Casia: Welcome back, YGO fans! MAYBE today I'll have a short author's
note for you... maybe.
Sailor Comet - Malik and Ryou are not shonen ai, it's more brotherly love, like you said. I was afraid it may have come off as yaoi, but I thought I specified already that I don't write that. Anyway, thanks for telling me that is is confusing because I really want it to be clear that I am kinda against shonen ai and if I don't read it, I don't write it. ^-^
To () - you're right, my a/ns are much too long and bore you to death, which is why the only important parts of them to read are the beginnings. But I really enjoy writing them so no matter how much it ticks anyone off I'll keep writing them! You can just skip this part if you don't like it. My sisters, Kit and Angel, are the same way. Everyone is annoyed by it but it's not like they don't have a choice whether or not they want to read it. Now, if we were singing in the girls' locker room, then you couldn't do anything but listen, and if you told us to shut up then we should out of courtesy because other than that you wouldn't have a choice! LOL! (But I will try and shorten them. Today, I'll just write a disclaimer since I already spent time answering reviewers.)
Hey all! This is chapter 4! At last... anyway enjoy!
Yugi: ::waves disclaimer sign while changing the passwords of all of Seto's computer screensavers::
Legendary Warriors: Level One ~*~
Trial
Chapter Four
The Predicament of the Puzzle
Jonouchi and Bakura were surprised when the guards threw a new prisoner into their dank cell. They were even more surprised when they saw who the newcomer was - Yugi Mutou. Quickly they scrambled over to meet him and ask him what was going on.
"Yuge, how'd you end up here?" Jonouchi asked, stretching as far as he could to reach Yugi. As the three boys were chained to the wall, it was hard to get close to each other, but they were near enough to talk.
Yugi sighed. He was glad he had been reunited with his friends, but upset that Tague had betrayed him. "I went looking for you guys, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I spent the night at this man's home. His name was Tague, and he told me that the Sennen Puzzle is considered a demonic object here in Rosuto Rando. He convinced me to leave it at his house today when I went to search for you guys again. But it appears he gave it to the guards and when I told them it was mine, they arrested me."
Jonouchi looked sorry for Yugi's misfortune. He realized this meant Yugi could not correspond with the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle. It must have been hard for him to deal with that.
Bakura clutched his Sennen Ring to his chest, thankful they hadn't caught him with it. If one Sennen Set was considered evil, perhaps they all were.
"How did you guys get stuck in here?" Yugi inquired, just as curious as they.
Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "The guards thought Missy here -" he jerked his thumb at Bakura, who frowned at the impertinent nickname "- was a scoundrel trying to impersonate the prime minister, Hendran. They thought I had something to do with the plot too, so we ended up here."
Yugi nodded. "Come to think of it, I think that's what the guards told me."
Jonouchi stretched out his legs and yawned. "Well, hopefully Anzu's luck will be better than ours," he stated.
"Yes," Bakura added. "Maybe she'll be able to help us. I mean, she looks a lot like the queen. Maybe they'll think she's related to the queen and make her princess. Then she can get us out of here."
"Or they might think she's impersonating the queen," Jonouchi said caustically. Bakura glared at him.
"And maybe," Yugi said wistfully, "Seto and the others at home will find a way to bring us back."
~
"Darn thing!" Seto exclaimed, pounding his fist against the computer. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"What's wrong, Seto?" Mokuba asked through a mouthful of chocolate-chip cookies.
"This stupid thing won't respond to any of my commands," his brother complained. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I don't know what to do."
Malik and Honda exchanged a worried glance. There was a short pause, with no noise except the crunching of Mokuba's cookies. Then suddenly Malik's electric blue eyes widened.
"Let me get in there," he commanded. Astonished, Seto stepped back, and Malik occupied the rotating computer chair. He began typing furiously at the keyboard. The others watched in fascination as numbers and letters filled the screen.
Soon a code appeared alone in the center:
PPP-55// code word . . . 00destination00::
Malik's brow furrowed as he typed in a very unusual password:
Wet cats make bad pets
The blue screen suddenly turned black. Five seconds later, a full screen view of Yuusou Shinwa filled the screen, and the target was locked on Rosuto Rando's palace. Malik clicked it, and the screen showed them a room where the Sennen Puzzle was about to be crushed into a million pieces.
"Do something!" Jonouchi cried, despairing.
Malik's fingers flew over the keys. He typed:
Cows dead on lost battlefield
Suddenly the machine about to destroy the puzzle stopped in its process. It seemed frozen in place. The group sighed in relief, and Malik pushed back in the chair, obviously pleased with himself.
"Whoa!" Honda exclaimed. "Where did you learn to do that, Malik?"
Seto and Mokuba were equally dumbstruck.
Malik grinned. "I have many hidden talents, as you'll soon find out."
The others grinned and laughed heartily.
~
In Rosuto Rando's castle, the Sennen Puzzle had been placed on a slab of stone, pegged to the rock with a six-inch nail. Above it was a humongous machine which, when turned on, would come crashing down upon the Puzzle, not only breaking it into separate puzzle pieces but also reducing those pieces to dust. Most of the workers overseeing the operation were shying away from the Puzzle, as if in fear. Hendran stood next to the machine's control panel, glaring at it with the utmost loathing.
In the Sennen Puzzle, Yami was alone in his soul room. When Yugi was wearing the Puzzle, Yami's soul room was warm and bright, at least when he wanted it to be. Now that Yugi wsa gone, the only light was coming from Yami himself, barely enough to cast a glow on the cold floor. It was damp and chilly in the room, silent and fearful. Yami could find no way out. He lay on the floor, feeling defeated. If Yugi still had the Puzzle, he would be his courageous, ingenious self again. Without Yugi, he couldn't even come out of the Puzzle, let alone help anyone else.
Yami slammed his fist upon the ice-cold floor. Why, oh why did Yugi have to lose the Puzzle now? Yami truly blamed himself for this predicament. After all, he was the one that had convinced Yugi to leave the Puzzle at Tague's home. He was hoping Yugi at least would be safe this way, but Yami had felt Yugi's anxiety when the guard with the Puzzle had met up with him. Yami knew Yugi tried to get the Puzzle back, and was probably thrown in jail because of it.
Tears formed in Yami's amethyst eyes. He knew it was a bad idea to try any game of Seto Kaiba's. If he managed to get out of this, he would assist Jonouchi in wringing Seto's neck. The feeling of helplessness absorbing his heart was unbearable. He pressed his cheek against the floor, feeling it numb from the cold. If he even managed to survive his new, dreary, arctic habitat, maybe he would be reunited with Yugi. That is, if his captors weren't planning to kill him.
Hendran gave the signal, and the machine began moving. The machine began falling speedily towards the stone on which the Puzzle lay. Hendran smirked in satisfaction. Now the world would be rid of an evil that the dark leader Kyudon desired. He never realized that this "evil" could actually be the power that would save his world.
All of a sudden, the machine stopped. It appeared to blink, and the strange words COWS DEAD ON LOST BATTLEFIELD appeared around the Puzzle. Hendran gasped and drew away with the others, thinking the power of the Puzzle was casting some strange spell. The machine returned to its original position, and the Puzzle was unharmed.
Yami breathed a sigh of relief. His friends had come through for him - this time.
It only took a moment for Hendran to recover. "Restart the machine!" he ordered, obviously frustrated and afraid. "Now!"
~
Anzu sighed as she walked through the corridors of "her" palace. Everyone seemed to think she was Anzuraeko, the queen of Rosuto Rando. She knew she wasn't, but no one would believe her. Some royal healers had been summoned to examine her because some of the clergy thought she might be suffering from amnesia.
Shiro was Anzu's constant companion. He didn't agree with her that she wasn't queen, but he did seem a bit uncertain about it. Of all the servants in the castle, Shiro was undoubtably the brightest. He was the assistant cook, being too young to be the chief cook. Anzu had tried to search for Yugi, Jonouchi, and Bakura, but so far hadn't had any luck. Therefore, Shiro was the only one she could hang out with.
"My lady Anzu?" Shiro asked presently.
"Please, just call me Anzu," Anzu sighed. "I'm too young to be called 'lady.' What is it?"
"I'm sorry, my la - Anzu," Shiro said. "But you look bored. Is there anything you would like to do?"
Anzu looked around. She was bored. She had been "queen" for a couple of days, and so far there was nothing going on except banquets and introductions with members of the Council. Anzu turned to Shiro.
"Can we get out of the palace?" she pleaded. "I have three friends I'm trying to find. One actually kind of looks like Hendran."
Shiro raised his eyebrows. "Then their story was true," he murmured.
Anzu looked alarmed. "T-true? What do you mean?"
Shiro looked away shamefully. "Well, a boy called Bakura was caught impersonating the prime minister," he said, blushing. "There was a boy with him named Jonouchi who defended him. We thought he was his right-hand man and they were planning on assinating Hendran or you."
Anzu paled visibly. "Oh no - those are my friends! They would never hurt anyone, especially not me!"
Brushing some turquoise hair off his shoulder, Shiro suggested, "When Hendran finishes his meeting we can address him about the issue. I'm sure he'll let them go if he knows they were being honest. You can just never be to careful, you know."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Anzu mumbled. Then she realized he hadn't mentioned Yugi. "What about Yugi? Was there a spiky-haired boy with them? He was wearing a golden puzzle around his neck. His name is -"
She stopped abruptly when she saw how terrified Shiro looked. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"
Shiro was silent for a moment. He tried to sort out his thoughts. "That boy..." he began. "Well, you see the puzzle he had is a dangerous magical item desired by an evil wizard, Kyudon. The guards found it and discovered that Yugi was its owner, so... well, Yugi is kind of in jail now and the meeting Hendran is at is actually a ceremony to destroy the Puzzle.
Anzu's hands flew to her face as she struggled to make sense of it all. "This is terrible!" she cried, white in the face. "The Sennen Puzzle isn't evil! Yami is in there!"
"Yami?" Shiro looked at her quizzically.
"The spirit of the Sennen Puzzle," the despairing Anzu replied. "He's someone I'm... very close to." She tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. "He's not evil. He saved the world before. And Yugi saved the world too... they did it together." She closed her eyes, thinking. Then they snapped open.
"Shiro!" she demanded. "Take me to Hendran!"
"Of course, but why?" Shiro asked, befuddled.
"I have to save Yami and Yugi!" Anzu stated.
Shiro shook his head. "There's no way you can do that! Even if what you say is true, Hendran will never believe you! Everyone in Rosuto Rando is convinced that the Sennen Puzzle is a dangerous magical device. Hendran will destroy it no matter what you do!"
"I have to try!" Anzu begged. "Please, Shiro, I can't let my friends get hurt! I have to help them! They've always been there for me - now it's my turn to be there for them! Take me to Hendran. I know what to do."
"You do?" Shiro cocked his head in puzzlement. "How?"
Anzu smirked. "I have a plan."
Shiro lead Anzu out of the palace and to a gap in between two hills. There Anzu spied the machine set up to assault the Puzzle once again. She shrieked and dashed to Hendran's side.
The Puzzle had been broken into its separate pieces. Inside the Puzzle, Yami couldn't even move because his vessel's pieces had been scattered. He was lying on the golden reflection of the Puzzle pieces, unable to do anything but think and dream. It all looked hopeless for him.
Hendran raised his hand to give the signal. "Ready, set -"
"NOOOO!!!!"
Anzu rocketted forth and knocked Hendran's hand away from the controls. Shiro gasped and covered his face.
Hendran stared at Anzu in disbelief. The girl was pale-faced and panting. Confused, he said to her, "Queen Anzuraeko, what is the meaning of this?"
"You can't destroy the Sennen Puzzle," she wheezed. "You can't."
Everyone stared at her. Anzu took a deep breath and pulled herself up straight.
"First of all, I am very upset that I was not informed of this matter," she said in the most queenly voice she could muster. "In the future I wish to be notified of events such as this. I am, after all, your queen and I am expected to carry out my duties as leader of this colony." She looked firm and dignified, but in her heart she was shaking with fear. "Secondly, I remain steadfast in what I said. The Sennen Puzzle must not be destroyed."
"Whatever do you mean, Queen Anzuraeko?" Hendran inquired, astounded. "This object is a menace to our world!"
Anzu took another breath. She tried to think of the best way to phrase her hazy plan. 'Please don't let this plan endanger Yugi,' she silently prayed.
"There was a boy who owns this Sennen Puzzle," she began breathlessly. "His name is Yugi. Um, this Puzzle - it is very evil," she confessed, lying to the best of her abilities. "But, that boy, Yugi, if he can put the Puzzle back together, it will become a good magical item that can benefit our kingdom."
All the people looked surprised. There were murmurs of incoherent speaking all around her. One man spoke up, "How do you know this?"
Anzu thought rapidly. She looked at Shiro for support. He was flapping his hands like a bird. Anzu raised an eyebrow, looking at him oddly. Then it hit her.
"The Wind God, Soyokaze, the legendary bird, came to me in a dream and informed me of this," she said loudly. Shiro nodded with approval. The other people gasped and a roar of talk spread through them.
Hendran called and audience with Anzu and some of the other royal officials. The meeting lasted about seven minutes, and then the group stepped back. Anzu looked very reliefed, but still a little worried.
"People of Rosuto Rando!" Hendran began loudly. "We have come to the conclusion that Soyokaze did indeed come to Queen Anzuraeko in a dream. We have decided that if the boy Yugi can put the Puzzle back together and harness its immense power, we will be safe from its evil essence. Long live Queen Anzuraeko, blessed of the gods!"
"Long live our queen! Long live our queen!" chanted the crowd.
Anzu blew hair out of her face as relief washed over her. Then she thought of Yugi. 'I know he can put the Puzzle together again,' she thought, determined. 'I just know he can.'
She managed to speak to Hendran about Jonouchi and Bakura as well, and ensured their freedom. With that weight off her mind, she looked forward with anticipation to the next day, when Yugi would be made to put the Sennen Puzzle back together.
~
Jonouchi, Bakura, and Yugi were interrupted when they heard the rattling of keys in the lock of their cell. A guard stepped in and began unlocking Jonouchi's and Bakura's chains.
"By the orders of Queen Anzuraeko, you two are to be allowed to go free," the guard explained as he finished freeing Jonouchi and moved on to Bakura.
The boys looked surprised. 'Maybe Anzu really did manage to get help from the queen,' Jonouchi thought.
"What about Yugi?" Bakura asked. Yugi sat on the floor, worried about why he wasn't being released.
"You are to be left here for one more day," the guard stated. He looked at the forlorn boy still chained to the wall. "Tomorrow you will be taken to the stake. If you can put the Sennen Puzzle back together, Queen Anzuraeko says it will be rid of its evil essence. Then you may go free with your Puzzle. If you fail to finish the Puzzle, we will destroy the Puzzle and yourself at the stake with fire."
"So no pressure, Yuge," Jonouchi said, smiling weakly.
The blood drained from Yugi's face. He gulped and nodded in determination. He knew he could put the Puzzle back together, but who knew what kind of trouble Hendran would cause so Yugi would be killed?
The thought of being reunited with Yami prompted Yugi to shake these thoughts out of his head. He would do it. He would.
Casia: That's it for chapter four! Only a few more chapters and the gang will move on to level two: Nemesis! Yami and Yami Bakura (Ryakire) get really involved in level three, Recovery. So be on the look-out, and keep sending in those reviews! Without reviews, I won't be motivated to write! ^- ^ ~Casia
Sailor Comet - Malik and Ryou are not shonen ai, it's more brotherly love, like you said. I was afraid it may have come off as yaoi, but I thought I specified already that I don't write that. Anyway, thanks for telling me that is is confusing because I really want it to be clear that I am kinda against shonen ai and if I don't read it, I don't write it. ^-^
To () - you're right, my a/ns are much too long and bore you to death, which is why the only important parts of them to read are the beginnings. But I really enjoy writing them so no matter how much it ticks anyone off I'll keep writing them! You can just skip this part if you don't like it. My sisters, Kit and Angel, are the same way. Everyone is annoyed by it but it's not like they don't have a choice whether or not they want to read it. Now, if we were singing in the girls' locker room, then you couldn't do anything but listen, and if you told us to shut up then we should out of courtesy because other than that you wouldn't have a choice! LOL! (But I will try and shorten them. Today, I'll just write a disclaimer since I already spent time answering reviewers.)
Hey all! This is chapter 4! At last... anyway enjoy!
Yugi: ::waves disclaimer sign while changing the passwords of all of Seto's computer screensavers::
Legendary Warriors: Level One ~*~
Trial
Chapter Four
The Predicament of the Puzzle
Jonouchi and Bakura were surprised when the guards threw a new prisoner into their dank cell. They were even more surprised when they saw who the newcomer was - Yugi Mutou. Quickly they scrambled over to meet him and ask him what was going on.
"Yuge, how'd you end up here?" Jonouchi asked, stretching as far as he could to reach Yugi. As the three boys were chained to the wall, it was hard to get close to each other, but they were near enough to talk.
Yugi sighed. He was glad he had been reunited with his friends, but upset that Tague had betrayed him. "I went looking for you guys, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I spent the night at this man's home. His name was Tague, and he told me that the Sennen Puzzle is considered a demonic object here in Rosuto Rando. He convinced me to leave it at his house today when I went to search for you guys again. But it appears he gave it to the guards and when I told them it was mine, they arrested me."
Jonouchi looked sorry for Yugi's misfortune. He realized this meant Yugi could not correspond with the spirit of the Sennen Puzzle. It must have been hard for him to deal with that.
Bakura clutched his Sennen Ring to his chest, thankful they hadn't caught him with it. If one Sennen Set was considered evil, perhaps they all were.
"How did you guys get stuck in here?" Yugi inquired, just as curious as they.
Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "The guards thought Missy here -" he jerked his thumb at Bakura, who frowned at the impertinent nickname "- was a scoundrel trying to impersonate the prime minister, Hendran. They thought I had something to do with the plot too, so we ended up here."
Yugi nodded. "Come to think of it, I think that's what the guards told me."
Jonouchi stretched out his legs and yawned. "Well, hopefully Anzu's luck will be better than ours," he stated.
"Yes," Bakura added. "Maybe she'll be able to help us. I mean, she looks a lot like the queen. Maybe they'll think she's related to the queen and make her princess. Then she can get us out of here."
"Or they might think she's impersonating the queen," Jonouchi said caustically. Bakura glared at him.
"And maybe," Yugi said wistfully, "Seto and the others at home will find a way to bring us back."
~
"Darn thing!" Seto exclaimed, pounding his fist against the computer. He groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"What's wrong, Seto?" Mokuba asked through a mouthful of chocolate-chip cookies.
"This stupid thing won't respond to any of my commands," his brother complained. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I don't know what to do."
Malik and Honda exchanged a worried glance. There was a short pause, with no noise except the crunching of Mokuba's cookies. Then suddenly Malik's electric blue eyes widened.
"Let me get in there," he commanded. Astonished, Seto stepped back, and Malik occupied the rotating computer chair. He began typing furiously at the keyboard. The others watched in fascination as numbers and letters filled the screen.
Soon a code appeared alone in the center:
PPP-55// code word . . . 00destination00::
Malik's brow furrowed as he typed in a very unusual password:
Wet cats make bad pets
The blue screen suddenly turned black. Five seconds later, a full screen view of Yuusou Shinwa filled the screen, and the target was locked on Rosuto Rando's palace. Malik clicked it, and the screen showed them a room where the Sennen Puzzle was about to be crushed into a million pieces.
"Do something!" Jonouchi cried, despairing.
Malik's fingers flew over the keys. He typed:
Cows dead on lost battlefield
Suddenly the machine about to destroy the puzzle stopped in its process. It seemed frozen in place. The group sighed in relief, and Malik pushed back in the chair, obviously pleased with himself.
"Whoa!" Honda exclaimed. "Where did you learn to do that, Malik?"
Seto and Mokuba were equally dumbstruck.
Malik grinned. "I have many hidden talents, as you'll soon find out."
The others grinned and laughed heartily.
~
In Rosuto Rando's castle, the Sennen Puzzle had been placed on a slab of stone, pegged to the rock with a six-inch nail. Above it was a humongous machine which, when turned on, would come crashing down upon the Puzzle, not only breaking it into separate puzzle pieces but also reducing those pieces to dust. Most of the workers overseeing the operation were shying away from the Puzzle, as if in fear. Hendran stood next to the machine's control panel, glaring at it with the utmost loathing.
In the Sennen Puzzle, Yami was alone in his soul room. When Yugi was wearing the Puzzle, Yami's soul room was warm and bright, at least when he wanted it to be. Now that Yugi wsa gone, the only light was coming from Yami himself, barely enough to cast a glow on the cold floor. It was damp and chilly in the room, silent and fearful. Yami could find no way out. He lay on the floor, feeling defeated. If Yugi still had the Puzzle, he would be his courageous, ingenious self again. Without Yugi, he couldn't even come out of the Puzzle, let alone help anyone else.
Yami slammed his fist upon the ice-cold floor. Why, oh why did Yugi have to lose the Puzzle now? Yami truly blamed himself for this predicament. After all, he was the one that had convinced Yugi to leave the Puzzle at Tague's home. He was hoping Yugi at least would be safe this way, but Yami had felt Yugi's anxiety when the guard with the Puzzle had met up with him. Yami knew Yugi tried to get the Puzzle back, and was probably thrown in jail because of it.
Tears formed in Yami's amethyst eyes. He knew it was a bad idea to try any game of Seto Kaiba's. If he managed to get out of this, he would assist Jonouchi in wringing Seto's neck. The feeling of helplessness absorbing his heart was unbearable. He pressed his cheek against the floor, feeling it numb from the cold. If he even managed to survive his new, dreary, arctic habitat, maybe he would be reunited with Yugi. That is, if his captors weren't planning to kill him.
Hendran gave the signal, and the machine began moving. The machine began falling speedily towards the stone on which the Puzzle lay. Hendran smirked in satisfaction. Now the world would be rid of an evil that the dark leader Kyudon desired. He never realized that this "evil" could actually be the power that would save his world.
All of a sudden, the machine stopped. It appeared to blink, and the strange words COWS DEAD ON LOST BATTLEFIELD appeared around the Puzzle. Hendran gasped and drew away with the others, thinking the power of the Puzzle was casting some strange spell. The machine returned to its original position, and the Puzzle was unharmed.
Yami breathed a sigh of relief. His friends had come through for him - this time.
It only took a moment for Hendran to recover. "Restart the machine!" he ordered, obviously frustrated and afraid. "Now!"
~
Anzu sighed as she walked through the corridors of "her" palace. Everyone seemed to think she was Anzuraeko, the queen of Rosuto Rando. She knew she wasn't, but no one would believe her. Some royal healers had been summoned to examine her because some of the clergy thought she might be suffering from amnesia.
Shiro was Anzu's constant companion. He didn't agree with her that she wasn't queen, but he did seem a bit uncertain about it. Of all the servants in the castle, Shiro was undoubtably the brightest. He was the assistant cook, being too young to be the chief cook. Anzu had tried to search for Yugi, Jonouchi, and Bakura, but so far hadn't had any luck. Therefore, Shiro was the only one she could hang out with.
"My lady Anzu?" Shiro asked presently.
"Please, just call me Anzu," Anzu sighed. "I'm too young to be called 'lady.' What is it?"
"I'm sorry, my la - Anzu," Shiro said. "But you look bored. Is there anything you would like to do?"
Anzu looked around. She was bored. She had been "queen" for a couple of days, and so far there was nothing going on except banquets and introductions with members of the Council. Anzu turned to Shiro.
"Can we get out of the palace?" she pleaded. "I have three friends I'm trying to find. One actually kind of looks like Hendran."
Shiro raised his eyebrows. "Then their story was true," he murmured.
Anzu looked alarmed. "T-true? What do you mean?"
Shiro looked away shamefully. "Well, a boy called Bakura was caught impersonating the prime minister," he said, blushing. "There was a boy with him named Jonouchi who defended him. We thought he was his right-hand man and they were planning on assinating Hendran or you."
Anzu paled visibly. "Oh no - those are my friends! They would never hurt anyone, especially not me!"
Brushing some turquoise hair off his shoulder, Shiro suggested, "When Hendran finishes his meeting we can address him about the issue. I'm sure he'll let them go if he knows they were being honest. You can just never be to careful, you know."
"Yeah, I'm sure," Anzu mumbled. Then she realized he hadn't mentioned Yugi. "What about Yugi? Was there a spiky-haired boy with them? He was wearing a golden puzzle around his neck. His name is -"
She stopped abruptly when she saw how terrified Shiro looked. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"
Shiro was silent for a moment. He tried to sort out his thoughts. "That boy..." he began. "Well, you see the puzzle he had is a dangerous magical item desired by an evil wizard, Kyudon. The guards found it and discovered that Yugi was its owner, so... well, Yugi is kind of in jail now and the meeting Hendran is at is actually a ceremony to destroy the Puzzle.
Anzu's hands flew to her face as she struggled to make sense of it all. "This is terrible!" she cried, white in the face. "The Sennen Puzzle isn't evil! Yami is in there!"
"Yami?" Shiro looked at her quizzically.
"The spirit of the Sennen Puzzle," the despairing Anzu replied. "He's someone I'm... very close to." She tried to hide the blush on her cheeks. "He's not evil. He saved the world before. And Yugi saved the world too... they did it together." She closed her eyes, thinking. Then they snapped open.
"Shiro!" she demanded. "Take me to Hendran!"
"Of course, but why?" Shiro asked, befuddled.
"I have to save Yami and Yugi!" Anzu stated.
Shiro shook his head. "There's no way you can do that! Even if what you say is true, Hendran will never believe you! Everyone in Rosuto Rando is convinced that the Sennen Puzzle is a dangerous magical device. Hendran will destroy it no matter what you do!"
"I have to try!" Anzu begged. "Please, Shiro, I can't let my friends get hurt! I have to help them! They've always been there for me - now it's my turn to be there for them! Take me to Hendran. I know what to do."
"You do?" Shiro cocked his head in puzzlement. "How?"
Anzu smirked. "I have a plan."
Shiro lead Anzu out of the palace and to a gap in between two hills. There Anzu spied the machine set up to assault the Puzzle once again. She shrieked and dashed to Hendran's side.
The Puzzle had been broken into its separate pieces. Inside the Puzzle, Yami couldn't even move because his vessel's pieces had been scattered. He was lying on the golden reflection of the Puzzle pieces, unable to do anything but think and dream. It all looked hopeless for him.
Hendran raised his hand to give the signal. "Ready, set -"
"NOOOO!!!!"
Anzu rocketted forth and knocked Hendran's hand away from the controls. Shiro gasped and covered his face.
Hendran stared at Anzu in disbelief. The girl was pale-faced and panting. Confused, he said to her, "Queen Anzuraeko, what is the meaning of this?"
"You can't destroy the Sennen Puzzle," she wheezed. "You can't."
Everyone stared at her. Anzu took a deep breath and pulled herself up straight.
"First of all, I am very upset that I was not informed of this matter," she said in the most queenly voice she could muster. "In the future I wish to be notified of events such as this. I am, after all, your queen and I am expected to carry out my duties as leader of this colony." She looked firm and dignified, but in her heart she was shaking with fear. "Secondly, I remain steadfast in what I said. The Sennen Puzzle must not be destroyed."
"Whatever do you mean, Queen Anzuraeko?" Hendran inquired, astounded. "This object is a menace to our world!"
Anzu took another breath. She tried to think of the best way to phrase her hazy plan. 'Please don't let this plan endanger Yugi,' she silently prayed.
"There was a boy who owns this Sennen Puzzle," she began breathlessly. "His name is Yugi. Um, this Puzzle - it is very evil," she confessed, lying to the best of her abilities. "But, that boy, Yugi, if he can put the Puzzle back together, it will become a good magical item that can benefit our kingdom."
All the people looked surprised. There were murmurs of incoherent speaking all around her. One man spoke up, "How do you know this?"
Anzu thought rapidly. She looked at Shiro for support. He was flapping his hands like a bird. Anzu raised an eyebrow, looking at him oddly. Then it hit her.
"The Wind God, Soyokaze, the legendary bird, came to me in a dream and informed me of this," she said loudly. Shiro nodded with approval. The other people gasped and a roar of talk spread through them.
Hendran called and audience with Anzu and some of the other royal officials. The meeting lasted about seven minutes, and then the group stepped back. Anzu looked very reliefed, but still a little worried.
"People of Rosuto Rando!" Hendran began loudly. "We have come to the conclusion that Soyokaze did indeed come to Queen Anzuraeko in a dream. We have decided that if the boy Yugi can put the Puzzle back together and harness its immense power, we will be safe from its evil essence. Long live Queen Anzuraeko, blessed of the gods!"
"Long live our queen! Long live our queen!" chanted the crowd.
Anzu blew hair out of her face as relief washed over her. Then she thought of Yugi. 'I know he can put the Puzzle together again,' she thought, determined. 'I just know he can.'
She managed to speak to Hendran about Jonouchi and Bakura as well, and ensured their freedom. With that weight off her mind, she looked forward with anticipation to the next day, when Yugi would be made to put the Sennen Puzzle back together.
~
Jonouchi, Bakura, and Yugi were interrupted when they heard the rattling of keys in the lock of their cell. A guard stepped in and began unlocking Jonouchi's and Bakura's chains.
"By the orders of Queen Anzuraeko, you two are to be allowed to go free," the guard explained as he finished freeing Jonouchi and moved on to Bakura.
The boys looked surprised. 'Maybe Anzu really did manage to get help from the queen,' Jonouchi thought.
"What about Yugi?" Bakura asked. Yugi sat on the floor, worried about why he wasn't being released.
"You are to be left here for one more day," the guard stated. He looked at the forlorn boy still chained to the wall. "Tomorrow you will be taken to the stake. If you can put the Sennen Puzzle back together, Queen Anzuraeko says it will be rid of its evil essence. Then you may go free with your Puzzle. If you fail to finish the Puzzle, we will destroy the Puzzle and yourself at the stake with fire."
"So no pressure, Yuge," Jonouchi said, smiling weakly.
The blood drained from Yugi's face. He gulped and nodded in determination. He knew he could put the Puzzle back together, but who knew what kind of trouble Hendran would cause so Yugi would be killed?
The thought of being reunited with Yami prompted Yugi to shake these thoughts out of his head. He would do it. He would.
Casia: That's it for chapter four! Only a few more chapters and the gang will move on to level two: Nemesis! Yami and Yami Bakura (Ryakire) get really involved in level three, Recovery. So be on the look-out, and keep sending in those reviews! Without reviews, I won't be motivated to write! ^- ^ ~Casia