Zypher: And here we are with the next chapter to YnG: DA. Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and as always, enjoy this one as well.

0

Yami no Game: Death's Awakening

Chapter 28

0

"I won't believe it! Honda and Aqua can't be gone! I know that it would take more to get rid of them both!" Jounouchi growled. Yugi was still crying, holding onto Yami. 'Kaiba...you will pay for this...everything you put us through...taking my jii-chan, my friend and my lover from me...you will pay for this with your life...' Yami looked down to Yugi, feeling the anger radiating off of him and looked to the others. "Mind giving us a moment. We'll catch up in a bit." Yami whispered and they nodded as they walked off. Yami pulled Yugi away from his chest and looked down to him. "Yugi...I want you to calm down. I know Aqua isn't dead. By now, he probably used his strength to get them out of there." Yami stated.

"But I want them to be here with me. I don't want to continue on with thoughts plaguing me that they're actually dead." Yugi muttered. Yami placed a hand underneath his chin and lifted his head so he would face him. "They will be with us soon, Yugi. Just remember that." Yami cooed, leaning down to kiss him softly. Yugi returned the kiss, placing a hand upon Yami's cheek lightly. The kiss continued until Yugi broke away and looked up to him. "I want you to become your demon form." he whispered. "Are you sure? What would Jounouchi and Zella think?" he questioned. "I'll explain that to them when the time comes. I want you to be your demon form. You true self. I can see you struggling to not reveal it when around them and I don't want you to struggle anymore. Let it free and show Kaiba that he shouldn't have messed with you in the first place. I want him to know the dangers of messing with demons."

Yami saw the resentment and animosity in his eyes and that fueled the urge to follow true to his instinct. With a burst of darkness, an earth-shattering roar pierced the air as he shifted into his demon form.

0

The others turned back when they heard the roar. "You don't think..." Zella started. "You'll find out soon." Keara murmured as both Jounouchi and Zella looked to her. "You're hiding somethin', aren't ya?" Jounouchi asked. "Just wait." she told them. Yugi finally appeared with a dark shadow looming behind him, dark cerise eyes looking down at then.

"Yugi...w-what is that..."

0

Kaiba watched the screen once more, a chessboard with seven pieces by his side. "If this is chess...Yugi is the king, Yami and Aqua his knights and both Jounouchi and Honda must be the rooks. One of his rooks and one of his knights have been captured." he spoke. "The countdown to checkmate has begun..." Someone entered the room. "They don't give up easy...do they, nii-sama?" Mokuba questioned. "Mokuba...?" he said, looking back to him. "They're almost at the final stage! And you know what that means!" he spoke. "Do you remember your bet with Ruby and I? The one we all made before you started the "Death-T" plan? We bet on the stage Yugi's demons would die in!" he continued. "You bet on Death T-5 and Ruby bet that they wouldn't die at all! Isn't that right, nii-sama?!"

"You bet on Death T-4, didn't you...?"

"Of course I did, you jerk! Death T-4 is the stage where I fight Yami or Aqua!"

"Yes, I know, Mokuba...I bet on the final stage of the theme park, Death T-5...the final game of Duel Monsters!" Mokuba clenched his fists as he glared at his brother. "You know what I meant! You bet on Yami and Aqua instead of me, your own brother! How do you think that feels?!"

"And I still feel the same. You can't beat Yami or Aqua. I opposed your participation from the beginning." he spoke, shocking Mokuba. "Mokuba...you tried to show me up by challenging Yami and Aqua to a game before, didn't you? Do you think I don't know the outcome of that game?!" he snapped. Mokuba flinched at the cold tone. "Th-That's not...I-I just...I just thought you'd like me if I beat them..." he whispered. Kaiba turned to him, a glare marring his features. "Know this! There is no brotherly love in the gaming world! Until you figure that out, you will always be a loser, Mokuba!" Mokuba took a step back from the outburst but glared right back at him. "I'll show you! I'll beat Yami myself!" Mokuba shouted before turning to two men that stood behind him. "You! Are the preparations for Death T-4 ready?" he questioned.

"Yes sir!"

"Then let's go!" Kaiba turned away from him and Mokuba stomped off. 'Just you watch! Today, I'll finally show nii-sama that I am a gamer!'

0

"That's Yami!? But...But he's a demon!" Jounouchi cried. "I know. He and Aqua are the reason Kaiba set up this place. He wants a rematch and he'll get it one way or another. Setting up this place is probably a way to prove if they actually have the strength to defeat him a second time." Yugi explained before clenching his fists. "Kaiba will get that battle, and he will pay for what he's done to Aqua and Honda." Yugi growled before frowning, looking to them. "And now that you know who they really are, I'm guessing you'll be afraid of them and leave me..."

"Yugi, don't think that. What did I tell ya before? We're yer friends and we're going to stick by ya! Yami and Aqua included! They may be demons but they love ya and that's what matters the most!" Jounouchi claimed. "He's right! You made me feel welcome that day I came into school and I'm sticking by your side like you did for me that day!" Zella said happily. He smiled and thanked them. "But we have bigger things to worry about! We're going to take down Kaiba together and make him pay his dues for hurting Honda and Aqua!" Jounouchi cheered and they nodded as they continued to the door leading to the next game. "I can hear cheering! It's from behind that door!" Zella said. "Must be the next game." Keara whispered as they ran through the doorway as the doors slid open. "Th-This is..." Yugi started. "...The second arena!"

"Death T-4! Welcome to my stage, Yugi!" Mokuba called. Yami growled as he looked to him. He turned his gaze to him and smirked, pointing towards him. "Yami! This battle's between you and me! Leave your friends and lover where they are and come to the duel box alone!" he said. "Go ahead, Yami, and don't let him trick you with anything like he did before." Yugi said. "Since I'm staying behind, take my jii-chan's deck and win that duel against Kaiba!" Yami nodded, taking the deck and kissing his cheek once more before he started walking towards the duel box. "Hey! That's the loser who's gonna go up against Mokuba!"

"There's no way how he can win!" Yami didn't care about the children's cheers, only the battle that waits ahead. He opened the door and entered into the duel box where Mokuba waited. "Yami! Congratulations on making it to Death T-4! Too bad for you it was just a warmup and I see that you have lost your little dragon friend." he taunted. "You never learned your lesson, did you?"

"Nope and I don't care! I don't take lessons from amateurs! You may have won against me the first time but it won't happen again!" he growled. "But I'll let you in on something! The last stage you're trying to get to...the final arena with nii-sama...is on the floor above this one...See! That elevator takes you there! And as you can tell, you'll have to beat me to get to it!"

"Easy enough. You didn't learn your lesson before and I'll tear you apart like I did with those that went against me before." he hissed. "Like you have a chance! You're gonna die at this stage! Along with your friends and lover!" Mokuba stated and Yami turned back to see four guards holding Zella, Jounouchi, Keara and Yugi. 'Damn. And since Keara doesn't want to reveal her true powers to the others just yet, she can't do much. Not without risking Yugi and his friends' life if she fights back.' he thought angrily and turned back to Mokuba. "You will regret putting them in danger." he snarled. His demon instincts kept repeating 'rend, slaughter and devour' like a mantra within the depths of his mind but he ignored it so he wouldn't cause a bigger scene, especially with the fact he knows Kaiba is watching. "Now! Let the game begin! The competition this time is...Capsule Monster Chess! The virtual reality version!"

'Again? Fine then. So be it Mokuba but be prepared to lose again.'

"We will play capsule monsters chess on this board...but the battle will be displayed by virtual reality on the giant field below us!" he instructed and Yami looked down, now noticing the field below them. "Let me give you a demonstration! Watch closely. This strong piece is like me! It will do battle with this pathetic, low level like you!" he said and Yami grunted in anger. He placed the two pieces onto the field. "And there you go! The virtual monsters appear on the field below!" he said as the Level 5 Armorsaurus attacked the Level 1 Hyumoko, destroying it easily. "And just like he destroyed that weak little monster, I'll destroy you all the same!" Mokuba said with a grin. "And, of course, the loser will have to play a penalty game-the experience of death!"

'The experience of death? That's the same penalty game that Kaiba did to Yugi's grandfather.' he thought. "Fine, I'll take you on! And I promise you, I won't lose." Mokuba grinned more and nodded. "Good. Now, first, we each draw out capsule monsters from the coin machine." he spoke, pointing to it. "I know. You don't need to explain it to me a second time." Yami hissed as he got up and walked over to the machine, cranking the machine and getting a Level 1 monster. Mokuba took his turn and the cycle repeated until they had five monsters each. Yami growled as he looked to his monsters and then to Mokuba, which he already placed on the field. Mokuba outright laughed. "There's no way I can lose, Yami!" he said and Yami growled.

'The machine must've been rigged. There's too much of a difference between our monsters, just like before. I bet he set this up so he could win.' he thought. "Come on! Place your monsters in your territory! Let's see if you can actually think up a good formation for those monsters!" Mokuba demanded. Mokuba's capsule monster team was Megaton - Level 5, Nama Hargen - Level 4, Big Foot - Level 5, Zoid "M" - Level 5, and Armorsaurus - Level 5. Yami's capsule monster team was Mogley - Level 1, Ninja Squid - Level 2, Beeton - Level 2, Brain Slime - Level 1 and Toppo - Level 1.

'Hmm, the board has one path on each side...but you can get by if the enemy is waiting for you...I have it now!' he thought and arranged his monsters on the field. "If you're done then capsules out! Don't cry when you see my monsters, Yami!" he said. "It would take a lot to make me show any emotion other than anger when it comes to you." he hissed and Mokuba laughed. He laughed even more when he looked at the setup of his monsters. "What's that supposed to be?! All the weaklings clumped together?! This setup sucks just as much as you! You'll lose easily!"

"You'll be surprised. Now, shut your mouth and let start this game."

"Alright! Game Start!" Mokuba called and the monsters appeared on the field below, causing the kids to awe in surprise. "You can do it, Yami! Win this for us!" Zella called.

"We're counting on you!" Jounouchi called. 'There's no flip side the friendship! We'll stick by you through life and death!'

"I go first! Armorsaurus moves!" The giant armor-plated monster moved forward, making the kids' cheers even louder. "You can see where Armorsaurus can move!" One kid shouted form the crowd. "Your move, Yami!" he said but he was silent, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Did you hear me?! I said it's your turn!"

"I pass. I don't need to move." he spoke. "What?" Mokuba sneered, shock gracing his features. 'Yami...you're up to something! See if I care...' he thought. "Fine! If you won't move, I'll come to you!" he said. 'I'll split my monsters into two groups and attack from both front and behind! I'll completely destroy him!' He continued to move his monsters forward and with each passing turn, Yami passed. "That winged kid hasn't made a single move!"

"Mokuba's monsters are closing in on him!"

'Yami...what are you up to...?' Yugi thought. "Go! Invade the enemy territory!" Mokuba commanded, moving his Nama Hargen in place. "Look! Mokuba's got him surrounded!"

"This duel is mine, Yami!" Mokuba said gleefully. Yami's eyes snapped open as he reached down and moved his Beeton. "Wow! He made his first move!"

"I thought he gave up!"

"You're too late, Yami! I'll attack with Armorsaurus!" The monster roared as the breathed its flames upon his Brain Slime. "He burns your weakling monster in one blast!" Yami wasn't fazed by the attack. "I'm not done yet...Armorsaurus' turn isn't over yet! He attacks one more monster!" he said, his Armorsaurus curling up into a ball and attacking his Toppo. "Already you lost two of your monsters! I'm going to have some fun and destroy all your monsters with just Armorsaurus!" Mokuba said, laughing again.

"Go Armorsaurus! Flatten that wimp!" he said and once again, he curled into a ball and went for Mogley. But he wasn't ready for Mogley to dig underground, making Armorsaurus miss its target completely. "W-what?!" Mokuba said in fear. 'No way! I forgot he can burrow! He can't stop moving so he heading towards one of my own monsters!' he thought. When Armorsaurus hit, both he and Megaton was destroyed. 'This is it...this is what he was up to!'

"You know that high level monsters have unrivaled power but you need to learn how to control it! Now you've lost two monsters, Mokuba!" Yami said. "Alright! Yami's fighting back! I was starting to worry!" Jounouchi cheered. "And now, I'll move Ninja Squid to attack Zoid "M"...and there is only one way how it can defeat a Level 5 enemy." he said. 'Forgive me.' he thought to the monster as he commanded it to self-destruct, blowing itself and Zoid "M" up. "No! It took my monster out in a suicide attack!" Mokuba screeched.

"And with it, opened up a new path." he continued and Mokuba looked down to the board. "Huh...?" The boy gasped when he saw exactly what he meant. 'The evolution space is unguarded! He sacrificed his own monsters to let one weak piece reach the evolution space! With my monsters too far away, I can't stop it from evolving!' he thought as Yami leisurely move his Beeton towards the space. 'When it reaches that space, it will grow three levels! This means that useless Level 2 monster...will transform into a powerful Level 5 monster!'

"Now, I've reached the Evolution space! Now evolve, Beeton!" he said and below, the tiny larvae started to shift, transforming into a strong monster. The kids whooped and hollered as they watched the spectacle. "No matter how weak a monster is, if you believe in each step it takes, it will become strong!" Yami growled, making Mokuba flinch. "Let's go, Hyper Beetle! Attack Nama Hargen!" he commanded and the beetle monster flew off, heading in the direction of Mokuba's monster and destroying it with its Horn Attack.

"Whoa!"

"This is crazy! Mokuba has only one monster left!" Both monsters faced each other, ready for battle. "Yami...that battle will decide the game!" he said. 'Hyper Beetle's long-range attacks are powerful but in close quarters, Big Foot is stronger!' Mokuba thought with a grin. Yami and Mokuba stared each other down, Yugi, Jounouchi and Zella worrying from the sidelines and kids, watching with bated breath as they waited for the battle to commence. Sparks flew and both Yami and Mokuba called out the command to fight and both monsters charged in. Their attacks hit quickly and now it was the wait to see who won. Soon, Hyper Beetle fell and Mokuba smirked.

"Hyper Beetle is dead! You're done for, Yami!" he said in glee once more. Yami snarled, not saying a word. "Yami...you had another monster hiding on the board, didn't you? Did you think I'll let it get away?" Mogley poked out from underground, right in front of Big Foot. "This is it! The last monster! Big Foot! Stomp it flat!" Mokuba commanded and the monster prepared to do so. But before it could make another move, a line appeared and soon, the monster split into many pieces, shocking Mokuba and putting the kids in awe. 'No! It can't be! Hyper Beetle's attack was a critical!'

"Now it's over." he whispered. "I win, Mokuba." Mokuba looked down to the board, trying to see if something went wrong. 'No...it's a mistake...I couldn't have lost again...'

Jou, Zella and Yugi cheered from their spots. "No way! Mokuba actually lost at Capsule Monsters!" A kid from the crowd shouted. "Who is that winged guy?!" Jounouchi looked to them. "Morons! He's not "that winged guy"! His name is Yami! He's my bud!" Jounouchi said before looking back to him. 'Alright, that card game with Kaiba is next! You can't lose, Yami.' he thought. Mokuba was still berating himself for losing. Yami stood and started to make his way out. "I'm going." Was all he said. 'To the final stage where Kaiba is waiting. He will pay for what he done.' he thought. "Wait! Yami...!" Mokuba called.

"I...I won't believe it! There's no way I could lose!" he exclaimed. "All of my Capsule Monsters were higher level and stronger that yours! There was no way I could lose to you again!" The demon snorted and closed the door to the duel box, making his way towards the elevator. But he stopped short when the screens above came on and Kaiba appeared. "Kaiba!" Jounouchi exclaimed. He laughed softly. "I've been waiting for you, Yami! Good job. I've gotten bored of these amusements. Take that path to the elevator and rise to the final stage!"

"I will! Don't you go anywhere!" Yami hissed. "You'll get your game alright! And you'll pay for harming my friends, my lover and his grandfather!" Kaiba only glared down at him before turning his gaze to Mokuba. "S-Seto...ah...I..." Mokuba started but he cut him off. "I've felt your pathetic, clinging, loser's gaze staring at my back for years...I kept telling you over and over Mokuba...if you play with fire you'll get burned..."

"N-nii-sama!"

"You understand, don't you? Only the winner is allowed out of that duel box! A penalty game awaits the loser! That is the law of Death-T!" Kaiba said, pressing a button and soon, smoke started to fill the duel box. 'No...he wouldn't do that to me...not the experience of death!' he cried in his mind as the monsters appeared. He screamed, catching Yami's attention and he turned back to see Mokuba witnessing the same thing Sugoroku did. "Mokuba!" he called and ran back. 'This is crazy! Kaiba putting his own brother through a penalty game!' he thought.

Mokuba watched as one monster open its jaws wide, snarling. Yami opened the door and reached in, grabbing Mokuba and pulling him out. He landed on the ground and looked up to Yami. "Why...Why did you save me...?" he asked. "I wouldn't have won this game if I didn't have friends and my lover by my side who reached out to me. And you didn't deserve to go through the experience of death no matter how cruel you were in the first place." The crystal heart around his neck glowed, catching Mokuba's eye. 'Friends...' he pondered then remembered his brother's words.

"Mokuba! Until you realize that there no such thing as brotherly love, you will always be a loser!"

"Nooo!" he cried. Yami soon walked off and he pulled a picture from his robe, a picture of him, Ruby and Kaiba when they were younger. 'Brother...nii-sama has changed...it all started on that day and he dragged Ruby down with him. It's like...he possessed by a demon of gaming...' He then looked to Yami's retreating back. 'Yami...maybe when you face my brother...you can bring him back...' He stood and ran off, having something to do.

0

A metal briefcase was slammed shut and Kaiba took hold of it, heading to the battle dome. "I'm heading to the final stage, Death T-5!" he said to the guards. 'My revenge will end there!' he thought.

0

Back in the hall leading to Death T-4, a snarl was heard as the cube that blocked the exit from the previous game was forcibly removed. A dark figure crawled out from the exit, another coming up behind him. "Yami's already heading to the next level and so are the others, Honda." The first whispered. "Then let's get going so we can catch up, Aqua." Honda spoke, climbing onto his back and with a sneer, Aqua disappeared through the shadows of the hall.

0

Zypher: And here's the end for this chapter. Now we're finally getting to the good part! The rematch between Yami and Kaiba in on the way! Hoped you all enjoy and will be eagerly waiting for the next. See you later!