Once again, I don't own Yugioh.
Chapter 33
It took another four days for Jou to recover, and they gave him an extra day. Seto and Sugoroku were seemingly fine now, and Yami's injury was starting to become a scar.
"We have a problem…how are we going to get to find Isis?" Anzu asked.
"I don't know," Honda shook his head.
"I know," Yugi stated, "We go back to the dungeon and find Pegasus."
They stared at him.
Yami could tell that Yugi was afraid, but the kid was willing to help out anybody who needed it. And Yami couldn't disagree…Pegasus would know where Isis was being held. Or, maybe they'd find a clue there.
"Damn," Jou shivered, "I don't wanna go back there."
"I have an idea," Ryou spoke up, "Since there seem to be a couple things we can do currently, and not everyone wants to go back down there, how about if we split up. Half of us will look into information regarding the other four Millennium Items we need, since we can easily pick up the Ring from my home, and the other half will go back and try to find what Pegasus is up to."
"Good idea," Anzu nodded.
Yugi looked a bit uncertain about the idea of splitting up. /I don't like it, Yami./
//Like what?//
/Splitting up. We just got back together again. All of us. What if something happens?/
//What can happen?// Yami knew it was a silly question. Even he has misgivings about splitting up. But with Jou refusing to go back down there, what could they do?
"How about this," Seto was adding to Ryou's idea, "Jou, myself, Sugoroku, Anzu, and Ryou will go find as much information as we can about the other Millennium Items. We'll all stay together. No worries about that."
"That just leaves Yugi, Yami, and Honda to find Pegasus," Anzu stated.
"We can't send a big group in," Yami reminded her, "Smaller is better. Besides…we won't be there for long."
"We'll meet back at the hotel lobby in two hours," Seto set his watch, "Agreed?"
They nodded.
"Let's go," Seto stated.
* * *
Honda led them back into the strange place, "I never thought I'd be coming back here."
"Neither did we," Yami growled. When they finished descending the steps, they looked around at the hallway they had come to.
"We could be walking into a trap," Yami stated.
"I don't know all of the layout," Honda shrugged, "But…"
"Yami…?"
They looked at Yugi.
Yugi was pointing to something strait ahead.
"What is it?" Yami squinted, but couldn't see anything.
"There's a l-lot of d-dark energy over there," Yugi whispered, "I can feel it, Yami. It's so cold…"
Yami blinked, an idea reaching him, "Wait a minute…Honda! Does this Isis of yours tap into the Shadow Realm?"
"It's possible…," Honda stated.
"Then if we go to the place where there's the highest concentration of dark energy, we may be able to track her movements through there," Yami explained.
"Great idea!" Yugi nodded.
"I agree," Honda stated, "But there's one problem…none of us are powerful enough to pull it off. And from what I heard, Yugi uses light energy instead of dark energy."
"I may be able to do it," Yami stated, "It's worth a try."
"But that's absurd…you'll be destroyed for sure!" Honda hissed.
Yugi reached up and took Yami's hand, then shook his head, "No…I believe in him. He can do it."
Honda blinked and looked down at Yugi. The boy he used to pick on in class. Little Yugi, who would cry at the slightest sign of danger or a fist. Little Yugi, who would shrink away from encounters and was unable to stand up for himself. It was the same boy he had known standing in front of him now, but even his demeanor had changed. He was scared, Honda could tell, but he wasn't giving into it like he used to. Something had happened, was Honda's only guess, that made Yugi stand up for himself more, and be more assertive. He had more faith then he had ever seen him, and a lot more friends as well. He had seen first hand Yugi's new power, summoning the monsters from the cards. He didn't know what everyone was talking about with the term 'Holy Spellcaster', but he figured that it was something more powerful then what Yugi was doing with the cards.
"Right," Honda nodded, swallowing his own doubt. He pulled out a rope and tied it around each of their waists, "I've been to the Shadow Realm once before with Isis-sama, and I nearly got separated. It's easy to get lost in there. This will assure that we don't get separated."
Yami narrowed his eyes, "And that you don't try any funny business."
Honda glared at him, "What do you mean?!"
"Stop it," Yugi whispered, "This isn't the time for this. We have to hurry…I have a feeling that someone's looking for us. I feel a dark presence coming this way."
The two nodded, and they walked to the darkness. It was like a never ending void of black and blue, swirled within each other and clashing against one another.
Yami closed his eyes and held out his hand, the third eye on his forehead glowing. He was surrounded by a darkness that made Yugi shiver uncontrollably. Soon, Yami started to walk forward again, and they vanished into the swirling mists.
Yami looked around, "We're here. The Shadow Realm. The true Shadow Realm."
Honda gulped. He still didn't like the place. He could tap into the powers of this dimension, but he didn't like it one bit. It was like a maze of tunnels and darkness, with no clear path, that seemed to go on for all eternity.
/Yami…/
Yami looked down and saw Yugi having hard time breathing, "What's wrong?!" He bent down next to him.
Yugi weakly leaned against Yami, "The darkness…it hurts…" it felt like a million needles were going into his body, and at the same time, fire coursed through him. He winced, feeling weak and drained.
Yami looked up and made a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret, "Honda."
Honda looked over.
"Listen to me carefully," Yami instructed, "I am going down the path to find Isis. However, Yugi can't come. There is too much darkness. Just like how a small light in the dark is soon swallowed up, Yugi won't be able to defend against the true nature of the Shadow Realm if he goes deeper into it. The exit is right behind you. I want you to take Yugi and get out of here right now." Yami was already untying himself from the other two.
"What about you?" Yugi asked weakly, feeling his knees weaken.
"I'll be fine, aibou," Yami assured him, giving him a hug, "I'm going to find the trail of Isis, and then I'll return with the coordinates. Hopefully, we can make sense of whatever I find."
Yugi shivered and gave Yami a hug, not wanting to let go. But his teeth were chattering, and he could feel the darkness trying to extinguish his light. He shivered again and slowly walked back over to Honda.
"Get going," Yami stated.
Honda nodded, and led Yugi out. They vanished back into the realm of Earth.
Yami sat there for a moment, then stood up. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to find the elusive path. He had never seen Isis or met her in any way, but he had an idea of why she may have been kidnapped. He gripped the Millennium Puzzle that he now wore around his neck, the third eye on his forehead glowing. If his hunch was right, then Honda's boss Isis also had a Millennium Item. And if Sugoroku, Seto, and Jou were always asked how to get into Gaia, that meant that someone now knew that they needed all seven Millennium Items. And if Isis had one, then she wouldn't easily relinquish it. And if someone using the powers of darkness was defeated and captured, Yami wondered who would be so powerful that could do that.
Either way, he had to find out. His hunch was rewarded when the puzzle glowed and a thin, golden light pierced the darkness and pointed down a particular tunnel.
"That way?" Yami whispered to himself, "Well, might as well check it out." He started walking towards that direction, hoping that he wouldn't get lost forever in the endless maze.
* * *
Honda and Yugi sat hidden by a tapestry near the darkness as minions of evil passed by, either coming out or going in.
"This is strange," Honda whispered, "I've never seen so many monsters…what are they?"
"I recognize some of them," Yugi whispered back, "From Duel Monsters. Now you should know that it's not just a card game. They were once real monsters, living and breathing creatures. That's why I can summon them. They're real."
Honda gave a start, the information shocking him. "R-real?"
Yugi nodded, "See that monster walking out? That's the Dark Assassin. An undead, zombie type. It gets its powers from darkness."
Honda watched the skeleton-like creature limber out of the portal and head down a hallway. "Geez…I'm glad I listened when you said we needed to take cover. You can sense them?"
"Sort of," Yugi nodded, "It's like…I can feel their life energy. Just like my deck. I can feel their energy and their power. Each creature has different attributes and different personalities."
"Like people?" Honda questioned.
Yugi nodded, "That's one way to think of it."
"Man…I barely even know you anymore," Honda chuckled, watching a small creature scamper into the void, "When I knew you, you were a little shrimp who couldn't stand up for himself. Now…geez…now, you're on these life-threatening quests and controlling monsters."
"I didn't believe it at first, either," Yugi whispered, "But I kept on having strange dreams about a place called Gaia. I didn't know what they were at first. Memories of the past, present, or future. But later, I figured it out with Yami's help."
"That Yami guy…he had socked one to me in school," Honda stated, "What's up with him?"
"It feels like we've known each other for ages," Yugi responded, "Even though we just met a month or so ago. He had been trapped in the Millennium Puzzle after trying to seal away the Shadow Realm. It had become too powerful. That's what I've been able to learn, at least."
"Better then nothing," Honda muttered.
They were quiet for a while, just watching the moving creatures.
"Ne…Honda…," Yugi spoke up, "What will you do when we rescue Isis?"
"What do you mean?" Honda blinked.
"Will you come with us?" Yugi asked.
Honda chuckled, "You're asking someone who taps into dark energy to help you while you tap into light energy?"
"Yami uses the power of darkness," Yugi whispered, "And he's the greatest brother, friend, and ally I've ever had."
Honda paused to consider that. True…Isis-sama told me when I met her not to be afraid of the powers of light. That the two worked together but at the same time feared one another because they didn't understand. At the time, I didn't know what she meant. But maybe…maybe she means that our ignorance is what causes the fear between light and darkness. It's true…Yugi and Yami are exactly like Yin and Yang…darkness and light. But they work together flawlessly, and trust one another without a second thought. Will one child be the key to understanding and uniting the powers of light and darkness for a better cause?
"I don't know what I'll do, Yugi," Honda admitted, "I guess it depends on what happens. I think I would like to come with you, but if Isis-sama…"
"You're allowed to think for yourself," Yugi whispered, "Follow your own destiny. If I didn't break the rules and go against my foster parents to tell Yami and get help, then I would still be with them."
"Sometimes, we can't do a thing about fate," Honda sighed.
"Fate, no," Yugi shook his head, "Destiny…yes. I think that we're partially in control of our own destinies. Okay, maybe it was decided when I was born that I would be a Holy Spellcaster, and in one way, I ended up becoming one. But it was my choice to get on that plane and come rescue jiichan. It was my choice to not give up. It was even my choice to decide on something as silly as what I was going to have for breakfast this morning. Fate and destiny can't control that."
Honda had to wonder about that. He knew that Yugi was smart, but he didn't know just how beyond his years the boy really was.
Yugi whispered something about the monsters stopping their march, and the hall went quiet again.
* * *
Inside the darkness, Yami had been following the trail…until it ended at a certain point. Now, he found himself surrounded by monsters.
"I see…your boss knew I went in, right?" Yami grinned as sweat rolled down his face as the four monsters circled him. "Skeletal Guardians…you're as ugly as you are stupid."
The nearest skeleton pulled out a shard of bone and lunged.
Yami dodged and nearly was impaled by a spear the second one held, and was caught by a flying bone thrown by the third one in the jaw. He winced, and the fourth one hit him onto the ground with a club. Pain seared through Yami's shoulder, and he winced and coughed blood as the club knocked him into a wall.
Yami slid down, a smirk on his face despite the fact that they were closing in on him. He braced himself and stood up, the third eye glowing. He extended his hand, and blasted them with dark energy.
The skeletons were destroyed easily, and Yami winced, coughing. Like using light energy took strength from Yugi, using dark energy sapped even more from Yami.
Yami fell to his knees weakly. It had sapped a lot of strength. The Skeletal Guardians had an attack power of 1700. And to defeat them all with one attack. He leaned against the wall, fighting for air. //Yugi…//
* * *
Yugi blinked, "Yami…" He looked down, then at Honda, "We have to go in there. Yami's in trouble…I heard him."
Honda blinked, "You're crazy! How do you know…?"
"He is!" Yugi cried, tears running down his face, "He's in pain! Please! We have to go back…!"
Honda had seen a lot of strange things within the past few days, so he wasn't about to rule this one out. "Fine. But I'm going. You could barely stand up in that place. Here…take this rope. I'll hold onto the other end. This way, I can easily get out by following the rope back. I won't come back until I get Yami." He readied some throwing knives and other little weapons at his belt, and winked at Yugi, "Here I go."
With that, he jumped into the swirling mess.
Yugi wiped a tear from his face, feeling helpless once again. All I can do is sit here and believe in them…
* * *
Honda warily traveled through the passageways. It was obvious which way Yami had gone because the golden light was still slightly visible. As he neared another hallway, he saw a figure inching along the walls. He pulled out his remaining throwing knife (the others had been used to messily dispatch of the creatures) and got ready, then blew out his breath in relief when he saw Yami. He blinked when Yami collapsed halfway there, a monster bearing down on him.
"Away!" Honda shouted, throwing the knife into the monster's heart, dropping it instantly. As it fell, it severed the rope Honda had, and the object vanished. Honda didn't notice yet as he ran up to Yami.
"Hey," Honda gently helped Yami to stand, "You okay?"
Yami cracked an eye open, "What…are you…doing…here?"
"Saving your ass," Honda responded, throwing Yami's left arm over his shoulders and wrapping an arm around the other's waist.
Just then, there was a shadow behind them, and Honda felt pain course through his side as he was slammed aside by a monster. He went flying and hit the ground, then pushed himself to his knees painfully, making sure Yami was alright. He was, but in no better condition.
The creature was nearing them.
"If you got any bright ideas or magic you can use," Honda backed up to the wall Yami was already against, "Now would be the time to use them."
"Sorry," Yami winced, "All out."
"Damn," Honda raised his fists, "Well, if I'm going to hell, I'm taking this creature with me…!"
Yami put a restraining hand on Honda's shoulder, "If you die here…your body will be consumed and your soul will wander aimlessly. A fate worse then death."
Honda paused, glancing at the creature, "You're not suggesting we run, are you? I can't move my left leg, and you look like hell."
"Thanks for the compliment," Yami smirked, then coughed.
Honda noticed blood come out of Yami's mouth. "Oi…OI!"
Yami shook his head, "I…I'm okay…"
"Like hell you are!" Honda shouted.
They backed up to the wall as the monster neared them.
* * *
Yugi blinked and pulled on the rope. He was a little more then concerned when the rope came back…with nobody attached to it.
"No…," Yugi whispered. He closed his eyes and made a decision. "If there's darkness in there…maybe they can't find their way out. Then I'll be the beacon!" He pulled out a card, and concentrated, "Curse of Dragon! Please, help me!"
The dragon appeared, and roared.
"You're dark based," Yugi said to the dragon, "You can go in there. I can't. Please…please, save Yami and Honda."
The dragon nodded, and flew into the void.
Yugi concentrated to keep up the dragon and send out a beacon of light so they could easily get out. It was then when he noticed two familiar figures in the swirling darkness, and nearly lost it all. He paled, and stepped back a bit, shaking uncontrollably at the sneering faces.
Shike and Takada.
* * *
"Well, it was nice know'n ya," Honda muttered, spitting out a gobbet of blood as he tried to push himself up after taking another blow.
"And just when I was starting to tolerate you," Yami smirked.
Honda chuckled as they backed up to the wall. The creature was about to make the killing blow, when it was blasted from the side by a fireball like thing.
"Honda. Open your eyes. We're not dead."
Honda cracked open one eye, then the other and stared. Sitting protectively in front of them was Curse of Dragon.
"How…?" Honda blinked.
"Yugi," Yami smiled, "It was Yugi."
"Well, I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth," Honda stated, "um…what do we do?"
"Ride it," Yami stated, climbing on. He helped Honda on when the jolt hit him.
YAMI! HELP ME!
Honda steadied Yami when he nearly fell off, "What…?"
"Yugi's in trouble!" Yami gasped, "We have to hurry!"
The Curse of Dragon took off at full speed towards the exit.
When they arrived and came out, they found Yugi backed up to the wall, pale and his eyes wide with tears rolling down them. He was shaking uncontrollably and staring at something in the darkness. The Curse of Dragon went back to the card as Yami rushed forward as fast as his tired body allowed and Honda limped after him.
"Yugi!"
Yugi didn't hear them.
Yami looked, and saw it. Yugi's adoptive parents. Their souls were in the darkness, leering at the boy and taunting him. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, by the way their mouths moved, he knew it wasn't good. He limped over to Yugi and hugged him, drawing him close.
"They can't get you," Yami whispered, wincing slightly, "Yugi. I'm here. I'm holding you now. You're safe."
Yugi trembled, some color returning to his face, but not much, "Y-Yami…?"
Honda blinked, wondering what was going on.
"Yami!" Yugi cried, grabbing onto the other and buried his head in the other's chest.
"Shh," Yami whispered.
"As much as I want to know what's going on and help," Honda looked around, "I hear footsteps. Someone's coming, so we'd better run for it or hide."
"How close are they? We can't run very far…," Yami started, then blinked, "Yugi, can you summon the Dark Magician? He may be able to teleport us out of this place."
"Good thinking!" Honda nodded.
Yugi shakily reached into his pocket, and pulled it out. He held it for a moment before breaking down in tears. "I can't…I can't…! They're still staring at me!"
"Who?" Honda blinked, "Nevermind…I'll do something about this. Stand back…there's gonna be one hell of a blast." He pulled a canister off his belt and threw it into the far wall. It exploded, and rock crumbled down, revealing a tunnel.
"If I'm right," Honda limped forward, "There's a set of stairs that should lead us right up."
"Why didn't you use that in the Shadow Realm?" Yami blinked.
Honda turned red, "I…kinda forgot I had it."
Yami facefaulted, then brushed himself off and grabbed Yugi's hand, "Fine, let's just get out of this hell hole."
Honda nodded, and they took off towards the stairs.
They didn't stop running until they were far away from the forest and the evil aura it gave off. Then, they all collapsed to the ground, panting and breathing hard.
"Alive…," Honda rasped, "I can't believe…we're alive…"
"Better…believe it," Yami gasped. He blinked when he looked over, and saw Yugi curled up defensively on the ground, shaking like he would after a beating.
Yami crawled over to Yugi and held him, rocking him back and forth and whispering nonsense yet reassuring words to the boy.
Yugi stopped shaking eventually, but the tears continued to fall. He hiccupped, and closed his eyes.
"What happened?" Honda braved to ask.
"Yugi was…badly abused," Yami whispered, cradling the sleeping boy, "By his foster parents. I sent their souls to the Shadow Realm for punishment, and I guess with all the interference in the realm itself, they haven't received any justice for what they did yet. That means that they are free souls, wandering about. They gave Yugi a scare when they appeared out of the darkness."
"Can they leave…?"
Yami shook his head, still rocking the boy in his arms back and forth, "No. Despite the fact that their souls are still free, they can't harm Yugi or anyone else."
Honda nodded and glanced at the boy in question, "I think he's asleep."
"That's usually what happens," Yami sighed and pulled out the cell phone that Seto had given them, "He would always cry himself to sleep after a beating. Seeing the ghosts from his past just reawakened scars in his heart that hadn't healed yet." He dialed a number.
"Who are you calling?" Honda frowned.
"I'm calling Seto to come pick us up," Yami stated, "We can't get very far in our condition."
"Um…I guess this mission was a failure…?" Honda laid back on the grass.
"No," Yami shook his head, "In fact, if we weren't nearly killed, it was a complete success. If what information I gathered was correct, then there is strong activity of Millennium Items, and probably Isis, in a certain area. Egypt."
TO BE CONTINUED…