Here's chapter two! Review responses are at the end of the chapter. If the characters are a bit OOC, that's because there aren't any Millennium Items, meaning Yugi's a pushover and Joey and Tristan are still mean to him. If any of you have read the manga, think how they were before Yugi solved the Puzzle. Kaiba's still rich, famous, and undefeated. Malik and Isis… well, their story's pretty messed up if the Millennium Items didn't exist, so I rewrote their entire history. Just to make things a bit simpler, their father's still dead, but Malik didn't kill him. I'll let you imagine how it happened.
*hands out s'mores to Hikari-Neko, hobbitfeet13, Hikage Kitsune, and Jelly Bean 18* ^_^ Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! And HK, you can think of this as an early birthday present too if you want.
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do, however, own Zake, which I forgot to mention last chapter. He'll probably be a semi-important character in this fic.
Notes:
"Speech"
'Thoughts'@_@ @_@=scene change
Egyptian Shadow Destinies: Chapter One
Just Normal Boys
The alarm clock went off for the second time that day, but a hand reached out from under the covers, hit the snooze button, and retreated back under the sheets. A few more minutes passed by in silence before the door slammed open and a female voice started yelling.
"MALIK! What do you think you're doing? You're going to be late for school!"
Malik Ishtar winced at how loud his sister was. Pulling the pillow over his head, he mumbled, "Aw, but Isis, do I have to go?"
Isis stalked over to the bed, grabbed the pillow, and threw it across the room. "Yes! It's your first day, and you don't want to be late! Eat! You only have thirty minutes!"
"Fine," Malik grumbled, sitting up. As soon as his sister left, he asked the room, "But why do I have to go anyway?"
Half an hour later, Isis practically kicked Malik out the front door and onto the sidewalk, slamming the door behind him. "Isis!" Malik whined, but he got no answer. The lock on the door clicked, and Malik sighed. "Might as well," he sighed, standing up and brushing himself off.
Most of the walk to school was spent staring at the sky. Malik reached another intersection and glanced around. "Hmm… that way," he decided, turning left. "Of course, I could just ditch and tell Isis that I got lost… but she wouldn't believe me anyway. She never believes me." Cocking his head back, he stared up at the clouds, shivering slightly through the light jacket that was part of his Domino High uniform. It was never this cold in Egypt. In Egypt, all you had to wear was short sleeves and you'd be set to go. Here, it was freezing cold in autumn, and Malik could just imagine how cold it would be in winter… just why did Isis have to get a job here, in Japan of all places? This Ra-forsaken country was so chilly at the best of times, and it was warm at most compared to Egypt…
Malik suddenly tripped and almost fell flat on his face, throwing out his hands and catching himself just in time. He growled out, "All right, who just tripped me?" He hadn't seen anyone, so of course it couldn't have been an accident. In Japan, people were so rude. Now, in Egypt…
A slight whimper distracted Malik out of his thoughts. He looked to his left, where a boy about a foot shorter than him and also wearing the Domino High Uniform was staring at him with the largest purple eyes imaginable. So that's why he overlooked him… but then again, that tri-colored hair was rather noticeable.
"G-gomen nasai," the boy said quietly. "I'm late for school, so I was in a hurry and ran out the door and straight into you. I didn't mean it, really! It was an accident!"
Malik raised an eyebrow, sighed, and automatically labeled the kid a pushover. "Whatever," he grumbled, pushing himself to his feet. The other boy did the same, and they continued walking, the shorter kid following about three feet behind Malik. They went on this way for a while, and eventually Malik started getting annoyed. The boy was following behind him, not saying anything, and anytime he turned around he'd look at him with those big scared violet eyes! Tired of the silence, Malik said, "Look, kid, what's your name?"
"I'm Yugi," he answered, adding bravely, "and I'm not a kid. I'm in tenth grade."
"Really?" Malik asked calmly. Yugi gulped and nodded, obviously regretting having said anything. Malik sighed again and turned away. 'He's in my grade… geez, I hope all the kids in my class aren't like this.'
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Twenty-five minutes later, Malik walked quickly to the office, ignoring the many stares he got as he went. Obviously, this school hadn't gotten any new students in a long time. He found it quickly, slipping inside the door and approaching the receptionist. Barely glancing up, she asked in a bored tone, "What do you want?"
"I'm the new student," Malik answered. "My name's Malik Ishtar."
"Malik, hmm?" The secretary hit something on a keyboard and printed out a piece of paper, handing it to Malik. "Here's your new class schedule. Enjoy your first day, dear."
"Whatever," Malik muttered under his breath so the lady wouldn't hear. He turned away, quickly leaving the office. He scanned his schedule as he approached his locker.
"It says my first class is in room 873… where in the name of Ra is that?"
"It's right down the hallway," a soft voice answered. Malik looked up-or rather, down-and spotted the boy from earlier. "It's my first class too," Yugi continued. "Can I see your schedule? Maybe I can help."
Malik glared at Yugi for a moment, and the smaller boy shrank under his gaze. Finally, Malik sighed and gave in. "Fine," he muttered, handing over the schedule. Yugi took it with trembling hands, which steadied slowly as he read.
"This is good," he commented. "You're in all of my classes. That means I can show you around."
"Great," Malik mumbled sarcastically. "Anyone else?"
"Just one person," Yugi answered, handing the schedule back. "I think his name's Ryou. He just transferred in a few months ago."
"What's he like?" Malik wondered aloud.
"Umm… I don't really know him that well. He's really quiet. He's from Britain, and he has white hair…"
'Just what this country needs, even more weirdos,' Malik thought dryly. 'And of course, the teacher'll probably have hair dyed in rainbow colors.' Now, in Egypt…
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Ryou Bakura walked into the classroom, unnoticed as usual. The quiet British boy had been the new kid for a few months now, and he had yet to make any friends. His shyness hadn't helped at all. Ryou sat down at his desk and sighed. Why, oh why couldn't have they stayed in England, where he actually knew people?
The first bell rang and two boys rushed in, apparently afraid that they'd be late. Ryou glanced at them uninterestedly, and then took a second look. One of them was Yugi Muto, who Ryou barely knew. The other had long blond hair and fuchsia eyes, and was obviously a new kid. From the way he was looking at Yugi, he was more likely to be a punk than a potential friend. Ryou turned away and stared at the board. No likely friends in that area.
Off to Ryou's right, a blond and a brunette boy exchanged grins and rose. He didn't notice; this was all part of a daily routine. Joey and Tristan had tried to pick on him his first few weeks of school, but they had quickly lost interest. Ryou never complained, but Yugi was a good target.
Yugi gulped slightly and backed behind Malik a bit, but the taller boy either didn't notice or didn't care. Joey and Tristan walked over to him, both with identical not-so-nice smiles on their faces. He glanced around the room quickly but didn't see Tea anywhere. Not good.
"So Yugi," Joey began casually. "You're late. Were you trying to get here after the teacher came?"
"N-no," Yugi stammered. Tristan leered at him.
"That's good, then. We'll have a lesson after school. You still need to be toughened up some more, you know. The real world is harsh, and you're lucky we're being so nice to you, helping you out and all."
Yugi nodded quickly and shrank behind Malik, who was staring at Joey and Tristan with a bored look on his face. The duo finally noticed him for the first time, and Joey grinned again.
"Hey, lookie here, a new kid. Friend of yours, Yugi?"
"No, not really," Yugi replied quietly, his eyes round.
"He doesn't look so tough," Tristan commented. "Maybe he could use some help, too. Hey new guy, come meet us after school in the front yard. We'll teach you too."
Malik glanced behind him at Yugi, noticing for the first time the slight bruise that covered one side of the smaller boy's face. He raised an eyebrow and turned around to face the two class bullies. "How about not?"
Joey scowled at him, raising his fist slightly. "Then how about we make you?" His fist flew through the air, heading straight for Malik's face. Yugi and Ryou both winced and turned away, waiting for the inevitable sound of fist hitting face.
It never came.
Yugi opened one eye slowly and glanced up. He gasped, and both eyes flew open.
Malik was standing there with Joey's fist caught in one hand. The expression on his face hadn't changed at all, but Joey and Tristan's looks of complete surprise mirrored each other. The Egyptian spoke slowly, his voice boiling with menace. "I said I'm not coming. Isn't that good enough for you morons?" He glared at the two other boys, who both gulped. The don't-mess-with-me-or-else look on Malik's face was not one they were used to seeing.
"Fine," Joey croaked out, still trying to pick up what was left of his dignity. "Don't come if you don't want to. It's all the same to us." Tristan nodded agreement, and the two practically scampered off to their desks.
"Hmph," Malik snorted, walking to the front of the room and leaning against the board. Yugi shot him a scared look before he too fled to his seat. Malik glanced around the room, and everyone who had been staring at him quickly found something else to do.
In the far corner of the room, a certain rich and powerful CEO was sitting with his arms crossed and grinning. 'About time someone shut those two losers up,' he thought. 'I could have done it myself, but why waste effort on such a pathetic pursuit?'
The teacher (who, surprisingly enough, had normal-looking blond hair) entered the room at that moment, and the class settled down. "Class, I'd like to introduce you to your new classmate, Malik Ishtar." Instead of clapping, the whole class (Kaiba excluded) sent the Egyptian scared looks.
The teacher, obviously puzzled at the reaction, said, "Umm… well then, so much for a warm welcome. Malik, why don't you take a seat next to Ryou? He's the one with the white hair. I'm sure you'll get along nicely."
Malik walked sulkily to his seat, glancing at Ryou as he passed by. The British boy stared at Malik fearfully, scooting as far away from him as he could in his seat. Malik sighed as he sat down. 'And THIS is the other kid who I'm going to spend class time with. Oh, I'm sure this'll be a GREAT year.'
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Yugi slipped into the cafeteria, checking around for an unoccupied table where he could sit alone, like he usually did. He found one in the far corner and weaved his way expertly into through the crowd, heading for it. He was almost there when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see the last two people he wanted to face.
Joey and Tristan were staring down at him, angry looks on their faces. They obviously hadn't forgotten what had happened that morning, but that didn't exactly explain why they were mad at him. They should be angry with Malik, right? They didn't have a reason to be mad at him. Of course, Joey Wheeler and Tristan Taylor were famous for doing things without reason.
"Well, Yugi," Joey began pleasantly, "nice to see ya again. How've you been doing? Your new friend treating you nicely?"
"Uh, yeah, sure, but, well, you see, he's not really my friend…" Yugi suddenly became aware of all the stares they were getting and the whispers that ran around the room.
"Hey, isn't that Yugi Muto? Yeah, I heard he brought that new kid to school with him to beat the living daylights out of those two. And I heard he did a pretty good job of it, too."
"Really? He beat those two up? Man, he must be really good."
"Yeah! I heard the teacher was in the room and didn't stop him because she was so scared!"
"I wouldn't wanna get on his bad side if I were them. He could just call his friend and they'd be toast!"
"Someone told me that he saw them in the hallway when the new guy was coming toward them. Their eyes went wide as saucers and they ran away in the other direction!"
"Hah, those guys are cowards! Malik didn't seem that tough. Those two must be really weak if they lost to a guy like that!"
"You see?" Tristan hissed in Yugi's ear. "Rumor spreads quickly. Your 'friend' has ruined our reputation. We're going to be the laughingstock of the school for the next few weeks. And… well, Joey and I don't like being laughed at. Someone's gonna pay."
"And that 'someone' ought to be the one who brought that punk into our territory in the first place," Joey continued, watching in delight as Yugi gulped. "So… double lessons until this rumor fades out. Here's a little sample of what's in store today."
Yugi winced as the hand on his shoulder suddenly tightened, gripping it hard enough to bruise. He stood it for as long as he could before finally whimpering, "Please… stop… please! It hurts!"
Joey chuckled darkly. "Aw, wittle Yugi says it hurts. What a joke." He brought his mouth closer to Yugi's ear. "And we haven't even gotten to the real lesson yet. You're so weak. That's why we do this, to toughen you up. You can't always rely on people like Malik to protect you."
"I told you, he's not my friend!"
"Denial," Tristan said, shaking his head. "You're lying. Five minutes extra for today. You know the drill. Front yard, after school when everyone's gone. If you're late…" He gave Yugi a "friendly" slap on the back, and the small boy cried out in pain. "Well, I suggest you aren't late." He and Joey grinned as they walked away. "All right then, it's settled. See you after school, Yugi!" The pair walked away, laughing to themselves.
Yugi stood there for a while, taking deep, calming breaths, all thoughts of eating forgotten. He'd have to show up; it would be worse for him tomorrow if he didn't. And then he thought of Malik. The Egyptian had stood up to them, and he had won. And he was supposed to be helping out at the Game Shop today…
"All right," Yugi whispered to himself. "Today, I'm not doing it. But I can't stand up to them face-to-face…" He glanced out the window, where a huge tree took up almost half the yard. Yugi smiled as sudden inspiration came to him. "So I won't. There're plenty of hiding places in the roots, and I go home as soon as they leave! It's the perfect plan! No one'll ever find me there!"
And so he made the decision that would change his life forever.
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Ryou didn't even bother to get lunch, slipping through the front doors of the school and taking a seat on the top step. Sometimes, he just liked to sit here and watch the cars and people go by. A bit of a weird pastime, maybe, but he didn't really care, and no one said anything anyway. Of course, few people ever said anything to him, and even fewer even noticed him.
Malik had, though. That had been about the only good thing he had noticed about the new student: he actually looked at Ryou. Then again, it was hard not to notice him, considering his hair and the fact that they were in all the same classes together.
Something nudged Ryou in the back, but he ignored it. Probably just an accident. He didn't have any friends here anyway; they were all back in Britain. He'd hoped that Malik might be nice and actually talk to him, since they were both relatively new, but the tough act he'd put on earlier had effectively killed that dream.
Someone hit him in the back again, harder this time, but Ryou didn't notice, wrapped up in his thoughts as he was. He had an idea that Yugi could be a friend, except that would attract the bullies to him, too, and he had enough problems as it was…
The person was, by now, obviously annoyed. He kicked Ryou this time, hard enough to make him fall forward and tumble down the steps, landing facefirst in a pile of dirt, his Duel Monsters cards falling out of his pocket as he did so. He looked up to see Ushio Tenrio glaring at him.
"Don't sit on the steps!" the hall monitor ordered. "You're blocking the way for the rest of us."
"Sorry," Ryou said quietly, choosing to ignore the fact that there was still enough space left for five people to cross if they stood shoulder-to-shoulder. He collected his cards, slipped them into his pocket, walked up the stairs, picked up his bag, and headed for an empty place in the shade of the school building.
As he walked, Ryou thought bitterly, 'Might as well try to befriend Yugi. I'm enough of a pushover already, so it's not like a couple more bullies would make a difference.'
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Malik wandered into the schoolyard, glancing around for a place to sit. He noticed one in the shade of the giant oak that Yugi had seen earlier, where dozens of students were lounging around and talking to each other. All of them, even the upperclassmen, sent frightened glances in his direction, and Malik sighed. He'd come out here trying to find somewhere where he could get away from the stares!
There was a perfect place against the trunk of the tree, nestled comfortably between two of the tree roots. He walked toward it and gave an exasperated sigh as the students eating there took one look at him and fled. His first day and he already had a reputation as a punk and a tough guy. Not fun.
Malik sat down in between the tree roots, took out his lunch, and groaned. "When will Isis learn that I don't like peanut butter and jelly?" He ate it anyway; it wasn't like he'd get anything else to eat. He'd learned enough about school lunches to know that he'd rather starve then eat one.
Someone cleared his throat above him, and Malik didn't even bother to look up. "Whaddya want?"
"You're the new kid, aren't you?" a deep voice asked. Malik nodded, and the person continued, "Obviously, or you would've known that this is our place. Clear out now or else."
Now, Malik didn't like being threatened. He coolly raised his gaze to take in the person in front of him: a senior, and roughly half a foot taller than him. A normal person would have run away as fast as they could, but as previously stated, Malik didn't like being threatened. "Or else what? You'll make me? Just try it."
The senior guffawed. "I like your attitude, kid. How about this: you join my gang, I don't hurt you." He gestured behind him at a group of upperclassmen who were even bigger than the school football team.
"Whatever," Malik muttered, going back to his food. He pulled out a banana and made a face. Fruit doesn't last too long when squished beneath roughly seven textbooks.
The gang took seats along the tree roots, with the leader taking the highest seat, right next to Malik. He studied the Egyptian for a moment before pulling into his lunch and asking, "Want a hot dog?"
"No thanks," Malik mumbled, poking the banana and sweatdropping at the squishing sound it made. "I don't eat meat."
There was a collective gasp from the gang, and one of them whispered, "Hr doesn't eat meat?"
"Well, he'd better learn fast," someone else commented. "No one says no to the boss."
"Yeah, well I'm someone, and I'm saying no." Malik glared at the leader of the gang. "I never asked for you to be here."
"Are you telling us to get lost?"
"In simple terms, yes. I'm telling you to leave, now."
"Oh really?" The rest of the gang scattered as their leader jumped up and sped towards Malik. He threw a punch at Malik's face, which the boy ducked. The senior's hand thudded rather painfully into the tree trunk, and not missing a beat, Malik kicked out and hit his opponent in the stomach. He gasped for breath suddenly and backed away, glaring at Malik as he caught his breath. The Egyptian stood up slowly, also glaring.
"Fight!" someone called, but the two were too busy to notice. Malik blocked a storm of jabs, but then got under his chin by an uppercut. Crying out slightly in pain, he rushed the senior, ducked a punch, and slammed his adversary with a jab that effectively broke his nose.
Falling back a bit and wiping the blood away, the gang leader snarled, "Oh, that's it!" and dove for his bag, pulling out a Swiss Army knife. Malik's eyes barely had time to widen before he had to jump back, and the blade sliced through his uniform and left a minor cut on his right side. He scrambled to the left to avoid the knife, which was seeking any possible opening.
"Whatever happened to fairness?" the Egyptian demanded, and his opponent's lips curled up into a sneer.
" 'Fairness' went out the window two minutes ago," he growled, lunging forward again. Malik backed away quickly, and in his haste, he tripped over a tree root.
Cursing himself inwardly for being so stupid, he was about to stand up again when a shadow loomed up over him. Looking up, Malik couldn't help but gulp slightly as he saw his foe staring down on him. The look on his face was not pleasant.
"Whatever made you think you could challenge me?" the upperclassman hissed. Shouts from the edge of the crowd that had gathered drew his attention, however, and he glanced up, then back down at Malik. "I'll have to make this fast. The teachers are coming, and all they'll find is your beaten body." He raised the knife in a position to stab Malik, but the Egyptian reacted quickly, swinging his leg and tripping the other student. The knife flew from his hand and embedded itself in one of the roots nearby.
Malik was back on his feet in a second. "What was that about my beaten body?" he mocked. The senior backed away as fast as he could while sitting down, but it wasn't fast enough. Malik kicked him hard in the side of the head, and his opponent fell over, unconscious.
"That wasn't too much of a problem," he muttered. "The guy acted tough, but…" Suddenly becoming aware of the increasingly loud shouts of the teachers, he made his way to the edge of the crowd. The students backed away from him as fast as they could, clearing a pathway. Just as he reached the edge, the teachers reached the scene of the fight, gasping slightly at what they found there.
As he walked away, Malik heard the principal say, "Look, he's waking up," followed by a groan. Then, "Young man, I'm afraid you are in some serious trouble. You will undoubtedly be expelled for fighting and possession of weapons. Now, tell us who it was you were fighting with."
Absolute silence from the crowd. Malik had to chuckle slightly; they were all too scared of him to admit that he had done it. As he walked away, he thought wryly, 'Some great first day this is. Now the whole school thinks I'm a bully who'd beat them all up without a second thought. Heh, if Isis knew, I'd be even more dead than a Zombie monster.'
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The bell rang, and Yugi scrambled quickly out of his last period chemistry class. He practically ran through the hallways, threading his way quickly through the crowds and out the back door. He glanced around quickly; good, no one was here yet. He sped for the tree and ducked around the trunk, heading for the hiding place he'd picked out during lunchtime earlier. He slipped between two roots into a small cave under one of the roots. It was a tight fit, but one that only Yugi could fit in, and one that no one else would ever find.
The boy grinned to himself. It was the perfect spot. There was no way Joey and Tristan could ever find him here.
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Malik walked slowly out of chemistry, the last one to leave. Everyone in the hallway sent him scared looks and quickly cleared a path, but Malik ignored them. Not like he cared what they thought, anyway. He'd never actually beaten someone up before, but then again, there was little need for that in Egypt. In Egypt, everyone was extremely polite, and they never forced things on you, unlike these stupid Japanese…
Malik looked up and almost banged straight into his locker. There were a few snickers, and he turned around quickly to see everyone staring at him. They quickly looked away, obviously not wanting to get on his bad side. Emptying his books into his locker, he turned away and headed for the back door. He was tired of all the stares, tired of all the frightened looks that came from every direction…
He walked out the door and down the stairs, heading for the giant oak. He moved to the far side, where no one could see him, and stared up at the leaves of the tree. The sunlight shining through them left a dappled pattern on the ground, and Malik sighed lightly. The people were much nicer in Egypt, but he had to admit, in some ways Japan was just as beautiful as his home country.
Malik was so absorbed by the soft wind and the rustling sounds the leaves made that he never noticed the pair of big violet eyes that peered out at him from between two tree roots.
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Ryou walked through the back doors of the school, heading for a pathway that curved around the tree and led through some shrubbery on the opposite end of the schoolyard. He'd long ago learned that the path was a shortcut, leading him to a street that bisected the road the house was on. He was about ten feet from the bushes when he sensed that someone was watching him.
Ryou whirled around quickly to see Malik, who was leaning against the tree trunk. The fuchsia eyes were staring at him unblinkingly, and Ryou backed up a step, moving away as fast as he could without tripping over any tree roots.
Finally, Malik sighed and pushed himself away from the tree trunk. "What's your hurry?" he asked Ryou.
"I, um, I… Well, I've got some chores I have to do at home!" Ryou laughed falsely as he said the first thing that came to mind.
Malik cocked his head. "Really?" he asked mildly. "I'd heard that you lived alone."
"Uh, yeah, that's true, but I like to keep the place clean!" Ryou stammered, still backing away. That was how he didn't notice the tree root until he stepped on it, and it broke under his weight, throwing him down into a tiny ditch…
…to land right on top of someone. Someone let out a yelp, and Ryou looked down to see none other than Yugi, whose hair was now full of dirt, and whose chest was being sat on by Ryou.
"Hi, Yugi," the British boy said, blinking. "What're you doing down there?"
"Will you please get off me?" Yugi gasped. Having someone sitting on him that weighed more than he did was not pleasing him.
"Pardon?" Ryou asked. Yugi glared at him, and he sweatdropped. "Oh, sorry about that." He stood up, and Yugi got up and brushed himself off.
"Thank you," the smaller boy snapped.
Ryou blinked. "Hey, I already said I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Do you think I'm okay? I came here to get away from people that would hurt me, and then you go and collapse my hiding place!" By this point, Yugi was close to tears. If Joey and Tristan came…
"As interesting as it is to watch the two biggest pushovers in the school argue, I'd say it's kind of pointless," a dry voice commented.
Both Yugi and Ryou froze. "M-Malik!" Both of them had totally forgotten that the new guy was still there.
Malik smirked. "What, are you scared of me? But then again, the whole school is, so I can't exactly blame you…"
"So the fight today wasn't your fault?"
"No, of course not! I don't go around randomly starting fights! He attacked me because I didn't-" Malik stopped short as a growling noise came from the bushes. Malik glanced around and said slowly, "What was that?"
Yugi shrugged. "Just a dog. What were you saying about you not starting the fight?"
"Umm… oh yeah. I didn't want to take the hot dog he gave me because I don't eat meat so-" Malik was cut off again, this time by a roar.
"I don't think that's a dog!" Ryou yelped, staring behind them at the bushes, which were rustling. Both Yugi and Malik whirled around, and their eyes widened at what they saw.
A monster with black fur and a gold mane was stalking towards them, tail swishing behind it as it growled. It looked somewhat like a lion, except the last time they checked, lions weren't six feet tall. And if the monster was big, its mouth was full of foot-long fangs. Not good.
"It's a Leogun," Yugi breathed, adding unnecessarily, "A Duel Monster."
"Is it real?" Malik asked.
"No, probably just one of Kaiba's holograms."
Just then, the Leogun let out another roar and ran toward them, and hologram or not, the boys didn't want to become mincemeat. They dove out of the way, and the long claws raked the trunk of the oak, leaving long, deep gashes.
"Somehow, I don't think that's a hologram!" Ryou yelled, dodging as the monster swiped at him again.
"Well, if it's not a hologram, WHAT IN THE NAME OF RA IS IT?" Malik cried.
"That's what we'd all like to know!" Yugi yelled back as the fangs barely missed his arm, tearing a piece of cloth off his uniform. He was starting to wish he'd worked harder in P.E.
A few minutes and several close calls later, Yugi noticed that there was a method to the monster's attacks. It seemed to be herding them into a group… he gasped as he realized what it was trying to do. "Hey guys! It's trying to corner us against the tree!"
"You JUST NOTICED?!?" Malik yelled back. "If you have any brilliant ideas to stop it, then just say it!"
By this time, Ryou was backed up against the tree, his eyes widening as the Leogun approached him, growling happily that it had cornered its prey. "Uh, guys? A little help here?"
Yugi grabbed the first thing that came to hand: a rock about the size of his fist. He threw it and it struck the monster on the head, but the huge lion didn't seem to notice or care. It continued to slowly stalk towards Ryou, who seemed to be about to faint in terror. Yugi grabbed his school bag next and threw it, and it somehow got caught in the monster's thick mane. The Leogun roared and shook its head, making the bag fall it. It glared at Yugi, who gulped, but then changed his mind and turned towards the prey that couldn't run.
It stopped about a foot from Ryou, opened its mouth, showed its fangs, and roared just to terrify his victim. It worked. Trembling, he sank to his knees, unable to tear his gaze away from the teeth. "I do NOT want to be lion food!"
Luckily, he didn't have to. A figure sprinted towards the Leogun, hitting it in the shoulder and springing back, landing on his feet. "Hey, meat breath!" Malik yelled as the lion turned towards him, completely forgetting about Ryou. "Why don't you pick on someone who'll actually fight back?"
The Leogun growled, leaping at Malik, who jumped to the side to avoid it. "That the best you can do?" he mocked. "How'd you ever become a level five monster?"
Ryou scrambled away from the tree and towards Yugi, who was watching the whole scene unfold in shock. "Someone tell me why we're not running?" he gasped.
Yugi sweatdropped. "Good question. But do you really want to leave Malik alone like this?"
The monster jumped at Malik again, and the Egyptian dodged it again. He was caught by surprise, however, when the Leogun's paw lashed out, hitting him square in the chest when he was still in midair. He landed on the ground ten feet away and slid for about five more, finally hitting a root with a painful-sounding thump.
Now it was Malik's turn to be stalked by the Leogun. He scrambled backward while still sitting down, the monster following lazily. It obviously thought that there was no way Malik could get away. He got up and ran, while the Leogun continued walking toward him at its leisure.
Ryou gasped. "We've got to do something!"
"In case you haven't noticed, that thing doesn't get hurt by anything!" Yugi yelled, then paused. "But maybe…" He reached for his deck and pulled out the first monster he found. "Celtic Guardian!"
To everyone's surprise, it actually worked. The swordsman stepped out of thin air and looked at Yugi, awaiting an order from his master. Yugi gulped, then commanded, "Attack the Leogun!"
With a cry of its own, the elf sped towards the lion, brandishing its sword. He struck it on its left side, leaving a foot-long gash. The Leogun whirled and sank its fangs quickly into the Celtic Guardian, and Yugi's monster disappeared with a pained cry.
"Why…?"
"Its attack power was too low!" Malik yelled. This seemed to draw the monster's attention back to its prey, and it once again turned toward Malik. The Egyptian gasped and backed away, only to trip over a tree root. His right hand hit something that stood up from the trunk about two inches, and he looked down.
A Swiss Army knife. Just what he needed. Maybe something good had come from his earlier fight after all. Malik grabbed the handle and pulled, but nothing happened. He groaned, realizing that the reason it had been left there was because no one could pull it out. He glanced up and noticed that the Leogun had stopped about a meter away from him and was watching him warily, teeth bared in a ferocious grin.
Just then the monster pounced, leaping into the air and straight at Malik. He ducked, and fear and the threat of death did what nothing else could. It lent him strength, and somehow, miraculously, the knife came out of the wood.
The Leogun sailed inches over Malik's head, which was flat on the ground. He brought the knife up, still clutching the handle with both hands, and plunged it deep into the lion's underside. The monster, carried on by momentum, roared in pain as it felt the blade slice through its belly. Black blood rained down onto him, blood which pixilated and disappeared as soon as it touched something solid, for which Malik was glad. He didn't want to give Isis another reason to kill him. He pulled the knife out and rolled to the side, just in time to avoid having his face crushed by one of the Leogun's back paws.
Jumping up, Malik ran panting back to where Yugi and Ryou stood, transfixed. As soon as it had landed, the monster turned around to face them again, tail swishing. It lifted one of its front paws and began licking the gash in its belly, stopping the bleeding. It lifted its head once again, and within seconds, the cut closed up, leaving nothing but a pale scar. The wound in its side that the Celtic Guardian had made had also healed.
"Oh no," Yugi breathed, just as Malik said, "That's no good."
"What now?" Ryou asked, staring at the Leogun. It stared back at him, making the current situation a stalemate.
"I suggest we get out of here," Malik commented, "before it decides to try and eat us again."
"But what about the people who live near here?"
Malik cast Yugi a sideways glance. "You just HAVE to play the hero, don't you?"
"Um, guys," Ryou began slowly, "I really hate to break it to you, but the Leogun's coming back!"
"Huh?" Both Malik and Yugi looked up, and then all three of them split off in different directions as fast as they could. The monster roared and veered right, aiming to get at Yugi. The boy yelped and ran faster, looking back over his shoulder at the lion, but it was gaining on him all the same. It was only about five feet away from him when Ryou dashed forward, grabbed its mane, and pulled, trying to get it away from his friend.
It didn't exactly have the desired effect. Not too happy with the little pest pulling on its mane, the Leogun roared and shook its head, with Ryou still clinging to it. The result was that the white-haired boy went flying up into the air, only to land on the lion's back. The monster turned its head and stared at Ryou, who grew suddenly wide-eyed. "Oh no… oh no, no, nooo…" He drew his legs up just in time to avoid the Leogun's snapping jaws. Having forgotten Yugi, the monster growled and proceeded to run around as fast as it could, attempting to shake Ryou off. The British boy was clinging to the mane for dear life and noticed little else-that is, until it headed for the tree in an effort to crush him against the trunk. "Uh oh… some help here?"
"Yugi, summon a monster!" Malik yelled, and the other boy looked at him questioningly. Malik sighed. "You did it before, didn't you? So just do it again!"
"Uh, right!" Yugi grabbed the next card in his deck and held it up. "Summoned Skull!" Nothing happened. "What? Why didn't it work?"
"Yugi, Summoned Skull is a Tribute monster, and we don't have time for tributes!" Ryou yelled from where he was dangerously closed to falling off, thanks to the Leogun repeatedly bashing itself against the tree.
"So what, then?" Yugi demanded.
"So you summon a monster that's strong enough to beat Leogun without any sacrifices!"
"Oh, yeah… but I don't have many of those in my deck."
"Well then, START LOOKING!" Malik yelled, staring at Ryou anxiously. The Swiss Army Knife was still gripped in his hand, but it would've been very hard to get a good shot at the monster without Ryou in the way.
"Um… let's see…"
"Hurry up, Yugi!" Ryou yelled, just as the Leogun rammed itself into the tree as hard as it could and sending him flying. He cried out slightly as he landed, but all pain was forgotten as the monster loomed up before him. "Um… nice kitty?"
The Leogun growled and shook its mane in response. Ryou gulped. "YUGI!!! HELP!!!"
"Got one!" Yugi drew out a card as fast as he could and pointed it toward the Leogun. "Gemini Elf! Attack!"
The twin elves appeared and flew toward the other monster as fast as they could. The male struck first, hitting the lion in the side and backing away to let his sister strike. She hit him square in the head, and the Leogun roared before bursting into a thousand pieces, just like in Kaiba's holographic simulators. Having completed their job, the elves faded out of existence.
There was silence for a few minutes, with the three boys looking at each other and the place where the Leogun had been. Finally, Ryou stood and walked over to the tree, running his hand over the claw marks that had been gouged in the wood. He turned back to the others and asked simply, "So what now?"
Yugi opened his mouth to answer, but Malik beat him to it. "We forget about this, and never tell anyone what happened today," he said, glancing at the other two.
"But shouldn't we tell someone? I mean, this is important." Yugi asked anxiously.
"What, are you crazy?!? They'd think we lost our minds. No, we're keeping this a secret. This never happened. Think it was a dream, forget about it totally, I don't care. Just never, ever talk about this again, and that's final." Malik stated calmly, and without another word, he picked up his school bag and walked off, slipping the knife into his pocket.
Left alone, Yugi and Malik glanced at each other and shrugged. Gathering up their stuff, they said a quiet goodbye, and they too left the schoolyard, trying to leave behind the memory of something which should never have happened.
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Whoo! That's chapter one done! Earlier and shorter than expected, too. I forgot to apologize for the extreme longness of last chapter, if you didn't like it. Seriously, it was only supposed to be half that long XD. The rest will be shorter, but hopefully not this short. As for the cards and decks, I gave up on making them accurate halfway through the duel in the prologue, but I'll try to keep them that way throughout this. I don't think Yugi really has Gemini Elf, but he doesn't have any level 1-4 monsters with over 1750 attack. And sorry if it focused too much on Malik, but I really couldn't help it. He's the new kid, the tough guy, and he has to get into a couple fights in there!
Review!!! Review!!! Review!!! Must… have… reviews… They make me write faster! C'mon, the yamis appear next chapter, and don't you want to see them? So hit the pretty button down there and REVIEW!!! I really wanna know what you think. Flames will be used to make hot dogs, which will be handed out to the reviewers!