Greetings!
I'm so very sorry for the delay in posting this. My computer died two weeks ago and I still have not been able to fix it. I ended up writing this by hand, then typing it up on my old laptop, and then borrowing a friend's computer to post here. I actually have another chapter of this in my notebook; all I have to do it type it up. Hopefully, I can get to it soon. This chapter is pretty long, though, so hopefully it'll make up for the delay.
Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. I usually reply to all of the reviews, but I'm on limited time with the borrowed computer, so I'll just say a big THANK YOU! You all rock!
If any of you read "No Kinen Ni" there's another chapter of it posted.
Now on to the story. Enjoy!
Part 13: The Greater of Two Evils
"One. . . two. . . three!"
Yami immediately ran, not knowing in which direction he should go, but knowing that he had to go somewhere. Suddenly, a hand gripped his, pulling him forward. Yami followed, grateful to have some sort of direction.
*I can't believe I'm trusting Kaiba of all people*
**He's not so bad, Yami. Besides, he's in this as deep as we are. Whatever is going on, he's as involved as we are.**
*Yes, but how can I be sure that he's not going to double cross us when it becomes inconvenient to have us around?*
Yugi chuckled. **You don't. That's what trust is all about**
Yami growled mentally. A whizzing sound by his right ear caught his attention, and he moved his head to one side.
"Damn, they're shooting at us. We have to take cover, Yami."
Yami got an idea. He may not be able to see, but he could still harness his powers. He stopped and dropped to the ground, pulling Kaiba with him.
"What the. . .?"
"Trust me, Kaiba."
Yami backed himself up against the wall, closed his eyes and concentrated. He didn't really know where their attackers were, so he had to direct his magic everywhere at once.
"Lay on the floor, Kaiba. Don't question me, just do it."
Kaiba didn't answer, so Yami took that as compliance. He raised his hands and channeled as much power as he could. He directed it outward in both directions, and smiled when he heard the two attackers grunt. There was a crash, and several curse words could be heard. The two men weren't completely out of commission, Yami could tell that by the sounds they were making, but they'd be delayed for a while. Yami got up, reaching out to drag Kaiba up as well.
"What did you just do?"
Yami laughed at the trace of fear in Kaiba's voice. "Its shadow magic, Kaiba, the same magic Pegasus used to defeat you at Duelist Kingdom. I'd be more efficient with it if I could see where I was aiming it."
"It doesn't matter, you slowed them down. Let's go."
Kaiba again took the lead, pulling Yami forward. Yami felt his body protest at the overuse, but decided to ignore it. He'd deal with it later. They ran for a few moments, until Kaiba pulled them through a door. They continued to run, their attacker's advance clearly heard behind them. Lucky for them, the two men's footsteps seemed father behind then they'd been before.
"We have to split up."
"What?" Yami asked as they continued to run as fast as they could. "We can't split up."
"It's the only way, Yami. They're going to continue to come after us, so we'd make worse targets separately."
"In case you've forgotten, I'm blind. I can't find my way out of here like you can." Yami said, his voice cold. "Even if I could, separating is the worst thing we can do."
"How do you figure that?"
Yami's jaw tightened, but he was too busy concentrating on staying upright as they ran to give much importance to his anger and annoyance.
"The only weapon we have is my shadow magic. If we split up, we'll both be defenseless. At least together we have a chance."
Kaiba didn't reply. Instead, he quickly pulled Yami into a cold room. Yami heard the sound of a door closing before Kaiba pressed him against a wall. Yami could feel Kaiba pressed to the wall beside him and realized that they had reached a hiding spot.
After a few tense moments, Kaiba spoke again.
"Your shadow magic is unstable because you can't fully harness it; you said so yourself."
Yami's jaw tightened again in annoyance. So Kaiba had been paying attention after all.
"We can't rely on it," Kaiba continued. "You're blind and injured. Your doctor said to rest, which does not include running around a hospital morgue while being chased by two men with guns. The best thing for you to do is to stay some place safe while I go get us help."
"Is that the best thing for me or for you?" Yami asked, trying to contain his anger. "You are more of a target while leading around a blind man, is that it?"
**Yami, you're being unfair. I'm sure that's not what Kaiba means**
*I've never trusted him, Yugi. I don't understand why you're so willing to do it, especially now*
Yami heard Yugi's mental sigh and echoed it with one of his own.
**Everyone deserves a second chance, Yami**
*Not if that second chance is going to get us killed, Aibou*
"Leading around a blind man does make me a better target, but it makes you one too," Kaiba replied, interrupting Yami's conversation with Yugi. "All I'm saying is that even if you're willing to risk yourself to run around with me, there's still Yugi to think about. Do you really want to risk injuring yourself further, which could lead to Yugi being permanently blind, or worse, dead?"
Kaiba's argument made Yami want to strangle him. He tilted his head up, wanting to see how truthful Kaiba was being. All he saw, however, was penetrating darkness.
He wanted to keep going, but what would that mean for Yugi? It was Yugi's body that Yami was using, after all, which made Kaiba's concerns valid.
**I'll agree to whatever you think is right. I trust you, Yami**
Yami closed his eyes and concentrated on the body he now controlled. His head was pounding furiously, to the point where he felt nauseous. His right wrist throbbed, along with seemingly every other part of his body. He felt fatigued, but knew that he could keep going if he had to. However, what if his actions, his desire to see this through, caused permanent damage to Yugi's body? What if his carelessness and desire not to agree with Kaiba caused irreparable harm? He couldn't take that chance. He had sworn to protect Yugi on the day Yugi had released him from his prison of darkness, and that included protecting his partner from himself.
"Very well, Kaiba. For Yugi's sake, I will remain behind."
Yami waited for Kaiba to gloat, but that didn't happen. Instead, Kaiba patted him slightly on the shoulder.
"Good. I have a good idea of where you can stay," Kaiba responded, and led him forward. After a few minutes, they came to a stop. Yami could hear some rattling going on in front of him, and he frowned in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Kaiba chuckled lightly. "Nothing much, just a little lock picking."
"You're picking a lock?" Yami asked, incredulous.
"Yeah. I wasn't always the way I am now, you know," Kaiba replied, a trace of sadness in his voice.
Yami nodded in acknowledgement, wondering what kind of life Kaiba had led before. There was apparently more to him than Yami had thought.
The two teenagers remained silent until Kaiba gave a soft, triumphant hoot.
"There we go!"
He pulled Yami forward, and then maneuvered him so that Yami found himself sitting on the floor, his back to a wall.
"This is one of the offices in the morgue, Yami. It's out of the way and dark, so I doubt anyone would think to look for you here. I've placed you at one of the corners of the room, the one furthest away from the door. You're behind a desk, so you should not be visible to anyone who happens to glance into the office. Just stay down there, don't get up or move around. I'll come back for you as soon as I've gotten help.
"What if don't come back?"
"I'll be back, Yami, you have my word."
Yami didn't say anything, because there really wasn't anything to say. Whether Kaiba returned for him or not was out of his hands. All he could do now was rest and regain his strength.
**~~**
* I don't understand why you keep hanging around here. It's not like you do anything *
Ryou sighed. At least his yami was talking to him now and not attempting to take over his body. He'd tried to explain to Bakura why he was still here, why he needed to find out how Yugi was doing, but the spirit didn't seem to understand.
** I already told you why I'm here. I don't really care what you think about it, I'm staying **
* Well, well, what's this? You're finally getting a backbone? If the thought weren't so amusing, I'd actually be concerned *
** Sometimes, I wonder if you ever had any friends or if you spent your life roaming around Egypt robbing tombs by yourself **
Ryou shook his head and closed the link with his yami when Bakura began to curse at him. A few months ago, that would have frightened Ryou beyond belief. Now, he saw it as an annoyance. He was still weary of Bakura and what he could do, but Ryou now knew, after Bakura had almost killed Yugi, that he could control the spirit of the ring if he wanted to. That gave him a measure of self assurance that he hadn't had since Bakura had first made his appearance known to him.
He turned the corner, not really paying attention to where he was going. He suddenly stopped when he ran into someone.
"I'm sorry," Ryou said, glancing up to find himself staring at Mr. Moto's violet eyes.
"It's quite alright. You're Ryou Bakura, aren't you?"
"Yes, Mr. Moto, I am. I was just going to see how Yugi was doing."
Mr. Moto smiled. "I think that Yugi's recovery is going to have to do a lot with the fact that he has such good friends to help him along." The older man paused as he summoned the elevator. "I just finished speaking with Dr. Suzuki, and he was very insistent that Yugi needs to be in bed with limited movement for at least three weeks before the swelling in his brain can go down. I'm going to need to count on you kids to make sure that he stays in bed."
Ryou nodded, understanding how hard it was going to be to keep Yugi in bed and immobile for that length of time. He waited until they were in the elevator before responding.
"I'll be glad to help. What else did the doctor say, if you don't mind my asking?"
Mr. Moto's face saddened, and he took a deep breath as if to steady himself.
"We came very close to losing him, Ryou, and Yugi came very close to being permanently blind. Even now, if he doesn't take good care of himself and rest like he's supposed to, the swelling could get worse and damage the optical nerves, which will mean that Yugi will remain permanently blind."
Mr. Moto closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. "I still can't believe this happened."
* The old fool. You'd think that after living for as long as he has, he'd have gotten used to the fact that the world is a cruel place *
Ryou ignored his yami's comments, wondering, not for the first time, what could have happened to him to make him so bitter.
"Are you coming?"
Ryou snapped out of his musings and realized that they'd arrived at Yugi's floor. He nodded, slightly embarrassed, and stepped out of the elevator.
Both men were walking down the corridor to Yugi's room when Mr. Moto suddenly stopped.
"What the . . .?"
Ryou turned to where the older man was looking and saw a lump of clothing lying on the floor.
"Those are Yugi's clothes," he stated. He made his way over to the bundle and picked it up. He examined it carefully, his expression quizzical. It changed to one of worry a few moments later.
"Look at this."
Mr. Moto held the bundle out to Ryou, and he saw the perfectly round hole that bisected the bundle of clothing. Whatever had made the hole had gone through fast enough and completely enough to have come out the other side.
"Oh, my God, Yugi."
Mr. Moto turned away from Ryou and headed for Yugi's room. Ryou followed, until he noticed a dark brown spot on the floor. He picked up the discarded bundle of clothes Mr. Moto had thrown to the floor and saw a large, brown spot in the area of the hole.
'This looks like a bullet hole,' Ryou thought.
He returned his attention to the brown spot on the ground, and his heart sped up when he came to the conclusion that the person who had been holding Yugi's clothes had been shot.
Ryou resumed his walk towards Yugi's room, but another brown spot caught his eye. This one was smaller, and it was streaked, as if someone had run their fingers through it. It was located on the door jam of the storage room across from Yugi's room, but it was low to the ground, almost like whoever had made the stain had been lying on the floor. He practically ran towards the door, instinct telling him that he had to see what was behind it. Ryou pulled the door open quickly, letting the light from the hallway spill into the darkened room. What he saw on the floor of the room took his breath away.
"Joey."
Joey was sprawled on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Ryou desperately looked around for a light switch, and after a few minutes finally found one. He flipped it, bathing the entire room in glaring light. The new illumination gave Ryou a chilling look at what had been done to Joey.
The front of Joey's shirt was covered in blood, as was his left arm and part of his face. A puddle of blood had formed underneath the blond teenager, soaking the remainder of his clothes.
For a few seconds, Ryou could do nothing but stand there and stare at his friend. After his slight paralysis, Ryou ran to Joey and kneeled beside him, not noticing when Joey's blood soaked the knees of his khaki slacks. Joey's hands were on his chest, where he'd weakly attempted to stop the blood flow. Tentatively, Ryou reached out to feel Joey's neck and was gratified to feel a pulse. It was weak and unstable, but it was there.
At Ryou's touch, Joey's eyes fluttered open. They were wild and unfocused, and they clearly showed the pain he was in.
"Joey, what happened?" Ryou asked, putting his own hands on top of Joey's.
Joey's eyes slowly focused on Ryou. He opened his mouth several times, but was unable to speak.
Ryou, seeing that the wound on Joey's chest was still bleeding, took off his sweater, bunched it up, and placed it against the wound. He placed Joey's hands on top of the sweater and his own once again on top of Joey's, hoping that they could stop the bleeding.
"Was attacked," Joey finally managed to whisper, his voice rough with pain. "Man after Yugi. . . in his room. . . Kaiba was there. . ." Joey trailed off, his face twisting in pain.
"It's okay, Joey, don't talk. I'm going to go get help for you, okay? You're going to be fine, just hang on a little while longer."
Joey didn't reply. He nodded weakly and closed his eyes.
Ryou got up and ran out of the room, where he ran into Mr. Moto.
"Yugi is gone. He's not in. . ." the older man trailed off as he got a good look at Ryou. "What happened to you?"
"Joey's been shot."
"Joey? But he's. . . the clothes! Joey told me he was going to go to my house to get clothes for Yugi. Where is he?"
"He's in the storage room and he looks really bad, Mr. Moto. He said that the man that attacked him was after Yugi, and that Kaiba was there."
"Mr. Moto clenched his jaw, and Ryou could see the anger flaring in his eyes.
"Stay with him, Ryou. I'll go and get help."
Ryou watched Mr. Moto run towards the nurse's station, and then made his way back to Joey.
"Joey, you're going to be okay. Yugi's grandfather went to get help, so please hang on."
Joey's eyes fluttered open once again. He tried to focus on Ryou, but the effort was too much and he had to close his eyes again. Ryou put his hands over Joey's again, squeezing them slightly in an effort to give him some comfort.
"I'm going to die."
Ryou gasped at the soft statement. He shook his head, as his eyes filled with tears.
"No, you're not. We're going to get you help. The doctors are going to treat you and make you better, so you can live a long life."
Joey actually smiled at the statement.
"Ryou, you were always the optimist, just like Yugi."
Joey suddenly coughed, and Ryou saw blood trickling out of the corner of Joey's mouth.
"I mean it, Joey. You're not going to die."
At that moment, Ryou felt someone touch his shoulder. He turned to see a nurse motioning for him to get out of the room. He nodded, and left the room, giving Joey one final glance. Ryou stepped to one side of the hallway and watched as they took Joey out on a stretcher. The blood on Joey looked so red against the white sheets, and Ryou couldn't stop looking at it.
An arm wrapped itself around Ryou, and he looked up to see Mr. Moto looking at him.
"Joey is going to be okay, Ryou. He's way too stubborn to just let go."
Ryou nodded. He leaned into Yugi's grandfather slightly, grateful for the comfort the older man was providing. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
"You said Yugi was gone, didn't you? Where is he?"
Mr. Moto's expression darkened. With one last squeeze of Ryou's shoulder, Mr. Moto removed his arm and walked into Yugi's room.
"No one knows where he is. The nurse has been looking for him for the last half hour to get him to take his medication, but she hasn't been able to find him."
Mr. Moto looked around the room, before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Yugi's shoes are gone, so he's taken off somewhere again."
In that instant, Solomon Moto looked every bit his age. Ryou wasn't sure how old Yugi's grandfather was, but at that moment, he looked exhausted, worn, worried and very frightened.
"Joey said something about Kaiba. Could he know where Yugi is?"
Mr. Moto shrugged and Ryou could clearly see the mistrust in his eyes.
"I don't know, but for his sake, he better not have anything to do with Yugi's disappearance.
**~~**
**Why do you mistrust him so much?**
Yami leaned his head back against the wall and smiled slightly at his aibou's question.
*Kaiba has never given me a reason to trust him*
**What about what he's doing now? He could have ditched us and saved himself a long time ago, but he didn't.**
*He just 'ditched' us, as you put it, Yugi. I don't know where we are or how to bet back to the room we were in before. I'm blind, so even if I did know where we were, I wouldn't be able to get back*
**We're not being held at gunpoint, Yami. We're relatively safe for the moment. Doesn't that count?**
Yami sighed. Yugi's most endearing quality was that he was loyal, trustworthy, and kind. He saw the best in people, no matter what. It was ironic that a person like Yugi had ended up with him. Yami didn't know much about himself, but he did know that he was the exact opposite of Yugi: dark, untrusting, forceful, and extremely cautious. His first instinct was always to see the darkness in people in order to guard from a possible attack. He guessed that it was his nature, though he wondered if he'd always been the way he was now.
Yugi's trust in people had gotten him into dangerous situations in the past, because he tended to be more concerned for others than he was for himself. Yugi took people at their word, which wasn't always the best course of action. For his sake, Yami hoped that Yugi's trust in Seto Kaiba would not be his downfall.
**Yami, are you okay?**
*I am fine, Yugi. I was just thinking about the situation*
**Let me guess, you think that I'm wrong for trusting Kaiba**
Yami could hear the determination in Yugi's mental voice. It was one of the things that Yami admired the most about Yugi. Not many would stand by their morals and convictions like Yugi did.
*I trust your judgment, Aibou. I may not trust Kaiba, but I am willing to trust your faith in him.*
Yugi was silent for a moment, and Yami began to wonder if he'd said something wrong.
**You're not going to fight me on this?**
Yami chuckled lightly at the surprise in Yugi's voice. *No, Yugi, I will not fight you on this.*
A loud crash close to him suddenly got Yami's attention.
*Someone is coming*
He mentally scolded himself for having let his guard down while talking to Yugi. Yami tilted his head to one side, trying to figure out what the crash had been and where it had come from. The room was silent now, which led Yami to wonder if the noise had simply been a product of his conflicting thoughts.
Yami carefully held out his arms to feel the things around him. For a moment, he felt nothing but the smooth, semi-warm wall he was leaning against. After a few moments and some shuffling around, Yami came into contact with the leg of a chair. He followed the curve of the chair with his hands and found the cushion. Slowly, he used the wide base of the chair to push himself up so that he stood beside the chair. He continued his exploration, surprised when his hands landed on a smooth surface right away. He felt the surface, and realized, from the things on it, that he was touching the top of a desk.
A soft footfall to his right caught Yami's attention. He was about to call out to see if Kaiba had returned, when instinct told him to lunge in the direction of the footfall. A loud explosion near his right ear left Yami reeling, and his forward momentum led him straight into the man who had just fired a gun at him.
"You stupid kid," the man muttered as Yami fell on top of him.
Yami tucked his chin into his chest as he fell and smiled when the man he hit grunted in pain. Yami's momentum was enough to send them both to the floor. As they hit, Yami heard the gun in the man's hands clatter to the ground. He was fighting on instinct alone, but his senses were sharp enough now to let him feel and hear where the man was.
A sudden backhand rattled his teeth, and Yami could feel blood quickly feeling his mouth from his busted lip. He tucked his legs under him, and then pushed with all of his strength, hoping to push the bigger and stronger man off of him. The attacker once again grunted in pain.
When he could no longer feel the man's weight on top of him, Yami quickly scrambled to his feet. He didn't know where the door was, but he figured that any place other than where he was now would be preferable. As he took a step forward, his foot hit something hard.
** It's the gun ** Yugi suddenly said.
Yami leaned down to pick it up, figuring that it was better with him than with the other man. As his fingers closed around it, he was tackled to the ground. The man grabbed the hand that was holding the gun and squeezed it. Yami's breath was knocked from his lungs as the man's full weight fell on him, and he tried without success to push the man off of him. He felt his lungs screaming in agony, but couldn't manage to take a deep enough breath to satisfy them. The man pinned Yami's legs down with his knees, so that Yami wouldn't be able to kick him again. He refused to let go of the gun, however. In his current position, he was as good as dead if the man managed to get control of the gun.
*Yugi, I am not going to be able to get him off of me. I have to use my magic*
After the duel with Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom, they'd come to an understanding about Yami's powers. He had agreed to warn Yugi when he was about to use them, and agreed to refrain if Yugi wished him to do so.
**Do what you need to do, Yami**
*I might kill him*
Yugi remained silent
Yami took Yugi's silence as agreement and released the gun.
"That's what I thought, you little brat," the man muttered, and began to get up.
Before he could completely raise himself, Yami reached out and grabbed the man's arms. Yami was already weakened from the earlier use of his magic, be he hoped that he was still strong enough to at least disable his attacker.
Yami concentrated on the man he was holding and let the dark energy build within his mind. The man was slowly pulling himself free, but that didn't matter anymore. As his hold on the attacker loosened, Yami released the energy, sending it flowing down his arms, through his hands, and into the man. The attacker violently jerked as the energy flowed into him, inadvertently slamming Yami's head against the ground. Because of the close proximity of the attack, there was a slight backlash, and a portion of the energy returned down the path Yami had set for it and slammed into Yami.
The attacker screamed, and then completely let go of Yami. As the energy made its way through his body, Yami also screamed. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the gun once again clattering to the ground.
**~~**
Kaiba walked quietly, but quickly, towards the dock area of the hospital. His plan was to make it to the outside then re-enter the hospital via the front door and call the police. He wasn't sure where the two men had gone after they had passed his and Yugi's hiding place in the morgue, but Kaiba hoped that they weren't anywhere near him.
Unexpected noises in the corridor ahead of him caused Kaiba to flatten himself against the wall he was walking besides. He hadn't seen anyone else around this floor so far, but it was possible that there were some people still around. Or, the two men had finally found him. Luckily, he was far enough away from Yami that if he were caught, the younger teen wouldn't get dragged into it too.
After a few minutes of unconsciously holding his breath, waiting for movement that never came, Kaiba started walking again. He quickened his pace as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He had to get out of there and get help, and he had to do it soon.
He had hated leaving Yami behind by himself, but hadn't really had much of a choice. It had been easier for him to get around on his own. In addition, Kaiba was worried about Yami's condition. The more they had walked, the more Yami had stumbled. Kaiba had seen the pained look on his face and knew that Yami wouldn't have been able to continue on for much longer. Leaving him behind in a safe place had been the only option. Kaiba just hoped that he hadn't made a mistake in doing so.
Directly ahead, Kaiba could finally see the door that would lead him to the outside and, hopefully, to safety. He calmly walked towards the door, feeling his spirits lift at the prospect of ending this whole nightmare. He reached out and put a hand on the door. He was about to open it, when a voice stopped him.
"Hello, Seto Kaiba."
Kaiba turned quickly, his heart pounding in his chest, expecting to see the men that had dragged them out of Yugi's room. Instead, Kaiba saw a teenager about Joey's age standing in the middle of the hallway. The young man was tanned, blond, and had a pair of striking lavender eyes. He wore black slacks, a white shirt, and a lot of jewelry. In his hands, Kaiba saw a golden rod. Upon closer examination, Kaiba noticed that the rod had the same strange markings that the puzzle Yugi wore around his neck did.
"Who are you?" Kaiba asked.
The teenager smirked. "Who I am is not important, but you will know me soon enough. For now, all you need to know is that the man that was after you is dead."
"What?"
'How did the kid know about what was going on?'
"Did you think you were really that clever? Didn't you wonder why he didn't come after you? Even though that idiot is an amateur, he was still much better than you."
The blond took a few steps closer to him, and Kaiba could tell that the boy was definitely foreign. "He was following you; toying with you to see how many of your buttons he could push. I simply got rid of him. "
"Why would you do that?" Kaiba asked. "What do you hope to gain by helping me?"
This Kaiba could understand. After all, a person in his position knew that you didn't do anything without expecting something in return.
The other teen shrugged. "Let's just say that this is a business matter for me. The guy following you was a member of an American organization that deals in things similar to what my organization deals with. He thought that he was being smart by coming to Japan to beat me to my prize. Sadly, he just learned that no one crosses me."
The younger teen's act wasn't scaring Kaiba, but he'd play along, if only to get more information.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
At Kaiba's question, the other teen grinned. "That is something that you're familiar with. What I am after is the Egyptian God cards."
Kaiba's stomach suddenly did a flip-flop. Ishizu had warned him about the Rare Hunters when she'd told him about the God cards. Could this kid standing in front of him be one of them?
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The blond smiled. "I know that you have one, because my sister gave it to you. The God of Obelisk is the only card that I don't have, but I intend to get it, along with another item that is precious to me."
Kaiba struggled to keep his expression blank, even though the feeling of betrayal was churning through his veins. Ishizu had set him up.
As if reading his mind, the boy spoke. "Don't worry, Ishizu has nothing to do with me. She may be my sister, but we don't see eye to eye. Whatever bogus story she gave you, I have no doubt that she believed it.
The teen walked to stand directly in front of Kaiba and held his golden rod between them. Kaiba couldn't help but look at the strange piece of jewelry. It was almost as if he were drawn to it. He tried to step away from the blond, but found that his feet would not move.
"The God cards aren't the only thing I'm after. I also want your friend Yugi."
Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise.
"I see that you weren't expecting that. It's not really your friend that I'm after, however. He is, after all, just a vessel. I want the Millennium Puzzle, and the spirit of the Egyptian Pharaoh that inhabits it. You, Seto Kaiba, are going to get it for me."
Kaiba snorted. "Are you are of your mind? I don't know who you are, but I do know that you are insane; now get out of my way."
He was about to leave, but found that he was unable to move. He looked down at his feet, mortified that he couldn't move them.
"I'm assuming that you're familiar with the Millennium Puzzle from your association with Yugi Moto. Now, you're going to become familiar with my Millennium Rod."
Kaiba looked up to see an almost joyful look on the blonde's face.
"The Millennium Rod allows me to impose my will on others. Since you know where Yugi Moto is and I don't, you will take me to him."
Kaiba shook his head. There was no way he was going to take this crazy guy to where he'd left Yami.
"I'm not going to take you anywhere."
The blond only smiled. "Come, Seto Kaiba, lead the way."
Kaiba was about to say that he'd never do what the teen wanted, but realized that he was already moving back in the direction of the morgue where he'd left Yami. He tried to stop himself from walking, but his body didn't obey him. Nothing that his brain told his body worked, so Kaiba was helpless to watch as he walked to the morgue. It was quite an odd sensation, being in your body but not having control of it. It was very disconcerting. The closer he got to the morgue, the more desperately he fought the mind control he was under.
"I told you that I could impose my will on others," the teen said. "Now, I must leave you. Don't worry, I'll be observing and controlling every step you take.
Kaiba resumed his walk. Before long, he was standing in front of the main entrance to the morgue. The blond teenager was no longer in sight, but Kaiba still couldn't control his body. He was merely along for the ride.
"By the way, my name is Marik Ishtahl," an eerie voice in his head said, startling Kaiba. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Seto Kaiba."
**~~**
I chose to go with Marik's American name (I hope I spelled it right. If not, please point it out to me so I can fix it). It just seemed easier.
Coming up: Yugi gets a surprise. . . so does Tristan. . . we get to meet the Wheelers. Well, Mr. Wheeler at least. . . Marik sort of explains himself. Stay tuned!
I'm so very sorry for the delay in posting this. My computer died two weeks ago and I still have not been able to fix it. I ended up writing this by hand, then typing it up on my old laptop, and then borrowing a friend's computer to post here. I actually have another chapter of this in my notebook; all I have to do it type it up. Hopefully, I can get to it soon. This chapter is pretty long, though, so hopefully it'll make up for the delay.
Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews. I usually reply to all of the reviews, but I'm on limited time with the borrowed computer, so I'll just say a big THANK YOU! You all rock!
If any of you read "No Kinen Ni" there's another chapter of it posted.
Now on to the story. Enjoy!
Part 13: The Greater of Two Evils
"One. . . two. . . three!"
Yami immediately ran, not knowing in which direction he should go, but knowing that he had to go somewhere. Suddenly, a hand gripped his, pulling him forward. Yami followed, grateful to have some sort of direction.
*I can't believe I'm trusting Kaiba of all people*
**He's not so bad, Yami. Besides, he's in this as deep as we are. Whatever is going on, he's as involved as we are.**
*Yes, but how can I be sure that he's not going to double cross us when it becomes inconvenient to have us around?*
Yugi chuckled. **You don't. That's what trust is all about**
Yami growled mentally. A whizzing sound by his right ear caught his attention, and he moved his head to one side.
"Damn, they're shooting at us. We have to take cover, Yami."
Yami got an idea. He may not be able to see, but he could still harness his powers. He stopped and dropped to the ground, pulling Kaiba with him.
"What the. . .?"
"Trust me, Kaiba."
Yami backed himself up against the wall, closed his eyes and concentrated. He didn't really know where their attackers were, so he had to direct his magic everywhere at once.
"Lay on the floor, Kaiba. Don't question me, just do it."
Kaiba didn't answer, so Yami took that as compliance. He raised his hands and channeled as much power as he could. He directed it outward in both directions, and smiled when he heard the two attackers grunt. There was a crash, and several curse words could be heard. The two men weren't completely out of commission, Yami could tell that by the sounds they were making, but they'd be delayed for a while. Yami got up, reaching out to drag Kaiba up as well.
"What did you just do?"
Yami laughed at the trace of fear in Kaiba's voice. "Its shadow magic, Kaiba, the same magic Pegasus used to defeat you at Duelist Kingdom. I'd be more efficient with it if I could see where I was aiming it."
"It doesn't matter, you slowed them down. Let's go."
Kaiba again took the lead, pulling Yami forward. Yami felt his body protest at the overuse, but decided to ignore it. He'd deal with it later. They ran for a few moments, until Kaiba pulled them through a door. They continued to run, their attacker's advance clearly heard behind them. Lucky for them, the two men's footsteps seemed father behind then they'd been before.
"We have to split up."
"What?" Yami asked as they continued to run as fast as they could. "We can't split up."
"It's the only way, Yami. They're going to continue to come after us, so we'd make worse targets separately."
"In case you've forgotten, I'm blind. I can't find my way out of here like you can." Yami said, his voice cold. "Even if I could, separating is the worst thing we can do."
"How do you figure that?"
Yami's jaw tightened, but he was too busy concentrating on staying upright as they ran to give much importance to his anger and annoyance.
"The only weapon we have is my shadow magic. If we split up, we'll both be defenseless. At least together we have a chance."
Kaiba didn't reply. Instead, he quickly pulled Yami into a cold room. Yami heard the sound of a door closing before Kaiba pressed him against a wall. Yami could feel Kaiba pressed to the wall beside him and realized that they had reached a hiding spot.
After a few tense moments, Kaiba spoke again.
"Your shadow magic is unstable because you can't fully harness it; you said so yourself."
Yami's jaw tightened again in annoyance. So Kaiba had been paying attention after all.
"We can't rely on it," Kaiba continued. "You're blind and injured. Your doctor said to rest, which does not include running around a hospital morgue while being chased by two men with guns. The best thing for you to do is to stay some place safe while I go get us help."
"Is that the best thing for me or for you?" Yami asked, trying to contain his anger. "You are more of a target while leading around a blind man, is that it?"
**Yami, you're being unfair. I'm sure that's not what Kaiba means**
*I've never trusted him, Yugi. I don't understand why you're so willing to do it, especially now*
Yami heard Yugi's mental sigh and echoed it with one of his own.
**Everyone deserves a second chance, Yami**
*Not if that second chance is going to get us killed, Aibou*
"Leading around a blind man does make me a better target, but it makes you one too," Kaiba replied, interrupting Yami's conversation with Yugi. "All I'm saying is that even if you're willing to risk yourself to run around with me, there's still Yugi to think about. Do you really want to risk injuring yourself further, which could lead to Yugi being permanently blind, or worse, dead?"
Kaiba's argument made Yami want to strangle him. He tilted his head up, wanting to see how truthful Kaiba was being. All he saw, however, was penetrating darkness.
He wanted to keep going, but what would that mean for Yugi? It was Yugi's body that Yami was using, after all, which made Kaiba's concerns valid.
**I'll agree to whatever you think is right. I trust you, Yami**
Yami closed his eyes and concentrated on the body he now controlled. His head was pounding furiously, to the point where he felt nauseous. His right wrist throbbed, along with seemingly every other part of his body. He felt fatigued, but knew that he could keep going if he had to. However, what if his actions, his desire to see this through, caused permanent damage to Yugi's body? What if his carelessness and desire not to agree with Kaiba caused irreparable harm? He couldn't take that chance. He had sworn to protect Yugi on the day Yugi had released him from his prison of darkness, and that included protecting his partner from himself.
"Very well, Kaiba. For Yugi's sake, I will remain behind."
Yami waited for Kaiba to gloat, but that didn't happen. Instead, Kaiba patted him slightly on the shoulder.
"Good. I have a good idea of where you can stay," Kaiba responded, and led him forward. After a few minutes, they came to a stop. Yami could hear some rattling going on in front of him, and he frowned in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Kaiba chuckled lightly. "Nothing much, just a little lock picking."
"You're picking a lock?" Yami asked, incredulous.
"Yeah. I wasn't always the way I am now, you know," Kaiba replied, a trace of sadness in his voice.
Yami nodded in acknowledgement, wondering what kind of life Kaiba had led before. There was apparently more to him than Yami had thought.
The two teenagers remained silent until Kaiba gave a soft, triumphant hoot.
"There we go!"
He pulled Yami forward, and then maneuvered him so that Yami found himself sitting on the floor, his back to a wall.
"This is one of the offices in the morgue, Yami. It's out of the way and dark, so I doubt anyone would think to look for you here. I've placed you at one of the corners of the room, the one furthest away from the door. You're behind a desk, so you should not be visible to anyone who happens to glance into the office. Just stay down there, don't get up or move around. I'll come back for you as soon as I've gotten help.
"What if don't come back?"
"I'll be back, Yami, you have my word."
Yami didn't say anything, because there really wasn't anything to say. Whether Kaiba returned for him or not was out of his hands. All he could do now was rest and regain his strength.
**~~**
* I don't understand why you keep hanging around here. It's not like you do anything *
Ryou sighed. At least his yami was talking to him now and not attempting to take over his body. He'd tried to explain to Bakura why he was still here, why he needed to find out how Yugi was doing, but the spirit didn't seem to understand.
** I already told you why I'm here. I don't really care what you think about it, I'm staying **
* Well, well, what's this? You're finally getting a backbone? If the thought weren't so amusing, I'd actually be concerned *
** Sometimes, I wonder if you ever had any friends or if you spent your life roaming around Egypt robbing tombs by yourself **
Ryou shook his head and closed the link with his yami when Bakura began to curse at him. A few months ago, that would have frightened Ryou beyond belief. Now, he saw it as an annoyance. He was still weary of Bakura and what he could do, but Ryou now knew, after Bakura had almost killed Yugi, that he could control the spirit of the ring if he wanted to. That gave him a measure of self assurance that he hadn't had since Bakura had first made his appearance known to him.
He turned the corner, not really paying attention to where he was going. He suddenly stopped when he ran into someone.
"I'm sorry," Ryou said, glancing up to find himself staring at Mr. Moto's violet eyes.
"It's quite alright. You're Ryou Bakura, aren't you?"
"Yes, Mr. Moto, I am. I was just going to see how Yugi was doing."
Mr. Moto smiled. "I think that Yugi's recovery is going to have to do a lot with the fact that he has such good friends to help him along." The older man paused as he summoned the elevator. "I just finished speaking with Dr. Suzuki, and he was very insistent that Yugi needs to be in bed with limited movement for at least three weeks before the swelling in his brain can go down. I'm going to need to count on you kids to make sure that he stays in bed."
Ryou nodded, understanding how hard it was going to be to keep Yugi in bed and immobile for that length of time. He waited until they were in the elevator before responding.
"I'll be glad to help. What else did the doctor say, if you don't mind my asking?"
Mr. Moto's face saddened, and he took a deep breath as if to steady himself.
"We came very close to losing him, Ryou, and Yugi came very close to being permanently blind. Even now, if he doesn't take good care of himself and rest like he's supposed to, the swelling could get worse and damage the optical nerves, which will mean that Yugi will remain permanently blind."
Mr. Moto closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. "I still can't believe this happened."
* The old fool. You'd think that after living for as long as he has, he'd have gotten used to the fact that the world is a cruel place *
Ryou ignored his yami's comments, wondering, not for the first time, what could have happened to him to make him so bitter.
"Are you coming?"
Ryou snapped out of his musings and realized that they'd arrived at Yugi's floor. He nodded, slightly embarrassed, and stepped out of the elevator.
Both men were walking down the corridor to Yugi's room when Mr. Moto suddenly stopped.
"What the . . .?"
Ryou turned to where the older man was looking and saw a lump of clothing lying on the floor.
"Those are Yugi's clothes," he stated. He made his way over to the bundle and picked it up. He examined it carefully, his expression quizzical. It changed to one of worry a few moments later.
"Look at this."
Mr. Moto held the bundle out to Ryou, and he saw the perfectly round hole that bisected the bundle of clothing. Whatever had made the hole had gone through fast enough and completely enough to have come out the other side.
"Oh, my God, Yugi."
Mr. Moto turned away from Ryou and headed for Yugi's room. Ryou followed, until he noticed a dark brown spot on the floor. He picked up the discarded bundle of clothes Mr. Moto had thrown to the floor and saw a large, brown spot in the area of the hole.
'This looks like a bullet hole,' Ryou thought.
He returned his attention to the brown spot on the ground, and his heart sped up when he came to the conclusion that the person who had been holding Yugi's clothes had been shot.
Ryou resumed his walk towards Yugi's room, but another brown spot caught his eye. This one was smaller, and it was streaked, as if someone had run their fingers through it. It was located on the door jam of the storage room across from Yugi's room, but it was low to the ground, almost like whoever had made the stain had been lying on the floor. He practically ran towards the door, instinct telling him that he had to see what was behind it. Ryou pulled the door open quickly, letting the light from the hallway spill into the darkened room. What he saw on the floor of the room took his breath away.
"Joey."
Joey was sprawled on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Ryou desperately looked around for a light switch, and after a few minutes finally found one. He flipped it, bathing the entire room in glaring light. The new illumination gave Ryou a chilling look at what had been done to Joey.
The front of Joey's shirt was covered in blood, as was his left arm and part of his face. A puddle of blood had formed underneath the blond teenager, soaking the remainder of his clothes.
For a few seconds, Ryou could do nothing but stand there and stare at his friend. After his slight paralysis, Ryou ran to Joey and kneeled beside him, not noticing when Joey's blood soaked the knees of his khaki slacks. Joey's hands were on his chest, where he'd weakly attempted to stop the blood flow. Tentatively, Ryou reached out to feel Joey's neck and was gratified to feel a pulse. It was weak and unstable, but it was there.
At Ryou's touch, Joey's eyes fluttered open. They were wild and unfocused, and they clearly showed the pain he was in.
"Joey, what happened?" Ryou asked, putting his own hands on top of Joey's.
Joey's eyes slowly focused on Ryou. He opened his mouth several times, but was unable to speak.
Ryou, seeing that the wound on Joey's chest was still bleeding, took off his sweater, bunched it up, and placed it against the wound. He placed Joey's hands on top of the sweater and his own once again on top of Joey's, hoping that they could stop the bleeding.
"Was attacked," Joey finally managed to whisper, his voice rough with pain. "Man after Yugi. . . in his room. . . Kaiba was there. . ." Joey trailed off, his face twisting in pain.
"It's okay, Joey, don't talk. I'm going to go get help for you, okay? You're going to be fine, just hang on a little while longer."
Joey didn't reply. He nodded weakly and closed his eyes.
Ryou got up and ran out of the room, where he ran into Mr. Moto.
"Yugi is gone. He's not in. . ." the older man trailed off as he got a good look at Ryou. "What happened to you?"
"Joey's been shot."
"Joey? But he's. . . the clothes! Joey told me he was going to go to my house to get clothes for Yugi. Where is he?"
"He's in the storage room and he looks really bad, Mr. Moto. He said that the man that attacked him was after Yugi, and that Kaiba was there."
"Mr. Moto clenched his jaw, and Ryou could see the anger flaring in his eyes.
"Stay with him, Ryou. I'll go and get help."
Ryou watched Mr. Moto run towards the nurse's station, and then made his way back to Joey.
"Joey, you're going to be okay. Yugi's grandfather went to get help, so please hang on."
Joey's eyes fluttered open once again. He tried to focus on Ryou, but the effort was too much and he had to close his eyes again. Ryou put his hands over Joey's again, squeezing them slightly in an effort to give him some comfort.
"I'm going to die."
Ryou gasped at the soft statement. He shook his head, as his eyes filled with tears.
"No, you're not. We're going to get you help. The doctors are going to treat you and make you better, so you can live a long life."
Joey actually smiled at the statement.
"Ryou, you were always the optimist, just like Yugi."
Joey suddenly coughed, and Ryou saw blood trickling out of the corner of Joey's mouth.
"I mean it, Joey. You're not going to die."
At that moment, Ryou felt someone touch his shoulder. He turned to see a nurse motioning for him to get out of the room. He nodded, and left the room, giving Joey one final glance. Ryou stepped to one side of the hallway and watched as they took Joey out on a stretcher. The blood on Joey looked so red against the white sheets, and Ryou couldn't stop looking at it.
An arm wrapped itself around Ryou, and he looked up to see Mr. Moto looking at him.
"Joey is going to be okay, Ryou. He's way too stubborn to just let go."
Ryou nodded. He leaned into Yugi's grandfather slightly, grateful for the comfort the older man was providing. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
"You said Yugi was gone, didn't you? Where is he?"
Mr. Moto's expression darkened. With one last squeeze of Ryou's shoulder, Mr. Moto removed his arm and walked into Yugi's room.
"No one knows where he is. The nurse has been looking for him for the last half hour to get him to take his medication, but she hasn't been able to find him."
Mr. Moto looked around the room, before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Yugi's shoes are gone, so he's taken off somewhere again."
In that instant, Solomon Moto looked every bit his age. Ryou wasn't sure how old Yugi's grandfather was, but at that moment, he looked exhausted, worn, worried and very frightened.
"Joey said something about Kaiba. Could he know where Yugi is?"
Mr. Moto shrugged and Ryou could clearly see the mistrust in his eyes.
"I don't know, but for his sake, he better not have anything to do with Yugi's disappearance.
**~~**
**Why do you mistrust him so much?**
Yami leaned his head back against the wall and smiled slightly at his aibou's question.
*Kaiba has never given me a reason to trust him*
**What about what he's doing now? He could have ditched us and saved himself a long time ago, but he didn't.**
*He just 'ditched' us, as you put it, Yugi. I don't know where we are or how to bet back to the room we were in before. I'm blind, so even if I did know where we were, I wouldn't be able to get back*
**We're not being held at gunpoint, Yami. We're relatively safe for the moment. Doesn't that count?**
Yami sighed. Yugi's most endearing quality was that he was loyal, trustworthy, and kind. He saw the best in people, no matter what. It was ironic that a person like Yugi had ended up with him. Yami didn't know much about himself, but he did know that he was the exact opposite of Yugi: dark, untrusting, forceful, and extremely cautious. His first instinct was always to see the darkness in people in order to guard from a possible attack. He guessed that it was his nature, though he wondered if he'd always been the way he was now.
Yugi's trust in people had gotten him into dangerous situations in the past, because he tended to be more concerned for others than he was for himself. Yugi took people at their word, which wasn't always the best course of action. For his sake, Yami hoped that Yugi's trust in Seto Kaiba would not be his downfall.
**Yami, are you okay?**
*I am fine, Yugi. I was just thinking about the situation*
**Let me guess, you think that I'm wrong for trusting Kaiba**
Yami could hear the determination in Yugi's mental voice. It was one of the things that Yami admired the most about Yugi. Not many would stand by their morals and convictions like Yugi did.
*I trust your judgment, Aibou. I may not trust Kaiba, but I am willing to trust your faith in him.*
Yugi was silent for a moment, and Yami began to wonder if he'd said something wrong.
**You're not going to fight me on this?**
Yami chuckled lightly at the surprise in Yugi's voice. *No, Yugi, I will not fight you on this.*
A loud crash close to him suddenly got Yami's attention.
*Someone is coming*
He mentally scolded himself for having let his guard down while talking to Yugi. Yami tilted his head to one side, trying to figure out what the crash had been and where it had come from. The room was silent now, which led Yami to wonder if the noise had simply been a product of his conflicting thoughts.
Yami carefully held out his arms to feel the things around him. For a moment, he felt nothing but the smooth, semi-warm wall he was leaning against. After a few moments and some shuffling around, Yami came into contact with the leg of a chair. He followed the curve of the chair with his hands and found the cushion. Slowly, he used the wide base of the chair to push himself up so that he stood beside the chair. He continued his exploration, surprised when his hands landed on a smooth surface right away. He felt the surface, and realized, from the things on it, that he was touching the top of a desk.
A soft footfall to his right caught Yami's attention. He was about to call out to see if Kaiba had returned, when instinct told him to lunge in the direction of the footfall. A loud explosion near his right ear left Yami reeling, and his forward momentum led him straight into the man who had just fired a gun at him.
"You stupid kid," the man muttered as Yami fell on top of him.
Yami tucked his chin into his chest as he fell and smiled when the man he hit grunted in pain. Yami's momentum was enough to send them both to the floor. As they hit, Yami heard the gun in the man's hands clatter to the ground. He was fighting on instinct alone, but his senses were sharp enough now to let him feel and hear where the man was.
A sudden backhand rattled his teeth, and Yami could feel blood quickly feeling his mouth from his busted lip. He tucked his legs under him, and then pushed with all of his strength, hoping to push the bigger and stronger man off of him. The attacker once again grunted in pain.
When he could no longer feel the man's weight on top of him, Yami quickly scrambled to his feet. He didn't know where the door was, but he figured that any place other than where he was now would be preferable. As he took a step forward, his foot hit something hard.
** It's the gun ** Yugi suddenly said.
Yami leaned down to pick it up, figuring that it was better with him than with the other man. As his fingers closed around it, he was tackled to the ground. The man grabbed the hand that was holding the gun and squeezed it. Yami's breath was knocked from his lungs as the man's full weight fell on him, and he tried without success to push the man off of him. He felt his lungs screaming in agony, but couldn't manage to take a deep enough breath to satisfy them. The man pinned Yami's legs down with his knees, so that Yami wouldn't be able to kick him again. He refused to let go of the gun, however. In his current position, he was as good as dead if the man managed to get control of the gun.
*Yugi, I am not going to be able to get him off of me. I have to use my magic*
After the duel with Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom, they'd come to an understanding about Yami's powers. He had agreed to warn Yugi when he was about to use them, and agreed to refrain if Yugi wished him to do so.
**Do what you need to do, Yami**
*I might kill him*
Yugi remained silent
Yami took Yugi's silence as agreement and released the gun.
"That's what I thought, you little brat," the man muttered, and began to get up.
Before he could completely raise himself, Yami reached out and grabbed the man's arms. Yami was already weakened from the earlier use of his magic, be he hoped that he was still strong enough to at least disable his attacker.
Yami concentrated on the man he was holding and let the dark energy build within his mind. The man was slowly pulling himself free, but that didn't matter anymore. As his hold on the attacker loosened, Yami released the energy, sending it flowing down his arms, through his hands, and into the man. The attacker violently jerked as the energy flowed into him, inadvertently slamming Yami's head against the ground. Because of the close proximity of the attack, there was a slight backlash, and a portion of the energy returned down the path Yami had set for it and slammed into Yami.
The attacker screamed, and then completely let go of Yami. As the energy made its way through his body, Yami also screamed. The last thing he heard before he lost consciousness was the gun once again clattering to the ground.
**~~**
Kaiba walked quietly, but quickly, towards the dock area of the hospital. His plan was to make it to the outside then re-enter the hospital via the front door and call the police. He wasn't sure where the two men had gone after they had passed his and Yugi's hiding place in the morgue, but Kaiba hoped that they weren't anywhere near him.
Unexpected noises in the corridor ahead of him caused Kaiba to flatten himself against the wall he was walking besides. He hadn't seen anyone else around this floor so far, but it was possible that there were some people still around. Or, the two men had finally found him. Luckily, he was far enough away from Yami that if he were caught, the younger teen wouldn't get dragged into it too.
After a few minutes of unconsciously holding his breath, waiting for movement that never came, Kaiba started walking again. He quickened his pace as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He had to get out of there and get help, and he had to do it soon.
He had hated leaving Yami behind by himself, but hadn't really had much of a choice. It had been easier for him to get around on his own. In addition, Kaiba was worried about Yami's condition. The more they had walked, the more Yami had stumbled. Kaiba had seen the pained look on his face and knew that Yami wouldn't have been able to continue on for much longer. Leaving him behind in a safe place had been the only option. Kaiba just hoped that he hadn't made a mistake in doing so.
Directly ahead, Kaiba could finally see the door that would lead him to the outside and, hopefully, to safety. He calmly walked towards the door, feeling his spirits lift at the prospect of ending this whole nightmare. He reached out and put a hand on the door. He was about to open it, when a voice stopped him.
"Hello, Seto Kaiba."
Kaiba turned quickly, his heart pounding in his chest, expecting to see the men that had dragged them out of Yugi's room. Instead, Kaiba saw a teenager about Joey's age standing in the middle of the hallway. The young man was tanned, blond, and had a pair of striking lavender eyes. He wore black slacks, a white shirt, and a lot of jewelry. In his hands, Kaiba saw a golden rod. Upon closer examination, Kaiba noticed that the rod had the same strange markings that the puzzle Yugi wore around his neck did.
"Who are you?" Kaiba asked.
The teenager smirked. "Who I am is not important, but you will know me soon enough. For now, all you need to know is that the man that was after you is dead."
"What?"
'How did the kid know about what was going on?'
"Did you think you were really that clever? Didn't you wonder why he didn't come after you? Even though that idiot is an amateur, he was still much better than you."
The blond took a few steps closer to him, and Kaiba could tell that the boy was definitely foreign. "He was following you; toying with you to see how many of your buttons he could push. I simply got rid of him. "
"Why would you do that?" Kaiba asked. "What do you hope to gain by helping me?"
This Kaiba could understand. After all, a person in his position knew that you didn't do anything without expecting something in return.
The other teen shrugged. "Let's just say that this is a business matter for me. The guy following you was a member of an American organization that deals in things similar to what my organization deals with. He thought that he was being smart by coming to Japan to beat me to my prize. Sadly, he just learned that no one crosses me."
The younger teen's act wasn't scaring Kaiba, but he'd play along, if only to get more information.
"What exactly are you looking for?"
At Kaiba's question, the other teen grinned. "That is something that you're familiar with. What I am after is the Egyptian God cards."
Kaiba's stomach suddenly did a flip-flop. Ishizu had warned him about the Rare Hunters when she'd told him about the God cards. Could this kid standing in front of him be one of them?
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The blond smiled. "I know that you have one, because my sister gave it to you. The God of Obelisk is the only card that I don't have, but I intend to get it, along with another item that is precious to me."
Kaiba struggled to keep his expression blank, even though the feeling of betrayal was churning through his veins. Ishizu had set him up.
As if reading his mind, the boy spoke. "Don't worry, Ishizu has nothing to do with me. She may be my sister, but we don't see eye to eye. Whatever bogus story she gave you, I have no doubt that she believed it.
The teen walked to stand directly in front of Kaiba and held his golden rod between them. Kaiba couldn't help but look at the strange piece of jewelry. It was almost as if he were drawn to it. He tried to step away from the blond, but found that his feet would not move.
"The God cards aren't the only thing I'm after. I also want your friend Yugi."
Kaiba's eyes widened in surprise.
"I see that you weren't expecting that. It's not really your friend that I'm after, however. He is, after all, just a vessel. I want the Millennium Puzzle, and the spirit of the Egyptian Pharaoh that inhabits it. You, Seto Kaiba, are going to get it for me."
Kaiba snorted. "Are you are of your mind? I don't know who you are, but I do know that you are insane; now get out of my way."
He was about to leave, but found that he was unable to move. He looked down at his feet, mortified that he couldn't move them.
"I'm assuming that you're familiar with the Millennium Puzzle from your association with Yugi Moto. Now, you're going to become familiar with my Millennium Rod."
Kaiba looked up to see an almost joyful look on the blonde's face.
"The Millennium Rod allows me to impose my will on others. Since you know where Yugi Moto is and I don't, you will take me to him."
Kaiba shook his head. There was no way he was going to take this crazy guy to where he'd left Yami.
"I'm not going to take you anywhere."
The blond only smiled. "Come, Seto Kaiba, lead the way."
Kaiba was about to say that he'd never do what the teen wanted, but realized that he was already moving back in the direction of the morgue where he'd left Yami. He tried to stop himself from walking, but his body didn't obey him. Nothing that his brain told his body worked, so Kaiba was helpless to watch as he walked to the morgue. It was quite an odd sensation, being in your body but not having control of it. It was very disconcerting. The closer he got to the morgue, the more desperately he fought the mind control he was under.
"I told you that I could impose my will on others," the teen said. "Now, I must leave you. Don't worry, I'll be observing and controlling every step you take.
Kaiba resumed his walk. Before long, he was standing in front of the main entrance to the morgue. The blond teenager was no longer in sight, but Kaiba still couldn't control his body. He was merely along for the ride.
"By the way, my name is Marik Ishtahl," an eerie voice in his head said, startling Kaiba. "It has been a pleasure to meet you, Seto Kaiba."
**~~**
I chose to go with Marik's American name (I hope I spelled it right. If not, please point it out to me so I can fix it). It just seemed easier.
Coming up: Yugi gets a surprise. . . so does Tristan. . . we get to meet the Wheelers. Well, Mr. Wheeler at least. . . Marik sort of explains himself. Stay tuned!