Chapter 7: God and Men
The streets were filled with chaos.
Cairo Enforcement had not yet arrived, but their sirens echoed in the distance. The Ghouls were mostly knocked cold or dead, forced onto the defensive by Jonouchi's Red Eyes. Kaiba stepped out onto the street with his dragons circling about him, glinting as the sun began to peek over the horizon.
At that moment, a roar seemed to shake the very earth. Kaiba braced himself, gritting his teeth. What now!?
Like red smoke, something long and huge and sinuous passed through Kaiba's vision. He caught the barest glimpse of huge jaws and glistening talons before it was gone. The sheer power coming off of it threw Kaiba to the ground, falling backwards onto his hands; his fingers trembled against the ground and his heart raced in his chest.
"What … was that …?" Kaiba gasped in shock.
&
The huge body of the Sky Dragon Osiris could not be contained within the Oricalchos circle. Yuugi was as floored as his opponent when the Dragon materialized, its head alone dwarfing Serket. Its body extended back, coils and coils of hide folded around Yuugi and his Dark Magician before weaving up and over the buildings between which they stood.
Yuugi gasped aloud, clutching his chest, struck dumb by the awesome majesty of this Shadow Being. His jaw hung open.
Close your mouth, Son of Ra. What an undignified face!
Yuugi snapped his teeth together, pale and sweating. When he had heard this creature call to him, he had never imagined this. Humbled, he was silent, his gaze going to Rishid.
Rishid's mouth was still open, fear etched in his face. The Sky Dragon paid Serket no mind, as though the beast were but a snack, and opened its mighty jaw to roar in Rishid's face.
Rishid fell to his knees. "The legends," he mumbled. "The legendary Gods … to think, so close to me …"
"This is over," Yuugi heard himself say, his voice small against the snorted breath of Osiris. "Yield to me."
"I cannot …" 'Rishid' gasped. "If I do, it is my soul that will be forfeit!"
"You have lost!" Yuugi shouted. "Lie in the bed you have made peacefully!"
Rishid tore his eyes away from the Sky Dragon long enough to meet Yuugi's gaze. "… No," he breathed. "You will have to take this to the end. At least, in my defeat, I can also ensure my silence. When you raised the stakes to your friend's soul, you also raised the stakes to mine … the Oricalchos must always take one."
"… it is heavier than a Shadow Game," Yuugi said quietly. "You are a fool."
"But at least I am loyal," Rishid said. He spread his hands. "End this now, ancient spirit!"
Yuugi grimaced. Unfortunately, to defeat this imposter was to defeat Rishid. It would be hard on Yuugi's friend. "Sky Dragon – crush Serket." Gently! This is my friend.
The Sky Dragon snarled at Rishid's possessor. Without looking, the great Dragon crushed Serket's head under its massive paw, ignoring the reflexive stings of the monster as it watched its real prey. Rishid clutched his head in agony, letting out a tormented cry; Yuugi turned his face away. Mercifully, the Egyptian passed out quickly, falling with his cheek against the pavement.
The Oricalchos circle around he and Yuugi began to withdraw until it encircled only Rishid. From there it narrowed further, withdrawing into a pinpoint on his forehead, and finally disappearing. Behind him, Yuugi could still feel the pulsing strength of the Osiris God. His arms trembled with the effort of holding the God here.
It is done, the Sky Dragon observed. O Pharaoh, I come when you call.
Thank you, Sky Dragon Osiris. May you live forever, Yuugi thought almost sardonically, touched with reverence.
The Sky Dragon Osiris shed its scales from tail to nose, a rippling effect, and left behind nothing but one gleaming scale. It fell into Yuugi's hand, smaller than his palm, and Yuugi wrapped his fingers around it tightly. He was still on his knees in the alleyway, the Dark Magician fading as Yuugi lost his grip on the Magic that pervaded his very being.
Yuugi's heart thudded in his chest, too fast; his whole body ached. He needed to rest and recover, but the hotel they were staying at was blocks and blocks away. Rishid lay still, his breathing steady; it would only be a matter of time before he awoke.
Through deafened ears, Yuugi heard sirens.
&
The 'Shadow' magic that had sustained the battle at the Mausoleum faded and dissipated. Ryou saw the huge white dragons at the top of the hill suddenly disappear; above him, the boy calling himself 'Jonouchi' dug his fingers into his shoulder again, and the huge black dragon disappeared as well.
Jonouchi slumped to his knees, then rolled over to sit, leaning back against the narrow embankment he had been hiding behind. "A-aah … that was exhausting!" he moaned in Japanese. Amongst this odd band, that seemed to be the language of choice.
The girl with brown hair – who wasn't really a girl, as far as Ryou could tell – put her hands on her hips, surveying the damage. "Withdraw to the Safeties," she said in a man's voice. "I'll meet you there." She blinked and continued in a feminine voice, "Shizuka-chan will be worried."
A young man with his brown hair all combed into a point over his forehead – 'Honda' – grabbed Ryou by the elbow. "You're coming with us," he said with authority.
"I kind of hoped you'd say that," Ryou confessed. The Ring, which had almost seared his skin with the battle, seemed terrifyingly cool now despite its constant contact with his skin. He could hear the approaching sirens, and they made him nervous.
The trek was a quiet one. The battle had almost entirely been waged by Jonouchi, who was dragging his feet. Honda disappeared for a few minutes, and when he returned, he was devoid of his obvious weaponry. Together, the four of them looked like a group that may have been out too late in a bar and were arriving home with the sun.
Cars with sirens blaring raced past them and paid them no mind. Ryou kept his eyes on the ground, glancing back nervously despite himself. The girl nudged him with her elbow. "Don't look," she murmured. "It makes you look more suspicious."
"I can't help it," Ryou confessed miserably. "I'm afraid that—"
"You are a phantom thief whose face has never been seen by the police," the girl said abruptly. "You are wanted in over twenty countries, but no one knows what you look like. Everyone who is believed to have seen your face is either dead, missing, or insane."
Ryou felt relieved, but that was followed immediately by overwhelming guilt. Those poor people … the 'other Ryou' was a terrible person, after all. He hung his head and trudged along, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
It seemed like an age before they finally stopped at a street corner, where a mild-looking girl stood holding a bundle of flowers. "Shizuka," Jonouchi cheered, suddenly finding the energy to come wrap the girl in a hug.
"Big brother," Shizuka said warmly, hugging back. "You're all right?"
"Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix," Jonouchi answered, keeping his arm around her as he straightened. "Mission accomplished!" he reported with a wide wink.
"Finally," Shizuka said with feeling. "I can't wait to see what Anzu comes up with."
'Anzu' – this was the girl-that-was-not-a-girl's name, apparently – shook her head. "I might give a preliminary explanation, but the more thorough work will be done by Kaiba's computers. I just hope this means our business in Cairo is done!"
"Not feeling too fond of this place, either," Honda concurred, grumbling. "Things are giving me the freaking creeps."
Ryou wondered what they were talking about, but everyone else seemed to understand what Honda meant. Perhaps he was talking about how the 'Shadow Games' weren't quite 'right'? "I'm sorry to interrupt, but can anyone help explain to me what has happened?" he asked plaintively.
Everyone looked at him as if they had forgotten he was even there. "Oi," Jonouchi said slowly. "You really don't remember anything, do you …?"
Ryou licked his lips. "I take it that we have met before, then?"
"Uh, yeah … we saw you the day before last, around evening," Honda 'reminded' him. "But let's talk about this someplace else. Kaiba will follow ANZU's signal, right?"
"Probably. Won't hurt him to walk further, anyway," Jonouchi pointed out, which got him a poke in the side from Shizuka. "Hey!"
"To the motel," Honda proposed, and off they went.
&
In another part of town, Rishid opened his eyes.
Mutou was leaning against the alley wall, his eyes almost completely closed. When Rishid stirred, the young man lifted his head, fixing his gaze on Rishid. "Rishid?" he asked in a low voice, sounding uncertain of the answer.
"Yes," Rishid answered in confirmation. There was a faint, throbbing headache between his eyes, but he was awake. The alleyway was the same as when he had last seen it, save the sunlight streaming over the pavement just outside it. "What happened?" he asked.
Mutou didn't answer right away. He got to his feet gingerly, moving like an old man towards the edge of the alleyway. "While we were gone, someone attacked the Mausoleum," he said solemnly. "The bodies were being disposed of before I dozed off. Cairo Enforcement came, and it is only luck that they did not happen on us." He turned back to Rishid, his gaze drifting down and away.
Rishid closed his eyes for a moment, offering up a prayer for the dead. "And as for you and I …?" he asked at length.
Mutou swung his gaze upwards again, meeting Rishid's. "I have discovered the source of magic Malik sent us to root out. It is called 'Oricalchos' … it seems to draw on the Shadow Realm to create a Shadow Game, but one that is thrown in the challenger's favor. It is designed only for battles between Shadow Beings. I cannot begin to guess why it was created or why it is being used to steal souls … but at last we know 'what' this is."
"Did this 'Oricalchos' use me as its messenger?" Rishid asked. He was large and quiet, but not foolish.
Yuugi nodded slowly. "I am sorry. Whomever it was that wielded the Oricalchos, I could not find his location. He worked through you, and so I was forced to defeat you to protect your soul."
Rishid bowed his head. "Thank you, Mutou, for saving me."
"I don't deserve your thanks. I did it as much to save myself as you," Mutou replied, brushing him off. He drew a deep, slightly shaking breath, and Rishid saw that Mutou was sweaty and pale.
"You overextended yourself." Although Mutou had the power to engage in Shadow Games, his body was weakened by extended time in the Shadow Realm. Pitted against Malik, Malik had proved again and again that it was the Millennium Items that protected their bearers from the Shadows. Mutou was special, but without the Puzzle, he had been driven to exhaustion.
"Nonsense," Mutou said, but he smiled thinly. He had his arms crossed, but his right arm was lifted slightly to press his hand against his chest.
"We shall rest," Rishid informed Mutou. "That is the most important thing right now." He got to his feet. Mutou moved to his side, his hands sliding down into his pockets, and followed as Rishid led the way. Their path took them past the Mausoleum. Windows were shattered and the ground looked as if it had seen a few shoulder rocket launchers, but the building still stood. Rishid merely glanced its way, but Mutou gaped, his eyes wide as he surveyed the damage openly.
It was a little while before Mutou spoke again, and then with trepidation. "The Pharaoh will be furious with us. We were here, and yet we did nothing to stop that attack."
Rishid had faced worse than Malik's wrath, but then, his younger brother was rarely in the same room with him, much less speaking with him. Even when Rishid had been with his brother, he had not seen his brother's face; Malik wore the full apparel of the Ghouls around Rishid, as if his older brother were now a stranger. The one nod towards Rishid was that Malik had not tried to control Rishid with the Millennium Rod, which Malik had used on many Ghouls.
Yuugi was not so lucky. The Rod had no effect on him, curiously – which was the only thing that prevented Malik from controlling Mutou from within. However, there was little doubt that when they returned home, the blame for this would fall squarely on Mutou's shoulders – and Rishid's by extension, because he was supposed to be 'watching' Mutou.
"Hindsight is always perfect," Rishid said at length. "You can't worry about that now."
"… Right, as always," Mutou sighed, but when Rishid looked at him, his expression did not lighten.
&
"So you don't remember anything," Honda reiterated.
The motel room was unbelievably cramped with everyone inside. Anzu stood by the door, her arms crossed under her bosom and a slight frown on her face. Jonouchi and Shizuka sat together on one bed; Honda sat on the other. Ryou leaned against the dresser, chewing his lip uncertainly.
"It's hard to explain," Ryou began, "but no. I'm not the same as the 'Bakura' that you met before."
"Yeah, why don't you explain that to us," Jonouchi grumbled.
"Uh … I believe it starts with the Millennium Ring." Ryou reached under his shirt and pulled it free. He couldn't remember the last time the Ring had been cold under his fingers, but it was now. "I received this as a gift from my father seven years ago. Since then, I began to have blackouts … times when I would go to 'sleep' and wake up someplace else. They were infrequent at first, but then, over time … it seemed that I was 'asleep' more than I was 'awake'." Ryou closed his eyes as he remembered his father's worried, frantic calls recorded on his cell phone, and waking up stripped to his boxers in unfamiliar hotel rooms, up to his elbows in blood-pink water, his stained clothes under his soapy fingers. "It became easier to 'sleep' … when I woke up, I never knew where I was, or what I had done.
"The last time this happened, I was in Russia," Ryou continued. "While I was there, I was awake long enough to learn about that my father's gift is the Millennium Ring, a powerful artifact of power. I learned that it was connected to something called Shadow Magic before I fell asleep again.
"I didn't know what was happening, but I suspected that there was another 'me' – a Bakura who was inside me, doing … things … against my will. It was confirmed for me tonight." He looked around the room, at the confused faces. "I met someone who said he had met the 'other Ryou'. He—"
"Who is 'Ryou'? Is that you?" Shizuka asked abruptly.
Ryou blinked. "Ah, yes … that's my given name," he explained.
"What do you prefer to be called?" Shizuka asked.
Ryou had to pause to think about that. "I-I … I suppose 'Bakura' is fine," he said after a bewildered moment. "It's been a long time since I've been addressed, I mean …" He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Anyway. You were saying?" Honda prompted.
"Yes. This person said he had met the 'other me', and he had somehow, using Shadow Magic, sent the other 'me' away." Ryou licked his lips before he continued. "He believed that the other me was somehow connected to the Millennium Ring … I think he's right. In any case, when I saw you fighting, I thought perhaps you were on the other me's side ... and given my situation, I didn't know where else to go. I'm completely lost. I'm not even sure what season it is, this close to the equator …"
Ryou trailed off, and there was silence for a moment. Finally, Anzu spoke up. "You did the right thing," she said, "going simply by probabilities. If it helps, I can tell you that if your split personality was repressed through Shadow Magic, then you most likely participated in a Shadow Game. That's possible through your Millennium Ring. It's in the Shadow Games that souls are taken …"
"See, I didn't know even that," Ryou complained, but Anzu raised a finger.
"However, soul banishment is the penalty game of most Shadow Games, according to the collected data." She frowned. "If your soul was banished, even if it was a split personality … how is it that you're still here?"
There was no easy answer to that. Ryou shrugged helplessly, and no one else seemed to have a reply. "Perhaps the other me was so split off from me that he had his own 'soul'?" he suggested weakly.
"… Now that's just unfair," Honda said bitterly. "You get two souls while other people have none!?"
"I'm sorry!" Ryou cried, cringing. "I think that I would willingly trade my other soul away, if someone else wanted it … it hasn't been helpful to me at all."
Shizuka spoke up again. "Is it all right if I call you 'Ryou-kun'?" she asked. "Because since you are not the same as 'Bakura', it will be easier to distinguish."
Ryou blushed. "I'm okay with that," he agreed.
Jonouchi, who had been silent up until now, suddenly sat up. "Ryou," he said, "just curious, but this guy who told you about the 'other you': did you catch his name?"
"I didn't," Ryou confessed. "I don't see how it would matter."
"Look," Jonouchi pointed out, "you were basically in enemy territory. You got into a Shadow Game – or Bakura did, anyway – and apparently, you lost. But this guy who Shadow-Gamed you just takes you aside and explains what happened, then lets you go?"
"Woah. You're right," Honda breathed, coming out of his funk to realize Jonouchi's insight. "You think maybe there's an ally on that side of the fence?"
"Someone who's at least decent," Jonouchi agreed. "What'd he look like? Was he a Ghoul?"
"A G-ghoul?" Ryou stammered.
"Was he wearing a cloak?" Anzu asked, her patience sounding slightly tested.
"Oh! No, he was dressed in black," Ryou recalled. "But just a shirt and jeans, like you, Jonouchi-san, and a collar necklace. Um … he wasn't very tall. But he had hair that seemed to stand on end! It was black, but he had his bangs bleached blond. It would be hard to miss that hair … what?"
Everyone else in the room was staring at him. Ryou cringed back slightly under the weight of their gazes.
Jonouchi was off the bed and grabbing Ryou by the collar of his shirt in no time flat, forcing Ryou to lean back over the dresser. "Where was this!?" he barked.
"N-near the Mausoleum! Two blocks away, maybe," Ryou stammered. "But there's no reason he'd still be there! He was fine when he told me to leave," he gasped.
Jonouchi released him with a little shove, his eyes bright. "Yuugi," he breathed. "No way! Definite proof that Yuugi is alive!"
Ende chapter 7