Chapter 34: Bargains and Barricades
Head spinning, Ryou pressed a button, closing the elevator doors before him. His stomach flipped as he left the Duel Tower roof behind, headed for the ground.
He'd promised the pharaoh he would try. It was all he could do.
In the back of his mind, he heard sirens. He saw the world with a gravel ceiling. He felt the pressure of the seatbelt cutting his shoulder, chaining him in place. And in the front two seats—
Ryou took a deep breath in through his nose, out through his mouth. He blinked hard. The elevator gave a faint ding, releasing him on the ground floor. A KaibaCorp guard watched him curiously as he exited the tower, but neither of them spoke. Ryou headed to the beach beside the landing pad. The ocean rolled in hard against the island sand, gurgling its irritation at the obstruction. Ryou caked his white sneakers in wet sand, soaked the knees of his trousers and crusted his fingernails as he searched, but eventually, he came up with a flattened stone just smaller than his palm, smooth on either side. Clutching it, he made his way to the blimp.
One of the maids was able to give him a red marker. She glanced at his dirtied knees but didn't ask. Ryou took the marker and rock to his room, sat at the table, and began drawing directly on the tabletop.
Nakhti was silent when he appeared, only quirking his head. Ryou ignored him.
"That's permanent marker," the spirit said at last.
"We're not friends," Ryou reminded him. The same reminder he'd been given when he'd attempted conversation the previous day.
"If we were, I could have stolen you a dry erase."
"I'm sure Kaiba can afford the damages."
Ryou finished writing out the alphabet. He added a line of numbers across the bottom.
"How exactly do you think you're going to contact him?" Nakhti asked. "Candles and a séance? 'Hear me, Yuugi'?"
Ryou looked up sharply. "Actually, I figured I'd use the ring. After all the pain and blood I've given, it's about time it did something for me."
"It won't work."
"The ring finds things. That's what it does. It can help me find Yuugi."
The spirit rolled his eyes. "You have no idea of the Millennium Ring's powers. Or its prices. And anyway, I meant your little séance won't work. The midget's not dead."
Ryou swallowed. "How do you know?"
"If he were, the pharaoh would be trapped in his bottle. We dead things need a live host."
It was tempting—the hope. But Ryou had felt it once before, sitting at Amane's bedside, with the doctor saying, "There's a slim chance. Roughly twelve percent of patients in a coma like this do wake."
But Amane wasn't in that twelve percent.
"Besides that," Nakhti went on, "Ra was a hologram."
"It was a shadow game," Ryou said.
Nakhti only scoffed. "Yes, shadow games can kill, but they kill with real things. A drop off a building, a spot of fire, maybe a nice throat stab. Priest Kaiba can rest easy at night; even under the power of the shadows, his system can never kill because it wasn't designed with the capacity."
Ryou wanted to believe. He did. But he said, "I felt Obelisk's attack. Just the secondhand echo was enough to see stars."
"Well"—Nakhti smirked—"there's no accounting for weaklings. But it certainly didn't kill me, did it?"
"Just because a cockroach survives doesn't prove much," Ryou muttered.
He returned to his DIY Ouija board, scrawling a "yes" and "no" at the top corners. Then he drew an arrow on one end of the rock, capped the marker and tossed it.
"Didn't you hear me?" The spirit leaned down, scowling in Ryou's face. "I said this won't work."
"Please leave." Ryou straightened his spine, touching his fingertips to the rock's edge. He controlled his breathing and closed his eyes. The pointers of the ring trembled against his chest, and the faint whispers of the shadows grew louder in his ears, purred the promise of everything he hoped.
"I'll do it," Nakhti snapped.
Startled, Ryou blinked. "What?"
"Let me take over. I'll do it."
"Right. You don't even believe this will work." He looked away. "You just want permission to run loose."
"Why are you so determined for your best friend to be dead?"
Ryou wasn't sure he'd ever called Yuugi his best friend out loud. But so what? The spirit bothered to notice one detail about him. He squinted up at Nakhti, the cracked mirror that reflected his own brown eyes and pale skin only with sharper edges.
Every time he'd trusted the spirit in the past, he'd gotten cut.
"You tried to kill Yuugi at Duelist Kingdom," he whispered at last. "You used me to get to him. Not this time."
He closed his eyes once more, focusing on the ring. In the past, he'd used the item to lead him to physical destinations almost effortlessly. This was a bigger thing; it would have a cost. He knew that without even asking. The shadows swirled in full force, cackling in his mind. The pointers of the ring quivered.
Power? came the question.
And this time, Ryou said yes.
Yuugi hadn't been sure where his grandpa would go after the attack, but an old colleague's house outside Domino seemed only logical. The man served tea and settled Grandpa on the couch, where they both turned on the television and watched in stoic silence as every channel broadcasted different images of monster attacks. Raptors chewing mannequins in the shopping district, robot knights terrorizing crowds at the Domino train station. The whole city was swept beneath an oncoming tide.
"It's the end of the world," the old archaeologist said, pale and trembling.
"Is your family safe?" Grandpa asked.
"Ena lives with her children in America now. I should call before she hears the news." He stood, then hesitated. "Your grandson?"
Yuugi's heart twinged as Grandpa said, "Not here. Safe."
Whether he truly believed it or was only praying, Yuugi couldn't tell.
"On the bright side, Grandpa"—Yuugi tried for a smile—"I am safe from monsters."
Safe from permanent damage at least.
The man called his family, after which, he offered the phone to Grandpa. Though he maintained a calm expression, Grandpa's fingers trembled as he dialed first Yori's number, then Anzu's, both ringing to no answer. Yuugi's heart clenched again.
"What could cause this, Sugoroku?" The archeologist's eyes were still on the TV. Muting it had done nothing to hide the horror.
"The gods." Grandpa replaced the phone on its hook, folding his arms as if hugging himself. "If one troubled young boy is to be believed, anyway."
His friend had no answer to that.
Yuugi wondered if he could find the source. He'd drawn himself to his grandpa with merely a focused thought; surely he could use the same power to find the source of the monsters. He'd asked if Ra was responsible and received only predictable silence in response. But if he was drawn to Ra's presence while searching, he'd have his answer.
Before he could focus his thoughts, a new figure appeared in the room—dressed in familiar white robes.
"Shadi!" Yuugi burst out, leaping forward.
But his outstretched hand only passed through Shadi's sleeve, and the spirit's blue eyes wandered calmly over the room, never pausing on Yuugi.
"It seems the pharaoh was mistaken," Shadi said.
Yuugi almost choked on a sob. "Please say you're talking to me. Shadi?"
"Or I was." The spirit gave a small sigh. "The riddles never cease."
He disappeared again, and Yuugi pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, begging himself to stay strong.
/Tired of going unseen?/ Ra asked.
"My grandpa," Yuugi rasped, taking a shuddering breath, "taught me that Ra is a benevolent god. How could he not be? There's nothing more hopeful than dawn. Nothing more encouraging than sunlight."
/Perhaps to the flowers. But not to a desert wanderer./
Was that a clue? Was Shadi's appearance a clue as well? Yuugi couldn't think clearly. He only wanted to hug his grandpa, to talk to Joey.
"Can I just say goodbye?" He hated the catch in his voice, the sting in his eyes.
/If you wish to speak and be heard, there is a bargain available. Purchase your life with hers./
Yuugi scrubbed at his wet cheeks. He breathed deeply, closed his eyes, and focused on the monsters. He was drawn to Haga first, hovering near the game shop with his giant beetle wrecking the streetlamps and fences along the street. Yuugi focused again and found himself outside a noodle shop, where a humanoid lizard twice the size of an adult man swung an axe through the front window. Glass shards erupted inward, and screams echoed back. On the street, a blond man in black leather watched humorlessly.
/Are you hoping your investigation will accomplish something?/ Ra asked. /Or are you only looking for distractions?/
The man on the street stood firm as a rock while people screamed and ran. A green gem glowed against the front of his shirt—the same gem Haga had worn.
Yuugi closed his eyes once more, but this time he focused on the source of the gem.
When he opened them, he blinked in surprise at the polished marble floor. Twin staircases curved upward at the back of the entryway he stood in, a smooth white arch between them leading to other rooms, and a massive, round rug filled the center of the space. Yuugi's heart stopped; though he'd only visited once, the Kaiba mansion was a hard setting to forget.
Seto couldn't be the source of the gems. Not to mention he was miles away on a Battle City blimp.
Yuugi turned slowly, staring up at the crystal chandelier and white ceiling.
"Enjoying the view?"
Yuugi froze, half out of reflex and half because he recognized the sultry voice—though he'd never heard it in real life. He turned.
Haku leaned lazily against one side of the arch. His gold eyes met Yuugi's evenly.
"You can see me?" Yuugi whispered.
Haku only smirked.
And for the first time, Yuugi remembered—
He realized—
The teal gem around Haku's neck, visible through the unbuttoned collar of his white shirt, was the same shade as Haga's crystal. Haku's was bigger, nearly the size of Yuugi's palm, painted with a black hexagram and framed in a gold setting. And Yuugi remembered the unicursal hexagram that had appeared when Haga had summoned his centipede.
"You set the monsters loose," he managed.
It wasn't Ra?
And was Haku—
Could he possibly be—
"You'll burst an artery, thinking that hard." Haku shouldered away from the arch, straightened his jacket collar. "Very clever, though. I wasn't expecting to encounter the Millennium Puzzle's owner for at least another day. Trying to tell me you're two moves ahead?"
"I'm not—" Yuugi couldn't scrape enough brain cells together to be coherent.
"No, you're not." The golden gaze flickered up toward the ceiling. "If you're two, I'm three. Never forget."
"Why are you in Seto's mansion?" Yuugi burst out. "Why are you in Domino? And why—how—"
"'Why,' 'how.'" Haku raised an eyebrow. "But not who?"
Yuugi swallowed, stiffening. He eyed the man's jacket, where he knew a cobra lay curled in wait.
"Interesting," Haku purred. "Two moves indeed."
He opened his jacket and lifted the banded cobra from its pouch. Despite himself, Yuugi flinched.
"I assure you"—Haku draped the snake over his neck, and somehow, one of its black eyes followed Yuugi all the way—"talented though she is, Mehen can't strike ghosts."
Yuugi took a step back all the same. "How can you see me?"
"Easy answer, child. For the same reason I can do a great many things." Haku patted the cobra's head with one finger, and she flicked her tongue in response. "It's because I'm a god."
Yuugi felt that he'd very much like to work on that book report now.
In fact, if that book report could be the most important, stressful thing in his life, that would be great.
Any moment now.
"You were Yori's boyfriend," he choked out.
"Was I?" Haku shrugged, the snake lifting and falling like she'd caught a wave. "A few months with one mortal girl is hardly a blip in immortality. I was hoping she'd be a little more memorable, but oh well. You always have to test the pieces to find the scope of their use."
Setting his jaw, Yuugi said, "You treated her terribly."
"Mmm, puzzle-solver by life, boyfriend police by death. What an unexpected résumé for the vessel of a king." He stiffened suddenly, cocking his head as if he heard something.
Yuugi heard nothing, but he felt something light as a feather along his spine, something that made him shiver.
"When you're back in Domino," Haku said, already turning away, "come see me. This time you can ask the right questions."
Before Yuugi could say another word, the faint outline of the puzzle shimmered to life once more. Its chain dragged at him as if an unseen hand yanked the other end. He coughed. Though he grabbed at it, his fingers passed right through. The room flipped as he sank through the floor. Everything was pressure and black silence until—
He stood on the blimp. He shook his head slowly, stumbled under a wave of dizziness. The puzzle was gone.
Then he caught his bearings. He was in Ryou's room, and his friend sat at a table, eyes closed, the Millennium Ring glowing against his chest. Four of its pointers hung against Ryou's shirt, but the middle one fixed on Yuugi like the needle of a compass.
"Ryou." Yuugi almost managed a smile. "How did you know?"
Trust his friend to find him no matter what.
"He's here," Ryou whispered.
It was then that Yuugi noticed the makeshift Ouija board. He sagged against the table, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Ryou. I can't move anything."
Ryou frowned, and for a second, Yuugi's heart pounded quicker. But all he said was, "Yuugi, how do I save you?"
"I wish I knew." Yuugi swallowed. Then he sniffed. "Actually, this is good. Just talking to you. This is good."
Ryou sat in silence, waiting. Despite himself, Yuugi reached out to the rock. But his fingers passed through Ryou's.
"Worth a try." Yuugi curled his fingers, hugged them to his chest.
"Yuugi"—Ryou's voice cracked—"are you really dead?"
Yuugi glanced at the "yes" on the table. He reached out and touched the "no." If only it were that simple.
Ryou waited, then asked again. "I don't understand," he said at last. A tear dripped down his cheek, and he finally opened his eyes, rubbing his shoulder against his face. "He's here. I feel it."
He stared down at the ring, which still glowed.
"I'm here," Yuugi whispered. He took a few steps to the right, and the pointer of the ring swung obediently to follow him.
"Yuugi." Ryou looked torn between a smile and a sob. "I don't understand, mate."
Yuugi sighed. "Me neither."
All he had was a handful of puzzle pieces and no picture to build to. No matter how he fumbled in the dark, none of the edges seemed to fit. His death, the limits of a god, the powers of the puzzle—they were all riddles on their own. It was a three cups problem; he could keep flipping forever, and the answer would still elude him.
Ryou turned his head sharply. "If it's just a joke to you, then leave."
Yuugi blinked. Then his eyes widened. There was only one other person Ryou could be speaking to.
"I hope this is good." Yuugi gave a nervous smile. "I hope it means you're becoming friends."
Though Ryou's expression was far from friendly.
"I'll let you two work it out." It wasn't like Yuugi could contribute anything by staying, after all. And it was almost more painful to be acknowledged but unseen.
Ryou was fighting for him. Yami was no doubt doing the same. So even if all Yuugi had was incomplete, nonsensical pieces, he had to believe they'd come together. He had to give it his best.
He closed his eyes and focused.
When the middle pointer of the ring dropped against his chest, Ryou's scowl increased. The ring lost its glow, lost the hum in his mind to tell him he'd found what he was looking for. Yuugi was gone. Maybe permanently. There'd been nothing he could do to help his friend.
He needed more power.
"Hey." The spirit snapped his fingers like an owner calling a cat. "Look at me."
Ryou stood, bringing himself eye-to-eye with the spirit. What had he ever found intimidating about the specter? His sharp edges were nothing like knives. They were ragged. Frazzled. They showed weakness, not power.
"Calm down, red-eyes." The spirit met his gaze evenly. "That nasty ringing in your ears is the shadows. It's not you."
"I'm not afraid of you anymore. You can't control me." When Ryou said it, he felt a surge of confirming confidence. With the power of the ring, he never needed to fear anything. Never again. He could have anything he wanted. Even—
"Put the rock down, mate. It couldn't bash in my skull if you tried."
Ryou only curled his fist tighter, felt the smooth edges of the stone press into his knuckles.
"Everything would be alright without you," he snarled.
"Would it now? Because your life was such a picnic before I barged in and overturned all the tables."
Overturned. Ryou felt his stomach flip with the car, remembered the screeching twist of metal, the seatbelt locking him in—
He dropped the rock. It scraped the edge of the table, skittered across the floor. He blinked hard. Breathed harder.
And Nakhti slapped him on the shoulder with what almost seemed to be an encouraging smile. "There's my powerless vessel."
"Get off," Ryou whispered, shrugging away. He rubbed his clammy hands, but the cold reached all the way to his bones. He'd believed it. Even if only for a brief moment, he'd honestly believed he had the power to claim anything he wanted. To reclaim. Even from death.
But Nakhti was right: He was powerless. Pathetic.
He had to tell Yami as much. Tell him he couldn't reach Yuugi. Couldn't help.
He stared at the Ouija board. And he didn't move.
"Just gonna wilt there forever?" Nakhti asked.
Without meaning to, Ryou thought of his dad, digging somewhere in Egypt for something that couldn't be found in the dirt. They weren't so different after all. They just searched in different places.
Ryou swallowed. "Are they always so loud?"
Nakhti shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. A few millennia listening to crickets and you forget what the world sounds like without them."
"But you do know. You knew what I was hearing, how it drowned out everything else. I think you know a lot you don't say."
The spirit raised an eyebrow.
Ryou swallowed once more. "Why do you think Yuugi's not dead?"
"I told you. We dead things need a host. You don't think I keep you around for your tea, do you?"
"I should have listened. I'm sorry."
Nakhti shifted like he had an itch. He looked away. Shoved his hands in his pockets.
It was true that each time Ryou trusted the spirit, he got burned. Only a fool would take another chance.
But Ryou already knew he was a fool.
"Can you tell me how to save him?" he asked.
Nakhti scowled. "You're asking me to help the pharaoh."
"I'm asking you to help me. Please, Nakhti. He's my best friend."
But the scowl only deepened. "Just because I told you my name doesn't mean you can use it as you please. It was my payment. We're even, and I don't do things for free."
Ryou knew what he wanted. His soul shrank to even think of it, but if it was to save a friend, no cost was too high.
"You can have the reins again. You choose when to manifest."
Nakhti's sharp eyes trained on him instantly, but it wasn't with the satisfaction Ryou expected. "Nice try, but the permission rests with you no matter what. You could give it now and still rescind it later."
"I won't," Ryou said. "I won't."
Nakhti looked away. Ryou racked his brain desperately to think of what else he could offer.
Then the spirit said, "Tell the pharaoh to get me an item. He gives me an item, I'll tell him how to get his vessel back. His girlfriend's bracelet would do nicely."
Before Ryou could respond, Nakhti vanished.
Note: Thanks as always for your support! The poll on my profile will be up for one more week (through the end of July), and then I'll decide on the celebration. I'll post the details of it with the next chapter. See you all then!