*~*Disclaimer!!!*~* The conclusion!!!!! YES the real, LIVE, CONCLUSION!!!!!
I mean it!! ! This is it! (Oh, wait, there's an epilogue...) ANYWAY, here's
where everything comes down to the wire, and you get to find out who wins,
and who loses. I'm excited about this!!!!!! Well, read on!!!!! I give
credit where it's due, and yadda, yadda, yadda.... (Oh, and side note, I
wrote this when I was REALLY REALLY HYPER!!!!!!!)
Evangela had her down on her knees, preparing to strike the final blow. "This is final Yamara. TOO BAD! You're DEAD!" Shrieked the crazed maiden, pulling her arm back.
"NOT. YET." Growled Yamara, clasping her bloodied hands against Evangela's hand that had a firm grip on the queen's hair. Miraculously, as soon as her hands touched, the contact with Evangela's skin began to waif smoke, quickly breezing up into the arena air.
Evangela howled in pain, dropping her grasp and backing away a couple paces, blowing on her hand as the sai blade inside of it dropped. "OW! OW! OW! What did you DO to me!?!?" She shrieked wide eyed, incredulous.
For a second, her opponent stopped, and stared at her own hands, covered in crimson red. It was smeared from where she had held onto Evangela, and realization came to her. Glancing up, she smiled an intimidating smile, showing her canine teeth in a feral grin. "Hehehehehehehe..."
Her red eyes flashed with anger, as Evangela scowled at Yamara. "Hey... HEY! That's not funny!"
"Hehheheheehehhehehehehehe!!!!!! Yes it is. It IS funny, hehehhehehehe...."
"Stop! STOP LAUGHING! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!" Screamed Evangela, growing afraid. "You... you... psycho!"
Yamara raised her eyes to match the height of her adversary's, and rose to her feet, never blinking. She took a step forward. "What's the matter Evangela? Getting a taste of your own medicine?"
The other took two steps back. "N-n-n-no! You're not supposed to be the crazy one!!! I AM!!!!"
Laughter pealed from Yamara's lips, a cacophony of sound. "Crazy? ME, crazy? Nah, not possible!!!!!! HEHHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!"
Furious, Evangela threw a sai at the laughing queen, only to have it fall short and miss. "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!! It's NOT funny!!!!!"
By this time, Yamara was rolling on the floor with laughter. "Yeah, it ain't funny it's HILARIOUS!!! AHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!" Her sides were beginning to burn, her ribs aching as her lungs threatened to burst, craving for air. Rippling, rolling laughter pealed from her lips, so much so that she couldn't stop. She stood up, shaking hard, and continued her giggling in spite of her opponent.
"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!!!!!" Screamed Evangela, taking enough steps forward to grab Yamara's shoulders in her death lock grasp, and shake her violently. "STOP! LAUGHING! AT! ME!!!!! IT'S not FUNNY!!!!!!"
Amidst her howls of laughter, the queen of hysterics managed to utter, "Funny this" as she grabbed Evangela's bare shoulders as fast as she could, and entrapping them in their snares. Instantly like before, Evangela's skin began to crack and burn, the blood of Yamara working its magic. Her screams of fury became screams of pain, as the angry teen started to squirm and shake violently, her eyes glowing crimson, ruby red, brighter and brighter until they turned shocking white. Her whole body seemed to glow an iridescent, pearly white, as suddenly, it blinked out as fast as it arrived, dropping her straight down to the floor.
And still Yamara kept laughing, unable to control herself. "Hehhehe, um.... Marita? You there? Hehehehhe....hehehe....hehe...he?"
A loud, audible groan filled the air, as red and gold streaked hair faded to glossy black and crimson eyes bled away to blue. Opening her eyes, the young teen's hand grasped her forehead, rubbing it as if she had the worst hangover possible. She was once again dressed as she was before, in a navy blue, flower designed tanktop, and black athletic pants. Moaning a few words inappropriate for a girl her age, she pulled herself to a sitting position, and lifted her head up high enough to loudly utter, "WOULD YOU QUIT THAT!?!??!?!?"
"Hehehe.....heheheh....heheh.... oops. Hiya Marita! Nice to see you again buddy."
The younger looking of the two glared back at her yami twin, eyes narrowed. "You have NO IDEA what kind of crap Merrick has tried to pull on me... and here you got the NERVE to LAUGH AT ME!??!?!" She shuddered. "I can't even remember what happened... only that it wasn't good. And I feel like I just drank three bottles of vodka and a whole case of beers..... Ohhhhhhhh, this hangover's a BAAAAD ONE..."
"Heheheh...hehehe....hee, hee, hee... Merrick... hehehehe.... brainwashed you... heeheh."
Marita stared. "Maybe it's YOU who drank the case of beers...." She reached her hand out and slapped Yamara on the face, hard and quick, snapping Yamara out of her hysteric laughter.
"HEY!!!! THAT HURT!!!!!"
The other scowled. "It's SUPPOSED TO HURT, YOU NUT!!!!! Next time I'll go find a really, REALLY big squirrel to do the job if you don't like me doin' it!!!!"
Yamara shivered. "Oh gawd no...... You know I hate squirrels...."
"Hey Yamara...." Marita raced behind her other half, trying to avoid her gave. Suddenly.....
"SQUIRREL!!!!!!!! NEEEE NEEE NEEE!!!!!"
"GAH!!!!!! KILL IT! KILL IT!!!!!!" The Queen's eyes were wide, trying to beat off the 'squirrel' with her arms. "GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!!!!!!"
The younger protégé smirked, her blue eyes smiling. "And you say YOU are more mature than me..."
"In a sense, YES. In another, definitely not." Suddenly serious, Yamara set her shoulders straight, and offered Marita a welcoming hand. "Come on, it's high time we're back together."
"Yeah, I know. Can't have one without the other." Replied Marita, sighing. "I kind of missed the fact that I had no one in my head, but you're right."
The two black-haired women gripped hands, declaring in a monotone:
"Two a part and now joined as one, Make Merrick's evil deeds undone."
A brilliant flash of light surrounded the pair, as swirls of pulsating energy corkscrewed around the pillar of energy. Marita stood stark still as the essence of Yamara flickered and faded into a ball of pure, emerald light, which jumped into the very core of Marita's heart and stayed. Instantly, the younger of the two could feel her connection with her yami as clear as day, growing stronger and stronger as time went on. Filled in with the details, Marita nodded and said, "Now comes the fun part: kicking Merrick's butt from here to Toledo." However, fate had other plans, as an earth shattering scream bellowed from the corridor to her left, and a pulsating blast of pain and sorrow hit her in the chest. "Oh God. DAWN!!!!!!!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
The duelists squared off, Merrick and Bakura at one end, Yami and Kaiba at the other, each team catching the other in a stare down.
"This ends NOW Merrick! You've taunted, tortured and played games with us long enough!" Shouted Yami, his violet eyes narrowing.
"WE SHALL SEE PHARAOH!!!!" Came the reply, loud and obnoxious. "LET'S DUEL!!!" Each side drew their cards, five apiece and they contemplated their strategies as Merrick continued, laying down the rules. "The order is as follows: Kaiba, Bakura, Yami, and me. We'll play standard Battle City rules, and whoever loses will give whatever the opposition wants, got it?"
"Sounds fine with me." Said Kaiba, readying himself for his duel. He looked at the cards in his hand, eager to play for keeps. *Hmmmmm, I can infect Bakura's deck with the Crush Card, but I'm not sure what he'll pull if I do. His cards may be a deadly combination, like Yugi's were when we dueled the second time. He managed to come close to winning against me, if he had struck my Elephant Graveyard infected Blue Eyes, with his Celtic Guardian, I would have lost. Hmmm. decisions, decisions.*
"Come on Kaiba, make your move!" Taunted Merrick, his voice echoing the sneer across his face. "Come on, make your move, it will be your last, so it doesn't matter!!!"
"I'll show you what doesn't matter! I place a card face down, and summon Saggi the Clown in Attack mode!" Instantly, a large, rectangular card appeared face down in front of the corporate owner, and a huge, hideously grotesque clown appeared on the field, his large hat flopping over his face, and his big clown shoes flopping every which way. His white, leering painted face snickered at Merrick and Bakura, who neither one found anything funny enough to do so. "There's my move, now bring it!!!!!!!!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
*Oh GOD, DAWN!!!!! DAWN!!!!!!!!!* Their screams inside her head were in unison, as the combined pair of Yamara and Marita pumped the younger's legs as fast as they could go. "HOLD ON DAWN!!!!!!!!!" The bleachers and pillars of the temple seem to blur all by themselves as Marita passed, too worried to notice and too focused on saving her friend to care. She ran like the wind as one hallway led to the next, until she had come to an arena similar to the one she was in.
Her shock of what she saw would go beyond words. Midnight, face down, had her black and red hair plastered to her forehead and around her head, was limp and stringy like she had just woken up; her face was stark white, bloodless and pale. Her eyes were closed, but cracked a couple times to show she was still alive. And it was a wonder how she was too, with a 90 centimeter katana blade piercing her back and spinal cord, and blood gushing and bleeding from the gaping wound to soak into the fabric of her clothes.
"Ma-ma-marit-t-ta?" Her voice was barely a whisper, too hoarse from the shouting to even say the loudest of exclamations.
"MIDNIGHT!!!" Instantly, her friend was at her side, tears streaming down her face as she crouched by her right side. "Who... who... who..."
"Who? You know who.."
"Demona." She growled in the back of her throat, clenching her teeth in primal rage. "She will PAY for this, I swear to you Midnight!!!!! This same katana will pierce her like it did you." She struggled to her feet, and, gripping the hilt of the blade, quickly unsheathed it form the middle of Midnight's back, a soft, agonizing groan audible from the dying girl's lips. Throwing the blade as far as she could, Marita took her friend's head in her lap, brushed the girl's hair out of her eyes, and said softly, "We'll get her Midnight, you'll see. We will find her, track her down and kill her, if need be. She should have died millennia ago."
Midnight's magenta eyes gleamed softly with tears as she spoke again, "I.. I'm not going to make it out of here alive, Marita. Tell.. Tell Seto I will miss him.. and will.. always be there.."
"You can tell him yourself Midnight! Don't give up on me girl!!!!! Not now, not EVER!!!" Her tears were white hot as they slid down her face when she shook her head. "You can tell him yourself.."
"It's not.. what we.. didn't say to each.. other that.. made a difference.."
"Huh?"
"Me.. and you.. it wasn't.. what we said.."
Marita smiled slightly as she finished for her friend. "It's what we didn't say that matters."
Midnight nodded, and winced when the sharp pain of her wound flashed across her back one last time. "I'll be.. watching.. you Marita.. You're like.. my.. sister.." Her fading words died on her lips, as her eyes slowly swung shut as she took hr last breath. Her head went lip in Marita's lap, as did the rest of her body as the soul of a friend rose to the heavens in hopes to stay.
The weight of Midnight's head was too much for Marita to bear, as she threw her own back and howled her frustrations, heavy sobs, and broken heart to the ends of the earth for those who could hear her. "NO!!!!!!!!!! Oh GOD NO!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!! NOT.. NOT MIDNIGHT!!!!!!!! I DEFY HER DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! Let her LIVE another DAY!!!!!!!!" Her cries fell upon dead ears, as she set her friend's head down and backed away, stumbling and falling as her own tears blinded her. "I DEFY YOU DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!! I'D RATHER HAVE GONE IN HER PLACE!!!!!"
Her warm, fresh tears slid down her face and trickled down to the ground as she bawled her eyes out. However, some of them slid downward onto her Millennium Armlet, decorating it with wet, salty drops. After while, this same armlet began to glow, brighter and brighter until it gave off enough light to dull a sun. Blinded, Marita stumbled back, as an astral form of her darker self appeared in front of her once again. Yamara's eyes pitied, her stance slouching as her heart also grieved.
"Marita.."
The other scowled. "WHAT do you WANT from me!?!?!?!?"
Yamara smiled slightly, her heart going out to both her protégé and her now dead best friend. "I know what you're going through, and I know a way you can turn back the hands of time.."
"Wha.. wha.. what?"
Yamara's eyes filled with tears, afraid of what she had to say and how much the price of a price that would be paid. "The Millennium Armlet is a special item, and do you know why?"
Marita looked quizzical as her big blue eyes welled up with fresh tears. "No.."
"We can save Midnight and Dawn.. but at a cost.."
"I'll do it." Her quick answer surprised Yamara, startled at Marita's rash decision.
"You.. you sure this is what you want?"
Marita paused, then closed her eyes and whispered, "Yes."
"Very well then.." The older of the two stood in front of Marita' and placed her hand on the armlet, guided their other two hands to lay on top of Midnight's heart, and whispered with Marita in unison,
"My life I give, Death's to take, May the dead do walk, and with life awake. Bring back the girl, with heart of strife, Bring back Midnight and Dawn.. to life!"
For a moment or two, nothing happened. Then.. little by little then faster and faster, the energies between the living and dead began to collide, literally sucking the energy out of Marita to come to rest inside Midnight. As time wore on, Marita began to notice.. little things. Like why she could no longer prop her head up with her own muscles or why she fell to the floor and could not move for a second, as she lay beside her best friend.
She lay there, paralyzed, as the color returned to Midnight's cheeks, a slight blush arching their way across her cheekbones. Blood pumped in her veins as if it had never stopped, and her heart beat once again. Marita on the other hand, could feel her own heart beginning to slow.
"Tell Yami Yugi.. I am his forever," she whispered into Midnight's ear, as her heart began to slow, dwindling down to a mere nothing in a matter of moments.
Extra energy bursted from her body as it drifted to an unwaking slumber, striking at the heart of the realm hard enough to help it begin to crumble, the roof and walls coming down even as Midnight's magenta eyes fluttered open, and caused her arm to reach over her eyes.
"Huh? What in the world??? THE ROOF!!!!!! It's coming down!!!!!!" To her side, she gently shook Marita's body, unaware of what sacrifice it took to heal the veil of death upon the red and black-haired woman. "Marita, get UP sleepy head!!! Marita? Marita! Come on, Marita, I got no time for games!!!!" For a moment, she stopped, as if to think of something else to try and wake Marita up, when it hit her. Gasping, she felt the middle of her stomach, thinking of the gashing hole created within. but only felt smooth flesh. Horrified, she looked at the dead face of her friend as the roof continued to topple, and, with tears in her eyes, got up to find Yami and Kaiba. "You are a DAMNED FOOL, MARITA!!!!!!! I should have died, not you!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
The roof had unexpectedly started to cave in, destroying the consoles that kept their cards at hand as the four male duelists began to run for their lives.
"YUGI! Where's Midnight????" Yelled Kaiba, his footwork sharp enough to avoid a piece of ceiling three times his own weight.
"I have no idea, but we better find her!!!!" Screamed back Yami, weaving in and out of the falling boulders.
"Well we better find-" His adversary stopped in mid sentence, his breath catching in his throat as a roaring whirlwind began to stir from the Egyptian ground, and a tear-streaked face appeared with a fireball in her hands to his left. "MIDNIGHT!!!!!!"
"SETO!!!!!!!!!! We have to get OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!" Her tornadoes of wind were propelling the rocks to all ends of the cavernous place, as she focused them around all three of them when she got to their sides. "Yami, you and I need to work some magic, and quick!!!"
"Wait, where's Yamara???" He questioned, his violet eyes questioning.
At first she cast her glance down, but then replied, "She's not going to make it.."
His heart sank, as tears began to well in his eyes. "What.."
"YUGI we have NO TIME FOR YOUR CRYBABY CRAP!!!!!!" Screamed Kaiba, as he gripped Yami's wrist sharply. "Whatever you have to do, just do it, and do it NOW!!!"
Midnight nodded, and clasped onto Yami's hands as she repeated,
"Wandering travelers, on their own, Take us magicks where we call home."
Just as before, a brilliant flash lit the room, and once again, they were transported to Himariki Park, their heads bowed low, and their hearts sinking farther still.
Evangela had her down on her knees, preparing to strike the final blow. "This is final Yamara. TOO BAD! You're DEAD!" Shrieked the crazed maiden, pulling her arm back.
"NOT. YET." Growled Yamara, clasping her bloodied hands against Evangela's hand that had a firm grip on the queen's hair. Miraculously, as soon as her hands touched, the contact with Evangela's skin began to waif smoke, quickly breezing up into the arena air.
Evangela howled in pain, dropping her grasp and backing away a couple paces, blowing on her hand as the sai blade inside of it dropped. "OW! OW! OW! What did you DO to me!?!?" She shrieked wide eyed, incredulous.
For a second, her opponent stopped, and stared at her own hands, covered in crimson red. It was smeared from where she had held onto Evangela, and realization came to her. Glancing up, she smiled an intimidating smile, showing her canine teeth in a feral grin. "Hehehehehehehe..."
Her red eyes flashed with anger, as Evangela scowled at Yamara. "Hey... HEY! That's not funny!"
"Hehheheheehehhehehehehehe!!!!!! Yes it is. It IS funny, hehehhehehehe...."
"Stop! STOP LAUGHING! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!" Screamed Evangela, growing afraid. "You... you... psycho!"
Yamara raised her eyes to match the height of her adversary's, and rose to her feet, never blinking. She took a step forward. "What's the matter Evangela? Getting a taste of your own medicine?"
The other took two steps back. "N-n-n-no! You're not supposed to be the crazy one!!! I AM!!!!"
Laughter pealed from Yamara's lips, a cacophony of sound. "Crazy? ME, crazy? Nah, not possible!!!!!! HEHHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!!"
Furious, Evangela threw a sai at the laughing queen, only to have it fall short and miss. "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!! It's NOT funny!!!!!"
By this time, Yamara was rolling on the floor with laughter. "Yeah, it ain't funny it's HILARIOUS!!! AHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!" Her sides were beginning to burn, her ribs aching as her lungs threatened to burst, craving for air. Rippling, rolling laughter pealed from her lips, so much so that she couldn't stop. She stood up, shaking hard, and continued her giggling in spite of her opponent.
"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!!!!!!!!" Screamed Evangela, taking enough steps forward to grab Yamara's shoulders in her death lock grasp, and shake her violently. "STOP! LAUGHING! AT! ME!!!!! IT'S not FUNNY!!!!!!"
Amidst her howls of laughter, the queen of hysterics managed to utter, "Funny this" as she grabbed Evangela's bare shoulders as fast as she could, and entrapping them in their snares. Instantly like before, Evangela's skin began to crack and burn, the blood of Yamara working its magic. Her screams of fury became screams of pain, as the angry teen started to squirm and shake violently, her eyes glowing crimson, ruby red, brighter and brighter until they turned shocking white. Her whole body seemed to glow an iridescent, pearly white, as suddenly, it blinked out as fast as it arrived, dropping her straight down to the floor.
And still Yamara kept laughing, unable to control herself. "Hehhehe, um.... Marita? You there? Hehehehhe....hehehe....hehe...he?"
A loud, audible groan filled the air, as red and gold streaked hair faded to glossy black and crimson eyes bled away to blue. Opening her eyes, the young teen's hand grasped her forehead, rubbing it as if she had the worst hangover possible. She was once again dressed as she was before, in a navy blue, flower designed tanktop, and black athletic pants. Moaning a few words inappropriate for a girl her age, she pulled herself to a sitting position, and lifted her head up high enough to loudly utter, "WOULD YOU QUIT THAT!?!??!?!?"
"Hehehe.....heheheh....heheh.... oops. Hiya Marita! Nice to see you again buddy."
The younger looking of the two glared back at her yami twin, eyes narrowed. "You have NO IDEA what kind of crap Merrick has tried to pull on me... and here you got the NERVE to LAUGH AT ME!??!?!" She shuddered. "I can't even remember what happened... only that it wasn't good. And I feel like I just drank three bottles of vodka and a whole case of beers..... Ohhhhhhhh, this hangover's a BAAAAD ONE..."
"Heheheh...hehehe....hee, hee, hee... Merrick... hehehehe.... brainwashed you... heeheh."
Marita stared. "Maybe it's YOU who drank the case of beers...." She reached her hand out and slapped Yamara on the face, hard and quick, snapping Yamara out of her hysteric laughter.
"HEY!!!! THAT HURT!!!!!"
The other scowled. "It's SUPPOSED TO HURT, YOU NUT!!!!! Next time I'll go find a really, REALLY big squirrel to do the job if you don't like me doin' it!!!!"
Yamara shivered. "Oh gawd no...... You know I hate squirrels...."
"Hey Yamara...." Marita raced behind her other half, trying to avoid her gave. Suddenly.....
"SQUIRREL!!!!!!!! NEEEE NEEE NEEE!!!!!"
"GAH!!!!!! KILL IT! KILL IT!!!!!!" The Queen's eyes were wide, trying to beat off the 'squirrel' with her arms. "GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!!!!!!"
The younger protégé smirked, her blue eyes smiling. "And you say YOU are more mature than me..."
"In a sense, YES. In another, definitely not." Suddenly serious, Yamara set her shoulders straight, and offered Marita a welcoming hand. "Come on, it's high time we're back together."
"Yeah, I know. Can't have one without the other." Replied Marita, sighing. "I kind of missed the fact that I had no one in my head, but you're right."
The two black-haired women gripped hands, declaring in a monotone:
"Two a part and now joined as one, Make Merrick's evil deeds undone."
A brilliant flash of light surrounded the pair, as swirls of pulsating energy corkscrewed around the pillar of energy. Marita stood stark still as the essence of Yamara flickered and faded into a ball of pure, emerald light, which jumped into the very core of Marita's heart and stayed. Instantly, the younger of the two could feel her connection with her yami as clear as day, growing stronger and stronger as time went on. Filled in with the details, Marita nodded and said, "Now comes the fun part: kicking Merrick's butt from here to Toledo." However, fate had other plans, as an earth shattering scream bellowed from the corridor to her left, and a pulsating blast of pain and sorrow hit her in the chest. "Oh God. DAWN!!!!!!!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
The duelists squared off, Merrick and Bakura at one end, Yami and Kaiba at the other, each team catching the other in a stare down.
"This ends NOW Merrick! You've taunted, tortured and played games with us long enough!" Shouted Yami, his violet eyes narrowing.
"WE SHALL SEE PHARAOH!!!!" Came the reply, loud and obnoxious. "LET'S DUEL!!!" Each side drew their cards, five apiece and they contemplated their strategies as Merrick continued, laying down the rules. "The order is as follows: Kaiba, Bakura, Yami, and me. We'll play standard Battle City rules, and whoever loses will give whatever the opposition wants, got it?"
"Sounds fine with me." Said Kaiba, readying himself for his duel. He looked at the cards in his hand, eager to play for keeps. *Hmmmmm, I can infect Bakura's deck with the Crush Card, but I'm not sure what he'll pull if I do. His cards may be a deadly combination, like Yugi's were when we dueled the second time. He managed to come close to winning against me, if he had struck my Elephant Graveyard infected Blue Eyes, with his Celtic Guardian, I would have lost. Hmmm. decisions, decisions.*
"Come on Kaiba, make your move!" Taunted Merrick, his voice echoing the sneer across his face. "Come on, make your move, it will be your last, so it doesn't matter!!!"
"I'll show you what doesn't matter! I place a card face down, and summon Saggi the Clown in Attack mode!" Instantly, a large, rectangular card appeared face down in front of the corporate owner, and a huge, hideously grotesque clown appeared on the field, his large hat flopping over his face, and his big clown shoes flopping every which way. His white, leering painted face snickered at Merrick and Bakura, who neither one found anything funny enough to do so. "There's my move, now bring it!!!!!!!!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
*Oh GOD, DAWN!!!!! DAWN!!!!!!!!!* Their screams inside her head were in unison, as the combined pair of Yamara and Marita pumped the younger's legs as fast as they could go. "HOLD ON DAWN!!!!!!!!!" The bleachers and pillars of the temple seem to blur all by themselves as Marita passed, too worried to notice and too focused on saving her friend to care. She ran like the wind as one hallway led to the next, until she had come to an arena similar to the one she was in.
Her shock of what she saw would go beyond words. Midnight, face down, had her black and red hair plastered to her forehead and around her head, was limp and stringy like she had just woken up; her face was stark white, bloodless and pale. Her eyes were closed, but cracked a couple times to show she was still alive. And it was a wonder how she was too, with a 90 centimeter katana blade piercing her back and spinal cord, and blood gushing and bleeding from the gaping wound to soak into the fabric of her clothes.
"Ma-ma-marit-t-ta?" Her voice was barely a whisper, too hoarse from the shouting to even say the loudest of exclamations.
"MIDNIGHT!!!" Instantly, her friend was at her side, tears streaming down her face as she crouched by her right side. "Who... who... who..."
"Who? You know who.."
"Demona." She growled in the back of her throat, clenching her teeth in primal rage. "She will PAY for this, I swear to you Midnight!!!!! This same katana will pierce her like it did you." She struggled to her feet, and, gripping the hilt of the blade, quickly unsheathed it form the middle of Midnight's back, a soft, agonizing groan audible from the dying girl's lips. Throwing the blade as far as she could, Marita took her friend's head in her lap, brushed the girl's hair out of her eyes, and said softly, "We'll get her Midnight, you'll see. We will find her, track her down and kill her, if need be. She should have died millennia ago."
Midnight's magenta eyes gleamed softly with tears as she spoke again, "I.. I'm not going to make it out of here alive, Marita. Tell.. Tell Seto I will miss him.. and will.. always be there.."
"You can tell him yourself Midnight! Don't give up on me girl!!!!! Not now, not EVER!!!" Her tears were white hot as they slid down her face when she shook her head. "You can tell him yourself.."
"It's not.. what we.. didn't say to each.. other that.. made a difference.."
"Huh?"
"Me.. and you.. it wasn't.. what we said.."
Marita smiled slightly as she finished for her friend. "It's what we didn't say that matters."
Midnight nodded, and winced when the sharp pain of her wound flashed across her back one last time. "I'll be.. watching.. you Marita.. You're like.. my.. sister.." Her fading words died on her lips, as her eyes slowly swung shut as she took hr last breath. Her head went lip in Marita's lap, as did the rest of her body as the soul of a friend rose to the heavens in hopes to stay.
The weight of Midnight's head was too much for Marita to bear, as she threw her own back and howled her frustrations, heavy sobs, and broken heart to the ends of the earth for those who could hear her. "NO!!!!!!!!!! Oh GOD NO!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!! NOT.. NOT MIDNIGHT!!!!!!!! I DEFY HER DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!! Let her LIVE another DAY!!!!!!!!" Her cries fell upon dead ears, as she set her friend's head down and backed away, stumbling and falling as her own tears blinded her. "I DEFY YOU DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!! I'D RATHER HAVE GONE IN HER PLACE!!!!!"
Her warm, fresh tears slid down her face and trickled down to the ground as she bawled her eyes out. However, some of them slid downward onto her Millennium Armlet, decorating it with wet, salty drops. After while, this same armlet began to glow, brighter and brighter until it gave off enough light to dull a sun. Blinded, Marita stumbled back, as an astral form of her darker self appeared in front of her once again. Yamara's eyes pitied, her stance slouching as her heart also grieved.
"Marita.."
The other scowled. "WHAT do you WANT from me!?!?!?!?"
Yamara smiled slightly, her heart going out to both her protégé and her now dead best friend. "I know what you're going through, and I know a way you can turn back the hands of time.."
"Wha.. wha.. what?"
Yamara's eyes filled with tears, afraid of what she had to say and how much the price of a price that would be paid. "The Millennium Armlet is a special item, and do you know why?"
Marita looked quizzical as her big blue eyes welled up with fresh tears. "No.."
"We can save Midnight and Dawn.. but at a cost.."
"I'll do it." Her quick answer surprised Yamara, startled at Marita's rash decision.
"You.. you sure this is what you want?"
Marita paused, then closed her eyes and whispered, "Yes."
"Very well then.." The older of the two stood in front of Marita' and placed her hand on the armlet, guided their other two hands to lay on top of Midnight's heart, and whispered with Marita in unison,
"My life I give, Death's to take, May the dead do walk, and with life awake. Bring back the girl, with heart of strife, Bring back Midnight and Dawn.. to life!"
For a moment or two, nothing happened. Then.. little by little then faster and faster, the energies between the living and dead began to collide, literally sucking the energy out of Marita to come to rest inside Midnight. As time wore on, Marita began to notice.. little things. Like why she could no longer prop her head up with her own muscles or why she fell to the floor and could not move for a second, as she lay beside her best friend.
She lay there, paralyzed, as the color returned to Midnight's cheeks, a slight blush arching their way across her cheekbones. Blood pumped in her veins as if it had never stopped, and her heart beat once again. Marita on the other hand, could feel her own heart beginning to slow.
"Tell Yami Yugi.. I am his forever," she whispered into Midnight's ear, as her heart began to slow, dwindling down to a mere nothing in a matter of moments.
Extra energy bursted from her body as it drifted to an unwaking slumber, striking at the heart of the realm hard enough to help it begin to crumble, the roof and walls coming down even as Midnight's magenta eyes fluttered open, and caused her arm to reach over her eyes.
"Huh? What in the world??? THE ROOF!!!!!! It's coming down!!!!!!" To her side, she gently shook Marita's body, unaware of what sacrifice it took to heal the veil of death upon the red and black-haired woman. "Marita, get UP sleepy head!!! Marita? Marita! Come on, Marita, I got no time for games!!!!" For a moment, she stopped, as if to think of something else to try and wake Marita up, when it hit her. Gasping, she felt the middle of her stomach, thinking of the gashing hole created within. but only felt smooth flesh. Horrified, she looked at the dead face of her friend as the roof continued to topple, and, with tears in her eyes, got up to find Yami and Kaiba. "You are a DAMNED FOOL, MARITA!!!!!!! I should have died, not you!!!"
*~~~~~*~~~~~*
The roof had unexpectedly started to cave in, destroying the consoles that kept their cards at hand as the four male duelists began to run for their lives.
"YUGI! Where's Midnight????" Yelled Kaiba, his footwork sharp enough to avoid a piece of ceiling three times his own weight.
"I have no idea, but we better find her!!!!" Screamed back Yami, weaving in and out of the falling boulders.
"Well we better find-" His adversary stopped in mid sentence, his breath catching in his throat as a roaring whirlwind began to stir from the Egyptian ground, and a tear-streaked face appeared with a fireball in her hands to his left. "MIDNIGHT!!!!!!"
"SETO!!!!!!!!!! We have to get OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!" Her tornadoes of wind were propelling the rocks to all ends of the cavernous place, as she focused them around all three of them when she got to their sides. "Yami, you and I need to work some magic, and quick!!!"
"Wait, where's Yamara???" He questioned, his violet eyes questioning.
At first she cast her glance down, but then replied, "She's not going to make it.."
His heart sank, as tears began to well in his eyes. "What.."
"YUGI we have NO TIME FOR YOUR CRYBABY CRAP!!!!!!" Screamed Kaiba, as he gripped Yami's wrist sharply. "Whatever you have to do, just do it, and do it NOW!!!"
Midnight nodded, and clasped onto Yami's hands as she repeated,
"Wandering travelers, on their own, Take us magicks where we call home."
Just as before, a brilliant flash lit the room, and once again, they were transported to Himariki Park, their heads bowed low, and their hearts sinking farther still.