A/N: To be honest, I have nothing of interest to say, except that this chapter will mean a lot more to you if you've read Amusing for Inspiration, otherwise it'll be a little pointless. But necessary. Necessary but pointless. Yeah.
Review Responses:
Dragonlady222: I'm updating soon, as in now. All I'll say is this... This chapter may (not) suprise you...
Gohan Hugger: Oooooooookay... I'll go with that:D
Dreamer of Dragons: The Mr Snakey Snake game was there own creation. They also have songs about boomerangs, goblins, hobbits and energy drinks, and it's not usual for them to jump into a room, shout 'I'm a happy camper!' and jump out again. And they're older then me. I always thought that my little sister and my mom were the only sane ones in the house, but now they've been absorbed to. There is a reason why my friends refer to our house as 'The House of 'eccentricity'' (And no, I can't spell.) Annnnnnnyhoo, enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: Hey, why's it called a disclaimer if I never claimed it in the first place? How can I un-claim it if I never owned it? So therefore I really should be writing a CLAIMER so I can then actively DIS-CLAIM it, right! Sure, I'll write a disclaimer when it gets a more suitable name…
Twelve: Final Conquest #2
"She looks in a bad way…" Yugi said worriedly, and he wasn't just referring to the fact that her defeat was looming, inevitable, just on the horizon. "She looks ill."
He spoke truthfully. Jenna did look sick. And, now that they thought about it, she had been very quiet, especially by her standards, pretty much since the building had re-arranged itself.
"We'll just have to hope she wins regardless." Ryou sighed, not even he was managing to sound confident in Jenna's hopes of victory anymore. He wasn't even too bothered about the duel at the present point anyway. He was just hoping she'd be alright. Yugi had voiced what he had been thinking. They were all tired, hungry and thirsty (Except for perhaps Seto- Ryou wondered if he needed sustenance at all) but Jenna seemed worst off then any of them…
"What do we do if she doesn't win?" Mokuba asked. He hated to ask when he knew they were all worried about Jenna's wellbeing and he knew they should try and be optimistic in her prospects; but he also knew that she didn't stand a hope in hell and that they needed a practical place to go from there.
"We wait here until one by one we all starve to death." Seto said bluntly. "As much as I hate to say it, I've assessed everything we have, all our assets, a full search of this dammed glass box we're in… and there's no way out. In other words, unless she wins, which we won't, we will die." The whole speech was delivered in a simple, monotone voice, as matter-of-fact as you could get.
They all looked at him in dismay, except for Ryou who was still preoccupied by Jenna's predicament and Azreal, who punched him on the arm once again.
"Why can't you ever be optimistic?" She moaned resignedly.
"That was optimistic!" Seto insisted. "Worst case scenario- Joey and Téa come to try and save us, and we have to spend our last moments with them." He shuddered.
"I won't let that happen!" Mokuba said fiercely. "We are not going to die!"
This time all the attention was on him, even Ryou was focusing now. Seto raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, waiting for Mokuba to impress him again.
Mokuba wished he'd actually thought of something before he'd said that.
"I still think she can get out of this." Ryou said slowly. "I have to believe that, or she won't. After all, she's got us out of worse messes before. Normally got us into them as well, but…"
"Like?" Seto asked doubtfully.
"Like that time just before we left when we were in London looking for a certain shop that sold the four pronged plugs we'd need in Europe …" Ryou began another of his stories.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Seto couldn't stop laughing as he pictured Ryou and Jenna being chased by a drunk, hopelessly lost, around the back streets of London. This, of course, earned another hit off Azreal.
"Let him finish!" She snorted, desperately trying to stop her mouth as it twisted into a grin. "There is a point to this story, ya know."
"Well," Mokuba interrupted grimly. "It'll have to wait. I think it's all about to end…" They all stood, or sat in silence to watch Jenna's defeat.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Jenna stared in vain at the letter cards as though that would help her understand the Japanese text. She was off to a good start- she could read the pictures. Big whoop.
"What's the matter?" Lira jeered "Treasuring your last moments? Or are you suddenly going to remember you know how to play after all?"
As soon as he said that, the memories forced their way through the wall of time and exhaustion, and Jenna gave a small, brief smile. "That's exactly what I'm going to do."
o-o-o-o-o- Fall through the mists of time…o-o-o-o
The train shuddered and shook from side to side as it wound lazily through the summer heat, crossing the border from Spain into France. Inside one of it's stuffy compartments, two people, a girl and a boy, were sitting in companionable silence.
Jenna glanced up from her book to see Ryou, as he so often did when he was deep in thought, flicking through his old Duel Monsters cards. She often a time wondered whether he was actually concentrating on them or, as she suspected, he was letting his mind wander to times of long ago, to old people and places and the adventures he'd had. His eyes were distant for sure, seeing something that wasn't there. And even when he looked happy, there always seemed to be pain behind it…
"What is your obsession with those cards?" She asked, shaking her head, in a lame attempt to snap him out of it.
"If you'd let me teach you how to play, you'd know." He replied. "Wait. Let me guess. Are you suddenly going to remember you know how to play after all and I don't need to show you?"
Jenna laughed. "Uh-uh. No way. According to you, duels could last for like half an hour! I'm not that patient- I have an attention span of all of five minutes! No, unless you can win in the first move, just don't even bother!"
"There are ways to win in the first turn." Ryou informed her. "If you're lucky, and get the cards you need. You can win in one turn if you've managed to assemble all the pieces of Exodia. Or the five Final cards of course. I have those in my deck." But the words fell on deaf ears.
"Uh-huh…" Jenna said vacantly, already re-absorbed in the adventures of Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect.
o-o-o-o-o- Back to Reality o-o-o-o
"F…" Jenna gasped, laying it down. "I…" She knew she could win. Victory was within her grasp. "N…" She could feel her consciousness slipping away. If only she could have a drink, then she'd be alright… "A…" She realised she'd fallen to her knees. Or maybe climbed. Which way was up and which was down?" "L. Final. Which means…" She smiled. "You lose."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Ryou punched the air, but his celebration did not last long as Jenna finally collapsed all the way down. But they were still trapped behind glass walls! Lira didn't look as though he was about to do something, standing there in shock. There was no way to get to her…
Or, at least, there wasn't. The walls sank back into the floor with what could only be describedasa shloomping sound, and Mokuba stood up from his crouched position in the corner, looking pleased with himself.
"Hope you brought your wallet, Seto!" He grinned even as they began to head over to Jenna.
"I'm going to stop betting on your abilities. I'm gonna go bankrupt."
Ryou paid no heed to them, running to his fallen friend.
"Jenna?" He said fearfully, supporting her into a sitting position. "What's wrong with you?"
"Did I win?" She asked. Ryou nodded. "Good…" Suddenly she started laughing, a whispering, quiet, chocking laugh. "I've got your keys, Ryou…" She said, pushing them into his hands.
"What on Earth is wrong with her?" Yugi asked.
"I don't…"
"I'm fine." Jenna mumbled blearily. "Just a little thirsty."
"Dehydration?" Mokuba said doubtfully.
"She has been here since Sunday morning…" Ryou said slowly, looking around as more and more daylight crept across the floor. "And now it's Monday, and we haven't had any food or water…"
Mokuba nodded. He and Ryou had had something before they had left the Kaiba Mansion. Azreal and Yugi had undoubtedly done the same. And he had no doubt that they had given Seto something while Jenna was being questioned- Whatever the reason he was there, they would want him alive and well.
"Now that I think about it…" Mokuba said slowly. "She didn't have anything on Saturday either. She was feeling a little off then. She couldn't keep anything down."
"It would've been more then a little off if she couldn't even drink water!" Ryou snapped. "Why didn't anyone tell me! Three days, people! That's what she's done! Three days! The limit! Why didn't you say anything!"
"She said not to…" Mokuba replied uncomfortably, shuffling. "She said you were always worrying about something and that you were already worried about me so you shouldn't know and I didn't realise that it would end like this, and besides, I didn't realise she wouldn't have a drink all day, I was sure she'd have something and I would have said something if I realised she hadn't had anything all day and I'm sorry!"
"You are the only person I know who babbles when they feel awkward as opposed to going silent." Azreal said, digging in her pocket. "Geez, I wish she'd said something…" She pulled out a small bottle of mineral water from her pocket, tossing it to Ryou. "Then she could have had this sooner. Make sure you don't give her too much!" She warned as Ryou began to help her drink. "You'll overload her system. Besides, now that we've had a nice reminder of how important it is to stay hydrated, we'll all need some of it from time to time- we don't know how long we'll be stuck here."
Mokuba watched remorsefully as Jenna finished her drink due to finally falling totally unconscious, and he felt a twinge of guilt. This had been Kaiba business, between him and Seto and them. None of these people had anything to do with it. And, all of a sudden, it didn't seem like much of an adventure anymore. As he looked around, he could see how it had escalated. People were getting hurt. It was only a matter of time before the damage was permanent and a lot more final… The danger was steadily increasing, and not just for the others. He had been ignoring the nagging sensation of thirst in his throat for some time now; no doubt the others had to. He didn't know how long they had left. He'd have to hope it was more time then they had left in the building…
He felt Azreal brushing past him, and looked up in surprise.
"Where are you going?" He asked curiously.
"Me?" Azreal responded, though no-one else was moving. "What do you expect? I'm going to go save another life…" She continued to head up towards the far end of the dome, and towards Jenna's would-be murderer.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Lira was on the floor, sunk to his knees. He couldn't believe it! Not only had that brat of a girl beaten him in the questioning room, she'd beaten him in a duel! He had been practising for three years, so he could smack that smug boyfriend of Azreal's and get his full revenge, and he had been beaten by someone who had never even picked up a deck! And in front of Kiyoko to! How many times must he be humiliated for her entertainment! And now, the infuriating half-human, traitor to her race, was approaching and looking on him without sympathy or pity. He wasn't sure he wanted it.
"Why are you doing this to yourself, Lira?" Azreal asked, her words echoing in the dome but unheard by her friends at the other end, because she kept her voice low.
"I'm not doing this to myself!" Lira snapped, looking up. Azreal could see the tears of rage in his eyes, and the madness. There was no doubt about it. Lira was insane. He had lost any grip on life he'd had, gone completely over the edge. "You did this to me!" He sprang instantly up in a fit of rage, but Azreal did not flinch. "You did this to me! You and your damn boyfriend! Everything was fine till you came along!"
"No it wasn't." Azreal said calmly, "You were hurting my family and you were going to hurt the entire population."
"I was fine!" Lira continued, not hearing her. "Everything was going great! Then you ruined it all! All of it! I got sent here!"
"Stop ranting!" Azreal commanded, slapping him round the face. Lira fell to the floor with the lack of control over his body, and lay there gasping. "Stop it right now! You got defeated. Accept and deal."
"Jenna may have got me…" Lira shook with rage, reaching into his pocket as stood back up, his face turned away. "But I can still get you!"
He swung on Azreal, knife in hand, ready to stab her right through. The knife never met skin. Azreal grabbed his wrist. Lira had gone to pot over the last three years, and his mind state was nothing great- she could hold him still easily. They stared at each other, but rather then seeing his hatred reflected in her own, Lira saw sadness.
"Four years…" She said. He turned away, but he could still feel those large, mournful eyes boring into him, inescapable. "Just four years. The Lira I knew was a jerk. An ass through and through. But he would never, never have killed anyone with his own hands. He would never had killed anyone if he there was no way to convince himself that he wasn't responsible."
Lira struggled to pull away, but still she held him, her words continuing unabated.
"Seven years ago, you wouldn't have even done that. You would never would have killed anyone, full stop."
He didn't want to listen, but there was no way to block the words from his ears, no way to stop them getting into his mind…!
"Ten years ago, you were going to make your parents proud no matter what you had to do to yourself to get it."
That was ten years ago. He was just eleven, two years older then Azreal. People change.
"Fifteen years ago, when we were just kids. That year I lived in Wherever before my mom became President. Do you remember?" Azreal couldn't help smiling at the memories. "You always played with my sisters and I, even though all the other kids wouldn't go near me. Even though your parents said not to fraternise with me, as though half blood was something that would spread."
Lira didn't want to listen. He knew what was coming, and he knew it would change him. He didn't want to know. It would destroy him…!
"But you did anyway. We were once friends. You said that it didn't matter who my parents were, as long as I was what I was. You made me laugh when I was crying. You played with me when everyone else ran off. My sisters were your best friends, and when they were mean to me, you were still nice to me regardless. I idolised you, Lira…" Azreal smiled bitterly. "And then mom got promoted, and it all changed. You don't have to be this way Lira. You never had to be this way. As long as you are what you are, remember?"
"I remember." He said, still turned away, sobbing. "I didn't want to, but I do."
Azreal released him, knowing that now Lira would redeem himself. But instead he kept going, rambling on.
"I was focused on you." He screamed. "You were my revenge! I obsessed about it! For the last three years, your death has been the only thing keeping me going! I didn't just want to kill you, I wanted to humiliate you, make you suffer, and then kill you, so you could feel just a tiny bit of what I have! You took everything from me…" He finished bitterly "And now, you've reminded me. You've even taken my revenge away from me."
For the first time, Azreal felt a coil of fear rise in her gut. She began to back away. Lira didn't notice. He was really insane. Totally, utterly, irredeemably insane. His words were the ramblings of a mad man.
"You were to be my final conquest…" Lira spat. "But you took that to! What more do you want? Well, there's one thing you won't take…" He raised the knife. "You won't get it! Now my final conquest will be… me!"
Azreal realised what he was going to do and screamed at him to stop, stop it then and there before he could no longer have the choice. But it was too late. There was nothing she could do but watch as Lira Klio stabbed himself and sank, bleeding, to the floor.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: Didn't it seem strange to anyone else that in books andTV Programmes and Films and whatever that the charecters never seem to need to eat? I know the authours pick out what's interesting, but when people are going off on great long adventures without food or water it seems silly- but I'm rambelling. Anyway,I'm interested to see how you people react to this most recent development… And I have just one thing to say: He's not dead yet.