Sakakku
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Chapter 26
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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…
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…
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… In his last few seconds of life, Seto could have sworn he heard a ticking noise. Then a deep gong, and the world started to spin- Marik screamed angrily- Bakura lunged at something, and then everything disappeared-
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Joey felt the warmth rush over his body. It felt nice. All the pain he'd been experiencing only a moment ago- was gone. No more physical pain; his body had felt nearly snapped in half- and the pain of losing to Marik and Bakura seemed somehow washed away. He was standing on legs that felt a little wobbly but were supporting him fine.
Above him was a brilliant golden sun and a vast stretch of blue sky. It was beautiful. If this was the afterlife, it wasn't so bad.
He walked forward a few feet, to the edge of whatever he was standing on. It was a smooth white plateau, it looked like he could be atop a building of some sort. He peered over the edge: A crystal lake below him, followed by an expanse of bright green grass. He inhaled deeply; he didn't smell anything save the distant scent of the desert.
Circling this area was a wall. It closely resembled the wall around the palace Marik and Bakura resided in.
In fact, this resembled the rooftop of the palace. This was exactly the view he'd had an hour earlier. Carefully studying the lawn below, he spotted the brown hair of Seto Kaiba. The boy was standing still, looking down at something. In the tree was Yami, rising from a crouch to stand upright and gaze around.
This couldn't be right…
xXx
Seto's world went black, then white. Blinking rapidly, things cleared and solidified.
There was the tree Yami was in. There was the palace to his left and the wall to his right. Down was the grass, up was the sky. But where was Obelisk? Where was the pain? Where was the death?
His trenchcoat was no longer dirty and torn. His deck was back in its usual place, strapped tightly to his waist.
In his hand he held a card. Not one of his cards. Wheeler's card. The card he'd scrambled for the instant Obelisk wiped his life out.
He stared at Joey's card in disbelief. The dog's dumb luck had pulled through again. This time, it had saved them all.
He held the Time Wizard.
xXx
"Kaiba!" Yami called, albeit softly. He wasn't sure yet where they were. Gracefully, he swung himself down from the tree, pausing to look warily around. No sign of Marik and Bakura, and he was sure he'd see the God Cards if they were anywhere around.
He rushed at Kaiba, although the boy made no move to meet him halfway. Apparently Seto Kaiba couldn't be bothered.
But as Yami neared him, he noticed that Kaiba's face was even paler than when he'd seen him last. "Kaiba?" he asked curiously, wondering what had happened. He had a faint memory of Ra attacking him- a darkgold beam of energy, rushing over his body- the failed defense- the pain and agony and disappointment and fear and dark-
He shuddered. "What happened?" he mused, partially to himself. He didn't expect a response.
But it seemed Kaiba had the answer. A scowl growing on his face, he thrust the Time Wizard in front of Yami's nose. "This happened," he growled.
Yami stared at the Time Wizard, blurry images rushing through his head. "But I thought Joey…" his sentence trailed off, thinking of Joey's broken back.
"I summoned it," Kaiba said shortly, still glaring at him. Yami couldn't understand why he wasn't rejoicing.
"Heeeee-ey!"
Joey was trying to attract their attention without being too loud, but shouting was inevitable. When the two boys looked up at him, he flailed his arms frantically.
Seto was disgusted with himself; his heart had given a quick jump of fear when he saw Wheeler. He'd forgotten the mutt had been wearing Rare Hunter robes.
"Don't come down!" Yami mouthed, although Seto doubted Joey could see him. To illustrate his point, Yami shook his head negatively and made chopping motions with his arms. Then he pointed from himself to Seto, back up to the roof of the palace. Again, Seto was annoyed that Wheeler seemed to comprehend before he did. "We'll come up to you."
Yami turned to Seto, who was deliberately avoiding looking at him. "I'll Summon a creature to take us up there," he said, reaching for his deck and leafing through.
"I can Summon my own Monster," Seto replied snappishly. He didn't want to ride on anything Yami came up with.
Yami gave him an exasperated look, seeing right through him. "It's not an important issue, Kaiba," he growled warningly, "and the fate of the world depends on secrecy."
Seto swore Yami just liked saying that by now. The fate of the world, destiny, heart of the cards, blah blah blah. But he reluctantly let Yami come stand next to them, and when Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress was Summoned they flew up to the rooftop.
Joey was pacing back and forth in agitation. "Don't you think Marik and Bakura will sense that?" he demanded the second they touched the roof, then hit his head. "What does it matter?" he bemoaned to himself. "We're dead…"
"You're even dumber than I thought," Seto sneered, ignoring Yami's warning glance. "Look around, Wheeler. We're not dead."
"Then what…" Joey began, but Seto tossed the Time Wizard at him. Seto was annoyed, and it wasn't a gentle toss, but Joey managed to catch it anyway. Turning it over in his hands, he peered at it closely.
"Is this mine?"
"Your genius never fails to amaze me," Seto grumbled.
"How'd you get it?"
"I Summoned it," Seto replied, folding his arms. "After you were knocked unconscious."
"My back was broken," Joey corrected, still frowning at the card. "Do you mean…"
"Yes," Yami cut in. "The Time Wizard took us back long enough to escape Marik and Bakura."
"But…" Joey began, confused. "I don't get all this time-travel stuff. Shouldn't the same thing have happened? Where are those two?"
"Time isn't a set thing, Joey," Yami attempted to explain. "It's like… like a maze. Or a tapestry. You might follow one thread, or one road, but there are billions of paths to choose from. Because of the Time Wizard's special ability, we have the option of living out another timeline. Marik and Bakura, this turn around, must have chosen not to venture outside."
"Hmp," Seto grumbled, but didn't argue with him.
Joey stared at the Time Wizard a few seconds longer before replacing it in with the rest of his deck. "Well, I still don't get it," he declared, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. "But as long as we're not dead…"
"No," Yami said, grinning faintly. Joey looked at him- this was technically their first real reunion.
"Hey…" he said, smiling. "Hey, old buddy. How've you been?"
Yami considered. "Let me put it this way: I've had better years."
Joey burst out laughing and lunged at Yami, hugging him tightly. "I can't believe we're together again!" he said happily. "Hey, I bet you're wondering why I'm wearing a Rare Hunter cloak!"
"Not really," Yami admitted. "You see, Odion found his way back to Shadi and Ishizu's underground home, where Yugi and Mai and I were."
"You all met up?" Joey asked in surprise, running over a list of people in his mind. "Wow… hey, Serenity was with you, right? She's safe? She'd better be."
Yami bit his lip. He didn't know how Joey had found out, but it hardly mattered. He wasn't sure if he'd take this news well or horribly.
"We got separated," he admitted, all of a sudden feeling that old plunge of guilt. He shouldn't have left her, even if she had been with Tristan and Duke! He should have gone back into that village and sought her out, making sure she was safe! He should have kept her by his side, protecting her- that's what Joey would have wanted. And it was his responsibility, right?
Right?
Yugi's face hovered in his minds eye, repeating the words Yami had never really found reassuring: 'You can't be everywhere. You can't do everything. The most important thing right now is to take care of yourself, because you're the one the world needs. Serenity will be okay, I'm sure of it.'
"What?" Joey was staring at him, wide-eyed. "Are you serious?" He reached out and grabbed his friend's shoulder, gripping it hard. "My little sister?"
"Calm down, Joey," Yami urged, feeling somewhere inside him that Joey would be justified if he threw Yami off the roof. "She's with Duke and Tristan."
For a second Joey's face cleared, then it darkened again. "Serenity… Why didn't you take care of her?" He looked at Yami, ready to yell, but caught a glimpse of his friend's eyes. For a second, he was pulled inside, spiraling down, sinking deep into Yami's guilt. He glanced away, unable to maintain eye contact.
"I'm sure she's okay," Yami said half-heartedly.
"Yeah…" Joey murmured, his thoughts a million miles away. "Serenity's tougher than she looks."
Even Seto Kaiba thought it would be too rude to snort disagreeably at this point.
xXx
"Excuse me?" Serenity asked politely, wondering what this woman was like.
"What do you want?" Mel grumbled. Serenity was pretty sure Mel was alone- after all, who thought that a blind girl could do anything against even one Rare Hunter? Even Serenity doubted that she could pull this off.
But she was sure going to try. For Mai's sake. For Joey's sake. So that she wouldn't become a simple bargaining chip to be used against Yami and Yugi, the boys who had risked so much to help her and the world.
"Where are you?" Serenity had a pretty good idea, judging by the location of Mel's voice, but she needed to be exact.
"I'm standing off to your right," Mel said in a surly tone, and Serenity adjusted direction, moving slowly forward. "What is it?"
Serenity thought she was right in front of the Rare Hunter now. "My- my side," she said, touching it gently, as if it were sore. Carefully, she slipped her hand into the folds of her robes, pretending that she was rubbing flesh. "It hurts. I think it might be bruised."
"Are you bleeding?" Mel asked in mild interest.
"No…" Serenity closed her fist around the bottle.
"Do you think anything's broken?"
"I doubt it." She gently used her fingernail to pry the lid off the bottle, pausing to take a deep breath before she opened it. It wouldn't do to inhale any of the powerful herbs.
"Then Marik and Bakura won't care," Mel said with finality. Serenity didn't answer; Mel seemed to notice. "What are you doing now? Is something else the matter?"
She was lucky; Mel bent her face down to Serenity's. Even though she couldn't see it, she could feel it. Bringing her arm and the bottle out into the open in one sharp motion, Serenity thrust the bottle at Mel. She felt it hit the Rare Hunter's face, smashing the nose, and felt a quick pang of guilt.
"Hey!" Mel shrieked, and Serenity sensed her leaping backwards. The redheaded girl tossed the bottle away from herself, in Mel's general direction, and stepped backwards as well, tentatively breathing.
"What do you think you're d…" By the end of the sentence, Mel's voice trailed off entirely. Serenity heard a muffled thump, as if the woman had slid to the floor, followed by heavy breathing. It was thick breathing, as if the woman were choking on something. Serenity hoped Mel would be okay- despite the woman's status, she didn't want to hurt anyone. She counted on the fact that the sleeping herbs had never harmed her before.
Serenity hesitated before taking the next step. For over a year, she'd worn these bandages. They were a part of her and she'd grown accustomed to her lack of vision. She didn't even know yet if the operation had been successful.
Joey… I wish you were here, big brother, I need you now. You could lend me your courage.
Mai… thanks for all your support. You've become closer to me than I ever thought possible in these last few months. You've always taken care of me and I appreciate that.
Yugi and Yami. I was glad to meet you. The both of you seem so brave; I wish I could be like that.
Duke and Tristan- thanks, guys. I know you did your best. And I know what you'd want me to do now.
I know what everyone would want me to do. It's just… I'm so afraid.
But I have to.
Not wanting her first sight to be the surely-miserable room she was captive in, with the sleeping Rare Hunter, Serenity stumbled over to the window across the room. She was surprised to find that it was open, and she put her hands on the ledge to steady herself for a moment. It was quiet outside; a light and warm breeze fluttered into the room. She took a few deep, slow breaths, and began to unwind the bandages on her eyes.
She kept her lashes closed as she methodically rolled up the bandage and stuck it into the folds of her robes. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes for the first time in so many months.
Her first cue that the operation had been successful was the blinding sunlight that struck her vision. Gasping, she squeezed her eyes shut again, seeing sunspots dancing across her eyelids. She rejoiced in the sensation.
It took her much longer than she expected to adjust. Towards the end, she grew afraid that the Rare Hunter would wake up again. But eventually, her eyes were strong enough for her to look out over the grounds.
A broad, smooth roof stretched about ten feet below the window, ending abruptly to reveal a huge expanse of lawn. A marble white wall encircled the lawn, and beyond was the desert; golden white sand as far as the eye could see. Off to the right was the western border of Akuma; she could see the village line, with the giant palace she was standing in marking the southernmost point of the city.
The sky was bluer than she remembered, bluer than she had ever dreamed. Tears sprung up as she stared straight up, shielding her still-tender eyes from the sun with one hand.
Her first sight of the world in a year. It was perfect. She even forgot she was still a prisoner of Marik and Bakura.
That is, until a resounding roar broke the air, the wall broke apart in a cloud of rubble, and the Red Eyes Black Dragon came smashing through.