Yugi is grateful that Katsuye didn't ask where they were going, or that she didn't come with them to the location either. Yami is angry at the Ghouls and their tactics, and while he does let Yugi calm him down a bit, Yugi's own anger at how badly Katsuye's been treated recently. He doesn't know the reasons for the two becoming so antagonistic towards each other, but he wanted to make sure that she was alright, that she would be safe and cared for. Instead, Kaiba had hurt her, and while she was doing better since joining the tournament, even after all that happened against the Ghoul, he also knew that they would have to address whatever had happened and why it had caused her to be so upset.
For now, Yugi remained quiet, watching from the back of their shared mind, as Yami reached the game store, pausing to look at the darkened room and the sign. Yugi could feel the odd sensation that came from the Shadows, moving around behind the door, and he swallowed.
"A Ghoul is here," Yami said as he pushed the door open, "and I'm guessing he's to keep us busy."
Why do you say that?
"Marik wants me in this tournament, but I think he also wants something else," Yami told him as they walked into the store, "So distracting me is the best...isn't it?" He asked, directing his attention towards the monitor. Yami could see better in darkness than Yugi could, and their shared body adjusted to it. It was one of the reason why they only traded control so often, and one of the things they'd discovered during their budding relationship - soul-touching was different but wasn't quite as exhausting as attempting to physically touch during that session. It had left Yugi so tired that Yami almost had to go to class for the day, and the same was true when Yami had tried to be in control instead. He'd been out that whole day, and it had made Yugi call off such things until they had a way to give Yami his own body.
The man steps out of the shadows as Yugi retreats a bit, though he's still at the edge of their conscious as the man holds up his Duel Disk, a red-edition Dark Magician hovering near him and smirking. The power of the Shadows is stronger with him, and give the cards more of a personality than they would have had. Yugi can already feel that change in his own cards, from the time in Duelist Kingdom as well as from the changes here.
"I heard that you were sharp," the masked Duelist said, coming out and looking like a stage magician, dressed in blues and reds with a dark mask over most of his face. "I'm Arcana, the master of Magicians, and the second Ghoul." He smirked, as did his Dark Magician, as he added, "I hear you also use a Dark Magician in your deck. I wonder, is that just a gimmick or are you really a master of your Magician?"
Yami is quiet before smirking. "We'll see about that. The Shadows are getting strong here, so just saying you're a Master or have that one card is not enough. The cards are gaining sentience, and are choosing the Duelists more and more. A card that is bound by trust to the Duelist will be stronger, and show it's true powers. You don't have the heart to take on me and my Dark Magician. I'll fight you, Magician vs. Magician!"
Kaiba frowns as his phone trills out a warning, getting him to look down and frown as he noticed Hinagata's number on the screen. "What?"
"You said to call if there was anything odd happened. Well, a few things did."
"Like what, exactly?"
"Like Yugi Muto's signal disappearing," Hinagata told him, "It's happened to a few others as well, and security found a few odd and hidden Duel arenas that were pretty dangerous, but Muto disappeared before we could triangulate his location. We're working on it, but for right now, he's gone and there's no way for us to get help to him."
Kaiba blinked at the implication and frowned. "Get onto it. I don't want this to happen again."
"I don't either…you haven't gotten the reports of the places we found the other Duelists in," Hinagata sounded upset, and Kaiba wondered if he was having issues with how things were going, as well as the years he had spent as a prisoner in Gozaburo's virtual world trap.
"I expect you to at least deligate, and to know when to stop if things are getting bad," Kaiba told him, "you have others you can trust with this. You don't need to focus so much if it's causing you issues."
"I'm ok…but thank you. If it gets too bad, my friend will take care of me, I promise. I'll get back to working on this, and to stopping the Ghouls from doing this again."
"Good. Thank you." Kaiba hung up and considered what this all might mean. He called up Itonokogiri, grateful when he heard Mokuba in the background.
"Mr. Kaiba?"
"I know Mokuba is upset with me right now…but I would feel better if he come with me for the rest of the tournament."
"Yes sir. We'll head to your location in a moment, sir, I promise."
"Thank you, Itonokogiri." He hung up again, and hoped that would be enough to stave off whatever was going on, and whatever dark methods the Ghouls would use throughout this tournament. Even with all the precautions they'd taken, the sheer number of Ghouls and Rare Hunters had only meant that many of the Duelists would face them at least once, especially for ones with very rare cards. As such, some of the ones who'd had rarer cards but weren't as good with Dueling were now in the tournament, but he supposed that only made the tournament a bit better…but not for someone like him, who had to deal with such weak Duelists and people.
Well, he'll have to see what happens. He started this to gain the God Cards, give Yami his freedom, and claim the title of King of Duelists that was rightfully his. All he cared was to win this tournament, show Yugi and Yami that he could win and defeat them. He would win, and that is all that mattered. After that, he wouldn't have to worry about Yugi and Yami, as well as any of their friends. He could get on with his life, and leave all the rest behind him.
I have no room in my life for people like Yugi, or Yami, and certainly no room in my life for that idiot, third-rate Duelist of a girl.
Yami frowns at the decorations in what Arcana called "Pandora's Room", the creepy arena in which Arcana wished to Duel him for the right to call himself a 'master' of Magicians.
Yami only had to touch his deck to know it was full of ways to cheat, and to know that Arcana only viewed his cards as tools to be used. Even the Dark Magician inside felt malice toward Arcana, but feared his wrath and would do what it could to serve him.
Arcana's trap catches Yami by surprise, Yugi panicking briefly as Arcana says, his voice sounding hectic and full of some sort of hysterical fervor. "And now you will witness the greatest show of the century! Arcana's daring escape from the very jaws of DEATH!"The saw blade that came out and began to whirl near them, Arcana's explanation of his 'house rules' sounding sadistic and cruel. The revelation of why this was already set up suddenly hit Yami as he felt the cries of all the other victims, knew why all of the cards in the deck hated and feared Arcana.
I'm not the first he pulled down here to take the cards he wanted from them. I won't be the first that he attempts to kill in this method.
"Arcana…I will not forgive you for all you've done!"
The Duel started even as Arcana kept his sadistic smile. Yami knew he'd already destroyed the cards to know one from the other, and to get his Dark Magician in his first hand. I'll show him how to fight against someone that uses a Dark Magician.
The Shadows that have attached themselves to the Duel Disks were making all of the cards and many of the Duels more...interesting. Kaiba was seeing it now, whenever his Duels turned and he instead called on the Blue Eyes to face his opponents. The Dragons roared and hissed, staying behind him and curling around him before opening their wings in a display that seemed designed to show that Kaiba was theirs. The other time he managed to summon the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, it had done much the same, the heads all having some odd, separate way of looking at the monster or person they were about to destroy.
Yami and Yugi, though, saw something quite different. Yugi was silent as he saw the Dark Magician in front of them, sacrificing himself to stop the Ectoplasm from the other magician. Arcana's continued disrespect of the game and even of the Shadows only made them grow more and more irritated.
Mou hitori no boku, Yugi finally said as their turn began, we have to take the Dark Magician from him.
That Magician would be hard to use, but Yami saw the point to taking it. It needed someone to care for it, and if the Duel Disks were going to spread the Shadows and allow the cards to have more and more of a personality, especially the higher-level and rare cards, as well as those that had been with their owner the longest.
He has two others...but I sense that they aren't as aware the first one he's used, Yami thought, meaning that those cards were probably replicas or copies of the first one Arcana had gotten. It made sense that the other Dark Magician had worked with Arcana but never seemed ready to attack unless ordered to, or why he stayed so close to his own card's image when others might move around.
When Arcana summons the Curtain, Yami knows what he has to do. He has multiple rare cards in his Deck, and this one is somewhat rare. While not as powerful as the Dark Magician, or even as Rare, she was going to help out, and would win the game.
So it's worth the sacrifice to his life points to summon her, the Dark Magician Girl appearing and glaring at the imitation version of her Master before fending off the attack, the power of his Dark Magician and the one in Arcana's graveyard adding to her power before she goes after Arcana himself.
Yugi takes over the moment they're free and Aracana begins screaming, dropping the key he'd been holding while the saw comes at it, taking out a part of his leg right before Yugi unlocked the bindings and pulled him down and away from the saw, huffing at the exertion so soon after he'd taken control and when his body was still changing back to fit him. Yami did his best to ease it even as Yugi breathed out, sounding as angry as Yami had been, "N-no game is worth dying for...that's just sick!"
Arcana's body shifted, moving like a puppet getting up, as his voice asked, tinted with the same overtone as the one they'd first faced, and getting Yugi to stiffen in fear as the blades stopped and signaled the end of the game.
"Now why would you do that...ah, I see. You're the 'other' Yugi, the Vessel."
Yami felt his own anger rise at Yugi's fear and curiosity. How dare Marik dismiss Yugi so, call him something like that? Yami hated that his partner, his aibou, was only seen as a vessel, as less than him, and treated so badly by all he faced. Shadii, Pegasus, and now Marik - all dismissed him when Yami knew he never could have gotten this far without his other side, his light.
"Why did you do this? Why are you attacking us?"
"I have no use for you, but I have business with the other soul contained in you. I am the heir of a clan, of tomb guardians, and I am here to avenge them."
Yugi stiffened at the news, Marik going on to say, "My clan has protected some of the Items for generations, through sorrow and suffering, to await the day when the Pharaoh returned to regain his memories. I don't plan to welcome the one that has caused us all such pain and suffering. I will kill the other soul, the soul of the Pharaoh that has caused us such suffering, and I will ascend to be the new king!" He chuckled. "I already have the two of the three God-Cards, the ones that will use their power to make the veil between the Shadows and this world more real, as it had been in ancient times. All three are in this tournament, and when the time comes, I will claim them and rid my clan of this curse that was put upon us by the soul you keep inside you!"
Yami can feel Yugi's fear, but underneath it is his calm and determination. He knows now why they are here, what he was trying to hide, and is not afraid of it. Yugi instead grips the chain around his neck, holding it near the top of the Puzzle, before he says to Marik, "I won't let you kill my partner. We will fight you!"
Marik let out a laugh. "You're nothing but a vessel...no matter what his fate, you'll die as well. But since I don't want you to be bored while I travel to your city...there is a man in your city with Osiris, the God-card. You'll see him before you know it...beware the silent doll, Yugi."
The hold was ended and Arcana dropped, slumping to the floor as Yugi allowed himself to shiver, not just from exhaustion over the change, but also from what had been said.
"Aibou...I am sorry for keeping this from you."
"We've faced this danger before. It's just...I'm afraid of what this might mean for everyone else in the tournament, as well as for us. I will help you regain your memories, no matter what that means. I knew the risks. That's why, no matter what, we're partners in this." He smiled and then looked down at the unconscious body of Arcana. "Let's get him somewhere safe, then continue. I think Anzu and the others are in the city now, and probably worried."
"No matter what happens, aibou, I will do my best to protect you and keep you from any dark fates," his other self said as they pulled out their prize, the other Dark Magician, and put it in with the other cards they'd collected. Yugi doubted he'd be able to work in their Deck at the moment, but hoped for a small break to figure out a good strategy with him and the other Dark Magician as well as the Dark Magician Girl. "It's only been a few hours since the start of the tournament. We have to be ready for anything that might come over the next few days."
"We will be," Yugi said before going to help up Arcana, "I know it."
