Yugi sat down at a table in the lobby and began placing pieces of the Puzzle together. In a matter of seconds he had a good portion of it done.
"Wow, you really got the hang of that," Bakura said, rather impressed.
He chuckled. "Well, after it being broken apart several times, you kinda get it memorized."
A few moments of silenced passed as Yugi continued to click the pieces together. Then Bakura asked, "Yugi, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," he replied without looking up from the Puzzle.
"How do you control the Pharaoh?"
Yugi looked up in surprise. "What do you mean?"
"It's just, no matter what I've done, I can't seem to have ever controlled the spirit of the Ring. But you can control the Pharaoh as if it's nothing, whenever you want. How?"
"Well, that's because we're friends. We want to make each other happy. If we weren't, things would have been more like with you. I'd probably have no control either."
Bakura thought for a moment. "So you're saying I have to make friends with him?"
"Not at all. You merely need to stabilize your relationship with him in order to gain the power to control him," Jordyn answered for Yugi, who glanced at her in surprise.
"You seem to understand a lot about this," Yugi said suspiciously.
Jordyn smirked. "You'd be surprised by how much I know."
"I bet," Bakura replied. "I wouldn't be surprised though. I'm still in shock that you're even alive." He pointed at her pendant. "That's the one from the tomb right?"
She grabbed it in response and eyed it closely, lost in thought. "Yes. Its the symbol of my power as well as my guardianship." She tightened her grip on the red flame. "And a constant reminder of a bad memory."
"Really? What happened?" Bakura asked in interest.
She looked away. "I don't want to talk about it. It's not important right now."
Bakura noticed the pain in her eyes thought it was best not to push her. "Well its a really beautiful one," he said, trying to change the subject. "I've never seen anything like it. The colors, the shape, and the details are perfect in every way. However did you find it?"
"It was given to me when I completed my training. My teacher, Mahad, gave it to me."
Yugi looked up in surprise. "Mahad? He gave it to you?"
She nodded. "Yes, he was my teacher after all. As my instructor he had to come up with an object or symbol that symbolizes me in every way. Something that represented my past, present, and future."
"Huh, I don't remember Atem telling me Mahad had two students."
"That was probably for the best. Mahad was trying to protect me as usual."
It was then that Bakura cried out in pain, clutching his chest.
"Bakura? What's wrong?" Yugi asked in concern.
"My chest suddenly started hurting. I don't know what's happening. It hasn't hurt this bad since-" His eyes widened and he turned to Yugi. "Yugi run! He's-Ach!" He toppled over in pain.
"Bakura!" Yugi ran over to help him. He was greeted by a fist to his jawbone that sent him flying into a wall, knocking him out cold.
"Yugi!" Jordyn ran to his side. She glared at Bakura. "What the heck was that for?!" she yelled.
Bakura stood up and snickered. The Millennium Ring appeared around his neck and glowed. Jordyn's eyes widened when she saw his eyes; they were no longer the his gentle brown eyes, they were replaced with the cold, hatred-filled eyes of the evil thief spirit.
"Sorry but I can't let you finish that Puzzle, Yugi," he said, his harsh voice hinted with amusement. "It's better for everyone if he's not involved."
Jordyn narrowed her eyes. "You," she growled.
The spirit smirked. "Yes, me. I haven't seen you in a while, Jordyn. I could've sworn everyone thought you were dead. I guess the guardians are as good as they say." He pulled a switch blade out of his pocket. "I packed this before we left this morning. Poor little Ryo didn't even know about it. Now get out of the way."
"Over my dead body," Jordyn snarled. "You know I can kill you here and now, thief. And I won't hesitate to if you make a move to harm him."
"Oh really? Even if you have to kill Yugi's friend? You and I both know that you won't hurt an innocent person, not after that massacre."
Jordyn's eyes widened. "Y-you know about that?"
"Oh but of course," he smirked. "I know everything, you monster. Now let's see how strong your morals are compared to your so-called loyalty. Either way you'll get what you deserve, just like the rest of the guardians." He readied himself to attack. "I'll kill you and then the Pharaoh's vessel. After that the Puzzle's mine," he grinned evilly.
No! I won't let you! Bakura's spirit appeared and grabbed hold of the evil spirit. I won't let you hurt my friends again! Jordyn stared in amazement at his courage.
"Let go of me, you brat!" the spirit snarled. He tossed Bakura off of him. "I've had enough of you. You've been nothing but trouble for me all these years and you no longer serve any purpose for me. It's time I ended your constant interfering, permanently!"
The Ring began to glow and blasted a laser of light at Bakura who cried out in pain when it hit him. His spirit began to deteriorate from his feet up as the blast got more and more powerful.
Jordyn watched in horror. I've got to stop this. He saved both me and Yugi twice now and I can't let that thief become more powerful. She got up and ran to Bakura's side.
He looked up in surprise through gritted teeth and and wincing eyes from the pain. Both legs were nearly gone and it was moving fast. I-I've failed again, he looked away, ashamed. I'll never have the power stop him.
Jordyn put her hands on his shoulders. Although he was a spirit, it seemed that she could do more than just talk with spirits. "Bakura, listen to me. I can help you but there may be consequences. Extreme consequences. But if it works, it won't only save you now, it will also give you the power to stop him for good," she assured him. "Just say the word."
Bakura glanced at the evil spirit laughing meniachally at him. He narrowed is eyes. If it puts an end to his control over me, then...I accept.
Jordyn nodded and closed her eyes. She put her hand on his forehead and the pendant around her neck began to glow brightly. "Soul searcher!" she shouted.
Bakura's body began to glow and the parts that had disappeared, reappeared instantly. His eyes widened as he was levitated into the air. The thief watched in confusion and terror as his plans were demolished.
If this works, his soul monster should be released and save him, Jordyn thought as she opened her eyes to watch it play out. But her confidence turned to terror as she saw what was happening.
A searing pain began to well up in Bakura, and it began to radiate throughout his entire body. He cried out in pain as he felt his spirit transforming. His arms began to grow larger and thicker, and so did the rest of his body. The light illuminating his body grew brighter, making it nearly impossible to see.
Jordyn's eyes widened. "Oh no...not this...This can't happen..."
Bakura's cries of pain grew larger and louder, suddenly deepening into a roar. A roar that sounded very familiar to him...
The light dimmed, then disappeared. When they saw what lie before them, both Jordyn and the thief gasped in surprise. Bakura's clothes lie on the ground, completely shredded. And in his place was a large, green dragon with ivory horns that were in a similar shape to that of a ram. There was a blue plate that protruded from both of his cheekbones as well as another brown plate that ran down its spine from its forehead to its tail. It spread its wings, exposing its dark brown membrane.
The dragon curled his lip, exposing his ivory-white teeth. It flexed its white talons as well, snarling in anger. Its eyes glared daggers at the evil spirit.
The thief's eyes widened in terror, as fear flooded into his head. He fought the urge to run, hoping it was all just an illusion. What is this? This has to be some kind of trick, dragons don't exist!
Jordyn looked at the dragon in horror. No...what have I done?! Now Bakura is...She looked up into the dragon's eyes. Although they were overflowing with hatred, they still remained a warm, gentle brown. They were the same eyes of Bakura himself.
The dragon roared and charged forward at the thief. He tackled him to the ground, pinning him. He raised his head, preparing to tear out his throat.
"No! Bakura, he's still you!" Jordyn shouted. The dragon looked at her, startled. "If you kill him now, you'll kill yourself!"
The dragon nodded in understanding. He loosened his grip for just a second. The thief saw the dragon was distracted and took his chance. He slashed the dragon's hind leg that was pinning him down. The dragon reared back and roared in pain. Blood seeped from the wound. The thief got up and prepared to attack him again.
The cries of pain from the dragon turned into raging roars as something inside him snapped. Suddenly, his eyes began glowing a brilliant white and a black flame began seeping out of the dragon's mouth and nostrils, spreading over its body. The dragon's scales absorbed the flame and the color changed from green to a deep black that could challenge the night sky. His eyes, teeth and talons lost their ivory-white color and began to change into a brilliant, empty white.
Jordyn's eyes widened. "This is...but Bakura, how? How could you have this much hatred and pain inside of you? You...you've released the darkness inside you.."
The dragon reared up and roared, his tail lashing wildly. Even though the dragon seemed terrifying before, it at least seemed more focused and calm. Now it felt wild and crazed, looking for something to kill. It ran around wildly, clawing and snapping at everything in the room. If the dragon wasn't a spirit it would've destroyed the entire lobby. The crazed-animal look gleamed with bloodlust.
Suddenly it stopped and turned to the thief and Jordyn. It snarled viciously, like a dog who had been beaten its whole life and finally had enough and was ready to kill its owner.
You...I will kill...yes, you need to die... The thief heard the dragon's terrifying thoughts in his head. It was then that he realized that the dragon was the boy he had tormented so many times. It quite impressed him that his vessel was more powerful than he had originally thought.
He smirked. If we live through this, I'm going to figure out how I can take advantage of this. He spread out his arms wide. "Come on Ryo! You want me? Come get me!"
The dragon roared at this and charged. Right before he reached him, Jordyn appeared and ran into the dragon, grabbing his left horn and sliding under his neck. The momentum caused the dragon to flip onto his back and skid to the far right of the thief. It also caused Jordyn to flip on top of him. She grabbed hold of his horns and pinned his hind legs under her knees and legs.
The startled dragon writhed and flailed around wildly from under her, snapping angrily at her. But to his surprise, she held him down. She looked seriously into his wild-white, pupil-less eyes. "Bakura, listen to me. You need to calm down. You unlocked a dark power inside of you and it's causing you not to think straight."
It narrowed his eyes and curled his lip, snarling in response. I am thinking just fine! The thief heard the raging thoughts burn through the dragon's mind. He stared in amazement at Jordyn, who seemed unphased at the snarling, viscous, uncontrollable beast below her.
"You're letting your emotions control you," she continued. "Let go and calm down If you don't, you'll lose yourself to the darkness. This isn't who you are! You're not a killer!" The words her master once told her in the past escaped her, surprising both the dragon as well as Jordyn.
The dragon blinked as if something had clicked in his mind. Then his eyes widened and he became panic-stricken, realizing what he was becoming. He thrashed about from underneath her, swinging his tail around.
The sharpened, jagged point on top of the club of his tail caught on her forearm and she cried out in pain. The cut was deep but it didn't keep her from loosening her grip on him.
"Bakura! Look at me," she ordered through pained eyes. The dragon stopped thrashing and looked up at her. "You need to calm down. Take a breath and relax. Panicking won't do any good." The dragon nodded and exhales deeply. "Now try to think of something that makes you happy." The dragon gave her a confused look. "Trust me, just try. You need something to distract you from your anger. Think of anything or anyone." The dragon relaxed an remained silent for a while, looking around for something to calm him.
He searched the room with no success until his gaze fell back on Jordyn. The dragon felt quite amazed that she had gotten to calm him down, and that she took him head on. Quite literally. She was brave, there was no doubt about that. But she was well-trained too, he could tell. There was never any hesitation in her actions, and that impressed him. He didn't understand why but he felt that she was somehow like him. He guessed it was from the way she could get sense into him. It was weird. He felt like they've known each other for a long time...
The dragon continued to think of the mysterious girl. And the more he did, the more relaxed and focused he became. The green color of his scales slowly returned and Jordyn watched as his warm brown eyes returned. They were more human than dragon she realized. But then again, there was a reason for that.
Jordyn smiled as the black disappeared from his white underbelly scales. "You did it," she said as she released her grasp on his horns and got off him. She clutched her forearm tightly as the dragon got up and shook himself, clearing his mind.
The thief watched all this with keen interest. If that runt can learn to control himself, I may be able to use this new "power" of his. He smirked. Things are going to turn around for me I can feel it. "Well...THAT was interesting. I sure learned a lot from you two today, that's for sure. Jordyn, I guess the rumors about you and your contact abilities with spirits were true. But I was wondering, can you hear their thoughts as well?"
Jordyn narrowed her eyes, and the dragon curled his lip at the thief and growled. "No, I can't."
"Interesting," he grinned evilly. "Well my vessel, it seems I was wrong about you," he said to the dragon, "you're not as useless as I thought."
The dragon snarled and would've charged him again, if he wasn't stopped by Jordyn.
"You have the power to stop him without killing him you know," Jordyn told him. "Its in you, you just need to find it."
The dragon thought about this for a moment before he felt something inside him click. The dragon stepped forward with determination in his eyes. The thief watched him carefully, waiting to see what he would do.
Spirit, I am no longer Bakura, the dragon spoke, surprising everyone. That is your name and I'm no longer going to be called by it. Ryo is my first and true name. It is who I am. But whether I like it or not, Bakura will always be part of me, just as you are. And whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me.
The thief snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, boy. I can get rid of you whenever I want."
No, you'll never truly get rid of me, the dragon replied. And I get that now. Until you do though, I will always surpass you.
He laughed. "Surpass me? Who are you kidding, boy? I've always been the stronger one."
The dragon shook his head. You're not. If that was true, you would've killed me years ago. But I always come back. No matter how many times I overtaken by you, I always come back to face you again. That's true strength. And since I'm truly the stronger one, I am the true bearer of the Millennium Ring. You're just using me to get to it. And I'll prove it. He shut his eyes.
The Millennium Ring around the thief's neck began to glow. The evil spirit's eyes widened in terror. "What? What are you doing?!" The light illuminated the lobby. When it dimmed, the two had switched places. The dragon was no longer a spirit. He snorted pridefully.
The thief looked around in confusion. H-how? How is this possible?! You've never been able to change us at will. He glared at Jordyn. What dark magic did you use on him, you monster?!
She folded her arms and smirked. "Nothing. He did that on his own. Face it Bakura, you're all washed up. He's the true bearer of the Ring. You're just the thief stealing its power and his ability to use it."
Bakura gritted his teeth. You did this. This is all your doing! he snarled. You'll pay for this! He was about to charge at her when the dragon stepped in front of her.
"Enough," he growled. "This is between you and me." He narrowed his eyes. "And I'm ending it." The dragon slammed his paw into the ground and a huge chunk of earth flew out of the ground. It flew at Bakura, morphing itself into a cage.
Bakura's eyes widened as the cage swallowed and ensnared him. The cage sealed itself with no doors or any way out. What is this? What's going on? He glared at the dragon. What did you do ?!
"It's a spirit sealer," Jordyn replied, rather impressed. "And a darn good one too. Doesn't look like you're going anywhere anytime soon," she smirked.
What do you mean?
"Well now he can use that to lock you up for good in a part of his soul."
What?!
The dragon nodded. "Yes and that's exactly what I'm going to do." Before Bakura could do anything, the Millennium Ring illuminated a beam of light at the cage. "Now leave and never harm anyone again!" Bakura cried out in terror and the cage was absorbed in the Millennium ring.
When it was gone , the dragon sighed and tore the Ring off from around his neck. "It's finally over. I-I've never stood up to him and won before."
"He's not gone though. He can still appear to you and the people of the real world now too. But he's completely powerless now."
The dragon nodded gratefully. "And I've got you to thank for that."
Jordyn shook her head. "No, you are the one who did it. Thank yourself."
He smiled. "Well, thanks to you AND me." He looked down at himself. "I have a serious question though. Am I stuck as a dragon?"
Jordyn laughed a little. "No, but I don't think you'd look all that bad as one. He's a really good-looking one."
The dragon smirked and admired himself. "I'd have to agree with you on that one. He's a handsome one." His expression turned serous. "So how do I turn back?"
"Just think about being human again. It's pretty simple."
He nodded and closed his eyes. His body illuminated brightly. When it dimmed, the dragon was gone, replaced with his true form of a human. His eyes widened when he realized his clothes were gone. He yelped and tried his best to cover himself.
Jordyn giggled. "Relax, it won't happen again. Your transformation shredded your clothes. Here." She tossed him the shall she was wearing. He tied it quickly around his waist. "Go and change. I'm sure you've got clothes around here right?" He nodded and hurried off, his face a bright pink.
When he was gone, she ran over to Yugi who was still unconscious. Once she decided he was fine she picked him up gently and placed him on the couch. She went over to the table and picked up the Puzzle and last piece. She placed the puzzle around Yugi's neck and placed the last puzzle piece in his hand. Using his fingers, she placed the last piece into the Puzzle.
"Yugi, I hope we can become the best of friends and partners. I wish to protect you to my dying breath. I've lost everyone ever precious to me and I never want to lose you. You're all I have left. I swear to you, I won't fail you." She went to the table and sat down handling her pendant. She closed her eyes and it glowed. When it stopped, she looked down at her forearm to see that it had healed almost completely. She smirked and leaned back, thinking of what has happened and what would happen now.
In the back round, the Millennium Puzzle glimmered and illuminated for a second then disappeared, signaling its power had begun.
