LE: Well, Silver Moon Phoenix, thanks for being a faithful reviewer. If it weren't for you I'd start to think that no one was reading this story. I need a new summary or something. I need a better way to show off my product. Got any suggestions? No? Well, if you get any ideas, do let me know.
Kaiba: Why should she? Why should you subject anyone else to reading this?
LE: I could be offended by that.
Kaiba: That was the general idea.
LE: SILENCE!
Yugi: Hey, Yami, aren't you going to tell me what screwing is?
Yami: Uh…well Yugi. It's um…there's this…uh…let me put it this way. You've studied…um…reproduction…in school. Correct?
Yugi: Yeah, and…?
Yami: Well, you see…it's like this. Screwing is…(Leans over and whispers in Yugi's ear)
Yugi: (eyes getting very big) And Luthien wants to do that to Bakura?
Yami: (steals a nervous glance at LE) Um…maybe.
(Yugi stands completely still, shocked.)
Yami: Uh…Yugi? (pokes him. No reaction)
LE: Just let him be. He'd have to deal with it sooner or later.
Yami: You know, I've just realized something. A fatal flaw in your kidnapping plot.
LE: And what is that?
Yami: You just gave me back the Millennium Puzzle. Now we can escape from here.
LE: I think not. Check the Puzzle again.
Yami: Oh my Re! There's a piece missing! What have you done with it?
(LE reaches into her pocket and brings out the missing piece.)
Yami: GIVE IT BACK!11
Kaiba: Eleven?
LE: Sorry, typo.
Kaiba: If it was a typo then why don't you go back and fix it?
LE: Obey the spoon!
Kaiba: Spoon? What spoon?
LE: The Egyptian God Spoon. (holds up card with a spoon picture on it.)
Yami: (stops trying to get the puzzle piece back.) Oh no! NOT THAT CARD!
Kaiba: What's so scary about a spoon?
Yami: Kaiba, listen to me! You must never disrespect the all-powerful Spoon of Chaos! It is the most powerful of the God cards.
Kaiba: …but it's a spoon.
LE: I KNOW IT'S A SPOON!11 DON'T YOU THINK I KNOW A SPOON WHEN I SEE ONE!11
Ryou: Um…Luthien?
LE: Not now, little girl!
Ryou: I AM NOT A GIRL!11 And I was just going to ask about Bakura.
LE: Oh yeah, that's right. (Rushes over to Bakura, who is still unconscious.) I guess I'll have to give him mouth to mouth. (dreamy smile appears on face. And though she doesn't notice, Bakura also starts smiling.)
Ryou: (noticing Bakura's smile.) No. I suppose I'll have to do it. (pushes LE out of the way and bends over Bakura.)
Bakura: (jumps up immediately) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!11
Ryou: Works every time.
Mokuba: You know, I have a question. Why do we keep saying eleven after every exclamation point?
LE: Because Dark Magician Boy thinks it's funny.
Mokuba: You mean he's watching us right now?
Dark Magician Boy: You know it.
Mokuba: Oh great.
Yami: Is Yugi going to be ok?
LE: Oh, he'll wake up eventually. But in the meantime, here's the long awaited chapter 6. Sorry for the delay. I had it ready but we had a blackout and I didn't save the file, idiot that I am. And when I had to rewrite the thing my muse just abandoned me. Plus, I'm not so good with updates during the school year.
Mirror of the Soul
Chapter 6:The Paths of the Silent
What happened? Lotaru asked herself. The last thing she remembered was Bakura holding a knife to her stomach.
Did he kill us? Where's Asinath?
Lotaru could almost hear her own thoughts echoing in the empty void of her surroundings. It was like drifting through space.As Lotaru pondered her situation she began to absently stroke the staff in her hands.
Wait a minute! What staff?
Lotaru looked down and saw that she was indeed holding a wooden staff that was about a head taller than she was. It started off at a point and the gnarled wood curled upward, ending in a huge claw that held a giant emerald orb. Then she noticed that her clothes had changed as well. She was dressed in billowy black robes with purple embroidery across the front. A golden breastplate with seven golden spikes hanging from it was hung across her chest. It was studded with large emeralds. When she sat up to get a better look at the get up she felt a tremendous weight upon her head and shoulders. She had purple emerald-studded armor covering her shoulders. When she lifted her hands up to feel the headdress she wore she noticed that it felt a lot like that of the Dark Magician. Then it hit her.
"Oh my god! I'm the Dark Sage!"
And this revelation was almost nothing compared to what she discovered when she stood up.
Lotaru looked down and saw that she was standing on a Duel Monsters card. The Dark Sage card to be more exact. She leapt back in surprise and noticed what lay beyond this one card.
It was an entire field of Duel Monster cards stretching out in all directions as far as her eyes could see! Cards that seemed to be lit from within. There was nothing but the flat stretch of cards and the black abyss in which it all seemed to float.
Just then, Lotaru noticed another figure laying on a card a good twenty cards away from hers dressed all in white.
Lotaru immediately began to sprint towards the figure. When she finally reached it she found that it was Ryou. He was dressed in a white angel's garment and he had a set of wings. Only one wing was an angel wing and the other was that of a demon. Lotaru recognized it as the garb of the Change of Heart magic card. She gently lifted his limp head from the card he lay on and shook him.
"Ryou, wake up! Please wake up! Don't be dead."
"He won't wake. Not until he is summoned." Lotaru heard a familiar voice drift across the field towards her.
Lotaru looked up to see Asinath walking over to her across the cards. She was also wearing an outlandish costume. She wore an ankle length blue dress that clung to her body. A slit ran from the hem all the way up to her right thigh. A purple shawl was wrapped around her shoulders. Her long black hair was pulled into a ponytail atop her head and a large blue scarf was wrapped around her head as a headdress. She carried a long, purple staff set with a large ruby at the top. The only thing to spoil this image was an angry red line that split the left half of her face.
"What do you mean by summoned, Asinath? Where are we?"
"I suppose you could call this the card limbo. This is where cards in a duel wait to be played. It exists somewhere between the playing field and the graveyard. For all reason, it is the Shadow Realm. Only it is placed in simpler terms for your limited mortal mind to comprehend."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"If you saw this place as it really is, you would be unable to understand it. It has so many more dimensions and depths that your mind has never known before. I, on the other hand, have died. And as a spirit I have touched upon these dimensions. I am not limited by the human mind because I no longer exist on the mortal plain. What you see before you is not the same as what I see," Asinath explained.
"Okay," Lotaru started, still confused. "Is there any way for you to explain it to me?"
"No. There are no words in any mortal language to describe what this place is really like. Akefia would be able to understand," Asinath said absently.
"Akefia? Who's that?"
"The spirit that you know as Bakura. Akefia is his real name."
"Really? You never mentioned that before."
"Yes, well, it wasn't something that needed mentioning."
"All right. So what are we doing here?"
"You, Ryou, and I have been transferred into Bakura's deck as cards. He is playing against Atem as we speak."
"Ok," Lotaru said casually, somewhat surprised that she could be so calm in this situation. Most people would panic if they found themselves in some mystic otherworldly dimension.
"I guess you just get used to it," Lotaru said to herself. After a few moments of silence she turned back to her yami.
"Who are you supposed to be anyway?"
"Not any monster you would recognize. I am the Shadow Spell Mage. It is a form I used a long time ago. It is a far cry from what my power is truly capable of."
"So when can we expect to be summoned?"
"That I couldn't tell you. He may not even use us in the duel."
"Will he let us go when it's over?"
"That really depends. If he loses the duel he'll be trapped in the Shadow Realm and unable to release us. If he wins, we'll just have to wait and see if he wants to let us go."
"He wouldn't keep us here forever would he? I mean…you two used to be-"
"Don't!" Asinath interrupted fiercely. "Just don't. That was a long time ago. It's over now."
"But-"
"No!"
"You once told me you still loved him."
Asinath clenched both fists defensively and bit her lip until it bled.
"That was four years ago. I was naïve when I first entered this world. Besides, even if I still did, he doesn't care for me anymore."
As she said this, Asinath's hard mask slipped away for a moment. Lotaru saw the girl that Asinath had once been showing through.
"Asinath, I-" Lotaru started, taking a step towards Asinath. But she never had the chance to finish the sentence. The world around her began spinning and she was engulfed in bright golden light.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?" she shouted fearfully.
Asinath said something but Lotaru couldn't make out what it was in all of the commotion. Just then, the card she had been laying on before opened up and swallowed her whole.
XxX
Yami(500): Bakura(1200)
Bakura looked over the playing field. The Pharaoh had just laid a card face down and ended his turn. His Dark Magician(2500/2100), or Yugi, rather, had attacked his Electric Lizard and was still weak from its effect. That made him easy prey for the card he had in mind. Yami had the Dark Magician/Yugi, Cyber Commander/Tristan(750/750), Flame Swordsman/Joey(1800/1400), and Magician of Faith/Tea(300/400) and one face down card on the field. All of them were weaker than the monster he had in mind. The Dark Sage/Lotaru(2800/2100). Only it required that he sacrifice a Dark Magician. And if he played his Soul Exchange magic card then it could happen. But now that it was his turn again, Joey and Tristan were trying to hide Tea from his sight.
"Don't bother, you fools! I can see her perfectly well."
Both miniatures looked sheepish and slowly backed away from Tea.
"Now I have all four of you right where I want you. Helpless on the field…easy prey for my Dark Sage!" Bakura announced boldly.
"Bakura has a Dark Sage?" Yugi asked out loud.
"Actually, it isn't mine. But it will do just as well. And now I activate my Soul Exchange card in order to take control of the Dark Magician!"
"NO!" Joey shouted, leaping out front to try and protect Yugi from the magic card. But he was too late.
A white mist drifted up out of the card and engulfed Yugi's body. His body went rigid and his eyes went completely blank.
"Yugi, wake up!" Tristan begged.
"Now, I sacrifice the Dark Magician in order to summon the DARK SAGE(2800/2100)!"
And as Bakura spoke the command, Yugi's body slowly vanished into the darkness. Bakura laid the Dark Sage card on the field and a figure emerged from it.
"NO! YUGI!" Yami cried out in anguish.
"Hey, wait a minute. That monster. Isn't that Lotaru?" Tea asked.
"Yeah, you're right, Tea," Tristan said, just as shocked as she was.
"How did she get here?" Joey wondered out loud.
Lotaru blinked a few times and looked around. It took her a few minutes to figure out that she had been summoned. But once she did she moved on to the shock of realizing that she was up against Joey, Tristan, and Tea.
"Damn it, Asinath. You didn't tell me who I'd be fighting," Lotaru hissed under her breath.
"Fortunately for you, I can't attack this turn because I used Soul Exchange to summon her so I end my turn."
Yami took in Lotaru's cool demeanor. Why wasn't she panicking like the others had? There was only one logical explanation.
"She's working with Bakura," he whispered.
Yami briefly glanced down at the card he'd drawn. Spellbinding Circle. Yes! There was a way to take down Lotaru and bring Yugi back.
"All right, Bakura. You're going to pay for what you've done! I'll start by playing my trap card, Spellbinding Circle! And I'll use it on the Dark Sage!"
Bakura growled low in his throat as the glowing ring surrounded Lotaru and bound her in place.
"No matter! You wasted the trap on the Dark Sage, so its effect will only last for two turns. And I hope you don't harbor any illusions about rescuing little Yugi from the graveyard. You've already played Monster Reborn; the only way to get him back. And soon the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul forever!"
"No," Lotaru whispered to herself from the confines of the Spellbinding Circle. "All this happened because of me."
"Poor Yugi," Tea whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "He can't be gone."
One tear slid silently down Tea's cheek and hit the card she stood on. When that happened the card started glowing.
"Hey, what's going on?" Tristan asked.
"Tea is the Magician of Faith. Her tears activated the special ability of her favorite card," Yami explained. "And now I use that effect to reclaim one magic card from the graveyard and add it to my hand. The card I choose is Monster Reborn. I'll use its powers to resurrect my Dark Magician!"
All of the others cheered as Yugi reappeared on the field.
"Yugi, you're back!" Tea shouted with glee.
"You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals," Bakura said to Yami.
"My friends are never a waste of time. Now make your move."
Bakura smirked at these words.
"Oh, I'll move. And you will loose! This is the move that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle. First I'll play Lady of Faith(1100/800) in attack mode. And then the card that will turn your friends against one another. The Change of Heart card!"
"Change of Heart? But isn't that Bakura's favorite card?" Yugi asked.
Bakura chuckled.
"And a very powerful magic card it is. It allows me to take control of any opposing monster. And I choose the Dark Magician."
"No! I refuse!"
"You won't have a choice in the matter. You see, I need to have three monsters on the field in order to play this next monster. But I don't have any other monsters in my hand. So I'll just use one of yours."
"Leave the young one out of this!" Yami said angrily.
"Why should I? You're here to die to protect him! THEN PROTECT HIM AGAINST THIS!" Bakura said as he slammed the magic card into place.
"YUGI!" his friends cried out as a strange figure appeared on the field and cast it in an unearthly light.
"Hey!" Yugi said in surprise when he saw the Change of Heart. "It's Ryou."
"The real Bakura!"
"So your soul was sealed into your favorite card too?"
Ryou bowed his head in defeat.
"I'm so sorry, Yugi. I can't stop him," Ryou whispered as he flew towards Yugi and into his body.
Yugi froze up for a moment. Suddenly his features melted and Ryou stood there in his place, dressed in the Dark Magician garb.
"YUGI!" all of his friends shouted as they watched it happen.
"Now that all of the pieces are in place, I can summon a new monster," Bakura hissed as he took a card from his hand and placed it face up on the field.
"Bakura, why are you doing this?" Yami asked.
"I suppose you're wondering why I don't just use Yugi to attack you. You see, this will be our ultimate triumph and I want her here to finish you off. I summon the Shadow Spell Mage(3000/2400) in attack mode!"
"Her? Who's her?"
But when the monster appeared on the field, Yami began to understand.
"Another Lotaru? But how can that be?" Tristan asked.
"That's not Lotaru! But now she will destroy you pathetic mortals! Now, Asinath! Attack the Flame Swordsman!"
Asinath sneered wickedly and raised her staff to deal the killing blow.
"No, Asinath! Stop!" Lotaru begged.
"Why! This is my chance to see him die at last!"
"You can't! You'll destroy all of the others too!"
"I don't care! He doesn't deserve to live!"
"I won't let you take innocent lives, Asinath."
"You're in no position to stop me, Lotaru."
Yami watched this exchange, mystified. What on Earth were they talking about?
"Asinath! This is our chance! Strike now!" Bakura ordered.
But Ryou had also been watching all of this. He just couldn't bear to see his friends hurt. He finally had a plan to stop his tormentor once and for all.
"I want to help but we must act quickly, Yugi," Ryou said to him as he pulled away from Yugi and flung himself across the field. Then he possessed the Lady of Faith.
"NO!" Bakura shouted. "The Mage's attack strength is determined by how many monsters I control!"
Asinath's attack strength immediately dropped to 1300 with the loss of control over Yugi.
"I've possessed one of his monsters instead of yours. I'll control her while you attack me, Yugi. You can defeat the evil Bakura!"
"I can't! I'd be destroying you! Sending you to the graveyard!" Yugi shouted frantically.
"I don't care! It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! DO IT!"
"BE QUIET!" Bakura shouted.
"I have a better idea," Yami butted in suddenly. "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring is able to take souls from people, maybe my Millennium Puzzle has the power to put them back!"
As he said this the puzzle began to glow. Bakura screamed as the soul exchange took place. He slumped over the field for a few moments. But when he looked up again his face was different. It was Ryou.
"All right!" Joey cheered. "Our Bakura's back where he belongs!"
"Yeah, but where's the evil dude?" Tristan asked.
Everyone's eyes turned to the Lady of Faith. It was Bakura!
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" he shouted, suddenly realizing what had happened.
"Listen closely, Yugi. Use the power of the Dark Magician! Send him to the graveyard! NOW!" Yami shouted.
"You got it! DARK MAGIC ATTACK!" Yugi shouted, raising his staff into the air to channel the magic.
But as the blast traveled across the field, Asinath leapt out in front of it.
"I won't let this happen!" she shouted as the blast struck her head on.
"ASINATH!" Lotaru and Bakura shouted as one.
Bakura knelt by Asinath's smoldering body and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Why did you do that, you idiot?"
"Because," Asinath whispered, struggling to speak. "I won't let him destroy you again."
Asinath heaved one last breath before her body shattered into a thousand pieces.
Yami(500): Bakura(0)
A mask of rage clouded Bakura's face as he rose to his feet. Then he pointed an accusing finger up at Yami.
"Here me now, Pharaoh! You will pay for this!"
"What do you mean?" Yugi asked him.
Bakura didn't answer. He only glared at them all as he vanished from the field.
"What happened? Where did he go?" Tea asked.
"I don't know!" Yami said angrily.
XxX
The second she was back in her own body Lotaru snapped into a sitting position.
"Asinath," she whispered sadly.
(Lotaru, don't just sit there! The others will be waking up any second and we must be far away from this place.)
(Asinath!)
(No, it's Pegasus. Of course me.)
(But how?)
(The shadows are my domain. Do you really think they could keep me trapped there?)
(I guess not, but-)
(No time for questions. Go and get your cards. We must get out of here.)
Lotaru quickly got to her feet and clawed her way out of the bush she was lying under. Ryou, Yugi, Tea, Tristan, and Joey were still out cold. But when Lotaru reached out her hand to take back Dark Sage and Shadow Spell Mage from their places on the field, a pale hand snapped out and grabbed her wrist. She looked up and found herself staring directly into Bakura's cold, brown eyes.
"Asinath?"
"No. Lotaru."
"Where is she?" he hissed furiously.
"She's safe," Lotaru answered, whipping her arm out of Bakura's grasp.
"Let me speak to her," he demanded as he got to his feet.
"There's no time. The others will be waking up soon. Lie low for now. You'll get the Puzzle some other time."
Bakura glared at her but finally backed down. When Lotaru noticed Yugi stirring she bolted for the trees. Only just managing to escape. And as she made her way through the dark forest, Asinath bugged her as usual.
(You think you cut it close enough?) Asinath asked sarcastically.
(Shut up, Asinath. It's not my fault Bakura wanted to talk to you. Actually I think it's sort of sweet that he asked if you were all right.)
(He did nothing of the sort, foolish girl! He just wanted to know if I was still around for the next time we try and kill Atem. I repeat myself…he does NOT care about me!)
(Whatever you say.)
(I can't believe you're teasing me about this like we were no more than school children. Akefia is not someone to be trifled with.)
(No. He's just a man in love.)
(Don't be so foolish, Lotaru. Love does not last. I learned thatthe hard way. It is something that you will learn as well. In the end you can only depend on yourself.)
(That's not true! I have Atrus.)
(Atrus.) Asinath scoffed. (Why do you cling to that feeble hope? In the end you will be left without him. It will not last.)
(No! I don't care what you say! Just because Bakura hurt you doesn't mean that-)
(DON'T START! I am above that now. Love is beneath me. I don't need it. The mere word sickens me!)
"Lotaru?"
Lotaru immediately snapped out of the conversation and turned her attention to the world outside. She looked around to find that she had walked into a sort of clearing. The owner of the voice that had called her name stepped out of the trees. But the figure stayed in the shadows, just out of reach of the moonlight.
"Who are you? Show yourself!"
"Lotaru, don't you know me?"
Now that she thought about it, the voice did sound familiar. A strong, masculine voice. A voice from the past. And the figure before her, still concealed by the darkness, it was so familiar. But it couldn't be. Could it? The darkness must be tricking her eyes.
"Show yourself!" she ordered.
The figure finally stepped into the light cast by the moon and Lotaru's breath left her body in a flash as she crashed to her knees.
No! It can't be!
Standing before her was her father. Her father that had died four years ago!
XxX
LE: Well, how's that for a plot twist my little chickadees?
Kaiba: Oh, give it a rest already. It's painfully obvious what's going on here. And if no one else has figured it out then they're all idiots.
LE: Shut up! You might offend one of my readers.
Kaiba: So?
LE: (Eyes glow red)
Yami: No! Don't! He didn't mean it!
LE: All right, fine. I'll let him off the hook this time. He's not worth it. Especially since I have so many other chapters to write.
Kaiba: By the way, Luthien, there's something I've been meaning to ask you.
LE: Yeah?
Kaiba: Back in chapter 3, was that really a sock in my mouth?
LE: Uh…(laughs nervously)…um…let me get back to you on that one. But in the meantime continue reading all of yous out there. I shall update when I can.