Twill: This is it, the last chapter of 'Shadow Friend'
Yugi: Noooo
Twill: Sadly yes BUT I may be convinced to write a sequel or another fic.
All: Yay! ^___^
Twill: As for presents. I got lots of sugary things ^___^ *points to truck of candy and other assorted goodies* Seth, you've gotten roses from a secret admirer from Kari's fic
Seth: *blushes and accepts them*
Twill: There are many more presents but I think you'd all prefer to read the end of the fic sooo I'll store them all in here *locks the other presents in a large vault*
Joey: Twill doesn't own the show I come from but she owns Seth.
---
Shadow Friend
Chapter 10: Playtime
---
The door to the infirmary creaked open slowly. In walked four full teenagers having just come from dinner. They were, of course, Joey, Tristan, Tea and Yugi. The smile fell from Yugi's face when he saw what lay inside the room. Instead of Bakura being the only one to walk the lands of the subconscious, Ryou had joined the journey. And there, regarding the four with a glint of icy malevolence, stood Seth. However, he was not the new found friend they had come to know, no. His black hair was tussled, wilder than before, and seemed to hold a reddish tint. The soft lilac eyes that usually gazed calmly about now glared harshly with a steel edge. Seth was no longer himself.
"W-what happened S-seth?" Yugi stared wide eyed between the two knocked out forms and the boy who seemed responsible.
"Seth is no longer here, child. You now stand before a god."
In a flash of light, emanating from the puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck, Yami emerged to take the place of his weaker half. He too was taken aback by the sight before him. Millions of questions raced through his mind, each demanding an answer but forced away by the next. Just what kind of a situation was this? "Reveal yourself," he demanded flatly, in a monosyllabic tone. Yami wanted information from him, whoever he truly was.
"Ah the young Pharaoh Yami, the living Horus, and spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. You are quite presumptuous to be making demands of me." He smirked at the look of muted rage plastered on the faces of those watching his every move, particularly the once Pharaoh. "But I will humor you, Pharaoh, since you were not present when these two," Set glanced at the twin pair who seemed asleep, "discovered my secret. You are in the presence of Set, lord of lower Egypt."
Yami gaped at Seth, or now Set, as he was revealed. The most prominent question in his mind now, what was a god doing messing about in mortal affairs? It all logical reasoning, those with immeasurable power and all eternity to watch over the affairs of life, wouldn't be wasting their time walking about with those deemed inferior by them! Unless this had something to do with the Millennium Items... "What is your purpose here?"
Set smirked. "To grant one true wish to the hikari of the ring. To answer his desperate plea which found its way to the attention of those divine in Egypt. To gain the freedom I seek in order to unleash my namesake upon the world in which you dwell. To wreak my chaos upon all of humanity and its creations, a chaos so black it would extend far beyond mere Earth." He spread his hands dismissively. "Quite simply, Pharaoh, I'm here to win."
The spirit of the puzzle stood, assimilating this information, assessing the situation and formulating a plan of attack. He would not stand idly by as the Earth was reduced to a nightmarish version of itself. Set, a god he may be, would have to deal with him before anything else could come to pass. That is, if Yami could do anything to confront a god.
"One," Set's placid voice called. His hand motioned towards the group still standing. Tristan slumped and fell forward, his eyes blank and lifeless. Now instead of four, there were only three. "Two." Tea followed with similar behavior. "Three." Joey crumpled to the floor, unable to stand against Set's power. Yami was the only one left, the only hope to everyone there with him in the room and all over the world.
---Seth's POV---
All I could do was watch as one by one, everyone fell before me. Set was making me witness his horrid actions. Yami was the only defense left now, and I knew he wasn't going to be able to stand against Set. Nothing would, I couldn't but I wasn't even real. Some friend I turned out to be. At least Ryou would get what he wanted, I, Set would fulfill his wish and his life would be happy and bright. At least until the reign of terror descended upon the world. I couldn't let that happen, but what could I do? I wasn't even real.
Yami called upon his powers from the puzzle, to send at Set in hopes of hurting or even stopping him. I had little hope that it would work. ~It won't. His powers can't rival mine, none can.~ Perfect, now I was getting Set's gloating. Flashes of magic suddenly came hurtling towards us. They never made it far enough to be considered a 'near miss'. Each blast was deflected with nothing more than a flick of our eyes. Yami had to dodge to avoid being hit by his own attack. Things were bleak. I could feel my despair swelling inside me, my sorrow not far behind. Then it struck me. How could I be feeling something that Set was not if I was only a shell? For that matter, how could I have my own private thoughts? That must mean I was real, if only a pawn for a far darker purpose. But that was about to become ancient history. Yami needed all the help he could and was about to receive some inside information, and I do mean inside. ~You can't do anything Seth. I won't lose. Stay out of this.~ Maybe Set was right, maybe I couldn't.wait. What had he been saying? He was here to win...he wasn't going to loose. Was this all just a game to him? Maybe, just maybe that would be what would save us all. I concentrated as hard as I could and screamed out...
---End POV---
Yami dodged yet another deflected magical attack. The lord of the desert was merely toying with him, he knew that full well. It seemed he would have to give up, just surrender to whatever fate Set had in store for him. For once it seemed the king of games had los-
"It's a game! It's only a game! Yami, challenge him, up the stakes! Ask him to-" it was Seth! He had managed to break free of his mental confinement to aid the weakening Pharaoh. Yami's eyes widened in both surprise and realization. Set was now back in control, the same look of amusement on his features, but now Yami had an edge. But what would interest the god enough to provoke him to play?
"I challenge you to a shadow game, Set. We duel and if I win you revive everyone and relinquish your conquest of the world. Forever."
"And if I win? There is hardly anything that I could not obtain on my own. And if I refuse, I still win." Set had called the bluff. He was sure of his victory and the Pharaoh was beginning to grind his nerves. Playtime was over.
"What about access to another world? One you could make yours. One as dark as you, to rule your new kingdom from. Would that interest you oh great one?" Yami's cool smirk was back. He had confidence. That was the one thing he could think of that the deity didn't have. The salvation of mankind and so much more. Hope.
"You have my attention. Show me your shadow game and we shall play." It worked! Now Set would get a taste of defeat. Yami could and would win. He hoped.
With his shadow powers, Yami brought the pair into the realm of darkness. This setting was much like the one he had duel Bakura in, it reminded him of what he was fighting for./This had better work/ He took his place at one side, deck ready and raring to battle. Set had created his own in order to play and now took his position opposite his adversary. //I believe in you Yami, we all do.// He could feel his aibou's compassion and strength through their link. But there was more. Tea's friendship (duh, what else), Tristan's kindness and Joey's loyalty. Even Ryou and Bakura's hope. That surprised him; Bakura was actually on his side for once! With all this support, there was no way he could lose. He was the king of games and he would win.
---
Countless minuets of agonizing play passed by in a blur. Card after card was summoned and sent to the grave yard, some weighing down the player and others not causing any hindrance at all. Soon they were left with fifty life points each. Set had out D. human in attack mode. Yami's hand consisted of nothing but trap and useless magic cards. The outcome would all depend on his next draw./Heart of the cards don't let me down./ He drew his final card and flipped it to face him. It was...
"Reborn the Monster! I use this card to bring back the Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" With that Set's fate was sealed. The real world returned and Yami returned control to Yugi. Ryou and Bakura, along with everyone else, were waiting happily and broke into applause as soon as the pair returned.
"You won Yami, you won the world. Everything has returned to how it was. And now I shall leave you to your lives. Seth says goodbye to you Ryou. And thanks you for your friendship." Tears began brimming in Ryou's eyes. He wanted to say something, anything, but no words would come. "Return to how you were, before I was ever bound. Forget this ever happened." The world around everyone faded to white.
---
"Hey Yugi, great duel! Good luck against that bum Pegasus!" Joey called from high atop the balcony. Yugi was all set to battle Pegasus and win his grandfather's soul, even those of the Kaiba brothers. He would do his best.
---
Twill: Sadly that marks the end of the chapters of this story. I know the focus kinda changed from Ryou to Yami at the end but it was still good right?
Bakura: No, my aibou should-
Yami: YOUR aibou?
Bakura: *blushes*
Seth: R&R everyone, and visit the epilogue!
Yugi: Noooo
Twill: Sadly yes BUT I may be convinced to write a sequel or another fic.
All: Yay! ^___^
Twill: As for presents. I got lots of sugary things ^___^ *points to truck of candy and other assorted goodies* Seth, you've gotten roses from a secret admirer from Kari's fic
Seth: *blushes and accepts them*
Twill: There are many more presents but I think you'd all prefer to read the end of the fic sooo I'll store them all in here *locks the other presents in a large vault*
Joey: Twill doesn't own the show I come from but she owns Seth.
---
Shadow Friend
Chapter 10: Playtime
---
The door to the infirmary creaked open slowly. In walked four full teenagers having just come from dinner. They were, of course, Joey, Tristan, Tea and Yugi. The smile fell from Yugi's face when he saw what lay inside the room. Instead of Bakura being the only one to walk the lands of the subconscious, Ryou had joined the journey. And there, regarding the four with a glint of icy malevolence, stood Seth. However, he was not the new found friend they had come to know, no. His black hair was tussled, wilder than before, and seemed to hold a reddish tint. The soft lilac eyes that usually gazed calmly about now glared harshly with a steel edge. Seth was no longer himself.
"W-what happened S-seth?" Yugi stared wide eyed between the two knocked out forms and the boy who seemed responsible.
"Seth is no longer here, child. You now stand before a god."
In a flash of light, emanating from the puzzle hanging around Yugi's neck, Yami emerged to take the place of his weaker half. He too was taken aback by the sight before him. Millions of questions raced through his mind, each demanding an answer but forced away by the next. Just what kind of a situation was this? "Reveal yourself," he demanded flatly, in a monosyllabic tone. Yami wanted information from him, whoever he truly was.
"Ah the young Pharaoh Yami, the living Horus, and spirit of the Millennium Puzzle. You are quite presumptuous to be making demands of me." He smirked at the look of muted rage plastered on the faces of those watching his every move, particularly the once Pharaoh. "But I will humor you, Pharaoh, since you were not present when these two," Set glanced at the twin pair who seemed asleep, "discovered my secret. You are in the presence of Set, lord of lower Egypt."
Yami gaped at Seth, or now Set, as he was revealed. The most prominent question in his mind now, what was a god doing messing about in mortal affairs? It all logical reasoning, those with immeasurable power and all eternity to watch over the affairs of life, wouldn't be wasting their time walking about with those deemed inferior by them! Unless this had something to do with the Millennium Items... "What is your purpose here?"
Set smirked. "To grant one true wish to the hikari of the ring. To answer his desperate plea which found its way to the attention of those divine in Egypt. To gain the freedom I seek in order to unleash my namesake upon the world in which you dwell. To wreak my chaos upon all of humanity and its creations, a chaos so black it would extend far beyond mere Earth." He spread his hands dismissively. "Quite simply, Pharaoh, I'm here to win."
The spirit of the puzzle stood, assimilating this information, assessing the situation and formulating a plan of attack. He would not stand idly by as the Earth was reduced to a nightmarish version of itself. Set, a god he may be, would have to deal with him before anything else could come to pass. That is, if Yami could do anything to confront a god.
"One," Set's placid voice called. His hand motioned towards the group still standing. Tristan slumped and fell forward, his eyes blank and lifeless. Now instead of four, there were only three. "Two." Tea followed with similar behavior. "Three." Joey crumpled to the floor, unable to stand against Set's power. Yami was the only one left, the only hope to everyone there with him in the room and all over the world.
---Seth's POV---
All I could do was watch as one by one, everyone fell before me. Set was making me witness his horrid actions. Yami was the only defense left now, and I knew he wasn't going to be able to stand against Set. Nothing would, I couldn't but I wasn't even real. Some friend I turned out to be. At least Ryou would get what he wanted, I, Set would fulfill his wish and his life would be happy and bright. At least until the reign of terror descended upon the world. I couldn't let that happen, but what could I do? I wasn't even real.
Yami called upon his powers from the puzzle, to send at Set in hopes of hurting or even stopping him. I had little hope that it would work. ~It won't. His powers can't rival mine, none can.~ Perfect, now I was getting Set's gloating. Flashes of magic suddenly came hurtling towards us. They never made it far enough to be considered a 'near miss'. Each blast was deflected with nothing more than a flick of our eyes. Yami had to dodge to avoid being hit by his own attack. Things were bleak. I could feel my despair swelling inside me, my sorrow not far behind. Then it struck me. How could I be feeling something that Set was not if I was only a shell? For that matter, how could I have my own private thoughts? That must mean I was real, if only a pawn for a far darker purpose. But that was about to become ancient history. Yami needed all the help he could and was about to receive some inside information, and I do mean inside. ~You can't do anything Seth. I won't lose. Stay out of this.~ Maybe Set was right, maybe I couldn't.wait. What had he been saying? He was here to win...he wasn't going to loose. Was this all just a game to him? Maybe, just maybe that would be what would save us all. I concentrated as hard as I could and screamed out...
---End POV---
Yami dodged yet another deflected magical attack. The lord of the desert was merely toying with him, he knew that full well. It seemed he would have to give up, just surrender to whatever fate Set had in store for him. For once it seemed the king of games had los-
"It's a game! It's only a game! Yami, challenge him, up the stakes! Ask him to-" it was Seth! He had managed to break free of his mental confinement to aid the weakening Pharaoh. Yami's eyes widened in both surprise and realization. Set was now back in control, the same look of amusement on his features, but now Yami had an edge. But what would interest the god enough to provoke him to play?
"I challenge you to a shadow game, Set. We duel and if I win you revive everyone and relinquish your conquest of the world. Forever."
"And if I win? There is hardly anything that I could not obtain on my own. And if I refuse, I still win." Set had called the bluff. He was sure of his victory and the Pharaoh was beginning to grind his nerves. Playtime was over.
"What about access to another world? One you could make yours. One as dark as you, to rule your new kingdom from. Would that interest you oh great one?" Yami's cool smirk was back. He had confidence. That was the one thing he could think of that the deity didn't have. The salvation of mankind and so much more. Hope.
"You have my attention. Show me your shadow game and we shall play." It worked! Now Set would get a taste of defeat. Yami could and would win. He hoped.
With his shadow powers, Yami brought the pair into the realm of darkness. This setting was much like the one he had duel Bakura in, it reminded him of what he was fighting for./This had better work/ He took his place at one side, deck ready and raring to battle. Set had created his own in order to play and now took his position opposite his adversary. //I believe in you Yami, we all do.// He could feel his aibou's compassion and strength through their link. But there was more. Tea's friendship (duh, what else), Tristan's kindness and Joey's loyalty. Even Ryou and Bakura's hope. That surprised him; Bakura was actually on his side for once! With all this support, there was no way he could lose. He was the king of games and he would win.
---
Countless minuets of agonizing play passed by in a blur. Card after card was summoned and sent to the grave yard, some weighing down the player and others not causing any hindrance at all. Soon they were left with fifty life points each. Set had out D. human in attack mode. Yami's hand consisted of nothing but trap and useless magic cards. The outcome would all depend on his next draw./Heart of the cards don't let me down./ He drew his final card and flipped it to face him. It was...
"Reborn the Monster! I use this card to bring back the Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" With that Set's fate was sealed. The real world returned and Yami returned control to Yugi. Ryou and Bakura, along with everyone else, were waiting happily and broke into applause as soon as the pair returned.
"You won Yami, you won the world. Everything has returned to how it was. And now I shall leave you to your lives. Seth says goodbye to you Ryou. And thanks you for your friendship." Tears began brimming in Ryou's eyes. He wanted to say something, anything, but no words would come. "Return to how you were, before I was ever bound. Forget this ever happened." The world around everyone faded to white.
---
"Hey Yugi, great duel! Good luck against that bum Pegasus!" Joey called from high atop the balcony. Yugi was all set to battle Pegasus and win his grandfather's soul, even those of the Kaiba brothers. He would do his best.
---
Twill: Sadly that marks the end of the chapters of this story. I know the focus kinda changed from Ryou to Yami at the end but it was still good right?
Bakura: No, my aibou should-
Yami: YOUR aibou?
Bakura: *blushes*
Seth: R&R everyone, and visit the epilogue!