Another chapter/episode/part thingy (must decide what they are) for you and now it's 'The Great Escape' #cue the theme tune# der der der der da, der da der der dada der der dada der der… #continues in ranting manner to music from free DVD from 'DVD Monthly'#. If you don't know it, shame on you! It's the one with all the brass in it! Come on, you /must/ know it! #Sigh# Never mind, let's get onto reviewer replies:
Pugi Muto – As usual, at least your reviewed! I'm glad you still like the story but am very worried by the fact that you think Téa is going to get married to Bandit Keith and that Marik is going to rip everyone to shreds. But that could an amusing thought… Don't worry about Ryou everything will sort itself out eventually but of course before it is I'm going to put them through as much crap as possible! And as for what actually happened to them…well I left that to the audience's imagination so I'm not going to say anything about that…
Lia Xaragi – Hello, nice to see you again! And that must have been really frustrating about the review disappearing! And it's good to see everyone taking part as well! But what are you doing up at that time? I'm really glad you like the story so much that you felt you had to put yourself through the torture of reading it all again. But don't worry, everything will be solved…eventually. But…you nearly cried? God, I didn't think my writing was that good… But be pleased because the ending to Kingdom Hearts made me cry too, as well as Green Mile (I was in hysterics throughout most of that film and cried solidly for half an hour afterwards. I made a start on the book but had to stop reading it because it made me sad and angry) and the Amber Spyglass (what a brilliant trilogy) too. So don't think you're alone! And NO, TÉA DOESN'T GET MARRIED TO BANDIT KEITH! Where did you get that idea from? But anyway…here is the next chapter for you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, only the plot and story itself. I also don't own "The Trial" by Pink Floyd and "Yellow" by Coldplay. It would be nice to own something…oh wait, I can in the next chapter/episode/part thingy! Wahoo! Right, time to get on with this then!
Warning: This part is an excuse to make Ryou seem really cute so if you don't like then don't read! If you don't like dead insects then don't read either!
Note: "Blah" is speaking, #blah# is thinking and songs /blah/ is emphasis and ((blah)) is mental link between Yugi and Yami. xxxxxx and xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx are dividers in a chapter.
Lots of things happen today, apart from the Great Escape (der der der… #Cough#). Such as arguments (but not necessarily just who you think it will be) and crying…
Chapter eight: The Great Escape (Der… Damn, must stop doing that!)
"Hurry, they're catching up to us!"
"Kury, I'm scared…"
"Just keep running!"
((Yami, we can't do this forever. Please stop!))
Yugi dug his heels in and forced Yami to stop, nearly falling over at the same time. The others did the same and watched as Yugi and Yami argued with each other.
"Yugi, we have to keep going!"
((There's no point, they'll catch up to us anyway.)) He looked down at the ground and when Yami finally saw his face again, he was surprised to see that Yugi's eyes had turned red. ((It is time for them to get what they deserve…))
"W-what's going on…Yugi?" He backed away, frightened by the change in him. Unlike Bakura and Malik, he had never possibly been on the receiving end of a Millennium Item, not that Yugi would hurt him.
"Yami, he knows what he's doing, don't worry." Bakura said quietly, stepping closer to him.
"How can you be so sure?" Yami snapped.
"Because Ryou's done this a few times too. Only /I/ was what Ryou was aiming for, here Yugi just wants to hurt them I think." The others didn't really have a clue as to what was going on, although they agreed with Yugi: they /would/ catch up eventually.
Crashing was heard and people jumped into the clearing, surrounding them. They wore suits and sunglasses, looking like bodyguards. They were the ones who took them to be hurt, the instigation of their nightmares. Marik and Ryou started to whimper, remembering what had been done to them while Yugi became angrier, the redness spilling out onto the rest of him.
"Freeze! Put your hands in the air or we'll shoot!" One of them yelled, a man with hair like Tristan's, only a lot more extreme.
"This has got nothing to do with you Kemo so stand down." They heard a smooth, aristocratic voice and marvelled at the man emerging into the clearing wearing a red suit with long grey coloured hair. How did he manage to get so far without ruining his clothes?
It was then they noticed the golden glow underneath the hair covering one eye and realised it was him: the one with the Millennium Eye. The one you weren't supposed to ever see if you knew what was good for you. He turned to face them and they all hid as far as they could from his gaze, it was dangerous for your mind if you did that.
"Well well well, I was expecting a little rescue party although maybe it would have been better for you if you had come earlier." A faint green aura could be seen around him as he stepped forward but suddenly Yugi did the same, flaring up.
((Leave them alone Pegasus; this is between you and me!)) He yelled, the strength of his current powers allowing everyone to hear what he was saying.
"And why do you think, little Yugi, that you have the strength to defeat me?" He asked, the light surrounding him increasing as the Eye started to glow.
((Because I have my friends to support me whereas you have nothing but men who simply obey you because they're scared of you!))
"I wouldn't rely so heavily on your friends if I were you Yugi boy, seeing as most of them are mentally unstable." Pegasus taunted, looking over Yugi at the others who were standing there in silence, not quite sure of what was going to happen.
((BECAUSE OF YOU!))
The colour erupted at the same time from each of them, green from Pegasus and red from Yugi, heading directly for each other. They collided together in a burst of light and power and when the figures could finally be seen again, they had started a battle of strength and endurance, in which the loser would almost certainly be killed.
"Yugi…?" Ryou stepped forward, curious and at the same time, frightened as to what was happening. He ignored Bakura's hand and continued towards Yugi, trying to understand what was going on. He gasped when Yugi slumped to his knees, pain etched across his face and he looked at the person who had caused the pain, who had hurt his friend.
"Well it seems that your friends weren't enough to save you…" Pegasus chuckled, causing Ryou to shudder, he had heard that laugh too many times and he didn't want to hear it anymore. And now he was going to finish them off, he was going to hurt again, and Ryou didn't want to feel that. He was going to pay for the hurt…
"RYOU, NO!" Marik yelled as he realised what was going to happen, taking the Millennium Rod from Malik and holding it out in front of him.
The purple shield spread over them just as the whole area was covered in blue flames, Ryou now just a figure amongst the colour. The suited men screamed in agony as they felt the backlash of all the pain they had caused, seemingly increased, but the others felt nothing because of the shield, although the flames ran over them. Pegasus meanwhile looked away from Yugi, distracted by the sudden surge of power from an unknown source. His eyes widened when he saw the figure slowly rising into the air, arms flung apart as the light poured from it, unchecked as it ran amok amongst everything nearby. Soon it was floating downwards, wings on either side of it while its hair flowed with an unearthly light. It looked directly at him and he felt his soul being pierced by that gaze until it looked away again, hearing a voice amongst the pain.
"Ryou…what are you…?" Bakura stepped out of the shield, surprised he didn't feel any pain and stood in front of the figure, trying to find Ryou in there.
"I am your angel…" He heard, although the person's mouth didn't move. It leant forward and Bakura glimpsed brown eyes for a moment before their lips met and he felt wings around him, protecting him from the outside world.
As they continued to kiss the light spread to Bakura and it mingled with a light of his own, darker than Ryou's but still somehow the same. He gasped as he felt himself get sleepy, like he was losing his energy but he ignored it, continuing to caress Ryou's lips with his own. Ignoring what else was going on…
((This is the end Pegasus! Your men are nearly dead and soon you will be joining them!)) Yugi yelled out and Pegasus turned back to him, smiling.
"Oh and what makes you think that?"
((This.))
As a beam of light travelled from Ryou and Bakura towards Pegasus, his aura changed from green to red, Yugi taking over his power and Millennium Item. He collapsed to the ground, his mouth wide in a silent scream before he twitched once and then was still. The flames gradually died down and Bakura stared at Ryou for a moment before feeling himself fall away, a small pain shooting through him as he landed on the ground and he closed his eyes…
"Kury…?" He wasn't sure what had just happened but he knew the energy loss had been due to him… "Please, wake up…" He started crying, slumping to his knees and shaking Bakura's shoulder in a desperate bid to wake him up. He stopped when he felt someone touch him and realised it was Duke.
"Don't worry Ryou, he's just feeling a bit tired. Let him have some rest and he'll be up in no time." He said gently and Ryou stared at him, eyes wide as he considered his words.
"Promise?"
"Promise." Ryou took Bakura's hand in his and held it for a moment before standing up and walking to where the others were, staring at the dead bodies that lay before them.
((Did…I kill them all?)) Yugi asked quietly, stepping back from the figure of Pegasus.
"I don't know, we should check their pulses…" Seto suggested, bending down to the bodyguard nearest to him.
It was soon confirmed that they were all dead, killed by the combined power of Ryou and Yugi and when Yugi realised this, his eyes watered and he started to cry, unable to contemplate the fact he had done this. He hated violence, and even if they were the ones who hurt them, they didn't deserve this. Why couldn't he stop himself? Is this how Ryou used to feel whenever he lost control? He remained frozen, even when Yami hugged him, too busy trying to think of what to do with the Puzzle to respond. That's when it came to him; he should give the Puzzle to someone else…
((Yami, I can't have this anymore so you I'm giving it to you…)) He lifted the Puzzle over his head and Yami frowned when he saw this.
"But why? Yugi, it wasn't your fault and anyway, the Puzzle is yours."
((Not now…)) He passed it over Yami's head with a bit of difficulty and stepped back.
"Yugi, I really don't think this is a good idea. You have it for a reason-" Suddenly he sank to his knees in pain and he gasped as he felt dark energy rising from the Puzzle, oozing along the chain until it reached his neck, choking him and he fell forward, lying still, his arms spread out on either side of him.
((No, no, no…)) Yugi put his hands over his ears, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to remove the image of Yami lying in front of him. ((NO!)) He screamed, turning away from him and running into Marik's arms, tears pouring down his face. ((I killed him…))
"No Yugi, he just wasn't supposed to have the Puzzle. It's like he said, you have it for a reason. Just take it off him and he'll be ok…" Feeling reassured by this, Yugi gently lifted the Puzzle from Yami's sleeping form and soon it was back in its rightful place.
"Well I don't know about you but I think we should go and find somewhere to sleep." Seto said and the others all nodded their heads vaguely. "I'll take Bakura, can you take Yami Tristan?"
"Yeah…of course." Tristan and Joey had remained totally silent throughout this, not really understanding the power of the Millennium Items or why things happened the way they did. Nevertheless Tristan did as he was told and soon Malik was leading them through the woods to find a clearing to sleep in, leaving behind the dead bodies.
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The group were sitting in a clearing (Note from Chen: Sorry, I know this must be getting boring by now) and although time had passed, the situation hadn't. Ryou was still a child, Yugi wouldn't talk, Marik was paranoid, Tristan was looking normal and Joey still couldn't remember anyone.
He was trying so hard though, especially as the others told him that Seto was the one he was supposed to have been in love with. But try as he might nothing would come to him, he saw a name and had managed to conjure up a face to go with it but apart from that, it was blank. He was getting frustrated now; he could only imagine how Seto felt. They were sitting next to each other, Seto remaining silent and so Joey decided to talk to him, to get him to help.
"Hey Seto?" He said and he turned to him, watching him carefully. "Tell me some things about us. Like the time we met and stuff. What happened?"
"The first time I saw you…I didn't think much. We were at the park; I don't know if you remember what happened when Marik and Malik had that fight…" He paused and Joey could see vague images of a fight, Ryou hurting some people. Seto sighed softly when he saw Joey's forehead wrinkle, it made him look so cute. "You may have not seen me but I was there, watching you all. I thought you were all irritating…"
"But something changed obviously or we wouldn't have been together." He saw the slight pained look on his face and misinterpreted it. "I'm sorry; I know this must be really hard for you. I've caused a lot of pain…"
"No Joey, you could never cause me any pain but you don't remember what happened before you got taken away. You told me how you felt and at the time I couldn't reply…you will never know how much I regret not telling you the truth. You hate me because I couldn't return your love…"
Something snapped inside Joey and suddenly he could remember it all, the hate overrunning everything else going on in his mind. He had felt so betrayed when Seto had just sat there and let him get taken away without even a goodbye. He couldn't even tell him how he felt, he just kept opening his mouth like a goldfish, possibly the only time he had ever seen him like that. Seto tried to touch him but Joey jumped up, looking down at him.
"I gave my heart to you Seto and you ripped it into pieces!" He yelled and Seto suddenly realised, with a little fear, that this is what he had said in his dream. He couldn't remember how he had replied but still the words came out of his mouth.
"I'm sorry Joey; I should have said something…" He whispered, staring down at the ground while the others looked on in amazement, only having just realised the truth. Apart from Malik, he merely looked saddened.
"Do you still want it?" Now Seto was very worried, this was exactly like the dream and if it continued like this then he would die and Joey would never know the truth.
"Joey…?" He had to get him to understand, he had to stop this.
"Then you can have it." He suddenly knelt down and kissed Seto hard on the lips, forcing his tongue in his mouth. "The blood from my heart…" He hissed and it took Seto a few seconds to taste the blood coming from Joey but when he did he pulled away, gagging at the metallic flavour. "Is it not good enough for you?" Joey screeched, pulling Seto close to his face, although he didn't kiss him again. "I've never been good enough for you, have I?" He stood up again and turned away so Seto wouldn't notice as his eyes moved around the clearing, looking for something…
"No Joey, you don't understand!" Seto pleaded, wanting him to look at him, to see the sorrow on his face.
Suddenly Joey leapt towards Marik, using surprise to easily remove the knife from the ground near his feet before spinning around and glaring at Seto with the deepest loathing. Seto watched the blade and he could sense it was there, even though there was no light to shine on it. He stepped back as Joey stepped forward, wanting to keep an equal distance between them for as long as possible.
"I hate you…" He stated, rushing towards him.
"No Joey, don't do it!" Tristan yelled, leaping up and managing to grab his arm. He gripped it as hard as he could to try and get him to drop the knife but Joey had too much adrenaline pumping through him, not noticing the pain he should have been feeling.
"Let go Tristan, he doesn't deserve to live!" He shouted, trying to get his arm out of Tristan's unrelenting grip.
"That may be so to you but if he didn't love you then why did he come all the way to try and get you?" Joey stopped, thinking about this and Tristan gently pushed his arm back down and covering Joey's hand with his own. "Please Joey, drop the knife. You're scaring the others…" He whispered and Joey saw the wide eyes of Marik, Ryou and Yugi as they were held tightly, soothing words trying to calm them.
"Tristan, I don't understand…" Joey said, refusing to let go of the knife for the moment.
"Just let Seto explain, he'll help you understand. He can help us all understand."
Joey nodded his head and sat down in front of Seto, looking up at his face and although he still couldn't understand the emotion in Seto's eyes, he was now ready to listen. They all were and they paid attention to Seto, who ignored them all, only concerned about Joey.
"What I'm going to tell you is the truth, ok Joey? It's what I should have told you fifteen months ago but didn't because I was too stupid." He looked at the others and smiled grimly. "It doesn't matter if none of you believe me, I don't think you would anyway. Only you are…" He looked down at Joey again and he blushed slightly, trying not to fall for him but finding it hard not to.
"Then what is the truth?" He whispered, hiding his face with his hair.
"That I love you." He paused and watched as Joey frowned, not understanding. "When you told me it was so sudden that I didn't know what to do. I didn't think you felt like that, after all, you had never said anything along those lines before. I was such an idiot, I should have said something but I didn't and I regretted it. I went with the others to find you, to tell you the truth."
"And that's it?" Joey wasn't disappointed; he had just somehow expected something long-winded and poetic, not this raw emotion that was being shown by his words and eyes. He didn't think he could handle Seto like this.
"Yes, that is it. Now I've found you, I've told you the truth. But the most important question is: do you believe me? Because I need to know." He waited for Joey's answer but his mind was filled with confusion.
#Of course I don't believe that, fucking bastard! But…I do. That's the problem. I wish I could make him hurt for what he did but I can't. I've waited so long for him to say this and now he has and I'm so muddled. Maybe I should give myself some time to think about this.# Joey thought and then stood up. "I don't know Seto, I just need some time alone to think about it…"
"I understand, if I were you then I would too. But you listened to me and that's all I wanted. I never expected you to believe it…" He smiled at Joey and leant closer to him. "Just promise me one thing?"
"What?"
"Tell me when you're ready." He stood up without waiting to hear Joey's reply and walked out of the clearing, probably to avoid the looks that the others were giving him.
"Do you believe him Joey?" Tristan asked after a while.
"Yes but I don't know whether I can forgive him."
"But remember that forgiveness too is a power. To beg for it is a power, and to withhold or bestow it is a power, perhaps the greatest of all." Yami said quietly and Joey turned to stare at him.
"Where did that come from?"
"I don't know, I just suddenly remembered it. Maybe you should too…" He shrugged his shoulders and yawned loudly.
"Hmm, Yami's tonsils, just what I've always wanted to see…" Malik muttered, causing the others to laugh.
"Well I'm sure Yugi does. Well…I'm sure he wants to feel them at any rate." Bakura added and Yugi let out a shriek, leaping towards Bakura. "Argh, it's the attack of the small spiky thing!"
((I'm not small!)) He yelled, going red as Bakura raised an eyebrow, looking down at him.
"Maybe not Mr Muto but you are spiky." He patted Yugi on top of the head before grabbing his hand. "Ow! Your hair just attacked me!"
((Right, that's it! You're going to get it now!)) He started running after Bakura while Tristan relayed part of the conversation back to Duke, who had missed it because he couldn't hear Yugi.
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"Just admit it Malik, we're lost!" Joey announced as the group trudged on a path along the edge of a valley (Note from Chen: Wahoo, finally a change in scenery!), cold, tired, dirty and very /very/ lost. Despite Malik's conviction that he knew where he was going.
"We are not /lost/, we're just taking a detour, that's all. Taking in a bit of the countryside…" He said, trying to be cheerful but failing when he saw the looks on their faces. "Ok, we're a little lost but it's nothing that can't be sorted out. Just sit down for a few minutes." They did as he said with great eagerness and he walked on a little further, closing his eyes and feeling the wind on his face, forgetting what was happening for a moment…
xxxxxx
"Kury, why have we stopped?" Ryou asked as he sat next to him on a large boulder, staring up at him with large eyes.
"Because we're lost Ryou. We need to find our way to the border but it's proving to be a bit more difficult than first expected. Don't worry though, it'll be ok. It always is." He said, thinking he wanted reassurance and was therefore surprised when he heard Ryou's next words.
"But we don't have to be lost Kury because I learnt something cool a few nights ago. I can do this with the Ring." He closed his eyes and Bakura watched as it started to glow, one of the pointers rising upwards. "I can find anything I want to. See, you are here." The pointer changed so it was now aimed at him. "Or where we used to live." The pointer moved to the left. "Or the border." It was now back in its original place and Bakura looked at him in amazement.
"Can you keep the Ring like that for a few minutes please Ryou?" He said, trying not to beg, but finding it hard to do anything but.
"Of course, I'm good with the Ring Kury." He said, almost proudly and smiled at Bakura.
"Good boy, I'll be back soon." He stood up and quickly made his way over to Malik, to see what he thought.
xxxxxx
(Warning: If you don't like Ryou being cute then miss out the next bit. The same goes for all of you 'dead bug' haters out there)
"And then he just made the Ring point to the border!" Bakura said and Malik frowned.
"Let's have a look…"
They went over to Ryou and Bakura noticed that something was wrong straight away. For a start off, the Ring seemed to have disappeared and Ryou was bent over his hand, muttering occasionally as he squinted at something. He heard the footsteps of Bakura and Malik and looked up, grinning.
"Look what I found Kury, it's Lucky." Malik and Bakura both knelt down beside Ryou so they could see better. It turned out that there was a small red insect in his hand: a ladybird.
"Lucky?"
"Yes, it's called Lucky because it's got seven spots and that's very lucky." He said solemnly before turning back to the insect again. "Hello Lucky, you're my friend aren't you? Yes you are." He nodded his head in agreement with his words. "Look, I can make him move." He then poked the ladybird, none too gently and it scuttled across his hand a few centimetres before stopping again.
"Ryou, you shouldn't poke the ladybird." Bakura scolded, trying to get closer to it so he could let it fly away. Ryou may just be playing with it but it was going to die, all insects did in the hands of children. And although it was just a ladybird he didn't think it deserved it.
"Why not?" He said, frowning as he tried to answer his own question in his mind.
"Because you'll hurt it and Lucky won't like that."
"But I don't want to hurt it." He said, shocked that someone could even /suggest/ something like that. He was friendly to everyone and everything.
"Then stop poking it." He reminded him gently as he saw his finger moving towards poor old Lucky again.
"Ok…" Instead, he stroked the ladybird a few times in a loving manner before looking at Lucky again, frowning when he saw it wasn't moving. So he went against Bakura and poked it but still it wouldn't move. It was then he noticed yellow on his hand. "What happened to it?" Bakura looked at it and sighed; he had killed poor old Lucky.
"It's dead." Bakura stated and Ryou cocked his head to the side, his eyes wide as he tried to work out what had happened.
"What's dead?" Bakura bit his lip when he heard this, he didn't expect him to not know some words. He looked at Malik for support and he glanced at Ryou before pointing to himself. Bakura got the gist of what he was trying to say and nodded his head.
"Ryou, Lucky won't be coming back. He's gone to a better place." Malik said gently and Ryou realised what he was saying. His friend was gone…
His head flopped forward and he started sobbing, quietly at first but soon he was hysterical, nearly screaming in his sorrow. Bakura immediately took Ryou in his arms and placed him on his lap, rocking him backwards and forwards gently as he tried to comfort him. The others watched for a moment before receiving a glare from Malik: a warning sign to leave them alone. They did as Malik said, even Marik and he was worried about what was going on, Ryou was his friend. But he trusted Malik to do the right thing so he looked away again, trying to find something he recognised in the wilderness. Meanwhile Ryou had still not calmed down and he clung to Bakura desperately, trying to keep him sane. Bakura glanced at Malik, panic on his face, Ryou had never been this bad before. Malik didn't know what to do either and could only apologise for what had happened. He brushed it aside, saying it wasn't his fault before turning back to Ryou, he had to do something about him now or this would never end. Then it came to him.
"Ryou…" He cooed and Ryou looked at him, eyes red from crying and sticky tracks running down his face. "Don't worry, Lucky's gone to ladybird heaven."
"What…does ladybird heaven…look like?" He seemed to calm down at these words although he was still sobbing.
"It's got lots of plants and aphids and greenfly to eat-" Bakura explained, trying to desperately remember everything he knew about the little insects.
"Do they…like aphids Kury?" Ryou suddenly asked, a slightly queasy looking expression on his face as he thought about the small green crawly things.
"It's their favourite food." He said sincerely, or as much as he could hope and then hugged Ryou close to him. "Don't worry, he'll be happy up there."
"Promise me Kury?" Another promise, only this time he would have to lie. Surely the Ryou inside there somewhere would realise though and forgive him.
"Of course I do." He smiled slightly when he felt Ryou snuggle up against him, his breathing slowing and eyes struggling to stay open. He let them shut, enjoying the warmth of Bakura until he suddenly remembered that he had asked him to do something. He looked up apologetically at him and put his arms around him.
"Sorry Kury, I was supposed to keep the Ring pointing." Ryou sighed softly and the Ring shimmered and appeared in front of them, one of the pointers going straight through Malik and he looked down before turning around.
"Is that where the border is Ryou?" Malik asked and he nodded his head, smiling when he saw the happy look on Malik's face.
"Yeah."
"Thank you Ryou." Bakura said, leaning forward and kissing him gently on the cheek. Ryou frowned when he felt his lips but then smiled, liking it. He may be his brother but it was nice to feel something so soft.
"Anything for you Kury." He replied sheepishly, also kissing him on the cheek. He pulled back, not sure why he had just done that and wondering if Bakura would be mad but he merely looked at him, hugging him once more before turning to Malik who was now speaking.
"Right, time to get moving. We've found the border." The others cheered when they heard this and stood up, mutterings of mock surprise from them causing Malik to roll his eyes. "Fine then, I'll just leave you here and go on my own." He said, crossing his arms huffily, making the others laugh.
"But we'd just follow you Malik." Seto pointed out. "You haven't thought this through, have you?"
"Humph."
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"I think…we've found the border." Tristan said weakly as they saw a light glare overhead, lighting up the trees like a storm was raging.
"Yami, do you know how far this border covers on each side?" Malik asked and he looked around.
"I think it's about…three miles on either side."
"Six miles! Well this is going to be interesting…" Malik sat down on the ground, as did the others and he put his face in his hands. "Any ideas how to do this?"
"I thought you knew what you were doing!" Marik snapped, scowling at him.
"Well we didn't know /exactly/ what it looked like so we couldn't come up with a plan. But we know it's going to be a long way so therefore it'll be running all the way." Malik said, looking at Bakura for conformation.
"The only problem is that there are ten of us so if one of us gets caught, so do all the others. But we can't really split up, we'd never find out who's got over and who hasn't." He shrugged his shoulders. "The only way we could do it was if there was only one person but that's impossible of course." Yugi looked up when he heard this and turned to Marik, giving him a significant look.
"Oh no, we can't do that…" Marik said, noticing the look in Yugi's eyes as he tried to give him the puppy eyes.
"Do what? Is there something we can do?" Seto demanded, looking from one to the other.
((Well…there's a place where everyone can go. It means that there'll be only one person and they'll be safe until the person has reached the other side.)) Yugi started, glancing at Marik and Ryou every so often to see their reactions.
"What do you mean Yugi? You're not making any sense!"
((It's called the Shadow Realm.)) The others looked at him, recognising the name. Could it be that it really existed? ((There are two realms, this one, the one we live in, the Existent Realm and the Shadow Realm, the place of magic and chaos.))
"The power of the Millennium Items can take you there but I don't think any of us has enough strength. It hasn't been done for centuries, since the time of evil. The person left has to be the one who sends everyone there and they have to get over, no mean feat." Marik continued and the others realised that the only people who could really do it would not be able to make it across.
"Kury, I don't want to go to there…" Ryou suddenly said and he shivered in fear. "I've been there before and…" He tailed off, remembering the creatures from that place.
"You've been there? When? How?" Marik asked, no one had ever told him what was there, only the people who got sent there ended up mad if they weren't careful.
"In the night time…during a storm and there were no lights. Then there was black but you could still see, and it was heavy. There were monsters there, warriors and dragons and beasts, all trying to get out and I tried to stop them but nothing was happening. They saw me and moved closer, they wanted to hurt me and I couldn't do anything…" He closed his eyes and shivered slightly as it occurred to Yugi that his grandpa had told him that his bulimia had started after a storm. Was it because of this?
((Not many people have been there and they all say different things. It's supposed to show you your worst fears but as long as you remember it's not real, you're ok.))
"The only problem is that it's hard to remember that when it's actually happening to you." Marik pointed out and the others considered the idea.
"So who would be the person to do it?" Tristan asked after a while.
"Well, it should really be me, Ryou or Yugi but…" He shrugged his shoulders and they suddenly realised that none of them could do it: Ryou would be too scared, as would Marik and Yugi couldn't run fast enough. "And I don't know if any of you could do it. I mean, maybe Malik or Bakura but I really have no idea."
"Are you sure that's it?"
((Positive. They're the only ones who've really had any experience with the Millennium Items. But even then, I don't know if Ryou would let Bakura go if he wasn't with him…)) He said this privately so that Ryou and Bakura couldn't hear him and the others nodded in understanding.
"Then I'll do it. I can at least try and if nothing happens then we'll just have to come up with another plan." Malik suggested.
"That is if you don't get caught…" Yami pointed out, not unkindly but as a matter of fact.
"/Please! If I can break into Seto's mansion then I'm sure I can manage this too." Malik said, watching as Seto's face contorted into disbelief.
"When? How? That place is surrounded by technology costing millions!" Seto exclaimed.
"So? It's not that hard when you know what to do. Don't worry, I didn't see anything that bad, only your cupboard full of leather." He nodded his head and lowered his voice slightly. "I didn't know you liked leather /that/ much Seto…"
"What are you trying to imply?" Seto demanded.
"That you like leather a lot. Why, what else do you think I'm trying to imply?" He shook his head and frowned. "Some people are so strange about that sort of thing…"
"Right then, let's get going. I think we should try and go as far as we can before we do the Shadow Realm thing, it's best to spend as little time in there as possible." Marik said and the others agreed, waiting for Malik to make the first move.
xxxxxx
"I think when you told us what the border looked like Yami, you may have been trying to /over/ simplify things." Duke commented as the wall appeared into view, towering over them. "For instance, you didn't tell us that it was immense."
"I said it was big…" Yami pointed out with a laugh.
"Yes but /big/ just doesn't justify it. And there doesn't seem to be any people…" Duke added.
"That's because you only see the people when it's too late. They like to play with you first then capture you just when you think you're safe." Yami said cheerfully, not noticing the looks of panic passing on everyone's faces.
"Yami, shut up ok? It's going to be nice and easy to get over, isn't it?" Bakura growled and Yami frowned, looking over at him. It was then he noticed the look of terror on Ryou's face and grinned sheepishly.
"Of course it's going to be easy, we've got Malik!" Yami said, sighing in relief when Ryou seemed to cheer up at this. "Now you've just got to send us to the Shadow Realm." Instantly Ryou's face dropped again and he clung onto Bakura tightly. Yami shrugged his shoulders; there was just no pleasing some people…
"Yeah, I suppose I have to." He turned to Marik for some support. "How do I do this anyway? Are there any nasty side effects?"
"Only to us. You should be fine, as long as you don't go completely delirious on the power…" Marik replied, smiling.
"Is it going to be a lot then?"
"Just a little bit. But you'll be fine, maybe the power overflow will knock something out. I don't really know though…" He smiled again and gave him the Millennium Rod. "You will need this though."
((You had better take the Puzzle too; it'll probably only get left behind anyway.)) Yugi added and suddenly Malik stepped back away from him.
"Are you sure? I don't want to take it from you if it's not necessary."
((Millennium Items cannot be taken into the Shadow Realm, they just don't work. Anyway, if there is a power surge, there might be enough for you to use the Puzzle and maybe the Ring too.)) Yugi said, looking over at Ryou as he said this. Would Ryou understand?
"Would you like my Ring too Malik? I'm sure you could use it somehow." Ryou said, holding it out to him with a smile on his face.
"Thank you Ryou." He also took the Puzzle still being held out to him and stared at the golden Items, the energy seeming to lie just below the surface, as though they knew they were going to be used. He placed the Puzzle and Ring around his neck and held the Rod in his right hand, looking at the group with uncertainty. "So how do I do this?"
"I don't know, I don't really ever think about how I do something. I just think about it and it happens." Marik said and Malik did as he said, thinking about the Shadow Realm and everyone going there apart from him.
The area around them started to twist and get smaller as a small wind picked up, blowing leaves across them. Then out from the centre of the twist spewed darkness, covering everyone apart from Malik and soon they were gone, the Millennium Rod glowing. Malik turned to look at the border, his eyes shining a pure white and he grinned, his voice warped by the power.
"Watch out boys, I'm coming to get you…" With a cackle he started walking towards the border, leaving a trail of death in his wake, everything shrivelled up and black.
He could hear everything near him now, the rustling of the leaves and the people creeping behind him, surrounding him gradually. He grinned, this was going to be fun, leading them on, letting them believe they had him cornered until the right moment… It was a game of cat and mouse, only the cats were actually mice, they just didn't realise it yet… He pounced just as they did and as the bodies fell to the ground, instead of feeling guilty, he just felt the power of what he had. As Marik has feared, he was going completely delirious and by the time he realised, it would be too late. But in the end, there was no one else who would see him like this; he would never know the truth…
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Duke stumbled around in the dark, unable to distinguish anything in the heavy weight that surrounded him. Then he heard a humming noise, as though a power source was turning on and then he was blinded by a light shining on him, exposing him and making him feel isolated, no one familiar nearby. He could hear things just beyond the light, creeping and getting closer, were they the monsters that Ryou was talking about? At any rate he didn't want to meet them so he looked to where the light was centring on. A simple wooden chair sat alone in the white glow and Duke inched towards it, wondering why it was the only thing here. Nevertheless he sat down in it, suddenly feeling protected from the things nearby and he could see bricks flickering in front of him, making a wall that surrounded him. He could see something else though, figures coming towards him. He knew them but somehow they had been warped by the Shadow Realm and so he waited nervously as they gradually became clearer.
"Good morning Worm your honour." Duke looked around in surprise, that was Yami's voice! But the person was nothing like him, the eyes, instead of being full of fire and life were dull and bland. He wore a black robe and somehow reminded Duke of a lawyer. He followed Yami's eye line and saw a tall stand on which a person was stood at the top, looking down at him. Was this the 'Worm'? He listened to Yami's words, wanting to know what was going on. "The crown will plainly show the prisoner who now stands before you was caught red handed showing feelings." Prisoner? Since when had he been a prisoner? And why was Yami saying that showing feelings was a crime? It soon became obvious to Duke that it wasn't Yami, it was just a shadow that was supposed to represent him. He knew it wasn't real so why wasn't it going away? He didn't want to know what was going to happen next… "Showing feelings of an almost human nature!" Yami yelled, causing unseen figures to gasp in astonishment. Duke felt like he was back in Domino, feeling the disgust of everyone there. But he had never done anything…apart from that one kiss. And the dreams of him and Tristan together, the fantasies… "This will not do." Yami added seriously and the 'Worm' considered his words for a moment.
"Call the schoolmaster!" He barked and Duke grew even more fearful than before. What was that supposed to mean? Who was the schoolmaster? But before he could give a thought to it, someone burst onto a scene, pacing back and forth in front of him.
"I always said he'd come to no good in the end your end your honour." Joey started. Joey? The least scholarly of the group was the 'school master'? Duke didn't understand the thinking behind that and didn't really want to either. "If they'd let me have my way I could've flayed him into shape!" Joey stabbed himself in the chest, the mortarboard nearly falling off in his anger. "But my hands were tied! The bleeding hearts and artists let him get away with murder!" By now he was screaming, spit flying everywhere and in the shadows people were nodding in agreement with him. "Let me hammer him today." He whispered, leaning towards the Worm, excitement filling his eyes. Duke didn't want to be hurt, he was nearly crapping himself in his fear.
"Crazy, toys in the attic I am crazy." Duke murmured quietly to himself, not sure where the words were coming from. "Truly gone fishing." He was finding it hard to control himself now, the panic filling him… "They must have taken my marbles away!" He turned to the audience, trying to get them to understand but they ignored him, as though he wasn't there.
"Crazy…" He heard someone hiss beside him and realised it was Ryou, clinging onto the arm of the chair, staring at him with a glint of madness in his eyes.
"Toys in the attic…" He looked down at the figure tugging at his trousers and saw Yugi, gradually climbing into his lap, head cocked to the side in interest.
"He is crazy." Marik agreed on the other side of Duke, leaning forward, his face barely an inch away as his breath tickled Duke's cheek.
Suddenly they backed away though, remaining nearby and Duke glanced at the new person in front of him, seeing a man wearing a dress and high heels. It was Tristan but he didn't look happy, in fact he looked livid.
"You little shit, you're in it now, I hope they throw away the key." He had never heard Tristan talk like this, before he had always been calm and sometimes slightly aloof. He had never got enthusiastic about telling someone what was wrong with them. They were doing it again… "You should have talked to me more often than you did, but /no/, you had to go your own way." He sounded just a scolding wife and Duke was being reprimanded for something he wasn't even sure he had done. "Have you broken any homes up lately?" Duke tried to reply but there was something pressed over his brain, making him unable to communicate his feelings to anyone but himself. Tristan suddenly spun around to face the Worm, causing Duke to jump in surprise but not before he noticed the look of loathing on Tristan's face. "Just five minutes Worm your honour, him and me alone." It sounded like a fight, Duke knew about Tristan's past with Joey and what they did to others but that was all gone now, or so he had thought…
"Babe…" He heard the voice from far away but it was getting closer now, the figure having long pale hair held back by a kerchief. Bakura…? "Come to mother baby, let me hold you in my arms." He was supposed to be his mum? He could understand that in a way, he had always liked Bakura, he /had/ helped him settle in right at the beginning of high school. But it was well known that Malik was his best friend, the one he cared about most, apart from Ryou of course… "But I never wanted him to get in any trouble, why'd he ever have to leave me?" Bakura wailed, sinking down on his knees seeming to beg to the audience. "Worm your honour let me take him home." He said, crawling towards the stand but soon he was disappearing…
"Crazy, over the rainbow I am crazy." Duke said, flopping forward in defeat. "Bars in the window…" He sounded frantic now, standing up and pacing around the wall, staring at it. "There must have been a door there in the wall when I came in!" He cried out in frustration, placing his hands on the shimmering barrier but finding nothing.
"Crazy…" Ryou grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards the chair and doing quite well, despite the fact that Duke was obviously stronger.
"Over the rainbow…" Yugi repeated his words, pacing around him as though he was some exhibit, touching him every so often, trying to work out what he was.
"He is crazy." Marik took his other arm and helped Ryou to place him back in the chair, ignoring Duke's struggling. He didn't want to face judgment…
"The evidence before the court is incontrovertible, there's no need for the jury to retire." The Worm was finally seen, Seto in a black robe and white wig, looking ghastly, like something out of a nightmare. "In all my years of judging, I have never heard before of someone more deserving the full penalty of the law." Seto continued, outraged at the pathetic creature before him. His voice grew deeper as he seemed to increase in size, looming over Duke as he shrank back. "The way you made them suffer, your exquisite wife and mother, fills me with the urge to DEFECATE!" He pointed to the side and Duke saw Tristan and Bakura crying, hugging each other for support. "Since, my friend, you have revealed you deepest fear, I sentence you to be exposed before your peers." No, he didn't want to see the creatures he knew that were in the shadows, he was scared; he wanted it all to go away… "Tear down the wall!"
"Tear down the wall." Yami agreed, suddenly appearing as he stood behind Duke, arms crossed with no emotion in his face.
"Tear down the wall!" Joey barked, cane in hand and he hit it threateningly against the ground, the sound travelling straight through Duke's spine.
"Tear down the wall…" Ryou giggled, spinning around the chair like a child, stroking Duke's arm once he had come to a stop, smiling wide eyed at him.
"Tear down the wall…" Yugi whispered, now sat in his lap, into his ear before licking it, his eyes still full of excitement.
"Tear down the wall…" Marik stood behind the chair, running his hands up and down Duke's chest, slipping them underneath his clothes…
"Tear down the wall!" Tristan said, glaring at Ryou, Yugi and Marik and they backed away grudgingly, still staring at Duke with want.
"Tear down…the…wall." Bakura said in between sobs, hiding his face behind his hands so he wouldn't have to see whatever was going to happen next.
"Tear down the wall." Now they were all saying it, their different emotions mingling and becoming monotonous as they repeated it, Duke closing his eyes and gasping, he wanted it all to go away now, he had had enough…
CRASH!
Bricks started to tumble down, the dust rising as they settled on the ground and the figures slowly started to disappear, leaving Duke alone with the monsters of the Shadow Realm, their breathing getting more excited as they smelt a soul reeked with fear…
"Please…help me…" The last thing Duke saw was claws and wings before he was surrounded by darkness…
xxxxxx
Malik traced the outline of the Puzzle lovingly, wondering what he should do now he had got past their stupid wall. Wall, there had been no challenge for him! But suddenly he heard something, making him falter slightly in his plan of mass destruction.
"Please…help me…" He recognised the voice and they sounded hurt… He saw a face too, green eyes and jet black hair…Duke. He was a friend and he had to do something to stop the pain. Thinking of everyone, he imagined them in front of him and smiled in relief when he heard nine bodies sit down on the ground. Looking at them though he frowned, they were full of fear, unable to do anything apart from stare at the ground.
"What happened?" He asked, slightly nervous when there was no movement.
"I didn't want to do it Kury, it made me…" Ryou suddenly said and he started sniffing quietly as Bakura took him in his arms.
"I know, I know. None of us wanted to…" He whispered, holding Ryou tightly.
"Tell me what happened, who made you do things against your will?" By now Malik was frustrated, he wasn't getting the answers he desperately wanted.
"The Shadow Realm…" Marik said, sidling up to him and holding his hand. "I'm sorry Malik, we had no control over what happened. It made me do…" His voice died down and Malik pulled him closer, setting him down on his lap.
"Don't worry about what you did, just tell me…" He murmured, taking his other hand. "I promise I won't get mad."
"I touched Duke, I put my hands on him…" Marik said, shaking slightly as he looked away from Malik, not wanting to see his reaction.
"Hey, don't be scared, I know it was against your will so it doesn't matter." Malik said to reassure Marik and he smiled, leaning against him. "But what else happened?"
So they told Malik what happened, each of them recounting their fears of doing things they weren't in control of, how they hurt Duke, how they could see the fear but were unable to prevent their actions and so stem the pain they were causing. Unlike Duke though, they had all seen the creatures lurking in the Shadow Realm, strange men and beasts, some with wings or claws and all of them desperate to get to the group. None of them questioned why it had been Duke in the chair and not one of the others, not seeming to realise the truth about Duke and his confusion over Tristan. He had also remained quiet on how he had felt and what he had said and Duke didn't really want to ask him about it, too embarrassed about his thoughts on him.
"So how did you get over the border then? Did you face a lot of trouble?" Seto asked once they had dissected the Shadow Realm incident as much as they wanted to and the others turned to Malik with interest.
"I don't…know really. I just remember sending you to the Shadow Realm and then hearing Duke's voice, the rest is a bit blurry. I know I was followed but not what happened to the people, how I managed to escape them. I don't think anyone else saw me though so hopefully they won't be looking around." Malik explained, trying to ignore the frown Marik was giving him, knowing that what he had said wasn't good enough. "But now that we're over you can have these back." He passed over the Millennium Items, noticing with slight worry that he wished he didn't have to, that he liked the feel of them in his hands. To keep his mind off of it, he took Marik's hands in his once more, squeezing them to reassure himself.
"That's a point, we should get moving and find somewhere to sleep for the night before they manage to catch up." Bakura announced and they stood up, looking towards a mountain path. "Maybe there's a cave we can sleep in."
xxxxxx
The group had agreed to take turns to watch for danger and so Seto was now sitting outside a cave on a small plateau that overlooked a forest of pine trees, the searchlights of the border occasionally flashing through the thick foliage. The night sky was clear, the stars shining with the moon, casting a silvery light on everything it touched. It was quite chilly but Seto's long coat kept him warm and he enjoyed feeling the cool breeze on him.
He looked at his watch and realised that his turn was now over and that Joey was next. He didn't know whether that had been done on purpose but he was willing to take advantage of it. They hadn't really talked since the scene in the clearing; in fact they had avoided each other. So now he could find out what was going on in Joey's head, as well as spend some time with him.
"Joey wake up, it's your watch." Seto whispered, shaking Joey's shoulder gently so as to not surprise him.
"Huh ¿Qué? Wha's happenin'?" Joey made several more similar strange noises until he had opened his eyes and sat up, facing Seto in the relative darkness of the cave. "Is it my watch already? I've only just got to sleep!"
"Sorry…" Seto wasn't really sure what else to say but was surprised when Joey laughed.
"Don't worry about it, there's nothing anyone could have done. It's just me having a bit of a moan, that's all." Joey stood up quickly, taking a moment to get used to his surroundings before looking back at Seto. "Thank you for waking me up." He started to walk towards the entrance of the cave slowly, realising that Seto wasn't going to sleep that in fact, he was staring right at him. "Err…Seto?"
"This may sound strange but I can't get to sleep. Is it alright if I stay outside with you?" He asked hesitantly, hoping that Joey might say yes, although it was doubtful…
"Yeah, I don't see a problem with that." Joey shrugged his shoulders and Seto could feel himself leaping for joy mentally although he remained solemn on the outside. "We'd better get going before we wake someone else up."
Seto nodded his head in agreement and followed Joey outside where he waited for him to sit down before he did the same beside him, not too close but the distance of a friend so that he could talk to him. They stared out at the horizon in silence, not sure of what to say that wouldn't provoke a talk on what was supposed to be happening between them, if there was anything going on.
"Don't you think that stars are the most amazing things ever?" Joey sighed and looked up. "It's so clear tonight, you can see loads of them." He sat up slightly and pointed into the sky. "Look, there's Orion and the twins, Sirius and the Great Bear…" He made lines with his hand but it meant little to Seto: he didn't know any of the names or where they were. He always found the astrology side of physics quite boring and had never really had any other reason to look into it. Seeming to read Seto's mind, Joey shook his head. "Do you not know any of them?"
"No, I've never really thought about them before." He admitted, feeling slightly ashamed for some reason.
"Yugi's grandpa told me about them when Tristan and I were camping in Yugi's back garden once. He showed us how to find our way and the stories behind them all. I'd never really appreciated them until then and then you find out at school what they really are…" He paused and he seemed to sag slightly. "It kinda destroyed my dreams really. All those stories aren't really true, they didn't form the shapes for a particular reason, it's just whatever someone happens to be able to see in them."
"Tell me the stories behind them then." Seto said out of the blue, causing Joey to glance at him strangely. "I never really listened to that part of school anyway, it wasn't relative to my life so I'll believe them for what they are." He leant his head back against the rock, at the same time shifting slightly closer to Joey. He considered his words for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Well then I should start off with Orion, the hunter. He's one of the most recognisable." Joey pointed his finger into the sky once more. "See, there's his arms and legs and his belt…"
"No, I don't see." Seto said, being truthful. He couldn't make out the shapes; he just saw lots of dots.
"Look, it's right here." Joey shifted so that he was now sitting in the gap between Seto's legs, taking his arm and tracing the shape with Seto's finger. "The arms…and the legs…and the belt." He put Seto's arm back down and leaned against him gingerly, as though he wasn't sure he wanted things to go like this.
"Oh yeah, I see it now." Seto said to make Joey feel better, to make him feel that he was putting himself in this situation and he was thankful for it. Which he was. He could feel Joey's body gently brushing against his own and it took a lot of effort to not put his arms around him and drag him closer. He needed to get his trust… "So what is his story then?"
"He was one of the sons of Poseidon, the god of the sea in Ancient Greece. It's said that he was so tall that he could stand in the deepest oceans with his feet on the bed and his head above the waves. He was a hunter but was blinded in a quarrel until the sun god Helios healed him with his radiance. There are different versions as to how he died but one story says that Eos, goddess of the dawn, fell in love with him and it was so strong that it caused divine jealousy. In the end he was shot by Artemis on command of the other gods and he was raised to the stars to form the constellation." Joey stopped talking and looked up at the sky. "Don't you think that's really sad? The only thing they could have done was to kill him…"
"It is…" Seto murmured. #And I hope I never have to do anything like that.# He added to himself, unconsciously bringing Joey closer to him.
"Seto?" Joey had told himself that he wasn't going to let Seto do anything like this but it felt so right, his body melting into Seto's, becoming one with him.
"I missed you so much…" He murmured, smiling as he felt Joey put his arms around him. He looked down at Joey and saw a flash of confusion pass over his face. "I'll never hurt you again, I promise." Seto stroked Joey's face with the back of his hand and finally he responded, returning his smile.
He turned around and pushing himself up onto his knees, draped his arms around Seto's neck before leaning in and kissing him. He stopped in surprise when he felt Seto open his mouth; he was the one who was always in control… Quickly taking advantage of this situation, he slipped his tongue in, deepening the kiss as Seto pulled him onto his lap.
#Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
And you know
You know I love you so
You know I love you so#
#Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And all the things that you do#
"I love you Joey…" Seto whispered in his ear, his breath tickling Joey and causing him to screech, flinching away from the sensation.
"That tickles!" His face scrunched up for a second before he became serious, staring at Seto with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "I love you too…"
Joey rested his head against Seto's chest, intertwining their fingers and they watched the night pass by, the stars becoming brighter still until it was time for the next watch, now lying together on the ground, Malik smiling just slightly as he sat down outside.
Yep, ending was odd and short and stuff but then you should expect that by now, this is me we're walking about here! Hmm, let's see if I can find any notes for today…
1. Yep, the Trial thing was pretty random and as for the reason why Duke was in the spotlight…well I just thought I hadn't done a lot on him yet so this would be a good chance to.
2. And before you moan, yes I know you can't see any of the stars mentioned in the Northern hemisphere in July (roughly where they are now) but I forgot, as usual.
3. Yeah, there were quite a few odd things today and Ryou's behaviour may have been slightly over the top but I'm trying to put the point across that he's 17 with a mental age of roughly 7.
Anyway, can't do too many notes or I'll put everyone off! Please review and I'll see you soon for the next chapter/episode/part thingy.
S. Chensu (Chen) xxx.