Disclaimer: What's the point?
Alright, in our last venture into this tale, Naraku and Yami finally confront each other regarding their hatred of Hiei, while Yusuke is about to face the most powerful Insect monster in the game. Kaiba, meanwhile, was tricked into a duel with the traitorous Sango, while Genkai returned to operate the event. And during this insanity Yami no Marik returned to mete out his perverse brand of justice.
Chapter 29 finally ends Yusuke's duel with Weevil, and begins the conflict between Sango and Kaiba. At the same time, Kachikachi arrives before the Pharaoh to deliver a message, but not before Kikyo gets to him first. Hiei also deals with the rebellious Botan in his own sadistic way, and explains to her why he has decided to turn to the darkness, while Yoko reveals to Inuyasha all that has gone on since last he and Kagome ran into one another.
Let's begin this tale!
Chapter 28: Wrath of the Black Shadow
Yusuke vs. Weevil
Alright, I've made it this far without being destroyed, and now that my monsters are free to attack, he'll have no way of stopping my monsters. But as long as his Cocoon is equipped with Ring of Magnetism and Heart of Clear Water, I'll be completely unable to stop the summoning of his ultimate creature. And once his Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth is on the field, none of my monsters will stand a chance. I might, however, have a way to take down his strategy; it'll take some luck to get the cards I need, but if I play it right, I should be able to stop his ultimate moth and any hopes he has of winning...
Of course, this was one of the very few strategies of the Spirit Deck that Yusuke had never fully mastered; in fact, nobody except for Genkai had ever even put it into play successfully. Regardless, however, the conditions were almost perfect for him to attempt this combination strategy, and all he needed to do was draw the final pieces to this sordid puzzle.
And here it was, the one card in this match that could make or break him. The Poison Moth may have drained some of his life points, but he was about to take all of Weevil's. (2300/3200)
"I activate the Magic card, Left Arm Offering! In exchange for discarding my entire hand right now, I am allowed to add one Magic card from my deck to replace it, and I know just which one to use. Now for part two of my ingenious plan, the Magic card, Card of Sanctity, which as you probably guessed lets us both fill our hands up with six cards from the deck, meaning I'll get a fresh shot at your bony ass!" His quips notwithstanding, the detective still knew all too well that the odds of him drawing the right components for his ultimate attack were slim to none. Yet his practice with Yugi and Joey had taught him one thing: the only way, in a tight spot, to escape defeat was to put your confidence into the war machine you had designed. And so he drew the final six cards, and knew that the end was near.
"I'll start this last move by activating the Magic card, Double Spell, which will allow me to add one Magic card from my graveyard into my hand, in exchange for discarding another Magic. Next, I will activate the Magic card I returned, the Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards." Excellent. Now that I've gotten everything I needed, it's time to show this little grub what a real duel is...
"I now activate Reign of the Medium! When activated, this card allows me to special summon one Spirit Monster from my Graveyard, and allows all Spirit Monsters to be special summoned as long as it remains face up on the field, so for one last time I'll call upon the power of the Kamikaze!" Once more the golden warmonger stepped up from the grave, but this time staggered onto the field, as though worn down from it's constant use in the conflict.
"HA! What good will that archaic barbarian do against me? The monster has only 2100 attack points, making it easy prey for my legendary goliath once it is called upon!" But as Weevil began to laugh at the once vigorous Spirit, the creature tramped between the Poison Moth and his suzerain Raiden, and began to mumble beneath his breath. "What is he doing?!"
"The Kamikaze is simply offering a prayer for his fallen comrades, and at the same time asking forgiveness of his king, for I am about to activate his special effect! I'm allowed to sacrifice any number of monsters on my side of the field besides Kamikaze, and in exchange I can destroy the same number of monsters on your field. And since you made a special point of giving me the Poison Moth, I can use that as tribute! KAMIKAZE, TWIN SWORDS OF BUSHIDO!!!" With a barely suppressed expression of guilt, the lightning swordsman cut open the torsos of his fellow warriors, and from each laceration drew blood until each katana was dripping in the fluids. Once this was accomplished, the samurai placed an amulet upon each corpse, and charged head on towards the enemy, and swung both blades through the insects until they were cut into quarters of their former selves. "Now that those monsters are out of the way, it's time for me to end this duel. I summon Yata Garasu in attack mode!"
Weevil had heard stories about the game-shattering power of the Eight Giant Crows from several duelists that had been on the receiving end of it in tournaments before, but the card itself was so extremely rare that he had never seen it in use against himself. But the menacing bird from the depths of Hell that the others had spoken of did not match the pathetic creature that stood before him, an oversized blue raven whose yellow eyes darted to and fro as to protect itself from the wrath of other monsters. (200/100)
"THIS IS YATA GARASU?!"
"Don't be fooled by it's size, Weevil; when played in just the right way my monster can end duels instantly, especially when I activate the Magic card known as
Transfusion! Once I torch a Spirit monster in my hand, I can choose one of two effects, and in this case, I'll ditch my Asura Priest to boost it's attack by 1700 points!" Around the demon's neck emerged a golden charm that caused the tips of it's wings to gain a razor edge. (1900/100) "Yata Garasu, direct attack!" Now fully capable of moving in on the enemy, Yata sent a bolt of electrical wind crashing into Weevil's life points, while at the same time puncturing his deck with a golden crow's beak. (2300/1300) "And I probably should mention that every time my Yata Garasu inflicts damage onto your life points, you must skip your next draw, so I'll end my turn by placing one card face down, and activating my two magic cards, Mystic Break and Secret Break, which forces both players to discard every magic and trap in their hands! Take it, Underwood."
No! How could I have lost?! It's simply impossible! Wait! I still have my Insect Soldiers of the Sky from a few turns ago, so if I summon that his Yata Garasu will be at my mercy!
But Yusuke had other plans.
"I hope you weren't counting on that Insect Soldiers card to get you out of this mess, for I still have my face down card, Drop Off, which allows me to discard the only card you have left in your hand, and since you have nothing to defend you and no way to draw, I'll win this duel on my next move!"
"DAMN YOU, URAMESHI!!!"
"I'll take that as my move, then, and it's time I finished this! Yata Garasu, direct attack!" Another bolt of thunder rained out from it's beak, and Weevil was unable to take the onslaught any longer. (1800/0) "The duel is mine, Underwood."
"YEAH!!! Awesome match, man!!!"
"Thanks, Joe. Now, as for you..."
"What are you talking about, Urameshi?!"
"You heard me the first time, and it was your idea. Now cough up your keys and Insect Princess and I'll be on my merry way."
"No! I can't do that, you inbred boob! If I lose this duel I lose everything else! Just take one of my keys and my rarest card and be done with it! My superiors do not take failure kindly at all, and my true masters are as deranged as they come!!!"
"Sorry, Weevil, but if you roll with pigs, you'll get messed up." And with that the exiled detective snatched up his well-earned prize, upon which the bug duelist collapsed into a dead faint.
"Ah, cut the melodramatic crap, Weevil. It's not like you haven't been whipped by a better duelist before. Besides, I still need you conscious if you're going to tell me where Keiko is."
"No way, Urameshi!!! I've already lost the duel and my place in the tournament, and there is no way I'll upset my master further!"
"Really? I find that hard to believe, given that people like you are kind of prone to living. But if you really want to die I could arrange it." Even before the spirit energy began to amass in Yusuke's finger, however, Weevil decided it was best not to annoy this one either.
"Alright, I'll talk, but I'll need some promise of protection first or I won't say a word..."
But from another viewpoint, it seemed that Weevil wasn't about to talk anyway.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Underwood."
From the same general direction that the new voice was coming from darted a strand of shimmering thread that lashed forth of it's own volition, and in it's turn began to lash about searching for its target. Unable to locate the ultimate prey, the whip of light decided to vent it's frustrations on Weevil Underwood.
"Master Sesshomaru?!"
"I really do have to apologize for my warmonger's actions here, but I am sorry to report that Weevil will not be answering any more questions. And if you even consider pointing that finger at me, Urameshi, let me assure you that it will be lying on the dirt before you can even extend it. As for you, Wheeler, my master does indeed send his condolences for your torment...as well as a hearty laugh for your troubles."
"Alright, ya punk, why don't you step out and fight like a man?! I don't care if your game is a duel or a rumble, but I'll take you down either way!"
Sesshomaru, still unperturbed by Weevil's loss, stepped into the sunlight, eyes beginning to show irritation. "I have no interest in battling you, Wheeler, and you would have about as much chance as a baboon of defeating me in a duel. And now to deal with something of much more importance." As if on cue all five of the lashes of light wrapped around Weevil, and spikes began to jut out and gore the duelist.
"Please, Master! Have mercy!"
"Are you serious? You are beyond my pity." And with that the bug soldier was drawn and quartered, spilling fresh blood onto the ground. "I will see you at the finals, gentlemen. Just pray that neither of you have to face me before then." So saying, the demon began his journey back to home base.
Interrogation Chambers, aboard the Des Volstgulph
3250 individual cinder blocks, 32 layers of lead lined mortar, about 200 marble tiles on floor and ceiling combined, six closed circuit cameras, 10 hidden gun chambers, and a computer monitor built into the wall.
Botan had just spent the last two hours making an inventory of the cramped interrogation room in which Schwarzvald had forced her, trying to locate a weakness in the unattractive walls of brick and plaster that now served as her personal prison cell until she either cracked underneath torture or was killed in some gruesome way. The computer that operated the entire ship could possibly be accessed via this modem, but she had neither the strength nor opportunity to get there. Hiei had made it particularly clear that she was not to be given any access to the network or any poisons that should have the ill fortune of falling into her hands, and even now she could feel the electric cable that had been knotted around her wrists and ankles start to chafe away at her soft skin. Granted, the odds were that the sedative she was force fed would soon kick in, so it was of little consequence anyway.
The taste of the reaper's own blood was still thick in her mouth, resounding with a bitter tang but not quite as astringent as her own self-hatred. For months she had managed to escape the manic demon that had haunted her nightmares like some kind of devilish specter, laughing constantly as his own people were enslaved and abused; on his own command, no less. The flesh of children had become a delicacy at the dining hall of Spirit World, and the souls of the dead were now merely puppets for the monsters who ruled over them. But worst of all was the fact that the human race was about to suffer a horrendous Armageddon, for once the Black Shadow took control of the tournament he would go after everybody else who dared stand in his way. Yugi, Yusuke, and Kaiba may have been powerful duelists when squaring off against small-time enemies, but they were dealing with a power beyond their understanding. She had seen Hiei take down world-class champions in only a few turns, and the others she had seen...and those she cared for the most...would be steamrollered by the time any of them reached the final round.
Seto, I know you and your deck as though I had been with you for years, but I doubt even the ultimate duelist on Earth could topple the full power of the Chaos Emperor Dragon, the Envoy of the Apocalypse. The Egyptian God Cards themselves could not defeat it, and knowing Hiei he will probably kill you for trying to stand against him. I've lost too many people in my life to count: my father, my brothers, almost all of the Spirit Detectives. But it's worse this time, much worse, because I have something with you I've never had before; it's like nothing I can describe, but if you leave, I just couldn't handle it.
No one could possibly handle having their first true love stripped from them...
And something happened, an event rather unexpected given circumstances. For the first time in three years, Botan was weeping silently, unable to grasp the thought of having Kaiba killed because of her stupidity.
"Do not do this to me, bitch; I simply have too much to handle right now to control my vomit."
In the shadows of the chamber, hidden mostly except for his feet, tapping in irritation, was the monster himself, left hand wrapped around the glowing set of Sennen Scales and what could only be the Shikon no Tama hanging around his neck.
"You murdering piece of shit. Why don't you step out into the light like a real man?"
Hiei, who was obviously humored by this comment, decided to enter the dim lamp's range and reveal his true identity. "Well, you are reminding me more and more of the jackass Kuwabara everyday, in idiosyncrasies and inanity alike. Luckily for him, the ningen dog is not quite as repulsive as you are, so that is one thing in his favor."
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE OTHERS?! I KNOW THEY'RE NOT DEAD YET!"
"Well, you certainly are not as large a moron as I thought, but then I guess dealing with the dead, intimately or otherwise, has give you some idea of what goes on in this world. But I have much bigger plans for the shattered remnants of the Reikai Tantei then you could ever imagine. The buffoons we met in our conflict with Sensui are, as you know, long since murdered by Kachikachi, Kurama is under the hypnotic control of his feral counterpart, and Genkai is under my thumb thanks to a good buddy of mine called blackmail."
"What about Kuwabara? And Yusuke?"
Hiei's eyes glinted as though he was about to be awarded the Nobel Prize. "Ah yes, interesting cases, the both of them. Urameshi, the only member of our old gang still unaccounted for, is currently in the Hellfire Tournament, and doing a splendid job, I might add. Of course, he is not quite as skilled as his friends Yugi and Joey, but he has proven himself twice now. Kuwabara, however, is working for me as we speak, of his own free will."
The full magnitude of the demon's words were lost on Botan for a moment before they sank in.
"There is an interesting story behind his servitude. The poor fool was heartbroken after that fascist man-whore Koenma decided it in his best interests to publicly execute Yukina, and decidedly bolted away from his servitude. It was a rather wise choice on his part, but it was difficult to track him down afterwards. But we found him, all right: just about to hang himself from the highest point of the old Black Black Club's mansion, and I knew that if you got to him first he wouldn't be any use to me. So I talked him down and made him an offer he could not refuse. If he elected to serve me until the Pharaoh's demise, I would resurrect Yukina and allow her to marry him with my blessing, and if not, I would personally extract his lungs through his throat. For obvious reasons he complied, and I soon had an army of warriors capable of attaining the power of the gods for me."
"So what do I have to do with this?"
"Both ugly and stupid, a nauseating combination. You remember as well as I do that rather obtrusive disregard for my laws several months ago, when you saw fit to carve at my face with the Soul Blade that your weakling father decided to bestow upon you at his deathbed. But that isn't the only reason for capturing you and your compatriots. I still need you in one piece long enough for the arrogant bastard Kaiba to try and rescue you from an untimely demise, never realizing that you will simply not be allowed to die in my base. I have far too much to deal with right now with you humming about, so I'll let him come here for you...and I'll rip out his still-beating heart myself."
"Hiei, I'm begging you, leave Seto out of this!"
"Ah, so you have finally found someone who is not repulsed by your grotesque appearance. But he is only one enemy for me to contend with; I still need to destroy Urameshi and bury my past with the Reikai Tantei once and for all. And of course, we cannot forget the High Priestess Kikyo; even now one of my most powerful duelists is about to do battle with her and the Pharaoh. Finally we have the frosting on the cake, for I will take great pleasure in torturing the dog demon Inuyasha, the foolish mortal Joey Wheeler, and that hapless negotiator whom Seebach despises so much. Naraku and Dartz are naught but speed-bumps now that I have gathered all of my enemies in one place, like despondent infants soon to be devoured by the greatest of predators! And you will have the most fun of all of them, Botan: I am going to let you watch it all on this computer, and you can view every second, as I personally disembowel the ones who care about you the most, as I flay them alive and make their skins into overcoats for all of my loyal servants, and as I gorge and grow obese on the raw flesh of Seto Kaiba and Yusuke Urameshi! How do you like that, you bitch?! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!"
The demented grin on Hiei's face was starting to wear away at Botan's nerves, his horrible crimson eyes flaring up with a hatred and insanity that she had not seen in a long time, not since the grisly beheading of his only flesh and blood. Even so, the psychosis of this madman was overwhelming, much more so than the first time she had locked eyes on him.
What happened to you, Hiei? I knew that you weren't exactly psychologically stable in the best of times, and when you went full demon you were as deranged to a degree none of us had seen before, but this is on a whole other level entirely. Who did this to you; what sick fuck is responsible for this?
"You certainly ask a lot of questions for an inbred simpleton, but since you are soon to be damned anyway, I may as well answer them. You see, there is no grandiose villain to whom I am bound, no maniacal puppet-master pulling my strings. I started this route of my own free will, and I continue on it throughout my existence. Unlike you, I believe that no matter what the situation, my punishment for my deeds is based on my level of raw power. I am my own god, and soon I will be the god of all those pathetic little drones. They will all know the power of my dragons, and by the time anyone realizes it, I will be the supreme master of the earth, and no one will be able to stop me, not even you."
The dementia took on a harsh pitch as Hiei picked out a bottle of his favorite wine from the refrigerator nearby. It was a deep red, almost black, merlot, from a special field in Tuscany that boasted some of the purest grapes and wineries on the planet. Each bottle was specially made to order, and aged just the right way so that the natural dry tang was exquisitely enhanced. But the company was best known for the bottles in which they held the alcohol, for each was made from an ages-old glass formula that resulted in a rainbow of colors if looked at properly.
"You know, Botan, I sometimes like to equate you to this bottle of merlot right here. Not the wine, of course, for if you were an alcohol you would be second-rate mouthwash. I am talking of the bottle itself; as long as I've had the displeasure of knowing you, I could not help but notice your wearisome attitude. You were constantly screwing up in your duties, grating all of the others with your high-pitched squeaking and chronic absentmindedness, but I alone saw something different, something frightening. I saw what might have been a powerful bushido spirit, a contained leviathan cloaked in bad puns and annoying sayings. And despite the ever-burgeoning desire to lop off your head every time I laid eyes on you, I wanted to prove that theory. But you did that for me when you assaulted me in my own office, and now that I look at you I now know the truth: you are nothing but a glass menagerie. Behind all of the appearances, the quality, or lack thereof, and all the warrior spirit, you are fragile, weakened by the loss of your family over the years. And like a menagerie..."
Now completely high on his own demonic adrenaline, Hiei saw fit to smash the bottle against her face, making sure that each shard of glass dug into the flesh and punctured veins. Slowly pressing the shattered bottle into her cheek, the demon began to lick at the rivulets of blood flowing like tears down her face, on occasion twisting the splintered glass so that a river gushed out.
"You are too easily broken."
What happened next, however, was completely unexpected, for as each splinter dug deep into her skin, Botan began to smile; not in her own silly way, but a sincere smirk.
"We'll see who's easily broken, Hiei. You may have been able to get this far, but as long as Seto keeps believing in his deck, he cannot lose. I realize this now, and I should have known that from the very beginning. Besides, in a few short moments I'll be out of this dump, and before you know it I'll be charging the steps to your armory with murderous vengeance." Suddenly, out of her left sleeve dropped an empty syringe, hidden from Hiei's trained eye by God knows what.
It reeked of bitter almonds.
"NO!!! I CANNOT LET YOU DIE!!!"
"You're too late, you bastard. I only have a few seconds to live, and by the time any of your thugs back in Spirit World get the message I'll be long gone."
"You planned this the entire time, didn't you?"
The poison was indeed as swift as promised, and soon her eyes...and her soul...were dropping into the abyss.
"Bingo."
And so ended the life of Botan, the Grim Reaper, having once again pulled wool over Hiei's eyes.
New Paradigm Hotel, Sick Ward
So, this is what it's like to be truly dead.
Yami no Yuugi had never directly come into contact with miasma before, so he was hardly able to suspect that it was simply a powerful hallucinogen at its most distilled level. He had still been lucky, however; even with the weakness of the gaseous toxin and the fact that Naraku no longer held any jewel shards, he had come the closest to death since his sealing inside the Sennen Puzzle. And right at that moment every nerve in his body had gone completely numb, and his legs, arms, and eyes were fully debilitated.
Yet his mind was completely awakened at that point, and the horrific experience with his new demon enemy had put it into high gear.
Naraku himself said that his main conflict was with the Priestess Kikyo, and that Kagome would have to do in the meantime. But there is something else going on here, for as far as I could tell Kagome had no shard of the Jewel upon her person, so something else must be driving this madman on. It could be revenge against Inuyasha, or his conflict with Hiei, but one thing is for certain: as long as that murderer walks this earth there is no way for anyone to live in peace. Yet something else rang sour in that meeting, for instead of simply killing Yugi and I, Naraku merely gave us a flesh wound. So if this is true, then the half-demon must also be after the power of the Puzzle, likely to obtain that jewel that Hiei now lays claim to.
This silent pondering had begun to wear on the Pharaoh's diminished strength, and for a few minutes he dropped into a level of unconsciousness. But this was a fleeting sleep, for his ears had begun to pick something up, from eons beyond the pit in which the mind had found itself. It was a faint sound, barely audible, yet the effect of it was still there.
It was the sweet, harmonious sound of singing. And it was growing louder by the second.
Throughout all of his years, Yami had never once heard such an amazing melody, not even during his reign as Pharaoh of Egypt, and the dulcet tune was slowly starting to bring him into physical coherence. But the song itself was rather unusual, and despite his proficiency in several languages he could understand none of the words. It was a soothing composition nevertheless, with a timbre that was mellifluous yet vaguely sensual, but at the same time underlined with sadness, as though the artist had undergone years, if not decades, of endless suffering and hardship. Atem was drawn to the voice in a way he could not begin to describe, and under this wonderful feeling of vertigo he opened his eyes.
Nothing was there, or at least nothing remotely capable of creating the musical ambrosia in which he had just indulged. Merely tiles and medical equipment, and on occasion some assistant passing out medication. Yet regardless of the scene's calm serenity he could still sense something massive bearing down upon him, a dark mystery that he was either too afraid to stare in the eye or could simply not understand. But as his magenta eyes traveled from bed to bed searching for the answers, they both landed on the one thing that was out of place.
In the corner nearest his feet was a composite bow, with a quiver of black-tipped arrows not too far from it, around which was coiled a disgusting looking white serpent. The snake had a strange draconic quality to it, with six insect-like claws emerging near the head, while it drew a glowing orb of light towards the far end of the room. It was a creature he had only heard of, in fairy tales as a small boy.
Soul Gatherers, the familiars of the living dead!
These relatively obscure demons had, in ages past, been used by reapers to collect the souls of those who refused to move into the afterlife willingly, but about 1000 years before Yugi and the others were born they had been consigned to serve the highest ranked of spirits that were damned to walk the earth. They would be used as collectors who would gather lost souls for the spirit to feed on, for these people required the soul blood of the dead to survive. He had seen cousins of the creatures in his portion of the Shadow Realm, but this breed of fiend was supposedly wiped out by Shinobu Sensui 14 years beforehand while he was still legit. So whoever the monstrosity was that worked with the things must have been able to dodge the psychotic detective, either that or had come to this realm from an entirely different time period, but that was impossible.
Unless...
It was nearly too unfeasible to be true, and considering the fact that Hiei and his army of subordinates had gone to great lengths to erase all forms of enemy, the odds themselves were indeed as close to truly impossible as one could get. But if what Yami suspected was in fact the reality of the situation, then he was either in critical danger or in one of the best positions he had ever been in.
It cannot be. What I saw in that room after Naraku attacked me was nothing more than a hallucination brought on by the immense trauma I was in up to that point. She can't possibly be here...
"And why is that, Pharaoh Atemu of the Northern Lands?"
It was the exact same voice, the resonance that had created the gorgeous ballad he had heard only a few seconds past, and it was coming from the other side of his bed. And it was with immense trepidation that he looked upon his speaker. But even with the horrors that he and the others had gone through over he had not expected to see this.
The singer looked almost exactly like Kagome. From the basic bone structure to the hair, although it was much longer than his beloved's, and the skin itself was of the same beautiful pallor. Even the eyes of this mysterious woman were of a similar hue, but they were not shining and full of life like Kagome's. They were cold, bitter, and sad, almost as if the last thing they had seen was a slaughter of everyone the viewer cared about.
Only one other human being could ever have looked like this, and her simplistic Japanese priestess garb only confirmed the fact: this was indeed the same Kikyo whom Naraku had murdered so many years before, the same priestess whom had been entrusted with the care of the Shikon no Tama, and the same woman that Inuyasha had first fallen in love with.
"Do not let my messengers frighten you, Yami. They are merely here to serve me, and keep my undead soul alive, in a way not dissimilar to how Yugi keeps you functional."
"Is it truly you, Priestess, or are you merely a mirage sent by Hiei to torment me in my days of illness?"
"The vindictive monster of whom you speak has no control over my person, nor has he the means to create a likeness of me that would not fade away. I had hoped to see Inuyasha again, but I suppose that will not happen."
"I would help you, Kikyo, but I myself do not know where he is, nor do I wish to. I have no desire to see him at all, but if I should encounter him I will tell you. But that still does not explain why you are here, or why you decided to visit me in particular. My wounds might have been serious, but Kagome was in greater need of attention."
The ancient Japanese spirit looked towards her feet, unable to look the king straight in the eye.
"Not true, Yami. Naraku lied when he said that the attack was a small portion of his powers; he had every intention of killing you today. Of course, he had failed to take in the vastness of your Shadow powers, but the miasma works in interesting ways, and had I not arrived it would have destroyed both you and your vessel from the inside out. You should not have attempted to incur his wrath, for he is a beast of his own class, and only a handful of people have ever stood in his way and lived."
"You don't seem to understand; had I not intervened he would have murdered Kagome, and who is to say that Inuyasha and the others wouldn't have been next? He is a diabolical creature, as you have made rather clear, and if I did not try and stop him I could never have lived with myself afterwards. But regardless of that, if you are not with Hiei or Naraku, then where do your loyalties lie? There is nothing I would rather do than help you at this moment, but I need to make sure I can trust you first."
"I am under the thumb of no creature, living or dead, for much like you I am a wandering spirit, struggling to find some kind of purpose in my pseudo-life. But if anything I have not had many loyalties to begin with, for almost all of them have ended in disaster. I am hated by almost everyone that I have met, the one that I first fell in love with left me because of an action that I did not even commit, all of my family is dead, and even my lineage has become uncertain, for I have heard tell that an ancient ancestor of mine was in fact a High Priestess in ancient Egypt..."
Of course! It all makes sense now; if I indeed fell in love with Kikyo's ancestor in ancient times, then I was destined to fall in love again with the same person, only her incarnation of modern times! But that also means that I had an enemy in that time akin to Hiei, and there is only one that could possibly fit that description.
"But now, all of that seems rather irrelevant, and as I look upon you, Pharaoh Atem, I feel strangely at ease, unable to be hurt by the ones I love, unable to even remember Inuyasha. So now that I have arrived I want to know something: does this feel right to you as well?"
The brown eyes of Kikyo locked on like lasers onto those of Yami no Yuugi, and the two became lost in them, whilst the Pharaoh became unaware of what he was saying.
"Yes..."
And the two began to move ever closer, lips mere inches from touching one another, until the two shared a single kiss.
There was silence, and to those who could hear it, a sharp intake of breath. But this was soon masked in the sheer chaos of what happened next.
Every window in the place shattered into a thousand pieces, the medical beds soon overturned as a flash of black zipped through the room at an unmatched speed, as though the devil himself had arrived onto the scene. It wasn't the devil, but it was the next best thing.
A tall, svelte samurai warrior clothed in a sable gi, with emotionless eyes and flowing hair to match. A white Duel Gauntlet was the only exception to the rule, as well as a collection of charms and magical tomes that he held in his right hand. Upon the obi of the Japanese knight was a lacquered sheath, which in it's turn housed a long, gold-decorated katana, which unknown to any bore the elaborate Orichalcos insignia upon the blade.
He was the closest human that could be created to a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and he was indeed a warlord that Yami knew all too well.
"KACHIKACHI!!!"
"We meet again, Pharaoh. It has indeed been far too long, but it was a meeting I have prepared for to the highest degree. I have even enhanced my dueling skills, as you will see soon enough. And do not even think of using the Sacred Arrow on me, Kikyo, for he who has felt the bite of the Tokijin fears no mere bolt."
"What do you want here, dark swordsman?! You know as well as I that your breed of powers cannot defeat the Legendary Dragon I wield, nor can they snatch away the Sennen Puzzle! So if that is the case, why does Dartz even bother to send you?"
"You simply do not understand, Yami. I no longer am under the jurisdiction of Atlantis, as was once the case, nor am I here to face your dragons, for now. My reasons here are the destruction of your very soul using the near infinite strength of Orichalcos, as well as the chance to finally defeat Master Sesshomaru, but more on that later."
"Alright then, why have you come here?"
"In exactly 30 minutes you shall be fully healed, due to the Priestess' expertise in the arts of witchcraft, upon which I challenge you to a Shadow Duel in which the loser is taken by Orichalcos, and the winner receives one key. But believe me, I have no intention of letting you win this match, for when I'm through with you I shall at long last be free from Sesshomaru's grasp! And yet, isn't it ironic that no matter what goes down in this match you will have lost anyway?"
"And how is that?"
"Why, it's quite simple. If you would look out into the hallway you shall see what I mean. Oh, and just so you know, she saw everything, so it won't matter if you actually felt anything from that kiss or not."
Yami, despite his distrust of the warrior, decided to step out into the hall, and although he could not find who he was looking for immediately, his eyes soon fell upon Kachikachi's witness and his heart stopped in horror of what he had done.
The person that had seen his intimate moment with the priestess was Kagome.
Kaiba vs. Sango
"I'll start the duel, Kaiba."
Perfect. Everything is going exactly as planned. "I'll start by placing three cards face down, and summoning Amazoness Tiger in attack mode!" Sango's first monster was a fairly large wild cat with a build and fur color not unlike the actual beast for which it was named. Around it's neck was a golden collar that was attached to a rusted chain. (1100/1400) "And just so you know, Kaiba, my tiger gains an extra 400 attack points for every monster with "Amazoness" in it's name, and prevents other monsters from attacking these creatures." (1500/1400) "That will end my turn."
"That may be true, Sango, but remember this; as long as you have no Amazons to defend your tiger, it will be at my mercy. So I'll start my move by placing two of my magic or traps face down, and summoning Strike Ninja in attack mode!" Kaiba's new monster was a lean-built ninja in a black stealth suit with golden decorations, and both hands fell to the collection of throwing knives it had in it's pocket. (1700/1200) "Strike Ninja, destroy the Amazoness Tiger with Speed Blade!" Now ready to act upon his master's command, the assassin drew out two short swords from his back and charged right towards the beast, but what happened next was something even Kaiba had not foreseen.
"Activate the face down card, Amazoness Archers! When activated, it will decrease the attack of any attacking monster by 500 points, which will make your Strike Ninja weak enough for my Tiger to destroy!" The ninja was soon pierced by a rain of razor-sharp arrows, causing rivers of blood to flow down to the ankles and stopping it from attacking. (1200/1200) "Amazoness Tiger, counter attack!"
"Not so fast! I activate the Quick Play Magic Card I just set, Rush Recklessly! When activated it increases the attack of one monster on my side of the field by 700 points for the duration of my turn, meaning that the Ninja's attack points climb to 1900!" With a powerful feral resolve, the night warrior drew out the arrows that decreased his attack strength and charged once again toward the tiger. But without warning another monster emerged, a tall and extremely heavily muscled blond woman draped only in animal skins and wielding a broadsword, while at the same time grasping onto the Tiger's chain, and increasing it's strength. (1900/1400) Now capable of defeating the ninja, the primitive cat lunged forth and clawed apart his chest, while the ninja crushed both blades into the beast's head.
"The card I activated just now is called Ultimate Offering, and after paying 500 of my life points," (4000/3500) "I am allowed another Normal Summon or Set. This means that I could summon the Amazoness Paladin in my hand and boost my Tiger's attack strength to the point where your Ninja could not defeat it without killing itself first. But that is not the only move I had planned, for I activate my final face down card, Robbin' Zombie, which allows me to randomly discard one card from your hand whenever I cause damage to your life points, and further decreasing your pool of options."
"Fine, I'll place 1 card face down and end my turn."
"Right, now it's my move, and I'll start by summoning my second Amazoness Paladin and activating Monster Reborn on the Amazoness Tiger you sent to the Graveyard just last turn, meaning that my Amazons are safe and at 2000 attack strength, while the Amazoness Tiger is at 2300 attack strength. Oh, and if you had any intent of negating my attack, don't bother, for I activate the Magic card, Harpy's Feather Duster, to destroy all magic cards on your side of the field."
"Nice try, Minamoto, but I chain with Thunder of Ruler! This trap card allows me to prevent you from holding a battle phase during the turn this card is activate, meaning that you can't attack me directly this turn. Unfortunately for you, when you activated the Feather Duster you also triggered the Trap card, Wicked Statue, which allows me to summon one Statue Token whenever it is sent to the graveyard!" On Kaiba's side of the field emerged a medium-sized idol, likely from an ancient Southeast Asian civilization. (1000/1000)
"Fine, then I will end my turn."
Another card drawn by Kaiba, and in theory it could be useful to him.
"I'll start by placing 1 card face down, and activating the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards. Next, I will play this Magic card, Monster Gate, in order to sacrifice the Token I have face up on the field, and pick up cards until I reach a monster that can be normal summoned, and Special Summon it!" A massive ring structure with plasma energy in it's core appeared onto the field and absorbed the statue, and was now trying various chemical conversions and hydrogen bonds as Kaiba picked up his cards, and after the third he found what he wanted.
"Now I summon the monster known as Kaiser Seahorse to the field!" Kaiba's latest monster was what appeared to be a walking humanoid fish with heavy armor and a giant spear in one hand. (1700/1650) "And since this was a Special Summoning, I can now sacrifice my Kaiser Seahorse, as well as use it's effect of serving as a double tribute for Light-archetype monsters, to summon my Vatradan of the Order in attack mode!" The regal sea warrior, in response to the sacrifice, split into two different embodiments in a way akin to a mirage. Upon this unusual duplication, the twin water kings collapsed their body mass into twin orbs of light that undulated and contorted until a new soldier of light was created, a humanoid warrior with skin that was as pale as the full moon and eyes of purest blue. He was armored from head to toe in Romanesque armor hewn of platinum, the plume of which was fibrous gold. In one arm it held a silver-bladed gladius, whilst the other grasped a massive lance whose shaft was made of the strongest oak. (2700/2100)
"An impressive monster, Kaiba, but was it worth the trouble you put into summoning it?"
"You're about to find out, especially when it activates it's ability of Enforcer Call! This effect allows me to Special Summon two Enforcer Tokens to the field, and on my next turn I'll be allowed to sacrifice any number of them to increase my life points by 800 per token." From the sidelines entered two other Roman soldiers, but had regular armor instead. "But I hardly think that will be relevant when I activate the Magic card, Pump Up, which I will use on my first Token to increase it's attack by double for the duration of the turn. Now my empowered token and Vatradan, attack Minamoto's monsters!"
The first Enforcer moved forward in to attack the Amazon's pet beast, and as per his training hurled the spear straight through the monster's mouth and out the back of its head. (4000/3400). After this first attack Vatradan charged into battle in an orderly fashion befitting his centurion title, and knocked away the rightmost Amazon's sword with the lance. But this was only part one of the Roman regime, and it was by his years of experience that he stepped under her fist and made one solid thrust into her gut and into the ribcage. (4000/2600) "And that will end my turn." But as Kaiba passed the count onto Sango he felt something pierce his heart, or what was left of it, and for a moment he thought he was going into cardiac arrest.
Yet this did not seem like dying; it was more a psychic link of sorts, and it felt as though something was about to go horribly wrong. But what was worse was the very strange removal of heart from one part of his deck, like the owner was no longer there.
He could no longer sense Botan's spirit.
New Paradigm Museum
"What did you say?"
"I believe you heard my words, Inuyasha. Now if I am to help you find those two, I will also need some assurance of safety from my master and his operatives, for should any of his contacts see us here they will be upon us like a swarm of locusts. But after I assist you in finding this enemy of yours, you and I will go our separate ways until the finals begin."
"All right. But don't try anything funny or I'll cut you down like a sapling." Perfect! Now is the best time to track down Atem and make sure he never stands in my way again, and if he does have the hots for Kikyo or Kagome, I'll find out soon enough. And this is only the beginning; once Kagome is back with me I'll be able to hunt down Hiei and Naraku and end this conflict once and for all! After this tournament is over I'll finally be able to become the ultimate demon that I should have been from the very beginning, and who knows what I could do afterwards?
Yoko, on the other hand, was fixated on something much more important, as his left palm began to pulse ever so slightly while he gradually pumped Spirit Energy into the seeds that had been planted there much earlier that day.
"Ok, let's get moving. I have several things to deal with after our little arrangement, and I don't exactly have a lot of time left to handle them." And the clock's ticking down on you, half-breed. You may have been able to intimidate the less significant demons with that dental abomination of yours, but you'll find that my skills extend beyond those of the swordsman. The world of flora may be a dull one to someone like yourself, but with the vast amounts of knowledge that I have at my disposal, you'll find that they can serve as the ultimate tools of decimation...
Inuyasha now stood to his full height and lifted the Tetsuaiga so that it's goliath blade was positioned right next to Yoko's head. "Now start walking."
"As you wish. But as I said before, you cannot afford my death, so be mindful of where you point that sword."
The two started walking to the other end of the gallery, passing various Egyptian exhibits from temples, shrines, palaces, and even some from the farming villages that were not too far from the fertile Nile banks, the bitterness from the last duel spawning an awkward silence between the two. There wasn't much action going on, with the exception of an increasingly strong stench of acid. But the dog demon's attention was slowly drifting away from his walk to destiny, and back to the words of that tablet that had shattered his perspective on life, how in one time or place the Priestess Kikyo was actually in love with someone else, and the Pharaoh no less!
On the one hand, it infuriated him to a level that even her betrayal could not have. To think that she had fallen for someone besides himself was a thought he simply could not stare right in the eye. What was worse, he might not have encountered Kikyo at all; he might have gotten to Kagome, and that was the one thing that he would not have. She was his, and by the wrath of his father's sword he would trample all that tried to snatch her away from him.
But...
What if Kagome wanted it this way? She had, after all, been away from the feudal era for over a year, and had seen neither hair nor hide of Inuyasha since that time, so what was stopping her from finding new love? Him? No, she had made it very clear that she was no longer afraid of him and the rage of the sword. In fact, she feared nothing save losing her family and friends, and she had almost lost both of these in one fatal swing bby Hiei. Would he be so callous as to deny her what she truly wanted, love from another kindred spirit?
No. He would not believe that pile of shit that he had created. She loved him, she had said it herself, and had even stayed with him after all he did with the Priestess. He would obtain her again, they could defeat Hiei with or without the Pharaoh, and they could finally return to feudal Japan and hunt the shards. But would he go so far as to tear her from love and life?
"We stop here, Inuyasha."
His personal thoughts interrupted by Yoko's command, the demon now went into a combat stance. "What are you talking about? You said you'd take me directly to Kagome and Atem! Now why the hell are we stopping?!"
"I've had enough of you, Inuyasha, and frankly I'm beginning to tire of that overgrown canine being pointed at me like some kind of cattle prod. So I'm going to end it now with one of my favorite techniques, the Acid Bulb!" Extending both arms revealed that both of Yoko's palms held about 5 grenade-sized plant bulbs attached to tendrils that were lashing madly about. "Tendrils, launch your load and blind the half-blood!" Within seconds all 10 bulbs were hurtling towards Inuyasha.
"Nice try, Yoko, but I'm afraid it'll take a lot more than some plants to take down my Windscar!" Now fully enraged, he brought the Tetsuaiga crashing into the marble floor, which in turn sent the full fury of Tototsai's greatest creation right through the bulbs. But Yoko artfully escaped the ultimate technique, by lashing his Rose Whip onto one of the rafters and dragging him out of the line of assault.
"You fool! Did you really expect that pathetic shockwave to destroy me? It may be able to slay 100 demons in one sweep, but it will not strike one extremely agile warrior. And that's not all you've managed to do, for as soon as I leave you'll find out why they are called ACID BULBS!" And with that he crashed through the nearest window and ran straight into the city.
NO!!!
But it was too late to call off the attack, and soon almost a gallon of acidic fluid was splashing against his face, burning it away and overloading his nose with it's reek. And within a second he was done, unable to stay awake as the stench overtook him...
To Be Continued
Finally done, until next time.
And speaking of next time, the following chapter will set the stage for Joey's first duel, while Roger and Kaiba continue to duke it out. In the meantime, Yami attempts to console Kagome, and fully realizes what he did. As for Inuyasha, we'll soon find out if there is somebody else for him...
Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!!