Hey guys! Sorry about the long delay... stuff happened. (Read my profile for details... if I ever get around to updating it!)-grin- And I was trying to figure out if I should post this chapter as you see it below or if I should change it. Well - evidently - I was convinced to post this chapter by someone, so if it's weird/doesn't fit/whatever, blame HER!
-points at friend, who shall remain nameless-
Uh. Yeah. Well, onwards and upwards, friends! (oh, and thanks for all the reviews!)
Disclaimer: I still have to do this? Oh, okay, fine: I do not own YGO. Or Disney. Or the origional story of Aladdin. Okay?
Chapter 14 (SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!)
"Hey, has anyone seen Ishizu?"
"What?" Kiara looked up from her huge green book and pushed her hair behind her ears.
Marik looked slightly shifty. "Uh…"
Kiara smiled. "Aw, you were worried about her! That's so sweet!" She slammed the book shut. "I'll help you find her."
"That's not what I – I mean, why would you think – "
"You're very cute when you're flustered."
"What?"
"Ew. Gross out. Your taste is dropping." Kaiba smirked. "From me to this?"
"For your information," Kiara began, heatedly, "Marik is twice as hot as you'll ever be, Mr. Ego."
Kaiba stared. Then he got to his feet. "You disappoint me." He stalked away, wrenching open a door and vanishing into the darkness beyond.
It was Kiara's turn to stare.
"That was below the belt, Kiara. I'm so proud." Marik grinned. "And I appreciate the complement."
Kiara blinked. "I got through to him. Wow."
"You did not hear one word I just said, did you?"
"Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"
"Ah, forget it." Marik groaned.
"Oh, there you are. Undersized twit." Bakura folded his arms across his chest.
"Listen, whitey, if I were my real size…"
"Oh, will those two ever – "
"Shush, Tea. This is their version of friendship." Kiara smiled as she watched the two evil psychos exchange insults.
"Really?" Tea perked up.
"No, I'm lying," said Kiara sarcastically.
"Ah… excuse me, please." Tea exited, and Kiara could've sworn she heard a whoop of delight coming from behind the door she had used.
Shaking her head, she shoved the giant green book (which had the words 'Evil Dominion 101' on the front in faded gold letters) under her chair and picked up a megaphone.
"WOULD JOSEPH WHEELER, SETO KAIBA AND YUGI MOTO GET THEIR BUTTS DOWN HERE NOW, IF NOT SOONER? THANK YOU."
Bakura and Marik stared at her. Then they nodded solemnly and shook hands, like businessmen who had clinched a deal.
"Would you please stop doing that?" Joey asked as he entered through a bright orange side door that turned pink, giggled and disappeared once he was through.
"DOING WHAT?" asked Kiara, swinging around to face him, megaphone still by her lips.
"That. The whole megaphone deal."
"YOU DON'T LIKE MY MEGAPHONE? I RATE IT'S PRETTY COOL, MYSELF."
"If loud."
"TRUE. I WILL CONSIDER IT. YOU MAY GO."
"Go? I just got here."
"I KNOW, I WAS JUST MESSING WITH YOU JOSEPH ME OL' PAL!"
Joey shook his head and went to go sit on the set. Yugi fell through a green door with pink polka dots that was on the ceiling, for some odd reason. Kiara waved at him.
"HEY, YUGI!"
"Don't shout!" Yugi cried, hands flying to his ears as he got to his feet.
"BUT I'M NOT SHOUTING!"
"Megaphone," clarified Joey, pointing.
"I see," winced Yugi, rubbing his ears. "Well, you wanted me?"
"WE'RE STARTING THE NEXT SCENE. WE JUST NEED KAIBA-BOY."
"You sound just like – "
"PEGASUS, I KNOW. WHERE IS THAT GUY, ANYWAY?"
"How should I know?" Yugi went to sit by his friend.
"IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION, YOUNG FELLER-ME-LAD. I THINK I COULD DO WITH HIM AROUND THE PLACE, FOR SOME REASON."
"Whatever you say. It is your world."
"THANK YOU."
"Any time."
"DOGGONE IT, WHERE IS HE? SETO KAIBA, IF YOU DO NOT GET HERE THIS INSTANT I WILL RECAST YOU AS JASMINE!"
"I'm here," came a sullen voice from the floor. Everyone's eyes followed the voice to see…
A kitten. A cute, furry tabby kitten. A cute, furry tabby kitten with big icy blue eyes. A cute, furry kitten with icy blue eyes that looked extraordinarily like the one and only Seto Kaiba.
"OH, DEAR." Kiara looked like she was about to either fly into a hideous rage (and begin to throw things – preferably big, breakable things, such as Ming vases, her camera, Weevil and assorted crockery – around), or fall onto the floor rolling with laughter. There was a very long, tense moment.
"HOT DAMN." She sat down very quickly and dropped the megaphone. She had gone an unpleasant shade of white; a cold, harsh shade that made you want to run very fast in the opposite direction, screaming. "I don't feel so good."
Her eyes were glowing, and their happy-go-annoy-everyone sparkle had gone, leaving horrible emptiness. Very slowly, so slowly that the room's occupants could see it happening, her pupils went very thin, like a cat's, and her eyes turned deep, flaming red. Two fangs edged out of her mouth and rested, gleaming horribly, just below her bottom lip. Her hair turned white, and then deep blue, ending on impenetrable black that did not reflect the light shining onto it. She stood up and laughed. It was a coarse, rasping sound, that made the hairs stand up on the watchers arms. "Free," she whispered huskily, examining her hands and shuddering pleasurably.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded the kitten.
"I?" The thing that had been Kiara looked down its nose at him. "I am Gliyahadrath. You may now quake with fear."
"Fear? I don't know the meaning of fear." The kitten attempted to look superior, a facial expression not easily arranged on the face of a kitten, especially not a cute, fluffy one.
"I shall teach you, strange little beast of much courage." Gliyahadrath lifted her arms above her head and began to grow. Kiara's fingers were replaced with long ugly black talons, and the body that had served the annoying creation so well was swathed in a long black dress. They always have those. And a cloak. They always have cloaks, too. It must be a rule, somewhere.
Gliyahadrath swished her cloak and grinned at the dramatic result. She gave the ceiling an approving smile and turned back to the kitten-Kaiba, who was trying desperately not to look like he was cowering while still cowering.
"I'm not scared of you!" he managed.
Yami stepped out of the darkness. "I knew there'd be something like this around here somewhere."
"You." Glihayadrath scowled. "Don't tell me the ugly white-haired one is also here."
"Ugly?" cried Bakura, outraged.
"Don't take her to heart, Tomb Robber. She's a mere creation of too many fantasy novels and a pinch of something called 'Mary-Sue' mixed with the authoress' evil side."
"I thought Kiara was the evil side."
Yami raised an eyebrow.
"What? She's got all the signs, Pharaoh. Tell me you've noticed that smile of hers? You haven't? Where have you been, Pharaoh?" Bakura sighed. "I don't know how you managed to rule a country, I swear I don't."
"Are you insinuating something, Tomb Robber?"
"Insinuating? Who's insinuating?"
"Ahem!" Gliyahadrath clapped. "Excuse me, 'Pharaoh', but this is my show."
"Yours? This is Kiara's show!" This outburst was from Joey, now standing with Yugi on his shoulder by Yami's left elbow.
"Kiara? That idiot?" Gliyahadrath snorted. "Totally inappropriate."
"I thought she was appropriate, considering it's a parody," ventured Yugi.
"A PARODY?" Gliyahadrath shrieked in disbelief. "She could do any number of horror, or enslavement fictions, and she does a parody? I can't believe we're related!"
"You're related!" everyone present gasped. Even kitty-Kaiba, and that's saying something.
"Of course. We come from the same mind, don't we?" Gliyahadrath shrugged. "The similarity ends there."
"I see," Yugi said in a strangled voice, as some reply seemed necessary.
"That's nice. Now," Kiara's 'relative' picked up the megaphone. "GO FETCH THE OTHERS. I must examine my new slaves."
"Slaves? Never!" yelled Tristan, who had just entered. Joey nodded, his expression becoming serious (as opposed to scared silly, of course).
"Oh? And just how were you planning on getting out of here. As amazing as it sounds, my silly cousin did a good job of sealing this place."
"Silly?" Bakura shook his head, continuing to speak as though to a young child who had done something stupid. "You have the use of a large lexicon, I presume, so why don't you think of something other than 'silly'." That last word was smothered in scorn.
Gliyahadrath drew herself up to her full, impressive height. "You," she began, but then clutched at her throat, making choking sounds.
"Hey guys. Miss me?" Kiara's voice emanated from her mouth, its calm tone at odds with the frantic fangs clawing at Gliyahadrath's throat.
"Kiara!"
"You're okay!"
"What is this creature?"
Kitty-Kaiba's sensible question stemmed the flow of the other's questions. They all looked expectantly at the thrashing creature whose face was the image of calm.
"Well, as Yami said, she's kind of my 'dark half'. It's a long story. Now, I've got her under my control – and I've got way more power than she does, so I won't let go. Now, get the others so that we can start the next scene."
"The next scene?" Tristan looked blank.
"What, did you think I'd let some egotistical freak ruin my show? Oh, yeah, and besides Kaiba – kidding! I'm kidding! No, really – did you think some silly evil 'dark side' could take me over? You underestimate me. Anyway, the reason why Gliyahadrath took control was, simply: the owner of the mind in which I inhabit went to see the Victoria Falls. Silly, isn't it? The awe at seeing such an amazing thing unbalanced her long enough to let Gliyahadrath get an opening."
There was a very long silence as everyone sorted out what had happened in their minds and changed their expressions to suit the occasion.
"Well, what are you waiting for? The show must go on! I just need a little time to get my own body back, but you can go get the others in the meantime, right?" Gliyahadrath picked up the megaphone. "NOW!" Kiara's voice yelled, and as one everyone clamped their hands – or paws – over their ears and ran for the doors.
Satisfied, Gliyahadrath sat down in Kiara's chair, still clawing desperately at her throat. "Well…" she said thoughtfully. "It could be worse. I could lose my chair in a flash flood…"
A ton of water poured through a door, sweeping her chair from under her and soaking her completely.
"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that."
So? What did you think?