Ichiro and Yoko stood in the midst of the city and looked about themselves at the paradise they were leaving behind. They had come to this time to escape the hellish future world that they came from. Now they would be going back with the slim hope of being able to set things right with the help of their Parents and friends.
"Do you really think it's possible?" Yoko asked Ichiro.
"I don't know but we owe it to our friends whom we left behind to try." He replied. "Are you ready?"
"I think so." She said and they turned around a headed back to Kaiba Corp. Headquarters.
---------Scene Break----------
Serenity and Tea were sitting in the control room while Kaiba and Mokuba and their company's technicians worked to repair the time machine.
"Tea, do you think that Ichiro could be my son?" Serenity asked as they looked out upon the lab.
"I don't know." Tea told her. "But I hope not because if what he said is true, then you're going to…"
"I know but Seto and I really in love. I don't think that either of us could end up with anyone else. Also, Ichiro seemed to have my eyes. Don't you think?" Serenity asked.
"Yeah, but he looked more like Kaiba than anyone. I mean it's like he's a clone or something. I don't know, I just hope that we can change the future for the better, I mean we can't let it all end this way you know." Tea said.
"I know. We've got to do the right thing by our children." Serenity was so brave, Tea thought, even now that the outcome of her own future seemed bleak. Maybe it was knowing that she would give her life so that a child might be born that gave Serenity the strength to go on, or maybe it was her unconditional faith in the power of love and friendship. Tea's own faith was kind of shaken of late. Their latest experiences hadn't been very pleasant but their friendships had endured. Maybe there was hope for the future. Maybe they were all doomed. Whatever the outcome though, they would face the unknown together, and they would face it with courage.
"Alright!" Kaiba shouted back up to the control room. "It's ready, get everyone together, cause this things only got two more trips left in it before it burns out for good."
"You mean that we've only got one trip forward and one trip back?" Tea asked.
"That's what I just said. Is it so hard to understand that this is a delicate piece of equipment? We've got one trip forward and one back, that's it, then we whoever gets stuck on the other side is stuck there forever."
"Then we should get going." Yugi said coming into the lab through the side door. The others followed him and Tea and Serenity came down from the Control room. "Does everyone have their decks and duel disks?" Yugi asked.
"Sure do." They all replied.
"Good because they're our only weapons against these robots." Kaiba reminded them. "Okay, here we go. I've set this time portal to open again in 24 hours. That's all the time we have."
"So then it's all or nothing." Tristan said. "Let's do this."
"Yeah, let's kick some ro-butt." Joey seconded. The time generator was activated, turbines were channeling chronological particles, and soon a portal opened with a loud boom and a bright flash of light and then Yugi, Kaiba, Ichiro, Yoko, Inu-yasha, and the others all ventured forth into the unknown.
--------Scene Break--------
Little James ran as fast as he could but there was no escaping for him. He'd lost the duel and that meant that soon they would be coming for him. The Techno-duelists flew over the devastated landscape with their searchlights on full. They were looking for him and they would soon find him for no one escaped their horrid fate after loosing to a Techno-duelist.
It was to this terrible world that our time traveling heroes came through a great portal into the mouth of the lion's den where the Techno-Duelist Cyber One was located. So they came and they saw the fruits of a man's labors spoiled and rotten. They saw the machines, the factory, the control centers where Humans were forced to work repairing and maintaining the evil robots who had enslaved them.
"What is this place?" Yugi/Yami asked.
"This is the legacy of Kaiba Corp." Ichiro said as they walked past the cell blocks were most of the duelists were kept. "Soon it will be time for the great games. That's when these pour souls will be released back into the world to be hunted like animals."
"That's how we were once upon a time." Yoko said. "Ichiro, we have to help some of them now."
"How though, once the machines find out we're here, we'll be stuck back in the cells too." Ichiro pointed out. "The best thing for us to do is to keep on moving while we can. The machines think that their security is absolute, so they don't bother with guards, nor do they bother with cameras. We're safe until we get to the outer complex of the Pyramid."
"I can't stand this, I can't just leave these people behind to be absorbed." Inu-yasha said. "I'm letting them out."
"NO you fool!" Ichiro cried but it was too late, Inu-yasha took his sword out and slashed through each cell door until all of them were opened and the prisoners inside were let loose. But just as he had finished doing this, an alarm sounded, and soon a gang of techno-duelists was on the way down the corridor. "Now you've done it, we can't stick around here now, we don't have the experience to defeat four of those things at once."
"Four of them!" Tea exclaimed.
"Just hold on." Miroku said, and when the machines appeared he let loose his wind tunnel, which sucked them all in, but soon more of the mechanical monsters were on their way. It would be a running fight to the perimeter where Ichiro and Yoko had broken in before. If they were lucky then the machines wouldn't have repaired the hole in the Pyramid yet.
"Lets see how these things like a little dark energy attack." Kaiba said as he held out his Millennium Rod. Dark lightning struck the Techno-duelists head on but they kept coming. "What?"
"They're protected from shadow powers." Ichiro said. "That's why none of our Millennium Items work."
"They may not work on the machines as they are, but let's try something a little less direct." Yugi/Yami said and used his Millennium Puzzle to conger up one his Egyptian God Monsters. "Obelisk the Tormentor, titan fire storm attack!" Obelisk appeared and within minutes he'd destroyed seven techno-duelists and then disappeared again. "That's how you handle creatures immune to shadow powers." He told them all.
"I get it." Yoko said and used the power of her puzzle to call forth Goddess of the Lake. 2450atk/1050def. "Waves of tears blast!" She commanded. Her Goddess appeared and with a single tear from her face she caused a tidal wave which shorted out three techno duelists. The battle continued for some many miles until at last they came to where Ichiro and Yoko had entered the Pyramid but they found their exit blocked by a force field.
"What do we do now guys?" Kagome asked as she fired another sacred arrow at the metallic monstrosities, which were now coming at them in droves. She managed to hit one in the sensor or it's eye if you can call it an eye on the top of it's head.
"Go Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!" Kaiba commanded. "Shining Nova, destroyed the force field in front of us!" Blue Eyes Shining Dragon exploded against the wall of the Pyramid and detonated. The force field came down and the gang made a break for it, jumping out the hole, and sliding down the side of the Pyramid to the ground below. They appeared to be safe from the machines but then suddenly, with a thunderous roar, a motorcycle with several behemoth exhaust pipes and flames painted along it's side screeched to a halt in front of the bewildered group. Only Yoko and Ichiro's faces seemed relieved at the sight.
"Kaede!" Yoko cheered. "thank goodness!"
"Kaede?" Kagome, Inu-yasha, and the rest said in shock.
The cycle's driver lifted her visor. Her yellow eyes blazed at them under her long, shaggy black bangs. Then she shouted, "Quit standing around and move! Now! More Techno's are coming."
"More of those things?" Joey groaned, "This place is nuts!"
"Then shut your trap and get going," the girl said to the rest of them. "Where are your bikes?"
"We kind of totaled them when we broke into the Pyramid." Yoko said, climbing on behind her friend, followed by Ichiro.
"Typical for a couple of airheads," the girl called Kaede sighed in annoyance. "And what are you colossal freaks looking at?"
"Who are you calling a freak?" Tristan demnded.
Kaede opned her mouth to retaliate, but then it dropped at the sight of Inu-yasha's ears. "Hey, wait minute," she said, "Who the heck are you?"
"Who want's to know?" Inu-yasha asked, reaching for his sword.
"Kaede Higurashi, that's who," she said, leaping to her feet. She reached up and removed her helmate, revealing black dog ears in the mdist of her extremely long black hair. Then she reached and drew her own Tetsusaiga.
"Kaede, not now!" Yoko groaned, "They helped us get back here."
"Yeah, some thanks you owe them," Kaede said, "I'd rather be anywhere but this place."
"I'll say," Mai said, looking around at the devastated city.
"This place is trashed," Tristan observed. "What happened here?"
"What happended to the city?" Yugi/Yami asked.
"It-" Kaede started to say, but then her ears twitched and she snarled, "Technos! D-------, they're close!" she got back on her bike with her friends, and said, "If you want explanations, get your butts moving and find our hideout, cause I'm not watin' around here to save you. I have better things to do than waste my time babysitting a bunch of idiots." As she reved up the bike, Inu-yasha grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up. "HEY!"
"Listen you little wretch," he said, looking her in the eye, "You talk, NOW!"
"Don't you understand?!? We don't have time, the Technos are coming! Now stop barking and PUT ME DOWN!"
"Fine." Inu-yasha dropped the girl on her butt.
"OW!" she cried. As she got to her feet, a swarm of Tecno Duelists came marching towards them. There was no escaping them, they would have to stand and fight. "Okay, I didn't want to do this but it looks like I've got no other choice." Kaede said as she switched on her duel disk.
"Please, don't even bother, especially when we've got other ways of defeating these techno creeps." Inu-yasha said. He lifted his sword and with a one might swipe he took down five of the metal minions.
"Time for a little Time power." Joey said as he took out his Millennium Key. He held it high over his head and used its mystical powers to open up a time warp which sucked up another ten Techno duelists. Miroku opened up his wind tunnel again and sucked up another couple, while Kaiba and Yugi/Yami summoned up more shadow monsters to destroy the last of them. Kaede could hardly believe it when she witnessed this. Never before had such great destruction befallen the techno-duelists.
"Are you guys crazy?" She exclaimed. "You're upsetting the whole balance of things by just destroying them outright!" Kaede was supper ticked at them now, it was plain to see. "And you two, you know the rules, we're supposed to duel them, not blow them away!" She said to Ichiro and Yoko. "I can't believe this! You fools, now the Cyber One will just start absorbing us all without even giving us a chance to defend ourselves!"
"Anyone care to tell explain what she's jabbering about?" Inu-yasha asked.
"I think I can explain." A familure voice said. They all turned around and on another bike road up Rebecca Hawkins, only grown up, and more beautiful than Mokuba had ever thought she could be.
"Rebecca?" Mokuba asked, surprised.
"Oh my gosh, could it be, Moky?" Rebecca ran over to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh Moky it's wonderful to see you gain. Even if it is your younger self, I thought I'd never see you again, but here you are. It's just so wonderful." She said with tears of joy in her eyes.
"Rebecca, I…" Mokuba couldn't find the words. She was so beautiful, dressed in her tight, black leather jumpsuit, and dark lipstick. Even with the grease paint smeared under her eyes, she was ravishing.
"This is Mokuba Kaiba?" Kaede asked. "Wow!" She ran up to Mokuba, got down on her knees and stuck a pad of paper and pencil underneath his nose. "This is a great thrill Mr. Kaiba Sir, I've got all your albums and your wall scrolls. I have your action figures too. Could I prevail upon you to give me your autograph?"
"My what?" Mokuba asked.
"Please, it's such an honor." Young Kaede pleaded. "I musical genius such as yourself comes along every once in a while."
"Musical Genius?" Kaiba asked. "Mokuba?"
"Oh yeah, I suppose I should explain." Rebecca said clasping her hands. "You see in our time, Mokuba's a big rock star and action hero. Or at least he was until the techno duelists got him last week. My poor husband."
"HUSBAND?" They all exclaimed.
"You mean you and I get married?" Mokuba asked Rebecca.
"Two weeks ago to tomorrow." She said sadly.
"Well this is touching, but can we please go now, or should we wait around for more of those things to come gobble us all up?" Seto Kaiba asked.
"He's right, we should go." Rebecca said. "Come on, we've got a little while, so I'll talk while we all walk." They started down the street with the girls pushing their bikes along and Rebecca filled them in on current events. "Moky and I started the resistance about a year ago when it became clear that the techno duelists were not going to allow the human race to continue living for much longer. We decided that the only way we could continue to exist is to teach young duelists how to be good duelists and equip them with the latest technology and duel monsters cards."
"But why not just trash the technos?" Duke asked.
"Because the armies of the world have already tried and failed to defeat the techno duelists in battle. They were absorbed and worse." She told them. "Because most of the human race was unskilled at the art of Dueling, the techno duelists were able to absorb most of the earth's population right off. But there were some who resisted at first. There was great battle, much like the one you just went through, in which the Seto Kiab, Yugi Mouto, and Inu-yasha of our time lead a group of special forces comprises of the world's best shadow duelists against the Cyber One. They failed too and were all absorbed, leaving their children with Moky and me to bring up."
"Rebecca raised us all." Yoko said. "Me, Ichiro, Kaede, Hiro…"
"Who?" Kagome asked.
"My brother, Hiro." Kaede said, her voice growling, her fists clenched. "That filthy traitor!"
"Traitor?" Shippo exclaimed. "Oh man, that doesn't sound good, what did he do?"
"He became a techno duelist." Kaede said coldly.
"He did what?" Tristan asked.
"He sold himself to Cyber One to save himself from being absorbed. He knows all our tricks and all our hiding places, save one. That's how uncle Mokuba got captured." Ichiro said. "He was drawn into a duel with Hiro and was absorbed by a techno.
"That's terrible." Kagome said. "Inu-yasha, you know what this means, don't you?"
"No way." Inu-yasha said. "No way any son of mine would do that."
"Your son? Ichiro, what's he talking about?" Kaede asked.
"These are our parents, Kaede." Yoko told her. Kaede stopped in her tracks and looked back at Inu-yasha.
"So that's my old man huh. Feh." She crossed her arms, and walked over to Inu-yasha. The two dog eared beings stared at each other for minute, both scowling. The others watched, feeling the tension. Suddenly, Kaede smirked and said, "Feh."
-----------------Authors' Note---------------------
If we don't get any reviews, we're pulling this story from the site till further notice.