Again, I don't own Yugioh.
Chapter 37
Yugi shivered and tried to get comfortable in the limo. Sugoroku was driving, and they were making relatively good time. But Yugi wasn't so happy, though. His ribs were hurting from the seatbelt, which made him slightly nauseous from the pain.
Anzu was reading a book while Honda and Ryou quietly chatted about this and that.
Jou was asleep. He wasn't feeling well earlier, and so he rested as they went.
Seto was also asleep. After driving the first five hours, he was exhausted.
Yami sat next to Yugi, and glanced at him, "Aibou, are you alright?"
Yugi nodded, then shifted and shook his head.
"What's wrong?" Yami asked gently.
"…my ribs hurt…," Yugi groaned, shifting again to try to ease the pressure on his chest and back.
Yami shook his head and unbuckled Yugi's seatbelt, "Don't wear that, or it'll hurt more."
Yugi looked uncertain to be in the car without a seatbelt, but Yami wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Yami whispered, "Lay down on the seat here."
Yugi complied, laying on his side and let out a relieved breath, happy to alleviate the pain in his injured ribs. He lay his head on Yami's lap and closed his eyes, then shivered again.
"Are you cold?" Yami asked, brushing Yugi's bangs away.
"A little…," Yugi whispered sleepily.
Anzu looked up and then shifted through her pack, pulling out a blanket and handing it to Yami, "Here. Is he alright?"
"His ribs are bothering him," Yami stated, covering Yugi with the blanket, "But he'll be alright. He just needs to rest." Yami shook his head when he realized that Yugi was asleep already. "He overexerted himself. He should have stayed in the hospital for another three or four days."
Anzu nodded seriously, "He wasn't ready."
"Mentally, he was," Ryou chimed into the conversation, "But not his physical body."
"I think that every time he gets to rest," Anzu commented, "The events of the past few weeks catch up to him in one big rush, and it takes him longer to heal because of it."
"That's a good observation," Yami admitted, "And I think you're right." He gently rubbed Yugi's shoulder as the boy slept, brightening a bit when Yugi smiled slightly in his sleep.
"It's nice to see him sleeping peacefully," Yami admitted.
"Huh?" Honda blinked.
"He gets dreams…premonitions or events of the past," Yami explained, "And he doesn't get much sleep because of them, or if he does get sleep, it's very troubled. He really needed time to rest."
"So in a way…it's fortunate that he got his injuries," Seto spoke, alarming everyone since they thought he was asleep, "It gave him a chance to rest finally. I'm not saying that it's a good thing…"
"I know what you mean," Yami nodded, then frowned, "But what about Jou?"
The boy in question was sleeping curled up on the large seat next to Seto.
Seto placed a hand to Jou's forehead, "Well, it feels like he has a bit of a fever."
"I wonder what from," Anzu frowned, "He seemed fine yesterday…"
"He could have just caught a bug," Seto stated, "Doing research on the Millennium Items and figuring things out in Morocco is tiring. Plus, I noticed that one of his wounds got infected again. It's most likely a combination of infection-induced fever and exhaustion. And I have to say…he hasn't been sleeping that well, either."
"Neither have you," Ryou spoke quietly.
Seto didn't say anything, and just looked at the floor.
"What's the matter, Seto?" Jou yawned, waking up, "Why haven't ya been sleeping well?"
Seto shook his head, "It's nothing, Jou. Don't worry about it…"
"I already am worry'n about it," Jou started to sit up, then decided to stay laying down after a wave of dizziness hit him. He closed his eyes and moaned a bit, curling up tighter under the blanket he had on.
Seto shook his head, "Rest."
"Once ya say 'don't worry about it', that's like a beacon to worry 'bout it," Jou looked up tiredly at Seto.
"Tell us what's bothering you, Seto," Anzu said gently, "Please?"
Seto sighed and looked at Jou, who nodded.
"Go ahead," a sleepy voice floated up. It was Yugi, who was still resting.
Yami put a hand on Yugi's shoulder and nodded.
"I…," Seto looked down, "…guess I miss Mokuba. I want to tell him that we're alright. But with all the activity lately, I haven't had time to call him…"
"That's reasonable," Jou yawned, then looked at Seto, "Now tell us what's really bothering you."
The others blinked, and Seto looked a bit startled.
Jou grinned a bit, "I've spent enough time with ya to know when you're hiding something."
Seto sighed, "I was…I just keep on remembering being in that prison. Going through interrogation and the torture…I kept on shouting insults at them, so mine was worse then yours, Jou. One of the things they did to me…" he stopped and shook his head, his eyes watering. A tear escaped down his face.
Jou sat up and wiped it away gently, concern plastered all over his face and deep within his brown eyes.
Yugi looked up warily, "Seto…gomen…"
"Why are you apologizing?" Seto blinked, "And don't tell me that you're blaming yourself again."
Yugi went silent, "If I was faster in rescuing you and jiichan and Jou…"
"It's okay, Yug," Jou smiled at his friend.
"Listen to me, Yugi," Seto spoke, "It wasn't your fault. If I had kept my mouth shut there, I wouldn't have been hurt the way I was. Got it? It wasn't your fault."
Yugi nodded slowly.
Yami gently lifted Yugi up a bit and hugged him, "See? He said it wasn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself."
Yugi choked on a sob and clutched weakly at the pendant around his neck.
Yami just held him, whispering comforting things to him until he quieted down again.
Yugi lay back down after a while, wincing slightly.
"How did they hurt you?" Anzu asked Seto.
Seto shook his head, indicating Yugi, "I'd rather not say in front of the innocent."
Anzu was about to protest, when Jou spoke.
"That's okay, Seto," Jou stated, pulling the blanket around him and laying back down, closing his eyes with a yawn, "Ya don't…hafta tell us right now."
Seto smiled down at Jou, "Thanks, Jou. You know…we've all grown up a lot since this first started."
"I agree," Anzu put her book down, "I can't picture myself doing this a month ago."
"I didn't even imagine that I would be doing this," Ryou chuckled, "I'm glad I did, though. Or I never would have met all of you."
"Funny how fate strings things together," Honda sighed, "Yugi and I were talking a bit about it in the underground Rainforest base."
"Un," Yugi agreed sleepily.
"By the way," Jou looked up, "How did you get involved in this, Honda? I mean, last we saw you, Yami scared ya shitless."
Honda sighed, "I knew this was going to come up…"
"Can you tell us?" Yami looked at him, "I want to know, too."
"The question I have is," Honda looked at Yami, "how come you're not on our side?"
"Pardon?" Yami blinked.
"There are the three sides," Honda held up his index finger, "My side; the one that uses darkness-borne powers, Yugi's side; the one that uses holy powers, and another side that also uses the dark powers but are much more sadistic in their ways."
"Alright…," Yami frowned.
"So you're saying that Yami should be on your side since he uses the powers of darkness?" Yugi blinked.
Honda nodded, "Well, yes and no. I don't understand why he's fighting for the holy side when he uses dark powers. That made the darkness-borne family very angry as it is."
Yugi's eyes widened as he remembered when the darkness tried to claim Yami that day they were riding on Curse of Dragon.
"I'll fight for what I believe in," Yami growled, "I don't care what powers I use. Who says that the 'good guys' have to use holy and bright powers?"
"Who are the good guys in all of this?" Anzu blinked.
Silence permeated the limo.
"Anyway," Seto cleared his throat, "I want to hear how Honda got involved with this. Did you always have the dark powers?"
Honda nodded, "Yes, but they weren't awakened until my encounter with Yami. I'll explain…"
***Flashback/story***
Honda walked down the street towards his house, but his mind was in turmoil. All he could think about was the strange group of friends. Sure, he knew that Anzu and Jou had been friends for a while, and Yugi and Anzu were friends since he met the both of them. But he really didn't know why they were always hanging out together, all three of them. Yugi, Anzu, and Jou. They all formed a tight-knit group and stood up for one another despite Honda and all the other bullies.
Then, there was that mysterious kid who said he was Yugi's brother.
Yami.
'Strange' was the only word Honda could find after the word 'creepy' finished running through his mind. He tried to assure himself that the kid wasn't creepy, but wasn't succeeding. Honda had never been so afraid in his life. He had seen another eye on the kid's forehead, as crazy as that would sound to anyone else. And the kid stared at him with those piercing crimson orbs…it was unnerving. Yet, Honda was interested. What was going on?
"You really want to know?"
The voice startled him so much he almost dropped his bag. He looked around in all directions, but saw nobody in the vacant lot he was walking through.
"Do you really want to know?"
Honda dropped his bag and raised his fists. "Who's there?!" He first noticed the mist, then. It was a pale blue, slightly tinged with black. He stepped back, but found that the area was covered in it.
"Wh…what's going on?" Honda asked shakily, "What are you doing…who are you?!"
A figure was the first thing he noticed, cloaked in the mist. It looked like the body of a female, but he couldn't be sure with the veil of mist around the person. The voice sure sounded like it belonged to a female.
Honda blinked and took a step back, "What are you…?"
"Would you like to know what is gong on, Hiroto Honda?" the woman repeated.
Honda blinked, "How the hell do you know my name?! I didn't even tell you…!"
"I know many more things, Hiroto Honda," the woman interrupted, "I know that you are going to join our forces because you have the dark stirring within you. I hadn't noticed it before. I suppose your interaction with Yami awakened that which was laying dormant inside of you."
" 'That which was laying…'? What the hell are you talking about, woman!? You haven't even told me who you are and what you want with me! And you speak in riddles, so I can't figure out what the hell you're after!" Honda shouted.
"Forgive me," the woman stepped forward, and Honda gasped.
She stood at average height for a young woman. By the looks of her, Honda guessed that she couldn't be more then 18, 20 at the oldest. Then again, looks can be deceiving. She wore a beautiful golden tiara decorated with gems. She wore a white, Egyptian-like robe with the hood drawn up over shiny white hair. Emerald eyes peered out from under it, contrasting greatly with tanned skin as if she had grown up under the sun. She wore sandals on her feet, and bracelets of either gold or a very good look-a-like on her wrists. Hanging around her neck was a completely golden pendant that rounded off at the end into almost an oval-shaped orb.
The woman drew back the hood, "I am Isis, a remnant of those borne with the powers of darkness. There aren't many left, and it is impossible to show someone who doesn't have the capabilities to learn. The ones borne with the powers of light are also all but extinct, and I would like to find out why."
"I don't understand," Honda shook his head.
"I don't expect you to right now," Isis smiled at him, "But you will in due time. I will explain everything. If you would like, I can explain now and then give you the option of awakening your powers fully and joining us."
"Ain't you afraid I'm gonna run off with the information?" Honda blinked.
"And tell whom?" Isis raised an eyebrow, "Nobody would believe you. Not unless they were remnants of those from Gaia."
"Gaia?"
"Oh, forgive me," Isis shook her head, "I have not explained fully. Yes, Gaia. I come from a world that is not this one. I was not born on Earth…I was born on a parallel planet called Gaia."
"Parallel? I thought that was math…"
Isis chuckled, "You are a funny one, Hiroto Honda. No, a parallel world means that it runs at the same time as the Earth, and is practically on top of it. Like the worlds exist together but Gaia is in another dimension. Thus, travel between the two was common through portals."
"So why not use a portal to go to it now?" Honda blinked.
"You catch on fast despite what I've heard about you," Isis stated.
"What's that supposed to mean…?" Honda narrowed his eyes.
Isis continued as if she didn't hear him, "After we, those who used the powers of darkness, were banished from Gaia by those who used the light because we just could not get along, those of light sealed the portal to Gaia, ensuring that we could never come back."
Honda blinked.
"However," Isis shook her head, "I have foreseen an unmistakable, horrible evil approaching Gaia. I saw it about nine years ago as well, just a couple of years after we were banished. Another darkness, but a bit different from the one I use. Chaos. There was chaos all over Gaia. People were dying. Yet there was nothing our meager group could do. Some of us were sealed inside of objects…or I should say, those with too much power were sealed away so that they couldn't break the portal to Gaia open again. But lately, the power has been gathering. There has been a great upset in the balance of light and dark, with it leaning towards darkness."
"And what do you intend to do?" Honda blinked.
"Our mission is to ultimately find a way to Gaia to figure out what's going on," Isis responded, "I have a feeling that they are there."
"Who is 'they'?"
"I do not know," Isis shook her head, indicating the pendant, "I merely 'saw'. I could not distinguish names or faces."
"If they're as powerful as you say," Honda started slowly, digesting all the information he was just provided with, "Then wouldn't you be slaughtered if you tried to go there now?"
"Yes," Isis nodded, "That is why I am gathering as much darkness users as I can. The monsters can provide some protection, but my meager forces aren't enough for combat."
"Monsters?"
Isis nodded, "Have you heard of the game here on Earth called 'Duel Monsters'?"
"Of course I have…"
"Do you have any cards with you?" Isis asked.
Honda nodded and pulled out his deck.
"Those 'cards' were once real, living and breathing creatures," Isis stated, "In fact, what you hold now are just copies of what they used to be."
What she did next astounded Honda beyond belief.
Isis pulled out a card, said a few words in an odd language, and threw it into the air. It glowed a golden shine, and there was a fairy hovering by them.
Honda lost the ability to talk for quite some time.
The fairy hovered, looking at her master for directions.
"Merely a demonstration, Fairy Angel," Isis smiled, "You can return now."
The fairy nodded, and glowed the same golden color as before. It was now a card again, and floated into Isis's hand.
Honda stared for a little while longer before licking his lips and speaking. "How did you do that?"
"Don't expect to be able to do that," Isis warned, "Only high level Spellcasters can summon the monsters and control them. I was calling upon the powers of darkness to summon it, and the power to move freely through the refuge of the ones that were banished from Gaia called the Shadow Realm."
"Shadow…Realm…?" Honda repeated.
Isis nodded, "And now, Hiroto Honda, you too have that power within you. You have the ability to use the darkness to enhance your abilities and in time, you can learn to move through the Shadow Realm as well. Your powers have been brought to your awareness from your contact with Yami. I can help you to control your now growing powers. All you have to do is join me. I told you everything I can for the moment. Will you do it?"
Honda paused, "Ya know, I've never had any girl ask me to join them. But I have a strange feeling that what you're saying is true…"
"That's the power of the Shadow Realm. It let's us get a sense for certain things. I guess your sense is truth," Isis nodded.
"I'll come, then," Honda nodded, "Nothing for me back there, anyway. I'll join. Tell me what I have to do."
Isis smiled and held out her hand, "Welcome aboard, Hiroto Honda."
"Everyone just calls me 'Honda'."
"Welcome aboard, Honda. Keep hold of my hand, else you get lost in the Shadow Realm's passages. We will go back to my base in Egypt," Isis stated, then they vanished into the vortex.
***End flashback/story***
"So I guess…," Honda concluded, "…that about sums it up."
"So the Shadow Realm…is really like another world," Seto blinked.
"A sanctuary for the ones exiled," Yugi whispered.
"Now I really want to know…," Anzu looked at them, "…just who is the enemy here?"
Nobody could reply to that question, for nobody could figure out the answer.
TO BE CONTINUED…