Sakakku
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Notes: Oh, I am good. I wrote this chapter before we learned that Seto actually does have a Luster Dragon. Anyway, I went searching on Pokeorder to find a summary of Luster Dragon (there are actually two, but you should know which one I'm talking about). Here it is: 'This dragon feeds on emeralds. Enchanted by this monster even when attacked, few people live to tell of its beauty'. O.O;; …Yeah, that's Seto's card for you.
Seto-throwing-the-card-at-Rare-Hunter never technically happened, since I spun off into the AU before he did so in the episode. But I'm assuming he's done that nifty trick before. Also, they cut it out of the dub, but Seto used a card to block Kimo's gun from firing.
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Chapter 19
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Seto noted Ezra's habit of kicking up sand when she walked. She would do it every few feet; nothing much, just stirring up a small cloud of sand. Anuba seemed to have the same habit, only more annoying; she'd walk in front of Seto and send a shower of sand onto his legs.
"Hey," Seto said suddenly, causing Anuba's ears to perk up. He ignored the jackal and directed his attention toward a surprised Ezra; they'd left two days ago and he'd barely spoken.
"Oh, so now you want to make small talk?" she asked teasingly, moving closer to him all the same.
"Very funny. Listen." Seto fished around in his trenchcoat pocket. His deck was strapped to his waist, but there was a lone card in his pocket. Last night, while Ezra slept using Anuba as a pillow, he'd stayed up late plotting. The conclusion he'd come to: "Take this." He held out the card to her.
She took it, something coming alight in her eyes as she studied the card. "Luster Dragon," she recited, fingering the edge of the card. "You're giving it to me?"
"You're my responsibility," he said shortly. "If you die, it'll be on my hands. Use this to protect yourself." His harsh words didn't belittle the true meaning behind the statement.
"How do I use it?" she asked, looking up at him. "Throw it?" She pretended to toss it at an opponent, grinning at him, and he had to work to stifle a laugh. He'd used cards as weapons before, but decided against telling her that. It would probably just encourage her.
"I'll teach you how to Summon while we move," Seto said complacently, handing her another card. Giant Germ would be easier for her to handle in the beginning stages. "It's hard and it takes a lot of work."
Ezra blinked in surprise at this sudden proclamation. "Okay," she said, cocking her head and staring thoughtfully at the cards. "Sure."
Another thing Seto decided against telling her was that Marik and Bakura could feel the Shadow Magic. No sense in worrying her, or so he thought.
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"It's so…"
He could tell that she was about to say 'gross' as Ezra stared at the Giant Germ, but she decided against it. "Amazing," she finished, which was also true. Curiosity overcoming disgust, she reached out and touched it gently on the side. "It's real!"
"Of course it's real," he said impatiently.
It had taken Ezra a little over a day to learn to Summon; she and Seto had been working constantly. He watched her examining Giant Germ; her breathing was a little shaky. She must be exhausted. He felt a stab of guilt but quickly pushed it away; it wasn't his fault. He was just trying to protect her, after all.
"Can you keep walking?" he asked.
"Uhm, what do I do with the Monster?" she asked, motioning toward Giant Germ.
"Just let it go," he said shortly. "Think about it carefully, and command it to return to the Shadow Realm."
She didn't say anything, but her brow furrowed slightly. A second later, Giant Germ shriveled and disappeared. Anuba, who had been taking the Shadow Realm Summonings very well, darted forward and sniffed the sand it had once inhabited.
"Can you keep walking?" Seto repeated his question.
"I think so," she said faintly, pressing a hand to her brow. "I'm a little tired, but I can handle it…"
"We shouldn't stop," Seto said, half-apologetically.
"Okay," she nodded, taking a few steps forward. Anuba looked up, ears perking, and trotted to Ezra's side. She stood behind Ezra's legs, and the girl leaned slightly on her.
"You can't walk, can you?" Seto's voice was somewhere between exasperated and worried. He supposed he couldn't be rightly angry with her; weakness after Summoning was what had brought them together, after all.
"I can…" her voice trailed away before she made her point. Seto shrugged resignedly.
"Sit down," he ordered; when she didn't move he walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sit," he said, guiding her to her knees. "You need to sleep or you won't be able to walk at all." It was funny how their roles were reversed.
Anuba obediently padded behind Ezra and curled up, ready to be used as a pillow again. Managing a weak smile at Seto, Ezra laid down and closed her eyes.
Seto paced in circles around the jackal and the girl. He didn't really think that any Rare Hunters were out there, ready to pounce right away, but there was no harm in being careful. But odds were, Marik and Bakura wouldn't be able to get to them within two days. By then, they should be long gone.
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Téa clenched the cloak around her slim frame. Odion was leading her through a small hallway, like he had described in his original plan. But she was pretty sure that something had tweaked that original plan. He'd started to lead her down a different hallway at first, but had stopped abruptly. A Rare Hunter lurked in the shadows. They'd backed up, excruciatingly slowly, and were now tiptoeing down a second corridor. She wanted to ask him if that Hunter was supposed to be there, but was afraid to break the heavy and ominous silence that seemed to be lying over the castle.
Odion's slow progress died away until he was standing stock-still, peering into the blackness. He apparently decided everything was clear, took half-a-step, and leaned back again. This time, Téa saw what he did: the shifting shadow of another Rare Hunter.
"They shouldn't be here," Odion murmured, his voice barely audible. "Something has changed their plans."
Téa swallowed hard. "W-what was it?" Her voice seemed far too loud, bouncing off the walls to echo mockingly back at her.
"Perhaps…" Odion never completed his sentence.
"Are all the exits blocked?" she asked in a dry whisper.
"It is likely," Odion said, his voice grim.
"Who goes there?!"
The voice was so unexpected Téa nearly screamed. She slapped two hands across her mouth to keep from doing so. Odion froze, and for the first time she saw him as vulnerable.
The shadow they had spotted before grew larger. The Rare Hunter was heading their way. "Is anyone there?"
Téa backed up hastily; Odion followed. She glanced left and saw her room; she put her hand on the knob. Maybe she could go in, Odion could pretend he was doing his rounds, and they could put off her escape.
Locked. Her blood froze. Locked. Locked.
"I told Geoff to lock it behind us," Odion said, his throat closing up. "So they wouldn't suspect him."
Tears started to brim behind her eyes. She didn't say anything. The footsteps were growing closer.
What was the worst that could happen? She'd be recaptured, but not worse off than she'd been before. Not unless Marik and Bakura decided to punish her. She shivered, imagining all the horrible things they could do to her.
But what about Odion? It was doubtful that he could bluff his way out of the situation at this point. She didn't know where he was supposed to be at this time of night, but she was pretty sure it wasn't here. What would Marik and Bakura do to him? They'd be furious that their 'most loyal servant' had betrayed their trust.
"Téa, get back." The action that accompanied the words was his strong arm, gripping her shoulder and pushing her behind his giant body. She wanted to ask what good that would do, but he reached into a side pocket in a lightning-fast motion.
He pulled out four cards; placed three of them in mid-air. They stayed, suspended in front of him, forming a triangle.
"Cup of Sealed Soul- Seal of Serket- Temple of the Kings! I call upon you to merge your power!"
Golden beams of light connected the three cards. Téa watched in awe. She'd never had a chance to see a Shadow Realm Summoning before. Was this how they all went?
"Mystical Beast Serket!"
Odion slammed the fourth card, a Monster, right in the center of the golden light. Suddenly the whole hallway lit up, bright as day, and Téa threw a hand in front of her eyes. A giant, scorpion-looking thing appeared; it was too big for the hallway and the ceiling came tumbling down. Following a command Téa supposed came from Odion, but that she hadn't heard him verbally give, Serket gave a horrible shriek and smashed down the door to her room.
Shouts came from all sides; every Rare Hunter in the vicinity came charging towards them. Odion grabbed Téa's arm and yanked her rudely forward, forgetting courtesy in the desperate rush.
Mystical Beast Serket charged straight through the center of her room, knocking down the far wall with ease. Téa was shaken, and didn't seem to understand what Odion was telling her to do; he had to pick the light girl up and place her on the back of Serket himself. The Monster crawled through the rubble and straight down the wall.
In a daze, Téa noted when they hit flat ground again. Their detour had slowed the Rare Hunters down, but not for long. Already Monsters were swooping overhead, and Serket picked up speed as it charged across the grounds, straight for the front wall. She noted Odion throwing a card on the ground as Serket sped over it; he did this three times. She was burning to ask what it was, but now wasn't the time for questions.
When they reached the wall and climbed halfway up, things started to come back into focus for Téa. They were going to make it! She and Odion were going to be free! If Serket could just make it over the walls- and if they could just disappear into the night-
The surface they were on seemed to shake. As they cleared the top, Téa peeked over and saw the ground on the other side erupt. She cringed; the Monster that appeared now was a familiar one. Dungeon Worm writhed up from the dirt and lunged at Serket's stomach, biting the exposed, fleshy area.
Serket bellowed and reared up, flailing its legs. Téa felt herself falling, but once again Odion came to her rescue. He grabbed the back of her cloak and yanked; the two of them fell to the free side of the wall when Serket toppled back.
She heard piercing shrieks coming from the Mystical Beast. Apparently, all the Monsters were converging on Serket. She shuddered, then Odion was hoisting her to her feet.
"Come on," he hissed in her ear. "I laid a few traps for them- a card called Embodiment of Opopis- but it won't slow them for long."
She nodded dumbly and stumbled forward; she suddenly noticed Odion wasn't moving. "What's wrong?" she cried, hurrying back towards him.
"It was a long way down," he said grimly. "I landed on my leg and crushed it."
With a surge of guilt, Téa remembered what had broken her fall- namely, the big man himself. "There's no way I'm leaving you," she said firmly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Not after everything you risked."
"Téa, I risked it for you," Odion said in his deep, sad voice, staring into her eyes. "This is only what I expected. It's just what I deserve."
"You don't deserve to be stuck here!" she said in a shrill voice, still not moving. "You're strong and brave and you helped me escape! You were supposed to come with me!"
"I betrayed my Masters. I betrayed Marik and Bakura."
"You're going to let yourself die because of that? Because you feel guilty betraying two people who are responsible for the destruction of the world?"
"My leg is hurt," he chose to say again.
"But you can still walk." She grabbed his hand and yanked him forward, noticing how he stumbled but was still able to support himself. "I know it hurts, but we need to get away now. That's what importa-aaaaaa!"
A Whiptail Crow had swooped down and seized the girl, grabbing her with its sharp talons. The infamous tail made as if to give Odion a blow, but he dodged it. Seemingly content with its prize, Whiptail Crow seemed about to fly back over the wall, but even Téa's slight form was too much weight for the not-large Monster to bear. It staggered slightly, and Téa viscously swiped at it with her nails.
Whiptail Crow shrieked and beat its wings, sending Téa flying in the direction of the wall. More Monsters were coming in, converging on the girl. Téa fought back at them as best she could with bare hands; luckily, their intent seemed to be to recapture her rather than harm the girl.
"Odion, I've lost!" she shrieked above the sounds of the Monsters attacking and the Rare Hunters approaching. "You have to leave!"
He shook his head, reaching for his deck only to find it missing. He swore; he must have dropped it when Serket was hurt. He rolled back his sleeves, preparing to enter the battle with his own muscle, but Téa noticed what he was doing.
"You promised!" she cried at him, before a Queen Bird silenced her with a feathery slap across the face. Whiptail Crow grabbed one of her arms again in its large talons; her escape attempt was useless.
"You promised!"
Odion's feet started carrying him backwards by himself. He watched Téa struggling, hating himself, hating all the promises he'd made and those he'd broken. Finally, when Téa gave up the fight and the Rare Hunters reclaimed her, he slipped away into the night. When they finally pulled themselves together enough to look for him, he was long gone.