Disclaimer: I own everything! Yeah, in a fool's paradise.
Ok, when last we checked on our warring duelists, Kaiba finally ended his match with the demon slayer Sango, which ended in her death. At the same time, Inuyasha and Tea discovered that Hiei was in fact part of the ancient past of Egypt, while Yami and Kachikachi entered their fateful duel. Naraku has shown us a glimpse of his three duelist generals, as Kagome struggled with her feelings for Yami. Finally, Roger Smith returned to his "home" only to find that an old headache, Angel, has returned.
In Chapter 33, Yami and Kachikachi continue to duel in Orichalcos territory, but an unexpected guest arrives to deliver a terrible omen of doom. Joey keeps on keeping on against Chu and his dreaded Captain lock, Kaiba and Botan get decidedly closer as an old secret comes to light, and Yusuke Urameshi starts the hunt for his second match, and finds it in an old nemesis. Roger and Angel catch up on old times and new, as Tea and Inuyasha deal with the shock of discovering that Hiei was in Egypt.
Finally, there is a very good reason Chapter 32 was late. My internet was out, again.
And let's get one thing VERY CLEAR. This is NOT a lemon.
It's overture time, people! Lift back the curtains, and let the tragedy begin...
Chapter 32: The Ancient Path: Blood of the Sorceress
Roger's Apartment
"Acting the part of the gentleman playboy yet again, Mr. Negotiator, after nearly a decade in exile? And here's me thinking you've gone completely insane."
It was the same Angel he'd left, all right, the exact same woman whom had come into conflict with him on many occasions, with the possible exception of her name and her sudden interest in the color blue. When last the two had met, she had been under a pink fetish, but that had obviously worn off. Her allure, however, had done no such thing.
"You have yet to see madness like I have, but then again, you shouldn't be talking about insanity in my presence. What role are you playing in this sordid affair today? An editor, a secretary, or some other official position in the highest tiers of government?"
Giving him an oddly crooked grin that showed off the better part of her teeth, the identity-shifting memory hunter reached into her hand bag and extracted a cigarette, lighting it up in the process. "No need to take on another frivolous role . Unlike our previous encounters, I am presenting myself as just that. The name I've taken is my own, the money I've used is under my account, and the very conversation I'm having with you is nothing more than a talk between friends." Grinning again, the curvy blond sent a ring of tobacco smoke into the air and watched with fascination as it dissolved in the thin atmosphere.
"I'd hardly consider you my friend, but I do need your help, for old times sake. And to that idea, I do need you to follow me upstairs."
"Fine, Smith, but do not get any wise ideas. If you even try to pour some of that so-called "charm" of yours all over me, I'll put a bullet in your head."
"Seems fair enough."
Now that the earliest parts of negotiations had been settled, the two strode into the massive building, feet connecting with the ground and lifting off again in near perfect harmony.
The lobby itself was largely as he had remembered it, spacious and paneled in a rare black marble etched with 24 karat gold. The floor was of a rose-colored nature, complete with silken rugs and brass end tables for the various bits of furniture scattered about the place. Having memorized his way around every floor of this apartment, Norman was the first to set off towards the elevator
"What I don't quite understand, though, is how you even got this far without the remnants of Rosewater's board of office attempting to assassinate you the second that you entered the city. Think about it; your name has been blacklisted on every restaurant, hospital, and police station from here to the blockade, and your debts have climbed so high that they needed a computer to calculate them all. Nobody will even look at your butler anymore, and almost all of your bank accounts have been frozen."
"Believe me, I had no intention of ever coming to this nightmare of a city without a damn good reason. And Urameshi gave me one."
They were now mere feet away from the elevator that would take Roger back...not quite back to his old haunts, but close enough.
"I don't believe that at all, negotiator. You came here with some other purpose than the demand of some snot-nosed thug, and I'm pretty sure why. It's the only option that makes an ounce of sense, seeing as you've not been home in seven years."
"Just try it."
"You've come to this paltry imitation of Paradigm City to confront your past. After all, you never quite understood what happened during that Event, and whatever Seebach fed to you through that disc was purely lies."
"WHAT?!"
Whatever happened next was not to be known by the apartment staff, whom had been listening intently from their miscellaneous positions throughout the lobby, for at that moment the doors slammed shut.
On their part, Roger, Norman, and Angel could only watch as the brass mirror doors closed before them, upon which the elevator itself began to activate it's mechanics and cranked skyward. But the noise of this mechanism was not heeded by anyone therein.
"Are you so shocked by this? Think about it for a second; if Seebach actually knew what had happened 40 years ago, then there's no chance in Hell he'd deliver that info to you. I'm willing to wager that he gave you a fabricated version of the truth and he's still seeking out the real data."
It seemed not to register in the negotiator's head what the full meaning of these words implied, but slowly the full impact of the words came crashing onto his head.
Now it all makes sense! If I was still hanging around Paradigm City, Schwarzvald wouldn't have the clearing he needed to find out his "truth", so he fed me a loop of made-up memories to distract me long enough for him to escape!
But something else did not add up, and without this piece of the puzzle his theory had a major flaw within it."Hold on, does that mean that Dorothy is...alive?"
"That I do not know for certain. However, I can get hold of the actual memories that Seebach is hunting for. It'll be kind of risky, but it's the only plausible way to do it."
"And where are these memories?"
Angel gave him a coy smirk, and the doors opened.
"In the Duel Fortress where the finals are being held."
New Paradigm Ritz Carlton, Top Floor
"Seto, I was perfectly comfortable back at the New Paradigm Hotel, you know that, right?"
"Yes. But the fact remains that if a rat isn't low enough to stay in that decrepit fire hazard, then a goddess certainly deserves much more."
Pleased very much that his old charms were still functional, Seto Kaiba ended this horrible chapter of his life by placing Botan's final piece of luggage in the closet, which was, strangely enough, large enough to be a second room. It had been rather surprising how many suitcases a woman with an infinite price on her head could carry to such an isolated city, but then again, no one could blame her for needing plenty of materials to do battle in a city devoid of communication with Spirit World. Or so he believed; she had mercifully neglected to mention that about three of those bags had nothing but clothes and hair conditioner.
It really didn't have much significance, however. Kaiba had finally crushed Genkai's pathetic dueling students, and with any luck she and Hiei would follow suit.
But I can't help wondering what will happen after the Hellfire Tournament is said and done. Presuming that the regime controlling Spirit World is toppled, there will still be mountains of red tape to clear through, seeing as I've been conspicuously absent from every stock holder's meeting this week, not to mention maintaining the cost of my new aircraft experimentation...
To add to these pressing demands, there was one more conflict that, hopefully, would not necessitate resolution. If and when Hiei's iron grasp over the mechanics of the universe was loosened and destroyed, the odds were that Spirit World would have plenty of political formalities to contend with as well, and when last he checked, the Reaper branch was pretty high up on the chain of command. Meaning that any absent affiliates would be...reinstated.It'd be best not to think about that for now. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but in the meantime...
Before he had even considered entering this five-star hotel, the powerful, if youthful, captain of industry had made it very clear that his suite was to be stocked with a very specific sparkling white champagne that he himself had been able to track down. Even the business elite of the United States stock market could not afford such a wine without putting themselves millions of dollars in the red. Kaiba Corp., however, had generated enough gross profit to use it as tap water.He'd wanted today to be perfect. The wine, the suite, the music, and the gorgeous designer gown he'd had produced, they were all part of his plan. And judging from the excited squeal in the living room, at least one component had worked perfectly.
Ok. Breath, check. Lights, check. With sincere excitement he tapped a command into the mainframe computer. Mood music, check. Libations, double check. Now fully prepared, he stepped out into the hallway. Love of my life...
And there she was, simply standing in that spot as though she'd been waiting all day....check.
To say the least, even Kaiba had been surprised by how very well his dress had turned out. Created out of a fine, silken red velvet, its design hugged Botan's irresistible figure like a glove and yet allowed easy movement of legs at the hem. The dress was backless, and the neckline showed off just enough cleavage to be sexy, yet not enough to come forward as a common tramp. Running along the side of the gown and curling around the waistline was a complex embroidering of a single rose, the flower of which rested squarely over her abdomen. Yet this outfit was merely petty dressing compared to the face that accented it.
Unlike previously, Botan had allowed her hair to fall freely, with the added effect of it cascading around her milky white shoulders and down her bare back. At the same time, she had decided to wear one of her many necklaces, in this case a platinum chained piece that ended with a sapphire tear drop just above her chest. And the face itself...radiant, as though the Olympians had combined their talents and formed a woman whose kindness and beauty would ring in the ears of mankind forever. Her full, luscious lips were painted in an extremely bright shade of pink, and upon each cheek was a slight brush of rouge.
Kaiba had loved her before, and now...he desired her as well. But this was not a regular desire; he was now under the idea that his entire circulatory system would stop functioning if he did not take her right now, if he did not run his hands slowly and tenderly along her warm, uncovered skin. And at the same time, he knew that simply jumping into bed with her would accomplish nothing. He was going to be a gentleman about this, and if the Universe willed his more instinctual cravings to be fulfilled...
"Well, what do you think of it, Botan?"
If but for a moment, the two remained as silent as the first time they had met, and for the better half of that moment Kaiba thought that he had made a rather gross miscalculation of his scenario. Despite his massive affection and admiration for Botan, the ex-champion knew very little of her taste in clothing, which made sense given his poor history with the opposite sex. Those women that weren't crawling all over his wealth like groupies ultimately left him, given his antisocial mannerisms.
So the next occurrence gave him a degree of consolation; even the coldest of people can recognize happiness in a product, the perception of which is increasingly obvious by the person leaping onto him as Botan now did, raining swift and exact kisses all over his face.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!"
"I'll take a wild shot at this; you like the dress."
Coherent enough to receive this last statement, the ex-reaper now leapt off, composed herself slightly, and managed to enunciate her next point.
"Are you kidding? It's amazing! It is without a doubt the best piece of clothing anyone has ever gotten for me! How much did it cost, ten thousand?"
"A little ways up from that. The guy who made it owed me a favor, seeing as I saved his entire business from bankruptcy, so he gave me a slight discount. Granted, the necklace sort of negated that discount, so I don't feel all that cheap."
"How'd it get here, though? I mean, New Paradigm's on an embargo, right, so the guy would have to live in the city itself...wait. Seto, who made this?"
Damn it. I knew this would come up. Just play it cool, and everything will be all right.
"Some over glorified seamstress. Raul something or other; he got thrown out of his home country, for reasons I don't know yet.""Seto, this is a one of a kind work from Raul Ingatio! It must have cost well over a hundred thousand!"
"More like two million. He threw in that necklace for half-price."
With an odd sort of grimace, Kaiba began to type a command into his palm pilot and moved to the sofa. This was not going to end well, he could sense it...
What was not on his list of emotions was for her to break down in tears, as she too sat down.
"No one has...ever spent that much just on me. And I mean nobody at all."
"Why not? If they have that money, all they should be doing is thinking of ways to spend it on you." As he said this, the lights began to dim, right on time. "I don't mean to sound like some sleaze from a local bar, but for the past two days, all I've been able to think about was you, Botan. Every second that I wasn't involved in some nightmarish battle to the death you were invading my thoughts and my mind. And ever since you were captured and killed, I felt like there was nothing left to look forward to." Also exactly as planned, a small fire lit up in the hotel room's fireplace.
"But that's just it, Seto. I've been watching you from the very start of your life, and it's pretty clear that you can have any woman on Earth. So, out of all these gorgeous ladies, why pick someone like me?"
"That's easy to answer. I could certainly have anyone and anything, but even while I was brushing away the real world with my bitterness and technological obsessions, I knew that wealth and fleeting physical relationships wasn't what I wanted."
"Then what did you want?"
"What you've given me. Someone I can fall in love with."
It was at this moment that the champagne arrived, but in the sudden increase of tension that had settled over the scene it could not be detected. And given what happened afterwards the wine was forgotten completely.
"Oh, Seto, you're the sweetest guy I have ever met."
"Thanks. Look, I know I don't deserve you, and no matter how much I suffer, no matter how much I repent my actions, the odds are that I'll be unworthy of your love. All I'm asking is that you give me a chance. I can give you everything on this planet, if you'll stay with me."
"You'll never have to worry about that. As far as I'm concerned, you'll be altering those words soon enough..." But her self-derogatory statements were soon cut short as Kaiba drew her onto himself and locked lips with his vision of life and art. Heart racing with the pleasure of the moment the two just sat there, hungrily feasting on each other's essence as Botan laid herself fully onto him, in turn forcing Kaiba to lie on his back as she wrapped her legs about his own waist.
"I told you, Botan. It will take nothing short of an act of God to stop me from desiring you."
Now that his own views were expressed, the CEO pulled himself back up, or at least he attempted to. Yet as this action was about to take place, his new girlfriend shoved him back down onto the seat. Her eyes were different now, carnal and wild with yearning.
"Not so fast, love. You haven't given me a say in this meeting just yet."
"Very well, then. Make your case."
She did, as was presented by her overwhelming adaptation of what is known in American terms as the "French kiss". Even Kaiba himself was shocked as she slowly slid her tongue around and around within his own mouth, with the occasional motion of gliding her well-trained hand along his face and through his brown hair. Not one to be outdone, Kaiba activated his own mouth in response.
This is the happiest I've ever been in my life. And as I expected, her libido is exquisite. Now it's time I kick it into high gear...
With one fluid motion, the mighty duelist brought both of his hands squarely onto Botan's uncovered back, upon which he used said hands to rub her gently, yet sensually to arouse her further, indicated by the passionate groan that his action elicited. Again a small competition arose, as the reaper gradually began to drag herself up and down her lover's muscled chest."Oh my God..."
"Perfect. Now it's my turn to shine." Now finished working along her back, Kaiba moved up to the neck and bit down, slightly, on the tender skin. To say the very least, it was delicious, like peppermint, and he wanted more, so much more. Yet the flavor became even greater as he moved downwards, ending in a sort of orange sorbet taste near her chest.
"Well, Seto, it seems you've won, for now at least..."
And it was a victory that he would take full advantage of. The necklace was still there, and for a second or so his tongue batted it around, but he lost interest as he allowed his hand to trace along her chest and stomach, massaging every part of those regions, feeling her increasing heartbeat and slender abdomen, until he neared the hem of her dress. For only an instant he allowed himself some guilty pleasure, caressing her waist and thighs, before slowly lifting the dress upwards...
"Wait. Seto, stop!"
The rather unsettling plea of abstinence from his ghostly lover was one he had been afraid to acknowledge as a possibility from the beginning, yet at the very core he knew what had to be done. And in this light he slowly, almost unwillingly drew his hands and his mouth away from the sensational woman, and sat back up, desperate to cool himself down by any means necessary. Sadly, none such remedies were currently available, so all he could do was watch Botan go through the exact same motions, and also to ask himself a very simple question: what went wrong?
Kaiba also knew very well that in a relationship such as he was in right now, the deepest connection was emotional, but to have his first true love reject him physically...it made his heart break.
"Botan, I'm really sorry. About this whole charade, I mean. As you no doubt figured out, I'm not exactly the Casanova you perceived me as, so this is all rather new to me..."
"What? It wasn't anything like that at all, Seto. If anything, I was barely able to drag myself away from you, and it's all I can do to stop myself from undressing before your very eyes. It's just..."
As she said this, Botan looked down at the ground, showing telltale symptoms of guilt and fear. These being emotions that Kaiba had had to deal with all of his life, he drew her closer to him in compassion, as well as some lingering trace of lust.
"Don't worry about it. Tell me."
"Well, about six years before I met you, and two before Hiei came into my life, I had this friend, for lack of a better word, named Koenma. This is the same Koenma whom Hiei murdered, but anyway, the little son of a bitch had a very lofty opinion of himself, so as often as he could he would bug me with stories of his greatness. But very rarely, like once every two months, he would take on an older form, a teenage form, and that is when he got...violent."
"What?"
"Long story short, he would beat and rape me with extreme prejudice. As time went by even that became worse then it should have, because every so often he would perform experiments on my body that are too gruesome for words." So saying, the ex-reaper pushed back one of the dress straps to unveil a hideous scar, inches from her heart. "After two years of that, Yusuke came into the picture, and he became a sort of big brother for me. He was one of only a few that knew about Koenma's attacks on me, and with good reason. If someone like Hiei got his hands on information like that, he could kill the both of us."
"I see. Koenma's acts were too horrible for you to trust anybody again."
"Exactly. So I hope you understand why I can't go beyond a certain point with you."
As she lifted herself up from the couch, however, Botan was held firmly, yet gently, by Kaiba's powerful hands. It was a new experience for her, and yet it felt right, and she didn't want it to end.
As for Kaiba...for the first time, he was about to speak not from his mind, but from his heart.
"I'm sorry about everything that happened just now, and if you so choose I shall never lay a hand on you, but you have to understand something. No matter what happened in the past, or what will happen in future times, I will always love you. And unlike Koenma, I shall never hurt you. You are my goddess."
Such strange words from a mighty CEO like Kaiba, but they were enough to convince Botan, and once again she wrapped herself around him, and the two, yet again, locked lips. But this time it was warmer, more passionate, as if the two wanted nothing but this moment.
"Seto, I do have one small request."
"And what is that?"
With a half-smile that would make the coldest of men flush, Botan pushed away Kaiba's trench coat, and in the same motion removed the second strap that kept her expensive dress upon her, resulting in it leisurely sliding off of her slender frame and onto the floor.
"Be gentle."
Yami vs. Kachikachi
"Tell me, Atem, does your blood run chill at this very moment, now that I have sealed your fate in the coat of arms of the greatest civilization to ever grace this Earth? But then, perhaps you fear for an entirely different reason. There is no use attempting to hide it, the most useless of mortal emotions, for I can see into your very soul as of this moment."
"Really? Well, if that is the case, then there is no doubt that you can also see my devotion to purging this world of your darkness forever, as well as the lack of fear that Orichalcos inspires in me. I have toppled the Seal before, and I can do it again!"
Kachikachi's eyes lit up with horrific cruelty as he began to contemplate his next move, and once these eyes locked onto a plan and recorded it, he started to utilize the scientific process to formulate the perfect game plan. "Empty threats, my Pharaoh. Certainly, you may have been able to crush the ancient power of Orichalcos in your duel with Dartz, but your plan has one major flaw; keep in mind that you now only have one of the Legendary Dragons, and only one Egyptian God Card, whereas in your duel with Atlantis's monarch you had all three Dragons! Now, if you are done ranting, I think it is high time I begin this battle in the Seal! To continue my turn, I think I'll summon the Orichalcos Swordsman to the field in attack mode, and as with all of my monsters, he gains 500 extra attack points for being underneath the jurisdiction of Orichalcos!" Kachikachi's next monster was a towering Spartan that stood over eight feet tall, and like most Spartans his armor was sparse yet thick. However, on each plate was a golden Seal of Orichalcos, and his face was masked by a helm fashioned like that of the war god Mars. (1700/1500) As soon as he was summoned, however, a miniature form of the Orichalcos was set up upon his forehead, which also resulted in the eye slits of the mask glowing a vibrant crimson. (2200/2000) "And I'm afraid it only gets worse from there. I activate the Magic card, Way of the Warrior, which shall boost my Swordsman's attack strength by 700 points!" From out of nowhere appeared a gold-plated scroll, which in turn endowed the swordsman with the secrets of the ultimate warrior. (2900/2000) "Now, Orichalcos Swordsman, destroy his Breaker with the Atlantean Sword!" Now prepared, the mighty soldier leapt up into the sky, and in one solid sweep the Breaker's upper torso was severed. Unfortunately, the warrior himself was still alive, prompting the Orichalcos warrior to cleanly snap his neck. (1470/3300)
That's exactly what I wanted you to do, Kachikachi. I activate my face down card, Chain to Rivaling Souls! When it is triggered by the death of a monster, I am automatically allowed to Special Summon two monsters, one from each graveyard, but in order to do so I need to lower their attack strength by 500 points!" As if by an act of the devil, two barbed chains burst forth from the ground, from which were hanging two monsters, Yami's Black Luster Soldier and the Orichalcos Titan. (2500/2500) (1800/1000)
"Not too bad, Pharaoh. I'll place one more card face down, and that shall end my turn."
"Fine, then it's my move, and I'll use it to play the Magic card, Card of Sanctity! Since I only have three cards on hand, I am allowed to draw three more cards, and you may draw however many you need to bring your hand up to six cards. Next, I will sacrifice the Orichalcos Titan I summoned, as well as offering up a card from my hand due to Chain of Rivaling Souls, to summon the Dark Magician Girl in Attack mode!" In response to the tribute, the Orichalcos beast was reabsorbed into the ground, and in it's place emerged what could only be described as a female Dark Magician. Her honey hair was swept back beneath the purple and blue hat she wore, and her short stave curled like a shephard's staff. (2000/1700) "Since I have a Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can activate this Magic card, Sage's Stone, which let's me special summon a Dark Magician from my deck to the field!" As soon as the next part of his plan came into play, the magician's apprentice lifted a pitch black jewel into the sky and chanted in an old form of Druid. This call, in turn, caused the stone to hover into the sky, whereupon it opened a passageway between the field and the deck, allowing Yami's trademark necromancer onto the field. (2500/2100) "Finally, I shall activate this Magic card, Baptism of Light and Darkness! When activated, this Magic sacrifices the Dark Magician that I have face up on the field to summon any Chaos Black Magician from my deck!" Another transformation began to occur, a much darker one, as individual rays of light and shadow began to wrap about the omnipotent mage, slowly carving away the flesh that once stood there, and from the shredded remains of it's shadow magic was spawned a second spell caster, an ashen-faced, leather-clad chaos sorcerer. (2800/2100) "Now, Kachikachi, two final strategies will come into place. First, since I sent my Dark Magician to the graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gains an extra 300 attack points." (2300/1700) "Next, my Chaos Black Magician's special effect kicks in, allowing me to activate a Magic card from my graveyard, in this case my Card of Sanctity, bringing my hand back to six cards. Finally, I shall play this Magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy the Way of the Warrior that enhances your Swordsman." As he activated the card, the twister-like wrath of the magic tore to shreds the scroll that empowered his warlord. (2200/2000) "And do not think that your Orichalcos Swordsman's effect will kick in any time soon. Since the only way for him to subtract his attack strength from an enemy monster is for it to be destroyed in battle, all I have to do is activate this Magic card, Fissure, which shall destroy the monster with the lowest attack on your side of the field, and seeing as you only have one monster, that monster shall be swallowed up!" Just as he predicted, a massive chasm opened up beneath the might Greek soldier, and just as swiftly was he sent plunging into the abyss, letting loose blood-chilling shrieks until he landed with a sickening crack on the jagged stones at the bottom. "And now, Dark Magician Girl, Chaos Black Magician, and Black Luster Soldier, attack Kachikachi's life points directly and end this duel!"
"I'm afraid that is not going to happen, Pharaoh! In case you have forgotten, you sent my Orichalcos Swordsman to the graveyard, which means that I am allowed to summon another, much deadlier monster to take it's place, so behold the Orichalcos Paladin!"
From all sides of the arena could be seen scores of black robed priests and priestesses, faces indiscernible, who began to mumble in some chaotic language the likes of which had not been seen in over two thousand years, while at the same time fifty heavily muscled grunts started digging up an old burial casket. This ceremonial coffin seemed freshly buried, which made sense seeing as the warrior within had only been dead since the main phase, but this was of no interest to the shadow clergy that started sprinkling the blood of the Sun God's oxen onto it. With a grim smile at this ceremony, Kachikachi began to hunt his deck for the appropriate card, and as he found it the sarcophagus began to levitate into the sky upon the Seal of Orichalcos. The various temple operatives, now satisfied, walked back into oblivion as the casket shattered to unveil a divine creature that the Pharaoh had never seen: a lean, yet obviously powerful nobleman with armor obviously suited for Zeus himself, and armed with a long, jagged blade whose pommel crackled with the black magic of the seal. His face seemed nearly as fair as Apollo's own, and like all the monsters beneath Orichalcos, the Dark Seal became known upon his brow. (3200/3000) At the same time, it's first effect kicked in, negating the Dark Magician Girl's power boost. (2000/1700) "And just to ensure that my plan works, I shall activate the Trap card, Call of the Haunted, to once more revive the Orichalcos Titan to the field!" As he had threatened, the immortal samurai allowed the grisly mausoleum to be called forth from the depths of Hell, from which emerged, yet again, the leviathan of stone, yet this time it gained the strength of Orichalcos. (2800/1500)
Damn it! I was hoping he wouldn't get this many powerful monsters by the time he had gotten my life points to this level. The most I can do right now is defend...
"Very well, I will switch my Black Luster Soldier into defense mode, followed by placing two cards face down to end my turn.""AHA! I knew you could not hope to vanquish me in just one turn. Now, back to my plan. I will start by summoning the Orichalcos Golem to the field in attack mode, meaning that since I have an Orichalcos Titan on the field, it will gain an extra 500 points in addition to the might of the Seal." From Kachikachi's hand emerged a new beast of stone, a smaller sandstone form of the Orichalcos Titan, and once again the seal came to it. This time, however, it gained confidence from its brethren and gained even more strength. (2900/1800) "And now, for the move that shall end this duel, I activate the Premature Burial Magic card!" (1470/2800) "I can only assume you know what is coming, so I may as well reveal it to you. Return, Orichalcos Shadow!" Once again, the smoke demon emerged, yet this time it was different, the gaseous barrier around it now resembling miasma. (1500/1500) "Now, for the final move, I activate the Shadow's special effect, sacrificing it to control every Dark-type monster you have on the field for this turn, bringing my total monster count up to five. But wait, I still have this Magic card, Change of Heart, to bring it up to six monsters by taking over your Soldier!" As stated, the Shadow was dissipated and used to possess the Chaos Black Magician and the Dark Magician Girl, while both gained a power boost. (3300/2600) (2500/2200) At the same time, the ultimate chaos warrior was himself possessed, but by a fusion of demonic and angelic powers that drew him into the Seal. (3000/2500) "And now, the time has come for me to win this duel! ALL MONSTERS, DESTROY THE PHARAOH AND BRING ME VICTORY!!!"
"Wait, Kachikachi. Hold off your attack."
What?
Rather shocked by the sudden plea for mercy from an unknown source, Atem was obviously expected to turn towards his impromptu savior...and almost died at the sight.The creature (he was obviously not of the human race) was unlike anyone he had ever laid eyes on before. Standing at about six feet, five inches, the pale demon was robed in an elegantly decorated robe, completely with some light armor near one shoulder, and what could only be a dog pelt draped across the other. Upon his forehead was an azure crescent, and his platinum hair reached down beyond his waist, while on his belt was a set of two blades.
But it was his eyes that struck a discordant note with the Pharaoh. While certainly angry and spiteful of the world around them, there was something familiar about the color of said eyes. He had seen such golden irises before, yet they were fiery and irrational at the time.
They're almost exactly like Inuyasha's eyes!
But from the looks of things, the samurai was not entirely happy to see this new character."So, Lord Sesshomaru, I see you have arrived to witness the final defeat of the Grand Ruler of Egypt. And although it will be a welcome treat to see fear in your eyes for the first time since Inuyasha devastated you, I must remind you of our deal beforehand. Then again, perhaps seeing the might of my deck in action will be incentive enough for you to surrender the Tensuaiga anyway."
"Silence, Dark Swordsman. I will give you the sword once you have slain Atem, but I have come here for a different reason then watching you duel. Besides, your pathetic cards are as of nothing compared to mine."
On his part, the Pharaoh was a little unnerved to bear witness to this exchange. After all, Kagome had given him some detail as to Sesshomaru and his estranged relationship with the demon Inuyasha, but he had not known that he was directly linked to one of his oldest enemies. Still, why was he here right now?
"Pharaoh. I can see that you are surprised by my arrival into this hovel of a Shadow Game, but I have no interest in watching this farce so I will make it swift. If Kachikachi should fail in this match, I will personally tear you limb from limb, with or without the might of the Tokijin which I do not doubt Higurashi has told you of."
"What?!"
"You heard me. No matter how this ends you shall die, and the innocent blood you spilt will be avenged. And of course, once I slay you, preferably in a battle of weapons but possibly a duel, Hiei will surrender to me the Tetsuaiga and the power needed to wield it."
"I'm afraid I do not understand what you are talking about. If anything, the blood I have let was only that of dark warriors, and so far I have done nothing to you."
Kachikachi, however, had known Sesshomaru for far too many years, and the knowledge of what his unwilling master was sickening to him.
"Sesshomaru, don't tell me you are still interested in that wench Kagura. She is so weak, and one of the worst duelists I have ever seen. In fact, it would not surprise me if she was still under Naraku's thumb. All she ever did was whine that someday she would be free of his grasp, when all she could do was complain!"
Now angered, the demon fully drew out his Tokijin and allowed the wrath of Goshinki to flow into it's core.
"You shall never speak of Kagura like that again, or I swear to God that I will dismember you and all of your kin."
Of course! She was the Wind Sorceress I banished into oblivion when she challenged me to that duel!
"Sesshomaru, listen to me! I have seen into Kagura's soul, and within it was nothing but shadow and hatred! I was doing the world a service by slaying her.""SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU INSOLENT BASTARD! I LOVED HER MORE THAN ANYTHING, AND YOU STRIPPED HER FROM MY GRASP BEFORE I COULD EVEN TELL HER THAT MUCH!" With a heart now bloated with wrath, he turned back to Kachikachi. "SWORDSMAN, I NO LONGER CARE WHAT YOU DO WHEN THIS IS OVER! ALL YOU ARE TO DO NOW IS TO SLAY ATEM, AND I WILL ENSURE THAT KAGOME ROTS IN HELL FOREVER! DO IT NOW!!!"
New Paradigm Public Records
The city of New Paradigm was, like it's predecessor, a city of amnesia for the better half of the population. Although it had an impressive museum and several well stocked libraries positioned throughout, only the very old or very desperate actually ventured within it. By now, the younger parts of the population no longer cared about the Event and it's ramifications on their modern lives; to them, the questions of all those hidden years were simply not worth the money or time it took to investigate them. No, these Paradise-obsessed mortals now only cared about the future, and rebuilding a new history, thus providing the opportunity for a public records office where the events of the year were logged and dated.
And these ledgers were updated daily, giving inquiring detectives, like Yusuke Urameshi, a prospect to study daily population records...and transportation information, as he was now investigating.
"Look, lady, I don't need the records on any fat cats at Paradigm. All I need is the stuff about the Hellfire Tournament."
It had been in this sort of deadlock for about thirty minutes, and to say the least he was getting aggravated. Soon after his duel with Weevil had come to a screeching halt, several unfulfilled questions started coming up. For instance, how was Weevil Underwood connected to a virtually unknown dog demon, and more importantly, how was someone like Hiei able to get hold of all that power? Never once had he shown any Shadow magic, which he would need to get those Sennen Items, and even with that power, he could not take over all of the Shikon Jewel; his soul had become so black that just a trace of light would tear him to pieces.
There was something more to this, and Yusuke had a gut feeling it lay somewhere in the Black Shadow's presence in this tourney. But from the way things were going with this cookie cutter secretary, the tournament would be over by the time he got what he needed.
"Sir, I'd love to help you, but according to state law I cannot divulge any data on city politics to tourists."
"Politics?! This is a DUEL MONSTERS TOURNAMENT, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!!"
This sudden release of fury was enough to attract the attention of a few people, a few too many for the escritoire.
"Sir, please keep your voice down. Other people have business to conduct here."
"I'm sure they do. I'm also sure that their business isn't related to the end of the world as we know it!"
More pacifist clients had become attracted by his anger. These were the people who thought the Tournament a disruption of their daily lives, and had petitioned for it's removal.
"Mr. Urameshi. We do not take too kindly with people that have psychotic tendencies. WE are a peaceful people, unlike Mouto and his band of savages..."
"LOOK, lady, I'M one of those "savages"! And Yugi is ten times more of a civilized human than you will ever be, as is Joey and the others! What, do you think that simply by becoming a society of pussies you can look down your nose at the very people trying to rescue your sorry asses?!"
"Mr. Urameshi, if you cannot control yourself, then I am going to have to ask you to leave!"
"Just give me that data and I'll be happy to leave. All I need is a ledger of everyone who entered this tourney; the rest I can find out on my own!"
"As I have told you before, I can't give you that information! It goes against the Riot Control Acts we set up, and I quote, "in order to prevent unnecessary anxiety over federal and economic discrepancies, all political and fiscal information is to be reserved to heads of state." And when last I checked, common hoodlums do not fit in this category."
"Fine. I'll just get my data somewhere else!" And with that he slammed his fist onto the desk, in the process disturbing some financial documents that were about to be signed. At this point, the aristocratic and even middle class were looking at him haughtily as he stormed out, and the words "Neanderthal" were peppered throughout the next few minutes of conversation.
Yet as he stepped into the heavily crowded streets, the young street fighter started to crack up in laughter as he pressed a small button on his adapted Spirit Compass, one of only two Detective items that had survived his long trek to Domino. Of course, this final version had several brand new abilities that the previous versions had not, including a covert modem which he had activated with his sudden abuse of the city's desk.
Ok, it'll take an hour for that crap to download, meaning I've got some time to kill.
Now, before he could actually decide on anything to occupy himself in the first place, he reviewed his current options. First, he had no money, so anything like that was out of the question. His Tournament Charge Card was not ready, and would not be for at least 24 hours, so that was out. Then of course, he contemplated calling somebody. But the odds were that Joey and Yugi were dueling, Inuyasha couldn't even work a regular phone, Kurama and Botan he could not find, and Hell would freeze over before he called Seto Kaiba. The only real option he had was to call Tea, or look for a duel. Yet he had never really been fond of talking to girls over the phone, so he decided to hunt down a duelist instead.As he started out on a search for his next great challenge, Yusuke could not help but wander towards the Theater District, only a few blocks away from the useless Public Records. As could be expected, only a few good movies were showing, including that art film based on the life of Kenshin Himura; Sword Heart, he thought it was called. Granted, the movie could not capture the full excitement of that part of history, so the detective was not interested.
Keiko might have been, though. She was always into shit like that.
The mere thought of his off-again, on-again courtship with the honor student was enough to make Urameshi sick to the stomach. She had done absolutely nothing to Hiei, and now that monster was holding her against her will, simply to draw him out into the open. In fact, nobody that the demon had attacked deserved it. Kuwabara, that poor, stupid fool, had been brainwashed in his futile attempts to reunite with Yukina, Kurama was nowhere to be found, Yanigasawa and the other two they had encountered in their battles with Sensui had long since been killed, and Koenma...well, he deserved what he got anyway. But that did not excuse Hiei's violence against him.And what of Botan? He had cared about her like a little sister, and she was near the top of Hiei's hit list simply because she had shown some spine. That she could even wield a sword was beyond his understanding, but a lot of things were just that, unexplainable.
There's something here that doesn't add up, and from what I've seen it has something to do with Hiei and the Black Shadow. I've known that bastard for close to four years now, and he's not the kind of guy that conquers an entire planet simply for revenge. If he is looking for justice, he's already taken it, so there must be some underlying reason for it.
But maybe there was no master plan. He'd always known that Hiei was extremely unpredictable, and somewhere along the line Yusuke had found something else out as well...Flashback
The two pillars of fire, while indeed of the same polarity, were still crashing into one another, constantly averting the enemy's might onto him. The screams of little children were ringing across the sky, some gruesomely cut short with a single sweep of the blade. And from the sidelines could be heard other cries, the teary pleas for mercy from mothers and wives as their sons and husbands were cut to pieces.
To most, this was a sign of Armageddon. To the Reikai Tantei, this was the beginning of a dark era in their lives.
They were all there, Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara, three of the big four. The others were hanging around somewhere else that they didn't care about. Well, except for a certain psychosomatic midget who was in the midst of all the fighting.
"Watch, you foolish mortals, as I leave our mark on this world!"
Hiei, lacking the power he would have some time after, was hacking thousands to pieces with his great katana, while using his immense velocity to break the bones of any that stood in his way. Blood stained his dark clothing and a psychotic laugh emerged as his free hand became the Fist of the Mortal Flame.
"Hiei, stop this! They are nothing but some diplomats from Demon World! It's not like they are violent!"
"Silence, Kurama! I frankly do not give a damn!"
Nothing could stop him on that rampage, not the pleas for mercy, the shrieks of the younger generation, not even Kuwabara's speeches of manhood. And the beast hacked mercilessly away, carving out the vital organs as his eyes glowed a violent red...
End Flashback
No one spoke to Hiei for at least a month after that, and even then everybody noticed a definite change in his demeanor. He was no longer as withdrawn in his emotions, but this came at a very great price. Hiei's violent side, the part of him that ruled Spirit World, the part that was slowly dissolving all the progress that Yusuke had made, had always been there, but nothing serious enough had occurred to draw it out until Yukina had died two years ago. And now, everybody knew it, all of his friends and family, and in one swift moment it became very clear that Hiei's personal monsters had reemerged.
And somehow we have to stop it. Maybe we can save the others, Keiko, Kuwabara, and Kurama, before he turns on them.
As for Hiei? Well, Yusuke had long since come to grips with the reality that the old three eyed demon that had begrudgingly accepted their alliance was no longer with them. He had promised Yugi he would take the bastard's empire down, and that is exactly what he would do.With that thought in mind, the detective continued walking his unofficial beat, taking passing glances at newspaper stands. Nothing really important, just a couple of incidents relating to that string of assassination attempts on Kaiba, and one piece on how Yugi was working his way up through the final rounds. In fact, apart from those bits, there was not one interesting article in the entire business, which readily explained why the vendors were looking pissed off.
Jeez, call us Neanderthals when you don't even have a decent paper... Which was rather funny, as Yusuke hardly took any serious interest in the world around him, a trait that Keiko was always complaining about.
And at the same time, a trait that could cost him his life.
"URAMESHI!!!"
It is to be expected by any normal person that to have your name shouted in a crowded street will draw your attention, so much so that you notice little else. The detective, however, recognized that voice, and he could not believe it...
But he turned around anyway.
And right there, leaning on the fire hydrant, was a rather tall figure of a man with a decent build and black muscle shirt. His face, while relatively pale, was blazing in wrath, and his hair was an almost bleached blonde that no regular person could attain. But this was of little significance compared to his barely tan gauntlet.
"Zeru?! Wait, this isn't possible! I saw you die!"
"Well, my friend, you of all people should be familiar with rebirth, seeing as you are the detective infamous for cheating death. But more to the point, I have been called forward by Hiei. Kind of funny that the man that should slay me with his Dragon in the first round of the Dark Tournament would be the one to revive me. Now, as for why I called you, I challenge you to a duel! The winner gets the loser's rarest card, and two tourney keys! Let us see if your Spirits can withstand the blazing hellfire of my Pyro deck!"
"Very well, then! Let's do this!" (4000/4000)
New Paradigm Museum
"No way. It can't be Hiei, it just can't be..."
Neither Tea or Inuyasha was able to speak as the astronomical significance of what stood before them came to light. It was as if the entire meaning of their entire situation had changed completely, and to a degree it had done so. Now Yugi not only had to deal with a demon with a god complex, but he also had to do battle with a creature whose powers took root in the most primordial of ancient might, and if history was any witness, then Hiei would try to draw strength from his connection to the ways of Egypt.
"Look, Tea, it'll be alright. Even if that son of a bitch is connected to Yami in some way or other, the odds are that fate isn't on his side. Before long he'll be crawling back to Spirit World with his tail between his legs, and we can finally go home."
"I hope you're right. But when you think about it, the whole situation kind of makes sense now. Normally, somebody like him couldn't lay a hand on the Sennen Items, but given this connection, he can manipulate them however he wants. As if that wasn't enough...Inuyasha, what if he access to hidden memories, recollections that the Sennen Puzzle didn't possess? What if he can somehow gain this info on the past?"
"I'll say it again. Don't give that another thought. If he could get that stuff, he would have by now, so I'll bet he will never get that crap. Besides, by the time this tourney's done he won't have a clue how to use 'em."
"Cool. Let's get out of this place; it's giving me the creeps."
"Ah, this ain't nothing compared to what I've seen before. You want creepy, wait till you have a demon built like a patchwork quilt trying to kill you. And don't get me started on Miroku..."
"The pervert, right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know that?"
"Picked it up somewhere." I probably shouldn't mention Kaiba's duel. He doesn't seem too keen on the times...
Now that their greatest problems had been settled, the new coupling strode out of the ancient exhibit. It had indeed been an exhausting day, and both wanted nothing more than to relax for an hour or so while Inuyasha looked for his next match. That Fiber Jar had been an awesome addition to his deck, but to outlast Hiei, he would need more than one breaking card. Granted, he now had an astoundingly gorgeous lady friend to entertain, and with luck she would be there for him all the way into his last match.
As for Tea...well, by nature she was not a jealous person. An unusual comment, but it must be said, seeing as a lot of problems had arisen over the Priestess Kikyo in the short time that he had been present at that museum.
That poor guy. 50 years he spent bound to some tree, all because Kikyo turned her back on him, and all that time he never stopped loving her. You have to admire that, you really do...
"Inuyasha, can I ask you something?""Sure, what's up?"
"Do you still have feelings for the priestess?"
For a couple of seconds, the two stopped walking, fittingly enough in the Feudal Era Exhibits. And during that time, the demon was monumentally nervous. Of course, that insanely bothersome "sit" command was no longer a huge issue, but he didn't want to hurt yet another innocent soul.
"Tea..."
"It's alright if you do. I mean, she was your first love, and nothing could ever take that away from you. I'd be an idiot to think that some emotional connection was no longer there, so just know that I'm ok with that."
"Really?"
"Sure. But one thing I really do have to know first. What happened back there with that sword of yours?"
Joey vs. Chu
"Well, Wheeler, it seems that you've put yourself into a pretty big bind here. Not only can't you attack, but once I manage to draw a few more cards I'll be able to call several much stronger beasts to the field. So just to make sure that nothing stops me, I'll place one card face down to end my turn."
"Ok, then it's back to me!" But as Joey drew his next card, what little remained of his false bravado was soon cut to pieces as he saw that none of his cards could immediately help him. However, the card he had just drawn could bring him some kind of advantage.
"Ok, let's see exactly how great my luck is! I'll place one card face down, and then I'll summon Ukira the Cursed in attack mode!" Joey's latest monster was what appeared to be a Norse warrior clad in a brown robe, in whose hands was placed a powerful war axe. (1000/500) "But that's just the beginning! I'll send my Ukira to the graveyard, as per it's effect, to special summon Ukira the Transformed in attack mode!" Once this command was placed, it became very, very clear why Ukira was known in the dueling world as one of the accursed.
It started out relatively simple, the soldier calling upon the might of the gods to empower him by sacrificing two very conveniently placed bullocks and partaking of their warm blood. And at first, nothing too serious happened. Yet that was about to change drastically, for within seconds of that gruesome ceremony another, much more horrific ritual was about to take place. It only took that amount of time for Ukira to let loose a horrific shriek as he clasped his suddenly bulging head, while at the same time slicing away at the perpetually scorched flesh that now caused him infinite pain. But instead of muscle being revealed by such gouges, there was instead pitch black animal fur, while upon his face was slowly assimilating a snout. Once decent arms became akin to those of Toguro as the skin of the human burst apart in a bloody mess, to reveal a towering minotaur that wore a tattered version of Ukira's armor. (2400/1300)
"But wait! I still have a couple more tricks up my sleeve. For instance, my Ukira gets 100 extra attack points for every card I toss from my deck, so I'll say goodbye to six of them!" As every card was buried in the cemetery, Ukira began to draw shadow magic from the land of the dead, which in turn sharpened his blade with such necromancy. (3000/1300) "Next, I think I'll activate my Blowback Dragon's special effect, meaning that once again I can flip three coins to destroy a card on your side of the field!" Joey now saw fit to toss his three pieces into the sky, watching them slowly tumbled to the dirt.
All three came up tails.
"Sorry, Wheeler, I'm not done yet. It'll take more than an oversized revolver on legs to stop me from wiping you out of this tourney and moving one step closer to whipping Urameshi once and for all! Sure, he's an alright bloke, but I still want to crush him!"
"Fine. Then I will end my turn."
"Brilliant. Now I'll start this turn by activating the Magic card, A Warrior Returning Alive, which allows me to resurrect one Warrior monster from the graveyard back to the field, so return, Surprising Mataza! But don't expect him to be around for too much longer, since I'm gonna sacrifice him to summon my Freed the Matchless General in attack mode!" Almost as soon as the samurai was reborn, he was sent into oblivion as tribute for the overpowering presence of the Matchless General. (2300/1700) "And thanks to my A. Forces Magic card, he now receives an extra 600 attack points!" (2900/1700) 6"And now, it's time for me to end this duel, with the Magic of Brave Attack, which will sacrifice all of my monsters, but in exchange, all of their attack strength will be focused in on your Axe Raider. And do not forget that all of my monsters, including the Captains, get that same pump up." (1800/1700)x2 "Now, all monsters, attack!"
"I'm afraid I can't let you get away with that! I activate the Trap card, Ultimate Offering, which I'll use to sacrifice all three of my monsters and summon Gilford the Lightning in attack mode!"
And just as Joey claimed, Ukira, the Dragon, and the Raider were absorbed in a flare of electric energy that slowly twisted itself to form a massive warlord of unmatched destructive capabilities. What stood before both duelists was a heavily muscled human with a sweeping crimson cloak, thick chest armor, and a helm that completely disguised the upper portion of his face. (2800/1500)
"NO!!! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!"
"I'll guess by your reaction that you know what my warrior can do. Since he was normal summoned by sacrificing three monsters, I am automatically allowed to wipe out every monster on your field before Brave Attack activates!"
With hardly any emotion behind the tinted visor of his mask, Gilford summoned within him the might of Raiden and sent an incalculable level of voltage into its mighty blade, and in doing so triggered a massive chain of events that ultimately hurled the lightning towards Chu's monsters, wiping out his precious Captain's lock and giving Joey a massive advantage.
"So now that I have an unstoppable monster for you to contend with, do you have any last words?"
"Nope. Just keep in mind that one monster won't win you this duel! I've got many more surprises ready to be sent out, and you'll get to see every one of 'em..."
To Be Continued
Whew, that was a long way in coming. But I take comfort in the fact that I've now been working on this thing for a year!
Ok, next chapter continues the duel between Kachikachi and Yami, and cooks up the one between Yusuke and Zeru. Kaiba and Botan talk about Hiei's plans and where he's located, while Roger and Angel discuss the truth of New Paradigm. Kagome finally comes to swallow her pride and sees what she can do, and Raphael begins his plan of attack.
Remember, READ AND REVIEW!!!
And speaking of which, I've got a plug to place: Read my latest fic (a joint effort under Rheyne and Paladin) and be sure to read other quality fics by Roentganray!