Chapter 4
Note~ Yami Yugi= Other Yugi. Yami Bakura = Bakura
"Italaics mean Bakura is narrating as characters"
This will be a long chapter. Just a fair warning.
The three sat around the table, Bakura and Yugi gazing evenly at each other and Kim looking between them.
To a bystander, they would be incredibly confused as they had just watched the spiky haired boy fall into a heap on the table, before soon rising back up as his friends lay down beside him. However, Kim, as well as the others on the board, were starting to understand.
Two weeks ago, Yugi had finally broken down and explained everything to them. He explained that for months he had been experiencing black outs, hallucinations, and memory loss. Yugi told them that he believed there was another mind inside his own.
Jounouchi had asked how long it had been going on, and Yugi told him it had been happening since he finished the millennium puzzle he wore around his neck. He went on to talk about how his grandfather had found this item in Egypt, and brought it back home, he had never been able to complete it. And eight years ago, Yugi had found it and wanted to complete it, so he did. He was convinced that the reason of his incidents was because of the millennium puzzle.
At first Kim found it a little hard to believe, Yugi had never acted insane around her. But when she started to think about it, she rememebred stories of Anzu telling Kim about a mysterious man saving her twice. And even a few accounts Yugi just seemed to change into someone he really wasn't. She thought maybe Yugi needed to seek some professional help, however, Yugi changed during his final game with Seto Kaiba. It had been an intense game, but Yugi pulled through and told Kaiba that he had all but lost his mind to power and greed. After shouting "mind crush!" Seto Kaiba had slumped over in his seat, staring wide eyed at nothing. Last Kim heard, he was being cared for by private nurses and doctors at his mansion.
After that experience, Kim could not deny that maybe, there was another force going on in this world that just couldn't be explained.
And she saw this in Yugi's eyes, they were once wide and innocent. Youthful and kind. He was open and he was welcoming.
But now, even when this other mind took control, she could definitely tell the difference. This "other Yugi" (as they were all calling him, a little unsure what to greet him by) had his eyes narrowed, they were calm and full of control and had confidence that Yugi just didn't have. His voice would go a little deeper, and smoother. And his face did not hold the friendliness that Yugi's had. It was grim and even a little sardonic.
"hmph, so I see." Bakura said "so you're the spirit of the millennium puzzle."
Yugi simply stared at him, not answering verbally, but Bakura knew well enough.
"Very well then, from now on, you and Kim can take turns in rolling the dice for your friends." he said, then suddenly smirked darkly "unless of course, Kim slips up and becomes just like her friends. then you'll take full control."
Again the same irritation and anger swept through Kim,
"why do you think I'll slip up?" she asked him, her tone laced with annoyance. "Maybe I'll see this through til the end just as myself."
"Intuition I suppose." Bakura said simply "but never mind that, we have a game to play."
Kim gripped the end of her skirt angrily but gave a jump as Yugi touched her arm gently
"Don't fall into his trap so easily Kim." he said frowning. "he wants you to cloud your judgement with anger and hesitation."
she sighed but took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Yugi was right, people acted irrationally when they were angry, and this game just had too many risks for her to mess up.
"Ok Yugi." she managed to agree,
he nodded "Alright, I think it was the dark masters turn." he said and they both looked at Bakura. Bakura simply stared at the pair before looking at his computer to see what was next.
"Except that Zorc's left hand was destroyed, he remains uninjured. You could say things have gotten worst for the Adventurers."
on the board, the adventurers looked on in horror as Zorc's missing hand began to make a squelching sound,
"It's mutating!" Jounouchi exclaimed, sure enough, the hand began to shift itself into two different monsters. One was a tiny black dragon, the other a creepy eyeball.
Once the monsters had finished evolving from his hand, Zorc turned away from the Adventurers.
"are you running away Zorc?" Jounouchi asked,
"I have a special place set up for our duel, make your way to my castle while the fires of hatred still burn in your hearts. That is...if you can."
"And with that, Zorc takes flight to the castle." Bakura narrated.
"coward!" Jounouchi grumbled. "We'll get to your castle, you just wait!"
"we're playing right into Bakura's script" Yugi said angrily.
Kim sat back as she stared at the board then at Bakura before looking at the board again.
Yugi was right. They had willingly walked right into his trap. He had managed to get four of them right where he wanted, and was working his way to get the other two.
What he wanted with their souls was something she didn't understand. Why go through all this trouble?was he collecting their souls for a purpose?
"Warrior, it's your turn to attack." Yugi said. He picked up the dice,
"Roll the dice Yugi, but remember, if you fumble, the character dies."
Yugi just smirked and dropped the dice, they landed on 05. Bakura stared down in bewilderment at the super critical and the now slain monster.
"Well? I just attacke, so what happens next?" Jounouchi aske and the spirit quickly composed himself
"seeing his companion slain, the monster hesitates and loses his turn." he narrated.
"Monster tamer, it's your turn." Yugi said. Kim frowned a bit as Yugi chose a vicious looking dragon to make into their ally. He'd need a 10 or less to suceed and the odds weren't particularly favorable.
Yugi smirked and rolled the dice. The two ten sided dice rolled on the table. Bakura smirked in victory as he realized the red dice would land on an 8. making a super critical impossible. However, his smirk was soon replaced by annoyance and shock as the dice crashed into one another, and the red dice landed on a 0.
"Another super critical?" Bakura asked now feeling rather annoyed and amazed.
"One of the many ways to cheat with dice is to have them hit one another." Yugi said calmly "Just like your ways of cheating to get criticals."
with the success of another critical, Yugi was able to transform the vicious looking dragon into a smaller, but rather adorable ally.
"Wait, so you mean to tell me this jerk cheated?" Jounouchi asked angrily. "Well no wonder we got screwed over so easily."
Bakura remained expressionless as Honda and Jounouchi shouted angry words over his cheating.
"well Bakura, if you can cheat, then I can too." Yami said grinning. "I think that would be fair."
"Fine. Then we'll just roll the dice by dropping them flat on the table, sound good?" Bakura compormised.
Yugi just nodded his agreement.
"Hey Bakura. Next time you cheat, you should have your soul sealed into a miniature." Jounouchi said angrily.
Bakura merely ignored him and proceeded to narrate the next step in the game. "The game has gotten serious. Now the adventurers move on, to Zorc's Castle."
Each took their turn in moving with Kim and Yugi rolling the dice everytime for their friends.
As they neared the castle, one of the allies turned to Yugi
"Please be careful, this castle is full of traps." the creature warned him
"The drawbridge lowers for the adventurers. Their goal is near." Bakura said,
the five friends crossed the bridge. "You've reached the last stage of your quest, somewhere in this castle, Zorc awaits."
"Where on earth can he be?" Anzu asked as the group looked around the spacious castle. As they looked, Honda spotted a tower with a cube and an odd shape on it.
"Hey, that tower looks pretty suspicious." he said, and they all looked over.
"I wonder what this pedestial is." Yugi said as he stepped in and examined the carvings. Everybody else moved in as well to look at what he was talking about.
"Those carvings worry me slightly." the other Yugi said. His eyes suddenly widened "Guys get out."
"Huh? But we're already in." Jounouchi said,
"They fell for it." Bakura said quietly. Suddenly, there was a horrible metalic creak and they looked up to see a wall of spikes shooting straight down at the Adventurers.
"guys no!" Kim cried as they fell on her friends.
"The adventurers have fallen into a trap." Bakura said and leaned his head into his hands "But don't worry, instant death is the work of an amateur. I personally like to prolong the torture. I'll give you a chance to save them"
"We're gonna be smushed." Honda said
"Not only is this wall heavy, but it has spikes in it." Jounouchi groaned.
"Bakura you player killing scumbag." The other Yugi snapped angrily, Bakura's eye brows went up slightly at the insult.
"Oh, I know my players limits." he said "they can hold out for a little longer. You have three turns, in other words, three rolls of the dice. If you fail, your friends will die."
The other Yugi glared at him, hardly daring to trust that Bakura was this nice in games.
"this is the puzzle, to save your friends, you must complete the column supporting the ceiling. However to do that, you must roll the correct number."
"correct number?" Kim asked
"yes, a certain number on the dice." he said
"But what does that-"
"there's no time to think, everybody's lives are in danger." the other Yugi said, he grabbed the dice and rolled it. The dice landed at 05 "yes, a critical."
"You got a critical." Bakura said patiently, "But I said you had to have a certain number."
"What?"
"Here's a hint, you have to roll doubles."
"A critical isn't going to be enough?"
"That reminds me, it's time for another monster encounter roll. There's a thirty percent chance that Zorc will appear." he said, looking at his computer.
"Oh no, if Zorc appears..." Kim couldn't finish her sentence. Bakura took his dice and tossed it
"twenty eight. The worst number for the adventurers." he said
Below on the board, Zorc appeared from the castle and the friends looked up in horror.
"you have fallen straight in my trap. Now I'll tear you apart whilst the tower holds your corpses."
"D-damn that's low." Jounouchi grit out.
"I have to save everyone and fast." yugi rolled the dice again, thirteen. "damn, not a critical."
"Zorc attacks. Since his targets can't move, his success is ninety five percent."
"Wait. Bakura, I'll counter attack." Kim said, as her character hadn't wandered into the tower.
Bakura seemed to consider for a moment, before he nodded
"alright, your chances of success is thirty percent. So you must roll lower than that to be able to protect your friends"
"right." Kim said vaguely as she gripped the dice. She tried to not think about her hand shaking, and how the dice felt really hot in her slightly sweaty hands.
Bakura watched her with vague amusement, he knew that if she was scared, that the dice would betray her. Which was fine by him. He was quite annoyed that Kim hadn't fallen prey earlier. But she would soon enough.
Kim swallowed and dropped the dice, her heartbeat ticking every moment that the dice fell.
They landed with a quiet clack. Thirty one.
"you've got to be kidding me!"she cried. Bakura smirked.
"the enchanters spell is off," he narrated, on the board, Zorc raised his hand and broke through the enchanters spell which caused Kim's minature to fall over, and Kim to grip her chest, she felt as if she had been seared by fire.
"Kim." Yugi looked at her worriedly
"S-sorry Yugi, I wasn't much help" she mumbled. Bakura smirked wickedly
"well Kim, you failed this round, you know the penalty."
the burnette grit her teeth as she refused to look at him, and he pointed his finger at him
"soul transfer!"
Kim had the strangest sensation, there was a swoop in her stomach and a dizzy notion in her head. It was like that feeling of tripping and falling. Before suddenly catching yourself. Next thing she knew. She was looking up at a gigantic demon with her friends grunting in pain behind her.
"G-guys, a-are you ok?"
"We're ok." Honda and Jounouchi said through gritted teeth. Yugi and Anzu made no comment.
"D-don't worry, Yugi will roll the right number."
Yugi nodded and gripped the dice "dice, hear my plea" he thought to himself before dropping it.
The dice landed on thirty three, and the spiked ceiling was soon lifted off of the friends, it had been the correct number!
"Tch, you may have gotten the right number, but in that instant, zorc got another turn." Bakura said seething as he threw the dice down onto the table. He got a twelve. "Zorc attacks the adventurers."
Zorc raised his mighty hand and struck down the tower with a massive power.
"ha. Think again Bakura, the adventurers are right behind you." Yugi smirked at him "They have great speed and as soon as they were freed, they were able to escape."
Bakura fought against the anger that was boiling inside, and he managed to calmly say "alright fine, the adventurers snuck up behind Zorc, so they get an extra turn."
"right." Yugi said grabbing the dice. Each adventurer got a turn in attacking zorc, and every turn was a critical, making the damage to Zorc a little more severe with every adventurer that attacked.
But even then, they were low leveled characters, so the damage wasn't as bad as they hoped. Zorc stood with a hole in his chest, a long gash, and his arm was a little disfigured.
"But how is that possible?" Jounouchi asked angrily "We put our all into this!"
"We're low leveled." Kim said and Bakura smirked darkly
"the enchanter is correct. You're merely level one apprentices. You don't have enough experience to defeat Zorc."
"B-but then...there isn't any way for us to win." Yugi said horrified.
"how is that fair?" Honda and Anzu both exclaimed.
"It's not. It's Bakura's world and he morphs it to how he wants it!" Kim said angrily,
"Tch, are you calling me a coward Kim?" he sneered down at her "yes, I created this world. I am the rules, I am the monsters!"
they all looked at Bakura, anger seething through their entire beings.
"Now let's finish the game. You can at least act out your deaths with grace." he said.
"Yugi may have thought that he stopped my series of criticals. But just like him, I have other ways" Bakura pulled out a box, in the box there were some figurines as well as another pair of dice "for the past few years, I've sealed the souls of my hosts gaming friends into these miniatures. But, I can also seal my soul into dice. This is the power of my millennium ring."
"you've had your turn and now zorc gets his." Bakura said as he shook the dice in his hands "he turns his full wrath on the adventurers." he dropped the dice and they landed. Each dice was zero. A super critical.
"No. not after all of this." yugi thought desparately.
"Zorc attacks, it's over!" Bakura said gleefully. Zorc swung a might blast towards the characters and they fell to the ground, as if they were dead.
"no!" Yugi cried.
"It's probably pointless, but I'll calculate each characters status on the computer. I'll put in the characters hit points, the dice roll, and Zorc's attack power."
Bakura typed all of the necessary data in and his eyes went wide. Something was not right!
Each character still had one hit point left.
The friends all stood up, grateful to be alive, even if they were badly wounded. As they made sure that one another was alright, Bakura looked back at his computer in shock, before he realized that his left hand was typing...without him telling it to. And a message was spelled across the computer screen.
"I am Ryou Bakura, I will not let you hurt any more of my friends. I will fight too."
Bakura stared down at it, color draining from his face as he processed what was going on. He barely could tell what was going on in the playing field. Nothing like this had ever happened before. So why would it happen now?
"Wait...Zorc's hand had been cut off earlier in the game. Is it possible that Ryou's conciousness has surfaced and he's taking control of my hand?"
While Bakura was distracted by all of this, Yugi rolled the dice and Jounouchi attacked Zorc in the eye. Bakura's left eye shut as if it caused him physical pain to keep it open.
"Yugi, you're making me mad." he said "I was going to be nice and let your friends live as parts in my world, but not anymore. Now you'll all die! I'll bury you in an eternal night."
tap tap tap
He looked down again to see his left hand moving and he cringed at the message
"I will not take this anymore. I will help my friends strike you down!"
He scowled and moved the computer a little aways from his left hand and forced it to hang limply at his side. For now, his left hand would have to be useless.
"Well now, the warrior struck out Zorc's left eye, but his hit points go down only a little."
"Tch, it doesn't matter how many super criticals we get, we can't hope to defeat him"
"I have to restore everybody's health first." Yugi said to them.
"right, according to the initiative scores, Anzu's magician goes first, but Zorc's score is tied with Anzu's. So they go at the same time." Bakura grinned evilly "Yugi, we must roll the dice and who ever is close to 00 goes first. If you get it, then your adventurers will be restored. But if I win, then Zorc goes, and that's the end."
"Right." Yugi agreed
the two boys picked up their dice and dropped it. Bakura smirked triumphantly "I win." he thought to himself as the dice spun.
Yugi's landed on a 09.
"Ha, I win!" Bakura crowed. "Zorc raises his hand to-"he paused as he realized Yugi was laughing! "What's so funny?"
"Are you blind? Check your dice." Bakura lowered his good eye down and gaped. 10!
"H-how is this possible?" he gasped.
"ah I feel so much better Anzu." Yugi said as her magic healed them all.
Bakura however wasn't paying attention. He was more concerned about why he didn't have his brainwashed dice. Where were they and how did he lose them?
"Tch, it doesn't matter. Compared to zorc you're microrganisms, you'll be blown to dust by Zorc's next turn. Here I go, if Zorc gets and 80 or less, you're all done for!" he started to throw the dice with his right hand, but suddenly his left hand lashed out and another set of dice fell to the table.
"my left hand was hiding the brainwashed dice? No, that's Ryou Bakura's will!"Bakura looked in horror as the dice fell to a 99. a fumble
"he blew himself up." Jounouchi exclaimed.
Bakura gripped his left wrist,
"This damned left hand!" he cried angrily and before anybody could react, he threw his left hand onto a pointed tower, skewering the hand.
"why would he do that?" Kim gasped, and then she heard it
"Take that Ryou Bakura"
"Ryou..." Kim murmured. Was Ryou some how fighting back?
"Man look at his face, he looks terrible. I'm almost sorry for hitting him" Jounouchi said
"Do you think...Ryou has a personality like Yugi does." Kim asked the group "I can't believe that the Bakura we met is this Bakura."
"heh, next is the beast tamers turn." Bakura said.
"yeah, we've chosen our next ally, we're going to turn it on Zorc." Yugi said
"what? Zorc would never ally himself with you!"
"Go Beast tamer." Yugi rolled the dice, he got a 05.
Yugi's taming hand appeared and grabbed onto Zorc's left arm, right where the hand had been severed from his wrist.
"ha! You'd have to get a million to make Zorc your ally..." Bakura began to taunt before he realized something, someone, was coming out of zorc's left hand. "I-it can't be."
a white figure crashed onto the board and he looked up.
"Y-you're Bakura...aren't you?" Yugi asked as he helped the player up.
"I am the white wizard, created by Ryou Bakura. Please let me join you."
"O-of course." Yugi said and Ryou smiled.
"It's the magic gunman's turn." Yugi rolled the dice, and Honda struck at Zorc.
"Whoa what gives? that attack was more powerful than before."
"I lowered Zorc's defense." Ryou explained smiling. Whilst the group of adventurers were cheered up by this bit of news, Bakura seethed to himself at how his host had managed to make a character without his knowledge. And now he was rapidly losing control of his own game! it was time to use his last resort. He had to show them, that it didn't matter if they had Ryou Bakura on their side, or struck every super critical possible. Zorc was too powerful to defeat.
"Look! Zorc is transforming!" Miniature Yugi exclaimed, and sure enough, if the demon didn't look terrifying before. well, now he did. Spikes grew from his back, all of his injuries closed up, and his skin hardened. The monsters eyes gleamed red down at them
"This is Zorc's final form, and his defense and attacks are leveled up! And now it's his turn, his long awaited attack!"
"No...how are we going to survive this one?" Yugi asked horrified.
"Dice roll!" Bakura shouted and rolled a super critical, "Zorc inferno!"
Zorc shot a fiery blast down to them. Ryou leapt in front of the adventurers "White shining shield!" he raised his wand and a shield sprung forth, protecting them all.
"Tch, white wizard. how long can you hold against Zorc's fiery power?"
"Ryou, you protected us." Jounouchi said,
"don't worry Ryou, I'll save you next turn. I'll use my healing magic to-"
"Anzu, if you have enough to heal me, save it for later." he said. "I can't keep protecting us, and we need to finish it this turn."
"If Zorc could do this?then why didn't he do so earlier?" Yugi asked
"Because we've pushed him too far, this is Bakura's final gamble." his other self explained. "you see that hole? He's taken enough damage and we need to destroy that, or we'll lose."
"But it's sealing too fast!" Yugi cried.
suddenly, one of their little allies rushed forward and stuck itself in the hole, so that way Zorc couldn't heal.
"hurry and attack, you can destroy me with it!" the little monster told them.
"We don't sacrifice our friends." Yugi said smiling at the creature. he rolled another super critical and Yugi's beast tamer was able to punch Zorc through his open wound, but take their little ally out safe and sound.
"And now it's the warriors turn!" Yugi said, and Jounouchi created a powerful slash, slicing Zorc in half. The friends cheered, thinking that it was finally enough to defeat Zorc. But again, their hopes were dashed yet again as the demon was keeping himself hoisted up with his one hand.
"ugh, he's still standing?" Kim groaned.
"Yugi. we've come to the final round." Bakura announced "we'll each throw the dice and whoever is closest to 00 gets to go first." "But it doesn't matter who does. If I win then I'll self destruct and take the adventurers with me. if Yugi does then I'll blow up just as he attacks. either way, I win!"
"Come on Yugi, we believe in you" Anzu shouted up to him
"yeah Yugi, show this punk who's boss." Honda cheered.
"We're counting on ya'" Jounouchi exclaimed.
Yugi and Bakura both threw the dice into the air, Yugi's dice landed first. they rolled along the table, first the white stopped on a zero and they held their breath as the red rolled. Onto a zero.
"yes! Super critical!" Yugi cried.
"It's not over until my dice land." Bakura said, and his soon joined Yugi's on the table. landing a 00.
"ha! I win" Bakura said moreso to himself.
"Kim, get ready for the final attack." Yugi said to Kim who nodded.
"This was the best game ever." Bakura said gleefully "Just when you thought you won, you fall into the jaws of defeat."
"No..."
"now prepare to..." just as Bakura was about to finish, they all heard a sickening crack and looked over to see Bakura's dice being split apart. Ryou suddenly appeared over the dice. "Ryou..." Bakura gasped in shock.
"I will not let you hurt my friends any more. Even if I have to be destroyed, I will do it if it ensures your loss!"
"That's suicide host!"
"Ryou, don't do it!" Kim cried out. he turned to the adventurers and smiled
"Thank you all...for believing in me."
"no!"Bakura cried out, and the dice shattered.
"heh, no dice, no roll. We attack Zorc. Go Kim!" Yugi shouted. Kim leaped up and waved her hand, striking Zorc where his heart was and blowing him to thousands of pieces, just like the dice.
Bakura watched in horror as he lost to his own game, before his body slumped forward onto the game table.
"Ryou...!"
"H-how is he?"
"It's no good." yugi shook Ryou's body "He's dead."
"Ryou sacrificed himself for us..." miniature Yugi said softly
"no...Ryou Bakura is still alive. In me." the white wizard said, the five looked at him in surprise.
"what?" Kim questioned him
"the master created me to be a part of this world. and through his adventures, I became a level thirteen. If Yugi can roll a critical, then I can bring Ryou back."
"Seriously?" Jounouchi asked and the wizard nodded
"yes, and the next time we meet in this world, I too, will be a level one wizard, with no experience."
"I'll do it." Yugi promised. "I'll roll a critical!"
The wizard smiled, and leaped up. The last thing anybody saw was a white blur, before they were looking down at the game board, to the happy faces of their figurines.
"Ryou." Kim leaped from her seat and went over to his. Hesitantly, she placed her hands on his shoulders. The white haired boy stirred at her touch and he opened his eyes, before tilting his head up.
"Kim..." he said softly, his voice dazed.
"It's all over Bakura. you did it!" she said happily. Ryou blinked before he looked down at the board and smiled, before placing his left hand over hers.
"Yes...we did it." he agreed.
I told you it was long *collapses* I kept telling myself that I needed to finish this, then I can go to bed.
Well, I'm sorry I haven't updated since...*checks* wow...August. I would be really really REALLY surprised if any of you are still interested in this story.
I apologize. I just got busy managing two jobs, school, and I guess I just got engrossed in art, rather than writing. I also started to lose interest in this story. I should be ashamed.
but nevertheless, I somehow got motivated on the airplane trip to school. And of course I had no pens so when I finally got my laptop back, I was bursting with inspiration and motivation.
I'm sorry this is a bit vague. I'm probably going to be done copying from the manga/anime, it's kinda boring to do so.
Anyway, I'm gonna shut up before I ruin this chapter. I have another one that should be updated hopefully tomorrow!
Thanks for sticking with me!
DSSM
p.s. jeez gone for nearly 9 months and this friggin website changes