Master Of PuppetZ
Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings
Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams
Blinded by me, you can't see a thing
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
FAB: I want to thank Forbidden-Dystopia for the review! It was really nice! Thank you very-very much!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN YGO! Nor the song, it's Metallica's…Fair enough.
Master Of Puppets – Chapter 9 – Lethal Snatch
Mokuba's head rested in Crystal's lap as she gently and sensually rubbed the cream into the cut on his neck. His eyes were closed lightly, and he was slowly drifting into peaceful sleep. Crystal's fingers traced the mark, checking how deep it was and how it was healing. The TV was on, yet she wasn't looking at it. Mokuba's calm expression made her feel way better than any Anime show, and his steady, calm breathing brought warm sensation into her heart. Seto was sitting in a corner, his lap top on the table, typing slowly with his right hand and his left hand resting on a paper, following the numbers printed on it.
Mokuba opened his eyes, lightly blinking from the light. "Is this hurting you?" asked Crystal, suddenly startled. "No, it's OK. I think it is healing," the child said, his voice somehow husky from the long silence had been in. He looked at Crystal, seeing the regret and the pain in her eyes /She is still angry with herself for what happened with Dartz. I should…Change the subject!.../ "You know Christmas is in two days?" asked Mokuba, causing Seto to stop his typing and raise his glance to meet his brother's.
"Well, yes," Crystal answered, finally removing her hands from the boy's neck "Now I remember…Last year I promised to make a cake for our computer-science class…We were supposed to eat it on the last day of the semester, and…Well, the cake wasn't that success…Actually, I blew up the kitchen of my friend when we made it…" the brothers smiled at the story "I bet she was the one who did it," Mokuba laughed. Crystal smiled lightly "Oh, I think we did it together and fine…" she remembered "I thought I told her not to pour so much oil on the baking form but she wouldn't listen…" Mokuba let out a laugh "But I know many Christmas receipts nonetheless. Like a cheese cake with caster sugar and cherries…" Mokuba almost licked his lips from avarice.
"Calm down, Mokie," laughed Crystal kindly "I'll make it for you if you want me to, and if the cook will allow us. Last time we almost blew this kitchen up," and the two of them laughed. Seto listened to the conversation carefully, feeling calm like he wasn't in years. /I can't even imagine what were Mokuba and I doing here without Crystal. She brought so much light with her, so much kindness…Mokuba loves her, and as for me…Well, I'm sure there is something for her in my heart…Something really special considering I am not a person of feelings…I care for her, but does she feel the same?.../
"Seto, can we go for shopping tomorrow?" Mokuba's voice erased Seto's scattered thoughts like the 'delete' button in word processor. He looked at his brother and said "I'm working tomorrow, you know."
"Really?" it caused Crystal to shift in her place slightly "I'm going too, right?" she asked hopefully /I forgot I have to work! I still have to pay for the apartment and…/ but Seto's voice cut her thoughts' string "Well you are not going tomorrow, Crystal! You will spend the day with Mokuba, you should rest for some time now. And also tomorrow we are working just till 12:00 because there's holiday on Christmas eve, so there's no point you will be there. Go shopping with Mokuba, but you two have to be careful and be accompanied by the security, fine with you?" Mokuba rose to sit near Crystal, nodding lightly.
She smiled "It sounds good." she was running her fingers through Mokuba's long hair as he yawned. Seto glanced at his clock "Time to go to bed, Mokuba. You are officially dismissed from school tomorrow so go to sleep." the boy stood up, his smile wide and thankful. He leant to kiss Crystal on the cheek and raised a thumb toward his brother on his way out of the room. Crystal watched him disappearing in the semi darkness of the hall as he made his way to his bedroom.
"Seto, can I go to my apartment tomorrow?" asked Crystal suddenly. His eyes were fixed on his lap top screen when he remarked "You promised you would stay with us." his eyes narrowed.
"I will, but still I need to take some of my things." she justified herself, looking at him pleadingly. Finally his eyes stared into hers across the room. "Yes." he answered shortly, directing his glance at the computer again. "Thanks," she replied, looking at the TV.
Seto started typing, letting the mechanic sounds to fill the silence in the room. He wanted to say many things to Crystal, still he didn't know how to express the things he felt. Eventually she stood up, approaching him. She said "I am going to sleep, Seto. See you tomorrow." and she started pacing toward the corridor.
His eyes followed her, and through the hesitations and the doubts in his heart finally the decision was made and sealed "Crystal," he called. She turned around, her caramel hair whirling in the air, glowing mildly in the light of the room. He stood up and walked toward her, closing the space between them. She looked at him questioningly, when he came closer and closer. "Crystal," he almost whispered her name now, his hand intuitively tangling itself in her hair "Would it be right…If I kissed you?" he let out lowly "Just once?"
She looked worried, yet when she saw the sincerity in his blue ocean eyes she couldn't refuse. Not this time. She smiled at him, and he took it as an approval from her. Leaning forwards, he captured her lips with a light kiss, feeling her kissing back. It was so different from the last time he kissed her, because this time she was returning on his gesture. Few moments later she stopped them, smiling warmly at Seto as she backed into the corridor, leaving him to stare into her eyes, fading to black.
The air was seldom reaching his lungs. His heart was barely beating already, too slow to enable real living. His skin was paler than in death. And still he was breathing. Still his heart was somehow beating. What kept him alive?
Was it his yami's lustful wish to taste his blood once more? Was it his own will, his will of finding better life, getting out the dungeons of the tomb keepers and finally replacing his oppressed childhood with the eternal power of being a Pharaoh?
The memory of the day he lost it all kept replaying in his mind, just like his conscience was punishing him by making his tormented eyes witness his last day of freedom over and over and over again. Bakura was the one in control, he had Ra in his hands, on their side of the field…Yet the greatest god was useless, the absence of attack points meant only one thing: the most powerful creature known in Duel-Monsters was worthless. And Bakura, in last attempt to save the game, sacrificed the great Egyptian god in order to bring some other monsters to the field…
/I never knew about that special ability of Ra…/ A thing like this was more than a mere surprise to Malik, it was a real offense. He studied the ancient tells and the special attacks of the Egyptian gods for all of his life, dedicating most of his time to perfect his duel skills…Yet his yami, this little evil creation knew more than him, after all. And his yami tricked him…Marik didn't need him anymore since he had his body, forcing Malik to be none than a forlorn spirit…
Bakura's body stood before Marik in their last duel; Malik convinced Bakura to play for him. The price was huge…Yes, it was awful, but Malik knew the things he did in life were in a great deal worse than anything considering the killing of his father, the betrayal of his religion, the neglecting of his duties as tomb keeper, the falling for dark promises, his tries to destroy, take over innocents' minds and use each one of them as his puppetz…He only got what he deserved for that…
He broke his seven deadly sins, and now he was paying…But the payment was so painful, the torture so agonizing and the suffering so vivid despite his dead body it almost caused him to give up. Yet Malik wasn't the one to give up.
Though his body was to no use now, his mind was still sharp and alert. It seemed to him that this fact was the most painful and depressing thing in this punishment of his; He was able to think, to analyze, to understand fully what was happening around him…He was able to make plans and laugh at himself when none of them were able to work because of his faint limbs…Hanging there, deep in the Shadow Realm, he built himself a realm of thoughts to be surrounded by. Most of them were grievous memories of his past, plaguing him back inside the world of his childhood, those days in the coldness of the dungeons…
Some of his memories were more pleasant, however, just like the day when Isis took him outside for the first time…The feeling of the sweet morning sun shining upon his face with warm rays, caressing his skin, the fresh air streaming fully into his small lungs…And these memories made him suffer even more.
Yet he knew he wasn't alone, and that was what prevented him from ever giving up. Since he had the feeling of some other essences crossed into his almost broken one he knew somehow one of these essences would break free. Sometimes the being was appearing for a short time only; that had to be another killing of Marik's. Ever since he entered to another mind, breaking another pawn, a link was added to the Master Chain…And every time he killed his poor victim the link was dropping out…Yet one link was constantly there…
When Bakura lost his body to the shadows, he merged into them. That's how Ryou's body was saved, falling without a care on the dried ground of the Duel arena. Ryou's his body was hollow, he gave up long time ago…In fact, it was so long that Ryou couldn't surface again, leaving his body to rot in the shadows, while his soul was devoured by the rapacious dark…He wasn't suffering that much anymore, Malik envied him bitterly…Yet Ryou couldn't hope to ever regain control, and Malik tried to not lose his hope…For he felt another link appearing…
According to his yami's thoughts, this link belonged to a young girl…She was a little older than Malik, her name was Crystal, and her body was the host of the great Isis…No, not his sister, she must have forgotten about him long time ago, turning her back to him for being the disgrace of his family…She couldn't, probably, bare such shame on her back…And she shouldn't…
Alive…This girl, Crystal, was still alive…And maybe soon she would be aware of Malik, even though his poor and curbed state wasn't exactly allowing him to talk or move…Maybe she would be his way out…
In a much distorted way, that was what kept Malik alive. It didn't give his mind a rest, pushing his soul to wait more and more…To not give up, just for a little while…Maybe, just maybe he could still make someone notice where his current grave was…
Heavy clouds heaped in the sky and rough wind blew outside on the greyest morning of the year. Mokuba wore warm clothes, Crystal helped him with his second sweater. But her clothes were indeed a problem. When Dartz took over her mind she wore only her sweater because she didn't take her coat. It was important for her to get to her apartment first, she critically needed more clothes and some of her other things. It turned out that Seto brought her bag which she forgot when she run out from work, but still it was not enough.
At breakfast, Mokuba ate some cornflakes and Crystal noticed again there were no meat products on the table. She felt really bothered about that, especially because Mokuba as growing child needed to have some meat /Just because I have this problem doesn't mean he shall have it to! I need to speak with Seto and tell him to not be so polite with me. I don't have a problem seeing others eat meat, I just can't eat it myself!.../
By the way, Seto didn't eat breakfast at all. He hurried to get to work, trying to talk on his cell phone and type on his laptop at one and the same time. Then the door was shut, and he flew outside trying to walk in addition to his other doings. Mokuba rolled his eyes "He wouldn't notice an elephant in our yard when he is so busy. But I think we can forgive him this time; Today is the last day of work so he has to deal with many things. Are you done, Cris?" asked Mokuba, eating the cornflakes dry without pouring milk on it. She smiled at him and nodded "Just let me see your neck before we go," she asked, and Mokuba obediently walked toward her, allowing her to examine the cut on his neck. It was healing, the cream did just great with the mark.
"See? Nothing too special." said Mokuba carelessly and Crystal silently thanked Ra for that /I couldn't bear it if anything serious indeed happened to Mokuba…/ the child was busy trying to get his legs inside his boots "Aren't they a little small for you?" she asked when she saw his cheeks red from the effort. "I think they are," the child managed to say "I didn't buy a pair last year since the winter wasn't that snowy. But I guess I need new this year,"
They got out into the car, and Mokuba told the driver to head for Crystal's apartment. "Wanna visit me?" she asked the excited kid, and he nodded eagerly and got out of the car with her. They took the stairs /I can't stand this elevator again!.../ to the seventh floor, and there Crystal opened her 13 door and invited Mokuba to get in.
"Nice numbers you have here," said the kid, his face blushed from the walk up the stairs and he was also jumping every second step because of his uncomfortable boots /We'll buy others for him today, he can't walk like that./ thought Crystal when she entered her bedroom. She quickly pulled her back-bag and opened the cupboard, taking out some of her clothes, swiftly folding them and placing them inside her bag. Meanwhile Mokuba sat in the living room, pulling off his boots and letting his legs to rest a while, looking on the white walls and the almost empty room, and thinking how gloomy the life in this place had to be /She has almost nothing here!…I've already got used to have many electric devices and other stuff, so I feel this room is so empty…Actually it is not that empty…It is full of dreams, and only if you look closer you can find them. They are Crystal's dreams, and I am sure Seto and I can make some of them come true. I mean, she is staying with us for the holidays! I am sure this Christmas will be unforgettable!.../
Little did Mokuba know about Marik evil plans, and he couldn't even guess this simple statement was going to be so disastrous.
"How are they? Do you feel comfortable?" asked Crystal as she examined the boots he was trying on. He stepped some times, making a whirl on his place then a jump. "They are good," he said, smiling warmly at her "I think they fit." Crystal bent down and checked them again, by placing her fingers over the place where his toe was supposed to rest under the leather. "They seem good to me too," she said, granting him a smile "Yes, they are fine. And I think you are growing up, so they are only for this year…I think nothing doing with you, kid," her hand run in his hair as he nodded and added "I am the one and the only."
Mokuba pulled out a credit card from his pocket, earning him strange puzzled glance from Crystal. "My brother's." explained Mokuba amusingly "He gave me. And besides how do you expect to buy something without any money?" he laughed as he placed his new footwear back into the carton box. Crystal stared at him wonderingly /I guess there are some things I will never get used to with the Kaiba brothers…/ she thought as she made her way to get Mokuba /Well, I think I am nervous enough with those security guys following us…/ Crystal shot a quick glance at some of their guards who stood in random placed, making themselves really interested in the Christmas Sales. Mokuba came and took Crystal's hand "Let's go Cris," he said "I want to sit and change those boots on me. I feel I can't make another step in them." she laughed in response and they sat down, he wore his new boots and stood in them, feeling much better.
"Shall we start?" he asked when he was done admiring his new shoes. She smiled "You know, it made me feel so good that you bought them. I remember that when I was in the orphanage, there were no such things like new clothes or anything. We had a uniform, and no one had a permission to wear anything else. And I remember my shoes, some of them were torn and worn." Mokuba nodded in agreement "I remember things like these. Yet Seto got us out as fast as he could, after that I had decent and comfortable clothes, but I didn't have the privilege of choosing them by myself. As for Seto, he doesn't care as long as he has his trench-coat. Nothing but style," Crystal laughed at this statement of his, and they started walking slowly, looking on the display windows, talking happily while making their way through the mass of other buyers.
They stopped sometimes, always followed by the security guards, and got into the stores in the huge mall, buying their presents, waiting for the gifts to be wrapped and decorated for them. Crystal insisted to pay with her card, and Mokuba bought some with his (Or shall we say Seto's, but technically there was no way for him to know how much Mokuba spent. But we all know well how Kaiba is; he won't ever spare anything of Mokuba) card.
Crystal felt tired so she needed to sit for a while. Mokuba joined her, hiding some of his packages so she wouldn't see some of his presents. "I bet you never had so much fun on Christmas shopping!" he dared her.
"You can be sure. I never really went on Christmas shopping!" she laughed "So how am I doing for my first time?"
"I think you are doing fine," said Mokuba seriously "You know, Seto has never went on Christmas shopping with me. He would always buy me something, but never along with me. I wonder if it is possible to drag him out tomorrow or something, yet he has so much work on these days…" Crystal waved her hand "I'm sure he would like to do it," she answered "Well, everything is set? Ooh, I forgot to ask whether you have a tree or not. I've decorated the tree in the orphanage many times, so I know how to," she said, and Mokuba nodded "Yes we have a plastic one. Our step father used to place a real tree, but you can't imagine how much mess is left because of it."
"Well, if that's enough we should head home, and I'll try to convince the cook to let me make the most wonderful Christmas cake I know." said Crystal as the two of them went on their way to the car, carrying their bags, Mokuba's new boots making dragging noises on the polished floors of the mall.
The smell…That light smell…So light and delicate, yet very sensible and…It was so hers. He lay on the bed for some time now, listening to the rustle of the rain. It was pouring angrily on the grey world, showers of pure rain washed the glass of the window. The lights of Domino were broken and distorted behind the wet glass, casting strange silhouettes through the window. He stared at them, transfixed by their odd forms and patterns…Broken forms and bending lights…The room was already dark, the shadows crawled to hover on the walls, covering his body until he was almost invisible. Still his eyes glowed in the darkness, as well as the millennium items on his body, their golden aura steady and smoldering.
He got up, his Rod in his hands, and made his way toward the cupboard, his nose sniffing for more of her animating scent. He opened the doors, and stared at the absence of her clothes /So you fell for Seto Kaiba…Well, I can understand it. And I pity you and him, because I can't allow you to live any longer…You make this so difficult for him and for that brother of his…It is a shame you stayed there with Kaiba, because now I have to come and take you away with me…My little girl, my puppet…/
It was obvious Crystal was going to spend the holiday at Kaiba's. But he had some other plans for her…Like opening the gates of Hell…Like getting his revenge…
It was definitely the day. The seas were leaping up into the black sky because of the enormous storms, and the earth shook under the cities…He could feel it, feel the dark passion of the End Of Days, waiting to crush through its golden cage and smash the world that expelled it into the realms of fears and nothingness…Malik stirred helplessly somewhere in his mind when the thoughts about destruction and controlling flowed into his vessel.
Marik put the Rod down on the bed, and pulled a rope from the inside of his black cloak. Sitting on the bed, he cut the rope into 4 pieces /It has to be enough…/ he thought while tying the pieces to the bed, making sure they are tight enough…
He admired his work, and then stood up, taking his Rod. He went to the living room, approaching the window and opening it. Wind and rain drops immediately penetrated the room, falling like tears on the plain floor below the window. He got outside, holding the wall, closing the window of Crystal's apartment behind him. The enticing smell was left behind, as he slid down and ran near Domino's night clubs, searching for another scent…The scent of pure human's blood…
"We are almost done," said Mokuba as he admired their decorated tree. They had managed to construct it and now they were hanging colorful balls and other toys on it, making it look adorable. Crystal decorated it with snow flakes, and the work was almost over. She opened another box, staring happily at the little angel inside of it. This toy should have been placed on the treetop, yet it was too high for her or Mokuba to do so. She took out the angel, admiring its lucid wings and the golden crown on its head.
"Need some help?" a deep voice brought her back from wonderland as she raised her eyes to stare into Seto's blue ones. "Yes, actually," she smiled, carefully placing the angel in his hands. He quickly climbed on the pedestal of the tree, heedfully holding the wall and placing the toy in its place. The light glowed through its wings and made the whole tree shine.
"Nice work you did here," said Seto as he jumped down lithely. Mokuba beamed and looked really satisfied with his brother's approval "Yes we did," he said, smiling warmly at Crystal.
"Dinner time is now, so let's go get something to eat. I've worked for all day long though I wasn't supposed to, and I didn't even manage to get some brake." said the older brother and marched to the dinning room with Crystal and Mokuba at the heel.
They had a nice dinner, Mokuba and Crystal told Seto about their shopping and the rain that caught them on their way home. "That was the reason why I had to stay at work for so long. The antenna on the roof fell just today…It's not a TV antenna, it is a radio one – fixed in for some of my experiments," he explained "…So until I got someone to go and fix it…You know those technicians…" Mokuba nodded in agreement, as memories of previous faults with the equipment made his brother yell and argue with random people on the phone (And certainly fire some of them even though they weren't working in his company at all).
Mokuba was really sleepy after the dinner so Seto sent him to bed. In the rest of the time he showed Crystal his new projects, asking for her opinion about everything concerning the programming part. She pointed out some problems within the system and he added the things into the common interface they had created before. "That seems pretty good to me now," he said, examining the additions. Crystal smiled lightly, thinking about other things they could supply the system with. Finally the time was really late, and when Crystal yawned twice, making Seto yawn himself they decided to go to sleep.
He showed her the way to her room (Since she forgot it once again, it was really difficult to find the way in Kaiba's mansion, too many doors and corridors, everything looking just the same) and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek when she wished him goodnight.
She took a shower, and got prepared to sleep. When she finally lay down, she felt some strange sensation…Like something was whispering into her ears, deep down in her thoughts…Suddenly, her feelings weren't only her own ones…She saw something strange on the back of her eyelids…It was dark, really dark there, and something golden and warm was burning somewhere near…She could taste the desire on her lips, a desire for something she never wanted or needed…And it was so not hers, so not hers that it scared her…But when she heard the scream, her terrified heart threw itself onto her ribs, she opened her eyes feeling something terrible happened nearby /Now you are imagining things, Crystal…There's nothing there, in your head...But what was that strange feeling, that bitter taste? And the scream…/
She laid back, the sounds of the falling rain making her fall into a deep slumber once again, leaving the worries in the back of her head.
A thunder roared, when Marik left another body lying in a puddle of mud and blood.
Just call my name, 'cause I'll hear you scream
Master
Master
The white flakes covered the world in the morning, causing Mokuba to laugh and yell in excitement. "Look!" he shouted while sliding on the banister of the stairs (A trick he used to brag about) "Snow! So much!" Crystal approached the window in the living room, watching blissfully the white clouds falling down on the earth "It will be white Christmas unlike last year," said Mokuba cheerfully "It is going to be so good!" he smiled at Crystal.
"Yes it is, Mokie," she said "Now lets try to attack the kitchen. Maybe the cook isn't on her place, and we will be able to start over!"
However, the cook was already on her feet and on her place. She was pouring water into cooking pots, and peeling some vegetables when Crystal and Mokuba came in. Needless to say she was slightly over protective towards her kitchen. "We came to help, and I want to make a cake," said Crystal. The cook shot suspicious glances at her, yet she retreated and was watching Crystal silently while cutting the vegetables.
Crystal tugged her sleeves and went to work, peeling fresh apples, preparing the backing-form, spreading the flour and rolling the dough. Then she covered the dough and fried some of the apples, making the core of the cake. The baking took some time, and meanwhile Crystal helped the cook to prepare the salads and laughed with Mokuba about other awful holidays she remembered. She even told the cook about last year's Christmas cake, and the cook laughed warmly, pointing out the things that led the explosion "It happened to me when I studied," she said "You have to be very careful with things like these," she doubled the amount of salt on the salad in spasms of laughter.
The cake was almost done, and Crystal quickly made the cream for it. Mokuba got the privilege to lick the remains from the whisk, what he did with an expression of delight. Crystal pretended hitting him with the spoon for being so athirst. Finally the cake was ready, and the cook admired it and said it looked pretty good in her eyes.
Seto was in the living room, typing vigorously on his lap top. "Big brother!" called Mokuba "Are you coming with us? Crystal and I are going for a walk outside!" Seto left his work with low mumbling and went outside with his younger brother and Crystal.
The path was covered by snow. "Do you think it is going to be like three years ago, when the snow overlaid us?" asked Mokuba hopefully. "But it was so boring," said Seto "We had to stay here all the time, and the weather was awful."
Crystal eyed the silky white flakes that hovered around her, and felt something strange leaping up her stomach. "Crystal?" asked Mokuba "What happened? Are you feeling alright?" she looked at him and nodded "Yes…I am fine," she said /No one has ever been so kind to me before…I still don't get why are they like this to me, after all that I've done to them…/
"Look how the ice is shining!" Mokuba said, pointing on the frost that grew like climber plant on the fence. Thick net of ice was stretching there, blanket of bright material, and the light gleamed through it, making it seem like magical wall. Mokuba made his way to look closer at the miracle, yet Crystal and Seto stayed on their place.
"They are shining like crystals," Seto whispered slyly in her ear. She smiled, wrapping her arms around her body "Are you cold?" he asked, looked at Mokuba trying to figure out what was making the ice glow so hard. The boy raised his head to look at the lamps above his head, and the understanding spread over his face. Such simple physical phenomenon! But of course he had to touch some of the ice, making it shatter and break, falling on the cold ground below. The boy bent down to look at the pieces shining on the ground.
Crystal tugged her coat closer to her, trying to warm herself a little. The next second she was surrounded in Seto's arms, and they both watched Mokuba trying to pick the smooth nuggets of ice into his hand. "You make him so happy," Seto said, looking at his brother "I never remember he was so excited on the holidays like this year." the ice was slipping out Mokuba's gloved hands as he tried to take them with him.
"I was…" Crysta started, but the sentence died in the icy air as Seto's hand made contact with her cheek, and into her hair. Her grey eyes went up to meet his, and he smiled lightly and said "There's something I need to…"
"Big brother!" Mokuba's voice called "Crystal! Look! I got you one of the…" Yet the small piece of glowing frost he brought to show them melted in the half way. Mokuba looked quite disappointed, making the older ones laugh and tease him all the way back home.
/Stupid thing/ thought Mokuba /So beautiful, but can not be touched./
Ice and frost were smashed under his legs when he jumped over the fence and got into the area of Kaiba mansion, shaking the fence and causing more pieces of gleaming frozen water to shatter under his rough pacing. /The time is getting close…I just have to find the right moment…/ he thought, looking into the lit windows of the mansion /The right moment to ruin your party, or your holiday, shall I say…Your last minutes of bending the freedom…/
Sliding up on the darkened wall, he quickly found the room where the three of them were sitting, watching some stupid show on the TV. Crystal sat between the Kaiba brothers, and looked utterly happy /But not for much long, dear…I'll get you Isis, every little iota of power inside of your current body…Even if I have to break your little host…You will still see mine breaking…/ Marik laughed mentally, feeling his helpless hikari shivering in uncontrollable fear.
"And now…We shall begin…" he said, holding the wall with his right and raising his Rod with his left "I'm coming in, dear…" he whispered, finding his link to Crystal's mind. She froze on her place, the millennium eye appearing shortly on her forehead, then disappearing and reappearing again.
Minor annoying headache immediately shot through her thoughts, she wanted to let out pained noise yet Marik was already in control over her body, slightly pushing the strings of her wills. She remained silent, unmoving on her place. )(Do you remember me, darling?)( he teased through the mazes of her mind, deep inside her thoughts.
)(I…I know your voice…)( she answered, her spiritual body getting up to look for him )(Where...?)( but the rest of the sentence was lost in mental scream of pain when he took over her some more. )(Now we are going for a walk…Get up, puppet…)( he said, moving his Rod, watching her. She obeyed, slowly getting up…
"Crystal? Something happened?" asked Mokuba. Her hair fell on her face so neither Seto nor Mokuba could see her eyes. "No, I just have to go to my room," Marik's lips moved, yet Crystal's voice was heard. She stepped slowly and got into the corridor.
)(What are you doing? Leave me alone! Who are you?)( she asked, lying on the bottom of her mind.
He chuckled, she felt his evil orbs watching her somewhere within the total blackness she was locked in /I remember this feeling…And I hate it!…It is just like…Like…Like what Dartz did to me! He locked me here, and now…Not again!.../
)(You shall call me Master,)( he said, she felt like something light was waved in the air in front of her, little warm wind flew across her face. She felt her legs going and moving somewhere beneath her, and she wasn't the one to pick the direction.
)(Don't you dare doing this to me! Leave my mind now!)( again it was the voice that lingered somewhere deep inside her thoughts, the voice that was hers and a stranger in the same time. Crystal started resisting, trying to break the tight control Marik regained over her being now. He had to loosen his grip for a moment, and Crystal fell down on the floor, knocking a vase on her way down. The shattering noise echoed through the house.
"What was that?" asked Mokuba, startled.
"What was what?" his older brother said without looking away from the TV. "I think I heard something," said the younger one.
"I heard nothing," Seto said, still looking on the screen. /Was I imagining? It was like something breaking up there…But it is impossible…I should cut down on watching horror movies, now that I am hearing voices inside my head!.../ thought the boy, slightly annoyed, and looked back into the screen.
Small cuts appeared on her wrists and legs when she fell onto the glass on the floor. The pain shot down into her mind, beating on the nerves deep inside her core. Crystal managed to break Marik's control, finding herself on the floor among sharp pieces of crystal.
The window near her opened, and he entered the corridor. Her heart beat twice faster when she saw him, finally recognizing him /It is…That spirit that I saw when Dartz finally left my body…/
He was wrapped in his black cloak. His boots were full of ice that was mixed with the broken pieces on the floor. His tanned skin shone in the light of the corridor. His bright hair was messy because of the sharp winds and stood up from weeks being uncombed. And his face…His eyes held so much anger and hatred it made awful feeling creep down into Crystal's heart…Those cold violet eyes could terrified everyone, looking at her with this eerie desire…So arrogant and hateful, he brought shivers into her body just by looking at her, his eyes devouring her soul…
She let out a loud scream when his arms scooped her up into his, and he turned around to the window, jumping out. Crystal closed her eyes, sure that cold death was going to grab her on the instant they hit the frozen ground beneath…Yet it never happened. She felt him landing on something, and jumping up again. At the same time, she felt the warm feeling crawling into her thoughts once more, feeding on her fear and weakness at her current state, making her eyes remain closed, and a deep sleep came on her…
"That one was real," said Mokuba fearfully when they heard Crystal's scream.
/What the?…/ thought Seto as the brothers hurried up the stairs. They passed some corridors, until Mokuba let out a yell of pain when his bare foot stepped on a piece of glass "What happened?" Seto immediately asked, looking down at his brother.
"Look! The window is opened, and the glass!…Crystal!" screamed the boy in fear. The opened window reminded Seto about what happened two days ago, when he locked her in her room /But why for?...She wouldn't…/ the words wailed in his head when he came closer to the window, looking down. And in the total darkness, all he could see was a little golden glow somewhere ahead…/I know this…Can it be…A millennium item? But who…?.../
"We have to find her, Seto," said the boy, standing near his brother, holding into his arm tightly, tears in his eyes "We have to find her…"
But suddenly everything became clear to Seto. /Dartz attacked Crystal because he wanted something from her, and some minutes ago she was kidnapped again…Can it be Dartz this time?...Or is it someone else?...Crystal! What are they going to do with her this time?...What do they want?.../ cold sweat covered his forehead when the next thought popped into his mind /Can it be…Her soul?.../
He opened the door, holding her tightly to him. She was so silent when he carried her, her body limp in his arms. He closed the door behind him, and headed towards the bedroom. Roughly he threw her on the bed, sitting himself next to her. Marik found her right arm in the semi-darkness of the room, pushing it up above her head. She let out a whimper of pain when she slowly regained consciousness. "What?" she whispered, feeling something coarse wrapping around her palm. A cold hand was on hers, holding her hand in a very uncomfortable position. She saw light mark glowing in the dark nigh her…The millennium eye!
"Leave me alone! You are hurting me!" she cried, trying to twist her hand away from her captor's. He only chuckled in the dark, pushing her to lie down again, still trying to tie her hand. "Let go!" she yelled out in pain, resisting once again "Le…" and when he pushed her right arm once again, she heard suspicious cracking as something moved inside her FlEsH. The pain was so dreadful, it made an agonized scream pass through her throat and her eyes instantly filled with tears from the pain.
"Stop resisting, Isis, it is useless…" his voice was very close to her, right near her ear, it made shivers run down her spine "Or shall I call you Crystal?" his breath skimmed on her face as he left her arm alone. She couldn't move it even if it was not bounded. She felt him taking her left arm, and in a second both of her arms were shackled. Her right arm still throbbed, the pain engulfing the whole right side of her body, making painful stabbings with every breath she took, almost making her pass out again. His cold hands touched her right leg, the rope around it leaving her without any hope of ever twisting away, so tight it was. Finally, she was tied to her bed, unable to move. He sat near her, looking at her hungrily from the darkness.
"What do you want?" she managed to ask through the pain "Where are we?" she demanded, her voice shaking with uncontrolled fear.
"I have to set up a trap for your friends, please don't go," his voice said as he got up "Huh, like you can!" his cold laugh made her heart sank into a bowl of ice, so hateful and malicious it was.
He came back in a minute, his steps echoing, the Rod in his left gleaming. "What have you done?" Crystal said in one breath "What the Hell are you doing?" he sat beside her again, his violet eyes deep and evil.
He answered nothing, yet suddenly she felt his hands on her neck, and within a moment the air in her lungs was almost over…He laughed when she struggled to breathe, tears streaming on her cheeks from the intense pain "Too many questions you are asking…" he hissed to her "Shall I remind you that modesty is appropriate for a girl like you?" he left her, coughing and crying, defenseless in his hands.
She felt his cold fingers trace her neck, feeling out her increased heartbeat. The cold sensation then slid forward, on her collarbone and lower "Get your hands off!" she managed to whimper, her voice low and husky. His hands finally touched the metal object on her neck, pulling it out. The millennium ankh shone when he touched it, measuring it in his hands, the evilest smirk crawling on his face. The he slip the necklace over her head, taking her only connection to her past away.
"Give it back, please," she said, her voice trembling and more tears appeared in her eyes "It is the only thing I have…"
She felt his smirk widen in the shadows "You don't need it, darling, or shall I say that you don't need it anymore, because your fate is sealed. Soon I take your soul, Isis, and your power will grant me the ultimate might I've been wanting for all of my life…The infinite power of the Pharaoh, your divine power…" he laughed again, causing ingots of frost to stab her core in pain.
"No one is going to save you this time, dear, not even Kaiba. I set a trap for him…The first to enter this door of yours will fall down dead on the floor…So pray they won't find you here, if you still care for them…" Marik wore the millennium ankh over his neck, the items chiming as he moved "Now let me tell you something Isis," he leant closer to her, his head mere centimeters for hers "I need you more then you think…I need you to open the gates of Hell for me, so I can get my power back…Surrender now, and I won't hurt your host…Or shall I say, not that much…"
Crystal shivered, feeling something floating in her mind )(You wouldn't dare…)( she heard herself saying. Marik leant back, laughing once more "We'll see about that Isis…You want to fight against me, right? Then we'll do it…But first I have to deal with a little problem concerning my past…Follow me into the Shadow Realm, I want you to meet someone very special…" Marik said, taking his millennium Rod once again. The item glowed as Marik started the transformation. Crystal couldn't bare the feeling of her soul breaking into shards when she mentally was forced to pass to the realm of the eternal darkness…Her broken arm was burning with forceful pain and her head hurt so much she couldn't silence the screams. She heard Marik's sadistic laugher somewhere near her, when she fell to the ground, her spiritual body shaking with fear and pain.
The loam below was cold like ice, and Marik's steps echoed somewhere near her. She made her way up to her feet, looking at his cloak waving behind him. he turned to her and said "Welcome to the Shadow Realm, Isis…I bet you weren't here for a long time now…Follow me this way…" he commanded, the millennium items lighting their path. Crystal didn't want to go, yet she had no other choice…Marik was in total control now, and she was in his zone, in a place she had never seen before…And also she had nobody, just her soul hovered there…
Marik knew well where he was going. Crystal strained to see their final destination, when her eyes met a huge wall that turned out to be Black Mountain of Gloom. Marik waited for her to reach him, when he pointed on a big black hole, a cave. "We are getting in," he said "He is waiting…" and with that, he stepped ahead, his body swallowed in the shadows…
Deep ahead, someone was hanging loosely on the very edge…
FAB: This chapter is longer than the others, because these events had to happen continuously. Hope it was alright.
If you have any comments please REVIEW! I will update as soon as I can! Goodbye!