Disclaimer: Put simply, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or its characters. I do own all of my original characters...duh.
Replies to Reviews:
AuroranWings: Tory would like to say thank you for your concern :D Believe me, I think that kind of thing is wrong, but it is an essential ingredient to the plot later on.
Sylvia Viridian: Me so thick an' stupid! Um...well, once Akogi figured that those Items were important, he thought "sucking up" to Tory would quickly put him back on track.
T-Bone: Wow, breathe with me now! What do you mean 'and you think Tory's going to do something close to evil and she just lies'?
MidnightBallad's Notes: I present to you the new chapter! Read and enjoy...and review :) Oh yeah – this ain't meant to be a friggin' Mary Sue! There's a reason why people ::coughAKOGIcough:: really like Tory!
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Chapter VII:
In the Eye of the Beholder
Mokuba was jerked from his mid-afternoon TV viewing by a brief knock on the door. Before he could answer it, the manor doors flew open and his big brother strode proudly into the entrance hall.
'Seto!' Mokuba squealed as he always does, hugging his brother around the waist. He'd always been too short to hug him around the shoulders.
Seto was in a very good mood, so he bent down and gave Mokuba the biggest hug of his life. 'Hey there. Miss me?'
Mokuba grinned. 'Not really.'
Seto frowned. 'Gee, thanks...'
Mokuba hopped a few feet away from Seto, his eyes alight with good humour. 'I had your friend from work with me! We watched movies all night and we even played Twister!'
Seto smirked, raising an eyebrow. 'Oh? Well, where is my friend?' Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Seto spun around and found himself standing face-to-face with a girl who looked about fourteen or fifteen, her light brown fringe falling into her eyes, which were slightly larger than normal, as they sat behind a pair of slim glasses. This was Jemu Korekuta.
'Korede (here),' Jemu said, grinning just as Mokuba had done. 'Get what you wanted?'
Seto's face lit up. 'Thanks to you.'
'Do I get a raise?' Jemu said, obviously hopeful.
'Maybe.' Seto said with a wink.
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Kontan Oshitaka had served in the second World War alongside the Americans, which was quite a strange thing to do back then. Now, however, Kontan was well known amongst many military units in the United States, and many officers asked him to fly overseas to give them advice and attend seminars – all for his knowledge of battle.
But there was a slight problem: Kontan didn't leave his house. Because he was tired and weary from a certain item he held.
When he was in the war, Kontan had been visited by a strange man in his dreams. And when he woke up, he woke up screaming, and woke up with one silver, bulging eye. Kontan was the not-so-proud Bearer of the Essence Eye. As strange as this item was, Kontan was bound to it and would not let it go.
But fate was about to pass his way.
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Exhausted from two time-travels from one spot on the planet to another, Tory and Yami followed Marik through the quiet streets of a Japanese town that neither of them knew – and couldn't be bothered to ask about. What they were interested in, however, was how Marik knew this man.
'It's not a very long story,' Marik had explained. 'The gossiping media just decided to do a newspaper article on poor Mister Oshitaka one day, and they had a photograph of him in the newspaper. Sitting in amongst the US soldiers was Kontan, with the Essence Eye trapped in his skull.'
'And you did nothing about it before because...?' Yami questioned him, and Marik went quiet.
'Because I did not think it had any significance at the time, is that alright with you...Pharaoh?' He finally answered, voice as cold as ice. Yami said nothing – he needed all of his strength to hold himself from whacking Marik over the head.
After a few minutes more of walking in silence, Marik turned into a small, run-down street that was occupied by old-style apartment blocks. It was a wet day up above: rain trickled from the sky, and thunder (once again) sounded. Down on the ground, it sounded even louder.
'What is it with storms and foreboding places?' Tory whispered as she jumped a large puddle. She noticed that Marik had stopped and was ascending a flight of stairs to a particularly dank-looking apartment.
'Goody-goody...' Tory muttered.
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The walls of Kontan's living room were dark green, and odd pieces of furniture sat all around the room. The ceiling was made of dark floorboards, from which hung a wrought iron electric chandelier. Old paintings hung on the walls, their canvases faded with time. Also pinned up on the walls were old-fashioned rifles used back in WWII and a deer head on a plaque.
Kontan himself sat in a rocking chair by the window, watching the rain trickle down the glass and smoking through a long wooden pipe. When Marik, Tory and Yami entered, he turned to them with a tired look in his grey eye. His other eye (completely silver) glared angrily at them. The Essence Eye.
'Forgive the intrusion,' Marik began. 'But we need to –'
'What do you want?' He croaked softly. 'Can't you leave a miserable old man is peace? Ever since that newspaper article, everyone's been wanting to talk to me.' Kontan turned back to the window. 'Ever since I got this confounded eye...'
'That's what we want to talk to you about.' Yami said softly, dragging the old man's face away from the window. 'The eye.'
Kontan's face grew dark. 'So, you're just like all the others? What do you want – take me away to do experiments on me? I've told everyone, I'm not leavin' this house!'
Marik snapped, 'We don't want to make you leave...'
Tory saw him playing with the Millennium Rod behind his back. Shaking her head, she just continued to listen to the argument.
'What are you going to do...rip it out?' Kontan smiled a crooked smile. 'Good luck, young man. I've fought in the war, hand-to-hand combat without a rifle to speak of!'
Amongst his rambling, Marik's Rod began to glow with a dark violet light. Tory's eyes were still on it...and when Marik went to bring it forth, Tory slapped his hand back and stepped forward.
'We respect everything you believe, Mister Oshitaka, but if you keep that eye for any longer then you will be in grave danger!' Tory said loudly.
With that, Kontan leapt to his feet, his chair sliding back into the wall, crashing loudly against it. A painting fell from the wall. 'Get out of my house! I want nothing to do with you younglings!'
'We just want to talk –'
Yami was cut off as Kontan came toward him, Essence Eye bright with gold light. 'Get OUT! Now!'
Marik gritted his teeth and left. Tory followed him, and Yami gave Kontan a sad look before leaving also.
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'Why'd you have to go stop me?' Marik shouted, rounding on Tory. 'We could have the Essence Eye and be out of there by now!'
Tory's face was tinged pink. 'I stopped you because the magic that your Rod holds would probably kill Kontan in shock –'
'It'd be easier to get the eye –'
'Shut up. I'm not finished. Don't you think it's a little much to come bashing through his door, question him about the Essence Eye, and then rip it out of his head? We should have told him about it first!'
Marik was pink like Tory. 'A big help that did you with Akogi!'
'That's enough!' Yami said, breaking the argument up. 'Marik, Tory's right. We can't just take the eye from Kontan.'
Marik's eyes were bright with anger. 'You only think that because you're friendly with Tory.'
'Then why are you here, Marik?'
Marik stared at Tory, face twisted into a scowl. 'What?'
Tory answered him with a blank face. 'Why are you here? Do you want the Essence Items for the same reasons as Kaiba...or are you on our side? Because we'll need a little bit of trust – do I daresay "friendship" – to get through this.'
Marik turned up his nose at Tory. 'I'm on your side.'
'I'm not so sure about that. Why do you really want to help us, Marik?' Tory questioned him. When Marik didn't answer, Tory just smiled and went over to Yami. 'We better find a place to stay, it's going to pour soon.'
Yami agreed with a nod. He turned to Marik. 'Coming?'
'No. I'll meet you guys back here in two hours.' Marik swung his Rod to his side, and Yami and Tory vanished in a flicker of light. He had returned them home. He knew that Yugi would have to get back to his grandpa, and Tory to her parents.
Sighing deeply, Marik went off down the opposite end of the street. He found himself running over his brief argument with Tory in his head. They had only been working together for a day, and he still didn't want to tell the truth to Tory –
Marik paused in mid stride as he saw a black limousine driving up the street. The bonnet of the limo had a faint 'KC' printed on it. Marik froze. Seto was already here?!
'Great!' Marik hissed to no one, scurrying off the road and leaping behind a pile of old cardboard boxes. The loose gravel on the road skipped as the limo parked outside of Kontan Oshitaka's apartment. Two people got out of it – Seto Kaiba, of course, and a younger girl with glasses. She was holding a small, leather case in her hand, and was talking quietly with Seto as they stood at the front door. Seto wrung the doorbell.
'... Well, they're taking their time, aren't they?' The younger girl was saying to Seto. 'You think that they would have the eye by now.'
Seto pressed the doorbell again. 'Oh, they're here. I have no idea where, but they're here.'
The girl grinned. 'What, can you smell them?'
'Come in.' a voice said to Seto and his assistant from an intercom next to the doorbell. 'Just the man. The little girl can get back in the car.'
Seto exchanged looks with the girl, before he took the black case from her and entered the apartment. Turning away from the door, the girl made her way back to the limo, sliding into the back seat and slamming the door shut.
'This is just...peachy.' Marik whispered to himself.
-End chapter VII-
MidnightBallad: Man, that chapter was crap. You see, I was half asleep whilst writing it, and also cranky (to put it nicely). Yami's out of character, Tory has too big a role, Seto has too little role...AHHHHH!
::sigh:: Oh well. I promise the next chapter will be better. Until next time ;)