Sakakku
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Notes: I hope the first parts of this don't seem rushed. I tried my best. (I also didn't want to bore people)
Aah, about that PG-13 rating? Although it's for language in other parts, it's primarily for violence. Gory violence. I apologize to the squeamish; it's not exactly fun for me to write about either. This is the worst chapter; everything else should be tame if you can get through this. I thought you had remarkably good reactions to Kaya's death… let's see if it's the same after this chapter.
To answer the question of why the 'gang' doesn't seem to be concerned for Ryou and Malik: I guess I showed last chapter that Joey was glad to see Ryou. It's just one of those things that's always in the back of their minds, but never ends up actually being discussed. But they care, don't worry.
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Chapter 25
xXx
Bakura felt dizzy.
He also felt torn in two. One part of him dimly registered his light hugging him, holding his hand; reassuring him. He wanted to thank Ryou. He wanted to break out of the cage that had held him the last few years.
But even as he tried, his vision clouded. A wave of black seemed to wash over, from the edges out; until all he could see were the God Cards. Obelisk.
Slifer.
Ra.
They were calling to him.
x
Ryou watched Bakura anxiously. His yami's eyes began to flutter. "Bakura, are you okay?" he dared to whisper. "Are you… are you back?"
"Let me go, little light," Bakura snarled in response.
"No!" Ryou cried, and with a swift motion Bakura threw him off and stood up. In an instant, their positions were reversed. Now Bakura was grabbing Ryou's arm and holding it tightly; Ryou struggled in vain.
Bakura eyed the chaos he'd made, stopping to look briefly at Kaya. "Hmp," he snorted, then began dragging Ryou away. The first door they came to, Bakura shoved open. "Get in there, Ryou, and don't make any trouble," he said, pushing him in roughly. "I've got something to take care of."
Ryou stood alone in the dark. He didn't know which room he was in; but feeling around it was a storage room of sorts. Either way, it was small and cramped, and pitch-black. And there didn't seem to a knob on the inside; he didn't even feel a door. Just stone.
It took him all of five minutes to panic. "Bakura!" he shrieked, pounding on the stone. "Bakura! Anyone! Help!"
xXx
Bakura and Marik hadn't allowed anyone to go near the God Cards. Their paranoia about them was boundless.
There was a door to the far, far west of the palace. Through the door was a maze of hallways. Choose the right one, and you came to another door. This one was locked with any and all spells Bakura, Marik, and their three Millennium Items could come up with. If the person passing through knew how to undo the spells, they could pass through.
If they didn't, they would be killed instantly.
It was to this wing Bakura came. He passed through the first door, maneuvered through the hallways with ease, and dismantled the spells on the last door. He entered an ancient, dusty room and approached the raised platform in the middle. Carefully lifting the three panes of glass, Bakura removed the God Cards from their sacred rest. The moment he touched them, the queasy feeling he'd had since he exploded the hallway went away. He forgot about Kaya, dismissed the mess, didn't care about Ryou.
He felt…
Powerful.
xXx
"Take this," Bakura said, placing Ra in front of Marik's nose.
Marik's eyebrows shot up. "What is the meaning of this?" he hissed, snatching up the card nonetheless.
"The Pharaoh is here. No sense in taking chances," Bakura shrugged.
"And…?"
Bakura smirked. "And I needed them. You do too, don't you?"
"Yeeess…" Marik said, letting out a breath. Gently, he stroked the Winged Dragon of Ra and sighed in satisfaction.
Bakura tucked Obelisk the Tormentor and Slifer the Sky Dragon into his tunic with great care; Marik didn't miss it. "I notice you have two?" he asked, lifting his eyes.
Bakura shrugged. "I let you have the most powerful of all. Do you wish to switch?"
"No…" Marik said, considering. "No, this is perfect. Between us, we'll crush anyone that stands in our way."
"And I know who we'll crush first," Bakura said, narrowing his eyes.
"Hmm…"
"Come on," Bakura said abruptly. "Let's circle the palace and check up on security. I have a feeling something strange was going on with the Rare Hunters earlier…"
"Do you?" Marik asked, rising.
"Yes…" Bakura mused. "We'll see."
xXx
After leaving Ryou, Joey began dashing through the halls at top speed. The Rare Hunter robes were a little big on him, seeing as they had once belonged to Odion; but it didn't matter. If anyone caught him running like this, no disguise would help him anyway.
Then why was he running? A feeling. And if there was one thing he'd learned in the last year, it was to trust his feelings.
And maybe it wasn't just him, either. He'd recently felt something. Something dark and evil and cold, sweeping over the palace in a rush. Something alive; something powerful.
And combating it was another, subtler feeling. Another sensation of magic. This was a subtle feeling, powerful nonetheless; golden and pure. He shrugged uncomfortably; it felt like Yami. And it made him worried.
So he rushed onward. On his left was a door marked by a series of lines, climbing upward. He hesitated, then pushed the door tentatively.
It swung open easily, revealing a flight of stairs.
Joey paused only a moment before heading up. There was no time to waste and the golden feeling was stronger here. He passed by a series of stencil drawings on the walls of the staircase; Millennium symbols winked at him from all sides. It was oddly comforting to be in here. Even more reassuring was when he reached the top and pushed at the ceiling; it lifted to reveal clear blue sky. Joey climbed onto the roof, breathing deeply; the fresh air felt wonderful and freeing after the closed palace.
He wandered to the edge, cautiously glancing over. The grounds looked a lot different from up here. It was a vast expanse of green, and the wall looked fresh and white. It all seemed so clean, so peaceful and idyllic. He snorted, thinking of the irony.
Someone was moving down below, far to the left. Joey thought for a moment it was a Rare Hunter, but something about the figure was off. If it was a Rare Hunter, they had their hood down. And the cape didn't look so much like a traditional Rare Hunter outfit as a…
A trenchcoat.
He debated calling to Seto Kaiba. But he was afraid of drawing attention not only to himself, but to the brown-haired boy below. He hadn't seen him in a year; he surprised himself by being thrilled to catch sight of Kaiba now. It meant that someone he'd known before was alive and well… and in here. What was Kaiba planning? Why was he out in the open like this? It was dangerous. Unless… Kaiba was betraying Yami.
Scanning the grounds, he caught sight of an odd-looking tree. It was short and low and flat on top. That was why Joey could see what probably wasn't visible to the people below: a human. Hiding in the tree.
Even if his heart hadn't skipped a beat, even if his skin hadn't begun tingling; he could have recognized the hair. His oldest friend, next to Tristan and Yugi and Téa. The world's last hope; Bakura and Marik's greatest foe. The once-Pharaoh, Yami.
Hiding in a tree?
xXx
Yami shifted in the tree; this sort of thing was really more up Yugi's alley. But his hikari wasn't here, and he could only hope the boy was safe. He trusted Ishizu and Shadi- even if he hadn't; he hardly had a choice.
He was now confident that the Rare Hunters wouldn't be able to sense his power; he'd been working on masking it. Shadi had seemed doubtful, said he could still feel magic, but Shadi was on his side. Friends he was willing to share with, but enemies would have trouble detecting anything, like the guards he'd walked right past on his way in here.
Unless, of course, they were powerful enemies.
He'd intended to find the God Cards, to get them from inside the palace. He hadn't decided yet whether he would take all three and risk their black magic, or if it would be safe to leave one of them behind. He thought that he might just take Slifer and Ra, but he was hesitant to do that. Perhaps Yugi was right; someone should have accompanied him. Although, of course, he would never allow his hikari to take such a risk. Where was Kaiba? For that matter, where was Joey? Odion had guessed that he'd be here. Had he been caught? Had he turned back?
In the next second, he caught sight of Seto Kaiba, strolling across the vast lawn as if he owned it. His heart leapt and sank at once.
He hadn't seen Seto Kaiba in a year; when they parted it had been as foes. Yet he knew instinctively that Kaiba would aid him now; Kaiba would carry the third God Card.
But the problem was, Kaiba was so rash. Even now, it was putting him in danger. Kaiba had no fear, and that was a risk. If the Rare Hunters saw him now…
But, as he found out in the next minute, he had larger problems. He didn't know why Bakura and Marik decided to take a walk around their grounds. At this point, it hardly mattered. They knew he was somewhere nearby immediately; Yami's one gratification was that they were completely taken off guard.
He refused to be hunted down and flushed out. Jumping with ease, he landed on the ground, deck in hand before his feet touched the grass. The All Seeing White Tiger suddenly flashed before his eyes- but he dismissed it. Right now, to fight was to live- and he had to live above all else.
"Well, well, well," Marik drawled.
"Look what we have here," Bakura said, taking a few steps forward slowly. Yami moved ahead to meet the challenge.
"The… 'Pharaoh'," Marik said, voice dripping with acid. "Finally, we have you."
"We will finally meet, face-to-face, in a Duel," Yami said, folding his arms. "No more of your cowardice. No more pitting my friends against me. It's just you and me, Marik."
"And me," Bakura said, stepping forward with a scowl. "I defeated your friend Seto Kaiba, Pharaoh, and don't you forget it."
"I never will," a new voice said.
The three of them whirled around to see Seto Kaiba standing there, arms crossed, permanent scowl on his lips. "I never will," Seto repeated, glaring. "And I'm here to avenge that."
"You'll lose all the same," Bakura said confidently.
"We'll see." Seto swiftly shoved the sleeves of his trenchcoat back. "You and Marik. Me and Yami. We'll win."
"Rare Hunters," Marik commanded, raising his voice so it echoed across the open grounds. "Prepare to Duel!"
"I refuse to Duel these second-raters!" Seto bellowed back. "You cowards!"
"Strategists," Bakura smirked, letting the Rare Hunters at his side move in front of him.
"All right, then," Yami said, drawing a card. He glanced at it briefly: Magician of Black Chaos. Knowing the next card, he pulled Dark Magic Ritual. "I'll start strong!" he called, as the cards began to glow. There was no turning back now.
xXx
Joey watched from the roof as Marik, Bakura, and assorted Rare Hunters approached Yami, who jumped down from the tree at their approach. Seto Kaiba, seeing the events unfold, moved swiftly over.
As Joey stared hopelessly, Rare Hunters began swarming from all over the palace grounds. Yami was the first one to pull off a Summoning, bringing out Magician of Black Chaos. Joey's brows raised; his friend was starting big.
Duel Monsters began appearing. Shapesnatcher. Soul Eater. Kryuel. Dark Dust Spirit. Royal Keeper, Des Lacooda, Inpachi. Warrior Dai Grepher, Frontier Wiseman, Wolf Axewielder. Hysteric Fairy. Spherous Lady. So many…
Kaiba, in typical fashion, pulled out a dragon. Not his usual Blue Eyes; this time he chose Hyozanryu. Joey supposed he was waiting for something big.
The battle started, but Joey quickly refocused his attention. He needed to get down from here, so he could join the Duel and help Yami and Kaiba. They were way outnumbered.
Directly below was a lake. It reached all the way up to the wall of the palace, so if he jumped down he would land safely in water. But… he gulped. It was awfully far.
Of course, this didn't stop him for a second. He dove in headfirst, falling for what seemed like an eternity before plunging into the water.
He floundered to the surface, a little dazed; his head had taken the brunt of the impact, not to mention that his heavy clothes were weighing him down. Gasping for air, he managed to bring his fist above the water, wondering which of his Monsters would be best fit here. Certainly not the Flame Swordsman.
"Alligator Sword!"
The reptilian Monster emerged under Joey, supporting him loosely. Joey coughed and spit out a few mouthfuls of water, regaining his senses.
"Okay," he said finally, looking up. It looked like Yami and Kaiba were winning! "Time for me to join this fight- Rocket Warrior!"
Rocket Warrior, upon being Summoned, immediately took on its invincible mode. The Monster swooped directly into battle, plowing over three of the Rare Hunter's Monsters. One of them, already weakened, disappeared right away. Another one, Wolf Axewielder, was knocked into Hyozanryu, who plunged its horn directly into the Monster's leg. With a howl, Wolf Axewielder disappeared.
"What?" roared several voices at once. Joey, being towed to the shore by Alligator Sword, couldn't help but grin.
xXx
Seto noted coolly that he and Yami had an advantage, but they would have to press it. Even a slight stumble would cause them to lose the Duel, and most likely their lives.
He Summoned a Blue Eyes White Dragon at last, noticing how much easier it was. He had a moment to feel smugly victorious, until he noticed Yami pulling out Dark Magician Girl to join the Magician of Black Chaos and Dark Magician he already had out. The Millennium Puzzle was glowing so brightly Seto couldn't look at it for long, and he realized that the Puzzle was giving him most of the power for the Summonings. Scowling, Seto grabbed Lord of Dragons, intending to use the combination he'd worked on with Duke in the desert.
Out of nowhere, what looked like a missile sped by. Although it passed far away from him, Seto still felt a slight wind when the rocket passed. It shot directly through three of the Rare Hunter's Monsters; one was taken out right away. Hyozanryu ridded the field of a second Monster.
"What?" Seto cried as the missile slowed and spun around, ready for another pass. He saw it briefly: Rocket Warrior. His mind immediately shot back to a year ago, watching Yugi/Yami duel Marik/Malik/Joey.
"Wheeler!" he said sharply, seeing Joey emerge from the right. The fact that he was sopping wet and wearing Rare Hunter robes barely even surprised him.
"Joey!" Yami cried, turning from his trio of magicians.
"In the flesh," Joey grinned, winking at his best friend and best rival. "I have to say, guys, I'm really glad to see you. Both of you," he added, raising his eyebrows at Kaiba.
Seto ignored him, clenching his teeth in annoyance. "Flute of Summoning Dragons, help me bring out my two Blue Eyes!" he called, holding the card up. Joey, finally catching on, brought out the Flame Swordsman.
The battle didn't last long. Yami, Joey, and Kaiba were outnumbered, but they were far stronger. Viciously, or perhaps realistically, their Monsters moved in on the Rare Hunters after the Hunter's Monsters were defeated. Unconscious, they could no longer fight against the others. Some of the Rare Hunters needed no prompting from the Dark Magician's staff; they collapsed after exhausting their magic reserves.
Bakura and Marik glared in annoyance at their fallen Rare Hunters. Yami was sweating from exertion; the only Monster he had left was Dark Magician Girl. She was glancing around nervously at the Monsters on either side. To her right was the Flame Swordsman; hovering above him was Rocket Warrior. Joey stood underneath Rocket Warrior, hands on his hips, shoving the Rare Hunter cloak back. On her left, Seto Kaiba stood with his arms crossed; one Blue Eyes and Lord of Summoning Dragons had survived.
"Your Hunters have failed," Yami announced. "It's time to face us."
"Very well, then," Bakura snarled. "We'll defeat you ourselves!" His eyes were wild and black. Black? They had once been brown, just a few shades darker than Ryou's.
"What's wrong with you?" Yami asked in alarm, causing Joey and Kaiba to look at him in astonishment.
"What?" Bakura demanded.
"Something's wrong!" Yami looked from Bakura to Marik, remembering what Shadi and Ishizu had told him. He felt the dark energy around the two literally crackle in the air. "By the Gods…" he breathed, realizing what had happened even before Bakura and Marik brought their three cards out.
"Be crushed by the card you once held!" Bakura roared, directing the comment at Seto. The air grew hot and heavy and the wind whipped at Seto's face; he desperately tried to fight it. "And the same goes for you!" he added, thrusting Slifer the Sky Dragon forward. In the air above Yami, a swirling vortex appeared, kicking up a storm that ripped at the grass. The leaves on the tree that the Pharaoh had been crouching in tore off by the handful.
"And the last and greatest of the three Gods," Marik screamed in triumph, holding up Ra with a sick glee. "Come forth and fight! Fight for us! KILL FOR US!!"
Yami stared up, needing to crane his neck as far back as possible. Obelisk towered over them, and Ra landed on the ground nearby. Everything shook so hard that Joey, caught unprepared, was knocked to his knees. Slifer let out an ear-splitting screech and flapped its powerful wings once, speeding straight up into the sky.
"You are already defeated!" Bakura declared as Obelisk's huge fist came crashing down. It pinned Flame Swordsman and Rocket Warrior together, and the last of Joey's Monsters disappeared with a final anguished cry.
Slifer, diving down, caught up Dark Magician Girl in its first mouth and Lord of Dragons in its second mouth. Yami quickly glanced away, silently apologizing to the Monsters for this end. They deserved better.
The Blue Eyes White Dragon, showing the same determination as its master, launched an attack at Ra. Ra didn't bother to get out of the way; the attack did nothing. However, Ra's counter-attack obliterated the Blue Eyes in a second.
Yami, Joey and Kaiba stood in utter shock. They had barely had time to react before their last defense was wiped away. Joey struggled to his feet, angrily shouting "You jerks!"
"Joey, don't!" Yami tried to say, but it was too late. Annoyed, Slifer lashed its tail once. Once was enough. It whizzed through the air at unbelievable speed, striking Joey in the back. His cards went flying and Joey soared through the air, landing twenty feet away in a crumpled heap. Dazed, Seto guessed that he'd broken his back and probably quite a few limbs. If Joey ever recovered, he'd probably be paralyzed for life. Not that it mattered. It was doubtful Marik and Bakura would let him live that long.
And, judging by the state of things, he and Yami were next.
xXx
Yami stared after Joey, his head swimming. Ignoring the three Gods surrounding him, he started toward his best friend. "What have you done?" he roared at Marik and Bakura. "How dare you? Look at the lives you have ruined! Look at the damage you have called! HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSEL-" he was cut off abruptly. Slifer, bored with him, lashed its tail once more. Yami managed to dive out of the way, but it was speeding straight toward Kaiba. For a moment, it looked like Seto would avoid it as well, but the very end of the tail clipped his shoulder and he went sprawling across the grass. Ra chose that moment to launch an attack at the former Pharaoh.
Yami watched the golden beam of light coming towards him; he didn't try to run away. Briefly, his Puzzle lit up and surrounded him with a powerful aura. It wasn't enough.
xXx
The impact was dizzying, the pain was reeling. Through a haze over his eyes, Seto looked up to see Yami, all by himself, holding back the stream of energy Ra had just released. With a deafening shattering sound, Yami's magic broke forever. The God's attack washed over him, obliterating Yami's body. Seto stared up in disbelief; what was left of the Puzzle was a mangled, molten, burned lump of gold. Nothing more. Ever.
Bakura and Marik, no remorse evident, surveyed the field. It was the most depressing thing Seto had ever seen. Rare Hunters lay unconscious, scattered over the lawn. Obelisk, Slifer, and Ra stood among the torn-up grass, eyeing the last resting place of the Pharaoh and the near-dead Joey Wheeler. Joey's cards were scattered across the grass, never again to be used by the boy.
"Excellent," Marik said in satisfaction.
Obelisk slowly swiveled to look at Seto. For the first time in his life, Seto knew fear. Pure, unclouded, distorting fear. After everything he'd been through… he hadn't expected it to end like this.
He scrambled forward, trying to crawl toward one of Wheeler's cards. Obelisk, almost lazily, lifted a foot. Seto lunged forward, brushing two fingers across the edge of the card. It glowed white, but too late.
Obelisk stomped down on Seto, grinding its foot for good measure and effectively ending the life of the former High Priest of Egypt.