A/N *two or so days ago*
Me: Ugh! I don't want write another chapter in which I'm pretty much just copying things from the episode! And I really don't feel like writing a boring children's card game!
Bunni: Then don't.
Mystic: But I want to make fun of Kaiba…
Bunni: Oh come on. You should be able to sneak away from the duel without messing that up. And besides, I don't think the readers are particularly enthralled with written-up episodes, either.
Mystic: You know what? For once, you're right. I mean, it's not my job to write up episodes for the general public while trying to find weird synonyms for the word "said." If you want that, then go watch the episodes yourself. I'm done with that. If you want more information, read the bottom author's note. Anyways, so on to the story!
Disclaimer: I do not, in fact, own Yugioh, any Yugioh characters, or anything else mentioned in this story besides the writing itself.
"What the-" I said as I stopped suddenly, looking at the sky and sighing. "Ok, Kaiba, we get the point. You have a bucket load of money and your ego is the size of a… A…"
"Don't even try going there," Kitty replied, shaking her head with me at the sight we where looking at. "There's nothing large enough to compare it to."
"Yes, but still," I said, and then we continued walking. "Fireworks. In the daylight. How very… Kaiba."
Kitty and I were currently walking towards Domino Square. It was about time for the tournament to start, and we couldn't miss the first duel of Battle City. Plus, we wanted to see The Blimp.
"Greetings, duelists," announced a voice, the sound suddenly appearing – it was Jacketboy himself. "Welcome to Battle City."
Pandemonium ensued as the crowd searched for the source of the sound. Kitty and I were already looking directly at it and watching as it came closer and closer, and then–
"The Blimp has arrived," I whispered to myself.
"It's time to put your dueling skills to the test," Kaiba continued after a pretty sinister laugh, though I had heard better. "I hope none of you entered my tournament looking for friendly competition. Battle City's going to be an all-out war."
"Understatement of the century," Kitty said, and I chuckled in agreement.
"Before my Battle City Tournament begins, I'd like to let you all know what you're in for, in case you want to back out now," announced the literal floating head. "Let's begin with my new duel disks. Everyone who I decided was good enough received one. With it you can duel anytime, anywhere - and they contain a tracking chip that allows me to watch every move you make."
"Of course, it's not like he's going to be watching anyone but Yugi," I stated.
"Next, let's talk about the most important rule," Kaiba proclaimed. "The loser of the duel is required to fork over their rarest card to the winner. If you don't have the guts to risk loosing your precious cards, then I suggest you forfeit now. And anyone who's foolish enough can challenge me to a duel, because I'll also be competing in this tournament. But don't get you hopes up, because I intend to win. And there's one duelist I can't wait to defeat."
"You subtlety is astounding, Kaiba," Kitty commented sarcastically.
"And speaking of winning, only the eight best duelists will make it to the final round," said Kaiba. "And these finals will be held in a hidden location. In order to find the finals, you'll need these locator cards."
"Which definitely don't bear any resemblance to star chips," remarked Kitty. I snorted.
"You've each received one with your duel disk, but don't get too excited," Kaiba carried on. "Because one's not enough. You'll need six of them to make it to the tournament finals. Every time you win a duel, you get a locater card from your loosing opponent. When six cards are stacked together they produce a map of Battle City, and activate a GPS, which will transmit the location to you. But the tournament finals are a long time away and most of you will be eliminated way before that. Alright, everything I've said and more can be found in my tournament rulebook. Just remember, only one player can win and claim the title of number one duelist in the world."
"I wonder who that will be," I said in a dull, robotic tone. "It would be so terribly surprising if Yugi won, wouldn't it? Because that would never happen. Ever."
"Now get ready duelists," Kaiba said, finally done with the boring speech of drabness. "Let the Tournament begin!"
"That was redundant, overdramatic and unnecessary," Kitty said, and then we started walking to the area where the Yugi's first duel would take place.
"Yeah," I agreed. "And is it just me or is Kaiba a little off on where we are? I'm pretty sure it's still called Domino City, however much he would like to disagree."
Kitty mocked gasping.
"How dare you oppose Kaiba!" she said disdainfully. "If Kaiba says it's called Battle City, then it's called Battle City. If Kaiba says that waffles are better than pancakes, then they are!"
"Pancakes are better and you know it!" I argued, crossing my arms and sticking my tongue out at her. "And Kaiba can just go die in a corner for all I care!"
"Blasphemy!" she proclaimed, and then we both fell into a fit of hysterical laughter.
"But really, waffles are better," Kitty said as we continued on.
"Nu-uh," I said. "Pancakes could totally kick waffles' butt any day."
"Waffles," she replied threateningly.
"Pancakes!"
"Waffles!"
"Pancakes!"
And then we both started saying the words over and over again, so it might have sounded something like this:
"WAFFLESPANCAKESWAFFLESPANCAKESWAFFLESPANCAKESWAFFLESPAN-"
And then we where interrupted by being rudely pushed aside bye a certain tri-colored teenager.
"Oh yeah," Kitty said, watching Yugi demand to know what Joey was yelling about. "We're supposed to be helping them. Come on."
The pancakes-waffles thing had been postponed, yet again. But it would eventually come back.
It always does.
"You know what," I said, before we started walking over to the protagonists. "I don't think I want to watch the duel after all."
"Really?" Kitty answered sarcastically. "Why ever would you not want to watch a card game?"
"Because Kitten is an idiot, and it's boring," I said, ignoring her sarcasm.
"Well, yeah," she replied. "But what else are you going to do?"
"I don't know," I stated, thinking. "Find a smoothie shop?"
"Hmph," she retorted. "Well I'm going to stick around and continue to watch the actual plot happen."
"You're just staying so you can go all cheer-leader for the good guys," I pointed out. "But have fun, 'cause subplots are always much more interesting, anyways."
"...That's not always true," she stated, and then shrugged. "Anyways, I guess I'll see you later."
And with that we parted ways.
~*~
If there was one thing to be said about what followed next, well, let's just say it was definitely not Bakura's day.
Wake up, sleepy head! I thought, sending the message towards wherever the heck the Thief King was. That is, if you're asleep. If not, then… Wake up anyways, because I can't think of a better greeting.
I got back something along the lines of "Dfhjkshfuckyoudfihek."
So I guess you were asleep, I gibed, mentally smirking at him. By the way, where are you right now?
…In my host's apartment, why- he replied sleepily, and then seemed to snap out of it. I probably shouldn't have told you that. Dare I ask why you want to know?
Because I'm bored, I responded. Anyways, see you soon!
What the hell is that supposed to mean?!
And with that, I rang the doorbell of the little red flat were I had traced Bunni's mental link to.
...And what makes you think I'm going to answer that? stated a rather pissed-off Bakura.
I chuckled. Because, if you don't, then I'll break in.
And you really think you'll be able to break into my abode?
You might be the Thief King of Ancient Egypt, but let's face it – technology is probably not you're thing. And actually, I wasn't originally planning to break in – I have a much more sinister threat that I'm saving for later.
And dare I ask what that might be?
Let's just say it involves a lot of paint – specifically pink paint.
…Fine. You win.
I always do.
The door was opened by a groggy-looking Bakura, who rolled his eyes at me before turning away as I stepped into the room.
"Make yourself at home," he told me sarcastically as he went to go pour a bowl of cereal. I abided and went to go sit down on the couch, avoiding a stain that looked very much like dried blood.
About five minutes later, in which I spent analyzing the surprisingly neat yet obviously unused home, the Egyptian spirit returned to sit down across from me in a chair. He looked more awake now, his dark red eyes staring at me unenthusiastically.
"So," he drawled, sighing. "What is it, exactly, that you need my presence for?"
"I want a smoothie," I said instantly, and this was definitely not the answer that Bunni was expecting.
He blinked several times while cataloging this information. "A… Smoothie?"
"Yes," I replied as if it was a perfectly normal thing. "You know, sort of like a milkshake, except with fruit in it?"
"I know what it is," he snapped. "It's just a little… Never mind. And why, may I ask, do you need my assistance?"
"Because I don't know where to get a smoothie," I explained, and almost laughed on the look at Bunni's face, which plainly said that there was no reason in heck that he should know where to find a smoothie, either. "And everyone else who knows the city is currently occupied with dueling in Kaiba's tournament, so I had no other choice but to come to you. Trust me, if there had been another option I would have taken it."
After closing his eyes in what I can only call a pained expression, he stood up and looked at me.
"Well, let's get this over with," he sighed, and I followed him out the door with a smirk on my face.
~*~
"So what is your world like, anyways?" Bunni asked casually as we walked down the sidewalk, me sipping my delicious kiwi-blueberry smoothie. It had taken us about an hour to find a smoothie store, but we had eventually.
"It's pretty much like this one," I said, thinking that it would be okay to tell him about it as long as I didn't mention anything relating to the future of this world. "Except a whole lot less obsessed with card games – instead we have violence, drugs and politics. Oh, and there's no magic."
"Sounds utterly fantastic," he commented cynically.
I took another slurp of my smoothie. "I mean, it's not all bad or anything, it's just… Boring. I like it much better here, where things actually happen."
"Trust me, it gets old after a while," he stated, before being interrupted by someone tapping Bunni on the shoulder. We turned around to find a young girl, maybe around the age of eleven, staring at us.
"Well?!" Bakura asked her, instantly becoming very pissed off.
"Excuse me, but have you seen-" she began to say, but then was cut off.
"No," Bunni sneered at her. "I haven't seen any parent, pet, doll, or whatever the hell you were looking for."
She ran off very quickly. I glared at Bunni.
"That wasn't very nice," I admonished him as we began walking again.
"I'm not exactly in the mood for being 'nice,'" he growled.
I "Hmphed" at him, and then suddenly an idea popped into my head.
No, don't, the partially sane part of me thought. He's already PO'd enough as is.
But it would be funny… I argued the voice of reason.
You're not even done with the smoothie anyways!
...It's worth it.
It is?
Yes. Now shut up.
"You really need to learn to lighten up," I said light-heartedly, before turning to Bakura and throwing the remnants of my icy treat at him. Perfect aim, too. Now if only Kitty was here to see…. And then I saw the look on Bunni's face.
He was mad. Livid, more like.
"See, case of point," I pointed out. "All I did was throw a smoothie at you. There's no need to get all worked up about it."
And then I literally ran for my life.
Unfortunately, seeing as running isn't exactly my favorite thing to in the world to do, in about two minutes I was worn-out. Also, Bunni knew the area much better than I did, and soon had me backed down into a deserted alley. I turned around to face him, not knowing what to expect next.
And that's when I sensed the Shadow Magic.
I felt it before I saw him, preparing whatever it was that he had in store for me. A purple fog slowly drifted along the ground as he appeared, and the was definitely murder in his eyes.
The first strike hit me hard, like a whip, drawing blood as it cut across my left cheek. I cringed back, unable to defend myself from this force. I wasn't sure if Bunni was thinking clearly at the moment, maybe if I could…
Why is the voice of reason always right?
The next wave came like a crushing wall, it was definitely meant to sweep me into the Shadow Realm – but it didn't quite work that way.
Oh, I was sent to the Shadow Realm alright, but a strange instinct awoke in me and I was somehow able to drag him with me. I was not going to die tonight.
When I entered the Realm, the first thing I noticed was the energy. It was all around, everywhere, one big blob of dark purple. And that's the other thing, it didn't feel cold or alien like I had thought it would, it felt natural and even inviting to me. I had no physical form here, but my soul took on the shape of what my body looked like.
I heard a whisper then, of something else that had just observed my passing through. It was a feeble spirit, swirling around me before dissipating to spread it's message to others, something along the lines of "She's back."
I forgot about this and looked at Bakura, who had also materialized here. He still looked pretty ticked, but not as much as before.
"What the hell did you do?" he spat at me.
"I…" I started to say, trying to figure that out myself. "I honestly don't know. What did happen?"
At this he growled and began pacing, or something like it, as he thought.
"You took the magic I had cast and amplified it, almost," he pondered. "Or reversed it. Anyways, it seems that you have some connection with the Shadows, at the very least. But that doesn't matter, what matters is you getting us out."
"Um…" I started, dumbfounded. "Can't you do that?"
"You're the one who brought us here," he said exasperatingly, as if speaking with a dull three-year old. "You're the one who has to bring us out."
"Jeez, I didn't know," I defended, feeling slightly annoyed. "But how would I do that?"
"Do what?"
"Leave the Shadow Realm."
Bunni groaned, and then turned to me.
"Well, first let's see how much power you have…." he murmured to himself before addressing me. "Attack me."
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Attack me," he repeated. "I probably won't be hurt, I just need to see how your power works and how much of it you have."
"Ok…" I said, and then concentrated.
The shadows came rushing to me willingly, giving me strength. With barely a thought I molded them together, creating a powerful force swiftly and aiming it at the expectant Bakura.
A bolt of electric blue energy slammed out of me and towards Bunni, missing him by about a foot but still causing him to stumble back in shock. I stared at my hands, wondering how on earth I could have summoned such a power so easily.
The effort left me drained, though, and I wavered. Something inside of me was telling me I had the energy to sustain more attacks like that, and even more powerful, but it was blocked by something, sort of like a mental dam…
In fact, now that I focused on it, there was a huge and seemingly infinite well of power inside of me, kept at bay by something… And it was part of me. It was me. I shrank back from it, though – I had barely been able to control a small, minute fraction of it, all of what was there would absorb me if I couldn't contain it...
Better not dwell on that, it would only make things more confusing. But still questions flowed through my mind: Why was all that there? Why had I never noticed it before? Who was I?
What was I?
I shook my head and returned to the present.
"Damn!" Bakura exclaimed. I looked at him questioningly.
"That was…" he seemed to struggle for the right words. "Powerful. Very powerful. Your aim was way off, but you should have no problem getting us out of here..."
He drifted off, and then stared at my forehead with something a bit likesurprised recognition. "Well, that's definitely not the Eye of Horus…"
Bakura snapped out of it, and looked straight at me.
"Ok," he started. "Since you have absolutely no experience or aptitude with Shadow Magic, I'm going to start exiting the Realm, and you're going to help me."
"I'll just sort of give you boost or something?" I asked, making sure I understood correctly.
"Exactly," he replied, sounding pleased with himself, before getting started.
The fog ebbed around him as he quickly gathered the power. It was apparent that he was much more experienced at this than I was.
Then, as it reached a climax, Bakura pushed out beyond the wall between the two worlds, at the same time reaching to me with a thread. A "wind" started to gather up, and I almost laugh from the hysteria of the whirling motion around me.
"NOW!" he yelled at me, and I obliged, helping his pulling motion by pushing us away from here with a shove, and we went tumbling out of the Shadow Realm.
I blinked open my eyes with a yawn, and looked at the real world around me. Everything was so… Cloistered, so boxed in, compared to the Shadow Realm. I stretched and got up with another yawn. I was tired…
I saw Bunni coming to a few feet away. I walked over to him, and looked down, before holding my hand out.
"Truce?" I asked uncertainly. He glared at me with distaste, before sighing and taking my hand.
"If you must," he grumbled.
"Where to next?" I asked him.
"The museum," he smirked, after checking the Ring. "Someone there has a Millennium Item."
And so we began walking again, not really friends but not exactly enemies either.
Because right now we were on the same side. And it was going to stay that way for a very long time.
A/n And that, my friends, is all!
Bunni: *grumbles*
Mystic: Heh. Can't say I didn't enjoy writing that… So anyway, here's the plan for the rest of this fanfiction, in case you're wondering:
I would prefer if a lot more chapters were like this one, since my favorite part of Yugioh is definitely not the card games. I'm thinking of maybe next chapter going back and go through a quick overview of the skipped episodes from Kitty's POV, if any of you are interested. But hopefully if things go well, in one of the next two or three chapters Marik shall be coming in, and then things get better. But really until the end of season three in the show the story is mostly going to follow the original plotline. After that, well… Things are going to get a whole lot more interesting.
Bunni: "Interesting" being a loosely used term. Unless by interesting you mean completely bending the original plotline to your will as you see fit.
Mystic: Shut it. So anyways, sorry about the late and kind of short chapter… SO! Thank you very much Flamepelt3377, Kitty Fowl, Lightest'Ink, and DaAmazingMeepers for reviewing! The next update should be up by November 20th. Please ruffle and review, bye for now!