From Darkness To Light: Secrets Revealed Part 2: Kidnapped
By Asher Tye
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I wish I did 'cause then I'd be rich. Since I'm not, suing me would be pointless. Thanks bunches for all the reviews. I can't wait to see the reviews for this chapter.
Summary: Shadi begins snooping around the Kaiba mansion, looking for clues as to the identity of the spirit. Meanwhile, Mokuba and the spirit make plans for a field trip to get the final two cards.
*_* - Personal Thoughts
/_/ - Yugi to Yami
\_\ - Yami to Yugi
(_) - ????? to Mokuba
[_] - Mokuba to ?????
_ Telepathic communication
***************************************************************************
"Come on Yug, ya gotta keep up," Joey said, dressed in a blue jogging suit as he moved at a steady pace down the sidewalk. Behind him, the small figure of Yugi Motou dressed in a light green jogging suit huffed and panted as the shorter boy tried to keep up with his friend, cursing under his breath as he did so.
"Short legs... (huff) can't cover... (puff) as much distance... (gasp) as long ones," Yugi complained, trying his best not to loose his temper.
"Don't blame the length of your legs just 'cause you're outta shape guy." The two teens continued the exercise program Joey had come up with.
*I'll show Joey who's out of shape,* Yugi thought as he continued to follow his friend. *At least it's not as bad as it was in the beginning.*
\A sign that Joey's plan is working,\ came Yami's voice.
/Not you too, Yami. Don't tell me you think I'm out of shape./
\Well it wouldn't hurt you to get out of your room for some physical activities every once in a while.\
"Yugi, quit daydreaming or you're gonna get sideswiped by a car," said Joey, grabbing the younger boy by the arm before Yugi ran past him. "Seriously, games are good, but you're gonna OD on 'em if you don't get out and get some exercise." Soon the two friends arrived at their destination; the Kaiba mansion. Yugi took a moment to catch his breath and wipe his face dry, knowing full well Seto Kaiba would not wish to see him in his current state.
/Yami, do you want to do the talking?/ Yugi asked his darker half, unsure of exactly what he would say to his rival.
\If you want me to, I will. But if I'm in here it'll be easier to detect if our rogue spirit friend is hanging around.\
/All right, I'll do it then./ Yugi promptly knocked on the mansion's front door, and waited. After about three minutes with no answer, Yugi knocked again. When still no answer came, Joey decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Yugi if ya wanna get anybody's attention, ya gotta knock louder." With that, Joey began pounding on the Kaibas' door.
"Joey, you'll wake the whole neighborhood!" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing his friend's wrist.
"All right, all right. I'm coming! This better be important!" Yelled the grumpy voice of Seto Kaiba. The door flew open, revealing the young CEO. He looked upset, like they'd disturbed him from doing something very important. "Well, if it isn't Yugi Motou and his pet Chihuahua. Out for a morning walk or do you have a purpose for annoying me?"
"It's barely nine in the mornin' and you're already bringin' out an attitude. Do you ever wake up in a good mood."
"Joey!" Yugi said, not wanting to have a fight break out. "We did ask Mokuba to tell you to expect us. We need to talk about what happened yesterday."
"Well for your information I haven't seen Mokuba since yesterday morning, he left before I got up today. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do." With those words, Seto began closing his door.
"Wait Kaiba, this is extremely important. Can't you spare a few min..."
"Look, call my office and make an appointment with my secretary. With any luck, she'll be able to fit you in a few months." The last thing Yugi and Joey heard was the sound of the front door slamming shut.
"Well, now what do we do?" Yugi asked himself.
\How about we get a burger?\ Yami suggested.
/A BURGER?/
***************************************
As Yugi and Joey left, they were both completely unaware they were being watched from the peephole of the Kaiba door. Behind the wooden barrier, the owner of the house watched, making sure both left. Suddenly, "Seto Kaiba's" form shimmered as his body shrunk and warped, his hair getting much longer and darker, his eyes changing color, and his face becoming less harsh. Mokuba turned and leaned his back against the door.
"Who was it Mokuba?" came the voice of the real Seto Kaiba from the second floor of the mansion.
"Uh, it was no one, big brother... Just some... salesmen, yeah. I told 'em to take a hike." Down the stairs the elder Kaiba came, his hair combed and styled and his clothes neatly pressed and in place, a testament to the teen's almost compulsive need for order.
"Serves them right for daring to intrude on our privacy," Seto said. Then he noticed the way Mokuba looked. Though to anyone else the boy looked normal, his elder brother couldn't help but notice how slumped over his posture was, and the faint black color under his eyes. Even his hair, which normally fanned out in a wide mane, seemed unable to hold it's position. "You were up all night playing video games again, weren't you..." Seto said
"Uh no..."
(Say yes!)
"I mean yes. Ha ha, you caught me brother. I was up all night trying to get past the eighth level of Final Warrior Star 12," Mokuba said, laughing nervously. Seto instantly knew he was lying. Mokuba may have been able to put up a great act when he rehearsed, but spur of the moment lies were not something he was particularly skilled at.
*Why would he feel the need to lie to me?* The young CEO thought to himself.
"Ah well, I'm gonna go get breakfast," said the boy as he ran off into the kitchen. "You want anything?"
"Coffee." Seto said, falling into the duo's normal Sunday routine as Mokuba disappeared.
[Why'd you make me lie to Seto like that?]
(What exactly were you going to tell him, hmm? We were out all night stealing a powerful magical artifact from a notorious tomb robber? Besides, the less he knows about this, the better. There are creatures in this world and the Shadow Realm that wouldn't give killing him a second thought if he knew.) Mokuba began setting up the coffee maker. With Mrs. Carmine on her day off, it always fell to Mokuba to keep his big brother's life in order.
[I guess...]
(Oh don't look so glum. Like I said we're in this together. I'm here to make sure nothing bad happens to you, and I count what's bad for Seto in that equation too. Of course for now you'll need to learn how to work the Millennium Eye.)
"Yawn."
(But first I guess we should take care of your lack of energy. We must have used a little more power than you actually had to fool Yugi.)
"But I thought you said we had a lot to do today? How can I have time for a nap?"
"We don't have anything to do today," Seto said, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking a little confused by the way his baby brother was acting.
"Uh, I meant..."
"You may need to cut down on the video games. I think they may be warping your perceptions."
"Uh yeah... That's gotta be it," Mokuba quickly said, handing his brother a cup filled with coffee. "Seto... I'm a little tired... Would you mind if I went back to bed."
"Uh, sure," said the elder Kaiba. Without a word further, Mokuba left the kitchen and headed upstairs, leaving behind a very confused Seto Kaiba. As soon as the raven haired boy arrived in his room, he quietly closed his door. Across the room an oval shaped mirror hung to the wall, it's reflective surface copying Mokuba's image. As the young boy looked over at the mirror, his reflection began to move on it's own, it's eyes changing their color to red and black. Carefully, slowly, Mokuba's reflection pulled itself free of it's mirror confines, gently placing it's feet on the ground.
"Woah! How'd you do (yawn) that? I thought you couldn't separate from me."
"Not physically, no. But by taking certain characteristics from both your reflection and your shadow, I'm able to create a reasonable facsimile of a body, even interact with the world to a degree. However," the apparition said, his hand passing through a lamp, only to be stopped by it's shadow a few inches away, "it is far from perfect." With those words, Mokuba's doppleganger walked over to his host's night-stand, opening the bottom drawer as he pulled up a sock. Dumping the contents on the bed, Mokuba moved to pick up the item that fell out, the Millennium Eye.
"This thing still gives me (yawn) the willies." The doppleganger grasped the eye's shadow, taking it from the boy as he examined it.
"Well don't worry, from now on it's working for you. Do you think Seto suspects something is up?" As the doppleganger said this, Mokuba began to climb into his neatly made bed, his eyes drooping lower as the effects of a night with no sleep began to take their toll on his young body.
"I think that's (yawn) pretty much a given. But I... I don't think he knows what... what he suspects yet."
"Well, time enough for that later. For now, you need rest before you go into power-drain shock." Mokuba's eyes closed as he began to drift off, before opening again.
"I... I keep forgetting to ask. What do I call you anyway? I think... (yawn) I deserve to know that."
"We've been known by many names, no too few of which are not appropriate for your ears to hear. But if you wish a name to call me specifically by, just call me Raven." With those words, Mokuba fell asleep.
******************************************
Yugi and Joey sat in a booth of a particularly grimy feeling Burger World restaurant, waiting for their food to arrive. Even Yugi, normally an avid fan of Burger World, felt a little queasy as he looked around the dirty burger joint.
"This place oughta be shut down by the health department," Joey said.
"I know, for the life of me I can't figure out why Yami would want to come here, especially when there's a much better Burger World closer to the game shop."
\I want to be close to the Kaibas.\ Yami explained. \Something was seriously wrong with Seto this morning. That spirit is definitely back, just waiting.\
/And without Mokuba around, you don't have any proof with which to convince Seto./
Suddenly, the door to the restaurant opened, and Yugi was quite surprised to find none other than Malik himself walk into the Burger World, and wearing street clothes no less. The thirteen year-old obviously didn't have much experience with civilian clothes. He was wearing a pair of yellow jeans and a hot pink T-shirt, along with lime green jacket. Yugi could just barely make out a very familiar bulge in the young Egyptian's jacket, obviously Malik's own millennium item, the Millennium Rod. Without so much as one word, Malik walked right by Joey and Yugi and took a seat in the booth directly behind them.
"Hey Yugi, ain't that Malik," Joey whispered to his spiky haired friend.
"Yes, but why HE'S here is beyond me," Yugi whispered back. A waitress came up to them, chewing on a wad of gum while carrying their extremely greasy orders. As soon as she set down the food, however, her eyes glazed over, a clear indication to the two teens that her mind was no longer her own.
"How have you two managed to stay alive so long eating 'food' like this?" the waitress said in a voice that was a combination of both her own and Malik's. Yugi could just barely hear Malik whispering into his item as he controlled the woman.
"You dare turn around I swear I'll club you with this thing," Malik warned, careful not to let his control over his puppet lapse.
"So what're you doin' here ya little control freak?"
"I'm here to see Yugi, or more accurately King Yami," said the waitress.
"Very well," came a strong voice as Yami took over Yugi's body. "I am here. Now why have you gone to such lengths simply to talk to me?"
"Yesterday, my sister Isis and I made a significant discovery that we both believed you'd need to know about. I was as shocked at that as you are now. Since that time, however, we have been attacked no less than five times by monsters from the Shadow Realm. Even now I can feel another group surrounding this building, preparing to attack all of us." Yami closed his eyes, trying to sense the presence of the monsters Malik spoke of, trying to confirm the younger boy's statements.
"Yes, I do sense them. But I do not sense Isis, where is she?"
"She is standing guard over our find, and trying to contact Shadi. I have been sent to retrieve you." Malik then got up from the booth. "That being said, I believe you should come with me now. You can thank me for saving you from this sorry excuse for food later."
"How do we get out?" Joey asked. "According to you, this place is surrounded."
"I said we were being targeted by monsters. I never said they were particularly strong monsters. I assume you brought your dueling deck, Yami." Yami held up the deck. "Good, they won't attack us until we're alone, so the sooner we can get someplace secluded, the better." The waitress's eyes blinked as Malik released her from his control, leaving the two teens. Malik got up from his booth and prepared to leave, waiting only long enough for Yami and Joey to follow.
*************************************
Back at the Kaiba mansion, Seto was just leaving, taking advantage of Mokuba being down for a nap to get some business out of the way. As soon as Seto had left, Shadi stepped out of the shadows behind the mansion. The young Egyptian man walked to the front door and pointed his Millennium Ankh at lock, creating an audible click as the lock opened. Shadi moved in an almost glide as he entered the house, using his ankh to look for his target. Soon he came to another closed door. Inside, he found Mokuba, lying in his bed, a peacefully serene look on his face as he slept. His face a mask of indifference, Shadi pointed the Millennium Ankh right at Mokuba's chest, touching it's tip right to the boy's heart. In an instant, Shadi's millennium item transported him to within Mokuba's mind, and the surprise that waited for him.
Shadi had been in hundreds and hundreds of people's minds, and had come to be able to make certain assumptions as to what he could expect to find by observing his targets. Even so, none of his predictions were ever one hundred percent. Differences often appeared. After all, these soul rooms were meant to perfectly represent their owners, and no two people were ever exactly alike. But Shadi was beyond surprised to find that, instead of being drastically different, Mokuba Kaiba's was the very picture of normalcy. It was exactly as Shadi would have pictured any other child's soul room. Toys littered both shelves and the floor, along with books and other childish things. The walls were covered in pictures and bright colors, and the whole thing looked more like a playpen than a definition of a human soul. There weren't even any depictions of Duel Monsters in the place.
*This is absurd. How can he have wielded such power and have no evidence of it anywhere,* Shadi thought as he began to look around. Carefully, he pulled a book from the shelf, hoping to find some evidence of what had happened only a day ago. A clicking sound was all Shadi heard to alert him to the danger he was in. Instinctively, the Tomb Guardian dove to the side, just as a small ball came whizzing past him, slamming into the wall. Shadi looked back to see a row of toy soldiers sitting on the shelf. Where once their small rifles had been shouldered, they were now down and aimed directly at Shadi, a predatory smile on each and every one of the tin toys' faces. An audible growl came near the Egyptian's hand. Shadi looked down to find the book he'd been holding had suddenly grown a rather wicked set of teeth and was now trying to wiggle out of his grip so it could bite him.
All over the room, other items were undergoing a similar metamorphosis. Jacks became spinning blades, balls grew deadly spikes, and teddy bears bore fangs as sharp claws sprouted form their limbs. Quickly, Shadi ducked and weaved out of the way as blades, teeth, and bullets all whizzed by him, trying their best to rend him to pieces. Shadi tripped into a bed that was set up in the room, and suddenly found himself fighting off the sheets as they tried to smother him. Finally, the young Egyptian began to harness his own mental defenses, and soon found himself rising from the enveloping sheets. One of the fang clad books flew at him, it's mouth wide open as Shadi used his Millennium Ankh as a cudgel to knock the offending book away. The Tomb Guardian then pulled out his Millennium Scales.
Both golden items began glow insync with each other, powering up as the Egyptian prepared to deal with what was now obviously a mind trap. The golden light got brighter and brighter, burning away all of the toy-like apparitions that inhabited this obviously false version of Mokuba's soulroom. Even the walls of the room, the floor, and the ceiling burned away, leaving Shadi drifting in a black void. Suddenly, a massive metal door appeared out of nowhere right next to the Tomb Guardian. Shadi immediately recognized what this door signified, it was supposed to be some sort of impenetrable barrier. It also meant Shadi was getting closer to the object of his search. Quietly, the Egyptian man floated to the door, holding out his Millennium Ankh to unlock the mental door.
Before the item could touch the door, however, a crystalline wall erupted from out of nowhere, completely covering door and preventing the ankh from unlocking it. Shadi quickly recognized this new barrier as a mental manifestation of the dangerous Mirror Wall trap. This was further proven by the fact that within the wall's crystalline surface, a reflection of Shadi thumbed it's nose at him. Unwilling to put up with anymore nonsense, he reached into his dueling deck, pulling out his remove trap card. Before he could activate the magic card, however, a small dart flew through the air, striking the card and knocking it out of his hand. Shadi looked up to see an Armed Ninja clinging to what appeared to be nothing, more darts in his hands as he prepared to counter another magic card.
*This does complicate matters,* Shadi thought, drawing another card, the Gadget Soldier. Immediately a large man covered in metal and gears appeared between him and the Mirror Wall coated door. Before Shadi could do anything else, however, another Mirror Wall appeared right behind the Gadget Soldier. In an instant, the two reflections of the monster began reaching out, striking Gadget Soldier and chipping away at him. Soon, his power was so low, it became child's play for the Armed Ninja to jump from his perch like lightning and destroy the warrior before returning to where he had begun. *This is absurd. How am I supposed to get past this?*
You're not meant go. Came a voice right inside the Egyptian intruder's own mind.
"What?"
BE GONE!! A feeling of intense power washed over Shadi as he felt himself being ripped away from the mind in which he'd invaded. When Shadi's eyes opened, he was quite surprised to find himself no longer in Mokuba's room, but instead laying in some bushes outside the mansion.
"How the devil..."
"Apparently you're not any more effective in finding out the secrets of the blast from two weeks ago than I am," came the cool voice of Isis Ishtar. The raven haired woman stood over Shadi, her face a mask as she looked down on him. "But I take this to mean Mokuba was somehow involved." Shadi got to his feet, looking Isis square in the eyes.
"What you believe this to mean is of little concern to me. But if you are able to shed some light on this situation, I will be most grateful to hear it," Shadi said in as friendly a voice as he could muster.
"Then please come with me to the museum. I believe there is something there you should see."
**************************************************
Mokuba's eyes opened just in time to see something big and blue heading straight for him. Instinctively, the boy's arms crossed in front of his face, just in time to send the object bouncing away from him. Of course the force of the blow was enough to send Mokuba tumbling to the ground. The boy's eyes reopened to see the blue shape land, revealing it to be none other than Obelisk. Above him, Ra and Osiris hovered above the blue dragon god, balls of energy charging before their mouths, both of which flew towards Mokuba at lightning speeds. Before they could impact, Mokuba dodged out of the way, once more falling to the ground as the twin explosions, rolling away from the attack. Quickly he got up again, running like a rabbit for safety.
"You dare to challenge our supremacy and then run away? Have you suddenly developed a yellow streak?" Ra asked, flying to cut him off. Mokuba opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words, a beam of energy exploded from his mouth, striking the golden dragon god.
"Ra!" Obelisk called, charging the boy. His blue fist surged forward, and Mokuba closed his eyes, not wanting to watch the fist strike him. When no blow came, the young Kaiba slowly opened his eyes, and was shocked at what he saw. In the palm of his hand rested Obelisk's hand, stopped cold before it could land. The blue god pulled back his other fist, which was also caught in Mokuba's hand. The raven-haired boy was quite surprised to find himself throwing Obelisk over him. Osiris, however, quickly moved in to take his ally's place, wrapping his snakey body around Mokuba as he began to squeeze.
"Surrender," Osiris said. "If this battle is allowed to continue, it is very likely you will be destroyed."
"I'm not doing anything," Mokuba yelled as he felt the air rushing from his lungs... He was hurting, he needed to escape. The boy became desperate as he struggled against the red god. Soon Osiris's attack was joined by that of a recovered Ra, pouring power into the boy's body. Finally Obelisk joined in, landing punches all over the captive.
"SURRENDER NOW!" The three gods commanded, continuing their assault as Mokuba continued to fight.
"NEVER!!!!" The boy roared, dark energy exploding from his body, sending the three Egyptian gods flying in all directions as he violently broke free.
****************************************
"NEVER!!" Mokuba screamed, sitting straight up in bed, dark purple energy swirling around him, picking up objects around the room in a virtual energy cyclone. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the storm of power ended, and Mokuba fell backwards, asleep again. Barely a minute passed before the boy was rudely awakened by the sound of his alarm clock radio. The boy looked around to find his room looking like a very literal tornado had blown through. "Raven, what happened?"
"You had a nightmare," the spirit said, as though it were the perfect explanation as he appeared in the mirror.
"What?"
"You had a nightmare, and you subconsciously used your powers to defend yourself. Unfortunately, with no actual memory of how to use it, it went wild."
"And you didn't wake me up?"
"I couldn't. Without you I had no physical form. And besides you're not able to utilize your full power, which means it wasn't really that bad. Afterall, if you'll notice, nothing is broken."
"Still, what if Seto had been here?"
"Then we would have had a lot of explaining to do. And now that you're rested, I suggest we begin practicing with the Millennium Eye and go over our plans for tomorrow."
*******************************************
As these events were taking place, Shadi and Isis were just arriving at Domino Museum.
"So where is this thing you want me to see?" Shadi asked.
"In time, first we must wait for the other members of our party," Isis said.
"Other members?"
"Hello," came the friendly voice of Ryou as he suddenly appeared in front of Shadi. The Egyptian man was a bit startled to find he'd been so easily snuck up on, but he hid it very well.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isis called and told me to bring my Millennium Ring," Ryou said before turning to Isis. "But I haven't been able to contact Bakura for some time."
"Why would you want him around?"
"Testing a theory I have," Isis said, leading both to the prehistoric exhibit. As soon as they got there, Malik, Joey, and Yugi appeared as well, their clothes smoking and singed.
"What happened to you?" Ryou asked as he approached his friends.
"An encounter with a rather nasty Komouri Dragon and some zombie type monsters," Malik said, wiping his dirty hands off on his green jacket.
"Malik, I asked you to retrieve the young Pharoah, not him," Isis said pointing to Joey, more curious than offended by the blonde's presence..
"They were in the same place... You try getting rid of him." It was at that point that four beams of light erupted from the eye insignia's of the Millennium Ring, Puzzle, Scales, and Ankh traveling, as the Rod's and Tauk's light beams had, down the cavern exhibit of the museum.
"What in the world?" Yugi asked, a question echoed by both Joey and Ryou.
"Follow me please," Isis commanded as she lead them all down the cave, through the twists and turns of the tunnels, to the formerly hidden alcove containing the still incomplete mural. "This is what I wanted you to see. As you can all plainly see, this cave painting shows crude depictions of the Hitotsume Giant. What makes this interesting is that it predates even ancient Egypt by several millennia."
"How is that possible?"
"Yeah, I thought da Shadow Games were supposed to be Egypt's thing..."
"They are," Shadi suddenly broke in. "The Egyptian civilization was the first to harness the Shadow Realm for the purposes of competition. The creatures, however, are far older."
"What?" The other four males asked as Isis simply stood quietly, absorbing this new information.
"All those legends of werewolves, vampires, dragons, and other mythical creatures. Where do you think they come from? If even half of what I've read is true, Earth and the Shadow Realm have been connected for countless millennia."
"So how come I don't see a Flame Swordsman waltzin' down da street dese days?"
"I'm not completely sure what it is keeping such an event, ludicrous though it may be, from happening, but I do have my own theories. But this picture is obviously a record of such an invasion happening to the ancient ancestors of this city. Interesting, but hardly something worth my time to
investigate."
"Then you are a fool," Isis said, grabbing the Tomb Guardian's Millennium Ankh as she thrust it towards the cave painting. The Millennium Item began to glow, just as the Rod and Tauk before it. Several of the shattered pieces of the mural took on the same glow, rising into the air as they carefully fit themselves back into place on the wall. One by one the other Millennium Items began to glow as more of the fragments affixed themselves to the wall as well, bringing the picture that much closer to completion. In addition to the raven haired woman and the cowering Hitotsume Giant, now a group of cavemen cowered away while a blue demon fired a blast of dark energy. At the bottom of the picture, a small blonde child lay dying in the arms of what appeared to be a young teen with the same black hair as the woman off to the side. It was the center of the painting, however, remained missing, leaving the cause of all these events a mystery.
"What in the world?" Yami asked, splitting from Yugi as he moved to make a closer examination of the painting.
"It would appear there is something missing, dear Isis," Malik said.
"I thought as much. The pieces are reacting to the presence of our items, but if you'll notice, one of the seven items is missing."
"You mean the Millennium Eye." Yami stated more than asked.
"Yes. With the Millennium Eye still missing, we are unable to complete the wall and see what is causing the events it depicts. This is part of the reason I asked Ryou here today."
"Wh... What?" Ryou asked, getting nervous as to the direction this conversation was turning.
"I was hoping your darker half could be persuaded to use the powers in his ring to track down the Millennium Eye. But if he still refuses to make his presence known, perhaps you'd consider performing the task."
"Um... I suppose I could try, but I really don't know how to make this thing work," Ryou said, shaking his Millennium Ring and causing it's pointers to jingle as they struck the golden frame. "And besides, I'm not really a world traveler. If it's not in Domino..."
"That may not be a problem. The Millennium Ring is actually one of the easier items to use, despite anything the tomb robber may have told you," Shadi said. "In truth, most of the ring's magic is self-activating, which is why it's such a dangerous item. Provided that when it is found the Millennium Eye is turned over to me, I would be happy to give you some pointers on using your item."
"Well, I suppose..."
"Without a master, the Millennium Eye is technically supposed to go back to the sanctuary, right?" Yami said, unwilling to allow Shadi to pull a fast one on any of them, especially since the tomb guardian already possessed two millennium items.
"Of course, your highness. I will even allow it to be used to complete Ms. Ishtar's painting before returning it for it's next master. Do we have a deal?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," said the white haired boy, shaking Shadi's hand and sealing the bargain.
***************************************************************************
Kiz stared at the trio he'd summoned to help him capture Seto Kaiba, or more accurately, Mokuba, hoping they'd meet with Zoa's approval. Two massive dark green hands rested on the ground, supporting a legless torso with the symbol of thunder on it's head. Next to that monster floated a huge bright green ball, a rather mean looking face with puffy cheeks resting under the symbol of wind. A third and final monster stood next to the ball. This one possessed a huge head out of the sides of which sprouted to big blue legs. An almost skeletal face was at the very bottom of the monster, while it's huge forehead was dominated by the symbol of water. Each monster exuded power Kiz could almost taste, but then such could only be expected from the trio of monsters called the Trinity.
"Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin, and Suijin," Zoa said, staring at each elemental as he called off their names. "I must say, Retall, I am impressed with your connections."
"I live to serve Master Zoa. Surely these three will be more than powerful enough to deal with any unforeseen problems in getting either Kaiba, even with the millennium warriors protecting them," Kiz said.
"Keep in mind both wizard and fiend..." Sanga began.
"We do not work for free as you have seen..." Kazejin continued.
"So the question we ask for you today..." Suijin said.
"For this task's completion how much will you pay?" the three monsters finished in unison.
"Payment? Yes...," Kiz said quickly, pulling a rather large bag out from his cape. "This is filled with gold, jewels, and silver, more than any monster, even an immortal, could spend in a lifetime."
"Interesting," Sanga said. "I believe this should prove adequate compensation." An orb of light appeared between the trio and Kiz, displaying both Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.
"And it's all your's should you capture the small boy with black hair...," Kiz said. It was at this point
that Zoa decided to break in.
"But, should an opportunity present itself in which you'll be able to capture the brown haired boy, I shall personally double the amount being offered for him, alive and unharmed." With those words, Zoa turned to leave. "I trust that will be more than sufficient."
"Indeed sire," Kazejin said as he and his partners prepared to leave. Before they could however, Kiz Retall bade them stay longer.
"My master Zoa has been a tad confused about what is the real prize in this mission, my dear elementals. Seto Kaiba offended him with a minor insult, and his need for revenge would seem to be clouding his judgment. Trust me when I say he will be much happier with the younger Kaiba brother."
"What care we for his happiness," Sanga said, glaring at the Dark-Eyes Illusionist. "If he will pay us more, then we would prefer to capture the elder."
"Let me try this another way then," Kiz said, staring directly at the trio's leader, no longer making any attempt to hide the disgust in his voice. "Destroy the entire city, slaughter every last man, woman, and child if you must, but bring ME Mokuba Kaiba. Complete this task, and I will pay you ten times the amount Zoa now offers. Do we understand each other?" This last statement easily got the attention of all three elementals.
"We understand... perfectly," the three said in unison, each elemental teleporting away by transforming into their signature element. Soon Kiz himself left. A pair of red eyes shone brightly in the dark shadows. Zeboim, the Summoned Skull, stepped into the light, his typically unhappy face growing into a deeper frown as he processed what he'd heard.
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(Are you ready?) Raven asked the next morning as Mokuba checked his pockets for the items he's need for today.
[I think,] came the boy's reply. [But I still don't know if this plan of your's is going to work. I just hope Seto isn't too angry at me for skipping school today.] Mokuba was not wearing his normal red, yellow, and blue attire, but was instead wearing the clothes he had worn during his tenure as the official Battle City commissioner. A blue striped shirt and brown pants as well as a tan vest covered in pockets, perfect for carrying all sorts of tools.
(Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not really skipping school, you're just not going to Six/Six Middle School.) Soon, the sound of the doorbell ringing was heard. (Sounds like our ride's here.)
[Right.] So saying, Mokuba left his room, heading downstairs to where Mrs. Carmine waited for him.
"You got up on time and still you're almost late for school," Mrs. Carmine said, handing the boy his lunch box.
"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Carmine," Mokuba said, refusing to look the housekeeper in the eyes as he spoke.
"Oh don't worry my dear. It's not like you were in any real danger of missing school."
"Not about that," Mokuba said, suddenly moving like lightning as he drew a card from one of his vest pockets, the Mesmerize card. In an instant, the card transformed into a ball suspended from a string in Mokuba's hand. Immediately, Mrs. Carmine's eyes glazed over as the spell took effect. "I went off to school just as normal today, with nothing out of place. Do you understand?"
"Yes," the elderly woman responded.
"Good. Now go lay down on the couch and do nothing for about an hour and half. Barring anything dangerous happen, the spell will wear off after that, and you'll be back under your own control. Okay?"
"Yes." Just then, the doorbell sounded again, reminding the boy that he had other things to do. Once Mrs. Carmine was gone, Mokuba opened the door to find Lance waiting for him.
"What happened kid? I can typically set my watch to Mrs. Carmine. Oh well, guess we better get going or you'll be late for school."
"There's been a change in plans Lance," Mokuba said, drawing another card. "Xeno come out and play." Behind the raven-haired boy a small furless rat-like monster with sharp teeth arose, it's blood-red eyes glowing like fire as it mesmerized the limo driver. Mokuba smiled as he and his servant led Lance to the waiting car.
***************************************************************************
*What moron decided to put the swimming portion of PE at the tail end of winter?* Tea thought as she made her way into the girl's locker room much later in the day. *The water's gonna be freezing.* All around her, other female students were in various states of undress as they got ready for class. Tea herself took out her own swimsuit, an ugly blue and gray one piece, and began to undress as well. A part of her wondered if any of her friends were in the boy's locker room next door getting ready. *Gotta admit, Yugi certainly does look good in a swimsuit.* She chuckled to herself.
"What's so funny Tea?" asked Bernice, one of Tea's friends as she sat down next to the brown haired teen.
"Uh, nothing Bernie... Just thinking," Tea answered, blushing as she did so.
"Thinking... or fantasizing?" Bernice said, pulling off her hair braids and putting them in her bag. "Well, I'll see you outside. Don't forget to wash off before coming into the pool." Tea waved good-bye to her friend before pulling her blouse over her head, all the while unaware that she was being watched.
Laying flat on top of the lockers, Mokuba was busy both staying out of sight... and trying to watch everything that was happening below him, a goofy smile on his face.
"Wow..." Mokuba mumbled to himself. The was the third group of girls that had come in to prepare for class, and Mokuba was very happy to have found such an excellent hiding spot. In the back of the boy's mind, Raven paid no heed to his host's adolescent curiosity, save for when they spotted Tea.
[I don't get why Seto says this place is crawling with ugly girls. I haven't seen anything I'd consider ugly since we got here. Eh Raven?] Mokuba thought, twisting his head around as he tried to take in the whole scene.
(Yes, yes it's lovely. But if I might remind, WE DID NOT COME HERE TO ACT LIKE A PEEPING TOM!) Raven rebuked the boy, snapping him out of his revelry. (Now where's Tea?)
[Yeah, yeah, don't worry, she's right there. So how do we get her?] Before Raven could answer, a slender hand wrapped it's fingers around Mokuba's ankle, giving the boy's leg a hard yank and sending him crashing to the ground.
"OW!" Mokuba cried, twisting around to find himself staring at three very angry looking teenaged girls.
"You little WORM!" the girl in the middle said, grabbing the collar of Mokuba's shirt as she pulled him up to face her. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't rub your face off on the lockers!"
"What's going on?" Tea asked as she and some other girls came to see what was happening.
"This little creep's been hiding in here watching us undress for PE. I was just about teach him how unhealthy that can be," the girl said.
"Mokuba?" Tea said, drawing the boy's attention as his eyes became red with black pupils.
***************************************************************************
Seto Kaiba hated being hall monitor. It was an incredibly boring job and one he was often more than happy to force off on others. Every time his turn had come up, he'd successfully managed to get out of it, either through bribery or blackmail. This time, though, nothing had worked, and the young billionaire was stuck patrolling the halls of Domino High School looking for troublemakers. The worst part of the job, at least as far as Seto was concerned, was who else had been assigned to be his partner.
"So Kaiba, you talked to Mokuba yet or what?" Joey Wheeler asked, not bothering to make his voice sound friendly.
"What the devil are you yammering about now?" Seto asked.
"What d'ya mean, what am I talkin' about? When Yugi and I came to talk to you yesterday, we told you to talk to Mokuba. Don'cha remember?" All this got from Seto was a angrily perturbed look.
"Your brain must be more defective than usual today. I never saw you or the runt yesterday." Joey was about to make a retort of his own, when the sound of an explosion roared through the hall. Immediately, both seniors raced down the corridor, searching for the source of the explosion. Both were quite surprised to find the door to the girl's locker room had been blown off it's hinges, with black smoke coming out of the doorway, as well as several girls in swimsuits and towels. Instinctively, Joey began to charge into the smoking room to find out what happened, only to be stopped by Kaiba.
"Don't be an idiot, for all you know there's another bomb in there," Seto said. "Besides, if I let you go in there, I might be able to get you to come out again, at least not without knocking you out."
"Why are you here?" came a feminine voice Joey instantly recognized as Tea's.
"Tea?"
"Hey, get away from me! What are you doing?!"
"TEA! Don't worry Tea, I'm coming!" Joey yelled, preparing to charge in and save his friend. He never got the chance, however, as he was roughly knocked aside by Mokuba Kaiba, Tea Gardner's limp form slung over his small shoulder.
"Just who I was hoping to bump into," Raven's raspy voice said. "Tell Yugi or Yami or whoever he's decided to be today that I have his girlfriend. If he wants her back, then I'll be willing to trade for those two Exodia cards of his."
"I'm gonna clean your clock ya slimy little toa..."
"Uh uh uh... I would suggest you watch your tongue, blondie. Otherwise I might have to show off my newest toy."
"What da!?!" Joey exclaimed as he watched Mokuba's left eye transform from red and black to one of pure gold. "The Millennium Eye!"
"That's right. See ya soon." Raven said as he turned to leave, only to run into Seto Kaiba.
"Mokuba?" In the instant his elder brother spoke his name, Mokuba's eyes once more changed color, both shifting back to their normal blue hue.
"Seto?" The boy cringed a little as he saw the questioning gaze of his brother.
"What's going on? Why aren't you in school? And how did you change your eyes like that?" The elder Kaiba asked.
"Big brother... I..." Mokuba began, trying to come up with something, anything that would explain this whole thing to Seto. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry Seto... I can't tell you now. Just... please trust me."
"Trust you? Trust you about what? What's going on with you?" Mokuba didn't get to answer as Raven once more assumed control of their body.
"The less you know right now, the better Seto... But don't worry, we'll tell you everything later." Raven reached into Mokuba's vest once more, pulling forth yet another dueling card. "OVERDRIVE!" The card flew through the air, transforming as it touched down into a jeep with a machine gun on top. Raven/Mokuba quickly tossed the still unconscious Tea into the back of the vehicle, just before jumping into it himself. With a deafening roar, Overdrive took off down the hall, crashing through walls and everything else as it's owner made his escape, leaving behind a confused Seto Kaiba, and a furious Joey Wheeler.
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To Be Continued...
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I know, I know, a bit slow in the beginning, but you gotta admit it got real exciting towards the end. So now Yugi has a choice, loose his cards or loose his girl. What's gonna happen? You'll have to wait and see. Unfortunately, due to school and everything else in my life, it's looking more and more like I'll only be able to update every month, so all I can say is to have patience. Until next time, see ya.
By Asher Tye
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, I wish I did 'cause then I'd be rich. Since I'm not, suing me would be pointless. Thanks bunches for all the reviews. I can't wait to see the reviews for this chapter.
Summary: Shadi begins snooping around the Kaiba mansion, looking for clues as to the identity of the spirit. Meanwhile, Mokuba and the spirit make plans for a field trip to get the final two cards.
*_* - Personal Thoughts
/_/ - Yugi to Yami
\_\ - Yami to Yugi
(_) - ????? to Mokuba
[_] - Mokuba to ?????
_ Telepathic communication
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"Come on Yug, ya gotta keep up," Joey said, dressed in a blue jogging suit as he moved at a steady pace down the sidewalk. Behind him, the small figure of Yugi Motou dressed in a light green jogging suit huffed and panted as the shorter boy tried to keep up with his friend, cursing under his breath as he did so.
"Short legs... (huff) can't cover... (puff) as much distance... (gasp) as long ones," Yugi complained, trying his best not to loose his temper.
"Don't blame the length of your legs just 'cause you're outta shape guy." The two teens continued the exercise program Joey had come up with.
*I'll show Joey who's out of shape,* Yugi thought as he continued to follow his friend. *At least it's not as bad as it was in the beginning.*
\A sign that Joey's plan is working,\ came Yami's voice.
/Not you too, Yami. Don't tell me you think I'm out of shape./
\Well it wouldn't hurt you to get out of your room for some physical activities every once in a while.\
"Yugi, quit daydreaming or you're gonna get sideswiped by a car," said Joey, grabbing the younger boy by the arm before Yugi ran past him. "Seriously, games are good, but you're gonna OD on 'em if you don't get out and get some exercise." Soon the two friends arrived at their destination; the Kaiba mansion. Yugi took a moment to catch his breath and wipe his face dry, knowing full well Seto Kaiba would not wish to see him in his current state.
/Yami, do you want to do the talking?/ Yugi asked his darker half, unsure of exactly what he would say to his rival.
\If you want me to, I will. But if I'm in here it'll be easier to detect if our rogue spirit friend is hanging around.\
/All right, I'll do it then./ Yugi promptly knocked on the mansion's front door, and waited. After about three minutes with no answer, Yugi knocked again. When still no answer came, Joey decided to take matters into his own hands.
"Yugi if ya wanna get anybody's attention, ya gotta knock louder." With that, Joey began pounding on the Kaibas' door.
"Joey, you'll wake the whole neighborhood!" Yugi exclaimed, grabbing his friend's wrist.
"All right, all right. I'm coming! This better be important!" Yelled the grumpy voice of Seto Kaiba. The door flew open, revealing the young CEO. He looked upset, like they'd disturbed him from doing something very important. "Well, if it isn't Yugi Motou and his pet Chihuahua. Out for a morning walk or do you have a purpose for annoying me?"
"It's barely nine in the mornin' and you're already bringin' out an attitude. Do you ever wake up in a good mood."
"Joey!" Yugi said, not wanting to have a fight break out. "We did ask Mokuba to tell you to expect us. We need to talk about what happened yesterday."
"Well for your information I haven't seen Mokuba since yesterday morning, he left before I got up today. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot to do." With those words, Seto began closing his door.
"Wait Kaiba, this is extremely important. Can't you spare a few min..."
"Look, call my office and make an appointment with my secretary. With any luck, she'll be able to fit you in a few months." The last thing Yugi and Joey heard was the sound of the front door slamming shut.
"Well, now what do we do?" Yugi asked himself.
\How about we get a burger?\ Yami suggested.
/A BURGER?/
***************************************
As Yugi and Joey left, they were both completely unaware they were being watched from the peephole of the Kaiba door. Behind the wooden barrier, the owner of the house watched, making sure both left. Suddenly, "Seto Kaiba's" form shimmered as his body shrunk and warped, his hair getting much longer and darker, his eyes changing color, and his face becoming less harsh. Mokuba turned and leaned his back against the door.
"Who was it Mokuba?" came the voice of the real Seto Kaiba from the second floor of the mansion.
"Uh, it was no one, big brother... Just some... salesmen, yeah. I told 'em to take a hike." Down the stairs the elder Kaiba came, his hair combed and styled and his clothes neatly pressed and in place, a testament to the teen's almost compulsive need for order.
"Serves them right for daring to intrude on our privacy," Seto said. Then he noticed the way Mokuba looked. Though to anyone else the boy looked normal, his elder brother couldn't help but notice how slumped over his posture was, and the faint black color under his eyes. Even his hair, which normally fanned out in a wide mane, seemed unable to hold it's position. "You were up all night playing video games again, weren't you..." Seto said
"Uh no..."
(Say yes!)
"I mean yes. Ha ha, you caught me brother. I was up all night trying to get past the eighth level of Final Warrior Star 12," Mokuba said, laughing nervously. Seto instantly knew he was lying. Mokuba may have been able to put up a great act when he rehearsed, but spur of the moment lies were not something he was particularly skilled at.
*Why would he feel the need to lie to me?* The young CEO thought to himself.
"Ah well, I'm gonna go get breakfast," said the boy as he ran off into the kitchen. "You want anything?"
"Coffee." Seto said, falling into the duo's normal Sunday routine as Mokuba disappeared.
[Why'd you make me lie to Seto like that?]
(What exactly were you going to tell him, hmm? We were out all night stealing a powerful magical artifact from a notorious tomb robber? Besides, the less he knows about this, the better. There are creatures in this world and the Shadow Realm that wouldn't give killing him a second thought if he knew.) Mokuba began setting up the coffee maker. With Mrs. Carmine on her day off, it always fell to Mokuba to keep his big brother's life in order.
[I guess...]
(Oh don't look so glum. Like I said we're in this together. I'm here to make sure nothing bad happens to you, and I count what's bad for Seto in that equation too. Of course for now you'll need to learn how to work the Millennium Eye.)
"Yawn."
(But first I guess we should take care of your lack of energy. We must have used a little more power than you actually had to fool Yugi.)
"But I thought you said we had a lot to do today? How can I have time for a nap?"
"We don't have anything to do today," Seto said, standing in the doorway of the kitchen, looking a little confused by the way his baby brother was acting.
"Uh, I meant..."
"You may need to cut down on the video games. I think they may be warping your perceptions."
"Uh yeah... That's gotta be it," Mokuba quickly said, handing his brother a cup filled with coffee. "Seto... I'm a little tired... Would you mind if I went back to bed."
"Uh, sure," said the elder Kaiba. Without a word further, Mokuba left the kitchen and headed upstairs, leaving behind a very confused Seto Kaiba. As soon as the raven haired boy arrived in his room, he quietly closed his door. Across the room an oval shaped mirror hung to the wall, it's reflective surface copying Mokuba's image. As the young boy looked over at the mirror, his reflection began to move on it's own, it's eyes changing their color to red and black. Carefully, slowly, Mokuba's reflection pulled itself free of it's mirror confines, gently placing it's feet on the ground.
"Woah! How'd you do (yawn) that? I thought you couldn't separate from me."
"Not physically, no. But by taking certain characteristics from both your reflection and your shadow, I'm able to create a reasonable facsimile of a body, even interact with the world to a degree. However," the apparition said, his hand passing through a lamp, only to be stopped by it's shadow a few inches away, "it is far from perfect." With those words, Mokuba's doppleganger walked over to his host's night-stand, opening the bottom drawer as he pulled up a sock. Dumping the contents on the bed, Mokuba moved to pick up the item that fell out, the Millennium Eye.
"This thing still gives me (yawn) the willies." The doppleganger grasped the eye's shadow, taking it from the boy as he examined it.
"Well don't worry, from now on it's working for you. Do you think Seto suspects something is up?" As the doppleganger said this, Mokuba began to climb into his neatly made bed, his eyes drooping lower as the effects of a night with no sleep began to take their toll on his young body.
"I think that's (yawn) pretty much a given. But I... I don't think he knows what... what he suspects yet."
"Well, time enough for that later. For now, you need rest before you go into power-drain shock." Mokuba's eyes closed as he began to drift off, before opening again.
"I... I keep forgetting to ask. What do I call you anyway? I think... (yawn) I deserve to know that."
"We've been known by many names, no too few of which are not appropriate for your ears to hear. But if you wish a name to call me specifically by, just call me Raven." With those words, Mokuba fell asleep.
******************************************
Yugi and Joey sat in a booth of a particularly grimy feeling Burger World restaurant, waiting for their food to arrive. Even Yugi, normally an avid fan of Burger World, felt a little queasy as he looked around the dirty burger joint.
"This place oughta be shut down by the health department," Joey said.
"I know, for the life of me I can't figure out why Yami would want to come here, especially when there's a much better Burger World closer to the game shop."
\I want to be close to the Kaibas.\ Yami explained. \Something was seriously wrong with Seto this morning. That spirit is definitely back, just waiting.\
/And without Mokuba around, you don't have any proof with which to convince Seto./
Suddenly, the door to the restaurant opened, and Yugi was quite surprised to find none other than Malik himself walk into the Burger World, and wearing street clothes no less. The thirteen year-old obviously didn't have much experience with civilian clothes. He was wearing a pair of yellow jeans and a hot pink T-shirt, along with lime green jacket. Yugi could just barely make out a very familiar bulge in the young Egyptian's jacket, obviously Malik's own millennium item, the Millennium Rod. Without so much as one word, Malik walked right by Joey and Yugi and took a seat in the booth directly behind them.
"Hey Yugi, ain't that Malik," Joey whispered to his spiky haired friend.
"Yes, but why HE'S here is beyond me," Yugi whispered back. A waitress came up to them, chewing on a wad of gum while carrying their extremely greasy orders. As soon as she set down the food, however, her eyes glazed over, a clear indication to the two teens that her mind was no longer her own.
"How have you two managed to stay alive so long eating 'food' like this?" the waitress said in a voice that was a combination of both her own and Malik's. Yugi could just barely hear Malik whispering into his item as he controlled the woman.
"You dare turn around I swear I'll club you with this thing," Malik warned, careful not to let his control over his puppet lapse.
"So what're you doin' here ya little control freak?"
"I'm here to see Yugi, or more accurately King Yami," said the waitress.
"Very well," came a strong voice as Yami took over Yugi's body. "I am here. Now why have you gone to such lengths simply to talk to me?"
"Yesterday, my sister Isis and I made a significant discovery that we both believed you'd need to know about. I was as shocked at that as you are now. Since that time, however, we have been attacked no less than five times by monsters from the Shadow Realm. Even now I can feel another group surrounding this building, preparing to attack all of us." Yami closed his eyes, trying to sense the presence of the monsters Malik spoke of, trying to confirm the younger boy's statements.
"Yes, I do sense them. But I do not sense Isis, where is she?"
"She is standing guard over our find, and trying to contact Shadi. I have been sent to retrieve you." Malik then got up from the booth. "That being said, I believe you should come with me now. You can thank me for saving you from this sorry excuse for food later."
"How do we get out?" Joey asked. "According to you, this place is surrounded."
"I said we were being targeted by monsters. I never said they were particularly strong monsters. I assume you brought your dueling deck, Yami." Yami held up the deck. "Good, they won't attack us until we're alone, so the sooner we can get someplace secluded, the better." The waitress's eyes blinked as Malik released her from his control, leaving the two teens. Malik got up from his booth and prepared to leave, waiting only long enough for Yami and Joey to follow.
*************************************
Back at the Kaiba mansion, Seto was just leaving, taking advantage of Mokuba being down for a nap to get some business out of the way. As soon as Seto had left, Shadi stepped out of the shadows behind the mansion. The young Egyptian man walked to the front door and pointed his Millennium Ankh at lock, creating an audible click as the lock opened. Shadi moved in an almost glide as he entered the house, using his ankh to look for his target. Soon he came to another closed door. Inside, he found Mokuba, lying in his bed, a peacefully serene look on his face as he slept. His face a mask of indifference, Shadi pointed the Millennium Ankh right at Mokuba's chest, touching it's tip right to the boy's heart. In an instant, Shadi's millennium item transported him to within Mokuba's mind, and the surprise that waited for him.
Shadi had been in hundreds and hundreds of people's minds, and had come to be able to make certain assumptions as to what he could expect to find by observing his targets. Even so, none of his predictions were ever one hundred percent. Differences often appeared. After all, these soul rooms were meant to perfectly represent their owners, and no two people were ever exactly alike. But Shadi was beyond surprised to find that, instead of being drastically different, Mokuba Kaiba's was the very picture of normalcy. It was exactly as Shadi would have pictured any other child's soul room. Toys littered both shelves and the floor, along with books and other childish things. The walls were covered in pictures and bright colors, and the whole thing looked more like a playpen than a definition of a human soul. There weren't even any depictions of Duel Monsters in the place.
*This is absurd. How can he have wielded such power and have no evidence of it anywhere,* Shadi thought as he began to look around. Carefully, he pulled a book from the shelf, hoping to find some evidence of what had happened only a day ago. A clicking sound was all Shadi heard to alert him to the danger he was in. Instinctively, the Tomb Guardian dove to the side, just as a small ball came whizzing past him, slamming into the wall. Shadi looked back to see a row of toy soldiers sitting on the shelf. Where once their small rifles had been shouldered, they were now down and aimed directly at Shadi, a predatory smile on each and every one of the tin toys' faces. An audible growl came near the Egyptian's hand. Shadi looked down to find the book he'd been holding had suddenly grown a rather wicked set of teeth and was now trying to wiggle out of his grip so it could bite him.
All over the room, other items were undergoing a similar metamorphosis. Jacks became spinning blades, balls grew deadly spikes, and teddy bears bore fangs as sharp claws sprouted form their limbs. Quickly, Shadi ducked and weaved out of the way as blades, teeth, and bullets all whizzed by him, trying their best to rend him to pieces. Shadi tripped into a bed that was set up in the room, and suddenly found himself fighting off the sheets as they tried to smother him. Finally, the young Egyptian began to harness his own mental defenses, and soon found himself rising from the enveloping sheets. One of the fang clad books flew at him, it's mouth wide open as Shadi used his Millennium Ankh as a cudgel to knock the offending book away. The Tomb Guardian then pulled out his Millennium Scales.
Both golden items began glow insync with each other, powering up as the Egyptian prepared to deal with what was now obviously a mind trap. The golden light got brighter and brighter, burning away all of the toy-like apparitions that inhabited this obviously false version of Mokuba's soulroom. Even the walls of the room, the floor, and the ceiling burned away, leaving Shadi drifting in a black void. Suddenly, a massive metal door appeared out of nowhere right next to the Tomb Guardian. Shadi immediately recognized what this door signified, it was supposed to be some sort of impenetrable barrier. It also meant Shadi was getting closer to the object of his search. Quietly, the Egyptian man floated to the door, holding out his Millennium Ankh to unlock the mental door.
Before the item could touch the door, however, a crystalline wall erupted from out of nowhere, completely covering door and preventing the ankh from unlocking it. Shadi quickly recognized this new barrier as a mental manifestation of the dangerous Mirror Wall trap. This was further proven by the fact that within the wall's crystalline surface, a reflection of Shadi thumbed it's nose at him. Unwilling to put up with anymore nonsense, he reached into his dueling deck, pulling out his remove trap card. Before he could activate the magic card, however, a small dart flew through the air, striking the card and knocking it out of his hand. Shadi looked up to see an Armed Ninja clinging to what appeared to be nothing, more darts in his hands as he prepared to counter another magic card.
*This does complicate matters,* Shadi thought, drawing another card, the Gadget Soldier. Immediately a large man covered in metal and gears appeared between him and the Mirror Wall coated door. Before Shadi could do anything else, however, another Mirror Wall appeared right behind the Gadget Soldier. In an instant, the two reflections of the monster began reaching out, striking Gadget Soldier and chipping away at him. Soon, his power was so low, it became child's play for the Armed Ninja to jump from his perch like lightning and destroy the warrior before returning to where he had begun. *This is absurd. How am I supposed to get past this?*
You're not meant go. Came a voice right inside the Egyptian intruder's own mind.
"What?"
BE GONE!! A feeling of intense power washed over Shadi as he felt himself being ripped away from the mind in which he'd invaded. When Shadi's eyes opened, he was quite surprised to find himself no longer in Mokuba's room, but instead laying in some bushes outside the mansion.
"How the devil..."
"Apparently you're not any more effective in finding out the secrets of the blast from two weeks ago than I am," came the cool voice of Isis Ishtar. The raven haired woman stood over Shadi, her face a mask as she looked down on him. "But I take this to mean Mokuba was somehow involved." Shadi got to his feet, looking Isis square in the eyes.
"What you believe this to mean is of little concern to me. But if you are able to shed some light on this situation, I will be most grateful to hear it," Shadi said in as friendly a voice as he could muster.
"Then please come with me to the museum. I believe there is something there you should see."
**************************************************
Mokuba's eyes opened just in time to see something big and blue heading straight for him. Instinctively, the boy's arms crossed in front of his face, just in time to send the object bouncing away from him. Of course the force of the blow was enough to send Mokuba tumbling to the ground. The boy's eyes reopened to see the blue shape land, revealing it to be none other than Obelisk. Above him, Ra and Osiris hovered above the blue dragon god, balls of energy charging before their mouths, both of which flew towards Mokuba at lightning speeds. Before they could impact, Mokuba dodged out of the way, once more falling to the ground as the twin explosions, rolling away from the attack. Quickly he got up again, running like a rabbit for safety.
"You dare to challenge our supremacy and then run away? Have you suddenly developed a yellow streak?" Ra asked, flying to cut him off. Mokuba opened his mouth to reply, but instead of words, a beam of energy exploded from his mouth, striking the golden dragon god.
"Ra!" Obelisk called, charging the boy. His blue fist surged forward, and Mokuba closed his eyes, not wanting to watch the fist strike him. When no blow came, the young Kaiba slowly opened his eyes, and was shocked at what he saw. In the palm of his hand rested Obelisk's hand, stopped cold before it could land. The blue god pulled back his other fist, which was also caught in Mokuba's hand. The raven-haired boy was quite surprised to find himself throwing Obelisk over him. Osiris, however, quickly moved in to take his ally's place, wrapping his snakey body around Mokuba as he began to squeeze.
"Surrender," Osiris said. "If this battle is allowed to continue, it is very likely you will be destroyed."
"I'm not doing anything," Mokuba yelled as he felt the air rushing from his lungs... He was hurting, he needed to escape. The boy became desperate as he struggled against the red god. Soon Osiris's attack was joined by that of a recovered Ra, pouring power into the boy's body. Finally Obelisk joined in, landing punches all over the captive.
"SURRENDER NOW!" The three gods commanded, continuing their assault as Mokuba continued to fight.
"NEVER!!!!" The boy roared, dark energy exploding from his body, sending the three Egyptian gods flying in all directions as he violently broke free.
****************************************
"NEVER!!" Mokuba screamed, sitting straight up in bed, dark purple energy swirling around him, picking up objects around the room in a virtual energy cyclone. Then, just as quickly as it had started, the storm of power ended, and Mokuba fell backwards, asleep again. Barely a minute passed before the boy was rudely awakened by the sound of his alarm clock radio. The boy looked around to find his room looking like a very literal tornado had blown through. "Raven, what happened?"
"You had a nightmare," the spirit said, as though it were the perfect explanation as he appeared in the mirror.
"What?"
"You had a nightmare, and you subconsciously used your powers to defend yourself. Unfortunately, with no actual memory of how to use it, it went wild."
"And you didn't wake me up?"
"I couldn't. Without you I had no physical form. And besides you're not able to utilize your full power, which means it wasn't really that bad. Afterall, if you'll notice, nothing is broken."
"Still, what if Seto had been here?"
"Then we would have had a lot of explaining to do. And now that you're rested, I suggest we begin practicing with the Millennium Eye and go over our plans for tomorrow."
*******************************************
As these events were taking place, Shadi and Isis were just arriving at Domino Museum.
"So where is this thing you want me to see?" Shadi asked.
"In time, first we must wait for the other members of our party," Isis said.
"Other members?"
"Hello," came the friendly voice of Ryou as he suddenly appeared in front of Shadi. The Egyptian man was a bit startled to find he'd been so easily snuck up on, but he hid it very well.
"What are you doing here?"
"Isis called and told me to bring my Millennium Ring," Ryou said before turning to Isis. "But I haven't been able to contact Bakura for some time."
"Why would you want him around?"
"Testing a theory I have," Isis said, leading both to the prehistoric exhibit. As soon as they got there, Malik, Joey, and Yugi appeared as well, their clothes smoking and singed.
"What happened to you?" Ryou asked as he approached his friends.
"An encounter with a rather nasty Komouri Dragon and some zombie type monsters," Malik said, wiping his dirty hands off on his green jacket.
"Malik, I asked you to retrieve the young Pharoah, not him," Isis said pointing to Joey, more curious than offended by the blonde's presence..
"They were in the same place... You try getting rid of him." It was at that point that four beams of light erupted from the eye insignia's of the Millennium Ring, Puzzle, Scales, and Ankh traveling, as the Rod's and Tauk's light beams had, down the cavern exhibit of the museum.
"What in the world?" Yugi asked, a question echoed by both Joey and Ryou.
"Follow me please," Isis commanded as she lead them all down the cave, through the twists and turns of the tunnels, to the formerly hidden alcove containing the still incomplete mural. "This is what I wanted you to see. As you can all plainly see, this cave painting shows crude depictions of the Hitotsume Giant. What makes this interesting is that it predates even ancient Egypt by several millennia."
"How is that possible?"
"Yeah, I thought da Shadow Games were supposed to be Egypt's thing..."
"They are," Shadi suddenly broke in. "The Egyptian civilization was the first to harness the Shadow Realm for the purposes of competition. The creatures, however, are far older."
"What?" The other four males asked as Isis simply stood quietly, absorbing this new information.
"All those legends of werewolves, vampires, dragons, and other mythical creatures. Where do you think they come from? If even half of what I've read is true, Earth and the Shadow Realm have been connected for countless millennia."
"So how come I don't see a Flame Swordsman waltzin' down da street dese days?"
"I'm not completely sure what it is keeping such an event, ludicrous though it may be, from happening, but I do have my own theories. But this picture is obviously a record of such an invasion happening to the ancient ancestors of this city. Interesting, but hardly something worth my time to
investigate."
"Then you are a fool," Isis said, grabbing the Tomb Guardian's Millennium Ankh as she thrust it towards the cave painting. The Millennium Item began to glow, just as the Rod and Tauk before it. Several of the shattered pieces of the mural took on the same glow, rising into the air as they carefully fit themselves back into place on the wall. One by one the other Millennium Items began to glow as more of the fragments affixed themselves to the wall as well, bringing the picture that much closer to completion. In addition to the raven haired woman and the cowering Hitotsume Giant, now a group of cavemen cowered away while a blue demon fired a blast of dark energy. At the bottom of the picture, a small blonde child lay dying in the arms of what appeared to be a young teen with the same black hair as the woman off to the side. It was the center of the painting, however, remained missing, leaving the cause of all these events a mystery.
"What in the world?" Yami asked, splitting from Yugi as he moved to make a closer examination of the painting.
"It would appear there is something missing, dear Isis," Malik said.
"I thought as much. The pieces are reacting to the presence of our items, but if you'll notice, one of the seven items is missing."
"You mean the Millennium Eye." Yami stated more than asked.
"Yes. With the Millennium Eye still missing, we are unable to complete the wall and see what is causing the events it depicts. This is part of the reason I asked Ryou here today."
"Wh... What?" Ryou asked, getting nervous as to the direction this conversation was turning.
"I was hoping your darker half could be persuaded to use the powers in his ring to track down the Millennium Eye. But if he still refuses to make his presence known, perhaps you'd consider performing the task."
"Um... I suppose I could try, but I really don't know how to make this thing work," Ryou said, shaking his Millennium Ring and causing it's pointers to jingle as they struck the golden frame. "And besides, I'm not really a world traveler. If it's not in Domino..."
"That may not be a problem. The Millennium Ring is actually one of the easier items to use, despite anything the tomb robber may have told you," Shadi said. "In truth, most of the ring's magic is self-activating, which is why it's such a dangerous item. Provided that when it is found the Millennium Eye is turned over to me, I would be happy to give you some pointers on using your item."
"Well, I suppose..."
"Without a master, the Millennium Eye is technically supposed to go back to the sanctuary, right?" Yami said, unwilling to allow Shadi to pull a fast one on any of them, especially since the tomb guardian already possessed two millennium items.
"Of course, your highness. I will even allow it to be used to complete Ms. Ishtar's painting before returning it for it's next master. Do we have a deal?"
"I suppose it couldn't hurt," said the white haired boy, shaking Shadi's hand and sealing the bargain.
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Kiz stared at the trio he'd summoned to help him capture Seto Kaiba, or more accurately, Mokuba, hoping they'd meet with Zoa's approval. Two massive dark green hands rested on the ground, supporting a legless torso with the symbol of thunder on it's head. Next to that monster floated a huge bright green ball, a rather mean looking face with puffy cheeks resting under the symbol of wind. A third and final monster stood next to the ball. This one possessed a huge head out of the sides of which sprouted to big blue legs. An almost skeletal face was at the very bottom of the monster, while it's huge forehead was dominated by the symbol of water. Each monster exuded power Kiz could almost taste, but then such could only be expected from the trio of monsters called the Trinity.
"Sanga of the Thunder, Kazejin, and Suijin," Zoa said, staring at each elemental as he called off their names. "I must say, Retall, I am impressed with your connections."
"I live to serve Master Zoa. Surely these three will be more than powerful enough to deal with any unforeseen problems in getting either Kaiba, even with the millennium warriors protecting them," Kiz said.
"Keep in mind both wizard and fiend..." Sanga began.
"We do not work for free as you have seen..." Kazejin continued.
"So the question we ask for you today..." Suijin said.
"For this task's completion how much will you pay?" the three monsters finished in unison.
"Payment? Yes...," Kiz said quickly, pulling a rather large bag out from his cape. "This is filled with gold, jewels, and silver, more than any monster, even an immortal, could spend in a lifetime."
"Interesting," Sanga said. "I believe this should prove adequate compensation." An orb of light appeared between the trio and Kiz, displaying both Mokuba and Seto Kaiba.
"And it's all your's should you capture the small boy with black hair...," Kiz said. It was at this point
that Zoa decided to break in.
"But, should an opportunity present itself in which you'll be able to capture the brown haired boy, I shall personally double the amount being offered for him, alive and unharmed." With those words, Zoa turned to leave. "I trust that will be more than sufficient."
"Indeed sire," Kazejin said as he and his partners prepared to leave. Before they could however, Kiz Retall bade them stay longer.
"My master Zoa has been a tad confused about what is the real prize in this mission, my dear elementals. Seto Kaiba offended him with a minor insult, and his need for revenge would seem to be clouding his judgment. Trust me when I say he will be much happier with the younger Kaiba brother."
"What care we for his happiness," Sanga said, glaring at the Dark-Eyes Illusionist. "If he will pay us more, then we would prefer to capture the elder."
"Let me try this another way then," Kiz said, staring directly at the trio's leader, no longer making any attempt to hide the disgust in his voice. "Destroy the entire city, slaughter every last man, woman, and child if you must, but bring ME Mokuba Kaiba. Complete this task, and I will pay you ten times the amount Zoa now offers. Do we understand each other?" This last statement easily got the attention of all three elementals.
"We understand... perfectly," the three said in unison, each elemental teleporting away by transforming into their signature element. Soon Kiz himself left. A pair of red eyes shone brightly in the dark shadows. Zeboim, the Summoned Skull, stepped into the light, his typically unhappy face growing into a deeper frown as he processed what he'd heard.
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(Are you ready?) Raven asked the next morning as Mokuba checked his pockets for the items he's need for today.
[I think,] came the boy's reply. [But I still don't know if this plan of your's is going to work. I just hope Seto isn't too angry at me for skipping school today.] Mokuba was not wearing his normal red, yellow, and blue attire, but was instead wearing the clothes he had worn during his tenure as the official Battle City commissioner. A blue striped shirt and brown pants as well as a tan vest covered in pockets, perfect for carrying all sorts of tools.
(Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not really skipping school, you're just not going to Six/Six Middle School.) Soon, the sound of the doorbell ringing was heard. (Sounds like our ride's here.)
[Right.] So saying, Mokuba left his room, heading downstairs to where Mrs. Carmine waited for him.
"You got up on time and still you're almost late for school," Mrs. Carmine said, handing the boy his lunch box.
"I'm very sorry, Mrs. Carmine," Mokuba said, refusing to look the housekeeper in the eyes as he spoke.
"Oh don't worry my dear. It's not like you were in any real danger of missing school."
"Not about that," Mokuba said, suddenly moving like lightning as he drew a card from one of his vest pockets, the Mesmerize card. In an instant, the card transformed into a ball suspended from a string in Mokuba's hand. Immediately, Mrs. Carmine's eyes glazed over as the spell took effect. "I went off to school just as normal today, with nothing out of place. Do you understand?"
"Yes," the elderly woman responded.
"Good. Now go lay down on the couch and do nothing for about an hour and half. Barring anything dangerous happen, the spell will wear off after that, and you'll be back under your own control. Okay?"
"Yes." Just then, the doorbell sounded again, reminding the boy that he had other things to do. Once Mrs. Carmine was gone, Mokuba opened the door to find Lance waiting for him.
"What happened kid? I can typically set my watch to Mrs. Carmine. Oh well, guess we better get going or you'll be late for school."
"There's been a change in plans Lance," Mokuba said, drawing another card. "Xeno come out and play." Behind the raven-haired boy a small furless rat-like monster with sharp teeth arose, it's blood-red eyes glowing like fire as it mesmerized the limo driver. Mokuba smiled as he and his servant led Lance to the waiting car.
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*What moron decided to put the swimming portion of PE at the tail end of winter?* Tea thought as she made her way into the girl's locker room much later in the day. *The water's gonna be freezing.* All around her, other female students were in various states of undress as they got ready for class. Tea herself took out her own swimsuit, an ugly blue and gray one piece, and began to undress as well. A part of her wondered if any of her friends were in the boy's locker room next door getting ready. *Gotta admit, Yugi certainly does look good in a swimsuit.* She chuckled to herself.
"What's so funny Tea?" asked Bernice, one of Tea's friends as she sat down next to the brown haired teen.
"Uh, nothing Bernie... Just thinking," Tea answered, blushing as she did so.
"Thinking... or fantasizing?" Bernice said, pulling off her hair braids and putting them in her bag. "Well, I'll see you outside. Don't forget to wash off before coming into the pool." Tea waved good-bye to her friend before pulling her blouse over her head, all the while unaware that she was being watched.
Laying flat on top of the lockers, Mokuba was busy both staying out of sight... and trying to watch everything that was happening below him, a goofy smile on his face.
"Wow..." Mokuba mumbled to himself. The was the third group of girls that had come in to prepare for class, and Mokuba was very happy to have found such an excellent hiding spot. In the back of the boy's mind, Raven paid no heed to his host's adolescent curiosity, save for when they spotted Tea.
[I don't get why Seto says this place is crawling with ugly girls. I haven't seen anything I'd consider ugly since we got here. Eh Raven?] Mokuba thought, twisting his head around as he tried to take in the whole scene.
(Yes, yes it's lovely. But if I might remind, WE DID NOT COME HERE TO ACT LIKE A PEEPING TOM!) Raven rebuked the boy, snapping him out of his revelry. (Now where's Tea?)
[Yeah, yeah, don't worry, she's right there. So how do we get her?] Before Raven could answer, a slender hand wrapped it's fingers around Mokuba's ankle, giving the boy's leg a hard yank and sending him crashing to the ground.
"OW!" Mokuba cried, twisting around to find himself staring at three very angry looking teenaged girls.
"You little WORM!" the girl in the middle said, grabbing the collar of Mokuba's shirt as she pulled him up to face her. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't rub your face off on the lockers!"
"What's going on?" Tea asked as she and some other girls came to see what was happening.
"This little creep's been hiding in here watching us undress for PE. I was just about teach him how unhealthy that can be," the girl said.
"Mokuba?" Tea said, drawing the boy's attention as his eyes became red with black pupils.
***************************************************************************
Seto Kaiba hated being hall monitor. It was an incredibly boring job and one he was often more than happy to force off on others. Every time his turn had come up, he'd successfully managed to get out of it, either through bribery or blackmail. This time, though, nothing had worked, and the young billionaire was stuck patrolling the halls of Domino High School looking for troublemakers. The worst part of the job, at least as far as Seto was concerned, was who else had been assigned to be his partner.
"So Kaiba, you talked to Mokuba yet or what?" Joey Wheeler asked, not bothering to make his voice sound friendly.
"What the devil are you yammering about now?" Seto asked.
"What d'ya mean, what am I talkin' about? When Yugi and I came to talk to you yesterday, we told you to talk to Mokuba. Don'cha remember?" All this got from Seto was a angrily perturbed look.
"Your brain must be more defective than usual today. I never saw you or the runt yesterday." Joey was about to make a retort of his own, when the sound of an explosion roared through the hall. Immediately, both seniors raced down the corridor, searching for the source of the explosion. Both were quite surprised to find the door to the girl's locker room had been blown off it's hinges, with black smoke coming out of the doorway, as well as several girls in swimsuits and towels. Instinctively, Joey began to charge into the smoking room to find out what happened, only to be stopped by Kaiba.
"Don't be an idiot, for all you know there's another bomb in there," Seto said. "Besides, if I let you go in there, I might be able to get you to come out again, at least not without knocking you out."
"Why are you here?" came a feminine voice Joey instantly recognized as Tea's.
"Tea?"
"Hey, get away from me! What are you doing?!"
"TEA! Don't worry Tea, I'm coming!" Joey yelled, preparing to charge in and save his friend. He never got the chance, however, as he was roughly knocked aside by Mokuba Kaiba, Tea Gardner's limp form slung over his small shoulder.
"Just who I was hoping to bump into," Raven's raspy voice said. "Tell Yugi or Yami or whoever he's decided to be today that I have his girlfriend. If he wants her back, then I'll be willing to trade for those two Exodia cards of his."
"I'm gonna clean your clock ya slimy little toa..."
"Uh uh uh... I would suggest you watch your tongue, blondie. Otherwise I might have to show off my newest toy."
"What da!?!" Joey exclaimed as he watched Mokuba's left eye transform from red and black to one of pure gold. "The Millennium Eye!"
"That's right. See ya soon." Raven said as he turned to leave, only to run into Seto Kaiba.
"Mokuba?" In the instant his elder brother spoke his name, Mokuba's eyes once more changed color, both shifting back to their normal blue hue.
"Seto?" The boy cringed a little as he saw the questioning gaze of his brother.
"What's going on? Why aren't you in school? And how did you change your eyes like that?" The elder Kaiba asked.
"Big brother... I..." Mokuba began, trying to come up with something, anything that would explain this whole thing to Seto. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry Seto... I can't tell you now. Just... please trust me."
"Trust you? Trust you about what? What's going on with you?" Mokuba didn't get to answer as Raven once more assumed control of their body.
"The less you know right now, the better Seto... But don't worry, we'll tell you everything later." Raven reached into Mokuba's vest once more, pulling forth yet another dueling card. "OVERDRIVE!" The card flew through the air, transforming as it touched down into a jeep with a machine gun on top. Raven/Mokuba quickly tossed the still unconscious Tea into the back of the vehicle, just before jumping into it himself. With a deafening roar, Overdrive took off down the hall, crashing through walls and everything else as it's owner made his escape, leaving behind a confused Seto Kaiba, and a furious Joey Wheeler.
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To Be Continued...
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I know, I know, a bit slow in the beginning, but you gotta admit it got real exciting towards the end. So now Yugi has a choice, loose his cards or loose his girl. What's gonna happen? You'll have to wait and see. Unfortunately, due to school and everything else in my life, it's looking more and more like I'll only be able to update every month, so all I can say is to have patience. Until next time, see ya.