Summary, Warnings, and Disclaimer: Why do I even bother with these things?
/…/ Duo to Shin
/:…:/ Shin to Duo
[…] Ryou to Bakura
[:…:] Bakura to Ryou
{…} Yugi to Yami
{:…:} Yami to Yugi
:…: flashback
"Not only do I not know what's going on,
but I wouldn't know what to do about it
if I did."
-Anonymous
Bakura grinned in anticipation. "That means, that unless you're idiotic enough to get yourselves killed, for all intents and purposes…" He paused for dramatic effect.
"You're immortal."
Immortal.
The word reverberated through Duo's mind. Immortality, to live forever; to never age, never change, as the world changed out of recognition around you… as everyone you loved grew to old age and died, but left you behind, pristine…
A vision suddenly filled the hikari's head, of himself and Shin standing at a funeral surrounded by strangers, gazing down into a casket at Quatre's ancient face. The two were young and beautiful, their grief a bitter, mocking parody next to that of the bent figures of Trowa and Wufei. There was no Heero in sight, and he wondered wildly in his hallucination if that was because he'd gone into the ground long before…
With a quick shake, Duo brought himself out of his reverie. "Look, that's all very well and good, even if it's not likely to happen-"
/:Yeah, an Ozzie bullet'll take care of it in no time.:/ Shin sent wryly.
"- But somehow I doubt that's what you came here to tell us," the boy finished, voice taught with a hint of the inexplicable anger he felt.
Not answering, the albino thief studied him carefully, blood-brown eyes narrowed. "You don't seem all that happy."
One hand curled into a fist in his lap, invisible beneath the table as Duo bared his teeth in what couldn't exactly be called a grin. "You could say that."
Bakura shook his head in confusion. "Why? Most people would be thrilled to find out they'll never die."
"Everyone dies. It's the way things are. No one can avoid it, and you shouldn't try." Duo looked away for a moment, until he was sure he had his face under control. "Besides," he said, a crooked grin affixed firmly on his face, "who'd want to watch everyone they love die?"
"You get used to it, after a while," Bakura said, shrugging.
"Not really somethin' that's good ta get used to," Shin commented, face uncommonly grave.
Bakura's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, before he looked down. "I guess not." He stood and walked over to the counter, pouring himself a cup of coffee. Sipping it as he sat down, he sighed. "And you're right, that was only one of the reasons I came."
/:How ever did we guess?:/
/Shin, enough./ Duo sat up in his seat, watching their guests through flat, violet eyes. "You want to know how we're going to use the Rod."
Bakura stiffened, surprised. "How-?"The hikari shrugged. "It's what we would be trying to figure out, if the situation were reversed." At the tombrobber's frown he sighed. "Look, there's this old quote, one that's beyond cliché, but… it fits. 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
Shin sniggered. "You're right, that is cliché." The sniggering stopped abruptly as Duo's foot found his, well, shin underneath the table.
Glad his own chair was safely away from the battleground, Bakura suppressed a smile at their antics. Brought back memories, it did, memories of when they had all been children, and the world was full of adventure, not things that went bump in the night and the day… The incipient smile turned sad, as a wave of pity washed over him for these babes, unwillingly thrust into a life of shadows and blood.
"Actually," he spoke up in Duo's defense, "it took me over five thousand years to understand that. When I was first… awakened, I was evil."
Both of the other Itemholders blinked at the bald statement. "An' now?" Shin asked cautiously, studying him.
"Regretful."
"Ah." Shin shared a long glance with his light, then looked back at their guest. "So was there anything else ya were here for, if we didn't turn out to be ravin' lunatics?"
"Yep." Bakura grinned, looking at their expectant faces. "We figured one of us had better start teaching you two how to control your powers. Though," he scowled, remembering, "if the Rod has any more tricks like that camouflage bit hiding away, I'm not sure how much help I'll be."
Duo shrugged again, rising. "Every little bit helps. Especially when you don't have a clue what you're doing. Umm…" He looked around. "Should we do this in the kitchen?"
"It doesn't really matter, but it'd probably help if we were more comfortable." Bakura stood as well, setting his half-full coffee regretfully on the table. "The living room would probably work." He followed Duo out into the hallway.
Heero fidgeted uncharacteristically, fully aware of how his eyes kept darting over to the other side of the room, where a snow-white head bent close to one of many colors. Damn it, what were they so engrossed in, anyway? It surely wasn't the stuttering literature teacher.
Growling mentally, the Japanese boy switched his glare to the hapless instructor, who was currently botching a dissertation of one of Shakespeare's plays; he was making such a mess, the pilot wasn't even sure which one he was talking about. Fortunately, though he wouldn't admit it, Heero was glad the teacher was offering himself as a sacrifice to his temper. Certainly, the fool was successfully keeping his mind off another idiot…
His hands clenched into fists, the pencil in one coming perilously close to the breaking point. The Perfect Soldier couldn't remember ever feeling so tense. Between finding out he had two partners, to the revelation that magic, of all things, existed… He relaxed slightly. He had a perfect right to be tense, all things considered. There was nothing wrong with his training…
Training. His mind held up on the word. They now had six trained Gundam pilots… Why the hell hadn't he thought of this before? It would change everything, how they operated, how many missions they could take… As soon as possible, Heero would have to reevaluate both Duo and Shinigami for combat effectiveness.
It was then that he choked. Dear Kami. Two of them…
For the first, and likely the only time in his life, the Perfect Soldier pitied his enemies.
Duo sat cross-legged on the living room floor, leaning back against his yami's legs. Shin sprawled on the couch, directly across from where Bakura sat in an easy chair.
"All right," the albino said, gathering his thoughts. "First of all… Do you remember back when I was explaining immortality, where I said you pulled the power from?"
The hikari nodded thoughtfully. "You said it was from another world…"
"Right. We call that world the Shadow Realm, and it's where we get all of our power from, called Shadow Magic." In demonstration, the thief summoned a tendril of Shadow, weaving it through his outstretched fingers. "This is pure Shadow. In this form, however, it can't do much beyond move small objects. To do more with it, you have to make it assume a shape you control.
"The Egyptians did that by using the Shadow Games we mentioned last night. More recently, we did it using a card game developed in the twentieth century called Duel Monsters. But, it'll be a while before we actually get into that." He grinned at his audience's disappointed faces. "Don't worry, we will eventually. It's just…"
Bakura sighed. "Shadow Magic is primarily offensive magic, with a few shielding and healing spells thrown in. When that kind of magic gets loose, it's like…" He stopped, at a loss for an appropriate simile.
"Like a gallon of nitroglycerin deciding to take a bull ride?" Duo suggested, undoubtedly remembering their first meeting.
The tombrobber grinned in genuine amusement. "Multiply that by a thousand times, and yeah, it would be like that." Duo's face blanched satisfyingly.
"So, all things considered, it would be best if I taught you how not to lose control."
"Yeeeah, that would be a good thing," Shin commented, as pale as his hikari.
Bakura nodded. "Good. Now, the first thing to teach you is how to touch the magic, and let it flow through you…"
Yami's body suddenly spasmed as the backwash of Shadow Magic overwhelmed his senses. The class tittered, amused by his undignified landing on the classroom floor, but the former pharaoh could have cared less. Out beyond the school, in the direction of the house where his former enemy was teaching the newest Itemholder about magic, was what could only be described as a geyser of dark energy; one so strong just being in the same city- nay, same country as it invigorated his nerves.
Only now registering the sniggers, he clambered back into his seat, blushing. A few desks away, Chang watched him curiously. Duo, the former spirit mouthed in explanation. The Chinese boy smirked, obviously unsurprised, and turned his attention back to the teacher.
Yami, however, could not so readily return to normality. The wellspring of magic still loomed figuratively over his shoulder, and he couldn't help worrying.
What the hell had the tombrobber gotten himself into now?
A/N: There were two beginnings to this chapter, a funny one (sort of) and a serious one. I chose to go with the serious one for the actual posting, but if anyone wants, just drop me your e-mail address and I'll send you the other one. /sighs/
Kou: Come on, you know the second one goes better with the story.
I know, but… I liked the first beginning I wrote!
Kou: Then make a website or something so you can put it there and forget about it!
Um. Maybe after I've written a bit longer. I hate making websites.
Kou: /shrugs/ Suit yourself…
Review Responses:
Our thanks to: - (sorry, the editing program won't let me do your name), cassy-australia, Faith-Kitty and Jollie-Rancher, and Shinimegami-Rin.
AlterEthereal: Tell me about it! And it's not just the asterisks. I can't do double slants anymore either, so I had to change the notations for dialogue, and… it's just really annoying.
Crysania Fay: Yeah, they'll find out, but it won't be for a while. At least seven or eights chapters.
gatogirl1: LOL. I think ch. 14 answered those questions.
And I know what you mean. I keep two screens up, so if I'm reading a particularly esoteric fanfic when my mom walks in the room, I can switch between them.
Hekigan Shiroi Ryuu: LOL /falls off her chair laughing/. That was my reaction, when someone suggested I put those guys in a three-some. Some people must hate the world. Or at least, that the world is still in one piece.
Hikaru: I've been thinking about that. For a while, I considered having Shadi show up and give him either the Scales or the Ankh, but I've decided to go with something else. But don't worry, the Eye is someone else's onus. (in other words, it creeps me out too)
And you're welcome!
Mithros: (utterly unashamed) Yep! I live to torture!
Um. Truthfully, I hadn't considered that. Thanks for reminding me, so I can work it in. Any good angsty plot quirks are always appreciated.
Nai-Pants: Don't worry, we retrieved him in Las Vegas (he was trying to mug the Mafia King). You're safe, for now.
Lol.
Yeah, I'm hoping to get another one for my birthday in a week. It's just so much more convenient than carrying around a huge notebook.
"Akuryou" is actually "evil spirit." Back when I named this I wasn't sure if Shin'd be evil yet, so it fit.
Bit late on the confusion thing, though.
Nova: I know… That would have been interesting to write, too, but it's too late now. /sniffs/
According to my Yu-Gi-Oh! obsessed friend, Malik died when he was sacrificed in a Shadow Game against Yami by his yami in Battle City. /shrugs/ I don't really watch the series myself, I just depend on her. Though that may be the original Japanese version, and not the dub, so that might be why.
Shi-koi: Isis's deal is something like that, and yeah, she still has the Tauk. I've never understood why the series had her give it to Yugi- if only certain people could use it, how would he?
You're sick? /pats you on the back/ You're probably feeling better by now, or at least I hope you are.
And about the pairings- early on, I probably would have taken that advice, but now I have that pairing tied into the plot itself, so… /shrugs/ It's a pity.
And LOL.
Skeren Dreamera: Actually, that's probably the best option. I can see it working too. And thx!
Triste Nanashi: /grins/ Yep. That's why I've decided never to get a true yami. To be the one to inflict something that evil on the world…
I'm afraid the last revelation won't be for a while yet, though. /is truly looking forward to writing it/
I think I got everyone. Sorry if I missed you, I'm just in a hurry to post. R&R!
5 July 2004