Yami: YES! Thank you Silver Moon Phoenix, for your mercy. You've bought us more time.
LE: And, thank you for your support of the story. But, since I don't get to kill the two hikaris I'll have to add to the stakes. (She snaps her fingers and Mokuba appears, dangling from a chain next to Yugi and Ryou.)
Yugi: Mokuba?
Mokuba: Yugi?
Ryou: Mokuba?
Mokuba: Ryou?
Yugi: Ryou?
Ryou: Yugi?
Yami: Mokuba?
Mokuba: Yami?
Bakura: Moku-
LE: Don't start! I got enough of that last chapter and it'll only get worse from here. Besides, you didn't let me finish.
(BetaSister enters the room, leading a bound, blind folded, and gagged Seto Kaiba.)
LE: Remove the gag!
(BS takes the sock out of his mouth.)
Kaiba: WHERE'S MOKUBA? WHY HAVE YOU BROUGHT US HERE? WAS THAT A SOCK IN MY MOUTH?
LE: (Ignoring Seto) Remove the blindfold!
(BS takes off the blindfold.)
Kaiba: Yami! Bakura! What's going on? Where's my brother?
Yami: Now, Kaiba, don't be angry. But Luthien Eowyn has taken Mokuba prisoner.
Kaiba: No? Really? I had no idea! But where's she keeping him?
Yami: Well……um (glances towards the open window.)
(Kaiba races to the window and looks out to see Yugi, Ryou, and Mokuba dangling over the pit of doom, inching ever closer to the roiling surface.)
Kaiba: MOKUBA!
Mokuba: BIG BROTHER! SAVE ME!
Kaiba: You monster! I demand that you release my brother immediately!
LE: Again with the demanding. I'm getting tired of that. Now go and join your fellow captives.
Kaiba: NEVER! You obviously don't know who you're dealing with. And you must not know how far I'm willing to go to rescue Mokuba.
LE: Oh, I know who I'm dealing with and I'm not worried. Wanna make a bet on who's faster? Your calling some guards over from KaibaCorp, or, my flipping the switch and sending Mokuba into the pit of doom. My money's on Mokuba. Care to wager your brother's life? Hmm?
Kaiba: What are those things anyway?
Yami: Sea bass.
Bakura: Mutated sea bass.
LE: Whatever. Now Kaiba, you try my patience. Make your choice!
Kaiba: (hissing) Fine. (Sits down with the two dark spirits.)
Bakura: Welcome to the club.
LE: EH! SHUT IT!
(Bakura's about to say something when Kaiba and Yami clamp their hands down on his mouth.)
LE: Better.
Mirror of the Soul
Chapter 3: Saving Exodia
"Nice digs," Lotaru whistled as she gazed around her cabin.
It had been nearly a week since the incident at the game shop. Lotaru was now on board a ship headed for Duelist Kingdom. She was one of the lucky few to receive a room. Only finalists from the Regional Tournament had been granted cabins on the ship. Originally it would have been her and Kaiba to get rooms but Kaiba had declined the invitation to Duelist Kingdom. So Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood had received them. But because she was one of the original finalists she was also given a room during the voyage.
"What are you trying to do, Pegasus? Bribe me?" Lotaru wondered out loud as she looked around her plush new quarters. She wasn't used to accommodations as fancy as these. It seemed a bit confining to her, so after she had dropped her bag off she went back up on deck to scope out the competition. Almost instantly she came across Yugi and Joey.
"Why hello, Joey. Yugi," she said to each of them in turn.
"Hey, Lotaru. I didn't know you were coming to the Duelist Kingdom too," Joey said in greeting.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you here either," Lotaru said with a malicious glint in her eyes. She had overheard him and Yugi talking just before she came up. She discovered that Joey hadn't actually been invited to the tournament and that Yugi had given him one of his two star chips so that he could compete. Maybe she could get them to confess to her just by staring at them long enough.
Both boys began to squirm under her harsh glare.
"I thought duelists were given two star chips to start out with," Lotaru said, making it painfully obvious that she knew what they were up to.
"Is it really that obvious?" Joey mumbled, his face turning redder by the second..
"No, actually, it isn't. I just pay attention. So should you. Pay attention to how loud your voices are when you talk about things like that," she advised.
"Well, what do we have here?" said a sugary sweet voice behind them.
The three turned to see a tall woman approaching them. She was dressed in a purple mini skirt, jacket, and knee-high boots. She carried a large knap sack over her shoulder and she had golden hair that flowed down her back. As Lotaru's eyes slid over to Joey she saw that his mouth was hanging open slightly and he was drooling.
"Woah!"
"Oh, boy," Lotaru said as she slammed her face into her hands. This was going to be painful to watch.
"So you're the Yugi kid everybody keeps talking about."
"Um…yeah."
"But I'm amazed that a squirt like you could beat Kaiba. You're famous, you know," she said.
"Uh……thanks very much, I think," Yugi said, still stunned.
"Hey, miss. I'm a really good friend of the famous Yugi, the master duelist. In fact-" Joey started to say.
"Look! You're either a champ or a chump! Cut this guy loose. He's fashion challenged and deserves to be crushed in the games," the woman told Yugi, finally revealing her true nature.
"Oh, please. Crush me," Joey begged, practically crawling at her feet.
"I'll crush you all eventually. The name's Mai," she said as she walked away.
"Oh, brother. That was pathetic, Joey. You do know that, don't you?" Lotaru said.
"Hey, I bet I could win her over easy. I just need a better pick up line."
"Yugi, keep an eye on him. I'm surprised that you actually helped him board this ship. He won't last five minutes when we get to Duelist Kingdom. I've seen guys fall at a woman's feet before, but that was ridiculous."
"Aw, come on. Give Joey a break, Lotaru. He's a better duelist than you know," Yugi said in defense of his friend.
"Well, lets hope so, for his sake. I'd hate to see how he behaves around Mai in a duel," Lotaru said as she too walked away.
"How arrogant!" Lotaru heard someone hiss from the far end of the deck.
"Quiet, Tea, or you're gonna get us busted," another voice tried to shush the first one.
Lotaru's gaze slid to where she heard the voices coming from. Her eyes searched the darkness and finally found a small figure crouching next to some crates. She saw a pink vest and a flash of brown hair before the figure was pulled completely behind the pile of crates. That was all she needed to see.
"So, Tea and Tristan snuck aboard as well," she whispered to herself as she walked further along the deck. Most of the other duelists had already gone inside for the night. But she could still see one person hanging out above decks. And it was just the person she was looking for.
The white-haired boy with the Millennium Ring whom she had seen with Yugi on her first day in Domino. She had seen him board earlier, but she had the feeling that he wasn't an official duelist. And if that was the case, then why had he come? Lotaru intended to find out here and now. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to learn about his Millennium Ring.
The boy was staring out to sea and he didn't even notice her when she came up behind him. Before she lost the element of surprise she quickly grabbed his wrist and yanked him around to face her. He was just starting to cry out in shock when Lotaru clamped her free hand down on his mouth to muffle his shouts.
"Be quiet! I won't hurt you. Now follow me," she hissed.
The pale teen nodded in response and remained silent as she took her hand away from his mouth and proceeded to lead him away from the main deck.
"What do you want with me? Why can't we talk up here?" he asked her. The boy spoke with a British accent.
"Because I don't want to be overheard," she whispered back.
She led him back inside the ship, away from the prying eyes of the other duelists and to her own cabin. She immediately pulled up a chair for him and sat him down in it. Without any preliminaries, she began her questioning.
"You're not an official duelist, are you," she said, stating it as a fact rather than as a question.
"What are you talking about? Of course I'm-"
"Don't play the innocent with me. What's your name, boy?"
"Ryou. Ryou Bakura," he answered.
"Bakura? Did you say Bakura?" Lotaru asked, turning to face him. Once again, she felt that same shock of familiarity from her darker self.
It's him!
"Yes."
"And, what about that Millennium Ring you're wearing under your shirt?"
"What do you know about the Millennium Ring?" he asked, clearly shocked.
"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."
(Lotaru, let me speak to him.)
(Can I trust you?)
(You can trust me, but I'm not so sure that you can trust him.)
(What do you mean?)
(Whoever Ryou Bakura is, this is not him that you're speaking to. It is the spirit of his Millennium Ring. I sense the darkness within him. I recognize it. The boy even bears the name that the spirit once used. And this boy looks so much like him too.)
(Oh. Well, maybe you could get him to talk then.)
(I'm sure I could if you'd just let me out.)
(All right. Here goes nothing.)
But just as they were switching minds, Bakura began to speak again. Only now his voice was deeper and much more threatening.
"You might be asking me now, but soon you won't remember any of this. Millennium Ring……CLEAR HER MEMORY!" Bakura shouted, invoking the power of the Ring. And as he said this the Ring itself appeared, hanging from his neck. The Ring glowed as it gathered strength.
But Asinath had taken control just in time to cast a spell of her own. A shielding spell that protected her from Bakura's memory wipe. She sat still for a moment, trying to keep her face completely blank, pretending that his spell had worked.
"Foolish mortal. No one comes up behind me more than once," Bakura laughed as he stood to leave the room.
Just as he reached the door, Asinath began to laugh softly. And as the spirit turned to see what was so funny she laughed even harder at the shocked expression on his face, her laughter laced with her own malice.
"Do not try to manipulate me, Bakura. For I know your ways."
"How could you possibly remember that name? I cleared your memory!"
"Did you now? You cannot use magic against me. I have learned just as much magic as you have. You are not the only one who has had centuries of practice, locked in the Shadow Realm."
"But how? How could a mere mortal like you counter such a powerful charm?"
"I am no mere mortal, Bakura. Have you not already guessed who I really am?" she asked, peering at him through the slits that were her eyes.
"No, it cannot be! Asinath?"
"Exactly. It took you long enough. Your heart has grown soft during these millennia of imprisonment. And your wit has dulled. When I last knew you, you would have slain your hikari before even bothering to learn his name."
"Times have changed. Killing is no longer so simple. But what of you? I see that the spell worked. We did survive after all," Bakura said with a smirk.
"Indeed. I should think that you would know the arts better by now. Why shouldn't it have worked?"
"The Pharaoh and his priests. They could have destroyed the Mirror to ensure that you and I did not succeed."
"No, Bakura. Destroy one item and you destroy them all. Besides, I have returned and my hate is stronger than ever. As is my magic."
"Is your hate really so powerful?"
"Why do you question me?"
"You say that I have grown soft. You are not doing too much better. You actually allow your avatar freedom? At least I keep mine suppressed."
"We have an understanding. My avatar is stronger than you know. She actually has the capacity to learn magic and I am teaching her."
"An impressive feat for a mortal of this weak, modern world. But I still say that it is you who has grown soft. Has your hikari talked you into letting your brother live? Does she have so much power over you?"
"Never! No one can ever talk me out of my vengeance. Make no mistake, I will kill him! I'll rip his heart out and smear his blood across the Earth!" she swore.
"Well, perhaps I was wrong. You are, perhaps, even more violent than I was. I shall hold you to that promise. So, are we sticking to the original plan?"
"Of course. Like you said before, times have changed, but there is no reason not to. You can have the Puzzle. Just stay out of my way," having said this, Asinath walked past Bakura and opened the door for him.
"Kicking me out so soon? I've got no place to stay for the night," Bakura purred as he walked over to her. When he reached her he immediately grabbed both of her wrists and twisted her arms painfully behind her back. He then pulled her closer, fitting his own body to the curves of hers. He brought forth his free hand and brought it to rest on her bare stomach beneath her shirt. He buried his face in her raven hair, breathing in the scent that he had been deprived of for so long. He allowed his hand to creep up her stomach until he had reached her chest, cursing the fabric of the bra that he felt there for preventing him from touching her.
She tensed up at his touch but she allowed him to play with her for a few moments. As she leaned her head back onto his neck, she whispered to him.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just imagining a knife against that beautiful neck of yours. Blood dripping down your front and onto my hands," he whispered into her hair, trying to get his hand beneath the bra.
"I know what you're imagining," she whispered back. There was now a hint of warning in her voice.
"Hmm, clever girl. Perhaps we could make it a bit more than imagining."
"You lost your chance centuries ago. Keep this up and you'll lose something else," she said through the moan that escaped her lips. Bakura had finally managed to get his hand under her bra.
"You don't sound too terribly convinced of that," he moaned as he tightened his grip on her.
"Oh, but I am."
"I can hurt you, you know. Is that what you want?" he asked as his hands explored her.
"Not if you are dead," she answered as she lifted one of her newly freed hands up and tangled it in Bakura's creamy tresses.
He didn't answer this time. He lifted his head up from her back and gently licked her ear, slowly dragging his tongue down her neck. This caused her to moan very loudly. He loved having that kind of power over her. So he tried it again, causing her to tighten her grip on the back of his head. He then slid his other hand under her shirt, purring seductively as Asinath let her other hand travel a little ways down his leg. Bakura shivered with pleasure.
But suddenly she tensed up again.
"You will remove your hands," she said. The cold edge had returned to her voice.
"You didn't say please," he teased as he planted a rough kiss on the back of her neck.
With that she yanked his hands out from under her shirt and turned to face him. She then grabbed both of his shoulders and shoved him out of the room. He landed hard on his rear. Yelping in a very undignified manner and then glaring up at her.
"Please," she said, anger dripping from that one syllable.
Bakura jumped up. The Millennium Ring began to glow as his furry grew. The five spikes that adorned the Ring rose up from Bakura's chest of their own accord. He walked slowly towards Asinath.
"I could kill you right now. You fool!" he hissed as the Ring began to vibrate.
"But you won't," she said calmly as she slammed the door in his face.
Bakura slammed his fist into the closed door once before heading back above decks.
"Just you wait, Asinath," he muttered to himself under his breath. "You might have avoided it this time. But I had you all of those centuries ago, and I'll have you again before you and I leave this world."
XxX
(So, what exactly happened between you and Bakura just now?) Lotaru asked Asinath as she made her way out into the open air again. Once Bakura had left Asinath had let Lotaru take control again and Lotaru had decided that her time was best spent monitoring Yugi. So now she was headed for the upper decks again.
(It's none of you concern.) Asinath answered in a huff.
Lotaru's perception wasn't as strong as Asinath's so she couldn't always sense what was happening as well as Asinath could when she was stuck in her soul room. So she had to rely on her dark for details.
(I think it is. Why don't you want to talk about it?)
(Why do you want to talk about it?) Asinath shot back at her hikari.
(Because I want to know what we're dealing with in this Bakura guy. You've told me about him before but I want to know more.)
(It was nothing of any importance.) Asinath said.
(Suuuuuuuure it wasn't. But if you don't want to talk about it, fine.) Lotaru said as she closed the link and turned her attention to the world around her. Without even realizing it, she had wondered straight to Yugi and Joey once more. But before they could see her she ducked back into the shadows. Almost as soon as she had crouched down out of sight, Weevil Underwood came out onto the deck with the two friends.
"Ah, the evening breeze feels so nice," he said as he walked to the railing. "So, tell me, Yugi. Did you trade for any good cards?" he asked.
"Nah. I'm gonna duel with the cards I brought along with me," Yugi answered casually.
"I figured as much. You used the Exodia cards in your duel with Kaiba, right? Those are the strongest cards of them all," Weevil said, a mischievous glint suddenly appeared in his eyes as he spoke.
"And really rare," Yugi added, completely oblivious to Weevil's new attitude.
"Could I possibly……see those legendary cards?" Weevil asked excitedly.
"Don't do it, you idiot. Can't you see that he's planning something?" Lotaru hissed under breath.
"I don't see why not. Just be careful with them, ok," Yugi said as he took out the five cards and handed them to Weevil.
"Oh, great. Now he's done it," Lotaru whispered to herself.
"So these are the cards to summon Exodia? For a long time I've been trying to come up with some sort of strategy to finally beat these cards. But I couldn't come up with anything. Until just this moment," Weevil said as he walked back to the railing.
"Huh?" Yugi was completely baffled, but he followed Weevil to the rail anyway.
"NOW SAY GOOD-BYE TO EXODIAAAAA!" Weevil shouted out triumphantly as he flung the cards into the ocean.
"NOOOOO!" Yugi screamed as the five cards floated away.
"Now there's no one who can challenge me!" Weevil said, laughing wickedly as he walked away.
"Why you-" Joey shouted angrily at Weevil's retreating back.
"My cards! Those were the Exodia cards that my grandpa gave me!" Yugi cried out desperately as he leaned over the side.
"If they mean so much to you then why did you let Weevil touch them? Honestly Yugi, you're way too trusting," Lotaru whispered as she watched from the shadows.
"Don't worry, Yug. I'll get 'em," Joey said as he leapt over the railing and into the sea.
"JOEY, DON'T! WHERE ARE YOU?" Yugi cried out as his friend vanished into the water.
"I promise you. I'll find 'em," Joey said as he struggled to stay afloat.
"Joey, they're not worth drowning over!"
"Don't worry, Yugi. See, I already found one!" Joey called back as he fished for more of the cards.
"Joey, swim back to the ship!"
"No way, at least this time there's something I can do to help someone I care about. Current sure is strong though. It's……hard to fight. But if I punk out now……who's gonna help my sister…Serenity?" Joey said to himself as he swam through the water, hunting for the cards.
Finally he managed to get a hold of the second one.
"Great……just…three more now."
"JOEY!" Yugi cried out as he too dove over the side to help his friend.
"Hold on Joey!" Yugi called as he grabbed onto Joey's limp body.
"Yugi, just three more," Joey whispered, half delirious from swallowing the sea water.
Lotaru was about to step in and help when Tea and Tristan came running up. The two threw a life preserver to Joey and Yugi and pulled them back onto the ship.
And as Joey and Yugi sat on the deck, coughing and spluttering, Lotaru learned about Joey's motivation for sneaking to Duelist Kingdom. She heard the story of his sister, Serenity, who would soon go blind without an operation. That was why Joey needed the prize money. To pay for that operation.
Once the foursome had left to get dried off, Lotaru stepped out of the shadows and gazed out to sea.
"Maybe I was wrong about you, Joey," she whispered to the night air.
But just as soon as the confession had left her lips she snapped back to reality. The sun would rise soon and she needed at least an hour of sleep before they arrived at Duelist Kingdom. And there was work to be done.
Lotaru really didn't want to bug Asinath with this because she had seemed really worn out after the encounter with Bakura. So she decided to attempt this spell on her own.
Lotaru knelt down on the deck. She cleared her mind and focused on the darkness. She let the mortal plain slip away from her eyes and she reached out to the Shadow Realm. The seed of all magic. Then she let the shadows fill her mind, concentrating on the magical energies that were now laid bare before her mind's eye. She gathered the energy around her like a great blanket of darkness, just as Asinath had taught her. Soon she was engulfed by the shadow magic that she had summoned.
By now Lotaru was growing weak. Her body and mind were not used to the strain of using such magic. She could do very little without passing out. And now, on the verge of losing consciousness, Lotaru focused on the three missing Exodia cards with all of her might. She saw the cards before her in her mind's eye. With the last of her strength she called them up from the sea and into her hands.
Finally Lotaru allowed the spell to slip back to the Shadow Realm. She tried to stand but instantly swooned to the floor. Fighting to stay conscious, Lotaru stared down at the cards in her hand. The three pieces of Exodia. These could definitely come in handy sometime soon.
Lotaru eventually gained back enough strength to make the walk back down to her cabin. She didn't even bother to tuck herself into the bed before crashing down upon it and falling asleep within moments. Summoning the magic had greatly taxed her strength.
(Sleep while you can, hikari. It won't be long before you are forced to call on magic again. Magic much stronger than a simple summoning spell.) Asinath said to her sleeping light as she crossed the corridor from Lotaru's soul room back into her own.
As the sun rose over the horizon and turned the deep blackness of the ocean into a beautiful blue green, the ship made berth at the Duelist Kingdom. Private island of Maximillion Pegasus.
And as the island came into view, four best friends stood at the bow of the ship, dreaming of cash prizes and saving lives. Bakura lurked somewhere in the underbelly of the ship, brooding over his loss of Asinath. And Lotaru lay asleep on her bed as the morning sun light slowly crept over her body, breathing new life into her tired limbs.
The stage was set. The road ahead would not be an easy one to walk.
XxX
LE: Well, there's chapter three for ya.
Bakura: Exactly. Will you let us go this time?
LE: Hell no! This is fun. I like torturing you three.
Bakura: Well, hallelujah. What are you gonna add to the stakes this time?
LE: Nothing right now. I think I'll just watch you guys suffer.
(Meanwhile, the audience rejoins Yugi, Ryou, and Mokuba above the pit of doom.)
Ryou: So the monkey says to the Rabbi-
Mokuba: Um……guys?
Ryou: Excuse me! You're interrupting the punch line.
Mokuba: Sorry.
Kaiba: Stop apologizing!
Mokuba: Sorry.
Bakura: I don't think the poor sap gets it.
Kaiba: Don't call my brother a sap!
Bakura: BITE ME!
Mokuba: Uh……guys. Is this really the best time to be telling jokes? We're about to be brutally ripped apart by a pack of rabid tuna.
Yami: Sea bass.
Bakura: Mutated sea bass.
Yugi: Whatever, so what happened next?
LE: IF I HEAR EITHER OF YOU SAY THE WORD MONKEY ONE MOE TIME IT'S INTO THE PIT WITH YOU!
Yugi: Moe?
LE: Yes! Moe!
(Suddenly a giant black cat appears in the room. Affectionately known as the cat in the hat.)
Yami: Who are you?
CitH: Why I'm the cat in the hat. There's no doubt about that.
LE: Right, there is no doubt about that. There's also no doubt that you're even more lost than you think, cuz your in the wrong story.
CitH: Oh, sorry abut that. I'll be going then. (Vanishes in a puff of smoke)
Bakura: WAIT! TAKE US WITH YOU!
LE: Oooooooh, how sad. You missed your chance. Oh well, guess you're stuck here with me.
Bakura: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ryou: Well, that was random.
Yugi: Extremely.
Mokuba: So what happens now?
Kaiba: Maybe Luthien will let us go.
Ryou: Maybe she'll untie us.
Bakura: Maybe a hundred squirrels will pop out of the drain and tap dance across the roof.
Everyone else: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?
Bakura: Well, as long as we're dreaming I figured that I'd throw that one at you.
Yami: You know, he's got a point.
LE: All righty then. Enough with the chit chatting. The audience has until the release of chapter four to review or these three get their heads ripped off.
Bakura; That doesn't inspire pleasant images.
Kaiba: And how long, pray tell, will that be?
LE: You know, I'm not sure. You never can tell with me. They might have a month. They might have two days. You never can tell.
Kaiba: Please! Anybody out there! Review the story! DON'T LET HER KILL MOKUBA!
LE: Kaiba, you need help.