Lady Akhana: Hi everyone! It's been a while.
Moonlady: Too long if you ask me…
E-100 Alpha: And the hostage?
Pharaoh Light: Under lock and key and mustard radar.
Pharaoh Dark: There's no way that Nightmare Penguin will squawk his way out of this one!
Gema J. Gall: Awesome! ; Now it's good news, bad news time.
Diamondlance: Oh, great…
Gema: What do you want first?
Phantom 1: Bad new, please.
Dark Fox: Hey, where's Demon Child? I haven't seen him around, and I've been dying to show him my new summons.
Gema: That's where the bad news comes in…
Fox Demon: What happened to Demon Child!
Gema: He turned traitor on us.
All: WHAT!
Star: I've got the stats to verify it. He's joined the other side. And he's taken Blackbelt Timmy with him.
Bakurakrazie: No! This can't be happening!
Seadragon1012: We need to be on the alert then! Those two will lead the penguins straight here!
Imp is Insane: We need to clear out and find another base before they get here!
Livi: We need more mustard!
Cloud Dragon: Calm down, Gema did say she had good news too.
Demon of Shadows: That's right…make it quick.
Gema: We have two new members as well! Meet YamiUmiRyu and MogMatt.
YamiUmiRyu: Hello, I'm YUR for short. I'm a zodiac expert, and a Pisces. I also am a Yami Marik fangirl!
All: o.0
MogMatt: Name's MogMatt. I've been working on rallying an underground coalition to fight the penguins.
Master of Dimensions: It's nice to meet you. Sorry it's chaos in here right now.
Alpha: When isn't it chaos?
Kitty Tigri: Good point.
Lady Akhana: The penguins aren't going to defeat themselves! We need to get to work!
Moonlady: That's right, and we need to get our hostage—er, prisoner out ASAP!
Phantom 1: Anyone have any idea where we're going to go?
Diamondlance: Wing it.
Master of Dimensions: Let's get to work then! Everyone get your mustard and be on guard!
Gema: Move out!
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Grudge
The group had filed outside. They took their place amid the heaps of scrap metal that covered Kaiba Corp. Island. Kaiba was on the left hand side of the makeshift field. Mokuba was just behind him, looking worried. His brother's attitude had taken a turn for the worse, and Mokuba didn't know what to do to make him smile again. Across from him stood Drake, Kevin, and Joe. Beside them on the field were Téa, Yu-Gi, Tristan, Lara, Mai, Duke, Serenity, and Bakura. During the trip out they had been trying their best to fill in Mai and Bakura about what they had missed while they had been unconscious.
"Wow, that's really hard to believe," commented Bakura.
"It all happened though," said Téa.
"Guys, the duel is about to start," said Tristan, bringing their attention back to the present.
"I just hope this duel is enough to keep them away from each other's throats," said Lara.
"I think Kaiba's in over his head," stated Duke. "I hope Joe and the others win this so we don't have to deal with his ego the entire way back."
"I'm just glad Joe is finally getting a chance to prove himself against Kaiba," said Yu-Gi. "And now we get to cheer him on to victory!"
"I know I'm looking forward to this," agreed Mai.
"Let's get this over with, you three losers have wasted enough of my time already," grumbled Kaiba, drawing his first hand.
"Cut the crap Kaiba! It's time I put you in your place!" snapped Joe. "And you don't have Obelisk the Tormentor to hide behind any more!"
"You made a big mistake by letting us all duel together," said Drake. "It's only a pity I can't claim total victory here."
"Right! You'll never beat our teamwork!" agreed Kevin. He turned to Joe. "I'm glad we're dueling together."
"Same here bro."
"Save the speeches, I've heard them all before. And I don't need a god card to defeat hax duelists like you," glowered Kaiba. "I'll show you how pathetic your teamwork is when I dismantle it."
"You're going to be in for a rude wake up call when your life points hit 0 first!" snapped Joe.
"If you're done with your petty insults, I'm starting this duel," said Kaiba, coldly as he drew a card. "I'll make them pay for insulting me, and for driving away Shayla. I just wish she could be here to see me run them into the ground."
"Joe will win this, right?" asked Serenity.
"All of them are very good duelists," answered Duke.
"It's in the bag for Joe, Drake, and Kevin though. They've got Kaiba outnumbered," said Tristan.
"Yeah. But Kaiba's used to be the Duel Monster's champion," Mai pointed out.
"Drake's run simulations back home," interrupted Lara. "Drake alone has a fifty percent chance of beating Kaiba, and with two other duelists, Kaiba definitely has the disadvantage."
Kaiba laughed. "I've got the perfect opening hand. First, I play Card of Demise. This lets me draw five cards, but I have to discard my entire hand in five turns. Then, I summon Lord of Dragons in attack mode!" A spellcaster appeared in front of him. Its helmet resembled the jaw of a dragon. It wore skintight black armor that was designed to look like the rest of the dragon's skeleton. Its stats were 1200 and 1100.
"I'm not impressed," snorted Kevin.
Kaiba's eyes narrowed as he continued. "Then I activate Flute of Summoning Dragon. This lets me select two dragons and summon them to the field, and—."
"Oh boy, here comes the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon already," groaned Joe.
"I have something far more devastating in mind, mutt," snapped Kaiba. "I summon Luster Dragon and Thunder Dragon!" The first monster was actually Luster Dragon #2. It had beautiful, crystalline emerald green scales. It was marvelous. The sun sparkled off of it, almost like a natural spotlight. It had 2400 attack points. The Thunder Dragon was green as well, but darker. It was a serpentine monster, with two large wings and no other limbs. Thunder sparked around it. Its stats were 1600 and 1500.
"That's supposed to be more devastating?" asked Kevin, laughing. Joe joined him. However, Drake had crossed his arms, already thinking through all possibilities.
"I activate Thunder Dragon's special ability, allowing me to fuse it with another specially summoned Thunder Dragon to created Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" said Kaiba. With a bolt of thunder the original Thunder Dragon vanished. In it's place stood a bright orange dragon. It had two horns on its head and one on its nose. It had a wide mouth with green gums and rows of razor sharp teeth. A second mouth was embedded in the back of its next. It stood balanced on two chicken-like legs, using a long tail for balance. It had 2800 attack points.
"He's got a monster with 2800 attack points already!" exclaimed Duke.
"But Kaiba has to be planning something else," Bakura pointed out.
"What do you mean? What can be worse than that?" asked Tristan.
"Because Kaiba could have easily summoned two of his Blue-Eyes, White Dragons with the Flute. 2800 is a lot, but not compared to two with 3000 attack points," explained Bakura.
"That's a good point, and it means our boys are in a lot more trouble," said Mai.
"When aren't they in trouble?" asked Lara.
"Now, I activate Fusion Sacrifice!" exclaimed Kaiba, sliding the card into his disk.
"What does that card do?" asked Kevin.
"I don't know, I've never heard of it," answered Joe.
"Aw crap!" said Drake.
"That's right Pegasus," smirked Kaiba. "By discarding my entire fusion deck, I can special summon one monster from it." With a loud bellow and a rush of wind, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon flapped down from the clouds and landed on Kaiba's side of the field. It was truly a sight to see. It had all three Blue-Eyes, White Dragon heads, though slightly elongated, with a symbol on each forehead. The wings stretched twice the length of the field. It towered over the duelists nearly as much as the Winged Dragon of Ra did. Its raw attack points were 4500.
"He got his Ultimate Dragon on the first turn!" gasped Téa.
"Woah, go Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, who couldn't help but be impressed.
Everyone else seemed to be totally speechless.
"My turn isn't over yet," smirked Kaiba. "I activate Monster Reborn, bringing back XYZ Dragon Cannon." This machine monster looked like three different military machines stacked on top of each other. Two land rovers and a jet, all primarily colored, went into the mix. Its stats were 2800 and 2600. Joe and Kevin couldn't help but let their jaws drop. Drake was sweating slightly.
"He has five monsters on the field and it's only his first turn!" exclaimed Mai.
"That's totally unreal!" exclaimed Téa.
"They're going to get blown out of the water," commented Duke.
"Come on guys, be positive!" protested Yu-Gi. "There's always something they can do, they just need to consider all their options."
"Okay, I'll be positive. I'm positive they're going to lose," said Tristan.
"I heard that!" shot Joe.
"Just teasing man!" called Tristan, putting on an overlarge grin.
"I end my turn," stated Kaiba, with a contented, haughty smirk.
It was silent on the other side of the field for a moment, while they processed everything.
Drake spoke first. "I'll set one monster in defense mode, as well as setting one card face down."
"Is that the best you've got, Pegasus?" said Kaiba, saying his name like it was a curse. "Now they'll learn no one talks down to Seto Kaiba."
"No, I've got something that can stop you! I activate Swords of Revealing Light!" declared Drake. A dozen swords made solely of light rained down on Kaiba's side of the field, pinning his monsters down. "Now you can't attack for three turns!"
"Awesome! Nice move Drake!" cheered Lara.
"See! I knew there was something they could do!" said Yu-Gi.
"Now it's time to prune his monsters down!" added Mai.
"Don't get excited because you managed to buy yourself a few turns," glowered Kaiba. "It's only a matter of one attack before I win this duel."
"It's my turn now, so watch as we prove you wrong," said Kevin, checking his hand. "Dang! Worse luck of the draw possible! I don't have a single monster!"
"Then take your turn," said Kaiba.
"I set these two cards face down and that's all," said Kevin, putting Dedication Through Light and Darkness and Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer into his duel disk. "I hope my bluff works."
"My go!" exclaimed Joe. "I need to do something to take out Kaiba's monsters or we're all toast." He glanced around the field. "And I have the perfect card too! This should take out one of rich-boys dragons and a huge chuck of his life points!"
"I don't have all day," snapped Kaiba.
"See this and weep, moneybags! I play Rotator Spider!" announced Joe, putting the card into his duel disk. "This card takes the strongest monster on the field. That monster is then blindfolded and spun around. You have to shout stop, and then that monster will stop spinning and attack whatever it's facing!" As he spoke a tiny mechanical spider appeared in front of him. It scuttled over to Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. It then wrapped a web around each head, confusing the dragon and walking it into the middle of the field. A spider's web made of light appeared beneath the dragon's claws, a monster in each section of the web, a potential target.
"That's awesome! Kaiba's monster dragon is going to destroy one of his other monsters!" cheered Tristan.
"Not necessarily," said Duke. "I wonder if Joe remembers the duelists themselves count as targets?"
"He has to? Joe's not that dense," said Téa.
They all exchanged looks. Then, at the same moment every spectator slumped forward and let out a sigh.
"He did forget, didn't he?" asked Bakura.
"Yup," said Mai.
Joe, hearing every word they were saying, was trying to hide a massive sweat-drop, since they were completely right.
"I hope you know what you're doing bro," said Kevin.
"Don't worry," said Joe, still sweat-dropping. "I've got good luck."
The Rotator Spider began to spin Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon in a circle, which was quite a task. Kaiba quickly eyed up the intervals of the spins.
"You made this easy on me, Stop!" he shouted. Rotator Spider slowed, ticking passed his monsters.
"Come on, Come on…"
It ticked passed Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon. It ticked passed XYZ Dragon Cannon. It slowed at Drake's face down monster. Then, it ticked once more, and stopped so that the ultimate dragon was pointing at Drake.
"Drake!" exclaimed Lara.
"WHEELER!" screamed Drake as a Neutron Blast engulfed him.
"Er…sorry Drake," said Joe, sheepishly.
"Ha! For all your speeches about friendship, you so carelessly eliminated one of your own allies on the first turn!" laughed Kaiba. "How pathetic! You eliminated the only one here who might have posed a slight threat to me. I suppose I should thank you, mutt."
"Can it rich-boy!" shot Joe.
Drake stood there, smoldering, as his life points hit 0. His head slowly raised, his red eyes burning with intense fire, which he leveled on Joe. Joe continued to try to look apologetic and sheepish. But under Drake's intense gaze Joe was melting like a candle under a blowtorch. Joe gulped, clearly uncomfortable under the scrutiny. Drake said nothing, the silence was clearly worse.
"Get off the field, Pegasus," said Kaiba, coldly. "You lost."
Drake swept his fiery glare away from Joe and met Kaiba's frosty one. "This isn't over for us yet, Kaiba!"
"It is for you," smirked Kaiba.
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"Marik!" exclaimed Ishizu, compulsively embracing him.
"Sister…" said Marik, bashfully.
"I'm just so happy you're safe. I have prayed for this day for many months."
"I'm proud that you were finally able to overcome your dark side," said Odion.
"I couldn't have done it without you," replied Marik.
"Come on, let's go find the others and celebrate," suggested Ishizu. "Today is to wonderful to hide inside."
"Er…" Marik lowered his head.
"What is it, Master Marik?" asked Odion.
"I don't know how I can face them, after all I've done to them, and after all the trouble I've cause," he answered, ashamed.
"You can start by leaving this room," replied Ishizu.
"But sister…"
"She's right," agreed Odion.
"…I know, but…Can you two come with me?" asked Marik, his eyes still low.
"Master Marik, I have never left your side, I won't leave you now," answered Odion.
"Thank you Odion," replied Marik. "But you can drop the "master". We're family, you're my brother."
Odion got so choked up he couldn't reply.
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"Er…I set one monster face down, and that ends my turn," stammered Joe, still slowly burning under Drake's non-stop glare.
"Then I'll set this card and end my turn," declared Kaiba, sliding the card into a magic slot. "Pegasus might have bought you a few turns, but it won't matter, as soon as I can attack, you're both history."
"Hey, we still have two turns to crush every single one of your dragons!" snapped Kevin.
"Big words from a mouse," Kaiba replied, coolly.
"Hey! Take that back!" demanded Kevin. Kaiba merely continued his taunting smirk. "Okay! That does it! I'm wiping the floor with you!" He drew his next card.
"They'd better catch onto Kaiba's plan," thought Drake, bitterly. "It's so obvious what cards he just set!"
"Dang, I still don't have anything good," thought Kevin. "Well, at least I finally have a monster I can summon."
"Come on Kev, we have to stick together to beat this guy," thought Joe.
"I'll summon a monster in defense mode and end my turn," said Kevin. A hologram flashed in front of him.
"My turn! And I summon Panther Warrior in attack mode!" declared Joe. Beside his face down monster a violet upright panther appeared. It carried a sword and a shield, as well as wearing a cape. It also had green shoulder pads. Panther Warrior had 2000 attack points.
"Ha! Now Joe has a strong monster on the field!" cheered Tristan. "It's strong enough to take out Kaiba's Lord of Dragons."
Drake buried his face in his hands. "He really is that dense."
"Now, I tribute my face down monster so Panther Warrior can attack!" exclaimed Joe. His other monster vanished and Panther Warrior sprang forward, sword raised, ready to strike the Lord of Dragons.
"WHEELER YOU IDIOT!" shouted Drake.
"Thanks, mutt, you activated my Crush Card—Virus!" smirked Kaiba, flipping over the card he had just set.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Joe.
"I saw that coming a mile away! I could have done something about it! Why did I have to lose so early on! I know I could beat Kaiba!" Drake thought, viciously glaring at Joe's back.
The Panther Warrior sliced through the Lord of Dragons. But as it did a grey haze of germs surrounded its body, invading it. Panther Warrior crumbled to dust. That haze continued, filtrating into Joe and Kevin's deck. Their duel disks started to make a beeping noise.
"Now, ever monster in your decks with more than 1500 attack points is sent straight to the graveyard," gloated Kaiba, his life points dropping to 3200. Kevin's face down monster vanished, leaving both of them without a monster on the field.
"They can't summon a monster with more than 1500 attack points, and Kaiba still has his Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon!" exclaimed Tristan. "This duel is done for…"
"They still have their magic and trap cards," Bakura reminded them. "They still stand a chance."
"No, they lost their chance when they kicked my Drake out of the game," said Lara, putting an arm around her boyfriend. Drake's glare was instantly traded for a fit of coughing.
"I've made a few mistakes, but I'm not out let, but this is going to take a little luck," thought Joe. "I'll set one card face down, and that's all for me." He slid Skull Dice into his disk.
Kaiba drew a card. "I pass."
"My turn…" said Kevin, starting his. "Dang, I had to discard about every single one of my monsters!"
"You're sweating, mouse," smirked Kaiba. "What, did you forget to include a few weak monsters in your deck? Any good duelist knows how important a well rounded deck is."
"Hey! You did the same thing at the Duelist Kingdom!" shot Joe.
"I don't recall ordering you to bark, mutt," retorted Kaiba.
"That tears it! Kaiba, I promise you this, you won't win!" snapped Joe.
"Like there's something you can do to stop me," smirked Kaiba.
"I'll set Aqua Madoor in defense mode and end my turn," said Kevin. Aqua Madoor had pale blue hair that resembled seaweed. It wore a green, white, and blue jumper. Its face was hidden behind a white mask. Its stats were 1200 and 2000.
"Dang, Kaiba really does have us against a wall. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...Nah! I can't let him think he's got me beat!" thought Joe. "I summon Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode, and I'll also set this card." His fairy monster appeared in a swirl of light. Swordsman of Landstar looked like a large pink marshmallow with eyes, shoved into a red suit of armor. The helmet was shaped like Santa Claus's hat. The armor itself was rounds to fit the monster's body. It carried a very short sword and a shield with its picture on it. Its stats were 500 and 1200.
"What a pathetic group of monsters!" chortled Kaiba. "They're almost as pathetic as your brain power!"
"Hey!" protested Joe and Kevin.
"I'm starting to agree with him about Joe," muttered Drake.
"Don't be bitter, dear," said Lara, once more flustering Drake.
"Come on Joe, Kevin! Don't let him get to you!" called Yu-Gi.
"Yeah, you need to focus on the duel!" agreed Mai.
"Hey, guys, did you see where Shayla got to?" asked Duke.
"She left when the guys were posturing," answered Mai. "Not that I really blame her."
"I'm surprised she wants to miss this," commented Téa.
"Well, it is sort of one sided," said Bakura.
"No way! My brother will win this," insisted Serenity.
"Of course he will!" Tristan instantly agreed. Then, softer, "He just has to beat one of the strongest Duel Monsters in the game…"
"I summon Blade Knight in attack mode," said Seto, setting a monster card in his one open space on his duel disk. This warrior appeared between XYZ Dragon Cannon and Luster Dragon. It seemed small compared to the behemoths around it. Blade Knight had 1600 attack points. "Then, I'll set these three cards. Your Swords of Revealing Light are gone! And your life points will be next!" The sword holograms blinked out all around his monsters, freeing every single one to attack.
"Come on guys, you need to do something, fast!" called Téa.
"Don't worry," said Kevin, turning around and winking at her, causing another round of sweat-drops.
"He really isn't for real," commented Duke.
"But why did Kaiba put so many cards down?" asked Serenity.
"Card of Demise," answered Drake. "He has to discard his entire hand at the start of his next turn."
"You really should be up there still, they need your help," said Tristan.
"I know," grumbled Drake through gritted teeth.
"I activate one of my face down cards, Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer!" declared Kevin as he started his next turn. "This lets me move my Buster Blader from my graveyard to my hand!"
"Awesome!" agreed Yu-Gi. "Now, if he can summon it, Buster Blader will have a definite advantage over Kaiba's monsters!"
"It's about time they got a strong monster on the field," agreed Mai.
"He just needs to tribute two monsters," said Duke.
"And I set this monster face down," said Kevin, setting his only other monster with under 1500 attack points in defense mode on the field. It was Pitch Dark Dragon, with stats of 900 and 600. "Now, for the big finale!"
"You're going to blast Wheeler out of the duel?" taunted Kaiba.
"You wish!" smirked Kevin. "I move Aqua Madoor to attack mode and activate United We Stand! Now, my monster gains 800 more attack points each monster on my side of the field, and I have two!"
"Now Aqua Madoor has 2800 attack points! He can start attacking Kaiba's monsters!" cheered Yu-Gi.
"Awesome turn-around!" agreed Serenity.
"It still can't compete with Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon," said Bakura.
"Aqua Madoor, wipe out his Luster Dragon!" ordered Kevin. Aqua Madoor placed its hands close together and fired a pulse of water that looked like a small tidal wave. Luster Dragon bellowed once, then was swept away. Kaiba's life points dropped to 2800. "Ha! Take that moneybags!"
"My turn to have some fun with him!" gloated Joe. "First, I'll place one magic card face down! Then, I move my Swordsman of Landstar to attack mode!"
"You really are a dueling dog, Wheeler," shot Kaiba.
"Just watch a pro!" retorted Joe. "I activate Graceful Dice!"
Kaiba groaned, "You're relying on luck again? That only proves you have no true dueling skills."
"I'll wipe that smirk right off your face!" snapped Joe. A chubby cherubim floated down to the field, carrying a large green die. It let the die go, sending it spinning across the field. "Come on, give me a high number so I can attack rich-boy! I need a high number to multiply my swordsman's attack points by!"
The die rolled once more, and stopped at a five.
"Ha! I got a five!" cheered Joe. "That means Swordsman of Landstar now has 2500 attack points!"
"Wow, you can do basic math. I didn't think your tiny brain could handle such complex equations," remarked Kaiba.
"How much longer are we going to have to listen to this put-down parade?" groaned Duke.
"I know, it does seem a bit childish," agreed Mai.
"Now, Swordsman of Landstar, attack his Twin-Headed, Thunder Dragon!" ordered Joe.
"Perhaps I spoke too soon, my monster is still stronger than yours," said Kaiba.
"For now it is, but I activate Skull Dice!" declared Joe, flipping over another one of his face down cards. This time, a chibi devil floated down, carrying a red die which it released to roll around the field. "Come on, anything but a one!"
"Come on brother!" exclaimed Serenity.
The die stopped at a two.
"Ha! That cuts your dragon's attack points in half!" said Joe.
Kaiba glared at him as his monster's attack points were lowered to 1400. Swordsman of Landstar attacked it, and the Twin-Headed, Thunder Dragon broke into tiny data bits. Kaiba's life points stopped at 1700.
"For boating about how strong your monsters are, you're the only one who's lost life points!" laughed Kevin.
"You'd better watch what you say mouse, cause you're about to lose!" snapped Kaiba. He drew a card. "I have to discard my entire hand because of Card of Demise. But I already have all I need with the cards on the field. Reveal Enemy Controller!" He flipped over one of his face down cards. What looked like a large video game controller appeared in front of all his remaining monsters.
(AN/ Authoress license used here.)
"Huh?" Joe and Kevin looked completely puzzled.
Kaiba smirked as he explained it. "One of the abilities of this card allows me to take control of one of your monsters." The cable of the controller shot out and bound Aqua Madoor, whipping it to Kaiba's side of the field.
"My monster!" protested Kevin.
"Now, Enemy Controller will let me automatically summon a monster, if I sacrifice the right number of monsters. So, I tribute Aqua Madoor and Blade Knight for Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" announced Kaiba. The two monsters vanished. Where they had been his first Blue-Eyes, White Dragon flew. It touched down beside Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. It had 3000 attack points.
"Wow! Way to go Seto!" cheered Mokuba.
"Dang! That's a lot of teeth!" exclaimed Joe, looking from the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon to the three heads of the Ultimate Dragon.
"Now, Blue-Eyes, White Dragon, attack the mouse's face down monster with White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba. In a burst of heat and thunder, Kevin's Pitch Dark Dragon vaporized.
"Oh no! That was my last monster!" exclaimed Kevin.
"The duel is over for you, mouse! Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon, attack his life points directly!" ordered Kaiba. "Neutron Blast!"
"GAH!" screamed Kevin as he was surrounded by the hologram of the attack. With a beep his life points hit 0. He fell backwards hard from the shock.
"Kev! Bro!" exclaimed Joe.
"You're all alone mutt, so much for teamwork and friendship," gloated Kaiba.
"Kevin? Are you okay?" asked Serenity.
"Yea…fine…" muttered Kevin, his pride hurting.
"Just be glad it's just a hologram," said Duke.
"Yeah, if it was a Shadow Game, that would have been a really painful attack," agreed Tristan.
"You two aren't helping," Mai said.
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Shayla leaned against the wall of the open-air corridor on the other side of the blimp. She was relieved the tournament was finally over, and that everyone was okay. She was truly happy that Mai had woken up. But it had thrown her for a loop the way Joe, Drake, Kaiba, and Kevin insisted on another duel. She couldn't understand that. She was also a bit puzzled by how she walked away from it all. There was something bugging her, something buried in the back of her mind. It was that thing that was still making her slightly uneasy.
"It's all the answers I don't have," Shayla told herself. There were still ends she didn't know. Rudy was one mystery she had yet to solve. Yet another was the link to the Millennial Items, and the dreams she kept on having.
It seemed thinking about them was a bad idea. She could feel the world start to spin around her.
"Not…again…" Shayla groaned, once more feeling her consciousness being pulled back…
xDreamx
Shayla was now sitting outside. It was night, the air was just beginning to cool off. But the torches from the nearby palace and walls weren't nearly enough to pierce the shadows. She leaned against the base of a statue in the middle of what she concluded had to be a garden. There was actually green plants, unlike what she had seen in her prior dreams. It was hard to tell if there was a pattern to the garden, or even if there were flowers, it was too dark.
Shayla could feel her chest suddenly heave. It was then she knew she was trying to hold back tears. Why she was upset…that was yet another mystery. She could feel herself struggle against the tears for a few minutes, before she heard footsteps approaching her. The footsteps paused on the other side of the statue. There was a moment of silence before the newcomer spoke.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Shayla recognized the voice—Seto Kaiba.
"I can't do it," she felt herself answer in a broken voice she was desperately trying to hold steady. "I can't do it. This isn't my place. This isn't my world. I don't belong here."
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course you belong here," replied Seto. "We can't undo what fate has done."
"I don't believe in fate," she answered, which mirrored Shayla's exact thoughts at that moment. "There has to be a mistake."
It was silent for another long moment. Shayla could feel his intense eyes evaluating her. She could hear his footsteps walk over beside her, and then she heard him sit down next to her. Shayla desperately wanted to lift her head and confront him, but the girl she had been watching never did. Her eyes were locked on the brown sandstone of the base of the statue.
"Tell me what's really wrong," he insisted, at length.
That one request turned out to be too much for her. Shayla felt herself break down and start sobbing.
xEnd Dreamx
"My…head…" groaned Shayla, picking herself up off of the floor. "Why does this keep happening?" She took a few moments to regain her equilibrium. Once she was steady (enough), she started down the hall. "I have to find some answers, now."
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"Now, XYZ Dragon Cannon, attack the pathetic Swordsman of Landstar!" ordered Kaiba.
"Not so fast, I activate Scapegoats!" exclaimed Joe. Four fuzzy, pastel colored sheep tokens appeared on his side of the field. The one that formed in front of the swordsman was blasted away.
"That was a close call…" commented Tristan.
"Come on bro! It's up to you now!" yelled Kevin.
"Don't worry, I'm not losing to this snob," replied Joe.
"He still has to deal with the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon," Mai said.
"It's amazing he lasted this long against it," commented Bakura.
"My go!" exclaimed Joe, drawing a card. "I really am stuck between a rock and a hard place…"
"Is there anything he can do, Yu-Gi?" asked Serenity.
"Yes," replied Yu-Gi. "He just needs to consider all his options." He dropped a hint.
"I'll set one monster face down in defense mode, move Swordsman of Landstar to defense mode, and end my turn," said Joe. He placed Battle Warrior on his duel disk, who had stats of 700 and 1000.
"I summon Kaiser Seahorse!" exclaimed Kaiba, placing another monster on his disk. This sea serpent only looked like a seahorse in the plated, shimmery armor that it wore. It carried a similarly fashioned shield and a trident-like sword. Its stats were 1700 and 1650. "Now, attack!" In a torrent of power, most of Joe's defensives were swept away. When the smoke cleared from his side of the field, all that remained was his Swordsman of Landstar.
"Aw man! Joe's practically back to square one!" exclaimed Tristan.
"But I know my brother will win," insisted Serenity.
"I knew you'd win this!" called Mokuba.
Shayla quietly stepped off of the blimp and walked over to the make-shift duel arena. She had tried to find Ishizu, but then realized Ishizu would probably want to spend some time with her family. So, Shayla felt drawn out here for some reason. She had concluded it had to do with her last dream.
"Mokuba, how does the field stand?" she asked him, since he had been closest to the blimp's exit.
"Oh, hi Shayla," replied Mokuba. "Right now my brother had Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon, XYZ Dragon Cannon, Kaiser Seahorse, and one of his Blue-Eyes, White Dragons on the field, as well as two face down cards. All Joe has is Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode on the field. Drake and Kevin already lost."
"Wow, has it always been this one sided?" asked Shayla.
"Yup! My brother rocks!"
Kaiba glanced over his shoulder, noticing the new arrival. Everyone missed the slight tug upward at the corner of his lips.
"My turn now! And I've got just the combo I need to win this duel!" exclaimed Joe.
"I knew you'd do it!" cheered Kevin.
"He'd better not mess up again," muttered Drake.
"I play Baby Dragon and Time Wizard, activate Time Wizard's special ability!" explained Joe. Time Wizard raised his staff, the hand spinning around the clock-like face. "If I get a clock, Baby Dragon turns into Thousand Dragon!"
"And if you get a skull, you blow yourself out of the duel," finished Kaiba. "I know what the card does. And I expected no less from a one star duelist like you."
"I'll make you choke on those words!" exclaimed Joe. "Come on, anything but a skull!"
"He's relying on luck again," Mai pointed out.
"It's what works for him," replied Yu-Gi with a shrug.
The hand ticked on a skull. Then it ticked on another skull. Finally, it came to a stop on a clock.
"All right!" cheered Joe. "Time Wizard! Do your thing!"
"Time Magic!" The entire field was caught into a time vortex. The duelists and the monsters were shrouded in the vortex, while everyone tried to see what had happened.
Joe's side was the first to clear. Thousand Dragon stood directly in front of him, thought Swordsman of Landstar was nowhere to be seen. Thousand Dragon was brown, with knobby horns on the corners of its face. It also had white hair around the ears. It was crouched on all fours, breathing slowly, relaxed. It had 2400 attack points.
"Ha! Now to see what 1,000 years did to your side of the field!" laughed Joe. When he saw, he about inhaled a lung.
XYZ Dragon Cannon and Kaiser Seahorse had been destroyed. But the two Blue-Eyes were as fierce as ever. Kaiba was staring smugly at Joe, his arms crossed.
"What happened! Your monsters should have been all destroyed!" protested Joe.
"You idiot, don't you know dragons age the slowest of all creatures?" explained Kaiba, condescendingly. "1,000 years is nothing to them."
(AN/ I could have had the Blue-Eyes, White Dragon age into another Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon. But I was nice. xwinkx Maybe next time.)
"I could have told you that!" snapped Drake.
"Aw dang…" muttered Joe, his shoulders visibly slumped. "I move my Thousand Dragon to defense mode. Then, I'll set two cards face down and end my turn."
"It looks like he has a Plan B," commented Tristan.
"You're giving him too much credit," replied Duke.
"I don't care how bad this looks, I know my brother will still win," insisted Serenity.
"I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards," said Kaiba. "I'll set one of them face down. Now, Blue-Eyes, White Dragon, attack his Thousand Dragon! White Lightning!"
"You fell for my trap! I play Graverobber!" exclaimed Joe.
"I knew he'd have a plan!" cheered Serenity.
"Awesome!" agreed Yu-Gi.
"This lets me select one magic card from your graveyard and use it!" continued Joe.
"I know what it does!" snapped Kaiba.
"Then watch and weep! I choose Enemy Controller!" gloated Joe. "But I'm going to use it differently! My command is…Destroy the Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon!"
"Yes! I knew you'd figure it out!" cheered Yu-Gi. The cable wrapped around the Ultimate Dragon, breaking it into data bits.
"He did it! He actually did it!" exclaimed Duke in disbelief.
"I knew you wouldn't let me down, bro!" called Kevin.
"I'm not done yet, I activate my second card, Monster Reborn, to revive Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon on my side of the field!" announced Joe, as Kaiba's strongest monster appeared in front of him.
"Woah…" muttered Lara.
"Strategically, it's a good move," commented Drake. "But now Joe isn't going to live to see his next sunrise."
"Er…Seto?" called Mokuba tentatively. Multiple throb marks were forming across his brother's forehead.
"This is going to get ugly, isn't it?" asked Shayla.
"Yes…" agreed Mokuba, sadly.
"A half-rate duelist like yourself doesn't even deserve to breathe on that card!" shouted Kaiba, fury level max. "You could never understand what it means to be a duelist who can wield a dragon like that! YOU WILL PAY!"
"Talk, talk, talk," Joe taunted.
"Er…Joe, you might want to be quiet before you end up in a place worse than the Shadow Realm," cautioned Bakura.
Joe smirked. "Let's get on with this duel. And as I remember, your Blue-Eyes, White Dragon was about to attack my Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon." The White Lightning attack shot across the field, ready to be countered by a monster much stronger than it.
"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter!" declared Kaiba. His favorite monster vanished from the field, its attack as well.
"He dodged it!" exclaimed Tristan, stunned.
Kaiba was still fuming, glaring frozen daggers at Joe. "It's still my turn, and I activate Restoration of Freedom!"
"Huh?"
"I told you I'd make you pay," glowered Seto. "This card can only be used if one of my monsters is controlled by another player. That monster is removed from play, acting as a tribute so I can summon another monster! I'd rather see my dragon out of this duel than in your filthy hands!"
"Geesh, chill," protested Joe. "Who'd have thought he'd get so worked up over a card?"
The Blue-Eyes, Ultimate Dragon vanished again, and this time it didn't reform.
"I also activate one of my face down cards, Cost Down! Now, I can summon a seven or eight star monster! Meet my second Blue-Eyes, White Dragon!" With a loud roar, his second Blue-Eyes formed beside the first.
"Kaiba really hasn't lost control of this duel even once," commented Lara.
"I could have changed that," muttered Drake, still bitter. "Wheeler is going to be in a world of hurt when I get to him."
"Come on, brother! I believe in you!" called Serenity.
"Serenity…" started Mai, but she saw the hopeful look on the younger girl's face. "Er…never mind."
"There's a big difference between you and me," shot Kaiba. "I rely on my skills to win, while all you have is mere luck. That's why you'll never be a true duelist."
"Ha! You really kill me!" Joe started laughing.
"You've finally lost it," glowered Kaiba.
"Lighten up and relax! We've got a great duel going on here! Have a little fun!" replied Joe.
"I don't have fun!" snapped Kaiba, who was clearly reaching the outer limits of his patience.
"Then why do you duel if you can't have fun?" asked Joe.
"Shut up, and dog like you knows nothing," growled Kaiba.
"Why would I want to know about all stuff like that?"
"Let's end this farce and finish this duel. It's your turn mutt."
"Seto…" said Mokuba, softly, his good mood killed. Shayla placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Fine, fine, whatever moneybags," shrugged Joe. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." The hologram appeared behind his Thousand Dragon.
"This duel is over! I play Rope of Life!" declared Kaiba. "It requires that I discard my entire hand, but I don't have any cards in my hand. Now, one monster is pulled out of my graveyard, and it gains 800 attack points!"
"At least the Ultimate Dragon was removed from play," said Kevin, breathing a sigh of relief.
"But Kaiba's going to have three monsters," said Bakura. "If Joe doesn't have a good face down card, he's going to lose."
A very familiar roar echoed across the field. Kaiba smirked as his third Blue-Eyes, White Dragon took its place with its kin. It had a raised attack of 3800.
"No way! We never sent that card to the graveyard!" protested Joe.
"He did, when he had to discard his hand because of Card of Demise," Drake pointed out.
"Now to finish you once for all!" shouted Kaiba. "Attack his Thousand Dragon with White Lightning!" His first dragon attacked, completely incinerating Joe's only monster.
"This is over," muttered Shayla.
"Now, to wipe you out, attack his life points directly! White Lightning!"
"I activate Nutrient Z!" shouted Joe.
"What does that card do?" asked Serenity.
"When Joe loses 2000 life points or more, Nutrient Z increases his life points by 4000," answered Yu-Gi.
When the attack passed, Joe was still standing, with more life points than ever at 5000.
"Ha! Looks like you can't beat me this turn!" gloated Joe. "You only have one dragon left to attack.
"That's all I need," glowered Seto. "I activate my remaining face down card, Delta Attacker!"
"Yup, it's definitely ugly," murmured Shayla.
Joe blinked blankly. "What does that do?" Drake again buried his face in his hands.
"It can only be used when I have three monsters with the same name on the field," explained Kaiba, condescendingly. "It combines their attack power into one attack!" A triangle plate appeared between his three Blue-Eyes. The corners were missing from the triangle. In place of the corner was a chain. The chains shackled around the necks of the Blue-Eyes, locking them together. Eight blue eyes glared across the field at Joe.
"That's… 9000 attack points!" exclaimed Tristan.
"Joe!" cried Serenity.
"Now, attack, Triple White Lightning!" ordered Kaiba. His most loyal monster did as they were told, burying Joe in one of the most devastating attacks in Duel Monster's history.
His life points hit 0 and his friends ran to him. Joe stood and brushed himself off.
"You've got a lot of guts talking about being a true duelist, Kaiba," said Joe. "But you're not a true duelist! You can't even have fun with the game!"
"Idiocy is a disease that you won't be cured of until you die, fool," glowered Kaiba.
"Hey! Take that back!" exclaimed Joe, having to be held back by Duke and Tristan.
"Don't let him get to you!" said Duke.
"He's not worth the energy," added Tristan.
"You know what, you're right!" agreed Joe, trying to level a haughty gaze on Kaiba and failing. "I almost won, anyways."
"Yeah, that's a good attitude to have," said Yu-Gi with a smile.
"Come on, let's have a burger to celebrate!" suggested Joe.
"He's still thinking about food?" asked Bakura, surprised.
"Good idea! Me first!" said Kevin, running towards the blimp.
"Hey! Get back here! I have dibs!" exclaimed Joe, chasing after him.
"You'd better save some for me!" said Tristan, racing after him.
"They are totally hopeless," said Téa, sweat-dropping.
"I guess we'd better go keep an eye before they start eating the walls or something," said Mai.
"That would be funny," giggles Serenity.
"I am a bit hungry too, let's see what they're serving," suggested Yu-Gi, the group heading in. Shayla followed at the back, carefully running her walking stick over the ground, searching for random pieces of metal.
"That was a total waste of my time, let's go Mokuba," said Kaiba when they had left.
Mokuba was looking at the ground, not saying anything.
"Mokuba?"
Mokuba then looked up, tears filling his eyes. "Yu-Gi and Shayla were right! You're just filled with hate!"
Kaiba stopped, surprised from his brother's outburst. "Mokuba, don't let what they said get to you."
"But they're right!" insisted Mokuba. "Yu-Gi said that your enemies weren't the monsters on the field, but the monsters in your own heart! And Shayla was right about you needing to bury your hatred! I know our childhood wasn't the best, but at least you smiled then! Why don't you smile any more? Why can't you have fun any more? You used to love games and smile all the time! I loved your smile then! I want my older brother back!" The tears were spilling over.
"Mokuba, calm down," replied Seto, taking on the tone he had when Mokuba had got upset while watching the chess match in the Virtual World. "Don't let that fool you—." Before he could finish with 'I just wanted to keep those losers away from me' Mokuba had ran back inside the blimp.
Mokuba had just jumped up the steps into the airship when he collided with Shayla, who had been traveling slightly slower than the rest of the group. The two were standing in the open-air passage on this side of the ship.
"Mokuba?" she asked. Then she could hear the sobs. "What's wrong?"
"It's…Seto," cried Mokuba.
"Oh, you mean about his attitude today, right?"
Mokuba nodded. "Y-Yeah…I'm losing m-my b-brother."
Shayla bent down so she was on his level. "Mokuba, listen to me. I know your brother has been really mean today. But I also know he cares about you more than anything. I know he'd never hurt you on purpose."
Mokuba hugged her, still crying softly. Shayla was surprised, but managed to maintain her composure.
"It's been a long, stressful day for all of us," she continued. "I'm sure he'll be in a better mood in the morning."
"It's just…" stammered Mokuba. "I already lost Noah today xsniffx I don't want to lose anyone else."
"You won't, Mokuba," said Shayla. "I know how much Kaiba means to you, and I know how much you mean to him. Give him some time to cool off, and then talk with him. I'm sure he'll understand then.
"T-thanks, Shayla," replied Mokuba. "I'm sorry if I…"
"Don't mention it," she said, standing again. For a brief moment, she had been reminded of the time she had spent with Martin after Luther had died.
"I probably should get going, we wanted to take off soon," said Mokuba.
"O-ok…" said Shayla, nervously, realizing heights would be involved.
"Thanks again, Shayla," said Mokuba, hurrying down the halls and further into the ship.
Outside, Seto Kaiba had seen the whole thing. He had walked to the blimp to enter as well, but had stopped when He saw Mokuba and Shayla hugging each other. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he knew Mokuba was still upset. Shayla looked so gentle, he thought she had never looked prettier. He saw Mokuba stand up, smiling slightly. He also saw Shayla's small smile back as Mokuba left. Seto could actually feel his heart pumping. The scene was burned into his mind. After seeing that, he knew there was no way he couldn't tell her how he felt.
Kaiba quickly entered the blimp, before she could get too far, and before they could be interrupted.
"Shayla, wait," called Kaiba as he caught up with her.
She paused, surprised. She really hadn't expected Kaiba to talk to her. Ever since the finals had started he had been getting nastier and nastier, which had cumulated at the last duel. Luckily for her, he directed his anger at the finalists, and she had done her best to avoid the duels all together. He had seemed to mellow out slightly since the incident in the Virtual World. She guessed it was because he had to face a side of himself that he had tried to deny existed.
"What is it?" she asked, turning her head so her ears could focus on the sound of his approaching footsteps.
"I need to talk with you," he stammered, working up his courage.
Shayla's head bobbed a bit as she jerked in surprise. This was certainly unexpected.
"What is it?" she repeated, curiously.
Kaiba walked over to her, standing between her and the railing which lead to the drop outside. He looked down at her, a hundred of different wordings for the simple thing he wanted to say running through his head. Kaiba was also wary. He knew that she had seen his worst side during the last duel. Somehow, he needed to get her to look past that.
Kaiba opened his mouth to speak, when the com on the collar of his coat sparked to life.
"Mr. Kaiba, requesting permission to start the take-off sequence."
Kaiba groaned at the interruption. "Is everyone on?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then let's leave." The static from the com died.
"Thank goodness, it's about time we get to go home," commented Shayla.
"Are you that eager to leave?" he asked. The blimp lurched slightly, taking off and pulling away from the island.
"I've been wanting to leave since the beginning," she answered.
Kaiba glanced at her again, taking in her features. "You could have done well in the final rounds."
"No thanks," she replied, turning to leave.
Kaiba grabbed her wrist. "Wait, the view here is nice." He smirked out across the expanding ocean, back to the rust-filed island and Duel Tower.
"What does that matter to me?"
It was silent for about three seconds, then…
BOOM!
Footsteps could be heard running overhead, as the passengers tried to figure out what was going on.
Shayla let out a small scream and leeched onto his arm.
"W-w-w-w-what was that?" she stammered.
"The Duel Tower," answered Kaiba. "I had it destroyed." Behind his should a large curl of smoke was drifting into the sky. The tower crumbled to the island, which was being swallowed by the ocean.
"Dear Lord I'm sick of things exploding!" she exclaimed.
"I did it to bury my hatred," Kaiba explained.
"W-what…?"
"You were right, I did need to bury my hatred, so I buried it and the tower at the bottom of the sea."
"Y-you actually r-remembered what I told you?"
"How could I forget?"
Shayla was starting to feel slightly anxious, and slightly confused. Kaiba's tone was gentle now, completely different to what he had used during the duel. Once more, his seemingly split personality had consumed all her thoughts as she tried to figure him out. Once more, she had no answer to the large question. But a small answer did present itself.
"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" she asked. "You did stop me, after all. Or was that what you wanted to tell me, that you had decided to move on?"
"Yes, there is something."
"What…is it?" Shayla had hesitated because she realized how close she had drawn herself to him when she grabbed his arm. She surprised herself even more by not pulling away. Somehow, the closeness didn't bother her like she thought it would.
"I-It's…." he stammered, his face slowly turning redder. "Gosh am I glad she can't see that."
Shayla stood, patiently, if not a bit nervously. At the rate things were going, who could blame her for being nervous?
"Who would have guess that the hardest thing I ever had to do was talk to a girl?" Kaiba asked himself.
"What?" asked Shayla, in his pause. For some reason, her heart was starting to beat faster, and her hands were getting sweaty. There was something nagging her in the back of her mind, something she couldn't focus on. And, for some strange reason, she had the sudden desire to hold her scales, which were in the backpack in her left hand.
Seto took a deep breath. "Shayla….I like you."
Shayla again twitched in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this. She was about to ask him to repeat himself, when something inside of her snapped. Power like she had never known surged through her. Something deep in her memory, deep in her subconscious, awoke, pushing her out of the way.
For those who could see what was going on, they would have noticed her scales in her backpack glowing. It made her backpack look like someone had shoved a nuclear reactor inside. A wadjet eye appeared on her forehead.
Kaiba took a step backwards, his eyes wide with surprise.
Shayla pulled off her dark sunglasses and stared him down with her creamy brown eyes.
"How can you have the nerve to tell me that?" she demanded, with a voice like ice. There was something different in her overall tone.
Kaiba continued to stare at her, not responding.
"How could you lie like that!" Shayla continued to demand. "How can you tell me that garbage, when it was you who killed me!" She was being so loud that doors could be heard opening as the duelists ran to the cause of the second commotion.
Seto looked like he was going to ask what the heck she was talking about, when something jerked inside of him, pushing him to the outer limits of his mind. Just like Shayla, a glowing Eye of Horus appeared in the middle of his forehead.
"I hate you!" she screamed.
"You do not know what you are talking about," he replied, coldly. By this time a crowd was beginning to gather, on the next level up of the airship, looking down.
"What is going on?" asked Joe, who was above the situation.
Yu-Gi, who was with him, didn't reply. He stood there, noticing the flow of the Millennial Items. It wasn't too hard for Yami to figure out what was going on.
"Did I miss something?" asked Mai, approaching the two guys. "I could have sworn I heard Shayla screaming that Kaiba had killed her."
"I don't know what I'm talking about!" Shayla shrieked, below.
"Listen to me," said Kaiba.
"No, Seto," she spat. "That was your name, right? This time, you listen to me!"
"Lara, I think we are witnessing a fight that has waited 5,000 years," muttered Drake, who was watching everything with Lara from the floor above Yu-Gi, Joe, and Mai.
"Who would have thought, of all people, it was them who knew each other in the past?" she replied.
"You traitor!" Shayla yelled. "Treacherous rat of the entire empire! Involved in sickening rituals of the Dark Cult…."
"You have it wrong, Shaylana," he replied, gently. Shaylana jerked in surprise. "Surprised that I remember your name? Don't be. I couldn't forget it. I could never forget anything about you." He raised a hand to stroke the side of her face, but she roughly shoved it away.
"Don't even talk to me like that!" she yelled back, thoroughly enraged.
"The millennia seemed to have changed your attitude, Shaylana. Before, you would have never dared speak to someone of a higher social status with that tone," said Seto, coldly.
"You aren't higher than me!" she yelled. "You are scum! Plotting the murder of your pharaoh, breaking the ancient rules of magic with chaotic results, setting me up for the sacrifice in your twisted schemes…."
"Is Seto okay?" asked Mokuba, his eyes wide with concern. He had just ran around the corner, and was about to go to the stairs to talk with his older brother.
"That isn't your brother," replied Yami.
"What?" asked Mokuba. He looked at Yami completely confused, then took the stairs to the next floor down.
"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" asked Joe.
"No, it is always better just to let couples work out their differences," said Mai.
"Couple!" gasped Joe.
"….Do you think you have the right to toy with people's lives like that?" Shaylana continued to yell. Seto had stopped trying to interrupt. He just stood there, letting her vent. "You egotistic, narcissistic, selfish, hateful, pathetic excuse for a human being! And now, you have the nerve to say it wasn't true? That it wasn't your fault? And that you actually…."
Seto stopped her in a very unexpected way. He reached his hand to her face, pulling her chin up. Then he bent down and kissed her soundly on the lips for about three seconds.
The corridors, which had before been echoing with her yelling, went deathly quiet. The onlookers were beyond stunned. Even Shaylana seemed to lose her voice. They pulled apart. Shaylana seemed to be struggling to mouth words of anger, and her hand twitched as if she was preparing to slap him. Seto spoke before she could.
"I always wanted to do that while we were alive," he replied.
Shaylana's face flushed. For the first time, she seemed to be completely lost for words. Without saying anything, she turned and ran from the hall. Her footsteps faded, followed by the sound of a door slamming.
"I-I think we should go help her," muttered Mai, who started down the hall.
"Good idea," agreed Téa, who promptly followed after glancing down at Seto once. She joined the group late, but Shaylana had been yelling loud enough that she didn't need to be close to know what was going on.
"Hmmm…." muttered Duke as he approached with Serenity on the same level as Kaiba. "I thought she was supposed to be blind." He stared down the hallway that Shaylana had run passed them. The rest of the group joined them, having just walked down the stairs.
"So did I," agreed Serenity. They both looked confused about the whole situation.
"What was that all about!" demanded Joe, instantly stepping forward to confront Seto.
"Nothing that concerns a peasant like you," replied Seto, coldly. He glared at Joe much like Kaiba always did.
Seto looked around. All he saw was harsh or confused faces.
"I suppose you all want my other soul back," he said. Not caring for an answer, he released his hold on Kaiba.
Kaiba fell to the floor. He didn't get up, being completely unconscious.
"Seto!" exclaimed Mokuba, instantly racing to his side. "Someone, call the hospital wing!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Shayla?" called Mai as she knocked on her door. It opened from under her knuckles."Are you okay?" called Téa as they entered.
Shaylana was sitting in a large armchair, crying into the armrest.
"Do you want to talk?" asked Mai.
"I guess so," replied Shaylana. "It has been so long since I was free to do so."
"Um……"
"What just happened?" asked Téa.
"That is a long story….." muttered Shaylana. "You'd better be careful when you ask for that, Téana."
"Excuse me?" asked Téa.
"This is getting way too weird…." muttered Mai.
"It was worse before, Maiah," replied Shaylana.
"I'm Mai."
"But in the past you would be known as Maiah," replied Shaylana.
"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Téa. "Are you the spirit of the scales, like Yami is the spirit of the puzzle?"
"Yes."
"Spirit? Yami?" asked Mai.
"What happened?" asked Téa, understanding more about the situation than Mai. "Why were you yelling at Kaiba?"
"Seto," replied Shaylana, through gritted teeth. "His name is Seto."
"Huh?" asked Mai, who was looking more confused than ever.
"He was a high priest in Egypt during the time I lived," replied Shaylana. "I never imagined his spirit would be preserved, too."
"But….well, how?" asked Téa. "Kaiba doesn't have a Millennial Item."
"Seto did. He owned the rod," replied Shaylana, her eyes narrowing. "I know that too well….."
"What makes you say that?"
"He used it to kill me."
"Let me get this straight," said Mai. "In Egypt, Kaiba was a priest. He had that rod-thing Marik had. Somehow he betrayed all of Egypt. Then he used the rod to kill you? But somehow, those scales of yours kept you around until today?" She looked absolutely baffled.
"Yes, Maiah," replied Shaylana. "For millennia I have slept inside of the scales, knowing that someday a person would come to use their powers once more…. Shayla is not unlike me that sense. We both cringed from magic when we were first exposed to it. If she hadn't, I may have awakened sooner, though I never desired to awaken from my sleep."
"What did he say that made you so mad today?" asked Téa, focusing on the present once more.
"He actually said he liked me," answered Shaylana, bitterly. "But you don't kill the one you love."
"Kaiba admitted he liked you?" said Mai, a bit surprised, a bit smugly.
"Seto is a liar," Shaylana answered, bitterly. She sighed. "I have used up too much energy today. I will return my other side."
"You mean Shayla?" asked Téa.
There was no reply. Shayla just slumped forward, unconscious. Shayla was in control again. At least she would be, once she woke up.
"I think we should take her to the hospital wing," said Téa.
"Is it necessary?" asked Mai.
"Well, she is exhausted, somehow," said Téa.
"You're right," agreed Mai, as they began to man-handle Shayla across the blimp.
xFlashbackx
Shaylana had let her curiously get the better of her. On her way back to her room from Isis's temple, she had noticed the high priest walking with a group of his guards. Ever since he had cornered her that one night, she had wanted to know more about him. Those blue eyes had held her spell-bound more than once. It caused her heart to race every time she thought about someone so important actually speaking to her. So, she had decided to follow him.
In between the guards was a large wagon, pulled by two slow moving oxen. Whatever was in the wagon was heavy, because it was so low to the ground the axels looked about ready to break. It seemed highly odd that they were traveling with such a load as the sunset. Most heavy work had been done earlier, so they would not be stuck in the dark. Perhaps they were running late, Shaylana thought. But then why was Seto with them? It seemed like such a menial task…
She stayed in the shadows and close to the wall. She was puzzled when they avoid the main entrance of the palace and instead circled around it, to the left hand side. The sun had now set, and darkness was covering all. But Seto still seemed to know exactly where to lead them. He followed the ornate carvings on the wall, until one specific spot. Shaylana couldn't tell what was different about this part of the wall and the others, but she stayed back, watching.
Seto raised the Millennial Rod and placed a hand on one symbol of the palace wall. A hidden door in the wall swung up, the path behind that leading into darkness. High Priest Seto disappeared inside, then the first few guards, and then the wagon. But when the wagon got close to the entrance, it hit a bump, dislodging the blanket that covered the cargo.
Shaylana's eyes went wide when she saw what was under it. It was a tablet she had been told about in such vivid details she could have seen it in her sleep. She had never actually seen this tablet, but she knew it was the one from Priestess Ishizu's descriptions.
Shaylana felt as if her heart had stopped at that moment. She knew the chaos that had come from the tablet, and how the pharaoh felt about it. And now, Seto had taken it and was hiding it within the palace.
"How could it be him, though?" she asked herself, looking up at High Priest Seto, half afraid and half appalled. She leaned against the wall she was hiding by, trying to clear her head. "I have to tell Ishizu!" She crept away. The moment she was out of sight, she burst into a run, heading back to the city as fast as her feet would carry her.
"It doesn't matter any more," she thought as she ran.
Soon, her breathing was clipped, half from running hard. Her side was aching, but not nearly as much as her heart. That, she had no idea why.
x-x-x-x-x-
She raced into the temple of Isis through one of the back doors. She went through quickly, trying not to attract attention to herself. That was the last thing she needed. She was frantic in her search for Ishizu.
Unfortunately, before she could find her mentor, someone else found her. Shaylana felt strong hands grabbed her. The person was hidden behind a doorway.
"Let me go!" yelled Shaylana, as she struggled to get free.
"I don't think so, you're the one our priest wants," replied a man's voice. She could see enough of his clothing to tell he was one of Seto's guards. "You're coming with me." With that, he began to drag her away, over her screams of protest.
x-x-x-x-x-
It had been the most frightening hours of her life. The guards had done everything in her power to make her miserable. They clearly had nothing but contempt for the Hebrew people. She had been hit and kicked. But the worst part was when they carved her eyes out, permanently blinding her. Shaylana alternated between shaking and crying.
She was, however, able to learn several things from the guards' conversation. She knew that the high priest was planning on overthrowing the pharaoh, using the forbidden magic Ishizu had warned her of. There was going to be betrayals, because they had loyal spies everywhere.
The ultimate plan she learned later. The Millennial Items were going to be used to open a gate and release a creature whose equal had never been seen.
Shaylana was roughly led down some deep stone steps. Where she was at and where she was going was all a mystery to her now. Her head was throbbing painfully as blood trickled down her face from where her eyes used to be.
"Tie her up at the end," barked one of her captors. She was drug halfway across the room, shoved at the end of some kind of square stone slab, and tied to it.
"Now all we have to do is wait for our priest. Then, we shall kill the pharaoh and claim his kingdom for our own."
Shaylana was more afraid than Shayla had been when she was almost thrown out of Marik's helicopter. She sat on the cold floor, not even bothering to struggle free. Her head hurt, and she couldn't stop her hands from shaking in fear against the ropes that bound her.
Before too much time had passed there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
"In here, pharaoh," came the unmistakable voice of Seto. "This is where I hid the tablet from Kuruelna, the tablet with the power to summon the darkest magic if the Millennial Items are present."
The pharaoh did not reply. He merely continued on. Shaylana was terrified at what would happen next. All she knew was what she heard.
"Greetings, pharaoh," said a man who had yet to speak. "And welcome to your tomb."
"Heishin!"
"What is going on here?" demanded Seto.
"Just a slight change to your plans," replied Heishin.
There were the sounds of a fight and lots of yelling for several minutes. Shaylana cringed close to herself, trying not to be the target for a stray attack. She could hear male screams as they got hurt, and people breathing hard as they exerted themselves. But soon, the fight was over.
"Now, pharaoh, hand over the remaining Millennial Items, or this brat gets it," snapped Heishin.
"Don't….." came a mangled reply.
It was completely silent for a moment, as the pharaoh, alone and outnumbered, had to make his choice.
"Don't push me, I will act," growled Heishin.
"Have it your way," said the pharaoh, at extreme length.
There was laughter. "Put them in their place." Shaylana heard the sounds of footsteps walking around her, and then metal being placed on stone. As the pharaoh passed, he placed one hand on her shoulder, for encouragement, though it only lingered a moment.
"You are a fool," chortled one of the guards.
"Our high priest will reign supreme!" added another. Shaylana quiver a little.
There was the sound of metal hitting flesh, followed by a body hitting the floor.
"With the Millennial Items gathered and a blood sacrifice offered, an invincible creature who'll only obey me will be summoned," said someone in a low voice. Shaylana couldn't tell who was speaking, but she had a good guess.
Someone was walking over to her. The guards were encouraging their high priest. Shaylana was reaching a new level of fear. The pharaoh watched, powerless to help.
Shaylana felt a strong hand grab a handful of her hair. He pulled her head back, until it touched the top of the slab behind her. A strange tingle ran down her neck as her head was forced onto an item behind her.
She could now sense the faint power of all the Millennial Items. Six were securely in their places in the sarcophagus to which she was tied. The seventh, was right in front of her. She could sense it, Seto's Millennial Rod.
The rod was raised, point facing down. She knew what was going to happen. She tried to squirm away, but she was bound too tightly.
The Millennial Rod was brought towards her with force and speed. It went, point first, through her exposed neck, spilling her blood on the Millennial Items. The scales grew warm beneath her. Then she remembered no more in life.
AN/ Thank the Lord! I have been waiting ever since the beginning of SS2 to get those last few scenes posted! And before y'all comment, I know all about the Pharaoh's Memory saga. No need to tell me what happened, I actually saw it (I've got those episodes downloaded). Authoress license used where needed. This series follows the actual events of Yu-Gi-Oh! as well as deviating to my original ideas when I find it necessary. So don't get used to it being one way then complain when I change it. And, as always, please read, review, and enjoy!
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