Chapter 5 - The Fateful Night
Crimson raced toward the castle, her friends close behind. I do not like Kaiba! That is absurd! Ridiculous! No way! I DO NOT LIKE HIM! I think... Crimson shook her head, still running. I couldn't like him, no matter how familiar he looks. He's too...his attitude is just...I can't. Crimson stopped at the door, waiting for her friends to catch up.
"You...run...fast..." Joey panted. He was the first to reach her, followed by Téa, Mai, Tristan, Bakura, and Yugi.
"We better get inside. The faster we get in...I just realized I have no idea what we're going to do in the castle."
"We never explained," Yugi said. "Crimson, we're competing in the tournament to save my grandpa."
"Your grandfather? Why?"
"You see, Maximillion Pegasus stole his soul and imprisoned it within the castle." Crimson gasped. "The only way to save him is to beat Pegasus at his own game. But Pegasus's Millennium Eye is strong."
"Millennium Eye huh? It's not as strong as the other Millennium Items." Everyone looked at her like she was an alien. "What?"
"You know about the Millennium Items?" Bakura asked.
"Yeah, I have one." Crimson lifted a leg of her black pants to reveal the Anklet. "It's called the Millennium Anklet, and it's one of the more powerful. It has Invisibility, Levitation, Teleportation, and Soul powers."
"Interesting," Téa said. "The more we go along, the more Millennium Items we come across."
"Have you seen any other Millennium Items?"
"Well...there's the Eye. Then Bakura's Millennium Ring and my Millennium Puzzle. Have you seen any others?"
"The Millennium Ankh. That's all I know of. I met this man in Cairo that held it. He was the one to give me this Anklet. He also told me of some 'destiny'."
"Let's go inside already," Mai said. "I don't get all this Millennium stuff. The only thing it hits is the Millennium Sale that's going on in the mall, and I don't that has anything to do with Cairo and Eyes and Puzzles." Mai started up the stairs.
"She's right. We're not gonna save Yug's Gramps by standin' around. Let's go!" Joey and Tristan headed up.
"Let's go! The faster we're up there, the sooner we can get out of this island." Téa ran up. Bakura shrugged and followed.
"Hurry!" Yugi followed close behind. Crimson stood there, looking at them.
"Millennium Items. More Millennium Items. Soul Stealers, and Cairo. The more dreams, the more answers. It seems coming here has set a reaction. One thing just leads to the next. Who knows, we could be going to the Shadow Realm for all the world."
Seto Kaiba sat at the edge of a rock, head in his hands. His chopper was missing and he couldn't get home. Plus, his brother was trapped forever and his company was going to be taken over. Nothing had ever gone all wrong this fast. His world had been turned upside down in a matter of days.
What about that new Crimson girl? He would have been killed if it hadn't been for her. It didn't really matter. There was no point in going on if Mokuba wasn't there. Everything he had ever done was for his brother. But the girl was definitely interesting. He knew many girls liked him at school, but not to the extent that they would almost sacrifice themselves. But...did Crimson like him? From what he heard coming away from the castle, what Mai had said, and the way Crimson hotly denied it, kind of made him think so.
That's ridiculous. I don't have time for this. I have to find a way to get off this island and free Mokuba. Crimson still edged into his mind. One thing about her especially bothered him...her resemblance to Bianca. It was one thing when he realized the Pharaoh was undoubtedly Yugi. But Crimson looked a lot like Bianca. Her black flowing hair, warm smile - the one time he saw it - and her voice too. All resembled Bianca. And when she had given that name the first time he asked, it was beginning to be too much of a coincidence.
I shouldn't think about her. I have other problems. Kaiba looked up at the sun. He wished the day would end already. That way, he could be sure nothing else went wrong the same day.
Crimson, Yugi, and the others reached the top of the castle where the guard was waiting for them in front of the door.
"Present your star chips for entrance," he declared. Mai, Joey, and Yugi held up their gloves. The others glanced at each other. The guard nodded and the three Duelists entered. However, the guard blocked the others.
"What do you think this is? A clubhouse? Only Duelists may enter into the castle."
"You have to let us in!" Téa pleaded. "We're the cheerleaders!"
"The cheer what?"
"Yeah, let us in!" Crimson said. She walked right up to the man so she was face to face. "Do I have to show you why?" Her eyes burned red.
"No...ma'am...go on ahead..." Crimson smirked and let herself in, followed by her uneasy friends. The guard stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what he had seen.
The gang raced through the hallways and up the stairs. They ended up on the upper gallery overlooking a dangerous pit. A familiar face was already there, leaning on the banister with a leg propped up on the bars.
"Bandit Keith! I hate this freak-show!" Joey muttered as he raised a fist. Keith noticed the gang standing there.
"Well well...if it isn't the dweeb and his friends," he chuckled. Joey growled.
"YOU CREEP! I've been wantin' te cream ya eva since we got outta dat cave!" Joey charged and prepared to punch Keith. Instead, he was blocked every time.
"You missed...oops...nice shot!" Bandit took no effort to block the punches, while Joey was giving it all he had. "Can't this little grudge of yours wait?" Joey snarled.
"You wish!"
"Suit yourself, but Mr. Pegasus is just about to start his speech!"
"Huh?" Everyone turned around to meet none other than Maximillion Pegasus. He was standing in the doorway where they just came from, but no one heard him approach.
"Greetings, fellow Duelists. Welcome to the finals of my tournament." Pegasus looked much like the king of his castle, with a bright red suit and fluttered collar. "I trust you all come prepared and ready to Duel your hardest. Only one of you can win the three million dollar prize...only one of you can battle me to the finish... only one of you can earn the title King of Games. Or Queen..." he eyed Mai. "So tomorrow, at sunrise, prepare to Duel." Pegasus spun on his heels and left. Behind him stood a green-haired man in a gray suit.
"Duelists. I will now show you to your rooms. Dinner will be served in one hour. You are expected to be up tomorrow at seven for breakfast, with the finals starting sharply at eight!" He motioned a finger for them to follow. He led the Duelists to a hallway filled with doors.
"You may choose. Dinner will be in the dining room. The staircase to your left, down, and then right onto the main hall." He left.
"They make it seem like we're in the military!" Tristan muttered.
"Come on," Bakura said. "Let's choose our rooms and then we can hang out till dinner." Everyone agreed. Joey took the room closet to the staircase, while everyone filled in as far as possible from him.
"Crimson!" Téa whispered. "Have this room. It's best to keep as far away from Joey as he can. He snores! Loudly!" Crimson nodded with a chuckle. When they had disposed of all backpacks and travel bags, they hung out in the hallway.
"So, I wanna know," Crimson said, looking at Bandit, Mai, and Joey. "Why are you three in the tournament?"
"Well," Mai started. "Didn't you hear the grand prize? Three million dollars. I could buy a whole bunch of stuff with that! Plus, you don't find that many girl Duelists around. I gotta prove that we can beat the guys!"
"My reason is a bit less of physical things. I'm Dueling to beat Pegasus at Duel Monsters. He humiliated me in the National Championship. I want payback."
"I'm Duelin' for a good cause. My little sis needs an eye surgery but my family doesn' have enough money. My mom and da are divorced and my sis lives with my mom. Eva since she was born, her eyes were bad. She might go blind if we don't have dis operation. The three million will help her."
"Interesting."
"It's almost dinner time!" Yugi announced. Before he could get the last word out of his lips, Joey raced down the stairs. "Almost..." Everyone raced after him.
Pegasus stood in his ocean view room, sipping his drink. He smirked out the window onto the sunset.
"So, Croquet, do I make myself clear?" His green-haired tournament liaison nodded his head. He spoke in a gruff voice.
"Yes, sir. Bandit Keith, Mai Valentine, and Joey Wheeler will be imprisoned in the dungeons until the tournament is over. The other friends that Yugi Motou has with him will be 'held up' until your Duel is over. Is that as you ordered?"
"Yes, Croquet. That way, Yugi will be all alone so I can face him for the final Duel. How I have waited for this moment. Now that Kaiba is defeated and seemingly too depressed to protect his company any longer, the only thing needed is for me to defeat Yugi. And his friends will be too much of a bother if they get in the way." Croquet nodded and exited the room. Pegasus chuckled to himself.
"Yes, this will be perfect. The three other finalists won't be present and therefore disqualified. The others will have other things to deal with. That leaves me and Yugi to settle the deal of so many things. The souls, Kaiba Corp., and his Millennium Puzzle will soon be mine. Cecilia, I will revive you!" He looked at the painting on the wall. A beautiful blonde-haired girl stared back at him. His wife, before she had died from a terrible disease on their honeymoon. "I promise!"
"ALRIGHT!" Joey cheered. The table was already set for the eight of them. Scrumptious-looking dishes lined the table. "EATING TIME!" Joey and Tristan reached the table, lunging for the food.
"Ahem!" Joey and Tristan stopped in the middle of arguing over sides of the chicken. "Haven't you ever heard of ladies first?" Mai queried. The two guys looked at each other.
"No." They went back to arguing about the sides of the chicken. Mai sighed and took her seat. "There's always the soup." Téa shook her head and sat next to Mai. Crimson took a seat between Yugi and Bakura on the opposite side. Bandit sat next to Yugi. They looked around. Except for Tristan and Joey arguing in a whisper, it was silent.
"Will someone tell us to start?" Téa asked. They looked around. "Apparently not."
"Maybe we should wait a few minutes, you guys," Yugi suggested. They did for ten minutes. When Yugi reasoned it was way over the time Pegasus set in the first place, they started eating.
"This is delicious!" Tristan exclaimed, having won the argument and the bigger side of the chicken. "Don't you guys think so?
"I don't know," Bandit said. "Cause we ain't got any to eat!"
"The soup's good too!" Yugi said. Crimson decided to start on that and slurped it up. Everyone stopped and stared at her.
"WHAT? You all act as if I'm a zombie whenever I do something!"
"Slurping?" Téa asked. "What happened to table manners?"
"To hell with table manners! I'm hungry and I haven't seen this much food in ages! Besides, there are no grown-ups here!"
"Excuse me?" Mai and Bandit said at the same time.
"Grown-ups classified as married and having children."
"Oh."
"Anyway, I swear if you give me the look one more time, I will burn you up."
An hour later, everyone leaned back in his or her seat, full of food.
"I have'n eaten 'dis well in ages," Joey said.
"None of us have, and we almost didn't cause of YOU AND TRISTAN!" Téa complained.
"But, the food was quite nice," Bakura said. "Even if Joey and Tristan ate most of it."
"Hey! You guys ate as much as I did!" Tristan said.
"Yeah, all of us together!"
"Come on guys! We have Dueling to do tomorrow," Yugi said. "We best get to bed as soon as possible." Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. "Now you're giving me The Look!"
"It's eight o'clock, Yugi!" Crimson said incredulously. "You expect me to sleep?"
"Well, we're supposed to be up and ready at seven tomorrow. I don't see how you can manage it. We need at least nine or ten hours of sleep."
"Yeah, I guess you're right, let's go!" Everyone headed upstairs.
"Good night!" Everyone dispersed into his or her room. Téa went into hers and locked the door. The room seemed distant as her gaze gave it a preliminary look. The bed especially looked comfy. All she wanted to do was lay back and fall asleep. She kicked off her brown boots and took off her pink vest. Flinging them on the floor, she hurried to the bed and fell into it.
As soon as she lay down, all the tiredness in her went away. She no longer wanted to sleep. The bed was so warm and soft; the pillows seemed to be calling with their soft lullaby. Her mind, however, refused to go to sleep.
It's strange. Crimson has that Millennium Anklet. I wonder if that was the strange power Bakura was detecting. And what she did when Kaiba was about to be shot. That was scary. I mean, everything around her burst into flames. Maybe the Millennium Items are more powerful than we thought.
Yugi walked into his room. In reality, he wasn't tired. But he knew he needed to rest if he ever wanted his energy. He took off his shoes and coat and placed his Puzzle by the bedside table. Ever since he had gotten the Puzzle, his life had been different. Every time he fought a Duel, he seemed to be a different person. On top of that, he was sucked into this whole tournament where everyone seemed to have some secret past or magic item.
Crimson caught his eye especially. She looked so familiar he couldn't place it. Her face looked as if he had seen her somewhere before. Somewhere... somewhere recently.
"I'm just going mental."
Yugi? Yugi looked at the puzzle, where the voice of his yami was coming from.
"What do you make of Crimson?"
I don't know, still. Too many puzzles exist in this world for us to comprehend, Yugi. Destiny will let us know when the time is right. Yugi sighed and got into bed. He was afraid Yami was going to say that. He often talked about destiny as if it were a game. It probably was. And he was the playing piece. But who was the hand that moved him?
Joey walked into his room. He was too lazy to lock his door. After a good dinner, all he wanted to do was lay back and sleep. His feet dragged. He couldn't go much farther. With a slight yawn, he fell onto the nearest couch and snoozed off immediately.
Tristan sat at the edge of his bed. He had only taken off his shoes, which lay thrown about on the floor. He was deep in thought about what had happen that day.
I knew it! Those waves I had seen earlier were coming from her ankle. I just knew it! Tristan replayed the image in his head. He saw Crimson getting shot in the arm. As Yugi ran to help her, something exploded and waves of black light poured from her.
Such a coincidence. How come so many things these days have to do with those funky items.
Bakura looked out the window. The pale moonlight seemed to illuminate his already light-skinned face. He fingered the edge of his Millennium Ring. He thought about the Dark force he had detected earlier that day.
"It couldn't have come from her Item, could it? I mean, she seems so friendly and stuff. Could there be a Dark part of her I don't know?"
Bandit Keith chuckled to himself as he unlaced his boots. He tossed them off and his vest as well. Then he settled back in the bed.
It seems so wonderful, to enjoy life. To see Kaiba beaten by that little punk, Yugi. And to be able to beat Pegasus's sorry little ass out of his own tournament. Yep, the life.
Mai Valentine took off her jacket and sat down on the couch. She laid out her Duel Monsters cards around her.
"I'm gonna have to face one of those chumps tomorrow," she said aloud. "I have to prepare a strategy that can defeat any one of them. Let's see, I've already Dueled Joey so I know his plan of attack. Bandit Keith is a complete mystery to me, but I've seen Yugi Duel once and it's plenty for me. I know what kind of Duelist he is. I'll take on any of them." She selected cards and piled them on top of each other, trying to create a plan of attack.
Croquet peeked into the hallway. He saw all the doors of the rooms closed. He could hear snoring in the closest one.
"Come on, let's check that one first!" Croquet pointed to a random door on the right. Kemo and three other guards followed him to the door. Croquet pressed his ear to the doorknob.
"I believe Harpy's Lady will do best if put...here!" Mai's voice said from within.
"Great! Here's one of them. Get ready." Kemo nodded, and pulled out his knife.
Crimson sat on the windowsill, her legs pulled under her chin and her hands around them. The moonlight made an interesting pattern on her pants, making the sparkles light up. Crimson was staring out onto the rooftop where Kaiba and Yugi had been Dueling just that afternoon.
"It seems like a whole n'other day," she whispered. Her fingers played with her Anklet. "Why was I dragged into this?" She thought about her dreams and how she, Yugi, and the mysterious guy all played a part in it.
"I wonder...will the dreams have to do with any of the other Millennium Items?" Crimson leaned her head on the wall. Her thoughts shimmered in and out until her eyelids finally closed.
Bianca stood facing a giant doorway. No handle or any other way to open it was visible. Bianca became frustrated. She wanted to open the door, though one section of her heart told her it was dangerous.
How can a door be dangerous? I am so silly! Bianca felt along the surface of the door, tracing the hieroglyphs. She read them, but they made no sense. She knew Seth could easily solve something like this. She tried to picture him in her mind, but somehow the face was cloudy. She squinted harder.
"Don't!" Bianca turned around. Her brother, Atem, stood near the corner of the chamber. "You are too young to realize what you are getting into."
"What do you mean?"
"Seth is a dangerous man. I know your infatuation for him has grown stronger, but I am warning you. DO NOT GO NEAR HIM!"
"Atem, dear, I promise he is not as bad as he seems."
"Bianca...he is a sorcerer after my powers. I want you to stay away from him and think of him no more."
Crimson opened her eyes again. That was a weird dream. It seems my dreams are going back in time, somehow. The recent dreams are earlier than the ones I had first. I wonder why...
Crimson got up and went to the mirror. She fingered her bangs. On another note, no one has noticed I look like Yugi. Isn't it obvious? She smirked. Suddenly, a short scream erupted from the room next to her. Crimson spun around, her Anklet already pounding against her like crazy.
Mai! Crimson raced to the door. Her Item furiously started to glow. NO! If I go out there, this will react. I have to stay here! The others will help her. Unfortunately, no one else heard Mai.
The guards outside Mai's door creaked it open. They were relieved to see that Mai was sitting with her back to them. They tiptoed inside as quickly and quietly as they could. Croquet stood guard outside. The four made a semi-circle around Mai.
"I think if I pair Mirror Wall with this..." Mai trailed off. She felt someone behind her. Some people behind her.
"Who's there?" she asked, not quite turning around. She heard no reply. Gathering her courage she whipped around. Almost immediately, someone cuffed a hand around her shoulders. She screamed shortly, but they clasped her mouth shut. One of the men put a knife right under her chin.
"You will do as we say, or this will go through!" Mai felt a tiny prick as the blade made contact with her skin. "Now stand up." They pushed the flat side of the knife against her neck to lift her up. With the coat that was sprawled on the floor, they bound her hands behind her back. "Now walk." Mai had no choice. She let herself be led out of the room.
Everyone but one guard let go of her. The guard that held on only grasped a shoulder and the knife. Mai knew she couldn't escape.
"Don't worry. Just walk straight!" Mai felt helpless as she was led down the stairs, while the rest of the guards debated which door to choose next.
The Pharaoh, Atem, climbed the flight of stairs. They seemed to go on and on and on. Finally, a black door appeared at the top. He grasped the knob and pushed it open.
Suddenly, Atem found himself in the middle of the Egyptian Desert. He squinted in the midday sun to look around. Near a lone tree, Bianca stood leaning against the trunk.
"Bianca!" He ran over to him. She glanced at him with a tear-streaked face.
"Why?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you embarrass me in front of Seth today?" Atem looked away, full of guilt.
"Because...I don't want you and him together. The only way I could do that was to say something that would make you never want to look into his eyes again."
"Why do you think he is so dangerous?"
"Bianca...you can't love him."
"Answer the question!"
"Well...he is after my powers. Bianca, I do not get what you see in him."
"Just the same, I don't see the evil. He is kind and never ceases to please me with his magic tricks."
"Magic tricks? He's a sorcerer, sister. He will betray us one day."
"NO! He will never do that!"
"My conversation with you is over. I want you to forget him and everything about him. From tomorrow, I won't let you leave your room without a guard." Atem turned around and left. The darkness surrounded him.
Yugi sat up in bed. The dream didn't make sense. He had been getting many bits and pieces of that dream, including a very violent one. He had discussed with Yami about the dream, but Yami remembered nothing. It was all strange...
"Crimson!" The knowledge struck him like lightning. "Of course! That's why she's so familiar!"
"That one!" A purple-haired guard shouted. Croquet shrugged.
"We have nothing to lose, really. Kemo, open the door." The man snorted and tried to turn the doorknob. It didn't open. He tried again, harder. It was locked.
"Now what?"
"Try another door, you fool!" Kemo randomly chose a door and opened it. "Idiot!" Kemo turned to look at Croquet before closing the door immediately.
"We need to be ready."
"Bandit Keith was in there, Sir," the purple haired guard reported.
"Well, then, we have to be ready." Kemo nodded, and pulled out his knife again.
"And you think that will stand against Keith?" Croquet asked. Kemo switched it for a gun. "Much better." They got into their positions and opened the door. Bandit Keith was sprawled on the bed, sleeping. His snoring was almost as loud as Joey's.
"Quietly..." They tiptoed in until they surrounded the bed. Bandit suddenly opened his eyes.
"I saw that, punk." The guards froze. "What are you doin' in my room?"
"We need you to report to Maximillion Pegasus."
"You ain't gonna make me do nothing," Bandit said. Kemo rolled his eyes and pulled out the gun.
"How much encouragement do you need?" Bandit eyed the gun and reluctantly got out of bed.
"I'm warnin' you guys. You better not put me in some cage or somethin'..."
"Oof!" Bandit was tossed into the cell and the door closed shut behind him.
"YOU PUNKS!" he screamed, throwing himself against the bars.
"Calm down," Mai said quietly. He turned to look at her.
"What are you doing down here?"
"They got me too, you pea brain. Joey's coming soon enough. We might as well get comfortable cause we're going to be here till the finals are over."
"There ain't gonna be no finals without us."
"Pegasus only wants to Duel Yugi for whatever reason. Let him, and we'll get out of here fast."
"I can't stand around here all day. I want to win the tournament."
"So do I, knuckle head, so just relax and we'll get our chance."
"Whatdya mean?"
"They're bringing Joey too, remember? There will be less guards cause he's skinny. Then, both of us can over power them. Got my logic?"
"It better work!"
"I hear snoring from this one. It's gotta be that kid Joey!" Kemo said.
"That guy is such a weakling it's not even funny."
"We don't need to be armed. Let's go in there and get him." Kemo, Croquet, and the purple-haired guard nodded and they opened the door. It was pitch black inside.
"The kid forgot to open his blinds. I knew he was dense..."
"STOP!" The guards jumped, trying to find the source. It was inevitably Joey's voice. "I'm armed, ya freaks! So don't botha gettin' close!" The guards panicked. When their eyes focused a little, they looked at the bed. Joey wasn't in it. "If ya don't leave in a minute, you'll have more holes in ya than Swiss cheese!" The guards yelled and ran out of the room. Unseen to them, Joey sprawled off the couch, still asleep.
"So move it ya freak! I'll neva' give up my donut!"
The sun rose in the east, making the shadows dance on the castle. Everyone but Mai and Bandit were already in the dining room, about to enjoy breakfast. Tristan and Yugi were trying to desperately hold back Joey from diving into the pancakes.
"Joey! We have to wait for Mai...and Keith!"
"But Yug'! They're blueberry!" Joey tried to reach for the pancake.
"Joey," Tristan said. "If I can handle it, you can!" Just then, Croquet came in.
"You guys may start. Unfortunately, Mai and Bandit are a bit too 'occupied' to join you. Please, they ask that you start without them." He left the room as quickly as he came in.
"Somethin's up! They wouldn' do dat!"
"I know," Crimson said. "But what do you think happened?"