A/N: Wow! Just when I thought readers were getting less interested in the story, I get a slew of 'em telling me how great that duel was! I must be doing something right. Thanks, all! I feel all warm inside. Like a good donut. ... Now I'm hungry... Anyway, believe it or not, even I was surprised at how this chapter turned out. I'm sure you will be too. Read on!
Skraku: I did? I'll have to remember that for future reference.
Mira: Harder to summon Gate Guardian; Kyle would want to keep him over Ultimate Dragon. Either one could have finished the duel. Besides, you love dragons.
Eusine: What's a good suspense story without drama? Nonexistent. And things are rarely so simple... see for yourself.
Wolfwings: The stories feel like old farts now. I call 'em classics.
Lumen: Ahh, you're picking up on what I didn't write last chapter! Gold star for you.
Monica: There's rarely a time I see you in a non-hyper state, m'friend. Here's your update!
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Gate Guardian vanished, leaving only Kyle, Jade, and four inactive holoprojectors. He retrieved his projectors and snapped them back into place on his disk as he returned it to idle mode.
He approached her. "That's it. It's all finished now."
Jade plucked the next card from the top of her deck as he walked towards her – the one she had been forced to abandon drawing due to his Time Seal trap card. She turned it around for him to see.
Dark Hole.
He stopped, then nodded slowly.
"This... would have helped. In fact... this would have won me the duel. I would have played it after I destroyed your Solemn Judgment." She tilted her head a little, shoulders sagging slightly. "It was a good duel."
"It was," he affirmed. Then his expression hardened. "Remember the stakes. Your Kazejin or my set."
But at this, Jade faltered. "You... you can't still want Kazejin," she said, with a disbelieving shake of her head. "You've got the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in your deck. Isn't that enough?"
"Those were the stakes," he reminded her. "Ultimate Dragon has nothing to do with it. By the rules we put down, I won Kazejin, fair and square. Just like I won Sanga, both times, and Suijin."
"If I win, then you won't ever hear from me again. If you win... then I no longer have reason to be around, do I? So... yes, I will. I guess these are what you could consider 'ultimate stakes'."
Remembering her own words, Jade's mouth opened once but closed again without making a sound.
She shook her head again.
"I can't."
A frown creased his brow, and his voice grew a considerable edge to it. "Jade, what did I do when you won Sanga? Did I tell you I couldn't let you have it? No. I handed it over because that was the deal. I didn't like it – in fact, I damn well hated it – but I did it. And now you won't afford me the same courtesy?"
That got a reaction. "This is not about 'courtesy'! You're so... so... so selfish!" Jade exploded, frustrated to the point of almost trembling. "You have the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in your deck, which you clearly have as a playable advantage, and yet you still want the Gate Guardian!"
"Me?! Selfish?! And what's been driving you all this time? Because you thought you deserved it more than some amateur punk like me? You want to know why I want Kazejin? Because I earned it!" Kyle responded, nostrils flaring. "It's not just a matter of having the powerful cards... it's not even about the playability! It's about how I had to get them in the first place. How hard I had to work to get this good!"
"Don't you insinuate you've worked harder than me! Don't you dare!" she yelled. "That's all you want them for, isn't it? Some sort of trophy!"
"What do you want them for? Why've you chased after me all this time? What more would you get out of Gate Guardian than I would?"
"I want to use it. As a part of my deck and my strategy, and a whole lot more than just the status symbol it's going to become to you!" Her voice dripped with contempt.
He frowned at that. "I don't consider the set just a status symbol. But frankly, there's little else to view Gate Guardian itself as, if one of us doesn't have all the pieces." He pulled the Gate Guardian card from his disk's playing field and showed it to her. "Look at it. This is what you've been working so hard to get. And no matter what, if you ever want to play it, see it in action... you'd have to work even harder."
"You don't think I know that?" She laughed; there wasn't much mirth in the sound. "The effort to even get the Guardian onto the field makes half the hardcore duelists turn away from it. It's far easier to get your Ultimate Dragon onto the field – any idiot with a Cyber-Stein and a nice set of LP can do it – and its strength is higher. But with the Guardian, you'd need all three pieces on the field first. Makes someone question why anyone would want it in their deck, doesn't it?" Her voice became contemplative, as if she were musing. "But... I still do. I always have. Tell me you've got something in your life that doesn't make any sense to anyone but you, and it's still all you want."
Kyle's eyes narrowed, his response barely louder than a whisper. "More than you know." He raised his voice again, but kept it level. "You don't seriously think I plan to keep the Ultimate Dragon, do you?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Jade couldn't keep the surprise at his question out of her voice.
"Because it doesn't belong to me." Kyle stuffed his hands in his pockets and leveled his gaze at her. He locked eyes with her and refused to blink, even as much as he wanted to. "I use the Blue-Eyes cards because I have to win. Out of necessity. I'm embarrassed to use them; it's almost sacrilegious. But I need to. I need everything I can get."
"What are you going to get out of this tournament that isn't at stake for any other duelist?" she challenged him. "Correct me if I'm wrong; you just admitted to either stealing or having stolen cards...." She trailed off.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "If you're referring to the Blue-Eyes cards, they are stolen, as you well know, but I won them fair and square from duelists in this tournament. You can say they're mine if you want. But they only have one true owner, as far as I'm concerned... and Monica Zocallos is that owner, not me. I'm just retrieving them, and as soon as I find her, she's getting them back."
A myriad of emotions crossed her features at his reply, as though she were thinking several conflicting thoughts at once. She took a step back from him, her expression finally settling into a cross between determination and panic.
"I can't give you Kazejin," she said quietly. "I can't. You have the Ultimate Dragon. Let me keep the chance for Guardian. Please. Please, Kyle."
Kyle frowned. Keep the chance?
I believe she means that if you deprive her of Kazejin, she will no longer have a chance to acquire an entire set. She is asking you to let her keep that chance.
He clenched his eyes shut and bowed his head. Theoris... what can I do?
You need the Gate Guardian cards now.
Do I? She's right... I've got Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon now, a far easier creation to master than Gate Guardian. Do I really need them all?
...
Do I?
Kyle... you fought for the right to the entire set. You won the duel. No matter what she says, you are now the one that has the right to the full set, including Kazejin. Whether you truly need them is not the true issue.
Kyle looked back up at her. "I won. You didn't."
"Fine," she said hurriedly, as though frantic to offer him another solution. "Then keep your two Brothers and Guardian. I'll never duel you for them again. I'll find Suijin and Sanga elsewhere. But let me keep Kazejin. That's all I want, just let me keep Kazejin."
His frown only deepened. "Where will you find another Gate Guardian set?" he asked. "Where will I find another Kazejin?"
"I'll find one. You can too, if you look. There's more than one set in circulation. They're rare, but they exist," she said, voice strengthening a little in hope.
Kyle shook his head. "I wish... but there are only two other Kazejins in existence. I doubt if I'll find them now, and now is the time I need Gate Guardian the most. And you knew the stakes of the duel. You were the one that challenged me in the first place."
He stepped forward tentatively, reached one hand out... as if somehow, he could make everything better with that one hand, could somehow seal whatever rift was between them. "Jade, this duel – losing Kazejin – won't affect the outcome of the rest of your life. Not for you. You said it yourself, there are others out there. But for me... I need to win. Otherwise, I might lose someone I care about. And I might lose a whole lot more."
"And after this tournament? What then?" she asked hollowly.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I may not even stay for the end of the tournament."
"What about the Guardian? After it helps you win... if it helps you win... what're you going to do with it?"
Kyle offered a wry expression. "Despite what you may believe, I can assure you... it won't be going on the mantelpiece. I'll use it. And respect it, and those who I had to fight to earn it."
She stared at him, then lowered her eyes. Despite the fact she was trying to hide it, her hands trembled as she pulled her cards from the graveyard slot on her duel disk and thumbed through them.
He couldn't help but feel guilty. The trembling was plain for him to see... especially after he'd always seen her move with such grace and alacrity.
"Jade..." He tried to find something to say, but no words would come out.
"Is it too late to ask you to have pity on me?" she asked, still looking down at her cards, where Kazejin gleamed up at them both.
He hesitated, unsure of how to answer that question. "Do you want me to take pity on you?"
"No," she said, gently sliding Kazejin from her deck and putting it in his hand. Her voice cracked slightly. "No, I don't."
Kyle stared at Kazejin for a moment, felt the warmth of Jade's hand still on it. For a moment, he felt a surge of triumph. I finally have them all... this is what I've worked so hard for... no matter what she says, I did work hard to get it, and now it's paid off.
And then... the guilt returned. The Blue-Eyes cards only have one owner... the same could be said for Kazejin. This was her favorite card, the one she depended on when everything else failed. It came through for her where even her stronger cards failed... like Sanga does for me.
Losing Sanga was painful for me, and I've had it for a shorter time than Jade's had Kazejin.
The Blue-Eyes White Dragons aren't mine. They belong to someone else.
How is Kazejin any different?
He clenched his eyes shut for a moment, then looked back up at Jade again, even as she was turning away. He reached out and touched her shoulder.
"What would you do with them?" he asked softly.
She continued to face away from him, but one hand came up to wipe at her face and glistened when it came back down. "I'd know I was worthy to have them," she replied.
A strange look passed across his face then, as though struck by a saddening revelation. "Is that what you've wanted all along?" he asked, his voice still quiet. "A sense of worth?"
"I... I don't know."
Kyle sighed. "Jade... please, look at me."
She turned slowly to face him, tears on both cheeks... on one was an unbroken stream, and on the other, a smudged patch where she'd wiped them away.
He tentatively reached out and gently wiped away the stream with his thumb. "I'm sorry we both had to go through all of this."
Kyle sighed and regarded her carefully. "You know about the person I used to be. He would never have been worthy to have Gate Guardian, or anything of any value. He would have used and abused it until there was nothing left for it to give."
He touched his chest. "Deep down, he's still here. And he makes me wonder if I'm any more entitled to the cards than he is." He shifted his stance. "My point is, the Gate Guardian cards haven't provided me with any clearer sense of worthiness than before – in any sense. I'm still the same flawed, imperfect Kyle McCraine I was before." He sighed. "But... you have a heart in you. A desire I don't know that I could hope to match. To be perfectly honest, you want the set more than I do. You've always wanted Gate Guardian more than I have."
A side of his mouth quirked up in what might have been a smile, were it not for the grim situation he was still faced with. "And that was a duel of the titans if I ever saw one. The fact that you dueled in the face of opposition like that deserves something in itself. And you're not only a good duelist, you're a good person. I know you are."
He reached into the graveyard slot of his duel disk and removed two cards, then combined them with Kazejin, which had not left his grasp. "Give me your hand."
Jade held out her hand, and Kyle gently pressed the three cards into her palm. The cards were spread in such a way that there was no mistaking what they were.
He had just given her all three Labyrinth Brothers.
Her green eyes went as wide as dinner plates. "But... but... you just said..."
Kyle smiled slightly. "As hard as it is to get Gate Guardian on the field by conventional means, there are other ways. They may be few and far between, but they exist, and with my luck, it'll happen. You've invested a lot – almost too much, in trying to get these. I know how much the loss of your favorite card can hurt. I should. I was too prideful, and because of that, I blew it. I wouldn't wish that on you. Not even after all this." He nodded to the cards in her hand. "It's what you've wanted all this time. Otherwise, you may never get the chance to figure out for yourself whether you're worthy of them. Or can feel just as worthy without them." His gray eyes held sincerity in their gaze. "And you deserve that chance. So take the Labyrinth Brothers."
"I... thank you," she stammered, not quite knowing what else to say. "Thank you."
Kyle! What in Ra's name are you doing?!
Theoris... this is my decision. It's something I have to do.
Why?!
Why? As in, why did I choose to give her the Labyrinth Brothers?
Yes!
Why did I go with a bunch of grave robbers to an abandoned tomb?
...because you were foolish.
And look what I got in return. An invaluable friend.
Not for the first time, Theoris was struck silent.
"Kyle?"
Kyle looked up. His little smile hadn't faded. "Yes?"
"This tournament... what you've got at stake... I know you've proven you're capable, but... if you ever need some help..." She seemed to have a hard time getting the words out – not necessarily because she didn't mean what she said, but perhaps because she hadn't said anything similar in a long time. "And not just in dueling..."
Kyle nodded. He knew what she meant. "It may sound awkward, but just so you know... if it was you I was fighting for, I'd fight just as hard for you as I just did against you."
"That's good to know." She looked at the Labyrinth Brothers for a moment and put them in her deck, and put her deck in her pocket. "Hey. This Monica of yours is a lucky girl, you know, to have you."
He stared at the ground. "Not right now, she isn't. I'm not exactly a lucky charm today."
She stepped forward and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Then make your own luck."
In spite of the situation, and himself, he couldn't help but smile. A moment passed, and then he asked, "Can we finally say we're friends, then? I'm so tired of being enemies."
She chewed on her lower lip for a few moments. "Yeah," she said finally. "Yeah, we can."
He nodded. "I'm glad. I really do want to be your friend. Whether it looks like it or not, I care."
She offered him a strained smile. "Thanks for the thought."
He nodded once, not really sure what else to say. His eyes darted around, then looked down the passage to the alley.
There was a magician there, mounted on a black horse, just across the street from the entrance. He was staring at the both of them intently.
Kyle paled. "Oh, no..."
The magician urged his horse toward the entrance, through the passage, and into the alley. He stopped about a meter away from the two duelists.
"That was impressive," he said in gross understatement. "You must be congratulated, Kyle McCraine. Your friends would have been very proud to see you duel with such alacrity... and against such a formidable opponent as you apparently had." The magician's hidden gaze turned upon Jade. "Very impressive, indeed."
Jade narrowed her eyes. "Who the hell are you? And sorry to break it to you, but Halloween isn't today."
The magician released a mirthless laugh. "I? I am merely an observer. And you, my dear... you are truly extraordinary. I must also congratulate you on your new acquisitions."
He turned back to Kyle. "Was this some plan of yours, Kyle McCraine? Entrust your most prized cards to another, so that in the event of a loss, you would not hand them over to us? Very shrewd."
Jade crossed her arms. "Someone better start explaining..."
The magician laughed again. "It is quite simple, really. Kyle McCraine has something we want. And I am quite sure you are aware of his stubborn nature; he positively refuses to allow us this item. It is not encouraging that he has already deprived several of my brethren of their lives. But, as you say, 'the score is about to be evened up'. You might even be a player in this little game of ours."
"Stay away from her." Kyle stepped away from Jade, as if trying to make himself the target. "I'm the one you want. Why are you doing this? My friends are of no use to you."
"No," said the magician. "I quite agree. They are of no use whatsoever. Your female friend is quickly outliving her usefulness as a bargaining chip, and as for your male friend, well..." He sneered. "I am to understand we all know what happened."
Jade narrowed her eyes even further at the mounted magician and scowled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that was a threat."
The magician considered. "My clan is not below the concept of threatening others. We have already done our part in that endeavor."
Kyle kept his gaze leveled on the mounted man, but his words were to Jade. "He's part of a bizarre clan that's kidnapped Monica. They're holding her for ransom."
"Indeed," the magician sneered.
"What is it they want?" Jade asked.
"I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you," Kyle said. "Suffice it to say that this thing's more than it appears to be."
"Do not make it out to be any less than it is," the magician rasped. "That shield is a dangerous tool of unspeakable power... and it has hampered our efforts for millennia. No longer."
She glanced back and forth between them, trying to figure out if one was serious and one was crazy.
Kyle gave her an apologetic glance. "It sounds insane, I know."
The magician snorted. "Believe what you will, my dear. I speak the truth." He turned back to Kyle. "Not that you have a choice as to whether I tell you the truth. I bid you follow me, and do so quickly, if you wish to know whether your female friend's heart still beats."
The horse galloped down the passage and turned a corner.
"I have to follow him," Kyle muttered, giving Jade another apologetic look. He raced down the passage and called over his shoulder, "Avoid those men by any means!"
As he turned the corner, he saw that the horse was heading towards the highway. He's trying to lure me out of town, I'll bet... then they can pin me...
Then you must catch him before that happens. He might at least be able to tell you where Monica is.
How do you propose I catch him on foot, exactly?
Not on foot, Kyle, on your vehicle. You have one, last I knew.
Oh. Right. Kyle glanced up at the parking deck, just across the street – and raced inside. Fortunately, it was on the first level, so it took him little time to mount it and fire it up. He blew through the exit and swung around in pursuit of the magician.
I doubt his horse is faster than this thing, but with that kind of lead, he could be just about anywhere... Kyle simply bolted toward the same highway the mage had been heading for and hoped it would be enough.
As luck would have it, that was exactly where the mage had headed. His dark cloak billowed about his form as his horse's legs moved blindingly fast; he was almost nothing more than a speck several blocks away, as much of a lead as he'd gained. Kyle cranked up the speed on his motorcycle and mentally urged the vehicle to move as fast as it possibly could.
The horse veered sharply to the right. Kyle slowed and followed as best he could, his eyes narrowing. Moving east. He's headed for the docks.
--
"He approaches."
"We are not ready."
"No, we are not. We have one; let us hope one is enough."
"He has already fought five others and won!"
"If nothing else, our one will provide cover for our escape. We cannot lose her."
Monica stared at the two robed men that stood almost directly in front of her. She had a pretty good feeling what they meant when they said "her" – "her" as in, well, her. And she could almost dare to hope that when they said "he", they meant Kyle.
But she had no idea what they meant by "one". She wanted to ask what they were talking about – "What the hell do you mean? Stop being so cryptic!" I'd shout – but her gag was secure and no intelligible words could be made out even if she tried. She bit down on the cloth in her mouth in frustration. I've got to be near someone who'd be able to help, otherwise they wouldn't gag me. Maybe "he" really is Kyle... maybe he's coming to rescue me!
But that's stupid! she thought. Why would he do that? Wouldn't he have authorities with him, to surround the place? Make sure I'll stay right here, instead of be moved somewhere else... where they can't find me?
Monica shuddered at that prospect. Imagine... me, having to spend day after day either sitting in a chair bound and gagged or being taken places I'll never be able to appreciate... never to duel again... never to be found, or missed...
She felt a sting behind her eyes, but she blinked it away. She refused to cry. She had to be calm and collected. She had to save her strength, both physical and emotional, for an opportunity to escape from these madmen.
But I can't make it look as if I'm saving my strength. They might get suspicious if I don't struggle at least a little... especially if they're about to try to move me somewhere else. With that thought in mind, she squirmed against the ropes on her wrists and ankles and the belt that held her to the chair, and she grunted into her gag.
They glanced at her. One curled his lip in derision. "Blindfold her and take her with you. We shall depart immediately."
--
The mage looked over his shoulder, and seeing no sign of his predator, smirked in victory. Very well, then... we will simply kill her. That will both even the score and convince you to–
His horse whinnied and its shoes sparked against the pavement in a desperate effort to come to a sudden halt after moving at more than 150 kilometers per hour. He whipped his head around in surprise, just in time to see that Kyle McCraine – as unbelievable as it was – had intercepted him and had pulled his motorcycle to a stop directly in the horse's path.
The horse's momentum – as well as the momentum of its rider – were incredible, but upon the horse's attempt to lose some of that momentum, the magician was virtually thrown from his saddle. He cried out and rolled in the air, flailing to keep from ending up trampled by his own mount.
His head clanged against something and he heard a screeching noise as he blacked out... all before even hitting the ground.
Kyle, having seen the magician sailing through the air, had instinctively enlarged the Millennium Shield to his right arm and angled his motorcycle – which he had yet to fully dismount – in such a way as to hold against the unavoidable impact. But with the man moving at such incredible velocity, Kyle and the bike had been shoved backward upon being hit, causing the tires to squeal in protest.
Adrenaline pumped through his body, his eyes wide as he stared down at his fallen quarry, who was now bleeding profusely from his forehead. After several moments, he forced his limbs to respond to his commands and dismounted his bike, then grabbed the magician's tunic and pulled him close.
"Where is she?" he rasped.
The mage blinked awake and looked at Kyle, a confused expression on his face.
"Monica! Where is she?!"
The magician offered a groan and pointed weakly at a nearby building that looked nearly as decrepit as the one Chubs had been hostage in. "Th... th..."
His eyes rolled back as he fell back into the dark of unconsciousness.
"Hey!" Kyle shouted, shaking the mage. "I'm talking to you!"
But there was no response. Kyle shoved the older man against the ground in disgust, then looked up at the building. All right... I guess I'll have to take a look.
But before he could even get up, he heard the stomping of hooves in the distance, on the other side of the warehouse. His eyes widened. Damn! They're taking off!