"Wait, wait, wait…what?" Yugi asked in all out confusion. Tea' rested her hand on his shoulder in comfort. The Slayers looked at Kassidy and then Marik.
A long silence hovered over them. Nobody knew what to say, or how to say it. Marik rose from the ground (changing back to human form) and stood, receiving a bouquet of glares and sneers. In all reality, he didn't know half of what was going on. He didn't really know why most of them were mad at him.
"Alright, I think I'm just gunna ask it…what's going on here? Why can't we kill him?" Pete asked, running his fingers through his deep crimson hair. Kassidy hadn't thought about that as much. She just had a feeling not to, she couldn't, she didn't actually know why. After all that was done, he hurt her the most, yet she didn't want to kill him.
It could be possible that he was back; it could also be very possible that he was tricking her, or maybe she was crazy. Marik looked confused too, but again the acting could be in play. How could she know?
"Because…because, I don't know!" Kassidy said, throwing her hands up in frustration. She saw Jason look at her with furrowed brows.
"You think he's back. You think he's normal." He said accusingly. Kassidy was silent. Tristin and Yugi looked at Tea', who stared at Marik.
"Is that true Kassidy? Is that what you believe?" Tea' asked her. Kassidy looked up, eyes full of unknowing and confusion.
"Do you trust her judgment?" Asked a voice. Everyone turned to find Kaiba watching them all closely. He had his carefree look on and he was giving them all a quick study. "I mean, if you can't trust your own partner, who can you trust? You're all working together. In order to save the earth, and the people on it, you have to believe in each other and each other's verdicts. Now, do you?" Everyone stared at Kaiba with confusion and envy.
"Who are you?" Michael asked. Kaiba looked over at him with a glint of annoyance in his deep eyes. Michael returned.
"I am Seto Kaiba, owner of Kaiba Corp." He told them. Kassidy moved forward this time.
"Why are you here Kaiba?" She looked to him with puzzlement.
"I don't know, ask Wheeler." He motioned to Joey. Everyone gazed at Joey. He waved to them and then scratched his head.
"Well, you see, I was one my way here, when I ran into…well, I mean I was hurrying here and bumped into Kaiba here…Okay, I'm gunna make this short and to the point, Kaiba knows about Calico hunters and Demons and stuff like that." He told them quickly. Kassidy turned back to Kaiba.
"How?"
"My dear Kassidy, I'm Seto Kaiba, my research system is unbeatable, I have friends and acquaintances all around the world, of course I'm gunna know. Oh yeah…and this." He said pulling out a book that looked very old and worn. Kassidy read the title: Calico Hunters.
"Where did you get that!" She asked, taking the book quickly.
"Your locker."
"My locker! What were you doing in my locker?" She hit him in the head with the book, making him tumble to the ground and look back up at her with a headache.
"Well I figure, you're the only girl that's actually hit me and drawn blood, now, most guys can't do that. There had to be a reason, and I found it." He said nodding to the book. Kassidy stared at him with anger and interest. She was just about to open her mouth, when Jason piped up.
"Marik disserves to die." He told them, snapping them back to the reason of Marik's come back. Why would he?
"Yes he does, but what if he's changed?"
"What if he's not?"
"Just look at him! He's changed!"
"You of all people should be the one defending me here! What's wrong with you? He hurt you the most out of all of us!" Jason scolded.
"I know, but I can't kill him!" She shouted back.
"Of course you can't! You'll never be able to!" Jason shouted back. Kassidy paused and looked over at Marik and then at Jason. He had rage flash over his eyes. She narrowed hers and crossed her arms.
"Is this really about killing him Jason?"
"What? Hey you're the one that loved a demon, not me!" He shouted back at her. She looked to Marik, seeing his reaction. He was glaring at Jason. He had changed! He had! She knew it in the bottom of her heart, she knew he was different, and his glare proved it! He was glaring at Jason for what he'd just commented, oh how she hated and loved him at the same time! How she wanted to run into his arms and be whole once again, but every time she thought of what he had done, she slowly leaned the other way.
"I really don't think it's any of your business what she's done, and your lucky I don't come over there and beat you to a bloody pulp." Marik growled. Jason took out one of his guns and held it to Marik's head. To Kassidy's surprise, it wasn't her that stopped the little brawl, but Michael. He pushed Marik away and glanced at Michael over his shoulder. Standing up straight, he turned and looked at them all.
"Now," he began, "I for one don't think we should slay him, until we know the truth. What good would it do anyway? I do trust Kassidy's judgment, for I know her, and she's matured a lot over the months. She's not just another sixteen-year-old girl…she's a woman. If you can't see that, then you're all great fools. Would you rather kill him now, or trust the word of one of our own? The choice is yours. Kill him if you wish, but know this: You will have betrayed Kassidy…and me, and in knowing this, you will also be banished. Banished from our friendship, and banished from our lives. If you understand this, you will not kill him…but, if you are blinded by your fury and insatiability, then I pity you and your decision." He bowed his head and then looked back at Kassidy, giving her a reassuring smile.
Kassidy looked at the others in shock, wondering what they thought of his speech, and it looked as if they had been hit dead in the center of their souls. She turned and looked at Michael and nodded to him.
"Listen, we need to get Zev and Jesse. Who's going with me?" Kassidy asked. Lydia, Pete, and Yugi raised their hands. Marik didn't have to; he knew he would be going. She looked at Michael, Jason, Tea', Joey, Kaiba, and Tristin.
"We'll go to Grace's house and wait for you there." Michael told her. Nodding, she grabbed Yugi's hand and the others followed her to the merry-go-round.
Crouching down, they let Pete and Lydia jump down first, then Yugi. Before Marik jumped down, Kassidy touched his arm. He looked at her and furrowed his brow in confusion.
"I just wanted to let you know," Kassidy started, "that if get down there, and you change and try to ambush us, I'll kill you. I'm serious Marik; I will rip you to shreds with my bare hands. If you bail on me down there, I will make sure to hunt you down, and murder you."
Marik looked more than a little hurt, but in the pit of her stomach, she didn't care. He looked down at the ground and then back at her nodding. She blinked a couple times and then shook her head.
"Okay, so you go down there and ask them to give you Jesse and Zev. Since you are their leader, they will give you no question." Kassidy told him.
"Former leader."
"What?"
"Former leader, as in, I'm not their leader anymore." Marik told her almost strictly. Kassidy closed her eyes and shook her head, getting a sudden headache.
"What ever! When we get out of this, you will make it a point to tell me how you changed and what's going on here, because I am trying really hard to defend you, but your giving me nothing to really work with! Heck, I don't even know if I believe you!" She told him loudly. Marik gave her such a quizzical look; it made her want to punch his face in. Grunting loudly, she jumped into the layer. Marik was right behind her.
Blinking once, light filled the room. Marik went in front of them all and walked to the room that held their mission. Each followed cautiously behind the other.
The room was empty. One cell had beings in it, one that made Kassidy bolt in and grab the little girl. Jesse looked up slowly and coughed.
"Kassy?" Jesse asked, making sure it was her big sister, for so many times she had woken to see her sister just a hallucination, a fragment in her mind. Kassidy smiled at being called Kassy, her grandmother used to call her that, before she died. She ran her fingers through the fragile girls hair and held her to her.
Marik found a slave chain hanging on the wall. Taking it down, he looked at Yugi, Lydia, and Pete. They gave him a quizzical glance as well.
"Put this on. They'll think I've taken you captive on the way out." He told them. They nodded and attached the metal collars around their necks. Kassidy walked out carrying her sister in her arms. Zev walked out, looking thinner then a stick. Kassidy gave him a reassuring smile.
Marik bent down and put a collar on Zev, who laid his ears back and growled slightly. Kassidy couldn't blame him. Marik walked over and put a collar around Jesse's neck, who grunted weakly and held tighter to Kassidy. Marik let a sad frown come to his face. Kassidy felt bad for him, but at the same time disgusted him. He slowly put the cold metal collar around her soft neck. Rubbing her skin with his hard worked hands and grabbing the chain, to pull them to the entrance.
He began to walk out the door, when Halcyon walked in. He saw the chains and smiled at Kassidy. He walked over to Marik and patted him on the back.
"Taking them to the torture chamber?" Halcyon asked. Marik looked at Kassidy and frowned. She stared straight ahead. Marik shook his head and walked out the room, Halcyon close behind them.
"I'm taking them with me some where with no distractions." Marik said. He was at the entrance now.
"Where?"
"That, my dear friend, is none of your business." He told him. Halcyon frowned and furrowed his brow. Marik turned and walked up the ladder and onto the playground. Kassidy lifted Zev up and then Jesse. She was about to go up herself, but Halcyon grabbed her arm. She stared at him a moment, and then yanked her arm away.
"You make me sick." She whispered and made her way up. Yugi started up, but looked back, just in time to see Pete fall to the ground. Lydia screamed. Kassidy was right at the hole.
"What!" She screamed. Lydia pointed to Pete. He was breathing heavily. Lydia bent down to hold up Pete's head. He squinted his eyes, hard of breathing. Kassidy jumped down and grabbed Pete's arm, but he wouldn't move. He closed his eyes and took one last breath. Lydia was hysterical.
Halcyon laughed loudly and took his dagger, stabbing Lydia in the back, dead center. Kassidy opened her mouth widely in shock. Halcyon laughed again, this time eviler. Lydia fell to the ground and died almost instantly. Yugi held his mouth and closed his eyes. Kassidy pushed him up the ladder quickly.
"Get up there. Hurry, don't look back." She ordered. Halcyon leaned against the wall and watched them go.
"Marik only needs on slayer anyway." He whispered.
When they were to the surface, Kassidy picked Jesse up and ran as fast as she could out of there. While they were underground it must have started raining, because it now began to pour. She turned her head to Marik as they ran and glared.
"Why did you just let him kill them?" She yelled fiercely. Marik turned his head, and continued to run.
"You think I had any part in that?" He asked. Kassidy stopped running and gave Jesse to Yugi. He held her up, barely.
"What if I think you did?" She asked, challenging him. He stepped back.
"I wouldn't do something like that Kassidy!" The rain soaked them all.
"You tell me! You're the one who just suddenly, for no reason, changed back!" She barked. He glared.
"For no reason? Well there had to have been some sort of reason, or else I wouldn't have, would I?" He stated. Kassidy ran toward him and was about to push him, but instead, she lost her footing and fell down a 50ft. sewer, grabbing Marik's coat and pulling him with her.
She landed hard on her back. Marik landed on her stomach and quickly rolled off. Yugi ran to the hole and looked down.
"Are you guys okay?" He yelled. The sewer echoed loudly with his voice.
"Yeah, take my sister and Zev to Grace's. See what you can do. We'll get outa here in no time." Kassidy shouted back. Yugi nodded and was off. Kassidy looked around the big cement walls. How the heck were they gunna get outa this one?
Okay, so here's the next chapter. I promise as soon as I get back to school, I'll answer some of your questions.