(A/N) Hello all. What's up and all of that fun stuff. Now, back to business. I assume that you are here to read this particular fic.
Bakura: Way to go, Captain Obvious.
LE: Shut up you!
Bakura: And if I don't?
LE: Then you'll never see this again! (Holds up the Millennium Ring) BWAHAHAHA!
Bakura: How did you get that!
LE: None of your business.
Bakura: INSOLENT MORTAL! I SHALL BANISH YOU TO THE SHADOW REALM!
LE: Not without this, you won't.
Bakura: Damn! She's right! Ok fine, I'll be quiet.
LE: And you'll do the disclaimer.
Bakura: What… NO!
LE: Don't cross me, Bakura. I still have the Ring.
Bakura: All right! FINE! LuthienEowyndoesn'townanythingfromYu-Gi-Oh. (Whispers to the audience.) You should also know that she's a shameless bitch with no re-
LE: I HEARD THAT! (Dangles the Millennium Ring just out of the spirit's reach.)
Bakura: Fine then! I take it back! (Mutters under his breath.) One of these days, Luthien…one of these days…
LE: Anyway, moving on. This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fic so I might not have all of the ropes down just yet. This is, however, an OC fic and whether or not she is a Mary Sue is for you to decide. Though I will defend her character until my dying breath. That probably sounds a bit harsh, but oh well. I should also mention that this fic takes place during Duelist Kingdom. One more warning before we begin, this story contains an eighth Millennium Item. And with that in mind, this fic could be a bit confusing in the beginning. All right then, lets get this party started! (Bops her head in time to the music that suddenly sounds out of nowhere.)
Bakura: Oh, Re! Why me?
Mirror of the Soul
Chapter 1: Watching From the Shadows
It was late in the afternoon when she first arrived in Domino City. School was letting out for the day when the young woman walked into town. To anyone who bothered to pay her any attention, she seemed to be in her mid-twenties, blonde hair, blue eyes, the typical stereotyped white woman. But then again, anyone who paid this woman any attention wouldn't realize that this wasn't this woman's true appearance.
"So, this is Domino. An interesting place for KaibaCorp to reside," she said to herself.
But this is the place where Pegasus said that I should go if I ever want to see Atrus alive again, she thought as she wondered the streets.
Just then she saw something that made her heart stop.
A young boy and his friends walking home from school. His friends meant nothing to her but the boy in question caught her interest. He was wearing a blue school uniform and he had the wildest hairstyle she had ever seen. The boy had blonde, flyaway bangs and black hair with fuchsia streaks sprouting from his head. But what interested her the most was the large gold pendant that the little one wore around his neck. A golden pyramid with a large Egyptian eye adorning the front.
"The Millennium Puzzle!" she gasped.
Trying not to loose her composure, the woman reached into a hidden pocket in her jacket and withdrew a golden hand mirror. The same Sennen Eye that adorned the boy's pendant was mounted on the back of her mirror.
She gripped the Mirror's handle tightly and turned it so that the youth and his friends were reflected in the golden surface.
"Reveal the truth to me," she whispered to the Mirror.
As the words were spoken the reflection in the Mirror began to change. The boy seemed to split in two. One was the boy who was walking down the street at the moment. The other was different somehow. He was taller and much more confident-looking than his young counterpart.
Then another changed reflection caught her eye. Three of the students hadn't changed. Two taller boys, one with blonde hair and one with brown, and a slender girl with brown hair. But the fourth student, a boy with white-blonde hair and pale skin, his reflection had split as well. One was the student that could be seen walking with his friends and, once again, the second was a taller, more confident version of the actual student. Only it wasn't confidence that this particular spirit was possessed of. This one had more of a wild, rebellious air to him. There was also a strange, murderous glint in the eyes of this new reflection. The mirror also revealed the cause of this split. Another Millennium Item was hidden beneath the boy's shirt.
"The Millennium Ring! Could this be why Pegasus sent me here?" she wondered out loud.
The woman immediately tucked the Mirror back into her jacket and began to follow the group of kids at a safe distance. The boy with the Millennium Ring eventually split off from the other four and went his own way. The four remaining students continued on until they reached a small store. As they entered, the woman quickly ducked into a side alley.
"The Kame Game Shop, eh?" she said to herself as she pulled out the Mirror once more and gazed at her face. Now was the time to remove the disguise.
As she gazed at her reflection her features began to change. The shoulder-length blonde hair turned to midnight black and grew until it reached halfway down her back. Her body shrunk a few inches and became much more lithe than before. Her pale skin darkened to a light, coffee colored hue. Her eyes changed from blue to a striking, emerald green. To complete the changes her full face narrowed out. Where a twenty-something-year-old woman had stood only moments before, there now stood a seventeen-year-old girl decked in a pair of blue jean shorts, a red halter top, and a tattered white jacket.
Before entering the store she stowed the Mirror once more and pulled her unruly hair into a ponytail, leaving two strands hanging loose on each side of her face. Time to find out about this kid with the Millennium Puzzle.
When she walked through the front door she saw the four students gathered at the checkout counter. They had been joined by an old man who seemed to be showing them something really interesting, as none of them had noticed her coming in.
"Oh, hello. Can I help you, miss?" The old man asked her.
The four teens turned to look at her as she approached the counter. Her sandals clacked ominously against the hard wood floor of the shop.
"I don't know. Perhaps you can," she answered quietly.
Before she could continue, the boy with the Millennium Puzzle suddenly burst out.
"Hey, I know you! You're Lotaru Kapori. One of the top ranking duelists in the country!" he shouted excitedly.
"Why I believe you're right, Yugi," the old man said, just as excitedly.
"Lotaru who?" the Blonde teen asked.
"Lotaru Kapori. She's one of the top duelists in Japan. Second only to Seto Kaiba and Atrus Carson," the young teen called Yugi explained.
"Guilty as charged. You've found me out," Lotaru answered with a small grin.
"You were set to go against Seto Kaiba in the final rounds of the Duel Monsters Regional Tournament. But then you dropped out all of a sudden. What are you doing in a place like this? Why did you drop out?" Yugi asked her.
It was all true. She had been set to go head to head with Seto Kaiba in the finals of the Regional Tournament. Set to take the prize too. Until Maximillion Pegasus entered the picture that is.
"That's my own business. But we haven't been properly introduced. You know me. But I don't know who you are."
"I am Solomon Mutou. I run this store. And this is my grandson, Yugi."
"And these are my friends, Joey, Tristan and Tea," Yugi added, finishing up the introductions.
"Well, I'm happy to meet all of you."
"And I am honored to have you in my game shop. Is there anything in particular that you're looking for? Maybe we could help you out," Yugi's grandpa said.
Lotaru was about to ask Yugi about the Millennium Puzzle when she spotted what Yugi's grandpa had been showing them earlier. A Duel Monster card. And a very rare and powerful card at that if her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
"Excuse me, Mr. Mutou. But is that, by any chance, a Blue Eyes White Dragon card you've got there?" she asked with a hint of wonder in her voice.
"Yes indeed. This card is my greatest treasure."
Lotaru stared intently at the card for a few minutes before reaching her hand into the pocket where she always kept her dueling deck. She went to the back of the deck and grabbed a card. Most people didn't know it, but many of the cards she carried with her were just blank cards. This particular card was one of those.
Lotaru began to focus her mind on the Blue Eyes White Dragon card before her. She had the image clearly in her mind and in her mind's eye she saw the Blue Eyes card merge with her blank one.
As she let the image slip away she pulled her card from her pocket. The Blue Eyes White Dragon stared back at her. Technically there were only four Blue Eyes White Dragons in all of the world. But now there were five.
The Millennium Mirror afforded her certain powers and this was one of them. Not the power of the Mirror itself, but the power of the spirit that dwelt within it.
Lotaru smirked at the card once before putting it back in her pocket. This card would come in handy later.
"Actually, Yugi, I was wondering if-"
Lotaru was cut short by the entrance of a new customer.
"Hello, can I help you?" Mr. Mutou asked the newcomer.
"If you can't it certainly wouldn't surprise me," a cold voice answered from the doorway.
Lotaru turned to see who it was that had come into the shop. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.
"Seto Kaiba!" Yugi said, clearly surprised.
"Kaiba!" Joey exclaimed, just as shocked.
"Doesn't he have a big, fancy company to run? What's he doing down here?" Tristan asked no one in particular.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card," Kaiba said.
"Hey, are you into Duel Monsters too? This is perfect. Maybe we can all duel together sometime." Joey suggested.
"Me? Duel you? I would have more of a challenge playing solitaire," Kaiba said in a mocking tone of voice.
"What?"
"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship. You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me," Kaiba explained.
"Oooooooh, I'm shakin'. Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards," Joey threatened, taking a step towards Kaiba.
"Woah, take it easy, Joey," Yugi said, trying to restrain his friend.
"But Yugi, Kaiba's askin' for it," Joey said through gritted teeth.
"You on the other hand might last more than two minutes," Kaiba remarked as he spotted Lotaru.
"What are you doing in Domino, Kapori? I knew you were afraid to duel with me, but why embarrass yourself by hanging around with these amateurs?"
"We'll meet in the dueling arena someday. And when we do, I'll be ready for you," Lotaru said, not quite meaning to challenge Kaiba but letting him know that she didn't fear him.
"If you're so ready to challenge me then why did you run away? Why did you drop out of the running?"
Lotaru felt her anger flare up inside her. This guy was one to talk.
"I……can't-say." Lotaru answered, barely keeping her temper in check.
"I thought as much. You are afraid!"
"I'm not! But I wouldn't expect an idiotlike youto understand my reasons! Some things are just more important than dueling," she countered.
"Like what?"
"That's none of your damn business, Kaiba!"
"Oh, but it is. I make it a point to know all of the doings of the competition. What? Does this have something to do with that boyfriend of yours? Atrus Carson?"
Lotaru was silenced by the mention of Atrus. She turned away from Kaiba, not willing to let him see the small tear that fell down her cheek. Her dropping out of the tournament and coming to Domino had everything to do with Atrus. Her Atrus, who was now practically worse than dead.
Kaiba could tell that he had hit a sore spot with his opponent. As he had finally gotten her to shut up he decided to ignore her for the time being.
"Now, does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" Kaiba asked Yugi's grandfather
Then he saw the card that Mr. Mutou was holding in his hands.
"Can it be? The Blue Eyes White Dragon? In a dump like this?" he wondered out loud as he shoved his way past Yugi and his friends.
Kaiba had finally found the fourth Blue Eyes.
"Well enough window shopping. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Yugi's grandpa asked Kaiba as he put the card back into its case.
Mr. Mutou gasped as Kaiba slammed a brief case down on the counter in front of him and opened it to reveal that it was full to bursting with Duel Monster cards.
"Listen to me old man, give me your Blue Eyes White Dragon card and I'll trade you all of these," Kaiba offered.
"Ah, nice. But no thanks."
"Fine. If you won't trade, maybe you'll sell it. Name your price. I can pay anything you ask," Kaiba said, getting more insistent by the minute.
"I'm sure you could, but this card is worth more to me than you could ever offer. Not because of its power, or because it's so rare. But because of what it means to me. This card was given to me by a dear friend and so I treasure this card as I do that friend. So parting with it is completely out of the question," Yugi's grandpa stated as if that settled the matter.
"No!" Kaiba shouted in outrage.
"You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?" Yugi asked him.
"Exactly. You see, this precious card has bonded with my heart," Mr. Mutou explained.
"Fine! I've heard enough of your nonsense! You senile old fool!" Kaiba shouted as he stormed out of the game shop.
"Man! All this for one card?" Tristan exclaimed.
"Well it is a very rare and powerful card. Seto Kaiba is out to have them all," Lotaru said.
"But isn't that a little much? I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of him," Tea said.
"Well, of course we haven't Tea. He goes to our school. We see him everyday," Joey said.
"I know that, Joey! But you know what I mean!" Tea said angrily.
Tea and Joey continued to fight as Lotaru wondered around the shop, looking at all of the different cards without really seeing them. Kaiba's insults had shaken her deeply. His mentioning of Atrus had taken her back to that night almost a month ago.
XxX
"Hey, Lotaru! I'm home!" Atrus called out into the empty living room of their apartment.
"Hey, Atrus. Why are you so late? You know we shouldn't be out after dark. Someone might have caught you," Lotaru reprimanded him as she came in from the bedroom.
"Well, I'm happy to see you too," Atrus joked as he cornered her by the couch and pounced.
Lotaru let her worries slip away as Atrus' lips met hers.
"Mmm…Lotaru. I think…I might have found……another job," he murmured to her in between kisses.
"But how can you hold down…two jobs?" she asked, trying not to moan as Atrus kissed her neck.
"Relax. I'll……figure something out. We need……the money," he said as the two of them sat down on the couch.
"Why couldn't you just let me get a job?" Lotaru asked, finally letting a small moan escape her throat as Atrus unbuttoned the first few buttons on her blouse.
"Because……you need to stay…in the tournament," he explained as he kissed further and further down her chest.
"Why?" she hissed while her grip on her boyfriend grew tighter.
"Because we're closer to reaching Pegasus than ever before," he told her. He finally lifted his head up from her body and gazed deeply into her eyes.
Lotaru sat up and Atrus slid off of her a little ways. She reached forward and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. She just loved his hair. Short, spiky black with a crown of white just beneath that, which framed his face. His narrow ice-blue eyes gazed lovingly back at her as they both pulled themselves into sitting positions.
"Atrus, I'm worried. What if Pegasus finds us before we can get to him? What if we can't pay the rent and we get evicted from the apartment? What if we-"
Atrus held a finger up to her lips, silencing her. Then he took both of her hands in his.
"Hush, love. Don't think of that now. Besides, even if we do get evicted……we've lived on the streets before, and we can do it again," he consoled her.
"You're right. I'm being stupid," she said softly as she stood up from the couch and buttoned up her blouse.
Before Atrus could say another word they both heard a knock at the door.
"Atrus Carson! Lotaru Kapori! We know you're both in there and if you don't open up we'll be forced to break down the door!" a harsh voice called out from the hallway.
"Oh no!" Lotaru cried out as she collapsed to her knees. "They've found us!"
X
Lotaru's blindfold was soaked with her tears. Atrus, blindfolded as well, was now holding her in his arms, trying to comfort her as Pegasus' thugs sped them to a secret location in one of his limos.
They had forced their way into the tiny apartment and taken Lotaru and Atrus captive. The men had blindfolded them and shoved them into a waiting limo. Now the two had no idea where they were and they hadn't the slightest idea what sort of horrible fate awaited them.
"Don't cry, Lotaru. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll die before I let Pegasus touch you," Atrus whispered to her as he stroked her hair.
"It's not me, Atrus. I'm worried about you. I'm afraid of what Pegasus might do to get the Mirror. He might kill you. Just like my parents. There's nothing that I can do to stop him. Not even against his Millennium Eye," she cried hopelessly into his chest.
"Don't be afraid. We've escaped him before and we'll do it again. We'll find some way out of this. I won't let him use me against you."
"Quiet, worms!" one of the thugs said as he shoved the two out of the car. Another came and bound their hands.
"Ah, Lotaru. We meet again after so many years." Pegasus' voice called out from the shadows of the ware house that the two had been brought to.
"PEGASUS!" Lotaru called out as she struggled to her feet. "Show yourself!"
"Now what good would that do? You're blindfolded. For all you know I could be standing in front of you."
"What do you want with me?"
"Why ask questions that you already know the answer to? I want the Millennium Mirror!"
"What if I refuse to hand it over? What then?"
"It's really quite simple. Hand over your magic mirror or……lose your boyfriend. If you do not give me the Millennium Mirror, then I will have to kill him."
"I'll never give you the Mirror!"
"All right, fine. Have it your way. I really don't want to hurt the boy, but you've left me no choice."
All of sudden, Lotaru heard the sound of fist meeting face. Then Atrus' cry of pain as he crumpled to the floor.
Lotaru was about to crack and hand the Mirror over when Atrus struggled back to his feet.
"Pegasus, this has gone on long enough! I won't allow you to use me this way! You've taken enough from Lotaru! I'll duel you here and now for her. If I win you release us and never torment Lotaru again. If you win you get me. Sound fair enough?"
"All right then, Atrus-boy. I'll duel you. But if you lose then I get your soul. Are we agreed?"
"Yes."
Then Lotaru's blindfold was removed so she could watch the duel. That's when she realized that it wasn't a ware house at all, but a dueling arena that they had been brought to.
At first, Atrus was dominating the game with his Hyozanryu and Luster Dragon cards. But then Pegasus brought out his Toon cards and cut Atrus down to size. Pegasus won the duel.
"Sorry, Atrus-boy, but you've lost. With that final attack you've lost not only the chance to save your girlfriend but you've lost your own soul as well."
"NO! You can have the Mirror! You can kill me if you want! Just let Atrus go!"
"No, Lotaru! The Millennium Mirror belongs in your hands only. You can never give it up. Not even for me," Atrus said as the Millennium Eye took hold of his soul.
Lotaru was unbound and she raced forward only in time to see Atrus imprisoned within a soul trap card.
As she gazed into his lifeless eyes a great rage rose up inside of her.
"No! How could you do this? YOU MONSTER!"
"If you want your boyfriend back then you must come and face me at my island of Duelist Kingdom. There you will duel against other elite duelists for star chips. Once you've earned ten of them then you can enter my castle and challenge me for Atrus' soul. And if you don't come you'll never see him alive again!"
With that he gave her a dueling glove and two star chips.
"Well, so long, Lotaru. I have other business waiting for me. Oh, and might I suggest going to a city called Domino. I believe that you would be most interested in meeting some of its inhabitants. And that's also where you'll be able to catch the boat to Duelist Kingdom in one month."
Pegasus left her alone and he took Atrus' body with him. Lotaru remained in the empty arena for a long time, wallowing in her own despair. Until at last, she climbed to her feet and made her way back to the apartment. She gathered up what few possessions that she and Atrus had that she could carry easily in her knap sack, having no doubt that she would never return to this apartment. She struck out that very night for Domino City. Having very little money and only a map to guide her it took her a month to reach it on foot.
And now she had found Yugi.
XxX
"Lotaru? LOTARU! Are you awake in there?" Yugi asked, shaking her and trying to pull her out of her trance-like state.
"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm still awake."
"What was that all about? I just asked you why you got all quiet when Kaiba mentioned Atrus Carson. I mean, I know that he's also a top notch duelist and it's well known among duelists that the two of you are a couple. Does Atrus have something to do with all of this?"
"That's really none of your business, Yugi. Though you might know my business much sooner than you think."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that that gold pendant around your neck affects us all more than you know. You and I most of all. The Millennium Puzzle, I believe it's called."
"WHAT? How do you know about the Millennium Puzzle, huh?" Yugi asked her, clearly shocked.
"You'll know soon enough," Lotaru answered as she made her way to the exit. "We'll meet again, Yugi Mutou."
Lotaru left all five of them staring after her in confusion and wonderment. Once she had left the game shop she ducked back into the side alleyway and resumed her former disguise. And once she had pulled a few supplies out of her knap sack and prepared herself to stake out the game shop for the night she withdrew from the physical plain, deep inside her own mind. Into her soul room.
She had never known of the room's existence until she had come to possess the Millennium Mirror and Asinath had come to dwell within the depths of her mind. Now her mind was split into two separate soul rooms. One was hers. The other was Asinath's. This special mind link was extremely helpful when it came to private conversations.
From what Lotaru knew about her yami, Asinath was an ancient Egyptian princess turned priestess. She was also a spell mage, a most powerful sorceress. Asinath looked exactly like her hikari, only her skin was darker and her features were much sharper.
Lotaru crossed the dividing corridor between her soul room and Asinath's, searching for her yami. The ancient spirit's soul room was much more complex than her own. It was a literal maze of mirrors. Lotaru could easily get lost if Asinath didn't want to be found. But Lotaru eventually found her in one of the mirror rooms. The first thing that she noticed was that in each mirror making up the walls, was a reflection of the taller Yugi. Only this Yugi was dressed in ancient Egyptian garb. Lotaru had already guessed that this spirit was Yugi's yami. Lotaru watched as Asinath created a ball of fire in her own hands and lobbed it at one of the mirrors. The mirror and the reflection shattered on impact, only to be replaced by a new mirror and a new Yugi.
"Why did you stop me?" Asinath asked furiously as she let another fireball fly at the mirror.
"Stop you from doing what?"
"Stop me from taking control of your body back there in the game shop. We were face to face with him. I could have strangled him then and there and destroyed the Puzzle. But you held me back! Why?"
"Because you would have hurt Yugi trying to get at his yami. I know you don't want to hurt innocent people with your revenge. I also know that you can loose your control sometimes and if that happens I can't let you hurt Yugi."
"Yugi deserves to be hurt if he willingly hosts that bastard of a pharaoh!" Asinath shouted as she lobbed another fireball at the mirrors.
"Asinath, we don't even know if Yugi is theavatar for Atem. For all we know it could be that white-haired boy we saw earlier. He could be Atem's hikari. Maybe Yugi is hosting another spirit. He could be Bakura's hikari," Lotaru suggested.
"You're wrong, Lotaru! This Yugi looks exactly like Atem did when he was younger. And you know as well as I that if my plan worked Atem was bound to the Puzzle. The boy from before is the one who is hosting Bakura. I bound him to the Ring myself. There is absolutely no doubt that Yugi is the one we've been searching for."
"Still, I can't let you out when we're around him. I know that you can't keep yourself in check when faced with the possibility of killing Atem. So I'm not going to willingly release you until we know for certain that Yugi is Atem's hikari. In other words you won't be seeing the outside world unless I need your help while we're in the Duelist Kingdom."
Asinath smirked as she released another fireball. As this last one hit and the new mirror appeared the reflections of Yugi's yami vanished and Asinath finally turned to look at her hikari.
"You gamble well, my young hikari. But I have no doubt that you will be needing my help to rescue your beloved Atrus. I shall be breathing fresh air sooner than you think."
Lotaru grinned at her once before leaving. Just as soon as Lotaru had gone Asinath's friendly smirk was replaced by a look of intense concentration.
You know little of me, Lotaru, if you really think that I will sit by and let you keep me locked in here. I should think that you would know me better after nine years. But still, you have your strong points. Like your own thirst for vengeance.
Asinath turned her attention back to the mirrors. As she gazed at her reflection in one particular mirror it changed into the reflection of Yugi Mutou's yami. The reflection of Atem.
Your time has come at last, Atem! I told you that I would return for you one day! I will make you suffer for what you've done to me!
The single reflection smirked back at her, mocking her thoughts. Asinath walked straight to it and smashed her fist directly into his face.
I shall see you dead at my feet at last, Atem……my brother!
XxX
LE: Wow! That was a pretty long chapter.
Bakura: No kidding! I'm surprised there are still any readers left at this point. I thought they would have gotten bored long before this.
LE: Shut your face, Bakura.
Bakura: If I'm annoying you so much then why did you kidnap me in the first place? You could just let me go.
LE: Oh, please don't insult my intelligence. I'm not going to let you go that easily. Not after all of the trouble I went through. In fact, I'm not gonna let you go unless I get some reviews.
Bakura: AAAAAAAARRRGGH! (Implores the audience) PLEASE! I BEG YOU! REVIEW THE STORY! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH HER! SHE'S A SADISTIC PSYCHO BITCH! SHE'LL KILL ME! I KNOW IT! OR WORSE! RE IN HEAVEN, HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!
LE: Umm……just umm, that's all.