Twelve Little Duelists
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Note: The story is quickly drawing to a close and those that have read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie are already figuring it out. But don't forget, I've read the story too, and I'm writing this one; I can quite easily change how things turn out, I've already some twists in it that weren't in the original story. Don't get too arrogant, my loves.
"Speech"
---------------------- Changing character stand point
-------------------------------------------- Change in time or place
Warning: Character death still in effect, of course.
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Chapter 7: Extinguishing the Light
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Yami entered the dining room from the front hall at the same moment that Tea appeared through the door to the den. Both pairs of eyes fell on Ryou's slumped form seated in one of the gold and white chairs. At his feet lay his figurine, nothing more than a pile of jagged ceramic pieces and white dust.
"Oh, no," Tea moaned, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates, "not Ryou." She shook her head in disbelief, causing trendils of brown hair to fall over her face unhindered. One hand came up to cover her mouth, silencing herself from making anymore sob-filled words.
Yami steeled himself as he stepped heavily toward the silent Hikari. With a shaking hand, he pulled Ryou's shoulders back, allowing him to lean back into the chair. The typically pale face was stark white, matching his snowy hair almost perfectly. His eyes were closed as if simply sleeping. Yami shook his head slowly in an attempt to banish the still fresh memories of discovering Yugi's body. His precious little Light had appeared so terrified and sorrowful, eyes wide and unseeing. Why did Ryou have to look so damnably peaceful and content? It wasn't fair!
As Yami dropped his eyes from Ryou's colorless face, he caught a glimpse of crimson on the boy's colorless throat. Brow creased, he bent to inspect the spot on Ryou's neck. It was a tiny drop of blood, so beautifully brilliant against such flawlessly white flesh. Tea, noticing what had caught Yami's eyes, gasped as she recognized the tiny injury.
"A needle," she whispered, her voice deafening in the silence. She shuddered despite the warm temperatures as sudden images of the other deaths flooded her mind. The murders could have been accidental up until Serenity's vicious death. Now the murderer was becoming insanely violent; he seemed to delight in making it obvious that the deaths were premeditated. With a pang guilt, she found herself becoming grateful that Ryou hadn't suffered a gory death like Serenity and Yugi.
A gleeful giggle brought both out of their dark thoughts. They immediately recognized the unbalanced laugh as Malik's. Looking toward the way Yami had entered, they found the last remaining Hikari.
Malik seemed completely content as he clung to Seto, nuzzling the disgruntled CEO like an affectionate cat despite Seto's attempts to unlatch him. "Six little duelists playing with a hive; a bumblebee stung one and then there were five," the Egyptian sang, delighting in the sinister lines of the poem.
Yami shot Malik a foreboding glare, causing the Hikari to hide behind Seto in fright. Feeling perfectly safe with Seto between himself and Yami, Malik stuck his tongue out at the pharaoh, blowing a raspberry.
"Are you going to sink to his level, pharaoh? It'd be quite amusing to see you doing such childishly immature acts," Bakura drawled as he appeared behind Seto and Malik. The darkly amused smirk on his face vanished instantly when he saw Ryou's body. What little color he had in his face drained completely, giving him the same deathly appearance as Ryou. Sharp chocolate eyes grew wide for a split second before narrowing so severely they appeared almost closed. "Hikari…" No, not his Hikari, he'd done too much to keep the timid one safe.
As Bakura stepped dazedly toward Ryou, the others moved swiftly out of his path; Bakura was unstable enough, they weren't about to drive him over the edge by getting between him and his recently murdered Light. The thief shook with suppressed grief and rage; fists clenching and unclenching as he reached Ryou's side. How had he not sensed Ryou's distress or detatchment? Without a sound, he lifted Ryou's form into his arms, cradling the small Hikari. He turned on his heel, trudging toward the exit of the dining room, finding himself partially blocked by Seto and Malik as they stood beside the door. Growling in warning, Bakura was numbly aware that Seto hastily moved out of his path, dragging Malik back by his shirt collar. It was the first time he'd ever seen the usually prideful and arrogant CEO appear nervous; yet, the thief didn't have the will to create a snide remark. Insults were useless now that he didn't have a Hikari to fluster with embarrassment; he'd only bothered to shoot cold insults at Ryou's friends because he loved to see the timid albino dance about anxiously, apologizing profusely, snowy cheeks tinted pink.
Those thoughts occupied his mind as he climbed the stairs solemnly, entering his dark room without a need to flip the light switch as his thief's eyes adjusted instantaneously. Laying Ryou down gently on the bed, Bakura slumped to the floor. Spiky white hair fell into his eyes as he sat staring in denial at his Light's body. He refused to believe Ryou was dead; he was just sleeping. Sleeping peacefully, like he always did every night; completely unaware of Bakura sitting up and simply watching him. Now was no different; there was no proof Ryou was dead.
No proof, except for the lack of Ryou's chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. And there was no response whatsoever mentally or physically when Bakura berated his Hikari in usual fashion. If Ryou were still alive and attempting to worry Bakura, he would have flinched at the harsh tone and insults. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing but complete and utter darkness. Having no choice but to accept the unwanted, lest he become as cracked as Malik, Bakura pulled the white sheet over Ryou's face. He grimaced when he saw the sheet, as perfectly white and clean as it was, seemed to taint Ryou's immaculately pure face with its poor imitation white.
As Bakura left the room with plans never to return to it, he glimpsed Ryou's journal lying open to the most recent entry, only half finished. Katsumoto Taka was the last thing written in Ryou's delicate, polite penmanship. The name meant nothing to Bakura and, in an attempt to respect the privacy he'd never really granted Ryou before, the thief quietly closes the leatherbound book and placed it beside his immobile Hikari.
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"Yami, can I talk to you?" Tea asked of the pharaoh as he sat staring sullenly at the sea. He had just removed Yugi's body from where the murderer had left him in the dirt; thinking along the same lines as Bakura, Yami had left Yugi on his bed. The small teen would have looked as if he were sleeping, if it wasn't for the massive wound in his head. Kaiba had been generous enough--or perhaps it was to spare all, including himself, nausea--to remove the axe for Yami. Without consulting the other's, Seto had chosen to dispose of the weapon by dropping it off one of the cliffs into the roaring sea. Yami had been mulling over such thoughts when Tea's words snapped him to alertness.
"Hmm? Yes?" he asked, still slightly dazed. Crimson eyes met with distressed cerulean ones as he gazed up at Tea. "Sorry, what did you want Tea?"
Tea smiled softly in an attempt to bring a little warmth back into Yami's mood. "I just wanted to see if you were ok." She grimaced at her own words, quickly continuing to explain her meaning. "I was only wondering if there was anything you needed." Because obviously you're not okay, she finished in her head.
Yami gave Tea a small smile in thanks as he shook his head. "No, I'd just like some time to think. But thank you, Tea." He was grateful when Tea chose to sit beside him, rather than leave. He wouldn't have asked for it, but he wanted nothing more than company as he grieved silently for his lost Light.
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Seto paced the sitting room thoughtfully. Occasionally, with a feeling of regret, his icy blue eyes glanced at the large white sheet nailed to the two walls to cover the large blood stain left at the scene of Serenity's death; with his immense willpower, he forced his mind to stop trailing off and focus on the task at hand. The pieces to this murder lay in front of him, but he couldn't put the puzzle together, there were too many missing pieces. He had to solve this if he wanted to get the blame and suspicion off him. His pacing increased with his frustration as he continuously ran his hand through his hair, making uncharacteristically disheveled.
Malik watched Seto's pacing with fascinated lavender eyes. His mind kept superimposing over the CEO the image of a luxurious snow leopard, walking back and forth as it contemplated a way out of an invisible cage. Taken by the sudden urge to stop Seto's irritation, Malik leapt from the chair he'd been curled up in enjoying a candy bar, and trotted over to the tall teen, planting himself firmly in Seto's path. When Seto was forced to halt by Malik's motionless stance, he blinked in surprise, slowly bringing himself out of his thoughts.
'Move," Seto ordered, arms crossed in his typical attitude. He was in no mood for Malik's psychotic games, not when he had a mystery to solve before someone else was killed.
Malik grinned in response, shaking his head quickly. "Not 'til Seto tells Malik what's wrong."
Seto's frown increased at the use of his first name, but he brushed it off as he knew there was no changing an insane person's mind. "What's wrong?" he asked, sarcasm coating his venomous words, "Oh, nothing's wrong. Everyone is just being murdered by a psychopath."
The only answer he got from Malik was a devious giggle as the Egyptian skipped back to his chair upon seeing Tea and Yami enter the room. Yami glanced accusingly at Seto but, to his surprise, didn't meet the usual hostile pair of blue eyes. Seto refused to meet Yami's gaze, knowing the pharaoh blamed him for Yugi's death, whether he was the killer or not. Tea, seeing Yami's look and Seto's lack-there-of, gestured silently with a jerk of her head for Yami to sit down and leave Kaiba alone. Resigning to obey, Yami sank into the velvet couch beside Tea, both being sure to keep their gaze off the sheet that disguised Serenity's bloodstains.
But Malik, with overly powerful curiosity, had to see what the others did not. Glancing over his shoulder to be sure Seto was occupied with staring out the window at nothing, Malik slid from his chair and crept furtively to the sheet. He was about to lift the corner to reveal what he thought was treasure, when a harsh voice growled in an authoritarian tone, "Drop it, you little savage."
The four occupants of the room turned to see Bakura standing in the doorway, dark eyes locked on Malik. The remaining Hikari squeaked in fright, darting behind Seto. Without another word to any of them, Bakura slumped into the nearest armchair, spiky white hair falling over his eyes. Each of them, even Malik, fell into their own thoughts, forgetting the others existed as best they could. Each one knew one of them was a killer, and their minds worked incessantly in an attempt to discover who.
Silence reigned for a great length of time that none bothered to measure or even acknowledge, still buried in their thoughts as they were. Bakura's thoughts were on his past and Ryou's as he tried to find a solution as to why his perfectly innocent Hikari had been brought here. Yami mulled over each murder, even Yugi's with immense sorrow, as he tried to find a clue covered by the blood. Seto's mind dwelled on his little brother as he wondered if he'd ever see Mokuba again--even Seto Kaiba's legendary determination and will was running low in this hellhole. Malik thought of his Yami, wondering if he was going to be waking up any time soon so that they could go back home to Ishizu and Odion.
Tea's thoughts were not on lost friends or possible killers; she sat observing the others in the room and seeing a certain animal-like tension in air. Yami looked very much like a magnificent, if crestfallen, lion seated so habitually regal beside her, his slanted red eyes dark as he concentrated on his thoughts. Tea got a certain feline feel from Seto as he glared out the window; if he had a tail, she had the feeling it'd be lashing irritably like any cat's would be during a dangerous situation. Malik had the look of a far too mischievous kitten as he sat on the windowsill beside Seto with a faroff, musing look on his face. Bakura, sitting so far into the chair, carried the obvious air of a hungry wolf, narrow eyes watching everything and deeming each as a potential enemy or threat. We're a zoo, she thought with a tinge of sardonic amusement, I wonder what animal I look like...
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Having had quite enough of sitting around and needing a few minutes away from such brooding boys, Tea stood up and stretched. With a yawn, she headed toward the doors. She could feel four pairsof eyes on her back and, looking over her shoulder, she smiled slightly at them. They knew exactly was she was thinking as she left the room. If one of them followed and she turned up missing or dead, they'd be pinpointed as the killer. Not one of them so much as twitched as they shot suspicious glares at each other--excluding Malik, who sat humming a tune as he poked at the windowpanes. And he was the only one not on his feet immediately when Tea's terrified scream came from somewhere in the house. Glancing at the others, all three hurried out of the room, Seto stopping just long enough to order Malik to stay where he was. Outside the door, the three unconsciously split up, having heard Tea's scream from different directions in the massive house. When they realized the others weren't with them, it was too late to backtrack and find each other; they just continued on with their hurried search of the girl.
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With a pouty expression, Malik obeyed Seto's order and sank into his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. Having finally grown bored of reciting the Duelist poem, he began to go over what that creepy voice had told them when they arrived however long ago. What was it that voice had said about him? Ah, that's right, Lilia Hishinzo. He'd ran over her during one of his highspeed escapes after a museum robbery. Nope, wasn't his fault Lilia had ran in front of his motorcycle. Odion had said young children shouldn't be out so late anyway. Besides, it's not like he'd hit her with a car. Just a small motorcycle. Can't be blamed for something the Gods wanted. Why else would a little girl be outside at night unless it was specifically to be killed by Malik. Simply fulfilling the Gods' wishes, he was.
He was reminded of his motorcycle backfiring when the gun fired. But no more memories came after that.
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It was Seto who found Tea curled up in a corner of the dining room, shaking violently. Her wide blue eyes stared at, not one but two, shattered figurines on the floor. Taking stock of the other statuettes still intact, Seto realized that one belonged to Tea while the other was Malik's.
"I'm going to die next," Tea gibbered, still shaking. She stared up at Seto in horror. "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"
"I'm not the killer!" Seto growled, taking a step away from Tea to prove he was not planning on killing her.
Still terrified and hysterical, Tea screamed, startling Seto into stepping farther away. Yami and Bakura burst in from separate doors at the same time, just seconds after Tea's scream. Both spirits' eyes locked Seto, who tried to appear as innocent as possible. Glancing at each other, Yami and Bakura charged forward, each grabbing one of Seto's arms and pinning him to the wall.
"Unhand me!" Seto commanded, struggling against the two. His superior height was of little use with their combined power holding him in place. "You have no right to do this! I did nothing!"
"If you did nothing, then why did Tea scream?" Yami demanded, glancing at the girl to make sure she was unharmed.
Tea shook her head, signaling for the two to release Seto, which they were reluctant to do. "He didn't do anything. I screamed because I was scared, and...and, because I had just noticed who the other figure belonged to..."
Four Guests Remaining
KT: Damn, I just killed off my comic relief.
Seto:Smart move.
KT: Now the story is just going to get dark and depressing with the little psycho to brighten it up.
Seto: Probable cause to stop writing this?
KT: Not by a long shot, Tea still lives.
Seto: Great...