Donovan: There is no spoon...
CD: Dere id no spoon...
GF: -_-() I shouldn't have let them watch the Matrix... Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
E-100 Alpha - For notes on Merlin, see the bottom of Chapter II. The really long paragraph.
Indigo - *huggles* Thank you SO much for reviewing! I'm glad you like it.
Blueraven - No, I'm not fast. Chapters III and IV were both written on the same day. Heh... I was gonna make it one long chapter, but I thought I'd get more reviews with two. And don't worry, I'll keep the chibi in line.
Silver Dragon Golden Dragon - I think you're my first rabid fans...
Molly Jean - I'm glad you like it! I didn't say, but I'm fourteen. I'd tell you how old Slink is, but she'd kill me.
Kurai chan - *gives you more sugar* Have to keep my fans happy!
Lady Silver Dragon - Heehee... That's two fangirls for Donovan!
Jami krt - I think Tea's all right. I don't understand Tea-bashers at all.
Millennium Slinky - Yeah, he's yours... Ryou's in boxers because it's five- thirty in the morning. Originally, he wasn't even gonna have a shirt on, so be grateful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragon's Daughter, Demon's Hope
Chapter V
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You!" Alvis snarled, launching herself at the sorcerer. Ryou and Bakura leaped forward to grab her arms, but it wasn't necessary.
Merlin merely raised his hand and Alvis struck an invisible wall. She fell back, rubbing her head, and glared up at the old man. The wizard glared back, a dragon's fierceness flickering behind his golden eyes.
"I'd try to learn the whole story before attempting homicide, dragon's daughter."
"I know enough," she spat, grey eyes flashing silver to Merlin's gold. "You stuck Donovan in that stupid card. He's been in there for nearly a thousand years. How many other people have you tortured like that?"
"Donovan's the only one," said Zekel Sha.
Alvis rounded on him. "And how would you know?"
The spirit glanced at Merlin. "He once held the Eye."
The girl turned back to Merlin. "So that's how you did it. You're no better than a thief. You stole his soul!"
Mordred spoke for the first time, stepping forward to put his hands on Alvis's shoulders, looking down at her with grey eyes so much like her own. "Listen to me, Alvis. I thought the same way you do until I had a chance to talk to Merlin. He saved Donovan's life. He would have been killed otherwise. Merlin knew, somehow, that I'd still be around when Donovan was freed. In a way, our lives just got put off until now. Now we can free Donovan. But we will need Merlin's help."
Alvis thought for a moment. She nodded, then grinned. "You know, it's kind of hard to believe that you're my great-great-great-whatever grandfather."
The knight looked surprised, but then grinned back.
* * * * *
They called Yugi first. He agreed to help immediately, though Yami grumbled a bit.
Shadi appeared through the floor a minute later, scaring Alvis and Ryou half out of their wits.
Isis also consented to come, and promised to bring Malik with her if she had to drag him.
Seto Kaiba, however, proved difficult. After half an hour, Ryou was still arguing with him.
"Now, tell me again," said the teenage millionaire, "why you need me?"
"Because you are the rightful holder of the Millennium Rod," Ryou answered, nearly crying with frustration. "I've told you that already!"
Bakura had had enough. He snatched the phone and spoke into it in low, menacing tones. "Kaiba, if you don't get you sorry self over here, I will personally deep-fry your trench coat and force you to eat it."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Who are you?"
The spirit of the Ring grinned wickedly. "I am a thief and a stealer of souls."
Kaiba gulped. "I'll come, but I'm not making any promises."
"Good." Bakura hung up, a satisfied smile on his face. He shook his head at the two teenagers doubled up in laughter on the floor. "Mortals."
* * * * *
By noon, the Bakura house was extremely crowded. All the Item holders had arrived, and so had Seto Kaiba. With eight ancient spirits wandering around as well, there was hardly enough room for everyone.
Merlin called to Ryou over the chatter. "Is everyone here?"
"Let me check one more time." The boy scanned the crowd. Yugi was talking to Alvis, examining her deck. Yami was chatting with Isis, probably about the Egyptian exhibit at the museum. Zekel Sha and Azuni, spirit of the Tauk, were yelling at each other in Latin. Ryou had just seen Bakura and Malik in the kitchen, raiding the fridge. Marik was deep in conversation with Seth, spirit of the Rod, who Kaiba was eyeing warily. Shadi and Ankhkare, spirit of the Ankh, were trying to drag Senui, spirit of the Scales, away from a box of chocolate.
"Yep," Ryou said. "Everybody's here."
* * * * *
Soon enough, Merlin had the eight spirits, five Item holders, and one CEO seated in a circle on the floor of the living room. (Kaiba - "What is this, kindergarten?") Yugi, Yami, Zekel Sha, Ryou, Bakura, Isis, Azuni, Marik, Malik, Kaiba, Seth, Senui, Shadi, Ankhkare.
Donovan's card rested in the center of the circle, twinkling in the light from the ceiling.
"Now," began Merlin, "I want each of you to grasp your Item - or Items, as the case may be - both holders and spirits. That includes you, Kaiba."
There was a slight scuffle over the Rod as four hands tried to find places on it. Mordred stepped in.
"Do you see this sword? Yes? Good. If any of you disrupt this one more time, your neck will find itself lacking a head." All four instantly quieted.
Merlin continued. "Concentrate your Items' powers on the card. Focus..."
A surge of energy rippled through the circle, felt by both those in it and those outside it. It went around and around in ever-tightening spirals, closer to the card -
And then the lights went out. Several people yelled. A low, wicked cackle reverberated through the room. A foul-smelling wind whipped around the seventeen people.
"Black magic!" hissed Merlin. "Begone, demon!"
The laughing stopped. The lights went back on. Mordred was white as a sheet, and visibly shaken.
"What was that?" asked several people at once.
Mordred answered, fighting to keep his voice calm. "My mother. Morgan le Fay."
Suddenly, Alvis shrieked. Everyone turned to look.
Donovan's card was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donovan: Great. Now I'm in the hands of a deranged sorceress.
GF: *shrugs* Sorry. Did you think I was gonna let you out that easily? For the love of Kuriboh, it's only the fifth chapter!
CD: Dewanged socceress!
GF: Yeah...
CD: Weview! Weview! Weview!
CD: Dere id no spoon...
GF: -_-() I shouldn't have let them watch the Matrix... Anyway, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!
E-100 Alpha - For notes on Merlin, see the bottom of Chapter II. The really long paragraph.
Indigo - *huggles* Thank you SO much for reviewing! I'm glad you like it.
Blueraven - No, I'm not fast. Chapters III and IV were both written on the same day. Heh... I was gonna make it one long chapter, but I thought I'd get more reviews with two. And don't worry, I'll keep the chibi in line.
Silver Dragon Golden Dragon - I think you're my first rabid fans...
Molly Jean - I'm glad you like it! I didn't say, but I'm fourteen. I'd tell you how old Slink is, but she'd kill me.
Kurai chan - *gives you more sugar* Have to keep my fans happy!
Lady Silver Dragon - Heehee... That's two fangirls for Donovan!
Jami krt - I think Tea's all right. I don't understand Tea-bashers at all.
Millennium Slinky - Yeah, he's yours... Ryou's in boxers because it's five- thirty in the morning. Originally, he wasn't even gonna have a shirt on, so be grateful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragon's Daughter, Demon's Hope
Chapter V
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"You!" Alvis snarled, launching herself at the sorcerer. Ryou and Bakura leaped forward to grab her arms, but it wasn't necessary.
Merlin merely raised his hand and Alvis struck an invisible wall. She fell back, rubbing her head, and glared up at the old man. The wizard glared back, a dragon's fierceness flickering behind his golden eyes.
"I'd try to learn the whole story before attempting homicide, dragon's daughter."
"I know enough," she spat, grey eyes flashing silver to Merlin's gold. "You stuck Donovan in that stupid card. He's been in there for nearly a thousand years. How many other people have you tortured like that?"
"Donovan's the only one," said Zekel Sha.
Alvis rounded on him. "And how would you know?"
The spirit glanced at Merlin. "He once held the Eye."
The girl turned back to Merlin. "So that's how you did it. You're no better than a thief. You stole his soul!"
Mordred spoke for the first time, stepping forward to put his hands on Alvis's shoulders, looking down at her with grey eyes so much like her own. "Listen to me, Alvis. I thought the same way you do until I had a chance to talk to Merlin. He saved Donovan's life. He would have been killed otherwise. Merlin knew, somehow, that I'd still be around when Donovan was freed. In a way, our lives just got put off until now. Now we can free Donovan. But we will need Merlin's help."
Alvis thought for a moment. She nodded, then grinned. "You know, it's kind of hard to believe that you're my great-great-great-whatever grandfather."
The knight looked surprised, but then grinned back.
* * * * *
They called Yugi first. He agreed to help immediately, though Yami grumbled a bit.
Shadi appeared through the floor a minute later, scaring Alvis and Ryou half out of their wits.
Isis also consented to come, and promised to bring Malik with her if she had to drag him.
Seto Kaiba, however, proved difficult. After half an hour, Ryou was still arguing with him.
"Now, tell me again," said the teenage millionaire, "why you need me?"
"Because you are the rightful holder of the Millennium Rod," Ryou answered, nearly crying with frustration. "I've told you that already!"
Bakura had had enough. He snatched the phone and spoke into it in low, menacing tones. "Kaiba, if you don't get you sorry self over here, I will personally deep-fry your trench coat and force you to eat it."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Who are you?"
The spirit of the Ring grinned wickedly. "I am a thief and a stealer of souls."
Kaiba gulped. "I'll come, but I'm not making any promises."
"Good." Bakura hung up, a satisfied smile on his face. He shook his head at the two teenagers doubled up in laughter on the floor. "Mortals."
* * * * *
By noon, the Bakura house was extremely crowded. All the Item holders had arrived, and so had Seto Kaiba. With eight ancient spirits wandering around as well, there was hardly enough room for everyone.
Merlin called to Ryou over the chatter. "Is everyone here?"
"Let me check one more time." The boy scanned the crowd. Yugi was talking to Alvis, examining her deck. Yami was chatting with Isis, probably about the Egyptian exhibit at the museum. Zekel Sha and Azuni, spirit of the Tauk, were yelling at each other in Latin. Ryou had just seen Bakura and Malik in the kitchen, raiding the fridge. Marik was deep in conversation with Seth, spirit of the Rod, who Kaiba was eyeing warily. Shadi and Ankhkare, spirit of the Ankh, were trying to drag Senui, spirit of the Scales, away from a box of chocolate.
"Yep," Ryou said. "Everybody's here."
* * * * *
Soon enough, Merlin had the eight spirits, five Item holders, and one CEO seated in a circle on the floor of the living room. (Kaiba - "What is this, kindergarten?") Yugi, Yami, Zekel Sha, Ryou, Bakura, Isis, Azuni, Marik, Malik, Kaiba, Seth, Senui, Shadi, Ankhkare.
Donovan's card rested in the center of the circle, twinkling in the light from the ceiling.
"Now," began Merlin, "I want each of you to grasp your Item - or Items, as the case may be - both holders and spirits. That includes you, Kaiba."
There was a slight scuffle over the Rod as four hands tried to find places on it. Mordred stepped in.
"Do you see this sword? Yes? Good. If any of you disrupt this one more time, your neck will find itself lacking a head." All four instantly quieted.
Merlin continued. "Concentrate your Items' powers on the card. Focus..."
A surge of energy rippled through the circle, felt by both those in it and those outside it. It went around and around in ever-tightening spirals, closer to the card -
And then the lights went out. Several people yelled. A low, wicked cackle reverberated through the room. A foul-smelling wind whipped around the seventeen people.
"Black magic!" hissed Merlin. "Begone, demon!"
The laughing stopped. The lights went back on. Mordred was white as a sheet, and visibly shaken.
"What was that?" asked several people at once.
Mordred answered, fighting to keep his voice calm. "My mother. Morgan le Fay."
Suddenly, Alvis shrieked. Everyone turned to look.
Donovan's card was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Donovan: Great. Now I'm in the hands of a deranged sorceress.
GF: *shrugs* Sorry. Did you think I was gonna let you out that easily? For the love of Kuriboh, it's only the fifth chapter!
CD: Dewanged socceress!
GF: Yeah...
CD: Weview! Weview! Weview!