Episode #41- Double Duels, Part 3
It was a moment of silence as far as I could tell as everyone froze to react to Kaiba's God summoning, Obelisk the Tormentor. "So, would that one qualify as a God Card?" Kevin jumped at the sheer size of the blue demon- shaped God.
"That's Egyptian God Number 3, Obelisk the Tormentor. Though I haven't seen it before, it has been rumored to make a powerful attack as it has like in its entry." Mai stood a serious look, "However I had to face the most powerful God, The Winged Dragon of Ra, and pretty much paid for it with my soul."
On the elevated platform, Kaiba stood without a doubt that his God could easily overpower Slifer. "Your God will fall, Yugi. Slifer only has 2000 with two cards in your hand while Obelisk is twice as strong."
"I wouldn't jump to conclusions too soon, Kaiba. You've forgotten Slifer's second ability: with every one of your monsters summoned, Slifer can take away 2000 points." Yami pointed out the missed points as Obelisk's attack slid to 2000. "Their attack points are even, don't think you can defeat my God Card so easily."
"Stalling is for the weak. But for now I'll lay two cards faced down and end my turn." Kaiba finished with two cards in front of him. With the turn's end, Obelisk returned to its normal status.
"Miranda!" I heard Ashley's scream out of nowhere, but suddenly finding the source from the bottom of the tower.
'Master Miranda! Watch out!' Raikoukou followed but sounded much closer. I had to take my look over the rail; despite I'd be risking a fall. I saw Raikoukou's tails rapidly firing random bolts but seem to miss its target.
It happened fast. Before I could even look over the edge to the blimp, I felt a hard blast to my chest that threw me off my feet and sent about five feet back before Kevin got behind me for support.
"Miranda, what happened?!" Kevin tried to get me to speak but no dice. The sudden pain into my heart was still intense. I had the necklace in my hand when I pressed it against me while trying to endure the pain. Everyone else was in shock. Even Yami stopped his play to see the event. It was hard to maintain consciousness, the pain was beginning to dig deeper. I had no choice... I had to let go. "Miranda!" Kevin's voice faded out.
'Master Miranda!' Raikoukou appeared over the tower's ledge and panted out of exhaustion. 'No, I'm too late.' Raikoukou regretted, 'The demon returns.'
"You mean Marik's darker half?!" Yami cried in complete shock. Just coming through to the top was Ashley and hanging around her neck was the Millennium Ring. She too was in a rush with exhaustion to follow.
"Miranda! Is she al'right?!" Ashley gasped in her breaths.
"She just fainted. You know what happened?" Marik questioned, "And what's with the Millennium Ring around your neck?"
"You first," Ashley said and Marik handed the news.
Joey looked over towards Kaiba who was eyeing the panic, "Well, what are you waiting for?! Miranda just went cold! Get a doctor out here now!"
"If you say so." Kaiba brushed it off but clenched the KC emblem on his coat, "We've got another one down, need medical assistance immediately." He heard the response and broke transmission with a glance to the group, "You send her back to the Kaiba Craft, my physician will be waiting."
'Get Master Miranda on my back.' Raikoukou stated as Kevin and Mai helped the unconscious swordsman on to her ally's back.
"I'm coming with you." Kevin said. The fox-demon immediately leapt into the elevator with Kevin hot on the heels.
"Can someone tell us what happened?" Tristan said while looking amongst the group with his eyes finalized on Ashley. "Hey Bowler, wanna give us the scoop here? And what's with the Millennium Ring, that's Bakura's."
"OK, long story short: Bakura came out of nowhere and challenged me to a Shadow Game. I won and he handed over the Millennium Ring. Then out of the Ring a moment later was a black flame and the guy says that Miranda's prize is what we all know and loathe." Ashley explained in one breath, finally inhaling and continued, "I think that third-eye nut got her again."
"Yami Marik, but how?!" Yami stood shocked.
The hall was empty with one door hanging open. It instantly slammed shut by a new figure, but wasn't so new to the double soul. "Ah, it feels good to be back." Yami Marik sighed skeptically as the second door opened, revealing Miran with a vengeful look.
"What are you doing back here?" She asked coldly while preparing her blade halfway.
"Just visiting, but I like this body. I'll take it." Yami Marik answered with a small chuckle behind it. Miran showed the full extent of her blade and held its point inches away from his face.
"You'll get out now or I swear I will put you down."
"You mean like before?" Yami Marik interrupted with a rhetorical question. "You owe me, Mirandragon. If I didn't spare you, you wouldn't even be where you are now. An eye for an eye and a life for a life."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Miran lowered her sword, but kept the point against Yami Marik.
"It's an old proverb, one used to repay favors or revenge. I remember very clearly the day we met, when we both had true bodies, and I spared your life. There's no denying that you owe me one."
"You're lying! Now begone, Soul Snatcher!" Miran's anger struck quickly, as did her blade. She swung right where He stood, but he was gone; she just heard the sound of the blade hitting cement. 'Got him.' Miran felt relieved and rested her blade, too soon.
A cold hand brushed under her neck and clawed into her hair, she froze. Her breath was shallow as the hand combed her ponytail, softly snapping the knots. "It's been forever, Mirandragon. Do you think it's time our little war to end?" Yami Marik asked closely behind Miran, almost to her ear.
"What do you think?" Miran adjusted herself to try and strike again but waited like an opportunist.
"My suggestion is a Duel right here, inside Miranda's soul." Yami Marik finished retracing Miran's hair like he had before, and gazing at the exact mark of the Zodiac Tri of Water. "Winner will receive rites to Miranda; loser must receed into the Millennium Sword."
"And if I refuse?" Miran seeked another option. Her hair fell back down, the signal, and turned right around for another strike. Again she hit nothing of Yami Marik. 'Where did he...' She asked before she heard the cracking of another door. Miran turned and saw Yami Marik enter in one of the rooms, her partner's. "Hey! Get out of Miranda's room!" Miran followed in and closed the door behind her.
She, herself, had only been in the room once before, and it changed drastically with several additions. The table was in shadow as were the shelves of books. Scattered all over were videotapes of her Duels, against Joey and Marik, and even a tape of another Duel, Kikaita against him.
Not only were the tapes around on the floor, so were shards of glass. On the floor right in front of Miran was pictures of Ashley and Ed, a picture of Kikaita still stood intact on the lit end of the table. Finally to her left was the blanketed bed with her partner sleeping undisturbed. 'What happened?' Miran thought.
"Gloomy, isn't it, my dear?" Yami Marik unveiled himself from the shady end of the room.
"What have you done?" Miran got bitter again.
"I have done nothing to her. You know as well as I do only the power of one particular Millennium Item can change a person's soul. But a person can also change, we're just influences." Yami Marik began to explain while pacing closer towards her. "The events that happened throughout Battle City have changed Miranda from a passive little girl to a confident Duelist whose skills lie within. Even us, influences, have given her lessons in life, or what she has of it." He bent down and picked up a tape that seemed fairly new.
Miran moved to stay in between Yami Marik and her sleeping counterpart with her blade still armed.
Yami Marik went on towards the television hidden in shadow and inserted the tape. The screen began to glow. "Though I'm interested to know what happened to her after I was released completely." He smirked as the image came.
Kaiba had his back turned to the Bowler and her cousin of different expertise. The swordsman had Ashley's wrist in a constant grip. "Goes to show you've crossed the line." The swordsman said, "Just like us, Kaiba barely has any family left. He only has Mokuba now."
"But what about Uncle Eddie?" Bowler continued to struggle.
"He's a spirit to the family, but he's not flesh and blood now that he's bones under the earth."
"That Yami Marik spirit brainwashed you, hasn't he?" She asked.
The swordsman threw her wrist away with a sour look in her eyes. "Yami Marik has taught me two things during the possession: One, learn to let go when you have to, and Two, never let anyone get to your head." The swordsman barked sternly to her cousin, making the Bowler cower a bit. "To say truth, Dad and the rest of the family hardly got along too well thanks to your real father. I suppose that's why I felt more comfortable when we're just talking to each other on the Internet and phone, and that was the only communication we had." The Swordsman finished and stormed off with the fox demon behind her.
Yami Marik stopped the tape with now TV snow flooding the screen. He whistled in a slow surprise followed by his comment, "Harsh, but it had to be said sooner or later." He smirked and looked back to Miran. "Now, about that Duel..."
"You still have no right to even be here. Miranda herself have defeated you." Miran still prowled him with her blade set to attack.
"I know, but I still have a deal to keep." Yami Marik opened up his hand with the Zodiac cards that were given to their host in the beginning of the Finals. "And I'm quite compatible to Miranda's energy frequency."
"Explain."
"With pleasure. When it comes to Possessions, the most important factor would be the host's compatibility." He replied, "If my spirit energy is nearly a match to my host's, there is little resistance or rejection; same for you. That is why Miranda is sleeping peacefully, both of our energies are compatible to her own. It's as if we aren't even here in her body. But I'm just wasting my breath." The green SR Duel Disc appeared on his left arm, "Do you accept my challenge? Though our spirit energies are compatible she doesn't have nearly enough strength to channel two spirits at once."
"I'll be sure you're ejected from Miranda's soul now and forever." Miran agreed as the Zodiac Duel Disc wrapped her left arm.
The fox-demon had just departed with its fallen master on its back and with Kevin, Mai, and Marik in support. Yami was still disturbed to the fact that the dark half of Marik had returned; on top of that, Ashley now had possession of Bakura's Millennium Ring. He felt new evil rising.
"Yugi, now's not the time to worry about that female Samurai. If anything, I'll be the one to duel her in the Final round. That is, if she wakes up by then." Kaiba called, snagging Yami's attention. Yami returned glare with an angered look.
"You have no idea, do you? Even after Marik have sent you to the Shadow Realm? There is more at stake than what you think." Yami tried to reason.
"You mean when I lost to that amateur Bowler, I've forgotten that. I forget about the past, what's done is done." Kaiba fired back, "While you, you think chicken scratch on a rock proves that you're better than me? You are horribly mistaken, Yugi. Now quit stalling and make your move! As for the effects of my turn ending, Obelisk's attack is increased back to his original 4000." Kaiba informed as Yami drew his card and Slifer's attack jumped to 3000. "It won't do you much, Obelisk is still stronger."
"Not for long, reveal face-down card, Pot of Greed!" Yami declared, "This magic card gives me two cards to my hand, bringing a total of five cards and increasing Slifer's attack power further to 5000." He announced before Slifer roar bellowed in the arena.
"That's powerful." Ashley commented. Following a shudder, she felt Yami Bakura's presence.
'So this is one of the God Cards Marik was talking about? Interesting.' He said within the Ring.
'You were in this with Marik?' Ashley demanded answers.
'Yami Marik to be precise. I couldn't let a deal go undone.' Yami Bakura continued, 'I guess I can tell you. You see, Ashley, I had a deal with Marik's darker half even before the Finals began. Recall Yin-Yang the Eternal Dragon? I had that set of cards before Miranda, so I've made a bargaining with him.'
'Get to the bottom line, what do you want?!' Ashley demanded further.
'Very well, I'm after the Millennium Items. Including your Shield, Miranda's Sword, Marik's Rod and most of all, Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. And you're going to help me.' Yami Bakura snickered.
'Why should I?'
'Miranda's aid is not enough. You're going to help us. If not, we'll just put your heart to the test.' Yami Bakura coaxed. Ashley paused to gain further detail. 'It was your greed of winning our Duel that has put Miranda in the state she is now. You were just thinking of yourself then. If you were to lose that Duel, you would have been stranded in the Shadow Realm for eternity or until Miranda would have risked her own soul to dig you out.'
'You're lying, I would never-'
'But you have. Instead of thinking of others, you have reintroduced Yami Marik back into Miranda's soul; the most selfish thing anyone could do is put their love ones to torture.' Yami Bakura interrupted, 'And with Mirandragon in the opposition of the soul, Miranda would more than likely be in the struggle of her life. Admit it, you're the one that hurt her, not Yami Marik.' Ashley cringed in regret and tried to disbelieve him.
On the field, Yami had made his final preparations for the assault. Disregarding Kaiba's two set traps, he declared his attack. "Slifer, attack- "
"Command Silencer!" Kaiba cut in and revealed his trap card, a totem pole with three loudspeakers. Before Yami could restate his attack, a deafening tone fired from the loudspeakers and reduced everyone to withdrawal, even Kathy.
"What is this trap? Slifer, attack!" Yami tried to yell over the blasting sound, but Slifer didn't react. "What's going on?!"
"Command Silencer emits powerful sound waves that deafens everything else. Slifer didn't attack because he didn't hear you." Kaiba was the only one audible in the explosion of sound. The blast soon ended and the totem pole disappeared.
Kathy sighed in relief, "Hey, you wanna warn me about that next time? I thought I was going to go deaf in that." She said while looking at Kaiba.
Aboard back on the craft in Room 7, the casualty was stripped of her blue top to a white tank top and her sword and Duel Disc set aside on the table. Kevin, Mai, Marik, and Raikoukou all stood solemnly after bringing her in; she was still out cold. Raikoukou, especially worried, stood right on the bedside with its head lying next to her right hand, the necklace still clenched in her knuckles.
"Raikoukou has always been Miranda's right hand." Marik mumbled, but audible to the others, "It even said it served her mother and even the Spirit of the Millennium Sword."
"Spirit of the Millennium Sword?" Mai wondered while seeing her cousin edge to the bed.
"Her gold sword has a residing spirit. But if you're not familiar with anything of the spiritual sense then I guess I really shouldn't go into much detail." Marik said. "Raikoukou, you could say, is like a loyal dog. It'd never leave its master's side, whether it's illness or health. Raikoukou has always lived by that."
'Until now.' Raikoukou's telepathy sprang up. All nine tails waved, but in an erratic rhythm as if it was disturbed greatly. 'Master Miranda, forgive me, I have failed you. Twice I have failed to protect you, and against the same evil. How can I be called your loyal ally?' The fox begged.
In a response, the hand twitched and released the necklace. Everyone saw, and Raikoukou nudged its nose under the palm. 'Miranda, I'm here.' Raikoukou continued to whimper.
To be continued...