Summary: Tragedy strikes. Joey Wheeler is gone forever. Or is he? Joey POV. Post Duelist Kingdom AU. Will eventually be Seto/Joey shounen-ai.
Author's Notes: Well, I thought I'd try writing a YuGiOh fic. And it's still going. And whoa, still going. But it'll be over soon!
Can't... believe... over 700 reviews... *digs into freezer, pulls out vanilla ice cream, and gives a scoop to every single reviewer who wants some*
Andross: Have you checked your computer settings? Take a look at the suggestion in the Chap27 review by Llyxius. Or it could be the browser you're using, I don't know. I write in Word and save as html. Maybe there's some tags that's messing it up or something.
JKJ: I think that if Ryou and Bakura were in the same body, and if Ryou knew Joey was there, then he would be able to see him.
Kimmie: It's a magic card that draws on the power of the Shadow Realm, granted physical substance by the Millennium Ring. Or something like that... I think I'll do a claimer for the last chapter!
Kyra Windwood: If he became a spirit like Yami or something, then flying, yes, being seen, no. I think Yami could fly if he actually bothered to try it ^_^
ShadowSpirit: 3 and a half hours... and to think I originally intended this thing to be a five-parter or less...
Cliffies are terrible, I know, but I like saving the rest for tomorrow. I need the time to think about what I'm going to write.
Warnings: Character death (sort of), language, angst, eventual Seto/Joey.
Disclaimers: I don't own YuGiOh or any other brand names you might come across. No Tristans were seriously harmed in the making of this fic.
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Being Dead Ain't Easy
Chapter Twenty-Eight: No Pain, No Gain
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We all move outta the way and watch as Yami Bakura sets up. He sticks a birthday candle on the road, wraps the bottom part with tape so it stays up, and lights it. He keeps doing that until he's got a great big flaming pentagram that stretches from one end of the dome to the other. That spot's right in the middle. Once he's done, he stands back and looks at it, nods. "This will do. Pharaoh, put Wheeler in the center. Don't knock over my candles." Yami Bakura sneers at Kaiba, still lying in Tristan's arms. "Wake the Priest up."
Yami's carrying me and I'm pointing the wrong way to see, but I hear Tristan grumble, "Wake up, you rich bastard." And a slap.
"DON'T HIT BIG BROTHER!" yells Mokuba. I guess he does something nasty to Tristan, 'cause he screams in pain.
Tea cries out. "Tristan, are you okay? Mokuba, he's just trying to help!"
"Guys! He's waking up!" That's Yuugi.
I hear somebody moan. A pause, a crunch, and then another scream from Tristan. "And that's just a taste of what I'm going to do to you," hisses a voice I know way too well.
Sounds like Kaiba's awake and his usual nasty self.
There's lotsa yelling going on, but Yami puts me down first before he rushes away to break it up. Or join in. Whatever. I just stare up at the domed ceiling. I can sorta see the rain through it. This is... kinda scary, lyin' in the same spot where I died, not knowing if I'm gonna make it or not.
After a while, everyone calms down a little. "What is Mokuba doing here!? I thought we had an agreement, Bakura!" Kaiba growls.
A snort from Yami Bakura. "You're too weak, Priest. I will need his energies as well as what's left of your own."
"I told you to keep my little brother out of this!"
"If the ritual fails because of your foolishness, both you and your dog will lose your souls! Your dear little brother will be left all alone..." I can hear the smile in his voice. "It is, of course, your choice."
Let Yami Bakura suck the energy outta your little brother, maybe killing him, or keep him out of it, screw up the ritual, and not be around to stop Bakura from doing whatever he wants. Some choice.
"If you hurt him, I'll kill you."
"He will not come to any harm. I give you my word."
"Don't trust him, Kaiba," says Yami. Yuugi says the same thing so Kaiba can hear.
"I have no choice, Yuugi. How much is your word worth, Bakura?"
He laughs. "As much as I wish it to."
Maybe we should just call this whole thing off... but if we don't do it, Kaiba's finished and so am I.
"Big brother, let me do this. I'll be okay! If I don't help and it goes wrong, it'll be all my fault!" A beat. "I... I don't want you and Joey to... you know, get hurt or anything. You're my big brother."
"Mokuba..." he says quietly.
"I'm gonna help you and you can't stop me!"
And that's that. Kaiba can't stop him.
"...If it starts hurting or anything, you have to stop, alright? Promise me, Mokuba!" Stop what? We don't even know what Yami Bakura's gonna do!
"I promise!" he says way too fast. If Mokuba's anything like I think he is, he's just gonna grit his teeth and take it. Seto can't do anything about it.
"If you're all done blathering on, we need to begin. Pharaoh, merge with your host and stand over there. Priest, there. Tall boy, there. Girl, there. Brat, stand with the Priest."
From my spot on the ground, I can see Kaiba and Mokuba standing just inside one of the pentagram points. Well, Kaiba's not really standing, he's leaning on the kid.
He notices me looking at him. "You look like crap, Wheeler."
Right back at cha, Kaiba, but I can't do anything but blink at him. He can move and I can't. Not fair.
Yami Bakura looms over me. "This ritual will probably be excruciatingly painful," he says to me. "Do try to keep still; I don't want the Priest to lose consciousness because of your squirming." He walks outta my view.
I'll, uh, try to keep that in mind, Bakura. Now I'm even more nervous, but it's not like we can all back out now. It's not just about me anymore.
"If anyone wishes to say something, now is the time. There must be no interruptions once we start."
Nobody says anything for a while.
Tristan talks first. "What exactly are you going to do?"
"You wouldn't understand, mortal. All you need to know is that I'll need your energy."
"You're going to take the energy from us, right?" asks Tea. "What'll that be like?"
"A momentary weakness and nothing more. Any more idiotic questions?"
"Those were reasonable questions," says Yami Yuugi. "No tricks, Bakura. I'm watching you."
A pause. "Do you think I would be so bold as to try something while under your ever-watchful gaze, Pharaoh? Let us begin."
After a beat, Yami Bakura starts to chant. He starts off pretty quiet, but soon he's almost shouting. It's got a good rhythm to it, one you could dance to. Is it Egyptian? Must be. You speak ancient Egyptian to do ancient Egyptian rituals, right? I wonder what he's saying?
I lie there and listen to him chant.
Ya know, this is kinda boring. I stare at the dinky little striped birthday candles. I wonder if Mokuba sticks those things on Kaiba's birthday cakes? I wanna see that someday.
Kaiba looks at his watch. Yami Bakura's been chanting for a while. Is he gonna get a sore throat? He said the whole thing would take at least an hour, I think. Am I even gonna last that long?
The chanting goes on and on, but now I smell something burning, too.
Hang on.
I can't smell things; I remember trying to before. What's going on?
Yami Bakura leans over me, still chanting, and drops a flaming bloody trench coat through my stomach.
FUCK! HOT! HOT!
He glares at me and keeps chanting.
No moving. Damn. Ow. Shit, it's hot. It's on fucking fire! How the hell am I supposed to not move!?
Yami Bakura walks back to wherever the hell he came from, chanting.
It feels like he poured boiling oil on me. Don't move. Don't move. Don't mess this up.
Focus on something else. Kaiba.
Seto's trying to not look worried. Mokuba just looks kinda confused. To him, it must look like Yami Bakura dropped a burning coat on an empty spot on the road.
Damn, this thing is hot. The flames are shooting higher and higher. Don't panic, don't panic, ghosts can't catch fire. The trench coat's just some kinda burning sacrifice thing, don't move, it's not really hurting me, it's not hurting me, it's not hurting...
HOLY SHIT I'M ON FIRE!
Yami Bakura comes back and walks in a circle around me, still chanting, pinning me down with his eyes. 'Do not move or else!' his eyes say.
He's tryin' to kill me! You try staying still while you're on fucking fire, Bakura! I'm doin' a fuckin' impression of a fucking human log! Hotter and hotter and it burns and I think I'm crying it burns, I can't, it hurts...!
I start screaming and I can't stop.
"JOEY!" I think Seto stumbles to me, but Mokuba holds him back. He drops on his hands and knees, gasping.
Yami Bakura's standing over me the crazy pyro make it stop make it stop...!
He watches me, waiting for something.
...It's not hurting so much anymore. Feels like there's nothing left to hurt. Can't think, can't feel. All burnt out.
He holds up the Red Eyes Black Dragon.
I see... mist? smoke? come outta him and Seto and Mokuba and maybe everybody else, too, and it all goes into the card.
"Priest, come!"
Seto's taking too long so Yami Bakura drags him over. The second he's by my side, Seto drops back down. Yami Bakura grabs the guy's arm and sticks the glowing card in his hand. He makes Seto hold it over me. "Release the card when I tell you to do so. Do you understand?"
Seto gives a jerky nod.
Yami Bakura starts chanting again and raises the Millennium Eye over his head. It's staring at me. It's not moving, but it's staring at me...
There's a white flash and everything's just totally blank and empty and there's nothing and I'm lost
"Drop it, Priest!"
It all goes black.
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