Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, and all people, places, and events from the original Yu-Gi-Oh! were written and are the rightful property of Kazuki Takahashi (as it should be; if any of us fan fiction writers get our little hands on it... well, then it wouldn't be Yu-Gi-Oh!).
Author's Note: OMIGOD I am SOOOO sorry for not updating in a while! I have many a school projects to do and they are taking up so much of my precious writing time! Forgive me with your reviews!
And I was infected with spyware, so meh computer was slow as shit… wah it sucked. But it's all good now.
I shall now move onto this great story! Let us see what shall occur!
#2 Author's Note: All thoughts are in italics.
Revival of the Heart
By: Angel's Nocturne
Chapter 52: Let the Fun Begin….
Atemu approached the two large stone doors that were his entrance into Samira's palace, his feet moving soundlessly against the soft sand beneath him. He could hear his violet cloak billow in the wind, snapping at the simplest breeze or gentlest movement. The hot air of Egypt had cooled now to a light warmth, as the sun was now behind Samira's palace and out of his view. It left him in the shadow of the gigantic building as it towered over him like a menacing beast, but he showed no fear as he gathered his courage, and placed his hands onto the cool sand-stone doors.
This is it, he thought to himself. This is the moment—the moment that I get all of my friends back to safety, and where my destiny draws me to fight evil once more. This is where the battle shall commence. With that he let his energy surge into his arms as he attempted to push open the heavy doors. It felt like he was pushing boulders with a straw, but nonetheless he pursued on, groaning a bit as he struggle to get the doors to budge. They hissed as he moved them, their rough edges scratching against the stone floor inside. As the doors began to crack open Atemu felt an icy-cold wind bite his skin as it rushed out of the palace with a sigh, as though finally free from its prison. There was the smell of decay and ancient musk that nearly made him cough as it was so strong.
At last he managed to get the doors wide enough so that he could enter—he sauntered inside as he let the cool musky air wash over him like a fog. It was pitch back inside the palace, which was somewhat surprising to the Pharaoh as he tentatively took a few steps forward, into the darkness. As soon as he was fully inside though, the two doors swung shut as though they were lighter than paper, but the noise they made as they clashed boomed like raging thunder. Atemu stood in the darkness, alone but not at all frightened.
"Samira!" he shouted into the nothing—he could not see an inch in front of his face, it was so absent of light. "I have no time for your games! Come face me, or I will—"
"You will what, oh mighty Pharaoh?" a voice echoed in the dank emptiness. It was male and husky, and certainly not the voice of a princess. "You can't even see! Why don't we turn up the lights a little for him, eh?" Suddenly Atemu heard the sound of a hiss and the swish of air, and he could see flames erupt in the distance on what he assumed to be a torch. It created a tiny orb of light around itself, but did little to sway the conquering dark.
Atemu looked around hastily. "Where are you? Show yourself!" His words' echo was promptly blocked off by a collection of chuckles that came from all around the room, at every corner and wall. Atemu wheeled about, listening to the many cackles and laughs in the darkness.
"Pharaoh, I think you're mistaken" the same voice from before said, which made Atemu's eyes narrow. "You asked where am I. Perhaps you should have asked: Where are we?" As he said this the room hissed with the sound of many torches all being lit in sequence. The room turned to one lit in twilight, until it was finally fully alit with the bright flames—Atemu's eyes adjusted quickly to the return of his sight, and what he saw made him growl.
He was surrounded by several warriors, dressed all in black robes that even covered their faces like ninja wear. Many of them held sabers and other strange weapons in their hands, and as far as Atemu could tell they were perfectly willing to take him out from the smirks that he could sense coming from them. They were in a room that looked like the main room of his soul room, except that the ceiling was so high that the light from the torches couldn't reach it. The doors that he entered through were at his back, and in front of him was a large staircase that consumed the whole opposite side, making the entire wall an open passage into the next room. Whatever lay beyond it was a mystery to him, as it was cloaked in total darkness.
Atemu scowled at the sight of all these warriors. "What do you want?" he asked, nearly growling. One of the men came forward, his hands on his hips and dark chuckle in his voice. As he spoke Atemu realized that this was the voice that had been speaking to him earlier.
"What do we want, Pharaoh?" the man snickered, and in suit so did his soldiers. "What we want is what our Queen wants, and she wants you to prove yourself worthy of seeing her." Atemu glared at the man.
"And how do I do that?" he asked, annoyed—he hadn't the time to be fooling around with her slaves now. The warrior smirked, and then pointed to the wall to Atemu's left. The Pharaoh turned to see what he was directing him to see, and his eyes went wide.
There, attached to the sand-bricked wall by a rope and a peg, was a Duel Disk that was fully activated and ready for use. It's blue and silver plastic parts looked surreal against the ancient stone, but what brought Atemu's attention forward was that there was a deck carefully set in the deck slot, and the card on the top was flipped over so that he could see what it was.
It was the Dark Magician. Even at the height that the Duel Disk was held at, Atemu could recognize that card from any distance—and that meant—
"You slime!" Atemu turned to face the man who seemed to be the leader, and showed him his clenched fist. "What have you done with Yugi!" The servant held up his hands in a mock attempt to calm the angered king down.
"No, it's not like that! I'm sure your little friend is fine!" Atemu was still unconvinced, and growled to show so. The other soldiers brought up their weapons as though preparing to attack, and so they remained at a stand-still as the leader shook his head casually. "Listen, the Queen has informed me only of this: that if you wish to proceed farther into her palace, that you would need your disk and your deck. But, the only way to get it—" he crouched down into a fighting stance, "is to defeat all of us without your precious monsters!"
Atemu looked at all of them—there had to have been at least thirty in that room, all armed with weapons of all sorts, and each of them looked like they could muscle him over. But one glance at the Duel Disk, at his deck and knowing that Yugi was somewhere in this awful place and had it taken away from him, made his mind frame very clear.
"So" Atemu said, his voice low as he hung his head, then he brought it up slowly as he glared at all the men with a venomous purple gaze, "this is a game your 'Queen' wants me to play, right?" Atemu clenched his fists, and then gave them all a deadly smirk.
"Then let's play."
---
"Let's begin!" Yugi shouted, and the arena around both him and Anzu became very cold and depleted of all light. Though it was already located in the Shadow Realm, for some reason the idea of a Shadow Game still followed over into this world of darkness as the haze that filled the air grew thicker and far more visible. Marik hung in the background by the steps, and Joey and Tristan stayed back behind Yugi at a safe distance, as the two competitors drew their hands.
"All right Yugi, I'm ready!" Anzu shouted.
A: 4000 Y: 4000
"Well, since you're gonna lose anyway, I'll allow you to go first" Yugi sneered in a way that Anzu knew the real Yugi would never do. Anzu nodded solemnly as she looked down at her deck.
Well, if it works for Yugi… she thought, then Heart of the Cards, please come through for me this day. She drew her first card and looked at it. Not a bad draw, I guess.
"I place one card face-down, and I end my turn." As Anzu placed her monster card in its appropriate slot, a face-down card sparkled in the air in front of Anzu, forming from pixels into reality. Of course, Anzu realized that this was reality, and that the Shadow Realm was only recreating the looks of a holographic duel. Otherwise the monsters here would be perfectly, and dangerously, valid.
"So, starting out slow, eh?" Yugi stated coldly, and he took his draw. He glanced at the card and examined it, obviously pleased.
"Alright, I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" Yugi placed a card on his Duel Disk, and in response an elf dressed in armor and carrying a large sword appears ready to launch itself at Anzu (A:1400—D:1200)
"Celtic Guardian, attack her face-down card! Heavy Slash Attack!" The elf ran forward, it's sword up over its shoulder as it sped for the monster. It sliced the card in half, to reveal a small blonde-hared girl wearing a black dress and witch's hat. She screamed as she was destroyed, but Anzu didn't look upset.
"Ha!" Yugi stated proudly. "I just got rid of your monster. I'm already taking the lead!" But then Yugi's eyes got wide as a sudden jolt of pain ran through his body—he growled uncharacteristically.
"What just happened?" he seethed, his eyes narrow as he spoke through his teeth. Anzu smiled good-naturedly.
"What happened was that you attacked my Fire Sorcerer, and if I remove two cards from my hand from play" she placed two cards from her hand and removed them from play, "then you will lose 800 points due to her effect!"
The 800 points were lost, and Yugi growled again as his Life Points dropped. "This is nothing…" he hissed.
"That's not how the real Yugi would act—that's why I won't believe your lies. I'm not afraid of you" Anzu said confidently. There was one thing she knew—something that even Yugi himself was not aware of: after the incident in the Virtual World with her battling one of the Big Five, Anzu had decided that it was time she updated her deck. And if what the Shadow Realm Yugi said was true, then this deck would be constructed just as her new one was at home.
I might not do so bad after all, she thought, but then she hated the way Yugi recovered so quickly and gave her a smirk that could easily match Yami Marik's.
"Okay Anzu, I'll give you credit for that minor setback" he said, pulling a few cards from his hand, "but it won't last you long in the Shadow Realm. I place two cards face-down and end my turn." Two face-down cards formed on Yugi's side of the field. Anzu grimaced as she took a card from her deck.
A: 4000--- Y: 3200
"My turn, then." She looked at the cards in her hand, and smiled slightly.
"I summon Fairy's Gift to the field!" A green fairy with butterfly wings appeared before Anzu. It squeaked in delight at being out on the field but quickly cowered as it took note of the Celtic Guardian ready to slice it in two. (A: 1400—D: 1000)
"What? Dat thing is so pathetic—Anzu, you should really consider getting a better deck!" Joey ridiculed from the background, accompanied by Tristan snickering. Anzu frowned.
"This is why I know you're fakes" she stated as she pulled a card from her hand. "Because if you were my real friends, then you'd realize that this card can be just as powerful as any with a little help!
"I play the card Elf's Light, and I equip it to my Fairy's Gift!" The green Spell card arose from the ground, showing the image of a fairy holding a bright golden light, and with a brilliant flash engulfed Fairy's Gift and transformed it. "With this card my fairy's attack points go up by 400 and her defense decreases by 200!" (A: 1800—D: 800)
"Attack Yugi's monster with Mystic Fairy Dust!" Fairy's Gift flew up over Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, and showered it with a greenish mist. The monster shivered at the touch of the dust before shattering into pixels! "And since her attack was less than 1900, the effect of Celtic Guardian doesn't kick in!"
Yugi growled uncharacteristically as his Life Points dropped, while Marik started clapping mockingly.
"Kukuku" he chimed, "you seem to have improved my dear…."
"I place one card face down and I end my turn" Anzu said as she slid a card into its slot on the Duel Disk.
So far things had been going well for her—apparently this fake Yugi was misjudging her skills as a duelist. Though she came off as weak and more like a cheerleader for the real duelists, Anzu knew that she had the potential to duel well just from watching Yugi and the others. She never thought she would have to face off with one of them—especially not the King of Games—but seeing as he was fake Anzu figured that he would not pose as big as a threat as the real Yugi. She only prayed that her assumptions were right.
Yugi sneered as he drew his next card. "Not bad Anzu—you're quite impressive. Looks like I've been underestimating you in this duel, but it's time I put that to an end! I play Dark Magic Curtain!" A strange red curtain with a skeleton-like figure on top appeared from a Spell card Yugi played. "By giving up half my Life Points, I can summon my favorite monster from the field! And I think you know what that is!"
"Oh no…" Anzu gasped, perfectly aware of what card Yugi was about to bring forth as he pulled it out of his deck.
"Here he is!" Yugi shouted as he slammed the card onto the field, "The Dark Magician!" A lightening bolt of purple shot down from the heavens and struck Dark Magic Curtain, which promptly glowed of an uncanny light. Suddenly a dark form shot forth from the curtain, and from within the dark haze emerged the Dark Magician, dressed in all his violet majesty and carrying a staff. (A: 2500—D: 2100)
"Already he has out the Dark Magician!" Marik exclaimed in a voice that made his slight shock seem like nonchalance—he chuckled softly as he smirked. "Little Yugi means business…."
"Oh great" Anzu moaned as she stared at the Dark Magician, with his cold green eyes gazing down at her with such a slate-like appeal. Well, it looks like I'm doomed.
"Are you scared now, Anzu?" Yugi asked as he grinned. "Scared to lose to me? You must be—you're already shaking from what I can see!"
"What?" Anzu asked, but as she looked down at her legs she could see that her knees were buckling a bit. Truth be told, she was indeed frightened—a couple of attacks from the Dark Magician and she would be toast. Still, even if she was scared, there was no way that it could stop her from taking Yugi down—not when Atemu and the others still needed her.
"You see—you're terrified. Not the kind of duelist that could defeat me!" Yugi said nastily, before shouting out, "Dark Magician, attack Fairy's Gift! Dark Magic Attack!" The magician raised his staff, its tip glowing with light, before shooting out a blast of dark magic that it directed at Anzu's monster. Just before the blast was to make contact, though, Anzu smiled.
"Sorry Yugi! I activate Waboku!" The Trap card lifted up, revealing three figures dressed in green robes and light blue cloaks. "It brings all damage inflicted upon my monster to zero this turn, keeping my Fairy's Gift safe!" The dark Magician's attack went through, but it fizzled out before any harm could come to Fairy's Gift. Anzu sighed as she watched Yugi hiss in anger.
"That won't last very long! I end my turn" he said to her, "Don't worry; I'll finish up this duel soon. Just wait till next turn!"
A: 4000--- Y: 1400
"We'll see about that" Anzu said calmly as she drew a card from her deck. "You see fake Yugi, I'm not the best duelist. I'm just some person who cheers her friends on when they need my support. But don't you see, that's what I'm dueling for now—my friends, and their support. And I know they're with me—from wherever they are, they're waiting for me to win this duel and get back to them! I know they are!"
"Anzu, dat's a lie! We want ya ta lose!" Joey yelled from the sidelines, but in response Anzu merely shook her head.
"And that's why you're not my friends" she said. She looked down at her hand and saw an old friend that she had used back in her duel with one of the Big Five. She recalled how it was one of Yugi's favorite cards—now was as good a time as any to use it.
"First I summon Maha Valio to the field in attack mode!" Something similar to a man appeared on Anzu's side of the arena, wearing blue robes as it sat cross-legged, two blue, blade-like wings coming from its back. (A: 1550—D: 1400)
"So?" Yugi scoffed. "It's still a weak monster, unless you're planning on—"
"That's what I plan on" Anzu said boldly, as she pulled another card from her hand, "because now I equip Maha Valio with United We Stand! It'll raise its attack points by 800 for the number of monsters I have face up on the field. I have two, but with Maha Valio's special ability, it gets an extra 500 points just for being equipped with an Equip Card!"
Maha Valio glowed with a white light, which lit up the darkness around it slightly. (A: 3650—D: 3000)
"What!" Joey exclaimed, and Tristan appeared just as agitated.
Yugi, whose face was once painted with a malevolent smirk, now dropped into one of disbelief. From the stairs Marik let out a low whistle.
Little Yugi's dead now, he thought as he over-saw the duel from his position by the entrance. Anzu's Maha Valio will crush his Dark Magician, and reduce his Life Points to 350… then Anzu will finish him off with her Fairy's Gift. He's a goner, unless he has something planned with those two face-downs….
Attacking Yugi's Dark Magician is risky, but it appears that that is a risk that little Anzu is willing to take.
Anzu looked on as her two powerful monsters waited to attack. This is it—if I don't attack now I may not get another chance. He has those face-downs, but I have to take the possibility and go for it. There's no point in cowering now!
"And now" Anzu shouted as she pointed at Dark Magician, "Maha Valio, attack Yugi's monster! Mystical Magic Assault!" Maha Valio stood up from its sitting position, and with its eyes closed still it raised both its arms and shot forth a stream of white light. It headed straight for the defenseless Dark Magician, almost ready to make contact, when Yugi's grimace returned to a devilish grin.
"You've activated Sakurestu Armor! Now I can destroy your Maha Valio, and my Dark Magician is unharmed." The Trap card, which displayed the image of a man walking through a battlefield of blood, lifted up from the ground. Maha Valio stopped its attack and shook violently, before falling to pieces. United We Stand also shattered with the blast as Anzu covered her face from the explosion.
"What now, Anzu?" Yugi asked mockingly. She glared at the fake Yugi with slight annoyance at the way he made Yugi's voice seem hideously baleful.
"I…" she looked back at her face-down. "I activate this: Swords of Revealing Light! You won't be able to attack me for three turns." The Spell card activated, and many illuminated swords fell from the sky, surrounding Yugi and his monsters. Yugi shivered at the sharp bolts of light that held him tight.
"I end my turn" Anzu said. She had no other moves left—there were no more cards left in her hand, and she was only lucky that she had set that card down earlier as a back-up. It was supposed to be a sort of bluff, so that Yugi might hold back an attack or two—that failed to be the case but at least now she could hold him off as she worked on getting herself back from that last fatal move.
A: 4000--- Y: 1400
"You're only prolonging the inevitable…" Yugi chimed as he drew from his deck. "I now summon Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode—even if he can't attack, you won't be able to get past him with your fairy." A magician in slithery metallic robes appeared, carrying a metal staff. (A: 1900—D: 1700) "Just remember, Anzu—I'm still the King of Games. I defeated Atemu, the reigning king for over five thousand years! If he was taken down by me, then you have no hope of ever accomplishing your goals. You've just been lucky so far…." He gave her a mocking smirk, one similar to the sweet similes he used to send her back home. "And now it's your turn."
Anzu nodded as she drew her next card. It was Mystical Elf—a good defense for now but once her swords gave out it wouldn't be long before Yugi's Dark Magician tore right through her. Still, she would need as many monsters as possible to hold back the possible on slaughter.
"I set this card face-down, and I end my turn" she said solemnly as she placed Mystical Elf in face-down defense mode. She knew what Yugi said was true—she really didn't have a chance at defeating him. Maybe a lucky draw or two would do it, but would that really make a difference? She had been fortunate so far, with all her good draws and strong cards. Now it was only a matter of time before Yugi's superior skills out-weighed her good fortune ten-fold.
She looked on at the field. Both she and Yugi had two monsters—Anzu had Fairy's Gift and a face-down Mystical Elf while Yugi had Dark Magician and his Skilled Dark Magician. Yugi's cards could easily out-muscle her own, if Swords of Revealing Light were removed from the field. Yugi also had a face-down card on his side of the field—it could have been another trap to destroy her monsters, so she had to be cautious. One wrong move and she would certainly be a goner.
At least I still have two monsters on the field… she thought nervously as Yugi took his draw.
"My draw!" he said. He grinned at what he drew, and Anzu gulped. "Now the tables will turn, Anzu! I activate Snatch Steal, a card that will allow me to steal one of your monsters and bring it to my side of the field!
"And I choose Fairy's Gift!" The spell card activated, and Anzu's monster instantly floated over to Yugi, so that it now hovered beside Dark Magician. Anzu bared her teeth but she didn't feel too worried—after all, he still couldn't attack her and with Snatch Steal's effect, she would gain 1000 points each round for him using it. She still had a bit of hope.
But judging by the way that Yugi was smirking, she doubted that she could have such luck.
"But that's not all! Now I'll sacrifice Fairy's Gift" the pixie disappeared in a flash of light, "to bring Summoned Skull to the field! Come out!" The temple grew darker as the ground shook a little. Suddenly thunder and lightening erupted to form a dark and menacing beast with bat wings and a skeleton body that was powerful and could tear anything apart. It screeched with a terrifying sound. (A: 2500—D: 1200)
"No…" Anzu breathed as she stared up at the towering being. Yugi snickered.
"It only gets worse from here, Anzu" he said darkly. "You see what I meant about how this would end shortly? Soon those swords will vanish from the field, and you will be left with only a few monsters defending you—nothing for my monsters to handle. Face it, Anzu, you're only buying time. There is nothing powerful enough in there for you to possibly take me down!" He began to cackle, but it was more of a childish giggle that sent chills up Anzu's spine.
She said nothing as she stared at the ground.
"Fine… we'll end this quietly then. Your turn, Anzu" Yugi said.
Anzu drew, but she didn't want to see her next card. Was there much of point anymore? Yugi was right—she wasn't going to win this and she knew it. She hardly had a hand, any monsters, or spells or traps… Yugi had three powerful monsters and a face-down that would tear her to shreds if she dared to attack. What would she do when her swords were gone, and Yugi was free from his bondage? What would she do then?
This is all I can do, she thought miserably, nothing. She felt tears come on as she realized the tremendous weight of the situation—if she lost, then she would be forever trapped in the Shadow Realm to be absorbed and mutilated until she no longer existed. And it wasn't just her who would suffer—she knew that even if Samira was defeated, Atemu and the others would grieve for her loss. She couldn't let them undergo such feelings knowing that she had been defeated and there was nothing they could do to help. She didn't want them to be sad.
It was too late for her. How could she have been foolish enough to think she could win against Yugi, the King of Games? Even if this was a fake created by the shadows, he could still out-duel her without much of an effort—she may have gotten a lucky lead but that was all coming to end now. There wasn't much left for her to do but bear through it… after all, her fighting would be useless when the end was inevitable.
She looked at the dark mist that swirled about the ground and thought about how that was where she would end up in a few turns. She felt all her hope dying away—she didn't even care what card she drew—and she even thought about conceding to make things a little easier—when she heard a gruff voice speak out from behind her.
"So, the mighty cheerleader won't even put up a fight? What a pity" she heard Marik say in a dark, emotionless tone. "You obviously have no faith in what you preach. I think the Pharaoh and his friends would be very disappointed in you."
Anzu didn't even bother to look up. "I know… but there isn't anything I can do. I'm going to lose."
"And why should that stop you?" he hissed, this time more persistent. "I thought you cared about your friends— aren't you supposed to be the one who spats all the talk about how friendship will save you and that crap? What about now, Anzu? Can't it help you now?"
Anzu knew what he meant… maybe there was hope. "But… Yugi beat Atemu, and Atemu was the great Game King. How can I defeat someone like that?"
This time Marik let out a small chuckle, as he gently spoke. "Well, that didn't seem to stop little Yugi when he faced the great King of Games. And you had faith in his victory then… I doubt they would appreciate it if you gave up on them now."
For some reason the last few words clicked and Anzu felt a sharp twinge in her heart—Marik was right, why should she give up? Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Atemu were waiting for her, watching over her even as she stood here now. She glanced down at her hand—the one where they drew their symbol of friendship—and she could feel it pulsate with the hearts of all her friends. Of everyone she cared for back home.
How could I have been so foolish? I still have a chance—even if I'm not some great duelist like Yugi or Joey, I might be able to defeat this shadow realm clone… because my friends are all behind me on this, and their strength is with me now too. She closed her eyes as she imagined all of them, standing at her side. She smiled at the warmth of their presence.
I'll win for you guys. I promise.
"Thanks Marik" Anzu said, now feeling confident as she looked down at the card in her hand. "Now I think I can win this—thanks for what you said."
"Heh, your very welcome, my dear", Marik said, before laughing to himself inside.
Kukuku… silly girl, you don't think I'm being nice for the fun of it, do you? Do you think that I'm helping you out for my health?He watched her on the battlefield, and he smirked evilly. My dear, you are merely a pawn in this little game. I wouldn't help you in the least, but I will now, when you winning could finally bring me the chance I need—the chance to escape this horrible prison! As soon as you win this, the doorof lightto the other realm will open… that's when I will finally return to the real world! Just you wait and see, Pharaoh—I'll be back stronger than I was before, and the world will fall to darkness for sure this round...
"Alright Yugi, it's time for me to take you down!" Anzu shouted.
Kukuku… just keeping going, my dear… just keep going and win….
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Author's Note: Oh this is getting along SO great! Sorry again for the long wait—wow it was nearly a month since I updated… well, no matter! Just review me faster than I updated and all will be well, yes-siree!
