I don't own Yugioh…and after saying that for 56 chapters straight, I think you all get it by now…
=^__^=
Warning: Violence, swearing, and mentioning of rape.
Chapter 56
"What the…!?" Seto's exclamation was cut off when the very earth beneath them rumbled. The river around their area churned, and parts of the ground started to crack and create fissures.
Screams went up from both sides, as the Kurayami group on the walls fell down when the floor fell from under them, and the Hikari group were getting thrown into fissures.
"Shit!" Shinbu swore, "The darkness is increasing!"
Seto was about to ask him what he meant, when he felt something reach up through the ground and grab his ankle. He looked down in shock to see a hand holding him…but it was unlike any hand he had ever seen. It was black, but had a swirling mass of colors in it…none of which looked too nice. Now that he was looking down, he noticed that there was a small circle of the stuff and he was slowly sinking into it. Seto pulled out a card and threw it to the ground, "Give me a hand out of this mess, Island Turtle!"
The giant turtle appeared, and Seto grabbed onto the creature's neck to try to keep himself rooted there, "Help pull me out!"
The turtle strained as it tried to lift its head to pull Seto out.
Seto started to slip off, when a strong hand grabbed his wrist. He looked up and saw that Jumo had climbed up onto the turtle and was holding onto him, trying to pull him up as well.
"Don't!" Yokan shouted, "Or it'll pull you in, too!"
Shinbu climbed up on the turtle as well, much to Yokan's dismay, and grabbed Seto's other arm. "Pull, now! The darkness is trying to take him!"
Seto thrashed as pain lanced through the leg that the hand had a grip on. And, surprisingly, it was very strong.
Shinbu grabbed onto a nearby plant on the turtle's back to keep himself rooted down.
Jumo wasn't so lucky, and was thrown into the swirling mass of chaos and darkness that was trying to take Seto.
"Jumo!!" Seto grabbed onto the man's hand with his now free hand, trying to hold him.
The ground was still shaking, and Shinbu was shocked at what he heard next when he looked up to see a familiar figure rising from the ground near the front of the Kurayami stronghold.
"MY NAME IS LORD KODAI!!" It boomed over the entire castle, and all the surrounding areas as well.
Shinbu's grip on Seto slackened in shock.
"Shinbu…!" Seto gave a yelp as he was now grasping at air, and started to be pulled down into the swirling mess, Jumo already halfway into it.
Shinbu snapped to his senses and was about to lunge for the boy, when he was grabbed from behind.
"Don't!" Yokan shouted, "Or you'll be pulled into the darkness, too!"
"We have to save him…!" Shinbu glanced at his friend.
"It's up to him now…only he can get back…him and Jumo," Yokan pulled at his friend to get him away from the swirling mass and trying to filter out Seto's panicked screams as he and Jumo disappeared into the darkness.
The turtle disappeared instantly, depositing Shinbu and Yokan on the ground.
"Dammit!" Shinbu swore, hiding his tears, "How am I going to explain this to my son that I let his friend get taken by the darkness…!?"
"Snap out of it!" Yokan grabbed Shinbu by the shoulders, forcing the other man to look directly at him, "Seto is a strong youth…he has a strong mind and a strong heart. The darkness won't win so easily against him! What you have to do now is believe in him and the strength of his heart! Remember what you told me when the darkness first came to Gaia, Shinbu!? You said that love and friendship is stronger then any darkness! That it can break through it! That boy has friends who love him, and a younger brother that loves him. And I'm sure he feels the same about his friends! We must believe in him!"
Shinbu nodded and stood up, "You're right……I'm worried about Jumo, though…"
Yokan sighed and shook his head, "Jumo has too much darkness in his heart. He probably lost his mind the second he was submerged in there."
"Damn!" Shinbu swore again.
"Right now," Yokan pointed to the floating figure at the front of the castle, "our fight on this side is useless…you need to get over there to give your son a hand. You know how to defeat Kodai. They can't do it without your help. I'll stay back here for a few moments and see who we have left."
"But…the kid…"
"Don't worry," Yokan smiled tightly to hide his worry, "I'll wait for Seto to come back. I'm sure he will be back."
Shinbu nodded, and glanced at the Kuriboh sitting pitifully at his feet.
"Kuu…" Chip whimpered.
Shinbu knelt down to the little creature, and ruffled its fur, "Will you wait here with Yokan for Seto to come back?"
"Kuu!" Chip jumped up and down.
"Good boy," Shinbu smiled.
"Kuu?" Chip questioned.
"I'll be alright," Shinbu stated grimly, "I'm counting on you, Chip. And you, too, Yokan."
Yokan nodded, "Don't worry about us…go help your son."
Shinbu nodded and ran as fast as he could with his injured leg towards the front.
Yokan looked at the little Kuriboh, "Well, Chip…I'm going to help our warriors out of the pitfalls…will you keep an eye out for the kid?"
"Kuu!"
Yokan smiled, and went about helping his team.
* * *
Seto opened his eyes and looked around. He was floating…or maybe not. He couldn't tell. The place he was in was dark and dreary, with dark purples and blues swirling around in the pitch blackness. He gulped down his fear and looked around. There was nothing but swirling darkness as far as he could see. He started to sit up, and found that he was indeed on a 'floor'…which looked just the same as the rest of the void he was in.
Seto got to his feet, shivering slightly. The atmosphere of the place was horrid…it was cold, dank, and lacking something…it was lacking emotion. It was like an endless void of nothingness.
"Jumo!?" Seto called, quelling his own fear and walking forward. He saw a figure hunched over on the ground, and ran over, "Jumo!! Are you alright…?" Seto had to take a step back when the man turned his face to him.
Jumo's face looked pale and thin, the skin on his face looking like it was starting to rot right there and then. The man's strong eyes were now hollow and empty, devoid of all feelings and emotion as they stared wide-eyed at the boy. There were tears running down his face, yet he didn't look sad. He had a creepy smile on his face, and laughed from time to time. His body moved as if he was a puppet…very jerkily with excess movement as he turned to look up at Seto.
"J-Jumo…?" Seto stammered.
Jumo laughed again, the sound of it was eerie and hollow, like the chattering teeth of a skeleton.
"Jumo, snap out of it…!" Seto reached out and grabbed the man's shoulders, only to have them start to almost melt in his hands. He quickly withdrew, and looked at his hands. They were burned and blistering, throbbing with pain. He looked in shock at the broken man before him. "Jumo…say something! Anything!" He was starting to panic, and he knew it. He forced himself to take a couple deep breaths, but that didn't quell the fear running through this veins like ice.
Jumo laughed again and pointed at seemingly nothing, speaking in a hollow tone and talking as if he was far away…lost inside his own mind, "Look, Shisha…it's an ocean. Wonderful ocean…don't cry…the war won't last long…" his tone turned to one of desperateness, "Shisha!! Wait! Don't go! No, you'll be fine! You're not going to die! I won't let you! SHISHA! Shisha!!"
Seto couldn't take it anymore, and turned and ran until he could no longer hear the pained wailings of the other man. He fell to his knees, breathing hard and shaking.
Suddenly, he was falling through the 'floor'. He landed it what looked like the city, at a small, run-down house. Seto trembled as he realized where he was. But that's impossible…!
As if his body had a mind of its own, he found himself opening the door to the rundown place and entering. It was a one-story house, with a kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms.
Once again, his feet moved on its own as though compelled by some strange force, and he found himself in front of a bedroom that he remembered well.
NO! Seto's mind screamed. He tried to pull away, but couldn't. He opened the door and stepped in. There was a flash of light, and he saw something he never had wanted to remember ever again…
***Flash***
Laying on the bed was a woman with long brown hair. Her face was pale and taut, pinched with pain now and then. There was a doctor who Seto couldn't see properly because he was a little fuzzy, but his memory remembered that it was the family doctor, standing anxiously near the bed with a bunch of unrecognizable equipment that Seto now knew was equipment to help with birthing.
Standing at the bedside was a small, 6-year-old boy with short brown hair and ice blue eyes wearing dirty school cloths and looking as if he had ran the entire way home. There were tears in his eyes as he looked on. The tears ran down his face when the woman cried out in pain.
Seto tried to get out of the room…he knew what was going to happen. But his feet were rooted to the spot. Something in the back of his mind was whispering that if he submitted to the darkness in his heart, he wouldn't have to watch.
But Seto could only stare in horror as he watched his past play out before his eyes.
The little boy by the bedside gripped the sheets when the woman cried out in pain once more, "Don't give up, mommy!" the boy cried.
The woman tried to smile at the boy, but grimaced again.
"Here we go…," the doctor started, reaching down.
Seto remembered that he had closed his eyes because his mother started screaming. Everything he was watching now was blurred since all his memory had were screams and crying. Finally, the screams stopped.
"It's over," the doctor stated.
Another cry filled the room from the small form in the doctor's hands. The doctor smiled and gently cleaned the little thing and wrapped it up, then handed it to the woman with a sad smile, "Congratulations…it's a healthy boy."
The woman's sad smile mirrored that of the doctor's as she gazed at her new son. Tears ran down her face as she weakly looked at the shocked 6 year old standing nearby. She weakly gestured him over, "Come here."
The boy sniffled and went over.
"Look," the woman smiled, showing the little boy to the older one, "Look, Seto. This is your little brother…Mokuba."
Little-Seto reached out and shakily touched the boy, who stopped crying immediately.
The woman smiled, "I'm glad he likes you. Seto…promise me you'll take care of your brother, okay?"
"I promise…but you'll help, right?" Little-Seto responded, a confused look on his small features.
The woman smiled although tears ran down her face, "Be strong, Seto. Your little brother is counting on you."
"I don't understand…you're scaring me, mommy," Little-Seto whispered through tears in his eyes, "You'll be there to help…won't you? Won't you, mommy?"
When he got no answer, he looked from his mother to the doctor.
The doctor had looked away out of respect.
Little-Seto felt tears run down his face, "Mommy…what's going on? Tell me…!"
"Seto…," the woman cupped a hand to his face weakly.
When Little-Seto reached out, the woman gently put the sleeping baby in Seto's arms.
"I love you, Seto…and little Mokuba, too," the woman smiled as tears ran down her face again, "Don't ever forget that…and don't forget to take care of your brother, okay?"
"Mommy…," Little-Seto whimpered, then blinked when the woman's eyes closed and her hand fell limply back onto the bed. "Mommy?" One of his tears fell onto the baby's face, causing the baby to stir and cry a little.
"Don't cry, Moki…" Little-Seto whispered through the tears that streamed down his face constantly, "Mommy's only sleeping…she'll wake up…I know she will…
But she never woke up…
***End Flash***
Seto stood there, tears running down his face unchecked as he was forced to relive the death of his mother. His father was dead before he was even born, and never even knew what he looked like. He sunk to his knees, wiping his eyes.
The voice in the back of his mind was back. It was a raspy voice, cold and mysterious, speaking in a whisper-like tone.
"I can stop this pain, if you want me to. All you have to do is surrender your mind and soul. And the pain will stop."
Seto shook his head, "No…"
"You blamed Mokuba for your mother's death after that, didn't you?"
"That's not true…," Seto gulped.
"You know it is true. You didn't even visit your brother in that section of the orphanage. Even when he and you got older."
"Stop…"
"Do you submit?"
"No! I don't care what you say! I don't care what happened then! I love Mokuba…!"
"That's not how you felt seven years ago…"
Seto gasped as another flash of light assaulted him. He was floating for a moment, then dropped into the familiar setting of the small orphanage he and Mokuba had been placed in when his mother died. Once again the scenes played out in front of him…
***Flash***
"Seto! Seto!"
10 year old Seto looked up from the book he was reading in the grass on the lawn outside when the little voice called his name.
The boy running towards him had unruly, spiky black hair and blue eyes and wore a blue and white striped shirt that was a little too big for him with jeans and sneakers, a faded orange vest over his shirt. He waved cheerfully, then tripped and fell. He sniffled and pushed himself back up, looking teary-eyed at Seto.
"What do you want, Mokuba?" Seto asked in an emotionless tone.
"Will you pway with me?" Mokuba asked, looking up at his big brother with all of his 4 year old cuteness, his eyes begging.
"No," Seto looked back at his book.
"Pwease? I twied asking the othew kids, but they just thwow stuff at me and call me mean names…"
"No means no…now go away! I'm busy!" Seto snapped.
It was quiet for a little while, until Seto heard sniffling, and looked up again.
Mokuba was standing there, tears running down his face, "Why, Seto? Why won't you pway with me? Why do you hate me? You'we my bwothew…my big bwothew…so why…?"
Seto glared at him, "Like I said to you last year, Mokuba…you are not my brother."
"I don't undewstand! Why awe you so cold to me?! I wove you…!" Mokuba stomped his foot, his tears coming down faster.
Seto stood up, glaring at his little brother, "Well, I don't love you!! It's your fault that mom died! You killed her!" Seto glared icily at his brother.
Mokuba was staring, wide-eyed, up at Seto. Tears filled his eyes, and with a choked sob, he ran.
Seto felt a little bad for how he just snapped at his brother, but sat back down and opened his book and started to read again. It's not too bad…it's my fault mom died. I was powerless to stop her from dying. It's Mokuba's fault…if she didn't have him, she'd still be alive, and I wouldn't be in this hell-hole. It's okay this way…if I just close myself off to the world, then nothing can hurt me again…
***End Flashback***
"And you believed that, too. So, you closed yourself off. You shut down your emotions. You were cold to everyone around you, and didn't care about anyone except yourself. Even when your little brother was suffering, you didn't care. He was hurting…and got beaten up by the other orphan kids every day…sometimes, right in front of you. And you did nothing."
Seto shook his head, hiding his face in his hands to conceal his tears, "No…"
"You deny it?"
"Okay!" Seto shouted, "I blamed Mokuba for my mother's death! I wanted nothing to do with him or the rest of the world!! So I closed myself off to everyone! But I didn't stay like that! I changed…!"
"Ha. Don't make me laugh. You only changed because you felt guilty. Mokuba couldn't take the kids picking on him and beating him up everyday, and not having any sanctuary to run to. He tried to tell you, but you wouldn't hear it. Then, there was an accident…Mokuba tried to run away from the orphanage, and was missing for almost a week. When they found him, he was laying unconscious and barely breathing by a ravine. A couple of his bones were broken, and he was barely alive. And it was your fault, Seto."
Seto shook his head, his shoulders shaking with tears.
"He barely survived…he didn't want to survive…"
"But I was there…," Seto whispered, his voice laiden with tears, "I held his hand the entire time…I had promised mom I would look after him, and I had failed…"
"That's right. The only reason you felt bad was because you thought you had betrayed your mother when you promised to look after him. Mokuba himself meant nothing to you."
"That's not true!" Seto cried, "After that…I realized how important Mokuba was to me! I stuck by him…I was always there for him! I told him I love him! And I meant it!" Seto stood up, wiping his tears, "Your mind games won't work on me! Mokuba loves me, and I love him! I may have a bad past, but there's no memory you can drag up that will make me submit…!"
Laughter boomed around him. "Oh, how you are mistaken, little Seto. I have found a memory…buried deep within your mind. Tell me…how did you end up with a mansion all to yourself? The owner must have died. Tell me…how did Mister Kaiba die?"
Seto froze, shaking his head. He could feel the darkness closing in on him, suffocating him. "No…no…not that…I didn't…"
A snicker. "You did. You tried to forget it…purposely forgot it. Let me remind you…"
"NO!" Seto shouted, "I did it to save Mokuba…!"
But before he could protest again, the floor once again vanished from beneath him as he plunged through the swirling darkness.
He landed in the Kaiba mansion…it was cold and dark there, and rain was pouring down on the house…
***Flash***
12-year-old Seto heard strange noises that night. He had woken up from a nightmare and was getting a glass of water, when he heard crying. He walked up the stairs towards where the sounds were coming from. His feet carried him faster when he saw that it was his brother's room, and identified the crying as that belonging to Mokuba.
He tried to open the door, but it was locked.
"Mokuba?!" Seto shouted, pounding on the door, "Mokuba!? Are you alright?!"
Mokuba's voice came through the door, weak and breaking with tears, "Niisama! Help me…!" He was cut off when there was a rough slapping noise and a hissed curse.
"Hang on, Mokuba!" Seto shouted, "I'm coming!" He tried to open the door again, to no avail. He ran to his room and grabbed a bobby pin, and tried to pick the lock. When that didn't work, and he was getting desperate as the cries got louder, he started to throw himself against the door until his shoulder stung. He continued, throwing his entire bodyweight against it.
Finally, the wooden door snapped, and he came crashing through, cutting his entire left side from the wood shards. He looked up, and gasped as he got to his feet.
His stepfather stood there, looming over his little brother.
Mokuba had bruises on his face and body, and was bleeding in a few spots with tears running down his face. What remained of his clothing was torn, and it looked like his stepfather was about to take the situation farther because he was trying to get the boy's pants off of him.
"Back off, pedophile!" Seto shouted, and tackled his stepfather, "Leave my brother alone, you creep!" He yelped as he found himself pinned, with only his right arm free. He cried out as his injured side was pressed on. He didn't know what position he was in, but it was causing a lot of pain as his stepfather was on top of him.
"Stupid boy!" the stepfather growled, "Ruining everything! So what if I was going to rape your precious little brother!? I warned you not to cross me when you made that order for the company! I told you to order parts for military uses! Instead, you order things for games! Little twerp!"
Pain was applied to Seto's arm, and he cried out.
Suddenly, the stepfather yelped. Something landed on the floor next to Seto as the boy looked up to see Mokuba pulling on their stepfather's hair.
"Get off me, you damn brat!" the stepfather roared, throwing Mokuba down.
Mokuba cried out, coughing and whimpering as he shook from the pain.
"Mokuba!!" Seto shouted, then winced.
"You can't do anything!" the stepfather laughed, "You and your brother will be mine! But first…let's start with your brother. This is what you get for interrupting me!" He picked Mokuba up by the hair, dragging the small boy to his feet.
Mokuba was crying, begging for him to stop as the stepfather removed the boy's pants and went for his underwear.
A shot rang out through the house.
The stepfather stiffened, his eyes wide with shock and pain. He dropped Mokuba and turned around, a hand going to his shoulder that was now bleeding from a bullet wound.
Seto had found the object his stepfather dropped was a gun, and picked it up and had fired it.
The stepfather's eyes were ablaze with anger as he snarled, "Little…brat…!"
He didn't get much father then that, because Seto pulled the trigger again and again until there were no more bullets left, his eyes squeezed shut as tears ran down his cheeks.
There was a gurgled curse, then a 'thud' of a body hitting the floor, and then it was silent except for Mokuba's crying and Seto's harsh breathing.
Seto opened his eyes, and stared in shock at what he had done. The gun tumbled from his hands to the ground.
His stepfather lay there, dead and bleeding.
Seto's hands trembled, and he sunk to his knees, tears running down his face…
***End Flashback***
"So…you killed your stepfather…and didn't feel guilty at all."
"That's not true!" Seto trembled, tears rolling down his cheeks, "He was trying to hurt us! He nearly raped Mokuba! I couldn't let him…! And Mokuba…he was so grateful that I saved him…he knew what had been done, but he didn't care as long as we were safe." Seto had to stop for a moment on a sob, "He…he hugged me and told me that I was his hero…"
"But you didn't feel like much of a hero, did you? You killed a man…"
Seto gritted his teeth, and suddenly remembered back to that day, what his little brother had said to him after it was all done, even with the dark voice trying to convince him otherwise…
"I was so scared until you came in, Seto-niisama! You're my hero! Don't feel bad, okay? Niisama? Don't cry…please…I LOVE YOU, SETO-NIISAMA!!!"
Seto looked ahead. That's right…Mokuba said he loved me. Despite what had happened. Despite that I had killed someone…just like when those damn demons raped me in the dungeons. The others…my friends…they said it was alright. They said Mokuba would understand when I chose to tell him. They're right. There's no way Mokuba would ever hate me. And they don't hate me. Because…we're friends!
A glow surrounded his body.
"What?! NO! Impossible!!"
Seto stood up and glared into the darkness, then shouted, "YOU'VE LOST! I AM NOT GOING TO SUBMIT TO YOU! BECAUSE…BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE WAITING FOR ME TO RETURN!! PEOPLE WHO LOVE ME…AND PEOPLE WHOM I LOVE!!"
The darkness started to swirl again, and Seto was hit by a wave of vertigo as things spun dizzily around. He felt as if he was falling upwards. He could feel something akin to wind rustling by him, and the darkness was growing fainter and fainter. When he looked up, he saw a bright light, and had to close his eyes tightly against it. He lost consciousness as soon as he hit the light.
"Kuu! Kuu!"
Seto moaned and opened his eyes to see a little Kuriboh perched worriedly next to him.
"Kuu! KUU!"
"Chip…?" Seto focused his blurry vision on the little Kuriboh.
"Kuu!" Chip nodded, nuzzling him.
"You're awake…thank goodness."
Seto slowly sat up, then winced and put a hand to his head.
"Easy," Yokan steadied him, "The void practically spit you back up." He chuckled as he handed Seto some water, "You've been out for a few minutes…but that's normal. You're the only one aside from Shinbu who's come back from the darkness alive and with your sanity intact."
Seto shakily took a drink from the water, and put a shaking hand to his head again, closing his eyes, "Jumo…I'm sorry…I couldn't…"
Yokan smiled sadly, placing a hand on Seto's shoulder, "It's not your fault. Once we get rid of this darkness…there's a chance that Jumo will return to himself."
Seto blinked and glanced over to where Yokan was looking.
Jumo lay there, looking like he was in a comatose state.
"What…?" Seto blinked, putting the water canteen down.
"His soul is trapped in darkness," Yokan sighed, "You don't know it, but you were just laying here, too. You seemed to disappear, but then your body reappeared. It was your soul that was wandering in the darkness. That's why…there may be hope for Jumo if we can get rid of the darkness."
Seto nodded, still slightly shell-shocked.
Yokan placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Do you mind if I…?"
Seto shook his head.
Yokan wrapped his arms around Seto, holding him close.
Seto broke down there, crying out everything he had been holding in all those years.
"That's it, Seto," Yokan whispered as he held the shaking teen, "Let it all out. Let it go."
And that's exactly what Seto did.
* * *
The ground shook as Ryou stared helplessly at the Skull Knight.
Bakura was laughing, his arms crossed and a homicidal look on his face and in his eyes.
Ryou knew he didn't have enough magical strength left to put up a strong enough shield to save himself. His eyes widened. This is it…I'm done for! I'm not as strong as everyone thought I was!! I'm sorry, everyone…His gaze shifted to the prone form of little Malik that was laying on the ground, unconscious. Malik…I tried. But it wasn't good enough…He closed his eyes and let a tear slip down his cheek.
The Skull Knight was almost upon him now, its spear aimed right for his heart.
Suddenly, Ryou heard a noise. He opened his eyes and saw the Petit Moth position itself in front of him.
"What are you doing…!? It's useless now!!" Ryou exclaimed, tears running down his face, "You aren't strong enough to take that thing on! Run away! He's aiming for me!"
The Moth seemed to shake its head, and started to glow. With a burst of light, it had let loose thousands of tiny threads that encased Ryou completely.
"What…?!" Ryou exclaimed as his entire world got dark inside the cocoon that was spun around him. From inside, he heard a crash, a squeal…and then he was flying backwards through the air, the cocoon shattered.
Ryou landed on the ground, wincing as his injured arm flared up in pain. Yet…he looked around and saw that he was alive.
The cocoon had protected him from the blow.
Tears ran down Ryou's face as he picked up the card that now held the Petit Moth. He gently touched the picture of the injured monster, "Thank you…you were so small, and it seemed as if you had no power. But you didn't give up. You protected me…you saved my life. And now…it's my turn!" Ryou winced and got to his feet. He stumbled, still reeling from the attack, but righted himself and looked at Bakura.
Bakura seemed to be in shock. "I don't understand…why would that little runt prolong your death!?"
"He didn't!" Ryou shouted, wincing and realizing that the attack did earn him a broken rib or two…maybe some bruising as well, "Because I'm not going to die!"
"But I was so close…!" Bakura growled.
"Yes, that's true," Ryou's voice lowered as he walked back to the area where they were dueling, "But when this little guy used his ability of Cocoon of Evolution to save me instead of shield himself…I realized that no matter how the odds are against you, as long as you have someone to fight for, there's always something you can do."
"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard," Bakura snarled, "Make your move, weakling! You still can't beat my Skull Knight!!"
"We'll see!" Ryou grabbed his next card. I'm not giving up. Not on Malik…and not on myself, either. Yugi was always talking about the Heart of the Cards…and now, I believe. These creatures all have hearts. Then…I believe in them! "It's my move!" He pulled the card out. He was almost afraid to look at it, but smiled when he saw what it was. That's it!
"What are you smiling about, you little shit?!" Bakura snarled.
"You should try to be a little nicer," Ryou stated, "I said before and I'll say it again…I don't think you're a bad person."
"Give me a break! I'm evil!"
"You only think you are," Ryou smiled, then concentrated and tossed the card to the ground to summon the monster. "Mechanical Spider!"
A giant, red and black spider with odd joints that gave it a machine look appeared on the battlefield.
"Are you joking?" Bakura sneered, "That monster only has 700 attack points, and that's with the field bonus!"
Ryou smiled, "Maybe…but it has an effect, too. You said that magic and trap cards can't be played…but you never said that I couldn't use an effect if my monster has one."
Bakura cursed to himself. "It still won't help you…!"
Ryou looked at the spider, and the creature nodded. Ryou nodded back. "Mechanical Spider! Attack his Skull Knight!" Ryou pointed.
"Fool! You're sending it to its doom!" Bakura laughed.
"It doesn't mind, even though I was hesitant," Ryou smiled, "The Spider was the one that telepathically told me to use it in a kamikaze attack."
The Mechanical Spider was easily annihilated by the Skull Knight, and the shock wave from the Skull Knight slammed into Ryou, who had managed to get a slight defense barrier up. The attack still sent him flying back, and he coughed up blood on the impact, wincing in pain where another rib had been broken.
The Skull Knight froze, then started to shake. It then collapsed into a heap of ashes, and became a card again.
"What…?!" Bakura exclaimed.
Ryou wiped sweat off his forehead and managed a smile as he stumbled once more to his feet despite the pain, "Didn't know the special effect? Any dark monster that is attacked by the Mechanical Spider is instantly destroyed."
Bakura stared at the boy, then laughed, "You…you're insane! My next card could be a monster that will destroy you!"
"Maybe…," Ryou was breathing hard now, "…but as long as I have…a chance, I'm not going to…give up." He winced and fell to his knees, his good arm wrapped around his ribs. "Itai…"
"I don't understand you," Bakura growled, "I don't understand you or your friends…or how your fucking mind works!!"
Ryou smiled up at Bakura, a trail of blood running down the corner of his mouth, "I said you…weren't such a bad person. The fact that you're…questioning my motives is…proof enough of that."
"Bullshit!" Bakura shouted, but didn't draw a card.
"Why are you…working for the Kurayami, anyway?" Ryou looked up, "Is it…to really cause…chaos? To try to…rule the world? To collect souls? Power isn't…everything. I'd trade any power that…I have to have my friends. I also…want to thank you."
"What the fuck…?" Bakura stammered.
Ryou smiled, though tears ran down his face, "Because of you…because of the ring, I mean, I was able…to meet everyone. Because of you…I have friends. Even though, this situation is so screwed up…I'm grateful. Thank you."
Bakura was stunned, and was even more stunned when the cards slipped from Ryou's hand and he collapsed to the ground. Bakura stood there. If he's not dead, then nobody has won this duel yet…but…Suddenly, Bakura didn't care about the duel. He felt strange, and before he knew it, he was kneeling down near Ryou, checking the boy for a pulse and then taking a count of the injuries Ryou had. He's alive…four broken ribs, the rest is bruised…no internal damage. How he managed that, I don't know. His left arm is broken, too…Bakura gently pulled Ryou into his arms, and found himself brushing back some of the boy's sweat-locked hair.
"You confuse the hell outta me, kid," Bakura whispered. He blinked and looked up when he felt an increase in power, only to see the cloaked figure he had seen many times as the 'boss' around the castle floating high in the air at the entrance. "That isn't good…" he glanced at the boy propped up in his arms, "I should get you back to someone so you can get healed…if the boss has shown himself……that means that the shadow games are worthless now, anyway. He's in control. And little Tenko is the only one that can stop him."
"Yugi…"
Bakura glanced down at Ryou, who had stirred a bit in his arms.
"Not Tenko…he's Yugi…," Ryou whispered.
"Shut up, fucking moron…you're injured, and you'll just make it worse," Bakura snarled at him.
Ryou smiled, "See? I knew you could be good…"
"Just shut your fucking mouth," Bakura growled, scooping Ryou up and standing up, then started to walk away.
Ryou smiled.
Bakura growled, and nearly kicked Malik awake.
The little boy looked up, confused.
"You…you're not Ryou…! What did you do…!?" Malik trembled.
"Shut up, damn kid," Bakura growled, "Something is very wrong…we're going back to your friend, Yugi. If that's a problem, you can stay here and get killed." He started to walk away.
Malik stood there, dumbfounded for a few moments, then followed, "So…if you aren't Ryou, who are you?"
"Bakura."
"So you're on our side?"
"I'm on nobody's side."
Malik looked confused.
Ryou, in Bakura's arms, smiled and whispered to his look-alike, "What you're doing now, Bakura, is what it means to be a friend."
Before Bakura could question the boy on it, Ryou passed out once again, causing a long string of swear words in a variety of different languages from Bakura as they made their way to the front.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I can't think of any notes to put here…I hope it turned out good! I was puzzled on what I was going to do about Seto and how I was going to get Ryou out of the mess he was in for quite some time. What I intended to do with Bakura and Ryou's fight didn't work out…a different ending wrote itself for that fight.