Chapter Six:
Dead Man Walking
Night had served out its time over the land and gave way to the warm spring sun. The early morning light turned the puddles that scattered the streets into pools of liquid diamonds and sent a muggy mist into the air. Varying age groups were already crowding the sideways, on their way to work or school.
Everyone except Yugi and his small, Puzzle-bound entourage, that is. The height-deprived teenager figured he could get away with skipping one day of school under the guise that he was "grieving" for dear, departed Ryou. That thought nearly sent Yugi into giggles when he called in sick.
"What are we going to do today?" Yami asked, sounding bored already. The guardian of the Puzzle had learned to solidify his metaphysical form so he could better keep an eye on his small aibou, much to Bakura's jealousy.
"I don't know. The others are in school, so I guess we can just hang around town until they get out," Yugi replied, stuffing his hands in his jeans pocket.
\Why don't you stop and get something to eat!\ Ryou suggested.
Yugi snickered. "Yami, I hear voices in my head."
The former Pharaoh raised an eyebrow, shaking his head sadly. "My poor, insane, aibou. What am I going to do with you?"
"Have me committed!" Yugi replied happily, spying a small coffee shop amidst the hustle and bustle. He felt around his pocket and produced enough yen to buy himself a small coffee and a pastry or two. The sixteen-year-old grabbed Yami's wrist and tugged him in the direction of the shop.
"Let me go, please," the ancient ordered, tugging his gauntleted wrist clear of his hikari's grasp. "Slow down, aibou. I doubt everyone will eat everything before you get there."
Yugi just snickered at the thought and ran up to the vendor, ordering his coffee and two donuts. He paid for the foodstuffs and picked a table to sit at before munching happily on his breakfast.
Yami sauntered over and took a seat as well, watching in amusement as the Japanese teenager ravaged the unsuspecting pastries like a rabid wolf. "Hungry?"
"Yef I am," Yugi replied around a mouth full. "I's Bawarian cweam, want som'?" he asked.
"No, aibou, I'm fine. Enjoy yourself," Yami replied with a chuckle.
Yugi was quiet until he finished his first donut. "Bakura thinks we should try to track Malik down," he announced.
"Why's that? Who says he's even still in the city?" Yami replied, puzzled.
"He says that the Ring is still in Domino, he can feel it." Yugi took a sip of his coffee. "He also says it's in this end of the town."
Yami shrugged. "It's his Millennium Item, so I trust him to know where it is."
"It's closer than you think, Pharaoh."
Yugi looked up from his second donut, his amethyst eyes almost instantly going narrow. "What are you doing here?" he snarled.
Malik smirked at the small teenager and sat down, pushing dark tinted sunglasses up into his hair. "Good morning to you too, twerp."
"What do you want, Malik?" Yami demanded, looking ready to spring at the much younger Egyptian if he so much as sneezed at his hikari.
"I just saw you two sitting here and decided to see how my two favorite Item holders were doing," Malik replied easily, taking a chunk out of Yugi's breakfast.
Yami growled, leaning forward. His eyes immediately went to the golden ring that lay on top of Malik's ebony tee shirt. "I should have known that you would have it."
"Oh, don't play coy, Pharaoh. We all know that I'm the only one who could have taken it," the blond returned, slowly munching on his pilfered piece of pastry.
Yugi growled. "The Ring belongs to Ryou, scarab beetle."
Malik chuckled. "That would be a problem if he were still alive." The Egyptian jangled the Millennium Ring's spears tauntingly. "But, that's the thing about dead people, they can't own an Item."
\Yugi! Let me take over!\ Ryou suddenly spoke up, realizing his hapless murderer was sitting right across from him. \One good knock to the head and the Ring's mine!\
\\I'm not so sure that's a good idea,\\ Yugi replied.
\I don't care! You and Yami no Yugi have Slifer and Ra, I have the Ouija Board, and it turns out that my dear yami has Toon World and Relinquished.\
\\HE WHAT?!\\
\I'll explain later, Yugi. Please, just let me duel Malik. If I can get the Ring here and now, then me and Bakura will be out of your hair in no time.\
Yugi sighed. \\I hope you know what you're doing, Ryou.\\
The snow haired Brit smirked as he made a flawless switch with the Puzzle holder, a handy trick he had learned from Bakura over the years. He instantly noticed Yami and Malik in a staring match. "That is extremely immature," he pointed out.
Malik looked over at "Yugi" and his lilac eyes narrowed. The boy looked taller, his eyes a little more slanted and dark then usual. His hair also seemed to want to clump up in a suspiciously familiar fashion as well. Something's definitely wrong.
"Malik, I challenged you to a duel," Ryou suddenly growled. "If I win, you give me my Ring back. If I lose, I'll give you my Puzzle."
"'Your Ring'? Just a second ago you were saying that it belonged to Ryou," Malik pointed out.
"Yami rightfully owns all the Millennium Items and I am his reincarnation, so in a way, the Items are mine," Ryou replied, thanking God he had a deceitful dark side.
Yami was about to launch into his own round of questions when he occurred to him that Ryou was now in possession of Yugi's body. "So, will you accept my hikari's challenge?"
Malik almost laughed as he withdrew his deck. "I will have fun sweeping the streets with him, Pharaoh."
Ryou growled and pulled the deck Bakura had put together the night before. "We will play according to Battle City rules."
"Oh, daring, are we?" Malik smirked maliciously. "Even better for me when I take your Item and your rarest card."
Ryou gave a smirk of his own and shuffled his deck, remembering a sleight of hand trick Joey had taught him at the beginning of the year. He drew his six-card hand. As an afterthought, he went through his deck and withdrew Ra. "To even the playing field."
Malik took his old card cautiously, not expecting "Yugi" to be so... polite about their duel. "I'll go first," he said hesitantly.
((Ryou! You little cheat!)) Bakura exclaimed, trying to sound horrified. ((How can you do something like that?))
(Easy. Shuffle the deck and pull the cards,) Ryou replied, looking over his hand, which consisted of Slifer the Sky Dragon, Negate Attack, Silver Fang, Relinquished, Dark Illusion Ritual, and the Dark Magician.
"I'll lay this card face down and set two magic cards," Malik said, laying out the cards.
Ryou drew from his deck, smiling when he drew Reborn the Monster. "I'll set two magic cards, a monster, and end my turn." The Brit smiled congenially at his opponent and took a sip from Yugi's coffee.
What is he up to? Malik wondered. "I'll play another magic card and summon the Dark Elf in attack mode. I'll also flip my Harpie's Brother in the attack as well."
Ryou flipped over the Negate Attack he had set. "Bad call, Ishtar." Now, if I can get him to summon Ra, I'm in the clear. He drew Exchange from his deck with a slight look of exasperation. Obviously, Bakura was pilfering cards again. "I'll activate Exchange."
Malik reluctantly held his hand out to reveal Winged Dragon of Ra and Pot of Greed. "Take your pick," he sneered as Ryou held his hand out. He's really doing this with the Change of Heart in hand?! Fool.
Ryou took Pot of Greed while Malik snatched his coveted Change of Heart. "I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards from my hand." He was rewarded with the Lady of Faith and Magical Hats." I can't believe he didn't go for Slifer. Heh. I'm in luck! "I'll set another monster. Your turn."
Malik smirked. "I'll activate the Change of Heart to take control of the monster you just set to summon the god card you so graciously bestowed upon me."
Ryou grinned easily when he saw Yami's jaw drop to the ground. )Don't worry, Yami no Yugi. I know exactly what I'm doing.(
))I hope so.(( The Pharaoh sounded nothing short of unconvinced.
"We all know what's coming next, don't we?" Malik taunted, chanting the first verse written on Ra's card and the text disappeared before moving to the second, One Turn Kill.
Ryou watched an imaginary Life Point counter scroll down to one with a feral sort of glee as Ra blasted his Silver Fang to Kingdom Come. Now, to win this duel.
"You were an idiot for giving me Ra," Malik pointed out conversationally.
"And you're an idiot for not looking at my hand more closely," Ryou retorted. "I'll play the enchanting monster card, Relinquished." (Yami! The Ring's as good as ours!) he exclaimed as he followed the requirements to play one of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters.
((Really?!)) Bakura peered through Ryou's eyes to see Ra on Malik's side of the field and Relinquished on Ryou's. At first, he wondered what in the seven Hells his hikari was planning before it all came into focus. ((Ryou, I love you.))
(...That was disturbing.) Ryou took an easy gulp from his coffee. "I'll activate Relinquished's handy little effect to absorb any monster you have on the field," he announced as he took Ra over to his playing field.
"You don't know that last verse, or any of the verses for the matter, which means you don't know how to activate Ra's attack," Malik pointed out nervously. Or does he.
Ryou paused. Unfortunately, he has a point. I just summoned Relinquished, so I can't tribute him and Ra to summon the Dark Magician.
))Ra of Shadow, come to life. Take my soul to give you power. Serve me well, serve me fast! Take my attack and times it in half,(( Yami supplied, sensing the Brit's sudden worry.
Malik tapped the table. "Just admit you made a dumb move and surrender, Yugi."
Ryou drooped his shoulders, some revenge-bent part of him wanting to screw with the Egyptian's head before stripping him of his stolen Item and his rarest card. "You're right, Malik. There's no way I could ever win."
"Are you crazy?!" Yami growled, ever the helpful actor. "You're one point away from winning!"
"But I can't win." Ryou set his hand on the table. "Malik, it's been a pleasure dueling with you-"
Malik smirked. "I knew you could never do it. Pharaoh's reincarnation or not, you're a pathetic duelist," he taunted.
"-But you just aren't worth my time. Ra of Shadow, come to life. Take my soul to give you power. Serve me well, serve me fast! Take my attack and times it in half!"
Malik's face fell as an attack of eight thousand appeared on Ra's card. "No way! How could you have learnt that in such a short time?!"
"I win," Ryou sneered, seeing that imaginary counter show zero. He leaned forward so he was almost nose-to-nose with a highly stunned Malik. "Give me my Ring. Now."
Malik glared at Ryou, trying to pull himself together. How can Yugi duel like that? I've seen what he can do against Bandit Keith. This is not Yugi dueling.
"I'm waiting," Ryou whispered.
Malik held the Brit's gaze, leaning back when he saw "Yugi's" eyes flash a haunted chocolate brown. Shit! No way! He looked harder and saw the brown had been making his opponent's eyes darker the whole time.
Ryou yanked hard on the rope holding his Ring, wincing slightly. "Give the bloody item to me right now, Ishtar."
Malik paled sheet white. It can't be. Marik killed him! But, I don't think Yugi uses those types of terms. He forced a maniacal grin of glee to spread over his lips as he got up from the table, deck in hand, before removing Ryou's hand from the Ring.
Ryou scrambled to stand up and tackle Malik, but the Egyptian was already moving toward the crowd. "Give the Ring back!"
Malik turned to flash the crestfallen Brit an almost sad smile infected with hope. "Like I said, dead men can't possess the Items, Ryou." A step into the hurried crowd and the blond was gone.
Aie! Gomen minna-san! I've been ungodly busy lately, what with spring cleaning and CTBS (homeschool equivalent to a final) testing. ^)^U I'll try not to let the chapters slip so badly. And, hopefully, I planned out the duel correctly. If not, sorry. ~)~U
Evaru: Dear, I believe Malik would more readily cut his tongue out of his head then admit anything to anyone. [hugs Malik] Which is exactly why I like him! [eyes bat behind Evaru's back] Just what are you going to do with that?
Monoshiri: Yami no Yugi and Yami no Bakura are almost involved. I'm bringing their relationship to light soon enough. ^)^ And yes, Malik is in desperate need of a lay. [devilish smirk] Smell the lovely lemon!
Animegirl: Eek. If my parents found out that I even think about writing lemon (forget the fact it's yaoi), they'd have me committed before I knew what the hell happened to me. ~)~ But, I'm flattered! You wanna marry my story. Cookies for you! [hands Animegirl many, many cookies]
CharcoalCat: LOL! Don't worry. I'll be explaining all unknown relationships all in good time. [snickers] As far as Yami and Bakura… I'm having too much fun torturing the poor Pharaoh with the fact he can look, but can't touch lest he lose a finger. ^)^
Akuro: Thank you! Actually, I base the interaction between the Ishtar siblings on my little brothers and me. Makes life a little easier and the dialogue a little more interesting. Hee hee, cliffhangers are good, by the way! ^)^
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Chapter Seven Trailer:
"I don't see where that would be a problem. I don't believe Yugi knows any of Ra's verses."
"It wouldn't be a problem except that I used One Turn Kill, giving Ra an attack of three thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine. When Yugi took control of Ra, his card went blank again."
"I have a feeling it gets even more complicated."
"Exactly! Yugi activated Ra and chanted the third verse! For the love of the gods, not even I know it!" Malik exclaimed. "Well, I do now, but the point is that Yugi knew it!"
"The Pharaoh probably told him," Ishizu reasoned.
"Point taken. But, Yugi did win." Malik looked up, his lilac eyes holding a haunted light. "Sister, I... Somehow, by a trick of Fate, that wasn't Yugi or the Pharaoh I was dueling."
"Then who was it?"
Malik shook his head. "It seems impossible, but I was dueling Ryou Bakura."
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