QoH: hehe i love havin a new pc... :D makes for much easier writing, that it does. oh, and yes, i use a quote from the movie "Ghost" here. youll see by the way, anybody know where i got the title for this chap? hehe presents to those who guess (right or not lol tho ill give bonus stuff to those who get it right ) heres a hint: its also from a movie, or more specifically, the movies end title song hehe by the way... my appologies if this looks a lil weird. im updating this using my own pc instead of my normal habit of goin to the library... i said itd be up today and I cant get down there cuz of work eh whatever, its 4 in the morning. scuse me while i die...
/Yami telepathy/
Chapter 22: Soul Relation
Serenity shivered and huddled in on herself as a cold gust of wind blew through the entrance of... wherever it was the spirit had taken her. To keep her mind occupied and off the steadily dropping temperature, she tried to figure where, exactly, she was, and how to get word to her friends. Ok, it's obvious I'm in Egypt somewhere, and judging by that breeze just now, I'd say it's getting dark outside. She squinted at the faded pictographs that lined the wall opposite her, in hopes that, by some miracle, she might ascertain what this place was. Though she was certainly no expert about them, she blinked when she realized that there was something... off about these particular hieroglyphs (and the others, as well, when she took a quick glance around). They were rough, unfinished, as though whoever had done them had either been in a hurry, was rather unskilled (which she thought was odd. From what she knew, anyone who did these things dedicated a better part of their lives to getting them right), or really just didn't care (another unlikely scenario, in her opinion, considering the importance of the afterlife to this ancient race). Perhaps all three.
"Bakura, can you read all that?" she turned to her friend, only to receive a nasty surprise when she found that the dark being had taken control of him again and was watching her with a smug little smirk.
"Of course, I can..." he smiled in a taunting sort of way as he stood up, strolling back to that huge rock he seem to be so fond of, "The question is, why should I read them to you?"
She scrunched her nose and looked away again, crossing her arms moodily, "You again. Why are you back?"
He leaned back on his elbows against it and lifted a brow in cold amusement, "Should I be offended? Aren't happy to see me, little Serenity? Are you not enjoying yourself here?"
She didn't deign to reply but the disgusted look she shot him said it all: I'm cold, hungry, and chained to a wall in some creepy place out in the middle nowhere. If my assumptions are right, I'm being used as bait to lure Yugi into some sort of trap, and I don't know how to stop it. Not to mention, I'm stuck with a homicidal megalomaniac who's bent on destroying the world. Why would I be enjoying myself?
The spirit chuckled darkly, a sound that she was really beginning to detest with every atom of her being. Her scowl deepened even further when he spoke again. (She'd really prefer it if he never said another word as long as he "lived," such as it was. The way he used Bakura's voice, it was just wrong.) "Would you like to see you little friend?"
"And how would that happen how, exactly?" Serenity eyed him with a supremely doubtful expression, though she couldn't stop her ever-optimistic heart from leaping into her throat hopefully, despite the numerous warnings from her more realistic brain. She did her best to hide this conflict, of course, as she was sure her captor would find some way of using it against her, or even worse, Yugi. A scenario she would most definitely not welcome with open arms.
The spirit, thankfully, allowed his Item to speak for itself. The golden Ring glowed with a new and, in her eyes, sinister light as she felt her soul being tugged away from her body. And, fight it valiantly though she did, the next thing she was aware of was that her "surroundings" had changed completely.
She told herself that she was in the midst of some sort of elaborate illusion, and this notion was reinforced after lifting each hand in turn for inspection and finding them both nearly transparent. Still, the sight of Yugi sitting there, not three feet away, happily watching TV made her want to run and hug him for all she was worth, never to let go. So, he wasn't really there, so what? That didn't stop her from reaching her hand out in an attempt to touch his cheek, even though it simply passed right through. Crud, crud, crud. I feel like a ghost, she thought in frustration.
Hearing the door open behind her, she turned around to see Dr. Tamahome with, unfortunately, Tea behind her. She tensed up reflexively and eyed the other girl, wary as ever in her presence. One might think her paranoid, but knowing what she did about the brunette, Serenity wouldn't put it past her to commit murder as soon as the surgeon's back was turned. She was soon to find out how close to the truth she really was.
She blushed a bit, smiling at his concern for her when he read the note from the spirit of the Ring and immediately jumped into action, regardless of his still-healing wounds. She was still staring in awe at him when the older woman left and Tea spoke up, startling her as much as it did Yugi.
Now, she was far from being a violent person, but when Tea finally revealed her true colors and held the scalpel to Yugi's throat, threatening his life so Yami wouldn't take over, Serenity felt like taking the small blade and jabbing it where the twit's heart should be. As it was, she could only stand by helplessly, like watching so much TV. But, as many people do when a character they detest does something particularly wretched, she balled her hands into fists, threatening many varieties of tortures and calling her all manners of names, frequently and vehemently.
Then, Naraku showed his ugly face and the gathering storm within her heart redoubled in intensity as the two Jerry Springer rejects made malicious chitchat right in front of Yugi. It kept building at an exponential rate and made her think she was going to go insane, until...
She exploded.
Not literally, of course, but when Naraku threw her angel roughly against the wall, Serenity lost it completely. Either not remembering or not caring that she had no real matter at that point, she flew at him. Flailing and screaming wildly, she tried as best she could to land just one blow. Just one! she pleaded with whoever was in charge of her current state. Oh, wait... that's Bakura's yami. Never mind... She gave up and forced herself to be satisified with glaring murderously at Yugi's aggressors before coming back to hover next to his crumpled form.
And being that she was so close to him, Serenity also heard what Tea whispered mockingly in his ear as her "parting gift." Eeww... that is so sick, she thought as a deep shudder rolled through her body a few times. She really didn't know what to do at that point; crying for Yugi, following his lead into the bathroom, and beating Tea to a bloody pulp with the bedside lamp all seemed like very good ideas right then. You give "biohazard" a whole new meaning, and I've got just two words for you: justifiable homicide.
The lightning flashed through her heart again as they went about destroying the room and all of Yugi's possessions therein, entirely heedless of the unbridled fury brewing only a few feet away. Unforgivable... Serenity felt her fingernails digging into her palms, watching them have a grand old time at tearing him apart in any way they could. Unforgivable... She growled low in her throat, her jaw set so tightly she thought it might break as Naraku came near. He snickered and held up a book he'd found on the desk beside her, which she knew to be one of Yugi's favorites, to show his girlfriend before opening it to halfway through and splitting it down the spine. Unforgivable!
As though it had a mind of its own, Serenity hand swung out and, to her utter surprise, connected with the vase of flowers on the table, next to where the paperback now lay in pieces. And somehow, even though she knew she shouldn't be able to do any such thing, the full force of her anger sent the large glass hurtling at the gang leader and slamming directly into his gut. She stared at the appendage in amazement before turning her gaze to Naraku, who was also wide-eyed, but since he couldn't see her, his target was the shattered container at his feet.
"What the--?" he gowled, holding his stomach.
"What happened?" Tea demanded and dropped the torn sheet on the bed, coming around to his side.
"How should I know?" he pulled an annoyed expression and gestured to the bits of glass and flowers currently spreading water under them, "That thing just flew at me all of a sudden." Serenity smiled a little smugly as the other girl looked around uneasily, as though she expected something to come barrelling at her next.
"Let's get out of here." Tea said, shaking it off and going to the door, "We still have to take care of her."
"Right." Naraku grinned and turned to follow her, "That brat's done, anyway." They laughed and headed out.
Not as long as I'm still breathing, Serenity vowed grimly, her attention now on Yugi as she stood in the doorway to the bathroom. Her eyes filled with scalding tears and she stumbled to her knees, only just making it to his side as he bent over double, his body shaking violently. Yugi...
She jumped slightly when Yami appeared, his arm going supportively around his partner's shoulders. Serenity blinked when she realized that the spirit was sort of... solid. Ok, not really, but he had more of a tangible form than usual. How's he doing that?
He suddenly glanced up and seemed to look directly into her eyes as he knelt opposite of her. /Serenity./
Like before, when she'd carried Yugi to the hospital, she heard his voice within her mind, and she prayed it was the same now as it was then. Can you see me?
/No, but I can sense your presence, tinged with the influence of a Millennium Item. I take it the spirit of the Ring is responsible for this?/ His gaze shifted back Yugi, concern practically carved in his features.
I don't think he planned on us talking like this, but yeah. I think he put some sort of weird spell on me, because one second, I was chained to a wall in some creepy place with him smirking at me like I was his next meal... and the next, I was here in Yugi's room, watching him get his heart trampled... Serenity took a deep breath and tried to to calm down, easing her clenched fists before her nails could draw blood again. Sorry, it's just been a really, really bad day. How is he?
/He's not answering my call./ Yami answered with understandable frustration at being shut out with no way to help his closest friend. /If I could reach him for just a moment.../
Seeing the spirit in almost the same position she was in, sitting beside Yugi so helplessly as he sagged against the porcelain bowl, seemed to trigger something within her, and a memory clicked on in her brain. A wild idea came to her in a flash of insight as she remembered a scene from a movie she'd seen a few years ago.
What she remembered in particular at this moment was what the man in the subway station had said. "Ya gotta take all your emotions; all your anger, all your love, all your hate, and push em way down here into the pit of your stomach, then let it explode like a reactor." Ok, so the guy was kind of paranoid and crazy, she gave a mental shrug, but maybe he had a point. It happened for me with that vase, so maybe.... Couldn't hurt to try, right?
/I will do what I can to help you./ the former pharaoh said, having seen the memory as well.
She shut her eyes and forced all other thought from her mind, focusing only on Yugi. She sent up desperate prayer as she blindly stretched out her hand to him, her entire being going into this one touch. She managed to grasp his shoulder and, not daring to think of the why and how of such an impossible feat, pulled him into her embrace and held on for dear life.
"S... Serenity?" Yugi's faint voice brushed lightly by her ear.
Her concentration broken, she jerked back to stare at his shocked face, his beautiful eyes so wide and shimmering with tears, that she felt could simply fall into them and float there forever. Either that, or break down and bawl her own out. That was her last sight of him before she was pulled away by the Ring's power, back into her own body. Waking to see the evil spirit's smirking face above her, she lashed out with all the fury she hadn't been able to display against Tea and Naraku, "You!"
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With Tristan keeping watch at the other end of an otherwise deserted parking lot, the others gathered in a circle around the two who'd dared to such evil things to their friend, their eyes weirdly bright in the approaching dusk. For her part, Tea was remarkably calm now, considering all the death threats promised in the glares of her accusers were enough to give most people a lifetime of nervous twitching. She tossed her head flippantly and put her hands on her confidently tilted hips, "So, do you just plan on staring at us all day? We've got things to do, you know."
"People's lives to destroy..." Joey continued with a muttered growl, looking as though he'd like to destroy a couple right then, himself. He started for her angrily, obviously intent on drop-kicking her around the hospital.
"No, Joey." Yami held his arm out, effectively stopping him, and kept his arctic gaze on their enemies as the golden eye began to glow on his forehead in the way it always did just before he bansihed someone.
"Wait, what's going on?" Naraku asked nervously and looked around, really just a simple thug who had no idea who he'd been dealing with. A malicious and careless thug, it was true, but ultimately clueless all the same.
"You're getting what you deserve, that's all. Don't you get that by now?" Mai returned with a disgusted expression, not sparing the least bit of sympathy for him.
"Tea, Naraku... you have escaped judgement for your actions for far too long. Goodbye." Yami stretched out his hand and the area around the two started to get fuzzy and somewhat distorted before...
It snapped back to the original. Everyone's gaze flew to Yugi, who'd taken over when no one had been looking a second ago. With the occasional tear still trailing down his cheeks, he smiled sadly at his former girlfriend, "I forgive you, Tea."
/Are you sure about this, aibou?/ Yami asked from the forefront of his mind, very concerned as DJ ran to get Tristan, yelling something along the lines of "You've got to hear this!" at the top of his lungs. He mentally nodded at the spirit and looked around at the majority of the stunned group with another (now grateful) smile as Tristan and DJ came, panting from the exertion of the sprint, up to them.
Joey was the first to regain his voice, and he took his best friend by the shoulders, trying to understand his choice, "Whaddya doin, Yug?! How can ya possibly forgive 'em after everything they've done to ya?!"
"It's all right, Joey..." He shook his head a little and gently removed his hands, turning back to Tea and Naraku. "I imagine you'll probably be going to jail after this for having put Mrs. Gardener in the hospital, but I want you both to know that I don't hold anything against you."
QoH: aww!! 0 how can anybody resist such a sweet guy, huh? newho... dedication time! this one goes out to DJ, who got through his summer college courses with flying colors! lets give the dude a hand!
ps: does anybody know the show "Winx Club"? just askin cuz Yugi's american voice actor, Ted Lewis, happens to be in that one too hehe i think its type-casting, since the only thing that's different about that char from Yugi is that his name is Brandon and his appearance (blue eyes instead of violet, entirely blonde, fairly tall). naturally, hes my fave char in that one hehe such a sweetheart, but i still prefer my Yugi-chan! :D hee! lol come to think of it, theres somebody like Kaiba in there too, only that one doesnt have the same VA and his personality is a lil more...angry (as tho Kaibas not angry enough XD) lol still, like Kaiba, he seems to always hang around with people he doesnt like to admit are his friends hehe wonder if somebody will make a crossover at some point, seein as how thats a "magic" show too....