The Magicians' Realm Chapter 87: Space Invaders, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 87, everybody! In which we stress the boys out somewhat….We also mention the Radio Ghost, who was inspired by a YouTuber by the same name who posted old radio dramas online.

Movie this week is Furious 7—still haven't seen the whole movie yet, which is the same for all but the last movie in this series. Did catch the earliest part that I usually missed though—reminded me of one of my Full Sail classes that covered how important setup was.

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! I believe so—I wasn't aware it was freezing so solidly in the sixties, though! Yes, their triumphant return…just a bit on both counts. Well…they'll make impressions on each other, definitely.

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Yes! Yeah—just said something on DeviantArt about what one could probably realistically expect from that age group (I mean, we all had that moment where we thought we knew better—and then we knew better and realized we were wrong). Kind of….No it isn't, but it's mostly gone now—just an annoying persistent cough that makes it terrible to talk, eat, or sing (but I can pull a passible imitation of Rod Stewart now). Here's hoping this chapter delivers! :D

FluffyIdiotIsI, thanks for the review! Ah, love to make people laugh. :D It could be, but we didn't want to give away pertinent plot points. I have! A couple of times now, and always in passing—at the moment, it's only important so far as an old saying for the characters, but it might gain importance in later books. We might have a deeper explanation in a few chapters, so…stay tuned. ;) Yes, today the field—tomorrow the world! And then she can take on Loki. :D Ah, but then we'd be doing him a favor…or she'd just have a yellow nose—pollinating flowers via platonic kisses doesn't do it. No, we didn't…maybe—careful, Skellington, you don't keep together like you used to….Thank you, I'm glad you liked it, and I hope this next chapter pleases you as well! :D

References:

Original characters, + setting © Kineil D. Wicks (myself, not the girl in the story)

Maxwell entered his office to find that it was being used.

"Say, pal, get off my typewriter," he ordered, crossing over to his desk and making shooing motions at Yami Skellington.

"Oh there you are," Yami said, glancing up at him. "Where have you been?"

"In your office, getting coffee. Now what are you doing in my office?"

"Working."

"Again? You already did that this month."

"I did, but I managed to convince Teana into only making me work a half-day."

"Good for you. Now get off of my typewriter."

"Stay out of my coffee."

"Ah, but getting your coffee keeps me away from the Administrators."

"And using your typewriter keeps me away from the Administrators."

"Do tell."

"You get coffee from my office because the Administrators would never think to look for you there. I can use your typewriter because the Administrators would never think to look for me here."

"I see. We should switch offices."

"The fact that you have a bed in here is rather tempting, but I do have a house I live in."

"Good for you. Now shoo."

"Can't, working."

"More's the pity."

"Yes. I don't suppose you could get me a cup of coffee, could you?"

"Can't, you're out again."

"Already?"

"It's a precious commodity."

"Uh-huh. What about some files from the filing cabinets? Are those out?"

"I'm on a coffee break."

"Uh-huh. How long is that break going to last?"

"For a while. How long are you going to be sitting in my chair?"

"Until twelve…thirty? Twelve-forty-five? I'm meeting Teana at one."

"Better make it twelve then—budget time for an Administrator finding you on your way out the door."

"Why? You have a window."

"I don't think straits are that dire."

"You do remember that I turn into a bird on a regular basis, right?"

"Oh yeah. I prefer my shadow-travel myself, less fuss."

"One of these days, I'm going to figure that out."

"No you won't—that's my schtick, get your own."

"What, worried about not feeling special?"

"So am I to understand that you'll be in my chair until twelve?"

"It's not like this is your only chair."

"Yes, but it's my chair at my desk and it's the comfortable one. Now shoo."

"I promise I'll shoo as soon as I'm done," Yami assured him, returning to his typing. "In the meantime, you can help me draft a scathing veto to these ridiculous restrictions and mandates the Administrators are trying to pull. Trying to control the radio waves now—this is ridiculous."

"I'm surprised they'd be able to take that away from the Radio Ghost," Maxwell said, finally sitting down in the wingback in front of his desk and kicking back.

"I'm sure they have hunting him down on their to-do list. Feet off the desk."

"It's my desk."

"All the more reason. Honestly, I think the arts are one of the things that benefit from no government interference."

"Just one?"

"There's a whole list."

"Does it have everything written down on it?"

"Well, it's not a written list…."

"For the record, you're lucky that girl thinks you're cute," Maxwell said, tipping his cup at Yami before taking a sip. "Because the rest of us think you're hopeless."

"Just part of my charm, I'm sure."

"Uh-huh. You're still in my chair."

"I'll be out of it before you know it."

"I'll hold you to that."

*/*\*

Jonouchi left the porch door ajar, which would be good for a quick bolt if need be—right now Yami's heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear himself think.

"Okay," Jonouchi hissed as they peeked around the wall and into the parlor. "Now what?"

"Now we go with the original plan and take him apart," Yami said testily.

"And mail every piece to a different country so he can never be reassembled."

"That's tempting at this point," Yami admitted, squinting to peer into the dim room—Skellington might have turned off the lights so as to avoid detection—

"Did you guys ever turn the generator off?" Yami asked.

"Yeah, we turned the lights off—otherwise everyone would have figured Skellington was haunting the joint!" Jonouchi said, gesturing to the room as if to say yes he was!

"Yes, but did you turn the generator off?"

Jonouchi opened his mouth to respond before considering this. "Um…."

Yami waved him off. "Later. How well can you see?"

"Well enough."

"Good. If we're lucky, he didn't hear us."

"Thin luck," Jonouchi muttered, following Yami as he ducked behind a covered piece of furniture. Yami waved for him to be quiet and peeked over the top.

There was the wraparound porch, the lengthy dining room, the central hall with the branching rooms, and that arboretum that Jonouchi refused to go into, shaking his head and folding his arms when Yami pointed at it. They had a fairly decent view of the dining room from the other end of the covered furniture, which Yami figured was a couch, and the dining room was empty. Chances were, Skellington was at the front of the house, upstairs somewhere, or in that middle section with all the branching rooms.

Said middle section would be a grand place for an ambush.

But there was no choice—Yami waved for Jonouchi to follow and started gingerly heading down the middle hall, peeking into the rooms and barely daring to breathe as they went. Every room was a coronary waiting to happen, a jump scare just lurking behind the door…at least no one was grabbing Yami's sides this time, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. Jonouchi's breaths were coming in ragged hisses that sounded like the train going by in the silence—

And then they reached the end of the hall without incident.

Jonouchi glanced over his shoulder like he didn't believe their luck.

Yami didn't either.

It was difficult to read the air with the magic-dampening spell in place, but his eyes had adjusted enough that he was pretty sure he'd notice a beanpole undead Magician in the room—scurry over to check the kitchen and the foyer, scurry over to check another sitting room, risk sticking his head into the arboretum…something was moving in there, but it was much too big to be Skellington—Yami quickly ducked back out.

"Okay, he's not home—can we go now?" Jonouchi hissed, back pressed to the wall and arms crossed tightly against his chest in an attempt to cut down on the trembling.

"We still haven't checked the upstairs—or the basement."

"I ain't going in that basement—it was bad enough I went in when there was no one lurking there."

"We don't—we can just listen at the door. Those stairs creak."

It took a few more precious seconds of arguing before Yami convinced Jonouchi to go over by the door and give it a listen—something in the house creaked and prompted them to freeze, look at each other, and scuttle over to the basement door—

Yami just barely heard a muttered "out of gas how can that thing be out of gas" before the door swung open and Skellington began to emerge from the basement.

'Started to' being the operative phrase there.

Jonouchi very loudly called for his Maker before bolting, although Yami's yelp of alarm wasn't any less in volume—but the combination succeeded in startling Skellington so badly that he fell back with a yipes and tumbled back down the basement steps—Yami slammed the door shut, found a lock and turned it before grabbing a nearby chair and shoving it in front of the door and under the handle.

"JO! JO! I GOT HIM! HE'S IN THE BASEMENT! JO!" Yami all but screamed, looked—might as well have been a dust trail left behind, what with the immediacy of Jonouchi's fleeing.

Yami quickly pursued, caught up to Jonouchi halfway down the hill and grabbed him.

"AAAH! HE'S GOT ME!" Jonouchi screamed, flailing.

"It's just me!" Yami hollered, swinging him around by the fistfuls of shirt he had. "I've got him in the basement—we can take him!"

"What's with this we business? I'm all for grabbing your dad and fixing this guy but good!"

"We can't include my Dad, remember? Because then there's going to be that awkward question of well how did he get out in the first place and Jo, if I have to answer that our lives are really going to change."

"I'm not tackling that guy!" Jonouchi declared, pointing back to the house. "Did you see that guy?"

"Yes, up close, remember? I was right there just now and right there when I summoned him—now come on, before he undoes that spell and—"

They heard a door rattle, much too loud to be from inside the house.

"What was that?" Yami asked flatly.

"Uh…you said you had him in the basement, right?" Jonouchi asked.

"Yes…why?"

"Because the basement had a cellar entrance."

Yami swore, ran for the house, Jonouchi hot on his heels—there was the cellar door, rattling as the rusted hinges were being worried open—but they wouldn't hold for very long—

Yami grabbed at an old rake still leaning against the house, ripping it free from the ivy and jamming it through the handles of the door. Jonouchi threw several loose bricks on top of the cellar door, and they watched in jittering worry as the rattling became less pronounced, and then faded completely.

"Okay, he's locked in," Yami heaved, leaning on his knees. "Now we just—"

And then a black sword stabbed through the space in the doors and sliced straight through the rake.

Yami and Jonouchi didn't see much after that—they were too busy fleeing with all haste.