"Alright now we have to have a rest. It's no good if we're too tired to fight something if it comes for us." Ami had sat herself down on the ground. It was now evening and they had been up since midnight. Yugi himself was only going on pure adrenaline and his second wind was fast running out. "If we haven't found anything by now we need to retire for the night to rest and think things over. I found the stone from that Keribo and I'm going to analyze it for anything that can help us. We'll meet back here in the morning ok."
Everyone was too tired to argue with her at the moment. Even Rei had to admit Ami was right. They wouldn't be able to defeat anything if they were too tired to fight it.
Jou was asleep on his feet and had to be helped into Haruka's car. The outer senshi had encountered their own battle that distracted them long enough for the battle with the keribo to have finished before they got there. They had the set out to search the city for any other stray monsters rather then help the inners find Usagi. Yugi sat quietly on the way back to the apartment and once there went back to the bedroom he shared at the moment with Jou who was already asleep.
He desperately needed to sleep too but he had so many things running through his head. The dream of the night before, Usagi disappearing, the monsters. He was so confused about everything he needed more information...
It was the same masked man as the night before but this time he wasn't running away. The stood facing each other and slowly he extended his gloved hand towards Yugi. On impulse he took it and once again they were looking down at the couple, Omi and Oni.
"When will they be here? We are ready for them." Purred Oni as she reclined back on an old block of stone.
"Patience my love. Is he ready?"
Oni nodded and licked her lips. "I'm bored..."
And then they where gone and Yugi was facing the mysterious stranger again. There was something familiar about the man. "Who are you?" He asked.
Slowly he reached up and removed his mask. Yugi gasped and took a step back. "Mamoru! But Usagi said you where-"
Mamoru smiled gravely at the younger boy and waved a hand over his own chest. "I cannot stay long. You seem perceptive to the spirit world and that allows me to contact you. They will notice I am gone soon and I do not wish that. They are ready for you all. They know your strengths and weaknesses." He talked quickly and urgently. "Call for Pegasus! He can help you find a way here. You have a connection with the ancient Pharaoh that spans beyond that of you puzzle! Remember!" A faint voice sounded in the distance and Mamoru dissolved into the nothingness around them.
"Call for Pegasus? What does that mean? When! Pegasus, are you here too?" This dream was starting to feel too real for his liking and Yugi would have given a lot to wake up. "Pegasus?" His voice echoed and a neigh answered.
"What do you wish of me, one from another world? I am Helios of Elissian." The winged horse said after landing gracefully before Yugi. Yugi stumbled away in surprise and started wide eyes at the creature. The horse laughed. "Perhaps you will find my other form a little more relaxing." Pegasus's body began to shift and change until a boy stood in his place. "Now, my friend, what did you want?"
"I-er..." Stumbling over his words he took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Gomen Helios. A man named Mamoru told me to call for you. I didn't expect you to come here in my dream. This is a dream, right?"
Helios nodded grimly and looked past Yugi into the black space surrounding them. "Yes, it is. Your dreams of late have been troubled young Yugi. I am the protector of dreams in this reality and have visited yours in curiosity. For a time I was not able to enter you mind because something blocked me, why is it I can now see you. No matter, what did Mamoru-San tell you to ask me about?"
"He said that you could help us find a way to get to our enemies, that I am connected to the spirit by more then just my millenium puzzle. I don't see how that helps though."
Helios looked thoughtful for a moment then asked, "He was the entity that blocked my access to you dreams? Your mind was strange when I entered it, one of the rooms was empty...maybe...Yes, that is it! You will need to wake and call the scouts to you. For this venture you will need their help. Call me again when you are ready. Don't worry, I will come in reality." He gave Yugi one last smile then turned to leave.
Yugi woke with a start and sat up. That was certainly and interesting dream. He remembered Helios's instructions and quickly shook Jou out of his slumber to help in the gathering of the scouts.
Twenty minutes had them all gathered. Ami was still tampering with her computer. "I think I know how Usagi-Chan could get to where we want to go. The energy that this crystal radiates would create a portal when combined with the powers of her own crystal."
"Who knows, maybe she'll stumble across it by accident if she trips and drops both of them." Muttered Rei. She was not happy about being woken after only a few hours sleep.
"Rei-Chan. You know Usagi isn't the klutz she once was, Minako on the other hand..." Ami trailed off and avoided eye contact with the sailor soldier of love who was looking slightly annoyed but keeping it to herself.
"Yugi can you just call Pegasus and get this over with. I want revenge on the fiends who stole our princess from us!" Haruka had her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles where white and Michiru had to pry them open.
Yugi nodded and stood up. "Pegasus? Helios? We are ready now."
The winged horse did not materialize this time, instead his voice just echoed around them and everything seemed to distort in waves. "Very well." Blinding light covered the walls of the apartment living room and when Yugi let his arms relax back to his sides instead of shielding his eyes he smiled at where they were.
The girls were looking around the small room with assorted toys littering the floor in confusion. "This is the inside of my mind." He informed them. It had been a while since he had been here himself. Helios had somehow taken all of them here. With a gasp he ran to the door leading out to the corridor that separated the two chambers of each spirit and sighed in relief when he saw that the other door was still there.
"We have to navigate the maze of Yami's mind..." Whispered Yugi and Jou groaned. Even if the Pharaoh had regained some of his memories, his mind was still a mess. The group made their way through the hallway and Yugi opened his other half's door and froze.
"Yugi, you are a simpleton..." commented Rei in awe. The maze of Yami's mind was more complex then it had been in ages. Comparied to it Yugi's one room filled with toys was extremely simple and all he could do was nod in agreement. This was going to be one long journey.
Sailormoon found herself staring at a yellow brick wall as she ascended her sixth flight of stairs. Her bout of intelligence had run out and the sword she was carrying was starting to get heavy. Luna had strayed too far away and ended up going in the wrong direction leaving the girl once again alone. That seemed to be happening to her too much these days.
Turning back down the stairs she took a left at the bottom and went under an arch. A flat area spanned beyond it and she decided it was as good a place as any to stop and rest for a few minutes. Her stomach gave a loud growl and she groaned wishing she had something to eat right about now.
"Usagi?"
Her eyes drooped and she didn't notice the voice for a moment before jumping up and spinning to face the speaker.
"How'd you get here? What's been happening?" Yami asked taking a step towards her. He looked worse for wear supporting several cuts and bruises.
Sailormoon's eyes watered and she flung herself at the spirit in tears, clinging to him. Yami, not knowing really what to do in this sort of situation just patted her on the back. When she let go and stood back, head bowed in apology she had stopped crying.
"Usagi-Chan, how did you get here and what has happened since the puzzle was stolen?" He asked a little more kindly then he usually would. "And where did you get that sword?" He added noticing the weapon she was lugging around with her.
Sailormoon smiled sadly. "We lost Luna and found Jou-San...I was sent to your world and then figured out how to create a portal with one of those gems on the monsters and that lead me here. Where is here?"
Yami laughed. "Ironically this is my mind."
"Mind?" Sailormoon raised an eyebrow in confusion and tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean this is your mind?"
"Exactly what I said. This maze represents all the questions I have and how confused I am. I know very little of my past and what I have managed to find out only brought up new questions."
Sailormoon nodded and smiled as best she could to comfort the lost man. "Well, have you any idea how to navigate this place?"
Yami sighed and loooked up at the darkness above them. "Not really. Though something seemed to pull me to you, so maybe I can find the others the same way. We have a better chance if we're all together."
Sailormoon's smile was real this time as she began to walk towards an archway she hadnt gone through yet. "It took me a while to remeber my past too. Sometimes though when you do find it, you dont want it..."
"Why do I feel like we're going around in circles?" Asked Venus after they had been wandering for what seemed like hours. "It all looks the same I cant even tell anymore!"
"We probibaly are..." Yugi resigned to the fact and sat down to rest his tired legs. "At least we havent run into any traps yet. The ones I've encountered in here were dangerious."
"I cant get a reading on a map of this place...my computer doesnt have enough memory to do the calulations."
"We havent even found Usagi yet! Dammnit!" Uranus added and punched one of the many yellow brick walls. Cracks began to form in the seemingly solid surface and it just crumbled into dust. She stood back a step and laughed disbelievingly. "O...k..."
"Looks like you found another path." Said Neptune and linked her arm with the other senshi. "Well, lets go! It cant be as bad as any other path we could take."
There was a cheer of agreement and the group moved into the darkness.
Sailormoon stopped walking and looked around her with a slightly frantic expression on her face. "Did you hear that? It sounded like laughter!"
Yami shook his head. "No. Maybe you're imagining things."
"Maybe." She did start walking again but didnt look completely convinced. There was a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that they were walking into a trap.
"C'mon, we'll go left at that intersection." They rounded said corner and bumped into something. It was reletively dark but then lights flared and illuminated everything.
A stadium? They were in a stadium! The ground underneath them shifted and then they began to rise. The platform began to shift and break into two. Sailormoon gasped and reached out to Yami but by the time she did they were too far away from each other to reach.
"What the heck is a duling arena doing here!" Shouted Yami looking around.
Laughter filled their ears and Sailormoon cowered. "So you finally made it to our little peice of your world, Yami." Uttered the blue haired man raising on the other side of the arena.
"We wondered just how much longer you intended to make us wait." The red haired woman on the other side added. "So we meet again, Princess Serenity."
Sailormoon was now fully wide eyed and showing her fear in waves. "Oni!"
"Oh, you remember me! Then you'll really be sruprized at our next few tiny additions." The woman stepped aside to reveal two figures hanging from the wall.
"Yugi-" Sailormoon froze at who else was there. "Ma...moru..."
"Usagi! You have to keep it together or else they'll have an advantage over us!" But Yami's call fell over deaf ears and Sailormoon just stood there, staring in disbeliefe.
"Mamoru...is he alive! What have you done to them! Give them back! Give them back..." She trailed off and sank to her knees, tears falling freely down her face. "...Give them back..."
Yami's eyes narrowed and he glared daggers at the pair now smirking over at them. "Do as she says or face my wrath."
Oni laughed, the sound high pitched and piercing. "Aw, is poor wittle Yami missing his Aibou? Fine, you can have them back." A missleading smile spread over her beautiful face. "If you win them. We will dule. I presume you have battled like this before. They will be the ones to take the damage you resieve in our dule. Each time you loose life points a part of them disapears. If you loose all your life points, you loose them too and they will be lost in the shadow rhelm for all eternity."
"But Usagi has never duled before in her life! She's never even seen a real dule being played! How do you expect her to be able to keep her most loved one alive!"
Omi smirked "If she wants him back then it is the only way. As with you and your Yugi over here."
"But-"
"I need cards then." The small but somehow strong voice of Sailormoon cut through Yami's protests. Standing up she had a detemind expression on her face, despite the fear and uncertainty that still reflected in the depths of her eyes. "I-if you want me to duel then I'll need cards since I don't have my own...Except two."
"Usagi..." Yami trailed off, steming his protectiveness of the girl. He knew what Yugi felt for her, he didn't think it was love but his other half did care a lot for her. Instead he held his head high, to face the man who'd started the whole mess for him and drawing his own deck, minus their favorite card, which was currently in Sailormoon's posession and better off staying there. She'd need at least one really good card and who knew what choises they'd give her.
Sailormoon was soon franticaly searching through the wall of cards that was fast rushing upwards, showing more and losing others. She almost misses Monster reborn, which she was certain she needed, remembering something about only being able to have one in her deck. Change of heart and fissure were two others she thought she's need and took thoes too. She tried to remember how many of each type she's taken to get an even spread, recalling things she was sure she's forgotten. Her makeshift strategy was effect cards, picking anything that was darker brown and looked good. Man Eater Bug came up a few times and she picked them all, liking that they killed off a monster on the other side of the field when flipped.
Soon she was done and found herself panting a little. She had to get everything right, Mamo-chan was a stake, as well as Yugi-kun and she couldn't let either of them get hurt. Goodness knows what she's do if it came down to choosing between them. Duty or true love? She wasn't even sure Mamoru was alive, though she could see his chest moving ever so slightly. Her hreat ached and she wished nothing more then to hold him, and him to hold her back and be warm and tell her he loved her. Setting her expression to detemination again she took a deep breath. "I'm ready now."
Oni laughed, the sound high pitched and piercing in her amusment. "Well then let the duel begin. My love, would you like the honour of begining?"
Omi smiled at his red haired conterpart before turning a smirk on Yami and placing three cards face down, one a monster, two magic or trap. Battle city rules, eh? Yami could deal with that, though it would make it a little more complicated for Usagi with the extra rules. "My turn next, then." He stated firmly and mimicked Omi's own move.
Oni only placed down a magic or trap card, making Yami narrow his eyes at the tactic. This was a team dule, after all. He wondered for a moment who the other two were using as their sacrifices but knew he'd find out when the first lot of damage was inflicted on them.
Sailormoon's turn was next and she hesitated, reading and rereading over the cards in her hand, eventually setling on placing one magic or trap face down and another the first card in play to be placed in defence mode.
The dule had begun and it was only going to get worse from here.