QoH: ^_^() hey, sorry about the gun thing here DJ, but i had to put something in place of those Ultra-Warrior powers of yours (thats your domain dude lol) that would still make em all back off lol
Chapter 18: Betrayal Of Innocence
The three went back-to-back as the gang closed in, brandishing switchblades and chains that looked like they'd knock a person into next Thursday with one swing. The obvious chief, who'd spoken just before, smirked and indicated his cronies, "Unless you wanna end up dog food, you'd better tell us who you are and what you're doing here."
Joey glowered at him, bravado on full-force, "We're here to dish out a little payback for a friend of ours, Yugi Motou."
"And who are you? His bodyguards?" the older teen replied, amused as his bunch snickered evilly.
"No, we're his friends, but a guy like you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?" Tristan retorted, dodging quickly as one of the knife-carriers took a swing at him. Taking this as a signal to begin the fight, the others readied their own for a charge.
Lightning-fast as any gunslinger in an Old-West movie, DJ pulled an impressive-looking one-handed shotgun from the inner recesses of his jean jacket (A/N: i had a jacket like that once ^_^ pockets everywhere lol) and aimed it directly at the ringleader's nose, effectively stopping everyone cold, "You really don't want to be doing that."
"Who are you?" he growled, his gaze trained on the black metal pointed between his eyes.
DJ pulled a mock-hurt expression, his other hand to his heart, "What, you don't recognize me? I'm crushed! Even after all these years, I should think you'd remember how you and your grade-school thugs would try and pummel me and Yugi into primordial soup three times a week."
"Rodriguez," spat the leader, his scowl darkening to lethal proportions as his flunkies stared.
"You know this bozo?" Joey shot a disbelieving glance at DJ. Geez, what's goin' on here?
He grinned over his shoulder for a second before turning his eyes back to his target, "Sure do, and he's just the way I left him: too much body, not enough brains."
"Watch what you say, twerp," warned the boss, his fists tightening until the knuckles showed white.
DJ shook his head and tossed him a taunting smile, "I don't see how you're in any position to do a thing to stop me, unless you really want a hole in your head bigger than your already obscenely large mouth."
Drawing himself up to his full, considerable height, he answered confidently, "You won't use it. You don't have the guts."
"Don't I?" DJ's voice was dangerously quiet as he flicked the safety off, his eyes level as he looked down the barrel, "I've never used it on a human before, but I'm an excellent shot. I go to my parents ranch outside town every Saturday and practice on cans sitting on fence posts from twenty yards. Let's just say I've gone through a lot of aluminum." (A/N: think of him as Earth's version of Vash from Trigun. just as goofy and kid-like, but with no disaster and no bounty on his head lol tho i think sometimes his readers would like to put one out on him when he takes a while to update... *wonders if there's one out on her and laughs nervously*)
Tristan raised a brow at the gun, glancing at him, "Why do you have that thing in the first place if you don't use it?"
"Precaution," he shrugged a little, "Living in a big city can get kind of hairy. Generally, just the sight of this thing makes even the biggest idiots back off."
"Naraku, what'll we do?" one of the blade-carriers looked to his leader for guidance, the others' gaze following.
DJ suddenly burst out laughing as Tristan and Joey stared at him like he'd gone loony tunes. Recovering slightly, he shook his his head and grinned, attempting to rein in his amusement, "Naraku, is it now? Well, I guess you had to change it. After all, what sort of self-respecting gang leader runs around with the name--"
"Say it and die, scrawny." Naraku snarled and took a step forward threateningly, causing unease to rustle through the group.
He gave him an ironic look and smirked, "Low blow, man. But then, I don't know why I'm surprised, Usagi Osagura." (A/N: for those of you unfamiliar with Sailor Moon, Usagi's the first name of the main female char ^_~ it means "Bunny" *innocent smile*)
"Ya serious, man?" Joey snorted, fighting back the laughter bubbling up inside as he exchanged a glance with Tristan, who seemed to be having the same trouble.
A thug almost as big as "Naraku" himself, a chain at the ready in his hands, scoffed at DJ, "No way. You're lying."
Smiling calmly, he jerked his head at the leader, "Think so? Why don't you ask him?"
The gang turned as one to the guy they'd looked up to for a variety of time periods, who looked as though he were about to explode, a vein pulsing furiously in his neck as he retorted defensively, "Ma was a head-case, all right?! She thought it'd be cute. But my 'name' doesn't have anything to do with this, unless you count getting pulverized even more for saying it." (A/N: kinda your Japanese version of "A Boy Named Sue" hehe)
The animosity emanating from the goons doubled as they lifted their weapons, obviously loyal to some obscure "code" of their own, standing by their chief. The three inched closer to each other in case one should strike in revenge. Aware of the fact that his companions had nothing to defend themselves with (at least, nothing that would stand up to their enemies), DJ asked suddenly, "Don't you want to find out who's really the better fighter? Do you have the guts?"
Naraku stopped, blinking in surprise for a moment and smirked, "What possible hope do you have against us? We'll kill you either way. It'd be easier for all of us this way."
"Regardless, I'm challenging you," he replied with his head held high, "Now, what do you say we have ourselves a nice, honorable little brawl and get rid of all these?"
His eye twitching at being outdone by someone he considered "inferior," yet unable to resist an outright test of his power, the boss ground out, "Do what he says."
They were in the middle of tossing every dangerous thing they carried in a large bag when a sharp, shrill note echoed throughout the large building and the nearest gang member announced, "Hey, Naraku man, your butt's ringin'."
"It's called cell phone, baka," he answered with a harsh glance at him, yanking it from his pocket to bark into it, "What?" he paused for a second and continued, turning away, "Oh, hey babe. What's up? I'm a little occupied right now."
Tristan glanced at the other two with a brow raised and they shrugged, listening curiously as Naraku went on, "Taking care of a little business, that's all. Should be over soon."
He laughed in cynical amusement, "No, not that kind of business. Some friends of the runt showed up looking for trouble."
"What?" He asked in a tone that seemed rather unnerved, "How is that possible? I thought there was no chance of recovery."
Clearly annoyed, he sighed and said his goodbyes, "Fine. I'll be there in a minute."
Turning back to a somewhat mystified group, Naraku jammed the phone back in his jeans and scowled at them, "It looks like I won't have the pleasure of personally sending you to the afterlife, but don't think you'll be getting away." Glancing at his cronies, he ordered roughly as he stalked over to the door, "Make sure they don't leave this building in one piece."
****
Yugi turned his attention away from the episode of "Rurouni Kenshin" and smiled as he saw Dr. Tamahome enter with Tea in tow, but frowned a little when he noticed the doctor's concerned expression, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I was just coming to tell you that you're able to move out of ICU when I saw Serenity a few minutes ago, going out the door," she answered, her fingers tapping at a small square of paper, "She didn't look so good."
"I knew something was wrong when she left earlier!" Yugi burst out, slapping the remote down beside him on the bed after switching the TV off, "I should've gone after her!"
"She had that British friend of yours with her, though," she continued thoughtfully, "He seemed to be taking pretty good care of her on his own, so I couldn't really stop them. He did give me a note for you, however."
"Bakura's with her? I'm sure she'll be fine, then," he smiled in relief, then his eyes went curiously to the paper she held out to him, "What's this?"
Dr. Tamahome shrugged as he took it, "He said it was from Serenity, and that it was important that you got it."
Yugi's eyes widened in alarm as he read the short letter fully, even though he wanted to run out the door after the first sentence. His gaze shot to the doctor urgently, holding the paper tightly in his fist, "Ma'am, I have to go! Serenity's in danger! Is there any way you can get me released early?"
She gave him a half confused, half worried look, "Why? What's wrong?"
"It's an extremely long story," he shook his head as he hurriedly gathered his things from the table next to him, "All I can say right now is that if I don't get to her as soon as humanly possible, she could very well die."
"Anou..." she started, then changed her mind, her face grim as she turned to the door, "Of course. I'll do what I can."
"Thank you," he looked up at her gratefully and got out of bed, "You'll probably never know how much we all appreciate everything you've done for us."
"Perhaps not, but I do know this." Dr. Tamahome came back and put a hand gently on his shoulder, looking seriously in his eyes as she carefully unhooked him from the monitoring machines, "Serenity wouldn't want you to do anything to jeopardize your health, not even for her sake. Please be careful."
Yugi nodded, determination blazing in his eyes, "I know, but I have to do this all the same. Whatever happens to me, I have to save her," he smiled slightly at her warning glance, "Really, I'll be all right. Don't worry about me."
She chuckled and tilted her head speculatively, "No wonder she's so attached to you." Seeing his faintly bemused expression, she grinned and winked at him before striding purposefully out the door to retrieve his paperwork.
He blinked in confusion for a moment, then nearly became a permanent fixture in the ceiling when a voice sounded suddenly right behind him, "I don't want you to go."
"Ack!" Yugi clutched at his heart as he spun around to stare up at her, "Tea! You could kill a person like that!"
She waved that off and repeated herself, "I don't want you to go. You're still very injured, and the dance is coming up in a couple days. I'd like to go with my boyfriend, you know."
He gave her an odd look, wondering why she thought a dance was more important at a time like this, "Tea, you know as well as I do what the spirit of the Millennium Ring will do to Serenity if I don't show up."
"Exactly," she answered shortly, "and we also know he wants your Puzzle, and will do anything to get it."
"Yes, that's true, but we can't leave her to his so-called 'mercy.'" Yugi replied, growing more concerned by her behavior by the second, "Why are you acting like this?"
"I'm sure Serenity will be able to handle herself." Tea stated calmly, far too calmly in his opinion, given the situation, "I just don't want you running after her right now."
Realization flashed in his mind and he smiled reassuringly at her, taking her hand, "I understand that you two aren't the best of friends, but there's no reason for you to feel jealous of her, you know. You're the girl I love."
She shook him off and turned around, crossing her arms, "Me, jealous of her? Hardly."
Yugi tilted his head, frowning as he reached to touch her shoulder, "Then, what is it?"
Tea whirled around and slapped his hand away, startling him with the viciousness of her expression, "I can't stand that twit! She thinks she's so much better! I hate her!"
He simply stared at her for a moment, too shocked do more than that. His brain just refused to process the sight before him.
"You don't get it yet, do you?" She laughed at his silent astonishment, her eyes colder than a blast of arctic wind as she whipped out a (A/N: stolen, obviously) scalpel and held it to his throat, "If you dare to try and interfere, Yami, I'll kill you both before you can take over."
Yugi stood completely still, his violet eyes wide with shifting emotions. *What's going on, Yami?*
The spirit seethed helplessly, very close to his partner's spirit in order to offer what support he could. **Curse her. She knows I won't risk your life. There is nothing I can do to protect you from what is sure to come.**
*Wha? What do you mean??* He looked up at the girl who'd always been by his side, no matter what, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this, Tea?"
She gave a careless, one-shouldered shrug, "I'm tired of pretending."
"I thought--" he stopped in mid-sentence as she pressed the flat of the small blade against his skin.
"What? That we were 'in love?' Please. I'm a little too old to believe in fairy tales." She smirked and drew the cold metal across his neck in a taunting move, "That's you're whole problem. I kept waiting for you to grow up, but you never did. You never would stand up for yourself. I thought I had to fight for you whenever somebody pushed you around. It got really old after a while. But then, you solved the Puzzle. He saved me from that criminal, and I thought he was hot. I only went out with you in the first place to get to him. Unfortunately, he told me that he'd rather eat a rotting camel infested with flesh-eating scarabs."
"That's when she met me, and I gave her a taste of what a real man is like."
Yugi's attention flew to the shadowed figure leaning casually against the closed door, "Naraku!"
"Heh," he straightened and came forward to put his arms around Tea's waist, "You've been a busy lady, haven't you, baby? I thought we were only gonna off one person today."
She smiled up at him and nestled back into his embrace, letting the scalpel fall to her side, "Yeah, but that doctor saw me in the hall and dragged me in here with news that little Serenity is missing."
Naraku laughed in surprise, "Well, things are just going our way today, aren't they?"
"Yeah, if we can get out of here and take care of you-know-who." She looked down at Yugi with a smug grin, "But then, I've got our escape already planned."
Hurt beyond description, he gazed up at her and whispered as tears streamed freely down his face, "Why?"
Tea snorted in amused disbelief, "You really are a pathetic little maggot. You look enough like Yami that I thought I could pretend long enough to get him, but I never wanted be with you. Who would?"
Yami growled in the hallway of Yugi's soul, ready to take over, but stopped in faint surprise when his hikari threw his arms, serious injuries and all, around her and clung with all his strength, "No! I won't believe it! This can't be who you are, Tea!"
"Get off her!" Naraku yanked him up by the scruff of his neck and pitched him against the nearest wall as though he were nothing but a scrap of old newspaper.
Yugi gasped sharply in pain, every part of his body rocked by the impact. Struggling to lift his head, he felt Yami's presence close around him in an effort to shield him from it as he stared up at the two, "No… this can't be real… a nightmare…"
"It's real, all right. Want to know how real?" she sneered and disengaged herself from her gangster boyfriend to lean down and mutter in his ear something so illicit and unforgivable in the world of relationships that his face flamed to a bright, Technicolor red, then green, all in under ten seconds.
"I hope you're happy… with him," he moaned and got shakily to his feet, stumbling to the bathroom as their cruel laughter echoed in his heart. He was too involved in emptying the contents of his stomach into the porcelain bowl to notice they'd left.
****
A stabbing pain shot through the very souls of Joey, Tristan and DJ as they looked at each other alarm. Knowing instinctively that Yugi was in trouble, they nodded as one. Let's finish this.
QoH: ooh, that was tough to write that scene with Yugi… -_- aside from the fact that I dont cuss and people like her do (at least, the way ive portrayed her), i just really did not want to do this to our Yugi-chan… *huggles* i honestly knew how it would go and all, but I really had a time tryin to force myself to do it *shivers* my best friend went through that with his last girlfriend _ talk about "real life experience"… *eye twitches at the memory*
*sets up a variety of deadly torture instruments (including, but not limited to, hot oil, the rack, those gut-ripper things they used in "Braveheart," slow poisons, guns, loads of rope, knives of all sizes and sharpness, horses standing by for when the "victims" are drawn and quartered, nuclear weapons, biochemical weapons, mustard gas, and bonfires) and plops Tea, Naraku and the goons directly in the middle, chained to sturdy posts a la "firing squad" style (just no blindfolds)*
Tea, Naraku & goons: O_O()
QoH: *twirls a set of keys on her finger*open season, my friends ^_~ *tosses the keys in the air for the first person to snatch*