Alrighty guys, here's chapter four of my Yu-gi-oh crossover. Here we see several wheels beginning to turn, connecting people's fates to one another. I've been enjoying trying to capture the various personalities of each characters, both canon and non-canon. And before we move on, I realize I should put in the disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 4: First Encounters of Many Kinds
Dani awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee, a smell she hadn't smelled in quite a while. She groaned a little as she stretched out from her comfy position and opened her eyes. "Who found the coffee maker?"
"Kaiba," Yugi said simply from the makeshift table, munching on an apple.
Dani finally found the energy to sit up. "I gotta admit, it's not a bad way to wake up, but I'm more of a tea drinker myself." Raising her voice, she addressed Kaiba "I hope you left some hot water for me."
"I would have if your coffee selection wasn't horrible. I would have thought as a Blue-Eyes Duelist, you'd have the signature White Dragon Coffee blend," Kaiba said, taking a sip from the mug and pulling a face.
"Well excuuuuuse me! I'm sorry I can't afford the rich-boy coffee brands," Dani snapped, good mood now gone, "We can't all have millions of dollars to waste on luxurious coffee brands."
"I don't spend millions of dollars on coffee," Kaiba snapped back.
"Just how much do you spend then?"
Kaiba actually paused to think about it for a moment, his frown deepening as he did some mental calculations. "More than you can afford, it seems."
"Piss off!" Dani retorted, walking over to her mirror hanging over the nearby sink and examining herself, pulling out a footstool from underneath and sitting down.
"She certainly is a fiery one," Yami commented dryly, unheard by everyone but Yugi, who responded with an incredulous look.
"You don't say," he thought back, causing Yami to grin. He finished his apple and began fixing himself up for the day. Kaiba reluctantly finished his mug and grabbed a couple of protein bars Dani had stashed in the cupboard and began munching on those, sharp blue eyes never leaving Dani as she began to make herself presentable.
"It's not often I get visitors," she commented as she reached for her brush. "But could you guys please give a girl her privacy?" Kaiba responded by turning around and staring out the window. Yugi, of course, took the gentlemanly route and left the hideout, not straying far from the entrance, but still taking in the sights of Satellite. Dani began brushing her hair, grunting occasionally as she fought a knot or three. Her bright blue eyes noticed Kaiba still in the room. "If you're expecting a show, be prepared to get disappointed."
"Very funny," Kaiba said.
"So do you make fun of all poor people you meet, or just one's who try and help you?" Kaiba growled at that, which prompted Dani to continue. "Ooo, very scary, going feral on me?"
"Just you wait 'til I get to Kaibacorp," Seto threatened.
"And what exactly do you plan to do once you get there?" Dani asked, turning to face Kaiba, but still methodically brushing her hair. "Try to take over? Use your money to buy yourself a cup of coffee. Let me tell you something Kaiba, you ain't in Kansas anymore! Nobody gives a damn about you now, cuz you're dead! So get off your high horse and learn to treat people with respect for once! I didn't know what to expect if I were ever to meet the first Blue-Eyes duelist, but I certainly didn't expect this!"
"What would you have me do then?" Kaiba asked, returning Dani's glare with equal, if not fiercer intensity.
"Lose your damn pride for once and show some humility!"
"You know nothing of pride," Kaiba said, voice deadly calm, "You don't know what it's like to have everything torn away from you, to be utterly humiliated time and time again. When I lost to Yugi for the first time, I lost my title, my company, and almost lost my life. I was Seto Kaiba, adopted son of Gozaburo Kaiba, and he was nothing but a joke! Yet I have seen him surpass me, my destiny thrown to the wayside. He even saved my life as if I were a helpless child. He has stolen my pride and crushed it, defeating me at my own tournament. My pride was the only thing that kept me alive during my ordeals. So don't lecture me about pride. My pride has been broken once and I will NEVER allow that to happen again. Got it?" Dani and Kaiba held each other's gazes for a moment longer, trying to find some form of weakness to exploit in the other's glare.
"Please, leave," Dani said slowly, finally finished with brushing.
"And if I don't?"
"You'll see a side of me that you WON'T want to see."
"I'm the president of a major corporation. I see stuff like that every day."
Dani turned to face the mirror, examining the tear streaks she hadn't bothered to clean off the day before. "No wonder you stayed single your entire life, you have no idea how to treat a woman."
"Then who inherited my company?"
"Mokuba took over after you retired, after that, I don't know, nor do I care. Now get out!" Kaiba merely grunted and finally left, mulling over what Dani had told him. "Finally!" Dani muttered, focusing on her face. She realized she actually looked fiercer with the tear streaks, but they needed some more filling. Going over her makeup table, she began to color in her tear streaks, turning the jagged lines from light silver streaks to solid silver marks, removing any sign that she had been crying and adding an intensity she thought was missing. Dani examined her handiwork, reapplying her eyeliner as usual. The silver line traced from under the outer edges of her eyes, cut back in about an inch towards the tip of her nose halfway down, then continued down and finished at her chin. Dani practiced some of her glares, feeling satisfied with the results. She didn't care that it looked like she had a criminal record, which she didn't; if anything, it sent up a warning flag to those not to mess with her. Yeah, it might take away from the effect of her puppy-dog eyes, but overall, Dani felt it was an improvement; she smiled at her reflection now, wondering why she hadn't done something like this before.
"Would you hurry up?" Kaiba demanded from outside, wiping the smile off Dani's face.
'Well, at least I have someone to practice my new glare on,' she thought as she headed for the door, pulling on some silver fingerless gloves.
Yugi looked around the hideout, which was pretty nondescript. It was just one of the many crumbling buildings that made up this Satellite area. The only item that marked any sign of habitation was a little white flag over the entrance of Dani's hideout, a little blue dragon claw inscribed upon the flag. Yugi began to explore the area, taking in everything.
"This area doesn't look very good," he said, climbing over a pile of rubble. He felt the Pharaoh come out of the Puzzle.
"Yes, Dani mentioned how desolate this place is. Nothing like that bad area she mentioned, but she was correct," he said, solemnly. "Be on your guard, I suspect there will be unsavory characters around. And even though we beat Dani yesterday, we still need to learn more about this Synchro Summoning in order to defeat it. I suspect that people in this era focus more on swarming the field to Synchro Summon than on sacrificing for stronger monsters like we're used to."
"Right," Yugi agreed, pausing in his tracks and looking back at the hideout. "Dani said she needed some time alone, why didn't Kaiba come out with us?"
"Kaiba's too stubborn to take orders just like that," Yami answered with a smile. "I think he'll be joining us soon enough."
"If you say so," Yugi said, turning away. Looking around, he spotted something on the ground. He walked over and upon closer inspection saw that it was a Duel Monster's card. "Why would someone leave a card lying on the ground?" He picked it up and saw the name. "Magical Girl? I've never heard of this card before."
"That's because it's a product of this era," Yami pointed out, pointing specifically at a certain symbol on the card. "It's one of those Tuner monsters."
"You're right. But what good will it do for us when we don't have any of those Synchro monsters?" Yugi asked, examining the artwork.
"We don't have to put it in our deck. However, I think she'll come in handy. Keep her in your pockets for now," Yami advised, "Kaiba's coming out anyways." The King of Games pocketed the card and turned to behold Kaiba storming out of Dani's hideout.
"That insolent little brat," he muttered to himself, "Just who does she think she is?"
"Trouble?" Yugi asked innocently, though Yami was chuckling as Kaiba started.
"That woman thinks she can just kick me out whenever she feels like it, then has the audacity to tell me to give up my pride," Kaiba ranted.
"Humility was never one of your strong suits," Yugi pointed out, which earned him another glare from the Kaibacorp president.
"Don't push it Yugi," he warned, "The only reason why I'm still here with you and your new dweeb girlfriend is because I see no other options for getting back to our own time."
"That dragon brought us here for a reason Kaiba," Yugi said, "Something terrible is going to happen soon. I've seen it, and it's terrible. However, we won't be fighting alone. We will have allies in this time, but we have to find them first."
"If they're anything like your friends back in our time, I don't want to meet them," Kaiba said bluntly. He leaned against the wall and began tapping his foot impatiently.
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh on Dani?" Yugi asked, trying to keep the monotony at bay.
"Why do you care?" came the quick retort.
"All I'm saying is that she's helping us, and if what I saw is true-"
"I've told you before, I'm not interested in your mystic stuff," Kaiba interrupted, "Especially if it was just a dream."
"Kaiba, we've been taken over nearly one hundred and fifty years into the future. Don't you think that there just might be something to this mystic nonsense, as you put it?" The president of Kaibacorp looked away, unwilling to admit defeat. A silence fell between the two rivals, broken only by the occasional gust of wind.
"He'll learn eventually," Yami said sagely.
"Better late than never," Yugi thought back. As the two engaged in yet another discussion, Kaiba glanced around, taking in his surroundings. He didn't like being surrounded by all this filth. It stank of failure, and Kaiba hated failure. He stormed over to the entrance and knocked loudly.
"Would you hurry up?" he demanded, wondering what was keeping their host.
"Why don't you learn some patience?" came the annoyed response.
"I don't need half an hour to get ready," Kaiba retorted.
"It must help to have people wait on you hand and foot every single moment," Dani shot back, emerging from the shadows and glaring at Kaiba. The marks on her face caught him off guard, much to Dani's satisfaction as she slung her blue travel bag over her left shoulder.
"Why did you?" Kaiba began, but Dani cut him off.
"These marks are going to be a reminder of what happened yesterday," she explained, "And I know I didn't mention this yesterday, but if you see people with gold marks similar to what I have now, be careful around them. Marks like that means they have a criminal record. Most are minor, but it still marks you as an outcast from Satellite."
"Do these marks determine what crime you committed?" Yugi asked. When Dani shrugged, Yugi continued. "Then do you have any idea what your marks mean?"
Dani grinned. "They mean that I've been a baaaaaad girl. Now let's go and see if we can't find the people you were brought here to fight." She started off down an alley, leaving Kaiba and Yugi looking perplexed.
"We should find people more reliable than her to help," Kaiba said quietly.
"I heard that!" Dani called back, "And trust me, I'm the best person you could have landed on in this part of Satellite, ever since that black mist incident people haven't been quite so open with one another, despite the new bridge connecting New Domino to Satellite." Yugi just shrugged and followed Dani, Kaiba not far behind.
Yusei Fudo also woke up to the smell of coffee that morning, getting up off the couch he had slept in the night before. Remembering that he was still in Akiza's house, he glanced around and saw Jack over by the coffee maker, sipping a mug of the bitter liquid.
"Morning," Jack grunted, noticing Yusei sitting up, "There's plenty left in the pot if you want some."
"Thanks," Yusei said, standing up and stepping over the sleeping Crow, who had crashed on the floor for the night. Despite some threats from Akiza over their peeking adventure, Jack and Crow had spent the night at the Izinski residence with the idea that they would all go to Satellite the next morning to investigate. Akiza let Yusei take the couch, leaving the floor to Jack and Crow, while she retired to her bedroom, still irked at their antics. Yusei had a gut feeling that if it hadn't been for him, Jack and Crow would probably be waking up outside, covered in various psychic-induced injuries. The Head Signer walked over to the fridge and began pulling out breakfast materials; eggs, bacon, oranges and the like. Jack eyed him as Yusei began to make breakfast.
"That's a lot of food for one man," he said, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and biting into it.
Yusei continued with his actions. "Well, it's a good thing we've got Akiza and Crow to help me eat this." The smell of bacon began to permeate throughout the house and woke up the other two Signers.
"Man, that's an awesome smell to wake up to," Crow mumbled as he sat up, "Eases the pain from sleeping on the floor."
"Says the man who slept on the floor to let his little birds have the bed," Jack pointed out.
"I'm used to that floor, not this floor," Crow shot back, stretching his wiry frame and pulling on his brown Enforcers jacket.
"You should be thankful I let you use that floor," Akiza grumbled as she entered the kitchen sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Still in her pajamas, she grabbed Yusei's mug and took a sip, pulling a face as her taste buds registered the bitter flavor. "Ugh, I hate coffee." She put the mug down and began rooting through the fridge for a different drink. "I didn't know you could cook, Yusei."
Yusei chuckled. "We all took turns while slumming in Satellite. We had to learn how to cook better are starve. You can only eat ramen for so long."
"I don't see what's wrong with ramen," Jack muttered into his mug, something not missed by the Blackwing Duelist.
"You're the only guy who could spent the rest of his life eating ramen and not complain," Crow pointed out, "I'd be sick of burgers if I ate only that for a week."
"Maybe you just don't like burgers enough."
"Maybe you like ramen too much!"
Akiza groaned. "You guys, it's too early for arguing." She emerged from the fridge sipping at a simple cup of orange juice and fixed both Jack and Crow with a glare. "Can we save that for when we get to Satellite?"
"Look what you did! You upset our gracious host!" Jack accused, which of course ruffled Crow's feathers, so-to-speak.
"I upset her!? It was your idea to go spying on them in the first place!" he spluttered
"Now you listen here-" Jack began, but Yusei intervened.
"Guys, cool it!" He waved a spatula at them threateningly. "There's no need to squabble over such little things! Jack, if you're not going to be helpful, you can go pick up Luna and Leo, as I'm sure they're wondering what's going on as well."
"Yes mother," Jack muttered, voice dripping with sarcasm. The four Signers stared at each other for a moment longer, then burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. The good mood was carried over through breakfast and even on the way to Satellite. However, even with Leo's perky attitude, as the gang approached the slums of Satellite, the mood began to darken. Yusei looked over to the maroon convertible Akiza was driving, with Leo and Luna sitting in the back. The twins were having yet another argument, it seemed. His thoughts turned inward.
'If the Crimson Dragon is warning us of some new threat, I hope we can find this quickly and stop it before whatever it is begins,' he thought. His musing were interrupted by Crow on their radio frequency.
"So, Yusei, do you have any idea why the Crimson Dragon appeared last night?" he asked, "I know I just became a Signer recently, but I'm still trying to figure out how this dragon ticks."
"Don't worry too much about the Crimson Dragon," Yusei answered, "It hasn't led us wrong yet." The wind ruffled his hair under Yusei's helmet as they sped along the highway to Satellite. This was one of the moments he truly enjoyed; riding his Duel Runner around, feeling the G's affect his body as he accelerated around a curve. How often did he take such rides for granted after the Dark Signer incident? Yusei had rode around so much after finishing constructing the bridges connecting Satellite, yet this ride had him worried. Just like during the Dark Signer incident, riding his Duel Runner brought no joy to his heart, so great was his worry for New Domino City and the people he had been appointed to protect. As they reached Satellite, Jack this time broke the silence on the radio.
"So, any idea what we're doing here? I doubt the Crimson Dragon is going to hold our hands as we look for this new threat," he said, white Duel Runner taking the lead. Their little convoy sped past a young woman in a blue jacket leading two other male duelists.
Crow looked back and saw the silver markings on the woman as she shook a fist at them, annoyed that they'd nearly ran her over. "Hey, she's cute."
"Focus Crow," Jack snapped, "You can chase after women later."
"So? You have Carly," Crow shot back, "Yusei has Akiza."
"We're not-" Yusei began, but Crow ignored him, "Why can't I find myself a nice lady to help me watch over the Crow's Nest?"
"Because we have a job to do," Akiza said over the hand radio Yusei had installed in her convertible.
"You can't blame a guy for trying," Crow mumbled.
"You left your headset on Crow"
"Crud!"
"Guys," Yusei intervened, once again. "Let's head to the old Enforcer headquarters and we'll map out a plan from there."
"Sounds good to me!"
"Me too!"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Crow asked, "Last one there has to shine our Duel Runners!" His black Duel Runner zoomed ahead, Jack not far behind. "Nobody makes Jack Atlas shine someone else's Duel Runner!" Yusei chuckled as he and Akiza followed at a much more leisurely pace.
Thomas Aka, the Man with the Red Eyes, the Black Dragon, these were some of his titles. He perched upon his black and red Duel Runner on a high pile of rubble in the B.A.D area of Satellite, sharp eyes looking at the grunts the Master was sending out to make initial contact with their foes. Once found, the more experienced Duelists would swoop in and challenge the so-called heroes after the grunts softened them up. Thomas didn't necessarily approve of such tactics, but he did see why the Master employed them. Know your enemy, and the battle is already half won. He swept a couple of stray strands of black hair out of his face as a familiar sound approached. A white and yellow striped Duel Runner roared and pulled up next to him. Allana Hikari climbed off her Duel Runner, clad in a form-fitting yellow jumpsuit, flattering her voluptuous curves.
"What's wrong Tom?" she asked, following his gaze, "Don't like the Master's plan?"
Thomas glanced at her as she let her hair down to get rid of the helmet hair she'd gotten on the way to meet them. "No, but I won't deny that it's a good plan."
"I sense a 'but'" Allana commented.
That got a smile from the pale Duelist. "You know me too well. But, I prefer to face these Duelists at their best, to test their mettle against mine, to see if I truly have become an elite Duelist."
"You already are in my eyes," Allana said, holding a hand to his cheek, "Why not, when all of this is over and we've created a paradise, we go out sometime?"
"Is the Lady of Light asking the Black Dragon out on a date?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Is that a no?" Allana asked, pouting slightly. Thomas answered with a kiss and she melted into his arms.
"I'd love to," he replied after he ended the kiss. "But let's keep this a little secret from the others. I don't trust them."
"A wise decision Thomas," the Master's voice came from his Duel Runner, "What a cute little couple you two make."
"How did you?" Allana began, but was hushed by Thomas.
"My dear Allana, you'd have to be a fool not to notice the way you two looked at each other during the meetings," the Master chuckled, "Indeed, Matthias, Julius, Bario, and LJ all took bets to see how long it takes for one of you to make a move. Right now, Matthias wins, but if you wait a week to announce your new relationship status, Bario will win. I personally hope you wait, just to stick it to the old man, but that's just me."
"They made BETS?!" Allana cried, completely flustered.
The Master cackled at Allana's response. "Yes, sweetheart, bets. B-E-T-S bets. Nothing wrong with a bit of gambling here and there. Now, I really don't care how it works out for the two of you, but remember, I know everything." The radio transmission ended with the Master's laughter. The new couple looked at each other, brown eyes looking into red. Thomas broke the silence by swearing loudly.
"You know I hate it when you use foul language," Allana said quietly.
"Sorry, but that man is something else," Thomas said, fuming a little, "Just as it seems I'm getting a grasp on him, he comes out of left field with some new angle that catches me completely off guard. Once he gets his claws into you, it's impossible to break free."
"It's not like the goal he's got for us is bad," Allana said, hugging Thomas briefly. "We're going to turn the world into the utopia it has always meant to be."
"But does the end truly justify the means?" Thomas asked, breaking away from Allana and climbing back onto his Duel Runner, starting up the engines, "I need some time to think." She looked on as Thomas drove off, riding the Runner skillfully through the rubble of Satellite.
"Be careful," she whispered as she made her way back to her Runner.
Back in his lair, the Master chuckled. "Oh yes, Thomas, we can't have any little birdies escaping the nest. You are mine for as long as I see fit."
Dani had been taking Kaiba and Yugi to some places in Satellite that she knew held some shady characters, yet nothing of any value had come up. She got to witness a few duels from the legendary duelists, but they were over too quickly for her to really see some of their skills. The really annoying part of their journey was when they were nearly ran over by a red, a black, and a white Duel Runner, not to mention the red convertible following them. After sending a few choice words after them, she turned back to Yugi and Kaiba.
"What was that all about?" Yugi asked.
"Duel Runners." Dani answered, still annoyed, "They're used for Turbo Duels."
"What are Turbo Duels?"
"Duels on motorcycles using the Field Spell Speed World. Other than that, I don't know, nor do I care," Dani explained, "I don't have a Duel Runner, I don't have any Speed Spells, and don't plan on getting either."
Yugi's appetite for knowledge seemed insatiable. "Is it popular?"
"Very," Dani replied, "Just as popular as ground duels now. I doubt we'll have to worry about Turbo Duels, they can't force people into Turbo Duels if they don't have the Speed World card."
Yugi paused, imagination picturing what an experience could be like. "Wow. Who've thought Duel Monsters would get so wild?!"
Kaiba remained silent, wary for anything. He didn't like being here in the first place, but there was something that felt wrong about this place. His thoughts were confirmed a moment later when a pair of black motorcycles pulled up, blocking their path, and two intimidating men wearing skull masks dismounted and held up Duel Disks.
"What do you want?" Dani asked as the odd trio paused.
"Isn't it obvious?" the man asked, his voice deep, "The Master warned us that Yugi might follow him here, and we're here to stop you. I challenge you, Yugi Muto, to a Duel!" His mask began glowing with a weird purple and gold light and a wall of black flames magically surrounded the Duelists.
"It would seem I don't have a choice," Yugi said, stepping forward.
Kaiba stepped forward as well. "If you're going to Duel Yugi, you're going to Duel me as well."
"Who the hell are you?" the other man asked.
"You mean you don't recognize the president of Kaibacorp when you see him?" Kaiba retorted, "I suppose I have been gone for awhile. I'd still expect you to recognize Seto Kaiba when you see him."
That got the masked men's attention. "The Master never mentioned anything about Kaiba coming to help Yugi. I thought they were rivals!"
"I don't know, but our orders are clear; take out Yugi, the Signers, and anyone helping them so that his plan will work," the other grunt said, pulling out a peculiar tool. He threw it at Yugi and it became a chain that bound Yugi's foot to the grunt's.
"What the?!" Yugi exclaimed, trying to pull the chain off in vain. Meanwhile, the smaller man mirrored the larger man's actions and chained Kaiba to him.
"That's to make certain you don't try to escape," the larger grunt explained.
"Because a magic firewall wasn't enough?" Dani challenged, "Why aren't you chaining me as well?"
"You aren't dueling," said the smaller grunt, "though I could chain you for some fun back at my place." That drew looks of disgust from everyone else present, even his companion.
"Really dude? That's just sick," the larger grunt commented, skull mask never changing expression, but body language telling a whole different story.
"What you call sick, I call kinky. Besides, she's hot," said the smaller grunt defensively.
"So's Allana, but I've never heard you talk about her like that."
Yugi, meanwhile, had transformed into Yami Yugi and had armed his Duel Disk. "If you two are done talking, it's time to Duel!"
"Let's just finish these morons quickly and get a move on," Kaiba grumbled, his own Duel Disk active. Dani warily looked at the wall of flames, judging them to be too high to jump, then stepped back and let Yugi, Kaiba, and the two grunts take center stage of the fiery circle.
And there we have it, Chapter 4 is up and running. I realize that I won't be able to post as frequently as I did with the first 3 chapters, as I have 17 credits in college and a job to worry about, but I will try to have a new chapter up every two weeks or so, give or take a week. I want to give a quick shout-out to Iluvialpz and ani-gamer10 for being the first people to favorite and review any of my stories respectively. I'm relatively new to the FF community, so any and all support is greatly appreciated. R&Rs are welcomed, until next time
From your Nutty Buddy, The Eagle Nut