Chapter Six: Unwarranted Vengeance
The creature lay still on a bed, paralysed. It wasn't time yet.
It could see, even without open eyes, Ryou, Chiaka and the healer standing over it. The others had left, promising gifts of breakfast when they returned. Chiaka seemed happier, her flame turning warm instead of the raging inferno it was before.
Ryou had just returned from a drug test. They were concerned for his daze and lack of memory. The creature inwardly smirked. It knew why this boy sometimes acted so strange. It knew why he had no memory. For in his meek little body burned two flames, one stronger than the other. Delicious, the creature thought. A delicacy.
"She's suffered from exhaustion, stress and blood lost," the healer said. "She has numerous cuts all over her body, both new and old." She held up Shadra's bloody shirt. "It looks like she was shot, but I couldn't find any corresponding wounds on her stomach. I'd say she was in a pretty bad fight, a few of them."
If only they knew what its precious kitten did. Its little pet had been shot, but healed herself. Well, the little kitten had been falling unconscious from pain, and the creature had healed her. It couldn't let its pet die, now could it.
"Hmm…" the Guidance Counsellor said.
The creature scowled, but didn't let it reach the surface. Chiaka was forming ideas, dangerous ideas. Something would have to be done about the nosy little human. But it had to wait until later. Curse the sun!
"So she'll be okay?" Ryou asked.
Aww… Darling little Ryou cared about its pet.
"With a little time and rest, she should heal just fine."
H-ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. It was hilarious how the healer could be so right, yet be so utterly clueless.
Ryou opened the door to Shadra's room. It had been hours since the girl had first fainted, and it didn't look like she'd wake anytime soon. So Ryou, being the nice boy that he was, came to feed her cat.
Posters immediately assaulted his eyes. They covered most of the walls. After adjusting to motley of colour, he noticed a certain black-haired girl in a few of them. After closing the door, he examined them closer.
She's famous, Ryou thought as he looked at the largest poster on the wall. It featured five boys and herself, surrounding a big silver trophy. Then he remembered the team. They were the Bladebreakers, who played beyblade.
Pulling himself away, he called, "Balla."
Nobody answered.
/Well of course not, she's a cat. Above answering or talking. /
Ryou's eyes widened, betraying his shock at his Yami's words. He'd thought Bakura hated the cat. But wait, cats were sacred in his darkness' time.
/Then I guess she can't tell me where her food is. /
/Try the closet, fool. /
Ryou did, sighing over the name. And he though his Yami was getting better.
He gasped. Black clothes, with a lot of leather, hung from the pole. A string of crosses had been hung on the back of the door. Laying on the bottom sat various weapons.
/Yami… /
He looked at a silver sword. He could see dried crimson blood on the blade, in patches like it was hastily cleaned off.
A few papers that had shifted when the door was opened, teetered on the edge. Should he look at them? Would he like what he saw? He was saved an answer by the small stack falling off the edge and floating down to the floor. They fanned away randomly.
His breath caught in his throat. Sketches… Had she… Had she drawn these?
/Hikari, leave now. /
Ryou obeyed, forgetting all about feeding the cat. Back in his own room, he flopped onto the bed. That was… blood. Real blood. Human blood. Shadra…
/Don't ever talk to her again, / his Yami ordered.
Ryou whole-heartedly agreed.
Balla lay crouching under the bed, her unnaturally red eyes watching as someone, Ryou she thought, came into the room and looked into Shadra's closet. The Time Master wasn't going to be pleased at that, not at all.
But the thing that worried her was that she sensed the evil creature from their first night at the school. It was like it… clung to Ryou. Shadra would need to be informed. Where was she, anyway?
Wherever she was, she was in a world of trouble because she broke curfew. That was unacceptable.
The masked figure -- supposedly Death -- sulked. How long had it been since he'd ever let a demon live? Not since his sister died.
He sighed. His sister… the one for whom he had taken up all this for. Revenge… Sacred duty… The one and the same.
This city needed a hero. And since his sister couldn't be, he would.
"So what do we have here?" Officer Makono asked, as he and his partner walked up to the crime scene, a small carrier plane.
One of the airport's security guards was ready to answer. "Murder."
Officer Makono sighed. He was getting way too many of these assignments for his liking.
"What happened?" Officer Katara asked, taking out her small notepad and a pen.
"This plane as landed at 1:03 PM, arriving from Cairo, Egypt. The pilot logged in, and said he was going back to check on the cargo. That's the last message we got. Two hours later, we decided to check and found him."
Officer Makono looked inside. "Somebody did a real number on him."
"Yeah," Officer Katara agreed, after looking at the body. "Multiple cuts, bruises, and it looks like his neck was broken."
"When's CSI getting here?" Officer Makono asked.
"Right here." Immediately, the group of people went on to investigate the crime scene.
It looked like they would have an international murderer on their hands.
Aiko grumbled as she headed for the nurse's office. A migraine throbbed in her temple. And she knew just who had given it to her.
Earlier, she had been studying in the library. Her eyelids were drooping, she had been studying so long. An empty traveller's mug sat next to the pile of books she had been reading.
"Jeez, Aiko, still studying? It's not that big of a test." Aiko looked up to see a girl with long blue hair, Michiko, and her group standing beside her.
Maybe for her, Aiko thought. Michiko always came out number one, whether it was in class, in athletics, or in beauty. And she never had to try. Aiko was sick of it. Just once, she would like to see her name in the number one spot on the tests results.
"I like to be prepared," Aiko answered, her words clipped.
"Aw, loosen up," Michiko said, as her followers agreed. "Come help us with the bake sale for the Humane Society."
"No thanks," Aiko said. Now she was making Aiko look like she didn't care about the poor puppies and kitties.
"Well, okay," Michiko said. "Don't study too hard."
Aiko growled as another stroke of pain emitted from her temple. She opened the door to the nurse's room. "I should be top spot. I work for it, I suffer for it…" She walked in. "I wish she's just disappear."
Granted.
Malik walked along the streets of Tokyo. The sun had long since set. Many people had warned him to not to go through any dark alleys, but he had scoffed. He had all the protection he needed stuck through his belt. What mortals could stand up to that?
He could hear his Yami laughing in the background of his mind. Unlike popular belief, Marik had not disappeared into the Shadow Realm. Well, okay, most of him did. But there was still a bit left in Malik's mind, enough to survive. But also too little to take over his body.
/What's so funny? / Malik asked.
/Rod… haha… /
Okay, so the criminally part had been banished, which left the insane part to annoy him with. Though, he supposed, it could be worse.
He climbed up a building, via the fire escape. It wasn't very tall compared to a lot of Tokyo buildings, but it was still six or seven stories high and was one of the taller buildings in the neighbourhood. It would give him a nice bird's eye view.
What he didn't count on was two of the surrounding buildings being a story taller than it. So, he could only see half the landscape.
"HELP!" somebody screamed. A female somebody possibly, but in Malik's experience, many guys could scream as high as a woman. A shriek followed.
He ran over to the where he believed the shriek had come from, and looked down over the side of the building. A taller building stood opposite, creating a small alleyway.
A girl, still in her school uniform, ran and crawled down the alleyway. Her long blue hair snaked behind her. At first, Malik couldn't see her attacker. Perhaps a mugger or a rapist had decided she had attracted too much attention.
But then a black-haired girl in the same uniform, except with a silver key, glided out of the shadows. He couldn't see her face from this height, but the blue-haired girl shrieked in terror.
"P-please… I didn't—I didn't mean it! It was bad of me… cruel even—I take it back! F-forgive me…" the blue-haired girl begged.
Perhaps it was time for some divine intervention. He reached back for his Millennium Rod.
The predator's head snapped up, looking at him. Malik gasped. He knew the expression on her face, he knew it well. His Yami had the same look at the Battle City Finals. Her eyes… they were all black no whites. Even Marik hadn't looked so creepy. What the… what the hell?
"You shouldn't interrupt my little Chaton," a low voice said. Malik turned around as a male figure jumped down from the next roof over. "When she's having fun, it's best not to be seen."
"Who are you?" Malik demanded, holding his Rod in front of him. He felt the interest of his Yami.
The stranger's eyes narrowed as he looked at the Rod. "Tala," he answered, not even looking at Malik's face.
"Is that supposed to mean something?"
Tala smirked, looking into Malik's eyes. Ice blue… "It will."
Malik noticed the key on the chain sticking out of Tala's pocket. It looked similar to that… girl's, if you could call her that. Except copper, instead of silver, and red opals instead of black. He wondered if he was the same as that girl. It didn't matter, he had Shadow Magic on his side.
"Perhaps a game to get better acquainted," Malik suggested.
/Yes, a game. And then we'll see how tough he is in the Shadow Realm. /
"Sorry," Tala said, off-handedly. "I don't play games."
"Oh, but this one will be fun."
"How about we make things interesting. A wager?"
There was always a wager when you played with Malik. But he nodded anyway.
"If I win, then you tell me about those gold items," Tala said.
Items? So, another Millennium Holder was around here. He guessed that he wouldn't have to continue to Domino for some fun. "Fine. But if I win, you tell me what's wrong with that girl."
"What isn't wrong with her? But agreed."
Malik smirked. He'd find out what was going on, and he'd get to send the poor fool to his death. He unsheathed the dagger from his Rod, and stuck the rest of it back in his belt. "The rules are easy, so even you should be able to remember them. You see this grid?" Malik motioned the cement stones on which they were standing. Eighteen squares long, by seventeen squares. "That is our game board. We'll both start in the middle, and take turns spinning the dagger. Whichever way the blade points, the other has to walk three squares. No diagonals."
"And how do you win?" Tala asked.
"Not be the one who walks over the side."
"Then how will we fulfil our bets?"
"Explain before you drop," Malik said, deadpanned. Really, that had been fairly obvious.
/Let me play, Hikari. /
Malik conceded, letting his Yami take over. It didn't matter to him, because either way there was going to be a nice Tala-shaped splat on the ground.
Tala's eyes widened. It was almost like he saw the change, Malik observed. Impossible. Marik, assuming that it was just a sign of fear, smirked.
"Let's begin," he said, in his deep voice. He chuckled as he made his way to the center.
"What's so funny?" Tala asked, as he too walked to the center of the roof.
"The sound you'll make when you hit the cement."
"I suppose it would be similar to yours," Tala said, not giving in to fear. "But we'll never find out what sound I make."
Marik smirked. The mortal fool had confidence, misplaced as it was. If Marik were him—he'd still win. But the little boy should know he was going to die.
The two faced each, only a meter away from each other. Violet eyes looked into blue eyes. Tala faced north, with Marik facing south.
"My turn," Marik said. He held it between his two hands, just below the orb, and set the dagger's point on the ground. He snapped one hand forward, and the other one back, sending the dagger into a wobbling spin. It fell, it's blade pointing to the East, where Malik had spotted the psycho girl.
"Three squares," Marik said, smirking.
Tala, after sending the Egyptian boy a glare, grabbed the dagger and walked to his new spot. He imitated Marik's spinning technique, but this time the blade fell to the South.
"Three squares," Tala mocked.
"Hmph," Marik said and went to his new place.
Tala threw him the dagger. Marik's catch faltered, and the blade slipped to cut his pinkie finger. Tala smirked, his eyes flashing dangerously. But Marik merely grinned, and licked the blood off. The redhead's eyes narrowed.
Marik, ignoring him, picked up the dagger from where it had fallen. He spun it. If it landed East again, he'd only be one spin away from winning.
Tala tensed. He knew how close he was to the edge. But hopefully, he'd be able to get Marik there first.
North. Grinning, Tala walked to his new square. Marik scowled, before tossing him the dagger. The redhead caught it easily.
South. Tala smiled as he passed the dagger die back. Marik was only two spins from losing.
West. East. North. North. West. North. South. Neither was close to losing. East.
Marik was now one spin away from the edge, and he knew it. He scowled, growling at Tala who looked very smug from his square. But no little brat was going to beat him with his own Rod.
"Magic of the Shadows, I beseech you," Marik muttered.
"Hurry up and spin," Tala said. "Don't draw out your death out any longer."
Marik narrowed his eyes. The ego on this little mortal. It infuriated him. Worse was the fact that Tala had every right to be confident.
/Yami… /
/Be quiet! I need to concentrate. /
He spun, tapping into Shadow Magic to aid his spin. West.
"Where's your confidence now?" Marik asked as Tala grimly took his new square. If Tala didn't spin Marik off the edge, he'd be in line.
Tala spun the dagger. It seemed an excruciatingly long time. It started wobbling. It had better come through. It started falling…
"Any last words?" Tala asked.
"South."
"Eh?" Tala looked confused. Then he looked down. The dagger had stopped, pointing south.
Laughing, Marik took his new place. He wasn't out of harm's way, but he knew that he could spin Tala off before this turn. And he was right. "West."
Tala, without saying a word, walked on. He stepped up onto the ledge, and turned to face Marik, pulling the key and it's chain out of his pocket. He broke out into a big smirk, much to Marik's and Malik's surprise. "She's a demon," he said and laughed. It sounded like that of a mental patient, which both of the Maliks knew very well.
Tala crossed his arms against his chest, the key hanging on its chain down the center. He fell back, still grinning.
Marik sheathed his dagger back into his Rod, and rushed over to the West edge. He wanted to see him go splat. But… no corpse was there. Not even a little blood. The street was empty.
Angry, and a little confused, over Tala's disappearance, he strode back to the East side. The two girls from earlier had also gone.
/At least you won, / Malik offered, trying to soothe his Yami before he did something that would bring the Pharaoh to Tokyo.
To be continued...