When Worlds Collide
Note: Hope you liked the last chapter; I thought it was a little grainy. Oh, well, on with the while Marik deal…
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, and I never will… You get the picture.
Chapter Ten: The Spirits In and Out.
I knew that a breakdown was on the horizon, but I knew that it could wait until I knew that Joey was safe.
"What do you want with me, Marik?"
"It's not you I want, it's that spirit you've got with you. Who in the world would care about you?"
I wanted to scream and slam my fist on the ground and beg to be saved, or better yet, absorbed into the rain or the wind. I didn't want to have to face this, because he was right. No one did care about me.
"Well, I don't have much of an idea of what you're talking about, but if this spirit is going to help you to be free if I give it up, then I think I'll keep it or else let it leave, but I'm not giving anything to you."
He advanced towards me, and my heart dispersed just a little but more with each step. I had to be strong… but I was weak.
Out of nowhere, it seemed, he pulled out the Millennium Rod, and forced it under my chin.
"I could banish you to the shadows, my dear, easily, but you interest me. You are weak and alone, and yet you refuse to give up. I want to see what happens when the spirit is gone. So hold still and I won't get rid of you just yet."
The rod glowed and I felt as if some power of some sort was being pulled away from me. I wanted to scream, but my body wouldn't obey me. I knew enough of the rod to know that he was likely controlling it, and that both scared me and made me angry.
"You… can't… win, Marik. Joey's stronger than you, even if I'm not. Or have you forgotten; he broke your control before, and he can do it again."
He laughed. "I think not. That was when my weaker side was in the way, but that isn't the case this time."
"You… are evil, Marik. Joey… is not. He will win."
"If I'm evil, then what are you? You shun the entire world, and yet you still manage to blame them for your pain. That is not so good-hearted of you."
"I…" I was losing my grip is what I was. I couldn't force any more words out of my mouth, and I was scared. But then I saw a shining woman standing before me as if I was having some sort of vision.
You cannot listen to him, Lily. I would not have chosen you to teach if you did not deserve my help. But I will not ask you do fight this battle, not to save me. It is fate that I fall to him… but it is your fate to stop him. Why else do you think he would bother to talk to you at all? He is trying to scare you, and I fear that his skill at doing this is great. You are strong, despite what you think, or what anyone says. Only you can defeat him for good. No pharaoh understands what it is to feel weak, and therefore has no struggle to face Marik's vile words. Only someone with a real heart; one that has felt pain, and one that has failed, can stop him. I hope that I do ask too much. Stand up and face this, for it will not be your toughest challenge. Good bye.
She faded, leaving me alone once more. But no, I realized, I was never truly alone. The few people who cared about me were there for me always. And Marik was certainly not going to hurt Joey while I was there.
"Ahh, that power. Soon I will have a body of my own and I can leave this fool broken like the rest."
"Not on my watch you won't!"
"So, you still have some strength left? I can fix that. Say hello to the shadows for me, my dear."
I slapped the rod out of his hands and looked into Joey's empty eyes. "You may not know me very well, but you still have an obligation to your friends, whether they are standing before you or not. Joey… you aren't going to let him win, are you?"
"It is useless, you fool, Wheeler is no longer present."
"You what, pal, I am so sick of your trash talk. You seem to think that you can just march around, taking over people's minds and treating people like your little pawns, and I don't appreciate that kind of behavior. Some one needs to teach you a lesson, and seeing as Joey is a little indisposed, I guess that'll have to be me."
He laughed and slowly edged towards the rod, thinking that I didn't notice. "You? You're only a child, lost in a world that you don't belong in. I know what Wheeler thinks, and his opinion of you is very low. I must say that I agree; you are a freak."
"Sorry, but Joey has much more creative adjectives than that, and I know better than to believe you. Just look at what you did to Mai. If I let you, you'll do the same to me, and to Joey and even to Kaiba."
"And you think you can stop me?"
"No, I know I can."
He reached out to grab the rod and I smashed his hand beneath my foot, grabbing it myself. A screeching pain throbbed into my head; the rod thought me unworthy to hold it. It's not like I wanted to, so I threw it into a wall, wishing it would shatter. No such luck, as always.
"You actually thought that would work?"
"You don't know what I think!"
And suddenly, I had an idea. Maybe Joey had a one track mind that was easy to find your way around in, but I didn't. I didn't even know my own way around in there, so Marik surely would have no luck. It was a risk, but it could save Joey.
"If you want to do anything, Marik, you'll have to go through me first," I declared, hoping to provoke him into my head.
"Ha! I can easily handle you. In fact, you'll be a little bit more of a challenge than Wheeler, and much more fun to see fall."
I tried not to smile as I felt him enter my mind. Bracing myself for the onslaught, I unleashed all the shame, all the memories and fears that I kept locked up in my head and set them lose. Falling to my knees, I saw Joey blinking rapidly through the cloud of thoughts in my head. He was okay.
What on earth is this place? Screamed Marik's voice in my crowded head.
What did you expect, hun? A quiet, complacent little mind? No, this is what I have to keep under control every day of my life. I can handle it, because it's all I know, but what about you?
There was no reply, and I knew that only one thing could really finish him off. I had to somehow send him back to the Shadow Realm, but I didn't know how.
So, is this better than the shadows, Marik? Cozy, isn't it. Don't you love fear, feed on pain? What's the matter, met your match?
I crawled towards the rod, hoping that its connection to the shadows could be used to banish Marik. If not, I was out of ideas.
You're weak Lily; a weak, pathetic-
Do you really want to add to the jumble in here? Because if you think this is bad, try dealing with how I felt before. How I feel in the still of the night, when no body is there to hear me cry. How you're gonna feel when I'm done with you.
I wrapped a hand around the rod and tried to force its magic on Marik.
You want to feed the shadows, rod? Then take him… he'll take a lot longer to break than I will. Won't that be fun?
I could feel it thinking this over, and I felt its decision. There was a flash of light and a scream in my head that for once did not belong to me.
And then I broke down. They were loose; all the thoughts I'd struggled to keep in chains for all these years were flying around in my head.
I was in fourth grade, and I teased my friend by poking with a pencil. The sub saw it, and she… she yelled at me. Oh, the shame… I failed. Failed.
I ran out onto the deck, refusing to talk to her, refusing to take the phone. "Now she's running outside. I'm sorry about this." I couldn't hear my teacher's reply, but it didn't matter. I'd failed her… I had failed to be the perfect student. I had failed.
"Lily? What's going on? I could swear dat Marik was in my head again. Is he in your's now?"
My tears were falling freely as each and every mistake of my life flooded back to me. I didn't want Joey to see me cry… another one to add to the list.
"Lily? I heard you tell me not to give up… shouldn't you listen to your own words? What's going on with you?"
I heard his voice… and I wanted to compose myself. I had to be perfect… couldn't mess up in front of anyone. I had to control it again.
Once again, I envisioned a large metal chain reining in my thoughts and fears; dragging them into the dark corner from which they had been born. It had always worked, and it could work again.
"Joey? I'm okay now. Are you?"
He looked at me uncertainly, but let go of me nonetheless. I realized that he had been holding me and blushed crimson.
"I'm fine. What happened back dere?"
"You were right, it was Marik. He was controlling you; using you for an ill purpose at which I cannot even fathom. But he's gone now, hopefully forever."
"You aren't… aren't like most girls, you know dat, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I could never be like Mai, and Tea and Ishisu. I'm not strong enough, and I likely never will be. But I'm okay."
"Hey, Lily, Joey, over here!"
Steph was beaming more brightly than I'd ever seen her before from the back of Kaiba's motorcycle. I could guess that Kaiba had not told her the full story yet.
"Hey. Where've you been? It's been almost an hour since you left… I was beginning to think you'd left me for dead. Which would be so my luck, of course."
Joey and Steph had similar looks of confusion on their faces, and I met Kaiba's eyes and smiled. He didn't smile back, but then. I'd expected that. He wasn't ready, and that was okay.
"It's a long story, but I'll give you the outline. Marik was trying to escape the Shadow Realm, so he kidnapped me, took over Joey's body and then took that spirit that was helping me to b e braver. I'd imagine he got yours too, Steph."
She nodded. "I feel different. That makes since." She glanced at Kaiba, then back at me. "Go one."
"And he possessed Joey, and that's when Kaiba rode by. He must have been on a ride or something, but I was desperate enough to flag him down and persuade him to get help, aka, you."
Joey accepted it and Steph just narrowed her eyes at Kaiba. She probably knew that I was hiding something, but then, I'm sure that I looked pretty bad, having just faced all my fears, and she let it go.
"I've got more important things to do than sit around here," Kaiba declared, looking at me oddly when I smirked at him. "I'm leaving."
Steph jumped off, handed him the helmet and then looked with horror at the open saddlebag. Laying inside it was my book, and when Kaiba saw it, he threw it at me and I'd swear that I saw him wink before he rode off.
"Umm… well, now, how did that get there?" I said, pretending to be astonished.
Steph rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm letting the both of you off the hook for now, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this eventually."
I ignored her and turned to Joey. "Come on, we'll walk you home."
He just shrugged and looked at both of us for a second before starting to walk to his house, with us following. I don't think he realized it, but we were there to protect him, or at least, I was, in case Marik hadn't been gotten rid of.
We could not, however, protect him from what happened next. I don't think much of anyone could have.
End note: Okay, now it just looks like I'm leaving you hanging on purpose, doesn't it? Sorry. Well, before I go on, what do you think? I really would like to hear it, the good and the bad. And so, until next chapter, I must bid you adieu. Stay tuned!
