Koros45 doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Kindred Spirits Chapter 35: Uncovered Pasts
West and Nico both didn't know what to say as Kiryu walked back to the house with them. He followed and squatted next to them on the porch, looking to Satisfaction Town still in the morning's light.
"Mr. Lotten and Ms. Barbara sure caused enough problems for one day." Kiryu said, shrugging off the black and blue cloak.
"Dad you look weird." West said. The boy stopped as he realized Kiryu was shaking.
"Dad, are you crying?" Nico asked. Kiryu nodded after he realized they could see the tears running down his face.
"Blast. I just wanted to be a good Dad. But now I'm dragged back into that five-thousand year old cluster-"
He stopped talking both to censor himself and to wipe his face dry.
"Dad, what's going on? What's with the red marker? And the blue hair? And the weird duel disk?" West asked. Kiryu sighed. They were too smart for him.
"Ok West. Nico. I'll explain the whole thing. It's a sad story about some stupid choices I made, but it's the truth. So, here we go." Kiryu said, moving from the porch to sit down on the ground, picking up a stick and drawing a squiggle in the sand.
"You kids are smart, you ever hear about the Nazca lines?"
"Nazca lines? You mean those things in that old show Dad used to watch, Brave Exkaiser?" West asked and Nico put a hand to her forehead. "No, you nerd! He means the things in the ground by Peru."
"Well that's what I'm talking about! They showed up in that movie about the Crystal Skull too!" West retorted and Kiryu sighed.
"Kids, stop fighting. Yes, I'm talking about those lines." Kiryu said, pulling up his right arm to reveal a purple mark set into his skin.
"See this? It's not some tattoo. It's an ancient birthmark and it's connected to the Nazca Lines. Apparently since my life seems like a big, cosmic joke sometimes, I was 'fated' – he said making air quotes – to have this thing."
"Wow. It looks weird." West said. This time Nico didn't have a retort for him.
"This is the mark of the Giant. The same image as one of the Nazca Lines." Kiryu said. "It's what you would call an Earthbound God. Long ago five of these Earthbound Gods decided to take over the Earth. However - they were stopped by this." Kiryu said, drawing a crude dragon in the sand with a stick.
"I have no idea what that is." Nico said and Kiryu chuckled. "Hey, art was never my forte. Anyway this squiggle is supposed to be the Crimson Dragon. Hear of that thing?" Kiryu asked.
The kids both shrugged.
"According to one of my old colleagues, this Crimson dragon fought the Earthbound Gods, using five servant dragons to seal them away into the Earth. And they were sealed in Peru, making them prisoners inside of these Nazca Lines.
Uncle Yusei, Jack and Crow all eventually got the power of the Crimson Dragon. They're what you'd call Signers. Warriors of the Crimson Dragon. And since I and some friends were warriors to the Earthbound Gods, that made us the Dark Signers."
"Wait, if Uncle Yusei and Jack were warriors of this Crimson Dragon, that means that their dragons must've been Stardust and Red Demon's Dragon!" Nico said aloud.
"Smart." Kiryu said. "Now, every five thousand years apparently the Earthbound Immortals throw a tantrum and come back in the bodies of five new people. So to counter this, so does the Crimson Dragon, recruiting five new dragons to bond with five new Signers." Kiryu finished, taking a breath. Then he crudely drew five stick figures under the dragon squiggle.
"Hang on, let me try." Nico said, and Kiryu handed her the stick. She grabbed his arm and did her best replication of his mark as possible before drawing a stick figure under it.
"How many Dark Signers were there?" Nico asked.
"Five of us originally. One died but was replaced." Kiryu said and Nico nodded, sketching five stick figures in the sand by the first one with a squiggle on it's head that might've represented Kiryu's marker.
"But if this is a cycle thing, why are you like this now? Didn't the Earthbound Gods get the memo that they have to wait for another five-thousand years?" West asked.
Kiryu sighed. "That's the part that worries me. You see, Uncle Yusei told me that the Crimson Dragon left the Earth a few years ago, taking the marks with it. If that's the case, there would be no Signers to stop the Dark Signers from reshaping the earth."
"Team Ragnarok might give you a good fight?" Nico offered.
Kiryu grinned. "That's three against five at best." Kiryu said. "I mean they could try, but the Signers are the Dark Signers' true natural enemies – the most suited to take them down."
West grinned. "Hang on, let me see this 'God' of yours', Dad. It's a card, right?" He asked.
Kiryu stopped and looked serious. "Yeah it is. A card that just absorbed the souls of Lotten and Barbara because I'm sick of them ruining my life."
West scooted back. "Never mind Dad, you can keep the card. I just want to look at it."
Kiryu sighed and held out the card, thinking to himself "Ccapac Apu, I swear if you touch my son there will be consequences."
"And why would I threaten one of the very things that made you re-accept my power?" The god asked him.
"No reason." Kiryu thought.
"You distrust me now, do you? Then I swear by our pact that I will not harm them." The god's voice boomed.
"So long as you follow my directives, I will accept that agreement, steep in your favor as it may be. Do keep that in mind in case I find you slacking in your duties."
The immortal said and Kiryu felt sick. Then he spaced out and had to re-focus as his son was speaking.
"Yeah, this card is strong." West said. "With a field spell in play it can't be attacked or targeted, can attack directly and burns the opponent if it destroys monsters." He whistled.
"Not to mention it would be near-impossible to kill in a Riding Duel since Speed World can't be destroyed or removed from the field." Nico added.
Kiryu nodded and put the card back in his deck, glad to cease direct contact with Ccapac Apu for a moment..
"So getting to where I'm involved. You know I was a member of Team Satisfaction in the past." Kiryu said. The two nodded.
"Well, did your Uncles tell you I took things too far?" Again the two nodded.
"Yeah, I tried to fatally injure a wounded Security Officer. It was enough to send me to prison. The officer in charge was a real terror. He gave me this." Kiryu said, pointing to the mark on his face.
"And he took away my deck, in addition to any sense of self-worth or dignity."
"That's horrible!" Nico said. Kiryu nodded.
"Anyway as I was contemplating how I could end it all, I heard a vision. Now the Earthbound Gods serve a master called the King of the Underworld, like how the dragons of the Signers serve under the Crimson Dragon. This King of the Underworld gave me a bargain I couldn't refuse." Kiryu said.
"So that's how you got these powers? And sweet costume?" West asked, poking the duel disk.
"Pretty much. And at first I was out of control. I burned down that Satellite facility first chance I got. I was never able to find the officer in charge of destroying my original deck, but everyone else in there got fed to Ccapac Apu." Kiryu said. West snorted at its name.
"Anyway shortly after that I was approached by the Dark Signers. We waited and plotted for the Signers to show up. Fate was funny though, as it brought Team Satisfaction together for that one last duel I wanted to have with them." Kiryu explained.
"Uncle Yusei stopped me from doing anything crazy, though I almost killed him. In hindsight I'm very glad that I didn't do that. He beat me in a duel and I died for a bit but I guess even now death has always had a way of not being permanent for me." Kiryu finished.
"So that's what you were trying to atone for back when you first arrived here?" Nico asked. Kiryu nodded to her.
"Like I said, I don't know how these powers came back, or how Lotten and Barbara knew about them either. But - I can find out. Just a moment." Kiryu said and his eyes flashed purple, glowing with the light before he slumped down, now unconscious.
West looked to Nico with surprise. "And I thought Dad was badass before."
/
"Who sent you to me?" Kiryu asked as he appeared at the side of his patron God.
It was dark and rainy inside the realm of Ccapac Apu's card. Lighting flashes briefly illuminated the area and the blue lines along his God's body provided him with a steady if a bit dim light source.
Kiryu stood on a cliff ledge and as such, was a eye level to the behemoth that he was now a part of.
Currently Ccapac Apu was holding Lotten and Barbara in each hand as they squirmed. They were hard to see considering the difference in size, a speck in each separate palm of the monster.
"You think I'm going to answer you, freak!?" Lotten yelled up to Kiryu in midst of struggling with the sludgy monster.
"Well you don't have to." Kiryu said, looking around the dark blue and purple void of shadows that they were in.
"These two humans are steeped in sin. I am pleased with these tributes. They will sustain me for some time." The God beside him boomed.
"I see. Will he feel pain if you drop him?" Kiryu asked, eyeing Lotten.
"Certainly."
"But will he die?"
"Shinigami, as your patron, his soul is now my property. If I will it, he will not die, nor will his body break, no matter how many horrors I subject him to."
"Hmph. A literal God calling me that. That's ironic." Kiryu said.
"Maybe so.. I do not have the sense of humor you humans do, yet I can appreciate the irony as you call it. You have escaped death once again."
Ccapac Apu stared at Lotten, struggling to stay upright in the God's palm. Then the Earthbound turned it's wrist and .Lotten screamed as the God let go of Duelist fell from the monster's hand to the ground, which was a long, long way down.
After a moment, Kiryu looked to Barbara. "You'd better talk unless you want the same." He warned.
/
Kiryu's eyes returned to normal, grey irises on white once the glowing stopped. Nico was relieved.
Her father looked normal once again.
"While you were gone, West and I thought about it. Even though a vacation to Japan sounds nice, I think it's safer if we stay here." Nico said. West looked at her like he wanted to punch her and Kiryu laughed.
"Safer? Nico, if the Immortals come back, nowhere is really safe. Ccapac Apu made a bargain with me on your behalf. I do what he wants and you stay safe. I only duel someone using my shadow power if they're a threat to him. Not that bad of a deal." Kiryu said.
Nico was going to bring up the folly in making a deal with a literal devil, but at this point that choice had already been made and their father was still with them because of it.
"Well - if - we go to Japan, will you make sure we're out of harm's way? And take us to karaoke? And get us authentic stuff?" Nico asked. Kiryu nodded.
She looked to West. "Looks like you win. Then it's decided. We're going to Japan."
/
Yusei had come over to check on The Bloody Kiss' engine, but in the interim Aki and her parents invited him in. Aki sat across from him at the dining room table and listened to her parents talk. Both of the senior Izayois would be gone for the day. Senator Hideo was part of a controversial vote and Setsuko was going with him for moral support. The two wished Yusei and Aki the best before leaving for the vote.
Once they were gone, it became quiet. The pair moved to the living room. Yusei sat on the couch and Aki decided to join him. He was looking straight ahead at a framed picture of the family on the wall.
Yusei looked pained, like he was trying to think of how to word something. He'd look her way and his brow would furrow, lips moving ever so slightly. He wanted to tell her something but he couldn't express it very well, Aki noticed. Maybe it would be best to let him say it on his own? But that would mean it may never come up again, and if it was eating him up this much, it must be important.
"Yusei, what's wrong? You're not yourself lately." She said with concern, scooting a little closer towards him.
"Aki I- back in the other world of Duel Monster spirits-" He looked down from the other side of the couch.
"-Harpie Lady kissed me." He said, a blush on his face. He sounded ashamed.
Aki blinked. That certainly wasn't what she'd expected to hear.
Yusei was quiet. "She appeared to me – as you. With a magic disguise. I didn't know it was her until after she'd kissed me." Yusei said, shaking his head.
"Just a kiss while she looked like me then? That's all she did to you?" Aki asked, hoping her face didn't show any disgust.
"Well there was some teasing beyond that once I realized it wasn't you. Her and her sisters-"
"Sisters? More than one?" Aki thought and wondered just what had happened to everyone else if this was what Yusei alone had to deal with. And for someone as strong as him to be this shaken, he had to have gone through far worse on this journey to be this quiet about it.
"Did you let it happen after you knew?" She asked him, giving him a stare. She hoped it was a more worried stare than a judgmental stare.
"No. Not after they started the behavior. I made it clear I didn't like it." Yusei said, exhaling. "Eventually they let up. The only other time it came up was when they said good-bye."
Aki blinked. The group pictures Ruka had confirmed it. Aki accessed the holoscreen and brought them up. It made sense why the red-headed Harpie was in-between Yusei and Mai now. She saw a talon around his waist as she scrolled through the pictures showing Jack and Katsuya Jounouichi struggling over something petty amidst the group photo.
Aki stopped. Yusei saw her face and he looked disappointed. Here she was trying to process this and it was just letting him down.
"Did they force you to do anything else you weren't comfortable with?" Aki asked.
"Only at first. After I let them know it wasn't appreciated it stopped." Yusei said.
Yusei was silent again and they both sat like that for a second, leading forwards with their hands on their knees. She could tell there was more to the story, but she didn't want to make the entire conversation about that.
"Well, I guess it's not that bad then." Aki said with a bit of a chuckle.
She looked at their gloves and had an idea.
"Can you take off your gloves?" She asked, pulling off her own and setting them in a pile on the armrest of the couch.
Yusei shrugged and did so. Aki took them and placed them by her own before she took his hands in her own, feeling the warmth of his between them.
"Aki?-" Yusei said and stirred at the touch, but didn't move from where he was. Aki gave his hands a squeeze.
"Maybe you're ashamed of that but that doesn't mean anybody else will judge you for it. I know I don't."
She took a breath and continued. "I missed you for a long time, Yusei." Aki said. "You must imagine I'm pretty frustrated I wasn't with you on this journey. Regarding this time you spent on this island - was that the worst thing that happened to you?" She asked, wondering what that could be.
Yusei shook his head. "Not at all. Just the most awkward to bring up considering what happened."
Aki scoffed and covered her mouth so she wouldn't laugh at that. Yusei continued speaking.
"Have you ever heard of Marik Ishtar?" He asked her and the laugh stopped.
"Oh right. The man you dueled. One of the Battle City Finalists, right?" Aki remembered from the summary she'd heard from Yusei, Jack and Ruka.
Yusei nodded. "The very same. I had a rough time dueling him. I was winning at first, but his monsters bound me to a stone slab and I couldn't move my arms or legs. He was going to win by preventing me from drawing a card for my turn. Atem had to step in mid-duel to win against him."
He paused for a moment and then kept speaking. "Something like that's never happened to me before. Atem assures me that I did most of the work, but still – If he hadn't shown up, I would have lost and might've died." His hands moved from being passive to gripping her own, not hard, but enough to show he was worried.
Aki took the initiative to return the gesture and she was surprised to find Yusei leaning against her. Aki held him and soon she felt his arms around her. She did the same, mirroring his embrace and they stayed like that for a few seconds.
"After hearing something like that, being with you like this is relieving." Aki said. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to find time to talk with you and using my internship as an excuse is wearing thin. If I'd known you were in that much danger I would've made the time." She said.
"Don't be sorry. You're busy with your own life." Yusei said. "Besides, our bond is still the same as it was when we all went our own ways. Nothing changed about it, even if we've changed a little."
"That's true. I just want you to know that you're still the strongest person I know, Yusei. If someone like you struggled against this man, he must've been quite the opponent."
"I can't get that out of my head. Just like the first duel against Kiryu, I-" He stopped for a moment as Aki tightened her grip on his hand a bit.
"Yusei. Losing a duel doesn't make you weak." Aki said. "And it sounds like the baton was picked up by Atem, right?" She asked.
He stopped holding her as tightly and moved back a bit to look into her eyes. "-That's right. Thanks Aki. I needed that." He said, a light blush on his face now from good humor rather than from worry. His eyes were now beautiful pools of deep blue water Aki wanted to keep staring into. His smile was there, thin but still genuine.
"Well Yusei can you tell me about the rest of your story over lunch? Do you want to go somewhere out? Mom and Dad want to spoil me here, so I could cook something but I don't want to keep you just sitting here."
"Plus I'm not the best cook in the world." Aki admitted and Yusei chuckled. "I'm the same. Let's go out for lunch."
Aki grinned and stood up. "Well then why don't we walk around and see what places are open?" She suggested, giving him a smile as she stood up.
Yusei stood and handed her gloves back before putting on his own. Aki slid the thin black gloves up her arms and felt giddy. Butterflies were busy flying around in her stomach. She felt dizzy, but it wasn't a bad feeling. She waited for Yusei to slide his boots on his feet, letting him lean against her as he used the leverage to fit on the boots. Then she used him to do the same, putting on her pumps while she leaned against him.
The two exited the building with their duel disks and began to walk in pursuit of a meal.
/
With Yusei gone, the apartment was extremely quiet. Atem did his utmost not to touch anything his host might find valuable.
Yusei's statement of "Make yourself at home" was a bit lost on the Pharaoh as the last modern place he'd resided in had been Yugi Muto's body. Without the boy with him in such a setting, he felt out of place here. If his partner had been with him than Atem could've hand waved the time travel and the accompanying changes with Yugi's quiet confidence and strength of heart.
On his own he was a mess. Atem was able to make a breakfast of practically burned toast, grumbling as the instructions he'd looked up were obviously not meant to be followed literally. Luckily he had spare clothes to change into as his host had bought him more than one set of clothes.
Once that was done, Atem fastened the spare key to his belt and put on both his Puzzle and his cartouche around his neck. Yusei had left, leaving the rustic grey D-Wheel there. While Atem trusted the autopilot, he was a bit nervous about operating the machine.
The Pharaoh made sure it was set to Autopilot mode before he mounted it and set a course to rendezvous with Isis and Seto. Today they were discussing a battle plan for the future. While Team 5D's was infinitely helpful, there were matters that the Priests had to discuss with their Pharaoh in private.
'PLEASE INPUT YOUR DESTINATION' The computerized voice said. Atem squinted at the screen as the afternoon sun reflecting off of the glass gave him quite the glare.
"Old Domino Harbor." Atem answered.
"ACESSING FILES. OLD DOMINO HARBOR WAS RENOVATED INTO DOMINO MEMORIAL HARBOR FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF ZERO REVERSE IN YEAR 2046. WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAINTAIN THE COURSE?" The computer said.
"Yes. Proceed." Atem said, making sure to send the rally point to Seto and Isis through the Multi-Duel Network that Yusei had explained to them all.
The D-wheel led Atem to a large museum next to a pier. Atem was shocked to see the space where he'd dueled a possessed Jounouchi was still intact, the memory of Marik's giant anchor trap appearing from his memories above the sparking blue water for a brief moment.
Atem took the time to walk through the museum as admission was free. He brushed off comments about his great cosplay and requests to see his deck and looked through the place. It gave a brief history of the area and displayed a miniaturized model of Old Domino in a far corner of the museum.
The place was spacious and Atem could see was clearly financed by Kaibacorp as Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared quite a few times as murals on the wall, a holographic projection, and even a full blown in scale statue roaring next to replicas of Dark Magician and Red-Eyes Black Dragon as the centerpiece to the entrance of the place.
Beyond that, there was a roster of the Battle City Finals, holograms depicting moment from the various duels above Kaiba's blimp while an interactive blimp ride was free to use. Atem went past hat and was shocked to find a hologram of Grandpa Muto waving robotically with a smile on his face.
There was a replica of the Kame Game shop and Atem stepped into it and was stunned. From ceiling to floor it was a perfect carbon copy. The poster of Harpie's Pet Dragon facing down Black Luster Soldier was in the right spot. Atem found being in the shop alone made him feel like crying so he left and explored more of the museum.
Holograms of the finalists made him take pause. Of course Isis, Jounouchi, and Mai were there, giving him a smile on his face. Rishid stood to the side, trap monsters active on his duel disk as a hologram of Embodiment of Apopis sprang to and from the active trap card. Kaiba proudly stood behind them, holding up Obelisk the Tormentor as though he were about to summon the God Card. Atem saw himself holding up Osiris, ready to call upon the crimson serpent, mouth open in a declaration to summon the divine beast.
Then there was Marik, grinning as he placed The Winged Dragon of Ra on his duel disk. Atem had to step back from the hologram and made sure to steer away from the hologram of Bakura, arms open in celebration as Dark Necrofear flanked him, a hypothetically complete Destiny Board floating above him spelling out D-E-A-T-H in blue flames.
Atem read the biographies of everyone there and found himself now moved to tears as Jounouichi and Mai shared an inscription. Apparently they'd wed years after the tournament and continued their professional dueling careers while they juggled raising a family.
And as for Yugi, the description was brief, but effective. 'The first King of Games to hold the title for years to come, Yugi Muto defeated Marik Ishtar to take The Winged Dragon of Ra. He later worked with Seto Kaiba to design various games for all ages. These games can be seen at every Kaibaland in the world'.
Atem grinned. So he had broken through to Kaiba in the end then. That was heartening to hear.
And speaking of Kaiba, Atem checked his phone. Seto was en route, as was Isis.
The three met outside of the museum. His priests bowed and he gave them a nod. Atem was amused to see Seto had worn one of Jack's white coats, minus the spiked shoulder pads. It was an extremely similar look to Kaiba even without the KC logo ingrained all on his person.
And as for Isis, she simply threw her priestess robes over a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"How are we all liking our accommodations?" Atem asked.
"The twins are boundless in their generosity, even as they're busy with schooling." Isis said with a smile. "And I'm still not used to finding clothing in my size here, let alone know how to ask for it." She chuckled.
"And Jack is giving me a tour of the City. Soon we're supposed to see someone who may know about where Kisara's soul card resides." The priest said. "Jack has a tournament he'll be spearheading the exhibition match for, so he's busy today." Seto said.
"And as for me, Yusei's treating me like family." Atem said. "We're going to visit Satellite soon if all goes well today."
The three of them walked around the emptier places of the museum before they decided it might be best to leave. They wanted to avoid scrying eyes as much as they could, and this was entirely the last place to do that.
"In this world it may be prudent to bait out Shiro. If we simply wait for him to assemble what he needs, we'll be at a greater disadvantage." Seto whispered. Atem jolted as he suggestion, but still he agreed with it.
"Yes. Being solely reactive would be bad. And that's been on my mind." Atem said. "With Shiro able to seal away a monster of Jack's stronger than even Red Demon's Dragon, waiting for him to make the first move would be suicide. Now that we know the basics of this world, and have proven ourselves a solid enough grasp of Duel Monsters in this era, we stand a chance.
Atem stopped for a moment and pulled out his Dark Magician card.
"In the meantime, we need a fail-safe in case things go wrong. Mahado mentioned something about Dark Magician Girl's research back in the Dominion of the Beasts. Perhaps we could use that to go back home and retrieve what was sealed away." He said, flipping around the card.
"Yes, Mahado did say he saw the same magical potential in Mana. Perhaps we could be the ones to send the message in this case?" Isis asked.
"But transporting something so valuable across dimensions is a far more daunting thing than a simple message." Seto said, crossing his arms. "It could be dangerous. And I don't want to rely on that as our only plan to combat Shiro."
"That's true." Atem said. "But what other choices do we have when it comes to stopping him? Yes, baiting him out could work. But if Bakura's in league with Shiro and his desire is to kill anything divine, wouldn't they have schemes centered on more than just Duel Monsters? Bakura's primary goal was to collect all seven Millennium Items after all, and I don't see why Shiro would leave the Eye behind in our world, or for that matter keep you with your necklace." Atem finished, looking to Isis.
"Hmph. They may be safer in our afterworld. Besides, this Shiro, he may have more motives than he revealed when you dueled him." Seto remarked. "Perhaps he didn't want Bakura to have the opportunity to unite all seven of the Items. If he wanted the death of all Gods, that would include Bakura's master as well."
"That may be, but I'm puzzled as to why Bakura's going along with him. That man wants nothing other than the revival of Zorc and your death" Isis said.
"If the remaining Items stay there, then Shiro knows right where they are. If we were to retrieve them, they could turn the tide of this conflict and he'd have no reason to return to our resting place. And since he hasn't made his move yet, it may be prudent to retrieve them soon, if possible." Isis finished.
The three of them pondered what to do and Isis pulled out her necklace.
"I used the Necklace to see into the future. The problem is that there are so many other conflicting powers in this time period that the visions are less clear. Both the Dark Signers' Gods and something else present are making that a challenge. However the same is not true for the past. Atem, I want to see if I can find a clue in your past as you were here relatively recently during your adventures inside the body of Yugi Muto. There may be a way back we're not considering."
It was odd hearing that the time passage was 'recent' as it was a matter of decades, but considering how long Seto and Isis had waited for Atem's return it didn't warrant bringing up.
The necklace glowed and the three of them looked into the approaching vision.
/
Demak was easy for Bakura to find and just as easy to convert. Even just finding his affinity for darkness was child's play. It was a deep longing, as if Demak knew he belonged in it. Once Bakura's work was done, Demak's memory returned and he immediately wanted to enact revenge on the Signer girl who'd re-claimed Ancient Fairy Dragon as her own. Yet now she was no longer a Signer and the man now couldn't use the ancient battle between Signer and Dark Signer to justify his desire to have vengeance.
This time there was no duel to be had. The man let Bakura's ring cover him with cursed flames and emerged from the darkness with black eyes and dark robes with yellow markings of an eye on the chest of the robe and continuing around the fringe to give the clothes a yellow border. The bald man looked to the monkey mark glowing purple on his right arm and smirked.
"Bommer, to think mere years later, the Immortals would have a chance like this! With no Signers to stop us this time! Cusillu is overjoyed!" Demak said. He made a fist and grinned.
"Now, who do I owe my thanks to?" Demak asked.
"Call me Bakura. But don't celebrate just yet!" Bakura chided. "We still need to gather the rest of you Dark Signers before our plans can begin."
He gestured to Bommer, who closed his eyes in shame. He'd rather give Bakura the answer outright than wait for The Ring to punish him until he spoke in accordance with their contract.
"Misty Lola is in the same residence. As is Carly Nagisa. But Kiryu Kyosuke. . . he's all the way in Satisfaction Town. That's a long ways away Even for your welcome wagon." Bommer said with a sigh.
"So are we talking a long D-Wheel ride or plane flight?" Bakura asked, sending Shiro a real-time recording of the conversation.
Shiro's face was displayed on the side of the device, out of the way of the recording.
"Don't think about the logistics of getting there. I've already sent two of our recruits to deliver the news to Kiryu Kyosuke. I think he'll be on his way soon, and if not I gave Lotten and Barbara instructions to bring him back if they managed to defeat him." Shiro said with a grin.
Bakura nodded. "And what of the others?"
Shiro smiled. "That's taken care of. So now you're free for the other project?"
Bakura gave a shark-like grin and looked to the pair of Dark Signers.
"All right then! Bommer, I'm leaving the compound now. I have somewhere to be! I trust I don't have to tell you what happens if you cross us while you have free time?" Bakura asked, his Ring shining briefly.
Bommer shook his head and Bakura smirked. "Good. Bring your friend up to speed then. And be prepared to do the same for the rest of your group once they arrive in the next few days."
The thief left and Demak turned to Bommer, mind buzzing with questions.
As they now had the room to themselves, the white walls and bright lights dimmed as shadows materialized around them, translucent images of their Gods – The Whale Chacu Challhua, and the Monkey Cusillu – appeared, their forms stretching across the surface of the small room's ceiling and walls.
Demak spoke, looking up to the pair of Gods with awe and reverence.
"Cusillu informed me of the alliance with this Shiro while that man was speaking down to us. But I want to know why you are bound to this Bakura, Bommer. A man like you having to bend a knee to him. It is demeaning both to your pride and power as a Dark Signer." Demak finished.
Bommer sighed. "A condition for his victory. When the Duel against Bakura started I had no idea who he was – only that he was trespassing on sacred ground."
"That Ring. Our Gods don't recognize it." Demak said with urgency. "And you felt the darkness in it, Bommer. It felt warped. Nothing like the raw power of our Earthbound Gods."
"No. This Bakura is something not human. What he is, I cannot say exactly. But he is an immense figure of shadows. And he was the same in his previous life." Bommer said.
Demak frowned. "Still, it's better to wait until everyone is here before we move rashly. If this Shiro really has the means to control Uru then we have more to worry about then just Bakura."
Bommer nodded. "Though I agree with the absence of the Signers, our conquest of this world will now be simpler."
"Still, I believe the former holders of the marks will still oppose us. Rather – I will seek out the girl myself. Ancient Fairy is my property." Demak said. "It was Rudger's gift to me. It will be a memento from him now that he is gone."
Bommer frowned. "They could still beat us, Demak. Crow was not a Signer and he won against me, after all."
Demak returned the frown. "And the boy Rua. He did most of the dueling against me until his sister took his place." Demak said.
Bommer looked interested, his eyes softening for a moment as he remembered who Demak mentioned. "Really? The boy held his own against you?"
"Yes. I underestimated him and his toy dragon. I will not make that mistake again." Demak said, making a fist.
Bommer nodded. "That is wise. I once thought Jack was a weak King, but now-" He stopped, remembering something important. "Demak, do you know the tale of Scar-Red Nova?" The Whale Dark Signer asked.
/
Divine walked out of the washroom in Shiro's residence, changed into his usual vest and tie, with a high class but eccentric jacket thrown over top. He gave a half-smile remembering Shiro's perks for working with him. A new quarters that would become a Neo Arcadia Movement in time. And with Divine's call for help through unsavory channels on the internet quickly massed followers in hiding, and the man chuckled as trucks full of robed followers slowly trickled into the lot behind the under construction HQ.
Like Shiro's, this would be a high-rise, bought out by the man upon Divine's agreement to work with him. As Shiro would be interacting with the Dark Signers, Divine had agreed to keep his business with Shiro a secret to Shiro's other contacts– he didn't even want to go public with his identity yet as not one, but two of the Dark Signers would be out for his blood.
In addition, he was sure a public appearance this early would not go well. Aki and her pesky father would testify against him, resulting in yet another trial, most likely resulting in another life sentence with better security this time.
Incredible. Neo Domino City was truly a utopia and the legal system still had this many problems. No wonder Divine was a cult leader.
At the moment, Shiro had Divine stay in the top floor until it was time to break in the new place – Shiro had explained he had co-workers he didn't want Divine associating with and Divine would just have to deal with that. Still, staying in the far more comfortable prison didn't mean he was miserable – or powerless.
A man in a black suit entered and Divine was shown a photo taken by one of his followers – Aki was eating lunch with a Yusei Fudo. Divine tisked at the image and tore it in half, throwing the half showing the marked man on the floor.
"Good work finding her. Now see what times Aki leaves her parents' house. And track Senator Hideo's movements." Divine barked to two of his men. Even if Aki was out of his reach, he still wanted to keep tabs on her.
The fake king, Jack, was having a demonstration later in the week, and loathe as Divine was to watch the diva stroke his own ego, Aki would be there. It would be an opportunity that the man wouldn't miss for the world.
The psychic stopped what he was doing and looked to the image of Joan of Arc Shiro had provided on the wall at Divine's request. Before the Arcadia Movement went public again, a figurehead would be needed once again.
Divine looked to his research division – all contacts on his holo-screen - and began giving them orders.
/
After a lunch of dumplings, Yusei and Aki returned to the house. It was now mid-day
Aki got some tea for them to sip and both were quiet, just enjoying being in proximity to one another. Then Yusei heard a beeping and checked his holo-stick for an update.
"Aki, I have a personal call from Max and Annie. Under any other circumstance I'd ignore it, but they say it's an emergency." Yusei said.
Aki put a hand on his amber shoulder pad and smiled. "I understand, Yusei. If you're able, see if you can take Atem to see Martha. Seeing Mom and Dad really helps me feel welcome, even with the internship and all of its challenges. She'll be able to console you about your problems better than anyone else."
Yusei chuckled. "Well you already helped tremendously in that regard."
Aki smiled. "Glad to help. And know that everyone here is willing to help. Just throw out a lifeline if you need it."
Yusei nodded and extended his hand for a fist bump. Aki swerved around it and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a squeeze.
"I know that was sudden, but I really missed you. I want to have another chance to see you one on one before my trip ends. Even with this new threat looming over our heads."
Yusei returned the embrace. "It would be nice to have that time to relax. I'll let you know when I get that chance." He said, before looking to what the message said.
"Oh no." Yusei said aloud as Aki turned to read the words on the screen.
/
Click click click
The cameras flashed as Misty posed again, turning to show her back as she looked over her shoulder
Click click click
The photographers were silent until she had a prompt to move, to change a pose, or to adjust her lighting.
The photography session ended and Misty felt a little lightheaded. Of course the photoshoot was nothing new – it was clockwork to her at this point as it was her career. Yet something was off.
The model went to a backroom to change into a much more comfortable outfit than the black skintight dress that she was advertising in the photos. Her outfit was still stylish, of course, but this one at least allowed her breathing room and gave her the luxury of pockets as she wore a grey vest jacket over her standard dress, conservative enough to cover her thighs, ending at her knees, but still giving her more room to move than would first appear.
Misty exited the photoshoot after she discussed business with her agent and tried to enjoy the late afternoon. But at the moment she really just wanted to go home and sleep forever.
"Kate, is my schedule clear for today? Good. The photoshoot took longer than I thought. And I need sleep." Misty said, to her receptionist, and a mental note to send her a gift card to the woman's favorite luxury spa.
The train ride was uneventful as nobody recognized her with a pair of shades over her eyes and a face mask. It was pretty easy to blend in, even if she wanted to look fancy.
The train ride ended and she got off the subway and hailed a taxi once she was free of the exodus of people.
Misty Lola walked into her estate and was a bit surprised to find Kate was spacing out, just awake enough to greet her and wish her a good sleep. Usually Kate was much more alert. Misty told her to take the rest of the day off and that she'd still be paid for it. Then she went upstairs and tried to shake whatever feeling had consumed her. Something felt – off. And she couldn't put it into words.
Misty crashed in one of her padded chairs and went through the old fashioned newspaper as the holoscreen would just give her a headache. There wasn't much going on – other than an important City Counsel vote coming up soon.
She paused at an article about the sighting of a convincing Yugi Muto lookalike, who'd now beaten not only Team 5D's pit crew Rua, but also the Riding Duelist Enjou Mukuro. And there was a tournament coming up in the city, so of course everyone was speculating how that could go. Misty wasn't a huge fan of Duel Monsters so she turned the page. Was that Izayoi Aki on the next page? It seems a paparazzi had followed Jack Atlus to the airport and had taken a picture of most of the team there meeting Aki there. Whether it was just a social gathering or in preparation for the tournament, Misty couldn't say.
There she saw herself on the next page, wearing a revealing dark green swimsuit as she had advertised it for a product line. The ad took up more space than she'd thought and Misty was a little crestfallen to see just how much skin she'd shown off in the picture. In real life she wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like that.
The last image killed her motivation to keep reading and she felt off again. Her head hurt and she smelled something thick in the air. Then she realized that it was hard to move.
Misty Lola fell face-first to the ground. She realized too late that she couldn't breathe as her vision started to fade. And she saw the shadow of the Lizard crawl into her eye once again before it all went dark.
/
Author's note: I'm going to have to focus on real-life stuff for a while after writing this – I'm finishing my current job and looking for a new one all at once. The deadlines are not fun and I need to prioritize them.
In any case I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review if you feel so inclined and thank you for reading.