Zypher: Hello again and welcome to another chapter to Two Worlds. Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter so here's another for you all. Hope you will enjoyed this one just as you did for the last.
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Two Worlds
Chapter 9
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After Yami, Yugi and Aqua dealt with the mystery of the lord who was possessed by a 300-year old frog yokai and claimed the shard, they were ready to search for the next. Until a little problem developed to hinder the progress.
Kiyane looked up to the news she gotten from a villager. "So, Yugi, Yami and Aqua returned from where they were, hmm?" she questioned and they villager nodded. "Aye, m'lady but they haven't stopped here. They are still walking on towards the Bone Eater's well with quite the fearsome faces you'll ever see." She gave a small sigh, knowing what could possibly be happening now.
"Not again..." she whispered.
"Yugi! Stop this instant!" Yami hissed. "Don't think about running off!"
Yugi was on his way, lugging the bag that was considerably lighter as he rode on towards the well. Yami was chasing him with Aqua following at a more leisure pace. "I told you, Yami, I'll return later!" Yugi shouted back. Yami growled and flapped his wings once, bringing him airborne and he landed in between the well and Yugi, causing him to make a quick stop to avoid hitting the other yokai.
"Oh really? And what about the Shikon no Tama shards?!"
"And what about my lessons?! I want to get into a good college after all this mess is over with." he hissed with narrowed eyes. "Thanks to all these trips between worlds, I have a horrible attendance record! If I blow these exams that are coming up, I might as well forget about signing up for a college and neither my mother nor my grandfather will be happy about it!"
"Yami, you really don't want to do that..." Aqua quipped and Yugi looked up, seeing that Yami now lugged a boulder over his head as he had his little rant, ready to seal up the well for good. Or at least until their mission was done. "Osuwari!" he growled. Yami resisted it but felt the strain from the command and Yugi repeated it over and over again until he finally fell, the pressure of the boulder on his back and hurting his wings greatly. "Now, I'll be back in three days, Yami. Can I trust you to be good?"
He got a groan for an answer. "Ah...Aqua, can you make sure he doesn't get into any trouble?" Yugi asked, looking to the kinder yokai. Aqua walked over and brushed a hand over his cheek before leaning down and kissing his cheek softly. Yugi had a small blush across his face as Aqua gave an affirmative. "Good. I'll be back soon." Aqua nodded once more before Yugi jumped through, going through the vortex that would take him back to his own world.
"Are you sure this will work, Sugoroku?" Keara asked.
"How many time have I told you to call me jii-chan and this spell was passed down for generations of my line. It won't fail." he replied.
"Well, you've tried for three days and we've yet to see any sign of Yugi coming back." Keara murmured as Sugoroku started to chant 'come home', throwing burning ofuda spells into the well. Yugi gave a small smile as he landed and looked up in curiosity as he saw the burning tags flutter down. "And now the sacramental sake!" Sugoroku spoke as he poured the bucket filled with sake into the well and Yugi yelped as he was drenched. Sugoroku looked down into the well and smiled.
"Ah, Yugi! You're finally here!" He turned to look back to Keara.
"See! I told you it would work!" Keara only chuckled, hearing a small growl coming from Yugi before they helped the smaller out of the well.
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Not far from the Motou household, a taxi car drove along the quiet streets with its two passengers inside. One was a woman holding a wrapped box and the other being the driver. "So, Sunset Shrine is where you're heading? Quite early to be dropping by, ma'am." The driver spoke. "Yes, I know." She whispered softly. "My father gone and passed away and I've been stuck with this accursed mask for it was an heirloom of my family."
"Really now? What so accursed about it? I'm sure it just any old mask." The driver spoke once more.
"Well, many call it the "Mask of Flesh"...and it is said once you put it on, it can never be removed except in death." The woman spoke. "Ah, sounds creepy."
"Yes. It has been said that it has survive through the warring states era and is indestructible, even to fire! It has been said that anyone who tries to destroy it would meet a strange demise. But of course, I do not believe in such a thing." she spoke as the cab soon reached its destination and after paying the man, she stepped out the taxi and looked up the steps leading to the shrine. She gave a light sigh as she looked down to the box that held the mask. "Dear me, this place is creepier than..." she started but heard the box start to rattle in her hands...
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"Yugi! Your uniform is dry now!" His mother called and Yugi thanked her greatly before quickly donning the uniform before heading out with Keara. "So, what happened to those two yokai? Did they want to come back?" Keara questioned. "Nah. Although one was really adamant about keeping me back." he replied. "Ah." They looked down to the bottom of the stairs to see someone standing there.
"Hey, is that a customer?" Keara wondered although deep inside, she felt something evil about this woman but didn't voice her thoughts. The woman finally looked up and they both shivered as they saw her face. Soulless eyes looked upon them in a muted expression, scars over her mouth and left eye.
'Now that's real creepy...' Yugi thought before Keara led him away. 'Her face...it was like a Noh mask...but it can't be. It had to be her real face...right..?' He turned back to see the woman still standing there before she stumbled off in the opposite direction. He finally turned away to follow Keara as they continued on their way to school. 'There's something weird going on...but I'm absolutely sure there's no yokai here...or at least I hope not...'
The woman took one final glance back before she went on her way.
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"Ohayou gozaimasu!" Yugi greeted as he and Keara met up with their friends at the gate. Malik looked over before rushing over. "Yugi! You never been absent for so long! We got worried and called. Your grandfather told us some wacky stuff. First he said you sprained your back." Malik explained and a vein appeared over Yugi's head.
"And then he said you were in the hospital for diabetes tests..." Ryou spoke. The vein grew and grew as the others continued to list stuff off. 'Sheesh, jii-chan...you can come up with some odd symptoms for me missing school. I shouldn't even be having such things at my age...' Yugi thought.
Diamond gave a sneer as the bane of their existence decided to show. "So, you finally on your feet I see? Having gout at such an age. Shame on you, Yugi." Anzu muttered and Yugi growled.
"Buzz off, Anzu. My first day back doesn't include having you in my hair." Yugi hissed while mentally killing his grandfather for telling Anzu some ridiculous lie while he was gone. 'I told them time and time again to never tell Anzu anything that goes on in my life but they still don't listen!'
Anzu gave a small chuckle before walking off. "Well, either way, hope you don't miss any more days, Yugi. It would be so boring without you!" she quipped before laughing as she entered the school building. Yugi was fuming and Diamond placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just let it go, Yugi. Let it go. We'll deal with her later." she murmured and Yugi took a deep breath before nodding.
"Right." He smiled up to Diamond and thanked her before they all headed inside. As they walked to class, Malik decided to pop the question.
"So, Yugi, why have you've been gone so often? Do you have like a girlfriend or something?" he asked. Yugi blushed brightly and shook his head. "No! What would make you think that?!" he exclaimed. Malik waved his hands in defense. "Nothing! Nothing. It's just you've been gone so often like you been ditching school to hang out with her."
"Or him." Diamond grinned and Yugi flushed even more. "So, you do have a boyfriend, Yugi?" Ryou asked and he shook his head. "No! No! No! I don't have a girlfriend or a boyfriend!" he cried. 'And even if I did, I rather him be like Aqua than Yami...one of these days, he's gonna give me the headache of all headaches.'
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Back in the feudal era, Yami was growling angrily as he lied down on one of the tatami mats in Kiyane's home, his back still aching from the boulder that landed on it. Aqua sat in the corner while Kiyane was mixing some herbs.
"Well, you were the persistent one, Yami. If you let the boy go and do as he wished to keep his lessons up to snuff, you wouldn't be in this situation and could be out with your brother looking for information about the Shikon no Tama shards." Kiyane murmured. He growled again. "Get off my back, woman! It still hurts to move a muscle in my wings from those eight sits in a row!" he hissed. "Besides, why aren't you out doing that job, Aqua?!"
"Because Yugi asked me to watch you to make sure you don't do anything stupid."
"Grr...I'll show you!" Yami roared, sitting up but let out a small screech, falling back onto his stomach and grumbling about the searing pain he felt just a moment ago. "See, told you so." Aqua murmured and Kiyane sighed. "Typical Yami..." Another growl was heard in response.
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Later that night back in modern times, Yugi was working hard to study for his exams but felt so wiped out that he could barely concentrate. "Ugh, I'm so beat...I'm gonna get sick from doing this kind of stuff." he murmured to himself. He looked to the tiny jar that held two of the shards. "And still a lot more to go." he whispered before giving a sigh. "I wonder how long I can keep up this double life..." His mind started to wander over the possibilities before something clicked and he yelped, getting back to his studies, especially with his worse subject being tomorrow. But it was around nine that he fell asleep over his work, leaving him vulnerable to the yokai slipping through his window.
The yokai gave an eerie chuckle as it saw the jewel shards on Yugi's desk. "So happy...that the jewel...still exists..." The creature murmured as it slipped through the window, its body far from where it was and the face being the only thing stretching from the head to Yugi's bedroom.
A couple was driving down the road, talking amongst one another and not seeing the body in front of them until they hit it dead on. The face that was so close to reaching the shards was pulled back forcibly as the body was hit, sliding across the street like a limp ragdoll.
Yugi woke up in a slight daze, wondering what the sound was. He saw the window was open and with a yawn, got up to look outside to see any source of the sound he heard before shutting it. "I could've sworn..." he murmured before looking down to his clock. Seeing the time, it took him a few seconds to process before he panicked and went back to study some more.
Outside, the couple that hit the body was wondering what just happened but all they saw was a shadowed figure stumbling off into the night.
Back in the feudal era, Yami recovered from the injury and was lying back on a tree limb. Myoga was with him and was worried about his downtrodden face. "M'Lord, you don't look to happy today..." Myoga spoke and he yelped as he was snuffed away. "Shut up, flea." he muttered, thinking to himself about Yugi coming back home as soon as possible. 'Honestly, it's not fun without you. Aqua isn't much fun to pick on unlike you.'
Finally, the day for the exams came and Yugi gave a yawn as he walked out of his last class for the day. 'Finally free...' he thought happily as his friends gathered around him. "Oh, how I wish I was like you and Keara, Yugi. You two always make it up into the top 30 in exam scores." Malik whined.
"Well, if you studied a little harder, you would be." Keara responded and he pouted. "Yeah but I'm not sure about the math test. You all know it's my hated subject." Yugi said before he heard one of the teachers, his math teacher to be exact, calling his name. He gave his friends a quick farewell before running back to see what his teacher needed.
When he was in the room, the teacher told him what he had to and Yugi gaped. "M-Make up exam!?" Yugi cried out in terror. "I can't believe I even failed!"
"I'm afraid so, Mr. Motou. I'm sure it was because it was a difficult week for you with all those symptoms." he spoke and Yugi growled to himself as he was reminded of the crazy lies his grandfather gave. "But I've set up the make-up date for this Saturday so you can study everything for it some more."
He nodded and thanked his teacher before leaving. 'Man...what am I gonna do...that three days away and I told Yami I would be back today...he's not going to be happy if I don't return and the last thing I need if for him to show his face here again.' Yugi stopped, though, when he felt a chill in the air.
'Something evil is nearby...' he thought once more, looking around but never spotted who was above him until he yelped as he was lifted from the ground and he turned to see Yami. "We're going home." he said and Yugi gripped onto his haori. "Perfect timing! I wanted to see you!" Yami was surprised by this. "Really? Well, not that I really care. So what do you want?" he questioned.
When they returned back to the well, Yami gave a snarl at Yugi's request. "Three more days?! You're crazy if I'm giving you three more days!" Yami hissed. "But, Yami, I need these three days. If I blow this make-up test, it'll ruin-"
"No. End of story." Yami interrupted. "Don't be like that!" Yugi cried.
"No!"
Yugi gave a small sigh. 'Well, pleading didn't work, neither did begging. One last shot...' With tears at the corners of his eyes, he glared back up at Yami. Yami flinched at the cold glare, just waiting for him to say the magic words to make him meet with his good friend, the ground.
"Alright then, what are you going to do about my future, huh?!" Yugi hissed and Yami stepped back again. "Maybe all you care about is the Shikon no Tama but I have a life here too you know! I can't just keep jumping back and forth at your every whim!"
"Yugi...listen..." Yami tried to reason. "Stop it right there, Yami. Just go away." Yami sneered. "I'm not leaving..." Yugi gave a glance to him. "Oh really?"
After a scuffle, Yugi was able to throw Yami bodily into the well and he gave a snarl as his disappeared into his own time. Aqua was waiting on the other side and when Yami flew up through the well to land beside him, he chuckled. "Don't...say...anything..." he growled as he walked off.
"I told you so~" Aqua sung as he dashed away, Yami chasing after him and spewing death threats by the mouthful.
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Later that night in modern times, in the midst of the city playground, some kids were messing with an older man who was walking home. "St-stop it! Stop it please!" he cried and the kids only laughed as he tried to beg his way out. One of the kids mocked what he said, laughing afterwards.
After they gave him a good enough beating, even breaking his glasses afterwards, one dug through his pockets and snitched his wallet, taking all the money he had within. "So, old guy, you were loaded after all. Nice try trying to lie your way out of having no money on you." A boy spoke before he turned, hearing someone else walking their way.
"This body...not good now..." The possessed woman murmured, the body's limbs twisted abnormally and the dress bloodied from the hit from the car the day before. The kids moved away from the man, looking to the crazy woman covered in blood. "What in the hell..." One spoke.
"So happy...in every era...so many bad souls..." The woman spoke again before her face split vertically, revealing rows of sharp teeth and quick as a flash, the face shot out, beheading one of the teens. The headless body plopped to the ground as the face started to eat the head it grabbed. "To take the jewel...I need a stronger body...I need more bad souls..." It murmured. The teens screamed and tried to run off but each met with the same fate as the first.
In the feudal times, Yami was sitting in a tree again, tuckered out from chasing Aqua who eluded him ever since he came back. He snorted lightly. 'Damn you, Yugi...you're more of a problem than its worth...'
The next day, as Yugi sat in his first period class, he heard some rumors flitting about the classroom.
"Did you hear...about last night in the park..." One kid whispered.
"Really? A murder?" Another asked. The first nodded. "Ooooh, tell us what happened." The third student spoke. "Well, there is this bunch of junior-high kids mugging people in the park...but...they never found the bodies, just scraps of clothing in a sea of blood all over the playground." The kids told and Yugi looked up as he heard this.
The man that was mugged that night was also adding in his own testimony to the news crew at the park that morning. "I swear to you, that's how it happened." he spoke. "A woman who had a face like a Noh mask...her neck grew and grew and she ate them all."
"Wow. You sure this guy wasn't drunk?"
"No. The officials said when they searched the park...they found the body of a woman but the creepy thing was...she didn't have a head." Yugi looked back down to his book as the students tittered about the murder. 'I don't like this...' he thought. After school let out for the day, he went to the park and saw the crime scene still being cleaned up and a reporter talking about the scene. 'I don't like this at all...' He gave a small sigh.
"A woman with a face like a Noh mask, whose neck grew and grew...it definitely sounds like a yokai." he whispered to himself as he walked home. "I seriously don't want to believe this but...I might just need Yami and Aqua's help..." He shook his head vigorously. "No! I don't need Yami's help. Maybe Aqua's but definitely not him!"
When he got home, he headed straight up to his room to study for the make-up exam. "But for now, I don't have time to worry about that. I have to study for that exam." he murmured as he looked through the books sitting on his desk. "Let see...study guide...study guide..." His eyes widened as he searched the room for it.
"Oh man! Where did it go!?"
Back in the past, Yami held said Math study guide as he sat upon the back of an irritate cow. "What kind of stuff does Yugi read?" he murmured. Myoga hopped up onto his shoulder, looking at the book as well. "M'Lord, what writings are you reading?" he questioned. "Dunno. I found it in Yugi's room when I last visited." Aqua soared down next to them, gliding beside them.
"Really? You 'found' it? You know he might just need it, right?" Aqua questioned and Yami snorted. "I don't give a damn if he does." he said. "Yeah, until you're subjected to another face plant with your magic word." he said, chuckling as Yami swiped at him in which he moved out of the way for.
"Get out of here, scales for brains." Yami hissed and Aqua continue to chuckle but flew off.
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On Friday, Yugi received news about his grandfather getting a little food poisoning so his mother offered to stay at the hospital with him. She allowed Yugi to invite one friend over so he won't be lonely so he decided to call up Keara to spend the night with him in the spare room.
When she arrived, she placed her stuff in the spare room before coming back into Yugi's, dressed in her pajamas. "So, I'm guessing at some point you heard about the murder, right?" Yugi nodded. "Yeah, I did."
"Well, did you ever think on it?" she asked.
"Not really? Is there something I'm missing?" Yugi questioned, looking over to her. "Well, think about it. Remember that woman we saw that day?"
'Oh yeah...that freaky woman with a face like a mask...'
"...whose neck grew and grew...and ate them all..." The man's words repeated in his mind and his eyes widened. 'Could she have been...' he started to think but stopped as he heard the panes of his window rattle. It was only a second longer before the glass shattered as the Noh mask face with an elongated neck appeared through the window. Keara stepped back in surprised as Yugi gasped. The mask along with its disfigured body with faces and limbs of all the people it ate climbed through the shattered and it glanced over to Yugi.
"Need...a better body..." It spoke and Yugi saw the gleam of a Shikon shard embedded inside of it. "Give me...the shards..."
'Crud...it knows about the shards!' he thought, reaching back for them. "Yugi! What going on here!?" Keara shouted over to her friend. The Noh mask opened its large jaws, ready to attack. Keara dashed over, pushing Yugi out of the way before grabbing his chair that he was previously sitting in, jamming it into the mouth of the Noh mask but it started to crush the wood. Yugi reached up and grabbed the jar before taking Keara's arm and running out before the yokai could follow.
"Yugi, please, tell me what's going on here?" she asked softly as they dashed outside. "I don't have the time to now but I need you to do something." he said, holding up the jar. "It's coming for these and I know I can't outrun it for long. Go to the well and call for Yami and Aqua." The yokai was already outside and charging for them as they speak. The mask shot out again, catching Yugi by the back of his shirt and he yelped as he was flung away and nearly lost hold of the shards.
"Yami and Aqua? Who are they?" Keara called. "Just go! Tell them the jewel shards are at stake! They'll be here!" he called as he ran out with the Noh mask yokai following behind him. Keara watched as they left before heading over to the shrine holding the well. Kyra followed behind her, worried for her master.
Keara looked down to the tiny kitten then into the depths of the well. "I don't know who we're trying to call but let's hope for the best, girl." she murmured and Kyra nodded as Keara jumped into the well, waiting for some sort of reaction but got none as she landed at the bottom of the well.
Yugi was panting hard as he continued to run, the yokai still following close behind. 'Hurry up, you two! Just when I need you the most and I can't call for you myself!'
Keara continued to call for Yami and Aqua, looking around the inside of the well before sighing. "What's the point of calling for help? This is just an ordinary well to me." She looked up to Kyra who looked down at her sadly. "Yugi's in trouble and we can't do a thing..." She looked down in surprise as the ground started to glow beneath her and she stepped back as two figures started to appear through the ground. The dragon looked to her, worry flitting through his eyes. "Where's Yugi?" he asked.
She told them of the situation and he nodded before grabbing her and they both flew out of the well, Kyra latching onto Aqua's haori as he flew by. "So, some yokai appeared looking for the shards and now Yugi's in danger?" Yami snorted. "Typical of him to get himself into some sort of situation while we're not here."
"How'd you guys get through? Obviously the well is like a portal but I couldn't get through so I know my voice couldn't have gotten through to you guys." Keara spoke. "You have some blood from Yugi that we sniffed out and I know he isn't that clumsy to get himself hurt in his own world." Aqua said, looking back to her as he held Kyra in his hands.
"I say that he can be clumsy when he wants to be." Yami murmured and yelped as the tip of Aqua's wing accidentally slapped him in the face. "Then I guess you two have some good noses then."
Yami rubbed the spot where he got slapped before continuing his search for Yugi by following the scent of his blood. "Yeah. Yokai tend to. And wherever he is, we'll find him cause I'm not going to let him die on us, even in his own world." Keara looked over to him, remembering Yugi speaking about them before as they walked home.
She would never forget about the day they appeared to take Yugi back to wherever they came from but he wouldn't forget how Yugi always talked about Yami's snobby attitude. 'But right now, he doesn't even act that way. Maybe Yugi's wrong because of first appearances. But I know I can trust him with Yugi's life or else he wouldn't have come through the well to help him.' she thought.
Yugi stopped as he reached a construction site and took a breath, looking over his shoulder to see the Noh mask yokai still coming after him. 'If I'm right, the mind had to be in the Noh mask while its body is pieced by its victim so it shouldn't be too coordinated. I still have a chance of losing it.' Yugi thought as he started up the stairs into the construction site. The yokai followed but once it reached the stairs, it gazed up at him.
"Baaad booooy..." it hissed. When he got high enough, he looked down to the yokai, glad it couldn't follow him but jumped as the yokai's head shot up by its elongated neck, latching onto a nearby beam and lugged its deformed body behind it, landing on the same floor Yugi was on. He yelped as he scrambled away as one of the limbs with hands reached out for him.
But before it could even grab him, Aqua roared, landing and snatching the limb in his jaws, ripping it off and chomping down on it before gulping it down. He then slammed the yokai into the nearby beam, leaving it immobilized for the moment. "Looks like we're going to get ourselves a fleshy meal tonight." he hissed, Yami landing beside him as Keara climbed off, Kyra leaping over Aqua's shoulder and onto her as she ran over to Yugi. "Are you alright, Yugi?" she asked. He nodded and looked over to Yami and Aqua. Aqua was growling as he watched the yokai but Yami was facing him.
"Well, you weren't really expecting me to help cause I can see that in your expression but first, I want an apology for earlier." he spoke.
"Earlier?" Yugi questioned. "What are you talking about?" Yami gave a snort. "Don't pretend as if you forgot about it. You boot me off and now you expect me to help?" Aqua gave a sigh, feeling a headache coming up from the next argument bound to start. "Oh that..." Yugi murmured and went silent. "Well, I'm waiting." Yami growled. "Actually, I didn't know you were really offended by it. I was busy, you know." Yugi said and Yami gave a growl.
"You little..."
"Not now! Deal with your petty squabbles later!" Aqua barked and Yami turned to glower at him and he sent one right back. "Wow, those two don't get along to well, do they?" Keara asked. "No. They're like polar opposites. Aqua's the kind one and Yami, well, not so kind." Yugi replied. "I heard that!" The yokai was getting back up and hissed in annoyance.
"You daaaare...hurt my better body..." Yami turned his attention back to it and snorted slightly. "Well, now my question is, what kind of yokai are you? You're a pretty ugly one, that's for sure."
Yugi walked over to Aqua and whispered to him about the mind being in the Noh mask along with the Shikon shard. "Ah, got it." he murmured. "I am the Mask of Flesh." it muttered. "I was carved from the trunk of an ancient Bodhi tree...in which a Shikon shard was embedded into many centuries ago...all I want is a body of my own...but I keep myself aliiiiive with the bodies of others but mortal bodies break too easily, yessss?" it questioned. "But to make the body I want...I neeeed the shards of the Shikon no Tama." It turned its gaze to Yugi who stepped back.
"Yoooou...havvvvve what I neeed...giiiiiiivve themmmm..."
Aqua growled and flexed his claws. "I say you've been eating a little too much." He leapt forward to slash the yokai again. "Cause the mortals are making you fat!" he snarled. The mouth of the Noh mask opened up, ready to bite him but he easily sliced through it, mouth and all. The two halves plopped onto the ground and Aqua snorted.
"Too easy." He murmured. But of course, it wasn't over yet since the yokai still contained the shard and Aqua turned back, ready to attack again but he was unprepared as the two halves came together, clenching over his arm that he was using to attack.
"Morrrrtals are so gullllliblllle..." It spoke and with his blood, it hands started to form into claws while a pair of disfigured wings started sprouting from its back. The hands gripped onto Aqua. Yami snarled, thinking that Aqua would be able to handle the yokai but of course, he wasn't expecting miracles. "Get your slimy hands off my brother!" he snarled, slashing at the arms gripping onto Aqua.
With himself free, Aqua looked for a way to pry the yokai off his arm before it could transform anymore and saw the machinery nearby and leapt up, soon diving down and punched through the metal, loosening the yokai's hold on him but it was still persistent, shooting up with only half its face and Aqua snarled, gripping the mask half in his jaws and crushing it.
"Great, Aqua! But the other half is still somewhere! We need to get going before it shows itself!" Yugi called but what he didn't notice what that the mask appeared behind him and shot towards him, knocking him over as the mask tried to take him over by leeching on his body. "Thisssss body...alll mineeeee..."
"No, Yugi!" Keara cried, whispering to Kyra to hold on tight as she ran over to help free him from the mask's hold before it could take hold of his body and the jewel shards along with it. Yugi looked down, tears coming to his eyes in fear at the mask taking over his body. "Yami! Aqua!" he cried. "No..." Yami whispered before leaping forward. "I'm coming, Yugi!"
"Youuu will be toooo late..." The mask spoke, still trying to claim Yugi, even with him and Keara trying to hold it back. "Yugi! Girl! Let go of the mask!" Yami called, bringing out the Tessaiga. "My name's not girl! It's Keara and are you crazy?! This thing will take over Yugi if we let it go!" she hissed.
"Let go and Yugi, don't move!" Yami called, Tessaiga shown in its true form and Keara move away, Yugi standing still as Yami slashed the mask before it could try taking over. It hit the mark and the mask half fell in two, the Shikon shard dropping to the ground as the mask dissipated into nothing.
"Are you alright, Yugi?" Yami questioned. "I'm fine..." he whispered in response.
'Does he care about me now?' he thought but Yami's thoughts went on a different tangent. 'After this, he'll own me big time. I just like to see him try something on his own again.' Yugi picked up the shard, uncorking the bottle he still held and placed the shard inside before corking it again. Aqua was finishing the remains left by the Noh mask and looked up after he finished his last bite of the dead flesh, seeing the horizon gleam with the morning sun.
"Its morning, you guys." he whispered and something clicked in Yugi's mind and he gasped. 'My math exam!' he thought as he dashed off.
"Yami! Aqua! Return back to your time! I'll see you later! Keara, I'll see you whenever I come back! Bye!" Yugi cried as he ran off back home to get dressed and head to the school to take his exam. Keara waved and Yami only stood there, gaping at Yugi's quick departure. "Yami, close the mouth and come on. We need to go." Aqua spoke as he flew over to his brother, closing his jaw for him. Kyra gave a soft mewl and Keara stroked her head softly.
"Before you two go, mind giving me a ride back to Yugi's home?" Keara asked and Aqua nodded, conking Yami over the head before letting Keara jump onto his back with Kyra and flew off quickly, knowing Yami was close behind with the profanities spewing again.
Yugi was dead tired but he didn't give up on the exam. When he was done, he quickly turn in the test to the teacher before leaving, knowing Yami was beyond testy if he doesn't return back to the feudal era. But as he walked home, his mind was on the fact that Yami was willing to save him instead of letting Aqua take the glory which he was sure he would've done if Yami didn't.
When he got home, he packed his bag to the brim before he left. Keara was still there, dressed in her own clothes and she smiled. "Good luck on the other side, Yugi and remember, the next time you come back, tell me everything that happened." Yugi gave a small laugh and nodded.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm wondering why you never asked when they appeared for the first time." Yugi said as he left out the house and started for the well but yelped as extra weight landed on the bag and turned to see Yami sitting there. Yugi sent a glare his way and he snorted as he stood, taking the bag from Yugi and started for the well. "Well, this is a strange turn of events." Yugi murmured and yelped as he was picked up and carried by Aqua.
"A strange turn of events indeed." he spoke and Yugi flushed brightly as he clung to Aqua's haori and saw Keara standing at the doorway, grinning widely. Kyra rested on her shoulder and he could've sworn he saw his own kitten grinning as well.
"Uh, Aqua. Mind putting me down? I can walk, you know."
"Nah. I like carrying you." If Yugi could die from embarrassment, he would had done so right there since Keara did heard that and was laughing before it faded as they entered the well and Aqua joined Yami with jumping through the well to the Musashi domain to continue their search around that portion of the domain.
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Zypher: And there's the next chapter for ya. And now we're finally getting into the introduction of a new character. For those that kept up with the episodes, which are in the same order of the manga chapters only with different content, you'll knows who's going to show up. If not, then you'll be in for a surprise when he makes his appearance. But for now, hoped you enjoyed this chapter and enjoyed Aqua being quite the flirt in my opinion. -chuckles- How come I knew I was planning that sooner or later? -chuckles again- Anyways, hope you like and I'll shall get started with the next chapter soon. See ya! -waves-
Quick note: In the manga, the Musashi domain is the name of the area where they do most of the traveling in with the village Kikyo and Kaede hail from inside it and whatnot. Don't know if they switch domains as they travel but if they do, I'll use the name of that domain instead of feudal era all the time.
