Shayla had tagged along with a frantic Yu-Gi, Mokuba, and an apathetic
Kaiba. Not her choice of people to hang out with, but it was better being
alone in Battle City, which was very quickly turning into a nightmare.
"I have to find Joe and Tea!" said Yu-Gi, for the uncountable time.
"If you'd stop for a moment, I am sure that my duel disks could track that hack Wheeler down," said Kaiba, coolly.
"Huff!" protested Yu-Gi, but he stopped anyways. Mokuba didn't miss a beat. He had the laptop out and was typing away.
"Almost..... there! Joe is currently dueling in the aquarium!" exclaimed Mokuba, proudly.
"That is where I'm heading!" exclaimed Yu-Gi as he took off running.
"Wait!" exclaimed Shayla.
"We'll catch up eventually," said Kaiba, in the same tone he always had.
They began walking, trailing after Yu-Gi.
"Why are we following him, Seto?" asked Mokuba.
"Because he owes me a duel," answered Kaiba.
Shayla walked a few paces behind them, trying to ward off the nervous feeling she was getting. But nothing seemed to work. Things were getting bad, and she was afraid of another incident like the Duelist Kingdom.
They caught up to Yu-Gi quicker than they thought they would. Two more rare hunters had detained him. They seemed to be very close friends, even though they were complete opposites. One was big and buff and wore a red, angry mask. The other was short and pudgy and wore a white, happy mask. But they both wore the traditional rare hunter robes. They were getting into an argument about who would duel him first. They then agreed to take him 2 on 1.
"That hardly seems fair," said Kaiba as he walked forward. "Let's make it 2 on 2, the two of you versus Yu-Gi and I."
"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, surprised.
"Wow!" thought Shayla. "I knew that 'heart of stone' act had to be just that! He actually agreed to help Yu-Gi...... That seems ..... almost........ noble."
"Fair enough!" agreed one rare hunter.
"I'm going first," said Kaiba as they activated their duel disks. "I play the Lord of Dragons in attack mode. Then, I two Flutes of Summoning Dragons. This lets me summon four high leveled dragons. I bring out all three of my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon and Hyozanryu!" His dragons loomed over the field, eagerly looking for something to attack.
"Too bad you can't attack us on your first turn," said Umbra, the tall rare hunter. "My turn, and I play one monster card and one magic card, both face down."
"Then I'll go," said Yu-Gi. "I play Celtic Guardian in attack mode and two magic cards."
(AN/ OK, OK, I forgot how this duel went. Bear with me, I got the important stuff here.)
"Then it is my turn," said Lumis, the short rare hunter. "And I play three magic cards."
"Too bad you'll never get to use them," said Kaiba. "Now I bring out my ultimate beast. I tribute my three Blue-Eyes to bring out Obelisk the Tormentor!" His Blue-Eyes disappeared and Obelisk stood in their place. It was big enough to fill it, too. It was so large, in fact, the duel disks couldn't show it all. Obelisk faded at the waist, which would have run into the ground had it been there. It was blue and the only way to describe it was that it could be Exodia's cousin, in looks and power.
"He tributed his Blue-Eyes?!" gasped Shayla, completely shocked. "The poles just melted....."
"Then, I will tribute my other two monsters to bring Obelisk up to its full strength," continued Kaiba. Obelisk reached down and picked up the Hyozanryu and Lord of Dragons and crushed them both in its massive fists.
"Obliterate them!" ordered Kaiba. Obelisk raised a fist and crushed both Umbra and Lumis in one punch. They fell, twitching.
"That was too easy...." muttered Kaiba as he took two locator cards from them.
"Thanks, Kaiba," said Yu-Gi as he turned to run towards the aquarium again.
"This is yours," said Kaiba as he threw one locator card at Yu-Gi. Yu-Gi nodded, then ran off again.
"This is going to get old....." muttered Shayla as they once again began to follow him. But she was still trying to figure out the duel. There was something...... she couldn't place her finger on it....... but there was something that happened that she needed to know, something that she had forgotten, it seemed.
**************************************************************************** ****
They reached the aquarium, but it was empty. The show, which turned into a duel between Joe and Mako, was over. The crowds had left. Yu-Gi couldn't have looked more disappointed. But he was searching for a phone to call Tea's cell phone.
(AN/ OK, I really think Mako should have won that one. If you think about 'heart of the cards' he had the better reason. Mako is cool, and I for one would have loved to see him find his dad. Thanks for listening, I was venting.)
"I can hardly see why Yu-Gi is so obsessed about finding that dog, Wheeler," muttered Kaiba.
"Why?" asked Shayla. "They are friends, and that's what friends would do for each other. Wouldn't you do the same for you friends?"
"I have no friends."
"Oh......" It was quiet for a moment.
"Seto, I am still trying to track the last god card, but I haven't found it yet," said Mokuba.
"Keep trying."
"But there is more bad news," he continued. "The signal from Joe's duel disk died."
"I don't care...."
"What could have happened?" interrupted Shayla.
"It has to be those rare hunters," answered Mokuba. "I think they already found Tea and Joe."
"Not good...." muttered Shayla, her nerves getting more tense.
"Huff," muttered Kaiba.
"Don't you care what happens?" asked Shayla. "You were helping Yu-Gi find them a minute ago."
"Me? Help Yu-Gi?" said Kaiba, somewhat shocked. "I am only here to duel him for his god card. I could care less about his friends."
"So a stupid card is all that matters to you?" asked Shayla, feeling the dawning of disappointment.
"It is an Egyptian god card, one of three of the monster powerful cards in the whole world," said Kaiba, almost like he had been insulted.
"And you are putting it over someone's safety?" asked Shayla.
"I don't care about them," he replied, coldly. "I've always known I was the only one I could trust. Friends..... Feh. Who needs them? When I get all of the god cards, I won't need anyone. That's what this is all about. Of course, I don't expect you to understand."
"Kaiba.... I thought you were better than that," said Shayla, shocked and disappointed. She thought that he actually had a heart, but all he seemed to care about was dueling Yu-Gi for his god card. Yu-Gi was trying to save his friends, and all Kaiba could focus on was himself. Shayla shook her head and turned and walked out.
"Shayla, wait!" called Kaiba, but she didn't reply. "What did I say wrong?" he asked himself.
"Seto, she's right," said Mokuba. His eyes spoke of hurt, too. "What's gotten into you?" Mokuba turned and raced out, toting his brother's briefcase with him. "Shayla, wait!"
"Mokuba...." muttered Kaiba, who was now shocked with himself. He couldn't seem to figure out what he had done wrong.
"It's too late," reported Yu-Gi as he walked over. "The rare hunters have found them..... Where did Shayla and Mokuba go?"
"Away," replied Kaiba, coldly.
"Is that safe?" asked Yu-Gi, concerned. Kaiba didn't reply.
Outside......
"Shayla, wait for me," said Mokuba as he raced to her. Shayla paused.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, not accusingly.
"You are right about Seto. I've never seen him act like this," said Mokuba. "I know he wanted to win all the god cards... but now, he is just being rude!"
"You're a good kid," said Shayla. "I don't get how the two of you can be related."
"Here, sit down," said Mokuba as he lead her to a concrete barrier. "I just want to apologize for the way my brother has been acting."
"You shouldn't have to apologize," said Shayla. "You've done nothing wrong."
"But still...." stammered Mokuba. "You're too nice for him to be so mean to you."
"Thanks," said Shayla. "But it is no big deal. I've been trying to drop out of this crazy tournament from the start."
"Why?" asked Mokuba.
"Because nothing good ever happens," muttered Shayla. She didn't tell him about the strange surge of power she was feeling. It felt like the time right before the finals at the Duelist Kingdom when everything started to go wrong. She knew something bad was coming, and she wanted to be gone.
Shayla paused, her head jerked up right. She could hear footsteps deliberately approaching them. Something inside her was screaming a warning.
"Mokuba....." she said, but her warning came too late.
"You're coming with us," said a gruff voice from behind them.
"What is going on?!" demanded Mokuba.
"Don't wait, RUN!" yelled Shayla. Mokuba took the hint and bolted.
"We have you surrounded, give up," ordered another voice. Shayla felt strong arms lock around her.
"Let me go!" she yelled, kicking random places. "You creep!"
"Help!" she heard Mokuba cry.
"Mokuba!" she called, hoping he had got away. She knew better, though.
"Let me go!" he demanded. "When my brother get a hold of you.... You're those Rare Hunters, aren't you? Seto is going to be so mad...!"
"Rare Hunters?" asked Shayla as she felt herself being jerked to her feet. "These weirdos?"
"You're coming with us," said one of the Rare Hunters. "Master Marik has plans for you."
"I've heard that name somewhere...." muttered Shayla. Then the guy began to half drag, half pull, half carry her away. "Let me go! This is unfair, picking on a blind girl!" Secretly, she was wondering why her scales weren't working. This qualified for injustice, didn't it?
They were roughly handle to a helicopter that was waiting nearby. Shayla could hear them talking faintly over the whirl of the blades.
"Master Marik, we brought the boy and the brown-haired girl like you asked," said one.
"This is the wrong brown-haired girl!" a new voice said. "I already have Yu-Gi's friends."
"What did you do to them?" demanded Mokuba, who was still fighting. "Let me go, or you'll be sorry!"
"I think not, young Kaiba," said the guy Shayla assumed was Marik. "We need you to get your brother to duel us. Once we have stripped him of his god card, neither of you will have any use to us."
"You'd better not hurt him!" yelled Mokuba. Marik just laughed.
"But what about the girl?" asked one of the Rare Hunters. Shayla cringed. She was so close to being out of this mess, and instead she only got it deeper.
"Hhhmmm," she heard Marik think. Then she felt her backpack being lifted off of her shoulders.
"Give that back!" she yelled as she kicked the air again. Her arms were still pinned behind her by her captor. "That's mine! You can't take it." She was mad and scared, and getting sick by the strange magic around her.
"The Millennial Scales!" exclaimed Marik as he took them out. "This girl is the bearer of a Millennial Item?" Shayla could feel his eyes studying her.
"Those are mine! Give them back!" she ordered. "I haven't done anything to you!"
"Leave her alone!" yelled Mokuba.
"Take her as a hostage too," said Marik, at length. "Use her to persuade Yu-Gi and Kaiba to duel us. And be sure to keep her Millennial Item away from her."
"Right," said one Rare Hunter.
"What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
The only answer she received was a curt laugh and a push onto the floor of the helicopter. Mokuba was thrown in after her. Several Rare Hunters made sure they didn't try to escape as the helicopter took off.
"Tie them up," said one Rare Hunter as soon as they were skimming the buildings.
"Let go of me!" demanded Mokuba as he kicked and squirmed. "When Seto gets his hands on you...."
"He isn't going to hurt us, because if he does, YOU get hurt," snapped a Rare Hunter as he finished tying Mokuba down.
"What kind of person are you, threatening blind girls and little boys?" asked Shayla. She had been feeling around the floor for her backpack. But then one Rare Hunter grabbed her and tied her hands tight in front of her.
"We want to be sure Kaiba gets the message," said one Rare Hunter. Shayla guessed that there was three in the helicopter, plus the pilot.
"Right, send out the bait," said another. There was some more shuffling noises.
"Put me down!" yelled Mokuba.
"For crying out loud!" yelled Shayla. "Leave him alone!"
"Make sure the ropes are tight, we don't want him to fall," said another.
"Approaching Kaiba," reported the pilot.
"Send out the bait," said another.
"What are you going to do to me?" asked Mokuba.
"Have a nice trip," said one Rare Hunter.
Shayla didn't need to see to figure out what was going on. She could sense that Mokuba had been dragged to the open door of the helicopter. They were holding him right by it. Then, she felt as they pushed him out.
"No!" cried Shayla as she heard Mokuba scream as he fell.
"Don't worry," said one Rare Hunter who pushed her to the floor again. "We've got him tied to the copter."
"Help! Seto, save me!" she could hear Mokuba cry, somewhere below them.
"You're insane!" she snapped. "You are sick! This is wrong!"
"Shut up!" snapped a Rare Hunter.
SMACK! Shayla suddenly felt her face tingling. It took her a moment to place it. He had slapped her across the face. She raised her tied hands to the injury, shocked into silence. But in that silence she could hear them bartering with Yu-Gi and Kaiba.
"Leave my brother alone!" demanded Seto.
"Help! Big brother!" cried Mokuba. He had never stopped calling for help.
"Your friends go free, if you duel us," said another Rare Hunter, this one on the ground with Yu-Gi and Kaiba. "You see that tall building? Meet us there if you ever want to see your loved ones again."
"If you think I am going to let you hurt Mokuba...." said Kaiba through gritted teeth.
"Kaiba, this is not the way to get our friends and family back," said Yu- Gi.
"They don't get the idea," Shayla heard over the intercom.
"Then we'll make them get the idea," said one Rare Hunter near her.
"AAAHHH!" she screamed as she was jerked roughly to her feet.
"I wouldn't struggle, if I were you," said the Rare Hunter, menacingly.
"You'd better agree, or else," said the Rare Hunter who was with Kaiba and Yu-Gi.
Shayla felt the man's grip on her upper arm tighten. She winced in pain. Then, he swung her half way across the helicopter and leaned her backwards. Shayla could feel the wind whipping her hair around. She could sense the nothingness behind her. The blood drained from her face. She was hanging out of the helicopter. Her feet still touched the door, but she was at an angle that they weren't supporting her weight. The only thing holding her up was the man's grip on her arm. And she didn't have a safety line like Mokuba. She reached up and dug into the Rare Hunter's arm, trying to steady herself. She felt light headed, even though her heart was pounding away. She was so afraid she thought she was going to faint.
"Shayla!" she heard Yu-Gi and Kaiba call, but its sounded like it was far away.
"Leave her out of this!" demanded Kaiba. "She has nothing to do with any of this."
"Then do you accept our challenge?" asked the Rare Hunter.
".....Yes," they both said.
"Good!" said the Rare Hunter. "You know where and when you are supposed to be. If you don't show, your friends pay the price." That Rare Hunter hopped off. Shayla was pulled back into the helicopter and it rose again. Mokuba was still calling Seto.
Shayla was thrown to the floor, not like she had the strength to stand. She was pale and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Mokuba was pulled in and thrown next to her.
"Shayla! Are you OK?" asked Mokuba when he saw how distraught she was. Shayla couldn't even manage a nod.
"Marik has prepared a place for the boy," said one Rare Hunter. "But I have a plan for the girl."
AN/ I am soooo mean to my OC's. Sorry, Shayla! But this was that chapter I couldn't wait to write! Now it gets good. And just as it gets good, they decide to show reruns for the summer. *Sigh* Oh well. I really like this chapter, so tell me what y'all think. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (
"I have to find Joe and Tea!" said Yu-Gi, for the uncountable time.
"If you'd stop for a moment, I am sure that my duel disks could track that hack Wheeler down," said Kaiba, coolly.
"Huff!" protested Yu-Gi, but he stopped anyways. Mokuba didn't miss a beat. He had the laptop out and was typing away.
"Almost..... there! Joe is currently dueling in the aquarium!" exclaimed Mokuba, proudly.
"That is where I'm heading!" exclaimed Yu-Gi as he took off running.
"Wait!" exclaimed Shayla.
"We'll catch up eventually," said Kaiba, in the same tone he always had.
They began walking, trailing after Yu-Gi.
"Why are we following him, Seto?" asked Mokuba.
"Because he owes me a duel," answered Kaiba.
Shayla walked a few paces behind them, trying to ward off the nervous feeling she was getting. But nothing seemed to work. Things were getting bad, and she was afraid of another incident like the Duelist Kingdom.
They caught up to Yu-Gi quicker than they thought they would. Two more rare hunters had detained him. They seemed to be very close friends, even though they were complete opposites. One was big and buff and wore a red, angry mask. The other was short and pudgy and wore a white, happy mask. But they both wore the traditional rare hunter robes. They were getting into an argument about who would duel him first. They then agreed to take him 2 on 1.
"That hardly seems fair," said Kaiba as he walked forward. "Let's make it 2 on 2, the two of you versus Yu-Gi and I."
"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, surprised.
"Wow!" thought Shayla. "I knew that 'heart of stone' act had to be just that! He actually agreed to help Yu-Gi...... That seems ..... almost........ noble."
"Fair enough!" agreed one rare hunter.
"I'm going first," said Kaiba as they activated their duel disks. "I play the Lord of Dragons in attack mode. Then, I two Flutes of Summoning Dragons. This lets me summon four high leveled dragons. I bring out all three of my Blue-Eyes, White Dragon and Hyozanryu!" His dragons loomed over the field, eagerly looking for something to attack.
"Too bad you can't attack us on your first turn," said Umbra, the tall rare hunter. "My turn, and I play one monster card and one magic card, both face down."
"Then I'll go," said Yu-Gi. "I play Celtic Guardian in attack mode and two magic cards."
(AN/ OK, OK, I forgot how this duel went. Bear with me, I got the important stuff here.)
"Then it is my turn," said Lumis, the short rare hunter. "And I play three magic cards."
"Too bad you'll never get to use them," said Kaiba. "Now I bring out my ultimate beast. I tribute my three Blue-Eyes to bring out Obelisk the Tormentor!" His Blue-Eyes disappeared and Obelisk stood in their place. It was big enough to fill it, too. It was so large, in fact, the duel disks couldn't show it all. Obelisk faded at the waist, which would have run into the ground had it been there. It was blue and the only way to describe it was that it could be Exodia's cousin, in looks and power.
"He tributed his Blue-Eyes?!" gasped Shayla, completely shocked. "The poles just melted....."
"Then, I will tribute my other two monsters to bring Obelisk up to its full strength," continued Kaiba. Obelisk reached down and picked up the Hyozanryu and Lord of Dragons and crushed them both in its massive fists.
"Obliterate them!" ordered Kaiba. Obelisk raised a fist and crushed both Umbra and Lumis in one punch. They fell, twitching.
"That was too easy...." muttered Kaiba as he took two locator cards from them.
"Thanks, Kaiba," said Yu-Gi as he turned to run towards the aquarium again.
"This is yours," said Kaiba as he threw one locator card at Yu-Gi. Yu-Gi nodded, then ran off again.
"This is going to get old....." muttered Shayla as they once again began to follow him. But she was still trying to figure out the duel. There was something...... she couldn't place her finger on it....... but there was something that happened that she needed to know, something that she had forgotten, it seemed.
**************************************************************************** ****
They reached the aquarium, but it was empty. The show, which turned into a duel between Joe and Mako, was over. The crowds had left. Yu-Gi couldn't have looked more disappointed. But he was searching for a phone to call Tea's cell phone.
(AN/ OK, I really think Mako should have won that one. If you think about 'heart of the cards' he had the better reason. Mako is cool, and I for one would have loved to see him find his dad. Thanks for listening, I was venting.)
"I can hardly see why Yu-Gi is so obsessed about finding that dog, Wheeler," muttered Kaiba.
"Why?" asked Shayla. "They are friends, and that's what friends would do for each other. Wouldn't you do the same for you friends?"
"I have no friends."
"Oh......" It was quiet for a moment.
"Seto, I am still trying to track the last god card, but I haven't found it yet," said Mokuba.
"Keep trying."
"But there is more bad news," he continued. "The signal from Joe's duel disk died."
"I don't care...."
"What could have happened?" interrupted Shayla.
"It has to be those rare hunters," answered Mokuba. "I think they already found Tea and Joe."
"Not good...." muttered Shayla, her nerves getting more tense.
"Huff," muttered Kaiba.
"Don't you care what happens?" asked Shayla. "You were helping Yu-Gi find them a minute ago."
"Me? Help Yu-Gi?" said Kaiba, somewhat shocked. "I am only here to duel him for his god card. I could care less about his friends."
"So a stupid card is all that matters to you?" asked Shayla, feeling the dawning of disappointment.
"It is an Egyptian god card, one of three of the monster powerful cards in the whole world," said Kaiba, almost like he had been insulted.
"And you are putting it over someone's safety?" asked Shayla.
"I don't care about them," he replied, coldly. "I've always known I was the only one I could trust. Friends..... Feh. Who needs them? When I get all of the god cards, I won't need anyone. That's what this is all about. Of course, I don't expect you to understand."
"Kaiba.... I thought you were better than that," said Shayla, shocked and disappointed. She thought that he actually had a heart, but all he seemed to care about was dueling Yu-Gi for his god card. Yu-Gi was trying to save his friends, and all Kaiba could focus on was himself. Shayla shook her head and turned and walked out.
"Shayla, wait!" called Kaiba, but she didn't reply. "What did I say wrong?" he asked himself.
"Seto, she's right," said Mokuba. His eyes spoke of hurt, too. "What's gotten into you?" Mokuba turned and raced out, toting his brother's briefcase with him. "Shayla, wait!"
"Mokuba...." muttered Kaiba, who was now shocked with himself. He couldn't seem to figure out what he had done wrong.
"It's too late," reported Yu-Gi as he walked over. "The rare hunters have found them..... Where did Shayla and Mokuba go?"
"Away," replied Kaiba, coldly.
"Is that safe?" asked Yu-Gi, concerned. Kaiba didn't reply.
Outside......
"Shayla, wait for me," said Mokuba as he raced to her. Shayla paused.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, not accusingly.
"You are right about Seto. I've never seen him act like this," said Mokuba. "I know he wanted to win all the god cards... but now, he is just being rude!"
"You're a good kid," said Shayla. "I don't get how the two of you can be related."
"Here, sit down," said Mokuba as he lead her to a concrete barrier. "I just want to apologize for the way my brother has been acting."
"You shouldn't have to apologize," said Shayla. "You've done nothing wrong."
"But still...." stammered Mokuba. "You're too nice for him to be so mean to you."
"Thanks," said Shayla. "But it is no big deal. I've been trying to drop out of this crazy tournament from the start."
"Why?" asked Mokuba.
"Because nothing good ever happens," muttered Shayla. She didn't tell him about the strange surge of power she was feeling. It felt like the time right before the finals at the Duelist Kingdom when everything started to go wrong. She knew something bad was coming, and she wanted to be gone.
Shayla paused, her head jerked up right. She could hear footsteps deliberately approaching them. Something inside her was screaming a warning.
"Mokuba....." she said, but her warning came too late.
"You're coming with us," said a gruff voice from behind them.
"What is going on?!" demanded Mokuba.
"Don't wait, RUN!" yelled Shayla. Mokuba took the hint and bolted.
"We have you surrounded, give up," ordered another voice. Shayla felt strong arms lock around her.
"Let me go!" she yelled, kicking random places. "You creep!"
"Help!" she heard Mokuba cry.
"Mokuba!" she called, hoping he had got away. She knew better, though.
"Let me go!" he demanded. "When my brother get a hold of you.... You're those Rare Hunters, aren't you? Seto is going to be so mad...!"
"Rare Hunters?" asked Shayla as she felt herself being jerked to her feet. "These weirdos?"
"You're coming with us," said one of the Rare Hunters. "Master Marik has plans for you."
"I've heard that name somewhere...." muttered Shayla. Then the guy began to half drag, half pull, half carry her away. "Let me go! This is unfair, picking on a blind girl!" Secretly, she was wondering why her scales weren't working. This qualified for injustice, didn't it?
They were roughly handle to a helicopter that was waiting nearby. Shayla could hear them talking faintly over the whirl of the blades.
"Master Marik, we brought the boy and the brown-haired girl like you asked," said one.
"This is the wrong brown-haired girl!" a new voice said. "I already have Yu-Gi's friends."
"What did you do to them?" demanded Mokuba, who was still fighting. "Let me go, or you'll be sorry!"
"I think not, young Kaiba," said the guy Shayla assumed was Marik. "We need you to get your brother to duel us. Once we have stripped him of his god card, neither of you will have any use to us."
"You'd better not hurt him!" yelled Mokuba. Marik just laughed.
"But what about the girl?" asked one of the Rare Hunters. Shayla cringed. She was so close to being out of this mess, and instead she only got it deeper.
"Hhhmmm," she heard Marik think. Then she felt her backpack being lifted off of her shoulders.
"Give that back!" she yelled as she kicked the air again. Her arms were still pinned behind her by her captor. "That's mine! You can't take it." She was mad and scared, and getting sick by the strange magic around her.
"The Millennial Scales!" exclaimed Marik as he took them out. "This girl is the bearer of a Millennial Item?" Shayla could feel his eyes studying her.
"Those are mine! Give them back!" she ordered. "I haven't done anything to you!"
"Leave her alone!" yelled Mokuba.
"Take her as a hostage too," said Marik, at length. "Use her to persuade Yu-Gi and Kaiba to duel us. And be sure to keep her Millennial Item away from her."
"Right," said one Rare Hunter.
"What are you going to do to me?" she asked.
The only answer she received was a curt laugh and a push onto the floor of the helicopter. Mokuba was thrown in after her. Several Rare Hunters made sure they didn't try to escape as the helicopter took off.
"Tie them up," said one Rare Hunter as soon as they were skimming the buildings.
"Let go of me!" demanded Mokuba as he kicked and squirmed. "When Seto gets his hands on you...."
"He isn't going to hurt us, because if he does, YOU get hurt," snapped a Rare Hunter as he finished tying Mokuba down.
"What kind of person are you, threatening blind girls and little boys?" asked Shayla. She had been feeling around the floor for her backpack. But then one Rare Hunter grabbed her and tied her hands tight in front of her.
"We want to be sure Kaiba gets the message," said one Rare Hunter. Shayla guessed that there was three in the helicopter, plus the pilot.
"Right, send out the bait," said another. There was some more shuffling noises.
"Put me down!" yelled Mokuba.
"For crying out loud!" yelled Shayla. "Leave him alone!"
"Make sure the ropes are tight, we don't want him to fall," said another.
"Approaching Kaiba," reported the pilot.
"Send out the bait," said another.
"What are you going to do to me?" asked Mokuba.
"Have a nice trip," said one Rare Hunter.
Shayla didn't need to see to figure out what was going on. She could sense that Mokuba had been dragged to the open door of the helicopter. They were holding him right by it. Then, she felt as they pushed him out.
"No!" cried Shayla as she heard Mokuba scream as he fell.
"Don't worry," said one Rare Hunter who pushed her to the floor again. "We've got him tied to the copter."
"Help! Seto, save me!" she could hear Mokuba cry, somewhere below them.
"You're insane!" she snapped. "You are sick! This is wrong!"
"Shut up!" snapped a Rare Hunter.
SMACK! Shayla suddenly felt her face tingling. It took her a moment to place it. He had slapped her across the face. She raised her tied hands to the injury, shocked into silence. But in that silence she could hear them bartering with Yu-Gi and Kaiba.
"Leave my brother alone!" demanded Seto.
"Help! Big brother!" cried Mokuba. He had never stopped calling for help.
"Your friends go free, if you duel us," said another Rare Hunter, this one on the ground with Yu-Gi and Kaiba. "You see that tall building? Meet us there if you ever want to see your loved ones again."
"If you think I am going to let you hurt Mokuba...." said Kaiba through gritted teeth.
"Kaiba, this is not the way to get our friends and family back," said Yu- Gi.
"They don't get the idea," Shayla heard over the intercom.
"Then we'll make them get the idea," said one Rare Hunter near her.
"AAAHHH!" she screamed as she was jerked roughly to her feet.
"I wouldn't struggle, if I were you," said the Rare Hunter, menacingly.
"You'd better agree, or else," said the Rare Hunter who was with Kaiba and Yu-Gi.
Shayla felt the man's grip on her upper arm tighten. She winced in pain. Then, he swung her half way across the helicopter and leaned her backwards. Shayla could feel the wind whipping her hair around. She could sense the nothingness behind her. The blood drained from her face. She was hanging out of the helicopter. Her feet still touched the door, but she was at an angle that they weren't supporting her weight. The only thing holding her up was the man's grip on her arm. And she didn't have a safety line like Mokuba. She reached up and dug into the Rare Hunter's arm, trying to steady herself. She felt light headed, even though her heart was pounding away. She was so afraid she thought she was going to faint.
"Shayla!" she heard Yu-Gi and Kaiba call, but its sounded like it was far away.
"Leave her out of this!" demanded Kaiba. "She has nothing to do with any of this."
"Then do you accept our challenge?" asked the Rare Hunter.
".....Yes," they both said.
"Good!" said the Rare Hunter. "You know where and when you are supposed to be. If you don't show, your friends pay the price." That Rare Hunter hopped off. Shayla was pulled back into the helicopter and it rose again. Mokuba was still calling Seto.
Shayla was thrown to the floor, not like she had the strength to stand. She was pale and her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Mokuba was pulled in and thrown next to her.
"Shayla! Are you OK?" asked Mokuba when he saw how distraught she was. Shayla couldn't even manage a nod.
"Marik has prepared a place for the boy," said one Rare Hunter. "But I have a plan for the girl."
AN/ I am soooo mean to my OC's. Sorry, Shayla! But this was that chapter I couldn't wait to write! Now it gets good. And just as it gets good, they decide to show reruns for the summer. *Sigh* Oh well. I really like this chapter, so tell me what y'all think. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy! (