"It's ok," the girl said. She gave a small smile before moving to the table.
"Ukori, is it?" Rae asked while she gathered what she had dropped.
"Hardly anyone else knows my name," she snorted back.
"You tend to keep to yourself a lot," Rae replied. "You're the only female non-monster servant Malik has. Don't you ever feel lonely?"
"All the time," Ukori sighed.
"Malik doesn't have you chained like he does me. You could leave whenever you want," Rae said quietly as she stopped what she was doing and sat next to the girl.
Ukori dipped her head slightly and raven locks obscured her face. "I've nowhere else to go, this is home for me and better than the world out there."
Rae figured it best not to press further. Instead she got to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, I need to finish gathering these things before I anger Malik."
Ukori nodded and sat up. "It was nice to have someone other than Malik speak to me, thank you."
"Even if I had to run off?" Rae said sheepishly.
"Yes, even then. But go on, best not make him mad. I don't like the yelling."
"She won't be pleased when she awakens. We really should move her to a holding cell until she accepts her fate," Rishid warned. Malik shrugged it off and pet the hand of the sleeping creature. He had tucked her away in a cabin, the one Rae stayed in to be exact and was now fawning over her. Rishid honestly didn't know why Malik was so interested but didn't question him.
"She'll learn soon enough, that collar will make sure of it. Should she try to remove it the tranquilizers it holds will knock her out." The Egyptian looked up as Rae walked in. She held a bowl of cool water, a cloth and the few spices that Malik had requested.
"Is this everything?" she asked when she put them down on the nightstand.
Malik looked through everything and nodded when he was satisfied. "Leave us," he said to the other two. Rae was out in no time, but Rishid lingered.
"But sir, I really don't think it wise. I could help restrain her when she aw--"
"I said leave. I don't fear her in the least," Malik snapped.
"As you wish," Rishid replied with a bow. He backed out of the room but didn't go far. Rae too was standing in the hall.
"Just in case he calls, I'll be ready," she said.
"He should have let one of us remain," Rishid sighed with a shake of his head.
"The blimp checked out, sir. We finish filling it tomorrow morning and test it's air worth so it will be ready by the time you have set," a worker said. He had just finished doing miscellaneous tasks and tucked the clipboard under his arm when Kaiba approached.
"Excellent. The rooms are ready and prepared as well?"
"They are, supplies are here as well. We'll start loading them once the refrigerators are ready and at the proper food keeping temperatures. The duel platform is working perfectly as is the elevator. The observation deck's railings are sturdy so there won't be any mishaps. We would like to invite you in for the final inspection in case we missed anything."
"I'll take your word for it. Be warned though, if you have missed anything and we run into problems tomorrow your job is on the line."
"Y-yes sir," the worker nodded. "I am confident that everything is fine. This last check will make sure."
Seto simply nodded before he walked past.
The CEO folded his arms over his chest as he studied the massive airship. There were more than enough rooms for the finalist and the small staff he planed to fly with. Seto knew for certain Yuugi was going to bring his cheerleaders and Seto was going to allow them on board. He wanted them there for the end, they needed to see something and since it was almost guaranteed everyone would use this chance to get what they wanted; a show was ensured.
"Hey Seto, figured I'd find you here," Mokuba grinned. He walked up next to his brother as he looked over the half filled blimp. "All the wire frame deals always make it look ready for flight even if it isn't."
"Still fascinated by that?" Seto chuckled.
"It's the most exciting thing that's happened today," Mokuba shrugged.
"Well the day is almost over, tomorrow promises to be better," the brunette smirked.
"Yeah, I'm expecting some pretty intense duels," Mokuba nodded.
"If we even duel," Seto thought. He had a feeling there would be little of the traditional card game and more... ancient rites.
"Once you're ready I want to head to dinner, hungry today for whatever reason," Mokuba muttered.
"I had plans to do so, in fact why don't we go now? I'm done here, finished what I came to do."
"Yuugi's spending the night, Tyl. He wanted to speak to you," Jounouchi said as he came in.
Tyldak peeked out of the room he had been given and raised a brow. "Oh?"
"You're coming to the finals, correct? I'd like to implore your help," the short figure said.
"What's in it for me..."
"Assured freedom," he said. "And knowing you helped save the world."
"Who said I was up for being the hero?"
"I know for a fact you enjoy living. And if the wrong parties win, you may lose that," he stated firmly.
"I escaped imprisonment so long ago, I can handle things now as well," the bat insisted.
"I don't doubt your abilities, but as it stands you are a priority, so is Seraph and all the others. You are all that may stand in the way, the only ones that would hold power to do something should this all fail."
"I think I like this," Tyldak laughed. He snapped his trap shut when he caught the glare both were giving him.
"However bad you think life is for you now, I promise the wrong parties will make it worse." Jou almost yelled. "Look, I don't know the whole story either, but if Bakura wins he'll set the monsters free. That equals chaos and Malik... no one knows his goals. Who knows what he'll do."
"Bakura would be a fool to set the monsters free, one taste of the freedom they were denied and controlling them would be impossible. He'd be back to square one, I assume Malik's goals are much the same."
"No, Malik's angry about his past. It's a possibility that the items could hold enough power for him to change his past. Time and space is a scary thing to mess with, he could screw everything up."
"And what would I care? If my life was snuffed out or altered, I wouldn't have any memory of having the chance to stop it, now would I?" Tyldak asked.
"And what if for punishment you were allowed to remember how things had been?"
The bat fell silent after Yuugi made his point. "Alright, whatever. Just stop making my brain hurt," he mumbled while covering his head with his wings. "I'll help, I'll make sure things don't go down the crapper. I just don't trust the Pharaoh much either. He was not a kind person either..."
"But even if he isn't, out of all the other outcomes his holds the most promise," Yuugi said.
"Taking the lesser of the evils, huh? I suggest you have a serious talk with your other half when we get him back. The mistakes of the past won't be repeated and I will not pay for what others did," he growled out. It took the other two a moment to realize he meant the events that had caused the monsters to be locked away. "Not everyone that was punished deserved it..."
"We're trying to prevent history from repeating itself. If everything my other half did is unbound, then it could happen again. And in this day and age, the resulting panic and chaos could be far worse."
"Yes, you hairless apes could blow the damn world up. Every country out there is just itching for an excuse to blow someone else up."
"Now let's not bring that into this, ok?" Jounouchi demanded. "This is about what we can stop and thereby prevent that from happening. Things start small and become bigger if not stopped. Well this is pretty damn big in itself. If we can't stop it now then we never will."
"I wasn't aware motivational speeches were your thing," Tyl chuckled. "I suggest this subject be dropped, it will only turn into a debate and you gentlemen can't afford to lose any sleep."
"Agreed," Yuugi nodded.
"You might as well give up!" Malik laughed again. "I can hit this button again and again, that charge you feel won't get any easier to deal with. And you don't want to become wounded, now do you? You've already learned you can't shift realms unless I want you too..."
"You sick, demented slaver!" the demoness roared. She cringed again when he hit the button and sent yet another wave of electricity through her. She could smell her flesh burning, her neck would be a mess if he kept hammering the button. "If I crush that, your control over me would end."
"No, you see," he grinned before walking closer to her. "If I so much as say the correct word, your collar will inject you with a tranquilizer. All of my servants know it and you can't get anyone to tell you what it is without setting it off. Oh, and the little remote," he said while waving it before her. "Has a fail safe as well, if it's destroyed the signal it and the collar bounce between one another is stopped. If it stops... your collar will continuously run a current through you. No, you won't die. You'll just be forced between realms, but you'll be so weak when you arrive you'd be easy prey for anything waiting. And if you die there..." he trailed off. "I think you know what happens."
"Bakura will not stand for this!"
"I know he won't. I have plans for you my dear, big plans. And I have," he checked his pocket watch. "Less than a day to break you in. And I plan break you in such ways you can only imagine," he grinned wickedly.
"There is not much you can do while in a cast," she spat back.
"Who said my plan was to use brute force and violence?" he chuckled. "Besides, I have plenty of servants for that. No, you may be a demon but you are still a woman. You have the same fears and hold the same pride as any other. And I would so enjoy hurting that..."
"Touch me and be castrated," she growled in an animalistic tone.
"Well naturally, if you were allowed to remain as you are now I would run that risk. But I'm going to sedate you first. Make you more malleable and willing."
"Then I will change your gender when my head is cleared!"
"No. You won't," he said as he began to back out of the room. "I'll come for you later, once the sedative you are about to get kicks in."
As Malik walked out another servant walked in, he was a burly man and would have no trouble with Seraph should she have been a normal woman. But she wasn't and Seraph had taken this as a dumb move on Malik's part. She hissed and lunged for the goon, her claw swipe landed and tore through his shirt and skin. But as it did, something punctured her flesh. She grunted and pulled the dart from her before stumbling back. Two more servants entered, one tended to the previously wounded one and the other looked to the demoness as she sank to her knees.
"Thought you could get off easy? As soon as you begin to wake from that I'll give you something to relax you but keep you awake. Don't want to sleep through the honeymoon, now do you?" he laughed.
Seraph's vision was blurred and things sounded distant, but she had heard the other's promise regardless. "Damn you," she slurred. "Damn you to the farthest reaches of Hell."
"Really now, Master Malik is offering to give you a few moments in the opposite of Hell and you would damn others to it?" he knew he wouldn't get an answer, her eyes closed and she fell over about then. "Bitch can't see the how lucky she is. The future ruler of this world wants her and she's pushing him away."
"All women are like that," the wounded servant said. "And they all have claws," he managed to joke over the pain.
If Rae didn't have fur, others would have seen the color drain from her face. She had remained in the hall the whole time and heard everything. Suddenly what Malik put her through didn't seem so bad. The feline kicked herself for thinking that way, the other monster was in such danger and she felt helpless. She ran a shaky hand through her hair before she felt ready to move back into the small room. It was in disarray and she did the only thing she could think of, she began to clean as two of his human servants left and a third remained to watch the demoness carefully.
"Envy her, huh?" the watcher asked Rae once the others were gone.
"Not in the least," Rae replied. "Master Malik is not my type."
"Oh yeah, you're a walking-talking hairball. Guess you aren't his type either," he laughed.
Rae bit back her harsh reply and concentrated on making the room look presentable again.
"I wonder if he plans to take her here or move her to his chambers," the human thought aloud.
The feline made a disgusted face before she shrugged and answered, "His chambers I would think. Larger and more lavish."
"I wonder what kind of sounds a demon in the throws of passion makes."
"Would you please just shut up!" Rae yelled at last. "It's degrading enough knowing what he plans to do, I don't want to hear your interest in it."
"Bitchy for a cat, sure you aren't a dog?"
"I have claws too," she warned.
"And a collar."
Rae's eyes fell and she sighed in defeat.
"That's what I thought," the human snorted. "Oh look, she burned this stuff off faster than the last time. Better get the sedative down her throat," he said.
He'd been looking for an hour, the sun had gone down already and he was left in the middle of night life in the city. Seraph was no where around, he couldn't even make contact with her through their link. It worried him deeply, she would always answer quickly. He began to think Malik's servants where right, if that was the case then he needed to find her quickly. Bakura was well aware of the Egyptian's interest in her and feared what may happen. Seraph had survived so many things before, she was strong. But this was different, new and on a whole other level. He didn't know how she'd take it, what's worse is he didn't know just what Malik would do or act on. Bakura growled before he kicked a streetlamp hard, persons nearby gave him odd looks, when he returned it with a glare some looked away and others walked by quickly.
Bakura grunted and ran his hand over his face. Random searches weren't going to get him anywhere, he needed to find where Malik was. The only thing he had going for figuring out his location was the fact Malik wasn't originally from Domino and his servants were from all areas around the world. So that meant he came by one of two ways, air or sea. It seemed more plausible he was a sea farer, so the docks would be his first choice. "When I find her and undo whatever he's done to her..." he closed his eyes and balled his hand into a fist. "I get my hits in and she can finish him."
Things are about to get a lot darker and more moody from here on. And then the finals hit...
This is where things get really different from the RP it was based on. Hell, only the very beginning was based on what we had done. From about the middle of chapter one to now is 100% from my brain. Just evolving the characters and building on the foundations others had laid...