Hi guys,
I finally made the update! Starting in July 2017 I began student teaching, which took up all of my time. Substitute teaching and long term substitute teaching work that I began this year exhausted me too much to do any non teaching related work. Those of you who manage to work full time and do regular updates...you amaze me. Anyway, I've started this chapter many times in the past few months before I could come up with anything too substantial, and I eventually realised that it's because there was no avoiding this chapter. It demanded to be written because this story needed a transition chapter, and this is it. Soon we will be at the final leg of our journey! Hopefully my months of wrestling with this particular chapter have been worth it.
Trigger Warning:This chapter features suicidal thoughts. I think that it's kind of vague, but I wanted to let you know just in case.
Thanks to: angiembabe, Zeladious, and lalalei for your reviews. Thanks for your encouragement, and for sticking with me for 28 chapters. I missed any reviewers, I apologize. Thanks for your support too.
-TheEagerScribbler
Enough
Ryou pov
Ryou rarely had the opportunity to escape his soul room in the past few days. Instead he was stuck watching what the spirit was doing with his body. It was maddening because in his soul room he felt like his complete, solid self, yet he could see where his body went and what it did in admittedly exquisite HD on a large flat screen tv. In a sickening way it reminded him of a horror movie-magic, demons, evil spirits, and people forced play deadly games for the amusement of the predator.
At first he had been able to stay out for decent chunks of time to foil or delay some of the spirit's plans, but those times were becoming increasingly short. When he broke into Duel Academy and stole Pegasus' soul there was nothing that Ryou could do but yell and plead to his parasite in spirit form, which (or course) did nothing bust amuse him. He generally took Ryou's protests as a sign that he was doing something right. At present he was finalizing his plans to confront Yugi and the others. He saw the whispers in a shady alley and smug smiles as money changed hands with a man speaking rapidly in a language that he almost knew, as though the words and their meanings would suddenly become clear if he strained his ears a little harder.
Ryou thought that this was as a good a time as ever to try something. So he gave a forceful tug of his will and took back possession of his body. Doing his best imitation of the spirit he pointed a gun at the man. "There's been a change of plans. You can keep the money, but your services are no longer required. I don't ever want to see or hear from you again even if I'm the one to call. I'll be testing you. Do you understand?" The man nodded. "Good. Now run. You don't want me to catch you." The man was off before he could finish his sentence. The timing must have been good because the spirit was swearing at him and and tried to force him back into this soul room.
"You're lucky that I'm in such a good mood Landlord, otherwise I might be angry."
"Why's that?"
It's simple really. The end is near. The prelude to the main event will soon begin. After that I will finally be able to bring my plans into fruition." He grinned in anticipation. "At long last I will finally get my revenge!"
If he were honest with himself he'd have to admit that this was the most helpless that he had ever felt. All of the ghouls, spirits, banshees, cursed artifacts, protected tombs, and the taps within had never rendered him useless. Not even that one very close call with an Egyptian tomb about seven years ago had broken him. Ryou was running out of time. And things to do. All he seemed to be able to do was prolong the inevitable until...what if he didn't. What would the spirit do without control of the host of the millennium ring? It could buy them weeks or even months. NO more being trapped inside of the ring. No more waiting. No more watching. He refused to be complicit in the murder and torture of his friends and, as unbelievable as it sounded, the apocalypse. Why was it that there was never enough time?
Short lived plans flitted through his head. He could get himself locked away somewhere, except he could easily pick any lock, and failing that, he could fight his way out. A mental hospital would do no good for the that same reason. Handcuffs, sleeping pills, restraining himself, nothing would be effective. The only other option was the last resort. Plan Z. The stared at the gun on the desk in his hotel room. He couldn't help noticing the way that it glimmered under the lamp light. What was a parasite without an eligible host? In theory he was powerful enough to take another host, but Ryou's unwanted affinity for the millennium ring meant that whether he liked it or not he was the most compatible.
"Don't even think about it Landlord. I'm not finished with you yet."
"You can't lock me in here forever!"
The spirit smirked. "We'll see." The spirit took the gun, emptied it of all bullets, and then threw them out the window. "Just in case." He muttered. It's not like it's the only weapon at my disposal after all." Damn. He needed a good plan, and he would also kill for a good cup of something hot. Tea, chocolate, coffee, it didn't matter. He did his best thinking with something to ground him and remind of civility and humanity. What good did panicking do? He had to be careful, otherwise desperation might force his hand. Ryou needed to be sure that he himself would not become a monster, or maybe even worse, a liability.
Yugi pov
Seto was now conscious and sat next to Yugi and Tea, although he was still tied up. Naturally he had been snapping at them for the past fifteen minutes that he had been awake. Not even Mokuba had been entirely spared his ire, although it seemed to at least be less biting when aimed at him.
"I know that this stupid machine can go faster than this! If we were going any slower we'd be flying backwards with Wheeler in the cockpit."
Yugi could almost hear Mokuba roll his eyes. "I'm flying as fast as I can. You designed this thing yourself- you know what it's capable of."
"I could get us there faster if you got rid of my restraints."
"No can do big brother. He might come back if we untie you, and we don't want him using that rod against us."
He winced and grit his teeth, turned his attention elsewhere. "Activate Azura."
His phone lit up. "How can I help you Mr. Kaiba?"
"I want a list of any relevant details surrounding a creature representing the embodiment of evil. Restrict your search to Africa and the Mediterranean before the first century ACE. Omit the name of the creature."
"Your wish is my command Mr. Kaiba. Will that be all or should I also start planning world peace effective immediately?"
All eyes turned to Seto. "Azura was designed to be as human as possible."
"What he means is that he created a specialized sarcasm program because he was bored." Mokuba shouted over his shoulder.
"I would never do something some frivolous." Seto protested. "Speaking of frivolity, am I the only one with enough sense to be concerned that we are currently on our way to Egypt with no plan at all except for waving some 'magic' items and hope for the best. We were all nearly killed the last time we confronted him face to face." he could tell that if his hands were unbound he would have inserted air quotes, which was funny because he had acknowledged the very real power of the items.
Tristan poked his head around the edge of the seat in front of him. "I know that jumping in and trusting our gut is how we usually do stuff, but this time we need to do something different. We're a man-sorry-girl short and we know even less than usual."
Shadows began to float in his line of vision. They began to hiss at Yugi. "You are nothing Yugi Muto. You are nothing."
"You're too weak."
"Too soft."
"Too old."
He leaned over and whispered in his wife's ear, "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Her eyes widened. "Are you seeing them again?"
"Never mind. I must just be tired." This was the first time they had had ever spoken to him this way without his direct interference. If the others had seen it he would believe that it was really him, but Tea hadn't heard it, which meant that it was all in his head.
"Yes, you are tired, aren't you? Why do you continue when you are so weary?"
"First we need to consider where in Egypt we need to go. If going to Egypt will give the other Yugi, I mean the Pharaoh, more power to help us then it is definitely in our best interest to go to a specific place with a strong connection to him. One thing that I've learned after all these years is that you need to take advantage of every strength. In this case I'd say that we have a pretty impressive one." Mai stared at Egypt on the Earth sim app.
Tristan snorted. "What's that? An impressive ability to lose to Bakura many times in a row and not manage to die?"
"I'm referring to having friends in very high places, Tristan."
"You mean the Pharaoh." Joey said.
She took her husband's hand. "That's exactly who I'm referring to. I might not have known him as well as you did, but he doesn't strike me as the sort of guy who would abandon his friends even if he does have money, a title, and is currently living-existing-somewhere else. Do you really think that another plane of existence is enough to stop someone like him?"
Your friend can't help you now.
Mai was onto something. "The first thing that we need to do is contact Ishizu and her husband. We need her to take us to his tomb." It was the one place in the land of the living that would always remain his. Even if his palace had long been discarded and was in ruins, buried by centuries of sand, the tomb was his eternally.
"How can we use these items to our advantage? We've done some training, but I haven't had much of a chance to use it outside if that." Although Mokuba phrased it as an open question, he looked at Yugi. For a moment he wished that they would look to someone other than him, but life didn't work that way. They needed experience that only he had on a personal level.
Yes Yugi, how can you use the items to your advantage?
Now they were mocking him. Why wouldn't the shadows just shut up? Their pokes and jabs went straight for the jugular, and he was constantly trying to block out their voices in order to be present. Maybe this was Bakura's real plan-to drive him insane before the battle even began. Except...how did he know that it wasn't just the puzzle deeming him unworthy of the high honor of being its wielder? What if the Pharaoh was wrong and he was already corrupted?
A furrow creased Tea's brow, which betrayed the sense of calm that she had been working desperately hard to cultivate. They were all feeling it, and she was not the only whose demeanor hinted at their underlying anxiety. Joey twisted his wedding ring on his finger, Mai twirled a strand of hair, and Tristan played with a loose string on his shirt. Yugi himself must have looked exhausted. "It all depends on how we're confronted. Does he have followers like the Shadowhunters? Those can be taken care of with the items. The real problem is his monsters. How do you destroy monsters made of shadows? If they're from the shadow realm instead of the monster realm…"
Joey unbuckled his seatbelt to turn towards Yugi. The widened eyes and slightest parting of his lips as though the words were on the tip of his tongue...he knew that look. It was the one he wore when he had an idea. "How would that even work? Hey Yugi, what did they do in ancient times. You know, with the tablet. If we can't banish them to the shadow realm, maybe we can lock them away. Maybe it won't work for Bakura and his spirit thingy, but why couldn't it work for the other ones that he used."
"For once Wheeler has a point. If we can't kill them they need to be imprisoned."
"Seto, is he still, you know…" Yugi wasn't quite sure how to phrase it in a way that wouldn't sound like an accusation to Kaiba, who was already on edge and very irritated at being restrained.
"I don't like what you're implying Yugi." The razor edge in his voice clearly warned him to back off. Too bad they didn't have that luxury.
He raised his hands in surrender. "I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that if he was here with us he could tell us how they did it. He's on our side Kaiba. If you'd stop being so stubborn and come to some sort of truce maybe you'd realize that!" He a deep breath, reminding himself to keep his temper in check.
Something changed about Kaiba in that moment. He couldn't exactly point out what it was, but something he seemed different. He began to wonder what it was like for the others to watch possession of Yugi's body change between him and the Pharaoh.
"You have called for me."
Joey being, well, himself, blurted out, "How'd ya know that we wanted to speak to ya, anyway?"
"How does one direct the limbs to move? You heart willed that it would be so, and thus it was. Now, undo my restraints." The spirit ordered. "I have no intention of harming you."
All four of them looked at each other and then to Mokuba. "What do you think, Mokuba?"
"No. You threatened to take over my brother's body when you didn't get your way. Your trust has to be earned."
He almost looked indignant. "My only crime was to help ensure your survival. I will not apologize for that."
Tristan looked him dead in the eyes. He always believed that the eyes were the window to the soul, and if he could not see the spirit in its true from the eyes would reveal whether or not he could be trusted. "Why do you care?"
"There are those of us who believe that your current predicament was due to our failure, so we have a duty to help ensure your victory.
"We wanted to ask you how to seal a soul inside of a tablet."
"Ideally the soul is weighed by the scale. The ankh will reveal the nature of the creature that lies within the soul and the rod locks it away within the stone. You have not been taking full advantage of the tools at your disposal-I have tried to warn Seto Kaiba of this many times, but he refuses to acknowledge the necessity."
"Thank you for all of your help. Can you please bring Seto back? We need to speak with him." Yugi hoped that asking nicely would convince him to turn Seto over peacefully."
"I wonder, Yugi Muto, what would you do if I decide to do otherwise?"
"Then you would lose our trust and we would have no reason to listen to anything that you have to say." The priest sighed in exasperation. An almost immediate shift to a scowl made the transition between the two souls clear.
"Now that he's told us what we need to know let's have some peace and quiet. I have splitting headache and I might accidentally murder one of you by mistake."
"But you're restrained." Tristan pointed out.
"Do you think that would stop me?" Seto smirked.
After speaking with the Priest Seto they all had lapsed into silence. Yugi's anxiety was beating his stomach like a drum, and he imagined that his blood pressure must be at a record high. Not only was he trying to keep his new temper in check at all times, he also worried for his daughter, had been forced to listen to Kaiba's incessant complaints for what felt like an eternity, all while dealing with the most intense sense of panic that he might have ever felt because this was it. There could be no more stalling, no more preparation. They were either marching towards their salvation or their doom. Only time would tell which one it was.
Oddly enough, even though he absolutely wanted to vomit right now, and he could swear that if relaxed his grip on his wife's hand his hands would be shaking, the closer he got to Egypt the more he began to remember something of the boy that he had been all of those years ago. Wasn't it faith that had held them together when they were young and scared and held the fate of the world in their hands? Their faith in each other and in themselves had seen them through what could have been the apocalypse twice and had saved their lives many times besides even that. Sure, they might have put on a few extra pounds and gained one or two grey hairs, but that meant that they had an advantage that their younger selves never had-time and experience, which might be their saving grace.
Other than the fact that Tea almost gripped his hand hard enough to break it, Tea did not betray feelings of fear. "Tell me what you're thinking." Yugi gently prodded.
She turned her face away from the window and sighed. "I know that we did the right thing by not taking her with us, but I still miss her. I can't help but worry. What if she doesn't eat because she's anxious? She has a test coming up in three days. Will she remember to study? Between all of this," she motioned vaguely, "obsessing over duel academy, practicing and revising her strategies, and coping with Aiko losing her soul she must be having such a hard time!"
"I know that Akari will be okay no matter what happens. She's strong and she's not alone. Risa is with her, and she'll take good care of Akari. We have to believe in her just like we have to believe that we will be back." Leaving her had been painful for all involved, but Akari had reluctantly accepted that she and Mokuba's wife Risa were the last line of defense if anything should go wrong. When they hugged her goodbye, she smiled and promised to whatever it took to protect everyone. Like mother like daughter.
Tea nodded. Her expression softened into one of concern. "You look exhausted, Yugi. I know that you've been having a hard time lately and you need rest. It's not like there's anything else do. Besides, you'll be able to think more clearly after some sleep. We'll need all of the strength that we can get when we land.:
He wanted to protest but he realized that she was right. His eyes slowly began to droop, and he let his exhaustion overtake him. There would be no dreams this time.
Author's Note:
Part one of this chapter was actually a little easier to write. The hard part was deciding whether or not to keep it in. I went through about three drafts of Ryou's pov, but I decided that this was my favorite. I can't remember if I ever actually wrote about how Ryou knows what's going on from his soul room in this story or if that was only in the outtakes. Part two (Yugi's pov) was much harder, but I hope that it came out okay. Please review and let me know what you think!
Thanks for reading!
-TheEagerScribbler
