Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I tried to lie to my neighbors about it, but they didn't buy it.
A/N
Well, I hope you all had a merry Christmas and happy holidays. As for me – I caught a cold around Christmas and had to drink gallons of tea pro day. It was no fun...
Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for reviewing. Yes, the last chapter was scribbled somewhat in a hurry, so I'm sorry if I misspelled some words or used wrong tenses...I'm going to quote Reenas-as when I'll say that tenses are evil.../chuckles/ Also, I've noticed that FF-net's formatting is kind of evil, too. It likes to connect separated words for some reason...O.o
But, I'm sidetracking. So, I hope this chapter will be better and I hope you'll enjoy it.
The Legend of the Three SoulsChapter XXIV – To win the game
-by Alena S. Anigor
Kaiba was standing stiffly in the middle of the sea of the Jackals, staring intensely ahead. Although he couldn't see anything past the tall bodies, he couldn't get rid of the sudden sensation that swept through him and made him shiver. He wasn't even sure if he could name the feeling is someone asked him to, but it was simply something so strong, so intense and powerful...making him want to walk forward and grasp that something with his hands. He already made a step forward, looking transfixed for a moment before he jerked and stopped, looking down to see a puzzled and worried face of Yuugi Mutou.
"Kaiba?" The spiky-haired boy asked, eying him warily and he noticed others looking at him cautiously, gathered around him in a tight space. "What is here?"
He was trying to define the sensation in him and he already opened his mouth to say something, but his voice refused to pass his lips and he stared dully at Yuugi, who was watching him with eyes wide open. He just couldn't describe it. Something was calling him, drawing him forward, and he suddenly felt a strange longing feeling. It was just bizarre.
"I..." he finally started, glancing around and trying to pinpoint the place where those voices, whispers, were calling him from. "I don't know," he added and looked back at Yuugi when he tugged at his sleeve again.
Ishizu was in deep thoughts for a few moments, before she raised her hand to look at him sternly, switching again into scientist mode.
"Is it something similar to a sensation you felt when you saw the bust of Osiris?" She asked him and he looked at her somewhat in surprise. His eyes narrowed in concentration, his mind remembering the powerful, tingling sensation under his fingers when he touched the clay bust. He nodded mutely and that was all Ishizu needed to deduce what was going on. She turned around in the small circle, losing herself amidst the Jackals, trying to find some kind of gap to see where her brother was.
"What is it? Ishizu?" Tristan asked the dark-haired woman, who was currently trying to squeeze through the small gap between the two, tall bodies. Others were watching her intently; even Tea raised her head and glanced at her from beneath, still holding Bakura who was lying peacefully on the sand.
"It can mean only one thing," she replied hastily and turned around when Joey grabbed her by the hand and stopped her. He gave her a questioning look and she sighed, torn between the urge to go and see where Marik was and explaining everything to them. In the end, she had to comply, when Yuugi and others agreed and practically ordered her to stay put.
"The busts are here!" She explained and looked at Kaiba whose eyes were slightly glazed now, staring somewhere ahead. "My brother found them! They are here, somewhere in the near!" She added in an almost ecstatic voice, leaving them to digest the news. Yuugi, Joey and Tristan exchanged glances while Mai and Serenity huddled near the blond Egyptian, somehow feeling even more frightened than before. Tea lowered her head and looked at the thief solemnly, stroking his bangs slowly. She knew that everything was far from being over; she just wished she could do something about it...
"Now what?" Tristan asked and broke the silence between them. They all exchanged glances, some of them tired, some of them wary and some of them panicky. A loud scream made them all jump slightly and they quickly turned around in the direction they thought they heard it. Ishizu's eyes widened, her fingers trembling faintly – that wasn't her brother, was it?
Kaiba jerked and his eyes focused on the Jackals in front of him when they were once again, pushed backwards. Before Tea could react, he stepped on something soft, his shoe sinking slightly into something. Tea was already ready to scream at him to get his foot off Bakura's abdomen, but the thief did that for her, brown eyes opening quickly, flashing and promising murder to the one who stepped on him. He let out a painful groan and Kaiba quickly raised his foot only to step on his fingers again.
He hissed and quickly stood up, despite the searing pain in his head. With all the throbbing inside his skull, now he had to endure a sudden wave of nausea and a throbbing sensation in his fingers. Kaiba simply stared at him in some sort of wonder, but before Bakura could leap at him, Tea quickly stopped him by jumping in front of him and blocking his way.
"What a way to come to," Joey remarked with a somewhat sardonic grin. Serenity and Mai gaped at him, his sister resisting the urge to scold him for his caustic comment.
"Bakura!" Tea shouted, looking at him pleadingly and the thief growled at the CEO for a moment, before he diverted his attention to the girl in front of him, who had her hands on his chest firmly. He looked at her and she smiled, despite the situation.
"Are you okay?" She asked him in a serious voice now, noticing all the bruises and cuts over his hands and face again. He spat aside and smirked at her in return.
"Never been better," he replied in a deep voice and she hugged him, tears already forming in his eyes. He did shoot one last murderous glance at Kaiba, but the taller man was already looking ahead again, trying to pry a leaning body of a Jackal off of him. Mai and Serenity were watching the touching scene with silly grins on their lips, Mai grasping Joey's hand unconsciously. The blond boy looked at her in surprise but when he noticed an almost happy expression on her face and the way her eyes glistened while she was watching the two, he gulped and slowly, almost gingerly, entwined his fingers with hers.
Yuugi tried to see what Kaiba was so fervently looking at, but since he was almost as tall as Ishizu, couldn't see anything past the Jackals' waists.
He looked at the CEO and studied his ardent gaze for a moment, before he dared to ask him something.
"Kaiba," he spoke calmly and the blue eyed man looked down to meet his stern, violet orbs, "what do you think we should do now?"
Everyone gathered around looked at the CEO, expecting him to make some kind of decision, but he only stared at them numbly, the busts making his head spin now. He himself didn't have a clue what to do; he was drawn to the incredible power the busts emanated, ready to walk through the swarm of Jackals like a hypnotized man, only to see them, to touch them and admire their glory. But, on the other hand, being a man who had been listening to logic and reasoning for all his life was making him feeling torn between the two sides now. A sudden image of the Prophet entered his mind...what would Shadi do now?
The ancient Prophet was lying on the sand, his whole body shivering and convulsing with the unbearable pain in his chest. He knew he couldn't die; the mental images of swords stabbing him mercilessly were just that – mere images, illusions.
Very painful illusions, though...
He had to admit that the ancient Priest definitely knew how to make someone squirm in pain and agony. He managed to open his eyes, squinting at the scene in front of him, trying to summon enough energy and sanity to warn the young Egyptian to run for his life, because he was no match for the Priest. His breaths were coming out as ragged gasps, and he stiffened a scream by biting his lower lip. He had to warn the boy, he had to tell him to get away.
What was meant to be a scream in agony came out as a shrill warning.
"RUN!"
Marik glanced at the man on the sand for only a second, before he averted his eyes at Amukh again. The ancient Priest was watching him in some kind of odd mixture of surprise, bemusement and wariness. He wasn't smirking anymore.
"Marik," he whispered finally, his voice coming out like a hiss of a snake. He looked away from his penetrating gaze and glanced at the familiar briefcase in his hands. Emerald eyes traveled back up to meet the narrowed, sharp violet orbs again. "Just what...is the meaning of this?"
Marik scoffed bitterly, resisting the urge to snarl at him. And to jump at him and strangle him right here and right now. But he knew him already well enough to know that he wouldn't stand a chance against him in ahand-to-hand combat.
"Why don't you guess, Amukh?" He spat the words out this time and tightened his grip on the metallic handle of the briefcase. The ancient Priest was watching him intently for a few moments before he glanced over his shoulder at the crouched Shadi.
So, the young boy managed to break free of his grip somehow. That was definitely unusual...and interesting, as well. What was even more interesting was the fact that he was holding his briefcase with his busts in his hands. Amukh smirked on which Marik frowned, glaring at him vehemently. This would be fun.
"You used me and manipulated me to do your dirty work, Amukh!" Marik snarled this time loudly, resisting the urge to really jump at him and slit his throat. The Priest was smirking mockingly at him, enjoying these kinds of games. He enjoyed making them angry, losing their cool, attacking him heedlessly and then, in a second, it would all be over.
He took a step forward, making Marik shake with a barely suppressed rage. He tightened his grip on the handle even more to the point where his knuckles turned white and his nails dug into the flesh of his palm. He knew what Amukh was capable of, and right now, he had something he wanted. He took a careful step back, reaching for the dagger in his robes. The weapon glistened faintly as he aimed it at him.
They were walking steadily in circles like that – Amukh making one step forward, Marik making one step back. Shadi watched the boy incredulously, not comprehending how could he be so stupid to aim a dagger at the Priest, while holding the busts in other hand.
"Listen to me!" He managed to choke out. Marik spared no glance at him this time. "You have to leave! Run!"
"Be quiet!" Amukh hissed scornfully and with a motion of his hand, sent him flying back. Shadi hit the wall of the ruins with a grunt and fell down in heap of robes, breathing heavily. Has the boy gone mad? Does he really want to get himself killed? He had already warned Ishizu, but...
"Give me the briefcase, Marik," Amukh spoke calmly, voice cool and sounding almost mellow. "You know you can't even scratch me, let alone harm me in any way. Don't be foolish, boy."
Marik snorted loudly, still walking backwards, their feet already creating a visible circle in the sand. "You're a fool here, Amukh," he replied in a low voice and the Priest frowned. He really hated when he was insulted.
With a single lift of his finger, the dagger slipped out of Marik's hand and flew right into his. Marik was left to stare at the blade in his hand, his fingers still outstretched and gripping only air.
Amukh smirked sadistically again, which made Marik's insides turn.
"Now," he coaxed slowly, observing the dagger in his hand with fake interest, "how about you give me that briefcase willingly?" He asked him, and raised a pair of malevolent, narrowed eyes. They softened in an almost inhuman manner for a second before he ventured. "I might even reconsider sparing your pathetic life."
Shadi lifted his head, and groaned when something trickled down his forehead and fell into his eyes, making him squint. He wiped the liquid off his skin and noticed it was red. So, he was bleeding. And what else was new?
Slowly, he got up, his head spinning and making his feet wobble unsteadily on the sand. He glanced aside and noticed bodies lying around the ruins. Some of them were the bodies of Jackals and some of them were cloaked creatures. He expected to see them dissipate like the last time, but obviously Amukh had no intentions to summon them back and resurrect again. Speaking of Amukh...
He turned his head around quickly, trying to ignore the blur of figures in front of his eyes. He needed to stop the boy from getting himself killed. And judging by the scene in front of him, he wasn't far from it.
"No," Marik said firmly in a voice that left no room for further discussion. Amukh's lips curled up in a sadistic smile again. He shrugged and without a warning, lifted his hand so quickly that Marik barely had the time to register the briefcase slipping out of his grasp and flying over to the ancient Priest.
His eyes widened and he was once again, left standing there, empty-handed. From the short distance, Shadi gasped and whispered one, desperate 'No.'
Marik was still staring helplessly at the Priest who let the dagger spin in circles over his palm. After a few moment of silent boasting, he grasped the dagger again and glanced at the briefcase victoriously. Marik turned around, not wanting to look at him anymore. He gazed at one of the Jackals and stared intently at him, violet eyes wide with fear and despair.
Amukh let the dagger spin in the air again and concentrated on opening the briefcase. With a final click, he smirked evilly at both Marik and Shadi who managed to limp his way back to stand near them with a frightened expression.
The briefcase opened and Amukh's eyes shot open wide. He looked at Marik whose desperate expression suddenly turned into a satisfied smirk.
"I told you," he said slowly, watching the shocked expression on the Priest's face, "you are a fool here."
Shadi blinked and looked at Marik incredulously. Then he blinked again and looked at the briefcase. His eyes widened as well, when instead of seeing two, ancient relics, he saw nothing but black velvety material.
The briefcase was empty.
Before anyone could react, Marik turned swiftly to that Jackal he had been observing for the last few moments and screamed at him.
"GO!"
The Jackal jerked, red eyes flashed and before he turned around to run, the Priest and Shadi noticed two, small clay like things in his hands. Amukh's eyes widened further and with a terrifying roar he turned around to look at the sandy-haired Egyptian who was smirking at him in satisfaction.
Emerald irises turned into small dots but then suddenly flashed with something so evil that Shadi and Marik winced. Shadi gasped, recognizing the moment from his visions and took a step forward, trying to ignore the pain in every muscle.
"RUN, BOY!"
In one single second, Marik saw him running towards him and saw the Priest stretching his arm from the corner of his eye, the dagger spinning and then, finally felt a sharp, searing pain in his chest that made him lose his breath and fall down on his knees. The image of the Priest swirled in front of him, and he could hear Shadi screaming, but as the world swirled, bright, light colors dancing around him, he smiled a genuine smile.
I did it. Forgive me, sister.
Not so far away, Ishizu gasped softly when something clenched around her heart. She gulped and raised her head slowly, staring ahead numbly.
White started to turn into gray until it was all black, and he couldn't feel, hear or see anything anymore. He touched the dagger with his fingers lightly before he started falling.
Shadi managed to kneel down just in time to catch his falling body. Blood smeared his already dirty robes and he stared with eyes wide at the smiling boy, Amukh's roaring voice ringing in his ear.
He turned around and growled in anger, the same murderous expression crossing his face now.
"AMUKH!"
Kaiba was just ready to suggest to everyone to go and at least see what was going on, when they were all suddenly pushed backwards again and Joey cursed out loud, ready to kill the Jackal who did that even if the creature was supposed to protect them.
When he was greeted by a very upset looking Jackal, who almost rammed the busts into his nose, though, he quickly changed his mind and lowered his fist.
Others stared at the creature, perplexed and baffled by the sudden appearance of the busts, looking at the Jackal as if he just fell from Mars.
"Wha..." Yuugi spluttered then looked at Kaiba who was equally shocked to see them so suddenly. Without a warning, Ishizu grabbed the Jackal by the hands and started shaking him violently.
"Where is Marik?" She shouted while others stared at them, perplexed. "Where is my brother?"
The creature was looking at her dully, red eyes unwavering. Not wanting to wait any longer she pushed it aside, ignoring the yells behind her.
"Marik!" She screamed, making her way through the swarm of tall creatures.
"Now what?" Joey asked, gaping after her worriedly. Yuugi, Kaiba and Bakura exchanged somewhat awkward, knowing glances.
"We can't leave her to go there on her own!" Yuugi finally said and with his mind set, ordered the Jackal to protect the busts with its life. The creature craned its neck aside a bit but nodded firmly. Kaiba was reluctant to give his bust to it, but when they all glared at him, he let out a low growl and unwillingly handed the bust to the Jackal.
He squeezed through and followed after Yuugi and Bakura. Tristan and Joey nodded at each other and already turned around to tell the girls to stay where they were, but Tea stopped them before they even had a chance to open their mouths.
"I'm going, too!" With her chin held high, she made her way through the crowd and disappeared.
Mai and Serenity exchanged glances before Mai sighed and shrugged.
"Ah, let's just go," she muttered and went ahead after Tea. Not wanting to be left behind, the last trio quickly scampered after Mai, leaving the Jackals to regroup and close the small gap after them.
