Brood: Woah, I am so glad you all reviewed so much! And really sorry about
getting this up late everyone, my boss at McDonalds made me work
overtime.....
Zutsokaki: *snorts* McDonalds......
Brood: And where do you work, smart ass?
Zutsokaki: *shuts up*
Brood: Anyway, the chapter was late, so I am really sorry....
Zutsokaki: I am glad it took so long. I got a small break!
Brood: And now.....you are back! Wahahahaha!!!
Zutsokaki: And yet again, I present Brood with Lack of Sleep Syndrome....
Brood: Hush! Now! Chapter Eleven is upon you all!!!
CHAPTER 11
He pushed a piece of shrubbery aside as he continued on. Insector Haga had been following the arrow's direction for about five hours now, and hadn't had a duel since. He only had two chips to go, so he felt as if he could spare some time....
Haga felt his nose tickle. He stopped and noticed that a small spider was sitting on his nose. It was light yellow with beady brown eyes. Haga shuddered and shook his head from side to side until the spider lost it's footing and fell from him, and he moved on.
The leaves crunched loudly underneath of his feet and his breath was becoming shorter and shorter with each step he took. He thought that the arrow was an important thing, or else why would someone leave it on a tree?
Haga stumbled from the continuous walking, and caught his breath beside a large shrub. His vision was obscured and he couldn't see ahead. As soon as he could breathe normally again, he stood up and shook the dirt off of his long green coat, and wiped off his silver framed glasses. He ran a hand through his mess of green hair and pushed aside the shrubs to see what was there ahead of him.
Just then, he nearly fainted from shock from the sight in front of him.
"An eliminator duelist!?" Joey had gotten close, and his eyes widened at the young Italian boy.
The others listened carefully as he told his story. "Yesterday, when I found a campsite area, there were rumors and whispers going around. They were whispers of an eliminator duelist that showed no mercy. He had no compassion for the feelings of a duelist, and seemed to duel for the sheer pleasure of breaking one's spirit. The people at the end of the duels could never remember them well, or what the duelist looked like. One at the camp was speaking about it when I was there. She said that he was ruthless and had no inclination of the safety of the opponent. They are always left unconscious also......" He trailed off a bit.
"Did you find him?" Mai cocked her head sideways and gave him a apprehended look.
"No. I didn't. But this morning, only about two hours or so after leaving camp, I had all but forgotten those horrible tales, thinking that an eliminator duelist like that amoung around two thousand duelists would be nothing to me, since the chances were low that I would be cornered by him. But.....he seemingly came out of nowhere.....and waved me ahead to a duelist station. I can't remember well either, but I DO remember that I was actually very scared. I know that the game is just that.....a game. And so there would be no good reason to be frightened, right? But it was the way he played.....and.....and....oh....I really can't remember well, only that I was petrified. My brain was so muddled that I couldn't think well enough to execute even my basic combos. He had me feeling as if I was swallowing whole icecubes....and that they were filling up my body from the feet up....."
"And you can't remember what he looked like?" Mokuba was interested and curious about this.
"Well, I did get one detail.....that none of the others did. When he won.....I tried to run off, so I could avoid getting knocked out like the others did. But he came after me, and I saw him raise something in his hand. I remember a small cape, and then I fell over. Whatever you do.....do NOT go near him! Get out of this area......he is dangerous....." The boy stopped talking and let his gaze fall to the ground.
Yugi had felt a jolt from inside of his Puzzle at what the boy had said.
//There is no denying it now, Yugi! Malik is on this island! But it sounds as if he is being controlled by his Yami! I don't think Malik himself would go to such extremes!//
/I don't think so either.....but an eliminator duelist! That must mean that.......he is employed by Pegasus!/
//Yes....which means that they may even be teamed up for something.//
/That *something* is obvious. They want the Millennium Items!/
//Why can't there ever be a normal tournament?//
/As long as they run this tournament, we are in danger.....hey.....do you think we should tell Bakura? Maybe he will be able to find Malik! He has the Rod, so Bakura should be able to track him down with the Ring!/
//And if all seven are on the island, that could even lead us to another holder, like Shadi. I do believe he is here as well.//
/But you said something about his Ankh not being anywhere near him. How would you know that?/
Yami never got to answer because Honda waved a hand over Yugi's face.
"Yugi.....hey Yugi! You were spaced out again! Hey, what do you think we should do?"
Yugi looked at the Italian, and narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you can remember about it?"
"Yes. It is. I am sorry, but I think I should head back to that campsite now. Since all of my diamond chips are gone, I need to get myself together before the ship leaves tomorrow. I need to go home. I thank you for waking me and giving me water."
"Hey, do you think that you'll be fine on your own?" Bakura had finally spoken. His eyes showed great interest, and he stared the boy in the eye.
"Yes. I do believe I will be just fine. That horrible eliminator has gotten what he wanted from me. I will be just fine. Some aqquaintances will still be there at the camp, most likely. I thank you for your kindness. May I ask your names? It would be improper for me to go without that common hospitality. My name is Marco Piazzi."
"I am Yugi Motou. This is Jounouichi Katsuya, but we call him Joey. Back here is Kujaku Mai, and Bakura Ryou is back there....." Everyone nodded or waved when Yugi mentioned their names. "And this is Amoura LeTazaut, and beside her is Mok......" He wasn't sure that it would be safe to let anyone know that Mokuba Kiaba was anywhere on the island. Much too dangerous.
Amoura spoke. "He iz my little brozer. Moku LeTazaut." Mokuba looked up and grinned. Now he was undercover. He liked that. He grinned wider and added a "Oui!" to the conversation.
Marco nodded, then looked up at Yugi. "Yugi Motou? Champion of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City? I would have loved to challenge you if I had any chips left. Jounouchi Katsuya....you were a finalist in Duelist Kingdom, were you not? Kujaku Mai.....Duelist Kingdom recognition also....I forget the other Battle City stats. Those were some of the largest tournaments ever. Of course any normal duelist would know those stats. It would be an interesting match for me if I challenged one of you. I would, but under the curcumstances...."
"It really was nice meeting you all.....and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in the remainder of this tournament. Please....stay away from that duelist. He will destroy your spirit......" Marco stood up. "Goodbye." He walked away down the road, and a wisp of wind blew lightly through the air, and they watched him go.
Otogi walked the streets of Domino City, bored as hell. Since Yugi and the others left for the huge tournament, he had nobody to hang out with. Well....maybe not ANYONE.....the girls of the classes were more than willing to accompany him....but he didn't accept any offers. So there he was. Wandering.
Yugi had told him once that he would make a good Duel Monsters player because of his great strategic abilities. Now was one of those times that he wished he did play. Then maybe he would be on that island with all of them. But Otogi was a Dungeon Dice Monsters player, through and through.
The traffic whirred by him noisily as he walked past many shops. He didn't know why, but his wandering had brought him strangely close to the Turtle Game Shop. Otogi looked at the shop, then shrugged, sending small tendrils of his loose black hair sliding off of his sholders. Otogi has let down his usual high ponytail, but kept on his headband. His thin black hair swayed easily in the light wind.
He started for the shop. Maybe that old Sugoroku had taken his advice and began carrying Dungeon Dice Monster's game pieces.
He swung the door open and walked up to the counter. On the shelves were cards from about every game imaginable, but you could tell just by looking that it was a predominatly Duel Monster's shop. Otogi glanced around and tapped his foot. Where was Yugi's grandfather?
Just then, the side door that led to their house cracked open, and Sugoroku Motou's head peeked out. "Otogi! Welcome......I have a visitor already, but would you like to come in anyway? Maybe you could help us out....."
Otogi eyed him. "With what?" He walked up to the door to the area behind the counter and swung it open, walking up to Mr. Motou.
"Just come in, please." He opened the door wider and led Otogi inside. They went through a short hallway and entered another door. They were now in the living room of the home. Sitting on the couch with an untouched cup of tea in front of her sat Isis Ishtar. She glanced up at the both of them and Sugoroku motioned for Otogi to take a seat.
Otogi sat down in an armchair across from Isis, and glanced over at her. He had no idea why she was there.....
"Otogi..." It was Sugoroku. "Do you have any idea where Malik is right now? He has been missing since Monday morning."
Otogi's eyes widened. "That would mean he has been missing for about a week now!"
"Yes. Isis is very upset right now. She hasn't called the police, but I think she should now. But. Do you have any idea where he could be?"
"I'm not really sure.....but Monday.....wasn't Monday when all of the duelists left the Domino City Harbor for the tournament?"
Isis' eyes widened and she finally spoke in a small voice. "Yes. It was. But I don't think he knew much about the tournament, much less showing any initiative to going."
Otogi's eyes met Isis' dark eyes and he nodded lightly. "So if Malik didn't even want to go, I guess stowing away isn't an option here......"
"He would not have to stowaway. He has his Millennium item."
Sugoroku spoke up again. "Please refresh my memory Isis dear. What does his item do?"
"It is the Millennium Rod, and it can control people's minds."
"Well, then I suppose he wouldn't have to stow at all...."
Otogi looked at the both of them. "Mind control? That is a bit off for me to believe...."
"Well, I suggest you believe it, Otogi-san." Isis looked down at her lap.
"Is there anywhere else your brother could be? Could anything have happened?" Otogi bit his bottom lip, hoping that last comment didn't make her cry. He just didn't know how to handle that kind of thing....it was one of the great mysteries of the universe.
She did nothing of the like. Instead, she looked up to meet his gaze. "If anything were to happen to him, the Millennium Rod would get him out of it. If you forgot, there is a spirit inside of the Rod as well as Yugi's Puzzle."
Otogi remembered, all right. "But isn't it evil....?"
Sugoroku listened quietly to them speak, absorbing the information as they went along.
"Well, the spirit is evil, but normally a Yami will protect it's aibou.....they are the Yami's hosts.....so the body must stay intact. Therefore, even an evil Yami has a reason to protect someone." Isis averted her attention to the window to her left.
Sugoroku lowered his head in deep thought. "This Yami of his you speak of....it has a mind of it's own, right?"
Isis replied without looking at any of them. "Yes. He has a mind of his own. And like all Yami's, he has the ability to take over the host's body."
"Then how do we know that his Yami hasn't done something?" Sugoroku stared at Isis without blinking. They both noticed that her eyes widened a bit.
"I really hadn't thought of that.....but....why would he? He needs to protect his aibou! And where would they go!?"
*Ting-a-ring-a-ring!* It was the store's front door. Sugoroku stood up.
"Well, I think that we need to separate for now. Please, call me Isis if anything else turns up about Malik. If you would show her out, Otogi....and thank you for coming in...." Yugi's grandfather left the room to tend the store.
For a moment, both of them just sat in the room staring after the closed door. Then Otogi stood up.
"Well....I think we should leave now....."
Isis stood as well. "Yes....we can't impose on Mr. Motou when he has work to do." She moved to the front door, and Otogi opened it for her. The both stepped out, and he shut the door after them with a small click.
They stood for a moment on the pavement by the home.
"So..." Otogi started, "Do you have a better idea where your brother may be?"
Isis looked up at him. "If I still had my Millennium item, I could probably get it to work one more time for me....so I could get an idea of where he is....."
"What did yours do?"
"The Tauk could see into the future. If I could just see him in his surroundings, maybe I could pinpoint where he is....."
"Usually some of the Millennium Item's power can rest in it's holder...."
Isis' eyes widened again. "How would you know something like that?"
Otogi shrugged. "I suppose it came from watching Yugi. Sometimes he would do something a bit strange, or not normal....and it would be without the assistance of the item he has."
The Egyptian girl looked at Otogi. "You could very well be right on that hunch of yours. I sometimes still have vivid dreams.....that are sometimes prophetic...."
"I hope you have one soon....because I don't see how else we could find your brother at this point....."
Isis had been holding back her distress for nearly a week now. All of this information, plus the thought that his own Yami might have done something was too much for her now. She had heard nothing of her brother for days, his Yami was a psycho, and now she still had no idea where he could be! Suddenly, the dam exploded and an Isis reacted in an uncharacteristic fashion.
She sniffled, then her eyes welled up with tears. Her sholders shook with a sob, and Otogi stood there, perplexed. Isis sniffed again, and Otogi was still confused.
He really had NO idea what do to with a crying girl, much less one he only knew as an aquaintance......so he hugged her.
"Shh...shh....we will find your brother. He is safe. I don't have a mystical magical item or anything, but I can tell that he is fine.........just....stop crying....please?" He said that last part with a small tinge of desperation.
Otogi, who had hugged many girls in his lifetime, didn't flicker a bit at this gesture, but Isis had not had that kind of contact with anyone other than Malik......her heart skipped a beat, and she grew a bit nervous. She really wasn't used to that kind of attention. Once again uncharacteristic of her, but the shock made her stop crying ubruptly. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.
Otogi smiled in spite of himself. "Good. I'm glad to see you've stopped. If you must know, I just don't know how to handle girls who cry......"
Isis shot a sideways glance at him. His loose thin hair swayed easily in the light wind, and his eyes were sympathetic. "Well, I suppose it worked. I do need to go home now. Maybe I can think of something else we could do to find Malik."
"I hope so." Otogi smiled at her, hoping it was comforting looking. "Do you need me to walk you home?"
"No, I'm fine. But thank you for the offer. I will hope to see you again soon, Otogi." Isis turned.
Otogi watched her go around a corner, and then turned in the opposite direction, thinking about all of the information he had gotten today. He hadn't bargained for anything like today at all.....
Seto Kaiba walked alone through the wilds of the forest. One thought kept running through his mind as he walked.
/Forgive me Mokuba I'm so sorry Mokuba Don't hate me Mokuba Please forgive me Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Amoura/
He stopped at that last thought. Amoura? Oh yeah.....he left his brother primarily with her....that's why that last thought came on....He hoped that Mokuba wasn't giving Amoura hell.....she was probably trying to restrain him from coming after Seto....
Seto looked over his ID again. Nowhere could he find a Duelist Locator. At least there had been one on his old Duel Disk systems....he wished he could have taken one with him to the tournament, but nooo...his backpack just didn't have enough room to accomodate it.
He had dueled that day with such a commanding force, and he now had twenty four chips nestled snugly in his green duelist's glove. As soon as he had all of the twenty five he needed, he would more actively search for the little Irish girl.
Lisa running away confused Kaiba greatly. She kept running and running, and calling for her sister. But there was nobody in sight anywhere at the time. She seemed really paincked, and there was something in her eyes when he caught her and turned her around. They seemed displaced and empty. Like she was dreaming or something. But the moment before, she was playing in front of a pond, as alive as anything. Then all of that crazyness. It made no sense at all.....
It really wasn't the fact that she was alone out there that was worrying him most. It was her eyes....the way her eyes looked when he had grabbed her. They were blank and glazed, yet still held all of the spunk she usually had inside of her. He had seen this before. And what had caused that worried him most. It was when Joey had been controlled by Malik Ishtar into battling Yugi in overly dangerous circumstances.
He remembered their hands being shackled onto anchors on the navy pier. Anzu did that herself, her being under control at the time also. She had placed a capsule between her lips at that time also. If Yugi refused to duel a controlled Joey, she would swallow the capsule and die. They would duel fifteen minutes. Whoever lost was dragged under by the anchor they were shackled to. If no winner was decided by the time fifteen mintues were up, they were both dragged under.
Seto was glad that had all turned out well.....but if Lisa had been controlled into thinking her sister was nearby, then that would mean a dangerous person was on the island, and nobody was safe.....
He shook his head around, clearing himself of those thoughts. It would do him, or Lisa, no good if he lost his head in the clouds. Seto had to stay alert, just in case she was hiding in some brush or something like that. He couldn't miss any movement, noise, or even smell, if it happened to come down to that.
Seto strode noiselessly through the forest. A midday sun was shining straight overhead, but the trees only gave him and the ground tiny peeks at it. The grass shifted noiselessly under his feet, and leaves crunched insignificantly. His long coat swept behind him, making the soft rustling sounds so familiar to him.
His eyes darted around, half searching for duels and water, the other half looking out for the girl. He honestly didn't think she was safe out there in her condition. She seemed so scared when she ran away, and it really bothered him. His brow furrowed and he stopped walking. He strained his ears and he thought he heard a shuffling around. Or was that running water.......?
He lightened his steps and made his way quietly over to the brush, peeking over with the very tops of his eyes. There he saw a small stream with a young woman crouched by it. Her dueling glove was on the ground beside her, and she was splashing her face with water from the glistening stream.
/Hmm....so it was both a duelist AND water....../
Seto casually sauntered over to the stream and lowered his canteen into the water. The girl raised her head and gave him a slight scrutinizing look, but continued with her washing. Seto appeared to ignore her as well, and stood while screwing the cap back on his canteen. Her eyes followed him as he walked close her where her dueling glove was. He seemed like he was going to just walk away from her.
But then he turned to face her and then grinned smugly. He pointed at his dueling glove and motioned into the woods, where he had found a dueling station earlier. Her eyes widened a bit, and she took her duelist's ID from her pocket and scanned Seto. Her eyes widened even more, but she looked up at him and nodded. She looked at his duelist's glove and saw his twenty four chips reflecting light as his hand moved.
/Good....the last diamond chip is secure. I only need to bet one on this match. Or, maybe I could go overkill and have a few chips leftover just in case....../ Seto grinned wider and led the way to the dueling station, and the girl's defeat.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Malik lowered his Millennium Rod and sighed. The young boy's eyes stopped being glazed over, and his head snapped to attention.
"What just happened?," he babbled in Arabic.
"You lost to me." Malik responded in the native tounge of the boy.
"But how!? I don't remember much!"
"You played a weak creature. I played a strong creature. My strong creature maims your weak one. Sounds like you lost the last of your life points."
The boy cocked his head to one side and tried to remember. His eyes gave the impression of trying to focus on a foggy memory. "I think.....that I do remember something like that......."
"Well in any case, you lost. So I suggest giving over your diamond chips."
The boy sighed and pressed a button on his console. "At least I still have ten chips left....."
Malik took the chips when they appeared on the console, and he put them in his glove. He now had all twenty five chips he needed, but for what, he still wasn't so sure.
But his darker half wasn't going to leave him confused for long...
{Ishtar. I see you have collected the chips now.}
[Yes. Now tell my WHY I need them anyway....]
{Those are to gain passage to a hidden fortress on this island. You must be there at a certain designated time to make it to the second round of the tournament.}
[Well. That helps. Since we don't even KNOW where this fortress is.....]
{We? I think it is YOU who does not know. I on the other hand, know it's location just fine. Now you get to kill time in the soul room while I do my job.}
[And what was that again? To annoy humankind at every possible juncture?]
{That AND eliminate duelists. Just kick back.....}
[WAIT! Does Isis know where I am? She must be worried......]
{I knew you were worrying about that. Don't worry about it anymore. It will not do you any good at all.}
And with that, Malik felt a tingling sensation that meant that his dark side had switched places with him. He took a look around the soul room and sat down in it's infinite darkness. He might as well get comfortable. He would be there for some time.
Malik's Yami looked up to the clouded and darkening skies and grinned evilly.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Yugi and the others walked along the forest floor, every now and then catching a glance up at the darkening sky. The mood was just as dark as the sky. Yugi wasn't talking much, and Bakura was still a little detatched. Mokuba was plodding along quietly, thinking about what could have been so important that he had to leave. Amoura was just feeling down. Mai and Anzu were mimicking the dank moods surrounding them.
Joey, on the other hand, didn't like the looks from around the group. He was actually feeling quite bouncy. He didn't understand why, but dark days like these always gave him some sort of spirit. He got a small inspiration, and suddenly burst into song......
"All around the country and coast!
People always ask me what I like the most!
I don't like to brag, I don't like to boast,
But I always tell them....I like toast!"
He grinned widely at everyone else, who had turned their heads at him and were staring at him oddly.
"YEAH TOAST!"
"YEAH TOAST!"
He surprised them all by yelling out that loud and short chorus. Anzu grinned, and Joey knew for a fact that Honda and Yugi knew the words also.
"I get up in the morning 'bout six a.m
Have a little jelly, have a little jam.
Take a piece of bread, stick in in the slot
Push down the lever the wires get hot
I get toast......"
YEAH TOAST!
YEAH TOAST!"
By now, Mai was cracking up, and Anzu was bubbling over with fits of giggles. Amoura was grinning, and Mokuba was having problems keeping his laughter in. Bakura had looked up and had a smirk on his face, and Yugi and Honda had huge grins. Joey happily went onto the next verse.
"Oh there's no secret to toasting perfection!
There's a dial on the side and you make your selection!
Push to the dark or the light and then
If it pops too soon push down again!
Make toast.....
YEAH TOAST!
YEAH TOAST!"
Joey was pleased with his work so far. They had all had to stop walking since they were laughing. He knew for a fact that Honda himself wouldn't be able to keep it in for much longer.
"When the first caveman drove in from the dregs...
Didn't know what would go with the bacon and the eggs!
Must have been a genius who got it in his head
Plug the toaster in the wall, buy a bag of bread
Make toast...."
Honda just HAD to.....he just HAD to. He joined Joey.
"YEAH TOAST!!!!
YEAH TOAST!!!!"
They both grinned at each other, and then remembered what the last verse was, and grinned over at Amoura, who was laughing at them. Then they both jumped in front of her and began singing the last part.
"Oui oui monsieur bonjour croquet!
Oh croissant et vous des verres!
Maurice Chevalier, Eifel Tower!
Oui Marie baguette boinsoir!"
Amoura stared at them for a second, knowing that they were singing pure nonsense in French, but she grinned at them anyway and giggled anyway. Yugi was nearly dead from laughter, and he joined in on the last part as well.
"FRENCH TOAST!!!"
"FRENCH TOAST!!!"
Amoura suddenly got it, and her as well as the rest of them started laughing near uncontrollably at the conclusion to the song. Joey grinned from ear to ear. He felt pleased that he had broked up the mood.
Mai was trying to laugh and talk at the same time. "Where....did you guys.....learn such a ......funny.....song?!"
"Lets just say that we just look for stuff like this on the internet. Its really fun...." Honda smirked.
Yugi was grinning widely now, and suggested that they keep moving. They did, but the happy quiet was interrupted by a giggle every now and then. Even Mokuba was in good spirits.
They continued to walk along, and soon they found a place to rest for a little while. It was a small shady grove, with dry spongy moss carpeting most of the area. The shade actually wasn't needed since the sky was clouded over darkly, and the extra shade made the chilly island forest even colder. They hastily unrolled their sleeping bags and crawled inside of them.
Honda and Yugi cleared away a large patch of moss and found firewood for a temporary fire. As soon as it was lit, they threw the cleared moss onto it a little at a time to keep it going longer.
"Hey Yuge," Joey said, "Can you even tell what time it is?"
Yugi glanced up at the sky through a small break in the canopy of trees. "Not really. I don't think I am wearing my watch right now.....it might be in this side pouch of my bag though...." He began rummaging through the bag, searching for the watch.
"Hey, Bakura's wearing his watch....." Mai had glanced over at the silent and brooding teen, and pointed this out for the convenience of Yugi.
Amoura looked over, as well as the others. "Vhat time iz it right now, Bakura?"
Bakura hardly responded to them at all. He raised his hand to his face, and read the watch. When he spoke, it was in an unnerving monotone. "It is 1:26." He put his hands back into his lap and stared straight ahead again. His eyes were glazed slightly over, and he wore the expression of someone who was resigned to the hardships of life. Especially if they were the hardships of HIS life.
Yugi looked at his expression with slight interest. He could tell that Bakura was speaking with his darker half, but Bakura seemed completly drained by him.
//Aibou. Do you think that Bakura knows that Malik is here?//
/Maybe that's what's bothering Bakura. Malik caused problems for all of us. Or more to the fact, his other half did./
//I agree. If both Bakura and Malik are being controlled, then this could spell trouble.//
/Two deranged spirit psychopaths roaming an island full of innocents? Yeah, I'm worried./
//Heh. Well, in any case, things are not looking up.//
/What about the other items? Didn't you say that there was one of the others close by us?/
//Oh yes! I do seem to remember an idea of yours as well.//
/Pool our energies and feel for the item? Do you think that could really work?/
//Of course. If we took some time.....//
Yugi looked up and glanced around their rudamentary camp. Anzu was deep in conversation with Amoura and Honda, and Joey was napping. Mokuba was learning from Mai how to play Cat's Cradle. His threads looked like tangles, and he seemed frustrated, yet stubborn. Bakura was sitting and staring straight ahead, and not in Yugi's direction either.
/I think we have time enough for this./
//Alright. Just concentrate. Soon you will feel me channeling energy through the Millennium Puzzle. Try and match that. Try channeling energy back to me. This constant exchange will keep our energies synchronized and we will be able to get a good fix on an item.//
/Alright...../
Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated on the Puzzle. Soon enough, he began to feel a soft flowing sensation go through his body. Yugi focused on that energy and began to channel his own back to his other self. Soon, Yugi got the hang of it and was able to channel a steady flow of energy, and had matched it with his dark half's energy.
//There. Now, all you have to do now is focus your mind in a direction. I will feel your direction, and look there with you, so we can stay synchronized.//
Yugi started to feel his way in different directions. He felt a small twinge in a direction southeast of where they were, but it was to far away to be the item they were trying to locate. There was another twinge about ten miles away from the first one, but it also was too far away. Yugi decided to test this on Bakura, and he focused his energies onto Bakura, with his mind on the Ring. He felt a very strong signature coming from him concerning the Ring. So the closer the item, the stronger the feeling. He understood completely now, but didn't have much more time to think about it.
And that was because he and his dark suddenly felt it. So incredebly close and so incredebly surprising that they immediatly lost their concentration. They could not believe it, and sat in stunned silence for many minutes.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Bakura had curled his knees up closer to his chest beneath his sleeping back and glanced into the crackling fire beside him. There was definitly something very big disturbing his evil side, and it was affecting him as well. He felt every nervous twinge he got.
His darker half wouldn't tell him what was wrong, and if he did, Bakura would be very sure that Hell had frozen over and Satan had built an ice rink. So Bakura was going to be left go guess what was bothering the evil Yami so badly. Something had really unnerved him, and wasn't going to talk about it. So Bakura himself decided to initiate a conversation.
\Hey.....hey.....answer me. What is wrong with you?\
\\Why are you speaking with me!!!!! Leave me BE!!\\
\Something is wrong.\
\\THERE IS NOTHING WRONG! LEAVE ME IN PEACE!\\
\I can feel it. We DO happen to share a body.\
\\MORTAL!! MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN!! Do as I say and you will be spared many hours of torment!\\
\I don't mean anything by it. I just want to know what is wrong. Something must have happened to you last night after you.....went for a walk......\
\\If something did happen, it is none of your concern! Just take that as a hint, mortal, and LET ME ALONE!\\
\I will. If you tell me what's wrong.\
\\ARGH!!!\\
Bakura then was dimly aware of being spoken to. It was Mai and Yugi asking him for the time, he thought. So he raised his watch and told them the time, and went back to his fuming other half.
\Maybe it would be better if you told someone. And since I am one of the only ones you could tell....\
\\But I won't. IT'S NOTHING TO A PITIABLE BEING LIKE YOU!\\
\Stop yelling.....it hurts my head.....\
\\THEN MAYBE YOU WILL STOP PESTERING ME IF I KEEP DOING IT!!!!!\\
\...............\
\\That's better. Maybe I'll make something obediant out of you yet. Now leave me alone.......Wait.....\\
\.......what is it?\
\\Don't you feel it? A synchronized back and forth flow of energy. I think that Yugi the runt may be trying to perform some kind of spell with that Pharoah.\\
\Are you sure?
\\Just concentrate, idiot.\\
Well, it wasn't like he had much of another choice. So he concentrated on the small boy who was fifteen feet away from him, and soon he felt a soft flow going from spirit to spirit and back again.
\\So NOW you feel it. Took long enough, aibou slave....\\
\.............what do you think they are doing?\
\\Do you think I would know? I am not them!\\
But their question didn't go unanswered for very long. Soon, they both felt the smallest of twinges from their Millennium Ring.
\\So that is what they are doing....\\
\I don't completly understand..........\
\\You still can't tell. They are searching for Millennium Items.\\
\Why would they do that?\
\\Can't you tell anything for yourself? Must I tell you everything!\\
\Oh! I understand now! It was that feeling we got earlier.....the Shadow Realm opened.......and it was also the same feeling from last night.....\
\\.........................yes.\\
\Well, if Yugi and his other half suspect something as well, should we be worried?\
\\This is going to be an interesting tournament, to say the least.\\
\But is there anything to worry about?\
\\Possibly. But either way, I will twist the situation to my advantage, like I always do. Either way this goes, I will come out on the winning side.....\\
\Winning side? Is there going to be another battle for Millennium Items?\
\\Can't you sense that all seven are on the island? I have the Ring and Eye, Pharoah has the Puzzle and I think he has the Tauk also, that odd Guardian of the Millennium Items has the Scale and Ankh, Malik's other half has the Rod. That makes seven. All counted for.\\
\But......there is something wrong there as well......I don't think the Guardian has one of his items.....\
\\Think you know it all do you!? Earlier you couldn't sense a flowing energy almost right under your nose! Now you think you can tell whether or not the Guardian has his items or not!\\
\Just......feel......\
\\...............................you're right. He doesn't have one of his items......I knew that already anyway.\\
\Then why didn't you tell me?\
\\Because. I did not see the need. Anyway, I wanted to see if you could do something for yourself for a change.\\
\I don't think that that is the whole reason you didn't tell me how you knew that the Ankh was not in Shadi's hands. Hey.....if all seven of the items are on here, then that means that Shadi is here as well!\
\\Very observant aibou. Slow, yet observant. He must be here looking for his missing item.....\\
\Is Yugi trying to help him then?\
\\I don't think Pharoah is in any kind of direct contact with that Egyptian. It is nothing for petty and worthless mortal minds such as yours to worry about anyway. Leave everything here to the spirits of the Items.....\\
\That's right.....if the items are here, that means Malik Ishtar is here.\
\\Starting to see how interesting this is really going to be? I hope you do. In a way, I am glad that Malik and his other half are here......\\ Bakura's Yami started to grin to himself.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
The squirrel ran away, scampering up a tree as the girl hit the dirt and skid a little bit in the soft soil. The skies were darkening, and Lisa was getting discouraged. She was trying to catch some food, like Kebby-kun did.
She had lost five rabbits, eleven squirrels, and even a few gophers in her quest for dinner. She ran out of Gardettos, and only had some trail mix and a bottle of water left. Her sister was the one who carried the most food for them......
Lisa got up from her close encounter with the ground, and sat straight up. She rubbed the sore spot on her face and realized that she had rumpled the skin on her cheek a little bit. She also had grass stains on her shirt. She couldn't just sit there and feel sorry for herself. She had to keep hunting and moving. And dueling.
She had dueled once since she lost Kebby-kun, and that was earlier when a guy saw her face plant while in pursuit of a rabbit. He had lauged at her and mocked her, so she challenged him to a duel.
He was surprised that such a young girl was daring to challenge him, so he accepted, thinking he was going to get an easy win. For his incompetence, she had also placed a bet of seven chips on the match. Another surprising turn for him, and he thought he would get even more out of the match. He again accepted the terms.
Lisa grinned as she remembered the look on his face as the last of his life points drained away. It was the look of pure shock with a good dash of deadly malice mixed in. She had giggled as she ran off with his diamond chips, securing them into her glove, and now had twenty three duels. She did have sixteen, but with that daring bet, she now had almost enough to get her inside of the fortress. If she could ever find it.
The young black haired girl stood up and began walking again. She first went to where she had discarded her bag and Kebby-kun's long jacket. She had shed them because they would have weighed her down during her hunt. Like it made much difference. She was still empty handed. She put on Kebby's long black jacket again and put her pack on her back again. Lisa then began to trudge through the forest once again.
She looked up at the sky. There were lots of dark clouds, and she couldn't tell what time it was supposed to be. She thought that she even heard a distant rumble of thunder, but it was too obscure to be sure.
Something suddenly surprised Lisa as she stepped around a bush. In front of her was a small and weather beaten sign. She could tell it was in english, but it was so worn out that she could hardly tell what it said.
"First Mis------- C-u--h ahead" That was all she could tell. There was an arrow on the sign, so she decided to follow it.
After a few minutes of trudging along, trusting a moldy old sign, she came upon an old stone path. It was almost unbelievable on this island, but she stepped onto it and followed it carefully. It, like the sign, was really old, and sometimes she lost the stone path because the stones ahead would be covered by dirt and grass. It was really shady along that path, and she wrapped the ends of the long coat around her tighter. She turned one more bend, and then stopped dead.
There was a really old desicrated church ahead of her. It seemed to be built in a short period of time, and had a small bell steeple. As far as she could tell, the bell was still in there. She stepped carefully up to the door and pulled on the handle. It wouldn't budge, so she pulled harder. It still wouldn't give, and she pulled until she lost her grip and fell backwards on her butt.
"Arrgh.....Why won't you open! I don't think anyone would leave an old church locked...." She got up and beat on the door with one hand in frustration. It gave a little bit. She then grinned in amusement. She had to push. Not pull. She smiled again and pushed the door open, walking inside.
She was in the narthax, or the room that led directly to the sanctuary. There were tattered tapestries with murals of Mary, mother of Jesus, and some of Jesus blessing the people. She gazed at these old decorations, and saw the stained glass windows with crosses and such on them. She saw a sign beside the door to the sanctuary.
"Welcome to the First Missionary Church." So that was what the sign had said.
She pushed the door to the sanctuary open, and the first thing she noticed was a large pool of light in the middle of the small worship room. Her eyes flicked up and she noticed a hole in the roof. Scattered across the roof was that hole, and a few more small ones. The sanctuary itself had about twelve short pews, and a small altar at the head of the room. Off to one side was an ancient organ that she was sure wouldn't hold air very well.
Lisa stepped lightly, holding her breath as she crossed the old room with reverence. Her mother had told her about God and things like that, but she had always seen churches so full and teeming with life. This one reeked of the memory of many old sermons and the visions of many people singing hymns. Lisa could almost see the small gathering in the church, greeting each other and smiling, and could nearly hear the organ playing a song as the congregation sang.
She was suddenly brought back to the dark and tattered version of the sanctuary by the rustling of the wind through the hole in the roof. She stepped up to the altar and looked around. Behind the altar was some padding of sorts. Maybe it was something they pulled out when the wanted to kneel or something like that. She sat down on it and found that it was very comfortable.
Soon enough, she found herself laying down and drifting off to sleep on the padding inside of the old church.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Honda and Joey quickly put out their fire as the others scrambled to get their things packed away quickly. Mai kept complaining about her hair and clothes getting ruined if the were caught in the full storm. The rain was going to definitly put a damper on the situation here. Thunder rumbled above their heads and they dashed to find some cover. The trees would sheild them for the most part, but it couldn't keep them completly dry.
Every now and then, they felt drops get through the trees and onto someones nose, arm, or head.
At the sound of the first thunder, Yunet had hidden herself deep inside of her bag and mewed loudly now and then. Amoura was patting the side of her bag where Yunet was and whispering quietly to comfort the small thing.
Since they weren't getting very wet with the trees shielding them, they weren't in that large of a hurry to find shelter. They would speak of the rain and speculate hiding places, but none of them would work out for different reasons.
Yugi was tense, and Bakura was as well. They could both sense danger closeby, and they couldn't have been more right.
Out of the foliage at the side of the path stepped Malik Ishtar. Or his darker half, as most of them quickly realized. Mokuba quickly stepped behind Amoura and Yugi, hiding his face, but peeking out from Amoura's side.
"Hello everyone.........fancy meeting you here."
Everyone was silent and tense, but only Amoura was less than frightened. She only narrowed her eyes once she saw the large glove on his hand. Eliminator duelist.
"Long time no see, Yugi Motou."
"Malik! Leave us alone! Go!"
"You see, there lies the problem. I can't. You see, I have a job to do. And by the looks of this glove, I have been doing it very well." He held up his hand, and the overly large glove nearly had all of it's slots filled in.
"You really should leave us........"
"I don't need you dictating what I can and cannot do. I will challenge one of you to a duel right now! I can save the rest for picking off later......" He then laughed. "Now which one will it be......" He scanned the group of duelists.
While he was doing this, Amoura slowly put her hands behind her back. Joey, who was right behind her, watched Amoura as she took diamond chips out of her glove and placed them in her back pocket. When she was done, she only had six left in her glove. Joey realized what she was up to.
"Amoura...." he whispered, "Don't....."
Amoura glanced in his direction and narrowed her eyes. She then watched Malik's dark half scan them all, and when his eyes were in her direction, she used her hand with her dueling glove on it to brush some hair away from her face, putting her near-empty glove in full view. It worked.
"Ahhhh! Who do we have here! A new person in the group........and hardly any chips in her glove......" Malik watched her with interest.
At hearing the words, "Hardly any chips in her glove," the others turned their heads towards Amoura and stared at her glove. Yugi's eyes darted from her glove to her face, and he stared hard in her eyes. Amoura glanced back at him with a soft look in her eyes, trying to reassure him.
"What is your name, girl?"
"I zink zat your duelizt ID vould tell you zat."
"Oh, a French girl. Well, I am guessing your name is French then. I will play your game.....for now. For you will soon be playing mine!" He took out his ID and scanned her. Malik had taught him the functions of buttons on the small console a small time ago.
"Amoura LeTazuat. Nice name. But now, shall we go?"
Amoura nodded, looking Malik's dark side hard in the eyes. She began to follow him at a distance, and the others followed her.
"Amoura," Yugi began behind her, "Do you even know what you are getting into?"
"Not particularly, Yugi. But I zaw 'ow you all reacted to 'im. I zaw 'ow frightened you vere at ze zight of 'im. I on ze ozer 'and, 'ave nothing to fear from 'im. Yet. I vill zee vhat zere iz to fear."
"Just be careful Amoura. Trust in the heart of the cards......and the power inside of you."
"Ze 'eart of ze cards?"
"Yes. There is power in believing what you love."
"Vell zen, I should 'ave no problem at all....." She smiled. "I 'ave alvays zeen zat I duel better vhen I trust my deck."
"See? Now, you have to promise me that you will be careful. Because losing to Malik never ends well. He is the one that our friend Marco told us about. The one that left all the duelists he enountered unconcious. He is an old and powerful enemy of ours. And very dangerous. Since you know us, losing to him will end up in more than unconsciousness. But you also have to understand.....that he is not quite.....himself....."
"'Imzelf?" Amoura looked at him confused, yet with some understanding. "Is he....a zplit perzonality?"
"You could.....say that. Promise me though. You will be careful."
"I vill, Yugi. Do not vorry."
Malik interrupted them. "We are here! You will duel me in that station!" He pointed into a really big clearing. The rain was falling more freely there, and the skies were darkening with the setting of the sun. Bakura watched Malik bemusedly as he led them out into the rain. Mai pulled out a poncho from her bag and put it over her. Joey did the same, and Honda got under it with him. Anzu had to go under with Mai, and the others were just out of luck.
Lighting flashed in the skies as Malik stopped in front of a dueling station close to one of the sides of the clearing. Amoura reached into her backpack and pulled out a piece of tarp, and put it over her side bag with her loudly complaining kitten inside so she could stay dry. She took off her side bag and handed it to Yugi. Yugi took the bag and kitten without a word. Amoura was about to step up onto the wet platform when Malik stopped her.
"Wait a moment. Let me just press this button." He reached out and pushed a button on the side of the dueling station, and the bottom slid out from both platforms, and a hard plasic shield with and opening in the back, for getting onto the platform, and and opening in the front, for communicating with the opponent, raised out of the bottom of it. The bottom slid back on, and Malik motioned for them, both dripping wet now, to step onto the platform.
Amoura reached into her leg sheath with her dueling deck, and was glad that it was coated in patent leather. Her deck was still very nicely dry. She laid it down on the deck reader and slid her ID into the slot. Malik did the same.
Amoura had to yell over the rain, which was becoming steadily heavier. Lightning flashed overhead in sheets and bolts, and the thunder boomed, making some of the others jump. The wind begain to howl, and Amoura tried to yell again, since her last yell was caught up in a loud clap of thunder.
"VILL ZE BET BE FOR ALL OF ZE CHIPS IN MY GLOVE?!!!??"
"OF COURSE! WHAT ELSE WOULD THIS BET BE FOR!?" Malik yelled back. He ran his hands through his vertical hair, and grinned over at Amoura. Amoura grinned back. Yugi and everyone else realized why she had made herself such a target like that. One, so she could take the pressure off of the rest of them, and two, so if she did lose, she would have chips left, since Malik had fallen for her trick and betted for all of the chips in her glove.
They entered the bet of six diamond chips and stared across at each other.
"DUEL!" The call was carried away by the wind, and Yugi's eyes stared hard at Malik as the rain beat his face and flattened his hair. He clutched the plastic coated bag with Yunet inside and watched them draw their first cards.
"LADIES FIRST!" Malik yelled over at her.
Amoura nodded and placed a card face down, and then placed a monster card face down in defence mode. The square on the holodeck with the monster card on it blinked a few times, and Amoura ended her turn.
Malik placed a magic/trap card face down also, and put a monster into attack mode. "I summon the Hell Poemer in attack mode (A/2000 D/1200) .....it has an effect, but I will save telling you what it is for later....." Malik grinned, and Joey's eyes narrowed. Malik used that card against him once. "I ATTACK YOUR FACE DOWN CARD!!"
The Hell Poemer attacked the card, which turned out to be a Diamond Dragon. It's defence was 2800, so Malik took 800 life point damage.
(M/3200 A/4000)
Malik laid down another card and ended his turn. Amoura drew a card and grinned. "MALIK! I PLAY THE GO......" What she was going to play was never found out. Suddenly, the power went out in their dueling station and their ID's were immediatly ejected. The two confused duelists grabbed them and their decks up. Amoura jumped down from her side of the station.
It was really dark by now, and she could hear confused yelling all around her. Some of it sounded scared. Amoura ran over to where her friends all were, but she could hardly see ten feet ahead of her in the driving rain. The lighting flashed rapidly, and the thunder seemed to boom nonstop. Suddenly, before her, she could see Bakura advancing on Mai.
The lighting flashed in rapid succession, illuminating Bakura's face in an eerie strobe effect as he raised a knife in his hand.
Brood: Oooohhhh!!! Cliffhanger!!!!!!
Zutsokaki: *yawns* Booorrrriinnngg....
Brood: It is not boring at all! I think this is hella good!
Zutsokaki: If you are the most boring person in the world.....
Brood: I am going to ignore you......now! I would like to pose a contest to you all! In you review of this chapter, if you leave one, I want you to write that review in the P.O.V or voice of you favorite character from my story. ANY character at all! I will pick the impression of the character I like the best and that person will get a cameo appearance in my Cast Party fic!
Zutsokaki: You call that a prize?
Brood: Once again....I am ignoring you. Anyway, your impression of that character MUST be in review form! It cannot just be useless banter or talk from the character!
Zutsokaki: Banter.....like what you do before and after each chapter of this torture fic?
Brood: HUSH! Anyway, I would also like you give a shout out to the writer YugamiNny777, who is writing a story so far called "Come out to the Future." She posed a contest, and the first five people who reviewed that story got written in. And *I* was written in! This is a neat Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic, and some concepts are even the same in it.....and even some that aren't even known to my readers yet....heheheh. Anyway, I would just love it if you guys checked this story out! I like me in this story!
Zutsokaki: I think it hurts just to look at it.
Brood: .......just be quiet for once. I hope you all enjoyed this belated chapter of my story!!!
Zutsokaki: *snorts* McDonalds......
Brood: And where do you work, smart ass?
Zutsokaki: *shuts up*
Brood: Anyway, the chapter was late, so I am really sorry....
Zutsokaki: I am glad it took so long. I got a small break!
Brood: And now.....you are back! Wahahahaha!!!
Zutsokaki: And yet again, I present Brood with Lack of Sleep Syndrome....
Brood: Hush! Now! Chapter Eleven is upon you all!!!
CHAPTER 11
He pushed a piece of shrubbery aside as he continued on. Insector Haga had been following the arrow's direction for about five hours now, and hadn't had a duel since. He only had two chips to go, so he felt as if he could spare some time....
Haga felt his nose tickle. He stopped and noticed that a small spider was sitting on his nose. It was light yellow with beady brown eyes. Haga shuddered and shook his head from side to side until the spider lost it's footing and fell from him, and he moved on.
The leaves crunched loudly underneath of his feet and his breath was becoming shorter and shorter with each step he took. He thought that the arrow was an important thing, or else why would someone leave it on a tree?
Haga stumbled from the continuous walking, and caught his breath beside a large shrub. His vision was obscured and he couldn't see ahead. As soon as he could breathe normally again, he stood up and shook the dirt off of his long green coat, and wiped off his silver framed glasses. He ran a hand through his mess of green hair and pushed aside the shrubs to see what was there ahead of him.
Just then, he nearly fainted from shock from the sight in front of him.
"An eliminator duelist!?" Joey had gotten close, and his eyes widened at the young Italian boy.
The others listened carefully as he told his story. "Yesterday, when I found a campsite area, there were rumors and whispers going around. They were whispers of an eliminator duelist that showed no mercy. He had no compassion for the feelings of a duelist, and seemed to duel for the sheer pleasure of breaking one's spirit. The people at the end of the duels could never remember them well, or what the duelist looked like. One at the camp was speaking about it when I was there. She said that he was ruthless and had no inclination of the safety of the opponent. They are always left unconscious also......" He trailed off a bit.
"Did you find him?" Mai cocked her head sideways and gave him a apprehended look.
"No. I didn't. But this morning, only about two hours or so after leaving camp, I had all but forgotten those horrible tales, thinking that an eliminator duelist like that amoung around two thousand duelists would be nothing to me, since the chances were low that I would be cornered by him. But.....he seemingly came out of nowhere.....and waved me ahead to a duelist station. I can't remember well either, but I DO remember that I was actually very scared. I know that the game is just that.....a game. And so there would be no good reason to be frightened, right? But it was the way he played.....and.....and....oh....I really can't remember well, only that I was petrified. My brain was so muddled that I couldn't think well enough to execute even my basic combos. He had me feeling as if I was swallowing whole icecubes....and that they were filling up my body from the feet up....."
"And you can't remember what he looked like?" Mokuba was interested and curious about this.
"Well, I did get one detail.....that none of the others did. When he won.....I tried to run off, so I could avoid getting knocked out like the others did. But he came after me, and I saw him raise something in his hand. I remember a small cape, and then I fell over. Whatever you do.....do NOT go near him! Get out of this area......he is dangerous....." The boy stopped talking and let his gaze fall to the ground.
Yugi had felt a jolt from inside of his Puzzle at what the boy had said.
//There is no denying it now, Yugi! Malik is on this island! But it sounds as if he is being controlled by his Yami! I don't think Malik himself would go to such extremes!//
/I don't think so either.....but an eliminator duelist! That must mean that.......he is employed by Pegasus!/
//Yes....which means that they may even be teamed up for something.//
/That *something* is obvious. They want the Millennium Items!/
//Why can't there ever be a normal tournament?//
/As long as they run this tournament, we are in danger.....hey.....do you think we should tell Bakura? Maybe he will be able to find Malik! He has the Rod, so Bakura should be able to track him down with the Ring!/
//And if all seven are on the island, that could even lead us to another holder, like Shadi. I do believe he is here as well.//
/But you said something about his Ankh not being anywhere near him. How would you know that?/
Yami never got to answer because Honda waved a hand over Yugi's face.
"Yugi.....hey Yugi! You were spaced out again! Hey, what do you think we should do?"
Yugi looked at the Italian, and narrowed his eyes. "Is that all you can remember about it?"
"Yes. It is. I am sorry, but I think I should head back to that campsite now. Since all of my diamond chips are gone, I need to get myself together before the ship leaves tomorrow. I need to go home. I thank you for waking me and giving me water."
"Hey, do you think that you'll be fine on your own?" Bakura had finally spoken. His eyes showed great interest, and he stared the boy in the eye.
"Yes. I do believe I will be just fine. That horrible eliminator has gotten what he wanted from me. I will be just fine. Some aqquaintances will still be there at the camp, most likely. I thank you for your kindness. May I ask your names? It would be improper for me to go without that common hospitality. My name is Marco Piazzi."
"I am Yugi Motou. This is Jounouichi Katsuya, but we call him Joey. Back here is Kujaku Mai, and Bakura Ryou is back there....." Everyone nodded or waved when Yugi mentioned their names. "And this is Amoura LeTazaut, and beside her is Mok......" He wasn't sure that it would be safe to let anyone know that Mokuba Kiaba was anywhere on the island. Much too dangerous.
Amoura spoke. "He iz my little brozer. Moku LeTazaut." Mokuba looked up and grinned. Now he was undercover. He liked that. He grinned wider and added a "Oui!" to the conversation.
Marco nodded, then looked up at Yugi. "Yugi Motou? Champion of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City? I would have loved to challenge you if I had any chips left. Jounouchi Katsuya....you were a finalist in Duelist Kingdom, were you not? Kujaku Mai.....Duelist Kingdom recognition also....I forget the other Battle City stats. Those were some of the largest tournaments ever. Of course any normal duelist would know those stats. It would be an interesting match for me if I challenged one of you. I would, but under the curcumstances...."
"It really was nice meeting you all.....and I wish you nothing but the best of luck in the remainder of this tournament. Please....stay away from that duelist. He will destroy your spirit......" Marco stood up. "Goodbye." He walked away down the road, and a wisp of wind blew lightly through the air, and they watched him go.
Otogi walked the streets of Domino City, bored as hell. Since Yugi and the others left for the huge tournament, he had nobody to hang out with. Well....maybe not ANYONE.....the girls of the classes were more than willing to accompany him....but he didn't accept any offers. So there he was. Wandering.
Yugi had told him once that he would make a good Duel Monsters player because of his great strategic abilities. Now was one of those times that he wished he did play. Then maybe he would be on that island with all of them. But Otogi was a Dungeon Dice Monsters player, through and through.
The traffic whirred by him noisily as he walked past many shops. He didn't know why, but his wandering had brought him strangely close to the Turtle Game Shop. Otogi looked at the shop, then shrugged, sending small tendrils of his loose black hair sliding off of his sholders. Otogi has let down his usual high ponytail, but kept on his headband. His thin black hair swayed easily in the light wind.
He started for the shop. Maybe that old Sugoroku had taken his advice and began carrying Dungeon Dice Monster's game pieces.
He swung the door open and walked up to the counter. On the shelves were cards from about every game imaginable, but you could tell just by looking that it was a predominatly Duel Monster's shop. Otogi glanced around and tapped his foot. Where was Yugi's grandfather?
Just then, the side door that led to their house cracked open, and Sugoroku Motou's head peeked out. "Otogi! Welcome......I have a visitor already, but would you like to come in anyway? Maybe you could help us out....."
Otogi eyed him. "With what?" He walked up to the door to the area behind the counter and swung it open, walking up to Mr. Motou.
"Just come in, please." He opened the door wider and led Otogi inside. They went through a short hallway and entered another door. They were now in the living room of the home. Sitting on the couch with an untouched cup of tea in front of her sat Isis Ishtar. She glanced up at the both of them and Sugoroku motioned for Otogi to take a seat.
Otogi sat down in an armchair across from Isis, and glanced over at her. He had no idea why she was there.....
"Otogi..." It was Sugoroku. "Do you have any idea where Malik is right now? He has been missing since Monday morning."
Otogi's eyes widened. "That would mean he has been missing for about a week now!"
"Yes. Isis is very upset right now. She hasn't called the police, but I think she should now. But. Do you have any idea where he could be?"
"I'm not really sure.....but Monday.....wasn't Monday when all of the duelists left the Domino City Harbor for the tournament?"
Isis' eyes widened and she finally spoke in a small voice. "Yes. It was. But I don't think he knew much about the tournament, much less showing any initiative to going."
Otogi's eyes met Isis' dark eyes and he nodded lightly. "So if Malik didn't even want to go, I guess stowing away isn't an option here......"
"He would not have to stowaway. He has his Millennium item."
Sugoroku spoke up again. "Please refresh my memory Isis dear. What does his item do?"
"It is the Millennium Rod, and it can control people's minds."
"Well, then I suppose he wouldn't have to stow at all...."
Otogi looked at the both of them. "Mind control? That is a bit off for me to believe...."
"Well, I suggest you believe it, Otogi-san." Isis looked down at her lap.
"Is there anywhere else your brother could be? Could anything have happened?" Otogi bit his bottom lip, hoping that last comment didn't make her cry. He just didn't know how to handle that kind of thing....it was one of the great mysteries of the universe.
She did nothing of the like. Instead, she looked up to meet his gaze. "If anything were to happen to him, the Millennium Rod would get him out of it. If you forgot, there is a spirit inside of the Rod as well as Yugi's Puzzle."
Otogi remembered, all right. "But isn't it evil....?"
Sugoroku listened quietly to them speak, absorbing the information as they went along.
"Well, the spirit is evil, but normally a Yami will protect it's aibou.....they are the Yami's hosts.....so the body must stay intact. Therefore, even an evil Yami has a reason to protect someone." Isis averted her attention to the window to her left.
Sugoroku lowered his head in deep thought. "This Yami of his you speak of....it has a mind of it's own, right?"
Isis replied without looking at any of them. "Yes. He has a mind of his own. And like all Yami's, he has the ability to take over the host's body."
"Then how do we know that his Yami hasn't done something?" Sugoroku stared at Isis without blinking. They both noticed that her eyes widened a bit.
"I really hadn't thought of that.....but....why would he? He needs to protect his aibou! And where would they go!?"
*Ting-a-ring-a-ring!* It was the store's front door. Sugoroku stood up.
"Well, I think that we need to separate for now. Please, call me Isis if anything else turns up about Malik. If you would show her out, Otogi....and thank you for coming in...." Yugi's grandfather left the room to tend the store.
For a moment, both of them just sat in the room staring after the closed door. Then Otogi stood up.
"Well....I think we should leave now....."
Isis stood as well. "Yes....we can't impose on Mr. Motou when he has work to do." She moved to the front door, and Otogi opened it for her. The both stepped out, and he shut the door after them with a small click.
They stood for a moment on the pavement by the home.
"So..." Otogi started, "Do you have a better idea where your brother may be?"
Isis looked up at him. "If I still had my Millennium item, I could probably get it to work one more time for me....so I could get an idea of where he is....."
"What did yours do?"
"The Tauk could see into the future. If I could just see him in his surroundings, maybe I could pinpoint where he is....."
"Usually some of the Millennium Item's power can rest in it's holder...."
Isis' eyes widened again. "How would you know something like that?"
Otogi shrugged. "I suppose it came from watching Yugi. Sometimes he would do something a bit strange, or not normal....and it would be without the assistance of the item he has."
The Egyptian girl looked at Otogi. "You could very well be right on that hunch of yours. I sometimes still have vivid dreams.....that are sometimes prophetic...."
"I hope you have one soon....because I don't see how else we could find your brother at this point....."
Isis had been holding back her distress for nearly a week now. All of this information, plus the thought that his own Yami might have done something was too much for her now. She had heard nothing of her brother for days, his Yami was a psycho, and now she still had no idea where he could be! Suddenly, the dam exploded and an Isis reacted in an uncharacteristic fashion.
She sniffled, then her eyes welled up with tears. Her sholders shook with a sob, and Otogi stood there, perplexed. Isis sniffed again, and Otogi was still confused.
He really had NO idea what do to with a crying girl, much less one he only knew as an aquaintance......so he hugged her.
"Shh...shh....we will find your brother. He is safe. I don't have a mystical magical item or anything, but I can tell that he is fine.........just....stop crying....please?" He said that last part with a small tinge of desperation.
Otogi, who had hugged many girls in his lifetime, didn't flicker a bit at this gesture, but Isis had not had that kind of contact with anyone other than Malik......her heart skipped a beat, and she grew a bit nervous. She really wasn't used to that kind of attention. Once again uncharacteristic of her, but the shock made her stop crying ubruptly. She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.
Otogi smiled in spite of himself. "Good. I'm glad to see you've stopped. If you must know, I just don't know how to handle girls who cry......"
Isis shot a sideways glance at him. His loose thin hair swayed easily in the light wind, and his eyes were sympathetic. "Well, I suppose it worked. I do need to go home now. Maybe I can think of something else we could do to find Malik."
"I hope so." Otogi smiled at her, hoping it was comforting looking. "Do you need me to walk you home?"
"No, I'm fine. But thank you for the offer. I will hope to see you again soon, Otogi." Isis turned.
Otogi watched her go around a corner, and then turned in the opposite direction, thinking about all of the information he had gotten today. He hadn't bargained for anything like today at all.....
Seto Kaiba walked alone through the wilds of the forest. One thought kept running through his mind as he walked.
/Forgive me Mokuba I'm so sorry Mokuba Don't hate me Mokuba Please forgive me Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba Amoura/
He stopped at that last thought. Amoura? Oh yeah.....he left his brother primarily with her....that's why that last thought came on....He hoped that Mokuba wasn't giving Amoura hell.....she was probably trying to restrain him from coming after Seto....
Seto looked over his ID again. Nowhere could he find a Duelist Locator. At least there had been one on his old Duel Disk systems....he wished he could have taken one with him to the tournament, but nooo...his backpack just didn't have enough room to accomodate it.
He had dueled that day with such a commanding force, and he now had twenty four chips nestled snugly in his green duelist's glove. As soon as he had all of the twenty five he needed, he would more actively search for the little Irish girl.
Lisa running away confused Kaiba greatly. She kept running and running, and calling for her sister. But there was nobody in sight anywhere at the time. She seemed really paincked, and there was something in her eyes when he caught her and turned her around. They seemed displaced and empty. Like she was dreaming or something. But the moment before, she was playing in front of a pond, as alive as anything. Then all of that crazyness. It made no sense at all.....
It really wasn't the fact that she was alone out there that was worrying him most. It was her eyes....the way her eyes looked when he had grabbed her. They were blank and glazed, yet still held all of the spunk she usually had inside of her. He had seen this before. And what had caused that worried him most. It was when Joey had been controlled by Malik Ishtar into battling Yugi in overly dangerous circumstances.
He remembered their hands being shackled onto anchors on the navy pier. Anzu did that herself, her being under control at the time also. She had placed a capsule between her lips at that time also. If Yugi refused to duel a controlled Joey, she would swallow the capsule and die. They would duel fifteen minutes. Whoever lost was dragged under by the anchor they were shackled to. If no winner was decided by the time fifteen mintues were up, they were both dragged under.
Seto was glad that had all turned out well.....but if Lisa had been controlled into thinking her sister was nearby, then that would mean a dangerous person was on the island, and nobody was safe.....
He shook his head around, clearing himself of those thoughts. It would do him, or Lisa, no good if he lost his head in the clouds. Seto had to stay alert, just in case she was hiding in some brush or something like that. He couldn't miss any movement, noise, or even smell, if it happened to come down to that.
Seto strode noiselessly through the forest. A midday sun was shining straight overhead, but the trees only gave him and the ground tiny peeks at it. The grass shifted noiselessly under his feet, and leaves crunched insignificantly. His long coat swept behind him, making the soft rustling sounds so familiar to him.
His eyes darted around, half searching for duels and water, the other half looking out for the girl. He honestly didn't think she was safe out there in her condition. She seemed so scared when she ran away, and it really bothered him. His brow furrowed and he stopped walking. He strained his ears and he thought he heard a shuffling around. Or was that running water.......?
He lightened his steps and made his way quietly over to the brush, peeking over with the very tops of his eyes. There he saw a small stream with a young woman crouched by it. Her dueling glove was on the ground beside her, and she was splashing her face with water from the glistening stream.
/Hmm....so it was both a duelist AND water....../
Seto casually sauntered over to the stream and lowered his canteen into the water. The girl raised her head and gave him a slight scrutinizing look, but continued with her washing. Seto appeared to ignore her as well, and stood while screwing the cap back on his canteen. Her eyes followed him as he walked close her where her dueling glove was. He seemed like he was going to just walk away from her.
But then he turned to face her and then grinned smugly. He pointed at his dueling glove and motioned into the woods, where he had found a dueling station earlier. Her eyes widened a bit, and she took her duelist's ID from her pocket and scanned Seto. Her eyes widened even more, but she looked up at him and nodded. She looked at his duelist's glove and saw his twenty four chips reflecting light as his hand moved.
/Good....the last diamond chip is secure. I only need to bet one on this match. Or, maybe I could go overkill and have a few chips leftover just in case....../ Seto grinned wider and led the way to the dueling station, and the girl's defeat.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Malik lowered his Millennium Rod and sighed. The young boy's eyes stopped being glazed over, and his head snapped to attention.
"What just happened?," he babbled in Arabic.
"You lost to me." Malik responded in the native tounge of the boy.
"But how!? I don't remember much!"
"You played a weak creature. I played a strong creature. My strong creature maims your weak one. Sounds like you lost the last of your life points."
The boy cocked his head to one side and tried to remember. His eyes gave the impression of trying to focus on a foggy memory. "I think.....that I do remember something like that......."
"Well in any case, you lost. So I suggest giving over your diamond chips."
The boy sighed and pressed a button on his console. "At least I still have ten chips left....."
Malik took the chips when they appeared on the console, and he put them in his glove. He now had all twenty five chips he needed, but for what, he still wasn't so sure.
But his darker half wasn't going to leave him confused for long...
{Ishtar. I see you have collected the chips now.}
[Yes. Now tell my WHY I need them anyway....]
{Those are to gain passage to a hidden fortress on this island. You must be there at a certain designated time to make it to the second round of the tournament.}
[Well. That helps. Since we don't even KNOW where this fortress is.....]
{We? I think it is YOU who does not know. I on the other hand, know it's location just fine. Now you get to kill time in the soul room while I do my job.}
[And what was that again? To annoy humankind at every possible juncture?]
{That AND eliminate duelists. Just kick back.....}
[WAIT! Does Isis know where I am? She must be worried......]
{I knew you were worrying about that. Don't worry about it anymore. It will not do you any good at all.}
And with that, Malik felt a tingling sensation that meant that his dark side had switched places with him. He took a look around the soul room and sat down in it's infinite darkness. He might as well get comfortable. He would be there for some time.
Malik's Yami looked up to the clouded and darkening skies and grinned evilly.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Yugi and the others walked along the forest floor, every now and then catching a glance up at the darkening sky. The mood was just as dark as the sky. Yugi wasn't talking much, and Bakura was still a little detatched. Mokuba was plodding along quietly, thinking about what could have been so important that he had to leave. Amoura was just feeling down. Mai and Anzu were mimicking the dank moods surrounding them.
Joey, on the other hand, didn't like the looks from around the group. He was actually feeling quite bouncy. He didn't understand why, but dark days like these always gave him some sort of spirit. He got a small inspiration, and suddenly burst into song......
"All around the country and coast!
People always ask me what I like the most!
I don't like to brag, I don't like to boast,
But I always tell them....I like toast!"
He grinned widely at everyone else, who had turned their heads at him and were staring at him oddly.
"YEAH TOAST!"
"YEAH TOAST!"
He surprised them all by yelling out that loud and short chorus. Anzu grinned, and Joey knew for a fact that Honda and Yugi knew the words also.
"I get up in the morning 'bout six a.m
Have a little jelly, have a little jam.
Take a piece of bread, stick in in the slot
Push down the lever the wires get hot
I get toast......"
YEAH TOAST!
YEAH TOAST!"
By now, Mai was cracking up, and Anzu was bubbling over with fits of giggles. Amoura was grinning, and Mokuba was having problems keeping his laughter in. Bakura had looked up and had a smirk on his face, and Yugi and Honda had huge grins. Joey happily went onto the next verse.
"Oh there's no secret to toasting perfection!
There's a dial on the side and you make your selection!
Push to the dark or the light and then
If it pops too soon push down again!
Make toast.....
YEAH TOAST!
YEAH TOAST!"
Joey was pleased with his work so far. They had all had to stop walking since they were laughing. He knew for a fact that Honda himself wouldn't be able to keep it in for much longer.
"When the first caveman drove in from the dregs...
Didn't know what would go with the bacon and the eggs!
Must have been a genius who got it in his head
Plug the toaster in the wall, buy a bag of bread
Make toast...."
Honda just HAD to.....he just HAD to. He joined Joey.
"YEAH TOAST!!!!
YEAH TOAST!!!!"
They both grinned at each other, and then remembered what the last verse was, and grinned over at Amoura, who was laughing at them. Then they both jumped in front of her and began singing the last part.
"Oui oui monsieur bonjour croquet!
Oh croissant et vous des verres!
Maurice Chevalier, Eifel Tower!
Oui Marie baguette boinsoir!"
Amoura stared at them for a second, knowing that they were singing pure nonsense in French, but she grinned at them anyway and giggled anyway. Yugi was nearly dead from laughter, and he joined in on the last part as well.
"FRENCH TOAST!!!"
"FRENCH TOAST!!!"
Amoura suddenly got it, and her as well as the rest of them started laughing near uncontrollably at the conclusion to the song. Joey grinned from ear to ear. He felt pleased that he had broked up the mood.
Mai was trying to laugh and talk at the same time. "Where....did you guys.....learn such a ......funny.....song?!"
"Lets just say that we just look for stuff like this on the internet. Its really fun...." Honda smirked.
Yugi was grinning widely now, and suggested that they keep moving. They did, but the happy quiet was interrupted by a giggle every now and then. Even Mokuba was in good spirits.
They continued to walk along, and soon they found a place to rest for a little while. It was a small shady grove, with dry spongy moss carpeting most of the area. The shade actually wasn't needed since the sky was clouded over darkly, and the extra shade made the chilly island forest even colder. They hastily unrolled their sleeping bags and crawled inside of them.
Honda and Yugi cleared away a large patch of moss and found firewood for a temporary fire. As soon as it was lit, they threw the cleared moss onto it a little at a time to keep it going longer.
"Hey Yuge," Joey said, "Can you even tell what time it is?"
Yugi glanced up at the sky through a small break in the canopy of trees. "Not really. I don't think I am wearing my watch right now.....it might be in this side pouch of my bag though...." He began rummaging through the bag, searching for the watch.
"Hey, Bakura's wearing his watch....." Mai had glanced over at the silent and brooding teen, and pointed this out for the convenience of Yugi.
Amoura looked over, as well as the others. "Vhat time iz it right now, Bakura?"
Bakura hardly responded to them at all. He raised his hand to his face, and read the watch. When he spoke, it was in an unnerving monotone. "It is 1:26." He put his hands back into his lap and stared straight ahead again. His eyes were glazed slightly over, and he wore the expression of someone who was resigned to the hardships of life. Especially if they were the hardships of HIS life.
Yugi looked at his expression with slight interest. He could tell that Bakura was speaking with his darker half, but Bakura seemed completly drained by him.
//Aibou. Do you think that Bakura knows that Malik is here?//
/Maybe that's what's bothering Bakura. Malik caused problems for all of us. Or more to the fact, his other half did./
//I agree. If both Bakura and Malik are being controlled, then this could spell trouble.//
/Two deranged spirit psychopaths roaming an island full of innocents? Yeah, I'm worried./
//Heh. Well, in any case, things are not looking up.//
/What about the other items? Didn't you say that there was one of the others close by us?/
//Oh yes! I do seem to remember an idea of yours as well.//
/Pool our energies and feel for the item? Do you think that could really work?/
//Of course. If we took some time.....//
Yugi looked up and glanced around their rudamentary camp. Anzu was deep in conversation with Amoura and Honda, and Joey was napping. Mokuba was learning from Mai how to play Cat's Cradle. His threads looked like tangles, and he seemed frustrated, yet stubborn. Bakura was sitting and staring straight ahead, and not in Yugi's direction either.
/I think we have time enough for this./
//Alright. Just concentrate. Soon you will feel me channeling energy through the Millennium Puzzle. Try and match that. Try channeling energy back to me. This constant exchange will keep our energies synchronized and we will be able to get a good fix on an item.//
/Alright...../
Yugi closed his eyes and concentrated on the Puzzle. Soon enough, he began to feel a soft flowing sensation go through his body. Yugi focused on that energy and began to channel his own back to his other self. Soon, Yugi got the hang of it and was able to channel a steady flow of energy, and had matched it with his dark half's energy.
//There. Now, all you have to do now is focus your mind in a direction. I will feel your direction, and look there with you, so we can stay synchronized.//
Yugi started to feel his way in different directions. He felt a small twinge in a direction southeast of where they were, but it was to far away to be the item they were trying to locate. There was another twinge about ten miles away from the first one, but it also was too far away. Yugi decided to test this on Bakura, and he focused his energies onto Bakura, with his mind on the Ring. He felt a very strong signature coming from him concerning the Ring. So the closer the item, the stronger the feeling. He understood completely now, but didn't have much more time to think about it.
And that was because he and his dark suddenly felt it. So incredebly close and so incredebly surprising that they immediatly lost their concentration. They could not believe it, and sat in stunned silence for many minutes.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Bakura had curled his knees up closer to his chest beneath his sleeping back and glanced into the crackling fire beside him. There was definitly something very big disturbing his evil side, and it was affecting him as well. He felt every nervous twinge he got.
His darker half wouldn't tell him what was wrong, and if he did, Bakura would be very sure that Hell had frozen over and Satan had built an ice rink. So Bakura was going to be left go guess what was bothering the evil Yami so badly. Something had really unnerved him, and wasn't going to talk about it. So Bakura himself decided to initiate a conversation.
\Hey.....hey.....answer me. What is wrong with you?\
\\Why are you speaking with me!!!!! Leave me BE!!\\
\Something is wrong.\
\\THERE IS NOTHING WRONG! LEAVE ME IN PEACE!\\
\I can feel it. We DO happen to share a body.\
\\MORTAL!! MY PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN!! Do as I say and you will be spared many hours of torment!\\
\I don't mean anything by it. I just want to know what is wrong. Something must have happened to you last night after you.....went for a walk......\
\\If something did happen, it is none of your concern! Just take that as a hint, mortal, and LET ME ALONE!\\
\I will. If you tell me what's wrong.\
\\ARGH!!!\\
Bakura then was dimly aware of being spoken to. It was Mai and Yugi asking him for the time, he thought. So he raised his watch and told them the time, and went back to his fuming other half.
\Maybe it would be better if you told someone. And since I am one of the only ones you could tell....\
\\But I won't. IT'S NOTHING TO A PITIABLE BEING LIKE YOU!\\
\Stop yelling.....it hurts my head.....\
\\THEN MAYBE YOU WILL STOP PESTERING ME IF I KEEP DOING IT!!!!!\\
\...............\
\\That's better. Maybe I'll make something obediant out of you yet. Now leave me alone.......Wait.....\\
\.......what is it?\
\\Don't you feel it? A synchronized back and forth flow of energy. I think that Yugi the runt may be trying to perform some kind of spell with that Pharoah.\\
\Are you sure?
\\Just concentrate, idiot.\\
Well, it wasn't like he had much of another choice. So he concentrated on the small boy who was fifteen feet away from him, and soon he felt a soft flow going from spirit to spirit and back again.
\\So NOW you feel it. Took long enough, aibou slave....\\
\.............what do you think they are doing?\
\\Do you think I would know? I am not them!\\
But their question didn't go unanswered for very long. Soon, they both felt the smallest of twinges from their Millennium Ring.
\\So that is what they are doing....\\
\I don't completly understand..........\
\\You still can't tell. They are searching for Millennium Items.\\
\Why would they do that?\
\\Can't you tell anything for yourself? Must I tell you everything!\\
\Oh! I understand now! It was that feeling we got earlier.....the Shadow Realm opened.......and it was also the same feeling from last night.....\
\\.........................yes.\\
\Well, if Yugi and his other half suspect something as well, should we be worried?\
\\This is going to be an interesting tournament, to say the least.\\
\But is there anything to worry about?\
\\Possibly. But either way, I will twist the situation to my advantage, like I always do. Either way this goes, I will come out on the winning side.....\\
\Winning side? Is there going to be another battle for Millennium Items?\
\\Can't you sense that all seven are on the island? I have the Ring and Eye, Pharoah has the Puzzle and I think he has the Tauk also, that odd Guardian of the Millennium Items has the Scale and Ankh, Malik's other half has the Rod. That makes seven. All counted for.\\
\But......there is something wrong there as well......I don't think the Guardian has one of his items.....\
\\Think you know it all do you!? Earlier you couldn't sense a flowing energy almost right under your nose! Now you think you can tell whether or not the Guardian has his items or not!\\
\Just......feel......\
\\...............................you're right. He doesn't have one of his items......I knew that already anyway.\\
\Then why didn't you tell me?\
\\Because. I did not see the need. Anyway, I wanted to see if you could do something for yourself for a change.\\
\I don't think that that is the whole reason you didn't tell me how you knew that the Ankh was not in Shadi's hands. Hey.....if all seven of the items are on here, then that means that Shadi is here as well!\
\\Very observant aibou. Slow, yet observant. He must be here looking for his missing item.....\\
\Is Yugi trying to help him then?\
\\I don't think Pharoah is in any kind of direct contact with that Egyptian. It is nothing for petty and worthless mortal minds such as yours to worry about anyway. Leave everything here to the spirits of the Items.....\\
\That's right.....if the items are here, that means Malik Ishtar is here.\
\\Starting to see how interesting this is really going to be? I hope you do. In a way, I am glad that Malik and his other half are here......\\ Bakura's Yami started to grin to himself.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
The squirrel ran away, scampering up a tree as the girl hit the dirt and skid a little bit in the soft soil. The skies were darkening, and Lisa was getting discouraged. She was trying to catch some food, like Kebby-kun did.
She had lost five rabbits, eleven squirrels, and even a few gophers in her quest for dinner. She ran out of Gardettos, and only had some trail mix and a bottle of water left. Her sister was the one who carried the most food for them......
Lisa got up from her close encounter with the ground, and sat straight up. She rubbed the sore spot on her face and realized that she had rumpled the skin on her cheek a little bit. She also had grass stains on her shirt. She couldn't just sit there and feel sorry for herself. She had to keep hunting and moving. And dueling.
She had dueled once since she lost Kebby-kun, and that was earlier when a guy saw her face plant while in pursuit of a rabbit. He had lauged at her and mocked her, so she challenged him to a duel.
He was surprised that such a young girl was daring to challenge him, so he accepted, thinking he was going to get an easy win. For his incompetence, she had also placed a bet of seven chips on the match. Another surprising turn for him, and he thought he would get even more out of the match. He again accepted the terms.
Lisa grinned as she remembered the look on his face as the last of his life points drained away. It was the look of pure shock with a good dash of deadly malice mixed in. She had giggled as she ran off with his diamond chips, securing them into her glove, and now had twenty three duels. She did have sixteen, but with that daring bet, she now had almost enough to get her inside of the fortress. If she could ever find it.
The young black haired girl stood up and began walking again. She first went to where she had discarded her bag and Kebby-kun's long jacket. She had shed them because they would have weighed her down during her hunt. Like it made much difference. She was still empty handed. She put on Kebby's long black jacket again and put her pack on her back again. Lisa then began to trudge through the forest once again.
She looked up at the sky. There were lots of dark clouds, and she couldn't tell what time it was supposed to be. She thought that she even heard a distant rumble of thunder, but it was too obscure to be sure.
Something suddenly surprised Lisa as she stepped around a bush. In front of her was a small and weather beaten sign. She could tell it was in english, but it was so worn out that she could hardly tell what it said.
"First Mis------- C-u--h ahead" That was all she could tell. There was an arrow on the sign, so she decided to follow it.
After a few minutes of trudging along, trusting a moldy old sign, she came upon an old stone path. It was almost unbelievable on this island, but she stepped onto it and followed it carefully. It, like the sign, was really old, and sometimes she lost the stone path because the stones ahead would be covered by dirt and grass. It was really shady along that path, and she wrapped the ends of the long coat around her tighter. She turned one more bend, and then stopped dead.
There was a really old desicrated church ahead of her. It seemed to be built in a short period of time, and had a small bell steeple. As far as she could tell, the bell was still in there. She stepped carefully up to the door and pulled on the handle. It wouldn't budge, so she pulled harder. It still wouldn't give, and she pulled until she lost her grip and fell backwards on her butt.
"Arrgh.....Why won't you open! I don't think anyone would leave an old church locked...." She got up and beat on the door with one hand in frustration. It gave a little bit. She then grinned in amusement. She had to push. Not pull. She smiled again and pushed the door open, walking inside.
She was in the narthax, or the room that led directly to the sanctuary. There were tattered tapestries with murals of Mary, mother of Jesus, and some of Jesus blessing the people. She gazed at these old decorations, and saw the stained glass windows with crosses and such on them. She saw a sign beside the door to the sanctuary.
"Welcome to the First Missionary Church." So that was what the sign had said.
She pushed the door to the sanctuary open, and the first thing she noticed was a large pool of light in the middle of the small worship room. Her eyes flicked up and she noticed a hole in the roof. Scattered across the roof was that hole, and a few more small ones. The sanctuary itself had about twelve short pews, and a small altar at the head of the room. Off to one side was an ancient organ that she was sure wouldn't hold air very well.
Lisa stepped lightly, holding her breath as she crossed the old room with reverence. Her mother had told her about God and things like that, but she had always seen churches so full and teeming with life. This one reeked of the memory of many old sermons and the visions of many people singing hymns. Lisa could almost see the small gathering in the church, greeting each other and smiling, and could nearly hear the organ playing a song as the congregation sang.
She was suddenly brought back to the dark and tattered version of the sanctuary by the rustling of the wind through the hole in the roof. She stepped up to the altar and looked around. Behind the altar was some padding of sorts. Maybe it was something they pulled out when the wanted to kneel or something like that. She sat down on it and found that it was very comfortable.
Soon enough, she found herself laying down and drifting off to sleep on the padding inside of the old church.
And that was when the rain started to fall.
Honda and Joey quickly put out their fire as the others scrambled to get their things packed away quickly. Mai kept complaining about her hair and clothes getting ruined if the were caught in the full storm. The rain was going to definitly put a damper on the situation here. Thunder rumbled above their heads and they dashed to find some cover. The trees would sheild them for the most part, but it couldn't keep them completly dry.
Every now and then, they felt drops get through the trees and onto someones nose, arm, or head.
At the sound of the first thunder, Yunet had hidden herself deep inside of her bag and mewed loudly now and then. Amoura was patting the side of her bag where Yunet was and whispering quietly to comfort the small thing.
Since they weren't getting very wet with the trees shielding them, they weren't in that large of a hurry to find shelter. They would speak of the rain and speculate hiding places, but none of them would work out for different reasons.
Yugi was tense, and Bakura was as well. They could both sense danger closeby, and they couldn't have been more right.
Out of the foliage at the side of the path stepped Malik Ishtar. Or his darker half, as most of them quickly realized. Mokuba quickly stepped behind Amoura and Yugi, hiding his face, but peeking out from Amoura's side.
"Hello everyone.........fancy meeting you here."
Everyone was silent and tense, but only Amoura was less than frightened. She only narrowed her eyes once she saw the large glove on his hand. Eliminator duelist.
"Long time no see, Yugi Motou."
"Malik! Leave us alone! Go!"
"You see, there lies the problem. I can't. You see, I have a job to do. And by the looks of this glove, I have been doing it very well." He held up his hand, and the overly large glove nearly had all of it's slots filled in.
"You really should leave us........"
"I don't need you dictating what I can and cannot do. I will challenge one of you to a duel right now! I can save the rest for picking off later......" He then laughed. "Now which one will it be......" He scanned the group of duelists.
While he was doing this, Amoura slowly put her hands behind her back. Joey, who was right behind her, watched Amoura as she took diamond chips out of her glove and placed them in her back pocket. When she was done, she only had six left in her glove. Joey realized what she was up to.
"Amoura...." he whispered, "Don't....."
Amoura glanced in his direction and narrowed her eyes. She then watched Malik's dark half scan them all, and when his eyes were in her direction, she used her hand with her dueling glove on it to brush some hair away from her face, putting her near-empty glove in full view. It worked.
"Ahhhh! Who do we have here! A new person in the group........and hardly any chips in her glove......" Malik watched her with interest.
At hearing the words, "Hardly any chips in her glove," the others turned their heads towards Amoura and stared at her glove. Yugi's eyes darted from her glove to her face, and he stared hard in her eyes. Amoura glanced back at him with a soft look in her eyes, trying to reassure him.
"What is your name, girl?"
"I zink zat your duelizt ID vould tell you zat."
"Oh, a French girl. Well, I am guessing your name is French then. I will play your game.....for now. For you will soon be playing mine!" He took out his ID and scanned her. Malik had taught him the functions of buttons on the small console a small time ago.
"Amoura LeTazuat. Nice name. But now, shall we go?"
Amoura nodded, looking Malik's dark side hard in the eyes. She began to follow him at a distance, and the others followed her.
"Amoura," Yugi began behind her, "Do you even know what you are getting into?"
"Not particularly, Yugi. But I zaw 'ow you all reacted to 'im. I zaw 'ow frightened you vere at ze zight of 'im. I on ze ozer 'and, 'ave nothing to fear from 'im. Yet. I vill zee vhat zere iz to fear."
"Just be careful Amoura. Trust in the heart of the cards......and the power inside of you."
"Ze 'eart of ze cards?"
"Yes. There is power in believing what you love."
"Vell zen, I should 'ave no problem at all....." She smiled. "I 'ave alvays zeen zat I duel better vhen I trust my deck."
"See? Now, you have to promise me that you will be careful. Because losing to Malik never ends well. He is the one that our friend Marco told us about. The one that left all the duelists he enountered unconcious. He is an old and powerful enemy of ours. And very dangerous. Since you know us, losing to him will end up in more than unconsciousness. But you also have to understand.....that he is not quite.....himself....."
"'Imzelf?" Amoura looked at him confused, yet with some understanding. "Is he....a zplit perzonality?"
"You could.....say that. Promise me though. You will be careful."
"I vill, Yugi. Do not vorry."
Malik interrupted them. "We are here! You will duel me in that station!" He pointed into a really big clearing. The rain was falling more freely there, and the skies were darkening with the setting of the sun. Bakura watched Malik bemusedly as he led them out into the rain. Mai pulled out a poncho from her bag and put it over her. Joey did the same, and Honda got under it with him. Anzu had to go under with Mai, and the others were just out of luck.
Lighting flashed in the skies as Malik stopped in front of a dueling station close to one of the sides of the clearing. Amoura reached into her backpack and pulled out a piece of tarp, and put it over her side bag with her loudly complaining kitten inside so she could stay dry. She took off her side bag and handed it to Yugi. Yugi took the bag and kitten without a word. Amoura was about to step up onto the wet platform when Malik stopped her.
"Wait a moment. Let me just press this button." He reached out and pushed a button on the side of the dueling station, and the bottom slid out from both platforms, and a hard plasic shield with and opening in the back, for getting onto the platform, and and opening in the front, for communicating with the opponent, raised out of the bottom of it. The bottom slid back on, and Malik motioned for them, both dripping wet now, to step onto the platform.
Amoura reached into her leg sheath with her dueling deck, and was glad that it was coated in patent leather. Her deck was still very nicely dry. She laid it down on the deck reader and slid her ID into the slot. Malik did the same.
Amoura had to yell over the rain, which was becoming steadily heavier. Lightning flashed overhead in sheets and bolts, and the thunder boomed, making some of the others jump. The wind begain to howl, and Amoura tried to yell again, since her last yell was caught up in a loud clap of thunder.
"VILL ZE BET BE FOR ALL OF ZE CHIPS IN MY GLOVE?!!!??"
"OF COURSE! WHAT ELSE WOULD THIS BET BE FOR!?" Malik yelled back. He ran his hands through his vertical hair, and grinned over at Amoura. Amoura grinned back. Yugi and everyone else realized why she had made herself such a target like that. One, so she could take the pressure off of the rest of them, and two, so if she did lose, she would have chips left, since Malik had fallen for her trick and betted for all of the chips in her glove.
They entered the bet of six diamond chips and stared across at each other.
"DUEL!" The call was carried away by the wind, and Yugi's eyes stared hard at Malik as the rain beat his face and flattened his hair. He clutched the plastic coated bag with Yunet inside and watched them draw their first cards.
"LADIES FIRST!" Malik yelled over at her.
Amoura nodded and placed a card face down, and then placed a monster card face down in defence mode. The square on the holodeck with the monster card on it blinked a few times, and Amoura ended her turn.
Malik placed a magic/trap card face down also, and put a monster into attack mode. "I summon the Hell Poemer in attack mode (A/2000 D/1200) .....it has an effect, but I will save telling you what it is for later....." Malik grinned, and Joey's eyes narrowed. Malik used that card against him once. "I ATTACK YOUR FACE DOWN CARD!!"
The Hell Poemer attacked the card, which turned out to be a Diamond Dragon. It's defence was 2800, so Malik took 800 life point damage.
(M/3200 A/4000)
Malik laid down another card and ended his turn. Amoura drew a card and grinned. "MALIK! I PLAY THE GO......" What she was going to play was never found out. Suddenly, the power went out in their dueling station and their ID's were immediatly ejected. The two confused duelists grabbed them and their decks up. Amoura jumped down from her side of the station.
It was really dark by now, and she could hear confused yelling all around her. Some of it sounded scared. Amoura ran over to where her friends all were, but she could hardly see ten feet ahead of her in the driving rain. The lighting flashed rapidly, and the thunder seemed to boom nonstop. Suddenly, before her, she could see Bakura advancing on Mai.
The lighting flashed in rapid succession, illuminating Bakura's face in an eerie strobe effect as he raised a knife in his hand.
Brood: Oooohhhh!!! Cliffhanger!!!!!!
Zutsokaki: *yawns* Booorrrriinnngg....
Brood: It is not boring at all! I think this is hella good!
Zutsokaki: If you are the most boring person in the world.....
Brood: I am going to ignore you......now! I would like to pose a contest to you all! In you review of this chapter, if you leave one, I want you to write that review in the P.O.V or voice of you favorite character from my story. ANY character at all! I will pick the impression of the character I like the best and that person will get a cameo appearance in my Cast Party fic!
Zutsokaki: You call that a prize?
Brood: Once again....I am ignoring you. Anyway, your impression of that character MUST be in review form! It cannot just be useless banter or talk from the character!
Zutsokaki: Banter.....like what you do before and after each chapter of this torture fic?
Brood: HUSH! Anyway, I would also like you give a shout out to the writer YugamiNny777, who is writing a story so far called "Come out to the Future." She posed a contest, and the first five people who reviewed that story got written in. And *I* was written in! This is a neat Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic, and some concepts are even the same in it.....and even some that aren't even known to my readers yet....heheheh. Anyway, I would just love it if you guys checked this story out! I like me in this story!
Zutsokaki: I think it hurts just to look at it.
Brood: .......just be quiet for once. I hope you all enjoyed this belated chapter of my story!!!
