Target: Destiny
Chapter Twelve
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Anzu cried out as another wave of pain hit her like a bullet. Gasping for air, she hung her head. A few hours had passed since her first contraction. Now, the pain was dull throb in her abdomen and lower back which intensified every few minutes. She had no medication to numb the pain, and she was all alone.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, the result of both pain and fear. She was completely immobile and hanging from a chain a foot above the ground. If her baby was born while she was in such a position, it would surely die with nothing to keep it from hitting the hard floor. Furthermore, Anzu did not have the ability to push her baby out; the strain it would put on her body could possibly kill her, as well.
"Oh, God, help! Somebody, help!" she screamed. She doubted if anyone could hear her, and if anyone would even care to check on her if they could. With the Ascenians under attack, Anzu was surely the least of their concerns.
"Mokuba!" she cried desperately. "My baby! Someone, help me!" She prayed someone would find her before it was too late.
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"Understood," the King of Aisu confirmed, ending the tele-comm connection with Malik. Quickly, he flipped on the intercom which was connected to each of his single-pilot jets.
"Fly in low, and hit the barrier hard," he instructed his soldiers immediately.
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Malik exited the ship, quickly descending the ramp. He shielded his eyes from the sunlight and looked up for signs of the Aisu jets. Within a few minutes, he saw them fly low under the purple Ascenian clouds.
"General," second-in-command Fenyang said, gaining Malik's attention. The blond lowered his hand, averting his gaze to the older man. Fenyang was standing next to a young boy who looked to be around Ryoko's age. The boy saluted fiercely when Malik glanced at him.
"What's this?" Malik demanded. Fenyang cleared his throat.
"I found this boy in the weapons room."
Malik looked down at the boy again. Even the general had to admit the boy was utterly adorable; he did not look the type to be in a battlefield, but instead in his bedroom primping his hair. As if reading Malik's thoughts, the boy tucked a few strands of chin-length, ivory locks behind his ear.
"I'm ready to fight, general, sir!" he declared. His stormy, grey eyes flashed determinedly. Malik crouched down in front of him.
"What's your name, boy?" he asked.
"Haraku, sir!" came the sharp response. Malik nodded thoughtfully. He half-turned, calling for Jounouchi over his shoulder.
The blond Earthling trotted up to the small group, glancing at the boy and Malik quizically. Malik pushed himself to his feet. "Jounouchi, it is imperative that you deliver Haraku to a safe room on one of the ships and watch over him."
Haraku gasped, affronted. "But, I want to fight!"
Jounouchi nodded and picked up the child. Haraku kicked and squirmed defiantly, so Jounouchi tossed him over the shoulder and calmly turned in the direction of the main ship.
Malik heard Bakura chuckle as the king came to stand next to his cousin. "I know who his parents are. His mother is probably terrified that he's gone," Bakura said with a small smile. The boy was still kicking and complaining as Jounouchi ascended the ramp and up into the ship, out of view.
Just then, the Aisu ships flew low over the barrier, dropping bombs over it. Nothing phased the barrier. Bakura placed the binoculars to his eyes again. The ebony-haired boy from before still stood poised on top of the tower, seemingly unfazed by the attacks.
"Well, that's just peachy with a side of fucking keen," Malik grumbled. He turned to Fenyang who was watching the unsuccessful ships in disbelief.
"Keep hitting that barrier with everything we've got. We're going in," the general told him. Fenyang focused on his superiors, transferring his shock.
"I must protest, my king!" he exclaimed. "It will be dangerous!"
Bakura crossed his arms over his chest in a defiant gesture. "I'm going in and there isn't a damn thing anybody can do about it. You know why? Because I'm the fucking man, that's why."
Malik lifted a brow and snorted. Fenyang seemed like he still wanted to protest, but Malik's shake of the head quieted any further complaints. He saluted sharply.
"We will break this barrier somehow!" he declared. He bowed before turning and jogging back to the army which had assembled on the ground. The tanks were also fully prepared to trek a path of destruction once the force field barrier was out of the way.
"Okay, anyway. I say we just wait until the barrier is broken," Malik said. Bakura waved a hand at him in dismissal.
"Malik, procrastination is like masturbation. It feels great until you realize you're just fucking yourself."
The blond stared after his pale-colored companion in a mixture of humor and foreboding before finally following him toward the barrier a mile away.
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"Somebody better get their ass in here and get me off this damn chain before I get pissed off!" Anzu shrieked. She screamed in frustration. Using what she felt was every ounce of strength within her, she tried desperately to pull on her chain; her arms would not tug even the slightest bit. The wedding gown she wore cut painfully into her waist. She cried out in agony as the pain in her abdomen intensified sharply.
"Damn you all! What the hell are you doing out there—taking a bloody coffee break?" she yelled.
Chisara meowed loudly. She paced around the room, obviously sensing her mistress's dire situation. She hopped up on the thin windowsill and began adamantly pawing on the glass. Anzu watched her for a minute due to the mere fact that the action took her mind off of her pain briefly.
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After walking for ten minutes, Bakura and Malik reached the force field barrier. The electricity could be seen much easier now, jumping off of the barrier in little jolts. Suddenly, it seemed much more daunting than it had a mile away.
Malik pulled his laser gun and his bullet gun from their holsters, firing each at the barrier; neither had any effect and were merely absorbed into the electrifying force field. He tenderly reached a hand out and touched the barrier. He drew his hand back, shaking off the sting.
He turned away from the barrier and faced his cousin behind him. "Okay, here's the plan," he started. "First, we're going to--" Without completing his sentence, he grabbed Bakura's arms and jumped through the barrier, pulling Bakura through closely behind him.
The Bakurian king felt merely a shock as the barrier closed behind them; however, Malik had taken the full brunt of the pain. Bakura grasped his cousin's shoulders and turned him around. The blond's eyes were unfocused, his hair stood on end, and his mouth was slightly agape.
"Why did you do that?" Bakura demanded. "You could have been hurt!"
"What a rush..." Malik trailed off, still staring dazedly at some unforeseen object in front of him. Suddenly, he focused on Bakura. "Am I on fire? Because I think I'm on fire." He promptly passed out.
"Shit," Bakura muttered, kneeling down next to his unconscious cousin. He gently shook him by the shoulders. "Bakura calling Malik. We're in the middle of a battle here." The blond remained unconscious. Bakura sighed agitatedly. He dropped Malik to the ground. "Meanwhile, Careen is standing on a street corner back on Bakura, bartering off her body for a pint of beer."
Malik shot up into a sitting position then. "I'll kill 'em!" he shouted to no one in particular. Bakura rolled his eyes.
"And nothing says 'I love you' like reducing yourself to a smoldering pile of ashes," he snapped irritably. He flung his hand in the direction of the barrier. "That's electricity, dumbass! Don't ever think about walking through it again!"
Malik made an incomprehensible sound, a bit of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth. Bakura groaned, helping his cousin stand. "Are you okay?" Malik asked, his speech a bit slurred. The king's features softened.
"I'm fine. You're lucky that you are, too."
The pair continued their walk to the palace; Malik tripped and dragged his feet every now and then, but the journey was otherwise uneventful. All of the small villages they encountered were completely deserted, a fact which did not surprise either of them. Bakura supposed the residents of Ascenia had all taken refuge in the palace which was not too far away.
The king and general had been walking for at least a few hours; however, the force field barrier was still intact around them. They could not see their comrades anymore, but Aisu jets could be seen overhead from time to time, dropping bombs on the barrier. It held firm each time, like an old monument in a storm.
"Hey, Bakura, what do Ascenians use for birth control?"
Bakura shrugged. "How the hell should I know, and why the hell should I care?"
"Their personalities," Malik finished. Bakura stopped and stared at his laughing cousin. Finally, he let a small chuckle escape.
"I'm really not in the mood," Bakura warned.
"What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband?" Malik continued, not paying any heed to Bakura's foul mood. The king ignored him, quickening his speed. Malik didn't take the hint. He said, "45 minutes."
Bakura whirled around, grabbing the younger man by the shirt collar. "Just what the hell are you saying?" he demanded harshly. Malik laughed at his offended companion.
All of a sudden, his laughing turned to hacking. While Bakura held Malik within inches of his own face, the blond vomited all over the Bakurian king. Bakura dropped Malik to the ground.
"I can't believe this shit," Bakura stammered, wiping his shirt sleeve across his face in disgust. Malik continued emptying the contents of his stomach all over the grass. Bakura glared down at the ground as if seeing right through it. "Fuck you, too, then! You just wait until I get to hell. I'm going to put you out of a job for what you're putting me through during my life!"
After what seemed like an eternity to Bakura, they reached the palace. They crouched down behind some bushes and surveyed the entrances to the palace. Of course, several guards stood at alert in front of each door. Not to mention, several guards traveled back and forth through black, swirly vortexes, disappearing and appearing at random places and times.
"No good," Malik murmured, still drooling a bit. Bakura wiped the drool away, affectionately patting his cousin on the head.
"It's okay, little man," he cooed. Malik glared at him heatedly.
"I'm not retarded, just electrocuted!"
Bakura smirked. He took out his binoculars again and looked through them. He scanned the palace walls. The ivory stone presented a glare from the mid-afternoon sunlight. He sighed impatiently. He held the binoculars out to Malik.
"Okay, Mr. Strategist, how do we get in?" Bakura asked with a hint of sarcasm. Malik looked through the binoculars, scanning the walls himself.
"That cat is a bloody genius!" Malik exclaimed. Bakura stared at him, confused. The blond handed the binoculars back to his cousin and pointed at a window. "Look up there. This is the second time in my life that cat has shown me Anzu is in danger by scratching on a window."
Bakura eyed the window which was about three stories up. Sure enough, a black cat with enormous green eyes was frantically scratching on a window. Although the cat looked different in some way, Bakura recognized her immediately. The fact that Chisara had gone missing on planet Bakura was an added indication that the cat must be his wife's beloved pet black panther. "She looks smaller, don't you think?"
"Nah," Malik replied, shaking his head. "It's just the distance making it look that way."
Suddenly, the situation dawned on Bakura. "What the hell is that cat doing here?"
"Who cares? It's a good thing she is," Malik said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out six tiny blades, three in each hand between his fingers. "We obviously can't climb up that high. We'll have to get inside."
Before Bakura could reply, his cousin had expertly thrown the six blades at the six guards standing in front of the nearest door, approximately half a mile away. As expected, each guard dropped dead on the ground, the poisoned blade penetrating their blood stream within seconds.
"You got one of them in the forehead instead of the chest," Bakura pointed out with raised eyebrows.
"I was just electrocuted; cut me some damn slack!" Malik fired back defensively. Bakura held up his hands in surrender, smiling teasingly.
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"This barrier will not budge!" Jounouchi cried in frustration. "I'd like to wring that kid's neck." He glared up at the tower the young boy was still standing on, gallantly upholding the protective force field.
"You know, we could really use some help right about now," Fenyang pointed out, frowning.
As if on cue, five dark blue jets zoomed in over the barrier, dropping bombs over it. Fenyang shielded his eyes from the sunlight, looking up at the jets in curiosity. The bombs were obviously different than the ones the Aisulings were trying to break down the barrier with. Even from a distance, Fenyang and Jounouchi could tell that these new bombs were larger and they steamed with heat.
"Who on Bakura are they?" the Bakurian wondered aloud. His attention averted to the force field barrier as it began to emit a loud crackling noise. Fenyang snatched a pair of binoculars out of a fellow soldier's hand. He traced his eyesight to the tower. The young boy who was upholding the barrier was laying unconscious, dangling off the edge of the tower.
"That's Earth," Jounouchi told him with a prideful smirk.
The barrier began to dissipate, and the Earthling jets disappeared, obviously having completed their mission.
"I'll be damned," Fenyang murmured. He turned to the army of Bakurians and Lasyupians assembled behind him. Raising his hand up, he signaled them. "Move in!"
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Bakura fired his laser gun into a guard as he and Malik rounded a corner. The sun was beginning to descend the horizon, and there was no source of lighting in the palace. Bakura remembered eight years ago, the palace had been lit at night by candles; he had thought the Ascenians were incredibly primitive. The pair stopped abruptly when they spotted their next opponent.
"Oh, geez, not that kid again," Malik groaned. He slapped a hand to his face in resentment.
Before them stood the same boy who had upheld the force field barrier for so many hours. He was bruised, bloodied, and beaten, but was obviously prepared to defend his home planet until he breathed his last breath. Malik and Bakura were relieved that the barrier had apparently been broken finally.
"Hurry, Bakura, go," Malik said, never removing his eyes from the child.
"There are no lights in this place. Take care of this quickly before darkness falls," Bakura told his cousin before continuing his run down the palace corridors in search of his wife.
"Darkness?" the boy echoed eerily. He watched Bakura leave before turning back to Malik. "But, I'm right here."
Malik's breath caught in his throat as the boy's aura flared around him, and his long, black hair stood on end, flying around him.
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Damnit! She should be around here somewhere, but there's nothing here! Bakura spun around in a full circle in the corridor. There were no doors on either side of the hall or even any decorations of any kind. The corridor was completely empty. To make matters worse, the sun had almost set, and Bakura was finding it hard to see. He began to wonder if it had really been Chisara they had seen, or if it was their imaginations playing games with them.
"Call me psychic, but I think you're looking for someone," a mocking voice said from behind Bakura. Without thinking twice, Bakura pulled his laser gun from its holster on his hip, turned around, and fired.
The laser shot past Seto Kaiba, inches from his face, as he moved aside at the last second. Bakura slowly lowered his arm.
"Magical and psychic, you lucky son of a gun," the king replied sarcastically. Seto took a few steps closer, taking off his robe and tossing it aside to reveal his bare chest. Bakura scoffed.
"Fight me like a man," the Prime Minister suggested mischievously. He held out his hands and a sword appeared in each.
Bakura removed his cape and dropped it to the floor. He caught the sword his rival tossed at him and flipped it over in his hand, examining it. It was simple in design compared to Seto's golden blade which was inlaid with precious jewels. The king looked up, a gleam in his eye.
"You're going to regret putting a sword in my hand."
Seto shrugged carelessly with a smirk. He and Bakura began to circle each other predatorily.
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Anzu raised her head sharply upon hearing two muffled voices behind the wall at her left. Although they were quiet and unclear, she recognized both immediately.
"Bakura," she sobbed in relief. She did not know how many hours she had been in labor, but she knew her baby was going to be born soon. At the thought, her crying intensified, but she struggled to keep silent.
If he hears me and I distract him, he could be hurt, she realized. She bit her lip to keep from crying out from the agonizing pain. Tiny drops of crimson blood from her lip hit the floor beneath her elevated body.
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"Where's Anzu?" Bakura demanded harshly, dodging a swipe of Seto's sword. He lunged forward with his own sword, knicking the Ascenian in the shoulder.
Seto hissed, grasping at his shoulder briefly. He recovered with a sinister smile. "Oh, my future wife is nearby," he replied mysteriously. He swung his sword and sliced open Bakura's sleeve.
Bakura refused to take the bait. "Tell me, is that cat of hers here? We couldn't find her back home, and my daughter is missing her terribly."
Seto saw nothing suspicious about the question and nodded in response. Bakura's hopes rose. That confirmed that the cat in the window was, indeed, Chisara. That meant Anzu should have been in a room connected to the very corridor he was fighting Seto in. However, it still baffled the Bakurian king that there were no doors in the hall.
Occupied with his thoughts, Bakura did not see Seto raise his sword above his head and bring it down in a slice in time for him to dodge the attack. Bakura howled in pain, clutching at his eye. Temporarily blinded, he backed into the wall, sword gripped tightly in his hand.
"Did I hurt you?" Seto asked coyly. Bakura removed his bloody hand from his face and slowly looked up at his opponent. His right eye was closed tightly, and a nasty gash about half an inch wide ran the length from his eyebrow, straight down to his cheekbone. Crimson blood dripped down his cheek, taking a long fall from his chin to the floor. He gently opened his eye, ignoring the severe pain the action caused. He was grateful for the fact that he could still see.
"Not as bad as Anzu apparently hurt you when she rejected you so long ago. Not that I blame her—you're downright ugly."
Seto's cold, blue eyes flashed an angry green, and a fierce scowl set his mouth in a tight line. Bakura swiped at the blood on his face, and when he focused again on Seto, the Ascenian was no longer a humanoid, but instead the crocodile-man Bakura remembered from his visits to Ascenia.
"Have I made you angry?" Bakura taunted, amazed at his ability to joke in such a situation.
The Prime Minister-turned-crocodile threw himself at Bakura, slashing every which way with his sword. In his anger, his thrusts were mostly off-balance and off-target. Bakura shoved Seto off of him and stabbed him in his scaly arm. Seto cried out in rage, switching his sword to his uninjured arm.
"You'll pay!" he shrieked, his voice much deeper than before.
A scream of pain erupted into the corridor, clearly feminine. Without a thought to his situation, Bakura whirled around to face the wall behind him. "Anzu!" he yelled frantically.
Seto saw the opportunity and yanked his gun out of the back of his pants' waistline. He quickly raised the gun and aimed.
The horrible, high-pitched hiss of a laser gun being fired drew Bakura's attention back to Seto. The Prime Minister still had his gun held out in front of him, aimed at Bakura. In disbelief, the ivory-haired king's dark orbs slowly travelled down the length of his body.
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It might be a little cruel to end the chapter there. Hmm... nah. XD The next chapter will be the last, so stay tuned for that. Thanks to everyone who has read this far!