A/N: A bird's eye view of the situation
For the longest time, there was nothing but the rumbling hum of jet engine filling the air, an empty journey with only the end goal as a determining factor. None of his collective doubts could shine light on what awaited in Domino city, no–all of Japan was placed under the same uncertainty. And one of the things that made him angriest were situations that he couldn't understand.
Seto Kaiba did not trust tales of monsters and always looked to a more realistic explanation, regardless of whether or not such a thing existed. But he had no leads on why his company was suddenly in turmoil.
So he didn't know what to expect, even less knew what to make of the wave of dark clouds filling the horizon directly in the path to his destination. They were deep and unnaturally thick, casting dark shadows across the ocean's surface that rippled and flowed. Storm clouds? But without the slightest trace of lightning or rain to make the title obvious, and while he didn't like the look of them at all, Seto didn't make a move to turn the jet around. He'd come this far and turning back now would be nothing short of counterproductive.
The white jet didn't slow before the rolling tide of black, vanishing into the strange weather without hesitation. "Shouldn't be long now…" Seto's flight path was predetermined as a straight shot to Domino's KaibaCorp building with no detours or turns, but he glanced at the control panel to find that several gauges had started to tremble and spin erratically, as though he'd flown into a radio jamming wave instead of mere clouds. It was impossible to accurately read the figures, let alone fix them while he was still airborne, and it was only getting worse with every second that passed. It now made sense why nobody outside of Japan knew what was going on; any plane entering the area wouldn't be able to easily get back out again, or right their course after getting turned around in the blanketing clouds.
His jet should be an exception, far and away a different breed of craft from the bulky commercial liners that required constant communication to keep their course straight, but Seto was pushing the limits of his tech by venturing so deep into the black banks. However, he should be reaching the end of open ocean by now, and the pilot decreased his speed and started to descend.
Strangely enough the clouds didn't immediately abate even after dropping well below the commercial flight altitude, and continued to swarm around the craft just as thickly as before. 'Something's wrong…' Seto didn't get much opportunity to think on it however, when a massive object lurched out of the clouds at him, so obscured that he couldn't even see it until it was almost too close to avoid. Narrowly escaping from a premature demise, he pulled away from the obstacle with all the control he could, barely avoiding crashing directly into it and decelerated to prevent a repeat offense.
Nonetheless, the obstacle–building actually–seemed familiar, so he slowed down even more and dropped altitude until the construction stood out to him. "This is…the Yokohama Landmark. How can the cloud-line be this low…?" It should be much higher than this–a whole five stories were obscured in coal dark wisps. Either way, he still had to get to KaibaCorp, but he was turned around too much to keep flying in these unnatural clouds and still remain on course. The jet dropped slowly until his vision was clear, but the view beneath the shroud was one of darkness, what little remained of the sunlight glowed an occasional dull gray in the clouds but no further. It was as though Seto had been suddenly plunged into the depths of midnight.
No, it was darker.
There were no lights, electricity fallen dead and the streets were desolate but for haphazardly abandoned cars lying empty of their passengers, cast away uselessly like cicada husks. Occasionally he would see humanoid figures moving skittishly in the darkness and other, more shadowy forms too far away from him to determine their true nature. The scratchy white noise of the radio was steady and uninterrupted─the same sound Seto recognized all too clearly from his many failed phone calls to KaibaCorp─and he switched the device's volume down lower since it was all but useless, and also a bit distracting.
With the shroud and the condition of the city as he could see so far, Seto had to consider an option that he had completely overlooked before: what if this wasn't a technological problem, but a chemical one? He clenched his jaw as the possibility sunk in; the murk could just as easily be a slowly spreading toxic cloud as some strange thunderhead, and he was doubly glad for the high-pressure seals installed on the jet. But, if that was the case, Japan itself could be…
He had to see KaibaCorp first, before turning back or anything else. Seto adjusted the jet's flight path, winding around the landmark as a guide post before turning north to Domino, speeding somewhat slower over the country as the sights flashed by. Occasionally he would see a light─though not in the form of human power like electricity as he would have hoped─of a fire burning unheeded in the dim landscape, billowing smoke that floated upward to join the hanging veil. Large shapes moved between trees and buildings, more than a few stopping in their wandering to raise their heads to the sky, following the distant path of a lone white jet. Seto's transportation was stark bright against a backdrop of black and overcast gray, a shining beacon to those below, though he did not yet realize it.
Many more than one pair of eyes followed the white streak, including one scarlet eyed gaze, marked to his rapid approach the moment their sphere of influence above Japan was pierced. By the time Seto's jet breached Domino city limits, his arrival was already expected and prepared for.
Kaiba Corporation headquarters was just as dark and foreboding as the rest of the landscape he'd seen so far, but not as much as the inky black vortex rising further on in the city, and he couldn't see a single person near the building. Why…? Seto straightened up, his eyes widening as he realized the main office was not as empty as he initially thought it would be. Things were moving along the surface, climbing up and across the windows, circling the silent structure on wings that should have been nothing but an impossibility. A creature whose scaled body was longer than the entire height of Kaiba Corp wound its body around the entirety of the building like a boa constrictor, massive pale purple wings folded across its back.
A loud bang and a rumble jolted Seto to attention as something crashed into the hovering craft, and he rushed to right himself as what he could only think was an impossibility clung to the hull. A monster, and a familiar one at that. Ryu-Kishin swept its claws across the surface of the cockpit for a catch, long fangs jutting from dull red skin less than two feet from Seto's face. He stared in wide-eyed shock, mind racing to put together any conclusion that wasn't what was so obviously right in front of his eyes, but his thoughts came to a screeching halt as the fiend clawed irritably at the reinforced glass with a shrill sound that made the young man's hair stand on end.
Seto reflexively yanked on the throttle in response to the sound, dislodging the monster and racing away to gain some distance, only to find that many more monsters invested every corner of the city, slowly crawling out into the open to see the streaking white beacon. In the brief window of time he had been stationary, many more winged figures filled the skies, leaving little path for escape.
Only one other thing stood out among the monsters, a silver-haired humanoid figure bearing clawed wings and a snake-like tail that flitted around its feet, standing smugly on the very roof of the Kaiba Corporation headquarters. The being stared up at the jet with a sneer spreading across its face, and Seto couldn't help but be aware of how the monsters near it were bowed in reverence, claws and heads low enough to be scraping the concrete. While the jet looped the sky, dodging flying monsters that lunged at him closer and closer, the being radiating authority stepped up to the very edge of the roof and began to speak.
From so far away, from behind a thick barrier, Seto shouldn't have been able to hear the words. But the radio he'd turned down suddenly emitted a piercing screech, which then settled into what was unmistakably a voice. "The wayward prince finally returns. Welcome Seto, to our world," The howling pursuit began to increase in the accuracy of their attacks and the pilot couldn't spare a second to try to quiet the radio. How can he…? This is impossible, this is all impossible! And still the voice didn't cease, "We've been waiting for you, Scion of Light. Come, I have a gift for you, one you have no choice but to accept."
The golden Rod the being held aloft in those bloodstained hands was all too familiar, a brilliant eye laid bare upon its surface, bringing the foreign memories he'd suppressed from Battle City resurfacing once again. Seto tightened his hands around the controls enough to hurt, using everything he had to focus on his moving surroundings and not on the visions dancing behind his eyes.
The net was closing in all around; his coming here was a trap from the start.
"Really, Seto, where's your fiery spirit? Not even going to hurl worthless insults like Honda did when we ensnared him?" What? Honda, isn't he… And it shouldn't have been a surprise to find that Yugi and his little squad were involved with this somehow, but it did not begin to explain the monsters or anything else. Nor did it explain what this thing wanted. But it was the next words out of that sneering mouth that marked the end of his flight, "Pity… Did you not inherit his spirit, the Pharaoh of the White Dragon?" Seto choked, the resulting rush of memories crashing into him with the force of a physical blow, lurching forward in his seat.
—Cracked earth and screams of pain, but he was silent, cradling a still form burning from within with a hidden light. The dragon shined inside as the dust cleared, and the one left standing at the end of it all plucked from the ruined ground glimmering puzzle pieces, and placed–one by one–into a golden box. A kingdom entrusted, from his Pharaoh, from his frien—
The vision cut off in an instant as his hands smashed across the control panel, pain to drive out the phantoms in his mind. Distracted for just a few seconds too long, the jet spun out and rammed into a roaring Devil Dragon in his path, shearing off his craft's right wing with a hideous shriek of metal on scaled hide.
And just like that, it was over.
The jet spun out once again, careening through the air uncontrollably as Seto could no longer correct his flight path, and the noose suddenly snapped shut as the converging monsters descended on him all at once. They caught him in almost perfect unison, claws scrabbling for purchase on the smooth metal, tearing into and through the other wing in the process. The engines sputtered and died immediately after, then screamed as their casings were ripped from the hull by a dozen searching limbs. Monsters tore at the broken excuse for an aircraft, seeking to loosen the glass partition that was his last remaining safety net, all while the snake-tailed demon stared down at him with a pose of expected victory.
"What…are you?" Seto snarled, still not quite believing that this was what things had come down to.
"So, he does speak after all," A cold laugh, harsh and scratchy over the failing radio, "I wouldn't waste what remains of your freedom worrying about it Seto, you'll find out personally soon enough." At those words–as if on cue–a spiderweb of cracks radiated across the surface of his barrier.
Not yet. I refuse to give in to something like you! His hands found the eject switch and yanked it back furiously. At the same time that the cockpit finally gave into the beasts trying to dislodge it and disconnected, his seat rocketed into the sky far above their heads, one last trick up his sleeve in resistance. He allowed himself a moment of relief that the air pulled into his lungs didn't make him hack and cough, but there was still no indication of whether or not it would cause him any harm. But there was no time to wonder about the matter, as the pursuers turned their attention from his shredded jet and followed him, Seto cursing the thought that his escape was only a delaying tactic.
But still…there was a light.
The monsters didn't seem to notice it at first, the light in the darkness, approaching them rapidly on massive wings. Before the full realization of what Seto was seeing could sink in, the advancing star spewed forth a crackling beam of white lightning, disintegrating all those caught in its encompassing touch. Unable to even release a scream of pain, the monsters below were torn apart in an instant, blasted to particles before his very eyes. 'White lightning–!' Even after the blast passed, he could feel the charred ozone, and the electric static raced up his arms.
The rest of the chasing beasts dispersed before the rarest of all dragons and Seto could see his savior in all their glory.
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon…" The holograms were pale imitations to the dragon that now hovered before him, who was both larger in scale than the ones he was familiar with and glowed a pale white in the overcast sky that only accentuated the perfect hue. Every winding pale blue vein in those pulsing wings was perfectly defined, every curved claw or tooth honed to a point. The dragon's breath smelled of fire and an oppressive force seemed to air over the air around it like the low pressure of an approaching storm.
It was glorious.
But the moment didn't last long, as the pursuing swarm wheeled around in an arc as they composed themselves for an attack, and Seto could see clawed hands clench in fury around the golden Rod as the assault began in earnest. Without hesitation, the Blue-Eyes threw out a claw and plucked him from the air, twisting its head around and erupting up another blast of electricity that sent another dozen beasts straight to an early grave. With the seat straps coming apart around the scaly grip, Seto wrapped his arms around the shell, feeling the throbbing pulse of heat from underneath his hands. If he wasn't in midst of an aerial attack, hounded on all sides by the inconceivable notion of duel monsters brought to life, he could've spent a long time studying the object of his admiration.
As it was, the white dragon was taking the opportunity to make good their escape, blasting apart the rogue enemy that dared to get in their way, and making haste to somewhere far from the Kaiba tower and the Rod high atop it. But Seto could see the gargantuan serpent wrapped around the building beginning to unravel, slowly uncoiling from its resting position to spread equally huge wings into the air, a rain of shattered glass windows falling from the sky with every move it made. It was slow to rouse, but it wouldn't be long before that behemoth was chasing them as well.
The Blue-Eyes didn't stop or look back, pulling in those wings close to accelerate until the tower disappeared into the distance behind them. Barely a minute had passed before the dragon was diving, losing altitude rapidly until its hind legs were so close to the asphalt road that they were almost skidding across the surface. The the shining beast paused just for a moment, letting Seto drop to the ground a few feet below, before zooming back into the open sky with now empty talons pulled close to its chest. He thought for a moment to shout back to it, only to duck into a deeply shadowed alley for cover as a shadow fell across the sky and dwarfed the Blue-Eyes at its heel.
It was the huge serpentine beast from before, diving after the white dragon in chase, following it out of sight as the pale monster's outstretched tail trailed for ages across the horizon until long after its quarry was out of sight. Was the Blue-Eyes using itself as bait…to protect him? And that was jarring enough up top of seeing the white dragon appear so suddenly, only to vanish again like dust on the wind. Whether it was his own desires, the impossibility of the living dragon, those visions dropping uninvited into his mind, or a combination of all three, in no way did Seto view the Blue-Eyes' departure as a good thing.
But, there was also the immediate problem: What now?
Kaiba Corporation was decimated; there was no denying that the empty skeleton that was what remained of his company was rotten from the infestation of–and there was no denying now that they were real–monsters. Any of his employees that happened to be inside the headquarters at the time wouldn't have stood a chance; with how widespread this madness had advanced, there was an all-too-real possibility that Kaiba Corp. no longer existed within Japan, and the fate of his employees was grim at best. This–the true hub of all their operations–and the connections formed there, spelled the doom of the Kaiba empire and everything that they had created. And that was the breaking point…everything he built, worked for so many years was now lying in tatters under a black sky, without a piece of explanation. So many years of pain, of sacrifice…for this?
The sick feeling rose up behind his teeth, before being forced down. That numbness and pain was buried deep, and one day soon he would be forced to face it, but not now.
Everything was gone and he was alone. Seto had confidence in his desolation before (though something inside had been shaken at times, by alliances on rooftops and the long dead sentimentality of a man who bore his face), when he had the power of what he built and Mokuba at his side. Now though…
His radio was gone, and even if he did still have it on him, no signals could pass through the clouds as anything other than white noise. He'd proven that the moment he'd flown beyond the barrier (he should've turned back right then, and gone straight back to Isono before reaching Domino), and now Mokuba would think he was missing in action along with everyone else in this country.
The Blue-Eyes was gone, presumably leading a living colossus on some wild goose chase, and no amount of following on foot would reunite them unless his rescuer chose to return.
There was one other path left to take, and it was one that creature holding that golden item had mentioned personally, even if it wasn't the conclusion he was intended to have drawn. That monster in particular was hunting them, he'd admitted it all too readily, and had uncountable swarms and who knows what else at his beck and call. But if one of Yugi's little squadmates were involved, then so was he.
It always came back to Yugi in the end.
The gamer, his rival, and that Puzzle they never stopped talking about. Every time some absurd magical situation ruined his tight-knit world, Yugi was involved in some way (or to blame for it, the spiteful part of him appended) and if there was anyone in Japan that knew the why of all of this it would be him.
Seto finally stepped out of the alleyway, eyes scanning the surrounding streets for any more threats (it was just textbook caution, he told himself, as he wouldn't admit to the undercurrent of nervousness), and greeted to a silent street cast in dark gray. His coat was torn and ragged around the middle and ends, a side-effect of the Blue-Eyes' claws and the forced ejection, and he ripped out the useless receiver in his collar as it spewed mindless static. The reminder of that voice speaking directly into his jet through the radio inspired Seto to go one step further and crush the piece of tech under his heel in fury. He couldn't stomach his own creations being manipulated like that again, even at the cost of destroying them.
Thankfully, he still recognized where he was in Domino–though further north than he would like–and could use that knowledge to find the Kame Game shop, and move on from there. Reoriented, and with a clear goal in mind, Seto took one last uncertain glance in the direction where the white dragon had flown, and started walking.
–Subway Line, Domino–
They ran, ran from their collapsing lives and those who were left behind, and the roars that faded into echoes after the fact. Jounouchi saw it all too clearly, that regretful smile and the surrender that it entailed, and only the instinctual need to get Yugi and Anzu to safety stopped him him from expelling what was left in his stomach. It was sickening, how easily the Spirit tore them apart and–though he hadn't thought to say it aloud–Jounouchi couldn't help but think that he was somehow to blame.
He knew…knew Honda the best, he should have seen what he was going to do, should have stopped him! The fact that he'd saved them by closing that door didn't completely stick in his mind, and even then, what Jounouchi wanted was them to stick together no matter what. Even if he acknowledged the why of his actions, it couldn't excuse them, no matter what words of logic he tried to use to explain it away. He counted on Honda to watch his back whenever it counted, to watch after them as he promised to so many times before, but not like this–never like this. He should have been watching closer, should have noticed something was wrong after the incident on the stairs, and found another way together!
Too much had been lost already! The Other Yugi was gone to who knows where, if he was even around at all, and–with everything else they had already witnessed–Bakura might not be in one piece either. One alone was too many, Honda didn't need to tear him apart any further.
It was only after Yugi tugged on his arm that Jounouchi realized he was shaking, the beginning of yet more tears peaking on his face that he couldn't hold back, and turned roughly to find himself seeing shell-shocked faces that mirrored most of what he was feeling. "Yugi…I, I couldn't…"
"It's not your fault…" Yugi was insistent, but the pain–and stubborn, self-inflicted guilt–refused to go away. He couldn't help but think that maybe things would have gone different, but Honda was always so difficult, so set in his chosen path. "There's still…still a chance," The boy continued, trying anything in his power to raise Jounouchi's spirits, though even the densest observation could see how forced his words were, how even he didn't fully believe them. As Yugi's consoling words came apart at the seams and broke, Anzu held his shoulders with hands that trembled just as much and offered her support in the only way she could. And yet, somewhere underneath the turmoil of guilt, pain, and anger that this mess had landed them all in, some part of Jounouchi was still musing on that unknown possibility: how does one manage to kill a demon? The demon in the sarcophagus, and the spirit who won his twisted game and placed all this into motion…there had to be some way to make them undone.
It was despair that ruled him now, but hate that urged him onward. Jounouchi still at his core, held himself responsible for what had happened, but he also knew full well who set this all into motion. He was not the type of person for murder, for cold-blooded killing, but after everything that happened–and would continue to happen if somebody didn't step up to stop it–he would like nothing more than to end that demon once and for all.
But there were still so many left, friends and family who he couldn't let fall to the same fate. Jounouchi didn't want to see the echoes of his oldest friend's surrender ever again, not in anybody or any where. "We…we have to do something," Before his friends could ask him the inevitable questions, Jounouchi surged onward before his voice cracked once again, "What about Gramps? Everyone from school…? We have to help them!"
The outcry was immediate: Anzu's parents and Yugi's grandfather and mother were still needing help from the rising surge of madness they shouldn't be involved in (and Jounouchi's own father as well, and despite all his enmity and pain, family was still family). And who knew how much of Japan was affected by that point? Beyond the school and Domino residents, how far had the monsters spread? Tokyo? Farther? Was his sister in danger too? When the flickering lights of the subway lights gave way to the darkened streets of Domino, leaving both a literal and figurative bright side behind in those tunnels, Jounouchi barely managed to keep his rising panic under control–though not his grief and anxiety for those he hadn't yet found.
Anzu's parents were the closest, the first stop on the worst adventure they'd ever undertaken, and hopefully the first of many they could save.
No more broken hearts, and more than anything else, no more sacrifices.
