" " - talking
' ' - thinking
/ - Any Hikari talking to his or her Yami in his or her mind
// - Any Yami talking to his or her Hikari in his or her mind
Hikari No Yuugi
Play of Light
by Angel
Chapter Seven Part Two: Yami Musouka
Dark Dreamer
Her trip had ended some time ago, and now Kamui was sitting under a cliff side, nibbling a carrot stick. She had seen the recent events of the river - the giant waves, the disappearances of her stepbrother and his friends, and now the arrival of all the Shadow Gamers of Light.
'Ironic, that name,' Kamui thought, dismissing it as someone's idea of a bad joke.
Soon it would be time for her part. She touched the silver bell hanging from the chain on her neck, stilling it from the night breeze. Soon she would banish the Shadow living deep beneath the river once and for all.
The Shadow, she knew, was the whole reason she had made the magical journey to Duelist Kingdom right before her love Keikeru's eyes. It was a dark creature thousands of years old. It had managed to escape the Shadow Realm by forcing a magician of the Seal to open a gate into the real world. Then it had sucked the life from the mage to strengthen his powers. It called itself Chahahka's Slayer, taking the name of the mage it had destroyed and left to diminish in the Shadow Realm, Chahahka. The Shadow had roamed the islands that were now Duelist Kingdom for many centuries until another powerful mage had sealed it away in a great stone sphere. The mage may have managed to capture Chahahka, but the banishing was up to Kamui and the Shadow Gamers of Light.
Kamui watched as the former Pharaoh and his hikari rushed up to the edge of the river, shouting out for their lost friends. The others were close behind, and Kamui caught bits and pieces of their conversation. A blond boy with fearful blue eyes was wondering if they had drowned. A little brown-haired girl - Keikeru's younger sister - looked terrified at the prospect. A red-haired lady with mysterious brown eyes said something Kamui couldn't quite catch, but the others understood perfectly. The next thing she knew, the Pharaoh and the Queen were slipping into the icy river waters. She sat up abruptly. What were they doing? If they were in the water when she rang her bell...!
Yami and Kiara waded out deeper, the cool night water tickling their legs. They were quickly waist-deep in the river, but that was simply because of their lack of size. Kiara turned back to the others.
"It's all right out here," she said, rolling up one pink sleeve to prove she had no goose bumps. "And I'm sure I sense Ay and Kerihk under the flow." Kiara could sense auras better than any of the others, so no one doubted her statement.
"It will be dark underneath," Taidu rallied, her fingers brushing the Millennium Broach. "And cold. The hikaris should stay here."
Yami, who was now at chin-level in the water, an average-sized person's breast level, scowled as if confused. He dipped his index and middle fingers into the stream and brought it to his mouth. The freshwater naturally had little salt in it, and tasted just like the water of a reservoir. Yet he found it to be much warmer than the area Kiara was standing in, and he found something else in it too... the foul, corrupted zest of Shadows. As a mage of the Seal, Yami knew that sensation anywhere, and he quickly yanked his fingers out of his mouth, grimacing with disgust.
"Brother."
Kiara's voice sounded from nowhere. Yami slowly turned, and locked his gaze with hers. "Shadow," he said simply in Egyptian. Kiara nodded and answered also in Egyptian. "I thought so."
"What are they talking about?" Tali asked Taidu. Taidu shook her head, not wishing the hikaris to know.
"You all stay here," she said. "Let's go."
At her command, she, Himoko, Setsuna, and Ahmose stepped into the chilly waters after Yami and Kiara. The hikaris, the Kaibas, and the Fujishimas waited for their return as they were told.
Finally Kaiba stood up. "This is ridiculous," he said, crossing his arms and facing the cliff side. "I'm going to scout out the area. They may have come out on a different part of the river."
"That's a good idea," Ro said. "Come on, Makimura, Mokuba."
"No, they should stay with Misaki," Kaiba objected.
Misaki and Tali laughed and ruffled Mokuba and Makimura's hair. "Your big brothers think they can just waltz off together and leave the rest of us pretty Seto- and Ro-less. Of course we're coming too!" Tali exclaimed.
Kaiba gaped at them, then shook his head vigorously. "No way. It might be dangerous."
Misaki sighed and flung her hands up in mock frustration. "Everything's dangerous to you, Seto-kun! But Mokuba and Makimura don't want to be without you, and while you do the scouting, they'll need someone to watch them. So Tali and I will come along for that purpose."
It didn't take Kaiba long to realize he had once again lost to Misaki Hikawa.
Hikaru looked doubtful at the proposition. "Guys, I don't know if this is a good idea. Taidu said to stay here. We should all stick together."
"Relax, Hikaru-chan." Misaki waved her hand dismissively with a confident smile. She pushed her glasses further up her nose. "Nothing's going to happen. We're only going to see if Dajan and Bakura came out the other side. What could go wrong?"
Hikaru didn't voice the implication that whatever dragged the two boys and their yamis into the river just might get those six as well. Her lavender eyes followed them as they disappeared down the hillside, then drifted to the tall cliff looming in the light of the moon.
"I hope they're okay..." she mumbled.
Something shifted in the shadow of the cliff. Hikaru looked towards it, and saw a faint yellow light shining from the top. (a/n: there sure are a lot of glowing lights in this ficcie, aren't there?)
'What's that...' she thought, before her eyes widened and focused on the light, ignoring everything else around her. As if magically pulled by some force, her feet began to walk, jog, then sprint towards it.
"Hikaru!" shouted the voices of her remaining three friends. "Come back! What are you doing? Get back here!" Yugi's anxious voice sounded greater among the others, and for an instance Hikaru became her old self again and turned around; another flash of the light came and she was instantly dashing to the hilltop once more.
"Hikaru!" Yugi yelled again. Hands balled into fists, teeth clenched tightly, he took off after her, leaving Takehiko and Ai alone on the beach.
The brown-haired girl continued to be deaf to Yugi's desperate shouts for her to slow down and clambered up the cliff with abnormal swiftness. Yugi's violet eyes filled with fear and shock as he realized that she should never have been able to get up there so quickly; the cliff was too steep and it was practically pitch black out. Swallowing his fear, Yugi attempted to follow her up the rocks.
He wasn't quick enough to beat Hikaru. In the blink of an eye she was at the top of the cliff, bending down over something lying near her feet. She bent down, and picked up a strange black book with red rims. A golden Eye symbol was emblazoned on the center of the cover, with hieroglyphics written below it and on the back.
In a trance, Hikaru opened the cover and stared with unseeing eyes at the page. Then she began to read, and everything stopped as if frozen in time.
***
The fish was an extremely little one, but it would do. Ay grabbed its tale as it passed and added it to the net of fish they had already captured. "I think we have enough," he said at last, rubbing his hands on his pants.
Kerihk snorted. "Enough is right," he grunted. "We only need two more to reach fifty."
"Oh, well then, let's get two more."
Kerihk glared at him.
"C'mon," Bakura mumbled, hugging himself. "Let's get this over with. I want to know what those hieroglyphics are, but it's really creepy down here and I want to get back to the surface..."
Their plan was underway. Dajan and Ay, being the best swimmers, each took a length of the net and swam out towards the red sphere. They waited a moment, Ay sniffing around for the closest Shadow creature. He smirked when he sensed a group of three hiding behind a reef, and nodded to Dajan. In an instant the fish were released from the net, and all forty-eight of them darted off in different directions, only to turn around and cut through the water towards the reef where the Shadows lurked. With a satisfied smile, yami and hikari about-faced and joined Bakura and Kerihk by the ice ring around the sphere.
"Our plan worked," Ay reported to the others. "I guessed that since no fish were swimming near this red thing, they probably didn't want to go near it, so if we let them loose in the right place, they would swim as far away from it as possible, posing as a distraction for the Shadows. They'll be too busy feeding off of lesser life to come after us."
Dajan grinned at Ay. /Brilliant!/ he thought. /You must have been an expert fisherman in your time./
Ay only blushed.
The ice ring was as cold as it looked, which was surprising since the heat emitting from the sphere was even greater now that they were up close, scorching their skin. Bakura voiced the opinion that they were either in a hot spring or a boiling vat of soup. He reached up with one hand to touch the ice; elements of hot and cold intertwined and sent a painful shock up his arm. He almost screamed, but Kerihk clamped a hand over his mouth so as not to alert the Shadows of their arrival.
Bakura sucked on his fingers, wincing with the after-pain. "What do the rings say?" he said through partly-shut teeth.
Ay and Kerihk looked at each other. "Do you want to read it?" asked the latter.
"I'd rather not," Ay answered, with a side-look at the ring.
Kerihk gave a forced nod and foxy grin and swam even closer to the ice, until he and the ring were only an inch or two apart. He took a great gulp of the river water, and read aloud:
"Three great powers sustain the world:
Light, Dark, and Shadow; the Triforce.
Light is the purest and most indestructible
But she can only be summoned by one pure of heart and willing to sacrifice."
His voice faltered, and he took a moment to try to stop shaking. He felt power coming from his tongue like fire, blistering and burning his lips. He wiped the froth from his mouth and continued.
"Light is also the most deadly to both good and evil.
Silent Dark is power that surrounds the world.
She cannot defeat her corrupt sister Shadow
And cannot put out the light
But she may whisper the future to one willing to listen."
Again Kerihk's voice trembled, feeling like someone had lit fire to his face. Before he could start once more on the end of the verse, a great rumbling began to sound from the sphere. He looked at his friends.
"Please tell me that was one of your stomachs," he pleaded.
Three pairs of unknowing eyes blinked back at him, filled with fear. Kerihk swam backwards, joining them on the floor of the river, as the red sphere began to crack and break until it destroyed the ice ring. Emerging from the sphere was the cause of the red light and the heat.
A great beast, a Shadow of the Great Ones of Fire, was being unchained, and quickly. Its eyes were like yellow torches of flame, burning and flashing consistently. Its body was also composed of flames, and its heart was of blue fire like the center of the hearth. Serrated teeth, fiery wings, and a smoking nose distinguished its body as a solid object and not a twisting column of fire. It opened its mouth, revealing a yellow tongue as long as Ay who was about two inches taller than Kerihk, and let out an ear-splitting roar.
"AAAIIIIEEEEE!" shrieked its victims, covering their ears in agony. The water was boiling now, but they couldn't swim to safety; the Fire Demon had immobilized their bodies, trapping them to the river floor. Through clenched teeth and tearing eyes, they tried to endure the heat and Shadow powers ejecting from the Fire Demon.
'Chahahka's... Slayer...' was Kerihk's last thought before he descending into darkness.
***
(A/N: I know, I know... more asterisks.)
Yugi stopped in his tracks as Hikaru's sweet voice, mingling with an unfamiliar, mysterious tone, began reciting something from the black and red book in a different language. Egyptian, he realized, recognizing a few of the words he'd heard Yami use (though not their meanings), but how could Hikaru suddenly speak it?
Two-thirds through the stanza her voice switched to Japanese, and she went on to finish the verse.
"... But she may whisper the future to one willing to listen.
Shadow is the most malicious, the most foul and wicked.
She seeks only power, and skillfully gains it.
Shadow is the most powerful of all, and only she can defeat herself
Lest the one with the Pure Heart makes the Final Wish
Ignoring the inevitable cost of death to destroy the threat of Great Evil."
"F-Final Wish?" Yugi repeated hoarsely, lost in a blank state of mind. He shook his head, and resumed climbing, still musing on the prophecy. "The threat of Great Evil?" What was Hikaru talking about?
He had reached the top of the cliff now. There was Hikaru, standing perfectly still, hands outstretched. The book was laying open in her palms like an omen of peril. Yugi mustered up all his courage and sprinted over jagged rocks and stones to the mesmerized girl.
Just as Yugi was about to reach out and tap Hikaru's shoulder, she suddenly fell forward, clutching the book to her chest, right over the edge of the cliff. "HIKARU!" Yugi shrieked, grabbing her arm to pull her back. He paid for his recklessness as both he and Hikaru tumbled off the cliff, linked by their hands.
Yugi tried to pull Hikaru's small frame to him so when they landed he would take the most impact. Yet the expected crash and paralyzing pain never came. He opened his eyes to find himself in someone's strong arms, arms belonging to none other than Princess Kiara.
Kiara looked full of concern and anticipation as she soared above the river with Yugi and Hikaru in her grasp. Her great white wings shone like silver in the moonlight, beating against the wind to reach the shore.
"What happened, Yugi?" she asked, looking extremely disquieted. "I thought Taidu told you guys to stay on the land."
"We were, but then Hikaru went all weird and ran up this cliff," Yugi answered, trying to keep Hikaru from falling into the river by biting her pink jacket with his teeth. "She opened some strange book - look, she's still got it even now - and started speaking in Egyptian. Then she changed to Japanese and said something about a Final Wish and - what's that?!"
Yugi gasped as he finished his story, staring down at the churning river waters. The water was quickly evaporating, leaving shells and seaweed stranded and dying on its muddy floor. Soon all the water was gone, and the yamis were standing on squishy ground, entangled in kelp. The boy couldn't believe what he saw. How could all that water disappear so quickly? He looked behind Kiara, and squealed in alarm at the sight of a humongous creature of fire stretching its long clawed arms nearby. The heat was terrible, and the effect of the hotness evaporated the river in an instant. Squinting, Yugi saw Kerihk and Ay running to join the other yamis at top speed, panting like anything. Bakura and Dajan were heading for the shore.
"What IS that thing?" Yugi cried, attempting to move the entranced Hikaru into a more stable position - she was beginning to slip through his fingers.
Kiara's lavender eyes narrowed. "Chahahka's Slayer," she hissed. "My father, Pharaoh Ramses III, had two high priests - Chahahka and Semaret. Zhur - who is Pegasus - was the Grand Vizier. Chahahka came across a Fire Demon of the Greater Shadows once, and thought it would make a good servant, or tool for the Shadow Games. So he quite foolishly released it. Naturally the Fire Demon wasn't too happy about being awakened from its quiet slumber, and it turned on Chahahka, destroying him. He took the name of the mage who had released him, and from then on was known as Chahahka's Slayer. He was eventually banished by Semaret using the bell 'Ceres', but not for good. The bell that must be used is 'Lyra' - the Lyre. Ceres is not powerful enough. I wonder if someone nearby has Lyra? This might not be coincidence."
Yugi opened his mouth to ask another question, but the words got caught in his throat as he realized he was suddenly very free and light. He shouted as Hikaru fell out of his grip and towards the bemired earth.
"HIKARU! Hikaru! HIKARU!!!"
Falling...
Falling...
Falling...
Hikaru's luck held out as Yami watched the pink speck descend from Yugi's hands and to the ground. He jumped up and caught her in the air before tumbling face-first into the mud with the small girl and her book clasped to his chest.
"Yami!" Ahmose shouted as he and the others, now including Kerihk and Ay, ran to his side. "Are you all right?"
Panting, the pharaoh with the glittering gem-like eyes stood up again, carrying Hikaru. "I'm fine..." he said, looking completely out of breath.
Hikaru seemed to finally come out of her spellbound state as she hit the ground. She looked up, saw the mud and dirt streaking along Yami's face, and Kiara soaring down with Yugi in her grasp, and realized what had happened.
"Thank you, Y-Yami...?" she said in a small voice, feeling quite tired and also unsure of what to call Yugi's other self. Everyone was calling him Yami, but she had a yami of her own and it felt a little weird.
"That's fine," Yami answered, as if guessing her thoughts. "Everyone's always called me Yami - it's just a nickname, though. And you're welcome. I couldn't let my little sister's hikari fall to her doom, now could I?"
Hikaru smiled, nestling closer to his chest, still feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her.
Kiara interrupted Yami and Hikaru's chat with an anxious exclamation, "Hikaru, are you okay? When you fell, I thought - I thought -"
"I'm fine, Kiara."
"I was worried too," Yugi said quietly, disentangling himself from Kiara. Hikaru smiled gratefully at him, causing him to blush furiously, and also detached herself from her rescuer.
Chahahka's Slayer (a/n: that's too long, so I'll just be calling him Chahahka from now on) was up on both his feet now, stretching his enormous fiery wings. His legs were lips pillars, his teeth likes knives, his hands like fists of iron. He roared again, causing the ground to quake from the sound waves.
"Is that Chahahka's Slayer?" yelled Ahmose as soon as the echo died out, blue eyes blazing with fire as grand as Chahahka's. He had drawn his Millennium Sword from its scabbard and had it held in front of him ready for battle.
Ay nodded, gritting his teeth as dust and ash blew their way, stinging their eyes and sticking to their skin. "That's him all right," he said, wiping the ashes from his mouth, "he was right there under the water with us in the great red sphere. When Kerihk was almost done with the writing on the ice ring he broke through and..."
"Wait a minute... writing? Ice ring? Tell me everything you know!" the warrior growled, swinging his sword around. Fire erupted upon it in recollection of Ahmose's fire attack, Burning Sword of Battle (a/n: yes, it's the same as the Flame Swordsman's. Why? You'll see! ::winks::). "I'm gonna roast me some Chahahka."
"Don't be an idiot," Kerihk snapped. "Fighting fire with fire isn't going to work in this situation! Chahahka is too strong! Our best bet is to lead it out to the ocean where the salt water will destroy its flames. Then it will be weak enough to beat!"
"There's no time!" Yami shouted. Chahahka was stomping towards them now, its eyes burning with a passion for revenge. "If we run now it'll catch up with us immediately! And it might turn on the hikaris if we leave!"
"The what do we do?"
"I don't know! This has never happened before!"
"How did Semaret defeat Chahahka's Slayer?"
"He used Ceres, the bell, remember? But we haven't got that now -"
"Anyway it didn't even work, it only bound him for -"
" Five millennia."
"Well yes, but only Lyra can bind Chahahka forever!"
"Where's Lyra, then?"
"Who knows! Last I remember, Father had the thirteen Bells of Binding locked away with the Millennium Ankh in the secret passageway under the dungeon. You know, the one Kerihk and what's-his-name... oh yes, Sahure used to use to escape whenever they were caught robbing people?"
"You had to remind me of that..."
"It wasn't so secret if Kerihk and Sahure knew about it."
"That doesn't matter, Setsuna! We need at least one of the bells - Ceres, Lyra, Sirius, Gemini - any one of them to bind Chahahka, and we need it now!"
There was a silence after Kiara's statement as everyone thought. Finally Kerihk opened his mouth slowly.
"Bakura's friends in Egypt... they have a lot of the bells," he mumbled uncomfortably, shifting around to check on the giant of fire who was now sending embers into the grass on the hills as he stomped around. "I remember Sahure once telling me that the thirteen bells are for each of the twelve Millennium Item bearers. There are only twelve instead of thirteen because Shaadi has two. Maybe... maybe that's because Lyra is supposed to be destroyed after it releases its most powerful spell on Chahahka..."
"That doesn't help us though," Ay argued cynically. "We're not in Egypt and Sahure isn't here right now to give us the bells. What are we supposed to do?!"
Chahahka came closer now, taking much more time than was needed. He seemed to be enjoying the tension filling the yamis, Yugi's, and Hikaru's hearts. An evil smirk was stretched upon his thin black lips, and he looked extremely confident in himself.
"He's sure full of amour propre," Setsuna said disdainfully, trying to sound unshaken even though she was trembling.
"A-amour propre?" Yami stuttered, also trying to keep his cool in the heat of the battle.
"It's a - a French phrase I learned from Ai."
"Oh. Nanto."
Standing besides the armed Ahmose, Ay could see the furious Chahahka practically breaking the ground he was stepping on. He cringed as he felt the earth quake and shudder, and the chill wind was filled with more Shadow than there had been before. "That's it," he mumbled. "I'm tired of waiting around. The only thing we can do is fight."
Ahmose raised his sword. "Right!"
Kiara spread her angel-like wings. "I'm with you!"
Yami nodded. "Ditto to that!"
Setsuna launched into a karate punching position. "Right behind you!"
Kerihk gritted his teeth. "Let's do it."
Taidu and Himoko formed Sealing Magic symbols with their hands. "Agreed."
Yugi and Hikaru could only watch.
All at once, all six yamis dashed out in front of Yugi and Hikaru, roaring with rage. Chahahka roared back, and they all set up their attacks, preparing to annihilate the enemy whether with evil fire or good Sealing Magic - Chahahka was running fast - any second now - they were going to collide together - there would be an explosion and everything would be destroyed - all hopes of saving their kidnapped friends were about to be demolished -
Yugi's ears were ringing with an unfamiliar sound. At first he didn't realize he was hearing it, he was too intent on Chahahka's stampede towards them. Then, as he realized both teams had suddenly stopped in their tracks, the terrible ringing alerted his senses and he clamped his hands over his ears, trying to stop it.
Hikaru's eyes were wide with astonishment, her hands also covering her pained ears. "What is that sound?" she yelled. Her voice sounded extremely loud in Yugi's head, and he removed his hands.
"Hikaru... it's so soft, that sound, it's not loud at all," he stuttered, confused. By the baffled look on Hikaru's face, she hadn't any idea what was happening either.
She gasped. "Yugi, the yamis!" she cried, pointing to them. All were on their knees now, hands over their ears or clutching their stomachs as if suffering terribly.
"YAMI! What's going on? What's wrong? Yami!"
Taidu opened one sparkling brown eye and murmured, "L-Lyra... is being... rung..."
"LYRA?! Someone has it? Who - who?"
There was no reply from the yamis. Even Ahmose was keeled over in pain. Hikaru flew over to help Kiara up, but the winged girl couldn't do it.
Yugi looked around wildly, blindly searching for the ringer of the bell Lyra. At first all he saw was mist and the outline of the cliff. Then -
A tall lady with long, raven black hair, sad but beautiful eyes, holding a small silver bell which was ringing out sweetly in the night wind.
"Ms. Tsumura," Yugi said hoarsely. She was ringing Lyra. Did Ryou know? Did Ryou... did Ryou... did... Ryou... R... Ryou... know...
Yugi fell face-forward upon the ground as a terrible stitch in his side appeared out of nowhere. He felt a pang of agony shoot through his body, and he cried out softly. Looking around from his crumpled position, Yugi could see Hikaru also curled up and sobbing besides Kiara.
"This is it then," he thought, "we're all going to die here. Chahahka will burn us all..."
"No, look!" Hikaru screamed through her sobs. "Chahahka's Slayer!"
Yugi's head shot up in spite of his surprise that he had been thinking out loud. Chahahka was roaring in more distress than the kids, twitching and convulsing as if being attacked by a seizure. His fiery eyes were smoking, and smoke was coming out of his mouth and nostrils as well. His wings were dissolving... then his legs... then the rest of his body and his head, until nothing was left but a distant roar of "I shall have my revenge!" remained but an echo in the air.
The tri-color-haired boy could have laughed if he hadn't been in such pain. Chahahka was gone - gone! Lyra had banished him forever! They hadn't had to fight after all!
But why was he still in pain?
"Yami... Chahahka's gone... how come everything's the same still?" he asked, staring desperately at Yami's mud-streaked, scratched-up face, which even in the pain of the bell's fatal ring resembled that of a powerful king.
Yami winced, biting his lip hard until the flesh broke and the salt of his own blood filled his mouth, sliding down his chin which rested on the mire. He tried to breath, but it was so painful. But Yugi had a right to know... he had to tell him...
"Lyra is... the bell - a bell of binding," he choked out. "One of thirteen. She is called the Lyre - a kind of harp in your modern language. Her sweet song sends anything living into eternal banishment in the Shadow Realm."
"So how come we're feeling its effects?"
"We're only spirits, Yugi, so we can't be banished using Lyra. There's a different bell for that - I believe it was Ceres, or Sirius... one or the other. But we still nauseatingly affected by it... un-until its sound dies away we'll be in pain."
"But Yami... Hikaru and I - we're - I'm -"
There was no need for Yugi to continue - Yami had had a sudden realization; his sudden, abrupt intake of breath indicated this. He rolled over, flinching, and stared wide-eyed at Kiara.
"They're humans," he whispered to her.
"Yes, and we're not?"
"We're not from this era. Kiara - the bell, the bell! Anything living gets sent into -"
"-The Shadow Realm."
Kiara shoved Hikaru off of her and pulled her to her feet, getting up herself. Yami yanked Yugi off the ground and they tried to stand against the pressure of the bell. Yugi and Hikaru wondered what their yamis were all riled up about.
"Yugi..." Yami stammered, "get out. Get out of here now, or you'll die!"
"Wh-what?"
"The bell, Lyra, sends anything living into the Shadow Realm," Kiara answered. "Technically, we're not alive. You're our reincarnates so part of you is us, but the Millennium Items spit up our separate personalities. I'm a shadow of you, or you're a shadow of me. Something like that. But it doesn't matter! Yami's right - you both need to run for it! As soon as that bell's sound disperses and the water from the river comes back, you'll be trapped in the Dead part of the Shadow Realm - forever!"
Horrified, Hikaru immediately began backing up. Then she stopped. "What about you?"
"We'll be fine."
"No, you won't!" shrieked Yugi despairingly, flinging his hands up to his face. "You said the river water will come back when the -" he stopped as both Kiara and Yami gave another scream of intense pain, wondered why he wasn't affected as badly as them, and continued - "when the bell's sound stops! You'll drown! You have to run with us!"
"We can't. We're not - we're too weak right now."
"You'll DROWN!"
"So be it," Yami growled. "Yugi, listen to me! Go now! You HAVE to!"
"I won't! Not without you!"
"Yugi! GO!"
"But -"
"GO! RIGHT NOW! THAT IS NOT A REQUEST!"
Yugi stopped babbling incoherently amid Yami's words when he yelled. He seemed in shock that his other half had spoken so forcefully to him.
Kiara spoke gentler, on behalf of the terrified look on Hikaru's face and her own agony in her side. "Please go. It's the only way, and we'll be fine. I promise. Please, Hikaru..."
For a moment Hikaru just stood there, listening to the wind, lower lip trembling. Then she let out the sob of one forced to do the last thing they wished to do at the time but hadn't any choice, and took Yugi's hand in hers. She began running towards the shore, sobbing loudly, pulling Yugi along with her. He was trying to fight her, trying to keep from getting ashore.
"We can't leave them, Hikaru! We have to stay!"
"NO!" Hikaru screamed, the tears flowing down her face and getting caught in her short brown hair. "We have to GO! Even if we stay there's nothing we can do to help them! And I won't let you die, Yugi! I promised you I'd never let you down, and I don't intend to now!"
Yami watched the two hikaris run, his tears mixing with the slimy dirt and blood on his face. "Be safe, hikari..." he uttered, feeling more helpless than he ever had in his lifetime. He heard a strange gushing sound behind him, and just as he had turned to gaze upon the rapid water flowing back to fill the stream, he was submerged with icy river wetness.
That was the last Yugi saw of his yami. As soon as the wave hit all eight yamis, he gave a cry and stumbled behind Hikaru. She pulled him up again, crying with him, and tried again to out-run the water and impending prison in the Shadow Realm. The bell's sound had almost given out, and she could feel the Shadow power trying to suck her through its portal - but she wouldn't let it - but - would Yugi?
She was surprised that she could sense Yugi's will dying, but more concerned about it at the time. She felt like they had formed a bond, and now that he was giving up, she felt a terrible ripping feeling in her heart. Forcing herself to run on, the girl attempted to encourage Yugi to do the same.
"Don't give in to it, Yugi! We can't die now! We're too close! Look - there's Ryou and the others! They're waiting for us on the land! C'mon!"
"I - I can't, Hikaru! What's the use? We can't save Jonouchi and the others without Yami!"
Choking on the lump in her throat, Hikaru looked back with tears and fierce determination. "Yes you can! Just BELIEVE you can! The use? The use is to save ourselves! There are too many people who love us and want us back for us to give up now!"
"But Yami - Jonouchi -"
"There are other people we care about too! Like Ai, Ryou, Dajan, Takehiko, Seto, Misaki, Ro, Tali - everybody! There's always something to fight for Yugi, and this time it just happens to be US!"
Stunned, Yugi stopped and accidentally pull Hikaru back. The water had come crashing down to them ankle-deep now; the first tidal wave had already dissolved. Any second now another one would come, and then it would all end -
Hikaru grabbed Yugi's shoulders and hauled him to her. When his face was an inch away from hers she gripped his shoulders tighter and roughly pressed her mouth against his, their tears combining with the other's.
It was a bit of a painful kiss, but passionate all the same. After overcoming his astonishment Yugi's lips tightened around hers and they shared its sweetness as the water reach knee-level.
But it didn't matter, because as soon as the kiss was broken both Yugi and Hikaru, hand-in-hand, found energy in them they wouldn't have had even on a good day. Somehow they were able to find that last burst of speed, and running from their doom was the only goal in their minds.
Just as the next tidal wave collapsed on the ground to fill the river, Yugi and Hikaru jumped. Higher, higher, and higher, until the only way to go was down. They hit the sandy beach just as the note of Lyra gave out, and shattered in Kamui's hands.
Yugi coughed, spitting sand out of his mouth. He wiped it away, sat up, and helped Hikaru up too. She was blushing very pink, like a sakura blossom in full bloom. They were both panting heavily, and Hikaru coughed twice before looking up and smiling.
"We made it," she breathed.
"Yes," Yugi replied, hardly able to believe it himself. "We did. Thank you, Hikaru."
Her smile was so bright and cheerful, and a wave - this time of relief - washed over Yugi. He leaned forward. "Thank you for that last means of getting me to wake up and smell the life."
"The... life... Yeah. You're welcome." She kissed him timidly, barely grazing his lips. He beamed at her lovingly, returning her she peck with one on the cheek.
Hikaru was right, Yugi thought, even without Yami, there were still people who needed him.
Under the great looming cliff, Kamui dropped on all fours, the broken remains of Lyra tumbling out of her hand. Shaking, she brought herself to her knees, wiping sweat off her forehead.
She had done it. Her part was finally over. And now... now she could go back and live a normal life with Keikeru. But how? She had just realized that without Lyra, she had no way of returning home! Maybe her brother would let her come on his journey with him, even though she was scared stiff at the thought of going up against a mage as powerful as Zhur. What just did she have? She closed her eyes, trying to block out the many emotions welling up inside her.
All of a sudden, she felt very nauseated, as if she was being shaken around and around. Her whole world was spinning, and she couldn't feel the rocky earthen floor anymore.
At last the terrible feeling passed, and she was able to open her eyes. To her amazement, there was Keikeru Katsura bending over her with a wet cloth!
"Keikeru... but - doshite?" she murmured, eyes wide in wonder.
Keikeru put a finger to his lips. "Hush. You're not the only one with magic." He winked. "I, too, have a little power of my own." It was only then that Kamui recognized the Sealing Magic symbol shining on his forehead. She smiled.
"Thank you, koibito."
Hikaru's and Yugi's romantic moment was spoiled by the fervent calls of Ai, who was rushing to them with Dajan, Takehiko, and Bakura. The four of them met up with Yugi and Hikaru in a matter of seconds, and Ai flung herself around Hikaru.
"Oh, Hikaru-chan! I was soooooooooooooooooooooo scared! Don't EVER do that again, did you know how worried I was? I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Ai - geroff!"
"Yugi, are you guys okay?" Bakura, Dajan, and Takehiko crowded around Yugi after stepping over the squirming Ai and Hikaru. "What happened? Where are the yamis? Yugi..."
Bakura was close to hysterics. His fingers clawed through his hair to hit scalp, digging into the skin, but he didn't seem to notice. "The bell! The cliff! That book Hikaru has!" he exclaimed frantically. "It was all just like my dream! Just like it!"
Dajan covered Bakura's mouth with his hand. "Forget it," he instructed, though he looked quite befuddled as well. "Well think about it later. Right now I just want to know what happened to my yami. Yugi!" He, Bakura, and Takehiko all peered down at Yugi worriedly.
Yugi took a deep breath, getting ready to recount yet another tiresome adventure. Then something in the bushes caught his eye. A black figure was creeping towards them, making strange symbols with his hands.
Part of Yugi thought, 'Great, just as we manage one escape, this happens.' He knew this couldn't be good.
"Guys, look behind you," he said, pointing to the figured. Everyone turned just as the black figured leapt out in front of them.
"Šþÿå ê éÉ¥ ïÇÍ Šú!" he chanted, the symbols beginning to form into six glowing silver lights. Each rocketed off his finger tips and in their direction, changing colors as they went.
One turned yellow and hit Yugi's shoulder. He found himself paralyzed for a moment. He watched a white one hit Bakura's shoulder, a red hit Ai in the same place, a pink hit Hikaru, orange found Takehiko, and light blue found Dajan. Each one of them seemed immobilized.
Then a great green light filled the area, blinding them, and the next thing they knew...
***
The river was extremely still, considering what it had just gone through. There wasn't even a breeze to stir up the waters. The sun was shining brightly overhead, for morning had come.
A dirty hand shot out of the water and hooked itself to a nearby rock. The arm belonging to the hand emerged shortly afterward, followed by the body they were both a part of. Wearily, the person pushed himself out of the river and collapsed upon the beach.
Yami's hair was a tangled mess, and he was soaked and chilled to the bone. The mud and dried blood still tainted his face, and now the sand stuck to his wet skin and clothes. He had been clinging to a boulder in the river all night long, and when he found the energy to swim to land he found he could hardly breathe, and each breath was more agonizing than the last.
Very slowly, with the sun's rays casting light upon him and warming his frozen frame, he began to make sense of what had happen, and feel more at ease. Just as the feeling was coming back to his numbed joints, he was finally ready to fall into a deep slumber to re-energize his system.
A shadow blocked his sunlight very quietly and subtly. Confused, he opened one tired, amethyst eye, and saw a man dressed in black bending above him. His eyes were as dark as night, shining maliciously, and his hair was cropped short, matching the blackness of his eyes. He grinned, and bared his pointy white teeth.
"Yugioh," he chuckled with rancor. "Get up. I want a word."
He threw a deck of Duel Monsters cards on the ground.
"They're yours, I believe," he hissed. "I snatched them from your naive, unsuspecting light. Better get them in order, Yugioh, because now..."
Yami gaped as he came to understand what was going on.
"... it's time to duel!"
Angel: I can't believe I had to do yet another chapter in two parts... SIIIIIIIIGGGGHH!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE CHAP 7 IS REALLY FINISHED! Wasn't that great? Wasn't it? Huh? Huh?
Seto: No. I had practically no lines.
Himoko: Don't feel bad. I hardly ever talk.
Taidu: That's cuz you never have anything to say.
Himoko chases Taidu around Angel's computer desk. Dajan and Ay hold up a notepad twice their size (they're all like Thumbelinas compared to Angel) which reads:
SHAADI'S MILLENNIUM KEY IS CALLED THE MILLENNIUM ANKH IN THIS FIC CUZ DAJAN AND AY ARE USING THE KEY. DON'T GET THEM CONFUSED. THANKS! ~ DAJAN HADA AND AY THE SAILOR
Angel: Thanks, boys! In case ya hand't noticed, I changed all the dude's names to the Jap ones. You know, Katsuya Jonouchi (Katsuya is his FIRST name), Anzu Mazaki, Hiroto Honda (ditto to the former parantheses)... Well, it's been six weeks since I posted chapter six and I'm finally - FINALLY done. I really need more reviews, peoples! Tell all your friends! Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?
Yugi and Hikaru: Cherry Blossoms! Chibi, kawaii Sakura!
Angel: Um, yeah? OK, who wants to do the translations today?
Mokuba: Ooh! Ooh! Me, me!
Makimura: You did it already! It's my turn!
Angel: Go ahead, Makimura.
From the Desk of Makimura Fujishima:
yare - oh! ah! oh dear! dear me! aah! thank God!
sumimasen - sorry, excuse me
Lyra - a star constellation, also called the Harp or the Lyre
iie - no
aishiteru - I love you
koibito - lover
imoutosan - little sister
nii-sama - big brother
mou hitori no boku - the other me
Yuriko Tokita - there probably is a such person, but I don't know if she became a poet. In other words, she's fake. But Izumi Shikibu (chap 4) is!
aibyou - pet
gomen -sorry
minna-san - everyone
maa, naa - oh well
baka - stupid
tangannohi - "eye of fire," see chap 5
urusei - shut up
amour propre - self-love, conceit, vanity in French
nanto - whatever
sakura - cherry blossom
doshite - what? how?
I'm not doing a CHARACTER OF THE DAY for time's sake. But I realized I never told you what Misaki, Ai, and Tali are wearing now! Naturally they wouldn't still be in their work uniforms or "under-cover" clothes. So:
Ai is wearing a red and white T-shirt and black, pleated skirt with white knee-socks. Her hair is in a ponytail.
Tali is wearing a pale yellow shirt with a collar and Mudd jeans. She has a green barrette in her red-brown Nausicaä [Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä] bob.
Misaki is wearing a navy, straight skirt and a navy jacket. Her T-shirt is light purple with a white heart in the center. Her glasses are just glasses.
Their yamis look practically the same ('cept Himoko doesn't have Misaki's glasses), if you can imagine Madam Prim (Taidu) in jeans. I sure can't.
Next time: Chapter Eight, Koimizu (as told by Ai): I awoke to find myself in a Duel Monsters arena, and was even more surprised to find myself dressed in strange garments! Some evil guy sicked his monster on me, and I used my new super-strength to beat it! YEAH! How totally awesome! But when the evil guy played Talons of Shurilan, I was sure it was all over. Especially when Yugi was hit... poor little Yugi... the guy everything is revolving around... Wait a minute. Pretend I didn't say that. No one's supposed to know about Yugi's purpose... and why Pegasus wants him DEAD.
When will I have chap 8 up? WHO KNOWS?! Reviews encourage me on, ya know!
' ' - thinking
/ - Any Hikari talking to his or her Yami in his or her mind
// - Any Yami talking to his or her Hikari in his or her mind
Hikari No Yuugi
Play of Light
by Angel
Chapter Seven Part Two: Yami Musouka
Dark Dreamer
Her trip had ended some time ago, and now Kamui was sitting under a cliff side, nibbling a carrot stick. She had seen the recent events of the river - the giant waves, the disappearances of her stepbrother and his friends, and now the arrival of all the Shadow Gamers of Light.
'Ironic, that name,' Kamui thought, dismissing it as someone's idea of a bad joke.
Soon it would be time for her part. She touched the silver bell hanging from the chain on her neck, stilling it from the night breeze. Soon she would banish the Shadow living deep beneath the river once and for all.
The Shadow, she knew, was the whole reason she had made the magical journey to Duelist Kingdom right before her love Keikeru's eyes. It was a dark creature thousands of years old. It had managed to escape the Shadow Realm by forcing a magician of the Seal to open a gate into the real world. Then it had sucked the life from the mage to strengthen his powers. It called itself Chahahka's Slayer, taking the name of the mage it had destroyed and left to diminish in the Shadow Realm, Chahahka. The Shadow had roamed the islands that were now Duelist Kingdom for many centuries until another powerful mage had sealed it away in a great stone sphere. The mage may have managed to capture Chahahka, but the banishing was up to Kamui and the Shadow Gamers of Light.
Kamui watched as the former Pharaoh and his hikari rushed up to the edge of the river, shouting out for their lost friends. The others were close behind, and Kamui caught bits and pieces of their conversation. A blond boy with fearful blue eyes was wondering if they had drowned. A little brown-haired girl - Keikeru's younger sister - looked terrified at the prospect. A red-haired lady with mysterious brown eyes said something Kamui couldn't quite catch, but the others understood perfectly. The next thing she knew, the Pharaoh and the Queen were slipping into the icy river waters. She sat up abruptly. What were they doing? If they were in the water when she rang her bell...!
Yami and Kiara waded out deeper, the cool night water tickling their legs. They were quickly waist-deep in the river, but that was simply because of their lack of size. Kiara turned back to the others.
"It's all right out here," she said, rolling up one pink sleeve to prove she had no goose bumps. "And I'm sure I sense Ay and Kerihk under the flow." Kiara could sense auras better than any of the others, so no one doubted her statement.
"It will be dark underneath," Taidu rallied, her fingers brushing the Millennium Broach. "And cold. The hikaris should stay here."
Yami, who was now at chin-level in the water, an average-sized person's breast level, scowled as if confused. He dipped his index and middle fingers into the stream and brought it to his mouth. The freshwater naturally had little salt in it, and tasted just like the water of a reservoir. Yet he found it to be much warmer than the area Kiara was standing in, and he found something else in it too... the foul, corrupted zest of Shadows. As a mage of the Seal, Yami knew that sensation anywhere, and he quickly yanked his fingers out of his mouth, grimacing with disgust.
"Brother."
Kiara's voice sounded from nowhere. Yami slowly turned, and locked his gaze with hers. "Shadow," he said simply in Egyptian. Kiara nodded and answered also in Egyptian. "I thought so."
"What are they talking about?" Tali asked Taidu. Taidu shook her head, not wishing the hikaris to know.
"You all stay here," she said. "Let's go."
At her command, she, Himoko, Setsuna, and Ahmose stepped into the chilly waters after Yami and Kiara. The hikaris, the Kaibas, and the Fujishimas waited for their return as they were told.
Finally Kaiba stood up. "This is ridiculous," he said, crossing his arms and facing the cliff side. "I'm going to scout out the area. They may have come out on a different part of the river."
"That's a good idea," Ro said. "Come on, Makimura, Mokuba."
"No, they should stay with Misaki," Kaiba objected.
Misaki and Tali laughed and ruffled Mokuba and Makimura's hair. "Your big brothers think they can just waltz off together and leave the rest of us pretty Seto- and Ro-less. Of course we're coming too!" Tali exclaimed.
Kaiba gaped at them, then shook his head vigorously. "No way. It might be dangerous."
Misaki sighed and flung her hands up in mock frustration. "Everything's dangerous to you, Seto-kun! But Mokuba and Makimura don't want to be without you, and while you do the scouting, they'll need someone to watch them. So Tali and I will come along for that purpose."
It didn't take Kaiba long to realize he had once again lost to Misaki Hikawa.
Hikaru looked doubtful at the proposition. "Guys, I don't know if this is a good idea. Taidu said to stay here. We should all stick together."
"Relax, Hikaru-chan." Misaki waved her hand dismissively with a confident smile. She pushed her glasses further up her nose. "Nothing's going to happen. We're only going to see if Dajan and Bakura came out the other side. What could go wrong?"
Hikaru didn't voice the implication that whatever dragged the two boys and their yamis into the river just might get those six as well. Her lavender eyes followed them as they disappeared down the hillside, then drifted to the tall cliff looming in the light of the moon.
"I hope they're okay..." she mumbled.
Something shifted in the shadow of the cliff. Hikaru looked towards it, and saw a faint yellow light shining from the top. (a/n: there sure are a lot of glowing lights in this ficcie, aren't there?)
'What's that...' she thought, before her eyes widened and focused on the light, ignoring everything else around her. As if magically pulled by some force, her feet began to walk, jog, then sprint towards it.
"Hikaru!" shouted the voices of her remaining three friends. "Come back! What are you doing? Get back here!" Yugi's anxious voice sounded greater among the others, and for an instance Hikaru became her old self again and turned around; another flash of the light came and she was instantly dashing to the hilltop once more.
"Hikaru!" Yugi yelled again. Hands balled into fists, teeth clenched tightly, he took off after her, leaving Takehiko and Ai alone on the beach.
The brown-haired girl continued to be deaf to Yugi's desperate shouts for her to slow down and clambered up the cliff with abnormal swiftness. Yugi's violet eyes filled with fear and shock as he realized that she should never have been able to get up there so quickly; the cliff was too steep and it was practically pitch black out. Swallowing his fear, Yugi attempted to follow her up the rocks.
He wasn't quick enough to beat Hikaru. In the blink of an eye she was at the top of the cliff, bending down over something lying near her feet. She bent down, and picked up a strange black book with red rims. A golden Eye symbol was emblazoned on the center of the cover, with hieroglyphics written below it and on the back.
In a trance, Hikaru opened the cover and stared with unseeing eyes at the page. Then she began to read, and everything stopped as if frozen in time.
***
The fish was an extremely little one, but it would do. Ay grabbed its tale as it passed and added it to the net of fish they had already captured. "I think we have enough," he said at last, rubbing his hands on his pants.
Kerihk snorted. "Enough is right," he grunted. "We only need two more to reach fifty."
"Oh, well then, let's get two more."
Kerihk glared at him.
"C'mon," Bakura mumbled, hugging himself. "Let's get this over with. I want to know what those hieroglyphics are, but it's really creepy down here and I want to get back to the surface..."
Their plan was underway. Dajan and Ay, being the best swimmers, each took a length of the net and swam out towards the red sphere. They waited a moment, Ay sniffing around for the closest Shadow creature. He smirked when he sensed a group of three hiding behind a reef, and nodded to Dajan. In an instant the fish were released from the net, and all forty-eight of them darted off in different directions, only to turn around and cut through the water towards the reef where the Shadows lurked. With a satisfied smile, yami and hikari about-faced and joined Bakura and Kerihk by the ice ring around the sphere.
"Our plan worked," Ay reported to the others. "I guessed that since no fish were swimming near this red thing, they probably didn't want to go near it, so if we let them loose in the right place, they would swim as far away from it as possible, posing as a distraction for the Shadows. They'll be too busy feeding off of lesser life to come after us."
Dajan grinned at Ay. /Brilliant!/ he thought. /You must have been an expert fisherman in your time./
Ay only blushed.
The ice ring was as cold as it looked, which was surprising since the heat emitting from the sphere was even greater now that they were up close, scorching their skin. Bakura voiced the opinion that they were either in a hot spring or a boiling vat of soup. He reached up with one hand to touch the ice; elements of hot and cold intertwined and sent a painful shock up his arm. He almost screamed, but Kerihk clamped a hand over his mouth so as not to alert the Shadows of their arrival.
Bakura sucked on his fingers, wincing with the after-pain. "What do the rings say?" he said through partly-shut teeth.
Ay and Kerihk looked at each other. "Do you want to read it?" asked the latter.
"I'd rather not," Ay answered, with a side-look at the ring.
Kerihk gave a forced nod and foxy grin and swam even closer to the ice, until he and the ring were only an inch or two apart. He took a great gulp of the river water, and read aloud:
"Three great powers sustain the world:
Light, Dark, and Shadow; the Triforce.
Light is the purest and most indestructible
But she can only be summoned by one pure of heart and willing to sacrifice."
His voice faltered, and he took a moment to try to stop shaking. He felt power coming from his tongue like fire, blistering and burning his lips. He wiped the froth from his mouth and continued.
"Light is also the most deadly to both good and evil.
Silent Dark is power that surrounds the world.
She cannot defeat her corrupt sister Shadow
And cannot put out the light
But she may whisper the future to one willing to listen."
Again Kerihk's voice trembled, feeling like someone had lit fire to his face. Before he could start once more on the end of the verse, a great rumbling began to sound from the sphere. He looked at his friends.
"Please tell me that was one of your stomachs," he pleaded.
Three pairs of unknowing eyes blinked back at him, filled with fear. Kerihk swam backwards, joining them on the floor of the river, as the red sphere began to crack and break until it destroyed the ice ring. Emerging from the sphere was the cause of the red light and the heat.
A great beast, a Shadow of the Great Ones of Fire, was being unchained, and quickly. Its eyes were like yellow torches of flame, burning and flashing consistently. Its body was also composed of flames, and its heart was of blue fire like the center of the hearth. Serrated teeth, fiery wings, and a smoking nose distinguished its body as a solid object and not a twisting column of fire. It opened its mouth, revealing a yellow tongue as long as Ay who was about two inches taller than Kerihk, and let out an ear-splitting roar.
"AAAIIIIEEEEE!" shrieked its victims, covering their ears in agony. The water was boiling now, but they couldn't swim to safety; the Fire Demon had immobilized their bodies, trapping them to the river floor. Through clenched teeth and tearing eyes, they tried to endure the heat and Shadow powers ejecting from the Fire Demon.
'Chahahka's... Slayer...' was Kerihk's last thought before he descending into darkness.
***
(A/N: I know, I know... more asterisks.)
Yugi stopped in his tracks as Hikaru's sweet voice, mingling with an unfamiliar, mysterious tone, began reciting something from the black and red book in a different language. Egyptian, he realized, recognizing a few of the words he'd heard Yami use (though not their meanings), but how could Hikaru suddenly speak it?
Two-thirds through the stanza her voice switched to Japanese, and she went on to finish the verse.
"... But she may whisper the future to one willing to listen.
Shadow is the most malicious, the most foul and wicked.
She seeks only power, and skillfully gains it.
Shadow is the most powerful of all, and only she can defeat herself
Lest the one with the Pure Heart makes the Final Wish
Ignoring the inevitable cost of death to destroy the threat of Great Evil."
"F-Final Wish?" Yugi repeated hoarsely, lost in a blank state of mind. He shook his head, and resumed climbing, still musing on the prophecy. "The threat of Great Evil?" What was Hikaru talking about?
He had reached the top of the cliff now. There was Hikaru, standing perfectly still, hands outstretched. The book was laying open in her palms like an omen of peril. Yugi mustered up all his courage and sprinted over jagged rocks and stones to the mesmerized girl.
Just as Yugi was about to reach out and tap Hikaru's shoulder, she suddenly fell forward, clutching the book to her chest, right over the edge of the cliff. "HIKARU!" Yugi shrieked, grabbing her arm to pull her back. He paid for his recklessness as both he and Hikaru tumbled off the cliff, linked by their hands.
Yugi tried to pull Hikaru's small frame to him so when they landed he would take the most impact. Yet the expected crash and paralyzing pain never came. He opened his eyes to find himself in someone's strong arms, arms belonging to none other than Princess Kiara.
Kiara looked full of concern and anticipation as she soared above the river with Yugi and Hikaru in her grasp. Her great white wings shone like silver in the moonlight, beating against the wind to reach the shore.
"What happened, Yugi?" she asked, looking extremely disquieted. "I thought Taidu told you guys to stay on the land."
"We were, but then Hikaru went all weird and ran up this cliff," Yugi answered, trying to keep Hikaru from falling into the river by biting her pink jacket with his teeth. "She opened some strange book - look, she's still got it even now - and started speaking in Egyptian. Then she changed to Japanese and said something about a Final Wish and - what's that?!"
Yugi gasped as he finished his story, staring down at the churning river waters. The water was quickly evaporating, leaving shells and seaweed stranded and dying on its muddy floor. Soon all the water was gone, and the yamis were standing on squishy ground, entangled in kelp. The boy couldn't believe what he saw. How could all that water disappear so quickly? He looked behind Kiara, and squealed in alarm at the sight of a humongous creature of fire stretching its long clawed arms nearby. The heat was terrible, and the effect of the hotness evaporated the river in an instant. Squinting, Yugi saw Kerihk and Ay running to join the other yamis at top speed, panting like anything. Bakura and Dajan were heading for the shore.
"What IS that thing?" Yugi cried, attempting to move the entranced Hikaru into a more stable position - she was beginning to slip through his fingers.
Kiara's lavender eyes narrowed. "Chahahka's Slayer," she hissed. "My father, Pharaoh Ramses III, had two high priests - Chahahka and Semaret. Zhur - who is Pegasus - was the Grand Vizier. Chahahka came across a Fire Demon of the Greater Shadows once, and thought it would make a good servant, or tool for the Shadow Games. So he quite foolishly released it. Naturally the Fire Demon wasn't too happy about being awakened from its quiet slumber, and it turned on Chahahka, destroying him. He took the name of the mage who had released him, and from then on was known as Chahahka's Slayer. He was eventually banished by Semaret using the bell 'Ceres', but not for good. The bell that must be used is 'Lyra' - the Lyre. Ceres is not powerful enough. I wonder if someone nearby has Lyra? This might not be coincidence."
Yugi opened his mouth to ask another question, but the words got caught in his throat as he realized he was suddenly very free and light. He shouted as Hikaru fell out of his grip and towards the bemired earth.
"HIKARU! Hikaru! HIKARU!!!"
Falling...
Falling...
Falling...
Hikaru's luck held out as Yami watched the pink speck descend from Yugi's hands and to the ground. He jumped up and caught her in the air before tumbling face-first into the mud with the small girl and her book clasped to his chest.
"Yami!" Ahmose shouted as he and the others, now including Kerihk and Ay, ran to his side. "Are you all right?"
Panting, the pharaoh with the glittering gem-like eyes stood up again, carrying Hikaru. "I'm fine..." he said, looking completely out of breath.
Hikaru seemed to finally come out of her spellbound state as she hit the ground. She looked up, saw the mud and dirt streaking along Yami's face, and Kiara soaring down with Yugi in her grasp, and realized what had happened.
"Thank you, Y-Yami...?" she said in a small voice, feeling quite tired and also unsure of what to call Yugi's other self. Everyone was calling him Yami, but she had a yami of her own and it felt a little weird.
"That's fine," Yami answered, as if guessing her thoughts. "Everyone's always called me Yami - it's just a nickname, though. And you're welcome. I couldn't let my little sister's hikari fall to her doom, now could I?"
Hikaru smiled, nestling closer to his chest, still feeling like the wind had been knocked out of her.
Kiara interrupted Yami and Hikaru's chat with an anxious exclamation, "Hikaru, are you okay? When you fell, I thought - I thought -"
"I'm fine, Kiara."
"I was worried too," Yugi said quietly, disentangling himself from Kiara. Hikaru smiled gratefully at him, causing him to blush furiously, and also detached herself from her rescuer.
Chahahka's Slayer (a/n: that's too long, so I'll just be calling him Chahahka from now on) was up on both his feet now, stretching his enormous fiery wings. His legs were lips pillars, his teeth likes knives, his hands like fists of iron. He roared again, causing the ground to quake from the sound waves.
"Is that Chahahka's Slayer?" yelled Ahmose as soon as the echo died out, blue eyes blazing with fire as grand as Chahahka's. He had drawn his Millennium Sword from its scabbard and had it held in front of him ready for battle.
Ay nodded, gritting his teeth as dust and ash blew their way, stinging their eyes and sticking to their skin. "That's him all right," he said, wiping the ashes from his mouth, "he was right there under the water with us in the great red sphere. When Kerihk was almost done with the writing on the ice ring he broke through and..."
"Wait a minute... writing? Ice ring? Tell me everything you know!" the warrior growled, swinging his sword around. Fire erupted upon it in recollection of Ahmose's fire attack, Burning Sword of Battle (a/n: yes, it's the same as the Flame Swordsman's. Why? You'll see! ::winks::). "I'm gonna roast me some Chahahka."
"Don't be an idiot," Kerihk snapped. "Fighting fire with fire isn't going to work in this situation! Chahahka is too strong! Our best bet is to lead it out to the ocean where the salt water will destroy its flames. Then it will be weak enough to beat!"
"There's no time!" Yami shouted. Chahahka was stomping towards them now, its eyes burning with a passion for revenge. "If we run now it'll catch up with us immediately! And it might turn on the hikaris if we leave!"
"The what do we do?"
"I don't know! This has never happened before!"
"How did Semaret defeat Chahahka's Slayer?"
"He used Ceres, the bell, remember? But we haven't got that now -"
"Anyway it didn't even work, it only bound him for -"
" Five millennia."
"Well yes, but only Lyra can bind Chahahka forever!"
"Where's Lyra, then?"
"Who knows! Last I remember, Father had the thirteen Bells of Binding locked away with the Millennium Ankh in the secret passageway under the dungeon. You know, the one Kerihk and what's-his-name... oh yes, Sahure used to use to escape whenever they were caught robbing people?"
"You had to remind me of that..."
"It wasn't so secret if Kerihk and Sahure knew about it."
"That doesn't matter, Setsuna! We need at least one of the bells - Ceres, Lyra, Sirius, Gemini - any one of them to bind Chahahka, and we need it now!"
There was a silence after Kiara's statement as everyone thought. Finally Kerihk opened his mouth slowly.
"Bakura's friends in Egypt... they have a lot of the bells," he mumbled uncomfortably, shifting around to check on the giant of fire who was now sending embers into the grass on the hills as he stomped around. "I remember Sahure once telling me that the thirteen bells are for each of the twelve Millennium Item bearers. There are only twelve instead of thirteen because Shaadi has two. Maybe... maybe that's because Lyra is supposed to be destroyed after it releases its most powerful spell on Chahahka..."
"That doesn't help us though," Ay argued cynically. "We're not in Egypt and Sahure isn't here right now to give us the bells. What are we supposed to do?!"
Chahahka came closer now, taking much more time than was needed. He seemed to be enjoying the tension filling the yamis, Yugi's, and Hikaru's hearts. An evil smirk was stretched upon his thin black lips, and he looked extremely confident in himself.
"He's sure full of amour propre," Setsuna said disdainfully, trying to sound unshaken even though she was trembling.
"A-amour propre?" Yami stuttered, also trying to keep his cool in the heat of the battle.
"It's a - a French phrase I learned from Ai."
"Oh. Nanto."
Standing besides the armed Ahmose, Ay could see the furious Chahahka practically breaking the ground he was stepping on. He cringed as he felt the earth quake and shudder, and the chill wind was filled with more Shadow than there had been before. "That's it," he mumbled. "I'm tired of waiting around. The only thing we can do is fight."
Ahmose raised his sword. "Right!"
Kiara spread her angel-like wings. "I'm with you!"
Yami nodded. "Ditto to that!"
Setsuna launched into a karate punching position. "Right behind you!"
Kerihk gritted his teeth. "Let's do it."
Taidu and Himoko formed Sealing Magic symbols with their hands. "Agreed."
Yugi and Hikaru could only watch.
All at once, all six yamis dashed out in front of Yugi and Hikaru, roaring with rage. Chahahka roared back, and they all set up their attacks, preparing to annihilate the enemy whether with evil fire or good Sealing Magic - Chahahka was running fast - any second now - they were going to collide together - there would be an explosion and everything would be destroyed - all hopes of saving their kidnapped friends were about to be demolished -
Yugi's ears were ringing with an unfamiliar sound. At first he didn't realize he was hearing it, he was too intent on Chahahka's stampede towards them. Then, as he realized both teams had suddenly stopped in their tracks, the terrible ringing alerted his senses and he clamped his hands over his ears, trying to stop it.
Hikaru's eyes were wide with astonishment, her hands also covering her pained ears. "What is that sound?" she yelled. Her voice sounded extremely loud in Yugi's head, and he removed his hands.
"Hikaru... it's so soft, that sound, it's not loud at all," he stuttered, confused. By the baffled look on Hikaru's face, she hadn't any idea what was happening either.
She gasped. "Yugi, the yamis!" she cried, pointing to them. All were on their knees now, hands over their ears or clutching their stomachs as if suffering terribly.
"YAMI! What's going on? What's wrong? Yami!"
Taidu opened one sparkling brown eye and murmured, "L-Lyra... is being... rung..."
"LYRA?! Someone has it? Who - who?"
There was no reply from the yamis. Even Ahmose was keeled over in pain. Hikaru flew over to help Kiara up, but the winged girl couldn't do it.
Yugi looked around wildly, blindly searching for the ringer of the bell Lyra. At first all he saw was mist and the outline of the cliff. Then -
A tall lady with long, raven black hair, sad but beautiful eyes, holding a small silver bell which was ringing out sweetly in the night wind.
"Ms. Tsumura," Yugi said hoarsely. She was ringing Lyra. Did Ryou know? Did Ryou... did Ryou... did... Ryou... R... Ryou... know...
Yugi fell face-forward upon the ground as a terrible stitch in his side appeared out of nowhere. He felt a pang of agony shoot through his body, and he cried out softly. Looking around from his crumpled position, Yugi could see Hikaru also curled up and sobbing besides Kiara.
"This is it then," he thought, "we're all going to die here. Chahahka will burn us all..."
"No, look!" Hikaru screamed through her sobs. "Chahahka's Slayer!"
Yugi's head shot up in spite of his surprise that he had been thinking out loud. Chahahka was roaring in more distress than the kids, twitching and convulsing as if being attacked by a seizure. His fiery eyes were smoking, and smoke was coming out of his mouth and nostrils as well. His wings were dissolving... then his legs... then the rest of his body and his head, until nothing was left but a distant roar of "I shall have my revenge!" remained but an echo in the air.
The tri-color-haired boy could have laughed if he hadn't been in such pain. Chahahka was gone - gone! Lyra had banished him forever! They hadn't had to fight after all!
But why was he still in pain?
"Yami... Chahahka's gone... how come everything's the same still?" he asked, staring desperately at Yami's mud-streaked, scratched-up face, which even in the pain of the bell's fatal ring resembled that of a powerful king.
Yami winced, biting his lip hard until the flesh broke and the salt of his own blood filled his mouth, sliding down his chin which rested on the mire. He tried to breath, but it was so painful. But Yugi had a right to know... he had to tell him...
"Lyra is... the bell - a bell of binding," he choked out. "One of thirteen. She is called the Lyre - a kind of harp in your modern language. Her sweet song sends anything living into eternal banishment in the Shadow Realm."
"So how come we're feeling its effects?"
"We're only spirits, Yugi, so we can't be banished using Lyra. There's a different bell for that - I believe it was Ceres, or Sirius... one or the other. But we still nauseatingly affected by it... un-until its sound dies away we'll be in pain."
"But Yami... Hikaru and I - we're - I'm -"
There was no need for Yugi to continue - Yami had had a sudden realization; his sudden, abrupt intake of breath indicated this. He rolled over, flinching, and stared wide-eyed at Kiara.
"They're humans," he whispered to her.
"Yes, and we're not?"
"We're not from this era. Kiara - the bell, the bell! Anything living gets sent into -"
"-The Shadow Realm."
Kiara shoved Hikaru off of her and pulled her to her feet, getting up herself. Yami yanked Yugi off the ground and they tried to stand against the pressure of the bell. Yugi and Hikaru wondered what their yamis were all riled up about.
"Yugi..." Yami stammered, "get out. Get out of here now, or you'll die!"
"Wh-what?"
"The bell, Lyra, sends anything living into the Shadow Realm," Kiara answered. "Technically, we're not alive. You're our reincarnates so part of you is us, but the Millennium Items spit up our separate personalities. I'm a shadow of you, or you're a shadow of me. Something like that. But it doesn't matter! Yami's right - you both need to run for it! As soon as that bell's sound disperses and the water from the river comes back, you'll be trapped in the Dead part of the Shadow Realm - forever!"
Horrified, Hikaru immediately began backing up. Then she stopped. "What about you?"
"We'll be fine."
"No, you won't!" shrieked Yugi despairingly, flinging his hands up to his face. "You said the river water will come back when the -" he stopped as both Kiara and Yami gave another scream of intense pain, wondered why he wasn't affected as badly as them, and continued - "when the bell's sound stops! You'll drown! You have to run with us!"
"We can't. We're not - we're too weak right now."
"You'll DROWN!"
"So be it," Yami growled. "Yugi, listen to me! Go now! You HAVE to!"
"I won't! Not without you!"
"Yugi! GO!"
"But -"
"GO! RIGHT NOW! THAT IS NOT A REQUEST!"
Yugi stopped babbling incoherently amid Yami's words when he yelled. He seemed in shock that his other half had spoken so forcefully to him.
Kiara spoke gentler, on behalf of the terrified look on Hikaru's face and her own agony in her side. "Please go. It's the only way, and we'll be fine. I promise. Please, Hikaru..."
For a moment Hikaru just stood there, listening to the wind, lower lip trembling. Then she let out the sob of one forced to do the last thing they wished to do at the time but hadn't any choice, and took Yugi's hand in hers. She began running towards the shore, sobbing loudly, pulling Yugi along with her. He was trying to fight her, trying to keep from getting ashore.
"We can't leave them, Hikaru! We have to stay!"
"NO!" Hikaru screamed, the tears flowing down her face and getting caught in her short brown hair. "We have to GO! Even if we stay there's nothing we can do to help them! And I won't let you die, Yugi! I promised you I'd never let you down, and I don't intend to now!"
Yami watched the two hikaris run, his tears mixing with the slimy dirt and blood on his face. "Be safe, hikari..." he uttered, feeling more helpless than he ever had in his lifetime. He heard a strange gushing sound behind him, and just as he had turned to gaze upon the rapid water flowing back to fill the stream, he was submerged with icy river wetness.
That was the last Yugi saw of his yami. As soon as the wave hit all eight yamis, he gave a cry and stumbled behind Hikaru. She pulled him up again, crying with him, and tried again to out-run the water and impending prison in the Shadow Realm. The bell's sound had almost given out, and she could feel the Shadow power trying to suck her through its portal - but she wouldn't let it - but - would Yugi?
She was surprised that she could sense Yugi's will dying, but more concerned about it at the time. She felt like they had formed a bond, and now that he was giving up, she felt a terrible ripping feeling in her heart. Forcing herself to run on, the girl attempted to encourage Yugi to do the same.
"Don't give in to it, Yugi! We can't die now! We're too close! Look - there's Ryou and the others! They're waiting for us on the land! C'mon!"
"I - I can't, Hikaru! What's the use? We can't save Jonouchi and the others without Yami!"
Choking on the lump in her throat, Hikaru looked back with tears and fierce determination. "Yes you can! Just BELIEVE you can! The use? The use is to save ourselves! There are too many people who love us and want us back for us to give up now!"
"But Yami - Jonouchi -"
"There are other people we care about too! Like Ai, Ryou, Dajan, Takehiko, Seto, Misaki, Ro, Tali - everybody! There's always something to fight for Yugi, and this time it just happens to be US!"
Stunned, Yugi stopped and accidentally pull Hikaru back. The water had come crashing down to them ankle-deep now; the first tidal wave had already dissolved. Any second now another one would come, and then it would all end -
Hikaru grabbed Yugi's shoulders and hauled him to her. When his face was an inch away from hers she gripped his shoulders tighter and roughly pressed her mouth against his, their tears combining with the other's.
It was a bit of a painful kiss, but passionate all the same. After overcoming his astonishment Yugi's lips tightened around hers and they shared its sweetness as the water reach knee-level.
But it didn't matter, because as soon as the kiss was broken both Yugi and Hikaru, hand-in-hand, found energy in them they wouldn't have had even on a good day. Somehow they were able to find that last burst of speed, and running from their doom was the only goal in their minds.
Just as the next tidal wave collapsed on the ground to fill the river, Yugi and Hikaru jumped. Higher, higher, and higher, until the only way to go was down. They hit the sandy beach just as the note of Lyra gave out, and shattered in Kamui's hands.
Yugi coughed, spitting sand out of his mouth. He wiped it away, sat up, and helped Hikaru up too. She was blushing very pink, like a sakura blossom in full bloom. They were both panting heavily, and Hikaru coughed twice before looking up and smiling.
"We made it," she breathed.
"Yes," Yugi replied, hardly able to believe it himself. "We did. Thank you, Hikaru."
Her smile was so bright and cheerful, and a wave - this time of relief - washed over Yugi. He leaned forward. "Thank you for that last means of getting me to wake up and smell the life."
"The... life... Yeah. You're welcome." She kissed him timidly, barely grazing his lips. He beamed at her lovingly, returning her she peck with one on the cheek.
Hikaru was right, Yugi thought, even without Yami, there were still people who needed him.
Under the great looming cliff, Kamui dropped on all fours, the broken remains of Lyra tumbling out of her hand. Shaking, she brought herself to her knees, wiping sweat off her forehead.
She had done it. Her part was finally over. And now... now she could go back and live a normal life with Keikeru. But how? She had just realized that without Lyra, she had no way of returning home! Maybe her brother would let her come on his journey with him, even though she was scared stiff at the thought of going up against a mage as powerful as Zhur. What just did she have? She closed her eyes, trying to block out the many emotions welling up inside her.
All of a sudden, she felt very nauseated, as if she was being shaken around and around. Her whole world was spinning, and she couldn't feel the rocky earthen floor anymore.
At last the terrible feeling passed, and she was able to open her eyes. To her amazement, there was Keikeru Katsura bending over her with a wet cloth!
"Keikeru... but - doshite?" she murmured, eyes wide in wonder.
Keikeru put a finger to his lips. "Hush. You're not the only one with magic." He winked. "I, too, have a little power of my own." It was only then that Kamui recognized the Sealing Magic symbol shining on his forehead. She smiled.
"Thank you, koibito."
Hikaru's and Yugi's romantic moment was spoiled by the fervent calls of Ai, who was rushing to them with Dajan, Takehiko, and Bakura. The four of them met up with Yugi and Hikaru in a matter of seconds, and Ai flung herself around Hikaru.
"Oh, Hikaru-chan! I was soooooooooooooooooooooo scared! Don't EVER do that again, did you know how worried I was? I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Ai - geroff!"
"Yugi, are you guys okay?" Bakura, Dajan, and Takehiko crowded around Yugi after stepping over the squirming Ai and Hikaru. "What happened? Where are the yamis? Yugi..."
Bakura was close to hysterics. His fingers clawed through his hair to hit scalp, digging into the skin, but he didn't seem to notice. "The bell! The cliff! That book Hikaru has!" he exclaimed frantically. "It was all just like my dream! Just like it!"
Dajan covered Bakura's mouth with his hand. "Forget it," he instructed, though he looked quite befuddled as well. "Well think about it later. Right now I just want to know what happened to my yami. Yugi!" He, Bakura, and Takehiko all peered down at Yugi worriedly.
Yugi took a deep breath, getting ready to recount yet another tiresome adventure. Then something in the bushes caught his eye. A black figure was creeping towards them, making strange symbols with his hands.
Part of Yugi thought, 'Great, just as we manage one escape, this happens.' He knew this couldn't be good.
"Guys, look behind you," he said, pointing to the figured. Everyone turned just as the black figured leapt out in front of them.
"Šþÿå ê éÉ¥ ïÇÍ Šú!" he chanted, the symbols beginning to form into six glowing silver lights. Each rocketed off his finger tips and in their direction, changing colors as they went.
One turned yellow and hit Yugi's shoulder. He found himself paralyzed for a moment. He watched a white one hit Bakura's shoulder, a red hit Ai in the same place, a pink hit Hikaru, orange found Takehiko, and light blue found Dajan. Each one of them seemed immobilized.
Then a great green light filled the area, blinding them, and the next thing they knew...
***
The river was extremely still, considering what it had just gone through. There wasn't even a breeze to stir up the waters. The sun was shining brightly overhead, for morning had come.
A dirty hand shot out of the water and hooked itself to a nearby rock. The arm belonging to the hand emerged shortly afterward, followed by the body they were both a part of. Wearily, the person pushed himself out of the river and collapsed upon the beach.
Yami's hair was a tangled mess, and he was soaked and chilled to the bone. The mud and dried blood still tainted his face, and now the sand stuck to his wet skin and clothes. He had been clinging to a boulder in the river all night long, and when he found the energy to swim to land he found he could hardly breathe, and each breath was more agonizing than the last.
Very slowly, with the sun's rays casting light upon him and warming his frozen frame, he began to make sense of what had happen, and feel more at ease. Just as the feeling was coming back to his numbed joints, he was finally ready to fall into a deep slumber to re-energize his system.
A shadow blocked his sunlight very quietly and subtly. Confused, he opened one tired, amethyst eye, and saw a man dressed in black bending above him. His eyes were as dark as night, shining maliciously, and his hair was cropped short, matching the blackness of his eyes. He grinned, and bared his pointy white teeth.
"Yugioh," he chuckled with rancor. "Get up. I want a word."
He threw a deck of Duel Monsters cards on the ground.
"They're yours, I believe," he hissed. "I snatched them from your naive, unsuspecting light. Better get them in order, Yugioh, because now..."
Yami gaped as he came to understand what was going on.
"... it's time to duel!"
Angel: I can't believe I had to do yet another chapter in two parts... SIIIIIIIIGGGGHH!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE CHAP 7 IS REALLY FINISHED! Wasn't that great? Wasn't it? Huh? Huh?
Seto: No. I had practically no lines.
Himoko: Don't feel bad. I hardly ever talk.
Taidu: That's cuz you never have anything to say.
Himoko chases Taidu around Angel's computer desk. Dajan and Ay hold up a notepad twice their size (they're all like Thumbelinas compared to Angel) which reads:
SHAADI'S MILLENNIUM KEY IS CALLED THE MILLENNIUM ANKH IN THIS FIC CUZ DAJAN AND AY ARE USING THE KEY. DON'T GET THEM CONFUSED. THANKS! ~ DAJAN HADA AND AY THE SAILOR
Angel: Thanks, boys! In case ya hand't noticed, I changed all the dude's names to the Jap ones. You know, Katsuya Jonouchi (Katsuya is his FIRST name), Anzu Mazaki, Hiroto Honda (ditto to the former parantheses)... Well, it's been six weeks since I posted chapter six and I'm finally - FINALLY done. I really need more reviews, peoples! Tell all your friends! Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top?
Yugi and Hikaru: Cherry Blossoms! Chibi, kawaii Sakura!
Angel: Um, yeah? OK, who wants to do the translations today?
Mokuba: Ooh! Ooh! Me, me!
Makimura: You did it already! It's my turn!
Angel: Go ahead, Makimura.
From the Desk of Makimura Fujishima:
yare - oh! ah! oh dear! dear me! aah! thank God!
sumimasen - sorry, excuse me
Lyra - a star constellation, also called the Harp or the Lyre
iie - no
aishiteru - I love you
koibito - lover
imoutosan - little sister
nii-sama - big brother
mou hitori no boku - the other me
Yuriko Tokita - there probably is a such person, but I don't know if she became a poet. In other words, she's fake. But Izumi Shikibu (chap 4) is!
aibyou - pet
gomen -sorry
minna-san - everyone
maa, naa - oh well
baka - stupid
tangannohi - "eye of fire," see chap 5
urusei - shut up
amour propre - self-love, conceit, vanity in French
nanto - whatever
sakura - cherry blossom
doshite - what? how?
I'm not doing a CHARACTER OF THE DAY for time's sake. But I realized I never told you what Misaki, Ai, and Tali are wearing now! Naturally they wouldn't still be in their work uniforms or "under-cover" clothes. So:
Ai is wearing a red and white T-shirt and black, pleated skirt with white knee-socks. Her hair is in a ponytail.
Tali is wearing a pale yellow shirt with a collar and Mudd jeans. She has a green barrette in her red-brown Nausicaä [Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä] bob.
Misaki is wearing a navy, straight skirt and a navy jacket. Her T-shirt is light purple with a white heart in the center. Her glasses are just glasses.
Their yamis look practically the same ('cept Himoko doesn't have Misaki's glasses), if you can imagine Madam Prim (Taidu) in jeans. I sure can't.
Next time: Chapter Eight, Koimizu (as told by Ai): I awoke to find myself in a Duel Monsters arena, and was even more surprised to find myself dressed in strange garments! Some evil guy sicked his monster on me, and I used my new super-strength to beat it! YEAH! How totally awesome! But when the evil guy played Talons of Shurilan, I was sure it was all over. Especially when Yugi was hit... poor little Yugi... the guy everything is revolving around... Wait a minute. Pretend I didn't say that. No one's supposed to know about Yugi's purpose... and why Pegasus wants him DEAD.
When will I have chap 8 up? WHO KNOWS?! Reviews encourage me on, ya know!