It had been three weeks. Three weeks since Chibi-Usa's so called "date" had happened. Her eyes slowly opened seeing her friends gathering around her.
"Look," Hikaru started to smile. "She finally wakes."
"Chibi-Usa," Rei shook the little girl. "You ok? What happened?"
"I had this dream that I finally went out with Yami. But something happened. Something very terrible happened. One of Ishizu's friends had attacked me. Then I dreamt of demons and that's what the two of them are truly are."
The circle gathered in Hotaru's room that eve. Hotaru was resting, sleeping soundly after recovering from malignant fever."
"Well," Ami slowly sat up. "We may not know which of Ishizu's friends is the demon but I know a way to get back at Yami for what he's done."
"How's that?" Makoto looked up at her friend.
"Well, it's up to Chibi-Usa." Minako glanced at Chibi-Usa.
Suddenly, Chibi-Usa sat up, screaming at the top of her lungs. "I saw Ishizu and Yugi with the devil."
"What did you just say?" the girls looked up seeing Reverend Kaiba leaning against the door.
"I saw Ishizu and and Yugi with the devil!" Chibi-Usa cried out.
"We saw Ishizu and Yugi with the devil." The girls chanted.
"Chibi-Usa is this true?" Mokuba made his way towards the girls.
"Yes. I saw Ishizu making contact with the devil. She and Yugi held hands as they signed in the book of the devil."
"It can't be." Mokuba was shocked. "It can't be. It just can't be. There's no way on God's earth that those two could be another of Satan's helpers."
"We don't lie," the girls chanted. "We have seen it."
"Ishizu forced me to drink the blood of the dead!" Chibi-Usa cried out.
"Yugi's spirit terrorizes me every night in my dreams." Minako cried out. "And when I wake in the middle of the night, his spirit is there."
"Come girls," Kaiba gestured for the girls to come, obviously in shock at who they named as witches. "Let us go to the church. I will invite the other fathers to pray over you for strength from the affliction you have received." They all left the room. Mokuba looked over Hotaru, fluffing up her pillows.
"I sense the girls have named their next set of victims." Shadi entered the room with a towel in hand.
"Shadi," Mokuba looked up at the older man. "The circle has made a huge mistake. They named Ishizu and Yugi as Satan's helpers. But I know it isn't true. Those two can't be."
Shadi looked down at Hotaru, then to Mokuba, speaking softly. "So the cards were right all along."
"Cards? What do you mean by cards Shadi?"
Shadi took out a deck of playing cards. "I did a little reading from the cards late last night. Ishizu told me of how more destruction will befall on Salem."
"That's terrible. I must tell Kaiba."
"Don't you even dare you little weasel." Shadi closed his eyes and suddenly, there were no doors or windows for Mokuba to escape in.
"Jesus Christ." Mokuba's eyes widened with fear. "What's going on?"
"No one can hear you Mokuba." He smirked as a table appeared before him. "Have a seat and we will begin."
Mokuba took a seat across from Shadi. "I thought tarot cards could determine the future."
"Not all things you see are what they were meant to be m'child." Shadi shuffled the cards before placing them on the table.
"Who are you three?" Mokuba couldn't keep his eyes off the cards. "What have you done to my sister?"
No harm has become on your sister, child." Shadi closed his eyes, turning over six cards, laying them in a shape of a cross. "She was a sickly child who had caught the epidemic flu that passed on not too long ago." He then gazed at the cards before him. The joker was on the top. The ace of spades and hearts created the sides. The four of spades, the queen of hearts, and the jack of spades created the bottom.
"What do these cards portray?" Mokuba started to feel uneasy.
"Just like the tarot cards, they portray fate when you combine six of them. Diamonds mean wealth, hearts mean love, clovers mean bad luck, spades has a far more deadly outcome and the joker, he represents the dark side of all things like hell, death, destruction, and evil." He looked down at the cards for a long time.
"Well, what is it?"
"Rather intriguing indeed yet painful." Shadi adjusted his turban. "These two cards symbolize a pair of lovers that we know too well will die." He pointed to the two cards that made the sides of the cross.
"Who is it Shadi?" Mokuba suddenly sat up. "Tell me those who could die. I will not tell anyone of your doings but anything to save the innocent."
Those that will die are remaining unclear to me. We cannot change the course of destiny." He then looked down at the three remaining cards. "But there is good news for some of us and horrible to others."
"What is it?"
"You know Yami and his new friend Tea?" Mokuba nodded before Shadi continued. "This card," he then held up the four of spades. "Combined with this card," he held up the jack of spades. "Is what Yami could be described as."
"You mean, Yami is like you guys?"
"I trust you will not tell child."
"But it's a forbidden sin to hold secrets in these parts!" Mokuba's voice shook with fear.
"True, yes. But neither of us holds such relationship to the devil. I believe Ishizu might have, yes I think she had. The only other form of evil we have a pact with is none other than death."
Mokuba's eyes widened. "Death? How is he like?"
"Shadi retrieved the cards, piling them up. "I cannot say. Unless you have experienced it before, I could not tell you what he truly is like."
"And what of Tea?"
Shadi pulled out the Queen of Hearts, showing it to him. "This is a rare card to pull out indeed. This card represents Mother Earth, the symbol of love, a powerful sorceress. If I might be correct, these two have a rather strong bond. Tea could be able to change the fate of Salem." The room returned back to its normal self. "Come Mokuba," he glanced up at Hotaru before placing his hand on his shoulder. "Let's leave your sister to rest. Her fever no longer exists for the time being." The two of them left the room.
As they finally left, Hotaru's eyes suddenly opened.
"Carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce. You sure they sold of cheese?"
Yami, Tea, an Yugi gathered around the kitchen, unpacking the goods from Yugi's basket.
"Well, I could make some salad tomorrow." Tea looked through the vegetables she and Yugi bout at the markets.
"Sounds nice." Yugi smiled. "Can't wait to try out another dish." He then looked out the window before standing up. "I will go to bed. Maybe I can finally have some peace in mind…" suddenly, the door knocked. The two of them stood up, a bit startled, yet their faces didn't show it. Yugi made his way towards the door, opening it slowly, only to be relieved.
"Shadi?" the three looked at Shadi, surprised that he was here.
"Why are you here?" asked Tea.
Shadi closed his eyes looking up at the three. "Just as I suspected. Not here at this home."
"What's going on?" Yami gazed at Shadi.
"It's Hotaru," he replied softly. "She's missing."
~*To Be Continued*~