Here we have it, the beginning of the end of Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls. Kai must now face off against the ancient thief Bakura, and manage to both survive and win, with his own sanity and the souls of his friends on the line.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Darkness of the Past
"Are you ready, Kai?" Bakura asked, a sick grin spreading across his face. "I've been waiting for one hundred years to return to this realm and to take my revenge. Now I will." As he said this, Kai began to draw cards, trying to figure out what kind of strategies this man would try and use against him.
Kai-4000/Bakura-4000
"I'll go first!" Kai began, drawing a sixth card. Across form him, Bakura, the self-proclaimed thief of ancient Egypt, stood with his arms folded and a bemused smirk on his face. "I summon Guardian of the Archives (1000/2200) in defense mode. I'll also set two magic or trap cards, and end my turn." It was a simple enough opening play, but it would also be effective. "A fair move, Kai." Bakura nodded his approval. "In fact, I have nothing to counter it directly. So instead I believe I'll summon my Death Caliber Knight (1900/1800) in attack mode." A figure which was obviously deceased and carrying a large sword, riding on a steed which was equally dead appeared. "Next I'll set one card face down and end my turn."
'The only reason he didn't attack me is because of my monsters defense points. However, if I don't counterattack, he'll be able to summon something strong enough soon.' Kai planned, looking over both fields while drawing a fourth card.
"I summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) in attack mode!" A small wizard in dark blue robes appeared, his wand at the ready. "That ends my turn."
Bakura drew a fifth card and his eyes danced for a moment. He then looked at Kai and smiled. "I'll set two cards face down and then I summon Demon Soldier (1900/1500) in attack mode, and end my turn." A warrior of the underworld it seemed was his new soldier, with purple scales, curled horns and armor smelted in the pits of Hell itself appeared.
"I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn." Kai passed, unable to make any further move. "Also, since a turn has passed, Alpha Sorcerer has gained a Time Counter, granting him another two hundred attack points (1700)."
"You're beginning to bore me, Kai. Don't you have anything to fight me with?" Bakura taunted, but was given no response. "Very well, I shall take the initiative. I summon my Berserk King of the Dark Realm (1800/400) in attack mode." A demonic creature in brown rags appeared, hoisting a large spear into the air.
"Now I'll activate my magic card, Devils Avarice, allowing me to draw three cards from the bottom of my deck and then discard two from my hand." In a single motion he drew the cards and slipped two of them into his graveyard. "I just discarded my Advance Guard of the Dark Realm (1600/300) and Hunter of the Dark Realm (1400/800). When the Guard is discarded, he is special summoned to my field, and when the Hunter is discarded, I draw a card." Pulling a new card free, Bakura watched in satisfaction as another demonic soldier, this one in beige clothes and favoring a spear appeared.
"I activate my magic card, Gathering Shadows to sacrifice my Advance Guard of the Dark Realm in order to special summon two other demons identical to another demon on my field, meaning I may now summon two more Death Caliber Knights (1900/1800x2)" The beige clothed devil faded away, only to be replaced by two more of the sickly soldiers on decaying horses.
"Next comes the magic card, Descent into Darkness. I may now send any three cards from my deck to the graveyard to destroy two cards on your field." Fanning out his deck, Bakura easily found the cards he wanted to discard, and did so. At the same time, a sharp black wind struck Kai's field, seeming to hold thousands of needles within it, ripping away at one of his set cards and his Guardian of the Archives.
"Guardian of the Archives special ability activates! My cards cannot be destroyed by magic effects!" Kai called, and instantly the scarlet robed sorcerer raised his staff, instantly instilling a calm upon the field and ending Bakura's card effect.
"Now that your monster has activated its special ability, my Death Caliber Knight will do the same.' Bakura laughed. "I send him to the graveyard to instantly destroy your Guardian of the Archives, negating his effect!" In a sudden rush of courage, Bakura's demon kicked his steed into action, charging across the field, sword set to slice through Kai's monster, who set up a barrier. The thick sword crashed through the shield and speared into Kai's monster, spilling his blood onto the ground. Both faded away, and Bakura's black wind of needles once again came to life, this time ripping holes in Kai's two set cards, which shattered.
"Now it's time for me to activate the final card in my hand, Treasure of Hell! We both draw until we hold six cards, but we draw from the bottoms of our decks." Swiftly, Kai drew three cards while Bakura drew six. "Death Caliber Knight, destroy Alpha Sorcerer!" The second of his undead soldiers kicked his horse into action, charging across the field and slashing Kai's monster in two, spilling blood and bones onto the floor. Kai turned his head away in disgust.
Kai-3800/Bakura-4000
"Death Caliber Knight, attack his defense monster!" The third of the undead fiends charged Kai's field, sword set to lance the lone monster down.
"Activate magic card, Voice from the Dust!" Kai shouted as the magic card ejected into his hand from his graveyard. "This destroys your attacking monster." Sliding the card into his pocket, Kai was pleased to see Bakura's monster explode into a shower of rags and dried bones.
"Very well." Bakura shrugged, rather nonchalant. "Demon Soldier, attack!" The ram-horned beast leaped at Kai's monster and split it in two, revealing for a second a man in plain brown robes, who began to chant with his last breath.
"Mysterious Magister destroys one monster on your field and changes the battle position of all others." Kai explained. "However, your Death Caliber Knight has no choice but to sacrifice himself to negate my monsters effect. Don't matter, because you still can't attack me this turn." Kai breathed as his monster fell to pieces from having been sliced in two while Bakura's final horse-riding demon exploded, littering the ground with its remnants.
"Well played, Kai." Bakura admitted. "But I'm the one with a monster still, while your field is empty. And even if you could attack me, are you willing to risk the souls of your companions?"
"I have to take that chance." Kai answered immediately. "I know that they understand that there is so much more on the line. I've spent years shouldering guilt, and a little bit more wont make a difference, so long as I can send you to Hell."
"Excellent answer, Kai. Didn't know you had it in you. Very well, I end my turn."
Drawing a card, Kai bit his lower lip, trying to come up with some sort of counter strategy. Fortunately, he quickly found one that was easily at his disposal. "I play Instant Necromancy to special summon Alpha Sorcerer (1500/1100) for a turn." Again the blue robed magician appeared on Kai's field, but now returned to his base attack strength. "Next I'll summon Time Templar (1800/1400) in attack mode." A warrior in silver armor, equipped with two long swords appeared. "Now I play Time Jump to increase the turn count by three, giving both of my monsters three counters! That means I can sacrifice Alpha Sorcerer for my Sigma Sorcerer (2400/2400) in attack mode." The blue robed magician vanished and was replaced by an older version of himself, this time in black robes. "Now I can sacrifice two magic counters from Time Templar to destroy one of your monsters!" Crossing his swords, Kai's monster began to focus two points of light from his swords to the point where they intersected, drawing energy to that point and firing a beam of light which incinerated Bakura's monster, leaving a pile of ash.
"Sigma Sorcerer, attack directly!" Kai ordered. The black robed mage lifted his wand and began to chant, forming a ball of light at the tip.
"I activate Deceitful Abyss!" Bakura called, waving his hand as his did. "In exchange for any number of cards from my hand, I can destroy a number of cards on your field or deck equal to the amount discarded plus one. So I discard two cards to destroy your two monsters and the top card of your deck." With a low growl, Kai sent the two cards to his graveyard from his field and the one from his deck. "Also, as a final counter-balance to my card, I now take damage equal to the level of one of your destroyed monsters times one hundred. I think I'll choose your level four Templar."
Kai-3800/Bakura-3600
"However, Kai, now that I've taken direct damage without having a monster on the field, I can play my other trap card, Stairway Straight to Hades! This allows me to special summon two Envoy of Hades from my deck or hand to the field." Bakura laughed as two cards were ejected from his deck into his hand, which he then slapped onto his field.
The first was slender, possibly even feminine with black armor covering its body, several of the joints ending in spikes. The second was larger and more masculine, and on each forearm was a long and curved blade. "Envoy of Hades Kaien (2500/2700) and Envoy of Hades Goozu (2700/2500)." Bakura laughed. "Also, the two cards I discarded where Army God of the Dark Realm and Military God of the Dark Realm (2300/1400x2), who are both special summoned when discarded for card effects." Instantly two figures appeared, both large in stature. The first was tall with silver armor and a single long sickle in his hand. The second was much beggir in terms of muscle, with gold armor and wielding a massive scythe.
Staring at Bakura's four monsters, each one with an attack power above two thousand, Kai began to tremble. He looked at the three cards in his hand, and made a quick plan. It wasn't the best plan, but he'd survive at least.
"I set three cards face down and end my turn." he conceded.
Eyeing Kai's set cards warily, Bakura drew a card and sighed. "And so ends the Guardian of Time. I'll have all four of my monsters attack you directly, finishing you off, starting with Envoy of Hades Kaien!" The demon amazoness raised both of her arms, blades flashing as she charged. "And I should warn you, Envoy of Hades allows me to remove Dark monsters from my graveyard from play to negate any card you chain from the field to a Dark monster."
Depressing a card on his Duel Disk, Kai activated his magic card. It was risky, but he had to do it. "I activate Emergency Provisions to destroy my two face down cards and increase my Life Points by two thousand." he declared, wincing slightly in pain as his sore muscles pushed on the Duel Disk. Instantly his three face down cards exploded and two released streams of light which flowed into his body.
Kai-5800/Bakura-3600
As the attacking monsters drew closer, Kai reached for his graveyard. "I'm not done." he called across the field. "I activate my grave magic card, Time Flux, which reduces the attack points of your monsters to become equal to their level multiplied by one hundred!" (Goozu-700)(Kaien-700)(Army God-500)(Military God-500)
Each of the demonic creatures began to shrink down as they drew closer to Kai, with Kaien still in the lead. With a simple twist of her wrists she slashed im across the chest, drawing a thin line of crimson as it tore through his shirt and skin.
Kai-5100/Bakura-3600
Gasping in pain and surprise, Kai clutched his chest with his right hand and took many swift breathes, even as Bakura's remaining monsters moved in. However, Kai wasn't going to take more hits than he needed to, and so he once again held his hand over his graveyard, and another card what shot into his palm. Instantly the remaining three monsters exploded, their flesh and clothe fragments littering the floor, where Kai noticed the remains of earlier monsters still lay rather than having disappeared.
"Archmages Judgement activates when I take a direct attack, and destroys all monsters on your field that have not yet attacked this turn." Kai explained as his fit another card into his pocket, beginning to raise from his right knee to try and stand again.
"I think you've forgotten something." Bakura chuckled. "Now that I've dealt you a strike of five hundred points or more, your first Hari will be destroyed. It's time for you to relive one of your most painful memories." Bakura sneered as Kai's eyes widened in realization. He'd miscalculated, and now he had no clue what was to come...
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Despite the destruction of past events, seventy years is plenty of time for a species as adaptive as humanity to begin to rebuild. As such, modern schools saw little change from what they had been nearly a century before. Desks, computers, lockers, chalkboards, and other basic elements of the classroom were present in any school across the world, and Kai's school had been no different.
What he now beheld was what could be taken for any day in the sixth grade during the end of the lunch break. Some students were reading, others talking, and some were just returning from having spent the break outside in the fine spring weather. And more still were sitting in rows across from each other, Duel Monsters cards in their fingers and on the desks. The teacher was no where to be seen, most likely in the lounge, enjoying a moment of sanity to ponder the question he asked himself every day: "Why do I do this to myself? What narcotic was strong enough to rob me of all sense of sanity when I signed the contract and took this job?"
However, not everyone was involved with their classmates. In the center most seat in the front rows sat an eleven year-old Kai Kaethan, a somber look in his eyes as he shoveled the last bits of rice into his mouth. He didn't have any friends to talk with, and those who dueled no longer allowed him to join them, saying he was "Too weird to play with them and not with the desk space."
Kai, however, knew the truth. They were tired of him beating them so badly. Not only was he too smart for his own good, but he was too good a duelist, and they just didn't want to accept both facts at once.
"Kai?" a young, feminine voice muttered to his left. He noticed someone sit down in the chair next to him, but did not turn his face away from his desk and the empty container that had carried his lunch. "Are you ok." Still he did not respond. He heard the girl open her mouth and breath in a small bit of air, but she never got a chance to say anything more, for it was at the moment that another voice spoke up.
"Kaethan's got a girl!" Everyone but Kai either turned to look at him or at the young man who had pointed the fact out. "This just can't be. Miyuki, what were you doing, really? No person in their right mind would sit next to Kai if they could avoid it, and then they'd never talk to him. Besides, didn't you know that because he hasn't spoken to anyone in years he doesn't remember how to talk?" Kai continued to look at his desk.
"No, I..." the girl named Miyuki startled, lost for words. Kai was a labeled outcast, and she knew that. As such, it wouldn't be right to associate with him, and definitely not on friendly terms. "It's just that he was so alone..." she stammered, trying to cover up for herself.
"Hear that, Kaethan? By simply being a complete loser you've managed to win the pity of a girl. Isn't that sweet." the boy mocked. Still Kai did not react. "I said did you hear me, history boy?"
"He heard you." Miyuki boldly defended. Upon hearing these words, Kai actually stirred, but no one noticed, all their attention on Miyuki now, some with their mouths open. "Why can't you bastards leave him alone? He didn't do anything to you!"
"The instant he sat down in class and started turning teachers against us he did. Look at him! He's nothing special! He doesn't play sports, he doesn't have friends or connections, he doesn't do anything great, and yet the teachers side with him anyway!" the young man shouted back. "And if you want to betray the rest of us, Miyuki, and be his lover, that's your problem. We don't have any trouble dealing with two freaks. It may even liven the experience up a bit."
At these words, Miyuki's lips began to tremble and her eyes gained a frightened look in them as she backed away. Turning on her heal, she bolted for the door, her face in her hands. She didn't even stop when she plowed right into the teacher, knocking him onto his back. All that the young Kai could do was stare at his desk, where a single drop of water lay, in the spot straight down from his eye.
The older Kai watched this and the anger in him began to bubble. He remembered that day well, and seeing it again brought with it other memories. Memories of the last few months of the school year as the other kids teased both him and Miyuki for various reasons, even though she had made no attempt at all to make any kind of contact with Kai. Flyers were passes around amongst the students about how Kai and Miyuki were a couple, someone having used a few computer tricks to edit some yearbook pictures to make it look like the two were making out with their clothes off. Other kids claimed to have tapes of the two in some rather, erm, interesting activities. Many other such similar jokes spread across the school, but were somehow done in a stealthy enough manner that the teachers couldn't take any form of action.
Kai himself hadn't minded it so much. By that time he was used to the isolation and the prodding, but he still felt guilty that because someone had an ounce of compassion that she had to suffer what he did each day. Furthermore, there was nothing he could do about it, and the one time he did try to talk with her to see if there was anything he could do to return the favor, she had pushed him back, hurtling a great deal of blame at him, along with a few choice words and certain finger gestures.
Of course, Kai's guilt would only multiply on the last day os school of that year. The day that it was announced that Miyuki Kaito had committed suicide. Instantly all of the children blamed Kai, because if he hadn't gotten involved with her, then she wouldn't have gotten so depressed. This in and of itself wasn't so bad for Kai. It was the letter that was found in her room afterwards, addressed to him. At first he had been afraid to open it, fearing that he may not have been able to handle whatever she had last wanted to say. He was horrified a year later when he finally did open and read it, to find that in the end, as she completed her suicidal plans, that she chose to blame him as well.
All that Kai had been able to do then was shake with guilt, because to him, it seemed right. In his mind, he couldn't rationalize his way out of it, and so had chosen to accept that it was his fault. He was even more infuriated when he couldn't cry! He hadn't been able to shed a tear of caring since that day that she had first shown compassion for him, and now he resented it, because when he really needed to, he couldn't cry.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Trembling, Kai opened his eyes, the memory over. However, it did little to remove the fact that the guilt he had buried years ago was starting to return. Even more sickening was the fact that he could see Bakura, a smug look of superiority on his face.
"That was interesting." he smiled. "How does it feel Kai, knowing that you're responsible for her gross crime?"
"Shut up!" Kai shouted back, raising to his feet. "You don't know anything about that! You couldn't understand."
"True, being the evil creature from Hell that I am, I actually delight in this sort of thing. But you're the one who doesn't understand, Kai." the white-haired businessman continued to laugh. "That was the least protected of the memories we have here. That means that once I deal another thousand Life Points of damage, it should be much more enjoyable a show."
Kai's entire body went rather slack at hearing this and as the realization hit him. It was true. The next memory would be much worse. But what was worse, Kai wasn't sure what his most highly guarded memory was! Most of them he'd sealed away from himself, and those that remained were rather blurry. Beyond that, he wasn't sure which ones were worse than others. No one ever truly knows what their greatest fear is.
"Just duel." he stammered, blinking hard, hoping that would remove the images from his mind.
"Very well." Bakura chuckled. "I set one card face down and end my turn."
Drawing a card, Kai prayed for a good topdeck. Turning the card around, he sighed. "Twilight Renewal gives me a new hand if I don't have any cards when I play it." Kai explained, relieved by his good fortune as he drew five new cards. As he looked over his new cards, Kai noticed something rather odd. "Why is my deck still do thick? We've both drawn a good number of cards, yet our decks look fully loaded."
"You fool." Bakura sighed. "These are Soul Decks. Surely you've figured it out by now. When your power reaches a certain point in a Darkness Game, your Soul can create a deck. As long as you have the strength, or as long as you don't intend to, you can't deck out."
Kai took a moment to take this in, but then smiled mildly at this information. It meant that he didn't have to worry about that fact. However, he also couldn't afford to let this duel go on forever. Selecting the cards he wanted, he made his play.
"I set two magic or trap cards face down and summon a monster in defense mode. End."
"I summon Dead Credit Mage (1700/1200) in attack mode." A figure with a charcoal cloak appeared, hunched over and carrying a decrepit staff in a decaying hand appeared. "And I'll have him destroy your face down monster." Raising his staff, the undead wizard fired a ball of black ethereal flames, which flipped Kai's monster over instantly. A man in white robes could be seen, twisting about in agony. "And now your monster will be returned to the top of your deck. You're finished, Kai." Bakura chuckled as the monster disappeared and Kai lifted the card off of his duel disk.
"Not quite." Kai smiled slightly. "You've destroyed Immortal Magister, who allows me to draw a card when destroyed, summon another Immortal Magister from my deck, and then shuffle. So I'll summon the one you just sent b ack to my deck, then draw, and then shuffle. My all means, keep on attacking him." It was true. Using Dead Credit Mage in this situation gave Kai the advantage, because it would only increase the number of times he got to use them.
"Envoy of Hades-Kaien, attack his Immortal Magister!" In the blink of an eye, Kai's monster had been slashed in two, spilling more blood onto the ground. Kai slipped the card into his graveyard, drew again, and then summoned another from his deck.
"Enjoy it while it lasts, Kai." Bakura threatened. Kai did not respond. He merely drew a card, giving him five in his hand. Setting another card into his magic and trap zone, he ended his turn.
"I activate Silent Death which revives a monster in defense mode and allows it to attack from defense mode." Bakura laughed as small creature with black skin and large black bat wings wrapped around it appeared. "This is my Ouiju Diviner (1300/1500), and he will be the first to attack this turn." Opening its wings slightly, the bat monster opened its mouth and fired off a set of bright rings which shattered Kai's set monster, this time leaving no residue. It was quickly replaced by another horizontal card as Kai added another card to his hand. "Kaien, attack the final one!" Again the womanly monster charged the field and slashed Kai's monster in half, leaving another pool of blood. Turning away in disgust and gaging a little, Kai drew a card and blinked a few times to clear his mind. "Dead Credit Mage, attack!"
As the mage charged another ball of black fire, Kai reached for his Duel Disk to activate one of his set cards, but stopped suddenly, as if a part of him didn't think the time was right. However, his motion did not go unnoticed.
"You wont be stopping this one, Kai." Bakura called, activating the trap he had set two turns before. "Trap Amulet equips to my monster and prevents it from being affected by your traps!" A round pendant with three leave-shaped arms reaching out of it on the sides appeared around the neck of his skeletal magician. The corpse magic user finished its spell, invigorated by the magical totem around its neck, and it fired the ball of black fire at Kai, who could do nothing but stand back as the flames scorched his chest.
The pain was unlike any Kai had ever felt. It didn't burn like a normal fire, but rather it burned the same way a persons nerves do when they get really cold. However, it still had many fire-like effects, such as burning away part of Kai's undershirt and the edges of his over shirt, as well as completely cauterizing the injury he had received earlier in the duel, which was mostly clotted already. Screaming into the air, Kai clenched his eyes because he knew what was coming next. He had received more than one thousand points of damage, meaning the Darkness Game's curriculum had been met.
Kai-3400/Bakura-3600
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Kai stared down, floating in the sky above the scene before him. He was alone in his house, grasping a picture in his hands. He was about fifteen this time, but appeared even more depressed, shedding tears for the first time in years. It was at that time that the current Kai realized what it was.
It was just a few hours after his parents had been killed.
He looked at the wall, where a clock told him that it was nearly midnight, but his younger self didn't seem to show any signs of fatigue; just unbridled depression. Kai remembered that night well. It had been one of the worst he'd ever had, because it was when he finally realized that he was truly alone in the world. The kids at school would still be just as cruel as ever, and he no longer had his parents to confide in. Up until that moment, he had been full of hope that it was all some sort of twisted nightmare. However, that night the pureness of reality struck him, and he became the cold, angry young man that he'd be fore several years to come.
"If only..." the older Kai muttered, unheard by his memory. "If only I'd met someone then...If only I'd met..." his voice trailed off, unable to think of anyone who could have consolidated him in his time of need. There wasn't anyone. No one was there to make the pain go away. He truly was alone.
Still his younger self sobbed, and a high pitched sound came from the picture in his hands, and it was noticed that he'd been grasping it so tightly that his thumbs were beginning to crack the glass covering.
Although the boy wasn't saying it, Kai knew ever word that was crossing through his mind. Feelings of loneliness, despair, anger, confusion, and thoughts of suicide raced through, leaving him incapable of speaking.
"So alone. So very..." Kai muttered, a single tear escaping each of his eyes as he reviewed his memory. "So much pain. And I'm no different. I'm still just as broken...Just as alone."
He could feel it, the despair. It was creeping up on him now, enveloping him. What was he fighting for? For the world? What had the world ever done for him? Nothing but give him heartache and rage. What did he owe them? Maybe they should get a chance to feel fear and despair.
Darkness began to fill his vision as two more tears escaped his eyes. Yes, what was the point? He didn't owe anyone anything. If he just gave in he'd be back with his family once again, and everyone who had ever sought to hurt him would be sent directly to Hell.
'That's not true!' a voice within him shouted. A spark of light went of in his mind and heart as another memory erupted within his mind. A memory from only a few hours ago.
"What are you saying, Etsu?" Kai demanded, though his voice was soft. "Are you saying that...I'm weak?"
"Exactly!" she continued. "What will your pushing everyone away do for them? What are you giving back to your parents? What will you say to them when your spirit meets them after death? That you wouldn't let yourself find happiness because you chose to hang onto guilt and sorrow? That because you couldn't forgive anyone that you made yourself suffer even more?"
"You...You..." Kai was shaken, his eyes wide.
"You've gone through these hard times by blaming everyone around you! You keep saying that it's because of the people you've encountered that you had no choice but to take this road in your life! But that's not true! I've been watching you Kai. I've understood you better than anyone else. I have never been able to sympathize with the torture you put yourself through, but I can still see the world through your eyes. I understand more than you'll ever know about how you feel! You keep saying that you'll win Battle City and that you'll be able to leave that title as a flower on your parents grave, but that's a lie! That goal is simply your way of rationalizing your own frustrations! It's a crutch for your times of weakness!"
"But..." Kai was frozen, memories flooding his mind. Memories of him going out of his way to isolate himself from the world around him. Of his cold and merciless actions as he brutally cut into the hearts of others who would dare approach him with a raised hand of friendship.
"Think about it! Is this what they wanted for you? They're not to blame for all of the efforts you've taken to make yourself miserable!"
"Shut up!" Kai screamed, trembling with anger.
"You're so quick to deny it...You know I'm right."
"I don't want to hear it!" he screamed, grasping his head.
"Why?" Etsu asked. "Do you know how much it hit the rest of the village when your parents died? Do you not realize that you weren't the only one who love your family? Is it that hard to believe that other people may have cared about you, and were forced to sit back and watch in horror as you destroyed yourself? Is that what you're running from?"
"I-" Etsu didn't wait for him to finish this time, and simply cut him off.
"You've let yourself be dragged away from reality! You let time stop with your parents heartbeats, but you've got to let it start again! Before it's too late, you have got to wake up!"
XXXXXXXXXXXXXx
"She right!" he shouted, pulling himself away from both memories. He reoriented himself to the dark arena he was dueling, new strength coursing through his body and a new fire in his eyes. Bakura took a step back in surprise, but quickly regained his composure.
"I'm not going to just sit back, Ouja, and let my past destroy me." Kai declared. "It's in the past, and I can't change it. Not even I can affect the past. What's important is that I use that past to learn and grow stronger. It's time that I wake up and come back to life!"
"Ah, so I see that what the whore said to you earlier has pulled you back. And you're stronger. Yes, I can feel your Guardian powers increasing. They've more than doubled. Well then, I think it's time we both step up our game a little, don't you."
Kai didn't answer. He merely drew a card, giving him seven cards. "I summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Have it your way." Bakura grunted, drawing again. "I sacrifice Ouiju Diviner for Darkred Enchanter (2300/2200) in attack mode!" Bakura's newest monster was one of his more deadly looking ones, wearing shimmering armor that was made up of several slats of metal, each slat ending in a wicked curve. Each hand was clawed, yet instead of flexing those claws as some might expect, they were filled with pulsing red light. "And when Ouiju Diviner is sent to the graveyard, I may discard a number of cards from my deck to my graveyard, and in exchange I will lower the level of one monster in my deck by that amount, and may then set that monster on top of my deck." Taking a card from his deck and slipping it on top, Bakura flashed Kai a devilish grin. "Not that I plan on needing it. Dead Credit Mage, attack his monster!" Kai's monster exploded in a blast of fire. Or, it would have, had there not been a large magician in blue robes with an ivory staff standing in the way, a magical barrier he was generating holding the black flames at bay.
"Steadfast Magician (500/2200) has a few defense points too many for your monster to defeat. Sorry, Bakura, but I'm still in this."
Kai-3400/Bakura-3100
"Perhaps, but there's something else, Kai." Bakura smiled as the purple crystal to his left began to crack. "You just dealt me five hundred points of damage, and so a Kioku will go as well." The crystal shattered into dust, but nothing else happened. "And there goes the last descendant of Seto Kaiba." he laughed, yet much to his surprise, Kai was unfazed by all of this.
"Like you said, you aren't sure what will happen to them." Kai responded, his voice once again calm and collected. "I'll take the chance, and keep hope alive that they'll be alright so long as I win. I can't let myself get distracted. And if they are lost, then I'm willing to make that sacrifice."
"That's what you say." Bakura smirked. "But we shall see how you feel when reality comes around. For now, I'll have Darkred Enchanter destroy your Steadfast Magician!" Craning his neck back, the armored magician began to increase the flow of power to his hands, which he then clapped together, creating a large ball of light that it flung at Kai's monster, evaporating him.
"Now that Steadfast Magician has been destroyed, I get to special summon one level four or lower magician from my hand to the field." Kai explained, slapping a card onto his Duel Disk.
"Kaien, attack!" In another show of blinding speed, the demoness slashed through Kai's monster, revealing a woman in purple clothes with an aquamarine stave in her hand.
"Apprentice Magician will allow me to special summon another low level spellcaster from my deck to the field." Kai explained, placing another card horizontal on his Duel Disk.
"That ends my turn." Bakura growled, clenching his right hand into a rather tight fist.
"I play Gates of Time!" Kai called as the large mystic doorway appeared behind him. "And using it, I'll special summon Time Mage (2400/2500) in attack mode." The first of the original magicians born from Kai's soul appeared, prepared for battle.
"Now I play the magic card, Magicians Era!" The continuous magic card that appeared to Kai's side displayed a city of marble with several people walking about, all of them in the robes of a magician. "This card will generate one magic counter every turn for every magician on my field. I'll also flip over my Apprentice Magician, placing two magic counters on my Time Mage, one for activating my magic card, and other for flipping over my magician." On the head of Time Mage's stave appeared two points of light, displaying the magic counters.
"Next I will sacrifice Apprentice Magician for Chronos-Archmage of Fate (2200/1600)!" The purple garbed woman vanished and was replaced by a man in black robes with a pale staff with stars swimming around in the crystal at the head.
"Now I activate two of my set cards, Shrink and Magical Diffusion!" Instantly two of the three cards in front of Kai flipped up, the first with the image of a Battle Ox shrinking while the second simply displayed five streaks of gold light flying in separate directions into a vast abyss. "Shrink cuts the attack points of one monster on your field in half. Magical Diffusion allows me to discard two cards to spread the effect of a targeting magic card to your entire field!" Slipping two of the three remaining cards from his hand into his graveyard, Kai watched as all three of Bakura's monsters decreased in size to about half of what they were just moments before.
"Chronos, attack and destroy Dead Credit Mage (850/1200)!" Sweeping his staff in front of him, Kai's magician released a crescent wave of energy that sliced the skeletal magician in two, the pieces falling to the ground, joining the litter there.
"Normally I would use Dead Credit Mage's special ability to shuffle it and the cards from my hand into my deck to negate the damage, but I'd rather wait and see." Bakura smirked as his Life Points ticked down.
Kai-3400/Bakura-1750
"Also, since you just dealt over one thousand points of damage, another Kioku must go." As he spoke, the pink crystal cracked and shattered. "Sakura Haeru. What would you tell Kevin if something were to happen to her?" he taunted as Kai bit back his comments.
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that my Time Mage attacks and destroys Kaien!" Spinning his staff a few times, Kai's second magician released a ball of light which struck the she-demon in the stomach, causing her abdomen to turn to ash, which spread throughout her body until she in her entirety crumbled to dust.
Kai-3400/Bakura-500
"Not bad Kai, but you failed to destroy the final two Kioku, so even if my Life Points hit zero, I wont lose."
"I end my turn there." Kai finished, folding his arms over his chest.
Bakura drew his card, but didn't even look at it. His attention was completely on the monster he had placed in his hand the previous turn.
"Kai, I bet that you think that you've done rather well. You've taken me to a bare minimum of Life Points, and we're even as far as the Darkness Game is concerned. But you must understand, everything I've done up until now was simple fortification."
"What do you mean?"
"Very simple. My every play up until now has been setting up for my real strategy. Now the stage is set. Prepare yourself to face a power that you've never even considered before." At this, Kai raised an eyebrow of intrigue. Bakura, however, didn't notice as he selected the monster he had added to his hand earlier. "Prepare to face the power of the grave itself. And the general who shall lead my legion of the damned is this, my faithful servant for three thousand years!" With renewed strength he slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, and Kai could have sworn the air temperature dropped several degrees.
The monster was about ten feet in length total, with pale grey skin. The upper body was like that of a man-a very well built man- with rippling muscles and sturdy arms. The face was sharp, like a predators, with two thick triangular horns reaching out of the sides like ears, while a third, much thinner horn extended from his forehead, and another small one from his chin. A pair of small white wings extended out of his back as well. However, in place of legs, his torso thinned down to become a long snake body, with the vipers head at the end. It was a truly marvelous and at the same time frightening creature.
"Diabound Carnal (1800/1600)!"
To Be Continued...
And there you have it. The beginning to what I hope you find to be an exciting duel, with Bakura, a general favorite, pulling some rather cool moves, not that Kai's moves aren't cool as well.
Next Time- Kai has chosen to leave is past behind him while at the same time is willing to sacrifice the souls of those whom he's come to known, and in one case love, here at this tournament. But when it comes down to the memory he has worked hardest to hide away, and when he must make the ultimate sacrifice, will he be able to? And what is the power to Diabound Carnal? Considering how much faith Bakura puts in it, what could it do with only 1800 attack points? And what did Bakura mean when he said that Kai now faced the power of the graveyard?
Next Chapter- Rising Shadows; Blazing Light
Original Cards-
Please not that in this chapter I used a number of cards from the manga Yu-Gi-Oh R or names from the Japanese version, and simply changed the text or gave them effects. There are also a number of cards used by Bakura in the last arc of the Anime. If you are curious about them, let me know in your review and I'll send you a link.
Kai- Guardian of the Archives, Alpha Sorcerer, Voice from the Dust, Archmages Judgement, Time Flux, Immortal Magister, Gates of Time, Steadfast Magician, Time Mage, Magicians Era, Chronos-Archmage of Destiny, Magical Diffusion
Bakura- Devils Avarice, Gathering Shadows, Descent into Darkness, Envoy of Hades-Kaien (Effect Version), Envoy of Hade-Goozu (Effect Version), Silent Death (This version), Ouiju Diviner, Darkred Enchanter (Effect Version)
By Seeker of the Soul-Treasure of Hell, Twilight Renewal
Reviewer Responses-
Demon Fan- Wait...What? I don't mean to be picky or anything, but I can't tell what you just wrote there.
Meowth'sToonDragon (When you actually get to this point)- Is that really all you have to say?
Seeker of the Soul- Indeed, it took me quite a while to come up with this Darkness Game, but I am pleased with how it worked out. And thanks for restoring my kudo stash. After everything I gave you, MatrixFighter, White Mage and Nick, I was kinda low. Again, thanks.
The White Mage- Suspense is killing you? Ok, hurry up and die. I want to see what this looks like. Then I'll sell the video of it on eBay and make a fortune!
SulliMike23- Indeed, his past is a pained one, and now you've seen a bit more of that. But what are the last two memories?
John- Would have been fun to see, but it would have revealed Bakura's deck to everyone before the final duel, and that just wouldn't be cool.
The Helldragon- Bakura did take a while to plan that little move. He had to wait for about twenty years before he could, so of course it was careful planning. As for Nick's cameo, it's because Tenken claims to have sensed something within him.
Noble Paladin- You know, I never did realize how ironic that was. For that, you get a kudo. Oh, and Kai appreciates your support, and he'll definitely need it now.
G.O.T.Nick- Who's to say he's not crazy? Tenken just caught him so off guard that he really couldn't do anything except act normal. And he's not exactly crazy like Taichi, either. And as you can see, Bakura's strategy has once again changed, even though the deck is still as cool as it ever was.