*CHAPTER 7*
~Seto's POV~
The world had ended. That was the only plausible explanation for the miles of gaping emptiness that stretched as far as I could see. Where there had been skyscrapers and office buildings, there was nothing. Streets constantly busy with traffic and pedestrians had disappeared without a trace. But perhaps most shocking of all was the very conspicuous absence of the KaibaCorp building.
KaibaCorp…. A virtual citadel that towered over the streets of Domino City, able to be seen from a mile away, and I sat at the top of it. I could look through the tinted windows of my office and watch as thousands of people scurried through the streets like so many ants. Of course, far more often than not, the only view I was awarded was nothing more than darkened streets and empty buildings as I worked long into the wee hours of the morning. A citadel…and a prison. That was what that building had been to me. But now, it, along with all else that had been a part of the city was gone.
Domino City had simply dropped off the face of the earth, leaving in its place a barren plane of dying grass and gnarled trees. The air seemed heavy, poisoned with an eerie, unnatural silence. Cheerless sunlight filtered through heavy gray clouds and gave everything an almost nightmarish quality. I stood in the center of it all, where my mammoth prison used to loom above all that surrounded it, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to me in only the past hour.
I'd woken to find my home in ruins, occupied by a group of specter-like figures in black—how had that happened? Mokuba was nowhere to be found—was he dead? I had become a monster; some kind of half-human freak—when did that happen? And I'd escaped death by flying away from it, of all things.
Those first few moments of flying were unreal. I was gliding through the air, my body using muscles it had never before possessed, let alone used. The ground that had been rushing up to meet me suddenly fell away and I felt weightless as my wings began to catch the wind. It was as though I was in a dream, but the all too real screams of "SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!" fading away behind me and the feeling of the wind in my eyes were more than enough to convince me that I was most definitely awake. I was nearly ready to believe I had escaped the danger…until the wind changed and all hell broke loose.
It started with an awkward lurch as my wings hit dead air. It was like the unbalanced feeling you get when you miss the last step at the bottom of a flight of stairs. One second, it's smooth sailing, the next your whole body seems to plunge down too far too fast.
I tried to correct, but there was a sickening blur of motion and suddenly the ground was tilted at an impossible angle. To my right were swaying treetops that seemed to be growing out of a vertical landscape. To my left was an endless expanse of open air and clouds.
I closed my eyes and resisted the urge to throw up at the feeling of extreme disorientation. I'm on my side, I thought. I just flipped onto my side. I can handle this. All right…left wing down….
Another lurch. "Shit," I muttered. I'd overcompensated. Before I could even think about how I was going to correct my error, the wind shifted and I was out of control.
I'm not sure how far I fell before I hit the trees. I managed to avoid bashing my head in on the first tree that stood in my path and was immediately surrounded by branches that scratched at me as I whipped past them. Creeper vines wrapped themselves around me, tangling around my arms and tying down my wings
Panic began to set in as I clawed at vines that curled ever tighter around my neck. My vision was dotted with black splotches that seemed to expand with every short, rasping breath I took. My head was swimming as I flapped hard in a last effort to disentangle myself.
The vines snapped and then I was shooting forward at an impossibly fast speed, ripping through curtains of vine and branch. I tried to use my wings to stop or at least slow my insane charge through the forest canopy only to find that the best I could do was bank around the larger, more dangerous obstacles in my path.
I had just enough time to think: Well, this is certainly a wonderful way to die, now, isn't it? before my left wing crunched into something that didn't yield. The force of the impact was enough to send me spinning through the air, smashing into anything that happened to be in the way. A particularly large limb caught me across the stomach and I coughed, the wind knocked out of me. Then I was on the ground, skidding and rolling before finally grinding to a painful halt.
I lay on the mossy forest floor until the world stopped spinning enough for me to force my way to my feet. I cautiously flexed my arms, legs and wings and was relieved to find that nothing was broken. My hair and face were sticky with blood and dirt from various scrapes and scratches and I could feel a marbling of bruises forming all over my back and chest, but luckily, I'd escaped with nothing beyond that.
I'm just so goddamned lucky today, aren't I? I thought. All right, it's time to figure out what the hell is going on. I was about to start back in the direction of my mansion, but stopped myself. I obviously can't go back there, I told myself. I suppose I'll have to head over to KaibaCorp to get all this shit straightened out.
After about an hour of hiking through the woods (yes, I walked. I wasn't about to attempt flying again unless it became a necessity), I arrived to where Domino City should have been.
I walked through that wasteland of nothing and found only one trace of the thriving city that had been there, so alive and bustling with activity what seemed to be only hours ago. It was nothing more than a shallow ditch in the ground, with only two or three inches of muddy rainwater collected in the bottom. The lake—or what was left of it.
What in the hell is all this? I wondered. I strained to remember anything that might explain why the world had suddenly gone insane and drew a blank. All I can remember is that house. Hill House…. I was there…and then I woke up here.
Something had happened there. Something important. I could feel it gnawing, out of reach at the back of my mind. An explosion. Was that it? There was an explosion…. There was more; there had to be more.
Pain all up and down my back as I choked on hot, sulfurous air…Oh, God, I was going to burn alive! Somebody please get me out of this hellhole. Please don't let me die like this; not like this! Somebody…please…help me….
I gasped as I snapped back to reality. "What am I doing here?" I whispered. "Am I dead? Did I die back there? Where is everybody? Why doesn't anybody ANSWER ME, GODDAMN IT?" I screamed, slashing a branch off a tree with my claws.
"Sacrifice…sacrifice…." No; not again!
I could see the figures making their way toward me, a sea of billowing black cloaks, all chanting: "Sacrifice…sacrifice…." Yuugi was there. At Hill House. Where did that come from?
I turned and began to run as the endless mass of people in black charged after me. Yuugi was there. He invited you.
"Sacrifice! Sacrifice!"
That's why you went out there…to duel Yuugi Mutou….
The figures were gaining. Their cries of: "Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" were growing louder, more frenzied.
Find Yuugi….
"SACRIFICE! SACRIFICE!"
He's the one that got you into this hellhole….
"SACRIFICE!"
I spread my wings, but felt a tug from behind and almost toppled over backward. One of the figures had me by the tail. It doesn't matter, a desperate voice in the back of my head screamed. Just go!
"SACRIFICE!"
My wings hit something and I heard a grunt from whoever it was that had hold of me, and then I was free. More of the cloaked figures were surging towards me, but I was already gaining altitude. By the time they reached me, I was high above their heads and flying for the horizon with only one thought ringing clear in my mind: Find Yuugi.
I don't know how long I flew, looking for a city, a town, any sign of civilization. I flew over miles of forest and open plains without seeing a single living soul. I flew until I saw the ocean, an endless stretch of blue and green water glittering in the sun. I flew until I could no longer see land, only that inexhaustible expanse of sea. I flew until the winds began to shift and change wildly…and then I started to feel a bit apprehensive.
There's a storm coming, I thought as I adjusted to another shift. I've got to find land soon. Much as I'd improved over the hours (days?) of flying I'd done, I wasn't about to risk flying through a storm with land nowhere in sight.
My apprehension soon turned to downright worry as the wind continued to grow more and more unpredictable. It became increasingly difficult for me to retain control of my flight. I was nearly flipped onto my side far too frequently for comfort and narrowly missed plunging into the churning yellow-gray water below twice before I noticed the hulking mountain of black clouds massing on the horizon.
Correction; it's not a storm, I thought. It's an all-out hurricane. There's no chance in hell I'll be staying airborne in that. Luckily, I saw land directly ahead of me. It appeared to be no more than a thin, dark line on the horizon from as far away as I was, but it would do. I raced the storm to shore and set foot on solid ground just as the first fat drops of rain began to fall.
The storm came on strong almost immediately after I arrived, and I was glad that I'd had the sense to avoid landing on the beach. From my vantage point atop one of the craggy cliffs that flanked either side of the sandy coastline, I was able to see vicious, white-capped breakers pounding the shore, dragging anything unfortunate enough to stand in their way out to sea.
I was about to make my way farther inland to find a bit of shelter from the wind and rain that was battering down when I saw a flash of pale yellow between two enormous swells of water. It had only been a momentary flicker, a fraction-of-a-second hint of color, but it was enough to catch my attention.
Was that a ship? I wondered, and squinted out across the heaving waves, fishing for another glimpse of color. I saw only the angry, churning water, whipping itself into white foam in its frenzy. It couldn't have been, I thought. Nobody would be insane enough to be sailing in this. It must have been driftwood. That's all.
I turned away from the violent waters and began to pick my way through a thick bit of underbrush, thoroughly convinced that I'd been imagining things. And then I heard the crash; a loud crack that cut through the air with the sound of snapping planks.
Oh, shit, I thought, whipping back around to scan the dangerous swells. Somebody was out there.
Bits of flotsam from the wreck began to dot the waves. A bit of splintered wood here, a piece of sodden sail there. I heard a garbled scream and then I saw an all too familiar tri-toned head disappear under a wave. It was Yuugi.
I narrowed my eyes and growled under my breath, annoyed. Oh no, I thought. You're not going to die without telling me what in the hell this is all about, Yuugi. Don't even think about it, damn it!
My wings, sore and achy after their long flight, screamed with protest as I spread them open, but I ignored the pain and inched my way to the edge of the cliff. I stood, looking down at the turbulent water far below, searching for any sign of Yuugi as I prepared myself for the jump. Don't die before I find you, I silently ordered, and dove.
In the ten minutes since I'd reached land, the wind had picked up to full gale force. I was whipped around in every direction and nearly driven into the sheer cliff wall as I tried to gain control of my descent. I managed to get my bearings before I plunged into the crashing water and hovered for a moment, just out of reach of the waves that were hammering on below me before flaring my wings and starting off in the direction I'd seen Yuugi go under.
Where is he? I wondered, scouring the waves for any trace of Yuugi and finding none. Feeling rather foolish, I cleared my throat and shouted: "Yuugi! Yuugi Mutou!", hoping that by some miracle he would hear me over the shrieking of the wind and the pounding of the surf.
"K—Kaiba?" came a tentative call from somewhere to my left. Not Yuugi, I thought. It's that mutt…Jounouchi. I'd know that accent anywhere. The call came again, louder, more urgent: "Kaiba! Hey, man, is dat you?"
Damn, I thought. All I wanted was a few answers and now I'm stuck playing the hero. "Where are you?" I demanded, fighting the wind to move in the direction the voice had come from.
"Ova' here! I'm—oh, holy shit!"
I found him clinging to a rock, hair matted down against his head like a drowned dog. He was staring up at me, eyes so wide it was a wonder they didn't pop out of his skull. Probably laughing himself sick inside over how freakish I look, I stewed.
"T-take Ryou first," he stuttered, never taking his eyes away from my wings and tail. "He's ova' dere," (he jerked his head to the right) "and he ain't doin' so great."
This is getting ridiculous…. I managed to find Ryou Bakura, half conscious and barely able to hold on to his rock. After a moment of uncertainty as I attempted to maneuver against the wind, I had him by the arm. He barely even gave me a glance with unfocused eyes as I pulled him out of the water and he hung limply in the air as I struggled to gain altitude.
Now where did the mutt go? I wondered. I'll be damned if I'm going to make more than two trips out into this deathtrap. "Jounouchi!" I yelled. "Where are you, you stupid mutt?"
"I ain't a mutt, Kaiba, ya bastard!"
Smart move, insulting your rescuer, I thought as I caught sight of him. Idiot. I pointedly ignored his outstretched arm, opting to seize him by the hair instead. He screeched and flailed as I flapped hard and pulled him out of the water.
"Stop moving!" I snarled as a particularly nasty gust of wind almost succeeded in throwing the three of us into an oncoming wave.
By the time we reached the shore, my wings were burning, but I didn't allow myself a rest after depositing Ryou and Jounouchi on the beach. I was afraid that if my wings stopped moving, they wouldn't be starting again for quite some time.
"Yuugi Mutou!" I roared, once again surrounded by the seething waves. "Yuugi!"
A smooth feminine voice called from directly below me: "Hey, you! Care to help a lady in need?" Mai Kujaku, I thought as I recognized the mane of gold-blonde hair.
I executed a sharp turn as the wind made a violent change and managed to bring myself to hover just above the heaving water. Thick ocean spray pelted into my face and eyes as I reached for Mai's arm and inquired: "Have you seen Yuugi?"
"Hmm? Oh, you must mean this little guy," she responded, motioning to a bedraggled-looking mass of tri-toned hair limply draped over one of her arms. "I think he took a knock on the head. Here, take him." She lugged him out of the water and handed him up to me.
What did she mean by 'you must mean this little guy'? I wondered as I secured Yuugi under my arm and took hold of her hand. Mai knows Yuugi. Has she got amnesia or—"Ack!" I exclaimed as I noticed the drenched but unmistakable pair of feline ears perched atop her head. I almost let her fall back into the briny water in my surprise, but checked myself in time and began to make my way back to shore.
The muscles in my wings and all through my back shuddered dangerously with every stroke I took, threatening to give out. I was hardly able to stay clear of the water as the shoreline drew closer and closer. Finally, the white-foamed waves gave way to hard-packed sand and I was able to make a none-too-graceful landing.
The jarring must have been what shook Yuugi out of his unconsciousness. He lay on the sand, hacking and vomiting up the water that had gotten into his lungs. Jounouchi and Ryou worriedly gathered around him, watching as he drew ragged breaths and helping him to sit up.
When his coughs subsided to long, shaky gasps, I dropped to my knees to look him straight in the eye and stated: "All right, Yuugi. Time to explain exactly what is going on."
"Christ, Kaiba, can't ya cut him a little slack?" Jounouchi demanded. "He just had a freakin' near-death experience, for crying out loud."
I was tempted to offer a caustic remark regarding his parentage, but Yuugi broke in before I had a chance. "Kaiba?" he queried. "It's really you?"
No, it's the goddamned tooth fairy, I thought. What is the matter with all of you? "Yes, it's me," I snapped. "And I want some answers. Right now."
He was about to reply, but Mai cut him off with: "Look, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't feel much like sticking around this place right now." She sent a pointed glance at the breakers that were pounding the shore mere feet away from us. "I say we head a little farther inland and then we talk."
"Yes, that's a good idea, Jezebel," answered Ryou, apparently having recovered from his ordeal.
Yuugi and Jounouchi both agreed and I was left with no choice but to follow as the four of them began to trudge off across the beach.
~Yami's POV~
I glared at the soul before me, barely able to control the feelings of anger and contempt that boiled through me. He stared back, eyes narrowed dangerously and arms crossed defiantly across his chest. "Why did you not tell me of this earlier, tomb robber?" I hissed.
"Because quite frankly, I knew you would react exactly like this," he responded, never taking his eyes off my face.
"I never expected such cowardice out of you," I glowered. "It's no excuse!"
He balled his hands into fists and shouted: "It wasn't cowardice, pharaoh, it was common sense!"
I gritted my teeth. Call it what you may, I thought. It is cowardice, and you know it. To withhold such information….
The tomb robber had only just informed me that he had stolen the Millennium Eye from Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom and it had been in his possession ever since. While that alone was not nearly enough to cause such a severe imbalance between the two realms, it certainly couldn't be aiding the situation.
"You may have caused the destruction of this world with your craven secret keeping," I growled.
"Oh will you get off your high horse already, pharaoh?" he replied. "You and I both know that is an outright lie. Besides, you're missing the point."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what point is that?"
"If I have possession of the Millennium Eye, how could the man back in the alley also own the Millennium Eye?"
"Are you saying that you believe there are now two Millennium Eyes in existence?"
"It would certainly explain the imbalance, wouldn't it?"
He's right, I realized. But if that is true, how in the world did it happen? And why? It seems the more we discover, the more questions arise. At this rate, the world will be destroyed long before we discover everything behind this mystery.
Author's Notes: Sorry about the lateness of this chapter (again…sheesh, I'm starting to sound like a broken record!). It took me forever to get the Seto part right. For some reason, I can't seem to get into his head—which is a real shame, since he's one of my favorite characters. Anyways…a big thank you to Dragon's Venom, Cherii, Bakura3, dilanda and AmunRa for reviewing!