Mojobubbles: Hello, and welcome to the next chapter of My Immortal! (listening to Yuugiou movie soundtrack) This CD makes me so hyper...There's a Black-Eyed Peas song, an aggressive Kaiba song, and a song about Anubis sung by a woman. It's all so cheesy, but it's all good.
This chapter has a duel! (Or at least most of one) AUUUGH! O.o; If it weren't for (www dot) ratandfox (dot net) /YuGiOh/, the duel wouldn't be possible. That site's an amazing resource for YGO fanfiction writers.
And also about the duel - I know FGD is a fusion monster, but....for the purpose of this fic it's just a regular monster card. And Raise Dead is what the Japanese call Monster Reborn....Yeah, I just changed that 'cause I felt like it. XD The magic card that Malik uses at the end of the duel is called 'Fiend Sanctuary' in the dub, and Yami uses it against Yami M in their final duel, remember? Not sure why I decided to use that card....I guess I'm just really, really obsessed with the Yami M/Yami duel. n.n
Oh, LuckyLadybug66 gave me a bunch of fluff ideas for the monologue, and she gave me a line for the conversation between Malik and the Ghoul. She is good with evil dialogue. (nods sagely)
And all those tally marks in Bakura's soul room last chapter? I sorta kinda not-100%-intending to stole that idea from Daricio. (sweatdrop) It was subconsciously stolen. But anyway, yeah. Just giving credit where it's due.
In this chapter you'll see some slight hints at (straight) romance, and you will see some in the epilogue as well. Don't worry, those-of-you-that-are-not-into-romance – I said 'slight hints', not 'full-blown romance'. XD
I had to take out my review responses because FanFiction apparently counts that as 'interaction'....
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Malik picked a window seat about halfway through the car, still tense and on edge. The phone call that morning from Mokuba...it scared him. Malik settled into his seat, taking a deep breath and trying to calm down. He looked around at the people as the train began to pull out of the station.
A man had sat next to him; he was a middle-aged man who'd just pulled out a book and was reading. The book...It resurfaced a memory of a stormy night, not especially long ago...
Flashbacks
Malik sat on his bed, jumping as a loud clap of thunder echoed outside his window. With a frustrated sigh, he slapped shut the book he was to be reading for school. He couldn't concentrate anymore.
Isis was away on business, the house left in Rishid and Malik's care. He was pretty sure his brother was downstairs – reading as well, perhaps.
"I just hope the power doesn't go out," Malik said to himself, as he reached the top of the staircase. And, of course, just because he'd said that, there was a flash of light and the house was plunged into darkness.
"R-Rishid!" Malik cried in panic, tumbling down into the blackness.
&&&&
He felt a hand on his forehead, and he groaned.
"You're awake," came a relieved voice from above him.
Malik slowly opened his eyes. Everything was dark. He was lying on the couch, Rishid sitting next to him, watching him with concern. A flashlight lay on the coffee table next to them.
"Oh, don't tell me I fell down the stairs," Malik moaned. "I hate gravity."
Rishid laughed to himself. At least Malik felt all right enough to joke around.
Suddenly, there was another flash, followed by the roar of thunder. Malik jumped, sitting bolt upright.
"Calm down," Rishid told him, laying a hand on his arm.
Malik held his head. "I hate storms, too," he mumbled. "Storms are rage, anguish, regret..." He wrapped his arms around himself. Rishid watched his brother curiously.
"Go on," he persuaded.
"No matter how hard I try," Malik whispered, "I can't forgive myself. I can't look in the mirror and just be okay with the person I see. B-because I can't forget seeing you lying there...All my ideas of revenge, all my harsh words, all the times I'd pushed you around because I was angry...It nearly killed you, Rishid." His voice was shaking now. "Yuugi, and the others...They're my friends, the first friends I ever made outside of Egypt...But they don't understand. I can't expect them too. I – I don't even know if you and Neesan understand. Because I wish I could take it all back – I want that more than anything."
Rishid put his arm around Malik's shoulders, surprised, wondering how long the boy had been keeping this bottled inside. Malik leaned against Rishid, glad to have his brother there.
"I wish..." he whispered. "I wish I could go back and erase every unforgiving thing I ever said to you. I wish I could go back and dry every tear that Neesan ever cried...Sometimes, sometimes... I even wish I'd never been born..."
Rishid drew Malik into his arms then, his face concerned. "Everyone has things they regret, things they wish they could change...Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, Malik-sama. People were just created that way..." His words were heavy, as if he spoke from experience. Malik reflexively reached down and touched his ankle, where, if one looked hard enough, one would find two perfectly round bite marks...Malik had never been able to say he didn't mind snakes after that incident.
He looked up at Rishid. "That was so long ago, Rishid...You don't need to keep hurting yourself over it."
"Just as you have no need to continue hurting yourself over Battle City."
For a moment, neither said anything. Malik sighed. "Rishid...do you ever regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Regret...that you were adopted as an Ishtar."
"Never," Rishid said without hesitation, holding Malik in a protective hug. "I could never regret that. How could I? If...If I hadn't been taken in as an Ishtar...I wouldn't know you, and I wouldn't know Isis-sama. It's true – we went through a lot of pain and hardships. But I would rather face that pain all over again than never have met you and your sister."
Malik smiled then, ignoring the storm that howled outside. Because he had something better than rage, anguish, and regret – he had love.
&&&&
That was not the only time that his siblings showed him how they loved him unconditionally.
"It was just a comment, Ishtar! Did you have to take it so seriously!?"
Malik stared at the floor of the principal's office, hiding a scowl. His arms were folded tight across his chest, and he sported a cut lip.
It wasn't just a comment. The kid had been making 'comments' about his sister – comments that made his blood boil just thinking about it.
He didn't usually lose his temper so suddenly...It probably had something to do with the way the students had been treating him. So they didn't accept him – why had he expected them too? He was certain that Jounouchi had something to do with his classmates' hostility; Malik knew Jounouchi still considered him an enemy, an outsider. But none of the others – none – tried to quell the rumors Jounouchi had been spreading. Not even Yuugi. Not even Ryou, and he'd even told Malik Amane's story...some kind of friend he was turning out to be.
But Malik didn't need them. He had Isis and Rishid – why did he need the kids at school to accept him? He didn't.
"I'm calling your brother and sister," the principal said severely.
They arrived shortly thereafter, and Malik was sent out into the hall to wait, while his siblings had a talk with the principal.
When the three exited the office, they found the hall empty, and in the parking lot, Malik's motorcycle was gone.
"Why, in my day -" the principal began to splutter, but Isis and Rishid had already left, in hot pursuit of their brother, leaving the principal without an audience.
They found Malik on a hill, his knees drawn tight to his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs.
Isis began to walk towards him, but Rishid grabbed her hand and she stopped, looking back at him. "Maybe it's best," Rishid said slowly, "if we leave him be for now."
Isis smiled, but gently tugged her hand from Rishid's, and continued towards Malik. Rishid sighed slightly, but followed. It was another little known fact about the Ishtar siblings – they could exhibit a bit of a stubborn streak from time to time.
Isis sat next to Malik in the grass, smoothing her dress as she did so. Malik bristled. Isis put her hand across Malik's shoulders, and he shrugged her off. She persisted, though, running her fingers through his hair. He lightly pushed her away. She reached for him again, this time placing her hand over his own.
Malik suddenly whirled to look at her. He grabbed her hand and pushed her away, more rough this time.
She didn't miss a beat. Isis reached towards him, this time with her other hand, and Malik raised his own hand, his eyes angry. "Leave me alone!!" he cried, but suddenly he froze. He turned and buried his head in his arms again, his heart pounding. He'd just...he'd just almost struck his sister.
And she still hadn't left.
But couldn't she see it? Couldn't she see how much of a worthless person he was? He was angry all the time, he couldn't make friends, and now, he was even lashing out at the only people on the face of the planet who gave a damn about him.
And then she said the three words he thought he'd never hear – "I love you."
"N...no," Malik whispered. "S....Stop it!" he burst out suddenly. "Stop acting like you understand what I feel! Stop pretending you can fix it – pretending you can fix me!"
"I don't understand what you feel," she said quietly, placing her hand over his, but this time he didn't push away. "But I want to. I want to know what you feel right now. I will listen...because I love you."
"I...I don't get it," Malik confessed, the words coming out in a rush. "I don't understand why they still hate me. I don't understand why it even matters to me that they hate me."
Rishid sat on Malik's other side, putting his arm around his brother. The three of them sat there, and they talked, well into the evening.
"I-It's funny..." Malik said softly, as the three of them were ready to head home. "Somehow... It doesn't really hurt anymore."
And the next day, Jounouchi had approached him, apologizing for what the bully had said the day before. He felt sheepish – he had a sister himself, and could easily understand Malik's anger.
That afternoon, the gang invited Malik to Yuugi's after school.
End Flashbacks
'I...I'm sorry, guys...' Malik thought, watching the buildings speed by. 'I suppose if it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in this mess... Yuugi, Jounouchi, Mai, Mokuba, Anzu, and Bakura could all be enjoying a normal vacation, and Kaiba could be doing whatever work needs to be done. And Neesan and Rishid wouldn't be locked up with the Ghouls, hurt, or...or worse...
'It's my fault, all my fault. I've ruined so many lives, and now, even though Battle City has long been over, it still continues, because the Ghouls want revenge...On me. For what I did...
'What if...What if we don't win this? If... If anyone were to...die...I couldn't...I wouldn't be able to ever forgive myself...
'Maybe, maybe it would've been better if they'd never forgiven me...'
No, he wasn't going to think about all that now. He had to be strong, or else he'd never make it to Nagasaki. If he couldn't be strong, there was no way he could save his siblings and Seto.
Malik sighed tiredly, leaning against the seat. He had barely been able to sleep a wink at Hikaru's the night before... So much was on his mind last night. As a matter of fact, he hadn't been sleeping much since Isis and Rishid had been taken.
Maybe...Maybe he'd close his eyes and sleep now... No, he couldn't do that. He couldn't miss his stop.
But still, resting his eyes for a bit wouldn't hurt... He closed them. Then he heard the music. Malik opened his eyes, seeing that the man sitting in front of him had a pair of headphones on, and the volume was loud enough for Malik to hear the music.
The melody was pensive and weary...Kinda like himself... But where had he heard that song before?
Oh, wait, Anzu had that CD, didn't she? Yes...Once she'd brought it to Yuugi's house and so they'd all listened to it...
"You're gonna love number four!" she had said, switching on the track.
The band was American and the song in English, Malik remembered, so he didn't understand a lot of it. But he'd been captivated by it, and he and Anzu had borrowed Yuugi's computer, Anzu pulling up a website that had translated the lyrics into Japanese.
What was the song called again? 'Immortal Me'? No... Not it... Oh, right, 'My Immortal'.
Malik shut his eyes again, listening to the music swell. He remembered the lyrics of this particular part of the song, for some reason... 'I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, but though you're still with me, I've been alone all along,' it was.
...What if he was too late? What if they were gone? Would he ever be able to move on?
No, no, he would not think like that. Malik took a deep breath and banished those thoughts from his mind, concentrating on the music... And the swaying of the train... It was like being rocked to sleep... Had Isis rocked him to sleep, when he was tiny? Probably... Not like he could remember...
'Neesan...Rishid...'
&&&&
"Hey, who's yelling?"
"Quiet down over there!"
"Some of us are trying to sleep!"
"Hey, kid, wake up..."
"S-stop it..." Malik quivered, feeling someone shaking his shoulders. "Go away! Go! O-oniisan, help me!"
Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and he was on the floor of the train, looking up in confusion. A concerned face peered down at him, and Malik realized it was the man who'd been sitting next to him the whole ride.
Others throughout the car were turning in their seats, trying to see who'd been crying out, and Malik looked up at them. Even Headphones-Guy had turned around.
"It's alright," the man next to Malik called over his shoulder to the rest of the compartment. "It's just a kid." He turned back to Malik. "You were dreaming."
"Y-yeah, I know," Malik said quietly, as the man helped pull him up. "I just..." He wiped sweat off his face, finding tears there as well. He sighed heavily, wiping his face.
"You dropped your ticket," the man pointed out, Malik picking up the piece of paper.
"Thanks, I...Wait, what stop is next?" Malik panicked. "W-where are we?"
"Calm down, calm down," the man smiled easily. "Don't worry, we haven't passed Hakata Station yet."
"Okay," Malik breathed. "W...wait, how did you know I'm going to Hakata Station?"
"It's on your ticket," the man answered. "Malik, is it? What, if you don't mind, are you going to be doing in Fukuoka? Visiting there?"
"N-no, actually, once I get to Fukuoka I'm taking the hourly train to Nagasaki..." Malik couldn't help feeling a tad bit suspicious of this man.
"What a coincidence!" the man smiled. "I'm going to Nagasaki as well!"
"Small world..." Malik smiled weakly.
The man chuckled. "I've been there before, have you?" When Malik shook his head, the man's smile widened. "How about I give you a hand while we're there?"
"Okay," Malik said slowly. "I've got to...to meet up with some...friends...I have an address, but I don't know if I'll be able to find them... I-I'm going to stretch my legs," he stuttered. "Do you mind?"
"No, go on ahead," the man said amiably. "But mind you don't take your time, Malik, we'll be arriving in Fukuoka soon."
Malik nodded, inching past the man and walking down the car.
Malik stopped where the car led into the next and sighed, leaning against the wall of the car, trying to shut out the nagging fear in the back of his mind.
There was no reason to be suspicious of the man, right? It was just a coincidence...Just a coincidence the man was going to Nagasaki as well, and had been able to pronounce Malik's name correctly. Just a coincidence. He should really count his blessings – he was lucky to have someone who knew his way around Nagasaki.
Malik jumped when he heard the conductor's voice echo throughout the train. "We will soon be reaching Hakata Station, Fukuoka. Get ready to disembark, and have a nice day." He looked down, fingering his ticket.
That man... What if he couldn't be trusted?
'Ghoul...He's could be a Ghoul,' Malik thought desperately. 'No, no, I can't think like that... I can't be suspicious... B-but I can't think of another logical explanation... What do I do if he is a Ghoul? I – I'll just go back... And be really, really careful.'
But when he returned to his seat, the man had disappeared, and the train was pulling into the station.
&&&&
Malik took a deep breath, on his own now, looking around the station. He just needed a sign that would direct him to the trains to Nagasaki. He looked at a nearby clock – 10:40 a.m. He had twenty minutes to find a train, because one left every hour.
Malik sighed in exasperation, wondering whom he could ask and whom he could trust. Where had the man gone... ?
He saw, through the bustling crowds, a young woman sitting on one of the plastic seats, obviously waiting for a train. There were others waiting around her, of course, but Malik began walking towards her.
She couldn't have been any older than his sister...
"Excuse me," he said quietly, and she looked up from the newspaper she'd been reading. "I... I was hoping you could direct me to the train to Nagasaki. It's really important that I get there as soon as possible."
Her eyes widened. "I... W-who are you?"
"My name's Malik...Malik Ishtar."
The woman looked at him, her eyes wide. "Ma...Malik... You can't go to Nagasaki! You'll be killed if you do!"
Malik stared at her. "H-how... Are you a Ghoul!?"
"In a way," she said, lowering her voice. Malik realized she must be like Hikaru – bound by the Ghouls' twisted blackmail.
"I'm sorry," Malik whispered, realizing this was yet another life he had inadvertently ruined.
"There's no time for that now!" the woman said, shaking her head. "T-they told me to stay here, and to tell you where the train to Nagasaki is... But you, you're not the person the Ghouls described to me. I can see the regret in your eyes... And there is kindness in your voice. I didn't expect that."
"J-just tell me how to get there," Malik said tiredly, his voice wavering.
"B-but –"
"I don't care if it's dangerous!" Malik burst out. "Haven't you ever... haven't you ever loved someone so much you'd do anything for them? Haven't you ever made a sacrifice like that?!"
Realization dawned on the woman, and she blinked away sudden tears. Malik's words had struck home. "It's that way," she whispered, pointing.
"Thank you," Malik whispered back, turning and running. 10:50. He would make it. He had to.
&&&&
Nearly two hours later, Malik found himself standing outside an old abandoned warehouse – and according to Hikaru – the one where his siblings were being held. He took a deep breath, walking towards it.
But then the portal appeared. Malik stepped back in surprise, as a familiar turbaned head rose from the light.
"Shadi..." he breathed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"The final test of your courage will come soon," Shadi said cryptically, drawing from the folds of his robes two objects – the Sennen Rod, and a dueling deck. He stepped forward, pressing the objects into Malik's hands. The deck was his.
"W-why...?" Malik asked slowly. His deck... He rarely dueled; duels brought back memories Malik would rather stay buried. And the Sennen Rod... He hadn't seen it since the end of Battle City, when he had turned it over to Yuugi. And that he was glad about.
"You will need them," Shadi said simply, disappearing once again into the portal.
"Wait! My siblings – are they alive!?" Malik cried, but it was too late. Shadi was gone.
He stared down at the Rod and his deck. He stuffed his deck in his pocket, but his gaze lingered on the Rod, looking at it with a mix of loathing and reverence. He stuck it in his belt, taking a deep breath, refusing to let his thoughts remain on those whose blood had once stained the dagger concealed inside the Item.
Malik took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to the warehouse, not knowing that Yuugi and the others had just arrived in Nagasaki.
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Malik looked around the largest room in the warehouse, hesitant. It was dark in there... Very dark.
"Welcome, Malik-sama," sneered a male voice from the darkness.
Malik knew that voice from somewhere...
Suddenly, the lights flipped on and Malik shielded his eyes, experiencing a very strong sense of déjà vu. He'd done this to Yuugi, long ago, hadn't he?
A lone figure sat in a chair in the middle of the room.
"You," Malik gasped. "You lied..."
It was the man from the train.
"So, what are you doing here?" the Ghoul drawled. "Come to collect the bodies?"
Malik eyed him warily, fear rising in his chest. "What do you mean?"
A smirk crossed the Ghoul's face. "I mean you're too late."
"Don't lie," Malik said, his voice getting low. "Neesan, Rishid, and Kaiba are alive."
The Ghoul smiled gleefully. "Yes, Kaiba is alive... We're not done with him yet. But your siblings, well... What do you think went through their heads before they died? They realized, Malik-sama, that you didn't care anything about them. You would've come if you did. And they didn't love you either."
Malik squeezed his eyes shut. Lies... All the lies...
There was a rustling sound as the Ghoul got up, walking up to Malik. He felt a prick on his neck and he jumped, his eyes springing open.
The tip of a dagger precariously tickled the tan flesh on his neck. "This, my friend, is the blade that killed your siblings."
"You're lying," Malik said quietly, his voice shaking. He would've screamed it if not for the fear of being stabbed. "If... if they didn't love me, then I wouldn't have had the dream..." He closed his eyes, tears threatening to fall.
The Ghoul began to chuckle, but Malik was not hearing the Ghoul's voice – it had morphed into the psychotic, low laugh of his dark side.
"Why are you so upset?" the Ghoul asked, pinching Malik's cheek. "You're going to see them soon."
There was the clink of metal-on-metal, as Malik used the Sennen Rod to push the dagger away from his skin.
Malik jumped back, holding up the Sennen Rod. He aimed it at the Ghoul and blasted him backwards, the dagger flying out of his hand and skidding across the room. Malik's eyes were different now. Since Battle City, they'd been growing warmer, and now... now they were cold again.
"You will die," he said venomously, the words coming from his mouth almost unconsciously.
&&&&
"You think this is the place?" Jounouchi whispered, as the group approached the old abandoned warehouse Hikaru had told them to go to. They all crouched behind a few crates, stumbling over a few rocks. What they didn't realize was that Malik had entered the warehouse only moments ago.
"According to Hikaru-san, this is it," Yuugi whispered back.
Mokuba looked rather nervously at the warehouse. "So you mean...Niisama, Malik, Isis, and Rishid are all in there?"
"Don't be afraid, Mokuba-kun," Anzu soothed quietly.
"I'm not afraid!" Mokuba replied indignantly.
Mai shushed them all. Two Ghouls had just emerged from the warehouse, leaning against the wall, looking irritated with their post.
"Whyda we need ta guard the door, anyway?" one of them drawled. "'Snot like anyone's gonna be coming out or in anytime soon..."
"Yeah," the other said, a smirk growing on his face. "They'll finish off the Ishtars any time now!"
Jounouchi growled and rolled up his sleeves, balling his hands into fists. "Lemme at 'em."
"No, Jounouchi-kun, we can't just go charging in there!" Ryou protested. Jounouchi sighed.
"Well, what do we do, then?" he snapped, not angry with Ryou, but rather, frustrated with the situation.
"M-Mai!" Honda exclaimed as quietly as he could. "You can't be putting on makeup at a time like this!"
Mai finished applying another coat of lipstick and stuffed the tube back into her purse. "I have a plan," she said simply, getting up and sauntering towards the warehouse.
"Has she gone nuts!?" Anzu demanded in a frantic whisper. The others stared in surprise and confusion.
The Ghouls noticed her immediately. Rather, they noticed her chest immediately. The one Ghoul looked curious. "Lookee what we got here, Kano..."
Kano grinned. "Hey, baby... Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"
The other Ghoul rolled his eyes. Mai mentally slapped Kano... repeatedly... He was disgusting, but this was for the Ishtars. She batted her eyelashes, trying to look bashful.
"Sooo, what's a pretty little thing like you doin' around here, Missy?" Kano asked.
Mai looked flustered. "I – I just don't get it..." She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I was sure my aunt said her place was around here... Oh, I can't believe it!" she wailed, burying her head in her hands. "I'm so lost! I just can't do anything for myself!" Her shoulder shook with fake sobs.
Kano practically melted, and even the other Ghoul looked sympathetic.
Mai suddenly stopped sobbing and peeked through slightly open fingers at her. The Ghouls looked oddly at her. Without warning, Mai swung her purse directly at Kano's head. It connected solidly, and he crumpled to the ground, out cold.
Mai looked solemn. "That was for Isis and Rishid." The other Ghoul looked at her in shock and indignation.
"Y-you little-!"
She swung her purse at him as well, but he grabbed her wrist and twisted it, Mai's rock-laden purse hitting the dust. She gasped in pain. Mai kicked out, her foot connecting solidly with the Ghoul's shin.
Jounouchi appeared from nowhere, swinging his fist into the Ghoul's stomach, then into his jaw. He collapsed, unconscious as well. "And that one was for Malik," Jounouchi proclaimed.
The others ran up as well, Jounouchi and Mai looking at each other.
"You okay?" Jounouchi asked, noticing the way Mai rubbed her wrist.
"Fine," she said shortly. "....Thanks for helping me." Another long pause.
"But I could've taken care of it myself."
"Guys, come on!" Yuugi exclaimed, as the rest cautiously went to open the large door to the warehouse.
They would never forget the sight that lay before their eyes.
"M...Malik," Anzu breathed. The others just looked on in shock.
Malik stood over the Ghoul, blinded by anger and pain. He realized it, now – all along, ever since he'd had the dream, he'd felt his siblings, as if they were there with him in spirit.
But now... nothing. They... Were they gone?
Malik looked down at the man at his feet, who was beginning to shake, pleading with Malik, telling him to stop and think about what he was doing.
Malik was disgusted. This was the man who had done it. This was the man who had murdered his siblings – his whole life.
He looked at the Rod. Shadi had said his test of courage would come soon – this must be it. The test was whether or not Malik had the courage to kill, to get the revenge that was rightfully his. "I have a few options," he said, his voice an icy venom. "I could drive you out of your mind – put things in your head that aren't even real. My next option is to send you to the Shadow Realm. A worm like you deserves it there," he hissed. Then he reached for the Rod and unsheathed the hidden dagger. Everyone gasped in shock. The man whimpered in fear.
"Malik, wait!" Mokuba cried, trying to run to his friend, but someone grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him back.
"I could slit your throat," Malik continued. "That's another option. There's stabbing, that's an option......And I could cut you open and watch the life drain out of you. Which one did you do to Neesan and Rishid?"
Suddenly, he stopped, and the fire in his eyes was replaced with a weary, haunted expression.
"And here's my last option," he said quietly. "I could imagine what Neesan and Rishid would do if they had to make this decision. I could imagine how heartsick and disappointed they would be if they saw me like this. And I could let you live. Because killing you won't bring them back. And it won't stop this hatred."
Silence. Then, the clang of medal as Malik sheathed the dagger and put the Rod in his belt, turning away.
The Ghoul slowly got to his feet, hesitantly walking to the door. Finding no one come after him, a shaky, malicious grin spread across his face.
"Y-you'll regret not killing me," he said. He laughed nervously. "You're a coward, you know that? A coward!" He turned and darted out of the room and down the hall.
Jounouchi suddenly plowed through Honda and Yuugi and came to the hallway.
"JUST KEEP RUNNING, THAT'S RIGHT!" he screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. "GO TELL EVERYONE WE'RE HERE! BUT WE ALL KNOW WHO THE REAL COWARD WAS HERE!"
Malik collapsed onto his knees, one hand covering his face. Mokuba ran to his side, wrapping his arms around his friend's shoulders.
"H-he was the one," Malik whispered. "He was the one who killed my sister and my brother. He....he told me about it. He said he took out a knife....he said that they gave up on me, they didn't love me anymore when I didn't come in time...
"But that's a LIE!!" he screamed suddenly, striking the ground with his fist.
The room was silent, save for Malik's quiet sobs. "It's....it's a lie, b-because....because they'd never forsake me like that, no matter what I did."
"What you did was more than any of us could ever do," Yuugi said softly, coming over and placing his hands on Malik's shoulders. "I'm sure that Isis and Rishid are very proud of you."
"I-it doesn't matter," Malik was sobbing. "Nothing's ever going to bring them back...."
Yuugi said something else, but Malik was suddenly unaware of what was going on around him. It was as though someone had turned down the volume.
"Malik....Malik....."
His head shot up. He slowly got to his feet, almost in a trance, and walked to the same hallway the Ghoul had darted down.
The others blinked at him.
"D....did you hear that?" Malik whispered. "Someone said my name....."
"Malik, this way."
Malik walked down the hall of the warehouse. The voice was getting louder...It definitely belonged to a female....now he could hear footsteps in front of him.
"Keep coming.....a little further...."
The voice led him down a staircase and down hallways. The others were following, telling him to wait up. But he couldn't hear them.
"This way, my darling...."
"W....where are you taking me?" Malik whispered.
"To them, of course."
"So....they're still alive....?"
There was a door in front of him. He froze, reaching hesitantly for the doorknob.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Go on."
He took a deep breath, placed his hand on the knob, and began to turn.
"I love you, my son."
Then the voice was gone. Malik paused for a second, smiling slightly, and then he shoved the door open.
The room was dimly lit and empty, except for two lone figures in the back.
Malik was swallowing back tears. "Are y-you..." Suddenly, he ran at them.
They were alive. Rishid and Isis were alive.
But before he could reach them, the lights went out, and Malik smelled something heavy and bitter directly in front of his nose. His head swam, everything went black, and he knew no more.
&&&&
"W....where...." Malik slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying on a metal platform. He gradually got to his feet, looking around and finding his siblings coming too as well, lying on the floor beneath the platform.
"Ri-rishid! Neesan!" Malik yelled, running to the edge of the platform.
"NOT SO FAST, ISHTAR!" a voice screamed. Malik jumped a mile, and saw a Ghoul coming across the platform to him. But it wasn't just a Ghoul. It was the Ghoul.
"You," Malik spat, his eyes wide. "You said you killed them. And the police....the police told me my brother and sister were dead."
"Well, perhaps the police were not looking hard enough," the Ghoul said nonchalantly.
"Y...you," Malik growled, "you control the police here as well?"
The Ghoul grinned and shrugged off the question. "Would you like to go free? Because we're going to make you a deal, Ishtar."
"What's the deal?" Malik asked suspiciously, keeping his guard up.
"A duel," the Ghoul said, flashing a grin and thrusting a Duel Disk at Malik. "I assume you have your deck?"
Malik checked his pocket and sure enough, his deck remained.
"Now, here's the rest of the deal," the Ghoul continued. "We're going to duel with the safety settings at zero. And if I win – you and your siblings will not escape this place alive."
"And if I win?" Malik demanded.
"We will do anything you ask," the Ghoul said, smugly.
Malik chewed his lip, and slowly, almost as though he didn't want to, turned around to face his siblings. Isis and Rishid were truly alive....He sighed deeply, relieved at that. They were watching him, looking relieved as well, smiling slightly, and Malik knew they would support him no matter what.
"Well?"
Malik took a deep breath. "I accept your challenge."
As the two strapped on their duel disks and shuffled their decks, Isis and Rishid turned over the outcomes in their minds. "He obviously thinks Malik will not win," Isis said quietly, a touch of indignation in her voice. "Why else would he offer to give Malik anything he asks as reward?"
"They don't know our brother, then," Rishid said. "Not at all."
"Duel!" the two competitors said in unison, drawing their hands, as the life point counters raised to 8000.
"I'll make the first move," the Ghoul said, drawing a card. "And, I'll set this card face down, set a monster card face down, and end my turn."
Malik drew again and looked over his hand – he'd been rather lucky this draw. Although he had no monsters under level 5, he had just drawn Waboku, and Snatch Steal would be a very convenient way for him to defend his life points.
"I set this magic card face down," he said, placing Waboku on the duel disk, "and play Snatch Steal. The monster I'm going to take control of is your face down monster."
"Nice try, Ishtar, but you forgot about my face-down card," the Ghoul grinned, revealing his face-down card as Magic Jammer. "I send this card to the Graveyard in order to counter the effect of your Snatch Steal."
Malik's Snatch Steal was destroyed. He frowned. "I end my turn."
"My turn." The Ghoul drew another card. "I'm going to flip my face down card to reveal Hayabusa Knight, and with it I'll attack your life points directly."
Malik countered with Waboku, and his life points remained untouched.
"Oh, but look at the fine print on my Hayabusa Knight," the Ghoul smirked. "It can attack twice in the same Battle Phase, and seeing as your Waboku didn't end my Battle Phase, I can attack again."
Malik's eyes widened as the knight charged straight at him, thrusting its holographic sword through his chest. But with the safety settings at zero, the pain was real. Malik screamed and fell to his knees, his life points dropping to 7000.
"MALIK!"
"MALIK-SAMA!"
"I-I'm alright," Malik said weakly, getting slowly to his feet. He just wasn't expecting it; that was all...
"Pff, that was pathetic," the Ghoul mocked. "You could barely even take 1000 life points. What are you going to do when the numbers get higher, Ishtar? It's hopeless, you know – you can't win!"
Malik swallowed back the rest of the pain. His voice lowered. "Here's something you obviously don't know about me – when someone tells me I can't do something, I set out to prove them wrong."
"Ohh, is that so?" the Ghoul leered.
"S-shut up and duel," Malik choked.
&&&&
"He went this way!" Anzu said, the gang still looking for Malik after the Egyptian had taken off.
"I think he went in here!" Mokuba said, pointing at a nearby door.
"I guess it's worth a shot," Mai shrugged, and Jounouchi and Honda slammed into the door. To their surprise, it opened easily, and Jounouchi and Honda flew into the room.
"You okay?" Yuugi asked concernedly, as they all walked cautiously inside.
"It smells in here," Ryou commented, lifting his sleeve to his nose.
"Smells like...cleaning supplies. Ammonia, maybe?" Anzu said.
"They must've drugged Malik!" Jounouchi exclaimed.
"M-maybe Rishid and Isis were in here as well," Yuugi said slowly.
From the corner of the large, dimly lit room, they heard a cough. Mokuba's eyes widened, and he ran to the source.
"NIISAMA!" they heard him cry.
The group stared at each other in surprise for a moment, before dashing after Mokuba, founding the raven-haired boy crouched in front of a very dazed Seto Kaiba.
"Niisama!" Mokuba sobbed. "C-can you hear me!?"
"H...hey, kid," Seto choked out. "Ya found me." He reached up and wiped the tears off of Mokuba's cheeks. He wrapped his arms around his brother, burying his head in his chest.
Seto hugged him back.
"I was worried about you, Niisama," Mokuba mumbled into Seto's shirt. Seto rested a hand on Mokuba's head, looking up at the others.
"Thanks," he said roughly. "You know...for watching him."
"Can you stand?" Jounouchi asked, realizing, with some reluctance, that he'd most end up acting as the other boy's crutch.
"I'm fine," Seto said, slowly getting to his feet. He stumbled forward, Mokuba grabbing him before he fell.
"Yeah, sure you are," Jounouchi sighed, not feeling quite as rueful as he was acting. He slung Seto's arm around his shoulders, almost as if they were participating in some strange three-legged race.
But then, who knew? Maybe it was a race – a race for Malik's life.
&&&&
While the gang had been searching for Malik and finding Seto, the duel between Malik and the Ghoul continued. Neither really had an advantage, with Malik at 5200 life points, and the Ghoul at 5400. Malik had just thrown a monster in defense mode, and the Ghoul also had the monster Harpie's Brother, with an attack of 1800.
But then it came to the Ghoul's turn. He drew, and his eyes widened. His lips curled into a smirk, and he began to laugh. "I just drew the card that will bring about your destruction, Ishtar," he laughed, revealing the card he'd just drawn to be Raise Dead. "Remember the card I discarded to play my Magic Jammer?
"The monster I'm bringing back from the grave – is that one," he said dramatically, holding up one of the most powerful monsters in all of Duel Monsters - the Five God Dragon. He played the monster in attack mode, and it appeared, a massive dragon with five heads, each head representing Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, or Dark. "5000 attack and defense points," the Ghoul said with glee. "And it can only be attacked by a monster with the attribute of Light. First I'll attack your face-down monster with Harpie's Brother, wiping out your defense."
Malik's eyes widened. He was wide open for a direct attack-!
"And now...ATTACK, MY DRAGONS!"
Five heads reared back at once.
&&&&
"I think I hear voices!" Anzu cried, as the rest of the group, Seto now in tow, darted down the hallway.
They reached the door leading into the room where the Ghoul and Malik were dueling. "That sounds like a duel!" Jounouchi exclaimed, hearing the roar of the Five God Dragon on the other side. Then they heard the screaming.
"MALIK!" they all cried at once, crashing through the door.
&&&&
It was like being hit with five attacks at once.
Malik threw his hands up over his face and screamed, vaguely hearing Rishid and Isis calling his name from the side.
Finally, the attack stopped, but the pain was still there, pain that engulfed him, pain that brought him back to that fateful night, six years ago.....
Gasping for breath, he collapsed, his body connecting with the solid metal floor below.
He laid there, darkness surrounding him, consuming him. Was he dying?
Rishid, meanwhile, stared up at Malik's still form in horror, beginning to dart forward, stopped only by the sharp protest of the Ghoul.
"Touch him and he loses automatically," the Ghoul grinned maliciously. Rishid glared fiercely at the man, clenching his hands in his fists. Isis was angry as well.
Malik could barely make out the voices around him. How many life points did he have left? 200? Something like that. The pain had dulled rapidly. Was he dying?
Even if he wasn't, he couldn't do it. He couldn't get up. He couldn't win.
"MALIK!" It was the gang. They were all calling to him, telling him to get up....
What would happen to them if Malik were to forfeit? What about if he were to die? And what about Hikaru, and all the others in the Ghouls' iron grip?
He could indistinctly hear the Ghoul's catcalls of 'It's your turn, Ishtar! Aren't you getting up?'
'No,' he thought desperately. 'No, I'm not.....'
But then he heard Rishid's strong protests – "Please, get up! You can do this!"
Flashbac k
Rishid opened the trap door, and the three of them stared hesitantly into the blackness, and it was then that Malik realized that his siblings dreaded going back down there as much as he did.
Malik took a deep breath, and resolutely trekked down the stairs.
Suddenly, he forgot he was with his siblings, as the darkness surrounded him once again. His eyes had yet to adjust to the dark, but it didn't matter – he'd walked these hallways so many times before.
As he walked through the hallways, the sound of his footsteps echoing around him, memories he didn't even know he had came back to him.
And then he came to the room. He couldn't see it, but he knew what it was. He knew as though he'd been there yesterday.
To one side was the sort-of altar where the Rod and the Tauk had once lain. On the other was a sort-of stone tablet. He remembered the feel of that cold stone against his body too well. He remembered the gag being roughly shoved in his mouth, as he screamed in protest the whole time. And on one wall, the bloodstains would be. An inexplicable fear came over him, a fear that his father was right behind him, breathing down his neck, as though he'd never left the room he'd died in.
Malik stared at the floor, bangs falling in his eyes and hiding the intense pain in them, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Suddenly, a small light poured over the threshold.
"Malik?" Isis was standing in the doorway, Rishid behind her holding a torch, both of them looking concerned.
He fell on his knees, biting his lip and clenching his hands into fists.
"I...I c-can't do it...."
They were by his side in an instant.
"Yes, you can," Isis said softly, drawing him into her arms. "We have faith in you, Malik."
Rishid laid his hand on Malik's shoulder and Malik turned to him, the kindness in his golden eyes attesting to Isis' words.
And in the arms of his siblings, Malik found a peace that had evaded him for years.
End flashback
"Malik, get up! Please, get up!" Rishid cried in desperation, and Malik froze.
'Malik....he didn't call me.....he didn't call me 'Malik-sama'....'
"That's right," Malik murmured out loud, feeling sudden tears come to his eyes. "Because.....because he's my brother.....he's always been my brother.....And I'm fighting for him, for him and my sister, and my friends...Because they have faith in me...If they didn't have faith in me...they wouldn't be here."
He remembered a dark, cold night, months ago, when he had been accosted by a group of shady characters, threatening him with a knife. Malik had tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them, and he was beaten down. It had looked hopeless, but suddenly Rishid entered the scene, fighting the thugs as best he could. They were too much for Rishid as well, but when they held their knife at his throat Malik snapped and leaped to his feet, despite the pain. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" he had screamed. Frightened by the sudden change in personality of their intended victim and by the distant sound of police sirens, the muggers fled.
Rishid collapsed, then, and Malik had darted to his side. "I...I'm sorry, Malik-sama," Rishid had said softly.
"No," Malik then whispered. "Oniisan...S...stop...stop calling me that! You're my.....you're my brother...."
Back in the present, he gradually got to his feet, ignoring the astonished gasps of the others in the room.
"It's my move," Malik said softly.
Taking a deep breath he looked over at Rishid and Isis, and their eyes met, and they understood.
Malik slowly reached for his deck. This draw...this draw would determine whether they would go free, or be killed. This next draw meant everything. His breathing grew shallow, and he hesitated, his hand hovering over the deck.
But he felt gentle hands placed over his own, and suddenly he knew.
Never had he once been alone. Never had been suffering alone in the dark. Because they'd always been with him, Isis and Rishid. They would never leave him. Nothing could ever shatter the bond they shared. Nothing.
And so he took a deep breath, and pulled off the top card. He stared at it, and his eyes widened.
"Yuugi, isn't that-?" Honda began, taking in the magnitude of the monster Malik was facing.
"Yeah," Yuugi said nervously. "It's that dragon the Big 5 had."
"Is there any chance of him beating it?" Isis asked, coming over to them, Rishid close by.
The others stared at them for a moment.
"Rishid, your arm -" Anzu pointed at the bloody bandage in horror.
"It's alright," Rishid said urgently. "What about the duel?"
"There are...a few ways to beat a monster like that," Yuugi said softly. "But whether or not Malik has the cards to do it...."
Meanwhile, back in the 'arena', Malik stared at the card he'd just drawn. He'd won, but only – only if the Ghoul attacked. He'd have to lure him into an attack, make him think he'd won.
"I-I play this card face down," Malik said, playing the card he'd just drawn. "I play Just Desserts, and because you have two monsters, your life points drop to 4400."
The Ghoul winced as his life points dwindled, but didn't lose his composure.
"And I throw Darkfire Soldier in defense mode," Malik said. "And end my turn."
The Ghoul's lip curled. "You're desperate, Ishtar; I can see it in your eyes."
Malik had been hoping he looked afraid.
"I attack your Darkfire Soldier with my Harpie's Brother, and now....you know what this means – ATTACK, MY DRAGONS!"
"I was hoping you'd attack!" Malik sighed in relief, flipping over the card he'd just drawn. "I play Devil's Sanctuary!"
Everyone in the room gasped – the Ghoul, who hadn't seen it coming, and everyone else, who'd seen it played before, against Malik's darker half.
'Remember this card, guys?' Malik asked himself, smiling. "Devil's Sanctuary brings forth a Metal Devil token," Malik explained out loud, as a shiny metal monster emerged from the ground. "It becomes like a clone of you, with its attack points equal to your life points. You know what this means? It means you will be destroyed by your own monster."
It was too late for the Ghoul – he'd already called his attack.
He too threw up his hands and screamed, falling backwards with the force of the attack. His life points plummeted from 4400 to 0.
Malik had done it. He'd won.
But before anyone could say anything, the door burst open and about ten police officers ran in.
"W-WHAT!?" the Ghoul screamed, recovering from the attack of his own Five God Dragon.
The others smirked. "We took the liberty of calling the police on you all. Figured you'd be too busy dealing with Ishtar to notice, and apparently that was right," Seto leered.
One of the officers leapt up onto the platform, grabbing the Ghoul and handcuffing him. The officer led the Ghoul out, saying, "We've already got the rest of your friends," and citing the Ghouls' long list of crimes.
"What about Hikaru Higurashi?" Yuugi asked a nearby officer. "And the others the Ghouls are blackmailing?"
"We found their 'contracts'," the officer answered, holding up a stack of 10 or so sheets of paper. "But as of now, these contracts are nothing but worthless scraps of paper."
"Well, then, uh, can we have 'em?" Jounouchi asked abruptly. The officer looked oddly at him, but complied and handed over the papers. The others gave Jounouchi equally puzzled looks, as he placed the papers inside his coat. "I've got an idea," Jounouchi mumbled to them, his tone suggesting he would explain later.
"Guys...look," Ryou said suddenly, watching the platform.
Malik, exhausted from the duel, was sitting on his knees. Isis and Rishid had climbed up on the platform as well, hesitantly, as though worried that their reunion would be interrupted again.
"Hi," Malik said softly, a tired grin spreading across his face, as his sister crouched in front of him, taking his hand in hers.
"Hello," she smiled back.
"I thought I wasn't going to see you again," Malik said, feeling tears coming to his eyes.
"I know. Rishid and I...we were also told that you..."
And then suddenly they threw their arms around each other, Malik burying his head in her shoulder and remembering days gone by when he was just a child, waking from a nightmare and being invited to crawl under the covers with his sister.
Rishid wrapped his arms around them both, and Malik remembered lonely nights back during Battle City, when he was questioning everything around him and Rishid had done his best to answer his brother. Malik suddenly recalled how, only moments before, he had noticed his adoptive brother no longer referred to him as 'master'. He looked up at Rishid, adoration clear in his eyes, and they didn't need words.
The gang watched from the sidelines, beaming. Honda had his arm slung around Ryou's shoulders. Anzu bounced on the balls of her feet, grinning and wiping tears from her eyes. Yuugi was practically glowing; Yami stood next to Yuugi in his transparent form, his hands on Yuugi's shoulders. Kaiba had his brother close to him. Mai grinned lopsidedly, for once not worrying about how she looked.
And Jounouchi was sobbing into his sleeve. "D-dammit! I promised myself I wasn't gonna cry!"
The Ishtars broke away, stepping off the platform and stopping in front of the others.
"You did it, Malik!" Mokuba exclaimed, running over to his friend. Malik grinned and ruffled Mokuba's hair.
"No," he said, looking around at his friends. "We did it." Suddenly, he felt dizzy, and his knees shook.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Without warning, the strain of the duel still taking its toll, Malik fell forward, but pairs of hands reached out and caught him.
"It's okay, man," Malik heard Jounouchi say. "We gotcha."
Malik smiled, even though he was slipping out of consciousness. "I-I know."
He felt strong arms lift him up and hold him close, and he knew it was Rishid. And he knew they were going home. All of them.
&&&&
A few weeks later, and the woman Malik had spoken to in the train station stepped outside of her tiny apartment to get the mail.
Thing used to be so easy for her – she had a well-paying job that she honestly didn't mind, a decent apartment, and she had him. His name was Sasame, and he was everything to her.
But then came the day that stumbled upon their hideout. She ended up hearing too much, so to silence her, they put her under a 'contract'.
They were dangerous. Once, she tried to call the police, and ended up with nothing to show for it but a gash from a knife on her arm. And because she loved Sasame, she had to let him go.
She looked through the mail, finding, in the middle of the pile, a small envelope addressed to her. She looked at the return address. Some place in Tokyo called Domino. She didn't know anyone in Domino, did she?
In the envelope, there was no letter, but she did pull out a newspaper clipping – 'KIDS BUST GANG' it screamed.
She skimmed the clipping, and her eyes widened. The Ghouls...had been...disbanded?
She dropped the envelope in shock, and out fluttered a few scraps of paper. Intrigued, she crouched down and dumped out the rest of the scraps. She squinted at one, and then another, and tears came to her eyes, tumbling down her cheeks.
They were the fragments of her 'contract'.
She leapt to her feet, laughing, and ran back inside.
Where was Sasame's phone number?
&&&&
That same day, Hikaru Higurashi stepped outside as well to get the mail.
He found a similar letter. Domino? Wasn't that where Malik and the others lived? He too gaped at the article. And then he found the shreds of the contract. His eyes widened.
"MIYUKI!!" he screamed, laughing, turning and bounding into the house.
"THEY DID IT!"
E nd
Mojobubbles: And now for some shameless self-advertisement.
Everyone, go to (http:) kyodai-no-kokoro (dot) co (dot) nr. The one who did most of the work was LuckLadybug66, while every single image you see on that site, edited or otherwise (except, of course, for LuckyLadybug66's wallpapers and banners), came from yours truly. n.n It's just our humble little expression of love for the Ishtars. (blink)
I'd like to apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. I was stressed, then busy, then not stressed, and now I'm stressed again. XD When the epilogue will be up, I don't know. Hopefully it won't be TOO long of a wait. And speaking of the epilogue – Anzu?
Anzu: Yes! We did it! The morning after the rescue, the Ishtars do some thinking about the past, and how things will be from now on, plus a few questions will be answered. Next time on My Immortal! Duel Standby!
