I am so late! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! How long has it been? ((Checks her calendar))
Five Months!
Oh no, tell me this is all a dream! I am so sorry, I forgot all about it, I've been spending way, way too much time on Janime. The year is going too fast! I will keep it regularly updated now. I promise!
Apologies in Advance: Gomen-nasai about the weird dialogue between Malik and the Ghouls, and for Pandora's OOCness... I made him a lot more manic than he really is.
Disclaimer (Which I forgot to do last chapter): I don't own YuuGiOh. Get used to it.
(~Text~ Hikari/Yami, Yami/Hikari mind link.)
– – –
Chapter 2: Animus
"K-K-K-K-K-K-K-K!"
The chopping of the helicopter penetrated Shizuka's ears. She sat numbly, blindly at the rear of the helicopter where the unknown men had dropped her. Much terror still lingered in the chasms of her mind and her rapidly-beating heart.
'Oh, what a convenient time to be blind! They all could just come over here and... and...' This only inspired dozens of unpleasant thoughts to fill her head. 'No, Shizuka, don't think like that!' And she forced them out.
It was terrifying inside the helicopter, quite a contrast from the warm summer's day outside, and she hugged herself for comfort. The men who were responsible for all of this in the first place sat on the other side of the copter, she could hear the droning of their voice even if she couldn't make out the words. Her hearing, the only sense worth using now, was blocked by the constant "K-K-K-K-K-K-K!" of the propellersso she didn't hear the man come up behind her until it was too late. He grabbed her, laughing nasally, and dragged her over to his group of buddies.
"Tell us," he announced loudly, "How old you are. Twelve? Thirteen?" Shizuka bit back a sob of fear. If this gang was rich enough to have a helicopter, it might be better not to anger them... But what should she say? The truth or a lie?
"I... I'm ten..." she stuttered praying the punks would swallow this lie... To this there was laughter from the rest of the men. She could feel the man lean in uncomfortably close, his putrid breath hot on her face. This time she dropped all pretense of bravery and scooted back, as far away as she could from his bulbous features.
"I don't believe you, little girl... I don't believe that for a second. Know why? Because I know everything about you. You're name's Shizuka Kawai. Your parents are divorced, and you lived with your mother before your eyes got damaged. You have a brother named Jonouchi Katsuya who lives with your in-debt father. You were about to visit him when we stepped in." Shizuka jaw dropped.
"H-how do you... what did you do to them! How do you know about them!"
"We didn't do anything to them... Master Malik-sama has his ways of finding anything he wants to know..." The chorus of throaty laughs sounded again.
"bS-SHUT UP/b" She shouted widly in a very uncharacteristic way, but panic was overriding her.
"I trust you made it." A staticky voice came from ahead of Shizuka and behind the man. Immediately the rotted breath left the terrified girl's face and she almost sighed in relief.
"Yeh, Malik." They were speaking through something that was obviously some sort of communications system.
"Must I repeat what I told you yesterday about the correct title to use with me?" The staticky voice said agitatedly.
"No, uh, Master Malik-sama, no need."
"Better. Do you have her?" There was no explanation needed in what the man over the transmitter was talking about.
"Yes, Master Malik-sama, we've got her."
"Excellent. I'll be waiting for the helicopter's descent, and if I find the girl... harassed... in any way..." he trailed off, and Shizuka go the idea the message was conveyed to 062.
"N-no, Master Malik-sama, of course not..." The response was hastily uttered. A cold chuckle was emitted from the other side of the line followed by static. 062 slammed the intercom down cursing.
"How the hell does he always know!" One of the men shouted to the agreement of the rest of the men.
"Well, little girl, this is your lucky day..." The man didn't sound very happy as he pushed her away and turned to his fellows.
"Master Malik-sama gets all the fun. Can't he contribute a little something to the rest of the Ghouls now and then?
"Well he gives us all dose cards..."
"'All those cards'! All I get is lousy Wabokus, Mirror Forces and Negate Attacks."
"Hey, those aren't bad at all... especially Mirror Force."
"Yeah, but having a deck full of traps isn't gonna help my strategy any..."
"It can, trap decks" but their angry conversation was cut short by an electronic female voice.
"BEGINNING DESCENT." It sounded from somewhere near the cockpit controls.
"Finally..." one of the so called 'Ghouls' muttered as his fellows stood up.
Shizuka huddled into the nearest corner she could find, once more terrified. What would happen her? More specifically, what could? Who were the Ghouls? All these questions remained unanswered... as she was dragged to her feet, her fingers brushed somethingShizuka snatched it up. After further examination, it proved to bea paper clip. For some reason, she felt a horrible sense of emptiness, of defeat... like no matter what happened, she was doomed, to die, to be kidnapped and Katsuya forced to pay a huge ransom, whatever would happen to her... doomed for it, unable to find anything to help.
"Come on," someone ordered harshly, pulling her up. Shizuka tried to balance on her shaky legs, but fell over on her rear when a jolt shuddered through the helicopter; the helicopter touched ground. The men yanked her up again and she stumbled out the opened helicopter door. They dragged her a distance away.
It was strange here. Large amounts of people were accumulated. It was indoors; she had just been dragged though what felt like a door when she bumped into it. There was an slight echo, so it was obviously semi-large. There was a creak, then, from directly to Shizuka's left, and immediately the hubbub died down into complete silence. Footsteps echoed all around as someone approached Shizuka and her captors from her left.
"So... so this is her. The Stray." A young man's voice spoke from a few feet away." Shizuka shrank back, confused. "You did a good evading me, little Shizuka. It figures... but not quite well enough.
Cold metal touched her face and slowly traced its way down her cheek. It felt like the dull side of a blade. She shuddered and turned her face away with a whimper of terror. 'Are these people going to kill me?'
"Oh... don't cry, little Shizuka. You won't be hurt... or will you? Your life lies on the Pharaoh's strategy..." the blade left her cheek. "0045! Location is 00572 meters west from Domino bank, 021 meters from the auto shop. You've got the map. I expect a victorious return from you and your comrades."
Shizuka was hustled into a van of some sort judging by the car-like leather seats and sliding door slammed behind her. She again gained the feeling that whatever was going to happen to her would make an imprint in her life for good.
– – –
Yami no Yuugi's P.O.V.
'The clown is doing some sort of act,', Yami no Yuugi determined, 'And wants the modern form of trading that Yuugi calls 'money'. But it didn't quite seem like that. THe paint laden clown's face wore an almost manic expression as he beckoned to the spiky-haired boy almost sweetly, then started into the tent just right of him. For some reason, Yami no Yuugi felt inclined to follow. But another voice spoke sharply into his mind's ear.
~Don't go, Mou Hitori no Boku,~
Yami no Yuugi's light side warned him, merely a voice in his head. ~That's just waaay too creepy to be safe.~~People in your world are quite strange, aibou,~
the spirit insisted.~Just yesterday I saw a man chewing on a strange white stick spewing smoke!~~That was a cigarette! That's not strange... well, maybe it is, but it's not... uncommon, per-say. This is uncommon.~
~Why are people in your modern age so afraid of the unknown?~ Yami no Yuugi asked his partner with confusion. For a minute, neither spoke as the clown peeked out of the tent once more and giggled, tipped his top-hat, and beckoned again.
~
Panseru,~ Yuugi said firmly, putting an end to the silence. ~It will only get us into trouble, I'm telling you.~~As you say in modern speech, Yuugi,~ Yami no Yuugi replied, equally as firm, ~You must 'lighten up.'~
And Yami no Yuugi was off, following the dancing clown into the tent. He almost thought he heard Anzu, whom he had left behind in wonderment of the city, calling to him, but noit must have just been the regular traffic noise. He pushed away the soft, tent cloth, and saw the clown dart into a strange rectangular box. Yami no Yuugi hesitated once more, wondering if he should heed Yuugi's words, but his inclination got the best of him and he followed. The door slammed shut behind him.
He found himself in a dark room, dimness shrouding every corner. In the center of the floor was a circle dug into the concrete. The clown had disappeared but there was somebody in there... he strode to the center of the circle and looked around tentatively.
"Welcome, Yuugi... or at least his ancient companion... " A harsh but high-pitched voice echoed out of the shadows right in front of him. The voice's owner was revealed as a tall, stalky, masked man stepped out of the darkness and took a low bow.
"My name is Pandora (A/N: Arkana for those who watch the dub). Care to play a game? I know how much you like them..." YuuGiOh raised an eyebrow at the strange man and spoke.
"What sort of game? Why did you bring me here?" The room was so dark he could hardly see...
"Pandora!" A soft, childlike but obviously female voice burst out from Yami no Yuugi's right, causing him to whirl around, but only see more shadows. "Stop this! Whoever you are, get away, go!" The masked man bared his teeth at something in the shadows, screaming his anger through his clenched, yellow teeth.
"SHUT UP! J-just for that, you just sealed the fate for your little friend here! LIGHTS!" At once the room was engulfed in brightness and Yami no Yuugi could see that the room truly resembled a small dueling stadium. The girl who had cried out to him was flooded with light, her position being behind him. She had a glare plastered to her face (aimed at Pandora) that clashed with her soft face which attained the round, childish attributes of youth. Auburn hair and round, innocent olive eyes added to this. ((A/N: There's a reason her eyes are uncovered. You just wait for a chapter and it'll all be explained.)) Her ankles were bound in metal cuffs, and two equivalent set of cuffs were placed around the circle, one behind Yami no Yuugi and the other in front of him.
From inside his soul-room Yami no Yuugi could hear Yuugi moaning inside his soul room. ~I knew it! But you didn't listen, did you, Mou Hitori no Boku!~
Yami no Yuugi winced, but ignored his Aibou's angry musings.
"What do you want, Pandora? Stop this charade or I'll put an end to it myself!" He roared. "Stop playing games with me!" Despite all the yelling, Pandora seemed unfazed.
"All right, all right, I'll cut to the chase," Pandora said in mock-disappointment. Yami no Yuugi growledhe was sorely tempted to challenge him to a penalty game. "If you don't play a game with me... the girl dies." Yami no Yuugi slowly raised his intense crimson gaze to Pandora's thirsted one. ((A/N: Yep, I am a Yami's eyes fangirl. XD))
"You're a monster," Yami no Yuugi said quietly. This remark was met only by more laughter.
"Step into the cuffs, into the cuffs! Ha ha-ha! Master Malik-sama! I'm doing it, I'm doing your bidding, see me? SEE ME!" At this Yami no Yuugi's eyes widened.
"I should have known he was behind all this!"
"Yes, he is my master, mastermind extraordinaire, extraordinary mastermind, Malik-sama!" Yami no Yuugi grimaced at Pandora... but he had no choice. Slowly and resentfully he stepped backwards, letting the cuffs snap shut around his ankles. Then, for the first time, the girl beside him spoke. Her voice was rapid and panicked.
"He has powerful cards in his deck, watch out, he's almost carbon-copied yours, he wants to use some weird Dark Magician strategy"
"SHUT UP!" Pandora howled. "My deck is original! Quiet or the Ghouls will have you!" The girl looked terribly scared, but she did a good job hiding it from her voice.
"You don't have any power over me whatsoever, Pandora," she spat. "You're not even a Ghoul, according to the rest of your little team." Pandora ignored this comment and backed up, letting the cuffs on the other side of the room capture him as well. He turned his masked face back to Yami no Yuugi.
"Duel, duel, duel!" He chanted as he activated his Duel Disk II, and Yami no Yuugi shuffled his deck, wtaching Pandora do the same. He then inserted his deck into the respective slot on the Duel Disk.
"There are special rules to this game, Yuugi. " Pandora said silkily. "See that disk to your right? The spinning one?" Yami no Yuugi looked to his right and took note of a whirring blade a distance away. A life point meter lay below, the red in it currently full. One was also placed over to Pandora's right side. Yami no Yuugi didn't nead any explaining from Pandora... the man's crazed laugh told him everything.
"Your a sick, sick man, Pandora..." the spirit shook his head in pity. "Joining Malik won't get you anywhere. That man only works in trickery, deceit, and manipulates people to get what he wants. Have you any honor at all?"
"It doesn't matter anymore..." Pandora hissed, eyes narrowed, flashing. "Not with her gone... my koibito... my honor is nothing to me! DUEL START!"
– – –
How ironic for Shizuka it was to meet the very person who was her brother's best friend, when she was on the way to see him... Shizuka wished vainly that it wasn't under circumstances like these.
'But it's no use wishing... I'll just have to do the best I can.' Shizuka thought, trying to ignore her fear as Yuugi began the duel by placing a card face-down and summoning a strange monster he called Magnet Warrior. 'Now, how can I take the stress off Yuugi-san?' Tentatively she reached down and shook the cuffs. They didn't budge. She spread her fingers and ran them over the cold metal, her searching fingers meeting a hollow in the shape of a keyhole. Her eyes darted to the key-box behind Yuugi, and then to the one behind Pandora. Nope, no way she could get the key from there... all she could do for the moment was wait.
As the duel progressed for the next who-knew-how-long, Shizuka watched on tenterhooks. The cuffs were really starting to hurt her ankles, and only now was it that she realized how little energy she still possessed... the drowziness caused her attention to wander off the duel at hand and on to useless details. For example, there happened to be a few tiny windows at the top of this dark room, and one of them was beaming a ray of light into the room. Her eyes dilated, watching it sharply, until it swept slowly over to her feet and ebbed its way up to the cuffs keeping her in check. This caused the metal to naturally reflect the light in a different angle, and the way it was directed was towards Pandora's right arm. A glint sparked up from there as well, brilliantly, blindingly. She almost gasped in aweIt had been so long since she had seen sunlight...
But then it clicked. What the reflecting ment.
"Yuugi! He's got a spare key! In his sleeve!" Yuugi's eyes widened, then narrowed at Pandora.
"You really are a monster... but then again, I couldn't expect much better from one of Malik's drones..." Yuugi spat. "I will bring you to justice, for hurting others in pursuit of your own selfish desires. Mark my words..." Shizuka stuck her hand into her shorts' pocket. Her fingers met smooth, cool metal, and she drew the paperclip from ealier out. She blinked.
Katsuya... didn't he once teach her how to pick locks? He had had to learn, when father was so drunk that the two couldn't go home for fear of serious injuryhe had to know how to pick locks to get the two food for the night. Now, what had he said...? He had had to stick a long, stiff thing into the lock... and twist it, in a weird way... She did so, and weaved it left, twisting.
PINC!
The ankle-cuffs sprang open. Shizuka blinked, unable to believe it...
She was free!
"Yuugi!" She shouted. "Yuugi, look!" She rushed to his side and leaned downwards, jamming the paper clip into the keyhole on his pair as well. A turn, a twist... pinc!
He was free too! She rose to Yuugi's dumbfounded eyes, grinning triumphantly. He stared at her with wide, surprised eyes.
"How...?"
"Pick-locking, no time to explain, we gotta gocome on!" She tugged at his arm but he didn't budge. "What are you doing? We gotta go!"
"No... he must be shown justice." Yuugi said quietly, his crimson stare aimed at the blanching Pandora.
"No... this... can't be happening, you...YOU CAN'T!" Pandora screamed, his eye twitching. "No... my Cynthia!" After hesitation, he turned on his heel and ran into the curtained arch behind him. He reemerged, cradling a manequin in his arms. "Cynthia... Cynthia-chan, I have you back at last... koibito..."
Beside the bewildered Shizuka, Yuugi whispered, "He's playing his mind tricks again..." Shizuka averted her gaze to him. The loathing was apparent in his stern features.
"Let's get out of here, c'mon!" Shizuka grabbed Yuugi's hand once more, and they began to run for the door.
"Not so fast, Pharaoh." The two wheeled around in shock. Pandora was upright, facing Yuugi, but his back was strangely hunched, and his composure abnormal and unhuman, as though hedidn't have the strength to stand up straight, like an old woman.Staring at Yuugi and Shizuka with hollow, empty eyes that stuck her to the very core.
"Malik..." Yuugi uttered. Shizuka shrank back, hiding herself slightly behind Yuugi. " This isn't the last time you will meet someone who has fallen for the curse of me... and your friend will know this curse as well soon enough..."
"NEVER!" Yuugi criedbut there was something strange going on. His aura, his energyit seemed lighter and more innocent.
"Your so confident, little one... valiance won't get you anywhere. You are merely a vessel for something of much more importance."
"I'm more than just a vessel," Yuugi's voice was shaking with anger, yet stillnot the loathing he had had earlier. "Stop trying to intimidate me, with your knowledge. You shouldn't even know these things!"
"You are of no use to anything. You are ment only to be the harbringer of something of much more importance... the harbringer of the true darkness. Farewellthe silent puppet is waiting." With that, Pandora crumpled.
– – –
A horrible cliffhanger. iH-o-r-r-i-b-l-e./i But it's 5:30 AM and the sun is rising... I want to sleep! Can't you give a poor Otaku writer some peace? Oh yeah, you wanna make me suffer because I didn't update the story. ;-; Oh well. I deserve it.
Q and A
Wow! I can't believe it! I got four reviews! ((Huggles you all.)) Thank you so much!
Riana, Seto's Lover: Don't you worry, I won't put Honda with Shizuka unless people want me to. You can suggest to me who you do want her with... I'd love to hear your opinion. Your gift is a small chibi Shizuka plushie! ((Throws you a picturesque and fat little Shizuka doll wearing a 'Blind People Own You' shirt.))
Misa Grey: Wow, I never got any compliments on my romance before. Thank you! My sister says I'm best at writing humor, so there will be a lot of that in the future. ^-^
I know, poor Rashiid. He's one of my favorite characters, but it seems more realistic this way... Rashiid has handed his free will over to his brother, and his brother has become selfish on his quest for revenge.
And Anzu is not a flat character, no matter what the bashers say. She has a lot of interesting personality and it's a lot of fun writing it. ^^
Arigato for reviewing! Your gift is a Rashiid poster to put on your wall! ((The poster depicts Rashiid as a country singer superstar with a shiny yellow and blue background.))
dark angel: Arigato! Bows shyly. Here's your very, very late-posted update right here. And I have been pondering YamixShizuka, YugixShizuka is very cute too! ((Hands you a purple "A Proud Hater of Honda" keychain.))
DevilsPrincess: Wow thanks! ^^
And the HondaxShizuka is a beginning-of-story crush, most likely not to be continued. I'm pondering possible couples. ^^
((Looks from side-to-side.)) Lemme tell you something... I probably wouldn't have updated if you didn't reply. I forgot all about it! See, I have tons of the story already written on paper, but it's a pain to type it, and after a while I got lazy. So that's why I forgot. Thank you!
