A dim shadow fell over the building before Jounouchi. When a heavy weight crashed onto the ground behind him, he felt the rumbling of earth under his feet. He activated his Duel Disk and wheeled around in the same move. He gripped a monster card in his hand, but when he saw what stood before him he stopped before placing it down.
A familiar beast perched just before the steps to the KaibaCorp replica where he stood. A dark dragon spread its spiked wings, cloaked in large puffs of blue smoke that seemed to waft out from its body. Small spines ran along the dragon's tail and the back of its neck. Big, silver claws shone with a sparkle in what little of the morning sunlight shone. A glint of red glared out from its eyes.
"Red Eyes?" the blond questioned. A sideways smile worked its way onto Jounouchi's face. "My old pal," he laughed.
The dragon lifted its head to scream out a roar. When a fireball formed in that gaping mouth, aimed at Yugi and himself, the laughter died in Jounouchi's throat.
"Guys, move!" Honda shouted from behind the monster. The men scrambled to the side as quickly as they were able. Jounouchi pushed Yugi along just as the scorching burst struck the tower behind them, the men narrowly dodging it.
"That's not your Red Eyes, Jou!" Yugi called.
"I noticed," he grimaced. As soon as they managed to swoop behind the lumbering creature, Jounouchi slapped down the card he'd been holding. "Didn't know my monster came in zombie form," he muttered. Jounouchi called out a new monster, Armor Exe. A caped man in heavy bright orange armor came forth.
Red Eyes Zombie Dragon beat its huge black wings and sprung into the air.
"Great," Jou muttered. "Yug', you better watch it. Your Ancient Dragon is up there, and I'm bettin' that this zombie counterfeit is stronger."
Yugi shook his head, summoning a monster of his own. Royal Straight Slasher came forth. "Ancient Dragon has been fighting, and it gets stronger when it does. I don't think we have to worry about him." Yugi stared up at his monster, which had grown even larger since the last time he'd seen it. Its wings were now twice the width as when he'd summoned the monster, and the massive spikes along its tail had grown to about four times their original length. As the zombie dragon took to the sky, Yugi stopped long enough to fling out a thought.
Ancient Dragon, defend us!
As he thought the words he stared up at the dragon, who had been as a statue clinging to the top the castle's peak. As soon as the words had entered Yugi's mind, Ancient Dragon launched itself from its perch and began chasing after Red Eyes Zombie Dragon. Yugi grinned.
"At least we won't be bored without that Red Eyes," Honda shouted. He brandished his sword while a new enemy lunged at him. His weapon slashed through the cloak of a spirit monster, but didn't present any harm to it besides further tattering the garment. It swung a scythe, swiping at Honda. The blade came close, but he leapt backward and dodged.
Yugi shifted his focus to a new monster swooping onto the field. A decayed white dragon with exposed neck muscles and a hollow, rotted skull flew onto the scene. An armored swordsman rode upon its back.
"Heads up, everyone – another airborne attacker," Yugi called out. Seto took to ignoring the spirit floating around Honda and aimed at the new dragon.
"Paladin of the Cursed Dragon," Yugi said.
Seto growled. He fired a shot and struck, catching the dragon's underbelly. It staggered in its flight, released a loud roar, and another monster – a smaller, red flying creature – appeared on the ground below it. Seto launched another bullet and shot the rider in his shoulder. The rider dropped his sword as the dragon descended. They crashed onto the ground before the building with a rumble.
The whisper of a ghost fluttered against Anzu's back. She screeched, turning a few heads in her direction, and scurried away from the chilling feeling. When Honda saw that the spirit monster had taken to pestering his friend he stepped in with his sword, but still couldn't catch the creature.
"Spirit Reaper can't be destroyed by monsters, or physical attacks," Mokuba called out, watching the struggle.
"So what do we do?" Honda called back.
Seto stepped in beside his brother and aimed his gun at the monster the paladin had summoned. "Spirit Reaper is weak. You'll just have to avoid it," he advised. Seto fired. The new monster, a smaller blue creature with wings, dodged and fluttered off more quickly than he could fire off another shot.
"Spirit creatures in general aren't effected by physical attacks, except in the case of Fear From the Dark, when it was in a corporeal form," Seto explained.
"No." Mokuba hissed, pointing to the sky above the castle. When Seto shot a look at his brother he saw to what the boy was indicating; a red cloud of flying creatures flapped toward them.
"Blue-Blooded Oni," Seto cursed. "These creatures are impossibly difficult to hit. I encountered a swarm of them hiding out beneath the roller coaster," he gestured to the new blue monster the fallen Paladin deposited. It didn't take more than a few seconds for the colony of human-sized bats to swarm the group. One flew straight past Seto's face, missing him by only inches.
He spun around to follow it with his pistol, facing his company's replica. He aimed his gun up at the flying Oni, but it flew out of view when his eyes caught sight of something in the distance. Perched atop a wing of the Blue Eyes Jet replica, Seto could make out the form of several figures. One was slumped over, two more crouched beside it, and the fourth stood upright, long hair blowing in a gust of wind.
As Seto looked closer, the slumped-over figure stirred and sat up, and a realization of familiarity struck him. He saw that the figure was a girl; a girl whom he knew. One of the figures beside her reached and touched her shoulder, ans she shrunk back fearfully. Seto also recognized this being, but it was not one he itched to find. The creature appeared human at first glance, but on closer inspection its limbs appeared shriveled and strips of cloth could be seen hanging down in places.
"Jounouchi!" Seto shouted. The blond watched his monster punch into a Blue-Blooded Oni with its dangerous spiked fist before turning his attention to Seto. He and a few others followed Seto's gaze up to the jet and were just as startled to find the onlookers.
Jounouchi squinted against the illuminated sky. By the time it registered to him that one of the beings atop the jet was certainly his sister and called out her name, Seto had already activated his Duel Disk and drawn a card. Mokuba struggled to divide his attention between his own safety and observing his brother's actions. Seto slipped a card onto the disk, waiting with an itching finger.
Atop the jet's wing a shower of light exploded. A woman appeared beside the four other figures. She was quite tall with long green hair. Strikingly elegant red markings accentuated her cheekbones, and her forehead was adorned with a red jewel. The woman smiled down at Shizuka while the red jewel began to glow. A red orb of light formed in the palm of her hand and, without instruction, launched the orb at the mummy crouching nearby. The creature slid backward as the orb struck it, forcing it to tumble off the side of the jet just as it shattered to pieces.
The fourth figure gripped the shoulder of the other crouching beast, and both disappeared together. The elegant woman remained by Shizuka's side. The girl, looking sick and unsteady, melted against the woman's legs.
Mokuba's joyous laughter was heard above the clash of battle, reminding Seto that anything was still happening on the ground.
"Nii-sama, you did it! You used your Duel Disk!" The boy was beside him, trying to offer his congratulations. Seto brushed him off and strode back to the fight. Jounouchi was staring desperately up at the jet, and shouted his sister's name again. She seemed to hear him and struggled to sit up and peer down to the ground. She didn't show much of a reaction, and Jounouchi couldn't be sure she had even recognized him.
His eyes darted around the tower, looking for some way up so he could reach her. The jet was suspended in the air and connected to the tower by thick metal beams directed to the belly of the machine. Seeing no direct way up, he began to study the structure and evaluate if he might be able to climb up to her.
With a sudden jerk, Jounouchi darted forward, abandoning the fight in order to reach her. He jolted past Seto, but the CEO shot out his arm and gripped his shoulder. Jounouchi slammed to a stop as though he'd run into a solid wall.
"There's no point in trying," Seto commanded. "You can't get up there."
"She did. There has to be a way. Lemme go!" Jounouchi tried to shake free but Seto's grip was rough.
"She must have had help from her "friend". I'm certain the other figure on the wing was the boy my brother saw, and he must be using Shadow Ghoul's ability to move around."
"So how am I gonna get her down if I don't get up there?"
"We'll figure it out. One of our flying monsters can probably help after we thin out this crowd. But for now you need to leave her be. There's too much of a risk. Shizuka isn't alone, and she's much safer where she is. We have a fight to focus on." Seto finally released Jounouchi's shoulder with a shove and spun around.
Just as Jounouchi sullenly turned about, a new crowd of enemies appeared. A faint outline around each of them indicated a slight purple hue. The Lady in Wight came into view, holding her delicate hands behind her back. To the troupe's dismay, she was surrounded by a handful of creatures that the troupe had already seen destroyed.
"Great. More familiar faces," Honda growled.
"Anyone else feel like we just walked into a boss fight?" Jounouchi snorted. His drive newly refreshed, he slapped another ally onto the field. A long, metal snake-like creature came about. A crisp screech erupted from its metal mouth, and a faint echo of metallic undertones could be heard in the cry.
"It's starting to feel that way," Yugi agreed.
"I think I missed the save point and the treasure chest full of health potions that always seem to mean trouble's ahead, but I think you said it, Jou."
"Oh man, could those come in handy," Jounouchi agreed."Cyber Dragon! Attack!" The metal dragon slithered into battle and sunk its metal teeth into the first creature it encountered. The obese mummified corpse tried to swing its ax in defense, but couldn't move quickly enough before Cyber Dragon's bite shattered it.
Mokuba stared at Jounouchi's addition a few seconds when his brain clicked, suddenly remembering why his metal beast looked familiar. He quickly flipped through his own new cards until he found an identical monster. He decided to summon his as well. When the second Cyber Dragon joined the field, both machines released an identical roar, and began to glow white.
"Hey, what's goin' on?" Jounouchi asked, alarmed. The two monsters began to meld together and their combined shape became jumbled.
"Two Cyber Dragons polymerize to form something stronger," Yugi explained. "Cyber Twin Dragon, with twenty-eight hundred attack points!"
"They can polymerize here?" Mokuka questioned. But as he watched, the two dragons continued melting into a single shape.
"Pretty sweet," Jounouchi grinned at the two joining creatures. The monsters began to take on a recognizable form, one long metal snake with twin heads.
"Nice!" Mokuba cheered. "That's strong enough to take out the Red Ogre! Twin Dragon, destroy him!"
The double-headed machine lunged forward and sought out the large red beast. Red Ogre counter-attacked with its spiked club, but its might was too weak to defend itself against Cyber Twin Dragon. The two heads each bit down on one half of the monster's torso and destroyed it. The two boys cheered and slapped each other an enthusiastic high-five.
"A little too soon to celebrate, boys," Mai warned. Eyes followed her gaze up to the sky where Red Eyes Zombie Dragon and Ancient Dragon were still chasing one another in a scuffle each occasionally stopping to fire an attack at the other, when another beast appeared over the top of the castle.
The familiar monster flew awkwardly toward the crowd with uneven strokes of its bony wings, seeming to favor one over the other. Its long purple mane fluttered behind its skeletal form.
"Not this thing again," Mokuba groaned. "Berserk." Seto stepped up beside his young brother and nudged for his attention.
"Mokuba. No monster before us carries over thirty-five hundred points. Berserk is the strongest. If we can summon something strong enough to defeat that dragon, then we should win, and perhaps then this whole debacle ought to end."
"Okay... what Light monster can any of us summon that's stronger than thirty-five hundred?"
Seto smirked, holding two cards fanned between his index and middle fingers. Mokuba's eyes went wide and a big grin set on his face, even though only the backs of the two cards his brother held were facing him.
"You think we can do it? You think we can summon Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon?"
"Your Cyber Dragon seemed to prove that polymerization takes effect automatically on this stage. Do I have your hand in getting the third Blue Eyes out on the field?"
"On it," Mokuba nodded firmly. Seto placed his own two cards down on his disk and waited cautiously. Mokuba's eyes were focused straight ahead as well, watching rather than reaching for the final Blue Eyes.
Shizuka peeled open her heavy eyelids. She didn't fully understand her setting, but she was dimly aware that her company had changed. A beautiful woman stood over her now, instead of the nasty child and his horrifying allies. The woman sometimes switched between looking down at her wearing a loving expression, and glancing around their surrounding defensively.
Once again she heard her name from a distance and tried to sit up. She could feel how heavy her body was, making it hard to move. A wave of dizziness struck her when she tried to rise, making her swoon instead. A quick glance around showed Shizuka her position, sitting atop some metal contraption, suspended in the air. She peeked over the edge and tried to find the ground, an action that only proved to unsteady her further.
The woman at her side crouched down and held her arm, holding her still. Although she was dressed oddly she felt as if she recognized the woman somehow. Shizuka couldn't deny that she felt a warm sense of trust toward her. Holding onto the woman's hand, she peered over the side of her platform again, trying to gain a sense of her surroundings.
A group of people stood below, engaged in a rough fight. All had their backs to her, except one. From her distance she couldn't make out any faces, but she felt she didn't have to. The last person in the group finally turned away from her too, but she was confident that she had been seen; that her allies on the ground below knew where she was.
She searched the grounds for any evidence of the boy who had taken to tormenting her. She didn't notice him, but wasn't certain if that made her feel any safer. She continued to watch over the edge as the crowd of people fought. Although some of them blurred together, especially amidst the action, she recognized a few for certain. The easiest to pick out were Yugi with his spiked hair, and the Kaiba brothers standing side by side, Seto with his waving white cape and Mokuba with his jet-black locks.
She studied them, watching as Seto's arm was braced out before him. Watching as he brandished his unfolded Duel Disk; as he moved his other hand to play a card. He waited, and Shizuka waited with him. For a brief moment, the thick haze inside her head, the burning pain in her leg that hadn't subsided since the mummy had cut its teeth into her skin, seemed lessened while she waited with him.
Twin waterfalls of sparks sputtered through the air as two Blue Eyes White Dragons emerged with victorious roars in a glorious show of light. Mokuba stood in awe, admiring the radiant monsters before he remembered his own role. He pulled the one card out of his back pocket where he kept it separate from the rest. He flashed Seto a triumphant grin. He held out his arm, baring the platform of his Duel Disk.
And he staggered. Mokuba's vision doubled and the boy swooned. His hands flew to his head. Seto watched, painfully helpless, as his little brother toppled over. Berserk Dragon landed before him with a roar. Seto almost called out to his two Blue Eyes, but stopped himself before the dragons became the next sacrifice. He needed them alive to win. Instead Seto fished his firearm out of his coat, regretting that he had ever put it away. Without spending a single crucial second to aim Seto pointed the gun at the dragon and fired at its open chest.
The dragon was struck, but it refused to die easily. The bullet shot through its ribs in a sickening explosion of black and gray flesh. It released a desperate shriek of pain before launching itself into the air once more. It fluttered above Seto's head in circles too uneven for Seto to predict, though he tried to aim.
Seto's chest was heaving as his anger raced through his system, but he was helpless against the monster without the third card he needed. With a grunt he lowered his gun. He was startled by a shrill scream. The voice came from a distance, and it was one that he recognized. He spun around to see Shizuka looking down at him. Both of her hands were plastered over her own mouth, but she moved them to scream again. This time, she called out Mokuba's name.
Seto turned and found his brother, only to realize – too late – what the girl had seen, and what the dragon had really been doing.
The circle in which Berserk flew was directly in the path between Mokuba's crumpled body, and the sun in the sky. Its flight path created a solid shadow over the boy, and while Seto had been trying to take the creature down, he had left Mokuba unattended. In those precious seconds, the young boy with the long pale hair had risen up from the shadowed ground, his precious Shadow Ghoul loyally by his side. The rest of the team was overwhelmed with the Blue-Blooded Oni's that still swarmed heavily. Seto could do nothing but stare in the last seconds as the child touched Mokuba's shoulder, and in an instant the three had sunk back into the earth.
Mokuba was gone.
Seto was given no time to process – no time to grieve. All that was left now was to fight back. Berserk was still flying, and that meant it had to die. Seto sent his two dragons into battle against the fluttering swarm of angry bats. Yugi and Jounouchi had summoned monsters that were gradually deleting the enemies, and Honda was doing his best with his sword, but the enemy's numbers were too great for them to handle alone. Seto shouted to his two Blue Eyes White Dragons and they burst into the fight with their powerful lightstream attacks.
The two dragons, fighting side by side, erupted attack after attack, illuminating the entire grounds with their destructive energy. Each enemy that was hit in the blast disintegrated, leaving only dust behind to be swept up by the wind and disappear.
Seto let his dragons work and focused on his anger. Berserk Dragon was working directly under the insolent child, and they had tricked him. Seto could not accept this. He breathed in deeply and once more took aim at the sky. The dragon was still flying in odd circles, trying to avoid Seto's wrath. Seto decided to risk a few bullets. He watched, waiting as patiently as he could manage, for the tip of the dragon's snout to appear in line of his aim. He stood still for nearly a minute before the dragon gave him his chance. Seto's finger slammed down on the trigger the instant the beast came into view.
The gun only clicked. The dragon continued to fly. Seto pulled the trigger again, but only received the same empty click in response. His eyes grew wide and his anger flared. Had the gun jammed? He pulled back the device to examine it. The answer seemed impossible to him: that the chamber was empty; that he had miscounted his shots fired. Seto kept his searing eyes glued to the enemy ahead as he dug in his coat pocket to reload.
His fingers fished, but concluded that the small pocket was empty, too. Seto's blood ran cold. He had miscounted his shots. He had left himself defenseless. His only remaining ammunition existed inside his metal case, which he couldn't be bothered to find where he'd tossed it in the middle of the fight.
"Kaiba!" Yugi called to him. The small man held his arm over his face while an Oni flapped above him, trying to scratch with the claws on its feet.
Seto struggled with his options. Yugi was calling for his help. His dragons had done a lot of work, but the monsters hadn't stopped pouring in. He needed to summon his Ultimate Dragon, but Mokuba left nothing behind on the ground – he knew that Mokuba would still have his card. He was holding it in his hand when Shadow Ghoul had taken him, exactly how Shizuka had been stolen.
Seto cursed. In the moment, he wanted to regret giving Mokuba his best card. But... he had used it to save him. If he hadn't... if he hadn't trusted him with it, Seto's role would have ended long before now. Seto abandoned the idea of reloading his gun now – it was a waste of time, when now his monsters could help. He had to find his brother... but he couldn't let the others die.
Yugi struggled against the bat hanging on his arm, his Royal Straight Slasher too tied up in the numbers to attack. Honda freed himself from his own tangle and swung his sword at Yugi's enemy. The bat dodged, causing Honda to miss, but it fluttered away from Yugi allowing him a moment's respite. Yugi's arms were terribly scratched, but they were free and he took the opportunity to summon another monster.
Jounouchi kept himself in line of sight from the jet where his sister watched over them, always making certain he could see her if he tried. He stood with his back to the rest of his friends and fought from another angle. He could feel Mai behind him battling at his back, and he occasionally peeked over his shoulder to see if she was doing alright. She had summoned Yugi's Chaos Command Magician, and seemed to be holding her own. Anzu stood beside her, Shizuka's baton in her hand – someone must have picked it up from the floor of the train where he'd hurled it – and he was glad to see it in her hands. The two women watched one another's back, keeping on guard for monsters on all sides.
"I think we need a more united front, you guys!" Yugi called. He placed another card on the machine, calling forth his loyal Mirage Knight. Side-by-side with Yugi's two monsters, Jounouchi's Gilford The Lightning was accompanied by his own Cyber Dragon, it's partner having disintegrated when Mokuba vanished. Mai stepped up from beside the boys to get her own attack in, backed by her Chaos Command Magician and Agent of Creation – Venus.
Mai's mind suddenly flashed to her a collection of memories that felt out of place to her in the moment. She recalled the multitude of occasions when the people she fought beside had gambled with their very lives to save her, even after the mean-spirited words she spewed out at them. Her friends – despite her deep-seated tendencies to walk her own way, she made herself admit that there was no better word to title them.
Mai turned her face to Jounouchi, the muscular, hot-headed loudmouth who had, from the first step of their journey together, fought both across an arena against her as well as by her side, the man who had taught her how to trust, and how to accept assistance. She gave a little smile, but it was quick to fade. Accompanying the memories of how she'd been helped, were a series of nightmares reminding her how she had repaid them.
"Jounouchi," Mai called over her shoulder. Her voice was low, but sharp, drawing his immediate attention. "You need to find a way to get your sister out of here."
"You don't have to tell me that," he agreed. "But we're kinda in the middle of something important."
"No. Forget about this. Who says any of this will end if we beat this horde, anyway? There might not even be an end to it. You should take her and run."
Jounouchi recalled Seto's reasoning for leaving Shizuka where she was. He couldn't entirely say that he had fully agreed with the notions. But the man's idea of how to get up to her was intriguing. He'd already seen evidence that these monsters – like Shadow Ghoul – could use their abilities to affect humans. He expected then, that the same principle applied to hopping on a dragon and riding it up to rescue his sister. From there, they could simply fly over the borders of the park and find somewhere safe together.
But he couldn't – he wouldn't – leave all of his friends behind to finish fighting the battle.
"Go."
She said the word so surely and with such confidence that Jounouchi was left dumbfounded and unable to respond. Mai repeated herself impatiently.
"Go!" she called with more conviction. "Jounouchi, get your sister and get out of here!" she finally clarified.
"But... but you can't run." Plenty of times before, the woman had heard Jounouchi speak in ways that suggested he may be intellectually impaired but the painfully obvious fact that had just erupted from his brain positively made her twitch. Didn't he understand she was trying to save him! She huffed, and shoved him away from her as she commanded one of her monsters to attack another Blue-Blooded Oni.
"Mai, stop," he said coldly. His eyes were on the action in front of him, on his Duel Disk, on the ground – anywhere but meeting hers. "I appreciate what you're tryin' to do. I get it, and don't think I don't want what you're trying to give me. But I can't take you up on it."
He saw in his peripheral that she was staring at him intently, a confounded expression across her features. He finally rose his face to look directly at her.
"But, see, that's not how friends are. Not these ones, anyway," he gestured to his companions in war, each of them doing what they could to stop the invading enemies, and he grinned. "You can try to give and give all you want. But we're just gonna give it all right back with a smile. We don't try to save each other 'cause we think we're getting something for it... or because we think we owe anyone. We do it 'cause it's gotta be done. Right now, it doesn't. Thanks for the sentiment, but I'm not leavin' you behind."
Mai stood watching him, almost wishing that her mouth would work, if she could only figure out a way to reply. Jounouchi flashed her a grin, but far more familiar to her was the steel determination that shone in his eyes. She found that they gave her encouragement – more than even her guilt had bestowed to her.
"This is it, everyone!" Yugi rallied, calling everyone to attention.
Seto inhaled deeply. There was really nowhere he could search for his brother just now. He had to fight past this level, first. He slipped another two dragons onto his Duel Disk, twin Thunder Dragons. When the electrical beasts appeared on the field, they merged just as the boys' Cyber Dragons had. They slowly morphed together to form Seto's powerful Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon.
"Attack!" Jounouchi shouted. Honda lunged forward with his blade, striking at every enemy he could touch. The battle raged, and monsters dropped everywhere the allies attacked. In the distance an ear-piercing shriek sounded above all the clatter. Yugi looked up just long enough to see that his Ancient Dragon had finally caught up to the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon and dealt the killing blow. The black rotting beast plummeted out of the air and crashed down in a cloud of thick smoke.
Slowly the field began to clear. The Lady In Wight had finally been struck down and without her spell all of her protecting minions fell like dominoes. The Blue-Blooded Oni's fell so few in number that the handful which remained actually fluttered up out of reach and settled on top of castle peaks. The only beast remaining was the wounded black dragon, still flying in a ragged circle overhead. Seto still itched to dig into his briefcase and fire a few more rounds into the abhorrent creature.
His eyes scanned over the grounds, catching sight of a glint of silver near the end of the castle's drawbridge; he remembered wanting to be rid of the burden of carrying it as soon as possible. Moving as quickly as he could manage Seto strode over to the metal box. He tore it open and scooped up a handful of bullets from their container. He shoved most of them into his pocket and filed just a few into the gun, freeing his fingers and readying his weapon as soon as possible.
In the next moment, when Seto was considering what move to make next, his attention was seized by an unwelcome eruption of childish laughter from somewhere behind him. Seto abandoned all thoughts of the dragon over his head. He spun around to find the child he was growing to hate so strongly, standing before the KaibaCorp replica, tucked into the shadow of a corner just in front of the doors to enter the building. The child was on the ground this time, nestled next to his precious Shadow Ghoul. Seto could see clearly what Mokuba had meant when he had said the child's hands were glowing.
This boy's face was split in a gleeful smirk, and the light violet tint to his hands could be seen shining brightly even through the shadow of his little corner. Seto's anger burned fiercely once more, and he tramped toward the child, even ignoring Yugi's warning of caution. He blew past the rest of the troupe but when he came within twenty feet of the bottom steps leading to the building, the little boy broke out in laughter.
Seto didn't bother to stop on his way to him. He didn't know exactly what he was; Mokuba had theorized that the boy wasn't a monster. If he was, Seto didn't recognize what card he may have belonged to. But he knew that the boy was responsible for his brother's disappearance, and that he was going to make him pay for it. Sending a dragon to do the job might work, but it lacked the satisfaction Seto demanded.
The laughter went on, and soon the child was giggling as if he were mad, which only served to irritate Seto further. But when his foot reached the top of the steps, and the child's shadow was only a few strides away, the laughter died so abruptly that Seto stopped moving, suddenly on guard. The boy's purple hands were glowing even brighter. Seto decided to wait him out.
Something began to take form in front of him. Seto immediately swung out his arm, waiting for the monster to appear and attack. He had enough dragons on the field that he expected he didn't need to shield himself with yet another, with his two Blue Eyes just over his shoulder. But he kept himself prepared anyway.
The shape before him formed slowly, but when Seto understood what it was, he stopped breathing. He knew, from the sick laughter that echoed in his ears, that the shape forming before him was human, and he knew who's identity the body would hold.
"Mokuba," Seto said breathlessly. The boy stood before him, upright with his arms at his sides. His chest was heaving, his breaths coming in heavy pants. A thin sheen coated his face and neck. Mokuba ignored the voice. His gaze was trained on the ground.
Seto knew better than to trust this – he knew better than to grab the boy and hold him to his chest. Rather, Seto retreated a few steps backward, until their eyes were level, just like on the steps to the castle basement. Mokuba wasn't looking up, and his eyes were shadow-cloaked hollows below his dark brows, from all that Seto could see.
Mokuba's grey eyes slowly rolled to see the face of the man before him. He looked Seto straight in the eyes. Finally, a ghost of a smile formed on the child's lips. But the look in his own gray eyes was empty, vacant. Seto could hardly even make out a hint of the violet that was usually so prominent.
Seto could feel the others at his back, now that they'd all run up to help. He expected that Shizuka was watching from above as well, although he didn't bother to look up. Perhaps, Seto wondered, they've all come to greet Mokuba. Too bad this shell isn't him. Seto felt himself grimace in disdain at the thought, but he knew it had to be true.
Seto took another step back, trying to take in all of his image, a move that made his mouth go dry. The leg of Mokuba's jeans, where he had been attacked, was now torn off and discarded from the one side. Beneath was a patch of bare skin, and the wrappings from the wound had been torn off. The torn skin was exposed and throbbing a purple so deep it almost looked black, and filtered off into veins running up his leg.
Mokuba's face was partly concealed by his own mussed hair hanging down, but the skin on his neck and hands had grown a pasty gray. The boy did not speak and his lips were closed, but his jaw moved, like he was working at something. Like he was trying to speak, or like...
Like...!
As the empty eyes bore into him, the lips curled into a grimace.
Mokuba bared his teeth.
The boy's jaw hinged open and he lunged toward Seto. As he leapt backward another three steps, he reached out a long arm and pushed the body back a step. Mokuba kept moving toward him but Seto dodged to the side and stuck his leg out. The instant Mokuba stumbled over it Seto launched an elbow into his back to send him flying even harder down the steps. Seto chased after and met him on the ground. When Mokuba peeled himself out of the dirt, a line of saliva dripped down his chin. He clicked his jaws together hungrily.
"Little brother…" Seto had always used the words as a high title, something of grand importance to him, and even at times a warning of discipline. Now the words felt sorrowful.
Jounouchi jumped in. "Hold it a sec. What's goin' on?"
Seto didn't give an answer. His shaking thumb pulled back the hammer on his refreshed weapon but he kept the barrel pointed at the ground.
Mokuba crouched backward, bending his knees and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, like a panther preparing to tackle its prey. He licked his lips.
Seto leveled the gun directly at his brother's face, three feet in front of him. His body was so rigid it trembled.
"Kaiba!" Jounouchi shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!" Seto did not let his eyes stray from his target.
Mokuba lunged forward, but his movement was slow enough for Seto to sidestep the attack. He shoved Mokuba as the boy slipped past him, throwing off his balance. Mokuba toppled onto his back on the asphalt.
"Mokuba wasn't ill. He wasn't undernourished." He lifted a heavy boot and placed it on Mokuba's chest, pinning him down. "He was attacked. Now, he's infected." Seto narrowed his cold blue eyes at the monster pinned beneath him. "He's become one of them."
"But do you have to…?" Anzu choked on her question. She approached the man and placed a hand on the arm hanging at his side. "…You can't shoot him."
"Don't." Seto pushed the girl away, but allowed himself a glance in her direction. "He would do the same for me."
"There's gotta be another way!" Jounouchi shouted.
"There isn't." Seto refocused, his eyes trained on the toe of his leather boot that held the child down, not allowing himself to look at the face of the boy he aimed his weapon at. It no longer belonged to Mokuba, anyhow.
Mokuba clawed at the leg that locked him in place. Seto jerked away, releasing him. The black-haired creature clambered to his knees. His hands pressed flat against the cold floor, bracing his weight and preparing for another attack.
"This child is no longer my brother. There is nothing else to be done."
Seto raised his weapon again. He stared down the ravenous little creature, whose eyes shone like a rabid beast. It was then, that he saw it, the purple haze surrounding him and covering every inch of his skin. Seto shoved the child down again, only to buy himself an extra couple of second to spin around and aim his gun at the monster hiding in the shadows behind him.
Seto raised his gun and the maniacal boy's hands glowed brighter, using his powers to control the other monsters. He created for himself a shield using the Shadow Ghoul he hid behind. Seto's bullet pierced through the monster's green flesh, sending bits flying in every direction. The ghoul fell at the child's feet, but it only served to make him laugh again.
This time the laughter was a darker sound. Seto's finger pressed into the trigger, but before he could shoot the gun off, a new shield formed before the child. Seto's little brother, arms outstretched to protect his Master. Seto turned over his shoulder, and the boy he had left at the bottom of the steps was gone. This wasn't an illusion. Yugi and his friends trampled up the steps, stopping just behind him.
Seto moved closer, keeping his arm steady and his finger pressing on the trigger, until he was standing only five feet from the form he could once call his brother. But he was straining to keep his control on that finger. It itched to squeeze; to destroy the detestable creation with his own revolting creator.
He breathed in slowly. This isn't right, his mind pleaded. Something about this didn't seem fair. None of it, of course, felt fair to him, but that wasn't his concern. It wasn't fair to Mokuba. It shouldn't end this way, he knew. He exhaled.
Keeping his gun steady, Seto tried Yugi's trick. He called out to his beautiful white dragons, without speaking a word. He called them, and the majestic creatures heard and flew near, one on each side.
"Kaiba, don't do this!" Yugi called.
"End this," Seto whispered.
Several movements happened so quickly in the same moment, that Seto couldn't have focused on them all at once if he'd tried.
Anzu stepped closer and reached out for the hand holding Seto's weapon. Shizuka screamed down from above.
Mokuba sprung forward and leapt toward his brother. Lightning burst forth from the mouths of both of his dragons at once, the light flooding into the dark corner so brightly that all vision was obscured.
The hammer of the pistol slammed down. And just as quickly as the light had come...
…All went black.
...
Monster appearances:
Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: 2400ATK/2000DEF
Spirit Reaper: 300ATK/200DEF
Paladin of the Cursed Dragon: 1900ATK/1200DEF (Once per turn: You can target 1 Level 4 or lower Zombie-Type monster in your opponent's Graveyard, that was destroyed by battle; Special Summon that target to your side of the field.)
Blue-Blooded Oni: 1000ATK/1700DEF
Poison Mummy: 1000ATK/1800DEF
Shadow Ghoul: 1600ATK/1300DEF
Lady In Wight: 0ATK/2200DEF
Giant Axe Mummy: 1700ATK/2000DEF
Red Ogre: 2800ATK/2100DEF
Berserk Dragon: 3500ATK/0DEF
Ally monsters:
Armor Exe: 2400ATK/1400DEF
Ancient Dragon: 1400ATK/1300DEF (When this card inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent by a direct attack: You can increase this card's Level by 1 and ATK by 500.)
Royal Straight Slasher: 2400ATK/1350DEF
Gyakutenno Megami: 1800ATK/2000DEF
Cyber Dragon (x2): 2100ATK/1600DEF
Cyber Twin Dragon: 2800ATK/2100DEF, Fusion
Blue Eyes White Dragon (x2): 3000ATK/2500DEF
Chaos Command Magician: 2400ATK/1900DEF
Mirage Knight: 2800ATK/2000DEF
Gilford the Lightning: 2800ATK/1400DEF
Agent of Creation – Venus: 1600ATK/0DEF
Thunder Dragon (x2): 1600ATK/1500DEF
Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon: 2800ATK/2100DEF