Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Sailor Moon. *gasp*
Oh yeah, I wanted to thank Madame Ruby (she said the last chapter was
too short, so this one is SUPER LONG) and Fiery Charizard for informing
me that Isis's Millennium Item is a TAUK and not a Scale. ^^() Zoo-chan
feels honoured to have such wonderful fanfic writers leaving opinions and
lending a helping hand! Domo arigatou!
Oddly enough, I had BishieStalker's commentary in mind, and decided to
prove that fluffiness can also equal an "R" rating by writing up this
chappy. *waves* Hi Bishie-chan!!
**********************************************
".. For the world, which seems,
To lie before us like a land of dreams..."
- Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach"
**********************************************
Chapter 11 - Normal and Special Summons
"Beautiful"
That was all he could say as he gazed at his reflection. The silver-
haired man straightened his red jacket, rubbing each shiny golden button
with a handkerchief. He admired himself in the mirror for a few more
minutes before tossing a clump of long silvery bangs over his golden eye.
His beautiful golden eye.
The blonde-haired woman lying half-asleep in her cage stirred as
he moved close to her. She did not dare to move as he opened the cage. A
calm hand stroked her fine golden hair, trailing a finger down her white-
gowned tresses. And she remained mute as he closed the cage, falling half-
heartedly to the floor when he left.
And this was all very beautiful.
*********************************************
Yuugi rubbed his eyes sleepily as he woke. The afternoon sun
shone soothingly on his blankets, creating a bubble of warmth.
Immediately, the small boy looked around, trying to find his Yami.
/Yami?/ Came the tentative question, though he got no reply.
Slightly worried, the boy searched his room, obviously absent of
another occupant. Only then did Yuugi notice that the window was open,
the curtains billowing against a gentle breeze.
Yuugi curiously extended his entire head and upper body outside
the window-frame, catching an awesome view of a grass-laden field
below. The boy craned his head in all directions, leaving no glimpse
unappreciated. A sparkle of fresh green grass, a twitter of birdsong, the
rustling of ancient trees - they were all equally important. A tinge of
sadness spread through the boy's thoughts; thoughts that yearned to
appreciate what others took for granted. And yet, they were just...
thoughts.
"Enjoying the view?"
Yuugi snapped his head back in surprise as he heard his Yami's
voice, managing to bang his shoulder against the windowframe. Wincing,
the boy tried to pinpoint the source.
"I'm directly below you." Came the helpful comment.
Yuugi tilted his chin until it was level with his chest, and was
startled to see the figure of his Yami directly below him. Yami-Yuugi was
currently lying on his back against a thick panel of concrete protruding
from the wall, hands resting under his head.
"What are you doing?" A curious question sparked by the Yami's
curious behaviour.
Yami-Yuugi opened one crimson eye, the other one still lazily
shut. "Thinking hard." Came the reply, stretched over a long drawl so that
the Yami sounded half-asleep.
Yuugi giggled before sobering. "How long have you been down
there?"
"Before the beginning of time." Was the demure reply. Yami-
Yuugi stretched his arms, opening his jaws in a yawn and revealing twin
glistening fangs accented by a scarlet tongue. "Too much in so little time."
He muttered to himself, before finally opening the second eye and gazing
directly at his Aibou.
"Um." Yuugi hastily averted his eyes, suddenly shy. "Are you
going to come back up here, or can I close the window and leave you
there?" The last part was simply a teaser - Yuugi would never do anything
spiteful against his other. Not that the small boy had a spiteful bone in his
body in the first place.
Immediately, the Yami twisted his body, shifting positions so that
he stood in a half-crouch. With a powerful thrust of his feet and leg
muscles, the Yami soared in mid-air, arcing his back so that he shot
through the targeted window like a perfect trajectory. Yami-Yuugi landed
noiselessly against the carpeted floor, turning around to give his other a
playful wink. "How's that?"
Yuugi responded with a mocking scowl. "You... you show off!"
The Yami puffed out his chest in an exaggerated fashion, strutting
around the vicinity of the room while keeping his expression comically
aloof. "Yes, I _am_ very good, aren't I?"
The Yami did not notice the neon light spelling "BAKA" in big
letters behind him until too late.
*******************************************
Jounochi was in paradise. He was currently sitting cross-legged
against a gigantic throne, a table of delicacies spread out as far as the eye
could see. Aromatic flowers wafted and mingled with the tropical breezes
while elegant women lay on either side of him, giggling as they served the
blonde.
Unfortunately, every single picturesque moment of beauty and
splendor was roughly shattered by three piercing bangs. Snorting, Jounochi
woke from his dream, glaring at his door when another set of impatient
raps preceded the first. The blonde-haired boy muttered about the
unfairness of life as he slowly crawled out of bed, roughly yanking his
bedroom door open.
"Whaddya want?" His slurred voice only emphasized his bout of
grogginess.
Seto Kaiba could not help but blink as he stared at Jounochi,
currently leaning against the door-frame complete with mussed up blonde-
hair and puppy-dog patterned pajamas. The techo-magician quickly stifled
his laughter to gaze arrogantly at the other boy. "I need to ask you a quick
question."
Jounochi blinked. He opened his mouth, though it didn't work
until seconds later. "You came all the way her to ask _me_ a question?"
The boy snickered, "And for a moment there, I wasn't sure if you even
knew I existed."
"Cut the theatrics," Kaiba interrupted, "I just want to know about
several people who have suddenly been erased from the main Authority
database in the residents section." The brown-haired boy unfolded a piece
of paper in his hand, scanning the neat writing. "They all disappeared
about the same time you did, and I was wondering if you recognized any
of them."
"Why would anything I know matter?" Jounochi scratched his
head. "As you said - it's not like I'm important or anything."
The techno-magician gritted his teeth, exercising his waning
patience. "Right now, I have no clue if these people even _exist_. If they
do and if you know them, then we can at least track what the Authority
might be up to. I know that people don't just 'disappear' for fun, when it
comes down to a power such as the Authority."
"Okay, lemme see." The blonde-haired boy grabbed the
parchment from Kaiba, reading the neatly scrawled printing. His eyes
widened at the name of each person. "Anzu Mazaki, Honda Hiroto, ... I
know these people! They're my friends!"
Satisfied, Kaiba nodded. "Good, can you tell me anything about
them?"
Jounochi shrugged. "I don't know. They all got captured roughly
a few days after Yuugi disappeared." he confessed.
Sensing a potential clue, Kaiba prodded further. "This Yuugi kid
- who is he?"
"Yuugi?" Jounochi repeated, slightly surprised. The blonde-
haired boy remembered their trek in the Authority, sadly closing his eyes.
"He's a nice kid, but I think the Authority has him; if he isn't dead, that
is."
"I see," Came the immediate reply, "Is there anything _special_
about this Yuugi friend of yours?"
"Special?" Jounochi repeated. "Not too much. He's kinda-"
Kaiba barely managed to jump to one side as the door adjacent to
Jounochi's room literally fell on top of him. The techno-magician
blindly glared at whomever had opened the door before turning around to
the blonde-haired boy again to listen for his interrupted response.
Jounochi, however, was now staring at whomever had opened the
door. "You wanted to know who Yuugi was?" His voice came out in a
choked squeak and the blonde simply pointed behind Kaiba. "He's right
over there."
*******************************************
Yuugi hastily dodged a flying pillow, and quickly sought for the
door, hoping to escape his maniac Yami.
However, Yami-Yuugi was not one who easily gave up on his
prey, and the Darkness jumped right at his other, momentum pinning the
smaller boy against the door while causing it to break from its
hinges and collapse. Yami-Yuugi grinned as he examined the boy now
lying underneath him, watching Yuugi suppress giggles and struggle half-
heartedly. The Yami was about to comment about how easily the door had
given in when someone - a someone that was _not_ his Aibou -
interrupted his moment.
"He's right over there."
Yuugi, still lying face up against the fallen door, peered up in
surprise at the sound of the voice. His eyes immediately fell upon the
upside-down image of Jounochi, and someone else. Torn between
astonishment and embarrassment, the smaller boy gave a slight wave with
his free hand. "Uh... hi Jounochi?"
And Mutou Yuugi's trustworthy friend Jounochi abruptly fainted.
*************************************
It had taken a couple of hours before Kaiba and Yami-Yuugi had
stopped glaring at each other, and that was only because Jounochi had
finally awoken to demand what was going on. Frankly, Yuugi was
mystified by his Yami's hostility towards Kaiba, since the other seemed
neither threatening nor malevolent.
"Okay, let me get this straight." Jounochi rubbed his throbbing
temples after the long synopsis. "This Yuugi look-alike here is actually an
evil entity from the Ancient times called the Game King."
"I am NOT evil!" Yami-Yuugi shot back, seething at the 'Seto
Kaiba translation' of the entire tale.
"Well," Yuugi added in, turning towards his Yami, "Your name
does mean 'darkness', so isn't darkness associated with evil?"
"Actually, darkness and evil are completely separate."
Surprisingly enough, it was Kaiba who supported the argument. "Although
darkness may be evil, its direct translation simply means, 'not pure'."
"That's all fine and dandy," Jounochi interrupted, "But how does
this all relate to what is going to happen? I mean, why are all these things
happening?"
Yami-Yuugi turned his serious crimson eyes straight at the
blonde-haired boy, causing Jounochi to involuntarily shudder. "If I knew,
Jounochi, I wouldn't be here.
Kaiba was about to counter with a retort when his voice was
suddenly drowned out by a screeching alarm. The sound ripped across the
corridors, echoing a warning in its shrill cry. The techno-magician
immediately began a scan of the vicinity, virtual memory filing a
holographic layout of the entire of facility within his mind. A blue dot near
the upper corridors of the diagram represented where he was currently
situated, and a green dot located the others beside him. However, at the
base of the building lay a rapidly flashing red dot. Kaiba filed
a closer scan on the red dot, a long sequence of formulae responding in
analysis.
Moments later, the screeching alarm came to a sudden halt. Yet, a
tension still remained in the air, throbbing with insecurity.
"Danger." Kaiba grimaced, voice low and foreboding. "I guess
the Authority has finally found us."
Yuugi winced as the earsplitting noise of shattering glass broke
the moment of tension. Muffled footsteps followed the sound of flying
shrapnel, thudding mechanically against the floor.
Kaiba quickly stood up, eyes narrowing as he scanned for an exit.
"We got to move fast!" He hissed, "They've got the entire area
surrounded!" The consecutive number of red dots on his virtual diagram
continued expanding. Without another word, the techno-magician broke
into a run.
"Wait!" Jounochi cried, stumbling upon his legs to catch up to the
others, "How do we know which way to go?"
"Just follow me." Came the grim reply, "Although, if we don't
hurry, _all_ the exits are going to be blocked."
"Which exit is the least likely to be used?" Yami-Yuugi
questioned, having had his Aibou return to his Soul Room for safety.
Kaiba gave the Game King a baleful stare before responding.
"Coordinates 45 -B, 72 - G, if that helps." Came the sardonic reply.
Yami-Yuugi bristled at the techo-magician's mocking response.
However, he wisely kept his mouth shut, another way to prevent himself
from losing his temper.
The trio banked a sharp right, dashing up a set of stairs before
meeting an emergency exit. Kaiba instantly slammed his side against the
door, trying to dislodge the exit. The brown-haired boy grunted when his
body simply met a firm resistance.
Yami-Yuugi was about to shove the taller boy aside when he
heard footsteps marching from the bottom of the staircase, echoing and
growing as they approached the trio. "Forget it." The Yami hissed to
Kaiba, signaling for Jounochi to retreat.
Upon finally concluding that the door simply would _not_ budge,
Kaiba followed the other two, though he scanned his virtual map as a
reference guide. The boys continued to run up the stairs, desperately
searching the walls for any exit. Jounochi, having neither the Magic nor the
technology to keep up with the other two, faltered behind, eventually
coming to an exhausted halt.
Yami-Yuugi immediately stopped, turning back to the blonde-
haired boy. "Come on Jounochi," He growled, pursuit heightening his
impatience, "Just keep on running."
The blonde-haired boy shook his head. "I don't think I can last
any longer."
"That's because you're just a cowardly bitch." Kaiba's harsh
whisper echoed slightly against the walls, each word vicious and stinging.
"You're just a useless pile of crap which we were too kind to abandon
though-"
"Shut the hell up!" Hissed Jounochi, clenching his fists angrily as his
cheeks burned in rage. "I am _not_ worthless!" The blonde-haired boy
forced himself to his feet, rage and a need to salvage his dignity fueling his
energy.
And though Kaiba said nothing after the exchange, Yami-Yuugi
had to admit that there was definitely more to the techo-magician than the
eye could guess.
Finally, the trio came to a sudden halt at the end of the stairs,
revealing a deserted room on the upper-most floor, like the attic of a tower.
The door yielded open almost too easily, creating a prickling air of
foreboding within the dark atmosphere. Jounochi jumped as the door
behind the trio suddenly slammed shut when they entered; too afraid to test
whether or not said door was locked.
Yami-Yuugi invoked a rapid Light spell, allowing all three of
them to see to some extent their surroundings. The walls simply reflected
the light back with blank faces of pale grey. Everything else remained
shrouded in mystery, shadows sometimes shifting or moving at awkward
angles when the trio continued their trek.
Kaiba stopped, his path blocked by yet another door. The
brown-haired boy brushed experimental fingers over the wooden surface
before trying the doorknob. Naturally, it was locked. Unpreturbed, the
techo-magician smashed a fist straight against the wood, the door bending
and yielding a small splintered hole. With a satisfied grunt, Kaiba slammed
his entire body against the bent door, forcing the firm wood to be neatly
yanked from its hinges.
Upon seeing a cleared entrance, Yami-Yuugi quickly followed
Kaiba into the room. The Darkness turned around to analyze the situation
when he suddenly found himself wrapped neck down in long, fibrous
cords. Snarling, the Yami thrashed against the cords, though he was easily
restrained. Yami-Yuugi then changed tactics, Sennen Eye glowing as he
began chanting a high-level Fire Spell.
"Not so fast."
Another cord whipped through the air, wrapping itself around the
Yami's frail neck. The rope instantly tightened to cut off the Yami's
concentration. Choked gasps escaped from Yami-Yuugi's lips, though his
eyes silently glared at the invisible opponent. He continued to valiantly
ignore the strain of ropes against his form, eyes clouding over slightly
from lack of oxygen. Finally, the rope relaxed enough to form a loose
noose around the Yami's neck while letting him once again inhale deep
gulps of air.
"What's the matter, Game King?" The voice was clearly
masculine, taunting and maliciously gleeful. "Losing your edge?"
Yami-Yuugi snarled and struggled against his cords. "Bastard!"
He screamed, viciously intent on revenge, "Let me go, and I'll whip your
pathetic ass!"
"Language, language." Chided the same voice. "I never knew that
the Game King had degraded so much as to so use such inefficient
vocabulary."
The Yami responded by repeating every single profane word ever
created, careful to spit out each syllable like toxin. He was rewarded by a
sudden stinging slap across his face.
"Shut up! Shut up!" The voice cried, furious at being ignored.
Meanwhile, Kaiba watched the entire conversation with a grim
amusement, his mind furiously trying to unscramble the mystery behind
the shrouded person.
"Is that the best you've got?" Yami-Yuugi challenged, confident
smirk on his face. "I guess that's what you get when you snivel behind the
Authority, picking up the leftover scraps."
The Yami barely even flinched as another set of ropes lashed
against his exposed shoulders, drawing crimson lines across his fair skin.
"I could kill you at any moment!" The voice threatened, now an
agitated rumble.
Yami-Yuugi barked out a harsh laugh. "Ha! Only cowards
like you hide in the shadows, to scared to attack face to face."
The voice screeched furiously, forcing several consecutive
beatings with a blood-stained rope. And despite his massive injuries, the
Yami still grinned luridly, fangs glistening in contrast to his bright crimson
eyes. He brought his head against his shoulder, which had split open into a
scarlet mess, lapping up his own blood.
"What's the matter?" The Yami taunted. "Too tired to abuse me?"
"What the hell is he doing?" Jounochi hissed at Kaiba, clearly
pointing at the injured Yami, "He acts like he enjoys all of this torture!"
Kaiba, who had long seen the outcome of the Game King's antics,
only shrugged. "Just watch and you'll see."
Yami-Yuugi ignored the same conversation he was having with
his Aibou at the moment, sending a brief pulse of reassurance. His right
eye was swollen shut, a bloody line scarring his face from the brow to his
chin. Several other gashes ran parallel down his face and neck, dripping
like thick water down his skin and onto the carpeted floor. Despite all this,
he continued his taunts. "You can't kill me because your boss has you tied
by the collar."
"I am not a pawn of my boss!" The voice screeched. "I am not
anyone's slave, though _you_ will beg for my pity."
Yami-Yuugi grinned. "Too late."
Before another rope could react to the Yami's taunt, everything
around him lit up in a burst of brilliant crimson flames. Though Yami-
Yuugi himself was unscathed, the ropes writhed and shriveled under the
intense head, fading into fine ashes. The glowing Sennen Eye faded from
the Yami's forehead as he stared straight into the piercing darkness,
walking a few steps to confirm his freedom.
Immediately, another network of ropes sprung from the shrouded
floor, whistling and echoing in warning. The Yami reacted by jumping into
the air, eyes catching a full view of each rope as they whipped against the
ground to reach him. Again, the Yami called upon another burst of flame,
grateful for having stalled so much time to set up and complete his Magic
Spell. The ropes recoiled and collapsed into dust while another set took
their place to leap into action and only be met by the same outcome.
Finally, they paused.
"It looks like we have a stalemate." The voice proclaimed,
suddenly sickly-sweet. "How about deciding the outcome in a face-to-face
Duel Monsters match, _without_ the use of the Shadow Realm? After all,
this Game should still give an equal outcome."
Yami-Yuugi knew the man was lying, able the sense the deceit
cleverly hidden in the person's voice. To summon monsters outside the
Shadow Realm was potentially dangerous, though the monster's
individuality would ensure no physical damage to its summoner.
"Fine," He declared, hoping against his odds, "I accept your Game, and
if I win, you shall suffer the Punishment."
"Of course," Came the too complaint reply, chuckling sinisterly,
"I wouldn't expect anything else from the Game King himself."
"Stop the senseless flatter and show yourself!" The Yami
demanded, Puzzle glowing in reaction to his frustration and hostility.
Flames flared and flickered in a circle around him like his metaphorical
anger.
The shadows immediately retreated until they revealed a squat
man in green robes. Above his hawk-like nose lay a single tattoo written in
an ancient rune, only too obvious against his completely bald head.
"Let me introduce myself. I am called Para." Said squat man gave
a mock bow.
"You know who I am." Yami-Yuugi responded, taking out his
Aibou's deck of cards; now symbolically his. "Let's begin this Duel."
Both opponents faced each other; set with neither prop nor
organized dueling field save the middle of the empty room. Yami-Yuugi
examined each card in his hand, carefully devising a plan.
"Wait!" Para exclaimed, much in the tone of when someone
suddenly notices a flaw. "I cannot use Magic so I should receive some
sort of consolation!" He chuckled as the Yami gave a grunt of consent. "So my
brother Dox will help me even out the odds!"
Yami-Yuugi's eyes widened. "Two players against one?" He
stated, "Even if Magic may enhance a monster's effects, the stakes
of me winning against twice the usual is slim."
"Too bad." Para exclaimed, as a mirror image of himself, only
with red robes and a different lettering on his head stepped into the open
space. "You already consented so you must play."
"And play we shall." Rephrased the other, his face set into an
identical gleeful grin.
Gritting his teeth, Yami-Yuugi made his initial move. "I choose
to play a card in face-down defense mode."
"Subversive techniques." Para remarked.
"But can you hide from our power?" Oddly enough, Dox knew
exactly what his brother said, making the first move between the pair. "I
call upon my Judge Man to destroy your face-down card!"
Yami-Yuugi's eyes widened in surprise as the card shimmered into
reality the moment Dox placed it on his makeshift field, the "illusion"
obliterating the Yami's own Magic-supported card. Yet, he could sense no
Magic in the now very-alive monster.
Kaiba, too, noticed this strange technique, though his mind began
to suspect a ploy. The Game King was now playing at a disadvantage. Setting
his grudges aside, the brown-haired boy began formulating a plan. He
reasoned that if the Game King lost, then he too would be eventually
destroyed; though he knew it was something else that motivated him. A
pity he had never understood the concept of compassion.
The Yami grimaced as his Mammoth Graveyard fell from the
attack. Undiscouraged, he drew his next card, instantly placing
it onto the field. "I call upon the Summoned Skull in attack mode
to destroy your Judge Man!"
And yet, when the gigantic gargantuan of a creature, brought to
momentarily life by Magic, sought to swipe at its opponent with its claws,
it grappled with nothing but empty air. The Judge Man still stood as it had
been before, undisturbed by the vicious onslaught.
"What the hell?" Yami-Yuugi barely restrained his indignant
rage. "The Summoned Skull should have enough attack points to easily
destroy your Judge Man and deplete your life points!"
"Who ever said that the Game would be so easy?" Para purred,
eyes flashing in malicious delight.
Dox copied ever antic of his brother. "For we now have the upper
hand, and you cannot possibly overcome us!"
Yami-Yuugi clenched his fists angrily. How could he possibly
win against something that he could not attack? The Yami tried for a
different strategy. "I play a Magic card face down to end my turn."
"Wait!"
Yami-Yuugi turned around to see Kaiba, untied and holding two
strange circular objects in his hand. The techo-magician flung one of them
like a discus so that it landed straight in the Yami's arms. "The Para-Dox
brothers are playing dirty trick. They are using technology capable of
negating Magic. However, the monsters themselves are only holographic
images, therefore unable to be damaged."
Yami-Yuugi glared at the twins with hate-filled eyes. He gave
Kaiba a nod of thanks, holding the circular object in his hand. "What is
this for then?"
"I'm getting there," Was the techo- magician's reply. "These are
my own Dueling Disks, able to simulate real-live monsters like
how you use your Magic. Since they use the same electronic pulses that all
holographs use, their holographic effects will override the holographs of
the opponents' cards, allowing us to destroy them properly."
"Us?" Yami-Yuugi raised an eyebrow.
Kaiba gave the Game King a blatant look. "As much as I would
like to see that cocky grin wiped off from your face, I figured you would
need my help." The brown-haired boy set up his own Dueling Disk so that
it slid like a glove on his wrist. "Now, let's play properly!"
Yami-Yuugi nodded as he mirrored the techo-magician's actions,
inserting his desk into the recognition slot. "Thank you, Seto."
Seto Kaiba ignored the fact that the Game King had deliberately
used his first name instead of the formal, though a slight abashed flush did
spread across his cheeks before it was replaced by a customary frown.
"Whatever," Kaiba muttered gruffly, "I'm only doing you this favour to
get me out."
"Are you going to sit here and talk all day?" Para fumed, angry
that his secret had been so easily discovered and defeated.
"Even with your new insight, you still cannot defeat us." Dox
completed right afterwards.
Kaiba grinned as he placed himself beside the Yami. "Want a
bet?" The techo-magician inserted his chosen card into a slot, detaching a
flat circular component from the main glove and flinging it onto the floor
so that it shimmered into technology-formatted life. "My card is the
Mystical Elf in defense plus a magic card face-down to end my turn."
Para frowned and picked up his next card, lips suddenly curving
into a smile as he saw the card. However, he did not automatically play it,
but treasured it in his hand, taking out another card instead. "I shall play
this card defensively too."
"And I shall attack the Mystical Elf with my Judge Man!"
Completed the other brother, watching with a satisfied grin when the
his stocky warrior felled the frail elf with a sweep of its
battleaxe.
Kaiba grunted as he felt some of the attack whiplash back into his
system, much like the effects of a Shadow Realm duel.
Yami-Yuugi's quick eyes noticed the impact of the attack, wisely
keeping quiet. "For my turn, I discard Kuriboh and attack your Judge Man
with my Summoned Skull." True enough, the squat dwarf-like creature
was immediately destroyed by a single blast of the Game King's card.
Kaiba carefully placed his next card, trying to avoid personal
damage. "I play a card in defense mode." His carefully masked face hid
the weakness of the current cards in his hand.
"I choose the Wicked Worm Beast to attack your defensive
card!" Cried Para, while Dox simply played another face-down card, much
to Yami-Yuugi's growing suspicion as two holographic caskets replaced
the 'special' cards played.
A gigantic slug-like creature dived towards Kaiba's face-down
card, though it was suddenly deflected by an invisible barrier. Yami sighed
in satisfaction, noticing the release in tension from his 'partner's' taut face.
"What?" Para shouted, voice outraged. "How come there was no
effect?"
Yami-Yuugi could not help but give his trademark smirk. "I
sacrificed my Kuriboh, which allows me to use a special effect of
protecting one card on the field. And so, it protected Kaiba's face down
card."
Kaiba suddenly covered his relief with a scowl. "I don't need
your help!" He hissed, voice clipped with humility.
"It's as you said." Came Yami-Yuugi's smooth reply. "I'm not
helping you. I'm helping myself win the Game."
A sudden low rumble cut off any further conversation. Yami-Yuugi's
eyes widened, feet planted apart to support himself as the entire room
began to shake. Cracks were beginning to seep against the sides of
the walls, some the ceiling showering the duelists with loose debris.
Para and Dox suddenly exchanged glances, and began to roar in
mutual laughter. They continued to laugh even when the room trembled
again.
Yami-Yuugi glared at the two opponents. "I don't see what's so
funny." He stated, hiding his panic. "What's going on?" Kaiba, too, had
no clue, and was now glancing uncertainly at the crevices and loose shingles
accumulating on the walls and floors.
"You see." Para added, still laughing. "While you were distracted
dueling us, the others have begun tearing down the lowest floor.
That means that when the time runs out, everything will collapse,
including you!"
"And since you cannot escape this Duel, you will die even if you
win this match!" Dox continued.
"Damn bastards," Kaiba spat, voice dripping with venom, "Don't
you even care about your own lives?"
"Lives?" Para and Dox laughed. "You haven't figured it out, have
you?"
"Holograms." Kaiba quickly berated himself for his blindness.
"Para and Dox are not even real people! Like the monsters they play, they
are just simulated creatures in the form of real-life holograms."
"We have to win fast." Yami-Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows in
thought. "Otherwise, none of us is going to make it!" The Yami hastily
chose his most powerful card, hoping to bring an end to the match. "I play
the Dark Magician in attack mode!"
"It's no use." Para grinned, setting his 'Master and Expert' in
defense and laying a trap card face down, "We never agreed on life points,
which means that the Game is virtually endless!"
Kaiba pounded his fist against the cracking wall, creating a
rapidly disintegrating dent. "They've got us trapped like rats in a cage.
Either way, we're dead." The techno-magician closed his eyes, wondering
if he would really miss living, after escaping death for all those years. He
found no pity for himself. "I am not afraid to die, so continue your damned
match for as long as you like!"
Yami-Yuugi wanted to nod in consent, but secretly feared for his
Aibou. Did youths like Jounochi and Yuugi really deserve to die, when
they had never even experienced the prime of their youth?
The room shook again, shafts of sunlight penetrating the cracks in
the place of cement. Yami-Yuugi ignored the onslaught and drew his next
card, hands tense. "I use the Dark Magician to attack Para's face down
card."
"Not so fast," Dox proclaimed, grinning, "I activate my trap card
'Trap Hole', and it destroys any attacking monster with an attack above
1000."
Yami-Yuugi mentally cursed himself for the loss of foresight. He
briefly wondered if it would be better to deliberately lose than to continue
to play until death. Yet, lose, and then what? Be captured and killed by the
Authority? The Yami sighed. No, losing was just delaying the inevitable.
Kaiba still remained perfectly calm. He bent down to draw a card
from his deck, eyes quickly sliding to the unconscious form of Jounochi.
"I play the Blue Eyes White Dragon in attack mode." He watched
as the machine amplified his favourite card, bringing the magnificent
dragon into life. "Blue Eyes, use your Neutron Blast attack at the Master
and Expert!"
The dragon immediately complied, rearing upon its hind legs to
utter a ground-screeching roar; a sphere of white lightning expanding
between chrome jaws, spiraling outwards in a burst of blue and white
electricity. The attack, simulated to every nuance of reality, shook the
floors, lighting the room up in a brilliance of light and forcing the Para-dox
brothers to shield their eyes from its intensity.
Kaiba quickly turned to the Game King, speaking in an almost
inaudible whisper. "We can't leave the duel, but the others can. You have
to call upon a real monster so that they can escape."
Yami-Yuugi wasn't sure what stunned him more - the fact that
Kaiba was helping someone other than himself, or the fact that Kaiba was
actually asking for his help. Deciding that such a change could only be
advantageous, the Yami nodded, pulling a card from his hand. "Winged
Dragon!"
The blue-grey skinned dragon appeared, rotund jaw and large
eyes a childish mimicry to the large Blue Eyes it hid behind. It gave a
small chirp, cocking its head to one side to gaze obediently at its master.
Yami-Yuugi took his Puzzle off, allowing the grey dragon to
latch onto the rope. His form momentarily flickered and waned before re-
solidifying, an identical Puzzle now around his neck. Yami-Yuugi laid a
hand on the creature, patting its pebbly hide in reassurance before
murmuring some instructions.
When the effects of the attack had finally died, the untied,
sleeping limp form of Jounochi could be seen on a creature's back, both
rapidly disappearing into the azure sky. There was also a noticeable hole
on the wall behind Kaiba; only explaining too evidently what had
happened.
Yami-Yuugi smiled gratefully at Kaiba before returning to face
the Para-dox brothers in grim acceptance.
//Good luck, Yuugi.//
*****************************
//Good luck, Yuugi.//
The small boy heard it from his Soul Room, glancing at the
subspace around him in confusion.
/Yami?/ The boy tried, though he got no answer.
/YAMI!/ Again, nothing.
Yuugi stared blankly at the emptiness around him. Just a moment
ago, his Yami had been dueling with Kaiba. But now, he could no longer
sense his other's presence: the link had again been severed. He wanted to
get out of his Soul Room and peer at his surroundings, though he found
neither the courage nor motivation to do so.
A groaning interrupted the boy's thoughts, the sound coming
from outside his Soul Room. Yuugi immediately pinpointed the voice as
Jounochi's, and deducting that it was safe enough, emerged from his
sanctity within the Puzzle.
Jounochi groaned, rubbing his sore neck. The ground underneath
him suddenly lurched, a sickening sensation building within the blonde's
stomach. Layers of wind whistled past his ears, making the boy blink in
momentary confusion as he gazed about him. The confusion eventually
changed to surprise and then fear.
"Yi!" Screamed Jounochi, clinging on to whatever was flying for
dear life. The boy chanced to glimpse at the canopy of forest below him.
"I've lost it." He finally murmured, "I'm finally being brought to heaven
for judgment."
A giggle interrupted the blonde's laments. "Jounochi, we're
flying."
"Yuugi?" Jounochi chanced to turn around, catching a glimpse of
the smaller boy. "What are you - I mean we - doing here."
The smaller boy's expression immediately shifted to one of sorry,
eyes downcast as he put one hand on the empty Puzzle. "I-I don't know,
but I think Kaiba and my Yami are still in there."
"Wher-" Suddenly, Jounochi realized exactly _what_ he was
riding on. Large brown eyes widened to an incredible rate, the blonde
paralyzed with fear. "Y-y-yuugi." He stuttered, pointing at the creature he
was riding on with his free hand while still clinging on with the other.
"We-we-."
"Yes, I know." Yuugi beamed. "My Yami must have summoned
it. Isn't he cute?"
As if hearing the smaller boy's words, the Winged Dragon turned
its pebbly head towards the smaller boy, giving a small chirp of agreement.
Jounochi could not stop gaping. "I-" He began, before closing his
mouth and trying again. "But it's a _card_!"
"Well, it was a card. But my Yami used Magic to give it a real
form and shape, summoning the monster into reality."
"Magic," Jounochi muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "You
know, if it weren't for the fact that I'm _riding_ on this thing, I would have
thought you were bluffing."
"Yeah," Yuugi's eyes clouded over in worry, "I just hope they're
okay."
Jounochi was about to offer the smaller boy some reassurance
when a gigantic spherical projectile shot right above the two boys, startling
them into silence. The blonde twisted his head to glance behind him,
catching the sight of a rapidly growing speck.
"Yuugi," His voice came in an quiet whisper, "I think we're
being followed."
Yuugi's eyes widened as he too saw the shape, though it could
now be identified as someone riding on an oddly-shaped winged beast.
"That monster - it's a Tyhone card!"
"What's a Tyhone?" Jounochi immediately queried, hands
nervously clenched onto the loose skin of the Dragon.
"It's a monster card that isn't particularly powerful," Yuugi
began, "But it is capable of firing long-range projectiles with ease."
"Man!" Jounochi screeched, eyes wide with fear, "We're gonna
be shot out of the sky!"
As if to confirm his fear, another projectile whizzed straight
towards them, the Winged Dragon spiraling sideways seconds before
impact. Already, the Tyhone was readying another blast, flapping its wings
ungainly to cover distance and gain accuracy.
Yuugi's eyes narrowed at the rider on the beast. "We've got to
take the rider out first!" He cried, realizing with dismay that his Yami still
had his deck. "But I can't just use Magic out of nothing!"
"You can use Magic?" Jounochi regarded Yuugi with an
expression of awe. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What use would it make?" Yuugi replied, slightly bitter. "I only
know a few Spells, and none of them are meant for long range attacks. If
only I had a card that I could use my Magic on!"
Jounochi winced as another projectile shot just by his ear. "Yuugi,
my deck is in my right jacket pocket. I can't take it out right now, but
maybe you can."
The smaller boy nodded, shifting his weight precariously to one
side of the Dragon. The dragon suddenly lurched upwards, Yuugi's entire
body slamming against the creature's torso. He clung on to the pebbly skin
for dear life while his legs dangled in empty air. Resisting the urge to look
down, Yuugi gritted his teeth, straining against the wind and movement,
his hold on the Dragon slipping bit by bit. With a final lunge, the boy
grabbed Jounochi's dangling jacket, personally grateful that the Gods had
decided for jackets to be long. Another thrust of his legs was all he
needed to propel himself until his head was level with the pocket. Yuugi
quickly withdrew the cards, giving a shout of triumph.
A firm hand grasped the smaller boy's arm, pulling him slowly
but surely onto the back of the dragon once more. Yuugi gave Jounochi a
grateful sigh, collapsing with exhaustion. Another blast of too-close target
practice reminded the boy of his actual task in-hand.
"Jounochi, what flying cards do you have?" Yuugi questioned the
blonde, clumsily flipping through the deck with one hand. Most of the
cards he had gone through were all earth-type monsters.
Jounochi gave a sheepish smile. "I-uh- don't think I have any ."
Yuugi simply goggled. "No... flying cards?" Came his
confirmation, indignation rising in his words.
"Uh..." Jounochi bigsweated. "Sorry. None that I remember."
"You must have something," Yuugi growled, a tone most unlike
himself. Maybe it was because he had just sacrificed neck and limb to grab
the deck. "If you don't, I'm going to catapult all your monsters one by one
at the Tyhone, starting with the Flame Swordsman." Yuugi knew that
said card was Jounochi's absolute favourite.
"Don't do that!" Jounochi yelped. "Try... try the Time Wizard or
something!"
Yuugi glanced at the card mentioned. "You do realize that if the
plan backfired, the Time Wizard would send us into a time warp, right?"
His voice was deceptively calm.
"Uhm, no?" The blonde squeaked, hunching his shoulders. "It's
not like I know what the monsters would do in real life!"
About to retort, Yuugi wisely shut up when something scraped
the side of his face, drawing blood. He winced, bringing a hand to feel the
warm liquid spreading across the stinging scrape. One more shot, and they
would both die. Faced with no choice, Yuugi focused on his Magic,
allowing the Puzzle to channel his focus and shift the Magic into a tangible
command.
"I choose the Rude-" Yuugi began, Magic half-infested into the
now-glowing card when something else caught his eyes. The boy
immediately canceled the energies, forcing them momentarily back into
the Puzzle. "Jounochi, did you ever know that you have a Red Eyes Black
Dragon in your deck?"
"Uh, yeah." Jounochi nodded proudly to that fact, completely
missing the irony. "I won it in a duel sometime ago. It's a pretty good
card."
"And Red Eyes is a _dragon_ right?" Yuugi prompted. He got
another nod. "And dragons can fly, right?"
Had Yuugi seen Jounochi's face, it would have reflected surprise
and puzzlement. "They can?"
Deciding that now was not the time to be arguing, Yuugi re-
activated the Puzzle, Magic spreading over the chosen card. The card
began to glow brilliantly before shifting into a plume of jet-black smoke,
its only substantial characteristic being a pair of brilliant red eyes glowing
against the darkness.
"I summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Yuugi called, a sudden
dizziness overpowering his mind as the Puzzle began drawing tremendous
amounts of energy from the boy to fulfill the required Magic.
The dark cloud shifted and sucked itself together, some of it
forming a thin head while others became the armour-plated chest, limbs
and tail. Lastly was the pair of majestic ebony-black wings, spreading out
in a magnificent curve to make the dragon twice as menacing.
The creature roared, startling the smaller Winged Dragon and
bringing the Tyhone into a near-dead stop. Without warning, the newly
summoned card fired a stream of crimson fire straight into the sky.
Yuugi gasped as he could literally feel every ounce of energy
being drained from his body, the Magic trying to sustain the creature and
execute its attacks. He tried to sever the link, though he was immediately
refused by the Puzzle. Yuugi could have sworn that the Puzzle had taken a
face of sentiency, sneering at the small boy for his weakness. His head
began to throb uncontrollably, and he slumped forwards, resting his face
on Jounochi's back.
Jounochi turned around in surprise to see Yuugi struggling to
keep awake. His eyes fell upon the Red Eyes, who was no longer attacking
the long-gone Tyhone but rampaging through the sky. The black dragon
gave another avian screech, emitting a blast of flame from its jaws, the fire
mixing with the treetops and creating a wall of burning scarlet.
"Can't you control 'im?" The blonde cried out, obviously
referring to the Red Eyes.
Yuugi weakly shook his head, soft tears collecting in his eyes. "I-
I can't let go."
"Let... go?" Jounochi asked in confusion. "Just call him back!
The enemy's way gone."
The smaller boy closed his eyes painfully, breathing becoming
harsh and laboured. "The... Puzzle..." His voice fell short of a whisper,
the boy suddenly falling into a catatonic state, simply gazing at Jounochi
with half-closed eyes.
The blonde gazed at Sennen Puzzle around Yuugi's neck, eyes
widening in surprise when he noticed it glowing and throbbing with light.
One look at the lurid Sennen eye in the center of the amulet was all
Jounochi needed before lunging at the Puzzle and ripping it off Yuugi's
neck.
Immediately, Yuugi began gasping, one hand automatically grasping
his throat as he choked up blood. The light crimson regurgitating from
his mouth soon changed into a deep scarlet-black, rivulets of blood mingled with
darker maroon clumps staining his soft blue clothing. And even then, Yuugi's
condition plummeted, eyes now rolling uselessly to one side, filming over with
a layer of cloudy white.
Jounochi swore, pausing only a few more milliseconds before
hastily slipping the Puzzle back over the smaller boy's neck. The small
boy gratefully stopped choking as soon as the Puzzle was replaced
though he once again fell into a deep coma.
"Yuugi, wake up." Jounochi awkwardly shook the boy's
shoulders, unsure of what to do. A dribble of blood fell from the corner of
the smaller boy's mouth, dripping onto the blonde's white T-shirt.
The Red Eyes Black Dragon continued to spiral aimlessly in the sky,
a vision of massive carnage, leaving behind an ugly smouldering scar
against the emerald-green forest canopy. Jounochi whimpered as the large
dragon shot overhead, its midnight black belly just missing the diminished
Winged Dragon.
The normally docile blue-grey dragon suddenly shrieked a defiant
cry, firing its own blast of orb-shaped flame at the larger dragon. Though
the attack dissipated the moment it hit the armoured hide, the black dragon
snapped its head in anger, burning red eyes gazing directly at its quarry.
...Which happened to be the Winged Dragon, and anything riding
on it. Jounochi groaned in fear when his ride shot like a bullet towards the
Red Eyes. "Shit, we are so dead." One hand immediately clung to the
looser skin while the other struggled to hold the unconscious Yuugi.
Gratefully, the Red Eyes banked a sharp right, causing the smaller
dragon to grapple with nothing but thin air. The Winged Dragon
awkwardly flapped its wings, pivoting its head to switch angles. It fired
another three blasts of fireballs, each one bouncing harmlessly off its
opponent's hide. More annoyed than furious, the black-armoured dragon
responded by spewing a brilliant streak of red flame in hopes of crushing
the smaller dragon.
Jounochi continued to curse as his ride shot upwards, spinning in
a rapid spiral to escape the impact of the flames. He momentarily
wondered if praying would help in situations like these.
"Jounochi!"
A cry. The blonde-haired boy pivoted his head towards the source of
the sound, having deducted that it was definitely not Yuugi's. He instantly
began waving his bloodstained hand. "I'm over here!"
It was a wondrous sight: Kaiba and the Game King perched on
the head of a pure-white dragon. The white dragon shot a challenging roar
at the Red Eyes, momentarily startling both occupants.
Yami-Yuugi drew another card. "Stay here, Kaiba, and don't
attack until I say so. I'm going to try and get the others out of attack range
first."
Kaiba gave a curt nod, watching with amused sapphire eyes
as the Yami summoned a Curse of Dragon in the blink of an eye. The
Darkness quickly jumped on the back of the skeletal dragon, launching
into the sky straight for Jounochi while amazingly keeping balance on both
legs.
Jounochi sighed in relief, making a mental note to pray to
the Gods every day. He grinned when Yami-Yuugi sided his dragon beside
the smaller Winged Dragon, immediately handing the Game King the
unconscious form of Yuugi.
Yami-Yuugi stared, disbelieving, at the wrecked sight of his
Aibou. "What happened, Jounochi?"
The blonde sighed. "You won't believe it. He summoned my Red
Eyes, and it completely drained him of his energy."
The Game King's eyes narrowed. "I'm just grateful he didn't die
from it. Summoning such a powerful creature without practice is like
juggling flamethrowers without any idea of what juggling is."
Jounochi gave a low whistle. "Is there any way to stop 'im?" He
pointed a thumb towards the Red Eyes, who was currently sizing up Kaiba's
Blue Eyes White Dragon, both dragons warily circling each other.
Yami-Yuugi suddenly lost his impassive composure as his fell
upon the still-glowing Puzzle resting on Yuugi's chest. "Shit. If we directly
destroy the Red Eyes, all the Magic being used by the creature will simply
whiplash back at Yuugi with an overflow of energy."
"What's so bad about that?" Jounochi questioned, not liking the
sound of the Game King's tone.
The Yami put a soft hand on his Aibou, brows wrinkling in
frustration. "Yuugi would die. And if he died, then so would I. Even
worse, any Magic I used would simply nullify itself, creating a
negative amount of energy from any Magic I generated."
"And that means?" Jounochi prompted, stomach falling into a
tighter knot in each word.
"That the Winged Dragon and Blue Eyes White Dragon would
cease to exist, and all the Magic that they had used to be created with
would pull anyone close to it into a dimension of nothingness." Yami-
Yuugi matter-of-factly replied. He frowned, and upon seeing Jounochi's
face bleached of colour, berated himself for his bluntness. "There might be
one card that can pull through, but I'm afraid to use it."
"Wh-why?" The blonde asked, ignoring the magnificent display
of white and black dragon below him.
Yami-Yuugi cursed when he saw the Red Eyes suddenly launch
straight at its larger and bulkier quarry, ramming the Blue Eyes on
the side. The white dragon bellowed in rage, rapidly flapping its wings to
stay balanced while digging its sharp white teeth directly into the black
dragon's soft flesh between the steel plates of the head and neck. The Red
Eyes responded with a shriek of pain, lashing out with its claws in attempt
to peel off its opponent's chrome hide. And on top of the Blue Eyes sat
Kaiba, somewhere between petrified and awed, taut muscles forcing his
fingers to cling onto the white dragon's head crest.
"We're running out of time!" Yami-Yuugi hissed at Jounochi.
"Let's go!"
The blonde simply crossed his arms, a look of stubborn refusal on
his face. "I want to know what the last option is."
The Game King gave Jounochi an odd look before withdrawing
yet another card. "This card. A trap card called the 'Horn of Heaven'. It is
a Light Spell-type magic, which will nullify a single summoned monster -
Magic, spells and all. That means that any whiplash effects will also
be sucked and eliminated before it can strike its user."
Jounochi began laughing, putting one hand on the Yami for
support. "You have _this_ card with you, and you didn't tell me?" He
finally said. "Gee, and you had me worried for such a long time!"
However, Yami-Yuugi's face remained serious. "The problem
with this card is that it requires one creature for sacrifice. And since we
are not in a Duel right now, a 'creature' would mean anything living that is
not created by Magic."
"Wait," The gears in Jounchi's head suddenly began turning, the
familiar pit of despair returning in his stomach. "_You_ can't be sacrificed,
since you're fueling the Magic! Which means that..." His voice trailed off
suddenly as he gazed at the distant Kaiba, still engaged in battle, and then
himself. "Fuck me."
Yami-Yuugi ignored the language. "There has to be a better way
out of this." He gritted his teeth. "We've got to find some other chance."
"I already found it." Jounochi gave a hollow laugh, shoving
Yuugi into the Game King's grasp before smiling grimly. "I'm going in."
Yami-Yuugi snorted "Don't be stupid! Once you're sacrificed,
you'll never come back!"
"Good for me." Came the reply. Jounochi gazed into the Game King's
scarlet eyes, suddenly defiant of their power. "I might act stupid,
but I knew it was planned. You knew that there would be no choice but
to sacrifice me." The blonde cut off the Yami's protestations. "It's
funny huh? You'd think that after I die, I'd go to a monster graveyard or
something, but judging from the look of your eyes, there is no 'graveyard'
for me to be returned from."
"Jounochi." Yami-Yuugi's voice came in a tight almost shameful
whisper. "I'm sorry."
Tears were rapidly filling his chestnut-brown eyes, though the
boy blinked them away. "Ah," He finally said, "It doesn't really matter
anyway. It's all like Kaiba said - I should have been dead a long time ago."
Yami-Yuugi watched in slight amusement as thick tears streaked
down the blonde's eyes at the mention of Kaiba's name. "You like him,
don't you?"
Jounochi glanced up in surprise before his face flushed a deep
crimson. "Yeah." A lonesome sigh. "I guess. He always acts like such a
bastard, but he really is just one of us. That's the way some
people are."
A sudden piercing cry interrupted the pair's exchange, the Red
Eyes having disengaged from the close-on assault to fly backwards and
attempt a long-ranged attack.
"My call." Jounochi smiled. "Wouldn't want that prig Kaiba to
hurt himself now, would we?" He wiped the last tears from his eyes,
amazingly calm and relaxed, hiding his chaotic and fear-splattered mind
from even himself.
The blonde hopped back onto the Winged Dragon, giving the
faithful creature a pat by the head.
"Jounochi!" Yami-Yuugi called, siding beside the blonde one last
time. "I..I wanted to thank you. For all of us." And with that, he
embraced the blonde, holding him in a firm and supporting grasp. Fueled
by emotions beyond desperation, Jounochi sought for the Game King's
comfort, exchange finally traveling to a soft kiss. The Yami could feel a
million sensations swirling madly in the blonde's mind, torturing
the boy's youthful soul. Yet, a single fixed point sat on the center, always
glimmering with a soft light.
Hope. That light was hope. And the Game King focused on that single
point, his Magic letting Jounochi taste that one feeling.
At last, Jounochi let go, involuntarily licking his lips to retain the
last piece of reassurance; to begin to understand the secret behind the
Game King. The blonde broke into a radiant smile. "No. Thank
you." He winked at the Yami, before allowing his ride to shoot off into the
air. "Take care of Yuugi for me, will ya?"
And that was the last thing the Game King heard from him, the
Winged Dragon launching at the Red Eyes with perfected speed. This
time, the Red Eyes was caught unprepared, shrieking with fury when
Jounochi promptly jumped and launched his weight right at the black
dragon's head, holding for dear life onto its horns.
Yami-Yuugi did not need to hear the blonde boy's voice to feel the
signal. The Yami brandished the one card, looking at it for a bit
before nodding in determination. "I use the Horn of Heaven, and sacrifice
the Winged Dragon //Jounochi!// to nullify the Red Eyes Black Dragon!"
The Sennen Eye immediately manifested itself as a glowing
pattern on the Yami's head, the Puzzle glimmering with the same hue.
Yami-Yuugi concentrated and poured the offered Magic into the attack,
careful not to channel too much energy as his Aibou had unwittingly done.
The sky suddenly turned a deep crimson, a vortex of silvery-gold
growing in the center until it engulfed both the Red Eyes and Jounochi
riding on it. One quick flash of light and it was over, both disappearing as
if never there.
Silence ensued, and the Game King watched from the corner of
his eye as Kaiba bowed his head sorrowfully, trying to hide his anguish
in a scowl. The Yami nodded in grim satisfaction, a horrible pit of
guiltiness overpowering his soul.
Yami-Yuugi brushed a stray golden bang away from his Aibou's
peaceful face. He continued to hug the boy protectively until Kaiba flew
over to join them.
And the Winged Dragon uttered a single wailing cry, echoing
over the silent landscape.
************************************
Yuugi opened his eyes, to be greeted by the full onslaught of
sunshine. Confused, the boy looked around, sighing in relief as he felt the
soft grass and firm ground underneath him.
"You're finally awake." Yami-Yuugi chuckled, sliding beside the
smaller boy.
"Yes." Yuugi rubbed his weary eyes, blinking confusedly around
him. "But... what happened?" His looked first at his Yami and then at the
lone figure of Seto Kaiba.
"Where's Jounochi?"
********************************
End notes:
Just wanted to say, EmeraldPhoenix (I was reading your fics the other day ^^=),
all my other Yu-Gi-Oh fics are one-shot. Sorry about that ^^(), it just
wouldn't make sense to continue them!
As a side note, please do NOT e-mail my chibizoo@hotmail.com account
(messenger buddies are still welcome!), due to a potential hotmail virus deleting my
messages! In the meantime, use my chibizoo@yahoo.com account if you have any
questions, comments, flames ;_; , or praise *smile smile*.
Eevee muse: *snorts* Who would want to be a fan of _your_ fics?
Zoo: Three people - Me, Myself, and I ! ^^V
Next time:
- Finally we get a bite of Pegasus!
- Another appearance of those strange Millennium Items (I'm _begging_ someone
to tell me Shadi's millenium items. I know he has a scale, but what is the other one?)
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Sailor Moon. *gasp*
Oh yeah, I wanted to thank Madame Ruby (she said the last chapter was
too short, so this one is SUPER LONG) and Fiery Charizard for informing
me that Isis's Millennium Item is a TAUK and not a Scale. ^^() Zoo-chan
feels honoured to have such wonderful fanfic writers leaving opinions and
lending a helping hand! Domo arigatou!
Oddly enough, I had BishieStalker's commentary in mind, and decided to
prove that fluffiness can also equal an "R" rating by writing up this
chappy. *waves* Hi Bishie-chan!!
**********************************************
".. For the world, which seems,
To lie before us like a land of dreams..."
- Matthew Arnold, "Dover Beach"
**********************************************
Chapter 11 - Normal and Special Summons
"Beautiful"
That was all he could say as he gazed at his reflection. The silver-
haired man straightened his red jacket, rubbing each shiny golden button
with a handkerchief. He admired himself in the mirror for a few more
minutes before tossing a clump of long silvery bangs over his golden eye.
His beautiful golden eye.
The blonde-haired woman lying half-asleep in her cage stirred as
he moved close to her. She did not dare to move as he opened the cage. A
calm hand stroked her fine golden hair, trailing a finger down her white-
gowned tresses. And she remained mute as he closed the cage, falling half-
heartedly to the floor when he left.
And this was all very beautiful.
*********************************************
Yuugi rubbed his eyes sleepily as he woke. The afternoon sun
shone soothingly on his blankets, creating a bubble of warmth.
Immediately, the small boy looked around, trying to find his Yami.
/Yami?/ Came the tentative question, though he got no reply.
Slightly worried, the boy searched his room, obviously absent of
another occupant. Only then did Yuugi notice that the window was open,
the curtains billowing against a gentle breeze.
Yuugi curiously extended his entire head and upper body outside
the window-frame, catching an awesome view of a grass-laden field
below. The boy craned his head in all directions, leaving no glimpse
unappreciated. A sparkle of fresh green grass, a twitter of birdsong, the
rustling of ancient trees - they were all equally important. A tinge of
sadness spread through the boy's thoughts; thoughts that yearned to
appreciate what others took for granted. And yet, they were just...
thoughts.
"Enjoying the view?"
Yuugi snapped his head back in surprise as he heard his Yami's
voice, managing to bang his shoulder against the windowframe. Wincing,
the boy tried to pinpoint the source.
"I'm directly below you." Came the helpful comment.
Yuugi tilted his chin until it was level with his chest, and was
startled to see the figure of his Yami directly below him. Yami-Yuugi was
currently lying on his back against a thick panel of concrete protruding
from the wall, hands resting under his head.
"What are you doing?" A curious question sparked by the Yami's
curious behaviour.
Yami-Yuugi opened one crimson eye, the other one still lazily
shut. "Thinking hard." Came the reply, stretched over a long drawl so that
the Yami sounded half-asleep.
Yuugi giggled before sobering. "How long have you been down
there?"
"Before the beginning of time." Was the demure reply. Yami-
Yuugi stretched his arms, opening his jaws in a yawn and revealing twin
glistening fangs accented by a scarlet tongue. "Too much in so little time."
He muttered to himself, before finally opening the second eye and gazing
directly at his Aibou.
"Um." Yuugi hastily averted his eyes, suddenly shy. "Are you
going to come back up here, or can I close the window and leave you
there?" The last part was simply a teaser - Yuugi would never do anything
spiteful against his other. Not that the small boy had a spiteful bone in his
body in the first place.
Immediately, the Yami twisted his body, shifting positions so that
he stood in a half-crouch. With a powerful thrust of his feet and leg
muscles, the Yami soared in mid-air, arcing his back so that he shot
through the targeted window like a perfect trajectory. Yami-Yuugi landed
noiselessly against the carpeted floor, turning around to give his other a
playful wink. "How's that?"
Yuugi responded with a mocking scowl. "You... you show off!"
The Yami puffed out his chest in an exaggerated fashion, strutting
around the vicinity of the room while keeping his expression comically
aloof. "Yes, I _am_ very good, aren't I?"
The Yami did not notice the neon light spelling "BAKA" in big
letters behind him until too late.
*******************************************
Jounochi was in paradise. He was currently sitting cross-legged
against a gigantic throne, a table of delicacies spread out as far as the eye
could see. Aromatic flowers wafted and mingled with the tropical breezes
while elegant women lay on either side of him, giggling as they served the
blonde.
Unfortunately, every single picturesque moment of beauty and
splendor was roughly shattered by three piercing bangs. Snorting, Jounochi
woke from his dream, glaring at his door when another set of impatient
raps preceded the first. The blonde-haired boy muttered about the
unfairness of life as he slowly crawled out of bed, roughly yanking his
bedroom door open.
"Whaddya want?" His slurred voice only emphasized his bout of
grogginess.
Seto Kaiba could not help but blink as he stared at Jounochi,
currently leaning against the door-frame complete with mussed up blonde-
hair and puppy-dog patterned pajamas. The techo-magician quickly stifled
his laughter to gaze arrogantly at the other boy. "I need to ask you a quick
question."
Jounochi blinked. He opened his mouth, though it didn't work
until seconds later. "You came all the way her to ask _me_ a question?"
The boy snickered, "And for a moment there, I wasn't sure if you even
knew I existed."
"Cut the theatrics," Kaiba interrupted, "I just want to know about
several people who have suddenly been erased from the main Authority
database in the residents section." The brown-haired boy unfolded a piece
of paper in his hand, scanning the neat writing. "They all disappeared
about the same time you did, and I was wondering if you recognized any
of them."
"Why would anything I know matter?" Jounochi scratched his
head. "As you said - it's not like I'm important or anything."
The techno-magician gritted his teeth, exercising his waning
patience. "Right now, I have no clue if these people even _exist_. If they
do and if you know them, then we can at least track what the Authority
might be up to. I know that people don't just 'disappear' for fun, when it
comes down to a power such as the Authority."
"Okay, lemme see." The blonde-haired boy grabbed the
parchment from Kaiba, reading the neatly scrawled printing. His eyes
widened at the name of each person. "Anzu Mazaki, Honda Hiroto, ... I
know these people! They're my friends!"
Satisfied, Kaiba nodded. "Good, can you tell me anything about
them?"
Jounochi shrugged. "I don't know. They all got captured roughly
a few days after Yuugi disappeared." he confessed.
Sensing a potential clue, Kaiba prodded further. "This Yuugi kid
- who is he?"
"Yuugi?" Jounochi repeated, slightly surprised. The blonde-
haired boy remembered their trek in the Authority, sadly closing his eyes.
"He's a nice kid, but I think the Authority has him; if he isn't dead, that
is."
"I see," Came the immediate reply, "Is there anything _special_
about this Yuugi friend of yours?"
"Special?" Jounochi repeated. "Not too much. He's kinda-"
Kaiba barely managed to jump to one side as the door adjacent to
Jounochi's room literally fell on top of him. The techno-magician
blindly glared at whomever had opened the door before turning around to
the blonde-haired boy again to listen for his interrupted response.
Jounochi, however, was now staring at whomever had opened the
door. "You wanted to know who Yuugi was?" His voice came out in a
choked squeak and the blonde simply pointed behind Kaiba. "He's right
over there."
*******************************************
Yuugi hastily dodged a flying pillow, and quickly sought for the
door, hoping to escape his maniac Yami.
However, Yami-Yuugi was not one who easily gave up on his
prey, and the Darkness jumped right at his other, momentum pinning the
smaller boy against the door while causing it to break from its
hinges and collapse. Yami-Yuugi grinned as he examined the boy now
lying underneath him, watching Yuugi suppress giggles and struggle half-
heartedly. The Yami was about to comment about how easily the door had
given in when someone - a someone that was _not_ his Aibou -
interrupted his moment.
"He's right over there."
Yuugi, still lying face up against the fallen door, peered up in
surprise at the sound of the voice. His eyes immediately fell upon the
upside-down image of Jounochi, and someone else. Torn between
astonishment and embarrassment, the smaller boy gave a slight wave with
his free hand. "Uh... hi Jounochi?"
And Mutou Yuugi's trustworthy friend Jounochi abruptly fainted.
*************************************
It had taken a couple of hours before Kaiba and Yami-Yuugi had
stopped glaring at each other, and that was only because Jounochi had
finally awoken to demand what was going on. Frankly, Yuugi was
mystified by his Yami's hostility towards Kaiba, since the other seemed
neither threatening nor malevolent.
"Okay, let me get this straight." Jounochi rubbed his throbbing
temples after the long synopsis. "This Yuugi look-alike here is actually an
evil entity from the Ancient times called the Game King."
"I am NOT evil!" Yami-Yuugi shot back, seething at the 'Seto
Kaiba translation' of the entire tale.
"Well," Yuugi added in, turning towards his Yami, "Your name
does mean 'darkness', so isn't darkness associated with evil?"
"Actually, darkness and evil are completely separate."
Surprisingly enough, it was Kaiba who supported the argument. "Although
darkness may be evil, its direct translation simply means, 'not pure'."
"That's all fine and dandy," Jounochi interrupted, "But how does
this all relate to what is going to happen? I mean, why are all these things
happening?"
Yami-Yuugi turned his serious crimson eyes straight at the
blonde-haired boy, causing Jounochi to involuntarily shudder. "If I knew,
Jounochi, I wouldn't be here.
Kaiba was about to counter with a retort when his voice was
suddenly drowned out by a screeching alarm. The sound ripped across the
corridors, echoing a warning in its shrill cry. The techno-magician
immediately began a scan of the vicinity, virtual memory filing a
holographic layout of the entire of facility within his mind. A blue dot near
the upper corridors of the diagram represented where he was currently
situated, and a green dot located the others beside him. However, at the
base of the building lay a rapidly flashing red dot. Kaiba filed
a closer scan on the red dot, a long sequence of formulae responding in
analysis.
Moments later, the screeching alarm came to a sudden halt. Yet, a
tension still remained in the air, throbbing with insecurity.
"Danger." Kaiba grimaced, voice low and foreboding. "I guess
the Authority has finally found us."
Yuugi winced as the earsplitting noise of shattering glass broke
the moment of tension. Muffled footsteps followed the sound of flying
shrapnel, thudding mechanically against the floor.
Kaiba quickly stood up, eyes narrowing as he scanned for an exit.
"We got to move fast!" He hissed, "They've got the entire area
surrounded!" The consecutive number of red dots on his virtual diagram
continued expanding. Without another word, the techno-magician broke
into a run.
"Wait!" Jounochi cried, stumbling upon his legs to catch up to the
others, "How do we know which way to go?"
"Just follow me." Came the grim reply, "Although, if we don't
hurry, _all_ the exits are going to be blocked."
"Which exit is the least likely to be used?" Yami-Yuugi
questioned, having had his Aibou return to his Soul Room for safety.
Kaiba gave the Game King a baleful stare before responding.
"Coordinates 45 -B, 72 - G, if that helps." Came the sardonic reply.
Yami-Yuugi bristled at the techo-magician's mocking response.
However, he wisely kept his mouth shut, another way to prevent himself
from losing his temper.
The trio banked a sharp right, dashing up a set of stairs before
meeting an emergency exit. Kaiba instantly slammed his side against the
door, trying to dislodge the exit. The brown-haired boy grunted when his
body simply met a firm resistance.
Yami-Yuugi was about to shove the taller boy aside when he
heard footsteps marching from the bottom of the staircase, echoing and
growing as they approached the trio. "Forget it." The Yami hissed to
Kaiba, signaling for Jounochi to retreat.
Upon finally concluding that the door simply would _not_ budge,
Kaiba followed the other two, though he scanned his virtual map as a
reference guide. The boys continued to run up the stairs, desperately
searching the walls for any exit. Jounochi, having neither the Magic nor the
technology to keep up with the other two, faltered behind, eventually
coming to an exhausted halt.
Yami-Yuugi immediately stopped, turning back to the blonde-
haired boy. "Come on Jounochi," He growled, pursuit heightening his
impatience, "Just keep on running."
The blonde-haired boy shook his head. "I don't think I can last
any longer."
"That's because you're just a cowardly bitch." Kaiba's harsh
whisper echoed slightly against the walls, each word vicious and stinging.
"You're just a useless pile of crap which we were too kind to abandon
though-"
"Shut the hell up!" Hissed Jounochi, clenching his fists angrily as his
cheeks burned in rage. "I am _not_ worthless!" The blonde-haired boy
forced himself to his feet, rage and a need to salvage his dignity fueling his
energy.
And though Kaiba said nothing after the exchange, Yami-Yuugi
had to admit that there was definitely more to the techo-magician than the
eye could guess.
Finally, the trio came to a sudden halt at the end of the stairs,
revealing a deserted room on the upper-most floor, like the attic of a tower.
The door yielded open almost too easily, creating a prickling air of
foreboding within the dark atmosphere. Jounochi jumped as the door
behind the trio suddenly slammed shut when they entered; too afraid to test
whether or not said door was locked.
Yami-Yuugi invoked a rapid Light spell, allowing all three of
them to see to some extent their surroundings. The walls simply reflected
the light back with blank faces of pale grey. Everything else remained
shrouded in mystery, shadows sometimes shifting or moving at awkward
angles when the trio continued their trek.
Kaiba stopped, his path blocked by yet another door. The
brown-haired boy brushed experimental fingers over the wooden surface
before trying the doorknob. Naturally, it was locked. Unpreturbed, the
techo-magician smashed a fist straight against the wood, the door bending
and yielding a small splintered hole. With a satisfied grunt, Kaiba slammed
his entire body against the bent door, forcing the firm wood to be neatly
yanked from its hinges.
Upon seeing a cleared entrance, Yami-Yuugi quickly followed
Kaiba into the room. The Darkness turned around to analyze the situation
when he suddenly found himself wrapped neck down in long, fibrous
cords. Snarling, the Yami thrashed against the cords, though he was easily
restrained. Yami-Yuugi then changed tactics, Sennen Eye glowing as he
began chanting a high-level Fire Spell.
"Not so fast."
Another cord whipped through the air, wrapping itself around the
Yami's frail neck. The rope instantly tightened to cut off the Yami's
concentration. Choked gasps escaped from Yami-Yuugi's lips, though his
eyes silently glared at the invisible opponent. He continued to valiantly
ignore the strain of ropes against his form, eyes clouding over slightly
from lack of oxygen. Finally, the rope relaxed enough to form a loose
noose around the Yami's neck while letting him once again inhale deep
gulps of air.
"What's the matter, Game King?" The voice was clearly
masculine, taunting and maliciously gleeful. "Losing your edge?"
Yami-Yuugi snarled and struggled against his cords. "Bastard!"
He screamed, viciously intent on revenge, "Let me go, and I'll whip your
pathetic ass!"
"Language, language." Chided the same voice. "I never knew that
the Game King had degraded so much as to so use such inefficient
vocabulary."
The Yami responded by repeating every single profane word ever
created, careful to spit out each syllable like toxin. He was rewarded by a
sudden stinging slap across his face.
"Shut up! Shut up!" The voice cried, furious at being ignored.
Meanwhile, Kaiba watched the entire conversation with a grim
amusement, his mind furiously trying to unscramble the mystery behind
the shrouded person.
"Is that the best you've got?" Yami-Yuugi challenged, confident
smirk on his face. "I guess that's what you get when you snivel behind the
Authority, picking up the leftover scraps."
The Yami barely even flinched as another set of ropes lashed
against his exposed shoulders, drawing crimson lines across his fair skin.
"I could kill you at any moment!" The voice threatened, now an
agitated rumble.
Yami-Yuugi barked out a harsh laugh. "Ha! Only cowards
like you hide in the shadows, to scared to attack face to face."
The voice screeched furiously, forcing several consecutive
beatings with a blood-stained rope. And despite his massive injuries, the
Yami still grinned luridly, fangs glistening in contrast to his bright crimson
eyes. He brought his head against his shoulder, which had split open into a
scarlet mess, lapping up his own blood.
"What's the matter?" The Yami taunted. "Too tired to abuse me?"
"What the hell is he doing?" Jounochi hissed at Kaiba, clearly
pointing at the injured Yami, "He acts like he enjoys all of this torture!"
Kaiba, who had long seen the outcome of the Game King's antics,
only shrugged. "Just watch and you'll see."
Yami-Yuugi ignored the same conversation he was having with
his Aibou at the moment, sending a brief pulse of reassurance. His right
eye was swollen shut, a bloody line scarring his face from the brow to his
chin. Several other gashes ran parallel down his face and neck, dripping
like thick water down his skin and onto the carpeted floor. Despite all this,
he continued his taunts. "You can't kill me because your boss has you tied
by the collar."
"I am not a pawn of my boss!" The voice screeched. "I am not
anyone's slave, though _you_ will beg for my pity."
Yami-Yuugi grinned. "Too late."
Before another rope could react to the Yami's taunt, everything
around him lit up in a burst of brilliant crimson flames. Though Yami-
Yuugi himself was unscathed, the ropes writhed and shriveled under the
intense head, fading into fine ashes. The glowing Sennen Eye faded from
the Yami's forehead as he stared straight into the piercing darkness,
walking a few steps to confirm his freedom.
Immediately, another network of ropes sprung from the shrouded
floor, whistling and echoing in warning. The Yami reacted by jumping into
the air, eyes catching a full view of each rope as they whipped against the
ground to reach him. Again, the Yami called upon another burst of flame,
grateful for having stalled so much time to set up and complete his Magic
Spell. The ropes recoiled and collapsed into dust while another set took
their place to leap into action and only be met by the same outcome.
Finally, they paused.
"It looks like we have a stalemate." The voice proclaimed,
suddenly sickly-sweet. "How about deciding the outcome in a face-to-face
Duel Monsters match, _without_ the use of the Shadow Realm? After all,
this Game should still give an equal outcome."
Yami-Yuugi knew the man was lying, able the sense the deceit
cleverly hidden in the person's voice. To summon monsters outside the
Shadow Realm was potentially dangerous, though the monster's
individuality would ensure no physical damage to its summoner.
"Fine," He declared, hoping against his odds, "I accept your Game, and
if I win, you shall suffer the Punishment."
"Of course," Came the too complaint reply, chuckling sinisterly,
"I wouldn't expect anything else from the Game King himself."
"Stop the senseless flatter and show yourself!" The Yami
demanded, Puzzle glowing in reaction to his frustration and hostility.
Flames flared and flickered in a circle around him like his metaphorical
anger.
The shadows immediately retreated until they revealed a squat
man in green robes. Above his hawk-like nose lay a single tattoo written in
an ancient rune, only too obvious against his completely bald head.
"Let me introduce myself. I am called Para." Said squat man gave
a mock bow.
"You know who I am." Yami-Yuugi responded, taking out his
Aibou's deck of cards; now symbolically his. "Let's begin this Duel."
Both opponents faced each other; set with neither prop nor
organized dueling field save the middle of the empty room. Yami-Yuugi
examined each card in his hand, carefully devising a plan.
"Wait!" Para exclaimed, much in the tone of when someone
suddenly notices a flaw. "I cannot use Magic so I should receive some
sort of consolation!" He chuckled as the Yami gave a grunt of consent. "So my
brother Dox will help me even out the odds!"
Yami-Yuugi's eyes widened. "Two players against one?" He
stated, "Even if Magic may enhance a monster's effects, the stakes
of me winning against twice the usual is slim."
"Too bad." Para exclaimed, as a mirror image of himself, only
with red robes and a different lettering on his head stepped into the open
space. "You already consented so you must play."
"And play we shall." Rephrased the other, his face set into an
identical gleeful grin.
Gritting his teeth, Yami-Yuugi made his initial move. "I choose
to play a card in face-down defense mode."
"Subversive techniques." Para remarked.
"But can you hide from our power?" Oddly enough, Dox knew
exactly what his brother said, making the first move between the pair. "I
call upon my Judge Man to destroy your face-down card!"
Yami-Yuugi's eyes widened in surprise as the card shimmered into
reality the moment Dox placed it on his makeshift field, the "illusion"
obliterating the Yami's own Magic-supported card. Yet, he could sense no
Magic in the now very-alive monster.
Kaiba, too, noticed this strange technique, though his mind began
to suspect a ploy. The Game King was now playing at a disadvantage. Setting
his grudges aside, the brown-haired boy began formulating a plan. He
reasoned that if the Game King lost, then he too would be eventually
destroyed; though he knew it was something else that motivated him. A
pity he had never understood the concept of compassion.
The Yami grimaced as his Mammoth Graveyard fell from the
attack. Undiscouraged, he drew his next card, instantly placing
it onto the field. "I call upon the Summoned Skull in attack mode
to destroy your Judge Man!"
And yet, when the gigantic gargantuan of a creature, brought to
momentarily life by Magic, sought to swipe at its opponent with its claws,
it grappled with nothing but empty air. The Judge Man still stood as it had
been before, undisturbed by the vicious onslaught.
"What the hell?" Yami-Yuugi barely restrained his indignant
rage. "The Summoned Skull should have enough attack points to easily
destroy your Judge Man and deplete your life points!"
"Who ever said that the Game would be so easy?" Para purred,
eyes flashing in malicious delight.
Dox copied ever antic of his brother. "For we now have the upper
hand, and you cannot possibly overcome us!"
Yami-Yuugi clenched his fists angrily. How could he possibly
win against something that he could not attack? The Yami tried for a
different strategy. "I play a Magic card face down to end my turn."
"Wait!"
Yami-Yuugi turned around to see Kaiba, untied and holding two
strange circular objects in his hand. The techo-magician flung one of them
like a discus so that it landed straight in the Yami's arms. "The Para-Dox
brothers are playing dirty trick. They are using technology capable of
negating Magic. However, the monsters themselves are only holographic
images, therefore unable to be damaged."
Yami-Yuugi glared at the twins with hate-filled eyes. He gave
Kaiba a nod of thanks, holding the circular object in his hand. "What is
this for then?"
"I'm getting there," Was the techo- magician's reply. "These are
my own Dueling Disks, able to simulate real-live monsters like
how you use your Magic. Since they use the same electronic pulses that all
holographs use, their holographic effects will override the holographs of
the opponents' cards, allowing us to destroy them properly."
"Us?" Yami-Yuugi raised an eyebrow.
Kaiba gave the Game King a blatant look. "As much as I would
like to see that cocky grin wiped off from your face, I figured you would
need my help." The brown-haired boy set up his own Dueling Disk so that
it slid like a glove on his wrist. "Now, let's play properly!"
Yami-Yuugi nodded as he mirrored the techo-magician's actions,
inserting his desk into the recognition slot. "Thank you, Seto."
Seto Kaiba ignored the fact that the Game King had deliberately
used his first name instead of the formal, though a slight abashed flush did
spread across his cheeks before it was replaced by a customary frown.
"Whatever," Kaiba muttered gruffly, "I'm only doing you this favour to
get me out."
"Are you going to sit here and talk all day?" Para fumed, angry
that his secret had been so easily discovered and defeated.
"Even with your new insight, you still cannot defeat us." Dox
completed right afterwards.
Kaiba grinned as he placed himself beside the Yami. "Want a
bet?" The techo-magician inserted his chosen card into a slot, detaching a
flat circular component from the main glove and flinging it onto the floor
so that it shimmered into technology-formatted life. "My card is the
Mystical Elf in defense plus a magic card face-down to end my turn."
Para frowned and picked up his next card, lips suddenly curving
into a smile as he saw the card. However, he did not automatically play it,
but treasured it in his hand, taking out another card instead. "I shall play
this card defensively too."
"And I shall attack the Mystical Elf with my Judge Man!"
Completed the other brother, watching with a satisfied grin when the
his stocky warrior felled the frail elf with a sweep of its
battleaxe.
Kaiba grunted as he felt some of the attack whiplash back into his
system, much like the effects of a Shadow Realm duel.
Yami-Yuugi's quick eyes noticed the impact of the attack, wisely
keeping quiet. "For my turn, I discard Kuriboh and attack your Judge Man
with my Summoned Skull." True enough, the squat dwarf-like creature
was immediately destroyed by a single blast of the Game King's card.
Kaiba carefully placed his next card, trying to avoid personal
damage. "I play a card in defense mode." His carefully masked face hid
the weakness of the current cards in his hand.
"I choose the Wicked Worm Beast to attack your defensive
card!" Cried Para, while Dox simply played another face-down card, much
to Yami-Yuugi's growing suspicion as two holographic caskets replaced
the 'special' cards played.
A gigantic slug-like creature dived towards Kaiba's face-down
card, though it was suddenly deflected by an invisible barrier. Yami sighed
in satisfaction, noticing the release in tension from his 'partner's' taut face.
"What?" Para shouted, voice outraged. "How come there was no
effect?"
Yami-Yuugi could not help but give his trademark smirk. "I
sacrificed my Kuriboh, which allows me to use a special effect of
protecting one card on the field. And so, it protected Kaiba's face down
card."
Kaiba suddenly covered his relief with a scowl. "I don't need
your help!" He hissed, voice clipped with humility.
"It's as you said." Came Yami-Yuugi's smooth reply. "I'm not
helping you. I'm helping myself win the Game."
A sudden low rumble cut off any further conversation. Yami-Yuugi's
eyes widened, feet planted apart to support himself as the entire room
began to shake. Cracks were beginning to seep against the sides of
the walls, some the ceiling showering the duelists with loose debris.
Para and Dox suddenly exchanged glances, and began to roar in
mutual laughter. They continued to laugh even when the room trembled
again.
Yami-Yuugi glared at the two opponents. "I don't see what's so
funny." He stated, hiding his panic. "What's going on?" Kaiba, too, had
no clue, and was now glancing uncertainly at the crevices and loose shingles
accumulating on the walls and floors.
"You see." Para added, still laughing. "While you were distracted
dueling us, the others have begun tearing down the lowest floor.
That means that when the time runs out, everything will collapse,
including you!"
"And since you cannot escape this Duel, you will die even if you
win this match!" Dox continued.
"Damn bastards," Kaiba spat, voice dripping with venom, "Don't
you even care about your own lives?"
"Lives?" Para and Dox laughed. "You haven't figured it out, have
you?"
"Holograms." Kaiba quickly berated himself for his blindness.
"Para and Dox are not even real people! Like the monsters they play, they
are just simulated creatures in the form of real-life holograms."
"We have to win fast." Yami-Yuugi furrowed his eyebrows in
thought. "Otherwise, none of us is going to make it!" The Yami hastily
chose his most powerful card, hoping to bring an end to the match. "I play
the Dark Magician in attack mode!"
"It's no use." Para grinned, setting his 'Master and Expert' in
defense and laying a trap card face down, "We never agreed on life points,
which means that the Game is virtually endless!"
Kaiba pounded his fist against the cracking wall, creating a
rapidly disintegrating dent. "They've got us trapped like rats in a cage.
Either way, we're dead." The techno-magician closed his eyes, wondering
if he would really miss living, after escaping death for all those years. He
found no pity for himself. "I am not afraid to die, so continue your damned
match for as long as you like!"
Yami-Yuugi wanted to nod in consent, but secretly feared for his
Aibou. Did youths like Jounochi and Yuugi really deserve to die, when
they had never even experienced the prime of their youth?
The room shook again, shafts of sunlight penetrating the cracks in
the place of cement. Yami-Yuugi ignored the onslaught and drew his next
card, hands tense. "I use the Dark Magician to attack Para's face down
card."
"Not so fast," Dox proclaimed, grinning, "I activate my trap card
'Trap Hole', and it destroys any attacking monster with an attack above
1000."
Yami-Yuugi mentally cursed himself for the loss of foresight. He
briefly wondered if it would be better to deliberately lose than to continue
to play until death. Yet, lose, and then what? Be captured and killed by the
Authority? The Yami sighed. No, losing was just delaying the inevitable.
Kaiba still remained perfectly calm. He bent down to draw a card
from his deck, eyes quickly sliding to the unconscious form of Jounochi.
"I play the Blue Eyes White Dragon in attack mode." He watched
as the machine amplified his favourite card, bringing the magnificent
dragon into life. "Blue Eyes, use your Neutron Blast attack at the Master
and Expert!"
The dragon immediately complied, rearing upon its hind legs to
utter a ground-screeching roar; a sphere of white lightning expanding
between chrome jaws, spiraling outwards in a burst of blue and white
electricity. The attack, simulated to every nuance of reality, shook the
floors, lighting the room up in a brilliance of light and forcing the Para-dox
brothers to shield their eyes from its intensity.
Kaiba quickly turned to the Game King, speaking in an almost
inaudible whisper. "We can't leave the duel, but the others can. You have
to call upon a real monster so that they can escape."
Yami-Yuugi wasn't sure what stunned him more - the fact that
Kaiba was helping someone other than himself, or the fact that Kaiba was
actually asking for his help. Deciding that such a change could only be
advantageous, the Yami nodded, pulling a card from his hand. "Winged
Dragon!"
The blue-grey skinned dragon appeared, rotund jaw and large
eyes a childish mimicry to the large Blue Eyes it hid behind. It gave a
small chirp, cocking its head to one side to gaze obediently at its master.
Yami-Yuugi took his Puzzle off, allowing the grey dragon to
latch onto the rope. His form momentarily flickered and waned before re-
solidifying, an identical Puzzle now around his neck. Yami-Yuugi laid a
hand on the creature, patting its pebbly hide in reassurance before
murmuring some instructions.
When the effects of the attack had finally died, the untied,
sleeping limp form of Jounochi could be seen on a creature's back, both
rapidly disappearing into the azure sky. There was also a noticeable hole
on the wall behind Kaiba; only explaining too evidently what had
happened.
Yami-Yuugi smiled gratefully at Kaiba before returning to face
the Para-dox brothers in grim acceptance.
//Good luck, Yuugi.//
*****************************
//Good luck, Yuugi.//
The small boy heard it from his Soul Room, glancing at the
subspace around him in confusion.
/Yami?/ The boy tried, though he got no answer.
/YAMI!/ Again, nothing.
Yuugi stared blankly at the emptiness around him. Just a moment
ago, his Yami had been dueling with Kaiba. But now, he could no longer
sense his other's presence: the link had again been severed. He wanted to
get out of his Soul Room and peer at his surroundings, though he found
neither the courage nor motivation to do so.
A groaning interrupted the boy's thoughts, the sound coming
from outside his Soul Room. Yuugi immediately pinpointed the voice as
Jounochi's, and deducting that it was safe enough, emerged from his
sanctity within the Puzzle.
Jounochi groaned, rubbing his sore neck. The ground underneath
him suddenly lurched, a sickening sensation building within the blonde's
stomach. Layers of wind whistled past his ears, making the boy blink in
momentary confusion as he gazed about him. The confusion eventually
changed to surprise and then fear.
"Yi!" Screamed Jounochi, clinging on to whatever was flying for
dear life. The boy chanced to glimpse at the canopy of forest below him.
"I've lost it." He finally murmured, "I'm finally being brought to heaven
for judgment."
A giggle interrupted the blonde's laments. "Jounochi, we're
flying."
"Yuugi?" Jounochi chanced to turn around, catching a glimpse of
the smaller boy. "What are you - I mean we - doing here."
The smaller boy's expression immediately shifted to one of sorry,
eyes downcast as he put one hand on the empty Puzzle. "I-I don't know,
but I think Kaiba and my Yami are still in there."
"Wher-" Suddenly, Jounochi realized exactly _what_ he was
riding on. Large brown eyes widened to an incredible rate, the blonde
paralyzed with fear. "Y-y-yuugi." He stuttered, pointing at the creature he
was riding on with his free hand while still clinging on with the other.
"We-we-."
"Yes, I know." Yuugi beamed. "My Yami must have summoned
it. Isn't he cute?"
As if hearing the smaller boy's words, the Winged Dragon turned
its pebbly head towards the smaller boy, giving a small chirp of agreement.
Jounochi could not stop gaping. "I-" He began, before closing his
mouth and trying again. "But it's a _card_!"
"Well, it was a card. But my Yami used Magic to give it a real
form and shape, summoning the monster into reality."
"Magic," Jounochi muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "You
know, if it weren't for the fact that I'm _riding_ on this thing, I would have
thought you were bluffing."
"Yeah," Yuugi's eyes clouded over in worry, "I just hope they're
okay."
Jounochi was about to offer the smaller boy some reassurance
when a gigantic spherical projectile shot right above the two boys, startling
them into silence. The blonde twisted his head to glance behind him,
catching the sight of a rapidly growing speck.
"Yuugi," His voice came in an quiet whisper, "I think we're
being followed."
Yuugi's eyes widened as he too saw the shape, though it could
now be identified as someone riding on an oddly-shaped winged beast.
"That monster - it's a Tyhone card!"
"What's a Tyhone?" Jounochi immediately queried, hands
nervously clenched onto the loose skin of the Dragon.
"It's a monster card that isn't particularly powerful," Yuugi
began, "But it is capable of firing long-range projectiles with ease."
"Man!" Jounochi screeched, eyes wide with fear, "We're gonna
be shot out of the sky!"
As if to confirm his fear, another projectile whizzed straight
towards them, the Winged Dragon spiraling sideways seconds before
impact. Already, the Tyhone was readying another blast, flapping its wings
ungainly to cover distance and gain accuracy.
Yuugi's eyes narrowed at the rider on the beast. "We've got to
take the rider out first!" He cried, realizing with dismay that his Yami still
had his deck. "But I can't just use Magic out of nothing!"
"You can use Magic?" Jounochi regarded Yuugi with an
expression of awe. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"What use would it make?" Yuugi replied, slightly bitter. "I only
know a few Spells, and none of them are meant for long range attacks. If
only I had a card that I could use my Magic on!"
Jounochi winced as another projectile shot just by his ear. "Yuugi,
my deck is in my right jacket pocket. I can't take it out right now, but
maybe you can."
The smaller boy nodded, shifting his weight precariously to one
side of the Dragon. The dragon suddenly lurched upwards, Yuugi's entire
body slamming against the creature's torso. He clung on to the pebbly skin
for dear life while his legs dangled in empty air. Resisting the urge to look
down, Yuugi gritted his teeth, straining against the wind and movement,
his hold on the Dragon slipping bit by bit. With a final lunge, the boy
grabbed Jounochi's dangling jacket, personally grateful that the Gods had
decided for jackets to be long. Another thrust of his legs was all he
needed to propel himself until his head was level with the pocket. Yuugi
quickly withdrew the cards, giving a shout of triumph.
A firm hand grasped the smaller boy's arm, pulling him slowly
but surely onto the back of the dragon once more. Yuugi gave Jounochi a
grateful sigh, collapsing with exhaustion. Another blast of too-close target
practice reminded the boy of his actual task in-hand.
"Jounochi, what flying cards do you have?" Yuugi questioned the
blonde, clumsily flipping through the deck with one hand. Most of the
cards he had gone through were all earth-type monsters.
Jounochi gave a sheepish smile. "I-uh- don't think I have any ."
Yuugi simply goggled. "No... flying cards?" Came his
confirmation, indignation rising in his words.
"Uh..." Jounochi bigsweated. "Sorry. None that I remember."
"You must have something," Yuugi growled, a tone most unlike
himself. Maybe it was because he had just sacrificed neck and limb to grab
the deck. "If you don't, I'm going to catapult all your monsters one by one
at the Tyhone, starting with the Flame Swordsman." Yuugi knew that
said card was Jounochi's absolute favourite.
"Don't do that!" Jounochi yelped. "Try... try the Time Wizard or
something!"
Yuugi glanced at the card mentioned. "You do realize that if the
plan backfired, the Time Wizard would send us into a time warp, right?"
His voice was deceptively calm.
"Uhm, no?" The blonde squeaked, hunching his shoulders. "It's
not like I know what the monsters would do in real life!"
About to retort, Yuugi wisely shut up when something scraped
the side of his face, drawing blood. He winced, bringing a hand to feel the
warm liquid spreading across the stinging scrape. One more shot, and they
would both die. Faced with no choice, Yuugi focused on his Magic,
allowing the Puzzle to channel his focus and shift the Magic into a tangible
command.
"I choose the Rude-" Yuugi began, Magic half-infested into the
now-glowing card when something else caught his eyes. The boy
immediately canceled the energies, forcing them momentarily back into
the Puzzle. "Jounochi, did you ever know that you have a Red Eyes Black
Dragon in your deck?"
"Uh, yeah." Jounochi nodded proudly to that fact, completely
missing the irony. "I won it in a duel sometime ago. It's a pretty good
card."
"And Red Eyes is a _dragon_ right?" Yuugi prompted. He got
another nod. "And dragons can fly, right?"
Had Yuugi seen Jounochi's face, it would have reflected surprise
and puzzlement. "They can?"
Deciding that now was not the time to be arguing, Yuugi re-
activated the Puzzle, Magic spreading over the chosen card. The card
began to glow brilliantly before shifting into a plume of jet-black smoke,
its only substantial characteristic being a pair of brilliant red eyes glowing
against the darkness.
"I summon the Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Yuugi called, a sudden
dizziness overpowering his mind as the Puzzle began drawing tremendous
amounts of energy from the boy to fulfill the required Magic.
The dark cloud shifted and sucked itself together, some of it
forming a thin head while others became the armour-plated chest, limbs
and tail. Lastly was the pair of majestic ebony-black wings, spreading out
in a magnificent curve to make the dragon twice as menacing.
The creature roared, startling the smaller Winged Dragon and
bringing the Tyhone into a near-dead stop. Without warning, the newly
summoned card fired a stream of crimson fire straight into the sky.
Yuugi gasped as he could literally feel every ounce of energy
being drained from his body, the Magic trying to sustain the creature and
execute its attacks. He tried to sever the link, though he was immediately
refused by the Puzzle. Yuugi could have sworn that the Puzzle had taken a
face of sentiency, sneering at the small boy for his weakness. His head
began to throb uncontrollably, and he slumped forwards, resting his face
on Jounochi's back.
Jounochi turned around in surprise to see Yuugi struggling to
keep awake. His eyes fell upon the Red Eyes, who was no longer attacking
the long-gone Tyhone but rampaging through the sky. The black dragon
gave another avian screech, emitting a blast of flame from its jaws, the fire
mixing with the treetops and creating a wall of burning scarlet.
"Can't you control 'im?" The blonde cried out, obviously
referring to the Red Eyes.
Yuugi weakly shook his head, soft tears collecting in his eyes. "I-
I can't let go."
"Let... go?" Jounochi asked in confusion. "Just call him back!
The enemy's way gone."
The smaller boy closed his eyes painfully, breathing becoming
harsh and laboured. "The... Puzzle..." His voice fell short of a whisper,
the boy suddenly falling into a catatonic state, simply gazing at Jounochi
with half-closed eyes.
The blonde gazed at Sennen Puzzle around Yuugi's neck, eyes
widening in surprise when he noticed it glowing and throbbing with light.
One look at the lurid Sennen eye in the center of the amulet was all
Jounochi needed before lunging at the Puzzle and ripping it off Yuugi's
neck.
Immediately, Yuugi began gasping, one hand automatically grasping
his throat as he choked up blood. The light crimson regurgitating from
his mouth soon changed into a deep scarlet-black, rivulets of blood mingled with
darker maroon clumps staining his soft blue clothing. And even then, Yuugi's
condition plummeted, eyes now rolling uselessly to one side, filming over with
a layer of cloudy white.
Jounochi swore, pausing only a few more milliseconds before
hastily slipping the Puzzle back over the smaller boy's neck. The small
boy gratefully stopped choking as soon as the Puzzle was replaced
though he once again fell into a deep coma.
"Yuugi, wake up." Jounochi awkwardly shook the boy's
shoulders, unsure of what to do. A dribble of blood fell from the corner of
the smaller boy's mouth, dripping onto the blonde's white T-shirt.
The Red Eyes Black Dragon continued to spiral aimlessly in the sky,
a vision of massive carnage, leaving behind an ugly smouldering scar
against the emerald-green forest canopy. Jounochi whimpered as the large
dragon shot overhead, its midnight black belly just missing the diminished
Winged Dragon.
The normally docile blue-grey dragon suddenly shrieked a defiant
cry, firing its own blast of orb-shaped flame at the larger dragon. Though
the attack dissipated the moment it hit the armoured hide, the black dragon
snapped its head in anger, burning red eyes gazing directly at its quarry.
...Which happened to be the Winged Dragon, and anything riding
on it. Jounochi groaned in fear when his ride shot like a bullet towards the
Red Eyes. "Shit, we are so dead." One hand immediately clung to the
looser skin while the other struggled to hold the unconscious Yuugi.
Gratefully, the Red Eyes banked a sharp right, causing the smaller
dragon to grapple with nothing but thin air. The Winged Dragon
awkwardly flapped its wings, pivoting its head to switch angles. It fired
another three blasts of fireballs, each one bouncing harmlessly off its
opponent's hide. More annoyed than furious, the black-armoured dragon
responded by spewing a brilliant streak of red flame in hopes of crushing
the smaller dragon.
Jounochi continued to curse as his ride shot upwards, spinning in
a rapid spiral to escape the impact of the flames. He momentarily
wondered if praying would help in situations like these.
"Jounochi!"
A cry. The blonde-haired boy pivoted his head towards the source of
the sound, having deducted that it was definitely not Yuugi's. He instantly
began waving his bloodstained hand. "I'm over here!"
It was a wondrous sight: Kaiba and the Game King perched on
the head of a pure-white dragon. The white dragon shot a challenging roar
at the Red Eyes, momentarily startling both occupants.
Yami-Yuugi drew another card. "Stay here, Kaiba, and don't
attack until I say so. I'm going to try and get the others out of attack range
first."
Kaiba gave a curt nod, watching with amused sapphire eyes
as the Yami summoned a Curse of Dragon in the blink of an eye. The
Darkness quickly jumped on the back of the skeletal dragon, launching
into the sky straight for Jounochi while amazingly keeping balance on both
legs.
Jounochi sighed in relief, making a mental note to pray to
the Gods every day. He grinned when Yami-Yuugi sided his dragon beside
the smaller Winged Dragon, immediately handing the Game King the
unconscious form of Yuugi.
Yami-Yuugi stared, disbelieving, at the wrecked sight of his
Aibou. "What happened, Jounochi?"
The blonde sighed. "You won't believe it. He summoned my Red
Eyes, and it completely drained him of his energy."
The Game King's eyes narrowed. "I'm just grateful he didn't die
from it. Summoning such a powerful creature without practice is like
juggling flamethrowers without any idea of what juggling is."
Jounochi gave a low whistle. "Is there any way to stop 'im?" He
pointed a thumb towards the Red Eyes, who was currently sizing up Kaiba's
Blue Eyes White Dragon, both dragons warily circling each other.
Yami-Yuugi suddenly lost his impassive composure as his fell
upon the still-glowing Puzzle resting on Yuugi's chest. "Shit. If we directly
destroy the Red Eyes, all the Magic being used by the creature will simply
whiplash back at Yuugi with an overflow of energy."
"What's so bad about that?" Jounochi questioned, not liking the
sound of the Game King's tone.
The Yami put a soft hand on his Aibou, brows wrinkling in
frustration. "Yuugi would die. And if he died, then so would I. Even
worse, any Magic I used would simply nullify itself, creating a
negative amount of energy from any Magic I generated."
"And that means?" Jounochi prompted, stomach falling into a
tighter knot in each word.
"That the Winged Dragon and Blue Eyes White Dragon would
cease to exist, and all the Magic that they had used to be created with
would pull anyone close to it into a dimension of nothingness." Yami-
Yuugi matter-of-factly replied. He frowned, and upon seeing Jounochi's
face bleached of colour, berated himself for his bluntness. "There might be
one card that can pull through, but I'm afraid to use it."
"Wh-why?" The blonde asked, ignoring the magnificent display
of white and black dragon below him.
Yami-Yuugi cursed when he saw the Red Eyes suddenly launch
straight at its larger and bulkier quarry, ramming the Blue Eyes on
the side. The white dragon bellowed in rage, rapidly flapping its wings to
stay balanced while digging its sharp white teeth directly into the black
dragon's soft flesh between the steel plates of the head and neck. The Red
Eyes responded with a shriek of pain, lashing out with its claws in attempt
to peel off its opponent's chrome hide. And on top of the Blue Eyes sat
Kaiba, somewhere between petrified and awed, taut muscles forcing his
fingers to cling onto the white dragon's head crest.
"We're running out of time!" Yami-Yuugi hissed at Jounochi.
"Let's go!"
The blonde simply crossed his arms, a look of stubborn refusal on
his face. "I want to know what the last option is."
The Game King gave Jounochi an odd look before withdrawing
yet another card. "This card. A trap card called the 'Horn of Heaven'. It is
a Light Spell-type magic, which will nullify a single summoned monster -
Magic, spells and all. That means that any whiplash effects will also
be sucked and eliminated before it can strike its user."
Jounochi began laughing, putting one hand on the Yami for
support. "You have _this_ card with you, and you didn't tell me?" He
finally said. "Gee, and you had me worried for such a long time!"
However, Yami-Yuugi's face remained serious. "The problem
with this card is that it requires one creature for sacrifice. And since we
are not in a Duel right now, a 'creature' would mean anything living that is
not created by Magic."
"Wait," The gears in Jounchi's head suddenly began turning, the
familiar pit of despair returning in his stomach. "_You_ can't be sacrificed,
since you're fueling the Magic! Which means that..." His voice trailed off
suddenly as he gazed at the distant Kaiba, still engaged in battle, and then
himself. "Fuck me."
Yami-Yuugi ignored the language. "There has to be a better way
out of this." He gritted his teeth. "We've got to find some other chance."
"I already found it." Jounochi gave a hollow laugh, shoving
Yuugi into the Game King's grasp before smiling grimly. "I'm going in."
Yami-Yuugi snorted "Don't be stupid! Once you're sacrificed,
you'll never come back!"
"Good for me." Came the reply. Jounochi gazed into the Game King's
scarlet eyes, suddenly defiant of their power. "I might act stupid,
but I knew it was planned. You knew that there would be no choice but
to sacrifice me." The blonde cut off the Yami's protestations. "It's
funny huh? You'd think that after I die, I'd go to a monster graveyard or
something, but judging from the look of your eyes, there is no 'graveyard'
for me to be returned from."
"Jounochi." Yami-Yuugi's voice came in a tight almost shameful
whisper. "I'm sorry."
Tears were rapidly filling his chestnut-brown eyes, though the
boy blinked them away. "Ah," He finally said, "It doesn't really matter
anyway. It's all like Kaiba said - I should have been dead a long time ago."
Yami-Yuugi watched in slight amusement as thick tears streaked
down the blonde's eyes at the mention of Kaiba's name. "You like him,
don't you?"
Jounochi glanced up in surprise before his face flushed a deep
crimson. "Yeah." A lonesome sigh. "I guess. He always acts like such a
bastard, but he really is just one of us. That's the way some
people are."
A sudden piercing cry interrupted the pair's exchange, the Red
Eyes having disengaged from the close-on assault to fly backwards and
attempt a long-ranged attack.
"My call." Jounochi smiled. "Wouldn't want that prig Kaiba to
hurt himself now, would we?" He wiped the last tears from his eyes,
amazingly calm and relaxed, hiding his chaotic and fear-splattered mind
from even himself.
The blonde hopped back onto the Winged Dragon, giving the
faithful creature a pat by the head.
"Jounochi!" Yami-Yuugi called, siding beside the blonde one last
time. "I..I wanted to thank you. For all of us." And with that, he
embraced the blonde, holding him in a firm and supporting grasp. Fueled
by emotions beyond desperation, Jounochi sought for the Game King's
comfort, exchange finally traveling to a soft kiss. The Yami could feel a
million sensations swirling madly in the blonde's mind, torturing
the boy's youthful soul. Yet, a single fixed point sat on the center, always
glimmering with a soft light.
Hope. That light was hope. And the Game King focused on that single
point, his Magic letting Jounochi taste that one feeling.
At last, Jounochi let go, involuntarily licking his lips to retain the
last piece of reassurance; to begin to understand the secret behind the
Game King. The blonde broke into a radiant smile. "No. Thank
you." He winked at the Yami, before allowing his ride to shoot off into the
air. "Take care of Yuugi for me, will ya?"
And that was the last thing the Game King heard from him, the
Winged Dragon launching at the Red Eyes with perfected speed. This
time, the Red Eyes was caught unprepared, shrieking with fury when
Jounochi promptly jumped and launched his weight right at the black
dragon's head, holding for dear life onto its horns.
Yami-Yuugi did not need to hear the blonde boy's voice to feel the
signal. The Yami brandished the one card, looking at it for a bit
before nodding in determination. "I use the Horn of Heaven, and sacrifice
the Winged Dragon //Jounochi!// to nullify the Red Eyes Black Dragon!"
The Sennen Eye immediately manifested itself as a glowing
pattern on the Yami's head, the Puzzle glimmering with the same hue.
Yami-Yuugi concentrated and poured the offered Magic into the attack,
careful not to channel too much energy as his Aibou had unwittingly done.
The sky suddenly turned a deep crimson, a vortex of silvery-gold
growing in the center until it engulfed both the Red Eyes and Jounochi
riding on it. One quick flash of light and it was over, both disappearing as
if never there.
Silence ensued, and the Game King watched from the corner of
his eye as Kaiba bowed his head sorrowfully, trying to hide his anguish
in a scowl. The Yami nodded in grim satisfaction, a horrible pit of
guiltiness overpowering his soul.
Yami-Yuugi brushed a stray golden bang away from his Aibou's
peaceful face. He continued to hug the boy protectively until Kaiba flew
over to join them.
And the Winged Dragon uttered a single wailing cry, echoing
over the silent landscape.
************************************
Yuugi opened his eyes, to be greeted by the full onslaught of
sunshine. Confused, the boy looked around, sighing in relief as he felt the
soft grass and firm ground underneath him.
"You're finally awake." Yami-Yuugi chuckled, sliding beside the
smaller boy.
"Yes." Yuugi rubbed his weary eyes, blinking confusedly around
him. "But... what happened?" His looked first at his Yami and then at the
lone figure of Seto Kaiba.
"Where's Jounochi?"
********************************
End notes:
Just wanted to say, EmeraldPhoenix (I was reading your fics the other day ^^=),
all my other Yu-Gi-Oh fics are one-shot. Sorry about that ^^(), it just
wouldn't make sense to continue them!
As a side note, please do NOT e-mail my chibizoo@hotmail.com account
(messenger buddies are still welcome!), due to a potential hotmail virus deleting my
messages! In the meantime, use my chibizoo@yahoo.com account if you have any
questions, comments, flames ;_; , or praise *smile smile*.
Eevee muse: *snorts* Who would want to be a fan of _your_ fics?
Zoo: Three people - Me, Myself, and I ! ^^V
Next time:
- Finally we get a bite of Pegasus!
- Another appearance of those strange Millennium Items (I'm _begging_ someone
to tell me Shadi's millenium items. I know he has a scale, but what is the other one?)
