Chapter Seven
Bakura looked furious beyond anything Akeno had seen before. His eyes pierced through her like daggers. He looked ready to jump from the platform and murder her. Akeno's breathing became shaky and fear arose in her chest. She sunk to her knees, tears stinging her eyes as she stared up at him.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered, even she could barely hear herself.
He continued to glare at her and then said in an equally low but menacing voice, "You will regret this."
She gulped. I already do!
"Akeno," Yugi called to her. "Don't be afraid of him. He can't hurt you."
She bowed her head and hugged herself.
"Please listen, Akeno," Yugi implored. "Step away from him."
She shut her eyes and tried to block out his voice. What he was saying was suicide.
"Bakura! What have you done to her?!" Yugi demanded.
He laughed. "She is not your concern," he said dismissively. "Now, make your move or surrender!"
"Never! I'll defeat you for her sake! I summon Kuribo in defense mode. Now my Dark Magician Girl, attack his life points directly!"
"Dark ghost, counter attack!" Bakura shouted.
The spirit sprang from the Dark Magician Girl's back and attacked Yugi.
"What's going on?" Yugi asked confused.
"She was possessed," Bakura explained, smirking. "With each turn I can choose a different monster for my spirit to possess and now you lose even more life points. But fortunately they get added to my own; my Dark Sanctuary is full of surprises! And since your turn is over, you know what's about to happen!"
"What? Tell me!" Yugi shouted.
"Destiny Board gets another letter!"
Akeno looked up in time to see the pointer move.
"And the second letter is 'E'."
"Only three letters left…" Yugi started, "Wait!"
"Yess?" Bakura drawled.
"Our duel disks only have five slots which means only five magic cards can be in play at once and each of your letters is one. So as long as your Dark Door card is in play, you can't spell out the entire word."
Maybe Yugi can win! If Bakura's plan doesn't work then-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Bakura's laugh. "Very observant, Yugi but with Dark Sanctuary, I can play more than five magic cards."
"You mean your Dark Sanctuary allows you to play extra magic cards AND possess my monsters with an evil ghost?" Yugi asked incredulously.
"Yes and that is what makes me unstoppable. Yugi, your hope of winning is over and in three short turns you will be finished," Bakura laughed.
After a few minutes of thinking, Yugi decided his course of action. "Gamma the Magnet Warrior, attack!"
"You've triggered my trap, Dark Spirit of the Silent! This card stops your attack immediately. Did you honestly believe I'd let you attack my life points directly? Never! And once my trap card stops your warrior, it will make the Dark Magician Girl attack!"
"No!" Yugi shouted. "If Dark Magician Girl is possessed and she attacks you, I'll lose even more life points!"
Akeno couldn't watch any more. Yugi was down to seven hundred and fifty life points. How could he win this now?
"Behold, the trap card Collected Power!" Yugi said, playing a card. It forced Bakura's ghost into Kuribo and then Yugi destroyed his monster, taking the ghost with it.
Bakura was quiet for a bit and seemed to be thinking heatedly.
"Now I play monster reborn! Dark Necrofear, return! So say goodbye to your Dark Sanctuary," Yugi said.
Suddenly, the sky was visible again as his Dark Sanctuary was overcome by Dark Necrofear's presence.
"And now, you can no longer use more than five magic cards, this may foil some of your plans. Now I'll attack your life points directly with Dark Necrofear!"
Bakura growled as his life points decreased. "Now I'll add the forth letter…'T'."
"D-E-A-T, your word is death. It's too bad you'll never play the last letter. Look at your duel disk; you already have five cards in play. So if you want to play the last letter of your message, you must discard your Dark Door magic and its effect on my monsters, allowing me to attack more than once! My three monsters would wipe you out in one turn!"
"This…can't be true!" Bakura said in disbelief.
Can Yugi really win? Bakura actually seems surprised, like he didn't expect this!
"Now prepare yourself, Yugi. It's my move and this duel is far from over!"
She frowned. Whenever I start to feel hopeful…
He drew a card.
"Its all over, Yugi, the card I hold in my hand is the key to annihilating you!"
Bakura summoned a monster, sacrificed a card from his hand then used its effect to destroy Dark Necrofear. Once again the field was surrounded by Dark Sanctuary.
"I suggest you give up now, Yugi. Nothing you do can stop me from completing the Destiny Board! I shall reveal the last letter next turn and then you'll lose everything."
Now the ghost was back and Bakura was able to possess Yugi's monsters again. What made it all worse was Bakura's Dark Spirit of the Silent, even if Yugi managed to pick the card that wasn't possessed, Bakura could switch it so that the possessed monster attacks causing Yugi to lose life points.
"Can't you see? I've already defeated you; just make your move so I can end this duel."
Yugi closed his eyes in concentration and drew a card.
"Now, prepare to experience a power like no other!" Yugi suddenly shouted determination in his eyes. "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl, Gamma the Magnet Warrior and Big Shield Gardna to summon the almighty Slifer the Sky Dragon!"
Lightning shot through the arena and the Dark Sanctuary's veil dissipated immediately and a huge red dragon with two mouths coiled around the blimp. Akeno could've sworn she could feel its breath but dismissed it as the wind. Even she who wasn't dueling felt scared by it.
"Yugi, your Egyptian God card is power but it does not guarantee your victory. I've come much too far to lose now," Bakura growled.
"I'm afraid it's over," Yugi replied. "Slifer the Sky Dragon attack his…"
Yugi stopped mid sentence and turned to see Marik stroll out of the elevator. He was carrying a gold rod, Akeno noticed and when she looked closer she noticed it had an eye on it. Just like the one on Bakura's Millennium Ring! Then something clicked. Wait… did Bakura just call that monster an Egyptian God? So I wasn't imagining all the Egyptian references… But what does this all mean?!
"Perhaps you want to wait before you attack with Slifer the Sky Dragon," Marik said in a deep yet calm voice.
"What do you want, Marik?" Yugi asked suspiciously.
"Listen carefully," he started. "Bakura is now under the control of the Millennium Rod and will do only what I command him to do."
Millennium Rod?
"How can that be? I thought the Spirit of the Millennium Ring was in control of Bakura."
What the hell is going on?!
"I am in control of both Bakura and the spirit and now I shall prove it..."
Akeno looked at Bakura. He was glaring apprehensively at both Yugi and Marik. He seemed normal to her.
"…by freeing your friend's mind!" Marik finished.
Bakura's eyes widened and he fell to his knees in pain.
"My- my arm… it hurts," he said weakly.
Akeno couldn't believe what she was seeing. This… wasn't Bakura. It wasn't his nice guy act either… It was someone else entirely! She could do nothing but stare with her mouth gaping slightly.
"Yugi, help me. I don't know where I am. What am I doing here in this duel? What happened to my arm?"
"It is him!" Yugi said.
"He is in pain, without the Spirit of the Ring he is weak," said Marik. "Therefore, you may want to reconsider your attack. The devastation caused by Slifer the Sky Dragon could make your friend's condition even worse. Would you risk the health of your friend?"
"That's a cheap trick!" shouted Joey angrily.
"Ryou," Tristan called, "hang in there!"
Hold on… this is the REAL Bakura? Then… the whole time I've been talking to a spirit?
"I don't feel very well, Yugi," Ryou said sadly, still unable to stand.
"Ryou!" Yugi yelled and tried to make his way over to him.
"Stop right there," said the referee, "You're not allowed to have contact with your opponent during a duel. Take one more step and you'll be disqualified. If you don't continue to duel, you'll forfeit the match."
"Yugi, help," Ryou pleaded.
Akeno's heart pounded. The spirit… he was controlling that boy just like me only… he has it worse. The spirit is inside of him…
"Yugi," Kaiba said suddenly, causing Akeno to jump. She kept forgetting how close he was. "I'll make this decision easy for you, finish him off."
"I offer you a second warning," the ref said. "Make your move or lose your spot in the finals."
Akeno saw Joey out of the corner of her eye. He climbed up so that he was hanging over the platform. "Chill out buddy!" he shouted. "Can't ya see the poor guy's injured? C'mon! What kinda show you guys runnin' here?!"
"Get down or you will be disqualified from the finals as well!"
"What?!" Joey yelled. "Are ya kiddin' me? If I come down dere, he's not the only one that's gonna need medical attention! You will to-" He was cut off as Tristan and Duke pulled him down.
"Continue the duel now!"
This isn't fair! He's innocent!
"Please, someone else me. I don't feel well at all," Ryou implored. "I must lie down and get some rest. Please."
"Joey!" Akeno shouted, startling even herself. She quickly went over to him. "Help me up there now!"
"Huh? What are ya saying?"
Akeno took a breath. I'm sure of this! "If Yugi or you help, you'll be disqualified but I'm not a duelist. What's the worst they can do? Send me to bed without dinner?" I already went through that… She looked up at the boy called Ryou. "He's scared and confused. Let me help him!"
Joey grinned. "I like how ya think!" He hoisted her up and helped her up over the rail, being careful where exactly he placed his hands.
"Akeno?" Yugi said surprised.
"Miss, you have to get down!"
"Or what?!" she yelled at the ref who seemed unsure what to do.
She ran over to Ryou and knelt beside him. "It's okay. You're going to be alright."
Ryou looked up at her, confused. "T-thank you but… who are you?"
She was taken back. He really is someone else… he has no idea who I am.
"A friend," she said at last and embraced him as he winced in pain.
"Mr. Kaiba?" the ref asked.
Kaiba snorted. "Just get on with it. We've wasted enough time."
"It's your move!" the ref told Yugi.
Akeno didn't want to turn around and face Yugi's monster. She was scared even if it wasn't real. "It's going to be alright, I'm here for you," she said hoping that her voice didn't shake.
"How touching…" Ryou said in a low voice. "Better late than never but don't think you'll get off lightly, girl."
She froze. It couldn't be… She pulled back slightly to look at him. Two unfeeling eyes stared back into her own frightened ones. She screamed and fell back as he stood.
"I'm back, Yugi!" Bakura said, laughing.
"It's you!" Yugi exclaimed.
"That's right and I'm back in control of your friend Bakura! I still need him so if you're still planning on using your Egyptian God, why don't you use it on me right now?! C'mon Yugi!" he shouted raising his arms.
"Alright! Now go, Slifer the Sky Dragon. Attack!"
Bakura's insane laughter was the last thing Akeno heard and the bright light of Slifer's attack was the last thing she saw as her body gave in and she passed out beside…she didn't even know who.
AN: Note at the bottom! It'd kind of spoil it if it was at the top lol 'Oh sorry about Bakura losing...' No point in reading it then lol. But yeah, sorry. I wanted him to win too but it would have ended all too soon. It would've went like this:
(Destiny Board spells out DEATH)
Bakura: haha i win! give me your god and puzzle!
Yami: no ive failed T.T
B: yes and now youll die! (pulls out dagger) (stab stab stab!)
Y: XD
Others: noooo yugi!
B: haha (sends them to shadow realm)
Marik: wtf are you doing?! O.O
B: winning! (stabs him and takes the rod and ra then takes obby from kaiba's lifeless body)
B: muuuhahahaha! with this power i rule the world! :D
Akeno: shit im really screwed now -.-
THE END.
Yeah, that would've been too easy. Consider that the alternate ending. Hope you liked the chapter!