A/N: Having been sick for the past two weeks, I hope this chapter makes sense. That was my goal... sense. Enjoy!
"So what's the story?" Jou asked pretty much the instant they were underway. The limo was easily spacious enough to accommodate the entire group without leaving anyone feeling too cramped, plus there was a tinted glass wall that separated them from the driver, so she didn't feel the need to beat around the bush. "Why would you be dressing up like a girl when you're actually a guy? Because I gotta tell you, Otogi, I think you're playing for the wrong team."
"Jou!" Yuugi hissed, looking mortified.
Fortunately, Otogi just smiled and appeared to be more amused by the questions and comment than anything else. "It's okay. I figured that one of you would ask at some point, though admittedly I wasn't anticipating it to be so soon. And you can still call me Ryuuji," he - she? - added. "I think by this point we've passed the point of being strangers, don't you?"
"Ryuuji then," Jou said. "What's up?"
"It's not a game to me if that's what you're asking. It's not a decision I made based on a whim. My father is... difficult to get along with." Ryuuji lowered her gaze briefly and reached out for the mini-fridge. She opened it and began passing out bottles of water. "He holds something of a grudge against your family, Yuugi. Apparently he and your grandfather never got along well. I'm ashamed to say that... well, I believe there's a chance my father is the one who set up the car crash that killed your parents. And it was all out of some stupid, petty little form of revenge."
Yuugi's eyes widened. "You mean..."
"Yes. He's working for Kaiba Corp. Has been for some time now. He tried to pull me into that whole mess, too, when I turned thirteen. Insisted that it was important for me to follow in the family footsteps. But by that point I'd made a few friends at school who were doing a better job of keeping me on the path to good than he was in trying to sway me. When he refused to give up his campaign to make me join him, I made the decision to start living as a girl. The shame it threatened to bring down on him if Gozaburo ever found out was enough to make him stop trying." She shrugged one shoulder and moved on to handing out sandwiches and fruit, taken from a small compartment hidden beneath one of the seats. "We staged a deal of sorts when I stole control of the Black Clown Corporation out from under him and broke off any deals with Kaiba Corp. The concession was that for everything having to deal with the company, I appear as male."
"That's twisted," Malik muttered. "Although I have to say you make a nice girl. I never would've guessed if I hadn't seen you dressed like that."
Ryuuji grinned. "Thank you. I've been practicing for quite some time," she said, twining the tip of her ponytail around one finger. A polished finger, Jou noticed, which had been painted with a clear gloss that was obvious only in certain lights.
"So wait, let me get this straight. Your father killed Yuugi's parents," Jou said, pointing from Ryuuji to Yuugi because surely she couldn't have heard what she thought she'd heard. Judging by the guilty expression that flashed across Ryuuji's face, however, she had.
"I'm afraid that's right," Ryuuji said quietly, lowering her head. "Yuugi, I... I recognized you that night when you came to the Resistance meeting, although I wasn't certain if it was you at first. I've always tried to keep my distance from your family, knowing that any sign of friendship between us would be something my father would try to take advantage of. But then I heard your name and I knew for sure. I wanted to apologize to you then, but -"
"Don't," Yuugi said, holding up her hand. "Seriously, that's not necessary. You didn't make the choice to set up the car accident. If it really was your father, you can't be held responsible for his actions. That would be like me trying to hold Seto responsible for everything that Gozaburo has done. It's not fair to anyone. Besides." She looked down at her lap for a moment, then raised her eyes and glanced at Yami. "I'm not actually sure that my parents are dead. Right before we left for Central Academy, Jii-chan told me that he always wondered if they might have been taken prisoner by Kaiba Corp. He didn't believe that they actually died in the crash. He thought Gozaburo just wanted him to believe that."
"That's why you asked me if Gozaburo keeps prisoners at the headquarters," Yami said.
Yuugi nodded. "I was tempted to tell you the truth, but it didn't seem to be the right time."
"Oh my god," Jou muttered. "Yuugi, I can't believe this. Why didn't you tell us?"
Now it was Yuugi's turn to look guilty. "Jou, I was going to. It's not like I deliberately set out to keep it a secret. It was just... a huge piece of information and I needed a little while to come to terms with it. And then by the time I was ready to say something all of this had happened and it just didn't seem like it was important anymore."
"Right," Jou said, not sure whether or not she was willing to believe that. Ever since they'd found Yami, Bakura and Mariku, their small group felt like it was beginning to fracture into pieces. Yuugi and Yami had already formed a bond that went so much deeper than should have been possible considering how little time they'd known each other, and yet even just being around them for a few minutes... any stranger would have been convinced that they had fallen in love years ago and were now one of those sickeningly sweet couples that would be together forever. Jou was convinced that it wouldn't take Malik and Ryou long to be the exact same way once they were finally reunited with their other halves.
It wasn't that she wasn't happy for her friends, because she was. But her tumultuous relationship - and could it even be called that? - with Seto wasn't anything like that. Was it? Sometimes she remembered how it felt to hold Seto's hands and look into his eyes and feel the world tremble with the magic they were creating together. There was no other feeling like that; no one but Seto would be capable of calling that reaction forth. She just didn't know what it all meant and that was frightening.
"Jou, really. I wasn't trying to hide this from you," Yuugi said firmly. "Like I said, it didn't seem important at the time. Compared to everything we've been doing, it still doesn't." She looked out the window. "Taking Kaiba Corp down matters a lot more."
"Which is actually the whole reason I'm here," Ryuuji said, evidently sensing an opportunity to change the subject to something a little more comfortable. "Thanks to Mokuba, we've got a plan."
As it turned out, Ryuuji wasn't joking. By the time they got close to Central Academy she had filled them in on the finer details. About a mile away from the school, the limo pulled off the road and into the woods. Only a couple of minutes in they came to a clearing where three other cars were parked, their occupants waiting. Jou recognized some of them immediately: Isis and Anzu were familiar faces, of course, and so were some of the others purely for the reason that they were well known, even famous, duelists.
"Isis!" Malik exclaimed, the first one out of the car. She hesitated like she wasn't sure if she should go over and hug her sister or not. Isis solved the issue for her, namely by closing the distance between them rapidly and embracing Malik until she squeaked.
"I never imagined it would come to this," Isis said, reluctantly letting go. She kept her hands on Malik's shoulders and stared into her face. "I've been so worried about you."
"I'm sorry," said Malik, and Jou knew that she was apologizing because Isis had been upset, not because of the choice she'd made to leave Isis in the dark. Isis had made her decision and Malik had made hers, and that was the way it was.
Maybe Isis recognized that, because she just nodded. "I'm hoping Ryuuji filled you in on the plan?" she asked, glancing back at the car. Ryuuji had yet to make an appearance, but the doors of the limo had closed again and Jou was close enough to hear a lot of movement going on inside. She suspected the tinted windows were for more than just security purposes.
"Yeah, she did. There's just one thing I'm not sure of," Yami said. He squeezed Yuugi's shoulder gently. "Ryuuji indicated that some duelists will be posing as Yuugi, Malik and Ryou. Who?"
"That would be us." Insector Haga, the best bug duelist to make the rounds in dueling in a long time, primly shoved his glasses up onto his forehead. He stared at them with beady little eyes before scoffing and letting his glasses fall again. "Isis requested this as a personal favor." His tone made it clear that was the only reason he'd agreed.
"We needed someone capable of summoning a monster if it came to that," Isis explained. "I'm hoping that it won't, that maybe Gozaburo and our father will go down quietly. But…"
"It'll be no problem if that's what happens," Dinosaur Ryuzaki said with a smirk.
"That's two. Who's the third?" Yuugi asked.
Isis turned and looked at Jou.
"Me?" Jou squeaked.
"That's right. I know you can't summon without Seto yet, Jou, but it's imperative we get you back with the priest as soon as possible."
"So Seto has been captured, then," Jou said, her stomach sinking.
"Captured?" Isis repeated, puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"Father called me," Malik admitted. "He told me that Mariku, Bakura and Seto had been captured again right after they broke free."
"That's not true at all," Isis said, looking furious. "The three of them are at the school, but of their own free will. They're in hiding at the moment, just waiting for the right time to come out. I know exactly where they are and I can tell you with every confidence that no one aside from me is privy to that information."
It was like a weight had fallen off of Jou's shoulders. She could tell that Mokuba and Yami felt the same way. "I'll do it."
"But Jou," Yuugi started to protest.
"No, Yuugi. It's fine." She wouldn't have any way to summon and protect herself until Seto got there, but Jou didn't care. If Seto was already in Central Academy then that was where Jou wanted to be. No, where she needed to be. Seto couldn't summon any creatures unless they were together. "I'm on board with that. When do we go?"
"As soon as we're ready," said Isis. "Yuugi, do you have the Puzzle with you?"
"Of course."
"May I see it?"
"No," Yuugi and Yami said in perfect unison.
Isis glanced back and forth between them. "Very well. Keep it close to you. Yami is going to be under Gozaburo's scrutiny shortly. He'll be looking for the Puzzle. As part of the illusion we'll create a fake, but the real one must never leave your hands. Understand?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Yuugi said, tightening her grip on her bag. "I'd put it on if I could."
"Not yet, but something to keep in mind," Isis replied. "Now, if you three are prepared than we're going to put the illusion in place. It will be more thorough than the one we used before, as I'm expecting Gozaburo to test you as you enter Central Academy, which means it won't last as long. You'll have approximately four to five hours before it wears off."
"That's not much time," Malik said, looking worried.
"We won't need it," Dinosaur Ryuzaki said confidently.
"He's very sure of himself," Ryou muttered. Jou couldn't disagree. It was concerning, actually, to see how cocky Dinosaur Ryuzaki and Insector Haga were as they joined Jou stood in front of Isis and Anzu and their partner monsters. Gozaburo and Hafiz and whoever else might have chosen to fight with them were powerful. The chances of them going down easily were slim to none, and all of them were probably going to be right in the middle of the fight. She hoped that they were cautious.
As the spell was woven, the car door behind them finally opened. Ryuuji stepped out, and although she had only changed her clothing she looked completely different. The tight-fitting blue dress, paired with an artfully draped light purple scarf, was perfectly orchestrated to suggest curves where there were none. She smiled at Yuugi. "You three are going to be coming with me," she said gently. "They won't question my car driving onto the grounds, and if anyone does see you they'll think you're just some of my friends. I have different clothing for you just in case and something to hide your face, Malik."
That was a hint and Jou could see the trepidation on Yuugi's face when she turned and looked at Yami. Bright white spots swelled over Jou's vision then, preventing her from watching as yami and hikari stepped aside and wished each other luck. When she could see again, Malik was standing about a foot away from her and visibly trying not to laugh. "My god you make a cute Yuugi."
"What?" Jou said, surprised when her voice came out huskier and softer than she was expecting. Malik took a compact out of her bag and showed Jou her reflection. The face staring back at her looked kind of like Yuugi's male form. They were about the same height, though Jou's hair was entirely black, and she'd been dressed in one of the Central Academy uniforms. It was just as bizarre to look around and see two people that looked a little like Ryou and Malik.
"Please be careful, Jou," Yuugi said. Her eyes were red and shining, though she was making a valiant effort not to cry. Her lips were just puffy enough that Jou knew exactly how she and Yami had said good-bye. "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you because they thought you were me."
"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine." Jou clapped her roughly on the shoulder and then hugged her, quick and tight, before doing the same with Malik and Ryou. A little part of her felt relieved as Malik, Ryou and Yuugi got into the car with Ryuuji: knowing her friends would be out of the crossfire was a huge weight off her shoulders. Ryuuji caught Isis's eyes right before she closed the door and a significant look passed between the two women. Then the car drove off.
"Where will they be?" Yami asked quietly.
"They're going to find Bakura and Mariku and the Millennium Items," Isis replied. "If it's safe, that is. I've instructed Ryuuji very carefully. Their safety is paramount, I swear."
Yami gave her a hard stare before he nodded. "Then let us go as well."
Isis and Anzu joined the four of them in the car. Jou was tempted to protest, if only because she knew Malik would not be pleased to find her sister there, but the mulish look on Isis's face suggested it would only fall on deaf ears. Instead she preoccupied herself with staring out the window at the road that was quickly becoming familiar, fingers absently tracing the fake Millennium Puzzle she wore around her neck. It felt real enough, cupped in her palms, and she prayed that it would be enough to fool Gozaburo.
When they were about two minutes out from Central Academy, Yami laid a hand on her arm. "Are you certain that you're okay with this? There's no guarantee you'll find Seto any quicker by going this route. You may have been better off to stay with Yuugi and the others."
"It's too late now," Jou said with a half-hearted smile, appreciating the effort he was making. Even if it was all for show, his hand was warm and it was enough to help calm her down.
Anzu turned the car into the beginning of Central Academy's driveway. The gates were open, the guardhouse empty, and they drove all the way up to the parking lot uncontested. There, she stopped the car. Jou's eyes settled on the familiar figure waiting for them. It was the headmaster, Hafiz Ishtar, hands tucked into his pockets and a smirk on his face. It broadened as they climbed out of the car and he caught his first glimpse of Isis and the Tawk around her throat.
"I should've known," he said, slick and oily.
"Yes, you should have," Isis said simply, looking him straight in the face.
Hafiz scowled, disliking that. He glanced at the rest of them, lip curling in disdain. "You're a sorry lot," he remarked. "Where's your sister?"
"Hiding. There was no point in her coming. You asked for the hikaris and you got them," said Isis, indicating Jou, Insector Haga and Dinosaur Ryuzaki. "Not to mention the pharaoh."
"Ah yes," Hafiz murmured. "Your highness." He smirked again, mocking, and then turned away from them. "Follow me. You should feel terribly privileged, you know. You've got a first class escort to the end of your lives."
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