Seto finally, finally felt as though his body was no longer glued to the mattress, and he carefully eased himself up to a sitting position. The bed creaked softly beneath him, his hands digging into the pillows. For once, his room was actually empty. Ishizu was not asleep in the chair beside him, nor were Mokuba and Noa hanging around on the couch as they had been prone to do for the past day. Or however long it had been. He honestly wasn't sure, and his inability to guess how much time had passed irritated him.
He fumbled towards the nightstand and managed to get his fingers around his phone, flipping it open to see the time. If he remembered the date of Aoyama correctly, he had been asleep...only about a day. A day and a half. That wasn't too bad. He still chafed at the idea of all the time that had been lost, but at the very least, he hadn't been out for weeks to find out that Bakura was already dealt with, and he had just slept through the whole goddamn thing.
He sighed as he slid his legs over the side of the bed. It took a few seconds for his legs to feel strong enough to put any weight on, but by hanging on the side of the bed posts, he was able to get himself standing, and get his shoulders straight. Ah. Much better. He felt so helpless lying down; at least standing up he could pretend he had more control over the situation than he actually did.
The door burst open, and Mokuba practically collapsed through it. Luckily, Noa grabbed his collar before he went face first into the carpet, and they both wheeled their arms for a moment like some kind of variety show comedy pair before Mokuba regained his footing. His eyes found Seto immediately, and his entire face lit up. Seto felt something in his chest relax at the sight.
"Niisan! You're awake!"
Mokuba bolted across the room and threw his arms around Seto's waist. Seto almost went toppling back over into the bed, but his brother's grip was firm enough to keep him up. He smiled as he carefully stroked down his brother's messy, loose hair, as though he were a child again.
"I'm fine, Moki," he said. "You can—stop crushing my ribs now."
"Oops!"
Mokuba jumped back, his hands opening and closing in front of him as though he were worried he had actually hurt Seto. Seto welcomed the smile that grew over his face at his brother's still-pure reactions to everything. Maybe I didn't fuck up everything, he thought, as he found himself thinking often when he looked at Mokuba.
Noa lingered awkwardly a few feet away from the pair of them, and Seto sent him a half smile too—just to reassure him. Noa smiled slightly back, but his face looked pale, as though he were still frightened that Seto would keel over at any second.
"I'm guessing you guys didn't almost fall over yourself in here just to see that I was awake," Seto said. "Is something going on?"
Noa opened his mouth but Mokuba's voice burst out first.
"So much has happened so quickly! L's task force is in the house again—I said you wouldn't like it but Yugi said that it would probably be okay, I think Yugi's trying to teach them how to ka summon—oh, right, Bakura attacked L and his team at their hotel somehow and that's why the task force knows about him and all the magic and stuff, so I think they're down there now and training and—"
"Ishizu, actually, was the one that asked us to come see how you were doing," Noa said, cutting Mokuba's ramble off. "She says she thinks she might have a way to help you figure out why you can't summon Kisara. If you're able, she wants to meet you in the simulation room when you can."
The simulation room? What was she doing in there?
"Well, I guess we don't have any time to waste," Seto said. He blew out harshly through his lips. "No rest for the weary, huh...?"
So much had happened even in the short time he had been asleep. He couldn't let himself keep falling behind.
. . .
This wasn't really going quite as well as Yugi had hoped.
He frowned at the task force, hovering awkwardly in the background. L appeared to be the only one who was all right with the situation, sitting crouched with a dog pile of Madolche gathered around him. Madeleine hovered over his head on her fork, every now and then making a pass around him, as though she were afraid someone would come after him.
Marik was doing his best to explain ka summoning to a very irritable Aizawa, who didn't seem to be able to believe quite yet that this was even possible. Despite the fact that he had seenwhat Apep could do, he seemed the least willing to admit that this was actually happening. Yagami Soichiro was putting his all into it, but he wasn't making any progress at all. The same could be said for Mogi and Ide, and Matsuda mostly just looked like he was constantly dizzy.
And then there was...
Yugi's eyes flickered over to Yagami Light. There was something...something strange about him. Something that made Yugi's stomach twist.
Light is one of the suspects of being Kira, he thought. Am I reacting to sensing the death magic in his soul?
But that didn't seem to make any sense. If Light was using the death magic, then Yugi should be able to sense it from a mile away. And yet, he sensed nothing at all...nothing except an unease that settled over his shoulders.
He didn't notice L shuffling towards him until he poked Yugi in the shoulder, making Yugi jump with a yelp.
"S-sorry," he said, rubbing his shoulder. "I'm a little jumpy."
L only nodded, the same old dull expression on his face. He was impossibleto read.
"What do you think?" he asked after a beat.
Yugi glanced out at the task force. The others weren't practicing today; only Yugi, Marik, and Rishid were here to help work with the task force to learn how to ka summon, to learn how to defend themselves. Everyone else was busy staking out the mansion, setting up watches and wards around as they tried to fortify for whatever came next.
"They're...trying," he said. "But they didn't have the same exposure that the others did, to Atem and I. It's going to be harder for them to reach their latent magic."
L nodded, as though this made perfect sense to him. For someone that had been staunchly against magic just a few days ago, he was acting as though he was completely understanding of all the aspects of magic now. Pudding sat on his shoulder, kicking her legs back and forth softly. She hadn't moved from his side or said a word since the attack, and Yugi figured she was still recovering. It was a testament to the strength of L's soul that the Madolche were holding up as well as they were; they were drawing their strength from the magic in his soul. There was so muchpower in him that sometimes it made Yugi dizzy.
Nameless. Yugi still didn't know entirely what that role entailed, but clearly it came with an incredible store of magical potential. Yugi knew that L's secret name would have some connection to the worlds, but he still didn't know why. Who had started that line, and why? What had the old kings been trying to hide by sealing the key to the worlds into the soul of a Nameless individual?
Yugi wished, not for the first time, that three thousand years hadn't passed between his predecessor and his own reign. He didn't know half the things that the King should know, because too much time had passed. Too much had been lost.
"What do you think of him?"
Yugi almost didn't hear L right away, and he blinked as he realized who L was talking about.
He followed L's gaze to Light, who was speaking to Marik now. He had a bland sort of face, Yugi thought. During the few moments that they had spoken, he had been incredibly polite, and very accepting of the new rules of the game. He seemed determined, more than Yugi expected, to catch and defeat Kira.
He glanced back at L, and found that the other young man was staring at Light with a burning curiosity and a deep fascination that Yugi couldn't quite interpret.
"You think he's Kira, right?" Yugi said.
L nodded.
"He is the only logical suspect thus far."
"And you brought him in here."
L shrugged.
"Keep your enemies closer," was all he said.
Yugi pressed his lips together. If this boy was really Kira...he was here, now, and he knew all of their names. He could...he could take them all out so easily.
Then again, L seemed to be banking on the fact that Kira still wouldn't know his own name. If any of their number fell prey to the Death Note, everyone would know it came from the inside. Besides...Yugi and the others knew how to fight the death magic if they had to...
"I think he's...strange," Yugi said after a beat. "If he were Kira...I should be able to tell in an instant. Magic like that leaves marks. I don't think you'd be able to hide the stain. And yet, I don't sense that from him at all. Just..."
Just a strange sense of unbalancing. Like...like a pole that didn't cast a shadow when the sun was right behind it...
L only nodded, as though somehow, that made sense to him.
"I haven't ruled him out, despite that," he said. "We'll see where this goes."
Yugi nodded, feeling a little sick to his stomach.
And then he felt a sudden spark at the back of his head, and he gasped as he noticed that the dimensions were bending slightly—
"I—I did it!"
Yugi whipped around. Matsuda beamed out at the others, who stared open-mouthed at him in shock. A huge smile grew over the man's face as the ka creature appeared, hopping into existence.
Honor Guard, Yugi thought with surprise. That's Miracle Flipper.
The little boy looked like he was wearing Dark Magician's outfit in a dark green color instead, holding a large staff with an orb at the end. The boy smiled and laughed as Matsuda stared at him with wonder—Yugi knew that face, that was the face of someone who had just come into contact with the other, hidden part of themselves for the first time, and they were exhilarated.
He has a much more powerful soul than I anticipated,Yugi thought. For his ka to be one of the magicians in the line of the Honor Guard...and for him to have achieved this so quickly...
And then Soichiro let out a shout, and Yugi was whipping the other direction.
Light was on the ground.
Heart exploding against his ribs, Yugi hurtled forward, reaching Light's side just as Soichiro did. The other crowded around with shock, a horrible chatter of voices trying to figure out what was going on echoing over Yugi's head. He grit his teeth as he reached for Light, trying to turn the boy towards him.
Light's eyes were wide and bulging—he looked like he was choking, his chest fluttering as his limbs began to spasm. Was it Kira? Was it—
No, this magic buildup! Yugi could feel it, crackling under the boy's skin like a shaken soda can that wasn't released. This was...
...This was the same thing that happened to Seto when he tried to summon!
"Light-kun," Yugi said, trying to sound soothing. "Light-kun, you have to stop pushing. You have to release it—you have to let the magic settle or it's going to kill you—Light-kun!"
Light gagged on his own air, unable to speak—he looked terrified, Yugi thought. Gods, what had happened? Why was he having the same reaction as Seto? Yugi tried to reach out with his own magic, ease Light's soul back down so that he wouldn't panic.
It took long, precious minutes during which Soichiro shouted at him and everyone within shouting distance, but finally, Light's soul relaxed, and the magic dissipated back below the surface, letting Light gasp for breath. He could only lie there for a moment, face pale and eyes still wide.
Yugi tried to breathe himself.
Why...why had that happened...?
. . .
Ishizu looked ghostly in the light of the swirling holograms that surrounded her, making the imprint of a star system in the air. Her eyes glimmered in the dark, staring at the hologram with a sort of wonder.
She looked up when Seto waved a hand to dispel the illusion, letting the lights come up.
"This isn't the kind of place that you usually want to meet," he said.
Ishizu winced slightly, but she smiled as he approached her, putting her hand on top of his when he rested it on the console. It was such a natural, casual movement that Seto almost didn't notice.
"I had an idea," she said. "This is the place where you test Solid Vision, right?"
"That's why it's called the simulation room," Seto said, raising an eyebrow.
Ishizu tapped the computer console once with her finger.
"This is where the holographic technology you developed for Duel Monsters is the strongest and most solid," she said. "Thus, this is where the gap between the worlds for Duel Monsters to slip through is also the strongest."
"I'm...not following."
Ishizu curled her fingers against his.
"When you created the Solid Vision technology that brought the game to life," she said. "You were bringing back the shadow games of old."
"This story again?" Seto said, raising an eyebrow.
"Just listen," she said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly."
He quirked a smile at her, but let her continue.
"The original shadow games used specially enchanted tablets to create small doorways that would let the monsters through for their battles," she said. "The diadhanks were also an important part of that, too. The stone went through ritual after ritual in order to project the Duel Spirits into our world. They made small...small holes between the worlds."
She gestured to Seto's technology.
"But you took a shortcut. You created this technology that would create the image in this world. That creates small vessels in the shape of the Duel Spirits on this side of the veil...and Duel Spirits can then inhabit those vessels. In effect, you've created your own doorways for them."
Seto tilted his head at her, narrowing his eyes.
"And what are you saying, exactly?"
Ishizu's smile was dazzling.
"We can use this to summon Kisara," she said. "You're trying to do it the hard way—you're trying to open up a door for her using your soul alone. But what if...what if we just used this technology to summon the Blue Eyes...and she came of her own accord into that vessel...?"
Seto's lips parted.
"You're saying we can create a shortcut," he said. "A loophole."
Ishizu grinned.
"We can get the answers we need, and we can help you be able to summon," she said.
. . .
A/N: God this story has been hard to write lately. I think the problem is that too much of my lore has changed in the middle while I've been writing this story, and I've got too many things I want to retcon. I'll definitely still finish it, though, I just...need to power through :'D thanks to anyone that's still sticking with me on this one, and hopefully it's not a year before I update again.