Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I don't even own a BEWD plushie! ::cries::
Author NotesErm...yeah. Haven't updated in a while. I wanted to do it before but then I caught the flu and was bedridden for a few days, wasting handkerchiefs madly, drinking gallons of tea and...but I'm sure you don't want to know about that...
Anyway, yeah – I killed Marik. But like Reenas-as said – at least he got to do the right thing. Initially, I wanted to keep him alive and had totally different plans for him, but, eh – changed my mind.
Oh, I have a fanfic blog! Muaha! Now I can boast with that as well. Since almost everyone had some kind of journals and stuff, I wanted one, too. At least I can post my doodles there – I posted some pics related to this fic. You can check it out and drop a line or a few. The link is on my bio page.
Hmm...and that's about it. Thank you all for wonderful reviews.
Yume Takato – I'll get to the point where you'll see the busts in action very soon! ::grins::
The Legend of the Three Souls
Chapter XXV – Flesh and bones
-by Alena S. Anigor
The dust was still covering the fighting creatures, sand flying around viciously, spears clashing against bones. Numerous bodies of the Jackals and the cloaked ogres were lying around, scattered and immobile. There was a distinct clap of thunder over the sky and the wind started blowing unpleasantly, tousling Ishizu's hair and making the jewelry around her neck and on her ears jingle.
She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the onslaught of the sand, making her way forward, trying to avoid the battling beasts and find her brother.
She stopped for a moment abruptly, letting out a gasp when she felt the cold breeze against her body, strong and nippy, pushing her backwards.
"Ishizu!" Yuugi yelled from behind, trying to break through the blowing barrier to reach her. She barely had the time to turn her head away when something hard rammed into her and she fell down with a thud, letting out a startled shriek. She opened her eyes quickly and stared at the squirming body of a Jackal who was trying to get back on his feet.
Yuugi's eyes widened when he saw the cloaked creature approaching quickly, cloak hovering over the sand and blowing it around.
"Come on!" He turned around, spotting Bakura next to him, half of his face covered with the high collar of his robes. He gulped and took an awkward step forward, his feet sinking into the sand heavily. The wind was howling ominously around them, making Kaiba's trench coat billow sharply behind him.
"Ishizu!" Tea screamed from behind him, followed by Mai, Serenity and the two guides who were yelling exasperatedly against the wind, trying to see something through the gusts of sand.
Ishizu's eyes widened as well, breath stuck in her throat when she saw the approaching figure in a cloak. She let out a groan, trying to push the Jackal off of her hastily, but the creature had difficulties with his spear that got stuck between his legs and Ishizu's.
"Get off of me!" She screamed desperately, gasping in pain a second later when she felt the tip of the spear grazing her leg. The Jackal was jerking and squirming violently, and in the end managed to pull the spear out from the mess of robes and feet, but when he raised it in the air, the cloaked figure ripped it out of his hands and poised it over its head to add a final blow.
Ishizu's lips parted, blue eyes wide in fright. "No!"
A moment later, she felt two hands beneath her upper arms, pulling her backwards almost violently. She had only a second to react and pedal with her legs vehemently before she was free again and the spear rammed into the Jackal sharply, parting sand beneath it as well.
Bakura and Yuugi let go of her immediately and she glanced at them briefly before Tea and Mai pulled her up quickly and practically pushed her backwards where Tristan and Joey grabbed her by the shoulders, scanning her for any sign of injury.
The creature hissed at them, before Bakura lifted his leg to punch the spear forcefully and break it, leaving the half with the sharp tip still in the Jackal's body. Before the ogre could react, his dagger was put to use and the creature let out a strange, screeching sound before it fell limply onto the lifeless body of a Jackal.
Yuugi gawked at him in some kind of mixture of awe and admiration and then blinked when Bakura looked at him and smirked, dark eyes glinting satisfyingly.
Kaiba approached them a bit awkwardly as well, brown bangs swaying over his squinted eyes.
"Where are we going?" He yelled and the two looked at him blankly for a moment until Ishizu appeared by Kaiba's side, ignoring protest from others to stay put. The cut in her lower left leg was bleeding slowly, but she paid no attention to that.
"We have to find my brother!" She exclaimed somewhat angrily, cursing the wind mentally. Kaiba, Yuugi and Bakura exchanged somewhat neutral glances, wondering if the idea to charge right into the middle of the battle was a smart thing to do. Ishizu was silent, watching their facial expressions incredulously.
"Fine!" She retorted angrily and took a determined step forward. "But I'm going!"
With that, she made her way through the wind, stomping furiously across the sand.
"But, Ishizu!" Tea and Joey yelled in unison, watching her walking away with anxious expressions. Yuugi and Bakura stared after her as well, Yuugi biting her lower lip thoughtfully.
"We can't just let her go away like that," he exclaimed worriedly and glanced at the equally concerned expressions around him, "she'll get herself killed in no time!"
Kaiba hated being concerned about anyone else than his brother and his company, but he had to agree that the dark-haired woman had every right to risk her life to save her brother. After all – he would do the same thing for Mokuba...
"Let's go," he spoke finally and saw a faint flicker of relief on Yuugi's face. Bakura adjusted his collar and tightened his grip on the handle, narrowing his eyes in agreement.
The girls, together with Joey and Tristan watched them stepping forward wordlessly, Tea hugging her upper arms in worry. She was starting to shake and shiver, but her main worry was Bakura and Yuugi. If she lost one of them...
She hesitated briefly before she took a deep breath and leaned forward, wanting to spite the wind and walk after the three of them. Mai and Serenity grabbed her by the shoulders right away, trying to stop her, but she shook them off, looking at them determinedly.
"I'm going!" She yelled at them resolutely, "I want to help Ishizu!"
Mai and Serenity were watching her mutely, almost admiring her boldness. She was looking at them sternly and then smiled lightly when Mai chuckled helplessly and shrugged.
"Yeah," she said wearily, her voice amused and sardonic at the same time, "always the brave one."
They looked at each other, and Serenity gaped at the sudden, unspoken understanding between them, Joey and Tristan gawking oddly at them, too.
"Stick together?" Tea asked and raised her hand in the air expectantly. Mai looked at her and grinned, forgetting all about the possible death that awaited her. She slapped her palm against hers and winked mischievously.
"Always!"
Tea smiled back and not wasting another second, they turned around and started walking after the small, four figures in the near distance.
Serenity blinked and then opened her mouth to yell hurriedly after them. "Wait for me!"
"Whaaat?! Serenity, come back!" Joey screamed and started hobbling after her, Tristan having no other choice but to sigh heavily and follow.
---
Marik's body was lying peacefully on the sand, blood still seeping out of his chest slowly, making his robes soaked with crimson color. The dagger was still glistening in his chest faintly, but his eyes were no longer open wide; Shadi closed them, reciting a small prayer in his mind before standing up to glare dangerously at the equally angry Amukh.
"You will pay for this," Shadi growled and then winced when the ancient Priest swung with his hand to create a wild whirlwind around him. Shadi closed his eyes, one, still forgotten image flashing before his eyes. He gritted his teeth and balled his fists to gain control over his mind and soul once again. Amukh had crossed the line this time...
He growled furiously, summoning enough energy before he roared out loud, stretching his hands forward and making the whirlwind spread all around them.
"ENOUGH!"
The ferocity of the whirlwind made Marik's hair fly around his shoulders and his bangs sway. His robes fluttered as well, threatening to lift him off the ground, but he didn't budge.
Amukh's eyes narrowed slightly after seeing Shadi demonstrating the sudden surge of power and strength. The man with a turban was standing stiffly in front of him, breathing heavily.
Shadi pointed one of his fingers at him, blue, usually expressionless eyes burning with hatred and fury.
"That was ENOUGH, Amukh!" He spat furiously, his whole body shaking slightly. The whirlwind was still dancing around them, clearing the dusty and sandy curtain and enabling them to see Jackals and cloaked ogres in a messy, fighting chaos.
"I knew you were going to rise again some day, but I thought you would learn the lesson! I was wrong!" He was yelling, trying to keep himself from jumping at him and breaking his neck. He knew he could do that very well, but he didn't want to become a murderer like him.
"You only came back to crave for power again! To create chaos and destruction again!" He shouted vehemently, making Amukh glare at him with his head lowered. Shadi looked around him, watching the desert quaking and the sky thundering with rage.
"You caused chaos and death around! You manipulated and killed this innocent boy! YOU are a MONSTER that needs to be destroyed FOR GOOD!"
He stopped to breathe, panting heavily and glowering at the ancient Priest who was watching him wordlessly, eyes glistening dangerously in spitefulness. After a few moments in which none of them spoke, Amukh took a step forward, eyeing the Prophet mockingly.
"You were just a pathetic, lower priest and you still are," he hissed, making Shadi growl at him, the wind making his robes billow. "Who are you to tell me what to do?"
He raised his hand again, summoning the dagger from Marik's chest. His body jerked a bit, making Shadi look at him with a look of utter disgust and loathing. Amukh only smirked.
"But to console you," he added, spinning the dagger in his hand playfully, "you'll die with him!"
Shadi waited for the blow to come, and gasped slightly when he felt the blade ripping through his skin and embedding into the flesh. Amukh let out a victorious chuckle, waiting for him to fall down like the sandy-haired boy.
Shadi lowered his head, taking a deep breath. He raised his hand, watching the blood soaking his robes for the second time, but this time, he didn't want to pretend.
He raised his head and looked at Amukh sharply, surprising the ancient Priest whose laugh died on his lips as his eyes widened. He grabbed the handle of the dagger and in one single motion, ripped it out, glaring at his archrival.
Still holding the dagger in his hand, he smirked at the shocked expression of his opponent. Amukh took a step back, staring at him in disbelief, emerald eyes wide in confusion.
"Impossible," he breathed, shaking his head slowly, "you...are alive!" He exclaimed, making Shadi nod with a satisfied grin. "How? TELL ME!"
Shadi enjoyed in the moment for a bit, before he spoke and made the ancient Priest gape at him. "Because I wasn't born like you again, my dear Amukh," he said in a low voice, glaring at him heatedly, "because unlike you – I am immortal."
The weighty silence between them was disrupted a minute later when Shadi turned around and they both looked at Ishizu who was standing stiffly behind them with her hands clasped tightly over her lips, her eyes wide with tears falling down. Yuugi was the one who called her name and came to a halt when he noticed the still body of her brother lying on the sand.
The world stopped spinning around her suddenly, she stopped breathing and the only thing she managed to choke out was one, meek 'No' before she collapsed onto the sand.
Yuugi bent down to catch her quickly and lift her up but she was limp in his arms, trembling and shaking violently with sobs.
"Marik!" She screamed out loud, making Bakura and Kaiba stop as well and look in horror at the scene in front of them.
Shadi already wanted to yell at them to run as far as possible when he saw others approaching as well, staring numbly at Ishizu and then at the unmoving body of her brother.
"Oh, no," Joey and Tristan whispered solemnly when they saw what happened and lowered their heads. Serenity and Tea were crying together, Mai's eyes filling with tears slowly, too.
"What are you doing here? Get away!" Shadi screamed at them but none of them moved an inch. They were standing stiffly amidst the conflict between the Jackals and the cloaked creatures and the battle between Shadi and Amukh.
The Priest managed to recover from the initial shock and decided to use the perfect opportunity. He let out a malevolent chuckle, and raised his hands in the air, using Shadi's lack of attention.
"Oh, no, you don't," He whispered and closed his eyes in concentration. "You are going...UP!"
When Shadi turned his head, it was already too late. He gasped, suddenly finding himself in the air, over the ruins.
"Shadi!" Others screamed from below. He tried to move but soon realized that he couldn't. He was paralyzed. He growled angrily into the air, trying to break free of his hold, but the invisible grip he had on him was too strong.
And he was so close. The dagger fell from his hand, whistling through the air until he fell down on the sand with a soft thump.
Others watched in shock and horror at the unmoving figure of the Prophet above them, until Mai shrieked suddenly and they all turned around to look at her in panic.
"Now," Amukh said in a dangerously low voice, "let's make sure you all stay HERE!"
Before anyone could react, Amukh lifted his hands in the air, summoning the defeated ogres. This time, they came back in pieces, one of the skeletal hands popping out of the sand to grab Mai for the ankles. She screamed and fell down only to meet another pair of the hands that came from behind her, pulling her back, into the sand.
"Mai!" Joey, Tristan and Serenity, who were the closest to her tried to pry the hands off, but they found themselves on the sand a second later, jerking and screaming at the skeletal limbs, dragging them away.
Tea and Ishizu who were close to the wall of the ruins, were suddenly pinned to the rocks, hands coming out from the wall to grab them. Bones caught bones, making a chain, fingers clasping around their necks.
"Tea!" Bakura and Yuugi yelled, already on their way to help them, but they were stopped dead in their tracks, when Amukh's eyes flashed and they were left to stand stiffly in the middle of the whirlwind, completely immobile. Kaiba was already pinned to the sand as well, bones tightened securely around him, pulling him into the sand slowly.
Amukh let out a malicious chuckle, leaving them to fight, growl, wiggle and jerk to no avail.
"And now," he said, eyes flashing again as he took a step forward and towards the swarm of Jackals that were already running his way. Raising his hand, he directed the whirlwind at them, sending them all flying around, over the ruins, into the battle with other cloaked creatures and over the dark sky.
"Where are my busts?"
