14 August
(You heretic)
And Ailill's reply- (So I'm not to try and defend what's mine then)
And Michael had said-
(You have nothing of yours! Everything is Master's. You are to obey Master, and only obey)
Apparently, Gabriel thought, Michael thought he had done an exceptionally good job of obeying Master, and therefore had the right to tell everyone else how to do it. Gabriel was somewhat grateful that he was Master's favorite, as he was spared most of the egotistical knight's rhetoric. But not even he was spared all of it.
He remembered the allegation Michael had for him alone, and not Ailill. He had thought of this constantly while performing the spell to place Ailill and himself into those gaps, and perhaps this was part of the reason he had been so precise-too precise, actually-
(I worry for you. You ought to be a better example to the others, what with being Master's favored one and everything. But you aren't. Why do you associate with the likes of Ailill and that rogue Blue Eyes? Why can you not acquire more estimable associates?)
(Such as you, Michael?)
But he should not blame Michael for his own mistake. He should instead take responsibility as the maker of this spell and figure out how to extricate himself from his present situation.
The body he had stuck himself in was about the age he looked whenever he was in a seeing duel. He was wearing a dark blue coat of the exact same design as that of Chihiro's Master- in fact, Gabriel realized, this could very well be the body of Chihiro's Master that was chained to the wall. Ailill was nowhere to be seen. Nobody was anywhere to be seen.
He flung out a kything line- it took considerably more effort now. He found Ailill quite easily; the latter was evidently relieved.
(I think this was the first one, Gabriel)
(Yes, I think so, too)
(What can you do about this?)
Gabriel thought about that. (I believe I can do something)
***
Maximilian Pegasus, re-founder of Duel Monsters, self-proclaimed King of Games, unlicensed stealer of souls [1], and No. 1 sponsor of cartoon shows in the nation, sprawled across his gargantuan bed in his cherished custom-fitted Funny Bunny silk pajamas, fast asleep. So of course he failed to notice when his Millennium Eye began to glow as a certain blue-eyed not-dragon tapped into its power. The only thing he remembered of the incident was a bright light, and then he thought it a dream.
***
Yugi Motou was also asleep- after all, he listened to his grandfather, and according to his grandfather, boys under eighteen should not stay up to nearly midnight unless it was New Year's Eve [2]. He failed to notice the puzzle he was clutching so tightly was glowing like a little kid's night light. After all, Yugi had long ago outgrown night lights.
***
Ryou Bakura, like his counterparts, was asleep. Not only that, he was contending with an especially bad dream when his yami decided to take over. Therefore, there was no struggle, and less than a minute after it started Yami Bakura was kneeling on the bed watching the Millennium Ring glow with an inscrutable expression.
***
Ailill
knew this was not an easy task for his friend. Through the kything line
necessary for the process, he could feel Gabriel's mental exertions as
he summoned more and more power from the three sources in the area. The
more he summoned the more some of his own power drained away. However,
the total power reservoir was growing, a good thing; Gabriel needed every
bit of it.
After what seemed like forever
and a year, there was enough.
Ailill
felt Gabriel reaching out; pulling his soul out from the body that was
not rightfully his. He was glad to leave it.
He emerged in a blind tumble
of memory and sensation. There was no way to measure how much mind was
there; he was like some ethereal gas. It was much like his prison back
in the card, except that instead of dark there was a shifting design, either
all colors or no colors, which renewed into something much different before
he could fully comprehend them. He felt like he was looking into himself,
into his own mind, since he could not sense the world outside with no eyes,
no ears… Ailill smiled and felt his smile vibrate around him with no place
else to go as he recalled that one duel when for once he had not been destroyed
(then again, he had not done much, either. He never could do very much)
and Aoibheann had been called out at the same time as he, and later, in
an attempt to console him for the fact that he had done absolutely nothing,
Aoibheann had told him that his ears were the best of all of theirs. Then
again, she had not exactly inspected the ears (if they had any. Some didn't)
of every one of them in Master's deck. It was probably just to make him
feel better.
And then
Gabriel was reaching out through the kything line again, guiding his mind
together, chasing after stray particles- he knew how Ailill treasured his
memories of Before. Ailill felt knocked down by worry when he sensed how
little power Gabriel had left. But then Gabriel spoke-
(There
is no need to worry)
Whereupon
Ailill was being directed into a new place; he entered this place eagerly,
and once he had collected himself at the core he reached out his mind,
taking over each cell Gabriel had summoned and savoring the feeling of
feeling as each section of his new body was opened to him.
When
he had completed this, when he had reveled in feeling really real for the
first time he could truly remember, Ailill opened his eyes and pulled himself
to his feet.
Gabriel
had truly performed a wonderful achievement. He had taken the image of
Ailill that was projected onto the field in seeing duels and labeled Celtic
Guardian and made it real. All of it. Real. Ailill stood there for another
time, looking himself over best as he could. Gabriel had not forgotten
a thing. Not the boots, not the cloak, not the sword, not anything.
He turned
to see the body he had temporarily occupied fallen face down onto the stone
floor. It really was that of a child; someone much younger than anyone
Ailill had ever known unless you counted two of the heads of the Faceless
Mage, and he did not put the Faceless Mage and this child in the same category.
Long unkempt hair that made Ailill think of Amaguri's fur, only darker.
The orange and white striped shirt. The shoes that were unlike anything
he had ever seen on the field.
And the
chains, running from each ankle to a spot on the wall.
Ailill
suddenly felt incredibly angry. According to Aoibheann, they were to serve
masters because their power was so great they couldn't be trusted with
it by themselves. But this was a child, with no particular power in the
way that Gabriel and Chihiro and her brothers had power; if there had been
any Ailill would have sensed it when he had been there. Why did they wish
to confine someone like this?
It just
went to show that Aoibheann was wrong. They had not been trapped in those
cards to control their power. They had to obey because the Masters wished
to have someone to obey them no matter what. Ailill abruptly began to grin,
then laugh-
(well
now there is no more no matter what)
-And
then he reached for his sword, sliding it out of the sheath with practiced
ease, and with two quick slices the chain from the wall had been severed
and the child now had some very nice shiny ankle bracelets.
By the
time Gabriel arrived, Ailill had stopped laughing and smiling both. Now
he was holding the child, who was completely limp in his arms. The eyes
were shut, which was a good thing- Ailill didn't think he could stand eyes
with no soul behind them looking up at him.
He looked
at his friend and spoke. "Hello, Gabriel."
Gabriel
smiled in response. "I do not believe it would be advisable to do it again
in the near future."
"All
right then. And Gabriel… the gaps…"
"Yes?"
"If we
put this soul back where it ought to be, do we have to go back too?"
Gabriel
thought on that for a while. "No, we do not have to."
"I guess
this is the first thing we're to do, then," said Ailill. "Give this child
his soul back."
"I agree
with you, Ailill. I agree."
***
Yami Bakura
made his way down the hallway, stepping carefully. The Millennium Ring
glowed faintly and pointed the general direction, but its light did not
carry for more than a foot or two. He liked it that way; he smiled thinking
of what things you could do in the dark.
His smile
vanished as he focused on locating whatever force had tapped into the power
from his ring. He had no idea who or what it might be, but he had
inferred one thing: he was not going to like it.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
[1] That's right, I don't
like Pegasus. So sue me. Not literally, of course...
[2] Then again, not everyone
likes the idea of staying up till midnight on New Year's Eve *coughparentscough*
so, just assume Yugi's grandpa is infinitely understanding, unlike certain
parents I won't name.