To Defy Her Ending

by Time Thief

If Paradox claims the right cards and reaches the trapped Rahlin, her future will twist down a miserable path. Rain leaps to the past to prevent that future. The people of Domino have plenty to say about Rahlin, though, and Rain begins to wonder whether saving her is the right thing to do. Bakura seems to think so. He's the only one. [BBT fic/Under the Apple Tree sequel] -COMPLETE-

8. I'll Fight Too

Chapter Eight

I'll Fight Too

Ryo balled up a wrapper while running and tossed it in a trashcan. He missed, skidded to a stop, and properly placed it in the bin. Despite the snack, his stomach growled as he started into his jog. The Spirit's nasty habit of doing whatever he wanted as Bakura left Ryo with the repercussions.

That was about to end.

The prongs of the Millennium Ring guided him through the streets. He was beginning to recognize the areas from his Battle City injury. In fact, the place the Ring led him to was none other than the graveyard where the Spirit had procured his locator cards from innocent bystanders.

A hunger pang bit at him. He placed a hand over his abdomen and passed beneath the cemetery gates. The tone of late afternoon spilled golden rays over tilted gravestones. Shadows of crosses fell over dead grass. Moss coated the names of the dead.

Ryo was careful in his steps not to dishonor the fallen. There was a time when gravesites thrilled him. He would fill journal after journal with ideas of who lay side-by-side, why this grave was quarantined, why those blokes were in the mausoleum rather than a plot of dirt.

Interference from the Spirit possessing him had kept him from enjoying anything since the demon first appeared. His regular hobbies inspired fear instead of joy. The mere idea of leaving his apartment for activities frightened him into isolation.

Until Rahlin.

The points hanging from the Ring pointed back the way he came. Ryo shut his eyes. No, not that way. What he desired most in this very moment was to track down the Spirit. Rain would handle Rahlin.

Ryo had his own demon.

The Millennium Ring shifted according to his swayed will. He followed its glowing points towards the doors of a mausoleum. Spiderwebs served as drapery between stone gargoyles, watchdogs of the fallen.

Dirt marred the steps leading deeper. Ryo descended belowground. The yellow glow of his Ring illuminated empty sconces, occupied coffins, and scurrying spiders. A ringringring had him jumping five feet.

"Wh-who's there?" Ryo said, stepping forward.

Golden light fell upon a silhouette at the edge of Ryo's sight. The person moved their arm, and the ringringring sounded again. A voice said, "A nifty invention. You walk upon antique grounds. Decades past, the living would oft be buried by mistake. They so frequently uncovered scratch marks on the insides of coffins that a bell was installed in attempt to save those buried alive."

A shiver racked Ryo's spine. At the same time, the questions the scenario inspired intrigued him. He rotated his shoulder in its socket and approached the stranger. Their voice sounded too familiar for his liking.

The Ring's glow scattered the shadows masking them. Bakura's hand flew to cover his mouth. He faced himself, same outfit, hairstyle, and all. The Spirit must've stolen his black raincoat. That and Bakura wearing the ring were the only ways of differentiating the two. He said, "How?"

"Thank your inhuman friend." The Spirit's smile said he reveled in Ryo's surprise. "Whatever Paradox had planned for her was quite the treat. She could've been oh-so-powerful if Paradox succeeded. A convenient time for me to appear, wouldn't you agree? Now, you won't need to lose control of your own body any longer."

The Spirit's grin and left eye widened to an unnerving degree. "You'll be buried alive, and I'll gladly take your place!"

Laughter bounced around the suffocating catacombs. Ryo stood straight. "Y-you can't."

The Spirit shifted the ringer back and forth, jangling the bell's melody to his words. "I can't? What will you do? Stop me as you have oh-so-many times before? Come now. I've prepared a coffin and embalmment for you! Would you truly let my hard work go to waste?"

"I know why you did this," Ryo said. The hurried nature of his heartbeat was something he wanted to keep secret, but his voice shook nonetheless. "Why you lured me here. You have a new body. The Millennium Ring still belongs to me. As you've showed me with Pegasus, Yugi, and Marik so many times before, the only way for ownership of an Item to change is with a Shadow Game."

"You did your homework." A corner of the Spirit's mouth quirked up. "None of the facts matter if the owner is dead, though."

"I won't go down that easily!" Ryo shouted. The increase in volume made his shakiness more obvious. He thrust his arm forward anyway. "I challenge you to a Shadow Game for ownership of the Millennium Ring as my wager! For yours, if I win, your new body will instantly wilt and you'll never possess again!"

Darkness thickened behind Ryo. Shadows took shape and tinged purple. The shifting dark rushed in waves around the duo, forming a circular arena. The tomb was a round room with cubbies for coffins lining the walls. As the Spirit promised, a single, open coffin lay behind him.

"A command of the shadows, hm," the Spirit said. "You really have done your homework. My wager makes no sense for you. Have you forgotten? I first possessed you because that teacher was ready to kill you. You're throwing away the best bodyguard you've ever had."

"That's far from the truth," he said, "and even if it weren't, I'd sooner die than see you torture anyone with your games."

The Spirit sneered. "Shadow Games have certain stipulations. How about, for each thousand of life points lost, I remove a limb from your beloved inhuman thing?"

"My what?"

Above his open palm, an image flickered. Rahlin floated within her diamond prison. "The thing you seem to believe is human. What do you say? I adore a good game of hangman."

"No, stop it! This is between you and me!"

Smiling, he scattered the image. "You have control – barely – but you don't understand the finesse of a Shadow Game. It's a damn shame they call you by my name. I'm the one who put in the work for the legendary reputation."

"It's my name!" Ryo shouted.

The Spirit chuckled. Yellow traced the lines of the duel disk on his arm, which swung out upon activation. "We'll see when you're buried alongside the dead."

Ryo peered at the coffins and gulped. His disk, the same, standard white model, activated as well. The shine of the Millennium Ring seemed to brighten as Bakura and his demon shouted:

---

DUEL START!

"My move," the Spirit claimed. "I'll summon Doomcaliber Knight in attack position and set two cards. Finally, I'll activate my favorite Field Spell: Dark Sanctuary."

The mausoleum shifted to a blood-red landscape. Realistic eyes drifted through crimson fog in the distance. The sanctuary's black spires rested upon a rocky precipice. An open mouth with smiling teeth stretched beyond the tallest towers.

The skeletal knight upon a horse galloping in the Spirit's monster zone sported 1900 attack. Ryo said, "Using the deck I built against me gives me an advantage."

"You would think."

Ryo winced and drew his card. "I summon Gozuki and activate his effect!"

Doomcaliber whipped his steed forward and drove the point of his blade through Gozuki's chest. Both monsters shattered. "When a monster effect is activated, Doomcaliber Knight is tributed to negate and destroy that monster."

Ryo said, "That's fine. I discard a Zombie to special summon Jack-o-Bolan from my hand in defense position. I'll end my turn there."

A jack-o-lantern materialized on Ryo's field. The Spirit chuckled. "Are we decorating it next? I'll have you know I'm skilled at carving all kinds of flesh."

Roots sprouted from the earth and spat azure flames. The mystical vines carried skeletal arms and a skull from underground. The roots served as the spine and wings for the mismatched monster; twined undergrowth formed a staff carrying a lantern of blue fire. Jack-o-Bolan's 2200 defense hovered beside its visage.

"How festive you've become!" the Spirit said. "I'll add to the Hallow's Eve mood. I activate Destiny Board!"

"No," Ryo muttered.

The Spirit merely laughed and lifted his palms towards the eying sky. The bloody earth opened, and a Ouija board rose from the maw. The metal selector hovered over the letter "F," which floated above the Spirit's head.

"And since your turn just ended, Destiny Board will add another letter!"

Steel scraped against wood. The hole in the object stopped over the letter "I," which formed next to the "F." The Spirit said, "You have three more turns. See what you can accomplish with them!"

Ryo glanced over the three cards in his hand. Rahlin's deck wouldn't let him down.

Would it?

"My turn!" the Spirit said. "I activate my trap, Zoma the Spirit! Zoma is a special brand of trap-monster, meaning-"

Ryo tossed his focus to the side as he murmured, "I know. I put it in there."

The now-monster sported 500 defense. The Spirit said, "I'll treat you to a new experience. I tribute Zoma the Spirit to summon Diabound Kernel!"

"I'll use Jack-o-Bolan's effect! By removing him from the game until this End Phase, I special summon a Zombie-type from my graveyard. I'll choose the monster I discarded: Ryu Kokki!"

Skulls served as the building blocks around a set of guts and a beating heart. An open ribcage allowed a peek into the hammering muscle, whose beats seemed to rock the atmosphere. Ryu Kokki's 2400 attack beat out Diabound Kernel's 1800.

The way the Spirit's eyes thinned set Ryo on edge. He never knew his own face to be capable of many expressions the Spirit managed. "I'll end my turn there. Take your first of three turns."

At the End Phase, Jack-o-Bolan returned to stand alongside Ryu Kokki. Ryo drew and decided to hold onto the card. "I enter my Battle Phase and attack Diabound Kernel with Ryu Kokki!"

The skeletal abomination rattled forward with uneven steps. Diabound's white cobra hissed and snapped. Kokki grabbed it by the neck and stabbed his bony fingers through the back of its mouth.

Black blood sprayed, and Diabound melted. Kokki kept on its march. The Spirit awaited. He looked… excited. Ryo nearly called off his attack. Fear kept his throat tight as Kokki lifted his arm and swiped downward. Sharpened bones ripped open the shoulder of the Spirit's stolen coat. His life counter fell to 3400.

"Er." Ryo shut his eyes and commanded, "I'm sorry, but Jack-o-Bolan attacks directly!"

The whistle of metal flying through the air coerced Ryo into opening his eyes. Jack-o-Bolan's blue flames reflected off a coin flipping above the Spirit's thumb. "Let's say… tails."

He caught the coin and slapped it behind his knuckles. He didn't look at the result, revealing it in a flourish for Ryo to see.

Tails.

"Dark Sanctuary's effect. You take damage equal to half your monster's attack!"

A wailing ghost from the distant spires shot like a bullet towards Ryo's field and infected Jack-o-Bolan. The influenced monster turned on its master and breathed flames. Ryo screamed as the fire consumed him, and his life dropped to 3250.

He doubled over to catch his breath, and his hand hovered over the worst burns on his forearm. It made no sense. The Spirit didn't use Dark Sanctuary's effect on the first attack. He had a chance to save Diabound.

The smile on the demon's face said there were no mistakes made.

Ryo tried to speak, winced, and talked through his teeth. "I end my turn."

"Destiny Board activates!" The Ouija board's pointer jittered and moved slowly to encapsulate the letter "N." Its matching, ghostly form appeared next to the "F" and "I." "Two more turns. I'm thrilled to witness how you squirm. My turn!"

The grin he gave his drawn card had Ryo's heart leaping into his throat. The Spirit said, "I activate Dark Spirit's Mastery by discarding to add Curse Necrofear to my hand. The card I sent to the graveyard just so happened to be Earl of Demise. Remember our old favorite?"

Ryo refused to meet the Spirit's stare. He laughed and continued, "I now have three Fiends in my grave: Doomcaliber Knight, Diabound Kernel, and Earl of Demise. I banish these three to special summon Dark Necrofear!"

Curtains of shadows parted for Necrofear's entrance. The broken skull of the doll in its hands oozed gray matter. The doll's lifeless eyes followed Ryo's every move. Necrofear stood completely still; the monster's dipped chin and fierce gaze reminded Ryo of the Spirit.

"At this point, you might be thinking, 'My monster is stronger! I'm safe!' If you are capable of thought. Dusting up hope is my favorite hobby. I shuffle the three monsters I banished back into my deck to meet the conditions to special summon my very own Curse Necrofear."

The details of Curse matched Dark, but its form was ethereal with ghostly tendrils drifting up from its silhouette. Curse's stats were the inverse of Dark's with 2800 attack and 2200 defense.

"I- I'll chain Jack-o-Bolan!" Ryo shouted. His muscles shivered. "I'll banish him to bring back Gozuki in defense position!"

The bull knelt and held up its hammer as a shield. The Spirit tilted his head as though finding the act of defense cute. "Curse Necrofear attacks Ryu Kokki!"

"When an attack is declared, I can special summon Vampire Fraulein in defense position!" The blonde woman in gothic dress twirled her black umbrella in her hands. Bats squealed above her presence. "When you attack my Zombie while she's on the field, I can pay life points to increase my monster's attack. I'll pay 500!"

Fraulein's appearance shifted her innocence into bloodthirsty rage. She rushed Ryo and sunk her teeth into his forearm. He yelped, and Ryu Kokki's 2400 attack boosted to 2900. Kokki smashed Curse Necrofear. See-through blue shards from the monster's death struck the Spirit, whose life fell to 3300. Ryo's had dropped to 2750.

"What a service you've done me! I'll move to end my turn." The broken parts of Curse Necrofear reformed in front of the Spirit. "When Curse Necrofear is special summoned by its own effect because you destroyed it, I can destroy cards on your field equal to how many face-up spells and traps I control. Count them."

Ryo scanned his three monsters, gulped, and uttered, "Three."

Curse Necrofear nuked his field. Ryu Kokki and Gozuki were banished from the field due to their resurrection through Jack-o-Bolan. Ryo said, "It's alright! Jack-o-Bolan is still re-summoned thanks to his effect!"

The Spirit's smile grew as the pumpkin reformed its roots. "Is it alright?"

Of the Spirit's two monsters, Dark Necrofear would steal any monster if Ryo happened to defeat it through battle. Curse Necrofear would return if destroyed in any way, and when he came back, Ryo would lose whatever he managed to build up.

While drawing, he offered a wish to the girl in the diamond that she might make everything alright.

"I activate Card of Destruction! I'll discard my hand and draw the same amount. You don't benefit since you don't have a hand!"

The Spirit faked a wound through the heart. Ryo wanted to say something not nice but found no point to it. "A monster I discarded was Glow-Up Bloom, which will let me add a level 5 or higher Zombie to my hand by banishing Bloom. Another was Mezuki. Its effect banishes from the graveyard to special summon a different Zombie from the same place! I'll bring back Vampire Fraulein!"

The petite lady averted her eyes from Curse Necrofear upon her second summoning. The Spirit raised an eyebrow. "Going to offer up more of your life? Makes my job easier."

"I tribute Jack-o-Bolan and Vampire Fraulein to summon Doomking Balerdroch!"

A carcass resembling an ouroboros cracked through the rocky ground. Black flesh stretched over the bones. A demon's skull melded with the creature's chest. Gigantic skulls served as its shoulder armor. The gold of its spine and teeth of the skulls denoted Balerdroch's position as royalty. A brilliant ruby dangled from the crook of his harvesting scythe. He slithered back and forth and licked the blade of his scythe. Though Ryo controlled the monster, the gesture rattled him.

"I, er, I'll use Doomking Balerdroch to attack Curse Necrofear! Scream of Soul Departure!"

Pools of ghastly blue formed on the ground. Shades rose and prepared for the Doomking's command. Curse Necrofear simply smiled and waited.

Tink.

A bead of sweat formed on Ryo's brow. A coin flipped through the scarlet sky. The Spirit said, "Let's go with heads."

He caught the coin and placed it on his palm this time. Ryo had to tell himself to take deep breaths to keep himself from collapsing. The result was heads, and Balerdroch commanded his legion to strike Ryo. Phantom blades took shape and left bleeding scratches on his bare skin. His life fell to 1350.

"Set one and pass turn."

The fourth letter of the Destiny Board, "A," formed above the Spirit. Two turns wasted. What was he to do? Destiny truly was on the demon's side. Why else would he be so confident in his coin flips? He faced two impossible-to-out monsters and no way to attack reliably if he could.

Ryo's breathing hastened. He was going to be buried alive here. He tried to look to the sky for comfort in its endless bounds. Instead he saw the realistic eyes and mouths of Dark Sanctuary watching his doom. His chest caved in.

"It's finally hit you." The Spirit fanned himself with the card he'd drawn. "There is no escape. Your pathetic, worthless life ends here. Take heart! It's not to go to waste. I'll use your place in the world to alter the course into what it's meant to be."

"Whatever your best world is can't be a positive." Ryo looked to his hand. "I still have one more turn. Rahlin's deck won't let me down!"

"That's where the pile of garbage came from! The vile dog continues to be my greatest ally!" His laughter was grating. "One more turn, he says. Why should I wait? Curse Necrofear attacks Doomking Balerdroch!"

The king called upon his legion of souls. The glazed eyes of the doll limp in Curse Necrofear's arms gazed upon the army. Forest green coated the warriors; ghosts imploded and acid bits spurted onto both monsters. Curse Necrofear melted.

A heavenly shield protected Balerdroch. Ryo said, "I use Waboku! This protects my monsters my destruction by battle and prevents battle damage!"

The Spirit snarled. "Useless! The idiot sister used it, too!"

"Rain and Rahlin both know the value in it, so this card is far from useless!"

The fury in his expression shifted into an easy grin. "I'll try you. What value can you gain? Let's find out! Dark Necrofear attacks Doomking Balerdroch!"

Legions of the dead tore down Dark Necrofear's attack and slashed at the Spirit. His life fell to 2700. "Oh, and I think I'll play the card I drew: Poison of the Old Man. With it, I'll increase my life by 1200! Afterwards, let's move to the End Phase."

The dings of his life counter increasing to 3900 masked the pained growls of Balerdroch. He took his head in his hands and rampaged as though to tear off his own skull. The king's arms slacked. He slithered to the Spirit's side of the field.

"Dark Necrofear attaches and takes control. Curse Necrofear also returns, but oh, look! You have nothing for me to destroy."

"You've made a mistake," Ryo said. "You filled up your spell and trap zone with Curse Necrofear. You can't win at my End Phase."

"Believe me: that won't be an issue."

With his field filled by two 2800 attack monsters, Ryo struggled to disagree. He shut his eyes to try to ignore the piercing stares of the eyes in the sky and those of the demon across the dueling field.

What would his friends say at a time like this? Believe in the heart of the cards, of course. The heart of these very cards happened to belong to a dear friend. Dearer than even he imagined if Rain spoke truly.

Change of Heart. He forgot the dank atmosphere and gloom of the situation for giddiness. Rahlin kept Change of Heart far into the future. Rahlin – he meant something to her. He should've realized as much considering her kiss on his cheek before she disappeared, but to hear it from an outsider, to have it confirmed and out there in the open…

Ryo spread his stance and rested his first two fingers atop Rahlin's deck. Heart of the cards, the best duelist he knew would say. The beating heart of these cards was behind him all the way.

He swiped the top card off his deck. The Spirit's smirk remained as Ryo peeked at what that heart had offered. His eyes widened. The Spirit said, "Oh? Don't keep me in suspense now. You're killing me."

"This card-" His exhale developed a tiny laugh. "This will let me do anything!"

"Come again?"

"I activate Foolish Burial!" Ryo said. "With it, I can send any card in my deck to the graveyard. I know just the one – Necroworld Banshee!"

A girl with ghost-white skin and hair stumbled between gravestones. Wisps of white souls followed her path. Her white dress clung to her dirtied knees. Ryo said, "Before I use her effect, I'm playing Zombie Necronize! Since a level 5 or higher Zombie-type is on the field, I can take control of a monster of yours. I'm stealing back Doomking Balerdroch for this turn!"

The Spirit chuckled and thinned his eyes as blue flames enticed Balerdroch back to Ryo's field. "And here I thought myself the king of thieves."

"With Balerdroch on my field, you have no way of stopping Necroworld Banshee's effect. By banishing her, I activate the Field Spell, Zombie World!"

The pale girl shrieked. Purple gas streamed from her body like expelled poison. The dark spires and eyes of Dark Sanctuary were blocked out by the new Field. Ryo said, "Every monster on the field and in the graveyard is now Zombie-type. I'll next be summoning Shiranui Solitaire and tributing him for effect. I can special summon any tuner from my deck that has zero defense!"

"…A what now?"

"I choose Uni-Zombie!" Ryo said. "Uni-Zombie will let me target a monster on my field and increase its level by one. I choose Doomking Balerdroch. The cost of doing so is sending a monster from my deck to the graveyard. I'll select Mezuki!"

"Which is the one that-"

"Removes itself from play to special summon a different Zombie in the grave, like Shiranui Solitaire!"

The Spirit scoffed and crossed his arms. "A pretty combo for a string of weak monsters. Are you trying to impress the dead dog?"

Ryo hated that the jab had him prickling. His voice was louder than usual when he said, "I'm going to Synchro Summon!"

"You?" The tone in which he hissed the word unveiled anger of a how-dare-you variety.

All Ryo wanted was to erase that rage and hatred the Spirit brought into the world. He threw his arms forward, shut his eyes, and exclaimed, "Uni-Zombie and Shiranui Solitaire become Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon!"

Uni-Zombie and Shiranui Solitaire shattered into ashes. Seven bulbs of azure fire blazed where their bodies once were. The seven swirled into a unified pillar and spun as a cerulean tornado.

The spreading of black wings ended the storm. Azure cinders rained. Drapes of blue flame served as Necro's wing webbing. The gleam of its scarlet eyes cut through Zombie World's dense fog. The indigo fire with the Field Spell's purple crafted a gradient of morbid beauty.

"So you played a white card," the Spirit handwaved. "It's 2400, weak as all the other Red-Eyes."

"Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon's effect activates! It gains 100 attack and defense for each Zombie-type on the field and in the graveyard, which is every monster for both of us!"

The field had Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon and Doomking Balerdroch on Ryo's side. The Spirit had Curse Necrofear and no monsters in his graveyard. Ryo's had Shiranui Solitaire, Uni-Zombie, Jack-o-Bolan, and Vampire Fraulein.

"Necro Dragon gains a total of 700 attack and defense, bringing his total to 3100!"

The Spirit's teeth grit. He growled, "Fine. Fine! Wipe out my monster and a chunk of my life points. For that combo, I suppose you've earned it!"

Ryo's eyes tilted. "You really must think I'm pathetic. Just attacking and destroying your Curse Necrofear wouldn't be enough. I don't have enough attack power to win with these monsters. Curse Necrofear will return and destroy my monsters, and besides that, Doomking Balerdroch will change back to being in your control."

The Spirit stuffed his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Ah, you caught me."

"After all I've done, you truly don't think enough of me that I'd execute a combo with that win condition in mind." The Spirit's brow lifted. Ryo decided on gifting him the answer he so desired. "I attack Curse Necrofear with Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon!"

Bluish hellfire erased the monster from his board. Ryo said, "Necro Dragon's special effect can now trigger. I can special summon a Zombie-type from either graveyard to my field since a Zombie was destroyed by battle."

"You jest!" he spat. "Curse Necrofear is a Fiend!"

"You're forgetting about my Field Spell. Everything on the field and in the graveyards are Zombies, so I have my pick! I'm taking back Curse Necrofear like I'm taking back everything you took from me!"

Curse Necrofear entered the battlefield on a chariot of cerulean fire. The twitching of the Spirit's face showed his fear and his fury all at once. Ryo's shoulders heaved with emotion. "Doomking Balerdroch and Curse Necrofear attack you directly to take you out of this world forever!"

Curse Necrofear rushed forth among the army of the Doomking's commanded ghouls. Their weapons slashed his limbs, drawing pints of blood. Curse Necrofear demanded more. The reclaimed monster ripped apart the Spirit's body limb by limb. His screams echoed throughout the underground catacombs. Each disembodied limb stained black and faded to ashes upon leaving his body. It was as though the shadows themselves fed upon their claim.

Bile rose in Ryo's throat. He wanted to look away but found he couldn't. Despite everything, hefty guilt plagued him. He grasped his own elbows and shuddered. He'd done that. He'd cast out his own demon, but…

He shook his head. There shouldn't have been a "but." His friends wouldn't be attacked any longer by the insane Spirit. He'd never have to fear leaving his home. He could make more friends and grow closer to more people.

Light laughter tumbled past his lips. Being afraid wasn't something he had to do anymore.

Ryo stepped forward and rang the saving bell in the mausoleum.

He was alive.