Seriously! I've actually written the ending! This particular chapter isn't the last one, but the last one is coming up soon. Now, if I could only make it be not crap, that would be a real miracle.
Heh heh...and it only took me all of the day-before-yesterday-afternoon and that night to write...and that doesn't even include the EXTRA time dealing with my pain-in-the-rear internet...oy vey...Disclaimer: I do NOT own Yugioh
Claimer: I own all the stuff I made up (if ya'll want a complete list, let me know and I'll toss it in for ya!)
…
Rosa kept to a slow lope, so as not to leave Yugi behind - the moment the slightest thought of carrying Yugi himself crossed Yami's mind, the mortal in question gave him a particularly dirty look - but the plant-beast's urgency was evident with every move she made and step she took. Before they got too far, Yami picked up on what Rosa had already identified as a threat.
Almost ironically, it was the very same presence he had only managed to define as a vague sense of doom the last time, muffled as it had been.
Around a few corners later the trail ended. While normally this plaza (terminology was starting to bleed through at both ends of their bond) would be filled with couples and tourists out for a day on the town, at the moment it was playing host to a crowd of a very different sort.
Seto, it seemed, had decided that as long as the various monstrous beasts were hanging around the city, terrorizing the humans that populated it, then those beasts might as well serve him while they did so. Through the milling throng of tall, three-tailed spiked beasts, even larger horned trolls, and a few more of the Dammug Beasts, Yami could see the priest.
The sight of his ever-so-beloved half-cousin sent red flashing across Yami's vision. He almost fancied that he was keeping himself well under control before a flicker of Yugi's worry drew his gaze down. Yami's hands had automatically curled into fists, and the stinging feeling and obviously dripping blood showed that his claws had automatically extended at the same time…the mage-demon sent a flash of magic through his hands, ignoring the sensation that resulted and Yugi's disapproval both, resuming his glares at Seto.
The priest had been putting his long lifespan to good use, Yami noted in annoyance. In one hand, Seto held the Millennium Rod, and in the other gleamed the shining crystal length that allowed Seto to control the fell creatures - the Staff of Sehloo that needed to be broken if the monster problem was ever to be ended.
Seto was wielding both items, each tricky and dangerous in their own rights, with undeniable ease. The man was practically showing off…but Yami couldn't figure out what he was doing, only that Seto was most certainly doing SOMETHING.
What was that damned bastard of a priest up to now?
"Take DAT, ya overgrown pincushion!" bellowed a familiar voice.
One of the three-tailed spike beasts shrieked in agony as an equally familiar sinusoidal dragon of fire engulfed it.
"It's Jou!" Yugi exclaimed, "The others made it out okay! That's great!"
Now completely distracted from his goal of glaring at Seto, Yami turned his head and observed that yes, it appeared that the other mortals had survived after all. They were huddled together on the far side of the plaza from where Yami and Yugi were standing.
As Yami watched, Jou's flameblade let loose another flame-dragon at one of the horned trolls that had wandered too close. The troll screeched something and retreated with only a few burns, looking as though it wanted to retaliate against the blonde but was being prevented from doing so.
'That's so weird,' Yugi's voice said inside Yami's head when the boy picked up on the strangeness, 'Those monsters are all just standing around. What's going on?'
'You know about as much as I do on the subject,' Yami sent back, returning his gaze to where Seto was standing.
The brunette wasn't paying attention to the scorching Jou was giving the fell beasts around him. Seto's eyes were closed as he concentrated on whatever it was that he was up to.
'I don't like this,' Yami frowned.
'What are you going to do?' Yugi asked.
Yami didn't answer directly, as the idea of what he could do was just coming to him now. No matter what Seto was up to, it did not bode well for what remained of the city's inhabitants if any of the creatures remained. And as Seto was the one controlling all the beasts at the moment, circumstances required that that control be taken away from him. And the best way to make Seto lose control of something he was working on was…
'Stay over here. Rosa will guard you in case anything comes over this way,' Yami sent towards Yugi as he began walking towards Seto, right out into the open.
Yugi's alarm was deafening, but Yami made himself ignore it.
"That's dangerous! What do you think you're doing!" Yugi cried aloud.
Of course it was dangerous. Yami's plan was to go piss Seto off. That was about as safe as poking a dragon in the eye, except that the dragon would be more kindly disposed towards letting you live afterwards.
Normally Yami would have preferred to leave this sort of job in Bakurah's hands - he was a professional at irritating other people to the point of murderous rage - but the necromancer-demon was nowhere to be seen.
'Isn't there any better plan you could try than this?' Yugi sent, his tone plaintive.
Yami chose to ignore it, though it pained him that he was causing Yugi so much distress…but they were sorely lacking in other options. Once he was about halfway across the plaza to where the beasts were thronging around Seto, Yami stopped walking and contemplated the best method for drawing Seto's attention. Then Yami raised his left hand and focused his power.
The snake that Yami threw into the group took two of the three-tailed beasts through their throats, curved around to lop off the head of a Dammug Beast, and removed a troll's hands and hoofed feet from the rest of its body before curling around Seto with perfect precision, burning the collar of the man's coat as it did so.
It disintegrated with a crack of shadow magic as Seto's eyes snapped wide open, the priest's gaze focusing instantly on Yami. Keeping with the theme of 'Trying to irritate Seto, no matter how suicidal that may be', Yami made a point of waving cheekily at his half-cousin with his outstretched hand.
The result was instantaneous. His lips twisted into a ferocious snarl, Seto lowered the Millennium Rod, raised the Staff of Sehloo over his head, and jabbed it fiercely in Yami's direction. The fell beasts responded to the command eagerly, snapping at each other in their fierce desire to move and kill.
Unfortunately for them, Yami was faster. Focusing on Seto, Yami charged into the snarling, thrashing mass of creatures, opting to take the straightest route through them. The beasts roared and lashed out at whatever was closer, unable to turn around because of the others behind them, but unable to keep going forward towards freedom and a city full of human flesh.
There was a flash of fire to the side as Jou cut loose with the flameblade, and part of the crowd of beasts peeled off and attacked, their fury at being kept pinned by the staff-holder overpowering even the staff's command over them. Jou was experienced enough with the flameblade by this point that it was hard to feel overly concerned for his safety.
Yami ducked and weaved through the beasts, dodging tails and feet. He came to a stop only when he was a few feet away from where Seto was standing. The priest was frowning as well as glaring at him.
"You've managed to escape again, I see," Seto finally said, his tone almost calm, "You do realize that if I cannot keep you locked away, I shall need to kill you."
Yami bared his claws and let his fangs extend.
"Feel free to try," the mage-demon replied, then dived to the side as Seto took him at his word and shot a bolt of shadow magic straight for his head.
Unperturbed by the miss (or the fact that he'd just killed some of the beasts he controlled) Seto took aim and tried again. Yami was content to dodge at first, while he assessed his opponent for weaknesses. Unfortunately, Seto had never been a man content to possess weakness. If the priest hadn't slacked over the last few thousand years, and Yami was certain that he had not, then Yami would have to outthink him in order to win.
Deciding not to let Seto hold the upper hand in this fight, Yami threw another snake, dodging away at the same time. If his memory of their last battle was any semblance of truth - hah! He'd been right!
Seto lashed out at the snake with the Millennium Rod, its Sennen bright with golden fire, and reflected it back towards where Yami had been standing when he had cast it. That little trick had taken Yami off-guard last time, but now only a monster suffered from the result.
The majority of the remaining the beasts, sensing their controller's inattention over their actions and safety, decided to bolt. Spreading out in every direction, most of them were swiftly immolated and burnt by Jou, or dissolved in screeching agony as Ryou tentatively assisted in the fight. The one or two creatures that got anywhere close to Yugi were ripped apart by Rosa, who was protecting the boy fiercely.
Yami threw a few more snakes at Seto, trying to figure out what he could do. Seto was blocking every attack and not even hesitating in retaliating. Throwing some of the snakes at the Staff of Sehloo directly was no good either, since Seto deflected those with more of his annoying perfect accuracy. There was a smirk growing on the brunette's face as Seto realized how much of the upper hand he had.
This reminded Yami of another of Seto's personality quirks. Feigning exhaustion, Yami threw a last snake - underpowered and not even aimed for anything vital - then let himself sink to his knees. Yami pretended to be panting for air heavily, crossing his fingers mentally as he did so.
Seto merely sidestepped the last snake and stared down at Yami, his smirk growing wide and fierce. Yami forced a similar expression off of his own face before it could betray him.
"How sweet. You came here hoping to kill me and secure your freedom, not even considering how much more powerful I am than you," Seto said, taking a step closer to where Yami was crouched, "I suppose an animal like yourself simply cannot understand the value of planning ahead…not that you will survive long enough to learn now."
Seto took another step forward, Millennium Rod raised. Yami was keeping a wary eye on that, he wasn't trying to invite another mental invasion by Seto - especially now that Yugi was in there - but at the same time he watched as the Staff of Sehloo, gleaming as it was held loosely in Seto's other hand, coming closer and closer with every step.
Seto took one more step, and Yami lunged out of his crouch, ignoring Seto's alarmed cry and the flash of the Millennium Rod both as he seized his goal. The staff felt oddly cold in his hand, but Yami discovered a new problem right away.
The bastard priest wasn't letting go.
Seto's eyes widened as he realized what Yami had been after. The mage-demon snarled, trying to pull the Staff of Sehloo out of Seto's hand, but the priest's grip had tightened and was annoyingly strong, even though Yami was pulling with both hands now.
"Interesting," Seto said, his smirk returning, "And when did you think up this little idea, I wonder?"
"You've forgotten, cousin," Yami replied, his face twisting in the eerie parody of a friendly smile, "I think best on my feet when in battle."
Eyes flashing at Yami's term for him, which was more insulting than any profane word could ever be to him, Seto tugged on the staff, trying to make Yami let go. Yami pulled back, moving away from Seto as he did to get more force, but was equally unable to dislodge his opponent's grip.
"I don't have time for this idiocy," Seto snarled, raising the Millennium Rod.
Refusing to let go of the staff - if he lost his grip now he was NEVER going to get another chance at taking it - Yami lunged to the side to avoid the blast of shadow magic. This dragged Seto around as well, making his attack go wide.
Changing tactics, Seto raised the Rod, focusing until it hummed with power, before bringing down towards Yami's head point-first. Responding with reflex, Yami tried to duck and dodge away, inadvertently pulling the Staff of Sehloo in the way of the Millennium Rod.
When the tip of the Rod hit the crystalline structure of the staff, the two different types of magic reacted rather badly. The Staff of Sehloo flashed with its own power as it repelled the Millennium Rod, which blasted the staff with some of its power in retaliation for being so rudely rebuffed.
For Yami and Seto, since they were holding the Staff of Sehloo, the effect was much like a painful electrical shock and a second-degree burn at the same time. Unable to hold onto the staff, Yami and Seto lost their grips at the same time. Still crackling faintly from the clash of magic, the Staff of Sehloo began falling towards the pavement…only to be deftly plucked out of midair.
Yami and Seto turned to see who was intruding on their fight. Yami blanched and snarled instantly.
"And WHERE in the HELLS have you BEEN!"
"Do quit whining like that, it's so unbecoming for a Pharaoh," Bakurah sneered in reply.
"Damned animal!" Seto snapped, lunging out to grab the staff.
Bakurah was too fast for the priest, nimbly dancing away, twirling the Staff of Sehloo around the fingers of his hand in a disgustingly cheery fashion as he did so. Grinning madly, Bakurah then tossed the staff from hand to hand, taking great enjoyment at how Seto was glaring at him while grinding his teeth. The priest's free hand was twitching, as if Seto were imagining that he had a hold of Bakurah's neck and was throttling the infuriating necromancer-demon.
Yami didn't blame Seto for having the idea one bit.
"Ooh, such a pretty toy this is," Bakurah crooned, holding the Staff of Sehloo up and inspecting it closely, "Quite lovely, and extremely valuable…"
Bakurah proceeded to shrug, before casually tossing the staff over his shoulder.
"And now it's not."
The Staff of Sehloo hit the ground with a crack, cracking and splintering on impact. The cracks continued to grow until the staff finally broke into a small pile of glass-like shards, which evaporated into nothingness with a muffled hiss. The result of this was immediate: the shroud in the sky that was blocking the light of the sun began disappearing without a trace, bright beams of light poking through right away.
Faint on the breeze, the death-screams of the fell creatures started becoming audible.
Yami let himself sigh in relief. One impossible obstacle down…
And one to go.
Seto wasn't hesitating, either.
…