Last Time
The fragment of the good Yuugi screamed as he was engulfed by the darkness allowing the Oracle to slowly regain control of Yuugi and Anzu.
"Yuugi!" Jonouchi screamed for his friend. "Fight it, I know you can, think of Yami, you have to help us, we have to get him back, to stop the Oracle, come on Yuge!" He pleaded desperately.
However his efforts proved futile as the Oracle shined on their foreheads brighter than ever.
"Yuugi, no!" Jonouchi cried out, stepping back from the pair.
Yuugi smiled wickedly as the Oracle's soul-tainting power began to once again blanket his soul in complete and total darkness…
Anzu smiled in the same fashion, her eyes fixed on Jonouchi as they began to glow again, red as the blood in her body, she grinned seeing Jonouchi despair over the Oracle's new victory over them. The real Anzu would've rushed to Jou's side and tried to console him.
But unfortunately for Jonouchi, that Anzu was no longer in control, the evil darkness-loving Anzu was…
And as quickly as they had been saved by Airtos, thanks to the Oracle claiming the gentle Guardian monster, they were now just as quickly fading away and being wrapped in a thick blanket of the Oracle's unstoppable evil…
Jonouchi and the others' time was running out…
End Flashback
"He's too much trouble, wouldn't you say Yuugi? We can't fully control him like the others." She spoke wickedly.
"Yes he is, my queen..." Yuugi spoke sinisterly, a wicked look in his eyes.
"What should we do with him? Without the ability to really have a strong control over him, he's just a pest like Yami was and he even knows of the past, he could try and use that against the others, Yami could do no such thing." Anzu replied, as though she herself was unsure what to do.
"Yes… shall we duel him?" Yuugi offered.
"We've dueled him twice already; both times his spirit has escaped the Oracle by unexpected magical means. Clearly dueling him isn't the way, we can't risk another close call as well." Anzu sighed once more as though she were running of options of things in order to deal with their former friend, Jonouchi.
"Perhaps after dueling him we should destroy his soul card..." Yuugi suggested, grinning his most wicked smile.
"No, we could use him against Yami before; remember the way Yami just screamed? We'll have to use something against him; we may have to use Yami to get to them. I'm not sure, but destroying his soul isn't the answer." She replied, gently rejecting Yuugi's idea even though part of her liked it.
"Hmm interesting…" Yuugi mused quietly.
"What? You think it might work?" Anzu asked, surprised at Yuugi's confidence in her plan. "When I made him submit for you the Oracle took full control of Yami, do you really think laying Yami on the line will maybe make Jonouchi conform to the Oracle?"
"Probably." Yuugi grinned.
Anzu smiled, turning to Jonouchi with a dark look, a darker grin made him feel uneasy about what they had been whispering about.
"Anzu, Yuugi? What are you two thinking?" he asked, stepping back towards Kaiba.
"Oh you'll see…" Yuugi teased.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jonouchi moaned, sounding slightly unnerved.
Yuugi smiled evilly waiting for Anzu to partially divulge their plan.
Anzu smiled, stepping forward to Jonouchi, the Seal shining brighter on her head, the stone glowing just the same, Jonouchi began to worry more.
"Aww what's wrong is the great Katsuya Jonouchi scared?" Yuugi mocked cruelly.
"Of course not, what are you doing?" Jou growled.
"Anzu mind filling him in my sweet?" Yuugi asked.
"Sure." Anzu replied, looking from Yuugi and over to Jonouchi. "You're about to have a choice that you won't be able get yourself out of like your escapes from the Oracle." She taunted.
"What?!" Jonouchi called, not liking the sound of this at all.
"Tell him my evil queen." Yuugi purred.
"We're going to bring back Yami." She teased.
"Why's that so bad?" Jonouchi asked, utterly clueless of what the wicked duo had him involved in next.
"You'll have to save him. And there's only one way, it's the same as Yami did for Yuugi." Anzu chuckled wickedly as she continued. "You'll have to submit to us and the Oracle."
"Yes fool so either way you lose." Yuugi taunted.
"So, you want to push us or submit now?" Anzu teased, giggling wickedly.
"No, you won't do it; Yuugi'll see Yami in trouble and stop you!" Jonouchi laughed.
Anzu's smug grin faded as she stared at Jonouchi dully, though there was obvious hatred in her cold crimson red-azure eyes.
"The good part of me was destroyed!" Yuugi yelled.
"No, he was here a moment ago, when Yami's suffering he'll break through, I know it. I don't believe you're gone, both of you, you're here." Jonouchi replied.
"Can we please speed this up? Anzu and I have a world to conquer." Yuugi retorted impatiently.
Jonouchi growled, cursing Yuugi's bad attitude, the light expanded from Anzu's stone, shining brighter, pulling Yami's spirit before Jonouchi, the Pharaoh just fell to the ground.
"Yami!" Jonouchi called.
"He can't hear you." Anzu chuckled.
"Aww you poor fool…" Yuugi taunted him as Alcina watched.
Anzu's eyes narrowed, the light shining again, Yami groaned, Jonouchi turned to him, the Pharaoh was just the same transparent spirit he had been before, but he was in real pain, Jonouchi lowered himself to one knee.
"What's the heck is this?!" he called.
"Heh it's thanks to dark magic..." Yuugi teased.
"What are you on about?! Leave him alone!" Jonouchi demanded angrily.
"We can't, not until you join, you have to submit for his sake, that's the test, he could do it for Yuugi, now you can do it for him." Anzu insisted.
"Yes if you don't his spirit will be harmed." Yuugi taunted.
"You damn nutcases!" Jonouchi growled. "I can't fall to your level, you'll see, Yuugi won't let Yami's spirit die, he'll save him and the Oracle will be proven not to have complete control over you."
"Silence mortal... I will soon be the ruler of this world along with my queen of course." Yuugi bragged.
"Yuugi, wake up!" Jonouchi called over Yami's increasing groans as he struggled on the ground. "If Yami was to die, you know you'd blame yourself, who knows what you'd do but you wouldn't let it happen, so we'll just see what's stronger."
"Very well. Anzu if you may?" Yuugi requested.
Anzu nodded, closing her eyes, causing the light to glow brighter, Yami's groans became cries of pain, Jonouchi gasped, looking down as the power was beginning to affect Yami on the outside of his spirit, small little lightning bolt like things began to jump about.
"Yami, hang in there!" Jonouchi pleaded. "I know you're strong and you've been used as a toy by them, but Yuugi will remember the truth!"
"Ugh… god you're annoying..." Yuugi complained.
"Oh really, well at least I won't sell my soul for power!" Jonouchi snapped. "You knew that doing anything to protect Yuugi was the best way to get to Yami, well I'm not going to fall for your game." He screamed.
"Sell our soul for power?" Yuugi laughed loudly. "If I did that I'd be comatose ya idiot."
"Then why are you insisting the real Yuugi doesn't exist?!" Jonouchi yelled. "Now you're harming Yami - the guy closest to you - just to have a stab at me? I can't do it!"
"What are you saying?" Anzu growled.
"When it came to who you used to be, you would never let anything like this happen, to Yami, to us, to anyone. But here you are, doing it now just to try and keep me on your side. I can't pledge myself to any evil force, especially one that turn my friends into mindless puppets and hurt someone so close to all of us!" Jou shouted.
"So be it..." Anzu said with a snicker as the light expanded further.
Yami cried out louder, Kaiba stared at the spirit curled on the ground before Jonouchi as he called out without any way to fight back; Jonouchi closed his eyes, trying not to allow the sight of Yami in pain get to him.
Yuugi grinned as he felt himself get stronger, as he was draining Yami's life force with each and every second that passed by…
Kaiba glared at Yuugi, there had to be something that would get through to them, if Yuugi was drained the power from Yami's very core soul, he just literally partaking in the true destruction of the Pharaoh's spirit, the broken fragments would be a part of him.
"Yuugi, snap out of it!" he spat, his blue eyes blazing.
Jonouchi opened his eyes, looking back at Kaiba.
"Quiet Kaiba…" Yuugi commanded.
"You can't tell me what to do, Motou!" Kaiba snapped.
"Just shut up Yuugi, look at Yami, look at him as if you were the old Yuugi, see if you really enjoy tearing him apart!" Jonouchi shouted.
"Be silent!!" Yuugi screamed.
"No, you can't make me, you're not my master and you're not Yami or theirs!'" Jonouchi protested, pointing towards the others that were scattered around behind him.
"Yes I am fool." He replied holding the Dark Rod up.
"You can't, you have no power over us!" Jonouchi yelled. "Yami knew that when he gave himself up and he was still able to fight back, he did it for you but you never really gained full control over him. You'll never control any of us for real!"
"Really now?" He activated the evil Rod.
"What are you going to do with that? Rip Yami's spirit apart?!" Jonouchi spat.
"No watch." He said pointing it at Kaiba.
"Kaiba!" Jonouchi called, turning his head towards him. "What are you going to do to him?!"
Kaiba stared at the Rod, concerned about Yuugi's intentions.
The rod activated starting to control Kaiba's mind.
Kaiba groaned, his hands shot to the side of his head, he too began groaning as he tried to fight off the power Yuugi was trying to force over him, Jonouchi stared at Kaiba worriedly while Yami continued to groan and occasionally call out as he fought himself against the darkness.
"Just submit and the pain will end."
"I can't, it'll just get worse, the pain won't stop!" Jonouchi called. "They'll lose themselves when you try to overpower them because I'll do nothing to help them, I won't do it!" He screamed.
"Anzu if you may, finish Kaiba off." Yuugi requested.
"Finish him off?!" Jonouchi called, totally terrified and expecting the worst.
Anzu cackled, the power flowing from Yami directly into the Rod added to its power, Yami called out more as the rod began to glow, Kaiba called out as he tried resisting as much he could.
Yuugi cackled as well as the Rod glowed it's brightest finally claiming Kaiba's mind.
Kaiba's calls halted in an instant, the power from Yami began to calm, he was reduced to groaning as the power continued to attack his soul, mind and heart relentlessly. At this point, Kaiba felt as though there was a boa constrictor around him in the form of the Oracle that was squeezing the resisting parts of his soul right out of him.
"You belong to me now Kaiba Seto…" Yuugi teased in a dull, but sweet dark tone, loving the sense of victory and triumph he was now feeling deep inside his once pure angelic soul.
Jonouchi stared in horror as Kaiba stared dully at Yuugi, no longer the reluctance in his eyes that showed he was still alive, now he was a doll of the Oracle, just as lost as Anzu and Yuugi, Jonouchi tore his eyes away, he couldn't believe it. He cared about the fact it had happened to Kaiba, normally he wouldn't, but seeing it just made things seem so real, their rivalry was nothing, he looked back up at Yuugi, both in sorrow and hatred.
To be continued…