JaguarKitty2006: You'll review every chapter? Thanks a million! And no, I'm not being sarcastic.
Alex Warlorn: Your commentary is appreciated. However, don't you think Yugi would be disqualified for using a tampered card, even if he hadn't done the tampering? And Hikari doesn't think of the un-nice dragons. Would you present serial killers and arsonists as representatives of the human race? Also, in this fic Lord of Dragons doesn't have any authority over the dragons, and do you really think Haku would think of Sapphire as a Toon?
Disclaimer: The day I own Yu-Gi-Oh! is the day Rex is chosen by the Millennium Scales and sends Weevil to the Shadow Realm. *Hikari, Michael, and several of Rex's monsters cheer in the background* No, that DIDN'T HAPPEN! *groans from the same* I do, however, own a deck made up of bits and pieces of both starter decks and several booster packs, which I used to kick my sister's you-know-what in both non-tribute and tribute duels. Serpent Night Dragon was not included, the reason being I've just found out my card's a fake. *cries*
Warning: This chapter makes liberal use of the angst category, not to mention a probably-really-bad metaphor. There's probably not much humor in this chapter, unless you have a different definition of humor. I'm probably stretching the definition of PG-13 somewhere in here. Also, there is yaoi. There will be yaoi all through this story. And, in case you're wondering, there will be a business relationship between Yami Bakura and a Duel Monster. I think that's it.
Six: Can Duel Monsters have Yamis? Can Duel Monsters have somewhat homicidal knights for yamis?
"I do have one," said Cassiel. "I just don't think scaring Master counts as humor."
"Therein lies the problem. If you don't think that's funny, then nothing could possibly be funny to you."
"If you think deliberately frightening people by turning your staff into a snake is funny-"
"Oh, not people in general. Just him, that's all." Aaron leaned against the wall and regarded him with a condescending expression, like he had Before, when he was thirteen and Cassiel was ten. Cassiel had lost count of the times he had worked out a design involving chain reactions of spells or such, and Aaron had had the satisfaction of informing his "stupid younger brother" that he had worked out the same relationships a long time before. He never seemed to do this with Gabriel or Miriam- then again, Miriam was only around six then. And Gabriel was their cousin. Cousins worked different. "Our Master the masked maniac."
"That's no way to speak of him! As I recall, you were the one who spoke to Gabriel's Master. You were free with your insults then, but you weren't that way to Master!"
Aaron seized Cassiel's shoulders and yanked him close. "That was before, you fool! Did you really think I would have used my big mouth like that, gone on about not being worthy of having Gabriel, if I had known what he was going to do to you? Do you think I would've grinned like that if I'dve known? You're the one he used that soul spell on, not me! And now you go on about our duty to our so-called Master like you completely forgot the entire thing ever happened! Like you're still afraid of him! You are such a — such a whimpering dog!"
The room was quiet for what couldn't have been more than ten seconds before Aaron spoke again, quieter now. "So. I understand you went to see Miriam. How's our little sister these days?"
Cassiel told him. Then they prepared meals for the evening, one for Cassiel and one for Aaron and one for Him (Cassiel brought in the latter, apologizing at the same time for Aaron's prank. His only response was a blank stare). As they ate, they talked almost brainlessly, about magic theories they both knew full well about, anything to avoid the subject that was taboo for the night. And that night Cassiel had troubling dreams again.
***
The banging subsided after a while, and after that
Yugi arrived, tactfully not mentioning Mr. Wheeler's slumber on the lawn.
Nobody needed to ask what he had come for. They had a conversation over
Curse of Dragon's stunts that day, and there were several laughs, but in
the end it came up.
"Bye, Joey," said Black Jade, then surged forward
and hugged him even harder than he had done at school. For a moment Joey
wanted to pull away, but their faces drew closer and he found that he didn't
want to. Then all at once the distance between their faces was nonexistent.
Not on the mouth-it was just short of it. Then Joey,
following instinct, took his turn. Somehow his arms had moved above Jade's,
and he smiled as he remembered a dream he had had in Duelist Kingdom.
"Gigantic doughnut," he whispered against Jade's
skin.
Then the magic faded and they were left standing
there in the middle of the Wheeler living room, more aware than was comfortable
of their surroundings. Nobody's jaw had dropped, but the size of Yugi and
Geoffrey's eyes more than made up for that. Sandy just smiled knowingly.
The goodbyes were much more awkward than they could
have been otherwise, and after Yugi and Jade had gone Joey actually sat
and watched C-Span with Sandy, and it was an hour before the boredom penetrated
and he fell asleep.
***
Dar threw his arms into the air and sighed with the
air of a martyr. "I try and do a good deed, and this is what I get? The
third degree?"
"You think you're so much better than us?" Esper
folded his arms and tried to look intimidating. He only looked very angry,
which he was. "You think you can just go buy them things and then feel
so superior about it later? You think you can go tell yourself you helped
someone? Well, guess what?"
"What, Jinzo came back?"
"We don't need any help! Especially not from the
likes of you! Never do something like that ever again! Do you understand?"
"Did you just tell me to be mean to your brothers?"
"I did not! I said to not take them to- to-" Open
mouth. Insert foot. "It doesn't matter!" Esper grabbed his deck and shuffled
through the cards until he shouted in triumph and held one high in the
air. "I wish you'd get back in there! And stay in there! For the next century!"
The only sound was the laughter of Esper's brothers
in the main room as Mai Valentine showed them card tricks.
Dar shut his eyes and waited for the time when he
would open them and they might as well be closed, wishing that his last
sight was Rex's astonished expression when he saw what happened when he
wished Duel Monsters back to the cards. It had been necessary- Rex's father
was approaching and it would have been very hard to explain a Serpent Night
Dragon curled around the room.
He waited a long time, then opened his eyes to see
Esper Roba lowering the card, eyes wide. Dar could have drawn parallels
between his expression and the expression Rex had had, but he did his best
not to. "So, cheater," he said, taking as his model the devil-may-care
speech of Black Jade, "Things didn't go according to plan this time?"
***
"Hello, Bakura."
"Yugi, the spirit of the Ring would like to speak
to Hikari Kenshin."
A horde of elephants could have stampeded through
the Game Shop while Yugi was processing this information and/or conferring
with Yami and it only would have induced a blink. Then the Puzzle glowed.
Yami crossed his arms and glared at Ryou. "Why does the Tomb Robber want
to speak to Curse of Dragon?"
Yugi quickly grabbed control again. "What he means,"
he said, "is that Curse of Dragon is… grounded, I guess."
"Grounded? Oh my. But wasn't it-" It would have
taken a successive charge of hordes of elephants and zombies to snap Ryou
Bakura out of his trance this time. "-awfully sorry, I mean she, wasn't
she already grounded, so to speak, for thousands of years? Isn't it awfully
harsh to add on even more time?"
"Yeah, I know, but you see, she made this big scene
at school-" Yugi paused for Ryou to finish yet another mental conference.
"Oh my. She was the girl with the odd whistle who
made insulting gestures to Weevil Underwood this morning?"
Yugi sighed. "Yes, that would be Hikari."
"All right then, when will she be available again?"
Yami's voice and Yami's words came this time. "First
answer my question!"
Now it was the Ring's turn to glow. "Well," said
Yami Bakura, "according to the visions I coaxed out of Miss Ishtar, Hikari
and I go back a long way. It's not the sort of thing you find in the ancient
scriptures. I knew it was Hikari making the sandwich delivery, but-"
"Sandwich delivery? What sandwich delivery?"
Yami Bakura sighed and spoke slowly, as if to a
very small child. "A certain personage who I will not name sent the Lady
of Faith to the hospital today with a, as he calls it, 'get-well present'
for Maximilian Pegasus."
"He's alive?"
"Very much so. Lady of Faith informed us she had
an encounter with three dragons in human form in the hospital waiting room.
One male and two females, one of the females being Hikari. The male asked
her to give her present to Pegasus first, as he said his companions might
be giving Pegasus sandwiches." Yami Bakura paused at this point to let
out a shriek of laughter that made the King of Games jump a full six inches.
"I do not claim to be an expert on modern language, but I do know some
terms. And I expect the delivery of Pegasus's sandwiches was exceedingly
painful. For him, that is."
Yami shrugged. "Ah well. I suppose she was justified
in that, considering the way Relinquished works." Then, as if to prove
that there was no way he was conceding to a tomb robber, he added, "But
that doesn't mean I'll allow you to-"
"Relax, Pharaoh, I'm not asking to intrude into
your domicile." Yami Bakura flapped a hand. "I just want a message sent
to her saying that Bakenrenef is here. That was my name, apparently. At
least I think that's what Miss Ishtar said my name was, before she fled.
Did she think I would stab her with the pointers of the Ring?"
"Yes," said Yami. "I think, considering your reputation,
that she thought that."
"Oh, and my second order of business." He dug around
in a pocket, and a folded paper emerged. He stuck it out to Yami. "The
Lady of Faith, also known as Lady Elaine if that rings any bells, has a
declaration of undying love for one Michael Gaia. I assume even one of
your intelligence would be able to deduce his identity."
Yami took the paper gingerly, as if fearing an explosion
or sudden transportation to the Shadow Realm. "I can manage that."
"You'd better," and with that he left the shop,
though Yugi could still see him loitering outside.
"Well?" called Hikari. "Bakenrenef's here? I'm surprised
you didn't throw him out."
"Be silent," Yami yelled back. "You're still under
punishment."
"You're just jealous because you didn't get to do
it."
Yami had no reply to that. Partly because most of
his brain's resources were trying to figure out how Curse of Dragon had
gotten out of the Shadow Realm. While he was getting there, a certain misnamed
dragon literally flew down the stairs and out the door, leaving Yami to
gape after her.
"Yugi…?" he muttered. Then, "You didn't! Oh, all
right. Just don't let it happen again." He sighed and headed for the stairs.
"Gaia? You have a message! And I need to ask you something-"
***
Haku heard the scream and promptly ran from the room
containing Jane to the room full of still more electronic devices, one
of them being a television. In front of the television was a long couch.
Seated on the couch was Mokuba Kaiba, who silently indicated the area under
the couch.
Haku knelt and tilted his head. "Sapphire?" he called.
"Are you in there?" But of course he was.
"Is it gone?"
Haku lifted his head and looked to Mokuba for clarification.
Mokuba sighed. "We were watching and then the Trix commercial came on-"
"Trix commercial?"
Mokuba indicated the television. "Here it is again."
Before the Trix commercial was over and before Chihiro
and Ryuunosuke entered Haku had joined Sapphire under the couch.
***
After being assured by both Mokuba and her own eyes
that her brothers were in no danger, just scared silly, Chihiro returned
to the jigsaw puzzle Mokuba had supplied her with. All but one of the pieces
was pure white, with no variation whatsoever besides the shape of the pieces;
the exception, a corner piece, had on it one strawberry.
"Seto doesn't like most of the puzzles around,"
Mokuba had said as he held out the box. "Most of them are too easy. He
says you shouldn't feel good about something unless you've really earned
it. It took me a month to finish, but when I did he got me ice cream. D'you
want to give it a try?"
Chihiro picked up another piece at random and attempted
it to fit it with each of the collections of fitting pieces she had found
by luck. None of them worked, so she started on the free pieces.
"Lady Chihiro?"
She looked up. "For the last time, Ryuunosuke, don't
call me Lady." They both knew it wasn't for the last time.
"Should I assist you?"
"No, I'm fine. Go away."
He nodded and left the room. Chihiro looked after
him, remembering his worshipful expression whenever they happened to make
eye contact. His feelings regarding her were painfully obvious, and she
only wished those feelings were mutual. But they weren't.
The world would be so much simpler if everyone had
a piece of a two-piece puzzle, and if one piece fit the other they both
fit, and if everyone found the other half of their puzzle. No false hopes
or dreams, and no painful breakups as were so often delineated in the stories
she had discovered while using Jane. The world would be so much easier,
if only.
If only all you had to do was deserve something
enough and that would be enough to do whatever you wished. If only wanting
alone could get someone somewhere. The world would work so much more smoothly,
if only.
"If only" wasn't the same thing as "is." Her brothers
could hardly stand to look at anything remotely resembling those Toons,
as the incident in the entertainment room proved. Sapphire had forbidden
himself to associate with his best friend, Alexander, ever since the rivalry
between their Masters became apparent. Haku had never been especially close
to Black Jade, but still it made Chihiro wince to hear him do his best
to imitate their Master's contempt for Jade's Master (she had heard that
Jade had changed Masters, but the information was unconfirmed. She wished
he had; maybe then Haku wouldn't feel obliged to do it anymore).
And her second-youngest brother -
She tried not to think about it. Ever since it had
happened they had all done their best to forget about it, to always talk
around the subject of Jewel, to never drag the hideous truth out where
they had to look at it and acknowledge it.
Their Master who was always supposed to know what
was best had deliberately destroyed Jewel's card!
It would have hurt less to look at it, to think
about it, if only Seto Kaiba had believed, had wanted, had made the wish.
That would have been proof that Jewel hadn't gone to receive nothing in
return.
Seto Kaiba hadn't made the wish. Mokuba Kaiba had
made the wish.
Two pieces slid into place; she picked up another
one and began to repeat the process.
If he does make the wish we'll be seeing Obelisk
the Tormentor next. I just know it.
Once, when she was discussing something with Gabriel
(it was a time before their Master discovered Jewel's location and things
got ugly, when Sandy and Sapphire were openly friends), she had compared
life to a puzzle, where your goal was to put all the pieces together in
their proper places, and then you would be happy. Gabriel had appreciated
the metaphor very, very much.
But now Chihiro was trying to put together her "life
puzzle" and there were pieces snapped in two, pieces worn so that they
no longer fit properly, pieces that simply weren't there.
***
Fluffy said, "I think I remember she was a contraband
dealer or something. Extra food. Special cloth. Things like that. When
they decided to confiscate most all the gold-"
Yami raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"For you, who else could it be for? Before they
came around she got most of it together and gave it to someone on the outside."
Tani nodded. "She made notes about who had the gold
so she could pay them back later- she got me to help her with them. They
found the notes, and at first they thought they could find out everyone
who broke the rules, but nobody but us could read them. And she wouldn't
talk."
A nod. "I punished her, I suppose?"
"Yeah, I remember now, ya punished her by havin'
Mikey ride her. I think it was kinda a punishment for Mikey, too, 'cause
he bad-mouthed your gods. He thought there was only one."
Another nod as he looked over at Black Jade, reclining
on the bed. "Now I understand how such clearly incompatible personages
could ever be in a fusion."
"It's not really a fusion," said Jade. "Not like
when me an' Fluffy fusion, anyway. It's more like the horse disappears
and Mikey sits on top of Kari, an' the numbers go up. Nothin' else to it."
***
"Shut up," said Esper Roba, staring from the card
to Dar as if the law of gravity had been declared invalid. His eyes returned
to the card and he continued to stare at it, as if thinking that all of
a sudden the picture would reappear.
Dar, for his part, was trying just as hard to figure
out the implications of what had just happened. He knew perfectly well
what had happened: Esper had attempted to recall him to the card and the
attempt had failed. The question was why did it fail?
Maybe the human form had something to do with it?
He dismissed that possibility immediately. Among the experiments they'd
conducted ("My science teacher would blow a blood vessel if he saw this,"
Rex had laughed) were ones in which Ran and Sora and he had switched to
human forms and Rex had attempted to call them back in. It had worked every
time.
Dar went on to other possibilities. Foremost among
them was the honorable-win issue. The duel that had resulted in his card
changing hands was nothing if not dishonorable. He refused to consider
Esper Roba his Master, while he had never questioned Rex's authority (unlike,
say, the way Job regarded Mai Valentine). Perhaps that had had something
to do with it.
Or maybe…
The first night. Rex's parents had denied permission
for them to stay for the night, since Rex had school in the morning. Rex
had held up the card and asked them to go back. Dar hadn't wanted to go
back; Rex hadn't wanted them to go back.
Nothing had happened.
They spent the night jammed under Rex's bed; Dar
had exercised his shape-changing ability to its fullest extent so as to
avoid being suffocated by Ran and Sora. All because none of them had really
wanted to go back.
No. That couldn't be it. Esper Roba wanted him gone;
Dar had the crazy theory that he was actually jealous. Surely Esper wanted
him gone. Surely…
The door opened and Mai tipped her head into the
room. "Excuse me, but, Roba, are you done chewing him out for whatever
he did yet? I've pretty much run through my repertoire. Now it's your turn
to show me some of yours."
Right around then Dar had a strong urge, one that
blinded and deafened, to reach out and take Esper Roba's neck and-
***
Mai Valentine's first instinct was to exit the bedroom
(there were blankets on the floor, anyway) screaming. She rode out the
figurative storm, however, and instead followed her second instinct, staring
in sick fascination as the one the Harpy Ladies had informed her was actually
Serpent Night Dragon advanced on Esper Roba with a distinctly homicidal
look in his eyes.
His eyes- they had changed. Before this she was
sure they were dark blood, like on the card and at Duelist Kingdom, like
Helen had described. Kinda like the baddie's eyes sometimes were in kid's
shows. She could see how this Dar person ("or was it Dan?" Helen had said.
"Oh well. Doesn't matter") could be Serpent Night Dragon. He felt like
Serpent Night Dragon. In fact, he reminded her of Rex Raptor- he had the
same kind of aplomb. She couldn't see any resemblance to Job DelaSangre.
He didn't have the same kinky cute-ness. Then again, he wasn't wearing
that collar.
But he didn't have Job's eyes. Or his hair.
Anyway, he didn't look like that now. The eyes weren't
even the same color. They were now a bright cerulean blue, like Kaiba's
almost. And they. Weren't. Right.
Esper's eyes widened. "Hey, what the- stay back!
Stay back!" He at least had enough sense to not assume that statement would
be obeyed and/or edge backwards until he was cornered, as happened in movies.
Instead, he edged sideways, towards the door.
Serpent Night Dragon came even closer…
… then seemed to change his mind in mid-step and
staggered backward, arms twin windmills. Mai didn't dare to blink as cerulean
changed to purple like Yugi's, like her own, and then to the original red
as he regained his balance.
Esper sprang for the door and shoved past her. Like
an idiot, she continued to stand and stare.
He saw her. How could he not?
"You're… Helen's Master, right?"
Mai had heard somewhere that you should always answer
the questions of a psycho. "As in the Harpy Lady? Yes…" Then she recalled
her encounters with Rex Raptor and seriously considered joining Esper Roba.
"Oh. Excuse me, please."
She stepped aside as he rushed out, only then getting
it through her brain that even though he didn't have a knife or a gun,
dragons weren't known for being kind and gentle. A door slammed as she
hastily departed the room to confirm the continued survival of the members
of the Roba family.
They were all there, even the baby. Mai looked to
the bathroom door. It was closed.
***
"We'll be fine," Esper assured her. She left, obviously
unconvinced. Why would she be convinced? It wasn't true.
"Esper," said Charlie, "the teacher said I have
to get this signed. Danny's says so too."
"Okay." Esper looked over the grades- all As and
Bs, except for Charlie's C in math. He pulled out a pen and did the signatures
very quickly- he could practically do it in his sleep by now. Of course,
the resulting "Zachary Roba" looked nothing like the "Zachary Roba" he
wrote on his own homework.
Charlie and Danny had long ago gotten over any moral
qualms. After all, their father was unavailable, and, as Esper, pointed
out, the teachers called him Zachary Roba. So he wasn't lying, exactly.
"Thanks, Esper! Are you sure you don't want the burger?"
"Yes," Esper didn't say.
"Actually… oh, all right."
He ate it third by third while looking up the solutions
to the crossword puzzle he had been working on Sunday night. Sure enough,
a four-letter word for donkey was Roba. He considered apologizing, but
the bathroom door was locked and he didn't feel like apologizing to someone
who had just been about to kill him.
***
"He was the evil one, not me," he muttered in a clear moment. "Not me. Do I eat humans? No. Do I kill humans? No. Do I look down on humanity in general? No, I do not. And I did not break Esper Roba's neck back there. I did not."
But you almost did.
"Shut up." The clear was over, and by now most of the contents of his stomach had been expelled.
No. I have shut up for over a thousand years. Now it is your turn to shut up.
Some liquid that wasn't spit or blood proper was streaming into the toilet. He straightened up after a while and wiped his mouth on one sleeve.
Nothing can be hidden forever. If you took a stone and buried it, sooner or later someone would dig it up. If you threw a jewel into a river, a fish would swallow it, and then be caught, and it would be rediscovered. If you usurp a body, sooner or later the soul will come back.
Dar made fists as he continued to stare at the space above the bathroom counter, the place where a mirror would go in the Raptor house. But this wasn't the Raptor house. Even if it was, it would make no difference. He knew what he would see.
Rest assured, I won't evict you. You've apparently taken good care of my property, and I'm sure I owe you something for that. But this is I. Even you are I. And don't you forget it. Now- what to kill-? How about him? You don't have any reason to care for him, do you? Didn't he cheat? Nobody worthwhile would miss him.
You. Are. Not. Laying. One. Finger. On. Him.
Would you rather I make you fly south?
You can't!
Oh yes I can. I'll learn the mysteries of the dragons, soon enough. Would you prefer I take a knife- I'll find one somewhere- and pay Rex Raptor a little visit?
Dar felt himself changing to his natural form, only this time he didn't have any say in the matter- and all of a sudden he did have a say.
The now unnecessary human clothes fell to the floor. Dar stretched out beside them.
Well? Start learning the mysteries, then.
Why you- change back right now!
No, I like it this way.
I'll make you do it then!
At that moment, right when Dar was resigning himself to day after day of irritation until the inevitable cracking, one of the most unlikely saviors in the world happened along.
Dar reached out one claw onto the ant. It never knew what hit it.
There. The insect is smashed. It is dead. It is killed. Now are you happy?