ALL YOU NEED IS ME 4
"I feel the earth move…"
Yugi was stroking Bakura's hair. He was muttering I Love You as fast as he could under his breath. He held three cards in his hands: Dark Magician, Celtic Warrior and Change of Heart. Those three were his and Bakura's 3 favourite cards.
"Yug?" Tristan was in the door. "Are you okay?" he kneeled down beside his friend.
"No" murmured Yugi. "I can't lose him I love him…"
Tristan hugged his little friend.
Joey walked down to the vending machines and put in the coins. He took the candy bar from the slot and unwrapped it. He paused as he spotted the pretty girl in the business suit speaking in Russian down a phone. "And same to you!" she spat as she snapped the phone shut. She paused as she noticed him.
"Hi" he said.
"Joey" she smiled.
"Do I know you?"
"Juno Athena" she said. "Seto Kaiba's personal assistant, secretary and as of an hour ago bodyguard and nurse." Joey stared in shock. She shut his mouth for him. "He was attacked in his home by a pair of helicopter piloting assassins…normal for him."
"I- is he okay?" Joey murmured, his heart racing. The prospect of losing Seto, his secret love, was so painful it was a pit of despair!
"Cranky" she replied. She sighed and looked at him. "How do you feel about him?"
"We don't get on"
"Well I wish you would get it on" she sighed. "Seto is a horned up fellow. He needs a good doing over". Joey choked on his nougat and Juno slapped him on the back. "Well…he…will find a girl."
"Not if someone doesn't check up his health" Juno said with a dark smile. "Would you?" She gestured at the door. "Yvonne was supposed to but she's already been pulled into some meeting about a mysterious illness."
Joey swallowed and nodded. He entered the room and nearly passed out. Seto was SHIRTLESS. The toned chest was so lean…his skin was so smooth… not the way to go. He didn't need Seto using it against him.
"Deep down he's a pussy cat," whispered Juno. "I'll go and see Noah at the Airport" she called to Seto who looked up and focused on Joey. "Be back in 5."
Seto's mouth was trying to move into some sort of word forming combination… without any success. He was like a Goldfish.
"I…let me take a – look," croaked Joey. He tamed his voice and Seto turned his back to him. There was a deep scratch in his back.
"Glass" explained Seto. "I ignored it."
"Impressive" Joey said. Seto found himself unable to control his body, his trousers felt constrictive suddenly. The gentle hands ran along his back and applied a gentle disinfectant cream then a bandage. No one had ever touched Seto that way.
It felt nice
"Do you…did…who attacked?"
"Assassins" replied Seto. "It happens quite often," he explained. "I've fired the majority of board owners. I can't find good help these days they eventually try to kill me." He couldn't stop watching the blonde…he didn't – Want – Joey to die. To stop being. To leave him. To cease…wait…back a second…leave him?
Seto had to admit seeing Yami loving Tea despite her blathering and perky attitude. Or Tristan and Duke one was proud and cocky while the other was reputation orientated in everything. Bakura and Yugi… that was a match in heaven they were both gentle but Yugi had a strength Bakura lacked while Bakura had fought darkness and come out with a purity that could not be conquered.
He was so jealous. He – Seto Kaiba – was JEALOUS of the happy couples. Mai had married a movie star called Jean-Paul Varlet. Pegasus had Bandit Keith… everyone had someone and Seto wished… he didn't want Joey he wanted a girl…blonde and beautiful. Joey was male. And Blonde. And Beautiful.
Damn. He did NOT just think that.
"Seto?"
Seto looked up and stared into the honey brown eyes. "Yeah?"
"I was saying you should rethink hiring policies."
Seto just nodded.
Duke Devlin walked towards the elevator and pressed the button. He stepped inside as Tristan came from the room he'd been in. "Duke!" Tristan called…the shadowy shape stepped from the mirror behind Duke who was smiling and waving. Tristan's eyes widened. He sprinted forwards. "DUKE!"
Duke frowned. "BEHIND YOU DUKE!" the elevator doors sealed as Duke turned around and fell unconscious. Tristan hammered on the button fearfully but to no avail.
"What's going on?" Duke called. The duelling platform rose up, made of stone…he stared dead ahead at the throne. "What are you doing here?"
"Its called duelling…shall we begin?"
Joey was trying to calm his friend but Tristan was angry and afraid, he couldn't stop panicking and he needed a serious slap in the head. "Something very grave has happened" everyone looked up. Ishizu Ishtar was standing in the doorway. Yugi had returned to her the Millennium Necklace for safe keeping since Yami had gained a separate body using the combined energy.
"Ishizu…what do you know?" Yugi asked from the seat beside Tristan.
"Bakura and Yami have fallen victim to a great power just as Yami has. They lost duels against the spirit of a millennium artefact."
"But they were vanquished back into the Shadow Realm" said Yugi.
Ishizu nodded. "Marik was a victim just before Yami," explained Ishizu. She removed a picture from the pocket in her coat. "This was dug up in the Valley of the kings" it was a golden box with the Eye on it. "Inside were two artefacts, the Millennium Key opened the box and revealed two further millennium artefacts… however the convoy was robbed by four people. Two bikers and a duo in a car." She showed them the pictures. They were of the artefacts: a staff with the Eye suspended in the ring at the top, strings of beads dangled from the ankh top that housed the eye, there was even a hand guard and wrapped handle for it to be held. The other artefact was a ring with the Eye on it.
"The Sceptre folds up so it was more then easy to hide away," explained Ishizu. "Nothing short of a full search of every car that passed through the roadblocks would have done any good. The ring was even harder to find…" she sighed. "Then my brother was attacked. He's catatonic back home and I have no means of reviving him…only finding the thieves could return the souls to the victims."
"Duke's just been taken" Tristan said, biting back any unbridled emotion. "What can we do?" Ishizu nodded. "There's a way to find him," she said. "I can use my necklace to seek out the sceptres powers being used."
"Do it" Tristan said breathlessly. "Please!"
Seto buttoned up his shirt. Noah was in the doorway. The Bionic body was similar to Seto's but it was shorter and slightly broader…and had Noah's face of course. The body was a mix of inorganic CREATED cells that were treated and bound together over the years since Noah's first appearance in his digital world. He was a put together from the fusion of cloning and circuits.
And all he had to say about it was:
"Do you know how annoying it is not to have a sleep function?" Noah sighed. "I mean REALLY. You'd be surprised how often New York has zero to do at 3 or 4 in the morning!"
"Just be happy you're there and not Siberia" Seto said. Noah was shuffling his deck of cards (he competed for fun as he had an unfair advantage in competitions considering he knew every card ever created without a flaw and could do the math to predict strategies etc in 3.4 seconds flat) as he whistled. "Please stop whistling"
"Fine" Noah snorted. "Well…are you done yet? Mokuba's annoyed that you went and got hurt. He's also saying that you should give Juno a raise."
"I did" Seto muttered.
Noah shrugged and turned to walk out of the room. He was nearly run over by Yugi, Joey and Co. "Whoa! What's the hurry?"
"We have to go and deal with the person who hurt Bakura" Yugi exclaimed.
"Want help?" Noah asked. "Seto's got a free evening so he wants to go to work. But if you need a lift I've got my car outside"
"Can it hold all of us?" Joey asked.
"It's a stretch limo," replied Noah.
"Well do you have your deck…never mind" Tristan sighed spotting the deck in Noah's hands. "Okay let's go, we my have to duel"
"Then you'll be needing a real duellist," Seto said stepping out of the room. "I'm coming too" he noted that Joey was with them. In his condition…no! That wasn't worry; the mutt just wouldn't do well…worse then usual…
"Well let's hurry up" Joey said. "We have to go".
"The power is located in an abandoned church nearby, I know it well" Ishizu said. "It was once intended to become part of the museum because of the catacombs but the sale never went though."
The limo shrieked to a halt. Tristan rushed towards the boarded up doors, which swung open easily. There was a dome of writhing purple and black light near the altar of the church. "That's the shadow realm gate!" exclaimed Yugi.
"Hey the boss doesn't want interruptions," a deep voice snarled.
"So step off," a valley girl voice chirped.
"Or prepare to hit a serious speed bump" a male Cajun voice hissed.
The first man was well muscled with pink hair and a gold edged ringmasters coat over his bare chest and dark trousers. He had a familiar duel disk on his arm…one of the powerful ones from the saga with the Great Dragon.
The girl was dressed in hip hugging purple jeans and a polo neck that only just covered her cleavage. She patted her short dark red hair into place and removed her sunglasses.
The last man was thin and sinewy with a tan. He was dressed in cut-off dungarees and a stretched white T-shirt. His black hair was slicked back and he had a beaded necklace around his neck. On his left hand he wore a duelling disk, on the other was a fingerless black glove and beaded bracelet.
"We're the Duel Devils," the girl said as her duel disk hissed out. "Ready to play?"
"We don't have time for this!" Tristan exclaimed. Juno strode in.
"Allow me to make a suggestion" Juno said. "Yugi, Ishizu and Noah against you three…" she gestured towards a side aisle behind her back. Joey, Tristan and Seto backed off. "Okay?"
"Dandy" the first man growled.
"Let's duel" Noah said. "And I'll teach you a little something about Spirit cards…"
As the duel began Tristan, Joey and Seto crept along a side aisle towards the shadowy orb. There was a cry from inside and the orb shattered. The cloaked duellist was against Duke. Their move was up.
"You're right Duke" the voice echoed. "I can't beat you with your Ogre on the field boosted by a magic card and a trap card threatening my 100 points left…but wait! I play pot of greed, draw too cards…and end this game" laughed the figure. It raised the staff that had been stolen. "I play Milady's Box (A/N: Made up) a magic card that allows me to pick any three magic cards I want from my deck or graveyard…then I play Mummified Priestess (A/N: Made Up) in attack mode" the blue skinned, bandage wrapped shape with the golden face and sceptre rose up. "Now as an Undead-Fiend she's quite versatile. I use Vampire Blood Supply (A/N: M.U) to increase her attack power by 500 points to 2500 and then I play Four Jars (MU) that lets me increase her defence and the defence of my Tomb Traitor who's been in defence mode up to 3000 with a boost of 600 points! And how do I do all this? Why, the third magic card I drew was actually my first! It was Funeral Rites, which allowed me to play any number of magic cards with my undead type monsters! Hope you've had as much fun as I've had because I'm nearly done. Now I play this card face down and end my turn"
"DUKE!" Tristan cried.
"Tristan?" Duke gasped, turning to glance at his boyfriend.
"Eyes on the prize Duke" called the Duellist. "Make your move!"
"Fine!" Duke exclaimed with renewed vigour. "I play the magic card Level 3 Laser cannon! With that power boost you don't stand a chance! ATTACK!"
The attack blazed towards the Mummified Priestess. The Duellist laughed. "I play the trap card Lifeline Reroute (MU)! That damage goes STRAIGHT to you wiping out your life points!" The staff glowed. "And I get your soul!"
"NO" Tristan screamed. He threw himself through what remained of the barrier and just managed to catch the falling Duke. The Duellist turned and strode away. Seto turned just in time to see Joey running after the Duellist. Seto darted after him and caught him.
"Let me go Kaiba!" Joey exclaimed.
"You can't fight that man," Seto said. "He beat Devlin easily and you'd not stand a chance"
"LET GO!" Joey shouted.
Seto turned him around. "Devlin wasn't good enough and neither are you!"
Joey suddenly looked torn and pained inside…then he punched Seto. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Joey snapped. He ran after the Duellist. The footsteps echoed down the stone floored passage, the black cloak flowing behind the person. The Duellist wired down passages and up ladders, through scaffolding until Joey pinned him at a wooden platform. The duellist turned around and strode forwards.
"You're goin down" Joey snapped. "Let the souls go!"
The laugh was melodious and sinister all at once. Joey's hair stood on end… he gave a snarl and lunged. The shape whipped aside, with incredible agility the Duellist flexed and spun away from the grapples.
Then the kicked lanced into Joey's ribs and winded him. He struck out, knocking the hood askew and the gold Burial mask behind it fell down a ladder onto the level below. "No!" Joey gasped.
"Bye" The Duellist kicked Joey in the ribs again and sent him stumbling off balance, crashing onto a rickety piece of scaffolding that teetered under the grip of gravity, ready to fall at any second…the only attachment was a series of nailed down boards. The duellist raised a hand, the bracelet glowed and with a flash the boards all removed themselves, save one…Joey looked up…The Duellist laughed and vaulted out into the night air. The cloak flowed and there was a metallic click as a frame snapped into place and opened out into black velvet wings…
Joeys head was pounding…he reached for his pills…and slumped forwards.
- - -TBC - - -
Sorry I haven't updated in so long I was away for Christmas with Gran in Wales and... well New Years came and DF got no NYears sugar... sob sob!