Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: The Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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"Jack! The antidote!" Crow called out, choking on the dust in the air only to see what he was running on and pinwheeled himself into stopping. Fairly squeaking from his shock while pondering if it was safe to take another step. 'Holy cow are these vines or roots?!'

"Yes, I know now come over here and help me!" Jack roared in growing outrage. Aki could 'easily' see he was there and yet she was not ordering her plants to put him down. The indignity of being ignored was enough to send him seething.

All the while Crow stared down at the roots torn with indecision before closing his eyes. Bracing himself he resumed running over to Jack, "I'm sorry, please don't drop me", repeated as a prayer and a mantra while he stepped on the Black Garden. It was sentient right? The way the other Duel Spirits that Aki commanded were... Right? They 'were' holding Jack up in place after all, and he really didn't want to be on the bad side to anyone or anything connected to Aki.

Just a look around the place was reminder of both that messing with her was bad news and this was after a night of her trashing a site! The walls of the interior were flattened, part of the ceiling had caved in. Goodbye floor, hello roots to keep you up with Aki standing on them. Her 'dragon' standing on them as easily as if they were outside on solid ground. Sure last night had been a dozy, but she had no idea what was going on. That left gaps, openings that could be used and exploited with patience and planning.

This?

This was a woman ready for a gang war. Now that Crow could scan the room visually he could see at least 11 other people just tied up from the ground up. Meaning they were 'all' from the Movement, all could summon and Aki looked ready to fight all of them. 'Clearly its time to get Team Satisfaction back together again...' Crow thought when something struck him.

The Duel Spirits, save Akis, were all gone. No animals, or formidable warriors... Perhaps whatever had possessed the Movement members had boosted their powers enough that they were summoning Duel Spirits?

Crow finally made his way to Jack and began tugging on the vines wrapped around the taller duelist. Cutting wasn't an option, yet he was grateful that the thorns that had been protruding from the vines shrank away from his hands as he reached for them. "We need to improve our game Jack."

The pair stuck out clearly despite the dirty clothes and the broken lights from above. Allowing Isao to notice from the corner of his eyes. So while the blond and red head were occupied he shifted his full attention back to Rose Duelist. "Now Aki, you're fully aware that if you want the antidote you have to rejoin us to save your toy." He gasped out as the vines sudden constricted about his body, the second the word 'toy' escaped his lips. "So if you're not rejoining us, than why have you bound that one 'friend' of yours?" he strained vocally as he physically struggled against the vines.

"They'd try to stop me," Aki pragmatically answered...

"The witches..." Suddenly Isao began reciting the trigger phrase necessary to put Aki under his control. Only for the vines to suddenly whip him back so fast and sharp that they cracked the air itself. The sound shot through the air loud, sharp, and clear for the other members who were watching from where they were restrained.

From just the sheer force of a body being whipped through the air was enough to vibrate the already weakened ceiling. Sending sheets of roofing material crashing to the ground. Sand and dust rained down from above, filling the air with a golden haze. Even as one person got slammed underneath the material. The vines pushed their way back up, towing the now unconscious person into view once again.

Noise echoed through out the gutted out building, as vines rose up and began wrapping themselves around the heads of the remaining Movement members. Muffled cries of alarm turned into outright panic, feet pumped the air in growing speed as hands splayed out.

'She's killing them!' Crow realized in alarm as he saw the reactions and recognized the behavior of suffocation even at this distance. It distracted him from helping Jack as he ran for Aki in mounting desperation. "Hey sis! You can't kill them! Stop it!"

Jack heard Crow pleading even as he cursed the red head for leaving him with one leg still trapped. The floor wasn't as firm as solid ground causing him to sink down even if the vines tried to cushion his movements. Leaving him unable to just rip his leg free, "Let me go you damn weed!" He snarled only for the vines to freeze from their retreat... Then began slithering up his leg again! Tightening as they did so as more vines began rising up from the ground! "What?! No! Don't you dare! Don't you know who I am?!"

"Sis? Hey sis, I know they pissed you off and you want a bit of revenge but this... Uh... Murder sucks! Trust me these tats hurt!" Crow pleaded as he stumbled his way over to Aki. Vines rose up blocking his path to her. The ground was becoming softer, though it was probably better described as 'sagging'. A reminder that she had broken the foundation of the building and the only thing keeping them from crashing into the underground was the roots of her deck. The fact that they weren't trying to stab him was a kindness he would appreciate. Later. However; this was not that time.

It was also worrying given that the flailing limbs were becoming slack...

Witch blinked as she watched the red head keep calling to Aki, and while Witch was not interested in sparing this group... The idea of Aki going over the line and killing someone... "You know... maybe..." She began hesitantly.

Above her black feathers started drifting down catching her attention, as a variety of black bird type spirits began to join them... They overcame the vines by slipping through them, gliding on the winds of the Duel Spirit world before arriving. Spiraling down to the Movement members, Witch could see the warriors beginning to try and pull off the vines as well.

'Oh I see, they're his spirits...' Witch realized, but at the same time she didn't want Black Garden to be damaged. "Aki, please, you don't 'have' to kill. Think of how that would make your daddy feel?" Witch coaxed as she flew up so that she was next to Aki's shoulder. "We could just gag them you know! Just fine tune the order a bit!" she offered encouragingly, before glancing nervously at Black Rose Dragon.

Who was staring directly at her. Right.

Witch meekly put Aki between herself and Black Rose Dragon while Isao dangled bonelessly from the vines that Aki had bound him by.

"I'm not going under someones' control that easily again," Aki replied in answer. While in the distance the faint sound of gasps could be heard from some of the Movement members. But Witch had a point, murder would put her on the level of the Movement wouldn't it? In her mind, unbidden images of Misty rose up. The woman's grief because Divine had murdered her younger brother. While at the same time Aki didn't recognize any of these people. She didn't know their families or stories, if there was anyone waiting for them at home.

"He can't use that hideous phrase again if he doesn't have a tongue," Black Rose Dragon pointed out.

While Archfiend stuck his head up just enough so he could get a look at the human... Last time he checked human mouths didn't open 'that' wide... "No, ew, she'd have to put her fingers in his mouth and no."

"No one asked 'you'," Black Rose hissed...

"Stardust! Yeah or Nay! Cutting out a human tongue!" Archfiend retorted, his gaze off to the side where Stardust had stayed to himself.

"Nay, what are you guys even doing?!" Stardust replied sounding disturbed from even being 'asked' such a question.

"Shut up!" Black Rose hissed at Archfiend before she tried to take a bite out of his head.

He barely stuck his head down and out of range in time before moving off to rejoin his partner. Gliding past that friend of Jack's, who was currently enamored with the sight of the avian spirits that had shown up.

"Are you guys... like my Duel Spirits? My deck?!" Crow asked in mounting excitement, as he saw one beaked face turn and look at him. Helping him as they were by keeping Movement alive allowed him to relax enough to be excited. And excited he was, just seeing the warriors and birds fluttering about as much as the kids were when they saw their Duel Spirits.

"Why don't you shut up about those overgrown feather dusters and help me you..." Jack started roaring out at Crow.

Causing the redhead to turn around and see that retorting would be mean, because... "Seriously... Jack you had 'one' leg to get loose!" his shoulders dropped in frustration as he stared at the cocooned blond. A root he placed his foot on gave as before but then continued 'giving'. Causing Crow's leg to sink between them comically as his Mark began to manifest with a sense of fatigue. 'Uh oh...' he thought as he hurriedly pulled his leg up.

Watching Crow fall was almost amusing until the feeling in Jacks' own arm started. A new concern began to grow in the back of the blonds' mind, a concern that Aki was getting tired. 'The fall won't kill us...' Jack thought, while watching Crow struggle over to him. 'No, the helicopter is probably over halfway back to the hospital...'

It was something positive that he could think about, even as his mind wanted to point out the time. That it would be down to a razor wire for the antidote to arrive in time.

"Can't you be nice?" Crow asked as he resumed trying to get Jack out of the cocoon of vines and roots that had held him. Occasionally casting a glance at the ceiling to ensure it didn't fall on them as well. "Though I mean, Isao hasn't made a peep... I'm just going to assume that Sis knocked him out when she whipped him..." Crow added under his breath.

It was low, but not 'so' low that Jack couldn't hear the words and recognize what Crow meant.

Aki had just caused roots to 'crack like a whip' and while the boys lacked a formal education. They were both well aware of the speed needed to create a sound of that magnitude. Which was a good deal more than what she used when she slammed Yusei into the concrete during their first encounter.

Naivety said that it would be no worse than just taking a serious spill on a motorbike, but Aki wasn't in the mood for 'accidents'. A glance over Crow's shoulder revealed that Isao 'still' hadn't moved, he was left dangling, now upside down by his ankles. Held up by roots before a very unamused Aki, who was also getting tired.

"We need to get out Jack. We need to get Aki and get out of here, but I don't know if we should bother with Isao. I mean, what about whatever grabbed them? What if it comes back?" Crow noted as he finally managed to get Jack's upper torso free.

"If she banished whatever it was that caused it... She won't be in a condition to do it again if it shows up soon," Jack elaborated for the redhead while the frown on the blonds' face felt like it was permanently etched in. "Our Marks didn't react to its presence, so whatever it is... Isn't our concern... directly. But you have a point."

"Well you're the heavier of the two of us, you get out, I'll grab Sis and we can meet up and discuss this outside..." Crow suggested as Jack was forced to wiggle, the absurdity of the fact no less, his way out of the roots.

"Fine, just be quick about it," Jack grumbled as Crow helped him climb out of the vines. Sinking only slightly, yet even as his feet finally touched the 'ground' it was half way up his shin, reminding him that Aki's power wasn't infinite. He had to step 'up' and even then his legs started sinking down again.

Crow was barely doing any better, though he looked more like he was struggling through a ball pit in his effort to reach the rose duelist. But his smaller, lighter frame was keeping him from disappearing into the roots. "Hey Sis! We need to go! Come on!" He urged, wishing she would turn around to look at him. If nothing else it would have been comforting to see her face, and her sanity in her eyes...

"I'm not done!"

'Damn woman...' Jack thought, praying that the helicopter would make it in time. Then he could just beat the hell out of Yusei until the idiot trained his woman better. Yet it was the heat of that anger that helped push the guilt and fears of his own thoughts away. He needed mental distraction as he realized that with the helicopter gone, someone was going to have to wait while Crow made a round trip to Crash Town.

Thus he fumbled his way across the ground, realizing the length of the shadows and unspoken measure of time it presented. While just the struggle to climb across the floor back outside to the safety of the solid ground was becoming taxing. He pushed ahead, simply because he had no choice, but at least now he could look forward to the next headache.

Aki was alive!

And somewhere there was an urn with the ashes of a stranger misnamed for Aki. Guilt rose up as bile in the back of Jack's throat. Acidic anger that was rekindled as he thought about some possibly innocent woman being murdered for a stunt to steal Aki. Steal Aki, infect Yusei to kill him... "You know what, my fist wants a word with this group too..." Jack called out as he turned away from their exit in growing irritation.

"Jack just go outside!" Crow called out annoyed, as he finally was able to reach Aki. Grabbing her wrist left him tugging her towards the door as well.

Leaving Jack begrudgingly obeying, but his few steps away from the door left him tripping forward as he tried to go 'back' to the door. It was still open and in the distance Jack caught sight of the box. That same box that held the precious antidote needed to administer to Yusei... still here? "Crow? Why the hell did you leave the box outside? Didn't they take it on the helicopter?"

"What?" Crow called back in confusion. "What helicopter? Why would I bring it back in? What good would that do?"

Suddenly Jack felt a cold hand grab his stomach and rip it out of him. Winded he began more frantically trying to reach the door, unable to believe what he was hearing. "The helicopter you dumb ass?! How the hell do you think Aki got here?!" 'No... no no nononono...' Jack felt the gentle breeze and the motivation to move both catch fire and die at the same time. No helicopter? How 'did' Aki get here without it? She must have taken a portal... she must have done something to get here so fast!

He stumbled to the door, and leaned against the frame as his gaze raked across the horizon before him. Arid land stretched as far as he could see with only a slight blemish to hint at maybe Crash Town. Wind blew long and low, kicking the dust up but the ground showed no sign of a helicopter landing.

'Of course not dumb ass, its dirt. What do you think? When a helicopter lands it leaves a stamp to say it was here?' A snide voice of reason snarked in the back of his mind. No car tracks to indicate a car of any type had driven here. Even if it had, a car didn't have the speed needed to get back to the hospital... 'Crow must have realized the futility...' logic dictated in the back of his mind.

In a moment of anger he tore the door off its hinges and flung it to the ground in frustration. It hit the ground kicking up dust into the air. It swirled up and began drifting down causing Jack to close his eyes unless he wanted to be blinded by sand. The metallic edging clashed roughly with the concrete walkway that lead to the meager parking area. A sound that had nothing to rebound off of thus another sad reminder of how far they were from anywhere.

They had been so close they told themselves. Even when they both knew they were much too far away. Somehow they were going to have to go back to Neo Domino and face the twins and their failure. No more big heroes moment. No more hot blooded teens to save the day. Jack swallowed the painful lump in his throat as he had to face the fact that the failed.

"Well that door is never going to say a cross word to you again..."

Jack rubbed at his eyes in irritation to get the sand off, wondering who had spoken. A glance, then look, to his left revealed Stardust Dragon sitting there. Just hearing that casual tone and hearing Yusei as he was as a child all over again... It just hurt so much.