HCG: *content yawn* Mmm, I've had a nice lil' break, and I think it's time to get back to work on the story.
Slash: Good idea.
HCG: Oh, 'n by the way, we've got another guest character! ^_^ Another of m'favorite Yugioh characters, Seto Kaiba!
Kaiba: Another of your favorite characters? You mean to say I'm not the only one?
HCG: No, Bakura and Ryou are favorites too.
Kaiba: What, is it the whole "Ancient Egyptian Magic" thing? I've got Egyptian background too, you know!
HCG: So you do, but I still have to say you tie with Bakura and Ryou.
Kaiba: *grumble*
Slash: ^_^ Looks like somebody's jealous!
Kaiba: *stares at Slash for a second* o_O;; What are you?
Slash: I'm an anteater. Duh.
Kaiba: O_O;; you look like a cartoon-ish Duel Monster...
Slash: ¬_¬;;
HCG: *hastily jumping in before Slash decides to kill Kaiba* So! What do you think of your role in my story so far, Seto?
Kaiba: *grin* I love it. I'm so kick-ass it's not even funny. I can't wait for this chapter, too, especially when I--
HCG: *leaps forward and covers his mouth* No telling! How'd you know about what happens in Chapter 5 anyway?
Kaiba: I had Mokuba steal the script ^_^
HCG: *blink* Mokuba? Why Mokuba?
Kaiba: Come on, haven't you noticed that Mokuba has some odd talent for sneaking in and out of places, and of escaping places?
HCG: ...no?
Kaiba: *counting on fingers* He snuck up on Pegasus' meeting with the Big 5, escaped from Pegasus' castle, escaped again when Tristen rescued him (even if Tristen did the work, Mokuba still escaped nonetheless), snuck out of KaibaCorp. when I got stuck in the Virtual Pod game, snuck back into my lab, and finally in the game itself he got into the Dark Castle unharmed. You've never noticed this?
HCG:...no?
Kaiba: Oh. *shrugs*
HCG: Hey, before I start the story, can I ask a question?
Kaiba: Sure.
HCG: Can you show me a Blue Eyes White Dragon?
Kaiba: O_O!!! No WAY!
HCG: Plllleeeease? I'll make you look really cool in the fic! ^_~
Kaiba: Well....alright. *takes out one Blue Eyes card, shows it to Guardian*
HCG: OOOooh, it's so cool looking! I've always liked the Blue Eyes Dragons, they're the coolest dragons of them all...
*HCG winks at Slash as she babbles on about dragon cards. Slash grins and picks Kaiba's pocket when he's distracted, stealing the other two Blue Eyes cards*
HCG: Well, I'd better get onto the fic now, or people'll leave. Would you mind doing the disclaimer, Kaiba?
Kaiba: Not a problem. HCG doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh, but she owns Slash and Karma (who's currently absent). And, of course, we all know that I am the genius that owns KaibaCorp and all three Blue Eyes White Dragons!
HCG: Yes, Kaiba, we know that. ¬_¬;; Modest, aren't you?
Kaiba: ^_^ Quite. *takes out deck* O_O;; Where are my Blue Eyes cards?! *notices Slash's grin, dives after him* GET BACK HERE!
HCG: *dodging a large cartoon-style fight, complete with dust clouds and shouts* _;; To the ficcie, before I get myself killed!
Notes:
I'm not going to bother with telling you about Yugi and Yami, or Ryou and Bakura. You ought to know those by now...and if you don't, that means you haven't been paying attention, naughty you!
Italicized words are thoughts or dreams/memories
Shadow Turned Light
Chapter 5: The Opposition
Yugi listened to the last three chilling words to escape Seto Kaiba's mouth in shock. He kills them? Kills? But how could he even think such a thing?
Kaiba continued speaking with utter calm in his voice, as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary. "Once I'm done, Bakura, then you can explain to me why you tried to bring Yami into the Opposition's base."
The tomb robber behind Yugi emitted a soft growl, as if he was getting annoyed, but Kaiba paid no attention to it. For the first time since they had met, he turned his head to the boy at the point of the gun in his hands and spoke. "And as for you, you'll learn the hard way never to mess with Seto Kaiba. You're not the only one who keeps their promises of death...Pharaoh."
Yugi stared at the teenage CEO with outward calm, brilliant violet eyes locking on to icy blue ones. "Kaiba, I'm not--"
"Shut the hell up!" Seto roared, jerking his gun-hand slightly. He didn't fire, just held the gun, with it's overwhelming power of life and death, pointed straight at Yugi's forehead. "You've made me suffer so damned much with all your lies and deceitfulness, I'm not taking any of it anymore. Just shut up."
He looked as if he was going to pull the trigger, to end everything right then and there, but something stopped him. Yugi wasn't sure what, exactly, but he was sure that behind Kaiba's eyes a battle was taking place. He was angry, there was no doubt about that, but there was another emotion mixed in there, too.
It came to the young Hikari quite suddenly what else he was seeing. Kaiba recognizes me, he thought suddenly, startled. He knows that it's me, not Yami. But because I'm dead...he thinks it's all a trap. Just like Bakura did. He doesn't want to hurt me, but he wants to get rid of Yami. He doesn't know what to do... An unexpected wave of pity rolled across Yugi's mind; he felt horrible knowing he was causing so much conflict within his friend's very soul.
It looked as though Seto's mind was being made up, however, as logic once again took over. His hand tightened on the gun again, his finger reaching for the trigger. Yugi did nothing, only looked upward at the gun-bearer with sad, pity-filled eyes.
With a loud snarl, Bakura slipped forward a pace to stand between the young Hikari and the gun-point. He folded his arms angrily, staring at the gun-bearer with an air of control. "I did not just risk my aibou's very life and soul to save this boy so that you could kill him, Seto Kaiba! Put down the gun; I have no time to deal with your anger today."
To Yugi's surprise, Kaiba did lower the gun, but he still held it ready as if he expected danger to come suddenly. His hateful glare never once wavered, however, and he never took his eyes off of the young Hikari.
"What is the meaning of this, Bakura?" he asked coldly, his steely tone piercing the air better than any knife would. "You bring the worst of traitors into the base of the Opposition, protect him, and now order me around? Explain."
"There is much explaining to be done," the Ring spirit replied, tone cool and calm. "But I believe you will understand my position once I am done. This boy," he said, indicating Yugi, "is not the Yami you so despise. It is his Hikari; it is Yugi Moto."
There was a brief flicker in Kaiba's eyes, a flash of some sort of emotion--relief, or anger?--but it disappeared almost instantly. "Yugi Moto? Don't be a fool. Yugi has been dead for nearly two years now. I know you like to talk of your Egyptian magic quite a bit, but even I know that it cannot conquer death."
Bakura sighed. "That is true," he said slowly, "but this is a different matter altogether. This Yugi is not the one we knew; he comes from another Realm, another dimension."
Kaiba was silent for a few seconds, as if thinking over the information he had just received. Finally, after what seemed like an age, he spoke. "I doubt it. It is far more likely that this is one of that damned Yami's tricks. Why should I believe what you say?"
"Because I have proof," Bakura spat, his patience now lost.
Seto snorted disdainfully, yet his eyes blazed with uncertainty as he spoke. "Proof? Fine. Give me proof that even I will believe, and I will take back all my actions here tonight with a sound apology, and admittance into the base. But if your so-called proof isn't strong enough...there will be one less traitor to worry about in the morning." With the tone he used, Yugi was positive that he meant every single word spoken.
"There is no need for such threats, Kaiba," Bakura said harshly, eyes narrowed. "Yes, I have the proof that would make even the most doubtful of your thoughts vanish." His tone softened, became just a bit gentler--just a bit. "I understand that you have been through a lot, Kaiba, and that you want to see justice done. We all do, some of us more than others. But you must understand that needless threats will solve nothing; on the contrary, they will ruin everything."
"The proof." Seto's words held the air of a command, and unmistakably one that had to be followed. There was no other reaction; his cold eyes bored as deep as they ever had, burned as intensely as before.
The tomb robber sighed. "Very well. The proof." He turned and indicated Yugi with a sweep of his hand, drawing the boy into the conversation. "And strong proof it is. There have been three cases that have given me all the information I need, all concerning Yugi. Firstly, he says that he came through a portal, which according to his...sources...lead from farther than the Shadow Realm. All the facts that he gave me concerning this portal couple closely with the legends of Other Universes; I doubt that he could have created such information up on the spot when I questioned him, so therefore this must be true."
There was only a small grunt of acknowledgement from Kaiba to show that he had been listening before Bakura continued.
"Second, Yugi also claims that he cannot mind link to Yami, no matter how much he tries. If he were from this Realm, if he somehow survived, no matter how much Yami had betrayed him, the link would still survive. As it is not there, it is quite obvious that he has no connection to the Pharaoh because that is not the same Pharaoh he has become magically tied to."
This time, Kaiba's reaction was somewhat noticeable; his eyes flickered over Yugi carefully, calculating, before returning to meet the thief ahead of him. The Ring spirit, seeing the teen CEO's reaction, continued with his third reason.
"But most importantly, Kaiba, is something that even you cannot come up with an excuse for. We all know that the Millenium Puzzle the Pharaoh currently has is tainted with Shadow; no matter how much we may try, we could never get rid of such dark influence completely, even with the help of all six other Millenium items. The Puzzle would carry it's taint forever. Yet Yugi's Millenium Puzzle here has entirely pure magic, untouched by the darkness of the Shadow Realm. Pure magic, Kaiba. Do you realize what that means now?"
Apparently he did. He was gazing at Yugi with new respect; the young Hikari found it a startling change from the bitter anger that had filled his eyes only moments ago. "I had no idea," he said, looking troubled. "I--I don't believe it. Did you test the Puzzle? Are you sure it's pure?" His voice was intense, as if he wanted desperately to know the answer, and at the same time wanted to seal it away, never to be learned.
"I am positive. I have tested it with my own Millenium Ring. The Puzzle is pure, and this is really Yugi Moto."
"God...I..." Kaiba seemed too shocked for words. After thinking about it, the young Hikari saw why; to the company-owning teen it seemed as if a friend, once thought dead, had rose again. Within seconds he regained his composure, however, and spoke again. "I'll allow him to be admitted, right now. Though I expect this whole thing to be explained. Follow me." He turned to walk down the long, dark corridor, tucking the hand gun safely into it's holster and patting it once for reassurance.
Yugi fell into step behind Kaiba quietly, thinking over the newly discovered pieces of information. So Seto's in the Opposition, he thought to himself, surprisingly calm. From the sounds of it, he's got a pretty high rank, too, if the way he was ordering Bakura around is any judge. But...Kaiba had said that Yugi--well, really Yami--had caused him much suffering. He wondered what had happened to the teen in order to make him go so far as to be willing to kill. So much has changed...
Bakura had moved forward to walk beside Kaiba, and Yugi vaguely listened to the conversation they were having. He could tell that the tomb robber was explaining the entire situation to the teenage CEO. He started carefully at the beginning, telling of Yugi's dream, the odd portal, his being dragged through, and his meeting with the thief spirit. When the story got to the point when Bakura explained the Theory of the Other Realms, Kaiba nodded in interest and added his own thoughts.
"It makes logical sense that there are other Universes, other Dimensions, other Realms. Even more sense to say that they are on different levels, as you said. As to why Yugi was pulled through to this Realm out of all the selections...I'm not positive, but I think I have a theory to explain it." Yugi's interest perked up at these words, and he listened intently. "You see, each Realm should theoretically have an opposite Realm...a "Negative Realm" you might say. As each of these dimensions would reflect one another, they have stronger pulls on each other than they would on other dimensions. It makes sense that Yugi would be pulled through into the Negative reflection of his own Realm."
"That would explain why you're all acting differently than how I normally know you," Yugi said quietly, speaking up for the first time since Kaiba had tried to silence him. He noticed Bakura snort in disgust at the mention of his other self, but ignored it. Seto nodded quietly before continuing on in silence.
The corridor seemed endless, stretching forwards in eternal darkness, light battling its way through only to be swallowed up again. Then, suddenly, they were standing at a pair of double doors made of solid steel. They were locked, but Kaiba moved casually to a control panel to the side of one of the doors, punching in several numbers on the keypad. A small compartment slid open near the keypad, and the teen pressed his hand against the screen within, waiting patiently while a light slid down past his fingers and examined the prints. "We have to be careful," he said calmly, noticing Yugi's surprised stare. "Too much of our security has been broken into of late."
The young Hikari nodded and was about to speak, but at that moment the double doors opened with a quiet woosh and revealed the rooms inside.
Yugi's first thought was that it was gigantic. He stared with amazement at the room as he was herded through by the Ring spirit behind him, half disbelieving. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all white, so pure in color that it was almost blinding. Computers lined two of the walls, some with impossibly large screens, others only the size of a regular household computer. A third wall had doors and halls leading away from the huge main room, and in the middle of the room were gatherings of tables and desks. What surprised him most, however, was the people. There weren't many, or at least it didn't appear so from the size of the room--in any case, there certainly weren't enough to fill all those seats at the computers and desks. But each person wore a determined face, as if they would fight hard for their cause and never give up. They took care of their tasks with patience and skill, whether it was reading off information from the computers or examining papers elsewhere.
Kaiba stepped up next to him, the hint of a satisfied smile on his face, and spoke calmly. "Yugi, welcome to the Opposition."
"I don't believe it!" Yugi gasped. "This is incredible!"
Seto's vague smile disappeared as he moved forward towards one of the computers, walking briskly. His voice and actions were perfectly serious now, reminding the young Hikari of the Kaiba in his own world.
"I thank you for the compliment," the teenage CEO said quietly. "These days things like that don't come along all that often. It has been hard to lead this Opposition with so much trouble from Yami, but I do my best."
Yugi blinked, shocked. "You're the leader?!"
"Of course," Kaiba said smoothly. "I created the Opposition, and now I plan, command, and take part of all it's resistance movements." The grin returned momentarily, but did not reach his eyes. "I have earned myself a nickname as well. Some know of my fierceness in my plans...they call me the Blue Eyes, in honor of the Dragon."
Blue Eyes! Yugi thought to himself suddenly. I should have known...the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba's favorite card!
"Some think I am too young for such a high position in such an important resistance organization," Seto continued, "but I have earned my rank. I support the vast majority of this resistance movement; I provide the technology, the training, the resources, the information." He sighed. "In fact, I probably support nearly all of the resources, ever since your Grandfather's sources died down."
The young Hikari looked shocked. Grandpa, I forgot about Grandpa! "What...happened? Why...are the sources...gone? Grandpa's not..." he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence.
Bakura understood immediately. "No, he's not dead, although your Yami probably wishes otherwise. Soon after Kaiba formed the Opposition, it became evident to the Pharaoh through his spy network that your Grandfather was providing information for them. Considering that he is an archeologist, and knew quite a bit about the Millenium items at that, such information could be deadly to Yami if in the wrong hands. After all, your Grandfather did discover the Millenium Puzzle, and there was a chance he knew something about it that would help us defeat him. So one day, nearly a year and a half ago, Yami burst into the Game Shop and attacked outright. Your Grandfather should have been dead, but lucky for him I had been there. I managed to fend Yami off long enough to allow your Grandfather to escape. Later that same day I managed to sneak him onto a plane headed for America. He should be safe there, but we cannot get word to him; he travels around the country too much."
"We haven't had word from him in nearly three months now," Kaiba added, "but I'm positive he's fine. Yami would have gloated about it otherwise."
Yugi released a sigh of relief, only just realizing that he had been holding his breath. At least Grandpa's okay here, he thought to himself.
Seto shook him out of his thoughts. "I hope you don't mind, Yugi, but there are a few things I have to check over before we can discuss your predicament. I have to look over the reports, analyze the newly-found data, and so on." The teen turned quickly and walked off, heading towards one of the desks, where a stack of papers threatened to fall and land on the floor. He snatched the sheets before they had a chance to complete their mischief and shuffled through them, reading over their contents with a carefully trained eye. Some Opposition agents would come up and speak to him for a few seconds before he responded in what was obviously an order; all of the agents listened quietly and did exactly as he asked, some of them nearly running to complete their tasks. Vaguely, Yugi thought he recognized a few of the agents as people from his school, both teachers and students alike. Some of them noticed him as well, and glanced at him curiously, but as he came in with Kaiba and Bakura, the leader and one of the top agents, they said nothing.
"He's really into the Opposition, isn't he?" Yugi asked of the Ring spirit beside him, now watching Kaiba reading over a few charts at one of the large-screened computers.
"It's all he's got left to live for," the tomb robber said softly in reply, also watching the computer-talented teen.
The young Hikari frowned at the reply; Bakura sounded far too serious, as if he meant exactly what he said. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that it really is all that he's got left to live for. If he didn't have the Opposition depending on him so much, he would probably die, or kill himself."
"What?! Why?"
"Mokuba." The single word--single name--was spoken softly, as though the ancient thief did not want it to be heard. "Mokuba is the reason."
Yugi felt a cold pang of dread fill his heart, but he asked the question forming in his mind anyway. "What...happened...to him?" Even as he asked, he was afraid he already knew the answer.
Bakura shook his head, regret once again filling his voice, as it had when he told of Yugi's fate in this Realm. "Yami had been gaining power slowly at the time it happened. He didn't have too many followers yet, but he was recruiting more steadily, day by day. With his power growing, there were few who could resist him, few who could stand in his way. But there was one person, and one company, that had enough control, enough non-magical power, to present a threat to him. KaibaCorp was, as I had said earlier, flourishing in it's prime. And Seto Kaiba was able to see how corrupted Yami had become.
"Kaiba put quite a bit of effort into using his company's influence to throw Yami off-track. It infuriated the Pharaoh, who hated to see somebody try to block his path to victory and control. He knew he had to get rid of the obstacle in his way, the obstacle that was KaibaCorp. So he went to the heart of it all, to Seto himself. As the saying goes, cut off the snake's head and the rest ceases to move. If he got rid of Kaiba, the rest of the company would die down and become less of a threat.
"But the shadows that wrapped themselves around Yami's soul gave him a rather sick and twisted sense of justice, or perhaps humor. He didn't get rid of Kaiba by killing him; it probably would have been more merciful anyway, and he wouldn't want that for an enemy. No, as I said, he always attacks the heart. And this time, the heart consisted of the one thing Kaiba cared most about--his brother Mokuba.
"Yami captured both of the brothers on the same day, Mokuba first, and then later Kaiba. He had both of them brought to his private offices. Kaiba was held by magic, so tight he could hardly breath let alone move. Mokuba was brought to the pharaoh, and...he was slowly killed, very excruciatingly slowly, in such evil torment that the mind feels sick just thinking about it. Kaiba was made to watch it all, unable to help his brother from the magic bonds that held him. When it was all done, Yami calmly released Seto and mockingly freed him. Yes, Kaiba was free, but the pharaoh had succeeded in what he had attempted to do; he had forced all of his rival's competitiveness out of his mind with a single move, reduced the threat KaibaCorp held on him to nothing.
"Since then, Kaiba has slowly recovered from his ordeal. He formed the Opposition soon after his brother's death, and he has been leading it ever since. He is a good leader, no matter what some may say about his age--he had a good sense of justice, and he makes intelligent decisions concerning the resistance movement constantly. Sometimes, however, his desperate need for revenge will show itself, as you no doubt have witnessed."
Yugi stared, wide-eyed in shock, as he sifted through all the new information he had been given. Mokuba dead, too! How much pain is there in this Realm?
"I...I don't believe this," the young Hikari murmured, mind still filled to the brim with surprise. "This is all so horrible..."
Bakura nodded, then winced suddenly as he noticed Kaiba returning to them. "I would not mention his brother if I was you," he hissed. "Just don't mention him at all." Yugi nodded quietly, agreeing. He didn't want to cause any more pain than he already had for the company-owning teen.
Seto sighed as he reached the other two once more, rubbing his temples absent-mindedly. "The negative reports are getting worse. Yami's moving quicker, now, and he's coming far too close for comfort to discovering some of our major secrets. If he learns that KaibaCorp supports the Opposition..." he let the sentence fall into the air, ending unsaid.
"He doesn't know?" Yugi asked quietly, staring at Kaiba, violet eyes searching. He hid his pain well, the Hikari could see--to the ordinary person, it would be impossible to notice how much torment the teen had gone through.
"No, he doesn't," Bakura said calmly. "He thought he had erased the threat Kaiba posed, but in fact he only strengthened it. KaibaCorp isn't openly against Yami, but Seto here manages to secretly use the company's resources to our advantage."
"It's not easy," Kaiba muttered. "The vast majority of the people working in the company, including my five main business associates, don't have a clue I'm with the Opposition. And if they did know, they would go running to Yami as fast as possible to sell me out. I have to keep it a secret, only trusting a few close agents."
Yugi frowned. "Those associates just don't like you, huh?" he said, before he could stop himself.
"What?" The teenage CEO asked, staring at the young Hikari in confusion.
"Oh...well, in my Realm they've turned on you already," Yugi explained. "I managed to help you out in defeating them, though."
"At least that's good," Kaiba said thoughtfully, before turning and leading the two other teenagers to a nearby table. He sat down wearily in one of the chairs, calling an agent over and asking them to see if there was any food for himself and his two friends. The agent scurried off in a rush, eager to complete a task set before her by the "Mighty Blue Eyes."
Bakura laughed at the retreating back of the young agent, explaining his amusement to the rather puzzled Hikari next to him. "She's a new one," he said, still chuckling. "The new ones always find it a huge honor when the powerful Blue Eyes asks them to do something. It doesn't matter what the task may be; he could ask them to sweep the entire floor in here and they would be ecstatic because the leader spoke to them." Kaiba rolled his eyes in annoyance, sending the Ring spirit into new fits of unexpected laughter.
"If we could get back to the matter at hand," Seto said coldly, his eyes sharper than steel. Bakura quieted, and he turned to Yugi. "So," he said calmly, "you come from another Realm, a reflection of our own Realm. What are you planning to do now?"
Yugi sat for several minutes in silence, thinking. He didn't notice as a few bowls of steaming soup and mugs of some other hot substance were brought out from the direction of one of the hallways and placed before him; he was too caught up in his own thoughts. I've never thought about that. What am I planning to do?
Finally he spoke, though his voice was quiet. "I suppose I'll try to find a way to get back to my own Realm," he said slowly, "though I'm not sure how to do that at the moment." Thinking suddenly of Seto's scientific theories and Bakura's magic ones, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to know of some way for me to get back home, would you?"
Kaiba sat quietly, studying him, hands wrapped around a mug of what looked like a strong, nearly black tea. Finally he spoke. "No, I wouldn't know of a way to get you back to your Realm. Not here, anyway. I don't have the power, or the magic, to complete such a huge task." He turned to Bakura. "What about you?"
The tomb robber eyed Yugi carefully before speaking. "As you say, there is no way for him to return to his own Realm from here, or at least not without all seven Millenium Items. However..." his voice became hesitant, as though he was unsure. "It seems that when Yami and Yugi were together in his Realm, their bond was strong enough to enhance the powers of the Millenium Puzzle; therefore it was the Puzzle that opened the gate from one Realm to the next. So it is the Puzzle that can open the gate one last time."
"But if the two had to be together in order to open the gate last time..." Kaiba began, paling slightly as he caught onto the thief's meaning.
"--Then the two have to be together again to open the gate once more," Bakura finished grimly, glancing at Yugi for a second time.
The Hikari was shocked. "But how could I even do that! I can't mind link with him in the first place, or fuse with him, or do any of the stuff that usually happens in a yami/hikari relationship. And why would I even want to go near him after all this horrible stuff he's done?"
"You wouldn't have to fuse with him," the Ring spirit said slowly. "Just as long as the magic within both of you is close enough to combine, it will work."
Yugi sighed. "But how would I even get close enough?"
"There lies the problem," Bakura murmured, but he glanced at Kaiba slightly as he spoke.
Kaiba seemed to be having the same thought. "I could..." he murmured, almost to himself. Suddenly, his eyes seemed to light up, changing from a dull blue to a bright, icy shade. "But wait..." he said, his voice getting stronger.
"What?" Yugi asked, looking at the teen with surprise.
"Yugi comes from the reflected version of our own Realm. His Millenium Puzzle and it's magic is pure, and he stands for justice and for good. He may be able to help us against Yami."
The tomb robber sitting across from him was becoming noticeably more interested as well. "You are right," he said, a slight trace of excitement in his voice. "He could help us. He could provide an interesting counter to the pharaoh's evil deeds; perhaps even turn the tide enough in our favor to allow us to win." His face darkened. "But it is only a possibility. Yugi was defeated once before, remember."
"I remember perfectly," Kaiba said, strangely quietly, before turning to Yugi. "We will agree to help you reach the pharaoh, Yugi, but will you help us in return?"
"I don't know how much help I can be, but I'll do what I can," Yugi said, meaning every single word that he spoke. He would help, as much as he could, taking as many risks as he had to. "It's the least I can do; I owe you guys a lot."
"Very well," Kaiba said calmly, standing up. "Then we need to begin planning right away. I know it's late, but news of the supposed 'imposter Yugi' will spread quick, and reach Yami's ears too soon for my taste. If he knows about you too early, then any surprise moves I could use on him will be ruined."
"There is one problem," Bakura pointed out. "Yami's defenses have only gotten stronger in the past few months. It would be nearly impossible to break into his main complex; some of his defenses are heavily guarded secrets, and some only he himself knows about."
"All that information buried in his mind, and no way to get to it?" Yugi asked, frowning slightly. "How are you going to get in there, if you don't know about half the traps you're throwing yourself into?"
Kaiba grinned slightly. "We have a special tactic we like to use at times like this," he said calmly. "We rarely use it--it's pretty dangerous, and Yami gets pretty unpredictable after we do use it--but I have a good feeling about this mission. I think you're going to change everything, Yugi." The grin widened to a smile momentarily before disappearing into Kaiba's normal serious gaze. He turned to another agent passing by--not a new one, Yugi was glad to see--and said curtly, "Get my best agent over here. And tell him to set up a communication system on one of the bigger screened computers. We've got an ally to call on."
Yugi noticed the Ring spirit next to him twitch slightly. "You're not calling him, are you?" he asked, with a traceable sound of annoyance in his voice.
"Yes, I am," Kaiba snapped. "Get over it, Bakura. You hold a grudge far too long."
The thief snorted and folded his arms across his chest in defiance. "He's an egoistic, annoying, foolish mortal," he hissed glumly.
Seto rolled his eyes, then scanned the people in the room carefully, as if searching for somebody. "He should be here by now," he muttered to himself, but Yugi heard him. "It doesn't take that long to set up a transmission. Maybe--"
"Sorry, Kaiba," a voice behind the Blue Eyes said quietly, with a confident tone and a strong Boston accent. "I was on the other side of the base when ya called for me. It took a while to get here."
Yugi jumped in surprise as he saw Joey, of all people, standing behind Kaiba with his usual grin on his face. His long blonde bangs drooped in front of his eyes as they always had, hiding his strong brown eyes. He wore a dark, almost-black green jacket over another dark tee-shirt. His jeans and grey sneakers finished up his casual-looking appearance. There was something different about him though; despite his usual grin and normal appearance, there was something hard in his eyes, as if he had seen things too sorrow-filled for a regular person to deal with.
"Joey?!" the Hikari gasped in surprise. Of all places, he never expected to see Joey here. True, Bakura had told him that Joey had joined the Opposition, but still, he had never thought he would see his best friend standing next to Kaiba as the top agent in the resistance movement.
"Hey, Yuge," the boy said, voice full of his usual friendly cheer. There were no surprised tones at seeing the "dead Yugi" alive again, no accusations that he was in fact some trick of Yami's...just a simple hello in his usual greeting.
Joey must have seen the surprise on the young Hikari's face, because he said with a laugh, "Dun worry, I know everything about this particular situation already. You're from a different Realm, right?" He grinned again at the nod he received for an answer.
"It's great to see you safe and sound here," Yugi said quietly, still staring in surprise at his friend. "After everything I've heard, I would have thought something bad had happened to you too..."
"Nah," his friend said, winking. "Nothing can tear ol' Joey down." Despite the laugh in his words, there was a look in his eyes that said quite the opposite of what his words had.
Yugi noticed the look, and worried about his friend he asked quietly, "What's wrong? Has something happened to Serenity?"
Joey looked a little shocked, but he calmed. "Naw, nothing's wrong with her, or at least as far as I know. Ever since Yami started taking control, Ryou sent Tea, Mai, and Serenity off to some place in England where they'd be safe. Said he had acquaintances there that could look out for them. Unfortunately, Ryou was the only one that knew where this place was--not even Bakura knows--and since we can't get any information out of Ryou at this time, we don't know where the girls are." He shrugged. "At least they're safe, right?"
"I guess," Yugi said, frowning. So much is different...too much.
"I hate to break up the conversation," Kaiba said, a little annoyance detectable in his voice, "but we need to get down to business right now." He turned to Joey and asked calmly, "you have the transmission set up, right?"
"Yup," the boy replied, sounding indifferent, but in reality he was taking in all the information he gathered carefully. "Just tell me who you're contacting and your all set."
Seto laughed, but not out of amusement--the laugh was harsh sounding, and even a bit cold. "Contact the Seer."
Joey raised an eyebrow, but obediently walked to one of the computers nearby and typed something up quickly. The large screen on the wall flickered, a low buzz forcing it's way into their ears, while the screen itself was fuzzy and unfocused. Then, suddenly, the image on the screen became more focused, more visible, revealing who it was they were contacting.
Yugi's first reaction was to jump back in surprise. He couldn't believe who Kaiba was contacting, and his mind was a momentary jumble as he fought to reconstruct all his thoughts.
They were staring at a man on the screen, or more precisely the man's head and shoulders. He wore rather fancy and expensive clothes, and his long white hair flowed with his outfit quite nicely. Half of his face was covered by his long white bangs, showing only one eye. But Yugi knew already that the hidden eye wasn't an eye at all, or at least not one that a person would expect to see. It was a golden, metal-like eye, filled with magic, and one of the seven Millenium Items.
Which meant this man was none other than Maximillien Pegasus.
The wealthy creator of Duel Monsters began speaking almost immediately. "Kaiba-boy! I was wondering when you'd try and contact me again." He sighed in an annoyed fashion before bringing his ever-present glass of wine to his lips for a small sip. Once done, he began speaking again. "I don't know why you called out of schedule, but I can tell you that I have no news of Yami's movement since the last time you contacted me."
Kaiba stared up at the computer screen showing Pegasus' head and spoke, his voice strong and determined. "I don't need information on his actions, Pegasus. I've got a new angle to work by, a new side which may just win us our battle with the Pharaoh."
"Really?" Pegasus sounded very interested, raising his eyebrow in question. "Do tell."
The Blue Eyes pointed towards Yugi before saying calmly, "There. Yugi Moto is our new ally, and he will be helping us achieve victory."
Yugi finally managed to break in as Kaiba indicated him. "What are you doing talking to Pegasus?!" He yelled, eyes wide with shock.
Bakura slid up next to him, whispering quietly, "Remember, this is a different Realm. I don't know for certain what Pegasus is like in your Realm, but from the sounds of it he is not good. It is quite the opposite here; Pegasus is a strong ally that we trust often. He is the other Millenium Item user that tried to help me defeat Yami."
Pegasus was staring at him oddly with his one good eye. "Yugi Moto? I thought Yugi died years ago!"
"He did," Kaiba said curtly. "But this isn't that Yugi."
"What?" The Duel Monsters creator looked confused.
"Never mind, it's not important. Just--"
Pegasus took a sip of wine before interrupting. "Kaiba-boy, if you want my help then I have to know what I'm getting myself into first."
Kaiba growled slightly, annoyance showing on his face. "I believe I told you to forget it. I still hold a higher rank than you in the Opposition, and I--"
"Oh, for goodness sake, this is getting endless. Here." Pegasus' Millenium Eye flashed once, and Yugi had the odd feeling that his mind was being opened up and read as if it were a piece of paper. He shivered as he realized that the millionaire had just read his mind.
"Interesting," the Duel Monsters creator said evenly, as if nothing had happened at all. "Coming through Realm portals. Pure Millennium Items. Yes, I understand now, Kaiba-boy."
Yugi shuddered again as his thoughts were confirmed. "Don't...don't do that again," he muttered in Pegasus' direction. To his surprise, the wealthy man shrugged and took another sip of wine.
"If you want," he said smoothly. "Most people find the idea of mind-reading rather chilling. I would expect the same from you."
"This is really weird," Yugi muttered again, rubbing his forehead wearily.
Pegasus ignored him and turned back to Kaiba. "So, what exactly is it that you require of me?" he asked.
"I need you to probe Yami's mind. I need all the information I can possibly get on his defenses at his main complex."
The millionaire looked startled, and his skin paled considerably. "You want me to what?!" He hissed, leaping upright and nearly spilling his wine. "Do you realize the risks that would take? Yami can tell when I dig into his mind, and even if he can't stop it, he'll be able to sense where my magic came from. He'll have his Special Guard down on me in hours!"
"I'm willing to take the chance," Kaiba spat. "Yugi here is our biggest and most important priority. If we can get him into Yami's chambers, he may be able to cripple the pharaoh's power. Do you realize the advantage we would gain from that? But in order to do that, he has to get into the building first. And to do that, we need to know Yami's defenses."
Pegasus seemed to think for a moment before sighing. "You're right," he said slowly. "It would be far too great an advantage to pass up." he took a deep breath, than spoke again. "Give me one minute."
With the high-ranking Opposition agents watching, Pegasus closed his remaining eye and concentrated. Light began to shimmer in the magical item in his left eye, growing brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding. His hair rose slightly with the power the eye discharged, as if there was some wind blowing it gently upward. Then, suddenly, his hair jumped back into place and his eye snapped open.
"I have the information you need," he said quietly. "All of it."
"Good," Kaiba snapped. "Then give it to me so I can start planning!"
Pegasus frowned. "Now, now, Kaiba-boy, no need to be rude. I should take your soul for that."
Seto grimaced. "Just give me the information and drop your idiotic threats."
The Duel Monsters creator sniffed disdainfully. "You know me too well. No, I would never steal a soul, even if some people are being annoying and impolite." It was obvious from his emphasis on "some people" that he really meant Kaiba.
Yugi found this most amusing, and suddenly burst out laughing. He received a confused stare from Pegasus and an angry glare from Kaiba, but it only made him laugh harder.
"What's so funny?" Seto growled.
"Oh, nothing...it's just that this is all so...so different from my Realm..." the Hikari burst into laughter again.
"Will you stop it?!" the teenage CEO snapped.
"But..." Yugi burst into more mad giggles, "but you see, in my Realm, Pegasus really did steal your soul!" He nearly collapsed with his laughter, until somebody dragged him to his feet and held him steady by holding onto his shoulders.
Kaiba looked at him oddly before turning back to Pegasus. "I want you to give me those facts right now, or I'll..." the sounds faded slowly away, and Yugi realized that he was being lead away from the conversation.
"Geeze," Joey muttered, "the way they act you'd never guess those two were friends." It took Yugi a second to realize that it was Joey holding him up, and now steering him back toward the table he had first been at. He sat down at one of the chairs wearily, still chuckling to himself.
Joey sat down opposite him. "Now, what on Earth happened to you?" he asked, eyeing his friend curiously.
Yugi sighed. "I don't know. I guess it was just all so...so weird...and there was so much difference that I noticed...I just couldn't take it all. I know what I was laughing about wasn't really that funny, but I just needed to do something to get it all out, and it was either laugh or explode."
Joey nodded understandingly. "I hear ya, Yuge," he said quietly. He sighed suddenly. "Look, man, I gotta get back to work, or Kaiba'll kill me. Once my shift's done I'll come back and hang out with ya, alright?" Yugi nodded gratefully, and watched as his friend strode off towards one of the halls.
Not long after Joey had left, Kaiba and Bakura returned to the table. Kaiba was now carrying several scraps of paper, which bore quite a few important notes. Bakura had a map clutched in his hands; when he spread it out on the table it turned out to be a plan of Yami's complex.
Kaiba began talking to Yugi and Bakura quietly, marking several places on the map. "Yami uses both modern technology and ancient magic to guard his base," he said carefully, "which means that this is going to be tougher than we thought. We have to have as few men going in as possible. Yugi is obviously going, because he has to get in to meet with Yami. Bakura, you'll have to go to take care of the magic wards; you're the only person we have who currently has a Millenium Item."
"What about Malik?" Yugi asked suddenly. "Or Shadi, or Isis?"
"Malik," Bakura said with distaste, "Is currently in Egypt, researching the Millenium items for clues on how to defeat Yami. He is also defending the Egyptian areas from Yami's men; the pharaoh has an interest in learning more about the items if he can, and that cannot happen. Isis is with her brother, also aiding in the research. As for Shadi, it is unknown as to where he is at this time."
"Oh," Yugi muttered. "Okay, go on."
Kaiba grumbled before continuing. "I'll go on this mission, too, to take care of the modern technology." Bakura looked as if he would protest, but Seto spoke first. "I am going, and nothing you say will stop me. I'm still one of the most skilled men here, and Yugi needs all the skill he can get on his side." The tomb robber's arguments faded away, and Kaiba thought for a minute before continuing. "We need one more man to guard our backs, to keep watch for us. Joey, I think; he's got the right skills for that type of thing. That's all the men we can afford to send in; you two, myself, and Joey."
The young Hikari looked at the Blue Eyes with surprise. "You're pretty good at strategy, Kaiba." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Do you still play Duel Monsters?"
"Duel Monsters?" Kaiba laughed, once again a sound of cold harshness. "I haven't played the game in six months, and I sold my deck to support the Opposition."
"Sold your deck?! Even your Blue Eyes White Dragons?" Yugi asked, surprised.
"Especially the Blue Eyes. They sold for a high price, and brought in money the Opposition sorely needed." Seeing the question in Yugi's mind, he answered it. "I know KaibaCorp brings in quite a bit of money, but I can't use all of it on the Opposition. My associates would get suspicious if they discovered that the company's money was draining away into nothing. I had to get money for the resistance movement elsewhere." He shrugged. "I have no time for games, Yugi. It doesn't matter if the deck--or the dragons--are gone or not." His ice blue eyes contradicted what he said, however.
Yugi sighed and dropped the matter. He returned to the map with his friends, and Kaiba slowly came up with a plan to get into the base. Bakura helped him out, giving advice and opinions; an hour or two later, Joey got off of his shift and came to the table, doing the same. Within a few hours, the four of them had their plan memorized by heart and ready for action. It was a dangerous scheme, full of risks and many openings for failure, but it was the best they had.
Finally, Kaiba turned to the young Hikari, staring at him with his steely blue eyes. He spoke calmly, making each word he said have a strong impact on the boy.
"Get ready, Yugi, because tomorrow is going to be hell on Earth."
Silently, Yugi had to agree with the sentence. Hell on Earth. Exactly.
* * * * *
HCG: *pant* Sooooooo.......tired.......soooo.....late.....it's nearly 12:00 midnight!
Karma: *suddenly appearing* So GO TO BED!
HCG : Have to take care of my guests first....*points to Slash and Kaiba, both laying on the ground, exhausted after their fight. Kaiba has won his Blue Eyes cards back*
HCG: So, Kaiba, now what do you think of your role in my story?
Kaiba: *getting up* ^_^ I'm still so damned cool. But poor Mokuba...*sniff*
HCG: Dun worry, it's not real.
Kaiba: ^_^ good
HCG: I can't believe how long this got...*sigh* and I thought chapters 3 and 4 were long.
Karma: *shrugs* As long as the chapters are good, who cares how long they are?
HCG: Right! *smiles slightly, then half falls over* Okay, I have to go to bed now. But first....Kaiba? Can I have your trench coat?
Kaiba: o_O;; Why?
HCG: I think it's cool ^_^ I love it in the shows, it's all flowing and cool.
Kaiba: *shrugs* alright. *takes off trench coat and hands it to Guardian*
HCG: ^_^ Thanks! *runs off to bed with trench coat*
Kaiba: She's weird. Anyway, review for this story, please? And agree with me, don't I act so damn cool in this story?
Slash: *on floor* *growls*
Kaiba: o_O;; erm...I'll just leave now...*reaches to take deck out of his pocket, and discovers it was in his trench coat pocket* O_O;; HEY! GUARDIAN, GET BACK HERE!!!