When Destinies Collide
By Ash Kaiba
DISCLAIMER! We don't own any of the characters/term(s) from the Yu-Gi-Oh show and games. We do own Ashley "Ash" Black, Kathryn Takemura, and Mae Black. Plus, we don't own Kaiba Corp.
Ash Kaiba: Luna Moon Goddess has asked me to recommend her story, "Priest inNeed of Help," to all my fellow readers. I'd like it to go on, but it is in need of reviews. Anyway, here's the next chapter.
Previously in When Destinies Collide: Chapter 18: The Sharp Gang
Kaiba is finally out of the hospital and desires to talk to Yugi. But upon arrival, he discovers that this time Yugi is not alone. He experiences what happens if his 'sacred name' is spoken by someone with magical powers. Heishin makes his move with his new pawn, Ash's friend Streak.
Chapter 19: Darkness Will Not Stop Me
"It's time to Duel!"
"I'll start, since I am a team of one," Streak implied.
"Go ahead," Kaiba groaned. Ash glared at him.
"Hey, Ash. Work with him. You two are a team now," Joey yelled from the sidelines.
"Over my dead body," Ash snapped. "This fight is between me and Streak. You got it, Joey!"
Somehow, I knew that was going to happen, Kaiba mentally growled. He automatically figured on him as second and Ash last. If I could set the stage for her, maybe we can win. How do I do that? He wondered. His mind whirled in frustration.
"Hey, boss! It's your turn!" Ash snapped. Kaiba only glared back at her as he drew his card. He looked down at it.
"I set one card face down. Then, I summon Vorse Raider." Oh, s—t. She has two cards facedown with one Set monster. I hope I didn't mess up, Kaiba prayed. Streak made no motion. "I end my turn. Make your move, Black. You know Joey is right. Come on, work with me."
"I do enough of that at work. This is my Duel, so step aside, Kaiba!" Ash drew her card. Nothing good is in my hand. A Blue-Eyes White Dragon doesn't help right away. What can I do? Ash panicked. "Pass."
What the… Has Ash gone nuts? She has never passed up a turn, from what I've heard. I have a way to defend her Life Points if she is attacked directly next turn. Ash has to have or know something that I don't. I can't let her lose, no matter what the cost. I need to figure out her deck strategy. Then I can combine hers with mine, Kaiba calculated. Wheeler's right. We have to work together.
"Kaiba, are you back to Earth yet?" Streak hissed. "If you are, pay attention…for this will be your demise."
Kaiba perked up. Ra's small power drummed inside him. It was aware of the danger. Kaiba narrowed his eyes. "What card are you going to play, Streak?"
"I was seeing if I had your attention first."
"You have mine and Black's."
"Good," she replied with a smirk. "For I activate the field card, Darkness Falls."
"What the?" Ash gasped. "Pegasus never created that card."
"True, Volcano. He never did because the power of this card is too great for him to control. It is the card of the shadow stone. Behold its power!"
Kaiba flinched as the entire area was engulfed in darkness. His free hand went near his chest. The shadows throbbed in excitement. He closed his eyes and focused on his goal. They calmed down. Kaiba opened his eyes and looked at his teammate. Ash ignored him. She is way too much like me. Determined to win the Duel on her own skills. That is a mistake. I thought that, and one day it nearly killed me, Kaiba thought as he once again redirected his attention. "Is that it?"
"All my DARK monsters gain 200 points for each Spell and Trap card on my side of the field."
"What? That can't be," Ash gasped.
"There's more, Volcano. On my Main Phase 1, one of your darkest secrets will be revealed. If you possess none, then Kaiba's are shown."
"No." Kaiba gasped.
Streak and Ash stared at him. "What's your problem?"
"Nothing," Kaiba lied. That was close.
"This starts now. Now, shadows. Reveal Volcano's darkest secret."
Ash flinched. Kaiba could've sworn that he saw a bead of sweat sliding down her face. The darkness swirled as its image changed. After a couple seconds, he clearly saw a mother and her little girl. The woman had ice blue eyes. Black hair was braided down her back. Her skin had a deep tan, an Egyptian skin tone. She wore a dark blue skirt with a matching jacket on a white blouse. The little girl had white skin and blonde hair. She possessed the same eye color as the woman. She was wearing a school uniform.
"Let's go home, Mommy." The little girl replied. The woman smiled.
"Yes, my meadow. I bet your father is worried to death."
Then, a man walked up to them. "Mrs. Kamilah Black, I presume."
"Yes."
The man reached into his coat. In his hand was a gun.
"Mommy!"
"Run, kitten! Run!"
"The Paladin of Egyptian mythology will not rise from your family." He pulled the trigger. Kamilah fell onto the concrete. The little girl yelled. The man ran.
"Mommy. Mommy, get up. Get up, Mommy," she cried. She tilted her head down. "I promise, Mommy. Nothing will happen to Mae. I promise. I will avenge you. I promise, Mommy."
I promise. The words echoed in Kaiba's head. He looked at Ash. The image was frozen in the darkness. Ash too had her hair covering her eyes. Her white teeth were bared. Kaiba listened even harder. He heard sobs of sorrow. Ash Black, a teen with a tomboy attitude, was crying.
"Hard, isn't it?" Streak replied. "Hard to witness your own mother dying in front of you…again."
"You traitor. I trusted you with that. How… How could you?" Ash snapped, forgetting to watch her temper.
"Master Heishin has high rewards for his apprentices. I couldn't pass them up," she answered as she looked at Kaiba. "Your turn, Kaiba."
"What you did is wrong. I'll prove it with this. Even your master has faults of his own. Why don't you try to take him apart with his memories?" Kaiba paused as he looked at his card. "Battle Ox in attack mode. Go, Battle Ox! Destroy her facedown card." He ordered. The Minotaur lifted its axe as it charged. With one mighty swing, the target was destroyed. But two more replaced it.
"Streak, that's…" Ash yelled in frustration.
"No. The monster was Giant Germ," Kaiba explained as his Life Points dropped. "When that monster is destroyed in battle, the attacker loses 500 Life Points and the owner of the card can Special Summon two more in attack position. I was blind to that, but I will try to avoid it at all cost." He took a breath. "However, Streak, I will whittle at your Life Points when I have the chance! Vorse Raider, attack her Giant Germ!"
"Kaiba! No! She has three Spell and Trap cards on the field!" Yami yelled.
"That only equals sixteen hundred attack points! So she loses 300!"
"But, you lose 500, big brother!" Mokuba cried out.
"Then, that means that Kaiba has lost 1,000 Life Points in this turn," Duke calculated.
"Uh. He did what?" Tristan exclaimed.
Kaiba stood in his place. "That is all for me. You need to turn the tables, Ash. If you did it in the War of the Roses tournament, then you can do it here. Trust me. If we can push aside our differences, we can win the Duel."
"Too late, Kaiba. This Duel is my personal business!" Ash drew a card. She looked again at her hand. Then, she noticed two other cards. Magic Jammer and Seven Tools of the Bandit! I could've set them last time. And…Lord of Dragons (better known as Lord of D.)! She realized. "I set two cards facedown. And I summon Lord of D. in attack mode. That is all for this turn."
Streak drew a card. "It's Main Phase 1. Do you remember what that means?"
Kaiba started to feel a chill down his spine. He knew it wasn't good.
"Now, reveal one of their dark secrets!"
The shadows changed again. Ash prayed it wasn't another image of her past. The enigma shifted to a hospital scene. Two other figures materialized into the scene. Ash's heart skipped a beat. One was a tall man. Beside him was a short brunette. The brunette turned his head to the man. Ash saw the innocence of the boy's eyes. She looked at her boss out of curiosity.
He stood frozen. His blue eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. His voice was silent. At last, Kaiba took a step back. His eyes remained on the boy, whom he was all too familiar with. Yet, he was almost forgotten. The boy was dressed modestly, but with pride. However, his face bared one thing Kaiba knew all too well. Concern shined in his eyes. The same concern that shined in Kaiba's at the very moment. The boy looked away, obviously ashamed.
"Is Mother going to be all right, Father?"
"Yes, my son. I believe so."
"What is her name going to be?"
"Anna, my dear boy. Anna Brandy McGray."
"What if she's a 'he'?"
"Then, your mother will name what she wanted to name you."
"What would that be, Father?"
The man turned towards the boy. A smile was on his face. "That can't be told to you yet, Seto."
Ash and Kaiba flinched. She did in surprise. Kaiba did, however, in recognition. The boy and man fell silent as the moments passed by. Finally, a nurse came out with a wrapped, crying bundle. Mr. McGray walked up to the nurse. With a smile on his face, he took the bundle into his arms. However, the nurse looked at the boy.
"Are you the eldest, Seto?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Your mother wants to see you."
The boy went into the room. The darkness shifted again. Now, it revealed a woman in a hospital bed and the boy Seto by it.
"Mother, you wanted me."
"Watch over him, my son."
"What is his name?"
"Mokuba…Mokuba Kevin McGray, the name I was going to use for you." Mrs. McGray gasped. "You need to unlock your past. When you are older, find Kamilah Arin. She will know what to do. Also keep your eyes open for the Pharaoh."
"I will, Mother."
"I…I wish that…as you grow older…that your heart doesn't close and have ice shielding it." She whizzed. "The world…and your brother…are counting…on you. Protect Mokuba… my…"
"Mother. Mother, we will all go home together… right? Mother, what is wrong? Do you need the doctor? Mother, I don't understand. What past are you talking about? Mine is here with you, Father, and Moky. Please, Mother, say something. Mother." The boy nearly cried. He gently shook her. Her body obeyed the pushes. Young Seto started to whimper. He knew the meaning of death. He ran out of the room and into his father's legs. There, he wrapped his arms around them and cried. The image froze again.
"Interesting. You ran out of secrets, Volcano," Streak hummed. "Kaiba, that was fascinating. Two different people that both lost their mothers. How sad."
"Enough! That is enough!" Ash shouted at her. "Who said you could do this? Who said you could dissect us with our past?"
"My master gave me the ability to do this to you," Streak answered. "Now, onward, shall we? I summon Ryu-Kishin Powered. Thanks to Darkness Falls, it gains more attack points, by 600 points. Ryu-Kishin Powered, attack Battle Ox!"
Kaiba braced himself as the hologram shattered. His Life Point counter dropped another 500. Surprised, he stood frozen for a few seconds. Then, he felt it. The shadows gnawed at him. Their activity was small, but enough to convince him that they had to end the duel…and fast. Kaiba knew what the shadows could do at that period of time. If he doesn't end the duel fast, they would consume his energy and he would black out.
"Your turn, Kaiba."
"Fine. I shift Vorse Raider to defense mode. And that's it."
"Let's go." Ash drew her card. "I play Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes, attack Ryu-Kishin Powered with your White Lightning." She ordered. "You lose 800 points. Streak, make your move."
Streak drew her card from her deck. "Now, Kaiba, what else do you have hidden in your heart?"
The darkness shifted to a sandbox with two boys and a little girl. A woman with long brown hair watched over them. The girl had straight black hair with purple eyes. One boy had wild black hair. The other was recognized immediately. It was young Seto, the same little boy from the hospital. The boy and girl were playing in the sand while young Seto sat out with a sketchpad. He was sketching the boy and girl. The woman smiled. Then, a police force appeared.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Seto and Mokuba McGray need to pack…now. They have one hour," The captain ordered. Young Seto looked at the woman.
"Aunt Lily, is something wrong?"
"Go pack both of your bags."
Seto jumped up and ran inside. He packed their clothes. He even grabbed their books. It took him an hour to pack both bags. Seto was about to grab a music box that was made of cedar and lined with a golden alloy and a small teddy bear when the captain appeared in the room.
"Time is up."
"One more minute," Seto begged. The captain watched him reach for the box and bear. He grabbed Seto by his stomach and heaved their bags over his shoulder.
"No, my bear! Please let me have my bear and music box!" he whined.
"You can live without them."
"My sketches!"
"Silence! You can live without them!" the captain yelled as he shoved Seto into the back of his car. Mokuba sat next to them. The captain got in. "Say good-bye. You will never return here."
"Where are you taking us?"
"You and your brother are being shipped to Japan, your father's birthplace."
"Says who?"
"The Egyptian government, because you have no immediate family in Egypt."
Young Seto glared at the captain. "My father will not tolerate this."
"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?" the captain yelled at him. "YOUR FATHER IS DEAD. HE DIED IN A CAR ACCIDENT!"
Seto whimpered and fell into a deep silence. Mokuba called him, but his brother did not answer. He had pulled himself in, afraid of the world.
Finally, the image froze. Streak hummed to herself as if she was thinking. She only had 2900 Life Points left. Ash's BEWD was enough to end the duel.
"That was so sad."
"You really don't mean it. You think you can fool me?" Kaiba growled, angered that his past was made known.
He knew I was lying about his flashback. I have to find out if he is the one Master Heishin wants, she thought. "I set one card facedown. Go on, Kaiba."
He drew his card. "I summon Slate Warrior! Attack her directly!"
"Is that what you think?"
"It is, Streak."
"HA HAH! You have to kidding me, Kaiba. It is said as you get older, the mind is the first to go," Streak replied. "And you prove it as you activate my Trap card known as Shadow Spell. It ties up your monster and decreases its Attack by 500."
Kaiba flinched. The darkness suddenly changed. It showed a fire and broken buildings. Bodies were scattered all around the ground. The gang saw their bodies, limp and helpless. They, Mokuba, and other people were dead.
"Yo, Yug'. What's up with this? It's not her Main Phase 1," Joey pointed out.
"I don't know, Joey," Yami answered. Then, he caught sight of Kaiba. "Kaiba!"
A scream pierced the air. It sounded more like a screech than a scream. Everyone looked at the president of Kaiba Corp. Kaiba was about to fall to his knees. Sweat streaked his skin. Kaiba let out a scream of pain. They saw his chest struggle to hold the air he inhaled. Streak also studied him. Ash was close to a panic. She ran to his side. In a surprise move, she held him up.
"Sir, what's wrong? What is going on?" Ash questioned.
Kaiba couldn't answer. His body was full of pain. Kaiba's skin darkened with his irises. Ash saw his round pupils change into slits. His fingernails became longer and sharper. In his mouth, his incisors grew and became pointed. His 'fangs' reminded her of vampire fangs. Then, he stood straight on his own. Ash still stood by him.
"You haven't changed, Kanika. However, you are late."
"Kaiba, what are you talking about?"
Kaiba laughed at her. Ash growled. Then, he nearly doubled over in pain. Yami jumped, or at least attempted. He was stopped by a barrier, which reminded him of the Seal of Orichalcos. He bashed his fists at the barrier. "Kaiba! Fight them off, Kaiba!"
Kaiba screeched again. He had a 'claw' raised as if he was going to attack Ash. It came down. Ash quickly pulled out her knife. She struck in her own defense. Red blood dripped on the blade. Kaiba hissed as the shadows consumed him. They were ready to transfigure him. Kaiba could hear his master laugh in his head. Then, the gods intervened.
"Dragon's Keeper!" A voice yelled. At that sound, Kaiba nearly fell to the ground. "Dragon's Keeper!" the voice yelled again. This time, Kaiba screeched as his body fell. Yami and his friends looked. One man penetrated the barrier. He held Kaiba in his arms. Kaiba hissed at him and clawed his way free. They were all able to hear the 'disbeliever' growl in pain. "Stay strong, Dragon's Keeper. You have to stay strong. Pull through, my Chosen. Please pull through," he begged.
Kaiba stopped growling. He looked at the man with his almost black eyes. "Ra…" he gasped as he blacked out.
"SETO!"
"Just hang on, sir," Ash whispered.
"Ash!"
"Yugi…"
"You have to end the duel. Quickly, make your move before we lose him!" Yami shouted at her. Ash stared at him. Then, she looked at her boss and the man called Ra. Ash shifted her attention toward Streak. "You know what must be done."
"I do. This duel is still on, Streak! And it's my turn!" she yelled at her friend. Ash looked at her card. "I play Pot of Greed, a Spell card that allows me to draw two more cards." My other Blue-Eyes…I drew both of them. I still have a Flute in my hand. "I activate my other Flute of Summoning Dragon. That is to summon two new dragons to the field. They are my other two Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" She waited for the holograms to appear. Then, she grabbed a card in her hand. "Then, I play Delta Attacker! Blue-Eyes, combine your attack to one and aim at her Life Points!"
Streak flew back from the blow. A shatter echoed in the air. A stone cracked and broke into many fragments. The 'Darkness Falls' card burned into ashes. Ash watched her friend's body. Fighting back the tears, she stood still for a moment. Then, unable to hold them back, she ran to her boss. "Kaiba!"
He moaned softly. Ash leaned over him, crying his name. Her tears dropped on his face. Once again, she swore she heard a dragon in her head. This time however, it was urging her to do something different. Ash lowered her head as another mind took over. She touched her boss's forehead with her hand. "Seth… Answer me please," she requested. Ash lowered her head a little more. Then, her lips touched his. The possessed Ash kissed him. She stopped and raised her head, watching as Kaiba opened his eyes. The darkness in them shifted to the light. "Free me, my love."
Kaiba looked at her with a confused look. He opened his mouth to speak. Then, Ra hushed him as he stared at Ash. Ash rose to her feet. Yami approached Kaiba, who slipped back into unconsciousness.
"Ash, are you…"
"What did I just do? Tenor and Lava, will both of you please watch over Streak? I need to talk to Kathryn, about some homework," Ash whispered. She looked at Mokuba, who nodded at her to go. "See you all later," she bade them farewell.
To be continued…
Next Chapter in the When Destinies Collide Saga: Chapter 20: Truth of the Dragon
Kaiba wakes up from his encounter and finds himself on Yugi's couch. He finds one of the Egyptian gods in the area. Is it the god who saved him? Who is it?
Ash Kaiba: Thanks for reading. Now, please review. Maybe even check out "Priest in Need of Help" if you have time.
