::Backs away.:: Aww….come on, put away those pitchforks…. ::Stuck in corner.:: Really now, you want the authoress alive! And I still need Rekhi too (as horrible as he is)! He really is a pathetic muse outside of the story - REALLY! ::Ducks from flying projectiles towards her head.:: Yoh! Come help me!! ::Hides behind the shaman.:: Protect me! Clef!!! ::floats between the two.::
Yeah…anyway…now that I have my guards, I actually have four at the moment and you wouldn't want to mess with any of them, trust me.
Um, another added pairing: Puppyshipping (Jou/Seto). Heh, I got Isis into this again. Her, Seto, and Jou.
"Life sucks." -Daria: Daria
************
"You're awake," Ryou gave a smile as he was allowed to step into Mariku's room at last. The doctors said that he had been rather bruised, but it seemed Mariku had a decent enough will to heal soon enough. Ryou stepped further into the room up besides the other's bed, looking down into the other's blurred over eyes and sighed. "They said you got here at a good time - if it had been any longer, your life would have been risked. You lost a lot of blood."
"What good news," Mariku murmured groggily, trying to talk through the drugs.
"You're also lucky that there was a blood donor, so you don't have to worry about dying."
"….Gee…I was worrying so much…." he nearly spat back, rolling onto his side to look over at Ryou, his eyes quickly trying to focus as they searched around a bit.
Ryou bit his lip, he knew what the other was looking for and when the dark lavender gaze stopped back on him, penetrating him to get an answer, Ryou finally spoke out again. "I don't know where Yami went."
"What did you say…?" Mariku mouthed in return, a glare beginning to form.
Ryou gulped, but nevertheless explained, "He told me to tell you that he was sorry, and that he just didn't want you to get hurt again, then he started to leave. I couldn't get him to tell me where he was going and he just le-"
"Bullshit," Mariku suddenly snapped, trying to sit up, but Ryou pushed him back down. "Let me go! I have to go after him before he does something stupid!"
"Is he really that capable to do something so 'stupid'…?"
"Yes."
************
Mariku watched Yami carefully, the Pharaoh having been slowly pacing with a slight limp. He was healing though, that was the good thing of part of the situation. But decisions needed to be made, and even with both of them knowing what should happen - Yami was afraid and even at this point, so was Mariku.
"Wh-"
"We have to go to the palace," Yami cut in before anything was said. Mariku gave a sigh, causing the pharaoh to look over at him worriedly. "What is it…?" Mariku shook his head and Yami moved over to the other, looking up at him. "You don't want to do this either….do you…?" The answer was obvious as their gazes fully locked.
Mariku lowered his head a bit, leaning against the table. "No, I don't. Sure I know we have to, but that's not nearly the point…" he gave a sigh, shaking his head. It never failed - an Egyptian simply wasn't allowed to have a "normal" life.
Yami held out his hand and wrapped it into one of Mariku's, leaning his head forward and against the other's chest, eyes closed tightly as he took a shaky breath. "I'm scared, Mariku, I really am. How does she think that I have enough power to do this…?"
The taller form gripped back at the other's hand and pulled it up to kiss it lightly before taking his free hand and using it to lift Yami's head to see into the soft eyes. "Because you do have the power, Yami."
************
Yami blindly walked down the street, eyes glazed over as he collapsed against someone's fence, staring up into the sky that was clouded over. "I have to find them…can't let them summon Osiris…not again…" He shuddered a bit, a plipping of rain falling against his face and he tore his face from the sight of the sky. "I'm not weak…I can beat him on my own…" Yami pushed himself forward and continued down the street, trying to keep full aware so he could go about sensing for dark magic. But it felt so hopeless…
…He needed more power.
He knew it. Everyone knew it. He always needed power, because he was always struggling even back in the days of Duelist Kingdom. He struggled for some control then, and in Battle City he was always one to push forward to win. But never was he alone.
There was always help by him.
Some would think he didn't need it, other's knew. They were his enemies. They always found his weakness. His stupid, stupid, weaknesses! Yami bent over and quickly swiped up a rock from the side and threw it with such anger in himself, hearing a crash off to his left and he froze.
| You shouldn't go out in this weather. It's going to pour. |
Yami spun around, body chilled suddenly and glanced all about him. Voices. Not again. This happened before, namely when he was unlocked for the first time from the puzzle. But back then, it was his loyal monster - the Dark Magician that he always heard. This wasn't him, this for one was a femme voice. "Who's there?!" Yami snapped out, desperate for an answer.
| Do you want an umbrella? I know where you can get one. |
It was almost like a child calling to him and he began to follow the voice, or where he thought it was. He crossed over the road to the other side and looked around into an alleyway, slowly stepping into it and hearing something shatter behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, body shaking, breaths ragged.
| Don't be afraid. I can help you, just trust me. |
"No, I can't," Yami spoke quickly, fully pivoting around and he tried walking out the alley, only to full back as a surge of power hit through his body - crashing through his veins as he stumbled. "W-What the hell…?"
| I told you that you cannot be afraid. But I see that you are, so I summoned help and had a wall put up. You cannot leave now. |
The voice was still soft, scary with its gentle tones. Yami gathered his form up and hesitantly touched the "wall" again lightly, pulling back when he started to feel the immense energy. Well, I guess I'm stuck this way now. Yami gave a light sigh and started moving down the alley in a steady pace, gazing around as he did so and jumping slightly at the sound of the childlike voice again.
| I feel like I'm playing hide and seek. |
Yami could almost feel the girl smile. There were twists and turns here and there which Yami navigated through by intuition, stopping almost immediately when he walked into an open area, buildings surrounding a square lot where rising from the ruins of what looked to be a warehouse was a decently sized building. Perhaps it could even be called a house.
But this wasn't what surprised him.
It was the so called girl that smiled to him.
"Y-You're…"
************
"I don't see why I've been dragged here. Again," a voice scowled, arms crossed proudly over his chest in agitation. "Can't you just leave me out of your fortune cookie shit and let me keep on with my life as it should be?"
A woman crossed the room to meet with her very rude "guest" and eyed him carefully. "Seto Kaiba, you are the High Priest of Ancient Egypt - you are Seth, don't try to deny it any longer."
"I have right to deny it all I want!" Seto snapped in frustration, glaring darkly at the woman who turned to the ancient tablets that he had seen once before. He had been urgently called down to the museum by Isis Ishtar not long after he had gotten home from working at Kaiba Corp and now he couldn't remember why he bothered even coming. And besides that, where was Jou? He called the other from the limo to come down as well. He needed the mutt's absurd comments to keep him from going insane.
Isis's eyes narrowed dangerously when she looked back at him, then returned her gaze to look upon the tablets, just as Jounouchi stumbled down the stairs. "I'm here! Gomen nasai, Seto-kun, I decided to-"
"Hello, Katsuya, did you enjoy walking into a telephone pole to delay you?" Isis, who was obviously in a bad mood, glanced behind to the blonde who stopped in his tracks with a blush. Isis looked bored to him.
"….You ran into a pole…?" Seto eyed the other slowly.
Jou's face twisted to glare at Isis while moving up besides Seto. "Damn you and that thing on your neck…" he spat before folding his arms. Seto rose a brow at the blonde before they both noticed the look Isis had on her face. "Um…"
"You, Katsuya Jounouchi, have no reason to be here. But I will allow you to stay, though this is not the time for foolishness," she shook her head and walked to a table, a rectangular box sitting atop it, encasing something in glass. "Come over here, Seth."
"Stop calling me that," Seto gritted through his teeth, but nevertheless stepped up besides Isis with Jou close by. He didn't understand what was so important, there were about twenty separated pieces of a miniature tablet within, but he couldn't decipher them with the pieces being so scattered.
Isis opened the glass slowly, running her hand over the pieces, fingertips organizing the pieces, though there were many spaces of lost pieces. "There are too many memories lost. If I had more of this tablet, I could restore the mind of Seth to you, but I cannot. And yet you need your magic, because soon your God Card that you possess will be hunted for."
"Again? That's nothing new to me. Everyone always wants this card," he pulled Obelisk from his pocket, waving the card in a single hand like it was no big deal when Isis turned to him and for once showed her angered side.
"The opposing side already has both the Sun Dragon Ra and the Saint Dragon Osiris at hand! We're just lucky that the monsters have not been summoned yet, which means the other side is waiting for something!"
Seto blinked, taking aback for a moment, "Yami doesn't have Osiris anymore? Well, figures he would lose it to someone else someday. Though I don't see what the big deal is, Isis, no one else could use Osiris' power anyway."
"You're wrong! If you had the memory of the past you would know that Rekhi Bakura can wield the power of the Saint Dragon flawlessly!" she snapped back, but her attention shifted to Jounouchi as the blonde scooted in front of the two and looked at the broken tablet, poking at some of the pieces.
"Hey…I've seen pieces like these in some psycho store downtown…"
"What?" Isis stared at the Katsuya boy and quickly grabbed him by the shoulders. "You must show me to this shop."
"Uh…ok…" Jou blinked and glanced to an obviously confused Seto. "Come on, let's go then…I guess…"
************
The form that lay before his eyes gave a soft smile, though half seemed more like a smirk. One angel wing and one demon, body cloaked in a split aura of holy and dark. The Change of Heart.
"How…?"
She gave a smile and clasped her hands together, a soft heart image floating up above them. Yami wiped some of the water from the rain that had started from his face and stepped forward towards the girl, the heart suddenly snapping and vanishing - the smirk becoming more visible. | I expected you to be a bit more quicker. Then again, I suppose a pharaoh like yourself can be slow every so often. Come now, follow me. |
As the girl turned and started walking towards the building hidden in rubble, Yami hadn't any clue of why he followed. He should of known better. He should of used his head. But no! He had to be an idiot and follow the girl - the card for Ra's sake! They cleared the entrance of the building and headed up a staircase, the area sounding completely dead. It was almost like the girl walking before him was a ghost.
| Here we are. | She turned her head playfully to him as she stopped by a door and tilted her head back towards it, the door almost heeding to her thoughts and opening. She stepped aside and allowed Yami to enter first, though a second later he wished he hadn't.
It was like there was some sort of dark energy filling around the walls, and the room itself looked as if it were furnished only a few hours ago. His crimson gaze traveled forward, catching sight of a bed in one corner with a side table to one of its sides, another corner of the room was completely covered in shadows - though Yami swore something was hidden within them. What surprised him more was a couch pressed up against the wall across from him - where only Malik sat, tapping his fingers idly on an armrest. "About time you got here."
Yami took a step back, having not expecting to find the other - though he should have, he should have! Too late now…when he tried to go back, the Change of Heart was standing in his way. He jumped at a hiss, watching a cat scamper quickly into the room and jump up onto the couch to take a spot besides Malik. Silvery fur glistened to a golden shade as the body changed, the Sennen Ring glowering around the feline's neck until Rekhi's form was fully visible as a human again - arm laid over Malik's shoulders lazily. He gave a smirk, judging Yami's reaction.
"Yes, it is about time you arrived. Thank you, Yuumei, for escorting him properly here."
| Of course, master. | The Change of Heart, or Yuumei as Rekhi referred to her, stepped out from behind Yami, moving over by the couch to be near her master, arms folded casually behind her back.
"Though, I did not expect you to summon another one of my monsters without asking…"
| I'm sorry, master. But the Electric Lizard's power turned out to be usable for a wall - otherwise it would have taken longer to get…him here. | She eyed Yami with a smirk, than looked back to Rekhi with a soft and pleasing smile. | And as an addition, the card's ability was able to stun him - without even knowing it! No worries of his spells. |
"T-That wall in the alley was created by the Electric Lizard…?" Yami stared at Yuumei in bewilder, backing up again to try and get out of the doorway, but immediately felt himself struck down with a shock surging over him once again, causing him to fall to his knees in pain. Shaking, he turned his head to a kind of "squeak" sound and clenched his eyes shut at the image. The Electric Lizard. Again for the second time that day it had unknowingly assaulted him.
"Yes, well, very nice job, Yuumei, if I do say so myself. But wouldn't you agree, Malik?" Rekhi rolled his head to the side, resting it on Malik's shoulder and looking up at the so called hikari with a grin, receiving a nod in response. "But now…I've run into a problem…" he gave a sigh, "what am I to do now that I have my pet back? Buy him a leash and tie him to a wall?"
"I don't think so," Malik shook his head and for a brief moment Yami felt relieved, until the blonde continued. "We tried that with his cousin, and that didn't work too well. I think the boy hurt himself more trying to get away from the electric tazers than actually being hit by them."
Yami felt his stomach drop at the comment and forced himself to stand, "Where's Shinkou?!"
"Oh? The rag?" Rekhi blinked absently as if it were no big deal and pointed to the shadowed corner. "He's over there, not too much fun to play with. But of course, Pharaoh, you've always been my prized toy."
Yami glared sharply at Rekhi before rushing for the corner, only to have Yuumei suddenly quickly before him, eyes sparkling. | I don't think so, you're not allowed near him. |
"Isn't the Change of Heart supposed to have a light side?! So far I've only seen the dark!" Yami snapped in agitation, only able to see a slight silhouette of his cousin in the corner, but that was all. And it was unmoving, meaning Shinkou was most likely unconscious.
| You've played too many card games. Besides, I like the darkness better than the light. | She smirked and tossed her head to look over at Rekhi. | Master, this is boring, can't we just feed him to your bug…? |
"No! I want him alive," Rekhi snapped quickly, as if desperate for a moment before settling down again. "I want him to see his love's defeat. In fact, I want to kill everyone who's ever gotten in my way first. Nice, slow and painful deaths as Osiris and Ra show their true power to the world. That Ishizu…Isis nowadays….and Kaiba…." he growled a bit at the thought, clenching his fists and focusing on his own hatred to everyone. But he failed to feel Malik tense up, and Malik failed to make it known. He wanted to stay with Rekhi. The Egyptian seemed to understand him…unlike anyone else ever did….even if his sister and yami's lives were threatened.
************
"Come on, now's the best time to get out," Mariku murmured, glancing around the streets of the city slowly. "It doesn't look like much is happening right now."
"That worries me even more…" Yami whispered, keeping closely pressed by Mariku's back. "I hope Shinkou is ok….and everyone else for that matter…" he shook his head, feeling the other move forward and he continued along as well. "I know a shorter route to the palace."
"Alright, you lead then."
They switched their roles, Yami taking the lead and moving out into the open. "The Shadow Realm is open now, right?" he glanced back to Mariku who gave a nod with confusion. "So if I just summon something, we can get there quicker."
"…And also draw more attention to ourselves."
Yami sighed, silently agreeing with the other. Forcing a brighter look over his face when he felt the other's worried stare, Yami shook his head and slipped into the shady street way, glancing behind him and nevertheless pushing on.
Mariku eyed their surroundings, constantly making sure no one was around them. He couldn't risk a mistake…
They managed to get to the steps of the palace, Yami pausing and glancing around.
"Yami…?" Mariku looked back at the other. "Come on, what is it?"
"Something's not right…"
"Here, we made it. Let's get this over with…" Yami moved up the steps of the palace, only to be looking back down at Mariku who had yet to follow him up. "What's wrong?"
"The air's power changed…"
"Mariku, come on, don't…worry…" his voice trailed off as he froze when Osiris came into view, gliding over a building with none other than Bakura on his head. Yami tripped trying to back up, falling against the steps as he stared in horror.
"It's always good to listen to you, my precious dragon…" Bakura smirked, voicing out to the god. This was much more exciting than attacking those priests.
"Get out of here!" Mariku hissed, moving in front of Yami in a quick second.
"I have all the right to be here," he paused and chuckled, "now to just kill you both."
Mariku's eyes went wide as one of the beast's jaws opened and he stood his ground nevertheless.
"You can kill me, but I won't allow you to kill him!" Mariku's voice filled the air as a golder gold filled around him.
************
Crimson eyes gazed sadly at a locked door. He closed them as a tear trickled down his cheek, edging more into the corner of a dark and nearly empty room. There was a bed, a table, and a window too small to be real. That was his only light source though.
"Mariku…" Yami bit his lip, opening his eyes again and drawing in a ragged breath, hitching when the door faintly glowed a light white color and the Change of Heart slipped into the room. "What do you want?" Yami snapped out viciously, trying to put on a glare, but was failing to.
"I thought you'd be hungry," she smiled to him, pulling her hands from behind her back and placing a bowl of rice on the floor, not getting too close to Yami.
"I'm not," he growled out, narrowing his eyes at the monster that looked so innocent before him. "Leave me alone."
"And ruin my fun? I think not."
Yami growled at that and stood up, though almost fell again in the process. He was about to shout, but was completely cut off at the sound of Rekhi's voice, "YUUMEI! Get in here, now!" The card stared at him for a moment longer and then turned to leave. Yami sank back to the floor, staring at the food that was left and closed his eyes. I can't take this anymore.
************
"Master?" Yuumei entered the room to see Rekhi and Malik standing around a table and moved over to them curiously. "What is it?"
"Just look…" Rekhi smirked with excitement, voice lingering with every word.
Yuumei glanced up at him, noting the keen expression within them. She followed his gaze and looked at what was placed on the table, shaking her head with confusion at a fragment of something. "I don't understand."
He ran slender fingers over it, "Don't you see? It's a section of a tablet….a tablet that happens to be of the priest's memory."
Her eyes widened, "Seth's?"
"Yes…"
"Now I don't understand," Malik finally spoke up, looking between the two and back at the piece of the tablet. "It's useless to us. We would need Seto Kaiba, in which we don't have."
"We don't need him."
"What?"
"Yuumei, bring over the runt from the corner."
The Change of Heart blinked a moment then nodded, making her way to the corner and eying over the body of Shinkou and smirked. She hooked her arms around his and dragged his limp form from the corner over to her master. "Here you go."
Rekhi smirked and smacked the other's face a bit, causing him to stir slightly before opening his eyes. "Wha…?"
"Well, hello there," Rekhi gave a sarcastic smile, hearing Shinkou groan painfully. The silver-haired lifted Shinkou away from Yuumei and forced him to stand, only to shove him against the table and move face to face with him. "Dear, dear, Shinkou…that's your name, right? Not that it matters." His gaze left Shinkou and looked over to Malik. "We don't need the priest. We don't need the rest of his memory tablets either, this single one can do enough damage."
"How..?"
"It's connected to him," Rekhi chuckled and looked over to Shinkou again with a sadistic smirk.
"But I told you, we need Seto, he's the only one who can open it."
"No, he's not."
Malik shook his head with confusion, staring at the tablet again. "What do you mean? That makes no sense!"
"This boy can access its powers," Rekhi licked his lips and noted a horrified expression cross Shinkou's face. "Yes…that's right…you understand, I see…good. Then you must understand that once we get you to open the piece of the memory tablet…we can use you to access straight into the priest's mind, hm?"
"No…" Shinkou murmured, struggling away from Rekhi, but collapsed weakly and in pain to the floor. He clenched his eyes shut, still trying to move further away. "I won't do it, I won't!" his voice went hoarse on him and he began to cough, body demanding energy - but there was a lack of it.
"Really now, I'm not a fool. You see…you don't have a choice in this," Rekhi laughed out and stepped back slightly, now at Malik's, watching the blonde pull out the Sennen Item carefully. "Don't worry, it won't hurt too much…"
************
"I can't believe they said it was stolen! I bet it was jus' some kinda lie!" Jou sulked as Isis, Seto, and himself all stepped out of the shop. It had taken them forever to search through the junk in it, only to have Isis finally asked someone, who gave them an answer that it was stolen. When they asked by who, the response was that they didn't even see the person. If it was that.
"No, they speak the truth…" Isis whispered, shaking her head. "I do not sense the piece anywhere around here."
"So this trip was useless," Seto snorted, crossing his arms. Isis shot him a narrow glare, but said nothing. Jounouchi merely sulked a bit before leaning against the brunette.
"We need to find that piece before someone else does."
"Give up, Isis, there's no point. Besides, if I'm what you so call claim, then no one else can take my… 'memory,'" Seto smirked at his own logic, but when he though Isis would understand it as well, her glare was still fixated on him. "What?"
"You are wrong, Seto. There is someone out there that feels much closer to you than you know of. And he can open it."
Seto blinked a bit and he felt Jou's gaze on him, suspiciously. He knew that the mutt was seeking an answer on who Isis was talking about, but not even Seto could answer him now.
************
Mariku fell back a bit, eyes wide as the glow around him pulled before his body. His breath left him completely for only a few seconds, eyes wide as all blood rushed to his hands and it felt like they weighted him forward. He gasped, body falling to the ground besides Yami suddenly and he lost all senses, yet stayed conscious. He could hear Yami mutter in shock and Bakura yell a long, loud curse as his vision started to return.
The gold light that had been around his body at one point formed into a part of a head, dragon-like even, red eyes glaring daggers in Bakura's direction. The attacked that had been aimed for Yami was destroyed as the golden spirit snapped through it in rage, like an arrow heading for Osiris.
"It's Ra's spirit…" Yami whispered, hands clutching to Mariku. "It's the Sun Dragon…but…how…?" Yami shook his head, not understanding how it was possible for Mariku to bring forth…well, part of the beast. It wasn't the actual form of the Sun Dragon, just the head and just the spiritual presence of it.
Mariku was just as appalled, but all feeling in his body returned.
"Fuck! Osiris, get out of the bloody way of that thing!!" Bakura cried out, now kneeling (opposed to standing) on the Saint Dragon's head, feeling it try to get out of the way, but his eyes widened as the gold form cut right through Osiris' body. "Shit," Bakura murmured, his beast starting to dissolve into the Realm of Shadows where it belonged.
Mariku embrace Yami, shock running down his spine as Bakura fell through the sky, Ra's spirit now gone as if it were never there in the first place.
"CHANGE OF HEART!!!" Bakura's voice rang through the air, desperate as he almost hit the ground, only to be caught in the arms of the two halved monster. Mariku cursed a bit and stood up with Yami, watching Bakura carefully, the Change of Heart vanishing again and Bakura simply stood there, glaring vengeance. "You no good bastards…" he hissed, slowly stalking forward. "You're going to pay….you're all going to pay…and this time, I don't think you can summon Ra twice…I'll show you the true meaning of pain…"
************
::Laugh to self.:: I'm so evil, ne? I was gonna save that last part for the next chapter…::Shrugs.:: Oh well…
To clear some things up….Mariku didn't really summon Ra, it was just like a spirit form of it, not the full portion of him. That still probably made no sense…maybe I can draw it…Speaking of drawing, here's a recent picture of Bakura that I did, his shoulder/arm ish a little screwy, but otherwise I like it:
I was going to clear some other stuff up too….damn…can't remember….The who think with Shinkou and Seto will be cleared up at some point, probably in a clip from the past. I hope there aren't many errors in this chapter XD Half of it has been corrected…I have fun with Yuumei. I like her, she's one of my muses now XD She's sweet in her own odd, insane way, I suppose.
I have been writing a lot less lately…I recently got the game Final Fantasy XI and have been playing it as much as possible. If anyone has it, my server is Diabolos with the character Akisame and Ragnorak with Hiru. My username thingy ish also "Akisame," if you want to sent me a message or something XD
Next chapter expect: Mariku forcefully escaping the hospital (while still injured), Yami-angst, and a hell of a lot to do with Shinkou and Seto. And probably some past crap too.
Please review ^^ Comment, ramble, give hints, and try not to hurt me. Don't hurt Rekhi either, he's very evil in the story - but very fragile and kind of pathetic…he's afraid of the dark o.O;; Someone's going to kill me in later chapters though….I swear….and it probably won't just be Todo…
