Dangerous Chance
"NANASHI!!!!" Kikyo held her arms out to the fair haired young man who ran to her now. She knew only one way to save his life. The instant she threw up her warded barrier, she saw something extraordinary happen… The boy she called Nanashi became two! One moment, the golden haired boy was himself, the second, it seemed as if he gained a second shadow. The shadow was a man, with Nanashi's face and hair, except that his hair ran in a long plait down his back, and he was adorned in white and tan robes. But both held the key shaped scepter. And as the shadow man raised his key-scepter out, so did Nanashi. Then, when the barrier totally encircled them both, the walls of the ward barrier clouded over. In that small space, it seemed like time had ceased.
Nanashi was one being once more. He stood panting, his key-scepter still over his head. He slowly brought it down, and looked at Kikyo.
"Na…Nanashi…" Kikyo asked warily.
"K…" he tried to say. "Kumiko…" he whispered. He took a shaky step forward, but then he stumbled. She dashed forward, and caught him in her arms.
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The minute Kaiba had let his loose his attack, the others hiding in the trees had run forward to try and save Joey, but as the ball of black and yellow light had hit Joey, something strange happened. First, a wall of blue light sprang from the ground, and second… The reaction from the attack hitting the wall caused a shock wave to knock every flat to the ground. Not only did it affect the people in the small area, but it bowed the trees, and shook that ramshackle shrine that stood in front of them.
After moments of total silence, each person dared to move, and then finally got up. Serenity went to Kaiba's side, and with her voice full of concern, she asked him, "Oh Seto, are you okay?"
"What happened?" Kaiba asked. "Where's that idiot brother of yours? What was he thinking?! If that fool got himself obliterated-!"
"That 'idiot' just saved your life," Kagome said helping Inu-yasha up from the ground. "Both your lives."
Inu-yasha looked around, then, he turned his head to Kaiba and barked, "What the heck was that?! Why did you try to choke me!?"
"I was trying to stop a phantom from shattering my sanity," Kaiba said. "You were in the way."
"You were both out of your senses," Yugi/Yami said, "And now because of that Joey is trapped in that barrier with Kikyo."
"Then let's get him out of there," Mai said. She rushed forward, and as she hit the wall, she felt a shock, of electricity, and staggered back. "Wha… What just happened?"
"Let me try," Serenity said. She tried using her necklace, looking to the past to get an idea of what this thing was, but as she tried to pierce the wall… She too felt the abrupt shock, and shoock where she stood. "It's… It's like time itself has stopped."
"What?" everyone asked her.
"In there…" Serenity said, "It's like there's no past, present, or future. Time's stopped in there…"
"Is this Kikyo's doing?" Sango asked.
"No," Yugi/Yami said, "I think this might be Joey's." They all stared at the dark, electric blue dome, and wondered what their friend was doing in there… and if he was strong enough to stand up against Kikyo.
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Joey slowly opened his eyes. "Dang," he groaned. He reached up and touched his forehead where the aching was the worst, and asked aloud, "Goodnight! Someone get the number of that truck?" He registered that he was being held by someone… his head rested on the shoulder of someone wearing white, and two pale arms held him close. He rose up, ad then turned his face downward to see the face of the person he stood with.
It was Kumiko, the woman who'd saved him and Yugi once! How could he have forgotten her? But, wait, no. That didn't happen. That had been a dream. This was Kikyo, the dead priestess who was out to kill Inu-yasha, and recently tried to steal Kaiba for her slave. But… the woman he looked at now wasn't the evil priestess that everyone had warned him about. Her eyes weren't cold with hatred… They were the sad eyes of the woman from his dream.
"Nanashi?" she asked gently. "Are you hurt?"
"Huh?" Joey asked her. It all came back to him then. She was both. She was the woman he nicknamed Kumiko- who'd saved his life after he fell from the sky, after a battle with demon birds- and she was Kikyo the priestess. She'd even told him her name, before she had kissed him, and erased the memory of their meeting. Guess she didn't do a good job of it, Joey thought. Then, he had an idea. It would help everyone of his friends, and possibly this poor woman.
"Oh," Joey said, "Oh yeah… I remember now. You're the woman who healed my cracked ribs."
"I…" she said, "They… they were only bruised."
"So," Joey said, "Guess you got over me, huh? I mean, all this stuff with you and Kaiba. You sure got a weird taste in men."
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
"Well, you must really love him if you're doing all this-"
"I do not love him," she said, looking away from him, but still not letting go.
"What?" Joey asked. "You don't? Then why all this work? Why cause up such a huge fuss about 'gettin' control of his brain, and all that junk? Do you just want his Millennium Staff? If that's the problem-"
"You do not understand, Nanashi," Kikyo said. She did let go then, and clasped her hands n front of her. She didn't look in his eyes as she explained. "I do not want his magic Item. I do not even wish to have his powers. I… I simply did not wish… to be alone. I have given up much, for the sake of those I come to care for. I live in exile, unable to have the live I wish to have… I cannot live at all."
"Well, that's till no reason to throw yourself at the first guy to walk by," Joey said. "You could do a lot better than Kaiba. Like me."
"What?" Kikyo asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah." he said quite seriously. He hoped this plan would work. "Leave the rich boy and take me instead." he lifted his shirt up and said, "Look at that six-pack," Then he flexed his arm, "Check out this action! I'm a million times better than Kaiba."
Kikyo stared at him, very perplexed. Then, she smiled- a true smile, a genuine smile- and she laughed a real laugh of surprised delight.
"See," Joey said, "This is all a joke, Kumiko," then, he surprised the both of them, and hugged her. "I know you feel lonely, but you got to understand that my sister loves Kaiba. If she lost him, it'd break her heart. And I couldn't watch my sister go through that."
They stood there for a few minutes. "You should know better than to tempt me so," Kikyo said. Joey felt his heart beat faster. Did his plan backfire?
"I could do as you ask," Kikyo continued. "I could take you instead of the Sorcerer. I could take your soul and have you always…" She looked up at him, then. Right into his eyes. Then she lifted a chilly hand to gently stoke his cheek. "But… then I would take from you the part of you that makes me love you." The way she looked at him made Joey wonder if she was going to kiss him. But then she pulled herself away from him, and said, "Take your friend, and leave me. Before I change my mind and take you anyway."
"Alright," Joey said. "But you gotta promise not to come after him again when we leave."
"I do." Kikyo said.
"My name's Joey, by the way," he said.
"I know," she said. "I am Kikyo."
"I know," Joey said. He looked at his Staff, and thought… The barrier disappeared. The others stood around the space where the dome had been, and looked at the strange pair. Joey walked over to Yugi, and said, "Don't worry. She won't come after him again. But we gotta go now."
"Right," Yugi said. They turned, and walked away. But before they were back in the forest, Joey turned back, and got one final glimpse of that sad face.
"What exactly happened in there, Wheeler?" Kaiba asked him when they were flying back to the well.
"Nothing," Joey said. "Just a little negotiatin"
"NANASHI!!!!" Kikyo held her arms out to the fair haired young man who ran to her now. She knew only one way to save his life. The instant she threw up her warded barrier, she saw something extraordinary happen… The boy she called Nanashi became two! One moment, the golden haired boy was himself, the second, it seemed as if he gained a second shadow. The shadow was a man, with Nanashi's face and hair, except that his hair ran in a long plait down his back, and he was adorned in white and tan robes. But both held the key shaped scepter. And as the shadow man raised his key-scepter out, so did Nanashi. Then, when the barrier totally encircled them both, the walls of the ward barrier clouded over. In that small space, it seemed like time had ceased.
Nanashi was one being once more. He stood panting, his key-scepter still over his head. He slowly brought it down, and looked at Kikyo.
"Na…Nanashi…" Kikyo asked warily.
"K…" he tried to say. "Kumiko…" he whispered. He took a shaky step forward, but then he stumbled. She dashed forward, and caught him in her arms.
-------------------------------------------------
The minute Kaiba had let his loose his attack, the others hiding in the trees had run forward to try and save Joey, but as the ball of black and yellow light had hit Joey, something strange happened. First, a wall of blue light sprang from the ground, and second… The reaction from the attack hitting the wall caused a shock wave to knock every flat to the ground. Not only did it affect the people in the small area, but it bowed the trees, and shook that ramshackle shrine that stood in front of them.
After moments of total silence, each person dared to move, and then finally got up. Serenity went to Kaiba's side, and with her voice full of concern, she asked him, "Oh Seto, are you okay?"
"What happened?" Kaiba asked. "Where's that idiot brother of yours? What was he thinking?! If that fool got himself obliterated-!"
"That 'idiot' just saved your life," Kagome said helping Inu-yasha up from the ground. "Both your lives."
Inu-yasha looked around, then, he turned his head to Kaiba and barked, "What the heck was that?! Why did you try to choke me!?"
"I was trying to stop a phantom from shattering my sanity," Kaiba said. "You were in the way."
"You were both out of your senses," Yugi/Yami said, "And now because of that Joey is trapped in that barrier with Kikyo."
"Then let's get him out of there," Mai said. She rushed forward, and as she hit the wall, she felt a shock, of electricity, and staggered back. "Wha… What just happened?"
"Let me try," Serenity said. She tried using her necklace, looking to the past to get an idea of what this thing was, but as she tried to pierce the wall… She too felt the abrupt shock, and shoock where she stood. "It's… It's like time itself has stopped."
"What?" everyone asked her.
"In there…" Serenity said, "It's like there's no past, present, or future. Time's stopped in there…"
"Is this Kikyo's doing?" Sango asked.
"No," Yugi/Yami said, "I think this might be Joey's." They all stared at the dark, electric blue dome, and wondered what their friend was doing in there… and if he was strong enough to stand up against Kikyo.
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Joey slowly opened his eyes. "Dang," he groaned. He reached up and touched his forehead where the aching was the worst, and asked aloud, "Goodnight! Someone get the number of that truck?" He registered that he was being held by someone… his head rested on the shoulder of someone wearing white, and two pale arms held him close. He rose up, ad then turned his face downward to see the face of the person he stood with.
It was Kumiko, the woman who'd saved him and Yugi once! How could he have forgotten her? But, wait, no. That didn't happen. That had been a dream. This was Kikyo, the dead priestess who was out to kill Inu-yasha, and recently tried to steal Kaiba for her slave. But… the woman he looked at now wasn't the evil priestess that everyone had warned him about. Her eyes weren't cold with hatred… They were the sad eyes of the woman from his dream.
"Nanashi?" she asked gently. "Are you hurt?"
"Huh?" Joey asked her. It all came back to him then. She was both. She was the woman he nicknamed Kumiko- who'd saved his life after he fell from the sky, after a battle with demon birds- and she was Kikyo the priestess. She'd even told him her name, before she had kissed him, and erased the memory of their meeting. Guess she didn't do a good job of it, Joey thought. Then, he had an idea. It would help everyone of his friends, and possibly this poor woman.
"Oh," Joey said, "Oh yeah… I remember now. You're the woman who healed my cracked ribs."
"I…" she said, "They… they were only bruised."
"So," Joey said, "Guess you got over me, huh? I mean, all this stuff with you and Kaiba. You sure got a weird taste in men."
"What do you mean?" she asked him.
"Well, you must really love him if you're doing all this-"
"I do not love him," she said, looking away from him, but still not letting go.
"What?" Joey asked. "You don't? Then why all this work? Why cause up such a huge fuss about 'gettin' control of his brain, and all that junk? Do you just want his Millennium Staff? If that's the problem-"
"You do not understand, Nanashi," Kikyo said. She did let go then, and clasped her hands n front of her. She didn't look in his eyes as she explained. "I do not want his magic Item. I do not even wish to have his powers. I… I simply did not wish… to be alone. I have given up much, for the sake of those I come to care for. I live in exile, unable to have the live I wish to have… I cannot live at all."
"Well, that's till no reason to throw yourself at the first guy to walk by," Joey said. "You could do a lot better than Kaiba. Like me."
"What?" Kikyo asked, looking up at him.
"Yeah." he said quite seriously. He hoped this plan would work. "Leave the rich boy and take me instead." he lifted his shirt up and said, "Look at that six-pack," Then he flexed his arm, "Check out this action! I'm a million times better than Kaiba."
Kikyo stared at him, very perplexed. Then, she smiled- a true smile, a genuine smile- and she laughed a real laugh of surprised delight.
"See," Joey said, "This is all a joke, Kumiko," then, he surprised the both of them, and hugged her. "I know you feel lonely, but you got to understand that my sister loves Kaiba. If she lost him, it'd break her heart. And I couldn't watch my sister go through that."
They stood there for a few minutes. "You should know better than to tempt me so," Kikyo said. Joey felt his heart beat faster. Did his plan backfire?
"I could do as you ask," Kikyo continued. "I could take you instead of the Sorcerer. I could take your soul and have you always…" She looked up at him, then. Right into his eyes. Then she lifted a chilly hand to gently stoke his cheek. "But… then I would take from you the part of you that makes me love you." The way she looked at him made Joey wonder if she was going to kiss him. But then she pulled herself away from him, and said, "Take your friend, and leave me. Before I change my mind and take you anyway."
"Alright," Joey said. "But you gotta promise not to come after him again when we leave."
"I do." Kikyo said.
"My name's Joey, by the way," he said.
"I know," she said. "I am Kikyo."
"I know," Joey said. He looked at his Staff, and thought… The barrier disappeared. The others stood around the space where the dome had been, and looked at the strange pair. Joey walked over to Yugi, and said, "Don't worry. She won't come after him again. But we gotta go now."
"Right," Yugi said. They turned, and walked away. But before they were back in the forest, Joey turned back, and got one final glimpse of that sad face.
"What exactly happened in there, Wheeler?" Kaiba asked him when they were flying back to the well.
"Nothing," Joey said. "Just a little negotiatin"