," she said aloud, still feeling a bit guilty when Yugi flinched. "Yeah, I think I will."
Easier said than done.
She'd forgotten that she would need to find some way to contact Dumbledore. Yugi helped her to send the letter, since she had to use muggle post (Dumbledore had given her an address that he said would work), but since it was international mail, it would probably take at least a week before she got any sort of response. Yugi had asked her if she wanted to send an e-mail to someone, but she just shook her head, not knowing what in the name of Merlin e-mail was.
She was stretched out on her trundle bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, when Yugi came in.
"Hey," she greeted him. He nodded stiffly in reply, something that was odd for him. She focused on him, frowning; even though she had said that she was leaving, he had still been friendly towards her, acting mostly normal and telling her it was probably all for the best anyway. Now, though... something was bothering him.
Hesitantly, she began, "I know it isn't really any of my business, but are you all right?"
He ignored her. Now that was downright strange. Yugi never ignored anybody, always giving his undivided attention to anyone who was speaking.
Figuring that she probably shouldn't be bothering him, she laid back down, placing her hands behind her head.
"We haven't met yet."
The words startled her, and she sat up again, staring at him. He was sitting at his desk, staring down at the homework papers that he'd put there unceremoniously after he walked in the room. His voice sounded deeper than usual, and he seemed troubled by something. Once again, she was struck by how very out of character he was acting-
"Oh," she said aloud as it came to her. "Er... hi. I'm Ginny."
"I know."
Well, that made sense; he and Yugi were sharing a body, apparently. Her roommate had explained to her that the spirit was much more serious; he hadn't been kidding. She stood up to leave the room, figuring that he probably wouldn't want to talk her, but as she reached for the doorknob he spoke again.
"Are you afraid?"
Ginny paused. Was she? "Yes," she answered quietly. "But..." I've seen worse. In her mind's eye, Tom Riddle smiled at her coldly. The dementor slid into the train compartment. Bellatrix's black eyes were boring into hers as she threatened to torture Ginny to get her to comply. Her leg snapped like a twig as she was thrown backwards by the force of a Reductor curse.
"Then why are you leaving?" he asked. "It's making him upset. He hides it well, but I know him."
'Him' meaning Yugi, no doubt. And just like that, the guilt was back again. How did she explain this one?
"Look," she tried. "I'm sorry I can't help, but some things are going on back home that are just as crazy as this whole thing, believe it or not. I've chosen my battle."
He didn't respond, but he did look at her. Unlike Yugi's eyes, his had a more reddish tinge to them. For a moment, that same sense of familiarity she got around Bakura became so strong that she thought she was going to be nauseous. It vanished a moment later, making her feel woozy enough that she had to grasp the wall for support. It felt like someone had just put a Disillusionment Charm on her. Uncharacteristic hatred rose up within her, and before she could stop herself she spat, "Who are you to judge me?"
Horrified, she clapped a hand over her mouth as his eyes narrowed dangerously. The feeling also disappeared, leaving her with nothing but confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I..."
The Pharaoh opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by a shout from Yugi's grandpa. "Yugi! Bakura's here!"
In an instant, his entire demeanor changed, and Ginny knew that he'd switched back to Yugi. She apologized again quietly, to which he assured her that it was fine. He left the room, leaving her to sit back down on the bed, wondering what had made her act that way. Did it have something to do with the memory lapses? Was it just hormones? Was she still feeling insecure without being around magic?
A moment later, Yugi poked his head back in the door. "Ginny, Bakura wants to know if you'd like to go over to his place for a little while."
Surprised, she looked over at him. "I don't see why not... I guess." In truth, she had no clue why Bakura would want to include her; he'd been avoiding her for the past few days, only speaking to her when he had to. It was similar to the way she'd acted around him when she first met him, but at least now he was apparently attempting to notice her again.
They met Bakura down in the shop and headed over to the apartment where Bakura lived. The albino explained to her how he lived there alone most of the time, since his dad was almost never around. Seeing his rather forlorn look, she asked him if he was all right. He said yes; it was obvious that he lied.
It was a clean, nondescript apartment. Ryou ordered some take out for the bunch of them and started up a conversation about Duel Monsters. Ginny joined in, as Yugi had been showing her the ropes and letting her choose her own cards. She hadn't tried out the deck yet, but she didn't think that her choices were half bad. She chose to sit back while Yugi and Bakura had a mock duel, eyes darting to each side trying to figure out their strategies. Bakura was a decent enough player, but Yugi was victorious in the end.
"Want to have a go?" offered Bakura to her. For some reason, he seemed a lot more tense.
Ginny shrugged. "Sure."
Yugi watched as Bakura and Ginny each shuffled their decks. Yami was still smarting a bit from Ginny's earlier barb, so he didn't bother him and just let him cool down in his soul room. He himself wasn't really sure what to make of her sharp question; the entire time he'd known her, she'd been mostly easy going and only a little bit nervous.
Ginny started off strong, summoning Gravekeeper's Curse and instantly taking five hundred of Bakura's life points (they were playing with two thousand). She played a face down and ended her turn, a slight frown appearing on her face. If Bakura noticed this, he didn't show it, playing several of his Occult cards in order to destroy her monster. When he did so, Yugi noticed Ginny cringe and take a deep breath.
"Okay," she said. "Draw! I summon- wait," she said, frowning. "What? Why? No!"
Yugi didn't know what was going on, but he could tell something was wrong. Bakura, however, leaned forward, a look of anticipation and- was that fear?- on his face.
"I know you're there," he said shakily. "Stop hurting her."
"Oh, do we care, now?" sneered Ginny, suddenly sounding very un-Ginny like. "Like it or not, Ryou, this is a Shadow Game now. She's feeling everything."
"Bakura, what's going on?" Yugi asked sharply. He felt Yami stir within the Puzzle, his curiosity now piqued. Ginny looked over at him, her eyes appearing to cut straight through him, and arched an eyebrow.
"Not going to bring him out?" she asked, pouting. "I've always wanted to meet the Nameless Pharaoh." Darkness seemed to be leaking out from her, spreading through the room until it was enveloped in very familiar shadows. The drain on his strength was noticeable at once, and he felt Yami's alarm pulse through him, in spite of the fact that he was certain he could handle it as long as he wasn't playing the game.
"She wants so badly to leave, you know," Ginny continued. "As if I would let her. And she owes me so much, too. No one else would play games with her when she was all alone in her room. No one else made her stronger. I was the only one really there for her. Of course, she has no idea what's going on."
Yugi let the Pharaoh take over at this point, taking a backseat role. "Who are you?" Yami demanded.
The Millenium Item that materialized almost made him shout in alarm. Bakura's gaze seemed to darken significantly at the sight of it. It occurred to Yugi at that moment that Ryou already knew- he already knew that Ginny somehow possessed a Millenium Item, as well as a spirit.
A spirit with less than honorable intentions, it seemed.
"Just someone with a vested interest in the Items."
At that moment, the hostile look melted, to be replaced by a mixture of horror and annoyance. Yugi knew at that moment that Ginny was back. Her wild, frightened eyes became fixed on him.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
Ginny had rarely been this befuddled in her life. It was Tom Riddle all over again, and she couldn't get the laughter out of her head. Tiny icicles were pricking her skin; she tried to rub her arms to warm herself up, but found that it was nigh impossible. The voice- it was whispering in her ear, completely familiar, almost comforting, but-
"Get out!" she screamed.
Control was ripped away from her almost painfully, and her mouth was moving against her will. "I can make her hurt herself. I can make her hurt you."
"It was you!" exclaimed Yugi- no, not Yugi, the Pharaoh again. "You're the one who scratched her arm."
"Does that surprise you?" Inwardly, all she was hearing from him was, You need me. You need me. You need me...
I do not, she spat furiously. Unbidden, a memory of one of Tom's messages came back to her.
Are they bullying you? They shouldn't. I can help. I can hurt them if I want to.
This wasn't Tom, though. This was different.
Abruptly, the symbol on the Ring and the Puzzle lit up on the Pharaoh's head. She laughed- and some of the amusement, in a twisted way, was her own.
"I wouldn't," the voice jeered through her. "You see, she and I have been together for a long time-"
You don't have to make it sound like we're a couple, she snapped. He ignored her.
"- and our souls have become somewhat... molded. Destroy me, you'll cause irreparable damage to her very being. She's depended on me too long."
I don't even know you!
Then everything vanished. Ginny blinked, realizing that she was in a room of some kind. It was a kind of Quidditch shed. Posters of her favorite teams lined the walls. Her wand sat on a table, and photographs of her family and friends were scattered on the floor. Her broomstick and robes were in a pile in one corner.
There were no windows, and only one door was visible. It stood ajar, but she couldn't tell what was on the other side. The room was a bit dimmed and stuffy. A sense of claustrophobia enveloped her, being used to more open spaces.
The door opened. Scarlet eyes stared at her.
"Hello, little girl."
Author's note: Bakura makes his appearance! And I once again leave you hanging. Sorry!
Yes, Ginny's had the Ring all this time. It never got transferred to Ryou or something like that. As a result, things are a bit different between Ryou and Yugi's gang; he's more included in Yugi's circle of friends. For example, he was part of the friendship circle in episode one. He went to Duelist Kingdom voluntarily. He also never took away Pegasus' Millenium Eye... but we'll get to that later.
Oh, man...that would mean that there was no one to save Honda and Anzu from Pegasus in that one episode. Let's just say that Ryou dissuaded them from going anywhere that night.
Thank you for reading! Please review... feedback is always welcome.