Force of Darkness, hear my cry

by Noble Paladin

Chap. 46: The end of the beginning is here! Yami, Yusuke, Joey, and Kagome face their deadliest opponents yet, but what is Hiei planning with a certain dark entity? The time's getting close for war!

37. Schism of the Shadow and the Return of t...

Disclaimer: What am I, anime mogul of the universe?

Ok, last chapter started the duel between Kagome and Yami no Marik, as well as end the match between Yami and Kachikachi. Also, Kaiba discovered the truth about Michael Seebach, Yusuke continued his battle, Sensui was introduced, and Roger was attacked.

This chapter shall end the duel between Yusuke and Zeru, while at the same time start up Kagome's first duel. Kaiba also confronts Tsubaki, Inuyasha begins the highly anticipated duel with Raphael, Roger faces the man who attacked him, and Yami faces Kachikachi and his blade. And as a special bonus, Hiei reveals exactly how warped he is when Sesshomaru crosses him.

Let's start the chap!

WARNING: Some sadistic brutality in the second part of the chapter. View at your own discretion.

Chapter 36: Schism of the Shadow and the Return of the Emissary

Kagome vs. Yami no Marik

For all of his madness, for all of nefarious proclivities, and for all of his delusions of grandeur, Yami no Marik knew that this tournament was to be historic.

Somehow, the shadow of a tomb keeper knew in his heart that what happened on this day and all days to follow were to be remembered for all of eternity in the annals of mankind. It had taken close to five thousand years to come to this moment, but he knew that Jagenshi and his quest for deific might would lead to the greatest tale ever told by man. Everyone who was involved in this event would become household words, history teachers would depict in vivid detail the circumstances that led up to each and every duel, and most of all, they would tell tales of the ascension of a new Pharaoh, and the banishment of the old one.

And it would all start with his first draw.

"I'll start by summoning the monster known as Makyura the Executioner in attack mode, followed by two cards face down on the field. Next, I shall activate the Field Magic Card, Mystic Plasma Zone, which will increase the overall power of any Dark monster on the field by 500 points, but in the process decreases their overall defense by 400." With a deranged grin, the dark mind of the Pharaoh's servant summoned to the field an immense soldier that was fully protected by the armor of the Demon World forge, with the only breach of theme being the ominous Sennen mark upon it's eyes. (1600/1200) And to empower the great slayer of Makai emerged a cloud of unstable Shadow energies that poured deep into the warrior's black heart. (2100/800) "That is all I have to do, for now at least." Pathetic wench; you have no idea of the horrors that I am about to bring down upon your pretty little head. Before long you will know exactly how far the extent of my sorcery reaches, and while you stand there, contemplating your next move, so do I prepare to cast you into the shadows of the deepest night…

"Enough sitting around! I'll place one card face down, and summon Gemini Elf in attack mode!" And so Kagome's first monster was called forth, a pair of fairy women who seemed to have come from the depths of A Midsummer Night's Dream. (1900/900) "But that's not all I'm going to do, for now I'll activate this Magic card, Riryoku, which allows me to cut your Makyura's total attack in half, and add that to the attack of my elf twins!"

With eerily seductive yells, the pixies began to frolic happily about the maniacal executioner, who was unable to do anything but stand and slowly begin to twitch in wrath as the songs reached a greater pitch. But these dances were not just to annoy the warrior; they also served the purpose of distracting him as the force of Riryoku kicked in. (1050/800) (2950/900) "Now, Gemini Elf, destroy his Makyura!" Both vixens now drew out golden daggers that seemed to have been cast in the zenith of Greek culture, and were about to fall upon Makyura when it finally decided it had endured enough. Without warning, the mighty butcher leapt out of the attack range, and at the same time extended the twin claw blades that were attached to it's forearms. At this point, Makyura let fly a gruesome battle cry, that if translated would roughly be akin to "we shall drink blood tonight", and descended with brutal force onto the shoulders of both twins. And with one flick of the wrists, he swiftly pierced their throats and severed the jugular, causing large amounts of blood to splatter upon the armor. (2600/4000)

"So sorry, my dear, but while you were so busy calling out an attack I decided to activate the card I had face down last turn, the Reverse Trap card! When activated, it reverses the effect of statistic-altering cards, meaning that although my monster lost the power from Mystic Plasma Zone, it gained the power from your Riryoku card, and a similar effect befell your monster! You'll have to do better than that if you want to survive this duel."

"Fine. I'll place one more card face down, and that will end my turn."

"I'm afraid it is not that easy. Look up."

Now, in all seriousness, Kagome did not trust this demon and whatever plans he had in store for her were likely to be diabolical. But she also knew that if he could manipulate this realm, then there was a high chance he could kill her with it anyway, so she decided to comply.

What she saw would remained burned in her memory for years to come.

The monstrosity that now loomed above Kagome's head appeared to be a giant blob of slime that had several tentacles hanging from beneath it. Or so it seemed, for once she locked onto this behemoth it began to separate into two parts, and it was then that she realized that this hideous beast was no gelatinous mass; rather, that component of it seemed to be the Shadow ogre's jaws. And lining these jaws were rows of jagged, broken teeth in which hung a number of human and animal skeletons, a few of which were knocked back into the demon's throat with a jerk of it's black, rolling tongue. It also was revealed that the disgusting tendrils were in fact stalks that played host to about twenty eyes per tentacle.

Kagome could not breath, could not blink, and for a second or so her heart ceased to beat, so terrifying was this manifestation of the Shadow Realm.

"So you are beginning to understand the nightmare in which you have been trapped? As I expect you have determined, the loser of this match shall be consumed by the Guardian of the Netherworld, a fate that has only been reserved for the most dreadful of sinners. And on this day, you shall become the fodder for this horrific beast! But in the meantime, I shall draw, and activate the Pot of Greed Magic card, which allows me to draw two more cards. Next, I shall sacrifice my Makyura to summon the devil's magistrate, Helpoemer!"

Kneeling as it would before King Yama or any other divine monarch, the supreme eradicator was engulfed in a cloud of blood-red smoke which emitted one of the most powerful demonic auras that Kagome had ever been in the presence of. In fact, during the time that this fiendish monster was called upon, she could have sworn that a direct portal to Hell had been opened, which was one of many things she had experienced firsthand. And from this chasm into damnation crawled out an absolutely repulsive demon. It was about six feet in overall height, with skin that had an occult cerulean hue to it, no eyes, and at least five extra mouths that followed the main one in reciting a satanic prayer backwards. Yet this thing had little real muscle mass, which explained why it was bound to a rock fashioned like a tombstone. (2000/1400) And like all of the dark beasts that Yami no Marik possessed, this wicked being gained the field power bonus. (2500/1000) "For my next move, I activate the card I played face down, my Premature Burial Magic card, to resurrect Makyura the Executioner!" As the effect stated, Makyura crawled out of the depths, eye aglow with wrath as it prepared to strike the priestess incarnate down. (2100/800) "Now, my twin avatars of the darkness, attack Kagome's life points directly and end this duel!"

"I'm afraid that won't work! I activate the Trap card, Void! In exchange for half of my current life points, I can negate your attack and destroy all of your monsters on the field!" (1300/4000) Just as Makyura was about to soar into an attack position and Helpoemer prepared to launch a blast of infernal necromancy, both were absorbed into a glowing chasm of light that burned away their dark hearts.

"Most impressive, foolish girl. I shall end my turn by placing one card face down."

"I'll take my turn, thank you very much. And I'll start by summoning the monster known as Yutai, Judge of Law, in attack mode." For the first time in this entire duel, a monster of true sanctification had been called forth: an ethereal being that took on the shape of a man with sable hair, cobalt eyes, and a pale blue robe that was unable to contain the angelic wings that spread out behind it. (1900/2000) "Next, I'll activate the Equip Magic card, Cherub Wings, and I'll use it on my angelic judge!" As stated, the seraph gained another pair of wings, yet they were fluffy and weak-looking. "Now, Yutai, attack the demon's life points directly!" With his target lined up, Yutai drew out a mighty sword, similar to that used by St. George, and took to the skies.

"Not so fast, you worthless miko! I activate the card I had face down, Mirror Force, which shall destroy all of your attack mode monsters, and thus clear the field for a final attack!"

As usual, the gleaming reflection barrier appeared before Yami no Marik, with Yutai soaring forth, blade drawn out. But what he had not counted on was the pair of cherubic wings reacting to send a gust of holy wind directly at the magic. The end result was that the mirror crackled and broke, allowing Yutai to hack away at his life points and leave a burning gash to mark the spirit's black heart. (1300/2100)

"The exact same thing will happen if you try to use any mass-effect cards on any of the Divine Judges, and if you try targeting effects on those creatures, it will cost you 300 life points. Now that you know this, I'll activate the card I had face down, Graceful Charity, to draw three cards, and discard two. Next, I'll activate the Mercy of Tears card that I drew, allowing me to resurrect the Gemini Elf that you destroyed." A depressed angel now emerged on the field, seeming to have an infinite number of tears streaming down her face. Kind of appropriate that it looks exactly like Kikyo. After a few seconds of incessant sobbing, the angel floated back to whatever heaven it had arrived from, and from the tears emerged the twin elves. (1900/900) "That will end my turn, for the moment. Let's see if you can do anything useful."

But something did not sit well with Kagome; for whatever reason, the beast did not seem overly worried, and in fact seemed almost giddy as he drew his next card.

"Oh, I think that the next few turns shall prove my competence. Believe me, young priestess, you have not yet begun to experience the powers of my deck, nor have you witnessed the hidden force that lies dormant, waiting to be unleashed onto this world. But for now, I think it would be an opportune time to summon one of my deadliest monsters. Come forth, Revival Jam!"

Hiei's Fortress

Hiei knew very little about the lives of the majority of his prisoners, and unless that information was beneficial to him in some respect, he made a point of ignoring it. In all honesty, the mind-numbing details of five hundred thousand dullards and the oblivious politicians that operated them proved to make for rather uninteresting archives, not to mention the ordeal of handling their affairs. So the best solution for his detainees was easily reached: just stuff them into the unhygienic dungeons of his many strongholds.

And execute a certain number when accommodation became an issue.

"Well, my lord, the current censuses from cell blocks A8, R74, and F23 have been collected and analyzed, as you requested, and we can safely determine that as of two weeks ago we went over our cutoff point. Any more prisoners and we'll have to begin construction again."

The demon monarch could have listened to his shifty prison warden rattle off the statistics, such as complaints from those schmaltzy human rights activists, but after the key numbers had been laid out on the table he zoned out, concentrating on the fluorescent lamps of his personal monorail as they slowly began to distort themselves. In the back of his mind, that number cruncher and his braying mixed themselves with the hum of the engine, and the beast felt himself move into a higher plane of thinking. He was strongly reminded of the stories his mother had forced down his throat as a child, about how you would just keep breathing the magic fairy dust until you saw every pretty color of the rainbow.

Hiei's eyelids began to fall, while his overall awareness of the world around him was further distorted. In the distance he could still hear that lackey, but it was as if he was falling away from him, as though the jaws of oblivion had opened up and now desired to swallow him forever, but he was not to enter this nightmare alone…

"MUKURO!"

The eyes flared open once again, face streaked with unholy tears of blood as Hiei reawakened from the land of dreams, a place that had, of late, been a living Hell for him. It was there alone that anything of his past still existed in full. It was in this state that he could see what he had become, what kind of a monster he really was, and he could not accept the harsh reality of the truth, that in the process of his attaining the mythical powers he now held claim to, he had sold his soul.

But like everything else he had lost, Hiei would merely shrug this nightmare off, and within the following minutes he would forget it had ever happened.

Luckily none of my core lieutenants were present to witness that.

Now, Hiei may have been an egotistical son of a bitch, but he was not quite so insecure with himself as to hide his terror at the nightly demons that haunted his mind. No, it was just that each time he awoke from these gruesome explorations of his dark mind, there was an unswerving surge of power that emanated from him; the most severe occurrence was in Indonesia the night before his raid began, and the resulting shockwave had caused a massive volcanic eruption.

Fortunately, the only thing this outpouring of darkness had done was turn that frustrating accountant inside out.

With a grim smile, he leaned back and watched the tram move along, flecking away the splashes of blood from his servant's "unfortunate accident", as he would call it officially. It had been a very long time since he had last been left to his own devices, and it was these spare times that kept him from going mad as he wallowed in a combination of misery and sadism. They do not know, do they? The Pharaoh and his pathetic girlfriend think of me as a heartless bastard who cares about no one except for myself, and as accurate as that may be, neither of them have any knowledge of the woman I lost.

In fact, hardly anyone in the world knew about Mukuro, with the exception of the Reikai Tantei and of course Michael Seebach. To Hiei's interpretation, Dartz and Naraku would play upon that one breach in his emotional armor if they ever got wind of her and what she had meant to him…

"We have arrived at Sector 0, Sublevel 49." And all thoughts of the official Demon God were driven out of his mind.

It now occurred to the sovereign of Makai that he should have ventilated the place with a bit more precision, for even as his transport pulled into the station the hateful reek of urine, sweat, and blood invaded his nostrils, and he was instantly brought back into his cold little reality. Far off in the distance could be heard the shrieks of those damned to Hell on Earth, struggling to keep from going mad as torment on top of torment was sent crashing into their minds and souls.

It was with barely restricted contempt that Hiei stepped into the bowels of his kingdom, the dungeons of the Devil's Citadel. Unlike the rest of his supreme position of control in the mortal realm, this particular area had none of the technological marvels that his minions had become accustomed to. No, he had specifically designated this part of the fortress to be left alone, save for some extremely intricate carvings along the passageway leading from the station.

They were present in these hewn images, every one of them. From the bitter and sadistic Naraku, to the cold and malevolent Dartz, to the apparently atheistic Kaiba, and even encompassing his own subordinates. And at the head of the corridor was the most important of all: the Pharaoh, collapsed face down in the mud with the demons of Makai gorging on his flesh, thousands of spears and arrows jutting out of his back.

It was a powerful image, one that Hiei himself had labored over. And it also served as the final defense of his most secretive knowledge.

He continued to walk forward as his pupils began to dilate in response to the consuming darkness of his security system. Demonic auras from all of the universe were appearing out of the walls, curling their devilish fingers just inches away from his Sennen Eye. Wretched souls from beyond time and space ran at him, beseeching of him salvation, and without a second thought he destroyed them all. Damnation is just a part of life, you sniveling bitches.And as he stood before the image of his sworn enemy, the damned now cried out with unprecedented anguish, with a cohesive bellow that would shake the earth and crumble existence if let loose unto the world. Images flashed through Hiei's deepest level of conciousness: the jewel, the Orichalcos Seal, the Puzzle, and most of all, Mukuro.

"I CALL NOW FOR THE SILENCE OF THE MAKAI WORLD! GRANT ME ACCESS TO THE CHAMBER OF THE DEMON GOD, SO THAT I MAY PERUSE THE BLACK SECRETS OF THE ANCIENT WAYS!"

This particular part of the hall had always been tremendously strenuous for all of the Black Shadow, and proved to be a test of power for aspiring members; those of insufficient Spirit, Shadow, or Demon energy would be instantly swallowed up by the chasms of the Spirit World that opened up around them. And even if they could survive for the first few minutes, they would have to command the respect of the apparitions that dwelt here, a feat that was beyond the stamina of just about anyone that tried to penetrate this most blasphemous of sanctums.

After the first time Yami no Bakura had passed the test, he developed the notion that sheer power and respect was not enough to pass the gauntlet; it was his belief that fate dictated who would surpass it. Hiei, of course, took little stock in that hypothesis initially, but later on he would start to wonder about it. Right now, though, he had little time to think about what determined the mechanics of his own security setup. There was work to be done, and a certain mind to manipulate.

After several minutes, the gate acknowledged Hiei's presence, the representation of which was the Pharaoh's image being replaced by the crest of the Black Shadow Organization. It was a simple heraldic sign, made up of a representation of the infamous Dragon of the Darkness Flame devouring itself, forming a circle around the images of the Sennen Eye and Shikon no Tama shards. These images, in turn, began to radiate a powerful demonic aura in response to their creator's arrival, and withdrew into the heavy stone once more.

What happened next was never actually researched, and despite the massive archives of Spirit World and the brilliant minds of the Shadow Realm, no one could ever determine where to begin. All that was truly understood about that type of necromancy was that it had been used only one other time, to contain the Demon World Archives.

The stone seemed to disappear, as though it had been an optical illusion the entire time.

With a nefarious smirk, Hiei now stepped past the threshold and into his personal haven and away from the darkness, barely noticing that the heavy slab rematerialized behind him. "Enough. You may reveal yourself; I don't expect any other visitors."

Hiei was not crazy or stupid enough to speak to rock walls, regardless of any other psychoses he might have had obscured in the dark corners of his consciousness. No, he was referring to the other entity that was present in the room with him. Yet bizarrely enough, there were no visible others that were in the sanctum, just himself and the seven bodyguards that stood at the entrance.

But much as in life, the situation was not as it appeared to be. For without warning a shadow separated itself from the others and drew itself along the ground, unceasing in it's erratic path, seeming to be hunting something out as it snuck about. This continued for an aggravating amount of time, until the entity finally ceased it's wanderings in front of it's master…

…and spoke.

"Welcome, Master Jagenshi. I assume everything went as planned in my absence?"

"Very much so. The Pharaoh has been drawn into my intricate web of exploitation and deceit, as have our other enemies, so you have now entered your element. What skills will be of use is of no concern; all that matters is that you do not blunder. Incidentally, did you bring Sesshomaru to the communication unit, as I requested?"

"Yes. And the girl is in your chief conference room."

"Excellent. Now, rise; I want the dog demon to see exactly what he is dealing with."

In response to Hiei's command, the patch of shade began to ripple and undulate, slowly forming the structure of an imposingly tall humanoid. Once the basic shape had been taken, the silhouette receded back into the hallway, crawling off of Hiei's ultimate bodyguard, a powerful-looking creature in a blue and black ninja outfit that seemed to have origins in the earliest traditions of the Japanese assassins. The only thing that could be seen of his face behind the mask was a pair of red eyes. On his back was a quiver loaded down with thirty-three serrated daggers, while hanging loosely in his right hand was a spiked war mace; several inches from this hand was attached a Duel Gauntlet, but it's white color could not be seen in the darkness.

"It has been quite a while since you and I last met, Akuren. But I have little time for niceties, so let's get down to business."

There was no conversation between Akuren and his soverign as they walked down the closest of the hundreds of passages that lined the main corridor. A heavy odor of cigars and bourbon instantly washed over the two, but it was of little concern. They had both been in the proverbial trenches before, fighting off human and demon invaders in an attempt to either save or destroy their worlds. To these hardened veterans, brutality and the sensations that accompanied them were not shocking to them, and to have a baby strangled in front of their eyes would have no effect. So a stench of self-indulgence mattered little to them.

After about thirty seconds they had entered the conference room, a relatively simple affair. All it was was a large, black iron table with ten leather swivel chairs on each side and one at both ends, and at one end of the room was a large pull-down screen for presentations and charting. And despite the fact that every member of the board had an affinity for the drink, there was no bar of any kind, for a specific bottle of each member's personal preference was given to them before each meeting.

"Computer, you may initiate the communication. Commence satellite link, sector 369, with quadruple-wavelength communication module number 70."

It will not be long now; I can sense it. Hiei's decisions are becoming increasingly erratic, and he 's already showing signs of extreme fatigue. He's losing his grip on reality, one of the first signs of the Possession…

"I have not yet lost my grasp on the world, Akuren, and rest assured that the beast in my mind will not overtake my spirit. If it does manifest itself significantly, my operatives will deal with it."

"I can only hope so, milord." For now, at least…

But his thoughts, and Hiei's investigation of them, were both cut short by the sudden appearance of static on the screen, followed immediately thereafter by the increasingly troubled contenance of the demon Sesshomaru.

"This had better be important, Hiei. My entire schedule does not revolve around yours." Something in his voice was aggravated, and even without the Eye the demon could instantly tell that the duel had not gone well at all.

"Well, it may very well have to, judging from your abysmal performance. Already two of your generals have been bested, and your outlook is not positive."

What little change occurred in the demon's face was kept very well concealed, yet Akuren knew better. He knew that Sesshomaru was already getting exasperated from having to deal with Hiei on a regular basis like this, and this fact was proved again when the grinding of prosthetic gears made itself known. From the sound, it was obvious that his control over the artificial arm was not quite as proficient as he had claimed. Still, one had to admire his composed persona in such a high pressure situation.

Then again, no one, human or otherwise, is infallible.

"I am afraid your perception is misguided. When last I checked, my generals were consigned by you to handle the surplus peons. If anything, you are to blame for my soldier's failure."

It took a lot to piss Hiei off. And Sesshomaru had trod on that line.

"Look, Hiei, I have been dealing with a lot of nonsense as of late, and I grow weary of your random little odd jobs, so this is what is going to happen. I'll continue to duel in your place until you have the spine to face your opposition again, and then you will elect me as a permanent board member of the Black Shadow Organization, along with our previous arrangement. No questions asked, no loopholes, no bullshit. Do we understand each other?"

There are three things that a person can do that will guarantee death: poke a bear in the eye, cut yourself in shark-infested waters, and irritate a psychotic powerhouse of a demon with a god complex. Especially when that demon has leverage on you.

"Hn. You make a convincing argument, dog demon. One that will remain with me in the mountains, in the trees, in the forests, and in my dreams." The last part was recited in a high-pitched squeak that Akuren could only assume was supposed to be feminine. "My next question is equally simple: Lord Sesshomaru, where are you?" And from the demented look in Hiei's eyes, Akuren could easily determine that something was afoot. "Please return to me, all alone."

Silence from the dog, for the first time, and also an emotion that was unseen before by either of them. A simplistic emotion, one that he believed himself superior to.

There was fear in his eyes.

"Where did you hear that, you bastard?"

Hiei, in his normal fashion, did not answer directly. "To be fair, I was amazed that such an astoundingly sappy melody could be composed by a girl who has lost so much. An orphan, captured by not one, but two demon lords, and now lives at my mercy. Akuren, if you would be so kind as to show our young guest into the meeting…"

Akuren, in his turn, made a slight motion to a shadow that inexplicably was sitting on one of the chairs. "I have always had something of a guilty pleasure, Sesshomaru, something that I do for fun whenever I get the chance. No matter what I'm doing, no matter who I'm slaying, I will always leave time for manipulating the psyches of those around me. And the first thing I like to do is strike the young of those people. This was, of course, the closest thing I had to your young, given your attitude towards women."

The shade opened up, and if the screen could talk, it would definitely say that Sesshomaru's pulse came to be nonexistent.

What now remained was a young girl, about eight or nine years old, chocolate eyes wide open in horror and twitching beneath the heavy blindfold that blinded and deafened her. The only deviance of her lengthy black hair was a minute topknot on the side of her head. Hers was a face of strange innocence, one that saw the world and yet remained sweet and kind.

"Cute as a button, am I correct?"

"Rin…"

"Correct, you moronic son of a bitch. She's in my control now, and unless you want me to gut her as I would a common fish, you will listen to what I have to say."

It was somewhat otherworldly to watch the once emotionally deprived and nonchalant demon become a violent and depraved kidnapper, but it had been obvious from the very beginning that Hiei did not place much stock in his own honor doctrine, so the shock was cushioned to some extent. And besides, it should have been apparent to everyone that he came across. Urameshi, especially, should have seen the darkness festering deep within his purported friend's mind.

But they had not been in possession of such lucidity. And now they would all pay for it with their lives.

"By all means, kill her if you want; to be honest I'm not particularly frightened. Besides, you're not proving anything by murdering a little girl."

"You misunderstood me. I am not doing this to prove a point, and I have no intention of calling your pathetic little bluff. Without her I have no leverage on you, meaning that my threats would then have no credibility. No, I have something much more interesting in mind."

A simple flick of the wrist, motioning towards Akuren's quiver. To the untrained eye, this is an innocent enough motion, but Sesshomaru knew the mindset of Hiei all too well, and he knew what was about to happen.

"Hiei, perhaps I was a bit hasty. I will happily retract my demands, so long as you release the young one. She has done nothing to you, and if you surrender her to my jurisdiction it shall remain that way." In his eyes, in his voice, and in his most basic of body language, there was a subtle degree of patriarchal alarm that Akuren could not believe existed. It was as though this pathetic, otherwise purposeless wretch meant all of the world to this creature.

Sesshomaru, the demonic incarnation of brutality and misanthropy, was afraid for the life of a human girl.

"I'm afraid it's too little, too late. Although I shall gladly accept your retraction, it seems fitting for you to be…disciplined." With an air of lunacy, Hiei sauntered over to the seat that held Rin, and extracted two long, serrated daggers. His eyes grew feverish with bloodlust as he drew one of the blades across his cheek, allowing the process of convection to warm up the black metal. Masochistic or not, it was becoming extremely uncomfortable for either witnesses to continue watching as he slowly dragged the knife down his face, letting it run the length of his scar…

…before he lifted it high above his head and crushed the dagger into the back of Rin's hand, effectively nailing it to the seat. From the gruesome wound now gushed a substantial amount of blood, which increased as Hiei dug deeper into the flesh and bone.

If you can't figure out why the girl reacted with a screech that could be heard in the highest stratas of the base, then you should probably pay closer attention.

It was quite unlike anything that any of the three had ever witnessed. They were all used to an enemy, or at least a prisoner, reacting with some percentage of dignity when placed under torture; this was not the case with Rin, who was shrieking and crying like a baby as she tried to pull the knife out. Then again, she was only a child, thus making Hiei's next action…well, let's just say it was a bit out of line.

"SHUT UP!" And with one back-handed smack across the face, she obeyed the command.

This did not happen to suit Sesshomaru's liking.

"HIEI! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU! SHE IS JUST A CHILD!"

"I am perfectly fine, and as you recall, I have done things that are much worse, to people of all walks of life. But more to the point…"

"You enjoyed it. You had fun. Tell me, exactly what kind of a warped and twisted individual am I working for?" But all it took was a quick glance at Hiei's eyes to tell him that it was not a topic he wanted to unravel. "Never mind."

"Good; now, this is basically what I had in mind. From this point onward, I will up the ante for both sides of the equation, and yes, I am aware that I warned you against this at first. Now, you will continue to utilize your three remaining generals until they have served their purpose or are eliminated. And as you requested, your victory will give you a permanent chair in the Black Shadow. If you fail, I will not kill you. I'll vent my rage in a quite healthy manner, by ripping Rin's throat out with my bare hands."

There was silence on both sides, until Sesshomaru decided to speak.

"You are indeed a perverted individual. Regardless, I grudgingly accept your terms."

"Brilliant."

"However, I must be guaranteed that Rin will still be alive when I reach the finals. I want proof of life every step of the way."

"Deal. All the arrangements will be handled post haste." And with that, the screen, and the meeting, came to a close.

Outside the Museum

You're a dead man, Raphael.

Not exactly the first thoughts that spring into the front of any customary person's mind after unconsciousness, but, when closely examining the circumstances of the attack and how violent it turned out to be, not even the most consummate of psychoanalysts could deny that such ideas were perfectly natural.

The sun was blazing behind Inuyasha's eyes as he struggled to lift himself up from the rubble and debris of Raphael's assault, which was no mean feat considering that the blast had struck him head on. And for the very first time in almost a year and a half, he felt the slow, excruciating presence of death bearing down on him

It just doesn't add up. If Raphael could summon that kind of magic, it should have represented itself as an aura or something like that. Even Shadow and Spirit powers usually manifest themselves in one way or another, but the Orichalcos is in a class of it's own…

Flashback)

"And now, Stone of Orichalcos... SHOW THE HALF-BREED SOME REAL POWER!"

Whatever "real power" this lunatic was referring to did not seem all that intimidating at first. The so-called magic seemed only to make the piece of jewelry glow slightly, and that alone was taxing its overall potency.

"Is this your power, making a light show for my entertainment? Let me tell you something about how combat works in the real world: here, I kick your sorry art house ass!"

Eyes gleaming with their usual bloodlust, Inuyasha latched onto the warm handle of his Tetsuaiga and removed the ancient blade from within the sheath, but this time brought the sheath in front of him. Knowing the way this bastard thinks, he'll probably have a few sharpshooters around, so I may as well prepare.

Still, thought the demon, if his new enemy was this confident in his capabilities, then he had obviously never seen the power of his loathed father in action. And it was high time to put this wretch in his place by showing him that power.

A breeze stirred, blowing some random sand into the air. And for that moment, Raphael and Inuyasha locked eyes. They both knew that there was no turning back now, and neither one wanted to.

"DIE!"

In all of the madness, Tea had stepped to one side, almost completely forgotten as the two outcasts prepared to strike each other down. She could not possibly hope that Inuyasha would survive at this point; sure, he had escaped Naraku, Sesshomaru, and even the wrath of his former lover, but this…this was something else. For in his past battles, the Windscar had been capable of besting the fury of the demons.

It could not best the power of the gods.

"INUYASHA, STOP! THIS IS SUICIDE!"

Her eyes watered as she ran to him, screams ignored or unheard as the attacks were placed. If this battle went on, as she knew it would, then there was no doubt in her mind that one or both of them would die.

Still, one had to give Inuyasha credit for trying.

As was the usual medium for his basic ultimate move, the dog demon slammed the blade of his sword into the ground, the resulting motion waves triggering its magic and hurling a shockwave of demonic power at Raphael.

But seconds before he had laid his attack, something extremely out of the ordinary took place, for as he drew out the sword it began to glow a bloody crimson that permeated the blade's surface. Simple enough, right? Not when you know the hell he went through to get the coloring.

It was all in all beautiful, in a primeval sort of way, and Raphael had to admit that such power from a pathetic mutt was even more impressive. But admiration notwithstanding, having an extraordinary attack does not guarantee victory.

Dartz had said the exact same thing to him and Sensui.

Now, in his battles as a DOOM Soldier, Raphael had been required to study the nature of demonic auras and how they affected the tide of war, and in his analyses he had come to a solid conclusion about barrier-breaking energies: they had no effect on the Orichalcos. But it had no relevance, in actuality.

He knew that the Windscar would not even clear the museum steps.

"Excellent attack, hanyou, but I'm sorry to say that it will not have any affect on me! Orichalcos Shockwave!"

For a brief instant, Raphael's entire body became engulfed in a bright green aura similar to that of the Orichalcos Stone around his neck before it refocused itself into the rock fragment. And it was then that Inuyasha knew exactly what was going on.

The aura that was focused in his hand was almost five times as powerful, if not more so, than Inuyasha's Backlash Wave.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO YOUR BITCH, DOG DEMON! BUT INSTEAD, YOU ALLOWED YOUR PERSONAL DARKNESS TO CONTROL YOU, AND I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR IT!"

As he had believed, the blast from Inuyasha's sword was instantaneously engulfed in the power of the Orichalcos stone, and soon the blast spread, taking in just about everything…

…before collapsing in on itself and detonating.

(End Flashback)

Try as he might, Inuyasha could not remember exactly what had happened after the shockwave commenced, nor did he really want to. Still, the vast devastation that the attack had resulted in was evidence enough of this man's sheer might, and something in the back of his mind told him that it originated in Raphael's dueling deck.

If it was indeed a card that gave that lunatic such divine wrath, then Inuyasha needed to get his hands on it. Combined with the Tetsuaiga, it could hypothetically eliminate Hiei or anybody else that stood against him.

Get ready, Raphael. Once I'm done with you, I'll rip that card out of your cold, dead fingers…

After all, pondered the dog demon, how skilled of a duelist could he possibly be?

Finally staggering to his feet, Inuyasha drew out the deck of cards that had served him so very well, and would allow him to control the power of Orichalcos. Looking at each individual card, for reasons that he never truly understood, reminded him to some extent of exactly why he was fighting this battle, why he had endured so much at the hands of Hiei and his minions. It was not exactly a concrete cause, but as he thought about it, every such motive of his had been steeped in greed and sin.

But as he sheathed the great blade that was his inheritance, the condition of Tea sprang immediately to the forefront of his thoughts. For this reason, he immediately bolted over to his new lady friend.

Luckily, she was alive; the circumstances had been arranged so that Inuyasha took the brunt of the attack. Still, it was not in her best interests to be left alone in this city, so he draped her limp body over his shoulder. Of course, he now understood that the seach for his impromptu rival would be severely hindered by having to carry somebody with him, but it wasn't like he hadn't dealt with such a problem before.

It made him think back, back to the good year in his despondent little existence, and for the very first time, it occurred to him that he was no longer Kagome's true love. He was reminded of exactly how much she had meant to him in those times, and now he hardly ever thought about her being with the Pharaoh.

If you're happy, then I have no right to try and ruin that.

But now was not the time to think about it. What he needed to do was track down the bastard that had been tenacious enough to attack him, and in this godforsaken city it would be almost impossible. With all of the smells and reeks of New Paradigm, his nose was as good as useless, and unlike demonic auras, he could not hope to sense Raphael's powers. The only real course of action was to find him the old-fashioned way.

There was a profound sense of vertigo as Inuyasha leapt into the skies and landed back onto the concrete, a chain of motions that repeated itself again and again as he bounded across the only acknowledged city in the sky, and along with this sensation was an indefinable high as his demonic powers were put to use. It had been so long since that part of him had actually seen any utilization, but it made no difference in all-around performance.

Bearing in mind that returning to the skies was not his purpose on that day proved to be more difficult, and what he noticed over the next few minutes detracted from his overall concentration.

Weird. Normally these humans would be yelling at the top of their lungs when someone like me comes running through the city. But they don't seem to care…

It was worse than his perception implied; they not only didn't care, it looked like these morons were completely unaware that he was leaping around their city like some kind of dog-eared madman. And it would be no exaggeration to say that if he jumped on their heads they would not notice.

The people of New Paradigm were not blind or brainless. They were simply so focused on maintaining their standard of Eden that they perceived little else but that desire.

Ok, this is getting a little too creepy for my taste. I'm getting the hell out of here.Inuyasha made a rather special point of speeding up as he continued his rather bizarre journey across New Paradigm, but in the process there was a strange feeling of exhaustion as he soon came to realize that he was tired from this little escapade. He'd have to check the calendar later on, but in the meantime he needed to rest. And for his current situation, the best option was the cargo truck nearest him.

Boredom, exhaustion, and carrying a beautiful woman around some hovering metropolis was not exactly a well thought out combination. So with eyes barely open, the demon laid himself to rest, bringing Tea close to him so that her warm body could keep him alert. It had been strenuous enough today, and the last thing he needed was to be captured.

Comfort was hardly to be found on the back of a truck, so staying conscious was not an issue. If anything, he was embracing her for the sake of embracing her, and by the time he was sentient of what had happened, Inuyasha's hand was now dangerously close to Tea's waistline.

HOLY SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!

He could not believe it, but somehow his subconscious mind was shorted out enough so that he was moving in on the girl without knowing it. Miroku couldn't have done worse.

But could he really blame himself for it? Here he was, with one of the world's most incredible treasures of sensuality and grace, and it wasn't like she didn't have the same feelings…

Whether you perceive his next interruption of primal thought a blessing or a curse is entirely up to you.

A slight crunch of gravel, about seven feet to his right, one that was growing louder as time passed. It was a heavy tread, from the sound of it, and also one that was moving slowly. For about seven seconds, the striding came to a close, and some harsh whispers came to Inuyasha's ears.

It was a voice he instantly recognized.

"NOW, VARON!"

The truck's engine roared into life, as another man began laughing maniacally, and within seconds the truck was moving forward. There was nothing left to do, save finish what he'd started. He knew that he was in no position to do anything except face the darkness, which was something he had needed to do from the start. And to him, this duel was not an ordinary one; it was symbolic of his own self-conquest, his defeat of the monster that lived inside his heart.

In the land of forgotten lives, on the stage of eternity, they would all find themselves. And Inuyasha was about to perform that…if he won.

"Why don't you show yourself, Raphael!"

There was a slight noise of screeching metal, lost for the wind of the truck's velocity, and from the makeshift sunroof emerged the legendary duelist.

"Well, dog demon, I had a feeling you would be here."

"Cut the crap! You know as well as I that this was a setup! And let me make one thing very clear: whatever card is giving you that power, I'll be sure to take it! So if you're ready, it's time to end this!"

"Exactly what I want to hear. Let's put that soul of yours to good use!"

Both duelists placed their decks into the gauntlet, but the experience was different for one of them.

I failed you once, Eatotsu, and I promise that will not happen again. If destroying this pathetic hound is what it shall take to bring peace to you and this world, then so be it.

Raphael closed his eyes, allowing the wind to curl around him and his cards, and for a moment, he could feel an angel standing next to him. (4000/4000)

Roger's Penthouse

Paradigm City, a place of amnesia, a land of the forgotten, has been replaced by New Paradigm, a paradise spawned by the intentions of an utter madman, yet a paradise still. So if this is the case, then why is New Paradigm once again plagued by the trials and tribulations of old Paradigm? Why are we still beneath the shadow of Rosewater's dementia? And why are the memories of old once again becoming a battle ground?

The questions were returning, and for a split second Roger thought that with them would rematerialize another memory fragment, as was usual in times of extreme tension and apprehensiveness. But luckily for his sanity, such a recurring nightmare did not exhibit itself.

There was, however, a distinct odor of burning rubber that permeated the ventilation, mixing with thick dust resulted from the vaporization of the marble, and it was pungent enough to bring him a hypnotic sense of dizzyness. It was not dissimilar to the sensation he had experienced whilst descending into the underbelly of Paradigm to fight Schwarzvald and his archetypal megadeus, and he prayed to God that he wouldn't have to face either a second time.

But he knew that someone from the old days was lurking, somebody who still had it out for him; after all, why else would he or she launch a strike against some random hotel in this peaceful place? And if it was somebody whom he'd faced before, they would obviously hate him enough to make such a blaring attempt that would attract the attention of thousands.

The thought came to him within an instant. Only one other in his life could be this egotistical and boastful, and he was not linked to Hiei and his form of devil worship as far as he knew.

You son of a bitch. I don't know how you walked out of Paradigm alive, but I'll be sure to finish what Seebach started.

Now, how exactly did he intend to confront Roger? To be honest, the lunatic never seemed to be the type that dueled, but then again, it was almost impossible to predict any of his actions, and times had changed since the fall of the Domes.

There was simply one thing to do: confront Alex Rosewater's final soldier, his last emissary, and wipe away the tyrannic regime of the old ways forever.

In his jacket was the familiar bulge of his dueling deck. On his hand was the familiar watch. And in his eyes was the familiar fire that had burned away the deific Big Fau.

"Norman! What the hell is going on down there!"

No answer, and for only an instant a brief premonition flared up in his head, a very acute sense of foreboding that he had felt when he had first encountered Red Destiny. Something was wrong, and there was reason to believe that they were all in danger, especially Angel.

Then again, there was another problem with the situation, and that was the fact of this "new" enemy's rather widespread capabilities, a fact that was swiftly returned to mind when a robotic hand burst through the nearest window, instantaneously flooding the room with the waning glow of the afternoon sun, whereupon said appendage clamped onto the respective sill.

It was not the first time the technique had been used on him, or rather, to escape from him. And it was somewhat ironic that in spite the terror this thing was supposed to rouse in the hearts of his victims, it still looked as though it belonged in some cheap sci-fi movie, as did the rest of the sociopath.

The sound of a cable retraction, part two of his psychological ensemble, and one that served sort of a death rattle function. With the horrific noise Roger was hurled backwards in time, and hundreds, if not thousands, of images played themselves over and over in the decrepit recesses of his mind, swift yet traumatic visions of the time he had spent in the City of Forgetfulness. Every nerve shrieked in agony as the times he had underwent cast themselves upon him.

He had never felt like this at any point in his voluntarily inflicted banishment. While it was not exactly an alien sentiment, his self-torment had never been at this level of intensity, and he was reminded in a substantial way of exactly how long and horrific his journey had been.

The Tomatoes, artificial children designed as databanks for the lost memories. The scenes of the Bigs, most dominant of the Machine Gods, ransacking pre-Event Paradigm. The Leviathan, a modern spin on an ancient god, gone horribly awry when it turned upon it's creator. Red Destiny and her personal holy war against those that held the memories. Metropolis, the writings of Gordon Rosewater that transcended the normal written word and supposedly held the secrets of the Event. The trio of "foreign" megadeii summoned by Rosewater. Fleeting images of Paradigm before the Event. And at the end, with the sharpest clarity and focus, the one image that was not a direct component of his past: an aggravatingly pompous Schwarzvald, eyes alit with untapped arrogance as he stood tiptoe upon the Duel Fortress which his supreme leader had designed, barely above the fires that had swallowed up all of New Paradigm, making it unrecognizable. Upon his bandaged forehead was the peculiar mark that Roger associated with the Sennen Items, and in his hands was an open book, what looked like the familiar Metropolis.However, this tome was different in two manners. The title was now Exodus, and it's author was listed…as Michael Seebach.

No. Is this another memory fragment, or…a vision?

Roger did not immediately notice that Schwarzvald was talking; the mere situation had sort of dazzled him into shock. But the conspiracy-obsessed writer was indeed reciting some line from his book, as the shifting eyes indicated.

"Truth. It is the thin, fibrous yarn that binds us, as humans, to the events of a past era. Even in the darkest of years, humanity has struggled to find this common thread, in an attempt to hold steadfast to the values we hold so close to our hearts. And yet, when we finally discover this "common reality", it is finally revealed to us that, despite the horrific events that divert our gaze, there will always be more than one unifying truth…" The eyes averted from his book, and locked with those of the negotiator. "Why can you not see this, Paradigm lap dog? Are you so obsessed with your pretty little castles in the sky that you shall strip your eyes out, as Oedipus had done? Or can you simply not grasp the magnitude of what you behold beneath the foundation of your artless life? You must expand your mind, by illicit means, if you must, but eventually you must SEE! Only then will the corrupt shackles be unshod, and your mind and spirit be exposed to the Truth of Paradigm that must be known. REVEAL TO THE WORLD THE LIGHT OF TRUTH! AWAKEN FROM YOUR SLUMBER OF IGNORANCE SO THAT THE PEOPLE WILL KNOW OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE DOMES AND SKIES! YOU MUST WAKE TO UNRAVEL THE MYSTERIES OF 47 YEARS AGO, TO BRING A GOLDEN AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE PEOPLE WHOM YOU CLAIM TO DEFEND! YOU MUST WAKE!"

The psychopath's rantings would have, under any other chain of events, forced Roger into a violent rage. But not today, not in this year, in this city. For the first time in his life, he could look that demon in the eye…and blink.

"I hope you realize the hypocrisy of what you're saying, Schwarzvald. You say that I am nothing but a slave to my own ignorance, and yet here you are, serving the whims of a deranged misanthropist with a chronic god complex. And while you delude yourself into believing your own unreliable ramblings, Hiei is keeping the truth from you. So it is you who must awaken and see reality, the reality that the people are no longer controlled by amnesia, and that we are not gods simply because we control the power of God!"

And Roger's own eyes opened, as he came to discover what he had known to be true from the start.

Schwarzvald said nothing, struck dumb by the negotiator's harsh words, and the fires began to die away. Soon enough the rest of the scene fell, and Roger with it.

He opened his eyes to reality, and smiled grimly as he realized he was staring down the barrel of a golden magnum. His attention refocused onto the man who held it, a willowy yet oddly powerful man with pure white pseudo-flesh that might once have been real. This cyborg was clad in a pinstriped suit, coattails and all, with a black hat to fit the ensemble, and one of his hands was cybernetic in nature. And for whatever reason, Roger's eyes focused on the sharply white Duel Gauntlet he wore.

Upon the new madman's face appeared a warped little smile. And Roger instantaneously knew that this was the Messenger of Rosewater.

Somehow, this cyborg, the notorious Alan Gabriel, had been reborn unto the world once again.

Aftermath of Yami vs. Kachikachi

It's strange how my final defeat is largely as I imagined it.

Ever since the Pharaoh had laid eyes on the Seal of Orichalcos, he had known that in some way or other it would ultimately alter the course of his life forever. He was not entirely certain exactly how significant an effect it would have, but he was always subconsciously aware of it's ramifications on his life even after he had first routed the Seal.

And now he knew what purpose the dark crest served in the grand scheme of things.

All about him the Seal was continuing to fall apart, each hairline fracture spreading to another part of the barrier it produced. Short bursts of the Orichalcos magic intermittently burst out of the medium in which it presented itself, increasing the luminosity that stemmed from Kachikachi's escape. Already the Shadow Realm was receded in reaction to this abrupt emanation of nearly omnipotent force. And with it vanished any hopes of the Pharaoh's survival.

I'm sorry, Kagome, for everything I've done to you. It still hurts, losing you, but at least I'm getting some retribution for what I did. Maybe, in some final twisted irony, this is how it was supposed to work out in the end, but you did allow me to comprehend one thing in this world: the fact that angels do exist.

The swordsman was hurtling closer towards him, seeming to ride on the flames of his maniacal glory, and in the horrific incandescence of the fractured Seal of Orichalcos he looked akin to the devil himself, the fires of the Mugen-Dai burning away the sanctity of the heavens. And in his wake was an overpowering shadow that would soon claim his soul.

Kachikachi was yelling something as he charged, but despite being able to understand him, Yami could not really determine what he was saying, as though he was lost in some wonderful trance. The floor seemed to become a mere speck of dust as a sudden sense of distance and altitude swept over the Pharaoh, and with this came an impression of weariness.

Something clicked in the back of his head.

I'll see you beyond the Gates, my love…

He closed his amethyst eyes, and allowed the light to wash over his soul. At long last, it was all over. After five thousand years, it was time to return.

"Your time will come, Atem, but that time is not today!"

The voice registered in his ears, and the eyes opened once more.

There was no light anymore, just the wood-paneled ballroom with the various scars of the shattered Seal. And of course Kikyo, standing right in the path of the samurai.

"You still have a lot of good to do in this world. My life is just some random anamoly returned to this world by a demon, so it won't matter if I live or die. Pharaoh, if you die, then Hiei will emerge victorious, and I'll gladly go back to Hell before I let that happen!"

"Kikyo, don't do this. Kachikachi is my problem, and I'll be the one to end it."

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to live like this anymore. I'm sick and tired of wandering this cruel world, watching the innocent suffer and the wicked ascend to glory. But if I die saving the world's protector, I can die knowing my life meant something. Please, let me do this."

She turned towards him, chestnut eyes rimmed with the tears of eternal suffering.

"Please…"

Yami looked into those eyes, and at that moment, he could deny the priestess nothing.

Kachikachi watched with great disdain, the superciliousness in his face now glaring.

"It does not matter, miko. I SHALL SEND YOU BOTH TO HELL!"

The blade rose. Kikyo smiled, seeming to find a semblance of contentment. Yami drew a card from the Duel Gauntlet graveyard.

For only a second, the burning katana held above, the fires of the Orichalcos flickering around it, taking dominance over the chandelier's soft glow. The magic card was drawn forth, the Shadow Magic pulsing through it's infinite depths.

The angle of the sword was altered, and with a horrific laugh, Kachikachi swung it at a diagonal. The card began to shine. A great magical intensity became apparent.

And finally, the sword came to the ground, in it's vacuum a torrent of human blood. Kikyo gave out a screech as the Orichalcos fire rent her flesh and cast out the souls she had contained within her and allowed her to exist; in her heart she was glad it hurt, for she now knew her own humanity.

And the Pharaoh had done what needed to be done.

"Now I summon…TIMAEUS!"

It was a brilliantly crafted tactic, one that had never been used before because it was nearly impossible to synchronize. But now it had been done, at the price of a wonderful and beautiful godsend, but it had been done. And even as the Great Dragon was reborn from it's card prison, Yami felt a strange sort of pride as he prepared to close a particularly gruesome chapter of his life. He did not truly recognize whether he would emerge as triumphant in his other battles, but he could take comfort in overcoming one of his greatest rivals.

"I see, Pharaoh. Whilst Kikyo took the brunt of my attack, you were calling your Legendary Dragon. Sadly, it seems that her sacrifice was in vain."

"We shall see about that. TIMAEUS, DESTROY HIM!"

There was a profound silence as Timaeus unlocked it's immense maw, as if all of creation was carefully scrutinizing the battle and had to pay attention at all cost. To a degree this was factual; if it was not the battle for Earth, at least it was one of the skirmishes.

Kikyo, this is for you.

With a mighty bellow, the dragon let soar a cannon blast of unbridled energy, as an unspoken tribute to all those who had lost themselves to the Seal of Orichalcos, and as a beacon for them to return to light. But this symbolism was not meant for those who had willfully bowed to that dark power, who had embraced it with open arms and allowed it to become their essence. For Yami, the attack had a double meaning, as he was once again cast back into thinking of the time he had utilized the Seal.

The flames of Atlantis were reflected in the Mugen-Dai and Kachikachi's eyes, and for a brief instant, both flickered. This was soon lost in the grand blaze as the explosion of divine strength devoured him.

I am not finished yet, Pharaoh. We will battle again, and when that day comes, your life is forfeit…

And without any great parting fanfare, the samurai was wiped away.

As pleased as he was with the end of the Yami no Kenkaku and the trouncing of the Seal, Yami had much greater problems to contend with at that point. He could not bear knowing that his life was now at the cost of anothers, and perhaps that life could be spared.

He did not hear his own cracked breathing and sloppy footsteps as he ran to Kikyo's limp form, so fixated was he on the jewel guardian's health. It was all his fault, from his own perspective; he never should have let her take that proverbial bullet for him, and given the deep spiritual connection the two shared he would not let her die.

With a sort of brotherly tenderness, the Pharaoh drew the priestess into his arms, uncaring of the thick, viscous blood that was oozing all over him and staining his flesh with dark sin.

"Kikyo, please, wake up…"

She did not stir, but there was a distinct sound of indrawn breath, shuddery, but present nonetheless.

Now, Yami had an extremely proficient grasp on his emotions, and it was all he could do to prevent himself from breaking into tears. He tried again, this time gently shaking the body.

And this time, she returned to conciousness.

"Atem, what are you doing here?"

"What? I'm here to save your life."

It might have been the fires of the Orichalcos, but Yami could see a pronounced darkening in her eyes.

"No. No, this isn't how it works. You shouldn't be here; I have no intention of surviving, and you shouldn't try to prolong my life."

He could not believe it. Never had anybody in his life wanted to die when they could be returned from the torments of oblivion.

"Kikyo, I don't want it to end like this. You saved my life, so it's only right that I save yours."

The eyes darkened again, this time in wrath.

"You don't get it, do you? I didn't just take that attack to save your life; I needed to save you from me. If I'm alive, Kagome won't be able to trust you…" She choked, and spewed more blood into Yami's face. It stung his eyes, as this new information stung his soul.

"I saw the way she looked at you when she found out. While I have seen it before, it was more evident when she saw me with you. And in all of my years, I never saw a heart break with that severity before." Her body was becoming increasingly chilled, and her eyes began to glaze over. "Pharaoh, Kagome loves you. She loves you more than Inuyasha, more than her parents, her friends, and she needs you as much as you need her."

"I know. It nearly killed me when I thought she would despise me for the rest of her life. But from what I understand, you never cared before, so why did you do this?"

Her eyes slid downwards, and it became obvious that she would not last the next five minutes.

"Because…I love you too. And I want to see you with her, because I know that is what you want. I have seen the passion she inspires in your heart, and if Kachikachi had attacked her, it would have been you that jumped in front of him."

It was at that moment that Yami noticed her tears sliding down her cheek.

"Go to her."

She was right, and in this mindset Yami let her slide out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Thank you, Kikyo. I couldn't have done this without you, so I send my prayers with you to the afterlife."

And barely able to withhold his broken sobs, the Pharaoh walked away and into the hallway.

Kikyo watched him stride out of her ever-shortening life, eyes finally releasing in full the tears she had contained for so long as they closed. After all of this time, she could finally rest in peace.

Farewell, Yami no Yuugi. May you find happiness with her…

There was one brief flash of light in her eyes, and the priestess Kikyo, guardian of the Shikon no Tama, former lover of Inuyasha, and the savior of Pharaoh Atem, fluttered away from this world.

New Paradigm Ritz-Carlton

So now the situation had become drastically altered.

To say the least, this new information did not bode well. Not only was Michael Seebach in a class of his own in the dueling arena, he was also a certifiable headcase with a vast multitude of unfounded suspicions that fueled his dementia. And now it came to light that this strangely profound madman had a grudge, a colossal grudge, against Yugi's grandfather.

There was not much left to do with the data at this point, at least not until more was found on Schwarzvald's involvement

There's something else at work here beside's Seebach's vendetta against Solomon Mouto, something else that drove him to find the truth under these particular circumstances. From what I know of the man, he isn't one to take on a yoke even with massive retribution, so he must be under two equally inaccurate impressions: that Hiei considers him an equivalent facet in this plan, and that he can somehow get the truth he desires from him.

Still, intoned Kaiba, if he wanted this central truth and has access to the archives that granted him knowledge of Gozaburo, then he should have been able to find out about what happened to Paradigm City 47 years ago without having to stoop to becoming a Spirit World lackey. Of course, one had to keep in mind that Seebach had become unhinged over the years, but he was something of a genius, albeit a deranged one. So why was he, the man that assaulted Paradigm for being a city of ignorant slaves, a servant of a demon who was almost exactly the same as the man he killed in this city in the sky?

There was a higher power at work here, and Kaiba would stay out of it until he knew more. And what better way to avoid one servant than to demolish another, less influential one?

The corridor became shorter, or was perceived to become shorter, as his distance to the elevator decreased. It was strangely reminiscent of walking to the electric chair, and as he found himself before the lift doors, Kaiba soon had a strange feeling that something awful was about to happen. A cold sweat began to develop along his brow, his pupils contracted, and he suddenly felt very ill. Perspective was becoming warped and twisted, like seeing a Picasso in kaleidoscopic format.

And one thought pounded in his head, again and again: he had to get Botan out of this place.

But there were voices, thousands of them, throbbing in his head and yelling various things that Kaiba could not hope to interpret, and so confounding were they that he could not even twitch. The colors that his eyes detected soon began to undulate, shifting from shades of blue to black, to red, and many other hues, whilst a cacophony of horrendous sounds pulsed in his ears that drowned out the voices. As this was happening, the colors soon separated themselves from the objects which they tinted, after which they became giant cobra-like beasts that slithered off into the black and white hallway.

Kaiba…

A cold and malevolent voice was emerging over all of the scrambled tones, a voice that Kaiba instantaneously recognized.

"TSUBAKI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU! SHOW YOURSELF!"

In a sense I already have, my stubborn little friend. You should consider yourself lucky, in fact; most of the curses I lay result in the victim's immediate death. But that is not the issue here.

"Fine. What do you want? To be honest it doesn't matter, for once I find you I will personally put a bullet in that pasty head of yours." Kaiba would ultimately regret opening his mouth, as his vision soon took in nothing but a vast white expanse afterwards. It was similar to a blank computer program he had installed himself in four years ago when he had been designing the final version of his ill-fated virtual reality game.

Nothing, however, had ever been inserted into this program except for a moderately sized snake head that suddenly decided it wanted to talk to the duelist.

"Interesting that you should mention that, Kaiba. Anyway, I am here to remind you of one thing, the fact that I said you could bring your little girlfriend along with you. Perhaps you misinterpreted what I meant: I must insist that Botan join us."

Kaiba fell silent for a moment, blind rage prevented him from formulating articulate sentences. All he could really do was create a barely coherent grunt.

"Well? What do you say, Kaiba? Do we have a deal or not?"
His face was rapidly alternating between expressions and glowing brick red as he struggled to say something…and say something he did.

"THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT I'M BRINGING BOTAN TO THAT DUEL, YOU HALF-ASSED BITCH! IF YOU WANT TO DUEL ME, FINE, BUT WE DUEL ON MY TERMS, OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL CRACK OPEN THAT CONCRETE SKULL OF YOURS AND GRIND THE CONTENTS TO PIECES WITH THE SENNEN ROD! I DON'T CARE IF WE DON'T DUEL, BUT I'M NOT PUTTING HER LIFE IN DANGER EVER AGAIN!"

Kaiba was now panting heavily as he began to stomp on the snake's head, splattering the blood, bones, muscle, and gray matter contained therein, cold orbs flaring in spite and anger as he dug the mess into the replicated ground.

Are you dense? I am not giving you a choice, including the acceptance of the challenge!

"Oh really? And what exactly do you intend to do about it?" Tsubaki's voice did not return, and for the moment Kaiba believed that he had called the Dark Priestess's bluff. But what he failed to understand was that he had never been in any position to do this, which proved to explain his inability to move.

What? Why isn't the curse wearing off?

This thought was soon removed from his conscious mind in the minutes following.

The ground crumbled, or at least it digitized, leaving nothing but a bottomless chasm below Kaiba, and try as he might he could not even get out a scream. But he did not fall; no, several thousand black adders emerged from the pit and wrapped themselves around him, yet did not seem interested in killing him, but decided to drag him down into the oblivion below his feet.

"Seto! Seto, wake up!"

A warm and inviting voice in all of this madness? He could just as well believe that there was a logical explanation for the Sasquatch hype. But there it was, accompanying a light emerging from the abyss that was just as sweet and tender, and his heart was lit up just looking at it. And as he looked at it the light consumed him…

"Seto?"

His eyes opened, and he was staring at the one person who could bring him out of his prolific nightmare, the person whose silky hair he had subconsciously been running his fingers through.

"Hey, Botan."

"Oh thank God!" And now that he had awakened, Kaiba found himself wrapped again in the arms of Death, who incidentally was sobbing on his shoulder.

"What? Did something happen?"

She pulled away, face marked with teardrops as muc as horror.

"You don't remember? You were walking to the elevator when I walked out to talk to you, you know, to wish you good luck. Next thing I know you're talking to yourself and your eyes were blank. I tried to talk to you, but you suddenly started having a seizure and collapsed. I thought you were going to die for a few seconds, so I tried to resuscitate you."

Kaiba gave her a sort of dirty grin at that point, and her resulting giggle confirmed what he had expected from the start.

"Well, it was the most fun I've had trying to bring someone from the edge of death, and you are the cutest one out of all of them."

"So it wasn't a complete loss, was it?"

Her eyes now beamed as the two began laughing hysterically, totally unaware of what they were laughing about soon after. But when you think about it, it didn't matter to either of them. They were both finally happy, and they wouldn't care if the world was burning around them, so long as they were together.

So the old saying is true after all. Opposites do indeed attract.

Kaiba, eyes still gleaming, saw fit to stagger to his feet, barely able to walk towards the elevator.

"Botan, I want you to stay here. If you heard that conversation, then you know that I can't let you follow me to that duel."

"No way, Seto. You've done so much for me, and now I think it's time I return the favor."

She herself stepped up, and followed Kaiba to the elevator. Soon enough the doors opened, and the couple stepped in.

As the lift began it's descent, Kaiba felt a strong sense of apprehension with each floor passed, a feeling which gradually increased. Somehow he knew that Tsubaki would not wait to find him, and also that she had never intended to duel him at the Rosewater Tower in the first place. So what exactly did she intend to do?

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I just had a small premonition."

The lobby was nearing, and he still had no idea what to do and how to do it. How was he going to deal with such a manipulative freak as her?

He was about to find out, as the door opened to the elaborate lobby. No one at all was present in the room, save for two figures near the revolving doors that were swiftly moving towards them.

"I'd get that sword ready."

"Bingo."

Kaiba himself extracted the Sennen Rod, and the four moved forward to the central point, until…

"KAIBA!"

The four now were within standard dueling perimeters, and Kaiba could see his enemies: the dark priestess, and a lithe figure wearing a mask, a black business suit, and a Duel Gauntlet of a hue similar to that of the other three.

"Well, I see you brought the Reaper with you. Good, very good. Now this is how it's going to work. Since I had to approach you, we will duel by my jurisdiction, in this case a tag-team duel. Both duelists will have to be defeated in order to win. And the stakes of this match stand at one key per duelist and one rarest card."

"Fine. My partner will of course be Botan, and I'll assume this gentleman will be yours."

"Correct. So let us begin this duel."

But as the life points and decks were set, the masked duelist decided to speak…and it would change the game.

"I see you found yourself a beau…Kaiba boy." (Team 1: 4000/4000) (Team 2: 4000/4000)

Yusuke vs. Zeru

"You've just made your last mistake, Zeru! I activate the Trap card, Spirit Shotgun!"

Even as the fire deity hurled itself against the front line of Yusuke's monsters with an attack similar in concept to Hiei's Fist of the Mortal Flame, albeit much less powerful, Yusuke's own entity of the flames leapt in front of the path and channeled a massive amount of Spirit energy into one of it's curled fists. After accomplishing this, the hand was drawn back into a crude fighting stance, palm facing up. And for about ten seconds the position was held.

"FIRE!"

Upon the Spirit Detective's command, the fist was forced into the forefront, and a volley of small, pellet-like Spirit energy shots hurtled out of the hand, a large number of them punching through the flesh of Hino-Kagu Tsuchi. Try as it might, the apparition could not withstand the barrage of energy, and soon it was little more than a bloody rag of bones, flesh, and sparks. But the demolition did not stop there, for soon enough the blast tore through every card that Zeru held on hand and on the field.

"Wh…wh…WHAT!"

It was with one of his arrogant grins that Yusuke slipped the Trap card into the graveyard. "When you decided to attack my Soul Token, you set off the activation of my Spirit Shotgun trap, which can only work if I have a Spirit monster on the field and one in my hand, and the second has to be affected by Spirit Gun. Of course, when I do get to use the card, it negates your attack and destroys every card on your side of the field and in your hand. And as an added bouns, for every Spirit monster of the same attribute as the one on the field that is sent to the graveyard by this trap, I can draw two extra cards."

"Damn it. I end my turn." It doesn't make any difference, Yusuke. These flames were never meant for me to begin with."

Ok, it's my move." Perfect."Now I will switch my Suzaku into attack mode, along with my Soul Token, and then resummon my Yohkai to the field in attack mode, and because of it's effect it gets 1400 extra attack and defense points, in addition to the bonus of Spirit Gun." The dark wolf returned to the field, this time emitting a massive spiritual aura. (3200/1600) "Ok, Zeru, it's time I send you back to the Spirit World, and this time don't come back! ATTACK HIS LIFE POINTS DIRECTLY!"

It was finally over. As Yohkai charged up his Spirit Gun technique, Suzaku began to trigger the Storm of Torment, and the Soul Token threw dust into the sky to channel his power, the Detective could not deny that in the eyes of the fire demon he saw the eyes of his own ultimate enemy, and as each attack was prepared he began to imagine his own victory against the darkness.

I'm coming for you,Hiei, and Keiko's leaving with me.

The bullet was fired, the thunder crashed, and the light of God was cast upon the wicked fire demon, who in turn gave out a horrific yell that rang throughout the land. (1400/0)

The attacks, while replicated, were by no means an easy thing to endure, and it is not surprising that Zeru found himself collapsed upon the hard concrete, unable to maintain the Fire Cage any longer.

It was unfortunate, pondered Yusuke. After all, it wouldn't have been a dreadful thing if the fires had consumed his enemy. Still, he needed to get a few things from his opponent, and it would not have been easy if he was consumed in conflagration.

"I think you owe me something."

The card and keys that were now his soon became such, and with a satisfied smirk Yusuke walked off a ways.

Well, that didn't turn out bad at all. Only one more key and I'm in the finals.

And yet something did not add up, for now Yusuke had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, a foreboding sensation that was indicative of oncoming damnation. It was for this reason that he had involuntarily begun channeling his Spirit Energy into his index finger, enough to annihilate a small tank, and also involved in his swiveling around to face Zeru, who was staggering to his feet.

"Urameshi…"

"So, you decided to negate your little trick and finish this up with a fist fight. Well, I have a feeling it'll end about the same as the duel."

"I'm afraid you won't get the chance, mortal!"

The Fire Aura, once absent, now intensified to the point where it appeared that Zeru was standing in the middle of a forest fire, and his entire body glowed with the Spirit energy needed to maintain such an attack. "Now, Spirit Detective, it's time for you to die. FIRESTORM!"

Yusuke panicked slightly at this, and leapt out of the way as a jet of flames capable of engulfing an 18-wheeler roared forward, instantaneously demolishing the front of some antique shop. But unlike his regular attack, this torrent was maintained as would be a flamethrower. And so he shifted the focus point and began to swing the attack around, trying to see through his own aura as he torched just about everything in sight.

"Come out and face me, Urameshi, unless you're just some sniveling little coward who's gone home to mommy!"

But he had clearly not heard of the incidents following his death that would disprove his hypothesis, nor did his manic rampage give him access to the fact that Yusuke was standing right behind him.

At this range I could kill him easily, prevent the son of a bitch from endangering anybody. But this doesn't feel right, shooting someone in the back like this.

Still, thought the detective, at the rate his enemy was going he would burn down the entire city, and that's the last thing he needed on his conscious. So what does a man do in the situation?

Ok, Zeru. I think it's high time we bury you again.

He lifted his index finger that he used as the Spirit Gun's barrel until it was level with the demon's head, utilizing his thumbs as a rudimentary crosshair, and began to fully collect the energy he needed to puncture the flames. Luckily they were not meant for defense, so only 20 percent of his total energy would be necessary.

The energy had reached the mark. Now, all he had to do was will the Gun to fire…

"SWORD GET LONGER!"

Without any caveat or forewarning, a thin strip of bright orange Spirit energy that took on the crude shape of a sword lanced off of one of the structures to the detective's left, taking an inconsistent path that allowed it to bypass any attempts at defense until it tore through the fire and passed through the larynx of the demon.

For only a second, there was no result. Until the severed head of Zeru tumbled off the neck and rolled away, upon which the fires ceased to be.

Yusuke could not believe it, but swung his weapon to the attack position from whence the strike came anyway.

"SPIRIT GUN!"

If there was anybody there, the shot missed and kept moving into the sky. What happened to it afterwards never was figured out.

Fuck! Now he could be just about anywhere…

His eyes darted from roof to roof, trying to seek out the assassin. It was uncertain whether the oaf actually could cover those distances, but it was worth it to try and find out. And of course, Yusuke was very careful to stay mobile, unsure of where the attacker would strike from next.

"Keep your pants on, Urameshi!"

The assassin, who had never once shifted position, now leapt down from the building and in front of his former friend.

"Well, it's been a while, Kuwabara."

"Likewise."

The air was thick with barely contained animosity as the two degenerates paced, keeping parallel to one another, in a way that put their boyhood scuffles to shame. If another such fight broke out, neither one would refrain from killing his fellow.

"Look, Urameshi, why don't you just walk away from this? It no longer concerns you, and you have no idea of what you're getting yourself into."

The second now showed signs of anger and perplexity at subsequent moments.

"I might say the same thing. Listen, you've been brainwashed; Hiei's lying to you, like he's done to everyone else."

"Wake up and smell the coffee, you jackass! Hiei is the only one telling the truth in this situation. Sure, his way's a little nutty and abusive, but he can't be as bad as that Pharaoh you're working for." Kuwabara stepped away, fingering a piece of jewelry that looked suspiciously like a dragon pendant made from one of Yukina's tear pearls. "That Yami wouldn't have done for me what Hiei has. I had nothing, and he took me in, made me a member of the most powerful organization known to man and demon. He gave me power, and soon, he'll use that power to bring a new era to this world."

"What? Do you mean to tell me that you can't even see how crazy this guy is?"

"I see. Just because a person wants to make himself a better life you dub him crazy. When will you learn, Urameshi? Your time is drawing to a close, and I'm not just talking about you. Yami, Kaiba, Inuyasha, all of them, they're all living in the past. If they can't accept that a real man is coming into power, then you can just crawl into obscurity where you belong. It's a new millennium, and the defining line between good and evil is blurring, so adapt, or perish."

It was here that Yusuke saw the truth: that somehow Kuwabara had lost all sense of self. This wasn't like the carefree moron whose ass he had whipped all over town. Something had changed, and although it was connected to Yukina, Hiei's influential hand was involved here.

"It's a time of change, Yusuke. I hope you realize that before I am forced to strike you down." So saying, he turned his back and wandered off, slowly beginning to vanish.

"Kuwabara…"

To Be Continued

Whoa. Longest chapter yet.

Ok, next time we finally get to see Raphael take on Inuyasha, whilst the tag team duel of Kaiba and Botan begins. Roger confronts Alan Gabriel, Yami finds Kagome in a duel with Yami no Marik to attempt to patch things up, Joey begins his next match, Kagome continues her own, and Dartz and Sensui reflect on their encounter.

One more thing. The character of Akuren is on loan from Matrixfighter, whose fic I have taken over.