LoneWolf16: *raises eyebrow* Well, I got nice reviews, but only two guesses. And that's not exactly very good odds (what, like 2 out of 9 possibilities?), so nobody exactly won my little guessing game. Thanks for the support though – it's nice to know people actually read and review this fic, and like it as well…*smiles*
I have changed a few things to the fic's characteristics. After writing a few chapters, this fic is not exactly a "parody" of anything. Also, this is only vaguely based on those video games I talked about – probably the only thing remotely like Tekken is the hand-to-hand combat. And believe it or not, this fic will actually have a plot!
Djanil: Oh goodie.
LoneWolf16: *sighs* I guess I should still do the disclaimer though…even though I repeatedly say that I don't won YGO.
Umm, also a side note…the end of this is pretty violent. If the last chapter was funny, this is on the other side of the spectrum. Well, considering that someone dies, it has to be pretty violent, but this might be a little too…bloody. Oh well…
So anyway, with that done…onto another battle!
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Chapter 5: Bloodbath
Everyone was still in slight shock of the previous battle that had taken place. Hormones and emotions seem to have a big influence on the earlier fights.
Kaiba shook his head. Some people never used their heads. Tea should have seen that one coming. But no, she let her female emotions get a hold of her.
Just then, the announcer returned from the mall. The door swung open to reveal the announcer's grinning face. (He was still smiling from the food fight.) "Can Ryou Bakura and Ishizu Ishtar please come with me for the next duel?"
Ishizu serenely turned around and walked towards the unnamed announcer.
Ryou winced as he looked at Ishizu, the opponent he would face. Of course, Bakura saw as well…
Look all pitiful and weak as you always do, vessel. It'll make it all more sweeter when I kill that bitch woman.
Amazing enough, Ryou spoke back. No you won't, Bakura. You won't send anyone else to the graveyard.
Aww, you're going to make me cry. Wake up, vessel. I am your master. You do what I want.
As Ryou walked towards the announcer, Ryou clenched his fist. He could NOT let his yami inflict pain again. He just couldn't…
* * * * *
The car ride was a silent one. Ryou kept feebly arguing with Bakura, and Ishizu was staring off into space, trying to make sense of the visions she had seen.
What were they trying to say? She had seen the pyramids crumble, the millenium items stolen, and the world covered in heavy darkness. She had seen the God Cards ripped into shreds, and a manic laugh haunted her dreams. Were they simply fictions of her mind, or were they truly visions of the future?
The only way to tell was to enter this tournament and find out the truth.
She smiled briefly. To think that she would enter a combat tournament. But then her smiled faded, because in the next few moments she would have to enter combat herself.
* * * * *
The car rolled to a stop in front of a dreary, dark alley.
"That will be the dueling arena."
Ishizu's eyes widened; Bakura, who was watching through Ryou's eyes, smirked. The alleyway was dank, dirty, and covered with graffiti. A few trash cans littered the small space. A place most likely frequented by gangs, beggars…and thieves.
What a perfect setting for death.
No…
What makes you think you can stop me? Your energy has already weakened simply by arguing with me.
Ryou and Ishizu moved into the alley and took their battle positions. Ryou stood rigidly straight, practically waiting for a blow while Ishizu stood relaxed and ready.
"BEGIN."
Ishizu began right off by creating an immediate shield around her, using her Millenium Necklace. A golden glow surrounded her, and she waited for an attack.
Which never came.
Ryou was squeezing his eyes shut, hoping that Ishizu would attack and end this before Bakura took over and begin whipping knives around.
But an attack never came.
They both stood there for a few moments, with absolutely nothing happening. (The announcer shook his head. This was pathetic.)
Ryou cracked open an eyelid; Ishizu peered through her shield.
"Tomb robber, I know you are there." A pause, and silence. "Thief then, and coward. Are you afraid to test your skill against me?"
What was Ishizu doing? Ryou wildly wondered. Did she want to be killed? Didn't she see what Bakura did to those he defeated in Battle City? He couldn't let Bakura be let loose…
Ishizu was deliberately provoking Bakura. She knew about the spirit of the Millenium Ring, and the troubles he had caused. Perhaps, she thought, it was destiny for them to confront each other. Perhaps it was fate; she had to stop this power-hungry yami before he got too far…
"Has the greatest thief of Egypt lost his touch?"
Bakura growled. Typical female, she just hid behind her shields and taunted him. Him, the greatest tomb robber of all of Egypt, and the world! He'd show her…
Ryou could feel Bakura seizing control. Ryou gritted his teeth and tried to restrain his yami. No…you…can't…
I CAN and I WILL!
Ishizu could see the battle going within Ryou's mind. The pain that he must be going through, and the determination that he showed… "Ryou, let Bakura come forth."
Ryou's eyes flew open.
"Let me challenge him." Her eyes hardened. "Let me be the one to break his lust for power and pain."
Ryou couldn't withstand Bakura any longer and let his mind slip away. Bakura emerged and had a feral grin on his face, hair wild and eyes narrowed. Immediately, he began calculating and glancing, strategizing and planning, for the most torturous death he could inflict on the woman.
"Woman, your very minutes are numbered now." Bakura spat.
Ishizu waited. Now that Bakura was out and temper enraged, the battle would truly commence now…
Bakura immediately tested Ishizu's shield with a blast from his Millenium Ring. A flare of light, and his attack was reflected back at him. He absorbed his energy back; the shield she created was formidable enough.
But there are plenty of ways to destroy a shield.
Bakura seized more magic from the Ring and created a whirlwind of edged mage-bolts. They should be able to shred the shield to bits. He grinned evilly; this should be fun. To see her being sliced into her anatomical parts…
The shield began to be eaten up by the tornado of blades. Then Ishizu countered with a tactic Bakura had never seen. She let her shield loose.
Loose, and floating. Normally, shields are rigid and stiff for strength, but now it was supple and bent easily, but did not break. The blades could find no purchase on the shield now and the shield simply spun around in circles, keeping Ishizu unharmed and unwearied.
Bakura growled. Stupid woman, did she truly think that she could defy him for long?
"Bakura, it seems as if you cannot do anything against me."
And his temper flared. Bakura summoned the Morphing Jar to eat away her shield.
The jar opened up and began to suck away at Ishizu's energy in the shield. Ishizu was now in a dilemma. To let the Morphing Jar stay would mean a constant drain in energy. To recall her shield would mean that the Morphing Jar had a way to get at her and send her to the graveyard. And to attempt to destroy the Morphing Jar would require her to dissipate her shield anyway, for a shield worked both ways. To block things from the outside also meant blocking things from the inside.
Bakura smirked as well. He too, knew the choices that Ishizu had before her. But before he could gloat over her apparent female inability to choose, Ishizu had found an answer to her jar problem. First, she readied a lightning bolt within her defenses. Next she created another shield; like a shield within a shield, but left the lightning bolt in the middle.
Then she dispelled her first shield.
The Morphing Jar shook free and reached for her second shield. But before it could attack and feed again, the lightning bolt struck it and sent the Jar back to the Shadow Realm.
Bakura cursed at being foiled. By the gods of Egypt, he was going to take this woman down…
He glared at the shield. That glowing, golden shield. The one that separated him from her, from death and life. How could the shield move so freely?
Then he found a solution. The shield could flow and hover because it was no longer connected to her magic. But if he forced the shield inward, the shield would implode on itself, having nowhere else to go…
Bakura grabbed more power from the Shadow Realm and began to surround and force pure power on the shield. Dark magic filled the alley, and people could see the dim glow from blocks away. As he expected, the shield receded and bent inward, until it could go no further…and burst.
Ishizu was struck by overwhelming magic. It blew her off her feet and she crumpled, temporarily knocked out. Bakura had an evil grin on his face…now was the time to end this…
Bakura whipped out one of many knives hidden on him, and began to stalk towards Ishizu. He began to think on what cuts and slices he would make, perhaps a gut wound first, and then a nice, decorative design cut into her back, with the blood drips as a bonus…
But yet another flare of light came from the Millenium Necklace. Apparently, the Necklace would protect its bearer. Ishizu's body disappeared.
More curses in ancient Egyptian. May Obelisk the Tormentor rain down all his fury upon that female…
The Ring glowed as well. After all, two people are needed for hide-and-seek. Or in this case, stalk-and-destroy. The pointers of the Ring indicated Ishizu was towards the right. The hunt had begun.
Ishizu groaned and opened her eyes. Where was she? In a covered thing, apparently. She had felt her Necklace teleport her elsewhere, but exactly where? She looked around. Dark, dank, and distinctly smelly…Ishizu popped her head out, and looked down.
She was in a dumpster.
Ishizu groaned. Why the Necklace thought this was a good hiding place was beyond her, but she definitely did not want to be in a large trash bin when Bakura came looking for her.
Which he did, in the few seconds that Ishizu took to crawl out of the dumpster.
Ryou, while looking through Bakura's eyes, was a little shocked. Ishizu was now disheveled, dirty, and covered with garage. The white dress she wore was now stained and ripped. He never thought he'd see Ishizu in this state.
Neither did Bakura. "Oh, look at this. The whore has defiled herself down to the worth of compost."
Ishizu gritted her teeth and struck at Bakura with a blast of Millenium magic.
Bakura easily deflected it. "Tut, tut. You should seriously try strengthening your powers."
"And steal that power from others like a thief like you? No thank you, street rat."
Bakura's eyes flashed. "It's TOMB ROBBER to you, bitch, and the GREATEST one at that!" Bakura flung his knife at her, and the air hissed as the knife flew towards Ishizu.
Ishizu teleported away, behind Bakura. He whirled around and snarled.
"What, afraid to come out and fight? Just hide and run, and keep safe behind your shield…" Bakura spat.
Ishizu glared back. Very rude, this thief was. She'd teach him some manners. Ishizu held her hands around her Necklace and fired a blast towards Bakura.
Who returned it with another blast of his own. The two attacks collided with each other, creating a huge explosion. Both staggered back.
This was a little more like it for Bakura. Attack and counterattack, take and receive, and then retaliate. The fight was purely using magic, and the buildings nearby were beginning to shake from the aftershocks.
Ishizu was beginning to worry. Both of them had taken hits, but neither one of them was backing down. Bakura was enjoying the explosions and was laughing at it all.
"Did you seriously think you could stop me?" Bakura sneered, as he flung another knife.
Ishizu dodged it and created another shield to give her a temporary relief from the barrage of attacks. How, in name of Isis, was she going to stop this madman?
Bakura growled at the shield. Not another Ra-forsaken shield; those were so annoying. He snarled and whipped another knife at her. Of course, it simply bounced off, but he didn't care. He'd make the whole city come down to ruins in order to get what he wanted.
Bakura turned towards one of the crumbling brick walls nearby and called on the power of the Millenium Ring to blast the shaking walls and deliver a dump load of bricks onto Ishizu.
KA-BOOM!
A shower of bricks, mortar, and glass showered down on Ishizu. Her shield stiffened, and then gradually bent beneath the weight. And then slowly, ever so slowly, it straightened and the load slid off the resilient shield.
"ARRRGH! Why can't you just DIE?!?" Bakura screamed. "May Osiris damn you for all eternity and may Amut eat your bloody soul and--" A long string of curses followed.
Ishizu ignored Bakura's blasphemy. Her chest heaved and she strained to catch her breath. This thief had more than she had expected. If only she could have used the Necklace's power to see the future, but that cursed Ring prevented that.
Bakura snatched out yet another knife from one of his many hidden sheathes. He had knives on him galore – arm sheathes, leg sheathes, a few around his chest, behind his back, around his waist, and quite a few down his sides…
Bakura began to stalk closer towards the barrier between him and Ishizu. Perhaps, with a little help from his Ring, he could cut through that bastard shield.
Ishizu decided to change his plans by teleporting away. However, she only went a short distance. Either she was tired or she was deliberately provoking Bakura.
Bakura whirled around. Infuriating woman! He leapt towards her, but she moved away again.
This time, Bakura saw the loophole – she could not bring her shield along with her. When she teleported, her protective shield was temporary gone, until she made a new one. With an insane grin on his face, he leapt towards her again, anticipating another teleport and the weakness revealed.
As he predicted, Ishizu dissappeared, and in the split second opening of appearing, Bakura moved to throw his knife for the lethal blow.
And found that his arm could not move. His hikari was fighting him!
You…can't…do…it…
Bakura's arm strained. The knife tip wobbled as it went from moving to stopping still.
"RYOU!" Bakura roared. "I AM YOUR MASTER! DO YOU DARE DEFY ME?!?"
Ishizu eyes widened. Ryou was fighting his other self in order to stop Bakura? That was a paradox indeed…
The Millenium Ring flared and Bakura was bathed in its glow.
"YOU WILL NOT GET IN MY WAY!"
Ryou could feel himself slammed back into his soul room. Battered and bruised, he slid down the cool, white walls. A blaze of magic swirled around him, causing him to scream in pain as it cut his skin and punched every nervous cell geared for pain in his body. Bakura was going to teach him a major, brutal lesson very, very soon…after he was through with Ishizu.
Ishizu could only stare in shock. How could someone's other half, his other very soul be so abusive to his aibou? She had to stop this madness…
She walked quickly towards Bakura, who was currently distracted with punishing Ryou as much as possible for disobeying him. Ishizu then stuck a major blow on Bakura, punching him right in his face while calling on a surge of Shadow Magic to strike Bakura. Bakura was blown off his feet, with the knife skidding out of his reach.
Bakura used every curse ever known to him.
Ishizu stood over him, holding another mage-bolt, ready to blast him. "Do you surrender, thief?"
Bakura snarled. "I never surrender. May Ra flame you where you stand, and leave nothing but ashes!"
"Then you leave me with no choice."
The death blow began to fall – until Bakura grabbed a handful of gutter spew and flung it at her face. Blinded, the direction of the magic altered and slammed into the concrete only a few millimeters away from Bakura's face.
Unfazed at cheating death, Bakura quickly rolled over, snatched out a knife, and stabbed what was closest – Ishizu's left leg.
Gasping, Ishizu fell while Bakura rose. The tomb robber grinned evilly, the taste of victory and blood on his tongue.
"How sad, Ishizu Ishtar. You have lost this duel."
Ishizu tried to shield herself, but it flickered and died out. Her reserves were drained, and there was nothing left for her to defend with.
Bakura grabbed Ishizu's hair and jerked her up. Mud dripped down from her face. She moaned and closed her eyes. Bakura hissed, "You have failed in your destiny…"
Knives peppered Ishizu's body, like a crude form of acupuncture; but instead of relieving pain, it caused more pain. The once-white dress soaked in blood and mud, never again to shine in purity. In his soul room, Ryou tried to block out what he was feeling, but failed, for the visions of death are too strong to withstand. Ryou knew what his other half was capable of, and he hated what was coming, what Bakura would now do. A quick slash of his knife slit her throat. Ishizu's blood gushed out like a river, to pool in puddles around Bakura's feet.
"K.O.!"
But Bakura did not stop. His shirt became stained blood-red, full with death. Bakura then began to stab Ishizu's body, reveling in her death throes, her eyes already glazed and unseeing. Blood poured over his fingers; he licked them, loving the spice of pain. Bakura released the pent-up rage he had held for so long, sated his thirst for blood, becoming drunk from drinking the cup of agony. Her arms dribbled red, dropping little red raindrops on the concrete. Bakura laughed, a manic laugh, filled with blood, death, and suffering…
* * * * *
Somewhere else in Domino, another person laughed along, glorifying in the death of Ishizu Ishtar.
Red swirls surrounded him, having the sparkle of magic, but tainted. Tainted with the death of another.
"Another person after my own heart…"
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LoneWolf16: O.O Wow. I never knew I could be this bloody.
Djanil: *nods* I liked it.
LoneWolf16: O.O You liked it?!?
Djanil: You killed someone. Very good.
LoneWolf16: WHAT?!? *ducks flying objects* No, I didn't enjoy killing Ishizu! *Runs from readers* Yipe! *LoneWolf16 runs around dodging enraged readers for killing character*
LoneWolf16: *pant* Okay! Okay! I'll make what I hinted at in chapter 4 clear! *Seriously* People will die in this fic. Very sorry. However, the power prize at the end of the tournament has the power to revive people. That's why Pegasus entered, to bring back Cecilia. So, although people will die, if the winner chooses, he or she can use he power to revive everyone. IF the winner wants to. So, Ishizu might be dead now, but she MIGHT come back.
Sooo, with that done, *smiles* hope you guys liked this chapter. Not exactly as amusing as the last one, and definitely darker, but it was longer and certainly a nice contest between two wills. Ishizu sure did put up a good fight though…
Hope you guys don't get too mad at me for Ishizu's death. *cringes* I also hope you'll still read future chapters. I don't think the next one is going to be so deep or painful, probably funny like the last one because it's…Marik vs. Mako! That should be a gag…former madman against fisher-boy…
So, a different guessing game. Guess where the battle will take place! I've give you a clue…you guys have already mentioned it in reviews! There's only five possibilities – the Shadow Realm, school, street/city, Duelist Kingdom, or Kaiba's mansion. Now you have better odds. Same prize – you win, I'll use a character with a name you picked out.
Review and guess! Flames are actually appreciated; lets me know people are actually reading this. But praises are always welcome! ^_^ Until the next update, y'all!