Dark Magic Rising

A/N:Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi; this story is my own... / = communication with yami or through the Shadow Realm (like when Yami sent a message to Pegasus in "Give Up The Ghost.")

Dark Magic Rising
Evil Overlady

~ Chapter 2 ~

"Come, Lady of Isis... Where have you hidden yourself this night...?" Hery-Sesheta muttered, moving his hands over old hieroglyphs.

He caught a flash of people in white jackets, heard the commotion of serious conversations... and the beeps of a heart monitor...

"A hospital... Of course..." Hery faded into the shadows.

He emerged out of the dark corner of a room, where the teenage girl was resting peacefully in bed. Nearby, her rescuer and one other were sound asleep in their chairs.

The other reminded Hery of the pharaoh, though much too small and innocent-looking. ...Yet the Millennium Puzzle hung on a chain around his neck.

Hery's eyes narrowed. He would not let him interfere!

Hery walked up to him. Invitation to a Dark Sleep. He set the card on the boy's lap as a little wraith-like creature swam up from the black-misted floor and encircled the spike-haired kid. That will hold you...

Hery faced the bed. And now priestess...

A small light on her neck shone. No! She's obtained the necklace!

Blue eyes snapped open, and she was off the bed in a fluid motion Hery had not seen in a long, long time... Oh, Tiye...

"Hery... So, Téa was right. It was you... What do you want?"

"You." He put out his hand peacefully. "Come quietly, Tiye..."

She eyed it then met his eyes. "I think not."

Hery blinked innocently. "Do you not trust me?"

"I did once," she told him truthfully. "But that was a long time ago. You attacked my... my aibou. That makes you my hefety, my enemy, no matter what I think..."

"Tiye..."

"Bakura!" she yelled.

The white-haired teenager snapped awake.

Hery pulled a card.

Téa's and Tiye's minds merged. "No!" She lunged for Hery.

He elbowed her away. "Swords of Revealing Light!"

The force of his blow sent her crashing through the window.

"Téa!" Bakura and the pharaoh yelled, but Yugi was trapped in shadow and Bakura in blades of light.

"Isis, help me..." Tiye gasped.

A hand grabbed hers.

It was Hery. "Priestess... Join me in the dark..."

"No!" Téa shrilled, trying to pull away.

"Release her!" Bakura demanded, but there was nothing he could do short of a Weather Report card, and by then she was gone.

"Help me..." the last of her words echoed in the room before she disappeared.

Seto Kaiba was typing intently on his computer, the soft glow of the screen bathing the room in a moonlight-like shade.

Slow, unsteady bare feet came into the room. Seto's young brother rubbed a fist in his eye. "Uh... Big Brother... What are you doing up so late?" He tried to stifle a yawn.

Seto set his jaw, knowing how contagious yawns could be. "Go back to bed, Mokuba. I'll be along in a little while. Just finishing up on a project someone gave me at the last minute..."

"Project?" Mokuba repeated. He'd known his big brother too long; unless it was something really life-or-death important Seto would've told whoever it was to shove it and get back to the CEO in the morning...

More footsteps came down the hall, and Kaiba reached for the hidden knife in his boot. Someone was after Téa, connected to the Millennium Items, and used Shadow Magic (even if he didn't believe in that sort of thing)... Seto would not be unarmed this night!

"Mr. Kaiba." One of the guards entered his office. "A Mr. Bakura and Mr. Mouto are at the front gate demanding to see you. Shall I get rid of them?"

"Ryou and Yugi?" Mokuba repeated curiously.

"No, let them in," Kaiba ordered. "Bring them up here."

"Yes, sir." The guard snapped his heels together and left.

"Seto, what's going on?" Mokuba demanded, suddenly very much awake.

"Please, go back to bed, Mokuba," Kaiba repeated, exasperated. "It's late and you have school on Monday."

"So do you," Mokuba countered, crossing his arms.

Seto groaned. "It's nothing. It doesn't have anything to do with us..."

Yugi came running down the hall, Ryou not far behind. "How's it coming on that research, Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

"I told you, I'd drop off the results tomorrow."

"Tomorrow can't wait," Ryou interjected, then both of their Millennium items glowed.

Oh, no... Kaiba slapped a hand to his forehead. Yami, go away!

"He took her," the spirit of the Millennium Ring reported.

"Who?" Mokuba wondered.

"Yami..." Kaiba warned.

"Téa," the pharaoh answered.

Now, I owe you... Kaiba growled. "Mokuba, go with Bakura downstairs and get me some coffee." He glared at the spirit of the Millennium Ring. "And if you lay one hand on my silverware..."

"Not to worry. Anything from you is not worth a bloody cent."

He left with Mokuba.

Bloody? He's been hanging around Ryou too long... "As for you... Do not, under any circumstances, answer my brother's questions after I specifically warn you not to."

"He deserves to know the truth, Kaiba," the pharaoh stated firmly.

Kaiba jabbed a finger at him, only as an afterthought making sure that hand was empty of his knife. "Not from you. I could care less whether you involve me so long as you don't involve my family."

The pharaoh lowered his black-edged eyes. "Perhaps you're right..."

Kaiba sighed. Finally some reason! He checked that his knife was firmly in its sheath and faced the computer. "You're in luck, by the way, the Ice Magic card is not very common. Only one was sold here in Domino City in the past several days." He typed then pointed at the screen. "There."

Yami came over and looked over his shoulder at the address. "One-oh-seven Domino-to, Minato-ku, Akasaka. Four-chome, eleven-ban, five-go, Said Imad." Yami eyed Kaiba and smiled. "Very commendable work..."

Kaiba snorted. "That was nothing. You should see me hack into satellites..."

Yami raised an eyebrow.

Kaiba had to smile. It wasn't everyday he got to see the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle taken off guard. Tsk-tsk, Yami... Where would you be without me cleaning up your messes...?

Mokuba and Bakura returned with a mug of coffee. Yami faced them. "We have an address..."

The spirit's eyes glinted. "Excellent. Where do we begin?"

Kaiba turned off his computer and stood. The room returned to almost complete darkness. "You don't honestly believe we'd trust you enough to come with?"

"I was the one who saved Téa's life. Remember?" The ring shimmered slightly from its own source of light. "You owe me."

Yami joined Kaiba. "You owe us an explanation. I thought you wanted all the Millennium Items. Why the sudden change of heart?"

Bakura smiled slightly. "Change of heart," he repeated, amused by the irony of those words. "That's an interesting way of putting it... The truth is Ta would've died without the necklace." He crossed his arms. "I didn't think it was worth my while to haul her all the way to the hospital just to watch her croak. ...And my hikari would never let me hear the end of it, besides." He lifted a hand slightly off one arm, fixing Yami with a cold glare. "I despise you, Pharaoh, with every bone in my body for the lives you helped destroy, but as my hikari pointed out it makes no sense for me to waste even more lives to pay you back. So, Téa has the necklace. The point is - you don't."

Seto briefly let his thoughts wander to the Rod then refocused. "Okay... I'll buy that, but you're still not coming along."

"Kaiba," Yami said softly. "Let him. Bakura knows more about the magics of the Shadow Realm than anyone. We need him."

Kaiba let out a frustrated sigh. "Fine..."

"I'm coming too," Mokuba volunteered.

"No, you're not," Kaiba said crisply. "It's too dangerous."

"But Seto... I want to help Téa."

Kaiba's tanzanite-blue eyes slid in Yami's direction.

"You can help her, Mokuba," Yami cut in. "By contacting Joey and Tristan and getting them to meet with you at my Grampa's. If we're to defeat this 'Master of Secrets' we'll need all the cards he can spare us."

Kaiba crossed his arms. "It'd be simpler to use the Egyptian God Cards."

"No," Yami snapped. "Those monsters are too powerful. I don't want to risk harming Téa."

"If she's wearing a Millennium Item, how can she be hurt?" Kaiba countered.

"She can heal quicker," Yami clarified. "She can still be hurt, especially in her already weakened state..."

Kaiba rolled his eyes and shook his head. "All right then. Let's go." He scribbled something on a scrap of paper and handed it to Mokuba as the two yamis filed out of the room. "Give this to Mr. Mouto." He put it into his young brother's fingers then gripped his hand. "And no matter what happens do not come after me alone."

"I won't, Big Brother."

Kaiba gave him a tight reassuring smile and followed them out.

Tiye was the first to wake up, but Téa could still see through her eyes even though she wasn't in control...

She wasn't used to this 'merged mind' thing, she and the spirit thinking and acting almost as one as if they were never apart... Until one of them pushed forward to take the reins.

In this case Tiye.

She was unbound on the cold cement floor, and Téa could feel the cold, until she was pushed away. Téa saw through Tiye's eyes as she observed their surroundings, a crate-filled warehouse.

Hery had a booted foot on a crate nearby, gaze turned downward. "That Ring was supposed to be mine, Tiye... but instead you grant its power to a petty thief, leaving me to eternal darkness... lifelessness... Oh, how I yearned to make you feel as I do... denied substance..."

Tiye shifted her weight and started to get up...

"Now, you shall pay with your life!"

Tiye caught the knife blade in her hands. Téa's spirit jumped aside reflexively then looked back and gasped.

Hery's teeth bared white as he tried to exert more force into the pommel.

Tiye didn't falter but looked him straight in the eyes. "Kill me? And lose the power of the Millennium Necklace?" She raised an eyebrow. "Why not earn a Millennium item of your own?... by defeating me in a game of Duel Monsters."

/Tiye, what are you doing?/

/Hery-Sesheta is a much better physical fighter than he appears, and we are not yet fully recovered enough to take him on.../

Téa grimaced.

Tiye eyed her, concerned and confused. /You do play, don't you?/

Téa bit her lip. Someone had been poking around her mind while she was out... /Yes. But not that well and not in a while.../

/I have faith in you, Téa./ Tiye returned her gaze to Hery and waited.

Hery stared at her then slowly eased off. Then, he snickered. "I was hoping you'd say that..."

Téa took over as Hery tossed her her purse. She caught it and looked up as he held out a Duel Disk. "Put it on."

Téa looped her purse over her shoulder and accepted the device. "I don't suppose you could loan me a jacket or anything..."

"Win, and I might get you one."

Téa sneered and strapped on the disk. "If I win you'll never bother Tiye or myself ever again and you'll go back to the Shadow Realm!"

"If you win, I shall honor your request." He bowed mockingly.

"Let's duel!" they both yelled.