Chapter 5: The Second Duel
What had started as a simple way for Yori to relax had quickly turned into a full-blown competition with the arrival of the rest of the gang. Although it kept to an easy range, Mai's French song had been charming. Tristan's rendition of Because You Loved Me had been far from flawless but passionate to say the least. Joey had matched that same spirit for We Are the Champions, and Anzu had been the surprise dark horse with a performance of Suddenly, Seymour that would have done Broadway proud.
/Do you want a turn?/ Yori asked silently, since Yuugi had appeared to watch everyone and was grinning from ear to ear.
"Next time," he said. "I'm just waiting to see if you can out-do Anzu."
And she was never one to back down from a challenge, so she hopped on the stage and accepted the mic.
"I guess I'd better choose something in English," Yori said. "Since that seems to be the trend."
"Can't beat the natives," Joey said, fist-bumping Tristan.
Anzu fanned herself dramatically with a hand. "Pretty sure I beat the natives."
She and Mai laughed while the boys deflated.
Yori already knew her song choice. She'd been thinking of it ever since Tristan had chosen his. She was more than just a singer; she was a stage performer, and in her short time with Purple Hearts, Jiro had already taught her plenty about what made a live performance a crowd pleaser. Adding those tips to her own opinions about what made a song a masterpiece, she was left with one option.
She clicked on All Coming Back to Me by Celine Dion. It was a new release, but it was a favorite cover for Purple Hearts because it was nothing short of captivating. And although Jiro usually led on vocals, Yori was more than prepared to make the song her own and give her friends a performance they'd never forget.
A measure of teasing piano notes started, and Yori opened her mouth as if to sing, then stopped. It had the effect she wanted—her audience rumbled with laughter, thinking she'd made a nervous mistake.
In actuality, she wanted them to underestimate her.
The low chords thundered, and Yori hit the opening line perfectly, loud and commanding. The verse rolled away beneath her, and her voice rose with the music, punched with the lyrics, and softened with the mood. To call the song a roller coaster would have been an understatement—range, tone, drama, power, the song simply had it all. And so did Yori.
Then came her favorite. Jiro would have given her top marks for the way her voice crested on the "Baby, baby" before sliding like silk into the tongue-twisting couplets of the chorus.
Yami was smiling. She noticed it before she noticed any other reactions, and it was the response she most cared about. His eyes never left her for a moment.
Joey and Tristan had wide eyes above slack jaws, and Anzu looked like someone had thrown her a surprise birthday party. Mai had her eyes closed as she nodded and tapped her boot along to the music.
Even the bartender had stopped everything to watch. Yori pointed to him and winked, as she'd seen Jiro do so many times to an attentive audience member. The man chuckled.
Yori used her free hand to gesture as she sang, emphasizing power notes and resting against her stomach for tender expressions. She lost herself in the imagery of the lyrics, the slamming of the door, the moments of gold.
And she barely noticed when an overhead announcement called for the finalists to gather, barely noticed when Fuguta entered the room and stopped to listen or even when Seto did the same. She didn't feel the ache in her throat that was surely there as she projected in both low registers and high. The music thundered and crashed behind her, and she delivered a performance with all the energy of her soul that washed everything else away in a storm.
Then, before she was ready, the storm calmed, and the final, gentle lines trailed away until the last note faded into silence.
If she could have, she'd have hit replay and done it all over again. Instead, she lowered her microphone.
In the next instant, Yami was on his feet, applauding, and his movement spurred the others out of what she could only hope was awed silence. The bartender whistled like they were at a concert, which made Yori laugh.
Seto didn't applaud, but he blinked like he was coming back to himself, and Yori could accept that as a victory; her favorite part of music was the way it could capture someone in a moment and push everything else away.
Joey bounded onto the stage, grabbing Yori by both shoulders.
"You. Never. Said. You. Were. A. Real. Rock. Star!" he said, shaking her with each word for emphasis.
"I call cheating." Tristan leaned sideways to be seen around Joey. "Professionals aren't allowed in an amateur competition."
Everyone laughed at that.
"I'm not a professional," Yori said, but she grinned.
"It's wonderful to see our finalists enjoying the recreational services provided," Fuguta said, smiling. He gestured toward the bingo machine. "If we may, it's time to select the participants of the second duel."
Marik arrived just as he finished speaking, which went a long way toward killing the mood. He was followed by his usual lackey, and the spirit of the ring ducked into the room a few moments after. Ishizu, it seemed, had no more interest in making an appearance than she'd had for the first duel.
Duke arrived last, hand-in-hand with Serenity, and Yori saw Joey's lighthearted expression darken to something dangerous. As the machine whirred to life, Joey took a step toward the couple. Anzu caught the back of his shirt to stop him, and they traded dagger glares. But Duke still shifted nervously, releasing Serenity's hand.
"The first duelist in the second match will be finalist number four: Seto Kaiba!" Fuguta announced.
Seto narrowed his eyes in Marik's direction, but when the second duelist was announced, it wasn't Marik's number.
It was Ryou's.
The spirit of the ring smirked and moved to follow Fuguta.
Yori frowned. /Ryou, you're not dueling?/
/Not for the moment,/ came the response, just as readily as it had before.
/If he's somehow forcing you to—/
/Please let me tend to my own affairs, Yori./
His response stung, but she let it go. Apparently she was worrying too much. She'd never been one to be nosy in the past.
Which made her next decision difficult. Seto was already marching behind Fuguta, on his way to start the duel.
And she was certain he hadn't spoken to Mokuba yet.
And she was certain Mokuba would want to see him duel.
But she was no longer certain it was her place to interfere.
"What's wrong?" Yami asked quietly, standing at her shoulder.
Marik and the other Ghoul exited the room behind the duelists.
Yori started to speak, then hesitated, watching as Duke approached Joey and asked to speak privately.
"Yeah, no way in hell, Dice-boy," Joey growled. "And keep your hands off my sister."
He reached for Serenity, but she pulled back. "Talk to him, Joey."
"Listen to her," Anzu added.
"Don't talk to me, liar," Joey snapped.
Tristan didn't speak, but he stood at Joey's side, obviously ready to back him for whatever happened.
Yori could see the upcoming fight simmering below the surface. Joey had told her once that he had a background on the streets. She hadn't seen it in him until that moment, watching him stand there with clenched fists, ready to lash out at the next person who crossed him.
"Joey," said a gentle voice. Yori turned to find Yuugi standing next to her instead of Yami. The boy smiled in a way that matched his tone. "Maybe we should just support Ryou for his duel and figure the rest out later."
To Yori's surprise, Joey didn't lash out. Instead, his fists uncurled, and he squared his shoulders.
"Good call, Yuug'," he said. "I don't want to miss seein' Rich-boy kicked to the curb." He stepped closer and jabbed a finger in Duke's face. "But the answer's no, and it ain't changin'."
Then he took Serenity's hand and pulled her after him. She glanced at Duke, but while the debate was obvious in her face, she didn't pull away from her brother this time, instead following him out into the hall. The others did the same, leaving just Duke and Yori in the lounge (although Yami appeared briefly as a spirit, waiting until Yori nodded to seem satisfied).
"Seems like the finals have not been fun for you so far," Yori said.
Duke snorted, but there was some amusement in the gesture. He shrugged. "I dug this hole for myself."
"It's none of my business, but you seem like a nice guy. I hope the hole doesn't last forever."
"Thanks." He flashed what could only be called a Hollywood grin. "It's nice to hear there's at least one neutral party here."
"I'm not neutral. I'm taking Yuugi's word for it."
He blinked. "Yuugi vouched for me?"
"Is that really so surprising?" Yori smiled.
Then again, she may have given Yuugi a hard time for being kind to everyone, but that kindness made him the sort of person who could talk Joey down when no one else could. Yuugi didn't seem to waste time worrying about whether he should intervene or not; he just cared about people and tried his best to help them, friend and enemy alike, simple as that.
"Excuse me," Yori said, ducking out of the lounge. She jogged down the hall, but instead of heading for the elevator, she headed for her room.
Seto never went to see Mokuba. He contacted Roland, and Roland was still with his brother, so Seto told himself that was enough—Mokuba had protection, and no one but Yori knew he was on the blimp, so if he just stayed locked in a room far from Marik, things could still be okay. Seto just needed to focus and plow his way through the tournament. When it was all over, he could sort things out. When it was all over, he could breathe.
But for now, he strode confidently onto the dueling platform, shook hands with his worthless opponent, and cut his deck. He'd hoped to duel Marik in the semi-finals, to halt the Ghoul's progress before he gained another inch of Seto's territory. Dueling Ryou Bakura, who had never won a tournament or competition in his life, was a waste of Seto's time even under the best circumstances. Bakura was nothing more than a fluke in the finals, a worker ant Seto would barely notice crushing on his way to the queen.
Understandably, Bakura did not feel the same.
"What fortune," the albino purred as he snapped his deck into place. "A familiar face."
"Savor that 'fortune' while you can," Seto said coldly. "This match will be short."
He took his place at the far end of the platform, back to the wind. The geek squad arranged themselves on the spectator platform to his left. Marik and his sideshow freak took the spot on the right, the same place they'd been for the previous duel. Marik would be able to witness what was coming for him.
Good.
Yori was nowhere to be seen, and Seto felt unexpectedly torn between hope that she was guarding Mokuba and disappointment that she wasn't witnessing the duel.
Fuguta shouted for the match to begin, and Bakura drew a card.
"Since you're certain this duel will be short-lived," he drawled, "I'm sure you won't mind if I go first."
The pendant around his neck flashed gold. Seto hadn't missed the fact that Bakura was part of the freaky Egypt club, same as everyone else who seemed determined to derail his life.
It did not foster mercy in Seto's heart.
The faraway city lights winked out in an instant, as if someone had thrown a dark blanket over the ground below. The cold wind grew colder on Seto's ears and gripped his chest, constricting his breath.
Bakura smiled as if he knew something, but all he said was, "I summon The Portrait's Secret [1200/1500] in attack mode and end my turn."
"Be careful, Kaiba," Yuugi shouted. The eye on his puzzle gave off a fogged yellow glow in the night air. "He's started a shadow duel!"
"I don't need comments from the peanut gallery." Seto drew a card to start his turn.
After barely glancing at his options, he summoned Z-Metal Tank [1500/1300] and destroyed Bakura's monster, bringing the albino's lifepoints down to 3700. He played a facedown card, then ended his turn.
Bakura summoned The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode [1300/1800] and ended his turn.
But instead of the sallow green ghost Seto expected to see, it was Yuugi, gripping a sword and shield. The Millennium Puzzle was gone from his neck, and he looked like a different person without it.
"Oh, dear." Bakura smiled, but it was far from a pleasant expression. "It looks as though our shadow game has begun in earnest."
"What kind of trick is this?" Seto demanded.
"You set the rules of this game," Bakura purred. "Seems you have something on your mind, and it's time to face the ghosts."
"Yuugi, get off the field!"
Yuugi stared back with empty eyes, and he didn't speak a word. Seto turned his gaze to where Yuugi had been on the viewing platform—
—only to find him still there, staring at Seto like he'd gone crazy.
Two Yuugis. The stuff of Seto's nightmares.
Bakura cackled. "It seems no one else shares your vision, Kaiba."
Seto jerked a card from his deck, nearly bent it as he forced it into his hand.
"I summon Y-Dragon Head [1500/1600] in attack mode," he snapped. He then ordered his new monster to attack, and the unmoving Yuugi burst into reflective shards beneath the dragon's blast.
"Heartless," Bakura said, though he seemed more delighted than condemning.
"Try whatever tricks you want," Seto growled. "I'll still win."
Far below the blimp, the ocean was black and gaping. For a moment, there was an anchor—
Seto ordered his first monster into a direct attack, and Bakura's lifepoints scrolled down to 2000.
"You're halfway gone already." Seto struggled to catch his breath, struggled more to pretend he didn't. "I end my turn."
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Bakura assured him. He then summoned Headless Knight [1450/1700] in attack mode and ended his turn.
"Ain't you got anything stronger, Ryou?" Wheeler shouted out.
Bakura ignored his pathetic friend, but while his annoying voice still echoed over the field, the knight appeared as a copy of Wheeler, holding his own blonde head beneath one arm.
Seto's stomach churned, and he gritted his teeth, forcing his mind to stick to the game. Bakura wanted him to attack. It wasn't hard to figure out—he'd played three barely average monsters in attack mode with nothing to strengthen them. A duelist without a plan would have played them in defense mode or at least been rattled after they were destroyed.
The geek squad chattered like an exhibit of monkeys. Seto closed his eyes to concentrate.
Bakura wasn't an amateur, apparently; he was a strategist. He either wanted his lifepoints down, or he wanted his monsters gone. Maybe both. He was meeting the requirements for something big.
Show me your best, and I'll crush it, Seto thought, cold eyes opening. He ordered his tank to destroy the headless Wheeler and then direct-attacked with his dragon, dropping his opponent's lifepoints to 450.
He ended his turn.
And Bakura's face split in a feral grin.
"Now your destruction begins," Bakura said.
An anchor—
"I dare you," Seto replied.
Bakura played Dark Necrofear [2200/2800] in attack mode, which could only be summoned with three fiend-type monsters in the graveyard. He added a facedown card and ended his turn. No doubt Dark Necrofear was his rarest card, his trump. It would be strong.
But Seto would be stronger.
It was Yori who appeared in a circle of purple flames, holding a broken, hollow-faced baby doll. She stared at him unblinkingly, her face as empty as the doll's, as still as if she wasn't breathing. Water dripped from her hair, tracked down her face.
"I didn't ask you to jump in after me," Seto ground out. His eyes darted to the viewing platform, but it was those same people, still acting like he was the only thing wrong with this duel. Marik, in particular, looked smug enough to give himself a medal.
But Bakura could see it. He'd somehow altered the hologram system, somehow—
Impossible. It was Seto's system, and even he didn't know an alteration that would enable holograms to appear in one form to duelists and another to spectators.
Was Seto just hallucinating?
Had he lost it after the docks?
Bakura cackled. "Has my monster truly paralyzed the great Seto Kaiba?"
Seto clenched and unclenched a fist. This duel was over already; he just needed to declare it and be done. The mind games were meaningless. Bakura might be afraid to attack, but Seto would continue attacking until there was nothing left.
"I activate my facedown magic card, Raigeki, which destroys all monsters on your side of the field," he declared, his voice as solid as iron.
Using a magic card instead of a monster was a gamble to counteract any special effects Dark Necrofear might have. Raigeki would inflict no lifepoint damage, but Seto had two monsters ready to do that as soon as the field cleared.
A bolt of energy crashed from the sky, shattering the image of Yori.
Seto's heart clenched in his chest. Even after the monster disappeared, a puddle of water remained on the field.
"Hope you weren't counting on that monster to save you," Seto taunted, but his voice was not as solid now. The words save you echoed uncomfortably in his mind.
"On the contrary," Bakura purred, "I was counting on her to destroy you, and so she has."
He touched the field slot on his Duel Disk, inserting a field spell card as it popped open.
A giant, bloodshot eye appeared in the sky above them. In a flash, a hundred more joined it, dyeing the sky a bloody red.
Wheeler shrieked, and the geek squad set to chattering again.
"Behold my Dark Sanctuary." Bakura spread his arms wide as if to embrace the monstrosity. "Dark Necrofear's death allows me to pull this spell from my deck and play it immediately, turning the field into my sanctuary—and your burial ground."
"You haven't done a single thing to bury me," Seto shot back.
Bakura laughed, full-throated. "I haven't had to, Kaiba. You've been eager to dig your own grave from the start. You've even filled the yard with your own ghosts. I must admit, I'm disappointed. With your background, I'd expected more of a challenge on the way to victory, but I suppose time changes people."
Seto tried to tell himself it was just a taunt, but the calculating calm his opponent displayed told him the truth. He might as well have been a bulldozer as a person for all he'd tried to form a strategy in this duel. He'd known what his opponent wanted, seen it at every turn, and had made no attempt to turn away.
He'd wanted the duel to get bad, wanted his opponent to play every card he had.
And he still did.
Seto ordered his dragon head to attack, to wipe out the albino's lifepoints.
"Seto," Yuugi shouted, "you're being reckless! He's baiting you!"
And he knew that, too.
His monster never moved. Instead, the torso of a pale ghost erupted from its back and rushed at Seto, eyes wide and mouth agape.
It was Mokuba.
Seto threw his arms up, but it did nothing against the icy shock. His blood froze; his bones trembled.
He was on the dock, standing across the water from his brother, who didn't look like his brother at all. Mokuba's empty eyes, empty expression, empty voice, they all surrounded him. Scorched him.
"Someone's having waking nightmares," Bakura said, "and it isn't even my birthday."
Seto sucked a deep breath in through his nose, forced it out in a rush. The dueling platform came back, a hundred eyes staring him down in condemnation from the bloody sky. The cold night air wasn't cold enough.
Bakura smirked. "Dark Necrofear did more than give me my sanctuary; she left behind a vengeful ghost. Each turn, the ghost will possess one of your monsters, and you'll never know which one. So far, luck does not seem to be on your side."
From the platform below, Seto heard Marik's laugh, warm as a fever. "I do love a good ghost story, Odion."
His burly slave murmured something back, and Yuugi shouted encouragement over the top of it. It was ironic that Seto's biggest rival was the only one cheering him on, even as the rest of the geek squad tried to discourage him.
Usually Mokuba was his sole supporter.
Seto stared down at his lifepoint counter. He'd dropped to 3250. Bakura, on the other hand, had risen from 450 to 1200. So the ghost subtracted half his monster's attack strength from his lifepoints and added the same to his opponent's.
Normally, he would have been thrilled to see the duel get interesting. He would have been thrilled to face an opponent worth fighting, to find out that Ryou Bakura was not, after all, a fluke in the finals.
But he was not thrilled.
He ordered his tank to attack, but it was stopped cold by Bakura's facedown trap, which limited him to one attack per turn. The eyes stared down at him from every angle, and for the first time, he realized some were encased in fanged mouths, ready to devour him whole.
He ended his turn.
Bakura explained the benefit of Dark Sanctuary: it allowed him to play spell and trap cards in monster slots, doubling his support-card limit.
"And you're going to love how I put it to use," he purred.
He played the spell card Ouija Board. The giant wooden board materialized above his head, decorated with skulls and bones. When Bakura added a spell counter card, the planchette moved by itself across the alphabet rows. It came to a stop on "D," and a skeletal hand raised the letter high in the air.
"The first letter of your fate," Bakura said. "Each turn, the board will add another, and when the five-letter message is spelled in full, you lose."
He ended his turn, and Kaiba ordered his tank to attack.
"You have to calm down and think!" Yuugi cried.
Just as he said it, Mokuba's ghost burst from the tank, crashing through Seto's chest.
He was drowning in stinging water, dragged down by the weight on his ankle he couldn't escape. Everything pressed in tight, crushing him, killing him—
Seto heaved in gasping breaths. The eye-filled mouths above him laughed. So did his opponent.
"You're handing me this win."
Seto's lifepoints had dropped to 2500 while Bakura's had risen to 1950. He had no more attacks; he ended his turn.
Bakura played a spell counter. The Ouija Board added the letter "E."
"Your move," Bakura said smugly.
Seto forced himself to look at his cards, tried to think of a strategy. He had nothing useful—Crush Card Virus, Monster Reborn, and a few monsters that were no more powerful than what he had on the field. He could fill his monster slots, increase his chances of attacking with a non-possessed monster, but it was a weak strategy at best, especially since Bakura still had an unrevealed facedown card. If he drew his god card, things might be different, since Obelisk was unaffected by trap cards, but somehow, he wasn't sure he could even summon it anymore.
He had been dragged through the ocean with Obelisk in his pocket, yet the card had come out of it as unscathed as if it had never seen a raindrop.
If only he could say the same for himself.
He had a pick of two monsters. 50-50 odds. A black-and-white choice.
Like life or death.
He again ordered his tank to attack.
"Your choices have improved." Bakura activated his facedown card. "But your luck hasn't."
The albino's trap was Dark Spirit of the Silent, allowing him to stop one attack and direct another. Seto's tank rolled to a stop. He braced himself.
Mokuba's ghost burst from the back of his dragon. Seto's vision filled with those hollow eyes, and they were like fireballs, hurtling towards him, heralding his death—his death—his—
The Ouija Board hovered across the field, graveyard hands still displaying the letters "D-E."
Death—his fate, the board's message: It was "Death." He had three turns left.
What was the point of fighting so hard when everything still lead to the same destination? This duel or one down the road, it didn't matter; eventually, he would lose.
This time saving Mokuba or one down the road. It didn't matter.
He ended his turn.
The Ouija Board raised the letter "A."
Note: Sorry this one's a day late, too. Lucky me, I caught a cold, so I have been writhing on the couch watching Netflix and lost track of the rest of the world. But at least I didn't forget completely. Next update will be Thursday, September 5th (I'll land a Thursday yet; third time's the charm).