Can you say filler? LOL, yeah and that about sums it up for this chapter. The next one though . . . is the beginning of the end . . . dun dun dun . . . the confrontation we've (me included) have been waiting for is almost here! Hopefully I'm keeping it suspenseful and not boring . . . but just bare with me. This chapter is rather short so that'll be good. Other than that, I find it rather boring (that's just me though) . . . but um it's really a wake-up call for all of the other not-so-main characters . . .
5animefan- Why yes, it could go anywhere . . . but where?
cherryopsicle-Wait no longer for here is the next chapter!
Growing Pain- Hey I like your musing, so please, continue. I love inputs and ideas. I thought it would be funny to have Kaiba knocked out, just because it could happen. Plus it's always good to lighten the mood before darkening it (if that makes sense). There's a tiny bit of Mokuba in this chapter also! I just love that kid.
Disclaimer: I don't own YGO. (Or Kryptonite, the song in which I put some of the lyrics that inspired me)
"I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon
After all I know it has to be something to do with you
I really don't mind what happens now and then
As long as you'll be my friend at the end" Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down
The cell phone in which he was clutching on so tightly had fallen to the ground. Unfortunately, because of his luck, it fell into a mud puddle. It didn't matter though, as he was to busy trying to stand up let alone listen.
Lights seemed to swirl around him and sounds became distant. That always seemed to be happening to him lately.
He didn't even run for shelter as the thunder boomed in the background.
Suddenly after standing in the same position for a few minutes he knew he had to take action. A good first step would be to get backup.
Yet how would he explain everything Joey told to him several minutes ago? Wouldn't they ask about Joey, and where were Joey and Yugi off to anyway? How did he always get caught up in explaining things in which he really had no idea?
Duke only knew one thing, that the girl he loved was in danger. It happened to be the same girl Tristan loved, so an easy alley was found there. Tea and Abby would jump on the cause.
He had to save Serenity.
It had been a strange situation.
She was sleeping on a chair in Mai's room. Mai left and Joey typically followed. Duke understood that. What he didn't get was how Serenity was captured in a total of about fifteen minutes tops. The captor had left a note, but Joey wasn't keen on sharing that no matter how Duke pried.
All Duke knew was that Serenity was in mortal danger and could actually die.
The thought scared him.
He wanted to help, of course he did. Yet he knew nothing about it at all. All Joey said was to watch out for them and to gather at Yugi's.
That didn't help. Duke felt that maybe, just maybe, Joey was concealing something else. What else could Joey know?
Duke thought they were friends, close enough friends to share secrets.
He figures he was wrong.
Duke was running now, faster than he ever did. Luckily Joey's house was only half a mile away. Hopefully everyone would be there. He was kind of counting on it.
Duke didn't understand how everything always turned out this way. In fact everything was perfect not to long ago.
Ever since Mai came back though . . . and it hit him. It was slower than he would have preferred, but the idea finally hit him.
Was Mai involved? She had to be.
That's why Joey wasn't sharing anything else. Did he think Duke would do something radical to her? If Serenity was hurt, Duke couldn't be held responsible for what he might do. Even though he hated to admit it, Tristan would be right there with him.
Duke did know the bond between Joey and Serenity, so the secrecy only confused him. Surely Serenity's bond must be stronger than Mai's?
Duke wasn't wasting enough time to find out. A new rush of breath came from him and he ran on, ignoring the rain that pelted him and the wind that threatened to knock him over.
"Do you think she'd go back there?" Yugi asked as he slid into the taxicab. It was a tight squeeze for him and Joey, but they fit.
It must have been the smallest taxi that Yugi had ever been in. If it wasn't for the grim situation, he would have laughed. He was daring to laugh now, to try and lighten up the mood. In fact, Yugi always thought that all taxis were identical . . . he found out he was wrong.
The look on Joey's face said otherwise.
"Yeah, I'm sure." was his response a few seconds later. He was constantly moving his head around, as if he was trying to get a better view.
The ride was quiet and full of anxious tension. Yugi wanted to help his friend more than anything, but he didn't think chasing Mai was the way to do it.
He didn't know the way, exactly, but he didn't think that was the way. He stayed silent though and supported Joey's decision.
Upon arriving at the apartment, Yugi saw his car in the driveway. A small, victorious smile rose on Joey's face.
"Told ya buddy, she's here. She's gotta be." Joey said excitedly as he threw the cab fare at the driver and jumped out of the car. Yugi followed quickly.
Joey dashed into the building, and stopped so quickly that Yugi bumped into him knocking himself over.
"Joey?" Yugi asked. Joey didn't answer, he only walked into the apartment.
Upon entering the building, Joey felt that something was wrong. He didn't know how, or why, he couldn't even explain the feeling of terror that arose withing him, he just knew. So when he went into the apartment, he was prepared for it.
"Oh, wow." Yugi said in disbelief as he looked over the wreckage. Suddenly his eyes glanced over a body lying against the couch.
"Kaiba." Yugi yelled. He ran over to the man and starting shaking him by the shoulders. Kaiba didn't budge.
Yugi then slapped him lightly across the face to try and wake him, but it didn't work.
"Maybe you should challenge him to a duel Yug, that always seems to snap him out of anything." Joey suggested. He was met by Yugi rolling his eyes and sighing. Joey shrugged, he figured he was just stating the obvious.
Suddenly Joey got a glass of cold water and spilled it on Kaiba.
Kaiba's head started to move slightly and he slowly opened up his eyes. He immediately jumped up and screamed for Mai's name.
"Where is she?" he asked Joey.
"Ya mean she's gone?" Joey replied. Kaiba kicked the couch fiercely. It put a hole though the fabric, but he didn't care. He didn't like purple anyway.
"Dammit." Joey said, clenching his fists.
Yugi, who had not resorted to shouting or swearing, explored the apartment. He found a small piece of paper and picked it up.
It was the note from Mai.
"Guys." he called. They walked over to him and read it.
"Well that's vague." Joey said. Yugi looked at him with the slightest annoyance.
"Obviously." Kaiba replied cooly. Yugi knew that now wasn't the time for a battle of the egos, but he could feel it coming anyway.
"How'd you get knocked out anyway moneybags?" Joey asked. Although he was serious, a lighter tone could almost be picked out.
"Maihitmeoverthehead." Kaiba mumbled in one big sentence. Joey just barely contained his laughter.
"So is she still good?" Yugi asked, voicing the unasked question.
"Yeah, she's gotta be.'' Joey answered immediately, like he was waiting for the question to arrive.
"She's our friend then, we have to help her . . . but we have to help Mokuba and Serenity first." Yugi instructed. His eyes had become focused as if he was preparing himself for the worst. The happiness that usually laid beneath them dissolved into a determined grayness.
Kaiba then quickly explained about the videotape. He didn't go into detail, but he just gave the basic information.
"And she's going there by herself?" Joey asked. Kaiba nodded.
"You couldn't stop her?" Joey continued, raising his voice louder than he meant to.
"Obviously not. Do you think I don't want to save Mokuba? I could do it by myself if I had to." Kaiba shot back. Joey just shook his head.
"Did she . . . does she have anything with her? I mean what do you think Valon expects?" Joey asked while constantly looking between the two men.
Kaiba stared, he was half-tempted to tell Joey she had a gun. He knew it would just upset him more though, and the thought was alarming to Kaiba himself.
"No, I don't think so." Kaiba lied. Joey looked at him startled.
"I don't think Mai's that stupid . . . to go without something." Joey declared somewhat insightfully. It would have sounded a lot smarter if his voice wasn't quivering. Instead though, the words came out in a slow, jumbled mess.
Kaiba rolled his eyes and sighed. Joey did likewise. A few seconds later they were bickering over the stupidness of each other.
Yugi ignored them, as his mind was elsewhere. He started to walk away from the two men and into Mai's room.
All of the bedding was scattered on the floor. It looked like to Yugi that someone was just trying to scare Mai, and not actually rob her.
Kaiba mentioned this being the work of Valon, and Yugi only felt stronger about his theory.
He threw the bedding on top of the bed and underneath them he discovered a box. It was metal and locked.
It was also scuffed as if someone was trying to open it, but failed.
Yugi was a master at puzzle solving, so picking a lock wasn't a difficult task. He could overhear the shouts of stupidity from the other room, but felt that he shouldn't get involved.
After a few seconds of picking the lock with his Swiss Army knife, he successfully opened the mysterious box.
On top of it were some dried petals. Yugi didn't know what flowers they might have been, but he carefully took them out of the box.
He continued his exploration and saw some pictures. They were older and bent at the edges. One of them jumped out at him immediately. It was of two older people and a little girl. She was probably about six, at least that was Yugi's guess. The two older people looked quite glamorous, yet to a keen observer somewhat shallow. Yugi didn't know why he felt that way about them, but he did.
The little girl though, she was different. She was smiling, displaying all of her perfectly white teeth. They were too perfect to Yugi's liking. The smile seemed fake though, and he bet it was put on. Her eyes told a different story. They were full of sadness and it was obvious to anybody.
Yugi guessed that the picture was of Mai and her parents. Yugi didn't know much about her past, other than what she said, but it didn't sound as glamorous as the photo.
He wondered that if he had inquired more if she had turned out the way she did. He was curious about a lot of things, but that really didn't help him now.
Yugi was persistent in his search though. He picked up another handful of pictures. One was taken on a sunny beach.
In it were four people. They were having a picnic, and true to the name there was a wicker basket and a red and white checkered sheet. Empty paper plates laid on it, but there were hardly obvious due to the four people in front of the camera.
They looked genuinely happy, which was the happiest he really ever saw them.
Raphael and Alister were on each end, smiling widely. Valon and Mai was in between them, looking as if life was perfect. The sun was starting to set and Yugi wondered when the picture was taken, before or after the evilness of Dartz.
Ignoring his pondering, he continued searching. He saw nothing else that particularly interested him, so he closed the box.
His next discovery was a purse that was sitting neatly on the knocked over dresser. Yugi figured that Mai had to have put it there herself.
He opened it, feeling a twinge of guilt for snooping, but carried on.
In it was some money, which he left, and some gum. It was her last piece. Yugi also saw another picture.
This one made him smile inwardly and he put it inside of his jacket pocket. Luckily he didn't bend it.
Her purse was empty other than that, and the exploration of her room didn't really help matters at all.
Well he had a little bit of insight on her, but that was it. It's not like that could help him now.
No, it wouldn't. He would have to rely on what he already knew.
He walked back into the living room. Joey and Kaiba were still arguing even louder than before. Yugi knew that he should have told them to be quiet, but he was still trying to concentrate at the matter at hand. Ignoring them was something he did on a daily basis anyway.
"Shut up Kaiba . . . listen we just gotta work together to find them." Joey shouted in the background. Yugi shook his head. It wasn't helping him either.
What did he know about Mai or even Valon for that matter that could help him?
Yugi closed his eyes, letting all of the sound dissolve from his ears. His mind became blank as he thought back as far as he could.
Pushing away the thoughts of losing the Pharaoh, he went further back. He remembered Dartz . . . beating him anyway.
He also remembered finding Joey set up against the fence along with Valon.
After a few moments of practically reliving some of the worst memories of his life, he arrived at the point in his mind that he wanted to get to.
Mai was dueling Joey. She looked upset, different. She spoke differently too, as if she became much colder than she was.
Suddenly she spoke of the pain and meeting Valon . . . how she lost to Valon.
Mai always did have a thing for guys she lost too in Yugi's opinion, well tall guys she lost too anyway.
Suddenly an answer struck Yugi.
"Mai's not defenseless." Yugi shouted rather happily, mostly at the fact that it was his wit that let him figure it out.
Kaiba and Joey stopped yelling and looked at him curiously.
"What?" the both asked.
"She's not defenseless . . . but I think we should back her up. We've gotta to save Mokuba and Serenity and I know we can, but we've got to be there for her." Yugi declared, rather determinedly . . . so much that Joey and Kaiba were disinclined to argue with him.
"We've got to go though, now." Yugi stated.
"I called Duke a while though, we should meet him at your place." Joey explained. Yugi nodded and Kaiba stared at them confused.
"Well why are we waiting?" Kaiba asked as the two followed him out of the apartment.
"Wait didn't you guys take Yugi's car?" Joey asked as they climbed into Yugi's car. Kaiba nodded. Looking beside the car he saw some skid marks. He nodded knowingly.
"Course she'd go for the Viper." he noted. Joey looked confused.
"What?" he asked. Kaiba sighed.
"I noticed it earlier. She must have stolen it. I doubt the owner would make marks like that." Kaiba deducted.
Joey found it of no importance and persisted on going to Yugi's.
"Valon, right? Um, you don't want to do this." Serenity pleaded as Mokuba and herself were pushed into a black limo. Valon accompanied them. He whispered something to James as James got into the driver's seat.
"I think I do." Valon replied to the girl's plea. Serenity bit her lip. At least she wasn't gagged anymore. Yet her wrists burned from the rope that tied them together. At least she was as bad off as Mokuba.
Well, from the tone in his voice, she decided she wasn't as bad off as the youngest Kaiba.
They were of course blindfolded, but that didn't bother Serenity in the slightest. She wanted to laugh at Valon for thinking that it would, she figured that thought came from her brother.
"Why?'' Serenity asked. Valon sighed and held himself back from hitting her in the head.
"It doesn't concern you." was his cruel reply.
"Obviously it does." she snapped back before she could control it. She heard Valon make a low growling sound that frightened her.
"I suggest that you'd be quite, after all . . . you are a pretty girl and I'm sure that one of my assistants would be very interested in you." Valon replied as a smirkingly, shocking smile appeared on his face.
"Back off of her." Mokuba shouted. He understood the reason for the comment and although he didn't know Serenity that well, he didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
"Just like your brother . . . all talk and no action. It's taking him a long time to save you isn't it? That's because we broke him . . . took his dignity away and he won't get you back. Probably doesn't want you back." Valon explained with a sarcastic laugh quickly following it.
"What about Mai?" Mokuba asked. He had picked up small pieces of information and he was able to deduct that the two were no longer partners.
"She has nothing over me." Valon replied, quite bored.
"Don't count her out Valon, one thing I learned about Mai is that no matter what she does, she's successful." Serenity spat out as coldly as she could. Mokuba shivered because Serenity sounded so Mai-like for a second.
"No, you're wrong. To succeed, you must carry-through. She never commits." Valon yelled. He punched the side of the car in frustration. Why was he letting this girl get him upset? He didn't understand. He should be ignoring her.
Yet he didn't. He just let her ramble on. Valon frowned, he should have gagged them. In reality, he didn't know why he didn't.
Joey, Yugi and Kaiba arrived at Yugi's house rather quickly. They were met by the small group of Duke, Tristan, Tea and Abby as planned.
The hustled into the shop and locked the door behind them.
Everyone but Joey and Kaiba sat on the couch or the floor. Kaiba was looking through the glass at the different cards that Yugi had displayed. Joey, on the other hand, was standing in the middle of the group.
"Ok, so Mokuba and Serenity will be held up at Kaiba's . . . and the instructions were for . . . well we have to be there at 2:00 in the morning." Joey said.
Tristan looked shocked.
"That doesn't give us much time to prepare!" he said. The others nodded in agreement to his statement. Joey shrugged.
"That's the way it is. Now are you losers going to get your act together or not?" Kaiba asked without looking at them. His gaze was still fixated on the cards underneath the glass.
He should have never came into this card shop those oh so many years ago. He doubts he'd be in the messes he had been in.
"Hey, our act is together, but what are we supposed to do?" Tristan yelled out. Everyone, except Kaiba, stared at him dimwittedly. He did have a point, which was odd for him.
"Well sitting around isn't doing any good." Joey stated. Soon the small group was arguing about what to do.
Yugi, who wasn't too keen on verbal confrontations, walked over to Kaiba. Kaiba hadn't noticed, because he was still staring at the cards.
"What are you looking at?" Yugi asked. Kaiba slowly pointed underneath the glass to a particular card.
"Amazon Woman? What about it?" Yugi questioned. Kaiba shrugged, for he didn't now why he was so particularly transfixed by the card.
Yet something in him knew . . . he knew what Mai's plan was. He knew what she was going to do.
"You know what Mai's going to do, don't you Yugi?" Kaiba asked without missing a beat. Yugi looked toward the group. They all seemed too anxious and confused. There was too much raw emotion spilling over to form a reasonable plan.
"Yeah, I do." he responded.
"Why are you letting her?" Kaiba asked. Yugi shrugged.
"She's the only one that can do it. That is her fight Kaiba. It always has been. All we can do now is wait. I just have a feeling that if we go there tonight . . . she'll be done for and so will Mokuba and Serenity." Yugi stated. He was full of wisdom for such a young age, and although he wouldn't tell another soul, he was halfway convinced that the wisdom was a present from the Pharaoh. It was a left over gift for Yugi to use as needed.
"I'm not sure." Kaiba said as he mimicked Yugi's pose. They were both now leaning against the glass watching everyone bicker.
"You don't need to be." was his reply.
Black tires squealed against a dark road. She turned off the engine and took a deep breath. Stepping out of the vehicle, she started walking toward the building.
On the outside were men in black suits, looking rather dangerous to her.
She could practically hear them thinking about out traitorous she is. It doesn't matter though . . . not much does.
"Excuse me boys." she told the two guards as she entered KaibaCorp. They nodded to each other and locked the doors behind her. She just kept walking without looking back.