Constant Protector
Serenity slowly began to regain consciousness, her whole face aching like a bad tooth and her thoughts were in a jumble, incoherent and impossible to understand. Her eyelashes felt like they were weighed down with fifty pound weights but she struggled to open them, seeing white ceiling when she did. The living room ceiling. Blinking, biting back the painful throbbing in her head she tried to lift a hand to touch her face but she couldn't move her right hand. She couldn't move her left either. Memories kicking in Serenity's eyes went wide with fear and terror as she realized her hands were bound together above her head. There was Duc tape over her mouth, cutting off any sound she might have made. And there was someone else in the room. Holding in the tears that threatened to fall Serenity turned her head from side to side then forward when she sensed movement. Her eyes going wider she watched the man from before, the one in the suit who had hit her, come into her line of vision.
"Hello, Serenity. You aren't crying, you must be tougher then you look. Mai didn't cry either. In the beginning." The man said with a chuckle then seeing the horrified look on Serenity's face grinned almost charmingly. "Oh she's all right at the moment. I'm saving her for last, building up to her you might say. She'll live long enough to see what I'm going to do to you. What I'll do to your brother when he gets home. She'll live with that, with that guilt for a while before I end it. She shouldn't have broken the rules. I can't abide people who do."
Remembering her brother mentioning something about Mai not being up to visitors and his moods lately Serenity began to put it together. This man knew Mai, was causing her problems and now he was here wanting to hurt her and Joey, to hurt Mai.
)
"I suppose I should introduce myself before we start. My name is Jack, Serenity and I'll be your teacher for today. Today's lesson will be on how women are nothing but weak, pathetic little bitches who should always do what they're told. That they should know their place and never even think about doing anything that breaks the rules. They shouldn't think period in fact." Jack said with a cold look as he pulled something out of his pocket and with a flick of a wrist had a blade sliding out of the handle. "Lesson number one, what women are only good for." He began as he got down on one knee and positioned the blade so that the point pressed against the spot where the dip her open v necked shirt began. Holding it there he watched her eyes, pressing down hard enough to draw a shallow cut, enjoying the small amount of blood that appeared around the blade. But he wasn't going to cut her just yet. No, he was going to enjoy her while she was still beautiful before he sliced her up. Drawing the knife down, the razor sharp blade sliced open her shirt, moving down until he'd reacted the bottom then used the sides of the blade to flip the ends back so that he could get a good look at the goods. "Such a lovely set, Serenity. A shame they're going to be ruined when I'm done with them." Raising his knife again he was about to slide the blade between her breasts to slice open her bra when a dazzling light erupted in front of him, scaring the hell out of him. Stumbling backwards on his hands he stared as the light got bigger and bigger making him move farther and farther away in an instinctive move. Something about that light scared the hell out of him. And then the light was gone and in its place was a huge man, dressed in a sort of white kilt with a large, deadly looking sword in his hands, his green eyes alight with fury. Like something out of an Arabian Night or Ancient Egypt, Jack thought absently even as his mind wheeled with terror. What the hell was going on here?
"That..was a mistake." The man said softly, moving forward to tower over the man who'd dared attempt to rape his Serenity. To hurt her in any way. At over six feet he was built like the most feared of football defense men, solid muscle with an athletes grace as he moved, the sword loose but firm in his capable hand. "Any last words before I bath this room in your blood, you spineless bastard?"
)
Mumbling against the tape Serenity struggled to get a better look at the figure that had just magically appeared in front of her. Getting between them, protecting her like a mystical knight lacking armor. Wait a minute...protecting her. That form and those clothes...so familiar. Could it be...Joshua? Struggling hard she was rewarded when he turned his head to look at her, his familiar emerald green meeting hers for a moment before he turned his attention back to the babbling mess that was her would be rapist. It was him, it really was him. Her imaginary friend that she'd thought she'd made up when she was a kid!
"I'm..I'm not afraid of you!" Jack suddenly cried out as he ran at the intruder, his blade raised to run the bastard through only to go flying across the room when his face encountered the man's brick like fist. Slumped unconscious there he didn't even know it when the other man walked over, made sure he was unconscious before walking back over to Serenity.
"It's alright, little one. I won't let him harm you." Joshua said as he got down on one knee, his voice gentle though his eyes were dark with fury and rage as he carefully cut the ropes holding her hands together with the blade he'd taken from the bastard's hand. The sight of her pale skin, rubbed raw from her struggles had him fighting the urge to kill the bastard now. But no, not while his Serenity was in the room. Taking off the tape as carefully as he could he watched her mouth open as if to say something before she threw herself into his arms, babbling his name. She remembered him. He'd wondered if she would but it would appear that for all of Joey's teasing she'd never stopped believing in him. Not completely anyway. Born again in her soul he'd been what people had called her imaginary friend. He'd gone into her dreams to fight her monsters and walked beside her, invisible to everyone on her first day of school. Because her heart was pure and believed in such things. The sheer power of her soul had allowed him to leave his place within her soul and stand by her side, even if only to her believing eyes. But she'd stopped believing as she grown older as one would expect but he'd remained in her heart, waiting for this day. The prophesied day when he would return to flesh and blood. When he could protect his princess and Serenity. Forever this time.
)
"You're real, you're really here, aren't you?" Serenity mumbled into his neck, never feeling so safe and protected as she did at that moment. She belonged in these arms. "Everyone said that I made you up, that you were just a figment of my imagination. But sometimes, when I was really scared I could hear your voice and I wasn't scared anymore. I was never afraid when you were with me."
"I'm just sorry I couldn't be there all the other times you needed me. It killed me to know you were in trouble and that I was powerless to do anything." He replied, gently stroking her hair before picking her up, intending to carry her out of the room. What would come next were not for her eyes. "But I'm here now and I won't be leaving you again. I swear it."
"Are you..like Yami? Do I have something of yours and didn't know it?" Serenity asked as she laid her head on his shoulder, trusting him to make everything all right as they left the room. "You're from Ancient Egypt, aren't you? You look it anyway. And when there was that glowing light...I thought I saw a card like shape." When you hung out with Yami and Yugi it was impossible not to learn about Egypt and believe in the unbelievable.
"Yes, I was housed in that card and that card was housed in your soul, Serenity. I was put into that card rather then be banished into the World of Shadows by an act of mercy. I entered this new world with you and have lived inside of your soul until this day, when I could be released and fulfill my duty to you and to my princess." Joshua replied carefully, not wanting to overwhelm her with details until she was up to it. Nudging open her door he walked over to her bed and carefully placed her on it. "Now I need you to stay here so that I can deal with this Jack person."
)
"Don't kill him." Serenity said as she grabbed his hand before he could leave her. Now that he wasn't holding her anymore the fear and shock was returning and all she could think about was not being alone. She wanted him to stay right here, with her until the police came and took the man away. She didn't want to be alone. "They'll get you in trouble if you do and you don't have any identification. And I want him to spend the rest of his life in jail. Immediate death is too good for him. I'll call the police and they'll come get him and take him away."
"But..."Joshua began then seeing the look on her face sighed. He'd never been able to deny her anything, least of all when he knew she was right. He would be no help to anyone if these police tried to arrest him. They'd likely deport him back to Egypt and as much as he longed to see his home again he was needed here. He could use his magic but that could only cause more problems. So he'd stay here but insure that this never happened again. "Call your police, I'll be in the living room to make sure he doesn't get away." He'd make sure the man never moved again.
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye." Joshua replied with a wink, deliberately using the form of promise they'd once used when she was a child, telling him her secrets and plans. It hadn't mattered that she knew no one else could see him, he'd still had to promise.
"Well that's a little extreme." Serenity said with a small smile, then frowned slightly as a thought occurred to her even as she let go of his arm. "When the cops get here...they'll be able to see you too?"
"Yes, everyone can see me now."
"Then we have a problem with your clothes." Serenity said as she pointed to his massive bare chest and white covering, pleased to have found another excuse to keep him with her. "Nothing of Joey's is gonna fit half of you much less all of you."
"Yes, as I recall he was rather fond of calling it a skirt when he wanted to tease you about me." Joshua said wearily, remembering how much he'd wanted to whack the little smart ass upside the head for those digs. Well now he could come to think of it. "And do not worry about clothes, Serenity. Though I am flesh and blood with a mortal's life span I am still not normal either." He added and as he turned to leave Serenity watched in amazement as his kilt like skirt, she had no idea what they were called, became white slacks and a short sleeved black shirt appeared to cover his back.
"Now if I could do that I wouldn't have to get up so early in the morning." Serenity said with the faintest of grins as she grabbed her phone from the side of her bed and quickly called the police to report the incident. The sooner they were here the sooner this would be all over.
)
Everyone was sitting around, chatting away when Joey's cell phone went off, surprising Joey enough that he dropped his cards. Mai of course took advantage of the opportunity and looked at the face up ones while Joey fumbled to get his phone out of his jacket pocket. "Hello?" Joey said into the phone, his annoyance coming through loud and clear.
"Hey, Joey, it's Akira. Now before ya freak let me say up front that Serenity's just fine and that there's nothin to worry about. Some bastard broke into your place and apparently tried to attack her or somethin but her boyfriend was there and creamed the son of a bitch. I mean he went out on a stretcher dude. The bad guy, not the boyfriend. Man but was that guy's face rearranged too. Reminded me of someone who's face had met solid brick about fifty times."
"WHAT! Someone ATTACKED SERENITY!" Joey yelled into the phone, his eyes going hard and mean, not to mention scared and worried. "And Serenity doesn't have a boyfriend!"
"Well looks like she does and a huge guy he is too. The police wouldn't let me into the room but I talked to someone, sayin how I'd call you and needed some info." Akira said as he held the phone slightly away from his ear just in case Joey did anymore yelling. "Anyway I though you'd want to know so that you can get your butt over here."
Having already hung up Joey jammed the phone into his pocket and was to his feet in a flash. "Tristan, I need a ride home. Some bastard broke into the apartment and attacked Serenity. She's okay, at least Akira says she is but he also said she had a boyfriend so what the hell does he know anyway? Lets move!"
"She was attacked by her boyfriend?" Yugi wanted to know as the whole group rushed down the stairs, all intending to go with Joey. Serenity was their friend too after all and there was no way Joey was together enough yet to handle all this. He hadn't even known she had a boyfriend for that matter.
"No, apparently this so called boyfriend was there and saved her." Joey called out over his shoulder, moving faster then he'd ever moved in his whole, entire life. "She better be okay is all I'm sayin."
)
"You said you were just going to watch him." Serenity said from Joshua's lap as she waited for Joey to come. The detectives had wanted her to come with them downtown for their statements but she'd insisted on staying until her brother got there since she knew Akira had called him. Holding the ice pack to her cheek she winced at the combination of coldness and badly bruising flesh. The medic had said she was lucky nothing had broke, he'd hit her that ward. The police were gone for the moment, she'd promised to come down to the station as soon as Joey got there. They hadn't wanted to leave her there but with Joshua around it was pretty hard to imagine anyone causing trouble that he couldn't handle. She'd used the excuse that he was Egyptian and couldn't speak English as an excuse to avoid him being questioned. She'd get Yami to translate just to keep it authentic and truth sounding. She figured the whole gang would be coming shortly since Joey would have been with them when he'd gotten the call.
"No, I said I was going to make sure that he didn't get away." Joshua argued, not sorry in the least. Especially now that her right cheek was several interesting shades of purples, blacks and blues.
"You broke both his arms, his legs and any number of ribs. One of the medics said you might even have paralyzed him!" Serenity argued, swatting him lightly on the shoulder blade though she wasn't really as upset as she should be. She'd have done the same if she had his find of physical strength. "He could sue you for this you know."
"He's welcome to try." Joshua shot back, his eyes narrowing when there was a sound of arguing coming from the front hall then the sound of Serenity's name being called and the sound of many sneakered feet.
"JOEY!" Serenity yelled as she hopped out of Joshua's lap and ran to her brother, jumping into his arms, the ice pack falling to the floor.
"You're okay. You're okay." Joey said as he hugged his sister to him, not even aware of anything else but that she was in his arms and she was okay. Even though Akira had said she was all right he'd kept picturing her hurt or worse in his mind the whole car ride here. But she was okay and that was all that mattered. That and that the son of a bitch who'd done this was gonna pay.
Yami meanwhile, after seeing that she was all right walked further into the room, his eyes narrowing and staying on the large man standing in front of the couch. He knew that face, that large form. He hadn't seen it in centuries but he knew without a doubt that this must be Joshua, one of the four trapped in cards as Latoya had said. First Pegasus and now Serenity. Walking forward Yami watched the man bow low and address him as his pharaoh, confirming his deductions. "Thank you for rescuing, Serenity." Yami said with a head nod of his own to show his appreciation for the other man's actions. "And welcome to this time period."
)
"You two know each other?" Yugi asked as he looked at the other him and back to the stranger who looked like one of those huge wrestlers you sometimes saw on tv. He had to strain his neck just to look at the guy's face.
"I was formerly one of the pharaoh's bodyguards, before that I served one of his sisters as her personal bodyguard and servant." Joshua said as he bowed to the man he knew was the pharaoh's other self. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance, my name is Joshua."
"Hold on, ya mean that this guy is like that Latoya girl?" Joey said as he looked over with Serenity still tucked against him in his arms. "And for that matter why the hell are you posing as my sister's boyfriend?"
"Latoya and I both served the royal family and we were both trapped within cards, yes." Joshua said with a nod, then sent Joey a darkly amused look. "And as for the boyfriend charade I am male and I am her friend. In fact you used to call me her imaginary friend that didn't really exist. I really, really didn't appreciate those drawings of me you use to add your little..decorative touches to."