Author's Note: Welcome everyone, to the anniversary chapter of The Path Not Taken. One year ago today, I started writing this story. If I'm lucky, I might be able to finish it before its second anniversary.
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Assorted Mayhem
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A dark sentience waited just beyond Malik's conscious acknowledgement. This sinister being had resided within Malik's mind for longer than the boy realized, tricking and manipulating him to get what it wanted. It was stronger than him, more powerful, more in control, and at the moment, it was also very, very pissed off.
The dark mindset called itself Marik, a play off its host's name, and it considered itself to be the dominant consciousness of their little duo. But for some reason recently, Malik had decided he was going to start thinking for himself. Marik was used to using Malik, making suggestions and, when necessary, demands, and his host would carry out his appointed tasks. Malik's new desire for independence was most disturbing. Marik seriously considered using force to enforce his demands, but it would be deeply undesirable to break the boy so late into the game, or worse, lose control and have Malik rebel completely, forcing the dark presence out of his mind completely.
Not that Marik really thought Malik was strong enough to do such a thing, but it would cause something of a setback if he were to try. So he remained quiet, hoping that his host actually did know what he was doing, and planning a great and terrible revenge should Malik happen to fail him.
But even planning revenge could get somewhat dull after a while. Eventually Marik's thoughts began to wander, and it was then that he picked up on… something… coming toward the island. Something powerful.
Eager for the new amusement and possible power that he could exploit, Marik senses reached for the Millennium Rod. He was terribly fond of the Rod; it had always given him a freedom and power that Malik would never have allowed him. In the shadowy world where Marik's presence existed, the power of the Millennium Rod shone with a golden power that called to him.
The Millennium Rod was excited about something. It had taken Marik a long time to accept, but he had finally come to accept that the Millennium Item's had… well, perhaps not personalities, but senses of their own. Marik hovered close to the Millennium Rod's golden light, reaching out tentatively to merge with its power. What was it so excited about?
More.
The thought thrummed throughout Marik, the Millennium Rod's gleeful cry. More were coming. More what?
More of Me.
That didn't make any sense. The Millennium Rod was whole; it didn't have any pieces that were missing, that could have gotten lost. After all, it's not like it was the Millennium Puzzle-
Yes!
The Millennium Puzzle was coming toward the island! That did account for the growing sense of power Marik felt approaching, and it explained why the Millennium Rod had awakened. The Millennium Items gained in power when several of them were near each other.
Well, what a pleasant surprise this was. The Millennium Puzzle, on its way to the island. Perhaps Malik's decision to wait would be a profitable one after all. If he could take the Millennium Puzzle (and the Eye and Necklace while he was here as well) along with the God Cards, there would be no force on earth with any hope of ever defeating him.
And, so long as he was waiting, he might as well go check out this new, interesting development. The Millennium Rod seemed more than happy to oblige, perhaps even eager, as Marik used its power to reach out across the ocean to touch the mind of his quarry.
There was always a moment of disorientation in such a stretch, before Marik could "wake up" within the consciousness of another. He was lucky in his timing; his temporary host seemed to be distracted with something.
Marik was very good at subtlety, and he settled down slowly so as not to disturb the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle with his presence.
Except… this seemed not to be the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle. There was a faint musical note of little hanging pointers clinking together, before the powers of the Millennium Ring touched Marik.
Who are you?
Marik ignored the question, more intrigued by this new twist he had discovered. Not one Millennium Item was sailing toward the island, but two. The Millennium Puzzle, and now as he discovered, the Millennium Ring. This was definitely going to be a fun little trip, after all.
Still moving carefully, Marik opened his himself to the senses of his temporary host. From here it was usually just one more step into overwhelming his host and taking of their mind. But this one wore the Ring, and peaceable though the Ring was, it would not allow him to do such a thing. The Millennium Items could be so damnably loyal sometimes.
So Marik settled back, focusing first on what seemed to have his temporary host so distracted. Seeing what his host could see, Marik found himself looking at… a boy. A very tall boy, standing at the railing of the ship with his back to them, with soft brown hair rumpled slightly from the ocean breeze. This is what had his current host so distracted? Well, at least his host had exceptional taste; the boy had a rather nice ass.
He does, doesn't he? his host responded, having unconsciously picked up on Marik's thought. Hey, what the-?
Marik found himself unceremoniously ousted from his current host by a rush of willpower and the barest force from the Millennium Ring. He hovered nearby his now ex-host, momentarily searching for a way back in, before giving up the attempt as futile as the bearer of the Millennium Ring consciously blocked his every try. Marik would have to be more careful the next time he tried infiltrating the mind of someone with a Millennium Item.
Already bored with this one, Marik turned his attentions to the boy with the nice ass, though he could feel the powers of the Millennium Ring somewhere behind him, searching for him. It wouldn't be able to find him if he found another host here. He could always return to Malik, but for the moment, this seemed far more entertaining.
A stab of pain lanced through Marik briefly, startling him from his thoughts. For a moment he thought the Ring had caught him, or perhaps the Eye again searching for him again, but when the pain came a second time, though lesser this time, Marik realized it was coming from none other than the Millennium Rod. What the-?
He tried to question the Rod about it, only to find that… the Rod itself seemed a little distracted. And pulling Marik along with it, in little hesitant tugs. The Rod wanted something. Marik held still, reasserting control on the Item, then trying to determine where it was the Rod had been hoping to go.
The boy with the nice ass?
The Millennium Rod's power thrummed with resentment for the term Marik had referred to the boy with. Marik's consciousness was briefly flooded with images, images of that boy, whirling by at a blinding speed, memories of power and agony and… Ancient Egypt?
Aha. So now it made sense. This boy had once been affiliated with the Millennium Rod. Thousands of years ago, somewhere in another life. And now the Millennium Rod had found its old master again, and wanted to go back to him. As always, the Items were so damnably loyal.
You want to go back to him? Marik demanded of the Rod, annoyed at its attempts at mutiny. We'll just see how you'll like taking over his mind. You belong to me, and soon enough, he will too.
The boy wore no Millennium Item; it should be a simple thing to take over his mind. But as Marik moved forward to do it, he was jerked back with enough force to make him dizzy. The Rod did not want him to go forward. Loyalty.
Angry now, Marik kept forcing his way forward. He would take over this boy's mind, if only to prove to the Millennium Rod who owned it. It was like slogging through waist-deep sand, Marik trying to force his way forward, and the Millennium Rod trying to drag him back.
You belong to me, and I'll be damned if I'll give you up to the likes of him, Marik snarled at the Millennium Rod. Now let GO!
With a final forceful tug, Marik broke free. He paused for a moment, taking a firm hold of the Rod's power. It lay complacent before him; it would obey him as it always had. It wouldn't like it, but it would obey.
Well, it didn't have to like it. Marik turned, determined to take over the mind of that boy, simply on principle now, moving forward swiftly now. And when he was so close he could reach out and touch the boy who was to become his new host… he slammed into a wall.
Marik fell back reeling, before reaching out to try again. He encountered the same wall, glowing around the boy almost possessively. The same golden glow of a Millennium Item. Marik first thought of the Rod, but the Rod seemed as baffled as Marik to have been thwarted in the attempt. Marik traced the trail of power that led from the barrier to its source… none other than the Millennium Ring.
The bearer of the Millennium Ring said nothing to Marik, but the message seemed clear enough, "Hands off, this one's mine."
Marik huffed softly to himself. This was getting him nowhere. But it was alright; if Malik could wait to get what he wanted, so could he. Resolved now, Marik allowed the Millennium Rod to return him back to Malik's consciousness, back into his own dark little space. Malik seemed curious as to where Marik had been, but didn't comment on it. It was just as well; Marik wouldn't have told him anyway.
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Seto stood on the deck of the ship, casually leaning against the railing and watching the approach to the island. So that was Duelist Kingdom, was it? It certainly didn't seem very sinister. But somewhere on that island was a psychopath who had torn Yugi and Yami's souls apart, and now held the pieces hostage. Seto frowned. It seemed like there was an overabundance of psychopaths around lately.
"Hey, Seto!"
Seto looked over as Yugi ran up to him. "Hey, Yugi. How are you feeling?"
Yugi shrugged, leaning against the railing. "Alright for the moment. I'm really not sure about Yami though, he's been really… quiet, I guess. Like he's upset about something but doesn't want to talk about it."
"Yami too?" Seto frowned. "Mokuba's been like that all morning as well. He didn't even want to come out of the room for breakfast this morning."
"Do you think he and Yami had a fight?"
"Maybe." Seto shrugged. "I wouldn't know what about, though. As far as I can tell, Mokuba practically idolizes Yami. Once he figured out he wasn't you, I mean. Perhaps even before that."
Yugi closed his eyes, reaching out a tentative mental poke at Yami. -"Yami? You alright? Did you and Mokuba have a fight?"-
There was a long silence, and Yugi wasn't sure Yami was going to answer him. Finally, Yami said, -"A misunderstanding, perhaps. It's nothing you need to worry about, Yugi."-
"A misunderstanding?"- Yugi asked. -"About what?"-
"It's nothing,"- Yami said again. -"Don't worry about it."-
"But Yami-"-
"I said drop it!"-
Yugi was taken aback by Yami's snarled response. -"…I'm sorry, Yami…"-
He heard Yami sigh. -"Forgive me, Yugi. That was uncalled for. It seems I am… not having a very good day. Please, just let me rest."-
Yugi quietly broke the connection and opened his eyes. Finding Seto watching him curiously, Yugi shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me what was wrong. But whatever it is has made him kind of… irritable."
"Mokuba too." Seto shrugged, looking back across the ocean at the island they were approaching. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd think Mokuba had a crush on Yami."
Yugi was fairly certain he heard Yami groan.
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All kind of chaos broke loose when the boat finally docked on the island. As the duelists disembarked, some ran off immediately to explore, and many more milled around with their friends, uncertain of just where to go. The island seemed so much bigger than they had originally thought.
Yugi stood with his friends at the dock, looking around. "So, where to first?"
"There's probably a starting point," Seto said, looking around. "We'll probably hear about the tournament rules first, before the whole things starts. We just have to find- hey, look!" Distracted suddenly, Seto pushed his way through the crowds, running into the forest. Yugi and Mokuba had no choice but to run after him.
When they caught up to him, Seto was standing in a small clearing in the forest, staring up awestruck at a massive, bright colored platform, apparently created for two players to duel at.
"This is it!" Seto breathed out, his voice hushed in admiration.
"What's it?" Yugi asked, blinking at the structure. Sure, it was impressive, but nothing to get so worked up about…
"My design!" Seto said, beaming. "It's all here! Every little detail! I can't wait to see if they really work!"
"You really designed these things, Seto?" Yugi asked. "Was this that design thing you told me Noa had stolen from you?"
"This is it," Seto said, nodding. "I can't believe they're here though. It's one thing to see it on paper, quite another to see it built life-size!"
"Well now," a voice broke into the conversation, sounding both wicked and amused at once. "I knew you were talented, I hadn't realized you were quite the genius as well, Seto."
Seto stiffened as he and the others turned to face the newcomer. Bakura leaned casually against a tree trunk, cloaked in shadows despite the brightness of the afternoon.
"You!" Yugi glowered, his violet eyes turning crimson as Yami emerged. "What are you doing here? How dare you show your face here!"
"Relax, Pharaoh," Bakura replied smoothly. "Or should I call you Yami, now? I'm not here to duel, or to cause any harm at all, really. I was just hoping to join your little group here."
"Join our group?" Mokuba asked. "No way! You're the one that trapped us inside cards and made us duel against each other!"
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Bakura's grin suggested he didn't feel sorry about it at all. His gaze flickered to Seto. "What about you, Seto? You'll allow me to come along, won't you?"
Seto grit his teeth together. "Is that a direct command?"
"Nope." Bakura folded his arms. "But it will be, if it comes to that."
"What are you talking about?" Yami looked at Seto, then back at Bakura, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You did something to him, didn't you? I knew you did!"
"You're the one that made Seto bleed!" Mokuba yelled at Bakura. "You're a bad person!"
"Indeed I am, if you want to put it that way, little dragon," Bakura said. He looked again to Seto. "I missed you when you left me this morning. You didn't even say goodbye."
"Would one of you please tell me what you're talking about!" Mokuba broke in.
Bakura grinned, pulling a Duel Monster's card out of his pocket. Seto's heart lurched at the sight of his Blue Eyes White Dragon card, the very one that held his soul trapped within it.
"Hey, that's Seto's card!" Mokuba said.
"Oh, it is more than that, little dragon," Bakura murmured. "Far more. This card holds Seto's soul."
"You…" Yami glared hatred at Bakura. "You took his soul?"
"He gave it to me," Bakura said. "In exchange for the return of his precious brother's soul. I rather think I got the better end of the bargain, though."
Mokuba and Yami both looked at Seto. Seto sighed, shrugging. "I didn't have a lot of options at the time."
"So," Bakura said. "Do I get to come along, or what?"
"No," Yami growled at him. "If you think we'll simply allow you to come along with us like nothing is wrong, then you are sorely mistaken."
"That's a shame," Bakura said. He moved out of the shadows, approaching Yami. Yami did not back down, glaring up at Bakura as he neared.
"Perhaps I should just take Seto along with me, then," Bakura continued. "Or perhaps I'll just challenge you to another duel? You were in sad shape the last time, Pharaoh, I felt sure you would simply pass out there on the table. If I come along on this trip, I'm willing to be civil for the time, but don't think for a minute that I wouldn't love to see the life drain from your eyes, your very spirit laying battered and broken before me-"
"Don't talk to Yami that way!" Mokuba interrupted, pushing Bakura away from Yami. He glared up at Bakura, who seemed more amused than anything at Mokuba. "If you want to come with us, you have to promise to be nice. And not to hurt Seto anymore!"
"Little dragon, hurting Seto is no where near my intention," Bakura purred.
"Mokuba, we don't have to let him come," Yami put in quietly.
Mokuba shrugged, not looking at Yami. "It's like Seto said; we don't have a lot of options. Besides," he frowned at Bakura, "I want to keep an eye on him."