Written: 24/11/19
Author's Note: Would you look at that. Another chapter from out of the blue. =3 Not sure when I'm going to update Book 1 again. Hopefully next time. Please enjoy this chapter! =D
~*The real Marik finally showed himself, but not long after he was revealed, an even greater evil took hold. What will be our heroes' final forms?*~
Disclaimer!: Fanfiction, and I do NOT get any money out of it either. Thanks. ^^
Battle City - New Evil Emerges, Old Friends Reunite - Chapter 44
~The Pharaoh~
An intense heaviness pooled within my chest. An unbearable ache was settling in my heart. I had never experienced such pain before, and for the first time in this new life, the back of my eyes started to sting.
Was this what loss felt like? Did I just lose the only person who understood who I was and where I came from?
Did I just lose Sarah?
Sarah had always done her best as my Guardian, but her companionship was far more important to me. Her compassion held no bounds. She openly expressed her concerns and fought for what was right. It was the strength of her courage to fight so hard for what she believed in that drew me to her even more. I wanted to know more about her, and after spending so much time together in the Battle City Tournament, I believed we had gotten closer than when we first met.
But in the blink of an eye, in the time it took for us to take a breath, she was gone. The one person who I believed could stand next to me as I faced my enemies… had disappeared from my sight.
Téa collapsed onto her knees with despair, her hands covering her mouth as she cried out with utter shock. Mai, Duke, and Serenity stood next to her, trying to understand what had happened, pained expressions haunting their faces. Tristan and Joey were kneeling by Odion's unconscious form, their eyes wide and unable to process the event.
Eric frantically searched over the railing for any signs of the Guardian hanging on to something - anything that her fast reflexes could have grabbed in time. When he couldn't see any of her hair wavering in the wind, he stepped back from the railing in defeat.
"There's no way… "
A deafening quiet fell onto the platform.
I could feel Yugi's sadness begin to grow in my own heart. His spirit form floated into view and his violet eyes, on the verge of tears, gazed up at me with disbelief.
We were hundreds of feet in the air with the city plastered below us. Amongst the bright specks of light, Sarah had disappeared into the darkness.
Kaiba became furious. He didn't waste any time grieving for a fellow duelist. For a moment, I wondered if the man even had a heart, but perhaps anger was the only way he could show any emotion.
"Marik! You've crossed the line!"
The insane shadow of a man before us cackled maniacally at Kaiba's expression. "Finally… I am rid of her! The Pharaoh's right hand… is gone!" he cried to the heavens triumphantly. "No longer will the stench of her commonality poison the order of hierarchy!" After all that bravado about forcing Sarah to become his own Guardian once he won the power of the Pharaoh, he still did away with her. This was not the same man we met who named himself "Namu". It may have been the same cruelty that compelled us to duel in dangerous circumstances and bound us to the docks, but he was more corrupt.
My fists clenched so tightly, my knuckles turned white. Within another second, I grabbed Marik by the collar, surprised that I lost my composure.
"You monster!" I cried with a shout, though I doubted he would feel anything from such an insult. Those were the only words I could utter. I was as distraught as Kaiba, so furious myself, that I could not falter. I could not show Marik that I was weakened.
Sarah wouldn't have wanted me to.
Marik merely smirked at my attempts. I wished to throw him over the blimp myself, but seeing Sarah's face in my mind pulled me back. I couldn't fall to the same level as this evil man who has haunted us. "Our ultimate destiny is to duel each other," he stated simply. "Your Guardian was simply in my way, whether she became my own servant or not. Even though her duty would have been to serve the one holding the title of Pharaoh, she would have harboured vengeance in her heart once I took your crown. I cannot trust her."
I was hot with rage.
As my grip on his collar tightened, his taunting expression grew even more insulting. I despised the deriding look he was giving me.
"Strange for a Pharaoh to show so much emotion for a lost soldier."
"Sarah is not a soldier."
"That's right. She was your personal shield!"
"She is not that either, Marik!"
At his words, Marik chuckled quietly. "You seem to be rather fond of your Guardian," he said, making the hair on the back of my neck stick up. "You do not think of her as such, do you!"
I wished I had the courage to throw him over the blimp myself, but Yugi - who could feel my intentions - knew that wasn't a good idea and held me back.
"Yugi, let go of him. I'm calling the police." Kaiba was already dialing the number on his phone. "We need to land. Mokuba, tell the pilots to prepare for descent over a safe location."
When he received no response, Kaiba glanced towards his younger brother to find him as still as a statue. His deep purple eyes were glued to the railing where Sarah was flung. He was in absolute shock. I was sure that Mokuba cared for Sarah for her kind nature, and the way she helped him escape back at the warehouse.
Suddenly, from within the silence, there was a shing. A streak of silver whirred past me, pinning Marik's violet cape to the blimp, startling the both of us. I recognized the projectile immediately.
It was a dagger with an emerald hilt.
Everyone's eyes followed the source of the projectile to see a familiar figure floating above the blimp. Gentle white wings made from small whirling spirals of air sprouted from her back, and her bright scarlet eyes were dark with fury.
Sarah was alive.
"How… but we saw…" Joey was at a loss for words. Tristan rubbed his eyes and looked up at the flying Guardian once more, wondering if she really was hovering ten feet in the air above them.
Sarah slowly descended, landing on her feet with a quiet leap. Even though her demeanor appeared calm, I could tell that inside her heart, her anger knew no bounds.
She was doing her best to not kill Marik right then and there.
"I should have known," Marik sneered. "You are the Gods' favourite, after all."
The redhead took a deep breath, as if calming all her emotions, and reached out to grab my hand. I thought she was going to punch Marik in the face, but she continued to hold her composure. Her touch was warm, and immediately my body relaxed and I let go of Marik's collar. With one look into her burning scarlet eyes, I could see that I didn't have anything to worry about.
She wasn't a ghost. She was really here.
The heaviness in my chest disappeared.
Sarah faced Marik, and instead of cursing him out, she started speaking in a different tongue. The words touched my ear, and I expected confusion, but I could understand them very well, just like the time she spoke to Bakura back in Duelist Kingdom.
"Sawf taeud 'iilaa alzili min 'ayn 'atayt."
You will go back to the shadows from whence you came.
I never heard Sarah's voice so dangerously low before.
Marik simply chuckled mockingly at the Guardian and leaned in close to Sarah's face, his dark violet eyes threatening her quietly.
"That would be quite difficult, little pest… seeing as how I am the shadows."
He yanked at his robe and the small dagger that was pinning it down skittered to Eric's feet.
"I am the darkness that fueled my former self's heart, ever since he was a child. I am the cause of his rage and his power. I am the real Marik… the dark Marik!"
"What have you done to the man whose body you are possessing?" asked Sarah, never once lowering her glare.
"Gone…" he chuckled darkly. "Thanks to that fool over there who angered the gods by playing a fake card!"
"Odion was keeping you from taking over Marik completely," I realized.
"Only duelists chosen by the Gods themselves can wield the god cards," said Marik proudly. "That fool Odion had no such connections, but perhaps I was instigating his failure behind the shadows…
"Now that I am finally free… I can duel the Pharaoh for his power myself!"
"This tournament is an official event," stated Sarah abruptly. "You cannot force your way."
"Hush, little pest," snickered Marik. The jeer on his face was disturbing. "I will have my duel with the Pharaoh… by crushing everyone else in my path! I will win back Slifer the Sky Dragon, and I will also win Obelisk the Tormentor from Kaiba!"
That's right… Mokuba told me that Kaiba had Obelisk… While being so focused on Marik, I had completely forgotten.
There was no chance of me facing Marik in the next round - because this was still only the first round of the finals. He has yet to duel, while I already had a match with Bakura. Which means he will be up against someone else very soon.
And that person, whoever it may be, will have to be very strong to stand up against this darkness.
"We need to get Odion down to his room!" shouted Joey, breaking through our heavy conversation. "He isn't waking up!"
"Sarah, let us go with them," I said. She was still holding my hand, but quite tightly.
"Right," she said, her voice quiet yet firm as she turned away from the man. "Now that he is awakened, there's nothing we can do but duel him when the time comes."
"You have nothing left to do but cower," sneered Marik, as if correcting her. "Cower in fear of the darkness that is about to destroy you. You will have no powers against me!"
I knew who that last threat was for. I turned to see Sarah's expression, but she refused to let Marik's words get to her. She held her composure, which I may have thought was surprising for a fleeting moment because of her fiery anger. However, when I felt her hand slip from mine as we got closer to the others, I discovered my own fingers grasping for hers.
Sarah looked back towards me, surprise evident in her harsh scarlet eyes. I bet my own mirrored hers. I wasn't entirely sure where the urge for me to reassure her of Marik's words came from. Why would I reach for her hand? I was aware that she had held onto mine to prevent me from making an emotional decision, but what was the reason for my actions?
"Pharaoh?"
Sarah's voice was gentle, and I became painfully aware of how much I would have missed that voice had she not come back. For the first time since I was reborn into this world, silently in my heart and making sure not to show any concern, I thanked the gods for her safety.
It was strange for me to feel this way. Out of all the times where Sarah got hurt, this was different. She had disappeared from my view so suddenly, and it reminded me of how much I was taking her presence for granted.
Sarah's existence was important to me. Was I bound to her? No… but we were a team. I could not see myself learning about my past and defeating the evils challenging us without her.
I found myself saying the one thing that I felt was important for her to know:
"I am glad that you are alright…"
Sarah's eyes softened a bit, but before she could say much, Eric interjected with the emerald hilted dagger in his outstretched hand.
"We need to talk."
~Sarah~
My fingers were still warm after the boys helped to bring Odion down to his room. I wanted to concentrate on the reason why but it was quite difficult.
"How did you make the wings?"
"I concentrated all the air behind me into small whirls, and then when they're in opposite directions, I can keep my balance in the air. They were different sizes depending upon what part of my back they were over."
"How did you get over the blimp?"
"I used the momentum from the fall to curve under the blimp and come up from the other side. That's why I appeared so high up instead of just over the side."
"Is there a limit to how long you can fly?"
"I can only fly for a limited time. It expends a lot of energy so I only use it for emergencies."
"... This was quite the emergency."
"Yes… it was…"
After everyone had calmed down from my reappearance act, we were standing in front of Odion's room, waiting for the Pharaoh, Joey, and Tristan to finish speaking to the doctor about Odion's condition. I was pelted with questions about my powers, because I didn't once mention that I had the ability. Not explicitly, anyways, but I suppose they knew now.
I had mixed feelings about that man. On one hand, he impersonated a dangerous madman in order to deter our attention away from his cover. On the other hand, based on my interpretation of his last few words, he was the only one with the ability to keep the darkness in Marik's heart from taking over. Now that he was unconscious, an evil awakened and gave rise to a darker being. I wasn't sure how to feel. My mind was racing from these developments, and there was hardly enough time to internalize it all.
I thought about the markings on his face again, and wondered where his loyalties truly lie.
Eric scratched the side of his head, trying to wrap his head around the idea behind it.
"Could you show me on paper how the physics work?"
I stared at him. "It's magic," I said defensively. "I don't know magic physics."
"Sarah, you're a terrible student."
"Okay, let me try to explain. I imagine the particles of each of the elements-"
"See? There's some physics right there!"
"-and then I tell those particles to move."
"... Now you lost me."
"How is that so hard to understand?"
"I think…" began Duke. "Eric is asking about the physics behind you telling the particles to move."
"Oh…" I blinked and tried to think back to what Master Mahad had described it as. "It's kind of like… becoming one with the energy that's embedded within those particles. That's how you're able to will those particles to move using your own energy."
"Sarah, I apologize."
"How come?"
"I still don't understand."
"Maybe we aren't meant to understand," suggested Duke. "Mind you - it is five thousand-year-old magic. There's just no such thing in this day and age."
"Looks like you're special, Sarah," said Téa.
It was interesting that Téa said that, because there were quite a few magicians in Egypt. Master Mahad had many students, and all of them had the ability to do magic. It just depended upon whether or not they were willing to work hard to get to a point they wanted to be at.
"It's analogous to studying at school," I said, trying to form some kind of connection. "It's just another discipline."
"I wish our school had magic classes," said Téa.
"Sarah could have been your teacher," teased Eric.
"Speaking of schools… Eric, which high school do you go to?"
"I don't think now is a good time for that discussion…"
As soon as Eric said that, the door to Odion's room opened. Joey was the one who stepped out to meet us with a solemn look haunting his face.
"It doesn't look good for him."
We started making our way into his room, concerned for the man's safety, when the Pharaoh suddenly blocked my way. The others noticed the tense air between us.
Why was it so tense?
"I must speak with you," said the Pharaoh. I searched his eyes for any hints as to what this was about, but he showed no sign. I nodded towards the others.
"We'll only be a minute," I said.
After exchanging glances with one another, they piled into Odion's room to get a rundown of his diagnosis by the onboard doctor. Eric lagged behind, peeking ever so discreetly towards the Pharaoh and me, before finally disappearing into the room.
Even after the door slid closed behind them, the Pharaoh didn't say a word. I did my best to be patient, and leaned against the opposite wall, waiting.
"We're glad that you're alright," he said quietly after a while, but before he could continue with what he wished to say next, Yugi's spirit form sprung into view from the Millennium Puzzle.
"Sarah!" His violet eyes were overjoyed.
I smiled at the sight of him. "I hope you weren't too sad, Yugi."
"Of course I was! But… at the same time, I kind of knew that you would be okay."
"Oh? I thought for sure you would have been just as worried as Téa."
A faint blush stained Yugi's cheeks. "I-It's not like that," he said sheepishly. "It's just… you fight so hard to come back to the Pharaoh every time, that even though I was worried, I knew you'd find your way back. Is that strange?"
"I don't think so," I said. Yugi's words had made me happy. It meant that he trusted me. "But I did have a lot of help most of the time. You helped me after the sword fight. Téa fought for me at the warehouse. Kaiba, Eric, and Tristan helped me back at the docks. The Pharaoh…"
My thoughts went a little fuzzy as I thought about the Pharaoh. He actually helped me a lot. We supported each other during many instances along the way, and it was hard to choose one as an example.
"Everyone's support… helped me to do what I could."
"We didn't help you fly, though."
"That was more or less all me."
Yugi and I shared a small laugh. It was times like these that made me more confident in my abilities. I always managed a comeback, one way or another, and it helped to have a group of friends at my side. I wouldn't have been able to do everything without them.
"I can sense the Pharaoh becoming restless," said Yugi suddenly. "I think he wants to talk to you about Marik."
"Dark Marik," said the Pharaoh. "He is not the same man who mind-controlled Joey. Not in the slightest."
"If this Marik - if Dark Marik - was the one who mind-controlled Joey back at the docks, he wouldn't have hesitated to drown everyone by his own hands," I said.
"Precisely. Seeing as how he wishes to duel me for the power of the Pharaoh, he will be forced to follow through with tournament rules."
"Officially, yes. He must prove himself."
"No doubt he will enforce Shadow Duel rules on whoever his next opponents are going to be," said Yugi.
"We still have a lot of people left in the first round of duels," I said. "He could have his duel against any one of those players."
"Legally, though… is he still allowed to play?" asked Yugi.
"Unfortunately, he can." We turned to find Kaiba walking towards us with Mokuba at his side.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "He lied about who he was."
"Namu and Odion lied about who they were," said Kaiba. Even though he was defending his Battle City rules, he was doing it with a look of disdain. He wasn't too happy about the circumstances either. "As far as arguments could go, Dark Marik is a completely different player."
"That's not fair," I said bluntly.
"It isn't, but I suppose this is the perfect time to decide who the strongest duelist is."
Now that he brought up the notion of being a strong duelist, questions that I had wanted to ask him about how he obtained Obelisk the Tormentor emerged to the surface. How did he come to obtain it? Did someone give it to him?
Before I could say anything, Mokuba spoke up.
"I'm glad you're okay, Sarah!" he said cheerfully, his adorable smile melted my heart. "Seto thinks the same, by the way."
"Mokuba, please refrain from putting words in my mouth," said Kaiba sternly. With a swift turn of his heel, he marched back towards the elevator.
"I wasn't worried for a second."
"Wait, Kaiba! I wanted to ask about Obelisk-"
"You'll see him in play soon enough."
Mokuba ran to catch up to his brother. "We'll see you guys in the lobby!" I waved to him until the elevator doors closed.
"Well, that was a short visit," I said. "Why do you suppose Kaiba came all the way here just to go back?"
"My guess is he wanted to make sure you were okay," said Yugi. "He isn't very direct with his emotions, if you haven't guessed."
"Very funny." I did know that Kaiba had a strange way to show that he cared, but I still thought he would talk to us more about the tournament.
"Perhaps he wished to also bring attention to the fact that Dark Mark's position in this tournament is unchanged due to his sudden appearance," suggested the Pharaoh. "We will not be able to have any more doubts about it now."
I sighed, still feeling uneasy about the whole thing. "This is going to be even tougher than before…" I admitted.
"It will be," said Yugi. "But if Sarah can fly back up from such a great height, then I'm sure we can defeat Dark Marik."
"You're making it sound like flying is difficult."
"For us normal humans, it is an unimaginable feat."
"Let us join the others," said the Pharaoh. "We should regroup."
Yugi and I agreed, and I followed the boys to Odion's room. When the door opened, chatter about a dream reached our ears.
"I'm tellin' you guys, it was the weirdest dream," said Joey.
"What's this about a dream?" I asked.
Tristan turned to me. "Joey's saying that while he was down, he dreamt of himself at school."
"You dream about school while you're unconscious?" I asked incredulously.
"Listen, alright!" cried Joey. "I couldn't get up. No matter what I tried, my legs wouldn't move. Then everyone lent me their hands and I was able to stand back up. At almost the same time, I woke up on the blimp, and I was standing. You guys helped me win the duel!"
I wasn't as surprised as the others. It wasn't the first time dreams affected reality - I had my own fair share, so I could speak from experience. "Sometimes our deepest desires are so strong they can appear in our dreams and end up affecting the world we live in. In your case, Joey, your wish for your friends to help in your dream actually helped you to stand back up in reality."
"Which let you win the duel," said Tristan. "Which means you're moving on to the next round."
"That's great and all, but…" Joey's fists clenched at his side. "That Marik guy doesn't even care that Odion's lying in a hospital bed."
"It's times like these when friends are needed the most," said Mai solemnly.
"What's the diagnosis?" I asked.
"He is in a coma," replied the onboard doctor. "Physically, he sustained minor injuries due to his sudden fall. However, his mind is in a stage of sleep. This case is similar to the other boy's."
"Ryou…"
"Yes."
"Thank you, doctor."
"Now we won't even be able to find out who this guy is," said Duke, as the doctor left with his clipboard.
"Could he be a Rare Hunter?" asked Téa.
"He didn't have a glowing eye on his forehead when he was awake," noted Joey. "And what got me during our duel was that it was an honourable one. He never once fought with the Shadow Realm behind him. He only ever showed his fake Millennium Item as a taunt."
"Odion must have been following Marik's orders," I said. "He may not have had any choice."
"Marik is awful…" said Serenity, her voice quiet. "He doesn't care about anyone, does he…"
"Odion was responsible for keeping Dark Marik at bay," said Eric as Joey placed a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. "Someone else cared enough to stay with him to the near-end."
"I wonder if that's what these mean…" I said, pointing out the hieroglyphs on his face. Since the beginning, when I first saw this man, I've been intrigued by his tattoos. At first, I thought they were about loyalty to Marik's cause. Now I think they were about loyalty to a relationship.
What was the relationship between Odion and Marik?
"It's almost time for Kaiba to choose the next two duelists," said Tristan. "We should get going."
"Alright, let's see who's next," said Joey. "I'm sure the doctor can check up on Odion and Ryou in the meantime."
As everyone began walking through the door, Mai perked up with a question.
"Joey, was I in your dream?"
Before the door slid closed, I saw the blond's face flush red. "W-Well… about that!" he stammered.
The door closed before I could hear his answer, and it was silent once again.
"Sarah, why are you still here?"
I turned to see the Pharaoh and Eric still with me.
"I…" My eyes wandered to Odion. I think they understood.
"You're wondering if this man is involved with the "Ishtar" name," said the Pharaoh, completing my thoughts. I slowly nodded.
Seeing Odion, and wondering about what his relationship to Marik could be, got me thinking about something Yugi, the Pharaoh, and I discussed a while ago, after the duel involving Arkana. Marik once mentioned that he was a Tomb Keeper, and as far as I understood, Ishizu and her family were the only ones who were Tomb Keepers.
They must have been connected, but I wasn't sure at all how.
I took a seat on the chair that was next to Odion's bed, wanting a closer look at the tattoos on his face. The man was definitely older than the rest of us, and he appeared even more ancient as he laid there. I had mixed feelings about him: I wanted to be upset that he was associated with Marik, but the part of me that felt sorry for him tugged at my heart even more.
"I wonder when the darkness in Marik first appeared…" I said aloud.
The Pharaoh exchanged glances with Eric.
"Have you tried calling Ishizu to ask her about all this?" asked the Pharaoh.
"I tried a couple times, but it always went straight to voicemail. She could be purposely ignoring me…"
"Why would you believe that?"
"Because…"
"Were you afraid of the answer?" asked Eric quietly. "Did you think that she had something to hide?"
I glared at him slightly. "You don't even know who we're talking about."
"I'm just trying to understand..."
"I know…" I admitted with a sigh. "I just don't know what to… I don't want to believe that at all, but…"
My eyes fell onto the details of the tattoo, and as soon as my brain managed to register what it was seeing, words dissipated from my lips.
"Sarah?"
"These markings… they don't just speak of loyalty… and it's not a tattoo - it's a carving…" My hand instinctively reached for my neck, right where my own mark was carved. Immediately, I tried to imagine the pain Odion must have gone through when he had the carvings done. Just the small circle on my neck was enough for me to handle - it was imbued with magic, after all. However, to have half of his face…
I just couldn't imagine after all...
"Carving?" asked the Pharaoh. "What does it say?"
"It has something to do with anger…" I touched the side of Odion's face and traced my fingers over the hieroglyphs as softly as I could. "It says…
"'By the dawn of light, I will have succeeded in the realm that which pertains to the human form. I am my master's servant. Not even the dark embers of hatred shall be sworn to take over…'"
"That sounds awfully hard to decipher…" commented Eric.
"Ancient Egyptian doesn't always transfer over word-for-word into English," I replied. "Then again, most languages don't. Basically… it means Odion had pledged himself to seal Marik's hatred away…"
"What could Marik have hated so much that darkness was born into his heart?"
"I don't know… but whatever the reason was for him to do this, Odion was very worried that Marik's hatred would get out of control. So he did his best to hold it back."
I thought about Dark Marik taking over. The transformation had sent chills up my spine, not to mention the trip off the blimp. What could Marik have hated so much for a presence such as that to be born? It must have been an intense hatred, for the darkness itself had burrowed deep in his heart.
"All the more reason to stop him," said the Pharaoh. "Hatred creates more hatred. It can escalate into something even more dangerous."
"You mean, Dark Marik can become… worse?"
"He can have more cards under the table than he's showing," I said.
Suddenly, the door to Odion's room opened. Salex was standing there with wide eyes and a hesitant fist floating in mid-air as if ready to knock. She looked nervous for a second as three pairs of eyes watched her skeptically, before she scratched her head with a sheepish grin.
"Erm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt…"
I exchanged glances with Eric and the Pharaoh. We didn't really make the effort to talk to Salex very much during the tournament because of everything that was going on. Even though in her eyes as a regular duelist, this was supposed to be a fun and challenging tournament, she has been a witness to some crazy events. She must have been very curious, but scared to ask many questions. We haven't been pestered, but then again, she could just be scared of us.
Then why would she have looked for us?
"It's alright," said Eric, moving forward. "My name's Eric. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself properly earlier."
A gentle blush stained the girl's cheeks as she shook his hand. I could imagine why she suddenly felt so shy in front of Eric: he always made sure to have his charm level up high. He was also quite handsome, so I wondered if all girls swooned when they met him.
I blinked. Did I just admit the boy was handsome?
I grew embarrassed at my own thoughts.
"It's nice to meet you," she said cheerily. "I know some things have happened, but I just wanted to come see if everyone was alright."
"That's very kind of you, Salex," said the Pharaoh. "Odion is unfortunately still unconscious, and will continue to be due to the stress on his brain. And Sarah… well, she is in one piece, thankfully."
"Eheh." The Pharaoh was trying to tease me. Since when did such a habit develop? I suppose he has always teased me in some sense throughout the tournament, but he was becoming… too comfortable with it.
"I'm sorry about Odion," said Salex. "And I'm glad that Sarah is alright… But why would we even have to worry about Sarah in the first place? I-I mean… what's going on for that to happen?"
"There are lots of things going on…" I said. "Unfortunately, too much."
"Is it okay for me to ask about it?"
"It gets… quite complicated…"
Salex pressed her fingers together. "I understand… it's not like any tournament that I've ever seen. And I guess… I wonder… if I'm…"
Immediately, thoughts clicked together. I realized just why Salex was so anxious.
"Salex… you have nothing to worry about."
I was by her side in just a few seconds, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You are not in any danger with us around," I said carefully, making sure to look her in the eyes, so she wouldn't have any doubt. "There are a lot of people involved, and things can get dangerous, but you are not going to be affected. I can promise you that."
I wanted to tell Salex that she wasn't a "target", but I was afraid that might scare her. She wasn't going to be, because she wasn't part of Marik's focus. However, language was important, and for someone who was already apprehensive, it could mean anything from comfort to self-destruction.
I didn't want another innocent soul caught up in all this. I felt bad enough that Yugi and the others were involved, and now Eric was too. That was the last straw.
Salex seemed to relax a little bit from my words, which I was glad for. "I see…" she said with a sigh. "So I'm not in the way…"
I blinked. What did she mean by that?
"You remind me of someone…"
"I do?" I asked curiously.
"I used to know someone who would fight against all odds. They did everything they could to make sure the people around them were safe. They were pretty strong too, and against everything I thought was impossible, they would stand tall and do whatever they could to win..."
"Sounds like a person who cared a lot about you," I said, my voice becoming quiet. I didn't like the way she spoke about this person in the past tense.
Salex's energy suddenly dissipated, like air being released from a balloon. "They did," she said. "I did too, but… I lost them."
"Salex, I'm sorry…"
She shook her head and grinned, however, it looked quite forced. "Still, I'm doin' my best! Trying to follow in their footsteps is very hard though."
"I'm glad," I said with a smile. "That's the best way to keep someone's memory alive. And you should keep trying! Nothing feels better than triumph after facing something that seems impossible."
For a fleeting moment, a pained expression touched her face. I thought I shouldn't have said what I did, but her cheery attitude returned.
"Seeing you definitely made me feel stronger!"
We're the same… I thought about my brother, who even at such a young age, tried his best in everything that he did. I could only remember him as a young teenager disappearing into a sandstorm that never existed. He vanished so suddenly that my mind filled in the gaps of a war with nothing but sand.
I wonder… what my brother would have been like if he was here now… I tried to imagine him as a young adult. Maybe he would have a beard. Maybe he would cut off his hair entirely. He would have strong arms that could pull a cart of bricks. He would have fast legs that could fly him wherever he wanted. His kind eyes would have watched me carefully…
Something heavy fell on my chest and it was hard to swallow. He would have, but he wouldn't, because he wasn't here anymore.
I shook my head, making it look like I was answering Salex's comment, but I was mostly doing it to stop myself from falling into a pit of despair. "I only did what was necessary…" I said solemnly. The Pharaoh stood behind me, his arm gently touching my back.
"I believe we can both agree that Sarah can be quite strong," he said to Salex. Enthusiastically, the other nodded.
"I wonder what she's like when she's angry?"
"Oh, trust me," piped Eric. "You don't wanna know."
The diversion was much needed, and I appreciated the boys for making it happen. I was about to show some unwanted emotions, ones I thought I had buried a while ago. However, after seeing Salex almost break down from thinking about the person important to her, I understood that the pain never actually goes away. What matters is what we do with the burdens we're carrying.
"H-Hey, I'm not that bad when I'm angry…" The Pharaoh stayed quiet as I stared at him.
"I-I'm not, am I?"
"Sarah, I will have to admit that - at certain times - you are most certainly an emotional adversary."
My eye twitched at the thought of me ruling with an iron fist and an irritable look on my face. Eric noticed the twitch and gently poked my cheek to make it stop.
Salex giggled at the gesture. "Sarah, I didn't know we had something like that in common," she said.
"You don't seem like the type to get upset as badly as me..."
"Definitely not. But… with what we talked about before…"
I see… she means we both lost someone close to us…
"Yeah…" I felt that Salex and I could have gotten along rather well if we weren't so caught up with the tournament. Already, with just this one conversation, I understood her a little bit more. Such was the reason for her smiling all the time: it was to make sure she didn't break down.
"I know exactly how you feel, Salex."
I thought it was nice for us to finally have a proper conversation, even though it was so personal.
Suddenly, a rapid pace of footsteps resounded through the hallway, and Tristan burst into the room. He was out of breath, and he looked troubled. Immediately, I turned on my heel, sensing that something was wrong.
"It's Mai," he said. "She's gonna go up against Marik."
My heart dropped into my stomach. This wasn't what I wished for at all, even though somewhere in my heart I knew it was a possibility. I didn't want Mai to duel Marik, because I knew what it meant for her:
A Shadow Game.
"Mai's going up against Marik?" asked Eric, his maroon eyes wide. "She's a strong duelist. She'll kick his ass!"
"She will need all the support she can get," said the Pharaoh. "Let's go, Sarah."
"On it. Sorry, Salex, we'll have to keep talking later."
As I have done many times in the ancient past, as soon as the Pharaoh ran out the door, I followed after him. Eric and Salex were right on our tail. My chest grew heavy as we neared the elevator.
Author's Note: This chapter may have been a little slow (and short!), but I wanted to include some important points here! I'm sure you've figured out which ones I mean. ;)
Near the beginning of writing this fan fiction, I thought I had to follow the anime as best as I could. However, over the years, I have begun to realize that it's more important to develop my own story. This may seem intuitive to most, but it took me a while to realize. I'm glad I've changed things around. =) Even though it's a fan fiction, I'm so glad I can write out my own version of it just to get my ideas out there. Writing this fan fiction has also helped me to develop my own sense of person and improve my writing. =D
Anyways. Enough about little ol' me. =3 Please feel free to leave a review if you'd like! Thanks for reading. =D
~xyugiohluvrx