Story Title: Even in Death
Chapter Title: The Arrival
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Summary: A new tournament has been unveiled, to be held at a top secret location and headed by an obscure researcher. However, when the duelists arrive, there is more going on than a simple Duel Monsters battle . . .
A collaboration fic with author Cymoril Avalon.
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Ilene shifted anxiously as she stared off into space and shivered, rubbing her arms and trying desperately to ignore the cold slowly creeping through her. Pleasant though the weather was, a sharp breeze made waiting at the designated bus stop a rather uncomfortable affair for her, dressed in a skimpy tank top and skirt as she was. She had expected it to be sunnier and warmer, considering the time of the year, and had heard distant rumors that some of the male duelists invited to participate in the new tournament were attractive, and so had shown up dressed to impress. Alas, while her outfit looked nice, it was not very practical.
She shifted her stance and absently kicked at her luggage, feeling tempted to set it upright and attempt to sit on it; her feet were beginning to ache. However, she had a feeling that however stuffed the leopard-print luggage was, it would not sustain her weight. With a heavy sigh, she fidgeted some more and eyed the sky, lamenting the approaching storm and the fact that she did not bring an umbrella and now her clothes would probably get ruined and, oh, what a terrible day this was turning out to be. First Jessica had pried her out of bed at an ungodly hour, and now this interminable waiting!
"Oh relax, Ilene, I am sure the bus will arrive soon," a soft voice chided her. Ilene blinked, breaking away from her thoughts and glancing at her companion. Her eyes narrowed as she took in her friend's much more practical outfit and muttered under her breath before pointing dramatically toward the empty road.
"It's a half an hour late, Jess!" she stated as if her proclamation would make the bus appear instantaneously. "Whoever organized this tournament really needs to brush up on their punctuality! It's terribly rude to leave such delicate and obviously attractive females waiting in such brutal weather." She paused briefly, ignoring Jessica's rolling eyes, and then lowered her voice so that only her friend would hear. "Though I must say, the. . . scenery. . . is awfully nice."
Her friend followed her gaze to a white-haired boy standing a little apart from the small group of people milling around the desolate bus stop. His hair was long and spiky, his dark eyes were cold and had a cruel tilt to them, his stance was arrogant, and he was openly sneering at a few people. A large, gaudy necklace hung around his neck, a ring of sorts with five pointers dangling down his chest. Jessica quickly decided that he was not a person she would want to speak to, and she shook her head at her friend. "You really know how to pick them. You should stick to boys your own age."
As if sensing their scrutiny, the white-haired boy shifted his gaze to the two girls. Ilene flushed and quickly looked away, absently wrapping her arms around herself like a shield. Jessica shivered, stepping closer to her friend. Definitely not a nice person, she thought.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Ilene said once she had recovered, sounding unimpressed though her cheeks were still burning. "Don't act like you haven't been making calf-eyes at that Egyptian this whole time!"
Jessica froze and found herself blushing brighter than her friend. Indeed, she had been. . . admiring. . . a young Egyptian with a shock of blonde hair. He was dressed simply in a hooded, sleeveless shirt and cargo pants, and had an odd-looking scepter of some sort attached to his hip. Jessica had also noticed that another of the boys had what seemed to be an abnormally large pyramid pendant around his neck. The Egyptian and the boy with the pyramid were deep in conversation about something, and from the looks of things, it was getting quite heated.
Ilene returned her gaze to the lonely road they stood by, squinting and swearing none too quietly. A chill breeze swept past, tugging at her dark hair and teasing her into a shiver. Still feeling the gaze of the white-haired boy, she found herself absently smoothing her blood red skirt and matching red and black corset-like tank top. She continued silently berating herself for not thinking of bringing some sort of coat or cardigan, all the while eyeing Jessica's warmer attire. She gave a violent start as a warm sweater was draped over her shoulder and she gasped.
"You seem a little cold," a gentle voice said from behind. "I'm sorry if I startled you."
She turned around and looked up at what seemed to be, at first glance, the white-haired boy she had been staring at earlier. However, this boy was a little bit younger, shorter, and somehow softer. His dark eyes were a large and gentle brown, and his hair was tame and looked silky. He had an easy smile and a shy, affable air about him. His voice was quiet and heavily accented. She presumed he was from England.
"Thank you," Ilene said softly, blinking up at the boy and wondering if she was the oldest person here. Jessica watched the exchange curiously and could barely suppress the smirk at the intrigued look in her friend's eyes.
The boy bowed his head slightly. "You're welcome. I presume you are a fellow duelist? My name is Bakura Ryou."
"I'm Ilene," the girl said jovially, falling into the bad American habit of omitting her last name. "This is Jessica. She has a thing for that Egyptian boy over there."
Jessica flushed and smacked Ilene on the arm before smiling brightly at the perplexed boy. "Pleased to meet you, Ryou!"
"Likewise," he said, still smiling. However, his smile faded as he looked at something beyond the two girls. A look of almost sheer terror flitted across his face, and then he mumbled something vaguely like a pardon and ambled away. Jessica glanced over her shoulder to see the older white-haired boy glaring at them menacingly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Before she could react, however, a brewing fight between two other boys snared her attention.
"Stop calling me a puppy!"
Turning around, Ilene found herself mesmerized by a tall man, his boyish brown hair waving in the cool breeze. His piercing blue eyes bore into Ilene's darker orbs for an agonizingly delicious moment, and then turned back to his argument with a messy-haired blonde duelist. His white trench coat fell behind him like a cape, his black outfit magnifying the contempt on his face. "I'm only reporting the truth, Joey Wheeler. You're a weak and insignificant third-rate duelist, still masquerading behind the belief that having a friend such as Yuugi will miraculously cause you to win duels."
"Kaiba! Why I oughta…"
Ilene found herself staring at the boy in the white trench coat in distress. She recognized him – who wouldn't? – and she could hardly believe that she would be participating in a tournament with the likes of him. My chances of getting far in this contest just plummeted, she thought sulkily. Indeed, Kaiba Seto's reputation preceded him. She could only hope that he was somehow eliminated before she came up against him.
"Ilene," Jessica said in a hushed whisper, jarring Ilene from her intent eavesdropping. "I cannot believe this guy!" She thrust her chin toward the duelist with layered white hair and eyes so cold they could freeze the Sahara. "I don't know what he's saying, but he's totally scaring his twin."
A few feet away, Ryou held a look of horror on his face, the expression twisting and morphing, sadness peeking timidly behind his eyes like a narrow beam of sunlight in a sky filled with dark rain clouds.
Anger exploded from Ilene's heart, seeming to flood her veins with stinging wasps and emboldening her with the sort of power only anger could. The boy had just offered up his sweater, and he gets this in return? Hugging the article of clothing closer to her shoulders, Ilene began to march over to the boys before she had time to think things through, Jessica close on her heels. "Be careful with that one. He looks dangerous," the younger girl breathed quietly.
Before Ilene had the chance to tell him off, a rumbling was heard in the distance. Emerging from the murky soup of morning darkness like a monster growling for food, a bus parked slowly by the duelists. The bus seemed to glow an unearthly color, and Ilene stared at the vehicle, feeling an intense desire to turn around and leave and forget about this tournament that she knew she could not win anyway. She squinted, but she was unable to even pick out the driver.
The weather had been growing considerably darker and more foreboding, thunder roaring its anger high overhead. Darkness slowly showed its ugly face, creeping through the world from the depths of the shadows, encroaching on the small group and extending its spectral tendrils toward them hungrily.
"I think the sky is trying to tell us something," Ilene whispered to her friend as she backed up, stopping only when she collided with her luggage and nearly fell over. Jessica blinked and regarded the older girl with some amusement; Ilene had always been rather melodramatic.
"It's about time," Kaiba muttered arrogantly, crossing his arms across his chest and glaring at the bus.
A small boy with the same hairstyle as Ryou, only black, nodded hurriedly. His olive skin seemed unnatural in the dreary weather, his gray eyes large and filled with adoration as he gazed up at the tall duelist. "I know. It's cold here, Seto." His yellow-checkered shirt reminded Jessica of that of a cowboy's. All he needed was a hat and lasso to finish the look. Ilene apparently had the same idea, as she barely stopped herself from giggling as she looked at the boy. Cold glances from Kaiba made both of the girls find something more interesting to look at, but not before Jessica prompted Ilene for information.
"Who is that?" she asked, pointing rudely at Kaiba and earning another cold look in response.
Ilene blinked. "You don't know? That's the CEO of Kaiba Corporation."
"No way," Jessica breathed, her eyes widening. "Then that must be his little brother. And I thought we'd actually have a chance in this tournament." She giggled at the hurt look in her friend's eyes. "Come on, let's board the bus."
Ilene hesitated, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. "I don't know, Jess," she said softly. "I have such a bad feeling. . ."
One by one the duelists boarded the bus, Joey and a teen with brown hair styled like a pointy pin fought for the position as the first occupant. The rest ambled up the steps slowly. As they embarked on the bus, Jessica practically dragging Ilene and both pieces of luggage along, a draft of cold air slapped them in the face, almost as harsh as the wind outside. Jessica shivered, saying a silent prayer that Ryou had given Ilene his sweater, or else her taller friend would rant the whole trip.
The girls took a seat near the back of the bus, storing their bags in an overhead compartment. Jessica collapsed in her seat with a slight whoomp, tired of standing for forty-five minutes waiting for transportation. Scooting closer to the window to make room for her friend, Jessica looked up and froze. Coming down the aisle was the cute Egyptian she had "been making calf-eyes at" during their wait. Blushing slightly, she looked away, pretending to be interested in the drab scenery outside.
"He certainly is cute, hun. I think you should sit next to him," Ilene suggested, a small smile playing on her lips. She knew full well her friend would never do something so bold, but that did not hold her back from delivering some good-natured teasing. She was stiff and uncomfortable, however, and she eyed her surroundings like a mouse in a cage.
Sure enough, Jessica's aqua eyes widened in horror at the suggestion. "Go over to him?" she managed to choke out after a moment. "I-I couldn't do that!"
"Of course you could." Ilene slid down into her seat and leaned her head back. "I'm tired. Wake me up when we get there."
Nodding slightly, Jessica looked out the window again. The bus was moving now, and the outside houses mingled with each other, forming shapes that danced slightly in the growing darkness. A light drizzle began, striking the windows, droplets of water streaming down the glass in smooth crisscrossed patterns. The weather seemed to absorb the energy from the bus, replacing the once jovial air with turbulent emotions.
Jessica shivered, glancing over at her friend. Ilene's rather odd behavior was apparently rubbing off on her for her to be entertaining such dark thoughts.
As they drove under bridges, the resulting darkness transformed the windows into reflective glass, causing Jessica to sigh whenever she saw her appearance. She was in her late teens, and fortunately possessed no acne, thought she had been running late this morning since she still needed to wake Ilene, who wasn't answering her phone, and barely put on any make-up. The result? She looked three years younger, pale and gaunt especially in the lighting. Her nose stuck out, her eyebrows were in desperate need of tweaking, and the dark circles beneath her eyes made her look like an insect. The chilling cold had robbed her lips of their blood, leaving behind a dull matted color that enhanced her disheveled appearance, coinciding with her dull blue eyes and brown hair. She wasn't ugly, at least she thought, but she was far from beautiful.
"So," Joey started from the very back seat of the bus. "What's everyone been up to?"
No one answered him at first, everyone either shuffling their decks or staring out the windows. Finally, someone broke the silence.
"Same ol, same ol, Joseph."
"Which is shopping and shopping, Mai?" Joey grinned.
"And defeating wannabe duelists like you," the girl shot back. She sat in the seat next to them, her blonde hair gleaming even in the dim light. She appeared to be near Ilene's age, perhaps a bit younger, though with her youthful features it was hard to tell. She wore a tank top that matched the bony white of her teeth, red lips enhancing her smile. Over her sleeveless shirt she wore a purple vest, complimenting her lavender skirt and boots. She reminded Jessica of her slumbering friend, though she would never let the girl know.
Slowly the conversation picked up, and Jessica learned each of their names. There was Yuugi, titled King of Games. As though attempting to make himself taller, he grew his tri-colored hair into pointy spikes: red, blonde, and black. His large lavender eyes shone with innocence, his smile gregarious and childlike. Clashing with his radiant personality, a black shirt covered his torso, tucked into skin tight blue pants and coupled with more buckles and chains than absolutely necessary.
Then there was his twin Yami, though whenever someone talked with him, they would always look at Jessica and Ilene and lower their voices. He looked almost identical to Yuugi, though he was taller and appeared to be older, as though the innate wisdom he possessed clawed its way from behind his eyes and transformed his face. However, what caught Jessica's attention the most was the large necklace he wore, right over his blue jacket, in the shape of an upside down pyramid.
There was Bakura, Ryou's apparent twin with no first name, who must have had his necklace designed by the same manufacturer as Yami's peculiar pendant. His brown eyes, cold and calculating, cut through whomever he glanced at. His black trench coat seemed to match his soul, as he grimaced each time someone laughed. Jessica could not help but smile a little; Ilene was always attracted to the odd ones.
Ryou sat all the way in front by himself, warily glancing at the mirror hanging over the bus driver to look cautiously at his double. He continuously smoothed out his light blue shirt and black pants, his hand seeming to rub his chest where a necklace might have laid.
A few seats behind Ryou sat Kaiba Seto – formerly the world's greatest duelist and a power in his own right – and his younger brother, Mokuba. Kaiba pecked away at his laptop, the keys creating a baritone of sound beneath the loud clamoring of his fellow peers.
All the way in the back, Joey and Tristan fought and bickered. "Hey Tristan, I want some music. Move your head to the left. Maybe your antenna can pick up some sound."
"All the sound waves will get trapped in your empty head anyways, Joey." And on and on it went, degenerating into a mindless buzz in her ears.
Both boys had brown eyes and oddly shaped hair. Tristan, though, wore a white shirt and gray pants with a brown overcoat, whereas Joey wore a rumpled green shirt and black jeans.
In front of the two girls, Serenity, a flame-haired young girl with a pink shirt and an even lighter pink skirt spoke quietly with Téa, a dancer with blue eyes and brown shoulder-length hair. She wore red cargo pants and a sleeveless black shirt, and she did not appear in the least bit cold.
A few seats over sat a strange character named Duke who had dice hanging from one ear. Jessica was nearly overcome with the vision of mineral stones as she studied him. A ruby red vest covered his ebony shirt, matching his carmine pants. His sapphire shoes formed pointy ends that he used to graze the steel floor. His emerald eyes shone bright, staring at Serenity, a slight smile tugging at his lips whenever she caught his gaze. He definitely needed some fashion tips.
Toward the middle of the bus, Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor unfortunately made their appearances. Both pairs of beady eyes were trained on Yuugi during the trip, the two whispering hurriedly about something called God Cards.
And then there was Malik. Jessica shivered whenever she thought of his amethyst eyes. He held his head high with the regal air of a king, his gaze demanding respect and oozing with intelligence and power. Like a king, jewelry adorned his arms and ears, jingling each time he moved his body However, there was a bitterness hidden deep beneath his unusual eyes, a pain long buried but not forgotten.
The houses gradually became sparse and now only trees and green grass could be discerned in the inky black darkness. The clouds had formed together, creating a roof of impenetrable gray. Jessica felt as though she were underwater as shadows pressed against the windows, seeming to have a mind of their own. Gazing past them, Jessica held the shape of a bush with her eyes, and it seemed to pop from the darkness before the bus drove past it.
"Are we there yet?" Ilene groaned, opening one chocolate-colored eye. Her dark brown hair, highlighted with red, was slightly mussy from sleeping.
"I dunno," Jessica replied, leaning against the window.
"Figures. First the bus is late, and now we're taking too long to arrive."
"I'm sure we'll be there soon." Serenity turned back in her seat to smile at them.
"You guys don't happen to know where the duels will be held?" asked Téa.
Jessica shook her head. "No. The invitation just said to arrive at the Malvagita Road bus stop in Domino City.
Serenity nodded. "That's what it said on my brother's card, too." She jerked her head towards Joey, who was n the middle of an arm wrestling contest with Tristan.
"I'm Téa by the way," the dancer said. "And this is Serenity. What are your names?"
"I'm Jessica, and this is Ilene." She pointed at her friend, who nodded and closed her eyes again. Ilene apparently did not care for these two for some reason.
"We'll have to introduce you to the rest of the gang. You've already met Ryou." Téa glanced at the sweater still draped across Ilene's shoulders.
"Yup. What's up with his twin?" Jessica most likely only imagined it, but she thought she could feel Bakura's eyes boring into the back of her skull. She had a strange feeling that Ilene would begin to preen if she thought the darker twin was watching them, but a glance at her friend showed the older girl still as stiff and apprehensive as before, hunched up as if trying to seem smaller.
The two girls glanced at each other and Serenity bit her bottom lip. "Well…"
"We're here!" The occupants jumped, startled to head their bus driver utter his first words.
Glancing outside, trees stood eerily by a gate, their bare drab branches reaching out like brittle bones. Beyond the wraithlike sentinels, a decrepit mansion rose on a small hill. Even from this distance, Ilene could see it was in dire need of some paint, as the color seemed to have been bleached away by the weather. What was worse, the mansion looked as if it might crumble at any given moment, shutters banging slightly against the wall as a chilly wind blew. She fancied she could see the rickety mansion sway in the harsh wind, tiny pinpoints of light emitting their feeble beams from windows that gaped like half-crushed eyes. She did not bother to suppress her shudder, and she groped for Jessica's hand.
By the gate, a small mailbox looked jarringly out of place, leaning slightly as though bearing the weight of a man. As lightning flashed, Jessica could see it adorned no surname. Of course, if a name would be inscribed upon the box, she had no problem believing it might be the word evil. When she felt Ilene's hand slide into hers, she squeezed it comfortingly and shot her a smile. It couldn't be that bad, could it?