Phoenix: Hi everyone! I loved the reviews I got on my last chapter. I want to thank all of you that reviewed but for those of you reading now, could you please check the others out and review them? And don't forget to review, more reviews means faster postings.
Kisara flipped through the channels until she came to a news station on the T.V. until she came to a news station. The screen was filled with the image of a blue dragon with a large snout sitting atop a white palace. For some reason the image made Kisara feel a little sad.
"In the last twenty-four hours, monster sightings have been reported around the globe. Including a winged dragon that was seen perched atop Taj Mahal. These monsters are believed to be life-like holograms associated with a popular game: Duel Monsters."
"So dis monster mess is happenin' all over da world," Joey said from his seat next to the whitette. Téa was seated on an ottoman perpendicular to the couch and Yugi was seated on Joey's opposite side. Tristan had made himself comfortable in a recliner facing opposite of Téa.
"I would believe so," Kisara said as she turned to look out the window and ran her hand over the skirt of her dress nervously. During the piggy-back ride she'd noticed the collar and straps on the dress. The straps were about two inches thick and the collar was square-shaped.
She looked around at her friends, who'd changed into different clothes from their school uniforms. Téa was dressed in a yellow tube top under a pink jacket with a rose-colored ribbon chocker on her neck, a similar-colored skirt, black socks that went to her mid-thighs and pink platform sandals. Joey was dressed in a white button-down shirt left untucked from a pair of black pants and a denim jacket. Tristan had pulled on a matching outfit but had a green hoodie instead of a jacket. Yugi had merely taken off his school jacket, revealing something Kisara had missed earlier; a gold, upside-down pyramid with an eye carved in the front hanging on a chain. For some reason whenever she saw that eye, it made her a little nervous.
Kisara turned her attention to the window again.
"And there's still no word yet from Kaiba," Téa said.
"We now take you to a live press conference where gaming company Seto Kaiba will make a statement." Kisara perked. That name sounded familiar to her.
"Seto," she whispered. The name sent a shiver down her spine and her heart began to race, pounding against her ribs like the inside was being used as a jungle drum. Kisara turned her eyes at the television as the screen changed from the reporter to show a teenage boy, probably a few years older than the group with chocolate-brown hair and dark icy-blue eyes. He was dressed in a purple trench coat and black shirt, as far as Kisara could tell.
"About time," Yugi said. Kisara bit down on her lip. The boy looked familiar. She placed a hand on her chest and felt her heart almost take shape against her ribs, beating as fast as it possibly could. The camera closed in on Seto's face, not that it calmed Kisara any.
"We've done extensive testing of our holographic simulation systems."
"Okay, even that voice is familiar!" Kisara mentally screamed. She didn't know how, but she knew that voice could be much gentler and even warmer than Egyptian sand in the heat of the day. Unconsciously, she wrapped an arm around her stomach, half expecting a different pair to be holding her against a warm body.
"Now I can confirm without question that these sightings are unrelated to Kaiba Corp. Our state-of-the-art technology is working perfectly." Kisara turned back to the television as a man in a suit and sunglasses walked up to the brunette and whispered something in his ear. It was barely noticeable but Kisara could see the muscles in his arms tightening as his grip on the podium did likewise.
"You heard it here, Seto Kaiba claims his company's not to blame for today's events." Kisara sighed unhappily as the screen went back to the reporter and she turned off the device.
"He's covering up, who else has the technology to set up monster sightings all over the world?" Tristan asked. Kisara felt something in her stomach tighten sharply as a slight sting began on her right bicep.
"Well…Maybe you have a point Tristan. But there is another thing…What if these monsters are real?" Kisara asked.
"Oh come on Kisara," Tristan said. "I know you've got amnesia and all but real monsters? Come on, get real." The whitette's eyes narrowed and her hand clenched into a fist.
"Actually Tristan," Yugi spoke up, "I was just thinking the same thing. Perhaps the force I felt in the museum triggered the emergence of these creatures."
"Which could mean that these so-called Duel Monsters are very much real," Kisara finished.
"I wonder if that's what Rex and Weevil were referring to when we saw them today," Yugi continued. Kisara raised an eyebrow.
"Who're Rex and Weevil and when did we see them?" she asked.
"Ya must notta been payin' attention Kiss," Joey said, catching the whitette's attention. "But getting' back to da situation at hand, you and Yuge think we're under attack by actual monsters?" Yugi nodded but Kisara bit her lip.
"To be perfectly honest Joey, I haven't the slightest as to what to think." At that instant, a loud series of crashes and the sound of objecting shouts rang through the house. In an instant, Yugi was on his feet and down the stairs but there seemed to be something different about him now.
Kisara got up with the others as they all headed down the stairs to the game shop. Someone had pulled a few pieces of merchandise off the shelves and yanked Yugi's grandfather, an older man in his early to mid-seventies with gray hair shaped much like his grandson's but kept in a black headband dressed in an off-white button-down shirt and green overalls, was lying face-down on the floor.
"Grandpa!" Yugi cried. This time, Kisara picked up on the changes as the boy ran to his grandfather and helped him up somewhat and Joey knelt next to them. Now Yugi held no visible trace of anything crimson in his eyes or hair and the gold lightning bolts were gone, along with the fact that his features were much softer and more innocent-looking than what he'd looked like ten minutes ago and he was a bit shorter.
"What happened Mr. Mutou?" Kisara asked as she stepped forward.
"Yugi," the old man croaked. "They're gone."
"Who's gone Grandpa?" Yugi asked.
"Your cards…Your strongest cards."
"The God cards?!"
"Who did dis?" Joey demanded. But Grandpa Mutou's head slacked towards the ground before he could say another word. Kisara's fist clenched. Why would anyone break into a game shop, harm an older man and only take three cards to a game?
A snarl made it past her teeth as Joey leapt to his feet.
"I'll find 'em!" A flash of terror streaked through Kisara's chest.
"Joey wait!" she called as she bolted after him into the street. The blond came to a sudden stop, causing Kisara to crash into him and land on the pavement behind his legs. "Joey…" Her voice trailed off as a column of light appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the city. As it gained a shape and color fear and panic began to build inside of Kisara's chest like an uncomfortable knot. Every instinct in her body was screaming for her to run but also for her to stay perfectly still.
The light turned into a blue humanoid creature built more like he'd been created from rocks loomed to the size of a skyscraper.
"Obelisk!" Joey cried.
"Guys?!" Kisara called out as loud as she dared. She looked back at the Obelisk creature standing before them. "Did I just imagine Obelisk moving his head towards me or was it just the holographic images acting up?"
"It's Obelisk the Tormentor," Yugi said as he and the others came outside. Two more lights appeared and took shape. One was a large red snake with two sets of eyes and two mouths on it's head and the other was a golden dragon seemingly made of metal.
"And it looks like he's not alone," Joey commented.
"It's Slifer and Ra," Yugi said.
"What kinda knucklehead would summon all three of the Egyptian God cards and den summon 'em right in de middle of da city for everyone ta see?" Joey asked. As if on cue, three strong headlights blazed into life.
"You blokes wan' those cards back?" asked a young voice. If Kisara had to judge, the person was probably around the age of the group, if not, a year younger. And his motorcycle was yellow. Next to him was a black one, flanked by a red one. All three of the riders looked male, wearing combat boots, dark pants and the ones on the black and red motorcycles wore dark-colored trench coats from where Kisara could see.
"Yea," Joey growled.
"They're mine!" Yugi explained as he shielded his eyes with his arm. The first voice chuckled.
"All you gotta do is get past us," taunted a second voice.
"But it's only fair to warn you, we've been known to fight dirty," said a third voice from the black motorcycle.
"Tha's righ'. So what's it gonna be mates?"
"You don' scare us!" Joey proclaimed.
"Well, I wouldn't say that…I'm a little scared of them right now. I mean, they've got the big motorcycles that could mow us down in a second, sending us all to the hospital with extensive internal injuries that more than likely will result in permanent damage and/or death," Kisara commented in her mind.
"Those Egyptian God cards don't belong to you!" Yugi shouted over the roar of the motorbikes.
"Sorry to disappoint," said the black bike rider. "But they serve a new master now, Pharaoh." Kisara looked at Yugi and noticed that he'd visibly paled. Maybe it was just the headlights in his face or the Pharaoh comment.
"No way. How does he know about the Pharaoh?" Yugi thought.
Kisara's stomach gave a slow roll as a sort of golden haze surrounded the edges of her vision and changed Yugi further. He looked just like he did when they'd first met but his skin was darker and he was dressed in a linen shirt and skirt and a purple cloak rested on his shoulders. Gold covered his forearms, neck and calves while a few rings rested on each of his hands, a pair of earrings hung from his ears, a gold belt encircled his waist and a thin band of the precious metal wrapped around each of his biceps.
Kisara gave her head a shake as the rider on the black bike spoke up again.
"If you think you've got what it takes to get back your God cards follow us." He revved the bike. "Let's roll," he ordered the riders flanking him as he gave a sharp turn to the left and with a couple of somewhat-frightening laughs from the two other riders, they were disappearing down the street.
"I guess we have no choice," Yugi snarled as he bolted down the road.
"Yugi! Wait for us!" Joey called as he, Tristan and Téa all bolted forward and Kisara got to her feet. She watched her friends run off as she stood on the edge of the sidewalk. She looked down at her bare feet then at the growing distance between her and her friends.
After a moment's hesitation Kisara headed back to the house with full intentions to borrow a pair of shoes and follow her friends. She re-entered the Game shop and stuffed her feet into a pair of small boots – probably Yugi's – before darting out onto the streets and managed to follow the route her friends had taken until she got to the road fork in the road.
Kisara bit hard on her lip and looked down the roads. She blinked and the dark streets vanished, replaced by the dark foyer of a large house. She could feel hard heels under her feet as they sunk a little into the red plush carpet. The walls were gold and white woodworks. She watched as her hand trailed over the frame of a painting and a low hum came from her throat. She saw black fingertip gloves on her hands and could feel the restraints of a leather vest on her torso and the similar grip on her legs.
She felt the floor turn from carpet to marble tile and heard the sharp clicking of heels. The room was full of marble countertops, oak cupboards, a granite island and stainless-steel appliances. It was a kitchen. She heard a tiny rattle behind the island and felt a smirk on her lips.
The sound of heels clacking on the floor disappeared entirely but Kisara could see herself moving in the room. She turned the corner of the island and saw a shoelace poking out of one of the cupboards by the stove. She felt her hand close on the silver handle and ripped the door off, reached in and pulled out a small boy with long, raven-black hair, dusty-violet eyes and somewhat tanned skin. He was dressed in a shirt with a red torso and orange-and-white striped sleeves, faded jeans and sneakers. A blue bandanna was clutched in his hand.
Kisara wanted to scream in horror as her gloved hands raised the boy up and one moved over. She watched in horror as the hand reached for one of the knives from the knife block but the hand froze on the hilt of a knife. A knife was already missing. She snapped around and the boy's bandanna fell away, revealing the missing knife. He made a stab towards her but she dropped him. His knife sliced a thin line into her arm and she gasped in pain just before a green light covered her vision.
Kisara blinked and saw the beginning of stairs at her feet. She touched her temple with her fingertips and shook her head.
"That was too realistic," she said as she checked her arm for a cut but there was only smooth, unblemished skin. "How in the world-" She heard a trio of voices shouting from up the stairs. Without a second thought, she bolted up the stairs. "Please be alright!"
Phoenix: I finally got this done! I had it on my computer but now my computer won't let me online. So I do everything on my tablet. Please leave a review.