Yuki
By: Rogue Fox
Part Eight. Stand Beside Me
A/N: Hey, everyone. First off, many thanks to all the great reviewers! It's nice to know that something I do is appreciated. I just want to let you all know that I do a Duel in this fic. I don't go into huge detail because I'm not real good at portraying Duels, and this is not a fic about dueling. So there! That said, I would like to add that if I mess anything up, please don't flame me!!! Positive reviews and suggestions are very welcome. Also, I'm just letting you know, that we're nearing the end of this series, so if you want a sequel, let me know! I have a few ideas, and you'll probably want it anyway. Well, arigato and sayonara! Enjoy the story, and don't forget to review!
I ran up to Anzu, seeing her on the ground.
" Anzu! Are you okay?" I asked her shrilly. She didn't respond, which was quite understandable since she was unconscious. I sat with her for a few minutes before Yuki came tumbling out of the maze behind me. As they had with me, all her cuts and blood vanished immediately. She jogged over to join us.
" Anzu!" she cried out as I had. " Is she okay?" she asked me, a tinge of fear in her voice. I sighed, checked Anzu's pulse and nodded.
" Yeah, I think so. I think she's just unconscious." I told her. Yuki nodded her agreement and stood to her full height. She was shorter than me, but still tall enough to look imposing if she ever took it to her mind that she wanted to. I heard steps on the concrete floor and snapped my head up to see who approached us. A small part of my mind hoped beyond hope that it was Jou, but I dismissed that thought. It was Pegasus.
" You!" I screeched at him. I fumed and took on my PO'ed stance. " You slimy, despicable bastard! What do you want now?! How dare you even come near us after what you put us through?! This had better be good, you awful loony, or I swear I'll make you despise the day you were born!" I screamed at him. I didn't even notice that I had woken Anzu up or that Yuki had plugged her ears as I hit the high octaves. Pegasus just smiled at me, through my tirade. That only made me madder.
" I'm here to congratulate you ladies on your completion of the maze. Good job." He said calmly, as though I had greeted him perfectly normal and polite. I made a shrill noise in the back of my throat to indicate my intense agitation. Anzu stood shakily and I paused to make sure she was okay.
" I'm fine, I think." She told me. I immediately turned back to Pegasus.
" So what do want with us now?" I asked. I still refused to address him by his name. He was still "that bastard" in my book.
" I want you to run. My men will be after you in exactly thirty seconds and if you can make it out of here without getting caught, you're home free." Pegasus explained. All three of us stared at him.
" You're even crazier than I thought." I told him matter-of-factly. Pegasus laughed.
" You may be right. You'd better start running." He told us, tapping his watch.
" What about the guys?" Anzu asked, blurting the words out.
" You'll find them waiting for you if you make it out." He told us, tapping his watch again. I grabbed Anzu's arm and dragged her with me, Yuki running after us. Anzu got her feet beneath her after a few minutes and ran with us. I rounded a corner, running flat out.
" This is insane! I thought that bastard wanted to keep us here!" I shouted, gasping through my words as I ran on, desperate to put more distance between me and those guards.
" I thought so too! There has to be something more to this!" Anzu shouted back.
" I think there is." Yuki said quietly. I stopped at a four-way intersection and looked around myself.
" That one looks as good as any." I said, starting to run again. Anzu and Yuki followed behind me. To tell the truth, I was exalted with the thought of being able to escape, and see Jou again. I was worried about him, even though I'd never admit that to Yuki or Anzu.
" Hey, I think there's someone following us." Yuki said after a few minutes.
" Oh, great! Those goons can run fast!" Anzu cried, picking up her pace. I speeded up as well.
" Mai!" I swear I heard Jou's voice calling to me. I started to stop, but Yuki gave me savage shove. I started and kept running.
" I thought I heard Jou!" I shouted at her.
" Just keep running!" she shouted back, turning to glare at me. I had never seen her act so angry. Startled, I did as she told me. Momentarily, I became aware of footsteps behind us.
" Mai!" Jou's voice again!
" Keep running! Don't stop!" Yuki shouted, her eyes closed tightly and her hands clamped over her ears. I wondered why briefly, then turned my attention to running as fast as I could. Anzu was starting to drag behind us, and I was rapidly running out of strength. Yuki pulled ahead of me a few steps, fear of whatever or whoever was behind us driving her onward.
" Ah!" Anzu screamed suddenly. Almost immediately afterward, a hand clamped on my right arm. I opened my mouth to scream as something shot past me and grabbed Yuki, hauling her to a stop. I clamped my eyes shut and screamed as loud as I could. Whoever had my arm now grabbed my shoulders and shook me.
" Mai! Mai, it's me! Mai, shut up, will you?!" a voice yelled at me. I stopped and opened my eyes.
" Jou?" I asked, staring up into those brown eyes I knew so well in confusion and bewilderment.
" It's me. Who'd you think I was?" Jou asked me, smiling down at me. I thought for an instant that something was off about him, but I shoved that thought away and threw myself into his grasp, hiding my face against his chest.
" Jou! I thought I'd never see you again!" I cried into his chest. I could hear the smile on his voice.
" Nah, nothing could keep me away." He told me. I looked around us to where Anzu was almost choking a guy I decided must be Yami, judging by the height, and Yuki staring almost suspiciously up at Kaiba.
" You guys really scared us! We thought you were Pegasus's goons!" Anzu cried. Yuki still stared at Kaiba, as though she were trying to figure something out.
" What's the matter, Yuki? It's me. It's Seto." Kaiba said, his voice soothing like I had never heard him talk before.
" Liar." Yuki said suddenly. I stared at her.
" What's the matter with you, girl?" I asked, pulling away from Jou to go to her. To my surprise, Jou grabbed my arm. I turned back to him to give him a questioning look.
" Yes, what is the matter with you?" Kaiba asked. To me, he sounded genuinely concerned and almost hurt.
" You can't be Seto. I don't know you." Yuki said, suddenly heaving her body away from Kaiba. Unfortunately for her, he had a good grip on her arm.
" Yuki, what are you talking about?" Anzu asked, pulling away from Yami, who stepped up in front of her. " Hey, what's the big idea, Yami?" she asked him.
" Let me go!" Yuki screamed. Kaiba didn't listen to her.
" Jou, what's wrong? Why won't you let go of my arm?" I asked Jou. Surely there was a good reason for him acting like this.
" I'm. just so glad you're safe." Jou said. I frowned. That didn't sound like something Jou would say.
" Let go of me!" Yuki screamed again, twisting her arm ferociously.
" Stop this, Yuki! It's me!" Kaiba yelled back, yanking Yuki's arm violently. Yuki immediately cried out in pain and fell obediently beside him.
" You can't be Seto! Seto would never hurt me! I don't know who you people are, but leave us alone!" Yuki cried out. Kaiba gave her arm another yank.
" Hey, stop that, Kaiba!" Anzu yelled, trying to step around Yami and go to Yuki's defense. Yami just grabbed her and pulled her back.
" Ow! Jou, you're hurting my arm! Let go!" I cried.
" I'm sorry, Mai. I can't. I have to make sure you come with me. We need to take you three somewhere." Jou told me. His voice was soothing and reasonable. I saw no reason not to believe him.
" Uh, okay." I told him.
" No! I don't wanna go!" Yuki screamed, pulling ferociously again. Kaiba just pulled her back, hard enough to make her cry out again. Anzu seemed to be having her doubts.
" I want to talk to Yugi. Now." She told Yami. Yami just smiled that strange half-smile I had seen before. When he had a devious plan and he knew it.
" Yugi. can't talk at the moment. He's very tired." Yami explained. Anzu eyed him suspiciously.
" Why is he tired?" she asked.
" Enough questions. It's time to go." Kaiba announced walking back the way we had come, dragging Yuki, who was still fighting him, along. I followed Jou willingly enough and Anzu came behind Yami, every now and then giving her arm a yank to try to remove it from his grip.
" So, how did you guys find us?" I asked after a few awkward moments of silence. Why didn't I feel comfortable around Jou like I usually did, safe and happy? Was it our surroundings? Yeah, I thought, that must be it. It's this place. It's making us all edgy.
" We found a security room. Kaiba hacked into the computers and printed out a map of this place, then we used the surveillance system to locate you." Yami explained. Suspicion roused in me. Yami was a really smart guy, but he hated computers and most modern technology. I knew that. He wouldn't have had the slightest clue about how Kaiba had gone about locating us, even if Yugi did explain it to him, which wasn't possible since he had already told us that Yugi was too tired to control his own body. Anzu seemed to be thinking the same things, because she flashed me a questioning look. We both glanced at Yuki who gave us a look of pleading and pulled against Kaiba's grip all the harder.
" Um, where are you taking us?" Anzu asked.
" A safe place." Jou responded. I couldn't help but notice the malicious look that flashed across his face for a moment.
" Can you let go of my arm?" I asked him.
" No." was his simple response. That's when I got my first suspicion that Yuki was already acting on. For a moment, I thought that this guy couldn't be Jou. Jou would never. Well, I thought, he's under a lot of stress. I'm sure he has a good reason for all of this. I reasoned to myself. My logic made perfect sense.
After a few moments of rough yanks, Yuki's cries, and Anzu's increasingly frantic questioning, we were hauled into a room. My eyes immediately swept over the entire room, and were drawn to the Duel arena in the middle. I intended to ask, but I was interrupted.
" Honestly, ladies. I thought you'd get farther than that." Pegasus said. I turned to him and gave him a vicious snarl. Yuki paused a moment, stared at him, then looked at Kaiba, then began to yank and pull away from him, throwing her weight into the effort. It didn't really look like Kaiba even noticed.
" Alright, we brought them." Yami said, giving Anzu a jerk so that she stumbled in front of him.
" What?!" I asked in panic as Yuki and I were tossed violently to join Anzu. Kaiba appeared to be rather angry with Yuki's actions, so he gave her a particularly vicious jerk that sent her rolling head over heels. She landed a little in front of Anzu and I, looking up at Pegasus with a mixture of hate and fear in her eyes.
" That's for being such a pain." Kaiba told Yuki. For a moment, I think Yuki actually thought he was Kaiba and looked at him in shock and hurt, then her resolve from earlier came back. She promptly told him to shut up, using a few words that I didn't think Yuki even knew. Anzu and I stared at her.
" What?" she asked us. " I went to an American public school. I know how to sling BS." She said. She then turned her attention to Kaiba again. " If you open your mouth one more time, I'll deprive you of your manhood, got it?" she told him. Kaiba merely smiled at her, but didn't say anything.
" Well, ladies, I would like to welcome you to test number two. Torn Hearts, as I've taken to calling it." Pegasus informed us. " The three of you will choose one of your number to Duel against one of the young men here. Winner and his or her group live. Loser and their group dies. It's that simple." Pegasus told us, gesturing to the guys. " The match-ups are as follows; if Anzu is your chosen champion, she will Duel little Yugi and his older self. Yuki would go against Kaiba, and Mai would be put against Jounouchi." Pegasus explained. In a few minutes, us girls were grouped together out of ear shot of Pegasus and the guys.
" This can't be happening! I thought the guys were on our side!" Anzu said in a whisper.
" They are. Those aren't our guys. They're imposters." Yuki informed us coolly.
" Okay, that's definitely good news." I said, before Anzu could ask how Yuki knew. There wasn't time for questions. " We have to choose someone to duel. And we'd better do it quick, regardless of whether those guys are for real or not." I said.
" I can't." Yuki protested quickly. " I didn't even know what this game was until two weeks ago! You can't actually expect me to play it, especially against him." She told us, gesturing to Kaiba.
" Me? Against Yami and Yugi? They never lose and I don't even rank as a Duelist!" Anzu cried quietly.
" Then that leaves me." I said, flashing the guy who looked so much like Jou a somewhat scared look.
" Jou beat you once, he can do it again." Anzu protested.
" Then what do you suggest we do, Anzu? We don't have a choice. And besides, if Yuki is right, that isn't really Jou. And Jou is the only person who ever beat me fairly, so that means I can beat him." I said, feigning confidence I actually lacked for their benefit. Yuki nodded at my logic, but Anzu looked doubtful. I thought that maybe she still didn't trust me.
" I guess it's our only choice." She said reluctantly.
" What? You don't think I can do it?" I asked, instantly enraged.
" I think you can do it!" Anzu protested sharply.
" Then how about showing a little faith? Isn't that your favorite card? The Magician of Faith?" I taunted. " Or is it that you don't trust me? That's it, isn't it? It's been a whole year and you still don't think I'm worthy of your trust. You still think I'll stab you in the back the first chance I get!" I accused her. Anzu immediately flared.
" I do so trust you!" she protested, but her face told me otherwise. Somewhere deep inside me, I was truly hurt. Another part of me was upset. What if Anzu was right? What if I really wasn't worthy of her trust, or Yuki's or Honda's or. Jou's? I blinked back tears. I would not show any weakness now!
" I'm going to Duel Jou. And I will win." I told Anzu quietly, then turned back to Pegasus. " Did you hear that? I'll Duel! And I'm gonna win!" I yelled to him. But that little part of me was still hurt, still scared and still upset. Was Anzu right? No, she couldn't be. I'd prove her wrong. I'd prove to her that I was worthy! I'd prove to them all that I was worthy! And then maybe Jou. Maybe he might love me the way I loved him. Since I'd be worthy then. I wanted their friendship. More than I had ever wanted anything before. But as much as I wanted Anzu and Yuki and all the rest to see me as their friend, I wanted Jou to love me more. So much, this Duel was worth all the risk, just for that reward. And then, what if he really was Jou? I wouldn't stand a chance! Jou knew how to beat me. I swallowed all my doubts, fears, hopes, and dreams, as Yuki, Anzu and I followed one of Pegasus's guards into a room where there was every single Duel Monsters card imaginable. Here, I was to assemble my deck, with the help of Yuki and Anzu. Anzu and I were both forced to swallow our pride and put our earlier argument aside for the moment. I immediately picked out my cards of choice, assembling my deck easily.
" Here, Mai. Take these. You can't have all the same types of monsters." Anzu said, handing me some cards she had picked out herself.
" Let's see. Silver Bow and Arrow, Waboku, Magician of Faith, and. Shining Friendship?" I asked, looking up at her in question. She just shrugged.
" You might need it. It saved me, remember?" she said.
" Yeah, I do." I agreed, giving her a true smile. Maybe Anzu and I might someday become real friends.
" Hey I found some cool ones! Are these okay?" Yuki asked, showing us some cards of her own.
" Well, Gyakutenno Megami, Card Destruction, Change of Heart, Dark Hole." I glanced up at Yuki.
" I'm still new at this, but I like that one's effect. It's pretty good. It destroys all monsters on the field. It might come in handy." She said by way of explanation. I looked back to the cards in my hand.
" Dark Magician, Sword of Dark Destruction, Book of Secret Arts, and Yami?" I asked.
" I think if you put all those together you can make that Dark Magician really strong." Yuki said. I smiled at Yuki, who looked so eager to help.
" Thanks, both of you." I said, shuffling all of the cards into my deck. I hoped they would help me.
We walked out of the room and I stepped up to the Dueling platform. Jou took his place at the other end.
" Ready?" he asked me.
" Yeah. Let's go." I said, drawing my five cards. My hand consisted of Harpy Lady, Silver Bow and Arrow, Cyber Shield, Elegant Egotist, and the Harpy Feather Duster. I glanced across the arena at Jou, who was considering his move. Then I glanced back at Anzu and Yuki, partly for reassurance, partly just to know their position. Yuki had placed her total and complete faith in me, and seemed utterly convinced I could do this. I couldn't read Anzu's face. Everything was riding on this duel, our lives, our souls, our hopes, our dreams, everything I had learned to value. And if I won, I might win a prize that was so much better than all the money and luxuries I had Dueled for before. I might win friends and love, something so much better. I had to win. Regardless of who I was facing, I had to win. I just had to.
*+*+*
" Hey, how did you get out of your cell?" a goon yelled at us. " Oh, shit!" I cried, making a mad dash to get around the table in the middle of the room, thus putting it between me and a particularly large goon. Kaiba jumped and grabbed the chair he had previously been sitting at and tossed it clear across the room. A fight quickly broke out, and the odds, I saw immediately, were against us. However, somehow, Honda managed to grab a chair and started swinging it like a bat. Goons started going down like sacks of potatoes as a consequence.
It was a few minutes before we managed to take them all out. It was a bare thing, all the same. I was limping severely and Kaiba was rummaging through a small refrigerator for some ice to put on Honda's head. I worried a little about Honda. He had taken quite a few bumps to the head lately and I was worried that it might do some serious damage.
" As far as I can tell, it's just a bump." Kaiba said, shrugging helplessly. Honda held the ice pack to his head and groaned. " I mean, his eyes aren't dilated or anything like that, so I guess he'll be okay. But all the same, don't go to sleep, Honda." Kaiba finished, giving Honda a serious look. Honda smiled up at him from the chair he was sitting in.
" Aw, Kaiba. I didn't know you cared." He said sentimentally. Yugi laughed, but the laughter was short lived.
" Up until recently, I didn't." Kaiba told Honda, then shoved past me to investigate the surveillance screens.
" The girls seem to have disappeared." Yugi said, following Kaiba's gaze. I came up behind them, hoping beyond hope to spot Mai somewhere among the black and white images.
" Either that, or they started moving really fast." I suggested darkly.
" You don't think they got a break and tried to escape?" Honda asked me.
" Maybe." I said, shrugging. " It's a possibility. With those three, you never know."
" I'm not sure any of them would have been too eager to run for it without us. They're all pretty stubborn." Yugi said doubtfully. Then he crinkled his face up. " Or is that too arrogant of us to assume?" he asked. I laughed.
" I don't think it's too arrogant." I told him. " Who'd want to leave us behind?" I added jokingly.
" If they thought it was their only chance, they might." Honda said.
" Nah, if I know Mai, she'd stay around to try to inflict some damage on Pegasus. She'd be too keen on revenge to run off." I said confidently.
" Yuki would be far too interested in finding her brothers to bolt." Kaiba said, with as much confidence as I had. " Besides, I don't think Pegasus would let them escape. This next game he has sounds like he'll be having a jolly old time." Kaiba added, his face twisting into a sour grimace.
" What's the test?" Honda asked, still holding the ice pack Kaiba had made him to his head. I sat in another chair and inspected my leg. There was going to be a nasty bruise, but I didn't think it was too serious.
" That, I don't know. I just know he calls it 'Torn Hearts.' That sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?" Kaiba asked in response. Honda grimaced, and I mimicked the expression. Yugi considered carefully.
" I don't like the sound of that." He said finally.
" No more than the rest of us." I assured him.
" Whatever the test, we need to figure out how to help the girls." Kaiba said, pacing back and forth across the room, pausing to give one of the fallen goons a vicious kick. " He was waking up." He told us in excuse. I did recognize that particular goon as the one that had given Kaiba the nice black eye he was developing. I chose not to say anything and went back to studying the surveillance screens.
*+*+*
I winced as my life points dwindled down to 200. Jou had slammed my Harpy Lady before I could use the Elegant Egotist on her. And the next Harpy Lady I played. He had a powerful line-up on the field, and it had me worried. Too many big, powerful cards. They were knocking out my Harpies before I could juice them up. I glanced down at my hand. I still had Silver Bow and Arrow, I had drawn Shining Friendship, but I was afraid to play it, the Dark Magician, and the Book of Secret Arts. Elegant Egotist was face down on the field, and a D-Spell had gotten my Cyber Shield. It was my turn to draw. I drew, and peeked, almost afraid to look.
" Wait, this is the card that Yuki gave me." I muttered. Dark Hole, destroys all monsters on the field. If I played that, and then Dark Magician and the Book of Secret Arts. I might win! But then, if I beat Jou, he would die. That was the deal. I couldn't just let Jou die! But if I lost, me and the other girls would die. And they were counting on me to win. I looked across the field at him. There has to be a way to make sure he's not Jou, I thought. He looked so much like Jou. He shouldn't have been facing me, not like this. Wait, I thought suddenly, that's it!
" Hey, Jou!" I called. Jou looked up at me questioningly. " Our quote!" I cried. He looked at me in confusion.
" What?" he asked.
" Tell me our quote!" I called back.
" What quote?" he asked. I laughed.
" You're not Jou. Jou knows our quote. Jou wouldn't face me. He'd stand beside me." I said. I had all the proof I needed. " I play the Dark Hole." I said.
" What!" Jou cried. " You told me she didn't have any cards like that!" he yelled at Pegasus, who just looked bewildered.
" I made a few changes." I said.
" All right!" Yuki cried, pumping her arms victoriously.
" I knew you could do it!" Anzu agreed.
" How many times have I told you that your brainless cheerleading doesn't help?" I told Anzu, even though my smile must have told her of my gratitude. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed her acceptance. I needed it like I needed air to breathe. " Then," I continued, talking to the Jou-look-alike again. " I play the Dark Magician, and a card face down. Beat that!" I said, victory in my grasp. I had laid the Book of Secret Arts face down because I wanted him to think that he could still beat me and thus lay a monster in attack mode, so I could take out his life points, which I had previously damaged.
" That doesn't bother me." The imposter told me, drawing from his deck. He glanced at the card then threw it down. " I play the Red Eyes Black Dragon! And I power it up with Dragon Claws!" He informed me. That powered up dragon was enough to toast me. That is, if I didn't have the Book of Secret Arts. " And I attack." Imposter told em.
" That's fine. But I have the card face down. It's Book of Secret Arts." I said. Imposter made the appropriate angry noises. I glanced down to where Anzu and Yuki were smiling up at me. " Thanks!" I told them triumphantly. " That doesn't kill your dragon, but it's stuck in attack mode." I said out loud to the imposter. I drew my card, which happened to be Sword of Dark Destruction. I naturally equipped that to Dark Magician and made my attack, sending his life points to zero. I made a few fake bows. " Thank you, thank you. No flash photography, please. For signed pictures, please consult my agent." I said humorously. Anzu and Yuki clapped and cheered.
" Ah, I should have expected a Duelist of your caliber to strike back with such force, Mai." Pegasus said, adding his own claps. When Yuki and Anzu saw they were clapping with Pegasus, they stopped. I stepped down from the Dueling Arena and stood with my friends. My friends. That sounded really good. And I felt that I had earned their friendship, which made victory taste all the sweeter. Pegasus approached us.
" So what do you want now?" I asked.
" Well, I will give the young men one last chance at survival." Pegasus said. The imposters perked up from their slumped and defeated positions. " All they must do is kill you, and their survival will be insured." Pegasus informed us. We immediately cringed. Imposter Yami was the smallest, but tough stuff to deal with. I knew immediately. I couldn't stand up to any of those guys and hope to walk away from it. This wasn't going to be like fight Jou, who had never had any reason to hurt me and never would really do so. This imposter was not held back. He would kill me, I could tell by the malicious joy on his face. And I didn't have a single prayer to stop him. Yuki leaped to her left frantically, dodging a punch that would have been devastating, had it hit, from Kaiba. I had gotten a few hints that Yuki was a trained fighter and physically fit, but I knew that this Kaiba imposter was stronger. Yuki knew too. Anzu ran past me, Imposter Yami hot on her tail. I guessed she didn't want to hang around to find out if this guy had the same powers as Yami. I certainly didn't, and I made that clear by leaping away from him as he passed. Imposter Jou closed in on me, and I found a wall behind me. I was cornered, and there wasn't a hope in the world left for me, or my friends.
*+*+*
" There! I see them!" I cried, pointing to a monitor where I had spotted all three girls. They were standing together, obviously happy about something. Anzu and Yuki seemed to be cheering at Mai. They stopped cheering as Pegasus stepped on the screen.
" Why does it seem like whenever those three have something to be happy about, he shows up?" Honda asked. I shrugged, wishing I could hear what they said. Pegasus walked away from the girls, who were all watching something else apprehensively, something getting closer, almost on the screen.
" Hey, that's me!" I cried, gesturing to my look-alike as he stepped toward Mai. Mai backed away from him and up against a wall.
" Hey, you jerk, leave Yuki alone!" Kaiba cried. I took my eyes off Mai for a second to see Yuki on another screen, engaged in a battle of the fists with Kaiba's copy. She was losing, and spent most of her time running and dodging.
" Quit chasing Anzu!" Yugi cried, and I spared a glance at the screen he was looking at. Anzu was running away from someone I thought must be Yami, except couldn't be cause Yugi was right here and you couldn't find the one without the other. I directed my attention back to Mai. She leaped past my copy and scrambled to help Yuki, but my copy knocked her down.
" Doesn't he know it's not nice to push girls?" I growled.
" Or hit them?" Honda agreed, his attention on Yuki. I had thought for a long time that Honda might be developing a crush on Yuki. I didn't worry too much about it, since my buddy was a total romantic and often was falling for girls. But I did have to admit, he seemed to have fallen pretty hard this time.
" Kaiba, the real one, where are they?" I asked.
" Already on it. I think I can get us there." Kaiba said, his attention totally absorbed by the map print out.
" How long?" Yugi asked, never taking his eyes off of Anzu. Mai rolled away from her attacker on the screen, barely avoiding him. He grabbed her by the neck.
" Better be fast." I threatened. I needed something to direct my anger at, and Kaiba was there.
" How fast can you run?" Kaiba countered. Apparently, he had a lot of anger he needed to vent as well.
" Fast enough." I said, swelling my chest involuntary. Kaiba rose to the unspoken challenge, approaching me.
" I think you need to lose the attitude." He told me. I should have backed down then, and I knew it, but I didn't.
" And what if I don't want to?" I asked.
" Then I'll make you." Kaiba told me calmly. Rage billowed up inside me and made my throat burn. Our chests were almost touching as we glared at each other. It was Yugi who butted in.
" Okay, I totally understand the alpha male dominance thing, but now is not the time. Can you two fight it out later?" he asked. Kaiba and I immediately began to pretend the other wasn't there.
" Fight what out? I'm fine." I said. I thought for a second Kaiba might start it up again, but he didn't.
" I am, too. Let's go." He said, snatching up his papers and leading us out of the room. I almost asked why he had to lead. I really didn't want to deal with him right now. But I decided that some fights are better left not fought until later. Kaiba and I would settle our little dispute later, and it would probably end in fists. I was fine with that.
It was a long time, running in those hallways. And all the while I was thinking about how Mai might be in trouble. How she might need me. My promise to her. How I wouldn't be able to keep it if I didn't get there soon. I promised her I would always be there beside her, protecting her and being there for her. But I wasn't there. I was breaking my promise, and I hate that. It made me angry.
" It should be inside this door." Kaiba said, stopping finally. Yugi doubled over for a second, but he was up the next. I did a double take at him. It was Yami, not Yugi. Made sense to me. No offense to Yugi, but Yami was the tougher of the pair.
" So what's. the plan?" Honda asked Kaiba, still breathing hard. I was still mad at Kaiba, and Honda treating him like the leader made me madder. I felt adrenaline pumping into my system with my anger.
" There's no time for a plan. Let's go!" I cried, bursting through the door.
" Jou, wait!" Yami cried, following me through.
" Idiot." I heard Kaiba mutter. I wanted to turn around and discuss that term with him, but at that moment, I saw Mai. Her lips were turning blue as my copy, who I now thought really didn't look that much like me at all, strangled her.
" Get your hands off Mai!" I bellowed, charging at my copy. He dropped Mai upon spotting me.
" What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
" You said they were locked up!" Copy-Kaiba yelled at Pegasus.
" You'd better get away from Mai." I said. Kaiba, Yami, and Honda all made similar threats. I did note that Honda teamed with Kaiba to go to Yuki's rescue.
" Jou!" Mai gasped, her hands to her neck as she tried to breathe correctly. " Where have you been?" she asked.
" We were a little busy trying to find you." I said, my eyes locked on my copy. We circled each other, both waiting for the other to lunge first.
" Well, you sure took your sweet time!" Mai said. I figured she was probably glaring at me, but I didn't dare take my eyes off my opponent.
" Mai, can we talk about this later?" I asked. The next instant, I dove. It was a mad scramble of a fight. I distantly imagined that my copy and I were enveloped in one of those cartoon dust clouds. If the situation hadn't been so serious, I might have laughed. His foot found my jaw in a frantic kick, which I responded to with my own. I finally managed to stand, pulling my opponent with me and tossing him away from me. I heard his head crack on the concrete floor, but amazingly, he stood up. " My God, what are these guys made of?" I asked no one.
" That's what I'd like to know. Dark Oblivion doesn't seem to affect them." Yami said, shooting past me in an attempt to give himself more space. Blood ran down the side of my copy's face, and he grinned at me wildly.
" We're made of sugar and spice and everything nice." He told me. His voice sounded sort of like mine, but I didn't think it was enough to think he was me.
" Bull shit." I said. Mai jumped out of the way as my copy leapt at her, but I grabbed him around the shoulders. A struggle started between us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I remember suddenly hearing a loud snap as his head twisted too far to the side. He fell down as I let go of him, his body falling in a sick, unnatural twist. I stared at him. " I. I broke his neck." I muttered. Mai walked up to me. I felt her snuggle up against me, and I looked at her in bewilderment. I had killed for her. I had killed. " I killed him." I said, reality sinking in. I remembered what I had seen about Yami, about how Yami had had to kill the woman he loved. About how Nuru, my past self, had died trying to avenge his love. I had never even faced up to how I felt about Mai, and yet I had killed for her. It was so easy. I didn't even think about it. It just sort of happened. I don't know how the others finished their fights, and they never did tell me. I didn't want to know. I just remember Honda's hand on my shoulder. " I just murdered a man." I told them.
" We all did." Kaiba said quietly. My anger at him was gone. Replaced by a deep sympathy. I knew a friendship was forged between us in that moment. We had both killed. And we had killed to defend someone we loved. Neither of us would ever be the same. A deep friendship was born, one I would never doubt, ever again. Mai snuggled closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her. At least I had killed for a girl worth ever bit of all the suffering I had endured, and whatever more was to come. All of us guys had killed, but I think Kaiba and I were affected by it the most. Maybe Yugi, but I couldn't see him.
" Killing is always hard," Yami said. I got the feeling he was talking to Yugi as well. " And if you're a good person, it never gets easier. But some things just have to be done." He continued, shrugging helplessly. For the first time, I saw an emotion in those eyes of his other than smugness, anger, or shock. Sadness. There was sadness in him, and a lot of it. " If the cause is worthy, then whatever happens, it'll be all right." Yami promised, and then gave Yugi back his body. Yugi appeared really shaken up, but I thought he would be okay. Just like all of us.
" Well, I don't know if having outside help counts, but I suppose I let this pass." Pegasus said. I shot him a glare that Kaiba and Yami would have been proud of. " I'll leave you all alone so you can have your reunion." Pegasus said, stepping out of earshot. The girls treated us all to enthusiastic hugs.
" I have a question, Yuki." Anzu said after we were finished with initial greetings. " You knew right off the bat that that guy wasn't Kaiba. How did you know?" she asked. Yuki wrapped her arms around Kaiba's middle and smiled.
" I know my Seto. And that wasn't him. There were little things. His eyes were the wrong shade of blue, his hair was too long, that kind of thing. Plus, he didn't feel right." Yuki said.
" Feel right?" I asked. Even Kaiba looked at her questioningly.
" Everyone has a certain feel to them." Yuki explained, looking up at Kaiba helplessly. " Everyone feels different to me. I don't mean like touching feel, I mean like. soul-feeling. Everyone's souls feel different. And that guy's soul wasn't Seto's. So I knew." Yuki said, shrugging.
" How about you, Mai?" Anzu asked. I looked at Mai, waiting and wanting to hear her answer.
" I was suspicious in the beginning, but I let my eyes deceive me. Then, later, I asked him to tell me what our quote was and he couldn't. So I knew he wasn't the real Jou." She said, smiling up at me. I smiled back. My little vixen, I thought, you're so clever.
" You two have a quote?" Yuki asked. She was serious, but Anzu and Honda both had sly grins on their faces. I felt a blush creeping up my neck, but Mai stayed cool.
" Yeah. It goes, 'Don't stand in front of me so I may not follow. Don't stand behind me so I may not lead. Instead, stand beside me, so we may face the future together.'" She said. I grinned, and whispered in her ear, so the others couldn't hear.
" I promised. Did I keep my promise?" I asked her. She giggled and nodded.
" Hey, what was that about?" Anzu asked.
" Nothing." Mai and I said in unison. But, I remembered. *+*+* " Remind me why you took me to the library." Mai asked me, giving me a serious fish eye.
" So we could get some study time in for that test in biology." I said, handing her a book on that subject. Mai made a face at it.
" Ick. I hate biology. I don't wanna learn about a frog's guts." She wailed.
" You have to, or you won't pass." I said.
" Since when have you cared about passing?" she asked me.
" Since I want to get into a good college. Even if you want to be a fashion designer, you need to pass high school to get into college." I told her. Mai sighed and opened her book. I sifted through the pile I had gathered, and ran across a book of quotes.
" Hey, look at this. I wonder how this got in here?" I said, showing it to Mai. She grinned and scooted her chair next to me.
" Let's read it! Come on, Jou, we need a break from studying." She said, leaning her head on my shoulder. I sighed. She sure knew how to get me to cave.
" Fine, even though we've barely started." I said. We read through it until Mai found one she liked.
" Oooh! Listen to this! 'Don't stand in front of me, so I may not follow. Don't stand behind me so I may not lead. Instead, stand beside me, so we may face the future together.'" Mai read.
" You like that?" I asked.
" I think it's sweet." Mai protested.
" So do I." I agreed. Mai blushed a little, since she seemed to have thought I was teasing her. " If you like it so much, then it'll be our quote." I said. Mai smiled at me.
" Our quote? Really?" she asked, as though I was giving her the most incredible present.
" Yeah." I said, feeling myself starting to blush. " And I promise that I'll always stand beside you, no matter what. If you ever need me, no matter when or where, just call me." I said. Mai smiled wider.
" That sounds like a song, Jou." She told me, then pecked me on the cheek. Hormones went flying a light speed, and my face must have put Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer to shame. " Thanks." She whispered. *+*+* I sighed. Mai felt my lungs heave and looked up at me.
" What's wrong?" she asked. The others were chatting, everyone relating their story, all around us. Mai was like my peace and quiet, even though I knew the terror wasn't over.
" Nothing." I assured her, toying with a lock of her long hair absently, running it through my fingers as she snuggled against me. She leaned her head against my chest again. " Just remembering our quote and my promise." I told her. She smiled into my chest.
" Tell me your promise." She demanded. I gave her a questioning look. " I just like hearing you say it." She explained, smiling coyly. She knew I couldn't resist that smile.
" I promise I'll always stand beside you, no matter what. Through the good and the bad." I said.
" You never say it the same twice." Mai noted.
" I don't want to sound like a broken record." I told her.
" Are you ever going to turn it into a song?" she asked.
" Maybe someday. Who would sing it?" I asked in return.
" We'd find somebody." Mai said decisively. At that moment Anzu ran up to us and grabbed Mai's hands.
" Mai, I want to say I'm sorry about earlier. I should have trusted you more. You were right, I didn't have enough faith in you, and I should have." She said. I looked on, bewildered. Mai looked very pleased. " I'm sorry." Anzu said finally.
" Well, I forgive you. What do you say we go shopping after we get out of here?" Mai said. Anzu grinned.
" We can make Yuki buy a skirt." She said. Everyone laughed, except for Yuki who was confused (" What were you saying about me? Tell me, Anzu!"). And at that moment, Pegasus returned.
" Oh, man. How'd I just know that you were going to show up and spoil this good feeling?" I asked. Pegasus grinned that maniac grin of his.
" I just wanted to thank you all for managing to get yourselves all in one place for the final game." Pegasus said.
" Great, this sounds like it'll be a real blast." Kaiba said, pulling Yuki close to him.
" The next game is called Slice n' Dice Chess. I think you will find it. a one of a kind experience. Just know this; no one's heart is safe in this game. My servants will lead you to the game site." Pegasus said, turning and leaving the room. We were instantly surrounded by a group of goons.
" No carrying! We can walk, you know." Anzu said, shying away from a goon and getting closer to Yugi. We were herded along like cattle, and that fact was commented on several times. Suddenly, Yuki went white as a sheet.
" Yuki, what's the matter?" Yugi asked. Yuki glanced around herself, shook her head and made a dash to Kaiba. She seemed to think he would protect her from whatever she was afraid.
" I know what Pegasus is going to do." She whispered. " And it's not good. At all." She added. And so, with terror in our hearts, we followed our escort to the next game, and possibly, our doom.
By: Rogue Fox
Part Eight. Stand Beside Me
A/N: Hey, everyone. First off, many thanks to all the great reviewers! It's nice to know that something I do is appreciated. I just want to let you all know that I do a Duel in this fic. I don't go into huge detail because I'm not real good at portraying Duels, and this is not a fic about dueling. So there! That said, I would like to add that if I mess anything up, please don't flame me!!! Positive reviews and suggestions are very welcome. Also, I'm just letting you know, that we're nearing the end of this series, so if you want a sequel, let me know! I have a few ideas, and you'll probably want it anyway. Well, arigato and sayonara! Enjoy the story, and don't forget to review!
I ran up to Anzu, seeing her on the ground.
" Anzu! Are you okay?" I asked her shrilly. She didn't respond, which was quite understandable since she was unconscious. I sat with her for a few minutes before Yuki came tumbling out of the maze behind me. As they had with me, all her cuts and blood vanished immediately. She jogged over to join us.
" Anzu!" she cried out as I had. " Is she okay?" she asked me, a tinge of fear in her voice. I sighed, checked Anzu's pulse and nodded.
" Yeah, I think so. I think she's just unconscious." I told her. Yuki nodded her agreement and stood to her full height. She was shorter than me, but still tall enough to look imposing if she ever took it to her mind that she wanted to. I heard steps on the concrete floor and snapped my head up to see who approached us. A small part of my mind hoped beyond hope that it was Jou, but I dismissed that thought. It was Pegasus.
" You!" I screeched at him. I fumed and took on my PO'ed stance. " You slimy, despicable bastard! What do you want now?! How dare you even come near us after what you put us through?! This had better be good, you awful loony, or I swear I'll make you despise the day you were born!" I screamed at him. I didn't even notice that I had woken Anzu up or that Yuki had plugged her ears as I hit the high octaves. Pegasus just smiled at me, through my tirade. That only made me madder.
" I'm here to congratulate you ladies on your completion of the maze. Good job." He said calmly, as though I had greeted him perfectly normal and polite. I made a shrill noise in the back of my throat to indicate my intense agitation. Anzu stood shakily and I paused to make sure she was okay.
" I'm fine, I think." She told me. I immediately turned back to Pegasus.
" So what do want with us now?" I asked. I still refused to address him by his name. He was still "that bastard" in my book.
" I want you to run. My men will be after you in exactly thirty seconds and if you can make it out of here without getting caught, you're home free." Pegasus explained. All three of us stared at him.
" You're even crazier than I thought." I told him matter-of-factly. Pegasus laughed.
" You may be right. You'd better start running." He told us, tapping his watch.
" What about the guys?" Anzu asked, blurting the words out.
" You'll find them waiting for you if you make it out." He told us, tapping his watch again. I grabbed Anzu's arm and dragged her with me, Yuki running after us. Anzu got her feet beneath her after a few minutes and ran with us. I rounded a corner, running flat out.
" This is insane! I thought that bastard wanted to keep us here!" I shouted, gasping through my words as I ran on, desperate to put more distance between me and those guards.
" I thought so too! There has to be something more to this!" Anzu shouted back.
" I think there is." Yuki said quietly. I stopped at a four-way intersection and looked around myself.
" That one looks as good as any." I said, starting to run again. Anzu and Yuki followed behind me. To tell the truth, I was exalted with the thought of being able to escape, and see Jou again. I was worried about him, even though I'd never admit that to Yuki or Anzu.
" Hey, I think there's someone following us." Yuki said after a few minutes.
" Oh, great! Those goons can run fast!" Anzu cried, picking up her pace. I speeded up as well.
" Mai!" I swear I heard Jou's voice calling to me. I started to stop, but Yuki gave me savage shove. I started and kept running.
" I thought I heard Jou!" I shouted at her.
" Just keep running!" she shouted back, turning to glare at me. I had never seen her act so angry. Startled, I did as she told me. Momentarily, I became aware of footsteps behind us.
" Mai!" Jou's voice again!
" Keep running! Don't stop!" Yuki shouted, her eyes closed tightly and her hands clamped over her ears. I wondered why briefly, then turned my attention to running as fast as I could. Anzu was starting to drag behind us, and I was rapidly running out of strength. Yuki pulled ahead of me a few steps, fear of whatever or whoever was behind us driving her onward.
" Ah!" Anzu screamed suddenly. Almost immediately afterward, a hand clamped on my right arm. I opened my mouth to scream as something shot past me and grabbed Yuki, hauling her to a stop. I clamped my eyes shut and screamed as loud as I could. Whoever had my arm now grabbed my shoulders and shook me.
" Mai! Mai, it's me! Mai, shut up, will you?!" a voice yelled at me. I stopped and opened my eyes.
" Jou?" I asked, staring up into those brown eyes I knew so well in confusion and bewilderment.
" It's me. Who'd you think I was?" Jou asked me, smiling down at me. I thought for an instant that something was off about him, but I shoved that thought away and threw myself into his grasp, hiding my face against his chest.
" Jou! I thought I'd never see you again!" I cried into his chest. I could hear the smile on his voice.
" Nah, nothing could keep me away." He told me. I looked around us to where Anzu was almost choking a guy I decided must be Yami, judging by the height, and Yuki staring almost suspiciously up at Kaiba.
" You guys really scared us! We thought you were Pegasus's goons!" Anzu cried. Yuki still stared at Kaiba, as though she were trying to figure something out.
" What's the matter, Yuki? It's me. It's Seto." Kaiba said, his voice soothing like I had never heard him talk before.
" Liar." Yuki said suddenly. I stared at her.
" What's the matter with you, girl?" I asked, pulling away from Jou to go to her. To my surprise, Jou grabbed my arm. I turned back to him to give him a questioning look.
" Yes, what is the matter with you?" Kaiba asked. To me, he sounded genuinely concerned and almost hurt.
" You can't be Seto. I don't know you." Yuki said, suddenly heaving her body away from Kaiba. Unfortunately for her, he had a good grip on her arm.
" Yuki, what are you talking about?" Anzu asked, pulling away from Yami, who stepped up in front of her. " Hey, what's the big idea, Yami?" she asked him.
" Let me go!" Yuki screamed. Kaiba didn't listen to her.
" Jou, what's wrong? Why won't you let go of my arm?" I asked Jou. Surely there was a good reason for him acting like this.
" I'm. just so glad you're safe." Jou said. I frowned. That didn't sound like something Jou would say.
" Let go of me!" Yuki screamed again, twisting her arm ferociously.
" Stop this, Yuki! It's me!" Kaiba yelled back, yanking Yuki's arm violently. Yuki immediately cried out in pain and fell obediently beside him.
" You can't be Seto! Seto would never hurt me! I don't know who you people are, but leave us alone!" Yuki cried out. Kaiba gave her arm another yank.
" Hey, stop that, Kaiba!" Anzu yelled, trying to step around Yami and go to Yuki's defense. Yami just grabbed her and pulled her back.
" Ow! Jou, you're hurting my arm! Let go!" I cried.
" I'm sorry, Mai. I can't. I have to make sure you come with me. We need to take you three somewhere." Jou told me. His voice was soothing and reasonable. I saw no reason not to believe him.
" Uh, okay." I told him.
" No! I don't wanna go!" Yuki screamed, pulling ferociously again. Kaiba just pulled her back, hard enough to make her cry out again. Anzu seemed to be having her doubts.
" I want to talk to Yugi. Now." She told Yami. Yami just smiled that strange half-smile I had seen before. When he had a devious plan and he knew it.
" Yugi. can't talk at the moment. He's very tired." Yami explained. Anzu eyed him suspiciously.
" Why is he tired?" she asked.
" Enough questions. It's time to go." Kaiba announced walking back the way we had come, dragging Yuki, who was still fighting him, along. I followed Jou willingly enough and Anzu came behind Yami, every now and then giving her arm a yank to try to remove it from his grip.
" So, how did you guys find us?" I asked after a few awkward moments of silence. Why didn't I feel comfortable around Jou like I usually did, safe and happy? Was it our surroundings? Yeah, I thought, that must be it. It's this place. It's making us all edgy.
" We found a security room. Kaiba hacked into the computers and printed out a map of this place, then we used the surveillance system to locate you." Yami explained. Suspicion roused in me. Yami was a really smart guy, but he hated computers and most modern technology. I knew that. He wouldn't have had the slightest clue about how Kaiba had gone about locating us, even if Yugi did explain it to him, which wasn't possible since he had already told us that Yugi was too tired to control his own body. Anzu seemed to be thinking the same things, because she flashed me a questioning look. We both glanced at Yuki who gave us a look of pleading and pulled against Kaiba's grip all the harder.
" Um, where are you taking us?" Anzu asked.
" A safe place." Jou responded. I couldn't help but notice the malicious look that flashed across his face for a moment.
" Can you let go of my arm?" I asked him.
" No." was his simple response. That's when I got my first suspicion that Yuki was already acting on. For a moment, I thought that this guy couldn't be Jou. Jou would never. Well, I thought, he's under a lot of stress. I'm sure he has a good reason for all of this. I reasoned to myself. My logic made perfect sense.
After a few moments of rough yanks, Yuki's cries, and Anzu's increasingly frantic questioning, we were hauled into a room. My eyes immediately swept over the entire room, and were drawn to the Duel arena in the middle. I intended to ask, but I was interrupted.
" Honestly, ladies. I thought you'd get farther than that." Pegasus said. I turned to him and gave him a vicious snarl. Yuki paused a moment, stared at him, then looked at Kaiba, then began to yank and pull away from him, throwing her weight into the effort. It didn't really look like Kaiba even noticed.
" Alright, we brought them." Yami said, giving Anzu a jerk so that she stumbled in front of him.
" What?!" I asked in panic as Yuki and I were tossed violently to join Anzu. Kaiba appeared to be rather angry with Yuki's actions, so he gave her a particularly vicious jerk that sent her rolling head over heels. She landed a little in front of Anzu and I, looking up at Pegasus with a mixture of hate and fear in her eyes.
" That's for being such a pain." Kaiba told Yuki. For a moment, I think Yuki actually thought he was Kaiba and looked at him in shock and hurt, then her resolve from earlier came back. She promptly told him to shut up, using a few words that I didn't think Yuki even knew. Anzu and I stared at her.
" What?" she asked us. " I went to an American public school. I know how to sling BS." She said. She then turned her attention to Kaiba again. " If you open your mouth one more time, I'll deprive you of your manhood, got it?" she told him. Kaiba merely smiled at her, but didn't say anything.
" Well, ladies, I would like to welcome you to test number two. Torn Hearts, as I've taken to calling it." Pegasus informed us. " The three of you will choose one of your number to Duel against one of the young men here. Winner and his or her group live. Loser and their group dies. It's that simple." Pegasus told us, gesturing to the guys. " The match-ups are as follows; if Anzu is your chosen champion, she will Duel little Yugi and his older self. Yuki would go against Kaiba, and Mai would be put against Jounouchi." Pegasus explained. In a few minutes, us girls were grouped together out of ear shot of Pegasus and the guys.
" This can't be happening! I thought the guys were on our side!" Anzu said in a whisper.
" They are. Those aren't our guys. They're imposters." Yuki informed us coolly.
" Okay, that's definitely good news." I said, before Anzu could ask how Yuki knew. There wasn't time for questions. " We have to choose someone to duel. And we'd better do it quick, regardless of whether those guys are for real or not." I said.
" I can't." Yuki protested quickly. " I didn't even know what this game was until two weeks ago! You can't actually expect me to play it, especially against him." She told us, gesturing to Kaiba.
" Me? Against Yami and Yugi? They never lose and I don't even rank as a Duelist!" Anzu cried quietly.
" Then that leaves me." I said, flashing the guy who looked so much like Jou a somewhat scared look.
" Jou beat you once, he can do it again." Anzu protested.
" Then what do you suggest we do, Anzu? We don't have a choice. And besides, if Yuki is right, that isn't really Jou. And Jou is the only person who ever beat me fairly, so that means I can beat him." I said, feigning confidence I actually lacked for their benefit. Yuki nodded at my logic, but Anzu looked doubtful. I thought that maybe she still didn't trust me.
" I guess it's our only choice." She said reluctantly.
" What? You don't think I can do it?" I asked, instantly enraged.
" I think you can do it!" Anzu protested sharply.
" Then how about showing a little faith? Isn't that your favorite card? The Magician of Faith?" I taunted. " Or is it that you don't trust me? That's it, isn't it? It's been a whole year and you still don't think I'm worthy of your trust. You still think I'll stab you in the back the first chance I get!" I accused her. Anzu immediately flared.
" I do so trust you!" she protested, but her face told me otherwise. Somewhere deep inside me, I was truly hurt. Another part of me was upset. What if Anzu was right? What if I really wasn't worthy of her trust, or Yuki's or Honda's or. Jou's? I blinked back tears. I would not show any weakness now!
" I'm going to Duel Jou. And I will win." I told Anzu quietly, then turned back to Pegasus. " Did you hear that? I'll Duel! And I'm gonna win!" I yelled to him. But that little part of me was still hurt, still scared and still upset. Was Anzu right? No, she couldn't be. I'd prove her wrong. I'd prove to her that I was worthy! I'd prove to them all that I was worthy! And then maybe Jou. Maybe he might love me the way I loved him. Since I'd be worthy then. I wanted their friendship. More than I had ever wanted anything before. But as much as I wanted Anzu and Yuki and all the rest to see me as their friend, I wanted Jou to love me more. So much, this Duel was worth all the risk, just for that reward. And then, what if he really was Jou? I wouldn't stand a chance! Jou knew how to beat me. I swallowed all my doubts, fears, hopes, and dreams, as Yuki, Anzu and I followed one of Pegasus's guards into a room where there was every single Duel Monsters card imaginable. Here, I was to assemble my deck, with the help of Yuki and Anzu. Anzu and I were both forced to swallow our pride and put our earlier argument aside for the moment. I immediately picked out my cards of choice, assembling my deck easily.
" Here, Mai. Take these. You can't have all the same types of monsters." Anzu said, handing me some cards she had picked out herself.
" Let's see. Silver Bow and Arrow, Waboku, Magician of Faith, and. Shining Friendship?" I asked, looking up at her in question. She just shrugged.
" You might need it. It saved me, remember?" she said.
" Yeah, I do." I agreed, giving her a true smile. Maybe Anzu and I might someday become real friends.
" Hey I found some cool ones! Are these okay?" Yuki asked, showing us some cards of her own.
" Well, Gyakutenno Megami, Card Destruction, Change of Heart, Dark Hole." I glanced up at Yuki.
" I'm still new at this, but I like that one's effect. It's pretty good. It destroys all monsters on the field. It might come in handy." She said by way of explanation. I looked back to the cards in my hand.
" Dark Magician, Sword of Dark Destruction, Book of Secret Arts, and Yami?" I asked.
" I think if you put all those together you can make that Dark Magician really strong." Yuki said. I smiled at Yuki, who looked so eager to help.
" Thanks, both of you." I said, shuffling all of the cards into my deck. I hoped they would help me.
We walked out of the room and I stepped up to the Dueling platform. Jou took his place at the other end.
" Ready?" he asked me.
" Yeah. Let's go." I said, drawing my five cards. My hand consisted of Harpy Lady, Silver Bow and Arrow, Cyber Shield, Elegant Egotist, and the Harpy Feather Duster. I glanced across the arena at Jou, who was considering his move. Then I glanced back at Anzu and Yuki, partly for reassurance, partly just to know their position. Yuki had placed her total and complete faith in me, and seemed utterly convinced I could do this. I couldn't read Anzu's face. Everything was riding on this duel, our lives, our souls, our hopes, our dreams, everything I had learned to value. And if I won, I might win a prize that was so much better than all the money and luxuries I had Dueled for before. I might win friends and love, something so much better. I had to win. Regardless of who I was facing, I had to win. I just had to.
*+*+*
" Hey, how did you get out of your cell?" a goon yelled at us. " Oh, shit!" I cried, making a mad dash to get around the table in the middle of the room, thus putting it between me and a particularly large goon. Kaiba jumped and grabbed the chair he had previously been sitting at and tossed it clear across the room. A fight quickly broke out, and the odds, I saw immediately, were against us. However, somehow, Honda managed to grab a chair and started swinging it like a bat. Goons started going down like sacks of potatoes as a consequence.
It was a few minutes before we managed to take them all out. It was a bare thing, all the same. I was limping severely and Kaiba was rummaging through a small refrigerator for some ice to put on Honda's head. I worried a little about Honda. He had taken quite a few bumps to the head lately and I was worried that it might do some serious damage.
" As far as I can tell, it's just a bump." Kaiba said, shrugging helplessly. Honda held the ice pack to his head and groaned. " I mean, his eyes aren't dilated or anything like that, so I guess he'll be okay. But all the same, don't go to sleep, Honda." Kaiba finished, giving Honda a serious look. Honda smiled up at him from the chair he was sitting in.
" Aw, Kaiba. I didn't know you cared." He said sentimentally. Yugi laughed, but the laughter was short lived.
" Up until recently, I didn't." Kaiba told Honda, then shoved past me to investigate the surveillance screens.
" The girls seem to have disappeared." Yugi said, following Kaiba's gaze. I came up behind them, hoping beyond hope to spot Mai somewhere among the black and white images.
" Either that, or they started moving really fast." I suggested darkly.
" You don't think they got a break and tried to escape?" Honda asked me.
" Maybe." I said, shrugging. " It's a possibility. With those three, you never know."
" I'm not sure any of them would have been too eager to run for it without us. They're all pretty stubborn." Yugi said doubtfully. Then he crinkled his face up. " Or is that too arrogant of us to assume?" he asked. I laughed.
" I don't think it's too arrogant." I told him. " Who'd want to leave us behind?" I added jokingly.
" If they thought it was their only chance, they might." Honda said.
" Nah, if I know Mai, she'd stay around to try to inflict some damage on Pegasus. She'd be too keen on revenge to run off." I said confidently.
" Yuki would be far too interested in finding her brothers to bolt." Kaiba said, with as much confidence as I had. " Besides, I don't think Pegasus would let them escape. This next game he has sounds like he'll be having a jolly old time." Kaiba added, his face twisting into a sour grimace.
" What's the test?" Honda asked, still holding the ice pack Kaiba had made him to his head. I sat in another chair and inspected my leg. There was going to be a nasty bruise, but I didn't think it was too serious.
" That, I don't know. I just know he calls it 'Torn Hearts.' That sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?" Kaiba asked in response. Honda grimaced, and I mimicked the expression. Yugi considered carefully.
" I don't like the sound of that." He said finally.
" No more than the rest of us." I assured him.
" Whatever the test, we need to figure out how to help the girls." Kaiba said, pacing back and forth across the room, pausing to give one of the fallen goons a vicious kick. " He was waking up." He told us in excuse. I did recognize that particular goon as the one that had given Kaiba the nice black eye he was developing. I chose not to say anything and went back to studying the surveillance screens.
*+*+*
I winced as my life points dwindled down to 200. Jou had slammed my Harpy Lady before I could use the Elegant Egotist on her. And the next Harpy Lady I played. He had a powerful line-up on the field, and it had me worried. Too many big, powerful cards. They were knocking out my Harpies before I could juice them up. I glanced down at my hand. I still had Silver Bow and Arrow, I had drawn Shining Friendship, but I was afraid to play it, the Dark Magician, and the Book of Secret Arts. Elegant Egotist was face down on the field, and a D-Spell had gotten my Cyber Shield. It was my turn to draw. I drew, and peeked, almost afraid to look.
" Wait, this is the card that Yuki gave me." I muttered. Dark Hole, destroys all monsters on the field. If I played that, and then Dark Magician and the Book of Secret Arts. I might win! But then, if I beat Jou, he would die. That was the deal. I couldn't just let Jou die! But if I lost, me and the other girls would die. And they were counting on me to win. I looked across the field at him. There has to be a way to make sure he's not Jou, I thought. He looked so much like Jou. He shouldn't have been facing me, not like this. Wait, I thought suddenly, that's it!
" Hey, Jou!" I called. Jou looked up at me questioningly. " Our quote!" I cried. He looked at me in confusion.
" What?" he asked.
" Tell me our quote!" I called back.
" What quote?" he asked. I laughed.
" You're not Jou. Jou knows our quote. Jou wouldn't face me. He'd stand beside me." I said. I had all the proof I needed. " I play the Dark Hole." I said.
" What!" Jou cried. " You told me she didn't have any cards like that!" he yelled at Pegasus, who just looked bewildered.
" I made a few changes." I said.
" All right!" Yuki cried, pumping her arms victoriously.
" I knew you could do it!" Anzu agreed.
" How many times have I told you that your brainless cheerleading doesn't help?" I told Anzu, even though my smile must have told her of my gratitude. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed her acceptance. I needed it like I needed air to breathe. " Then," I continued, talking to the Jou-look-alike again. " I play the Dark Magician, and a card face down. Beat that!" I said, victory in my grasp. I had laid the Book of Secret Arts face down because I wanted him to think that he could still beat me and thus lay a monster in attack mode, so I could take out his life points, which I had previously damaged.
" That doesn't bother me." The imposter told me, drawing from his deck. He glanced at the card then threw it down. " I play the Red Eyes Black Dragon! And I power it up with Dragon Claws!" He informed me. That powered up dragon was enough to toast me. That is, if I didn't have the Book of Secret Arts. " And I attack." Imposter told em.
" That's fine. But I have the card face down. It's Book of Secret Arts." I said. Imposter made the appropriate angry noises. I glanced down to where Anzu and Yuki were smiling up at me. " Thanks!" I told them triumphantly. " That doesn't kill your dragon, but it's stuck in attack mode." I said out loud to the imposter. I drew my card, which happened to be Sword of Dark Destruction. I naturally equipped that to Dark Magician and made my attack, sending his life points to zero. I made a few fake bows. " Thank you, thank you. No flash photography, please. For signed pictures, please consult my agent." I said humorously. Anzu and Yuki clapped and cheered.
" Ah, I should have expected a Duelist of your caliber to strike back with such force, Mai." Pegasus said, adding his own claps. When Yuki and Anzu saw they were clapping with Pegasus, they stopped. I stepped down from the Dueling Arena and stood with my friends. My friends. That sounded really good. And I felt that I had earned their friendship, which made victory taste all the sweeter. Pegasus approached us.
" So what do you want now?" I asked.
" Well, I will give the young men one last chance at survival." Pegasus said. The imposters perked up from their slumped and defeated positions. " All they must do is kill you, and their survival will be insured." Pegasus informed us. We immediately cringed. Imposter Yami was the smallest, but tough stuff to deal with. I knew immediately. I couldn't stand up to any of those guys and hope to walk away from it. This wasn't going to be like fight Jou, who had never had any reason to hurt me and never would really do so. This imposter was not held back. He would kill me, I could tell by the malicious joy on his face. And I didn't have a single prayer to stop him. Yuki leaped to her left frantically, dodging a punch that would have been devastating, had it hit, from Kaiba. I had gotten a few hints that Yuki was a trained fighter and physically fit, but I knew that this Kaiba imposter was stronger. Yuki knew too. Anzu ran past me, Imposter Yami hot on her tail. I guessed she didn't want to hang around to find out if this guy had the same powers as Yami. I certainly didn't, and I made that clear by leaping away from him as he passed. Imposter Jou closed in on me, and I found a wall behind me. I was cornered, and there wasn't a hope in the world left for me, or my friends.
*+*+*
" There! I see them!" I cried, pointing to a monitor where I had spotted all three girls. They were standing together, obviously happy about something. Anzu and Yuki seemed to be cheering at Mai. They stopped cheering as Pegasus stepped on the screen.
" Why does it seem like whenever those three have something to be happy about, he shows up?" Honda asked. I shrugged, wishing I could hear what they said. Pegasus walked away from the girls, who were all watching something else apprehensively, something getting closer, almost on the screen.
" Hey, that's me!" I cried, gesturing to my look-alike as he stepped toward Mai. Mai backed away from him and up against a wall.
" Hey, you jerk, leave Yuki alone!" Kaiba cried. I took my eyes off Mai for a second to see Yuki on another screen, engaged in a battle of the fists with Kaiba's copy. She was losing, and spent most of her time running and dodging.
" Quit chasing Anzu!" Yugi cried, and I spared a glance at the screen he was looking at. Anzu was running away from someone I thought must be Yami, except couldn't be cause Yugi was right here and you couldn't find the one without the other. I directed my attention back to Mai. She leaped past my copy and scrambled to help Yuki, but my copy knocked her down.
" Doesn't he know it's not nice to push girls?" I growled.
" Or hit them?" Honda agreed, his attention on Yuki. I had thought for a long time that Honda might be developing a crush on Yuki. I didn't worry too much about it, since my buddy was a total romantic and often was falling for girls. But I did have to admit, he seemed to have fallen pretty hard this time.
" Kaiba, the real one, where are they?" I asked.
" Already on it. I think I can get us there." Kaiba said, his attention totally absorbed by the map print out.
" How long?" Yugi asked, never taking his eyes off of Anzu. Mai rolled away from her attacker on the screen, barely avoiding him. He grabbed her by the neck.
" Better be fast." I threatened. I needed something to direct my anger at, and Kaiba was there.
" How fast can you run?" Kaiba countered. Apparently, he had a lot of anger he needed to vent as well.
" Fast enough." I said, swelling my chest involuntary. Kaiba rose to the unspoken challenge, approaching me.
" I think you need to lose the attitude." He told me. I should have backed down then, and I knew it, but I didn't.
" And what if I don't want to?" I asked.
" Then I'll make you." Kaiba told me calmly. Rage billowed up inside me and made my throat burn. Our chests were almost touching as we glared at each other. It was Yugi who butted in.
" Okay, I totally understand the alpha male dominance thing, but now is not the time. Can you two fight it out later?" he asked. Kaiba and I immediately began to pretend the other wasn't there.
" Fight what out? I'm fine." I said. I thought for a second Kaiba might start it up again, but he didn't.
" I am, too. Let's go." He said, snatching up his papers and leading us out of the room. I almost asked why he had to lead. I really didn't want to deal with him right now. But I decided that some fights are better left not fought until later. Kaiba and I would settle our little dispute later, and it would probably end in fists. I was fine with that.
It was a long time, running in those hallways. And all the while I was thinking about how Mai might be in trouble. How she might need me. My promise to her. How I wouldn't be able to keep it if I didn't get there soon. I promised her I would always be there beside her, protecting her and being there for her. But I wasn't there. I was breaking my promise, and I hate that. It made me angry.
" It should be inside this door." Kaiba said, stopping finally. Yugi doubled over for a second, but he was up the next. I did a double take at him. It was Yami, not Yugi. Made sense to me. No offense to Yugi, but Yami was the tougher of the pair.
" So what's. the plan?" Honda asked Kaiba, still breathing hard. I was still mad at Kaiba, and Honda treating him like the leader made me madder. I felt adrenaline pumping into my system with my anger.
" There's no time for a plan. Let's go!" I cried, bursting through the door.
" Jou, wait!" Yami cried, following me through.
" Idiot." I heard Kaiba mutter. I wanted to turn around and discuss that term with him, but at that moment, I saw Mai. Her lips were turning blue as my copy, who I now thought really didn't look that much like me at all, strangled her.
" Get your hands off Mai!" I bellowed, charging at my copy. He dropped Mai upon spotting me.
" What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
" You said they were locked up!" Copy-Kaiba yelled at Pegasus.
" You'd better get away from Mai." I said. Kaiba, Yami, and Honda all made similar threats. I did note that Honda teamed with Kaiba to go to Yuki's rescue.
" Jou!" Mai gasped, her hands to her neck as she tried to breathe correctly. " Where have you been?" she asked.
" We were a little busy trying to find you." I said, my eyes locked on my copy. We circled each other, both waiting for the other to lunge first.
" Well, you sure took your sweet time!" Mai said. I figured she was probably glaring at me, but I didn't dare take my eyes off my opponent.
" Mai, can we talk about this later?" I asked. The next instant, I dove. It was a mad scramble of a fight. I distantly imagined that my copy and I were enveloped in one of those cartoon dust clouds. If the situation hadn't been so serious, I might have laughed. His foot found my jaw in a frantic kick, which I responded to with my own. I finally managed to stand, pulling my opponent with me and tossing him away from me. I heard his head crack on the concrete floor, but amazingly, he stood up. " My God, what are these guys made of?" I asked no one.
" That's what I'd like to know. Dark Oblivion doesn't seem to affect them." Yami said, shooting past me in an attempt to give himself more space. Blood ran down the side of my copy's face, and he grinned at me wildly.
" We're made of sugar and spice and everything nice." He told me. His voice sounded sort of like mine, but I didn't think it was enough to think he was me.
" Bull shit." I said. Mai jumped out of the way as my copy leapt at her, but I grabbed him around the shoulders. A struggle started between us. I don't know exactly what happened, but I remember suddenly hearing a loud snap as his head twisted too far to the side. He fell down as I let go of him, his body falling in a sick, unnatural twist. I stared at him. " I. I broke his neck." I muttered. Mai walked up to me. I felt her snuggle up against me, and I looked at her in bewilderment. I had killed for her. I had killed. " I killed him." I said, reality sinking in. I remembered what I had seen about Yami, about how Yami had had to kill the woman he loved. About how Nuru, my past self, had died trying to avenge his love. I had never even faced up to how I felt about Mai, and yet I had killed for her. It was so easy. I didn't even think about it. It just sort of happened. I don't know how the others finished their fights, and they never did tell me. I didn't want to know. I just remember Honda's hand on my shoulder. " I just murdered a man." I told them.
" We all did." Kaiba said quietly. My anger at him was gone. Replaced by a deep sympathy. I knew a friendship was forged between us in that moment. We had both killed. And we had killed to defend someone we loved. Neither of us would ever be the same. A deep friendship was born, one I would never doubt, ever again. Mai snuggled closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her. At least I had killed for a girl worth ever bit of all the suffering I had endured, and whatever more was to come. All of us guys had killed, but I think Kaiba and I were affected by it the most. Maybe Yugi, but I couldn't see him.
" Killing is always hard," Yami said. I got the feeling he was talking to Yugi as well. " And if you're a good person, it never gets easier. But some things just have to be done." He continued, shrugging helplessly. For the first time, I saw an emotion in those eyes of his other than smugness, anger, or shock. Sadness. There was sadness in him, and a lot of it. " If the cause is worthy, then whatever happens, it'll be all right." Yami promised, and then gave Yugi back his body. Yugi appeared really shaken up, but I thought he would be okay. Just like all of us.
" Well, I don't know if having outside help counts, but I suppose I let this pass." Pegasus said. I shot him a glare that Kaiba and Yami would have been proud of. " I'll leave you all alone so you can have your reunion." Pegasus said, stepping out of earshot. The girls treated us all to enthusiastic hugs.
" I have a question, Yuki." Anzu said after we were finished with initial greetings. " You knew right off the bat that that guy wasn't Kaiba. How did you know?" she asked. Yuki wrapped her arms around Kaiba's middle and smiled.
" I know my Seto. And that wasn't him. There were little things. His eyes were the wrong shade of blue, his hair was too long, that kind of thing. Plus, he didn't feel right." Yuki said.
" Feel right?" I asked. Even Kaiba looked at her questioningly.
" Everyone has a certain feel to them." Yuki explained, looking up at Kaiba helplessly. " Everyone feels different to me. I don't mean like touching feel, I mean like. soul-feeling. Everyone's souls feel different. And that guy's soul wasn't Seto's. So I knew." Yuki said, shrugging.
" How about you, Mai?" Anzu asked. I looked at Mai, waiting and wanting to hear her answer.
" I was suspicious in the beginning, but I let my eyes deceive me. Then, later, I asked him to tell me what our quote was and he couldn't. So I knew he wasn't the real Jou." She said, smiling up at me. I smiled back. My little vixen, I thought, you're so clever.
" You two have a quote?" Yuki asked. She was serious, but Anzu and Honda both had sly grins on their faces. I felt a blush creeping up my neck, but Mai stayed cool.
" Yeah. It goes, 'Don't stand in front of me so I may not follow. Don't stand behind me so I may not lead. Instead, stand beside me, so we may face the future together.'" She said. I grinned, and whispered in her ear, so the others couldn't hear.
" I promised. Did I keep my promise?" I asked her. She giggled and nodded.
" Hey, what was that about?" Anzu asked.
" Nothing." Mai and I said in unison. But, I remembered. *+*+* " Remind me why you took me to the library." Mai asked me, giving me a serious fish eye.
" So we could get some study time in for that test in biology." I said, handing her a book on that subject. Mai made a face at it.
" Ick. I hate biology. I don't wanna learn about a frog's guts." She wailed.
" You have to, or you won't pass." I said.
" Since when have you cared about passing?" she asked me.
" Since I want to get into a good college. Even if you want to be a fashion designer, you need to pass high school to get into college." I told her. Mai sighed and opened her book. I sifted through the pile I had gathered, and ran across a book of quotes.
" Hey, look at this. I wonder how this got in here?" I said, showing it to Mai. She grinned and scooted her chair next to me.
" Let's read it! Come on, Jou, we need a break from studying." She said, leaning her head on my shoulder. I sighed. She sure knew how to get me to cave.
" Fine, even though we've barely started." I said. We read through it until Mai found one she liked.
" Oooh! Listen to this! 'Don't stand in front of me, so I may not follow. Don't stand behind me so I may not lead. Instead, stand beside me, so we may face the future together.'" Mai read.
" You like that?" I asked.
" I think it's sweet." Mai protested.
" So do I." I agreed. Mai blushed a little, since she seemed to have thought I was teasing her. " If you like it so much, then it'll be our quote." I said. Mai smiled at me.
" Our quote? Really?" she asked, as though I was giving her the most incredible present.
" Yeah." I said, feeling myself starting to blush. " And I promise that I'll always stand beside you, no matter what. If you ever need me, no matter when or where, just call me." I said. Mai smiled wider.
" That sounds like a song, Jou." She told me, then pecked me on the cheek. Hormones went flying a light speed, and my face must have put Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer to shame. " Thanks." She whispered. *+*+* I sighed. Mai felt my lungs heave and looked up at me.
" What's wrong?" she asked. The others were chatting, everyone relating their story, all around us. Mai was like my peace and quiet, even though I knew the terror wasn't over.
" Nothing." I assured her, toying with a lock of her long hair absently, running it through my fingers as she snuggled against me. She leaned her head against my chest again. " Just remembering our quote and my promise." I told her. She smiled into my chest.
" Tell me your promise." She demanded. I gave her a questioning look. " I just like hearing you say it." She explained, smiling coyly. She knew I couldn't resist that smile.
" I promise I'll always stand beside you, no matter what. Through the good and the bad." I said.
" You never say it the same twice." Mai noted.
" I don't want to sound like a broken record." I told her.
" Are you ever going to turn it into a song?" she asked.
" Maybe someday. Who would sing it?" I asked in return.
" We'd find somebody." Mai said decisively. At that moment Anzu ran up to us and grabbed Mai's hands.
" Mai, I want to say I'm sorry about earlier. I should have trusted you more. You were right, I didn't have enough faith in you, and I should have." She said. I looked on, bewildered. Mai looked very pleased. " I'm sorry." Anzu said finally.
" Well, I forgive you. What do you say we go shopping after we get out of here?" Mai said. Anzu grinned.
" We can make Yuki buy a skirt." She said. Everyone laughed, except for Yuki who was confused (" What were you saying about me? Tell me, Anzu!"). And at that moment, Pegasus returned.
" Oh, man. How'd I just know that you were going to show up and spoil this good feeling?" I asked. Pegasus grinned that maniac grin of his.
" I just wanted to thank you all for managing to get yourselves all in one place for the final game." Pegasus said.
" Great, this sounds like it'll be a real blast." Kaiba said, pulling Yuki close to him.
" The next game is called Slice n' Dice Chess. I think you will find it. a one of a kind experience. Just know this; no one's heart is safe in this game. My servants will lead you to the game site." Pegasus said, turning and leaving the room. We were instantly surrounded by a group of goons.
" No carrying! We can walk, you know." Anzu said, shying away from a goon and getting closer to Yugi. We were herded along like cattle, and that fact was commented on several times. Suddenly, Yuki went white as a sheet.
" Yuki, what's the matter?" Yugi asked. Yuki glanced around herself, shook her head and made a dash to Kaiba. She seemed to think he would protect her from whatever she was afraid.
" I know what Pegasus is going to do." She whispered. " And it's not good. At all." She added. And so, with terror in our hearts, we followed our escort to the next game, and possibly, our doom.