You guys may also notice that the events are going out of order…I'm doing it this way because it'll end up lining up that way later. Don't worry, you'll be seeing Kaiba soon enough.
Anyway. Without further ado…time for some fake psychics! Yay! (And a slight Miho cameo, too!)
EDITED JUNE 06, 2008
Yu-Gi-Oh
The Shadow Games
Game Nine
The Blind Seer
Shadow Games were first created to judge those that had done wrong. It is possible in most Shadow Games for the one being judged to win (albeit an extremely small chance), but only if they have any purity to show within their hearts. In the common case that one is to lose one of these games, one of two outcomes can occur.
The least consequential is for the judged to admit their crimes and accept their loss. In this case, the judged would stand for a much less burdening sentence. The more severe would occur if the judged refuse to accept loss and break the rules of the Shadow Game, in which they suffer not their original sentence, but a penalty game that can drive them to the borders of insanity or beyond it. Some are even known to have been killed in such cases.
Because of this, the shadow games were eternally locked away so that it would not fall into the wrong hands. But as we all know, even eternity does not last forever…
Domino High School was once again going through a strange turn of events, which was quite a normal occasion. A new student had arrived again, and he had already gained a large following of fans.
"Out of the way!" A young woman cried. "Kokurano is passing!"
Behind her and several other girls – whom were all adorned with beads and headbands – strode a young man, adorned in a thick, heavy cloak, a broad headband, and several bead necklaces. His hair was thick and hung just over his shoulders, and his gaze was low and eerie. Many of the students watched in awe as he passed, jaws gaping at the very sight of the young man.
One group of students, however, was far from impressed.
Jounouchi sighed. "What's with the crowd?"
"Didn't you hear?" Anzu replied. "That's the transfer student who apparently has supernatural powers or something."
"Supernatural powers?" Honda asked, skeptical.
Anzu nodded. "He can see into the future, and everyone says he's really accurate."
Yuugi thought lightly on the subject. The girls at the school recently stopped favoring the cafeteria as their hangout spot. They must have been headed to Kokurano to have their fortunes told.
"He recently made a prediction about someone in Class 1-A," Anzu continued. "The prediction was that his house would be set on fire. It came true just as he said, and he suddenly got really popular." She eyed the boy passing her. "But I don't believe in that stuff…"
Anzu hardly noticed that Kokurano was eyeing her as he passed…and the look was more than just admiration.
Jounouchi's own eyes glinted. "I want to get my fortune told, too!" he cried. He promptly received a glare from Anzu, but he vaguely ignored her. "Come on, Yuugi! Let's get our fortunes told at lunchtime!"
Yuugi smiled sheepishly. "Er, Jounouchi…" But even as he protested, Jounouchi grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him along. Anzu sighed, shaking her head, and walked to the cafeteria.
The room was filled with girls. Jounouchi and Yuugi were near the back of the line. Kokurano was smiling faintly, his eyes closed. His first prediction of the day was for the beauty of a rather unsightly girl, and both newcomers and old visitors alike were impressed. Yuugi was somewhat impressed with him, but next to him, Jounouchi seemed to scowl. The room was full of girls, and he was the only guy in there aside from Yuugi and Honda. He'd look incredibly stupid if he didn't cover up for himself, so with great gusto, he made a bold comment. "Aw, geez! Honda wanted his fortune told so badly, he dragged me along with him!"
Honda, who had ended up coming along just to make sure Jounouchi didn't cause trouble, glared at his friend angrily, his face turning red. "You moron! Don't drag me into this!"
"Silence!" One of the girls cried. "Kokurano is focusing with all of his mind!"
"Sorry," Yuugi said sheepishly as his friends scowled at each other.
"Sorry about that," Jounouchi repeated once he had moved up in line. "Well, how about telling me my fortune?"
Kakurano looked up slyly. "I'm not a fortune teller. It's quite different. Palm reading, divination, water reading, fortune telling, astrology, feng shui…previous fortune telling was merely based on previous information. It's only the past. However, I have an ability that allows me to see visions of the future. It's prophecy."
Jounouchi suddenly looked skeptical. "Well, whatever. Take a look." He offered his hand.
The cloaked boy shook his head in disappointment. "You don't understand at all, do you…"
"Hold it!" Honda cried, pointing at the board behind the young man. "The use of a beautification tool for something like this…you should be-"
Kakunaro interrupted the brown-haired young man. "I see a vision of you marrying the woman of your dreams!"
Honda's mind was instantly diverted.
At that moment, the entire world around them began to tremble. Yuugi, along with many of the other students, ducked down for cover; how could an earthquake come at this time?! Amazingly, Kakurano was still calm. As soon as it had begun, however, it stopped. "That was a close one," Jounouchi muttered.
One of the girls turned to the psychic boy. "Kakunaro, are you alright?"
Kakunaro didn't even have to nod. "Of course. I knew about this, after all." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper with writing on it. "I wrote this just this morning after a vision so I wouldn't forget." As the girl held it up, the writing was revealed:
Today there will be an earthquake.
Everyone applauded, even Jounouchi and Honda. Yuugi, however, didn't seem impressed at all. Something about this whole façade seemed incredibly fishy to him…something bad was about to happen.
"How'd it go?" Anzu asked when her friends arrived in the cafeteria, deciding not to ruin their fun.
"He's the real thing!" Jounouchi cried triumphantly. "My future is apparently to be a policeman in Los Angeles!"
"I don't believe that in the slightest," Anzu replied quietly, causing Jounouchi to recoil and begin a fruitless argument on his own behalf. Honda was lost in his own thoughts, and his eyes traveled across the room to Miho at the other end.
Yuugi glanced back and forth between his friends. They really seemed to believe the boy, but those kind of prophecies were usually just tricks. Even so he smiled. That's fine…magic is just like some sort of game. Exposing the trick is against the rules, right?
Later that day, Anzu approached Yuugi near the school exit. "Yuugi, wanna stop by somewhere on the way home?"
"What about your job?" Yuugi asked meekly. He really wanted to go out with Anzu – he really, really wanted to – but he couldn't get in the way of her job.
"I'm off today," the brunette replied, smiling warmly. "We can stop by the teahouse if you want. It'll be my treat. What do you say?"
Yuugi nodded eagerly. "Sure, sounds like fun!" Inwardly, of course, he was cheering himself on. Yes! A date with Anzu!
Anzu nodded, somewhat noticing Yuugi's excitement. "Okay, let's go!"
They had hardly taken a step when Kakunaro and his group appeared nearby. "Anzu," he called. "I've been looking for you."
Yuugi hesitated. Something told him that this wasn't good. As he turned his gaze to Kakunaro, he heard the boy speak calmly, yet the words were somehow filled with suspicion. "You're not the only girl that hasn't visited me yet," the psychic said. "Aren't you interested in your future?"
Anzu shook her head, still smiling as though it were no big deal. "I don't believe in that sort of thing."
"You doubt Kakunaro's power?!" One of the boy's groupies declared.
"Whether I believe it or not is my choice," Anzu shot back, now somewhat angry. Her gaze had lost the sweet smile from before; now it was stern. "I'm not going to get pushed into having my fortune told, whether I believe or not. Come on Yuugi."
Yuugi nodded, smiling inwardly as he followed. Anzu could always be counted on to get out of a mess like this. Besides, she wouldn't be the type of person to believe in psychics or magic tricks.
Kakunaro sneered. So what if there were people that didn't believe in his power? They'd learn soon enough. As he walked away, he began formulating a plan in his mind.
The next day before gym class, Jounouchi ended up walking out of the dressing room feeling stiff…or at least, that's what he told his friends. It really wasn't like him to act like that, but knowing him it could be something to get out of class. Anzu caught notice quickly. "What's wrong?" She asked. "You look awful."
Jounouchi rolled his eyes. "At least you're a girl," he replied, sounding tired even though gym class hadn't even started. "You get to play tennis. I have to take Judo! I feel so sore…" (1)
"What are you talking about?" Honda said, staring blankly at his friend. "Judo is the basics of being a man! Besides, how can you even feel tired before the class starts?"
But Jonouchi wasn't listening. He had spotted Kakunaro walking down the hall toward them, two of his groupies next to him. "The boy with psychic powers!" The blonde cried in triumph. He practically skidded on his knees toward him. "What do you have to tell me?"
Kakunaro shook his head, looking somewhat nervous. "Actually, I just had two visions. I came to tell you of them."
"Visions?" Anzu echoed, crossing her arms. "We don't have time for this nonsense…"
Anzu's comment went ignored. "You!" Kakunaro announced as he pointed at Jounouchi. "Be wary of light coming at you."
Jounouchi blinked. "Huh…?"
Kakunaro ignored him. "And you," he said, pointing to Anzu. "Masaki. In places you don't know, there is a man watching over you."
Yuugi was somehow not surprised by the message. Something in his mind told him that Kakunaro was telling the right prophecy, all right…but he was referring to someone he didn't expect himself. Yuugi had no idea where the thought came from, but he turned his gaze to Anzu, hoping to get a hint of meaning from her.
Anzu turned away, blushing. "What's that?"
"If you want details, see me after school," Kakunaro replied simply.
"I'm not interested," Anzu replied firmly, turning her head in defiance.
"Really?" Kakunaro began, looking miffed.
Jounouchi intervened at just the right time. "Kakunaro, what is this coming light? Is it something ominous?"
Anzu took the cue and walked stiffly away, Kakunaro's gaze following her. Yuugi felt that something bad was about to happen. Tugging at his gi, he headed for the gym and decided to think on it later.
While everyone was practicing in class, Yuugi practiced his back-falls on the mat far away from the other students so as to stay out of the way. At one point he felt need to catch his breath, and simply stared at the ceiling while lost in thought. Is there really a man watching over Anzu? He wondered, even though he was somehow sure that there was.
Before he could ponder further, Honda preformed a nearly flawless side throw on Jounouchi, sending him crashing right on top of Yuugi, whom ended up gasping for breath and completely derailing his train of thought. Honda began taunting Jounouchi, whom then ran for his friend to tackle him again. Above their heads, one of the studio lights began trembling.
Yuugi opened his eyes just in time to shout in fear and roll out of the way just in time…
Anzu splashed some water on her face as class ended. Someone watching over me… She pondered. After contemplating it for a moment, she shook her head, taking a deep breath of the afternoon air. It was such a nice day outside…maybe she could take Yuugi out again if she had the time.
Unknown to her, her classmate approached her silently. Miho had always been a playful type, and had her own rag at ready. At the opportune moment, she pounced forward and wrapped her towel around Anzu's eyes. "Guess who, Anzu!" She cried, giggling.
"Stop it, Miho!" Anzu replied playfully, smiling until suddenly she paused. Her memory of that terrifying time in the restaurant returned to her as though it had happened only moments before, the sounds replaying in her ears…
A hand grapping her arm, pulling her out of danger. A stern voice calling out to her.
Let's go, Anzu.
She paused, staring into open space. The voice she had heard in the restaurant that day… Could it be that what Kakunaru was referring to...?
Miho blinked in surprise. "Anzu? What's wrong?"
Anzu shook her head. "Nothing, nothing…"
Several girls approached, already full of gossip even though Gym class hadn't even ended. "Did you hear what happened in the gym? A light from the ceiling fell and almost crashed on top of Jounouchi!"
Be wary of light coming at you.
Upon hearing this, Anzu's eyes widened. Was Kakunaro really…?
The girls continued. "There's a big ruckus about that prophecy coming true. Jounouchi is really shaken up!"
Anzu froze. If that prophecy was true, then maybe…maybe Kakunaro would know about him… But if it wasn't that man, then who was it?
That day after classes had ended, Yuugi was accompanying Anzu down the hall to where Kakunaro was supposed to be. "Anzu," he asked, "Why do you want to see him all of the sudden? I thought you didn't believe in that stuff…"
Anzu shook her head. "I just want to." She couldn't tell Yuugi about what she really though…he wouldn't believe her. Even if he did, he said he hadn't remembered what happened that day, so how would she explain?
Yuugi, however, was acting completely different. He was gazing at the floor in what seemed like sadness or disappointment…like he had gotten his feelings hurt. "Maybe…" he began. "You thought of a man watching over you, like he said?"
She couldn't tell him…she just couldn't. Instead, Anzu shook her head, avoiding the subject of her faceless rescuer. "Not really, but Jounouchi's prediction was right, so…it might not be bad to see him just this once." With that, she began to walk off.
Yuugi called out to his friend, but she kept walking. He knew something wasn't right, so he followed her closely. Sure enough, Kakunaro was waiting for her. "I knew you'd come," he stated, pulling out a slip of paper. Yuugi read it in shock.
Masaki Anzu will come after school.
"You have no more reason to doubt my power, do you?" Kakunaro said slyly. Yuugi didn't like the look in his eyes…not one bit. He kept his suspicions inward, however. He couldn't risk upsetting Anzu.
Anzu turned away, looking uncharacteristically shy, but not looking very pleased at the same time. "Can you tell me about the vision you told me about before…?"
"Very well…let me see your hand."
She gave her hand to him. He began examining it closely, rubbing it carefully. Anzu had looked away, but Yuugi knew bad news when he saw it. What does he think he's doing? How rude… His thoughts somehow betrayed his own enraged emotions, however, though Yuugi had no idea how. Now that he thought about it, Jounouchi had showed him his hand and Kakunaro had refused it, saying that he did not see the future in such a way.
"I see! I see! It is a vision of you!" Kakunaro seemed much more excited about his visions than before. Yuugi backed away a few steps. "The man that has been watching you from the shadows will soon show himself before you!"
Anzu seemed surprised. "Really?!" She cried, smiling.
Kakunaro nodded. "Tonight at six-o'clock in the evening. Wait in the science room. There, you will probably put yourself right into his hands."
Yuugi's eyes widened. Kakunaro was lying through his teeth! He was only setting this up to trap Anzu, he knew it!
Anzu's thoughts were elsewhere as she blushed. The man with that voice…perhaps it's the one that…
Yuugi wouldn't take it any longer. He couldn't stand seeing his best friend falling for such a trick. The boy raced forward, jerking Anzu's hand away from Kakunaro. "This is a fraud!" He cried.
The groupies around Kakunaro were utterly shocked, and Anzu even widened her own eyes. Kakunaro stood, silencing his followers. "What an interesting thing to say," he replied casually. "You're saying my power is false?"
Yuugi wouldn't fall for this smooth talk. "I've seen tricks like that before!" He continued. "The notes you wrote…you could have just written a ton of them and put them all in your cloak! That way whatever happened, you could just pull out any one of them that took place!"
Unconsciously, Kakunaro pulled his cloak close to him. "It's true that there are tricks like that," he said slyly, hoping he could get out of this one, "But how would you explain my other predictions?"
"I don't know," Yuugi replied angrily, his next words somehow betraying his own deep inner thoughts, "But the prediction that someone is watching over her is a lie!" But why do I get the feeling that it's true…?
Perhaps it is, but this boy is a fool.
Yuugi paused in shock. The voice again…who was it…?
Kakunaro noticed Yuugi's unrelated hesitation and began acting strangely again. "I see!" he cried frantically. "I see your future!" After a moment, he pointed directly toward Yuugi, his finger inches from the boy's nose. "Countless words will fall from heaven. A dangerous misfortune could befall you!" After catching his breath, the psychic smirked. "You should be careful, boy."
Yuugi was terrified. Kakunaro may have been a fake, but with such gusto in that prediction, maybe he wasn't wrong…or maybe he was just angry.
That evening when they were headed down the hall, Anzu noticed that Yuugi was feeling far more depressed than normal. In an attempt to lighten his spirits, she sent him a warm smile. "Cheer up, Yuugi. It's not like all predictions come true."
Yuugi paused. For some unknown reason, he was very concerned about Anzu. Sure, he liked her a lot, but…there must have been something else in play here. He just had an eerie feeling about all of this. "You're still going, aren't you…?"
Anzu laughed sheepishly. "I guess I am a bit interested," she replied, blushing. Yuugi was a lot smarter than he appeared… "It might just end up being a stalker, though. At any rate, don't worry Yuugi. I'll see you later!"
With that, she took off running. Yuugi called out to her to stop, but she kept going. He felt so awful all of a sudden…what was wrong with him? It wasn't any of his business if she had fallen in love with someone, but…he had exposed the trick just because he was jealous. He felt so ashamed. He even started to hate himself for it…he had spoiled it for Anzu…
Yuugi was about to step on it, but he suddenly noticed a bright red book on the floor. He paused, blinking. Maybe someone had dropped it and forgot to put it back in the library. He picked up the book and began looking around for its owner. Noticing that no one else was there that had taken it out, he shrugged and headed to the library alone.
The shelf wasn't hard to find. As Yuugi began to replace the book, however, he heard the sound of shelves toppling over. Glancing around the side of the shelves, he gasped. The bookshelves were toppling toward him like a pile of dominos.
Countless words!?
The shelves neared, and he gasped in terror, unable to move. A flash of light blinded his vision…
Yuugi had barely managed to jump out of the way unharmed; his hand had been scraped on the wood just as he had dodged the tumbling bookshelves. Glancing to the side, he noticed a familiar cloak vanishing from the room as the dust cleared. He figured out the mystery quickly: Kakunaro had lured him into the trap, and was making all of his own prophecies come true by himself in order to gain popularity. There was, however, another prediction that didn't take long for the boy to remember. He didn't need much time to figure it out.
Anzu!
Anzu sat patiently on a desk. The sun was setting, and if Kakurano was right, then the man that had saved her before would be here again…
But who was that person? He sounded like he was her own age. Perhaps he was even from this school if he was to meet her in this room. Whoever he was, she had to thank him…but was it really the person that saved her? She straightened herself, knowing that she shouldn't get her hopes up…all she knew was his voice, not even how he looked.
The door suddenly opened nearby, and Kakunaro entered the room, his eyes locked on the floor. Anzu stared suspiciously as he neared her. He had tricked her! Of course! She should have known when he rubbed her hand so much and when Yuugi pointed out the fraud…
Kakunaro looked up. "Looks like my prophecy was correct?" He said malevolently.
Anzu shook her head. "What are you saying?" she said sternly. "No one's here."
Before she could react, Kakunaro reached around and forced a cloth over her nose and mouth. "Ah, but there is, and he's right here!"
He was after this from the very beginning! Anzu thought. Before she could physically protest, her body felt incredibly weak, and she could no longer move.
Kakunaro laughed. "See?" he said, knowing Anzu would be conscious for a little while longer. "Your destiny is to put yourself right into my hands!" As long as I have these powers, I'll be eternally popular!
"I wonder about that."
Shocked, Kakunaro spun around toward the doorway to see something he didn't expect. Someone was standing, leaning against the doorframe, sending a sinister glare toward him. What's worse, the psychic recognized him. "Looks like your prediction about me was wrong," Yuugi said darkly. "You're quite a poor seer."
"Wha-! How did you…"
"All of your predictions are fake," Yuugi continued. "The fire, the light in the gym…You did it all yourself just so that you could pretend to be psychic. You even fooled me…for a while."
This boy knew his secret, Kakunaro was sure of that now. Still, he kept a straight face as he always did. "What could you mean?"
Yuugi's gaze did not falter. "Play dumb if you want. It's time for a little game, Kakunaro."
Anzu's eyes barely opened, and she saw a few blurry figures around her. She recognized the voice, however; it was the one that she had heard in the restaurant. She attempted to awaken, eager to finally see her rescuer's face. Unfortunately, her vision was faltering, and the drowsiness was setting in rapidly. Her eyes closed again, and she fell fast asleep.
"To challenge a psychic like me," Kakunaro said, scowling, "You've got to have some serious guts…"
Yuugi simply smirked, holding up a bottle full of a strange substance, then gesturing to the ones hanging from the roof. "We will be using these chloroform bottles in this game," he said, grinning. "If you win, I won't say anything, and I'll leave."
"That's fine," Kakurano said, smirking. "And how do we play this game?"
Yuugi pointed to a clock nearby. "Starting now," he began, "Every minute the long hand will cut a string. It is completely unknown which string connects to which bottle, even to me. We take turns catching the bottles as they fall. If we're too slow, well…the bottles all contain chloroform. Considering the fact that you used it on Anzu, I'm pretty sure you know what'll happen if it's used on you."
Kakurano scowled. If one of those bottles hit the ground and he didn't catch it, he'd lose consciousness as well as be exposed. Just what was this boy planning…?
"It will be very close," Yugi continued, somewhat noticing Kakunaro's anxiety. "And you only have a moment to decide which one to go after. I go first."
The clock's minute hand twitched forward and cut one of the strings. The bottle fell right into Yuugi's hand. "Looks like I got the very first one right," he said, smirking. "Your turn, Kakunaro."
Kakurano turned his gaze to the bottles, trying to keep a straight face. One of the rules of games was to always look like you were winning, but on the inside he was a nervous wreck. Which one will fall? I can't risk losing…
Once more, the clock's minute hand inched forward, clipping another string. Frantically, Kakurano raced forward, catching a bottle just in time. He laughed manically. "What do you think?!"
"Not bad," Yuugi replied. "My turn."
The minute hand ticked once again, and Yuugi raced to catch the bottle. Kakunaro stuck his foot out in front of Yuugi, tripping him. He smirked in triumph; he would definitely win! He watched as Yuugi raced forward, his hand outstretched. There was no way he'd catch the bottle at this rate.
Yuugi knew he wouldn't make it. In desperation, he took off his Millennium Puzzle and threw it at the bottle. The rope wrapped around the lip, and the point stuck in the wall. The bottle had not shattered on the floor, and was barely saved. Yuugi turned to Kakurano. "Is tripping people your power?"
"I don't know anything about that!" Kakunaro insisted, shaking his head innocently. He could tell, however, that Yuugi was not convinced.
"Fine," Yuugi said as he walked toward the bottle. "If that is your power," he began, pulling the puzzle from the wall and returning it to his neck, "Then this is mine."
Kakurano scowled. Yuugi ignored him, turning his attention to the two remaining bottles as though it were to complete his statement. "The only ones left are on either end. If you mess up, then there's no cover." He then grinned, casting a glance to Kakunaro. "Of course, you're a psychic, aren't you? You should easily be able to tell which one it is."
Closing his eyes, Kakurano began to envision the bottles in his mind. He could see it…he could see the answer! He strode over to the bottle on the far end of the room, nearest to the door. "This one will fall!" He said, gazing up at it dazedly. The clock's minute hand ticked.
The door to darkness has opened.
Kakurano spun around in time to see the opposite jar plummeting to the floor. He raced for it, hands outstretched, but he was too slow as it shattered, enveloping him in a thick mist of chloroform. He lay flat on his back, his mantle outspread, revealing countless tags of paper underneath them.
Yuugi shook his head. "My, my, my," he said mockingly. He looked away in disgust, not even smirking like he usually would. "Looks like he couldn't even predict his own future…" He turned to Anzu, picking her up and walking out calmly and sternly.
Anzu felt herself being carried by someone out of the school. It was amazing how much time had passed; it was already dark outside. But more importantly was what was going on. She looked up, seeing a strange shadow of someone carrying her on the wall. Someone had saved her again. The last thing she had remembered was passing out when she heard that familiar voice. As Anzu's gaze once more faultered, she noticed his scarred hand. He's hurt…I should get him…medical…
Before Anzu could make sense of anything, however, she felt drowsiness come over her again, and lost consciousness.
"I can't believe I believed him!" Jounouchi said, scowling. Everyone was heading home that day, and rumors had already gone around that Kakurano had faked all of his predictions. Someone had found him lying on the floor in the science lab with his coat wide open, all of his pre-written predictions.
Anzu smiled sheepishly. "I told you it's better to not know the future."
"He's the one that took the most damage this time," Jounouchi said, pointing at the sulking Honda walking nearby. "He's had a crush on Miho ever since he enrolled, and now that Kakunaro's been exposed he's been depressed."
"Anzu's right though," Yuugi said cheerfully. "It's better not to know our future."
The girl nodded in agreement. Even though Kakunaro's prediction had been correct – though not quite as he had intended – she never was able to find out who that person was that had saved her twice. Regardless of the fact, she still heard his voice in her mind.
It's time for a little game…
Honda turned around to his friends. "Hurry up you guys," he called. "We'll be late if we keep this up."
Yuugi nodded. "Come on, Anzu!"
Anzu nodded, beginning to follow when she paused, noticing something odd with Yuugi. His hand was scarred, quite similar to the person that had saved her just the night before. But Yuugi couldn't have been there…he had gone home afterward, right?
Or had he…?
What a weird chapter to write. O.o Next one is my favorite one!
(1) I really don't see why Jounouchi is complaining. I took Judo, and it was loads of fun. It kept me fit, too. I wish I was still taking it, it was loads of fun.
