Really really long chapter friends ^___^ Second last one. The epilogue will be up within a week, this I can promise you ^____^ I was originally going to have the epilogue with this chapter, but the battle took forever to write and more space than I thought.
Welcome to Coco, my newest reviewer, and someone that I know personally ^__^ Great to hear from you again, Leave me your email address, would you? I tried writing to the one you gave me but you never replied. By the way, my new e-mail's phirephoenix@msn.com, so if you don't feel comfortable posting it for all the world to see, just send me an email, kay?
and another warm welcome to phi cong, another reviewer, who reviewed not once, not twice, but three times!!!! ^____^ You rock!!!
~*~
Scrolls of the Past
By Phire Phoenix
Chapter 17
Awakening
~*~
"For heaven's sake, Zuzumea, sit down!" Asophyre glanced at her fretting Hikari. Zuzumea was pacing back and forth in her room, occasionally biting her nail, occasionally glancing at the watch, but all in all driving Asophyre crazy. "The meeting with Bakura isn't for another two hours! You're going to wear a whole in the carpet at that rate."
Zuzumea glared at her Yami before sighing in frustration and plopping, face down, unto the bed. Her voice slightly muffled by the pillow, she asked in an agitated voice, "How can you stay so calm? We have wagered our happiness into this fight! The happiness of the rest of my life depends on the outcome of this, how can you be..." She stopped when Asophyre gently interrupted her.
"Easily. I've been in this situation before." Her voice was tinged with melancholy. "The dreams have been continuing, have they not?" Zuzumea sat up and nodded glumly. "Then, I would estimate that you are at the end of them. By now, you should know everything from my encounter with Yami to our being sealed in the nine millennium items." She smiled slightly at her Hikari. "We tied that time, but it was due to a trick we had no idea about. This time, we're ready." Zuzumea didn't speak; instead, she was lost in thought.
"Hey Asi?" She muttered quietly, biting on her fingernail yet again. "That dream, it was seen from different perspectives. You knew all that Bakura did, even when you weren't there. How is that?" Asophyre smiled. The little one had spotted the link sooner than she would have expected her to.
"The mindlink, my dear. Before it shut off, I could fee Bakura probing in my mind, trying to find a piece of information. What, I do not know. Perhpas my heart's true desire." Her lips curled into a sneer at the thought, btu she continued nonetheless. "However, he did not know that I was aware of his presence, therefore he could not have prepared for the barrier that I put up and the probe I sent into HIS brain for HIS memory of the past 5 months instead." Zuzumea's face cracked into a grin.
"Bested at his own game, eh?"
"That he was."
"But he needed Malik's sister to prepare the ingredients to the curse for him, how can he do magic?"
"Malik's sister specializes in dark magic." The resign in Asophyre's voice was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. " When Bakura stayed with us, he picked up on white magic. Even though he put it to black uses, he still does not know how to cast a spell that is purely evil." There was a moment of silence before Zuzumea perked up again. Asophyre steeled herself for another question, but what came out was something else entirely.
"Wait a minute!!! If you've experienced a situation similar to this before, then that means history IS repeating, which means Bakura was right, which means we're going to lose!" Zuzumea wailed desperately, jumping up again and resuming her pacing. Asophyre groaned. She sidled onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow, blocking out the sound of Zuzumea's feet hitting the carpet over and over again. There was no use telling her Hikari not to worry. Ever since her dreams, she's been believing more and more about fate, and that History would repeat as Bakura decreed. Asophyre yawned; her form faded out as she gradually fell asleep, and soon after, Zuzumea slipped under the covers as well.
~*~
Yugi watched in fascination as glowing weapons materialised in Yami's hand. A rapier, a set of arrows and bows, a shield, throwing knives, a spear, a broad sword - these formed themselves from a pale blue orb, and they returned to the form after retaining their form for a few seconds. Then the cycle began again.
Once Yami took hold of a throwing knife and held it tightly in his right hand. The glow dimmed, and for a moment it actually seemed like a real weapon. The Pharaoh gazed at it for a few moments, taking in every intricate detail. Then, without warning, he stabbed it into his left wrist. Yugi cried out in horror, a cry that was cut short as his brain registered the results of that action.
Yami's form slumped slightly. He seemed more tired, but he was still sitting upright, crosslegged, on the floor. There were no pearly drops of crimson floor dripping to the carpet, as Yugi had expected. There was no gash, no wound. The point where the knife was inserted appeared completely unblemished. The knife point might've been flat rather than sharp for all the damage it did. It looked like an eat-the-knife act, as though the tip had been shrunken in, leaving a flat top. Yami kept the tip of the knife in for a few seconds before pulling it out. There was nothing staining the tip of the knife, and his wrist bore no sign of the attack.
Yami looked up wearily and started when he saw Yugi, as though he had forgotten that his Hikari was there, watching him. His tightly pressed lips slowly curled into a weak smile, his hard eyes softening up. He waved the knife absentmindedly, and Yugi couldn't help but notice that the glow had dimmed yet further.
"Spirit weapons" Yami told him. "They attack a person's energy, rather than their physical body. The most that a spirit weapon can do is knock you out, render you unconscious, therefore making them a lot easier to fight with. Not to mention they handle like real weapons, which is good practice for actual duels. I'm not hurt, just a bit tired as it sucked some of my energy." Yugi, however, still looked apprehensive.
"But there's not guarantee that Bakura will go for it"
"Relax" Yami let out a cynical chuckle. "He's so sure that he's going to win this duel, so obviously he can't hurt his prize nor that of Ryou, Asophyre and Zuzumea in the fight. Therefore, Spirit Weapons are the best choice. Even for him."
"I wish you wouldn't keep referring to Zuzumea and her Yami as prizes, even if you're just mocking Bakura's use of words." Yugi muttered.
"And I wish Bakura had never been born, but we can't all get what we want, can we" Yami retorted playfully, grinning. This won a reluctant smile from Yugi. The latter tugged at his pyjamas.
"I'm going to go to sleep." He announced tiredly.
"I should, too." Yami agreed, watching the pale orb shimmer out of view before following suit himself. Silence reigned for a few moments before Yugi spoke up again.
"If we win, would you send Ryou and Bakura to the Shadow Realm?"
No response came. Yugi shrugged, assuming his Yami was asleep. Only after his gentle snores filled the room did a hollow sounding voice reply.
"I would Yugi, yes." Yami croaked, but his Hikari would only be more worried. There was no call for that.
~*~
Midnight had come and gone before Bakura switched off the basement lights and climbed the stairs to Ryou's room. There was nothing like three hours straight of Dance Dance Revolution to take your mind off things. He had to give credit where due - the mortals of Japan knew how to entertain. In an amazingly good mood, Bakura had even invited his Hikari to join, but Ryou politefully declined before shutting himself up in his room. Bakura had been worried for a moment. Not for Ryou's well being, necessarily, but that his curse is weakening. However, he determinedly shoved everything to the back of his mind and turned on the game console.
He was surprised to see a light shining through the slit below the door. He pushed the door open without knocking and found Ryou sitting against the wall on his bed, an open Shonen JUMP lying abandoned by his side. His hands were rested loosely by his side as though he had no more energy. His eyes were glassy as they stared unblinkingly straight ahead. On the floor, crumpled up pieces of paper, pencils of various hardness as well as ripped up photos of Yugi were strewn about. Bakura picked up the pieces of paper and smoothed it out.
"Yugi" It read. Over and over again, on every single page. And on every single name, there was either a dagger, an arrow, a sword, a rope, or a chain enveloping. And on every single name Ryou had drawn drops of blood. Bakura's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. He did not have to worry about the curse weakening, for Ryou's hatred for his short friend is so intense that it is enough to feed even the insatiable curse.
"I thought you were worried that we had to fight against Asi and Zuzumea as well as Yugi and Yami?" Bakura told him, amusement barely present in his voice. Ryou jerked out of his trance and knocked the copy of JUMP onto the floor by accident. He blinked a few times before focusing on Bakura and the smirk settled on his face. He didn't reply.
"Tomorrow..." Bakura began, then glanced at the clock hanging above Ryou's bed. "...oh pardon me. Today afternoon, I expect you to be ruthless. You will not hurt Zuzumea or Asophyre no matter how much you attack them. I will account for that much. No mercy." Bakura stared at his Hikari, daring him to defy his orders. With quiet types like Ryou, you never knew when they were going to explode. When Ryou didn't say anything, Bakura licked his lips in anticipation. But then again, that's why they were so delightful to use against their friends.
"Get a good night's sleep." It wasn't for show of concern, but rather for conservation of energy. If he was not much mistaken, then that cursed Pharaoh would surely insist that they fight with spirit weapons. All the better. He didn't want Asophyre to get hurt. However, the more rest they get, the more energy they have at their beck and call. The longer they'll last. Not that they really needed to hold out for very long, not the way he intended for the battle to go.
~*~
"Ready?" Yugi retained his optimistic character even though the fate of his soul could depend upon the outcome of this battle, as cheesy as that may sound. Zuzumea nodded numbly, but neither of the Yamis responded. Shrugging his young shoulders, Yugi turned to the weapon at hand. His Yam had conjured him up a golden Kitana, which he was to keep hidden in its sheath until they met Bakura. But he couldn't resist pulling it out and wondering at the detail carved into the hilt and the feeling of sharpness in something that hypothetically was harmless.
He was the only one with his weapon. Zuzumea had opted for a bow which couldn't be carried around without attracting unwanted attention, and Asophyre was going to use spells instead of Spirit Weapons. Yami was going for a long sword, which would be even harder to explain than a bow. However, knowing that they had part of a plan made Yugi feel better.
He and Yami would be doing most of the fighting. Asophyre would protect all of them so that there wasn't the added distraction of self-defense, whereas Zuzumea, who has the least experience, will be further off and providing the distraction so that he and his Yami could attack full-on and catching Ryou and Bakura off-guard.
On paper it seemed perfectly fine, but how that would translate to reality is a whole other kettle of fish.
~*~
Ryou avoided his erstwhile friends' eyes when they met up in the park. Instead, he kept balancing the short dagger Bakura made him from one hand to the other, at times flinging it about to test the maneuverability. He also had, around his waist on a leather belt, a pouch full of shuriken - ninja stars. Bakura thought it would come in handy. His Yami had a long spear, with a spearhead at each end. Only Yugi had his Katana out, none of the others had it conjured yet, which worried him slightly. Not knowing what they will be using will make analyzing their strategy harder.
Bakura nodded coldly at the four and motioned for them to follow him. He led them out of the park through the other Gate and towards the place where the hill gave way to a cliff, overlooking the sea. Domino City was at the very edge of Japan. Beneath it, waves lapped onto the beach in a soothing rhymthm, never knowing that before long, a battle was to ensue.
Bakura took the lead and slid down the hill gracefully. Yami glared angrily and followed suit, pausing only to push Ryou out of the way. Yugi stayed long enough to make sure that both Asophyre and Zuzumea were okay before jumping after them, Ryou and Asophyre hot on his heels. Zuzumea went down last, after a worried glance around to make sure there weren't anybody in the vicinity.
When she arrived at the bottom, her Yami was dusting herself off. She had changed her outfit - while she had previously been wearing a tank top and a leather skirt, she was now wearing a orange red belly-shirt with translucent sleeves. Her pants were loosefitting, and turned translucent around her knees. A blend of red, gold and black swirled on the fabric, creating a sense of fire. Three golden bracelets jangled on her wrist, the sight of which seemed to pain Bakura.
Yami remained in his get-up, and was currently busy pulling weapons out of the blue orb of light he held in his hand. A bow materialised first, glowing as the orb does, before the light on it dimmed and it took on the colour and appearance of an ordinary weapon. A shaft of arrows were next, strung with what had the semblance of peacock feathers and held in a soft leather bag. These Yami handed to Zuzumea before he threw the blue orb into the sky, as high as it would go.
Six pairs of eyes followed it, watching its progress as it sped up towards the dying sun and then as it slowed, before coming to a complete halt and falling back down. As it did so, it began to morph - almost unnoticeably at first, but the metamorphosis sped up so that when Yami caught it in his right hand, he was holding a broad and magnificent looking sword in his hand.
Bakura waited, but Yami did not continue to call forth weapons. In fact, he now faced the tomb robber and had a determined look on his face. With a jolt, the latter realised that Asophyre would be fighting with spells, something which did not bode well. She would have to be taken out as soon as possible.
The aforementioned Asophyre lifted her hands, and before anyone could react, a silver dome sprang up from the ground, encircling them. They were left with an area the aproximate size of a soccer field. The dome did not affect the scenery - The trees still swayed in the breeze, the rocks still threw shadows upon the ground and a gentle summer wind played with their hair. Yami and Bakura recognized the spell immediately - the spell of Silence, something of an irony as sound was still audible to those inside. It would ensure that whatever went on inside the dome was secret - not to be seen from without, not to be heard from without.
Zuzumea had been moving away steadily, so that by now she stood at the edge of the dome. Ryou was the first to notice this, but considered it unimportant. Asophyre had probably merely told her to stay there to avoid getting hurt. Zuzumea, however, had other thoughts as she slung the bag of arrows over her shoulders and put one foot on a nearby rock. She cocked the bow a few times and pointed it experimentally in the general direction of her friends. These were all movements that went unnoticed by the opposition.
Bakura turned and faced Yami, and with a battle cry which pierced Asophyre's heart, charged. He held his double edged spear horizontally in front of him, almost as if he wanted to push them over. Yami kept his eyes glued firmly on his steps, and at the last second, nimbly jumped out of the way. Yugi, who'd had less experience in the matter, stared at the raging Bakura, almost transfixed. Chanting desperately, Asophyre threw up a shield in front of Yugi against which the spear bounced back. A deep sound, like that of a gong, resonated and her arms faltered for a moment before snapping back into place. Bakura smirked. So when weapons attack shields, the conjurer is hurt, too. This should make life easier for both of them.
While Asophyre was occupied, Ryou had been sneaking up behind Yami, trusting the fact that he was too busy watching Bakura to pay attention to his surroundings. He lifted his dagger gleefully, and was just about the bring it down with an arrow grazed his cheek. The skin did not split and blood did not flow up, but he felt a stinging irritation and rubbed his cheek. As he did so, he felt a surge of fatigue. Spirit weapons were dangerouss things. A little off, the arrow disintegrated into blue powder, only to be snatched away by the wind.
Yami turned around and made a slashing motion with his sword in the general direction of Ryou. He staggered backwards, clutching his chest, for apparently that's where the Spirit weapon had struck. He stumbled over his feet and sat there, panting heaveily, for quite a time before he heaved himself up again, apparently with great effort. He stared around and saw Zuzumea, hand on her bow and a triumphant grin on her face. He growled angrily, but was forced to bring up his dagger as Yami brought his sword down upon him. Dull clangs echoed within the dome as Ryou strove to keep Yami at bay. Twice, he almost fell over again, and twice he was forced to abandon a vantage point because of Zuzumea's archery skills.
In the meantime, Zuzumea had fired another arrow, which would've gone into Bakura's stomach and would've been exhausting if he hadn't used the spear to block it. The same sound that emitted from Asophyre's shield now was ringing through his spear as he stared at it in wonder. Yugi took this chance and jumped forward, sinking the dagger into the back of Bakura's hand. It glowed bright blue before dimming again, and Asophyre, recognizing the fire of madness blinking within Bakura's eyes, erected a shield around Yugi.
While she struggled to keep a shield of this calibre alive, she diverted her attention to the second part of the battle. Yami was being awfully hard on the boy, who, in all fairness to him, seemed to be getting along quite well. He was able to parry a fair bit of Yami's attacks and at times could even get an offensive move in. Asophyre flicked a shot of magic towards Yami, hoping that he'll know how to use it, before turning her attention back on preventing Bakura from weakening /her/ so that he could get to Yugi.
Yami felt the surge of magic rushing towards him before he saw the ball speeding along. He caught it in his hand with relief and pushed against Ryou's defense with all he had so that the boy staggered a few steps, stopping a bit away from him. He looked like he was about to charge at Yami when an arrow ruffled his hair. Further off, he heard Zuzumea cursing to shame the devil and turned his head just in time to avoid another arrow whizzing through the air. He changed tactics and moved towards instead, pleased to see that she seemed to have lost some of her composure.
Yami, in the meantime, slapped the ball against the hilt of the sword. He felt a movement, almost a pulse within before everything was still again. He smiled, knowing the magic had worked its trick and increased the power of his sword. He looked up and strode confidently towards Bakura, intending on aiding his aibou and his fiancee. ]
Ryou reached down into his holster and withdrew a shuriken, making sure to keep his hand away from Zuzumea. The latter strung another arrow and let it fly, but he dodged it easily, noting with amusement that she seemed to have lost of concentration. With one hand he pretended to lift the dagger, and while her attention was occupied, his other hand flew up and let the shuriken fly.
Zuzumea let out a surprised "Oh!" as it struck her in the shoulder. It, too, dissolved into a pale blue powder, and he shoulder to sag. She pulled her left hand through the bow and clutched her right shoulder with it, sinking to her knees. Ryou advanced further, manic possession controlling his brain and no longer capable of logical thought. He lifted his dagger.
Bakura, in the meantime, had been skipping towards Ryou and Zuzumea, all part of their plan. As Yami, Yugi and Asophyre chased after him, he brushed by Ryou and tapped him on the shoulder. This seemed to wake him up for he spun around and threw three shuriken in their direction, taking them by surprise. Bakura threw him another dagger so that he had one on each hand and advanced at an alarming speed towards Yami and Yugi. Asophyre, wringing her hands, tried to chant a protective spell but was forced to abandon it as a ninja star came flying her way.
Bakura laughed gleefully and pulled out a small leather bag. From this he extracted a unblemished black bead, blew on it lightly to dislodge some dust and held it against the setting sun for effect. He held it in his hand for a few moments longer before beginning to speak in a low, hoarse voice which Zuzumea, the only one observing him, did not recognize. But as his voice rose and fell in tempo as well as dynamic, she was eerily reminded of the scence in her dream and realised with a jolt that he was conjuring a dark spell.
"WATCH THE HELL OUT!" She screamed at the fighting foursome, the comment directed at her three friends and no longer caring whether Asophyre berated her for swearing or not. Asophyre turned around hastily, but Ryou, who seemed unaware of his surroundings, dashed towards the rock upon which Zuzumea was kneeling and made a crossed slashing motion across her chest, similar to what Yami had done a few moments ago. A bright blue flash appeared where he'd struck, followed by a streaming red light. Zuzumea keeled over backwards and landed on the floor, unconscious. The spirit weapons had done their job, she was out of the picture.
But as Asophyre watched Ryou stand above his victim, pure elation on his face, she couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. What was the red light? Usually, when one fell victim to the spirit weapons, it was a silver light, the colour of the dome surrounding them. Yami and Yugi began running towards Ryou at a highspeed, but Asophyre was faster. Her worry for her Hikari combined with her fury at Bakura allowed her to conjure up a ball of pure force which she hurtled towards Ryou.
Ryou was pushed against the edge of the dome wall and slumped, in pain. Yami ran forward and dislodged the daggers from his hand, and threw one to Asophyre, who caught it deftly and stared at it in horror. The carvings on the dagger were all too familiar to her.
Soul Silence is what it's known officially, although between magicians it's also been called Soul Crush. To put it simply, that person's mind is whiped completely blank - all memories of his life, his friends, all of his knowledge, his feelings, his experiences are gone, never to be retrieved. It was meant to be painted on the caster's right arm with a special ink affordable to only a precious few, and she had no idea what the effects of it carved upon a dagger was.
Yami, through the weak mind link that they still share, wheeled around and stared at her in horror. She heaved a big sob and ran towards her Hikari, tears streaming unchecked down her face. Yami stepped out of the way as the blue blur passed him by. Asophyre stopped immediately short of Zuzumea and tried to wake her Hikari up. She grabbed Zuzumea by the shoulders, shaking them violently, she tried to lift her eyelids, she checked for a pulse, did everything she could possibly think of to revive her Hikari to oversee the mental state of the latter. But Zuzumea would not grant her wish.
A piercing pain stabbed at her heart like a million white-hot knives. She was blinded by her own tears as she gave up and let her head sink upon Zuzumea's chest and cried. She soaked her Hikari's favourite shirt, but Zuzumea would not be there to scold her about it. Yugi stopped holding off Ryou and turned around, anguish written all over his face. A single tear, unbeknownst to him, slid down his cheek, and Ryou stared in wonder at that glistening drop of liquid.
A scream so loud it sounded as though it came from the very bottom of Asophyre's mind, from the darkest room of her soul chamber escaped her throat. Its ethereal sound lingered in the air, seeming to shake the silver dome of Silence. Yami started forward but was pushed back by a tidal wave of power, the likes of which he'd never witnessed before. A solitary green spark, escaped Asophyre's tensed up hand and eased its way towards Zuzumea. It sank into her forehead, and for a while, nothing happened.
Then it was as though a firework had erupted. Green sparks from Yami's puzzle, Yugi's counterpart of it as well as Asophyre's pen escaped as though eager to get away from their encasements. They sped towards teh same spot in the sky and met with a thunderous clash. The result was a shadowy human silhouette, which sped down towards Zuzmea and sank into her body. Red streams of light burst forth from her arms, her legs, her body and her slightly open mouth. As soon as they left her body and turned into smoke, which eerily creeped towards space, disintegrating as it went, so that by the time it reached the dome, it was no more than a wisp.
And Bakura continued chanting.
Zuzumea's eyes flickered, but before she even sat up, she was fiercely hugged by her Yami. Asophyre beckoned Yugi forward and charged him with the task of guarding his girlfriend. She herself got up slowly and walked towards Yami, so that once more they stood side by side. When she raised her head, the rage coursing through her beautiful dark eyes could've created electrical energy. Ryou took a step backwards. He looked dazed.
Asophyre reached for Yami's hand. With a mere nod at her, Yami took hers and lifted his other free hand. Asophyre did likewise, and in unison they began a low chant, overriding that of Bakura's quick mutterings. The light breeze which had just moments before been playing gently with the leaves of the decidous trees picked up and Yugi shivered.
Bakura's voice had stopped. His eyes were open, but they appeared blank. Ryou turned his head for a fraction of a second before snaping back to watch Yami and Asophyre's doings. They had not stopped, so that led him to conlude that their spell was not terminated. This would give Bakura more of an edge.
Something flew by him. Something pure black. It seemed like a torpedo of darkness aimed directly at the chanting couple. Yugi cried out in distress as it advanced upon his Yami and Asophyre. Five Metres. Four. Three. Two...
As though hitting an invisible shield, the torpedo bounced back. Life jumped back into Bakura's eyes.
With a screech like that of a vulture, the dark ball disappeared. Ryou looked around - no effect whatsoever seemed to have taken place. But then he heard the horrified cry Bakura gave. Turning his head so fast he felt his neck crick, Ryou started when he caught sight of his Yami.
Bakura was flickering, like a bad satellite reception. He vibrated in and out of view, each time taking longer to step back into the visible spectrum, each time staying a shorter amount of time. Zuzumea had come round and was staring at Bakura with her hand over her mouth. When, after 4 or 5 minutes, he didn't come back, it clicked in Ryou's brain that the battle was over.
Yami and Asophyre lowered their hands and let go of each other. Asophyre fell backwards and Yami hurried to catch her. Zuzumea stood up gingerly, and with the help of Yugi, walked over to where her counterpart had fallen. Ryou was still staring dazedly at the place Bakura had last appeared.
Yami gently sent the unconscious Asophyre on the ground. He stood up and started walking towards Ryou. Each step was like a gravel pounding upon the desk, it was as though Ryou's fate was sealed. Ryou, hearing him advance, turned around and his hands hung limply at his side. Nervously he watched the towering Pharaoh advance, but he nevertheless gathered up the courage to speak.
"What did you do to him?"
His voice, Yami was pleased to hear, held a hint of fear in it, although Ryou had tried to project confidence, almost defiance. Yugi had abandoned Zuzumea and was now walking after his Yami in quick, short strides, fearful of what Yami could do if pushed over the edge.
"Sent him to the shadow realm." Yami told Ryou matter of factly, as though he was merely talking about the weather. "And that's where you'll be going, too" His left hand lingered on his millennium puzzle while he wearily lifted his right hand and pointed at Ryou's forehead. The latter cringed.
Yugi seemed to appear out of nowhere as he threw himself in front of Ryou, shielding him from Yami. The ancient spirit blinked in surprise at his Hikari, who was holding on to his hand to stop him from doing anything to Ryou.
"Yugi, this bastard almost cost us Zuzumea, after agreeing that there would be no harm done during the battle? You almost lost her forever, and you're still protecting him?" Yami spat, not taking his eyes off Ryou, who had looked away. Zuzumea, upon hearing her name, raised her head and observed the scene carefully.
"He didn't mean to, I know he didn't" Yugi muttered sadly. He was still holding on to his Yami's hand, and his eyes were anywhere but Yami's face. "Bakura must've manipulated him somehow, the Ryou I know would never do that."
"People change." Yami told him shortly, his patience wearing thin. "The Ryou you know is no longer alive. It died when he threw his lot in with that damned Tomb Robber. " Yugi shook his head determinedly.
"Please Yami, just give him a chance."
Yami growled in irritation but lowered his hand. Behind him, Zuzumea breathed a sigh of relief. Yugi turned around to give Ryou a weak smile, but the white-haired boy had collapsed. Yami glared at the motionless form of his enemy's Hikari.
"Some nerve" He muttered under his breath.
~*~
"After a while, I just really hated Yugi" Ryou was telling them quietly, staring into his steaming cup of tea and not meeting any of his friends' eyes. "I don't know why. I liked Zuzumea from the start, but I didn't care whether Yugi got together or not. But after a while it was too much. I even defended Yugi in front of Bakura, but..."
"Noirsir." Asophyre whispered. Yugi, Yami, Zuzumea and Ryou all looked at her. "Darkening of the Heart. Dark spell, so Bakura wasn't able to cast it perfectly. Thus, when his soul was sent to the shadow realm, the spell lifted after lingering for only a moment, whereas if someone like Malik's sister Isis had cast it, Ryou would not have changed in any way." Zuzumea shivered and moved closer to Yugi, who put his arm around her. Ryou's eyes clouded over for a moment, but he shook it off bravely and smiled at his friends, glad that everything was okay again.
Well, almost everything.
"Yami?" Ryou asked tentatively, afraid of the Pharaoh's reaction. Except for a slight nod to show he was listening, Yami did not give indication that he cared what Ryou wanted to say. Instead, he kept his eyes glued on Asophyre and his face lit up when she turned around and grinned at him. Asophyre leaned over and put her head against his shoulder, sighing softly. Ryou sighed.
"D'you....do...umm..." He trailed off uncertainly. Yami looked at him, indigo eyes prompting him to go on.
"It's about Bakura." Ryou said in a rush. The atmosphere cooled as every pair of eyes focused on him. He shifted nervously on Yugi's sofa and went on, his voice almost inaudible. "Could you..."
Before he'd even finished the question, Yami shook his head gently. He understood the bond a Hikari and a Yami shares, no matter how evil one of them might be, but what Bakura did was unforgivable. He would not bring him back from the Shadow Realm. Ryou saw the resolution in his eyes and despaired. Throwing dignity to the winds, he fell on his knees in front of Yami. Yugi started and was about to stand up when Zuzumea pressed him back. She knew that if Ryou didn't do this, he would never have peace of mind.
"Please Yami, please do me this one favour. I know he doesn't deserve it, and I know I don't deserve it, but he's my Yami, no matter what. You should understand that, how would you feel if Yugi was separated from you?" Yami glanced at his Hikari, but his face betrayed no expression. "He did it for love! As bad as it sounds, it all started because he loved Asophyre! If he didn't wish to prove his worth to her, he wouldn't have started the Dangers of the Desert! And if he did not still love her after 3000 years, then he wouldn't have tried to hurt you. You love Asophyre, too, you should understand how he feels." Tears were streaming unchecked down his face. Once a Yami is assigned to a Hikari, separating them was tantamount to taking a fish out of water.
Yami opened his mouth to say something, but was shushed by Asophyre. She got down from the sofa and kneeled in front of Ryou, using her sleeve to wipe off his tears. She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her, and when he did, she smiled.
"Bakura was always a good boy. He had been since he was young. No matter how full of hatred he had been, he would acknowledge defeat if he truly saw reason. His eyes have been somewhat unclouded by your conditional love. It's good to see someone caring about him again, after so long. Thank you for that." Yami stared skeptically at the scene in front of him, but did nothing to stop Asophyre when she took off her millennium pen.
Zuzumea grinned happily while Asophyre unscrewed the cap. She took Ryou's right hand in hers and wrote in his palm the kanji "Kage". The black ink shimmered in the light from the incandescent lamp before fading into his skin. The same kanji appeared on his forehead for a split-second before fading away again.
But this time, Ryou's millennium Ring reacted. The spikes started spinning all around restlessly, as though they didn't know which way to point. Yugi, Yami, Asophyre and Zuzumea all stared at it in amazement until a pale hand reached over Ryou's shoulder and calmed them forcibly.
Asophyre smiled at Bakura, who tried to return it. But it was almost as if he was too tired for his muscles to even perform that simple action. Ryou stood up, and without a word to his Yami, strode into Yugi's kitchen. Zuzumea nudged Yugi, grinning. "Embarrased." He snickered.
Bakura focused his attention on Yami, who stared back unwaveringly. "You won, Pharaoh. Take good care of her, or I will be after you, and then I won't lose." And thus, with a snap of his fingers, he was gone. Yami stared at the air where only a second before, an ancient Egyptian Spirit had stood.
"Arrogant Bastard" He snorted, but he didn't have time to make any other degrading comments, for at that moment Asophyre tipped his face towards her and kissed him.
~*~
This is not a Ryou/Bakura fic, no matter what you might have 'deduced' from this chapter. It's brotherly love, not yaoi. I mean, even though you fight with your siblings, that doesn't mean you don't love them ^_^ Besides, Bakura's my favourite character! I wouldn't pair him up with anyone, since he's mine! *evil cackle*
Welcome to Coco, my newest reviewer, and someone that I know personally ^__^ Great to hear from you again, Leave me your email address, would you? I tried writing to the one you gave me but you never replied. By the way, my new e-mail's phirephoenix@msn.com, so if you don't feel comfortable posting it for all the world to see, just send me an email, kay?
and another warm welcome to phi cong, another reviewer, who reviewed not once, not twice, but three times!!!! ^____^ You rock!!!
~*~
Scrolls of the Past
By Phire Phoenix
Chapter 17
Awakening
~*~
"For heaven's sake, Zuzumea, sit down!" Asophyre glanced at her fretting Hikari. Zuzumea was pacing back and forth in her room, occasionally biting her nail, occasionally glancing at the watch, but all in all driving Asophyre crazy. "The meeting with Bakura isn't for another two hours! You're going to wear a whole in the carpet at that rate."
Zuzumea glared at her Yami before sighing in frustration and plopping, face down, unto the bed. Her voice slightly muffled by the pillow, she asked in an agitated voice, "How can you stay so calm? We have wagered our happiness into this fight! The happiness of the rest of my life depends on the outcome of this, how can you be..." She stopped when Asophyre gently interrupted her.
"Easily. I've been in this situation before." Her voice was tinged with melancholy. "The dreams have been continuing, have they not?" Zuzumea sat up and nodded glumly. "Then, I would estimate that you are at the end of them. By now, you should know everything from my encounter with Yami to our being sealed in the nine millennium items." She smiled slightly at her Hikari. "We tied that time, but it was due to a trick we had no idea about. This time, we're ready." Zuzumea didn't speak; instead, she was lost in thought.
"Hey Asi?" She muttered quietly, biting on her fingernail yet again. "That dream, it was seen from different perspectives. You knew all that Bakura did, even when you weren't there. How is that?" Asophyre smiled. The little one had spotted the link sooner than she would have expected her to.
"The mindlink, my dear. Before it shut off, I could fee Bakura probing in my mind, trying to find a piece of information. What, I do not know. Perhpas my heart's true desire." Her lips curled into a sneer at the thought, btu she continued nonetheless. "However, he did not know that I was aware of his presence, therefore he could not have prepared for the barrier that I put up and the probe I sent into HIS brain for HIS memory of the past 5 months instead." Zuzumea's face cracked into a grin.
"Bested at his own game, eh?"
"That he was."
"But he needed Malik's sister to prepare the ingredients to the curse for him, how can he do magic?"
"Malik's sister specializes in dark magic." The resign in Asophyre's voice was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. " When Bakura stayed with us, he picked up on white magic. Even though he put it to black uses, he still does not know how to cast a spell that is purely evil." There was a moment of silence before Zuzumea perked up again. Asophyre steeled herself for another question, but what came out was something else entirely.
"Wait a minute!!! If you've experienced a situation similar to this before, then that means history IS repeating, which means Bakura was right, which means we're going to lose!" Zuzumea wailed desperately, jumping up again and resuming her pacing. Asophyre groaned. She sidled onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow, blocking out the sound of Zuzumea's feet hitting the carpet over and over again. There was no use telling her Hikari not to worry. Ever since her dreams, she's been believing more and more about fate, and that History would repeat as Bakura decreed. Asophyre yawned; her form faded out as she gradually fell asleep, and soon after, Zuzumea slipped under the covers as well.
~*~
Yugi watched in fascination as glowing weapons materialised in Yami's hand. A rapier, a set of arrows and bows, a shield, throwing knives, a spear, a broad sword - these formed themselves from a pale blue orb, and they returned to the form after retaining their form for a few seconds. Then the cycle began again.
Once Yami took hold of a throwing knife and held it tightly in his right hand. The glow dimmed, and for a moment it actually seemed like a real weapon. The Pharaoh gazed at it for a few moments, taking in every intricate detail. Then, without warning, he stabbed it into his left wrist. Yugi cried out in horror, a cry that was cut short as his brain registered the results of that action.
Yami's form slumped slightly. He seemed more tired, but he was still sitting upright, crosslegged, on the floor. There were no pearly drops of crimson floor dripping to the carpet, as Yugi had expected. There was no gash, no wound. The point where the knife was inserted appeared completely unblemished. The knife point might've been flat rather than sharp for all the damage it did. It looked like an eat-the-knife act, as though the tip had been shrunken in, leaving a flat top. Yami kept the tip of the knife in for a few seconds before pulling it out. There was nothing staining the tip of the knife, and his wrist bore no sign of the attack.
Yami looked up wearily and started when he saw Yugi, as though he had forgotten that his Hikari was there, watching him. His tightly pressed lips slowly curled into a weak smile, his hard eyes softening up. He waved the knife absentmindedly, and Yugi couldn't help but notice that the glow had dimmed yet further.
"Spirit weapons" Yami told him. "They attack a person's energy, rather than their physical body. The most that a spirit weapon can do is knock you out, render you unconscious, therefore making them a lot easier to fight with. Not to mention they handle like real weapons, which is good practice for actual duels. I'm not hurt, just a bit tired as it sucked some of my energy." Yugi, however, still looked apprehensive.
"But there's not guarantee that Bakura will go for it"
"Relax" Yami let out a cynical chuckle. "He's so sure that he's going to win this duel, so obviously he can't hurt his prize nor that of Ryou, Asophyre and Zuzumea in the fight. Therefore, Spirit Weapons are the best choice. Even for him."
"I wish you wouldn't keep referring to Zuzumea and her Yami as prizes, even if you're just mocking Bakura's use of words." Yugi muttered.
"And I wish Bakura had never been born, but we can't all get what we want, can we" Yami retorted playfully, grinning. This won a reluctant smile from Yugi. The latter tugged at his pyjamas.
"I'm going to go to sleep." He announced tiredly.
"I should, too." Yami agreed, watching the pale orb shimmer out of view before following suit himself. Silence reigned for a few moments before Yugi spoke up again.
"If we win, would you send Ryou and Bakura to the Shadow Realm?"
No response came. Yugi shrugged, assuming his Yami was asleep. Only after his gentle snores filled the room did a hollow sounding voice reply.
"I would Yugi, yes." Yami croaked, but his Hikari would only be more worried. There was no call for that.
~*~
Midnight had come and gone before Bakura switched off the basement lights and climbed the stairs to Ryou's room. There was nothing like three hours straight of Dance Dance Revolution to take your mind off things. He had to give credit where due - the mortals of Japan knew how to entertain. In an amazingly good mood, Bakura had even invited his Hikari to join, but Ryou politefully declined before shutting himself up in his room. Bakura had been worried for a moment. Not for Ryou's well being, necessarily, but that his curse is weakening. However, he determinedly shoved everything to the back of his mind and turned on the game console.
He was surprised to see a light shining through the slit below the door. He pushed the door open without knocking and found Ryou sitting against the wall on his bed, an open Shonen JUMP lying abandoned by his side. His hands were rested loosely by his side as though he had no more energy. His eyes were glassy as they stared unblinkingly straight ahead. On the floor, crumpled up pieces of paper, pencils of various hardness as well as ripped up photos of Yugi were strewn about. Bakura picked up the pieces of paper and smoothed it out.
"Yugi" It read. Over and over again, on every single page. And on every single name, there was either a dagger, an arrow, a sword, a rope, or a chain enveloping. And on every single name Ryou had drawn drops of blood. Bakura's lips curled into a satisfied smirk. He did not have to worry about the curse weakening, for Ryou's hatred for his short friend is so intense that it is enough to feed even the insatiable curse.
"I thought you were worried that we had to fight against Asi and Zuzumea as well as Yugi and Yami?" Bakura told him, amusement barely present in his voice. Ryou jerked out of his trance and knocked the copy of JUMP onto the floor by accident. He blinked a few times before focusing on Bakura and the smirk settled on his face. He didn't reply.
"Tomorrow..." Bakura began, then glanced at the clock hanging above Ryou's bed. "...oh pardon me. Today afternoon, I expect you to be ruthless. You will not hurt Zuzumea or Asophyre no matter how much you attack them. I will account for that much. No mercy." Bakura stared at his Hikari, daring him to defy his orders. With quiet types like Ryou, you never knew when they were going to explode. When Ryou didn't say anything, Bakura licked his lips in anticipation. But then again, that's why they were so delightful to use against their friends.
"Get a good night's sleep." It wasn't for show of concern, but rather for conservation of energy. If he was not much mistaken, then that cursed Pharaoh would surely insist that they fight with spirit weapons. All the better. He didn't want Asophyre to get hurt. However, the more rest they get, the more energy they have at their beck and call. The longer they'll last. Not that they really needed to hold out for very long, not the way he intended for the battle to go.
~*~
"Ready?" Yugi retained his optimistic character even though the fate of his soul could depend upon the outcome of this battle, as cheesy as that may sound. Zuzumea nodded numbly, but neither of the Yamis responded. Shrugging his young shoulders, Yugi turned to the weapon at hand. His Yam had conjured him up a golden Kitana, which he was to keep hidden in its sheath until they met Bakura. But he couldn't resist pulling it out and wondering at the detail carved into the hilt and the feeling of sharpness in something that hypothetically was harmless.
He was the only one with his weapon. Zuzumea had opted for a bow which couldn't be carried around without attracting unwanted attention, and Asophyre was going to use spells instead of Spirit Weapons. Yami was going for a long sword, which would be even harder to explain than a bow. However, knowing that they had part of a plan made Yugi feel better.
He and Yami would be doing most of the fighting. Asophyre would protect all of them so that there wasn't the added distraction of self-defense, whereas Zuzumea, who has the least experience, will be further off and providing the distraction so that he and his Yami could attack full-on and catching Ryou and Bakura off-guard.
On paper it seemed perfectly fine, but how that would translate to reality is a whole other kettle of fish.
~*~
Ryou avoided his erstwhile friends' eyes when they met up in the park. Instead, he kept balancing the short dagger Bakura made him from one hand to the other, at times flinging it about to test the maneuverability. He also had, around his waist on a leather belt, a pouch full of shuriken - ninja stars. Bakura thought it would come in handy. His Yami had a long spear, with a spearhead at each end. Only Yugi had his Katana out, none of the others had it conjured yet, which worried him slightly. Not knowing what they will be using will make analyzing their strategy harder.
Bakura nodded coldly at the four and motioned for them to follow him. He led them out of the park through the other Gate and towards the place where the hill gave way to a cliff, overlooking the sea. Domino City was at the very edge of Japan. Beneath it, waves lapped onto the beach in a soothing rhymthm, never knowing that before long, a battle was to ensue.
Bakura took the lead and slid down the hill gracefully. Yami glared angrily and followed suit, pausing only to push Ryou out of the way. Yugi stayed long enough to make sure that both Asophyre and Zuzumea were okay before jumping after them, Ryou and Asophyre hot on his heels. Zuzumea went down last, after a worried glance around to make sure there weren't anybody in the vicinity.
When she arrived at the bottom, her Yami was dusting herself off. She had changed her outfit - while she had previously been wearing a tank top and a leather skirt, she was now wearing a orange red belly-shirt with translucent sleeves. Her pants were loosefitting, and turned translucent around her knees. A blend of red, gold and black swirled on the fabric, creating a sense of fire. Three golden bracelets jangled on her wrist, the sight of which seemed to pain Bakura.
Yami remained in his get-up, and was currently busy pulling weapons out of the blue orb of light he held in his hand. A bow materialised first, glowing as the orb does, before the light on it dimmed and it took on the colour and appearance of an ordinary weapon. A shaft of arrows were next, strung with what had the semblance of peacock feathers and held in a soft leather bag. These Yami handed to Zuzumea before he threw the blue orb into the sky, as high as it would go.
Six pairs of eyes followed it, watching its progress as it sped up towards the dying sun and then as it slowed, before coming to a complete halt and falling back down. As it did so, it began to morph - almost unnoticeably at first, but the metamorphosis sped up so that when Yami caught it in his right hand, he was holding a broad and magnificent looking sword in his hand.
Bakura waited, but Yami did not continue to call forth weapons. In fact, he now faced the tomb robber and had a determined look on his face. With a jolt, the latter realised that Asophyre would be fighting with spells, something which did not bode well. She would have to be taken out as soon as possible.
The aforementioned Asophyre lifted her hands, and before anyone could react, a silver dome sprang up from the ground, encircling them. They were left with an area the aproximate size of a soccer field. The dome did not affect the scenery - The trees still swayed in the breeze, the rocks still threw shadows upon the ground and a gentle summer wind played with their hair. Yami and Bakura recognized the spell immediately - the spell of Silence, something of an irony as sound was still audible to those inside. It would ensure that whatever went on inside the dome was secret - not to be seen from without, not to be heard from without.
Zuzumea had been moving away steadily, so that by now she stood at the edge of the dome. Ryou was the first to notice this, but considered it unimportant. Asophyre had probably merely told her to stay there to avoid getting hurt. Zuzumea, however, had other thoughts as she slung the bag of arrows over her shoulders and put one foot on a nearby rock. She cocked the bow a few times and pointed it experimentally in the general direction of her friends. These were all movements that went unnoticed by the opposition.
Bakura turned and faced Yami, and with a battle cry which pierced Asophyre's heart, charged. He held his double edged spear horizontally in front of him, almost as if he wanted to push them over. Yami kept his eyes glued firmly on his steps, and at the last second, nimbly jumped out of the way. Yugi, who'd had less experience in the matter, stared at the raging Bakura, almost transfixed. Chanting desperately, Asophyre threw up a shield in front of Yugi against which the spear bounced back. A deep sound, like that of a gong, resonated and her arms faltered for a moment before snapping back into place. Bakura smirked. So when weapons attack shields, the conjurer is hurt, too. This should make life easier for both of them.
While Asophyre was occupied, Ryou had been sneaking up behind Yami, trusting the fact that he was too busy watching Bakura to pay attention to his surroundings. He lifted his dagger gleefully, and was just about the bring it down with an arrow grazed his cheek. The skin did not split and blood did not flow up, but he felt a stinging irritation and rubbed his cheek. As he did so, he felt a surge of fatigue. Spirit weapons were dangerouss things. A little off, the arrow disintegrated into blue powder, only to be snatched away by the wind.
Yami turned around and made a slashing motion with his sword in the general direction of Ryou. He staggered backwards, clutching his chest, for apparently that's where the Spirit weapon had struck. He stumbled over his feet and sat there, panting heaveily, for quite a time before he heaved himself up again, apparently with great effort. He stared around and saw Zuzumea, hand on her bow and a triumphant grin on her face. He growled angrily, but was forced to bring up his dagger as Yami brought his sword down upon him. Dull clangs echoed within the dome as Ryou strove to keep Yami at bay. Twice, he almost fell over again, and twice he was forced to abandon a vantage point because of Zuzumea's archery skills.
In the meantime, Zuzumea had fired another arrow, which would've gone into Bakura's stomach and would've been exhausting if he hadn't used the spear to block it. The same sound that emitted from Asophyre's shield now was ringing through his spear as he stared at it in wonder. Yugi took this chance and jumped forward, sinking the dagger into the back of Bakura's hand. It glowed bright blue before dimming again, and Asophyre, recognizing the fire of madness blinking within Bakura's eyes, erected a shield around Yugi.
While she struggled to keep a shield of this calibre alive, she diverted her attention to the second part of the battle. Yami was being awfully hard on the boy, who, in all fairness to him, seemed to be getting along quite well. He was able to parry a fair bit of Yami's attacks and at times could even get an offensive move in. Asophyre flicked a shot of magic towards Yami, hoping that he'll know how to use it, before turning her attention back on preventing Bakura from weakening /her/ so that he could get to Yugi.
Yami felt the surge of magic rushing towards him before he saw the ball speeding along. He caught it in his hand with relief and pushed against Ryou's defense with all he had so that the boy staggered a few steps, stopping a bit away from him. He looked like he was about to charge at Yami when an arrow ruffled his hair. Further off, he heard Zuzumea cursing to shame the devil and turned his head just in time to avoid another arrow whizzing through the air. He changed tactics and moved towards instead, pleased to see that she seemed to have lost some of her composure.
Yami, in the meantime, slapped the ball against the hilt of the sword. He felt a movement, almost a pulse within before everything was still again. He smiled, knowing the magic had worked its trick and increased the power of his sword. He looked up and strode confidently towards Bakura, intending on aiding his aibou and his fiancee. ]
Ryou reached down into his holster and withdrew a shuriken, making sure to keep his hand away from Zuzumea. The latter strung another arrow and let it fly, but he dodged it easily, noting with amusement that she seemed to have lost of concentration. With one hand he pretended to lift the dagger, and while her attention was occupied, his other hand flew up and let the shuriken fly.
Zuzumea let out a surprised "Oh!" as it struck her in the shoulder. It, too, dissolved into a pale blue powder, and he shoulder to sag. She pulled her left hand through the bow and clutched her right shoulder with it, sinking to her knees. Ryou advanced further, manic possession controlling his brain and no longer capable of logical thought. He lifted his dagger.
Bakura, in the meantime, had been skipping towards Ryou and Zuzumea, all part of their plan. As Yami, Yugi and Asophyre chased after him, he brushed by Ryou and tapped him on the shoulder. This seemed to wake him up for he spun around and threw three shuriken in their direction, taking them by surprise. Bakura threw him another dagger so that he had one on each hand and advanced at an alarming speed towards Yami and Yugi. Asophyre, wringing her hands, tried to chant a protective spell but was forced to abandon it as a ninja star came flying her way.
Bakura laughed gleefully and pulled out a small leather bag. From this he extracted a unblemished black bead, blew on it lightly to dislodge some dust and held it against the setting sun for effect. He held it in his hand for a few moments longer before beginning to speak in a low, hoarse voice which Zuzumea, the only one observing him, did not recognize. But as his voice rose and fell in tempo as well as dynamic, she was eerily reminded of the scence in her dream and realised with a jolt that he was conjuring a dark spell.
"WATCH THE HELL OUT!" She screamed at the fighting foursome, the comment directed at her three friends and no longer caring whether Asophyre berated her for swearing or not. Asophyre turned around hastily, but Ryou, who seemed unaware of his surroundings, dashed towards the rock upon which Zuzumea was kneeling and made a crossed slashing motion across her chest, similar to what Yami had done a few moments ago. A bright blue flash appeared where he'd struck, followed by a streaming red light. Zuzumea keeled over backwards and landed on the floor, unconscious. The spirit weapons had done their job, she was out of the picture.
But as Asophyre watched Ryou stand above his victim, pure elation on his face, she couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong. What was the red light? Usually, when one fell victim to the spirit weapons, it was a silver light, the colour of the dome surrounding them. Yami and Yugi began running towards Ryou at a highspeed, but Asophyre was faster. Her worry for her Hikari combined with her fury at Bakura allowed her to conjure up a ball of pure force which she hurtled towards Ryou.
Ryou was pushed against the edge of the dome wall and slumped, in pain. Yami ran forward and dislodged the daggers from his hand, and threw one to Asophyre, who caught it deftly and stared at it in horror. The carvings on the dagger were all too familiar to her.
Soul Silence is what it's known officially, although between magicians it's also been called Soul Crush. To put it simply, that person's mind is whiped completely blank - all memories of his life, his friends, all of his knowledge, his feelings, his experiences are gone, never to be retrieved. It was meant to be painted on the caster's right arm with a special ink affordable to only a precious few, and she had no idea what the effects of it carved upon a dagger was.
Yami, through the weak mind link that they still share, wheeled around and stared at her in horror. She heaved a big sob and ran towards her Hikari, tears streaming unchecked down her face. Yami stepped out of the way as the blue blur passed him by. Asophyre stopped immediately short of Zuzumea and tried to wake her Hikari up. She grabbed Zuzumea by the shoulders, shaking them violently, she tried to lift her eyelids, she checked for a pulse, did everything she could possibly think of to revive her Hikari to oversee the mental state of the latter. But Zuzumea would not grant her wish.
A piercing pain stabbed at her heart like a million white-hot knives. She was blinded by her own tears as she gave up and let her head sink upon Zuzumea's chest and cried. She soaked her Hikari's favourite shirt, but Zuzumea would not be there to scold her about it. Yugi stopped holding off Ryou and turned around, anguish written all over his face. A single tear, unbeknownst to him, slid down his cheek, and Ryou stared in wonder at that glistening drop of liquid.
A scream so loud it sounded as though it came from the very bottom of Asophyre's mind, from the darkest room of her soul chamber escaped her throat. Its ethereal sound lingered in the air, seeming to shake the silver dome of Silence. Yami started forward but was pushed back by a tidal wave of power, the likes of which he'd never witnessed before. A solitary green spark, escaped Asophyre's tensed up hand and eased its way towards Zuzumea. It sank into her forehead, and for a while, nothing happened.
Then it was as though a firework had erupted. Green sparks from Yami's puzzle, Yugi's counterpart of it as well as Asophyre's pen escaped as though eager to get away from their encasements. They sped towards teh same spot in the sky and met with a thunderous clash. The result was a shadowy human silhouette, which sped down towards Zuzmea and sank into her body. Red streams of light burst forth from her arms, her legs, her body and her slightly open mouth. As soon as they left her body and turned into smoke, which eerily creeped towards space, disintegrating as it went, so that by the time it reached the dome, it was no more than a wisp.
And Bakura continued chanting.
Zuzumea's eyes flickered, but before she even sat up, she was fiercely hugged by her Yami. Asophyre beckoned Yugi forward and charged him with the task of guarding his girlfriend. She herself got up slowly and walked towards Yami, so that once more they stood side by side. When she raised her head, the rage coursing through her beautiful dark eyes could've created electrical energy. Ryou took a step backwards. He looked dazed.
Asophyre reached for Yami's hand. With a mere nod at her, Yami took hers and lifted his other free hand. Asophyre did likewise, and in unison they began a low chant, overriding that of Bakura's quick mutterings. The light breeze which had just moments before been playing gently with the leaves of the decidous trees picked up and Yugi shivered.
Bakura's voice had stopped. His eyes were open, but they appeared blank. Ryou turned his head for a fraction of a second before snaping back to watch Yami and Asophyre's doings. They had not stopped, so that led him to conlude that their spell was not terminated. This would give Bakura more of an edge.
Something flew by him. Something pure black. It seemed like a torpedo of darkness aimed directly at the chanting couple. Yugi cried out in distress as it advanced upon his Yami and Asophyre. Five Metres. Four. Three. Two...
As though hitting an invisible shield, the torpedo bounced back. Life jumped back into Bakura's eyes.
With a screech like that of a vulture, the dark ball disappeared. Ryou looked around - no effect whatsoever seemed to have taken place. But then he heard the horrified cry Bakura gave. Turning his head so fast he felt his neck crick, Ryou started when he caught sight of his Yami.
Bakura was flickering, like a bad satellite reception. He vibrated in and out of view, each time taking longer to step back into the visible spectrum, each time staying a shorter amount of time. Zuzumea had come round and was staring at Bakura with her hand over her mouth. When, after 4 or 5 minutes, he didn't come back, it clicked in Ryou's brain that the battle was over.
Yami and Asophyre lowered their hands and let go of each other. Asophyre fell backwards and Yami hurried to catch her. Zuzumea stood up gingerly, and with the help of Yugi, walked over to where her counterpart had fallen. Ryou was still staring dazedly at the place Bakura had last appeared.
Yami gently sent the unconscious Asophyre on the ground. He stood up and started walking towards Ryou. Each step was like a gravel pounding upon the desk, it was as though Ryou's fate was sealed. Ryou, hearing him advance, turned around and his hands hung limply at his side. Nervously he watched the towering Pharaoh advance, but he nevertheless gathered up the courage to speak.
"What did you do to him?"
His voice, Yami was pleased to hear, held a hint of fear in it, although Ryou had tried to project confidence, almost defiance. Yugi had abandoned Zuzumea and was now walking after his Yami in quick, short strides, fearful of what Yami could do if pushed over the edge.
"Sent him to the shadow realm." Yami told Ryou matter of factly, as though he was merely talking about the weather. "And that's where you'll be going, too" His left hand lingered on his millennium puzzle while he wearily lifted his right hand and pointed at Ryou's forehead. The latter cringed.
Yugi seemed to appear out of nowhere as he threw himself in front of Ryou, shielding him from Yami. The ancient spirit blinked in surprise at his Hikari, who was holding on to his hand to stop him from doing anything to Ryou.
"Yugi, this bastard almost cost us Zuzumea, after agreeing that there would be no harm done during the battle? You almost lost her forever, and you're still protecting him?" Yami spat, not taking his eyes off Ryou, who had looked away. Zuzumea, upon hearing her name, raised her head and observed the scene carefully.
"He didn't mean to, I know he didn't" Yugi muttered sadly. He was still holding on to his Yami's hand, and his eyes were anywhere but Yami's face. "Bakura must've manipulated him somehow, the Ryou I know would never do that."
"People change." Yami told him shortly, his patience wearing thin. "The Ryou you know is no longer alive. It died when he threw his lot in with that damned Tomb Robber. " Yugi shook his head determinedly.
"Please Yami, just give him a chance."
Yami growled in irritation but lowered his hand. Behind him, Zuzumea breathed a sigh of relief. Yugi turned around to give Ryou a weak smile, but the white-haired boy had collapsed. Yami glared at the motionless form of his enemy's Hikari.
"Some nerve" He muttered under his breath.
~*~
"After a while, I just really hated Yugi" Ryou was telling them quietly, staring into his steaming cup of tea and not meeting any of his friends' eyes. "I don't know why. I liked Zuzumea from the start, but I didn't care whether Yugi got together or not. But after a while it was too much. I even defended Yugi in front of Bakura, but..."
"Noirsir." Asophyre whispered. Yugi, Yami, Zuzumea and Ryou all looked at her. "Darkening of the Heart. Dark spell, so Bakura wasn't able to cast it perfectly. Thus, when his soul was sent to the shadow realm, the spell lifted after lingering for only a moment, whereas if someone like Malik's sister Isis had cast it, Ryou would not have changed in any way." Zuzumea shivered and moved closer to Yugi, who put his arm around her. Ryou's eyes clouded over for a moment, but he shook it off bravely and smiled at his friends, glad that everything was okay again.
Well, almost everything.
"Yami?" Ryou asked tentatively, afraid of the Pharaoh's reaction. Except for a slight nod to show he was listening, Yami did not give indication that he cared what Ryou wanted to say. Instead, he kept his eyes glued on Asophyre and his face lit up when she turned around and grinned at him. Asophyre leaned over and put her head against his shoulder, sighing softly. Ryou sighed.
"D'you....do...umm..." He trailed off uncertainly. Yami looked at him, indigo eyes prompting him to go on.
"It's about Bakura." Ryou said in a rush. The atmosphere cooled as every pair of eyes focused on him. He shifted nervously on Yugi's sofa and went on, his voice almost inaudible. "Could you..."
Before he'd even finished the question, Yami shook his head gently. He understood the bond a Hikari and a Yami shares, no matter how evil one of them might be, but what Bakura did was unforgivable. He would not bring him back from the Shadow Realm. Ryou saw the resolution in his eyes and despaired. Throwing dignity to the winds, he fell on his knees in front of Yami. Yugi started and was about to stand up when Zuzumea pressed him back. She knew that if Ryou didn't do this, he would never have peace of mind.
"Please Yami, please do me this one favour. I know he doesn't deserve it, and I know I don't deserve it, but he's my Yami, no matter what. You should understand that, how would you feel if Yugi was separated from you?" Yami glanced at his Hikari, but his face betrayed no expression. "He did it for love! As bad as it sounds, it all started because he loved Asophyre! If he didn't wish to prove his worth to her, he wouldn't have started the Dangers of the Desert! And if he did not still love her after 3000 years, then he wouldn't have tried to hurt you. You love Asophyre, too, you should understand how he feels." Tears were streaming unchecked down his face. Once a Yami is assigned to a Hikari, separating them was tantamount to taking a fish out of water.
Yami opened his mouth to say something, but was shushed by Asophyre. She got down from the sofa and kneeled in front of Ryou, using her sleeve to wipe off his tears. She grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at her, and when he did, she smiled.
"Bakura was always a good boy. He had been since he was young. No matter how full of hatred he had been, he would acknowledge defeat if he truly saw reason. His eyes have been somewhat unclouded by your conditional love. It's good to see someone caring about him again, after so long. Thank you for that." Yami stared skeptically at the scene in front of him, but did nothing to stop Asophyre when she took off her millennium pen.
Zuzumea grinned happily while Asophyre unscrewed the cap. She took Ryou's right hand in hers and wrote in his palm the kanji "Kage". The black ink shimmered in the light from the incandescent lamp before fading into his skin. The same kanji appeared on his forehead for a split-second before fading away again.
But this time, Ryou's millennium Ring reacted. The spikes started spinning all around restlessly, as though they didn't know which way to point. Yugi, Yami, Asophyre and Zuzumea all stared at it in amazement until a pale hand reached over Ryou's shoulder and calmed them forcibly.
Asophyre smiled at Bakura, who tried to return it. But it was almost as if he was too tired for his muscles to even perform that simple action. Ryou stood up, and without a word to his Yami, strode into Yugi's kitchen. Zuzumea nudged Yugi, grinning. "Embarrased." He snickered.
Bakura focused his attention on Yami, who stared back unwaveringly. "You won, Pharaoh. Take good care of her, or I will be after you, and then I won't lose." And thus, with a snap of his fingers, he was gone. Yami stared at the air where only a second before, an ancient Egyptian Spirit had stood.
"Arrogant Bastard" He snorted, but he didn't have time to make any other degrading comments, for at that moment Asophyre tipped his face towards her and kissed him.
~*~
This is not a Ryou/Bakura fic, no matter what you might have 'deduced' from this chapter. It's brotherly love, not yaoi. I mean, even though you fight with your siblings, that doesn't mean you don't love them ^_^ Besides, Bakura's my favourite character! I wouldn't pair him up with anyone, since he's mine! *evil cackle*