Shadows of the Blue Moon
By Darkness-Fire
Chapter Ten: To Surrender
Rivals turn into allies, and then into enemies. Betrayal and murder are around every corner, and the past of 3000 years is in disarray as an evil spirit seeks to destroy all that there is. Thing is, will the rivals learn to trust again after a round of treachery by the Pharaoh?
Darkness-Fire:
It's the start of the holidays! Well, for the students in my country, anyway. U And I managed to finish most of my holiday homework. Whee! See Shadow? I'm not procrastinating this time round!
Shadow:
Yadda yadda... And she finally got the time to write out this chapter of SotBM.
Darkness-Fire:
Yesh, well... shouldn't you all feel lucky?
Trueyamigirlfriend – Thank you! gives Bakura plushie
Angela – My god... thank you for reviewing chapters 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 all at one go! gives Yami, Malik, Bakura, Seto and Ryou plushie I'll try to make the chapters longer, but it really depends on the story development.
Shaedowe – Thanks for your review! gives Yami plushie
Akiko-Saulii – I really want to do that... but I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh... T.T I'm sorry for not letting Kira get much of the action last chapter... I was quite getting sick of people around me telling me how great Yami was and how Bakura should die, so yeah. Thereon the Shadows of the Blue Moon becomes history. gives Bakura plushie
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Expect I never will. T.T
Kira kept her muscles tensed as the reverberating explosions inside the tomb got louder and louder, signifying that the battle was getting more and more serious. "Shit, Bakura. If you don't get yourself out of this mess I'm gonna hate you for another 3000 years..." she whispered softly, perched silently on a rock as she monitored the restlessness of the guards.
"Ah. My dear, you have a lot more to worry about right now. Stop thinking for that tomb robber and fend for yourself," a cold voice laughed, and it chilled her blood as Marik appeared in front of her, an evil gleam in his lavender eyes.
And suddenly Kira felt her anger bubble up inside of her.
There was a howl as a spirit burst forth from her, snarling and snapping its jaws. Pyralis towered over Kira, nine tails fanning out and bursting into flames. Kira didn't care about the guards right now, who were yelling and shouting in fear for reinforcements.
Then, a black blur slammed into Pyralis so fast the fox had no time to react; at the same time Kira felt pain sear through her side. She staggered back, digging her heels into the sand to steady herself. The black figure whirled round, facing Kira directly, and what she saw made her blood run cold.
Sef.
And yet not exactly her brother's spirit creature. This Sef was black all over, no light reflected from its smooth feathers and fur from the moon above. The griffin's wings were wide, stretched to their full length they looked like deadly monsters all by themselves.
Kira could sense Pyralis tensing up, her next move unsure and hesitant. "Pyralis! This is not the Sef you know! Attack him!"
The fox gave a yowl of determination before unleashing nine leashes of fire from its tails. They wrapped tightly around the Sef-creature, burning into the feathers and fur and the creature writhed, screaming.
Marik smirked then, curling his lips. "Is it that easy? Kira?"
Then the Sef-creature emanated some sort of dark barrier that surrounded it and helped it burst out of the tight hold Pyralis had on it. The fox was thrown back several feet by the impact of the back-lash, but righted itself almost instantly, even as Kira dropped to the ground, breathing harshly.
All the air had been knocked out of her. She pushed herself up, and yet felt herself almost collapse back onto the golden sand again. Sand sieved through her fingers as she clutched at them, trying to regain control of the pain that stabbed her whole body.
"Pyralis!" she choked, forcing down blood, "Take it out!"
Pyralis gave Kira a concerned glance, before nodding and tackled headlong into the Sef-creature, smashing it into a cliff opposite. Marik himself retreated a few steps, clutching at his side, laughing insanely as Kira dropped back in pain, the shock having hurt her too.
"Hnn... he died upon his own trap. The idiot," Bakura mused, as he watched the blood splash onto the narrow passage.
Then something glowed and shot out from the blood into Mahaado's dying spirit creature.
"Impossible... his spirit creature should die right after his master's death!" Bakura exclaimed, as the Dark Magician unleashed a current of black magic towards him.
The Sef-creature regained its footing, now snarling with rage.
As it loomed ominously over Kira, she was suddenly enveloped with a vision of a golden griffin, at its peak of potential, a beautiful sight to behold. It disappeared as soon as it appeared, causing her to blink in confusion and then collapse further back onto the sand as pain seared through her arm.
Too much fog... and this coldness... she snapped her head back up in alarm. A Shadow Game!
"Why yes, my dear. No doubt your tired mind will have noticed by now... A Shadow Game, where no annoying guards can stumble onto us."
A swollen throbbing sound echoed throughout the area, raising Kira's senses. She looked around anxiously, for the presence of the Sef-creature, for it had mysteriously disappeared.
Then something lashed out from behind Kira, a black presence fastened round her ankles and pulled her back, forcing her to fall face-down onto the golden sand, which had now turned into black. A breath of fire immediately recoiled the black presence and the Sef-creature dissolved into the throbbing shadows.
The Sef-creature lashed out again several times, before finally pulling her to her knees, holding Kira hostage against her own spirit creature. Pyralis did not dare to attack, crimson eyes fixedly on its mistress as it tried desperately to seek out a way for Kira to escape its clutches.
A deadly black talon was drawn to Kira's throat, as Marik snickered openly at her, mocking her, fueling her anger. Kira perspired even in the coldness of the Shadow Game, cold sweat sticking to her tanned skin and she drew her head back to avoid the offending talon.
Her eyes slid closed, seemingly in defeat, mumbling something under her breath. Marik saw this, and laughed hysterically.
"My dear, nothing can save you now from ending this game! Ra will not answer your prayers, for he has forsaken you for the darkness of my power!"
Kira then opened her eyes defiantly, facing Marik. "Wrong. Ra did not forsake me; instead, he has blessed me. Blessed me with the knowledge that others will not end up like me. Ra, god of the gods, creator of the universe, god of the sun! All I ask, a simple wish!"
Pyralis disappeared into the shadows silently, howling in a triumphant sort of way.
And Kira slit her own throat upon the Sef-creature's talon.
Marik watched all of this. And laughed. And laughed. "The fool! What can she do to me with just an ignorant prayer? I have won this game, Keaira Ishtar." And yet, something unsettled him. The howl of a certain fox echoed still in his mind, mocking him, laughing at him.
Kira landed hard on the floor as she collapsed back into the modern-day. Tanned arms fastened immediately over her shoulder as Malik pulled her up. "Ouch..." she murmured, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her, breaking through her barriers and leaving her completely helpless.
Everything around her was blurred; the voices shouting around her were strangely muffled. She staggered unsteadily, splaying her legs slightly to keep her balance. Everything had ended for her in the Memory World, but the last incantation she had said left her unusually satisfied.
She knew Marik hadn't won completely. By a long, long shot. Another bout of light-headedness smashed past her defences, and then darkness came to claim her slowly, only vaguely aware of the frantic voices that were beside her.
"Get her up to her room, she's tired."
Yami was having a good day. He had previously given Marik the permission to kill Kira and Bakura on sight if he ever saw them. Not to say that Marik would ever need his permission, but it made him feel better. The young Pharaoh was looking forward to a fruitful day of court when he was greeted with the sight of a stone tablet.
His High Priests turned to look at him when he entered, and Yami noted that there were only 5 of them present. Yami collapsed in his seat, staring at the tablet in disbelief.
Mahaado... Don't tell me, he...? Oh... my Ra...
"What happened?" he snapped at his Priests, demanding for an explanation even though he already had a shrewd idea of what had happened. He had told Mahaado never to look for the tomb robber. He had told him... and yet the Priest had gone against him at the expense of his life.
Seto stepped forward, bowing low. "Your highness... Mahaado, he set a trap for the tomb robber. He did not survive."
Yami went rigid in his seat. What he had so feared had come to pass. And yet he heard a voice laughing in his ear. "I have finished Kira off, Yami. The death of Mahaado is now avenged."
"He went against my orders for him to stay in the palace..." Yami mused, staring blankly at the stone tablet of the Dark Magician. "And he sacrificed himself for nothing."
"The tomb robber cannot escape now, Your Highness. The guards have already sealed –"
"What they don't know will in the end kill them all. Bakura's spirit creature has the ability to tunnel out of sand and rock!" Yami shouted at them, anger stirring his thoughts. He knew he was lashing out at them for something they were not blamed for, but he didn't care.
The doors were flung open, and a blonde rushed in, sobbing, near hysterical as she tried to throw the palace guards off. Yami recognized the tanned girl, as she ran to the tablet.
And paled instantly on the spot.
Mana. The Dark Magician Girl.
Remember, do not grieve. Do not grieve... These spoken words ran through Mana's mind for the thousandth time. She had run all the way from her abode once she had caught sight of the guards pulling the stone tablet behind them, the expressions on their faces downcast.
Had Kira known this was supposed to happen to him? Why didn't she tell me directly...? Why had he so foolishly gone to court his own death? Mana wept, collapsing onto her knees before her teacher's tablet. She caught sight of Yami, walking towards her, seemingly calm. Had he known too, that this was supposed to happen?
"Mana... I'm so sorry... so sorry..."
Mana pushed him away from herself, as tears slipped more freely down her cheeks. "You knew this was supposed to happen, didn't you?"
Crimson eyes looked away, unable to face her fully. So it was true. He had known.
"Why didn't you stop him? Why? WHY?" she screamed, and Yami bore all this without any complaint. He regretted his decision. Mana would hate him forever. A stinging pain inflicted itself onto his left cheek, and he realized...
Mana had slapped him.
Truly, really slapped him.
"I had liked him, My Pharaoh. Truly loved him. I know it's forbidden. Love cannot exist between a master and his disciple. And now that he's gone, nothing matters. Not anymore..." Mana cried, and snatched a dagger from an alarmed guard. She brought the blade across her throat and slashed herself.
Crimson spilt onto the floor, reflecting in Yami's shocked crimson pools. He could only stare. Could only stare and regret his decisions. If he hadn't allied with Marik and betrayed his other allies, Mana wouldn't have died. He knew somehow that it was his fault. The laughing in Yami's ears intensified tenfold, and the Pharaoh knew he had been outwitted by the spirit.
"Remember the favour that I had asked of you, Tomb Robber?" Blue eyes searched for an answer in violet, searching, searching.
Bakura's eyes were red from what had seemed like crying. He blinked several times to force the foreign liquid down. "...Yes."
"You knew of Kisara. I regretted my decision, Tomb Robber, when I decided to sacrifice her in order to claim the Blue-Eyed White Dragon which resided in her body. I want to defy Anubis, Tomb Robber. But alone my strength is not enough. I want to bring her back from the dead. I know the others would not approve. Would you help me?"
There was silence. Bakura was not a fool. He knew that the slightest of mistakes could escalate into a full-blown disaster. And he had no intention was ending his life so soon when there were important matters to be tied up.
"You had promised me, Tomb Robber. Of a favour. And now I ask you for it. I beg of you, even. Help me bring her back!" There was a trace of desperation in his voice right now. "You know how it is to lose a loved one. Now, you have lost two. Malik and Kira. You had liked Kira, didn't you? So you would understand how I feel..."
Bakura choked and took a deep shuddering breath, filling his lungs with what he hoped was courage. "...Alright. But this is the first and last thing I shall ever do for you. My debt is now repaid."
"Very well. Now let us start."
They entered the temple of Anubis, and the statue of the jackal spirit stared down at them imperiously, arms crossed in front of its chest, clad in ornaments of gold.
Bakura and Seto chanted in rapid Egyptian, their incantations getting louder and louder, fiercer and fiercer, faster and faster. The lit fire leapt higher and higher with every spoken word, doubled in volume, like dancing snakes, casting shadows on the walls. The jeweled eyes of the statue seemed to come alive, surveying the ceremony with distaste as the two tried to bring back one of the dead.
The smell of spices was overpowering, as shadows and light interlaced and separated, dancing and dancing. A black aura enveloped the temple, as the shadows came together to make a shape of a jackal. The jackal, the God of Embalming.
The jackal snarled furiously. Who were these insolent mortals who dared cross the thresholds of the living and the dead? Who had ever dared to break his rules of no return? Seto threw more spices onto the fire, and the jackal shied away. For it was afraid of the sun and light, which was what Ra ruled over.
It shrunk, reduced to only a mere shadow as the fire lit up the temple of Anubis, as shadows were shortened to a mere minimum. Seto took over, his voice overpowering that of Bakura. He chanted the final words, and Anubis shrieked and vanished, knowing that he had lost this battle.
The brown-haired Priest's knees buckled. And there was a clear female voice. That voice was enough to lighten his spirits and ease his burden.
"Seto?"
Seto looked up and received an embrace from the pale blue-eyed Kisara. Bakura managed a quiet snort and he left, his debt having already been repaid.
He pushed open the doors of the temple, feeling the cool night breeze play with his silver hair. He stepped outside, covering himself with his cloak. He had better leave, before anybody discovered him. Bakura had only taken a few steps before he bumped into someone shorter than him.
"Watch where you're goin—"
"Tomb Robber."
"Pharaoh..." Violet met crimson as Yami faced Bakura.
To be continued
Shadows of the Blue Moon
Chapter Eleven: Rain
Yami tries to re-establish the bonds of allies with Bakura. What will Marik do to get his way? And what did incantation was laid when Kira said her last words in the Memory World?
Darkness-Fire:
I think SotBM will be ending soon... T.T Should I plan a sequel? Prequel? Side-story? Oh yeah. For details of the fight between Bakura and Mahaado please refer to the Yu-Gi-Oh manga, chapters 292 and 293.
Shadow:
Please read and review. Plushies are the reward.