Fieren: Can I get a w00t, w00t! More reviews! Kick-ass! I have a loyal fan base now! To all who have been reading and reviewing glares menacingly at those who do read, but -don't- review, you know who you are! it makes me so happy, and motivates me to write more. Thank you once again.
Chapter 8: No More Games
The Triad crouched behind several garbage cans, methodically keeping their eyes on their prey: Honda Hiroto. He had still not left the Karaoke Café, and was still in the company of his two friends. Time had worn on slowly for the Triad, but, their patience was showing it's fruits. Rising from their seats in the café, were Honda and his friends. Leaving behind a few bills, and a tip for their server, they stepped out into the brisk night air. Each of the three hooded men slowly drew long, curved knives. Master Laevenne's new orders were to stop playing games, and use any force necessary to achieve their goal. Jounouchi, Bakura and the Pharaoh had taught the valuable lesson, that the duelling skills of the Pharaoh and his companions were not to be underestimated. As Honda started on his way down the street, followed now only by Kujaku Mai, the Triad set out to follow him.
Otogi rounded a corner that led in the opposite direction of Honda and Mai, he quickly glanced back, as he needed to remind Mai to tell Shizuka, as Mai was sure to see her, to give her his phone number. As he turned back to follow, Otogi soon noticed the three hooded people following behind his unwary friends. As they passed underneath a streetlight, Otogi's sharp, emerald-green eyes caught a brief glint of a knife, carefully concealed in their sleeves. Otogi didn't know what they planned to do, but he would warn his friends. He started off at a fast-paced walk, making sure not to move too quickly, but quick enough so he wouldn't arouse any suspicion. He made good time. Luckily for Otogi, and his two friends, he was tall and had long legs. It wasn't long before he was a few yards behind the hooded men, and that was when he kept his pace in check. The men were slowly catching up to Honda and Mai, and were most likely waiting for the proper time to strike, most likely when nobody was around. Otogi would see to it that the 'proper time' never happened.
Minutes passed, and the nerve-wracking chase was still in action, only now, random pedestrians were becoming less and less frequent. It wouldn't be long until the three decided to strike. Otogi steeled himself. To back out now would be cowardly, and although Honda was his rival in many senses of the word, he was still his good friend, and no knife-wielding freaks were going to take that away from him. Suddenly, Honda rounded a corner. Dead silence. No traffic, no footsteps save the tap of Mai and Honda's footwear. It would seem as though the three before Otogi were wearing shoes designed for some measure of stealth. They would strike as soon as they rounded the corner. It was almost a certainty. Otogi took a slow, quiet, but nonetheless deep breath. As the Triad rounded the corner, Otogi quickly followed after and soon found one reeling back and falling onto his rear on the sidewalk. Standing before the Triad, was Honda, rubbing the knuckles on his right hand.
"Geez, I thought they'd never make their move." Honda complained, continuing to rub his knuckles.
Otogi quickly ran forward and stood beside Honda. He glanced up at the slightly taller boy. "When did you find out they were following you?" Otogi questioned.
Honda grinned, never taking his eyes off the Triad. "I was checking my watch one time, and since it's dark, I needed a better look with more light, so one time, when Mai and I passed under s street lamp, I raised my watch and caught sight of 'em. You were right behind. Thanks for trying to cover me."
Otogi grinned. Not such a dimwit after all, Otogi thought to himself. However, how smart could Honda be? Willingly picking a fight with three people. Mai wouldn't likely be much help, unless she knew how to throw one hell of a punch, or could fight in her heeled boots. Otogi was currently assessing the situation. There were several options open to them:
1. Rush Head-On and fight.
2. Try to go for a more advantageous spot.
3. Run like hell.
4. Do something else.
Otogi carefully considered each and every one of these. With the three of them brandishing knives, option number one seemed out of the question. Otogi carefully glanced back and forth looking for a more suitable place to fight, but in the empty street, there was nothing. Option number two was out also. Option number three was definitely not Honda's style, but he might have to bite the bullet, swallow his pride and run. Option number three was wide-open. Option number four however, posed quite the dilemma. What could they do using the wild-card fourth option that was safer than number one, more possible than number two, and more un-cowardly than number three?
Otogi's thoughts were cut drastically short as the Triad advanced and begun swinging their knives with expert skill and grace. Each cut aimed to kill. These people weren't playing games. If it weren't for Otogi and Honda's speed, they'd be dead now. Otogi reached into the right pocked of his vest and grabbed some dice. Expertly, he flicked them at the hooded men, each die flying into the hood and hitting a pressure point on each. If there was one thing Otogi knew, it was dice.
"Mai, go find help!" Otogi ordered.
Mai simply nodded and ran off down the street, heading towards Jounouchi's apartment. That was where Honda and Mai had been headed, it would seem. Honda and Otogi held their ground rather well against the would-be murderers. Both were managing to repel them. Honda was using his strength to push them back, Otogi continued flicking dice at the pressure points on their necks and heads. Otogi was running low on dice though. He soon reached into the pocket on his left and drew out another handful of dice. Shifting the dice from his left hand to his right, he begun to masterfully send them to their assigned places on the various points of their opponents' bodies.
Mai glanced back as she ran towards Jounouchi's. Honda and Otogi were still holding their ground, but Mai didn't know how long they'd last. She quickly turned back to the task at hand. Pumping her legs faster, she tore down the sidewalks at speeds one would normally think impossible for a woman in heels, but Mai's friends needed her. These people were her first friends in a long time, and she wouldn't lose them, at least not when she could do something to prevent it. Frantically, she looked all about as she ran, but nobody was around, at least not in sight. Soon, she began desperately calling for help. Frustration took over when nobody had answered. She soon collapsed. There was nobody in sight or earshot. Nobody would answer, and nobody would save her friends. Slight tears soon built on Mai's eyelids. Her violet eyes were downcast as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. She lost herself in her sobs. It wasn't like Mai to cry, but she had never been planted in this sort of situation before. Mai looked up when she heard a car slowly pull to a stop. The familiar clicking sound of an opening door made her gaze up at the person stepping from the car.
"Keep going, I'll find my way there alone." Said a very familiar voice. One she remembered very well.
He would have to do.
Otogi had run out of dice and Honda was running low on stamina. The attackers were very energetic, and seemed to get more so when Otogi and Honda had begun to run low on steam. It wouldn't be too much longer before they would give out. Otogi soon was knocked onto his rear, and Honda soon followed.
"Mission accomplished." One sneered as he raised his knife, and was preparing to bring it down before a flash of black and tan knocked him aside, and his comrades.
Honda and Otogi looked up, elated beyond belief that they had been spared by someone they had least suspected. Standing before them, stood Malik Ishtar. They looked back and found Mai running up, she stopped behind them and grinned. Giving her two weary friends a hearty 'thumbs-up', she helped them to their feet.
"You two okay?" Malik asked, not looking back.
"Yeah." Honda said breathlessly. "We're lucky Mai found you. We'd be goners if you hadn't shown up when you did."
"You gonna be okay?" Otogi asked, his chest heaving.
"I know a few styles of martial arts." Malik shrugged. "I should be fine."
Honda and Otogi shrugged. Their savoir had taken an odd form, but they didn't care one bit. It's not like Malik was the same creepy jerk he was one year ago. Malik lowered himself into a fighting stance as soon as the Triad stood. All held their knives out to Malik. Malik smirked as he struck, lightning quick, the tallest member of the trio directly in the throat. He clutched desperately at it, struggling to breath. He fell to his knees, only to be dealt a devastating kick to the head by the merciless Egyptian. Malik gave the remaining two a stare that could tear the resistance from the strongest, and they quickly gathered their fallen comrade and ran.
Malik breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Ra." He breathed thankfully. "I was not looking forward to dealing with the other two. I put everything I had into those few hits I dealt."
Honda and Otogi grinned. "Thanks, Malik." Honda said.
Malik only smiled. "Do you know where the Domino Hotel is?"
"Yeah, it's ten blocks that way." Otogi pointed East. "I could take you there."
"I could use a guide. I'm not used to Domino City." Malik smiled again.
"I'm going to be taking Mai to Jounouchi's then. My bike is there, so I'll head home as soon as I drop off Mai." Honda said.
"Liar. You just want to see Shizuka." Mai said as she and Honda started off down the street, arguing the whole way.
Honda Hiroto syndrome, Otogi thought. He turned and started off in the direction of the Hotel, Malik trailing behind only a slight distance.
"Who were they?" Otogi asked after a minute of silence.
"They were a Triad. A group of semi-skilful assassins and thieves for the Dark Jackal sect." Malik answered.
"Anything like your old group?" Otogi asked. "What were their names? Ghouls?"
"They're mostly the same." Malik shrugged. "Because of that the Dark Jackals and my Ghouls are rivals of sorts." Malik explained.
"Next question: why've you come here?" Otogi asked.
"My group obtained some information that stated the Dark Jackals would be coming to Domino City to gather up the Pharaoh's puzzle. The Triad is probably targeting Yuugi's friends to weaken his resolve. Clearly they have proved more resilient than their Leader had thought." Malik smiled.
Otogi mulled this over in his mind as he continued walking Malik to the Hotel were Isis and Rishid were waiting.
----
Laevenne paced back and forth in his chambers, his raven-colored hair flowing behind him. He was growing impatient as he waited for the report on the Honda Hiroto target. Nervously, he placed his index and middle fingers on the jackal tattoo on his cheek, a habit he had had since it had been applied. The Master had recently contacted him and warned against more failure, or he himself would come to Domino, and show him how his job was to be done. The only person in the entirety of the world that Laevenne had any fear of was the Master. Jackal himself.
Ryoko sat in a chair on the far side of the room, watching Laevenne pace, and habitually stroke the jackal tattoo. Just once, she would like to be the one to stroke his tattoo for him, and have him acknowledge her feelings. Ryoko was not one to give in easily to emotion, but her superior, Laevenne had captivated her thoughts, and dreams. Each and every night came another dream to the wistful subordinate.
"Ryoko." Laevenne called to her in his soft, yet powerful voice. "Would you say I have been doing a bad job, with my every decision ending in failure?" He turned to her, his eyes filled with sorrow and chagrin.
"Master Laevenne, your decisions have been made well. You've never been the one to overlook simple facts, your underlings have underestimated their opponents." Ryoko answered meaningfully. No decision made by her raven could possibly be wrong.
He smiled slightly, his eyes softened, he strode over and placed a gentle hand on her left cheek. "Thank you. I can only hope that Master Jackal thinks the same way."
Ryoko's cheeks took on a pinkish tint as she quickly averted her gaze. Glancing down at her laptop, she noticed she had received an instant message from the twelfth Triad Squad. To sum it up in a word: failure. Ryoko cleared her throat and forced all thoughts of Laevenne's touch from her mind as she looked up to face her superior.
"Honda Hiroto has not been dealt with." She murmured.
Laevenne mentally cursed himself. Master Jackal would already be aware of this turn of events, and he would not be pleased. As if on cue, the view screen on the far wall of the room sprung into life, and a face shrouded in darkness (A/N: Convenient, eh?) appeared.
"Laevenne." The figure spoke in a distorted voice. "Care to explain to me why you are my second in command?"
"I do not fail." Laevenne mouthed. Oddly enough, the figure in the screen considered it, and responded.
"If you do not fail, what is it you have been doing in Domino? It wasn't working, whatever it was." The whole time, Jackal's voice never rose, and he kept his composure.
"Miscalculations. I have corrected them, and will be taking appropriate actions." Laevenne replied.
"I don't want to have to come to Domino myself Laevenne. Not yet. Your remaining chances are few in number, and by few, I mean singular. Do not fail again."
The view screen distorted, and shut down. Laevenne slowly seated himself and Ryoko came over to talk to him.
"Ryoko? Could you fetch me the briefcase Master Jackal said never to open unless we absolutely had to?"
"Of course, Master Laevenne. May I ask why?" Ryoko replied.
"No. I will tell you as the situation warrants." He replied in his usual, quiet and calm voice.
Ryoko stepped out of the room, and returned quickly, she handed him the metal case. He waved her from the room and as he heard the door close, unlocked the clasps on the case. As he lifted the metal lid, Laevenne gazed upon two of the most powerful Magic and Wizards cards in existence. The Sky Dragon of Osiris, and the Colossus of Obelisk. Laevenne's normally stoic smile cracked into a grin. Armed with these, there wouldn't be a Duellist who could stop him. Laevenne was more of a strategist, an observer. A man of action, he was not. Osiris and Obelisk would have to be entrusted to two of his most trusted subordinates.
----
Seto sat in his office going over some papers, and designs for the new model Duel Disk that Mutou Yuuhi now carried. So far, Doppler and his technicians had not been able to recreate the technology, and Seto himself was too busy with other matters to worry about the state of his engineers. A software company called Kaljac Industries had approached him about combining forces and creating more realistic virtual reality. Seto had not yet considered the offer. He didn't plan to. He took a single glance at the proposition and had promptly tossed it into the garbage, Mokuba had wondered why his brother had not taken the offer. Kaljac Industries may be new, but they were reputed to have technological geniuses working at their helm. Most prominent of them, was the founder, Malcolm Kaljac. Mokuba had researched him out of sheer interest, and had found quite a bit. He was a certifiable technological genius. Mokuba may have been young, but even he knew that Kaljac Industries had a lot to offer Kaiba Corp. Why couldn't Seto see it too? Mokuba and Seto's thoughts were interrupted by the secretary speaking in through the intercom.
"Call on hold Mr. Kaiba." she spoke in her cheery voice.
"Thanks Yukari." Seto spoke and pressed the button labelled 'Talk' on his video phone.
On the mini-Television screen, appeared the smiling face of Malcolm Kaljac. He was a pale man with pale hair. He had piercing grey eyes. A very bland appearing person.
"Good afternoon, Kaiba." He greeted.
"In case you're wondering about the offer, you're wasting your time Kaljac. My answer is no."
"While that is a shame, Kaiba, that is not why I'm calling. How would you like to throw another Magic and Wizards tournament?"
"Kaiba Corp can't afford that now."
"I'll fund it." Malcolm smiled. "Let's make it interesting though."
"Interesting how?" Seto asked, Magic and Wizards had come up, and now he was intrigued.
"We'll each assemble a team of Duellists, the best you can find from Asia, and the best I can find from North America. If my team wins, we become partners in business."
"If I win?" Seto raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Use your imagination, Kaiba. Get back to me ASAP on it. Don't keep me waiting." Kaljac cut out, and left Seto with thoughts about the tournament. Should he accept the offer? The challenge? It would be foolish of him not to take an opportunity such as this. He had himself, Yuugi and Yuugi's brother. In Seto's opinion. Three of the best in the whole world. What did he have to lose?
End of Chapter 8
Please R&R.