Chapter 55

Kaiba wasn't sure what part of his consciousness he was projecting exactly, but he did know whatever part it was, this part could see. It was strange, as much as he knew he should appreciate that fact, he really didn't like it. Not because it made him envious, but because it just felt so unnatural to him now. Still, the sight he was met with when he arrived was pretty much what he was expecting; Jack was clearly betraying what trust the Prodigy Child had in him and he was there to stop it.

'Leave her alone,' he took several aggressive steps forward, 'you can't do this to her.'

'But she's agreed to let me do this,' he smirked back, 'and it has to be done if we're ever going to stop the Army of Sen Pay.'

'What are you talking about?' He stared at him. 'She doesn't look like she's happy with this and how does hurting her stop them,' he indicated towards the Sen Pay.

'Because she hosts the beast,' the devil himself could not have said that statement in a more malicious way.

'Just what are you planning to do?' Kaiba wasn't sure what emotion it was running through him, but whatever it was it was pretty damn close to fear.

'What do you think?'

'She would never agree to something like that,' he gritted his teeth as he reluctantly allowed himself to register what it was Jack had pressed against her back. 'You must have tricked her into this somehow.'

'Such distrust,' he tutted, 'all I've tried to do since I arrived was help your side win this war. First I took out the bastard tribal leaders and now I'm trying to stop the Sen Pay. Yet do I receive any thanks for my efforts?'

'You receive no thanks because the way you're going about this is all wrong,' Kaiba glared, 'and you can't tell me she agreed to this when you said whatever it was you said to get her to trust you.'

'You're right, all I asked her to do was trust me. But isn't that the whole point? She's letting me do this because she trust's I'm doing the right thing.'

'She's letting you do this because she's in too much pain to stop you,' Kaiba held firm, 'stop this right now.'

'I'm afraid it's far too late for that now,' his voice traced with amusement.

'And just what's that supposed to mean?'

'Isn't it obvious,' he pulled the talisman away from her back and allowed her to collapse onto the ground, 'by the time you arrived the process couldn't be reverse. What's done is done Pure and there's nothing you can do about it.'


As he'd grown accustom to the strange feelings moving through him, Arados realised just how connected to his cousins it made him. It almost felt as though he knew exactly what they were thinking and feeling as though their thoughts and feelings were his own. It was weird, but at the same time it made a lot of sense. He knew and understood exactly what Lus was trying to do now and in a weird way he was pretty sure he was the one willing him forward. Well him and Taylor. It was strange to think they needed to make Ni feel included in their family somehow, but since the idea had first occurred to one of them it felt like the right way forward.

In Arados's mind though, being here so far away from where he felt he was needed didn't sit right with him. Okay, so maybe the barrier wouldn't hold if he and Taylor weren't there, but the Sen Pay were never going to give up until Ni did. Or at least that was true as far as Arados was concerned. From what he could sense of the conversation occurring between his cousins, Ni needed something more to push him in the right direction and maybe that thing was him and Taylor.

'I'm not sure Lus knows just how connected he is to us right now,' Taylor had edged his way down their wall of Light, putting him within comfortable talking distance. 'I don't think he knows we're the ones egging him on.'

'That doesn't surprise me, his sensory abilities were never quite as developed as ours.'

'Ours?' Taylor cocked an eyebrow at him.

'I never said mine were great, but as an empath they are still better than his by default. Likewise with you being a telepath.'

'I'd say this has less to do with our sensory capabilities and more to do with our basic ones. Telepathy and empathy form natural recognisable links for us, since Lus has neither all he knows for sure is that things are different.'

'Actually it feels more like all he knew for sure; he doesn't seem to be relying on that anymore. Or even acknowledging it if it comes to it.'

'I know what you mean, but I think that was the shock of what Baraku and Jack did.'

'I feel as though we were right there too,' Arados lowered his gaze.

'In a way I think we were. Just like I think we can still consider ourselves there with him now.'

'We should be there. And I don't just mean as we are now, I mean we should really be there,' his expression became serious. 'We could be the proof Lus needs.'

'I'm not sure if anything we try will truly reach my brother,' Taylor sighed, 'but you're right, I feel like if more of us were there with Lus right now, Ni would actually take what he's saying more seriously.'

'Instead of just talking round in circles?'

'They are just about enough to make a person dizzy, right,' he laughed. 'You're right, we should be there; but right now that's impossible. Right now we have to…'

Even as he was speaking something strange began to happen amongst the Sen Pay. It was so unbelievable that at first Arados really wasn't sure what he was witnessing. Then with absolute certainty he lowered his hands from the barrier and allowed it to weaken.

'What's happening to them?' His voice was strangely soft. 'Where are they going?'

'I… I don't know,' Taylor shook his head, as he too lowered his hands, 'but I know where we need to go.'

'To Ni,' Arados glanced towards him.

'To Ni.'