Bluerain: Hey everybody! How do ya'll like the story so far? Pretty intense, huh?
Sir Larry: You haven't seen nothing yet, folks. Read on for more action, and even a little romance.
Bluerain: Please don't forget to review!
Chapter Six: The Finals.
Kaiba stood in Madison Square Gardens with Kagome and the others watching from the stands as he faced off once again against his life long rival, Yugi Mouto. Only this wasn't Yugi, this was Dark Yami in control of Yugi's body. This meant that things weren't going to be the same as they had been so many other times. This time Yugi's friends were rooting for Kaiba, and Kaiba was the one in the right.
"I have to face Yugi again and make him snap out of this mental case he's developed. He'll never be a worthy opponent again otherwise, and though I'd love for him duel like a man, he's far more difficult to defeat when he's jabbering on about his precious Hart of The Cards. I want him when he's at his strongest not when he's gone crazy." Kaiba said to himself as Yugi approached.
"Are you ready to loose your soul to the Shikon Jewel, Seto Kaiba?" Dark Yami asked, the darkness within him growing stronger, and more deadly.
"Let's just duel and see what happens." Kaiba replied.
"Very well, you can go first, little good it will do you." Dark Yami went to his respective side of the field while Kaiba stood ready to trounce him. "Let's Duel." Was the word and then they began. Kaiba drew five cards and Dark Yami drew five cards then Kaiba declared his first move.
"I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered." A four star monster with 1600 attack points appeared on the field. "And now I'll place one card face down on the field."
"I place one card face down on the field also." Said Dark Yami, "And now I summon The Skilled Dark Magician to the field." A Magician garbed in black robes and armor appeared on the field wielding a great staff of power. "And now I play Card Destruction." Both Kaiba and Yugi sent their hands to the grave yard and drew new cards. This had really hurt Kaiba, he was depending upon that first hand to be the foundation of his strategy. He'd lost three of his most powerful cards, Monster Reborn, and two Blue Eyes White Dragons. Luckily though, he had drawn one card that could possibly make up for it all, if he could draw the second card necessary to use it.
"If there's any truth to that luck of Yugi's, then here's hoping some of it's rubbed off on me since I've been traveling with him." Kaiba said and drew. "I place two more cards face down and end my turn." He said.
"You're giving up so soon?" Dark Yami asked, puzzled. "Very well then, it's my move, and I'll use my Skilled Dark Magician's Special ability to summon my Dark Magician. By sacrificing my Skilled Dark Magician, I can summon my Dark Magician from my grave yard where I put him one turn ago." The Dark Magician appeared on the field and with 2500 attack points it was more than enough to destroy Kaiba's monster but Dark Yami wasn't done yet. "Now I equip my monster with the book of Secret Arts, as well as the Horn of Light, and the Horn of the Unicorn. This brings my monster up to 5000 attack points and that's plenty to wipe your monster and most of your life points off the map. Attack, my Dark Magician!"
The Dark Magician, now sporting two ugly horns, went forward to attack Kaiba's monster. Which it did to everyone's horror. Kaiba's life point went down from 4000 to 600.
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"Big brother, no!" Mokuba cried from the bleachers. "Why didn't he activate any of his trap cards?"
"Hold on Mokuba, he just did!" Joey exclaimed.
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"I activate the magic card Inferno Tempest!" Kaiba declared.
"But that means…" Dark Yami couldn't believe it.
"That's right Yugi, now we both have to send all the monsters in our decks and graveyards out of play." Kaiba said. "Of course that triggers my trap card, Return From A Different Dimension. This card allows me to summon back my monsters from out of play. I have to give up 300 life points but I think when you see my monsters that you'll be a believer again. It's my turn now and I play Polymerization to fuse three of my monsters together." Kaiba smiled as Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia appeared side by side with his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Now his three ultimate monsters were on the field. "I also play the Dark Core to send your only monster out of play, leaving your life points wide open."
"NO!" Dark Yami cried. "I won't let you.
"Go my great beasts, it's time for you to shine!" Kaiba shouted. "Bring Yugi back to his senses!"
"I activate my spell Binding Circle on Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, as well as Shadow Spell on Andro Sphinx!" Dark Yami cried and the two most powerful of Kaiba's three monsters were stopped but the third monster, Sphinx Teleia snarled and attacked Dark Yami directly. His life points dropped down to 1500 but he was still in the game and once Kaiba's turn ended he was defensless.
"This can't be, I thought it would all work out for me this time." Kaiba said when his three monsters disappeared from the field. "I suppose that the heart of the cards just wasn't strong enough this time to beat even it's own master."
"That's right Kaiba, it's my world here in the dueling arena, and all I have to do is summon a monster from my hand to defeat you. I draw one card, place it face down, and now I summon the Dark Elf in attack mode with 2000 attack points. I have to give up 1000 points of my own but this should finish you off. I attack!" Dark Yami declared.
"Not so fast Yugi, here's an old favorite of mine, Negate Attack!" Kaiba cried.
"Well here's spell vanishing!" Dark Yami yelled across the field. "This card destroys one spell or trap card of my choice."
"It's over then." Kaiba said and closed his eyes, bracing for the attack. When it came he felt his life points go and his soul with them, for when the game ended, he was sucked deep within the shards of the crystal in Dark Yami's hand.
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Inu-yasha watched the duel from the shadows and waited for the outcome. When the duel ended, he was sure that Kagome's turn would yield a different result and that she and Dark Yami would face each other in the finals. Now he looked at his full demon body and wished so much that he could be part of all this. He was bound now though to Dark Yami. There was nothing that he could do to break free but maybe there was something he could do to save Kagome if he could only break free for a moment of the demonic powers controlling his mind. With all of his strength, Inu-yasha concentrated on his form and with his new full blood strength, he morphed into a more human form.
Inu-yasha looked down into a puddle of water and saw that he once again resembled a human. His hair was still white, his ears were pointed, and his eyes were still yellow, but he was human looking enough.
"God, I look like Sesshomaru." He said with his new, smoother, more refined voice. It wasn't as gruff as it was in his full demon form. Now he needed some clothes. He concentrated even harder and his Masked Duelist outfit reappeared about him. This was perfect, now he could steal away from Dark Yami and go see Kagome later that night when no one would be aware.
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Kagome's turn was up next and she would have to face off against Bakura. Only, it wasn't really Bakura anymore. It was henchman Li Zhou. Still, just the thought of dueling someone who'd been her friend gave her a bad feeling in her stomach.
"You can do this, don't worry, and keep in mind that we're all with you here." Sango said placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder.
"I just hope that I don't end up like Kaiba." Kagome said.
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Kaiba awoke from his ordeal in a deep void like unto nothing he'd ever seen before.
"Well this is original." He said looking around. "I suppose that this is supposed to be the inside of that blasted jewel?"
"It is." Answered someone.
"Who's there?" Kaiba demanded. Suddenly he was sucked in further and further into the jewel shard, he was going so fast he thought his body must have liquefied. But just as suddenly it had started, so he stopped. His body felt it had slammed into a brick wall, yet he was still floating in the void. But now, he heard other voices.
"Kaiba!? You're here too?" said a familiar timid voice.
Kaiba turned and said, "Yugi? What are you doing here? Didn't I just duel you?"
"Who you dueled wasn't me!" Yugi said adamantly.
"Nor was it I," said a second voice. Kaiba looked over Yugi's should to see… Yugi?
"Two Yugi's? What a wonderful place this is," Kaiba said, feeling very ill, "But who do I have to duel to get out of here?"
"There's not just us," little Yugi said, "There's a third one of us in my body trying to take over the world."
"Three Yugi'! Two in here, one out there! I think I've lost my mind now," Kaiba said, floating away from Yugi and his Egyptian clone.
"Kaiab, wait!" little Yugi cried, "You can't go any further inside the Jewel! If you do you'll be sucked into the battle and be lost forever!" The boy had no choice, he started floating after Kaiba.
"Yugi, stop!" cried Yami, chasing after them both.
"I'm getting out of this circle of h----- before I get even crazier!" Kaiba called back to them. As he turned to look ahead again, he saw flashing lights in the distance. It looked like lightening in an impeding storm. He was fascinated. He had too see where those lights were coming from. He accelerated, the distant storm drawing closer and closer, until he felt his body dissolve, and reassemble itself. He looked around. He was floating in a cave! How had he gotten in a cave? He heard a sword clanging, and looked down.
What he saw was a lovely girl, no older than the girls he hung out with, dressed in a red and white kimono, covered with a Samurai chest plate, wielding a sword, and jumping around on the stalagmites and stalactites as she battled a huge, grotesque creature that had heads and arms and claws protruding from various parts of it's body.
"Kaiba!" cried Yugi as he and Yami appeared beside him, "We have to get away, now!"
"You mean we're still in the blasted Jewel?" Kaiba demanded. "Then what is this place!?!"
"Don't you remember Kagome's tale of how the Jewel was created?" Yami asked him. "About the priestess Midoriko and her great enemy? How they fought until she pushed jewel, containing both their souls, out of her very heart? The battle still continues, even to this day, within the Jewel Shards themselves.":
"I don't want anymore history lessons," Kaiba said, very annoyed now, "Just tell me how we get out of here!"
"Look," Yugi said, pointing to a tentacle that protruded from the massive demon, "It looks like it's leading out of the cave. Should we follow it Yami?"
"Perhaps so," Yami said, "It could lead to a way out."
"Anything's better than floating around here with the two of you," Kaiba said, floating off, following the tentacle. Yugi and Yami followed him, to see that the brash millionaire didn't get into trouble. They followed the appendage until they floated out of the cave, back into the void of the Jewel. But now the tentacle seemed to go up.
But where was it going?
"I see three openings up there," Kaiba said, hope rising in him, "Maybe they're a way out!"
"I doubt it," Yami said, "But we have it's worth investigating." the three of them floated up, up, to odd shaped openings, and pressed their faces and hands to them. They seemed blocked by glass, but they could see out of them perfectly.
"Guys," Yugi said, "I think these are the Jewels in Dark Yami's hands."
"That's ridiculous," Kaiba said. But to be honest, even he couldn't really deny that they were looking out of a hand at Dark Yami's cruel face.
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"So this is what it's like to be mortal again," Dark Yami said, "Instead of a spirit depending on others to feed my soul."
Meanwhile, Li Zhou and Kagome had taken their places on the dueling field. Dark Yami sat down on his grand throne to watch the spectacle. He already knew that Li Zhou didn't stand a chance against the arsenal of monsters Kagome had in her deck. But only time and skill would tell.
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"I'll be a gentleman and let you go first," Li Zhou said, laughing.
"Gee, how nice," Kagome said sarcastically. She drew her hand and said, "I play The Forgiving Maiden in attack mode equipped with Cestus of Dagla." as the maiden appeared, Kagome said, "And I lay one card face down on the field."
"How sad that this duel will be so short," Li Zhou said, 'I play Achrfeind's Oath, letting me declare one card per turn. When I draw, If the card I named is the one I draw, I can automatically summon it to the field. And I declare Kryuel!" he drew a card, and smiled, "Ah, it seems my card works. I have drawn Kryuel, and he goes to the field. But now I get to normal summon Shadow Knight Archfiend in attack mode to destroy your Maiden!"
"Hold it, spider boy," Kagome said, I activate my trap, A Hero Emerges! You pick a card in my hand. If it's a monster, it gets sent to the field in attack mode, and receives your attack. If not, it goes to the graveyard. Now pick between my two cards."
"Very well," Li Zhou said, "I pick the one on the left."
"I guess you like to get beat," Kagome said, "Cause you just picked Saint Joan!" The armored girl appeared on the field, and as Shadow Knight's attack shot at her, she used her sword to parry it, and send it right back at Shadow Knight, destroying him.
Li Zhou grunted, then said, "Then I switch my Kryuel into defense mode, lay one card facedown and end my turn."
"So now it's my turn," Kagome said. "I equip St. Joan with the Rod of Silence, which not only boosts her Defense points, but lets me play Guardian Kay'est." As the mermaid appeared, Kagome said, "Now I equip St. Joan with Fairy Meteor Crush, and attack Kryuel,"
As St Joan prepared to strike, Li Zhou cried, "Activate Archfeind's Roar! It lets me sumon one Archfiend from my graveyard, and I only have the Shadown Knight, so he returns in defense mode, and takes your attack." As St Joan attacked Shadow Knight a second time, to everyone's shock, Li Zhou's points still went down! He lost 1200, leaving him with exactly 2800 points left.
"What!?!" Li Zhou exclaimed.
"Fairy Meteor Crush says that when my monster has greater points than your defense position monsters, you still take battle damage. And that's the end of my turn."
"I declare Goblin King," Li Zhou said, then he drew, and slapped his monster on to the field in defense mode. "And next I offer up Kryuel to summon the Lesser Fiend! Now I play one card face down, and I attack the Forgiving Maiden with Lesser Fiend, sending her out of play." When the attack was done, Li Zhou said, "I end my turn."
"Then I draw and play Fairy of the Spring, which lets me get one equip card back from my graveyard, so I get Cestus of Dagla back" Kagome said, "And I equip it to Saint Joan. Now, I attack your Lesser Fiend." St Joan decapitated the Fiend, and sent Li Zhou's points down by 500 points. "Ready to give up?"
"Not until I lose every card in my deck," Li Zhou said, "I choose not to declare a monster this turn. Instead, I draw, and lay one card face down on the field. And I summon Vilepawn Archfeind in Attack mode to destroy your Kay-est." The fiend sliced through the mermaid, sending Kagome's points down to 3800.
"That's not good enough, you disgusting minion," Kagome said, drawing a card. "I play Graceful Charity, and I send two cards to the Graveyard. Now I play Arsenal Summoner, which lets me get the Magic card Butter Fly Dagger, and equip to him. And with the two combined, I can special summon Guardian Elma!" The Summoner began to chant, lifting the Dagger above him, and as many beams of light swirled around the Dagger, Elma appeared on the field. "And now I get to attack your Vilepawn with Arsenal Summoner!"
The Summnoer prepared to strike with the dagger, but suddenly Li Zhou said, "Activate Call of the Haunted! I bring back one moster sent to the graveyard, and I get back Lesser Fiend!" Lesser Fiend returned, ad Arsenal Summoner was crushed.
"I'm not done yet," Kagome said, "I attack your Goblin King with St Joan!" Joan ran forward and thrust her sword into the crowned Goblin King, destroying him.
"I declare Earl of Demise," Li Zhou said. He was sure he would win, but to his horror, he drew Sangan instead! "No! I got it wrong!"
"And your monsters are too weak," Kagome said.
Li Zhou growled in throat, and said through gritted teeth, "I end my turn."
"Now I play one card face down, and attack your monster with St Joan and Guardian Elma," Kagome said, her two fairies rushing in and slaying the fiend with lightening quick skill.
"Only 700 points left," Li Zhou said to himself. "I will not lose to this arrogant child! I play pot of greed!" he said, drawing two cards, "Yes! I send three fiends in kmy Graveyard out of play to summon Dark Necrofear! And I equip her with the Axe of Despair! I know what you're thinking. She still too weak, but if you should attack, not only will the damage be minimal, but you'll equip my card's special ability."
"That's true, If I attack, he gets St. Joan!" Kagome said, biting her thumb. "Oh, how do I stop it?"
"You can do nothing!" Li Zhou said. "Now my Necrofear, attack Guardian Elma!" Necrofear wiped Elma form the field, and Kagome's points dropped to 1900.
"Fine then, I have no choice," Kagome said, "I play Pixie Knight in Attack mode, and attack your Necrofear with St Joan!"
"You foolish girl," Li Zhou said as St Joan and Dark Necrofear clashed, "Your Saint is MINE!"
"I don't think so," Kagome said as St. Joan, with a spin, took off Necrofear's head. "I activate the trap card, Remove Brainwashing!"
"What!?! You had that all along!?!"
"Of course," Kagome said, putting her hands on her hips, "My 'helpless damsel act' wasn't too bad huh? Now I'll take out the rest of your points with Pixie Knight!" Pixie Knight giggled, and flew right at Li Zhou, slashing him across the chest! As he dropped to the floor, his point counter went to 0.
"Yay, Kagome!" Shippo cheered, jumping up and down, "You taught that creep lesson!"
"I expected as much form you, Li Zhou," Dark Yami said, getting up from his throne and looming over his fallen minion. "You are, after all, a second rate demon."
"No," Li Zhou whispered in pain, "Not that!"
"Yes," Dark Yami said, raising his hand, "I think I shall release Bakura, and take you instead. You are much more powerful."
"NO!!!!!!!!!" Li Zhou said as purple lightening erupted from Dark Yami's hand and engulfed him. When it was done, it was Bakura who lay on the ground, gasping for air.
"Ryou!" cried Sango, running to her boyfriend, "Ryou! Are you alright?" she asked, kneeling beside him, cradling his head.
"I… I saw…" he tried to speak, but he was ion too much pain.
"I'll let you take this worthless boy away before the last duel," Dark Yami said, rising to the air. "I myself need to reevaluate my deck. I hope you do not disappoint me, girl," he said to Kagome, who stared up at with more contempt than she'd ever felt before.
"Someone call an ambulance," Tea said, helping Sango get Bakura on his feet.
"Wait…" Bakura said, again, "I saw… the priestess! I saw her fighting… I saw her enemy! I saw… Kagome… Yugi and Kaiba… they're alive!"
"Are you sure?" Kagome asked, grabbing his shoulders, "Are you sure they're okay?"
"They are but… you must know… Midoriko's Enemy is the one… controlling Yugi and Yami's body!"
"What?!" everyone gasped.
"Midoriko's enemy," Sango said, "The demon in cave!"
"He has his tentacles spread out… through the shards in Dark Yami's hand…" Bakura continued.
"Then that is secret of why the Jewel is used for evil," Miroku said, "The demon Midoriko fought uses it's own evil powers to control those who take the Jewel."
"But what about Midoriko?" Sango asked.
'She fights him… still…" Bakura said, "But… I don't think… she has the strength… to control people through he Jewel… I think… I think she's dying…" It was then that Bakura couldn't stand the pain any longer, he passed out.
"Ryou!!" Sango cried.
"He'll be okay," Tristan said, "The ambulance is almost here," he said as sirens wailed at twilight hour. The group carried their friends. Kaiba, whose body did not stir, and Bakura, whose breath was faint, but still there, out one of the many exits. Kagome parted with her friends to go back to their hotel. She needed to look at her cards. She needed a new strategy to face the Dark King of Games.
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He didn't know how long the duel would last, so as Inu-yasha climbed through the window of Kagome's hotel room, he resolved to be as quick as possible.
"I'll just do what I have to do, and get out," he said to himself. He laid the envelope on a dresser, and turned to leave, but he caught a scent. From her bed. Her scent was still on the sheets. His heart hurt deep inside as his human soul cried to be let free. He looked around the room, and saw her luggage bags half open, and thought, 'Maybe I can stay her a bit.' He went to one of the suitcases, and put his hand in. He drew it out, and saw he'd gotten a photo. It was a few months old. They were in the village in Feudal Japan, with little Yugi and his friends surrounding them. Inu-yasha took in every line, every spec, every inch of the photo, and began to remember the day he was happiest.
They were just sitting around eating a picnic, Joey and Tristan and Duke fighting over the last hamburger, Bakura bashing Miroku for trying to touch Sango's butt, Shippo and Mokuba eating hotdogs, Kaiba and Serenity were sequestered away from the rest of them, and Inu-yasha… He looked at his own face, and he missed that face. He looked ticked in the picture, because Kagome had caught them by surprise. He hated having his picture taken, but now he missed it.
He looked into the suitcase again, and saw another photo. He pulled it out, and it was of him and Kagome. He was looking away, but Kagome was smiling, and holding on tight to him as he held her in his arms. She looked so happy. She looked so beautiful.
Suddenly his ears picked up a sound. His nose twitched. He'd been so wrapped up in memories that he'd let his guard down. Now she was coming! She was just outside the door! He couldn't move… He didn't want to move. He had to see her again.
"NO, not like this." He said and quickly ducked into the closest.
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Kagome turned the knob on her room door and walked in, not noticing at all that the light was on, or that she had company until it was that she began to undress herself. Inu-yasha watched as Kagome took off her school uniform and walked over to the closet door. His eyes grew wider as he beheld Kagome through the crack in the door. She was more beautiful than ever he'd seen her before. Suddenly though she flung open the closet door and gasped.
"Kagome." Inu-yasha said.
"Inu-yasha!" Kagome exclaimed and embraced him with a kiss. He picked her up in his arms and he held her as if she were more precious than gold to him, which she was, infinitely more so. "I can't believe that you're actually here." She sobbed, tears streaming down her face.
"I couldn't stay away." Inu-yasha told her. "No evil power in the world could keep me from you, Kagome, I love you." He kissed her again and carried her over to the bed where the two of them lay down together.
"Wait." Kagome said, "I…I don't want you like this Inu-yasha." She told him.
"I don't either, but this may be the last chance we get. Besides, I've been waiting for so long for you, and I know that you've been waiting for me." They kissed, and cried, and made love. Their passions kindled by the fear that the next day's duel would bring an end to one of them. If Kagome lost then her soul would be absorbed by the crystal. If she won, who knew what would happen to them, and that was frightening to them both. Would he return to being a half demon, and unable to share his emotions as freely with her, or would he doomed to stay in his full blood from forever? Kagome didn't want to loose Inu-yasha, and he did not want to loose her, but there was only one thing that they could do for each other now. They could love each other.