Chapter Four: The Birth of a Nation
Summary:
Though we had never met, I have carried you about with me for a long, long time.
- Colonel Ben Cameron, film; Thomas Dixon and D.W. Griffith
The King, pressing his hand lightly against Yuugi's forehead, pondered the thoughts that had bothered him. Yuugi was still sleeping, and the sun had not yet risen. The King pressed his lips to Yuugi's forehead, smelling a sweet scent from his love.
Yuugi's grandfather had set up a room for the King to sleep in, but Yuugi had brought the King to his room, pressing kisses sweetly to his lover's cheeks and jawline. The King had returned the affection, quietly taking off his lover's clothes and laying hands over unmarred skin. They created no union but only a wonderful feeling of intimacy that made the world around them disappear. It was not to say that anything save for conquest could make them completely become one, but that the touch was a feeling that the King could only handle so often.
Yuugi's grandfather, since the talk that he shared with the King, had not pressed them to stay in separate rooms, now accustomed to the stray hand-holding and gazes that they would give one another. The King was often pulled into Yuugi's room, their kisses and touches left nearly silent, as they wished to not have anyone come in uninvited, least of all Yuugi's grandfather.
Yuugi smiled as he woke up, seeing his lover and feeling his other self curl against his mind, greeting him for the new day. He sent happiness and energy as best as he could with his still weak means of translating feelings into actions that his Other Self could interpret as a warm greeting.
His Other Self pushed him to get out of bed, gently ushering him to start his school day. Yuugi nodded, turning to the other source of warmth in his life currently present. His King's body was against his, and bright eyes of red were focused on Yuugi, joy apparent there. Yuugi bent down and the King rose so that their mouths could meet, their bodies alive and awake with each other's presence there.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Yuugi." Yuugi stood up from his bed, smoothing out his pyjamas in a weak attempt to avoid getting up for school right at that moment.
He looked down at his King and smiled, pressing a sweet kiss to the other's mouth in a moment of bliss. The King looked up at him, smiling.
"Have you been awake long?"
"Not too long." The King sat up, laying his head on Yuugi's shoulder and making the boy flush. Too many thoughts went through his head when he would wake up from sleep and try to comprehend so many feelings in the morning, and now that he could feel another set of emotions - a third, whenever his Other Self would press a few emotions against his Soul - he had too much of a base to settle some good fantasies upon, fantasies of touching, tasting, and ignoring the world about them, just to be lost to his lover again.
"Let's get breakfast," the King murmured, sensing Yuugi's distraction. He pressed a kiss to his clothed shoulder and ushered Yuugi out of bed, smiling at Yuugi's slight embarrassment and pulling him to his clothing that was always being laid out for the day. It had been laid out and ready for the last few months, that way that Yuugi could just get dressed and hurry out in case he would be late for school.
This morning, he wouldn't be late. He had already taken a bath last night, so a quick shower was okay. He waved the King off when he had gathered his things, ready to go into the bathroom and start his day.
As the King made his way downstairs, he greeted Yuugi's grandfather with a bow, and he was greeted by a warm smile. There was hardly any discourse between them, and that made everything better. He saw the bowl of miso soup, and he grabbed the empty bowls on the counter. He saw that it was only three bowls, and he sighed at the missing space that Yuugi's mother had left. Karuta had left again, wishing to see her husband and stay in England with him. Her husband had also heard of a possible job for her while she was with him; that would be sent back to Yuugi's grandfather and be added to her son's college fund.
She had welcomed him into their home, offered him clothing that had belonged to Yuugi's father and that she had saved for Yuugi if he would have grown a bit more by now. It was clothing that smelt of moths and age, like they had a story to them. One shirt had a stain that had never come out; it was the color of a dark rust and smelt of iron. She had given him children's Japanese books when she found out that he had a hard time with Kanji, shown him workbooks that Yuugi had used to get him into the steady practice of writing each character properly, and had made flashcards that they had played games with.
Karuta was a good woman, he figured, pouring the soup into each bowl and wishing for a fourth. He felt his blood stir at the idea of a fifth bowl being there soon.
"Did you sleep well, Ouji-kun?" The King turned to Yuugi's grandfather, seeing the old man sit down. The man had set out the cooked eggs and rice, ready to be eaten. The King nodded.
"Did you sleep well, Sugoroku-jii-san?"
"You can call me 'grandfather' now," Sugoroku said, his voice warm. He gestured over the young man to sit with him. The King nodded, bringing the bowls over as carefully as he could and setting one down in front of his grandfather first.
"There you are, Jii-chan."
He had just started to drink his juice when Yuugi came down, ready for the day and the Puzzle around his neck. The King closed his eyes as Yuugi and their grandfather began to talk about the day. He was home.
"Good morning, Yuugi!" Yuugi waved to Anzu who was coming close to the school gates. He ran towards her, eager to see her. He wanted to tell her about the new information that he had learnt the day before.
"Good morning, Anzu! How are you doing today?"
Anzu smiled. "I feel good, especially after all of that studying... and I bet that Risa feels good, too." She gestured with her head over to the girl that was walking towards the school, her green eyes looking around the area.
Risa looked somewhat sleep-addled, holding onto her books close to her chest. Her body was tense, as though she was lost, still daydreaming.
"Risa-chan!" Anzu called over, and their friend walked over to them, a small smile on her face.
"Good morning, Anzu-san, Yuugi-kun." Risa shifted her grip on her school bag, a briefcase that she had always preferred since the beginning of the school year. Her cheeks were rosier than normal. "Are we still waiting for the others?"
"Yep! I haven't seen Jonouchi-san and the others yet." Yuugi looked around; usually Hanasaki was ahead of the rest, as his father was now to be working in Domino for an extended period of time, until the move to America at the end of next month, and Hanasaki had been driven to the school everyday. Honda would usually follow, as he had gotten a new bike and would make it to school early.
"Oh..." Risa smiled a bit more widely, seemingly more awake now.
"Did you stay up last night, Risa?" Anzu smiled at her. "Did you stay up all night thinking of Hanasaki?"
Risa didn't blush at all this time; she seemed more flustered than anything else, having not expected such a question.
"No, my older sister Eli kept me up. She, Bess, and I are going to have a girls' night, and she was planning it out," she explained. "We used to play a game that we made up, all to do with Shakespeare's stories and different myths."
"That sounds fun!" Yuugi could feel some curiosity from his Other Self as well. Yuugi made a mental note to get a book of Shakespeare's plays and poems when they went to the library next time.
"It's usually more frustrating than anything," Risa admitted, "but it can be pretty fun."
The bell was soon ringing for them to come to class, and the three went inside the gate's boundaries, turning to calls from their other friends as they all approached the school building.
The school day began, but there was a small sense of dread in Yuugi's stomach. He didn't know who it belonged to. There was a small sound ringing in his ears, like someone had been calling him.
"...gi-kun?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. What is it, Risa-chan?"
"I was wondering about that pendant that you have around your neck? It looks dreadfully old." Yuugi smiled.
"It's the Millennium Puzzle. It was found by archaeologists about sixty years ago."
Risa's eyes twinkled, and she went on, "It's like the charm I gave Tomoya-kun. It's supposed to help him feel better. What kind of magic does your Puzzle have?"
"Protection."
He was certain of that.
Bess walked into the house while Risa was still asleep. The middle triplet quickly went upstairs, peeking into her sisters' rooms. Eli's was first, and she pouted at the sight of the empty room. A poster Christopher Lee stared down at her with an alluring eye, comically bright red-orange blood decorating his shirt, and Van Helsing stood with a stake in his hand on another poster. Duel Monsters were on a poster as well, the familiar Hag, Maid, and Mother all standing with snake idols drawn around them, a wonderful painting of the macabre designs that Industrial Illusions provided for Mid-Earth Expansion. Staring back with bright green eyes, Bess wondered how much of her culture she didn't know; not that it was at the top of the list of her priorities at the moment, but it did tickle the back of her mind.
Bess heard a soft groaning and she left Eli's room. On her way to Risa's room, Bess set her bag down by her own door, a door that she had decorated with stars, moons, and music notes. She had a vague longing for her teachers at her academy, especially her choir instructor, but the longing for her sisters was greater.
She walked towards Risa's room and saw her younger sister tossing and turning in bed, her face contorted in discomfort. Bess walked over and held her as best as she could, cooing and crooning to her in attempt to soothe her. Bess looked up at her sister's drawers, seeing pictures of their family in various frames. She also spotted pictures of various people in school uniforms that matched Risa's own.
Marcella and Takumi had been blessed when they had met each other in the Palace Theatre twenty years ago; that was the story that they had always told their triplet daughters. They didn't stop their lives, however, and the triplets found themselves in so many international schools that Eli and Bess had retreated into themselves, focusing on the lives that they shared as sisters. In this way, they'd always have their best friend with them, never forming a connection that they would have to break.
Risa had always been a bit different. She would indulge Eli and Bess with their games, but she always wanted to be away from her sisters as well. Risa would dream of flying everywhere and saying farewell to everything that she touched and held dear. As Risa settled into slumber, Bess stood up and took up a picture frame.
At their previous school, when they all went to middle school together, Risa had been part of the theatre group. Eli had hated that their youngest sister wanted to be away from them, and out of love for both sisters, Bess had never taken either side. Not even when Risa would cry that her older sisters hated her, and her mother would scold the older girls, Bess did not defend anyone; it was something that Eli and Risa had to understand in one another.
"I'm so sorry, Risa," she whispered to the green-eyed girl in the photo, a smiling and bright Risa that was dressed up as Hamlet's Ophelia.
She held the frame to her chest and looked to her watch.
11:52 in the morning.
'Eli must be holding up her charade quite well,' she thought. The confidence in her sister made her smile, and a power in her blood began to burn.
She felt like singing, because Risa would want to be with them from now on.
Wherever there is music from a Spirit, a demon lies. Kind or maleficent, it sleeps inside of it, twisting tunes into spells or curses or even things meant only to delight.
The Danava knew this well, and when they heard a Banshee calling, they pressed all of their worry outward, to the only one that could possibly understand them.
"Is it nice having a girlfriend, Hanasaki?" Honda teased. The younger boy just blushed and Honda clapped a hand on Hanasaki's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, man! Let love take charge!"
"Yeah, 'cause it worked so well for you, Honda!" Jonouchi smiled over at Hanasaki, whose cheeks burned. "Risa is a nice girl. You can relax. I'm just wondering..."
"About what, Jonouchi-kun?"
"Well, you're moving next month to America, right?"
Tomoya nodded, and he looked down at his desk. The day was almost over, only being at school for several hours rather than the majority of the day. He looked over to Risa, who did not look over to him. She hadn't looked at him all day, even after she had called him by his first name and had given him the bracelet. She felt like a different person.
The King went about his chores for the day, wondering about what the Danava had told him the day prior. He found himself thinking of his own magic and what it could mean. The darkness inside of his body, his bones, his chest; it never tried to jump out of his control, but he didn't doubt that it might decide to one day. Yuugi's soul was light itself; something inside of him told him profusely that light and dark were not to mix, as they were opposites in every way. What could exist as a beautiful harmony inside of them would become a chaos that could not be restrained once set free unto the world; however, his soul told him that they could live in tandem.
He began to hum something that held no words in his heart, a wordless tune that his voice was struggling to create meaning in but ended up fruitless.
He looked to the clock and saw that Yuugi would be coming home soon. the King smiled, trying to hurry with his chores. They had plans to go see a film that had come out earlier in the year, something scary.
A wave of concern swept over him, and the King found himself falling to his knees, dropping one of the older game controllers that Sugoroku-jii-chan would keep on display in the game shop. It was a familiar feeling, one that he had felt when he had first awoken, a concern that had woken him up in the first place.
He pushed back against the Danava's energy, like touching a balloon that would give under his touch. It pushed back, this time with images and words that were heard. The King could see Yuugi and his friends leaving school. Something felt off about Risa, and the Danava suspected somehting foul.
'A doppelganger?'
'No, this creature is real... Didn't Risa mention triplets?'
The King nodded, bending down to pick up the controller and place it on the counter. He pressed forward, reaching to feel the same power that the Danava had felt. The Danava allowed it and the King realized the worry.
The power that had reached out for its sibling was hungry, wanting, and it couldn't determine what would sate it. It wanted to serve something, reaching a goal that was similar to Yuugi's own, one selfless and selfish.
'The Witch that is here with Danna-sama is too curious of the Puzzle.'
'Does she feel you?'
'I don't know. She's very clever, this Witch... The school is far away now. Danna-sama accepted an invitation to the Kageyama home.'
The King reached out through the Bond with Yuugi and saw that he was with his friends.
'I'll go to him. Keep him safe!'
'Of course.'
"Risa-chan, what are you planning at your house? Will we be meeting your sisters there?" Risa turned to Yuugi and nodded.
"Of course!" Risa led everyone to her home, and Yuugi turned to Hanasaki. The boy's face was flushed, as though there was a desire burning underneath his skin that couldn't be shooed away. He stood on Risa's right side and Yuugi was walking just behind him, but Risa's attentions were focused towards Yuugi and he understood the other boy's discomfort.
"I'm home, with guests!" Risa called as they arrived. It was a nice house, and the bus ride had been kind to everyone. They left their shoes at the doorway and walked down towards the living room. Jonouchi and Honda gawked at the lavish decorations from various places around the world. London, Florence, Samara, Chicago, Tongyeong, Barcelona, St. Louis, and more; this family had even more places to explore than any of them could in a lifetime. Bakura pointed out a few images that caught his eye.
"Is that the Sarbonne in Paris?"
"My father taught there for a little while."
Risa helped them to the living room, where she then asked for some assistance from Yuugi, Hanasaki, and Anzu in the kitchen, as she said "Just in making tea for a whole group of teenagers." She invited them to look around the living room, smiling as they picked up little tchotchkes from about the room.
"I'll get out a cake for everyone. It's downstairs in our icebox." Risa excused herself after they had gotten the tea set ready. Hot water had already been prepared - "Bess and Eli must have been expecting us sooner."
"Do you need help, Risa-chan?" Hanasaki came forward and smiled up at her. Green eyes twinkled back and Hanasaki's smile changed somewhat, more subdued now.
"All right, let's go to the icebox." Risa and Hanasaki began to walk down a hallway that led to the back of the house. Before they made it out the doorway, Risa asked Yuugi to perhaps get some vanilla biscuits from the pantry.
"I'll take this to the living room, then, Yuugi." Anzu carried one tray of tea and cups to the living room, easily managing the china and the drinks. Yuugi nodded and watched as she left the room, just keeping an eye on her to make sure that she didn't drop anything, despite her reassurances to him.
"Okay, now where are those biscuits?" Yuugi opened the pantry, and he looked around for any biscuits in the pantry. He saw boxes for different cereals, some with bright colorful labels in English that Yuugi was sure had more sugar than cereal; different teas with different languages on them; and of the many boxes and tins that Yuugi saw, he couldn't spot a vanilla biscuit tin right away. He spotted a blue circular tin, but he recognized the word "butter" and figured that it wasn't correct.
He stared into the pantry for a good while, hearing his friends in the sitting room chat away about the short school day and their coming assignments. He wondered, as he navigated where to place the containers as to not knock them over, about Risa and Hanasaki.
"Oh, you must be Yuugi-kun." Yuugi turned and saw a girl with a blue blouse and black skirt...
"Yes! Mutou Yuugi... Are you one of Risa's sisters?"
The girl nodded.
"My name is Bess. It's wonderful to make your acquaintance." Bess bowed. Looking at and listening to her, Yuugi felt that she was quieter than even Risa. "Are you getting something?"
"Oh," Yuugi stammered out. "Risa mentioned something about vanilla biscuits, but I can't find them in here at all."
Bess looked pensive for a moment, one hand fiddling with the hem of her blouse. Her eyes shot to a look of realization, and she snapped the finger and thumb of her other hand, the small sound cracking the air.
"I think they're actually in the icebox!"
Yuugi sighed slightly at that before seeing Bess wave him over.
"It's okay, I'll show you the basement."
"Sure, if you don't mind."
They walked down the corridor, and the rest of the group was still chatting away in the living room.
The hallway felt long, but Yuugi didn't mind it, as Bess began to ask about Domino High School and Risa's time there.
"She is in the drama club, Bess-san. We're actually reading part of Shakespeare in class for our World History course, and she's amazing at it!"
"She always has been!" Bess cheered, showing such a deep affection for her younger sister. "For being the youngest, she's really the most outgoing. She's like our parents, really. They love traveling and being with the people in every new place that we've gone to, to live in. Oh, here's the basement door."
The door opened to a small staircase. Yuugi could see the steps faintly, but Bess led the way, ushering him to follow, something Yuugi couldn't resist. If Risa today was somewhat repellent, Bess was magnetized. Yuugi didn't want to pull away from her ideas or words, compelled to engage with her. It was rather dark as the door closed behind them, but Yuugi felt quite safe. The distance seemed impossibly long; Yuugi felt the coolness of the basement seeping into his bones.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Yuugi saw Bess in front of him, though not so far as to not see her face. Her face was stoic, lips tight in a strained smile.
"Bess-san?"
"... I'm sorry." She stopped, and Yuugi fell forward, pulled down by an energy that wanted him down. It pulled at his heart, and the more he resisted, the more he felt fire in his blood, a pain unbearable without groaning low in his throat.
"B-Bess-san, w-what..?"
"We just need your Puzzle. That's all." Yuugi looked up, Bess kneeling down on one knee next to him. She placed a hand on his back, rubbing it in circles to soothe him. "Just tell me I can have it and all will be well."
"N-No."
"Bess, get over here." A new voice, almost identical to Bess's and Risa's voices but so much sharper, came from further in the basement, but surely the basement couldn't be that big. Yuugi let Bess tell him to move along with her, Bess grabbing his arm and pulling him up. The fire in his blood came again as he tried to resist, needles joining the flame.
"Don't resist the draíocht, Yuugi-kun. It'll only hurt worse." Yuugi sighed, giving into the words and into the relief that followed. He followed Bess into the shadows, seeing a light that couldn't exist this far down in the basement. Torchlight stood upon short poles, the flames licking the air in languid strokes. Yuugi could see small squares on the walls, blinking at the realization that they were windows to let any smoke out. He saw two people on the ground, arms behind their backs and gags in their mouths.
"R-Risa-chan? Hanasaki-kun?"
"Welcome, Yuugi-kun, though I didn't think that you could resist Bess's glamour." Yuugi saw Risa - the one that he had met at school that day, as her school uniform was still on - come from her seat hidden in the shadows. She set a hand on the other Risa's head, the other girl growling at her. "And my little sister couldn't help either. Shame, really."
"Are you the oldest sister?"
"Eli, yes." Eli sighed. "What gave it away?"
"You didn't act right, not like Risa."
Eli sighed. She grabbed Risa roughly, the youngest triplet crying out. Yuugi wondered how long Risa had been tied up, the girl still in her night clothes. Hanasaki was crying out against the gag in his mouth, his muffled calls for Risa loud in the darkness of the basement. Risa was laid upon a pattern of circles and snakes, her body against the stone floor. Eli frowned, moving the gag enough to let Risa gulp in air to her burning lungs.
"Risa," Eli cooed in English, "we'll wake you up really soon."
"What do you mean? I don't know what you're doing! Why are you two hurting Tomoya and Yuugi-kun?"
Eli sighed. "I can't believe that you're still sleeping. You're too intuitive to still be human."
Risa blinked up at her sister, speechless. Yuugi struggled against Bess's magic, this draíocht that she had mentioned, but he kept part of his mind open, trying to hear what Eli and Risa were saying.
"Yuugi-kun," Bess whispered to him, her breath tickling his ear, "please give us the Puzzle."
Even if he didn't understand all of it, he knew that Eli said that Risa was sleeping.
"Why?"
"We just want to wake our sister up. Your Puzzle can do that." Yuugi turned to her, and her eyes seemed so sad.
"... Are you Adapa?"
"Gorgons... We just want our sister to be with us again. She's always forgotten us, but it's never taken her this long to wake up." Bess's magic washed over him, and Yuugi felt his eyes tearing up. A pit of emptiness opened inside of him, and he felt despair rise up within him. He felt a longing for home, the taste of salt in his mouth and the sound of waves in his ears. He wanted Risa next to him, wanted to see her smile, and he wanted to be seeing the world with Eli and Risa-
"No!" He pushed away from Bess, running towards Risa and Hanasaki. Eli turned around just as Yuugi rushed past her, falling to the ground as soon as Yuugi pushed her down. The draíocht magic burned against his skin, but Yuugi ignored it, pulling away Hanasaki's bonds and the two rushing to free Risa.
Bess ran forward, and Risa had managed to stand up enough to kick her sister in the abdomen. Bess fell back, crying out and the burning draíocht fading.
The three ran into the darkness, looking for the stairs.
"Yuugi-kun, how are you here?"
"Your sister invited us... Just for the Puzzle." Yuugi looked into the darkness, trying to figure out where to go. "Damn it!"
"Risa-chan, where is the exit?"
"I don't know..." Risa murmured. "I don't... I don't know what my sisters want or how to get out of this!"
"Risa." Hanasaki grabbed her hand tightly. "Calm down. Let's just find the way out."
Yuugi nodded, but Risa just stayed next to Hanasaki, embracing him.
"Tomoya-kun..."
"Yuugi! Hanasaki!"
Yuugi turned to the voice, and it was his King's voice. He pulled the other two along towards the noise.
"Are the stairs this way?" Risa pulled Tomoya along, her face haggard but determined. Yuugi didn't answer, only making a pained noise as his legs hit the bottom step. He fell, trying stand up as fast as he could.
"You aren't leaving again, Risa."
Eli's voice was close. The three turned to her, seeing lightning in her hands and the light illuminating her face.
Yuugi spread his arms out, Risa and Hanasaki moving behind him. They held each other tightly, wishing each other's well-being. Yuugi found himself jealous; would he die down here? Would he be lost down here forever? The concern and worry in his brain was overpowering, only contested by the terror in his belly. Love in his heart flooded him with a longing that he couldn't process. He had the urge to run away, but he didn't want to, not when his friends could be hurt in his stead. He didn't know what was draíocht or his own emotions anymore.
Pride flooded through him suddenly, and Yuugi realized who the worry and pride belonged to. The crack of wooden steps being stomped upon was sharp in the air, and Eli aimed her magic instead above Yuugi's head. Yuugi felt his stomach drop at the realization that his friends and the King - his King, love, life, partner of his soul - were on the stairs.
"Stop, Eli-san!"
"If you won't give me the Puzzle, I'll just take it!" The magic shot forward, a glowing ball of light that filled the air with the scent of lightning and ash. It was a brilliant blue, almost white in its brightness. Yuugi wondered how his own light looked as he fell backwards, the force of the magic pushing him back before the light came at him.
"Stop!"
He heard someone shout his name.
'... Danava?' Yuugi lifted his head, and someone new stood there, their arm outstretched.
"rdi sA r!"
The magic halted the witches in their places, and everyone stood in amazement as a small part of the world stood in place. Jonouchi and the King went to Yuugi's side, the King helping Yuugi stand. Light covered the bottom of the staircase, Anzu helping Risa stand and Tomoya holding tightly to his girlfriend once she got her balance back. Honda and Ryou stood on the staircase, vigilant.
Jonouchi let his jaw drop and everyone gathered their bearings.
"Is everyone all right?"
All nodded, save for Yuugi. He just looked up at the person in front of them that had spoken, this new voice that he had only heard once before.
"I'm so happy that I can meet you, Other Me."
The Danava turned to Yuugi, who had finally broken the silence. There was a moment when Yuugi felt safe, safer than he had ever felt since solving the Puzzle. Their face, pale, was set in a stern expression, and their red eyes took everything in. They turned back to face their opponent, and Yuugi couldn't read whatever expression had been there and was now gone.
"I wish it had been under better circumstances, Danna-sama."
Eli and Bess fell to the ground, Eli pushing herself up almost instantly with her bright green eyes glistening in the shadows.
"... You're a demon."
The Danava made a noise, almost huffy and proud. The Danava's left hand came down, inky shadows covering his arm. Lightning came over Eli's hand again. Bess came towards them, a silver energy in her grasp.
"Do you want the Puzzle, little soft-thing?"
Eli growled. "Will you stop me?"
The Danava stepped aside, Yuugi staring up at them with wide eyes.
"Try, little soft-thing."
Eli's magic retreated back, an energy that laid like a glove over her hand and fingers. She took a step forward, hesitant.
The Danava did nothing.
She came closer, and Yuugi only felt safe.
When she even with where the Danava stood, she was met with a quick punch to her stomach. Risa and Bess cried out, Eli slumped over the Danava's inky arm before she clambered to get away from them. She let out a cry of rage, eyes wild.
"I told you to try, little snakelet. If you can't get to it, I suppose you don't want it that much." The shadows pulled away from their arm, and the Danava turned to Yuugi and the King. "Danna-sama, Teishu-sama, I suggest that we all leave."
The King nodded, watching as Bess tended to Eli. Honda grabbed Hanasaki and began to pull him up the stairs, Ryou keeping an eye on him and leading him to the top. Anzu helped Risa.
Jonouchi and Honda stayed behind, watching their friends, the Danava, and the witches.
"Let's get out of here," Honda said, trying to get his friends to follow. Jonouchi nodded, the sound of people going up the wooden steps tempting. The King and Yuugi began to follow.
A cry from Eli rang in their ears. Yuugi turned, seeing fangs and claws ready to tear into him, but the safe feeling persisted, growing only more sure as the Danava caught the girl in their arms.
"You old hag! Viper!" Eli cried. "Let go! Bring me my sister!"
"Child, you think you can command me?" The Danava's gaze was growing more serious - annoyed, perhaps - and Eli glared back at them. Her lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"You cannot hold me!"
"Prove it, snakelet."
"Other Me!" Yuugi found himself crying as the Danava had lightning run through their body, their teeth clenched tightly in pain as they struggled to hold onto her. The basement flooded with light and Yuugi saw that where Hanasaki and Risa had been held was only several meters away from the staircase. Was the illusion that great?
With a grunt, the Danava threw Eli towards Bess, who only ran to catch her sister. They panted, and Honda came close to the Danava, hands up in a show of concern and weakness.
"Hey... Are you alright?"
The Danava nodded hastily, standing back up with a hungry look in their eyes. "Well, then. Little soft-snakelet, do you want to fight me?"
Bess stood up now, her silver magic turning into glowing flames. The Danava only smiled, shadows covering their left arm again.
"Player two? Excellent. Game start."
Author's Notes
*The Birth of a Nation (1917) is a racist film that helped people realize how influential film was, setting many precedents. The new film The Birth of a Nation (2015) is about the Nat Turner slave rebellion, which is excellent.
*Butter biscuits - Excellent sewing supplies, brought to you by Danish Butter Biscuits
*Draíocht - Irish term literally translating to "magic"; in not_poignant's stories (Fae Tales - read it, it's amazing), this term is used to described the glamour that fae use to influence and mingle with humans. Fae Tales is also my largest resource to Western faerie tales and mythology outside of research, so I owe not_poignant a lot for that.
*Adapa v. Gorgons - Adapa is a Sanskrit word, a dead language. Gorgon is used often in many languages. [See the Hekate Yugioh Cards and the polymerized version of all three, the Gorgon (see also Greek mythology)]
*rdi sA r - "Stop" - I'm learning ancient languages for this story. I can't read hieroglyphs or anything like that, but excellent linguistics and syntax have always been my thing.