Ba-Ku-Ra!

Chap 11: United: Friends and Foes

By: Renagade Rex Sphinx & Miss-DNL

Akefia shook furiously in his binds, the Ring itself trembling violently against Ryou's chest, 'That…. That is Diabound…That monster… It was MY KA!' he snapped angrily, his voice grating violently as his entire being was flooded with rage, 'How… HOW did that little fuck of a weakling get my monster!? And how DARE HE use him against me!?'

'That was your Ka?!'Ryou managed, astonished as he looked out at the monster, now realizing the reason for the Spirit's sheer rage, which was radiating strong enough for he himself to feel… It was as if he'd be fighting to kill an old friend… 'Oh…I understand now…' he thought sadly, looking down at the field.

Bonz blinked as he watched his opponent wince as he summoned the monster , 'It's not THAT scary of a monster...' he thought as he looked it over; the monster was not in the least bit intimidating nor grotesque in any way as compared to the other monsters both had been using. Confused he looked to the others as if they knew something he didn't, to which they all gave a uniform shrug; even Keith was giving him a cynical look,

'What the fuck is wrong with the little freak? He takes the duel over but sees one low fucking level monster and freezes up?!' he scoffed inwardly, eyeing Ryou from behind his tinted glasses. As he thought this, he felt a familiar conscious pressing forward to speak, no doubt having been watching the duel,

{{Perhaps he knows its ability. It's a rather rare and strong card.}} He paused as he looked out at the warped field and grinned, {{I personally am interested in his Dark Necrofear~ A rare find to see with a newbie duelist.}} he commented as his eye settled on Ryou's graveyard where the blue fiend now rested. The card was a strong one, coupled with this field card it was a devastating combo, and one he could make excellent use of in the future if he had it in hand. With Diabound on the field, the duel could be turned around and victory claimed. They could use that …{{Let's make him an offer shall we~?}} Malik said smoothly, implanting the thought into Keith's mind.

Keith immediately smirked as the plan settled into his mind, "Hey Runt!" he barked loudly.

Ryou's eye had settled on one of his facedowns, his spirits perking and was about to address Akefia when Keith's voice suddenly broke his thoughts, to which he looked up at him a bit irritatedly, Keith simply grinning in turn,

"Seems you like that card there, Runt. And since you're so interested, how about a deal~? If you win, you'll get Diabound. You lose, we get Dark Necrofear and Dark Sanctuary since it completes Necrofear's ability." He smirked, seeing the immediately stunned look on Ryou's face, "Well? We have a deal~?"

'Take the deal!' Akefia barked without the slightest of hesitations, 'Tear him down and claim that card!' he demanded as he looked out at the still unmoving Diabound, tugging against his binds, 'I will not have him with anyone else!'

Ryou listened to the deal carefully alongside Akefia's command that almost sounded desperate. It was a perfect opportunity that he could not and would not pass up, "We have a deal." He announced firmly to Keith, to which he chuckled,

"Good," he looked to Bonz with a broad grin, "Go ahead and attack, the spirit won't be in Diabound~" he urged. Just one hit and everything would get evened out and the payoff would be oh so sweet~.

Bonz nodded steadily and looked back to the duel, "Diabound! Destroy Zombie dragon!" he called with a grin…His grin faded however when the monster did nothing but simply hover in place, completely unmoving as it stared across the battlefield, its eyes shifting about until lingering solidly on the ring of gold around Ryou's neck.

Watching from within the Ring, Akefia felt himself freeze as the monster deliberately gazed out at him. In a moment that stretched on, Akefia felt a strong sensation of surreal elation rush through him. The monster was LOOKING at him! It was actually LOOKING at him. That monster… was not just a card. The image before him was in fact his Ka! The hesitation was proof enough of that.

A genuine smile crossed his face and he leaned against his binds as if hoping to project his thoughts as he once had in life to the apparition, 'Ah…. That's right. You sense me don't you?' he breathed in almost a sigh. The creature stared back, head slightly tilting back, eyes widening only slightly; a detail not unnoticed by the Thief King who beamed broadly and knowingly, 'You don't have to worry about him Boy. He knows his rightful master~.' That being said, Akefia felt something inside him twist up even worse knowing that Diabound, his friend and ally was now an enemy on even this trivial mundane field. The thought made him swear heatedly, the Ring once more rattling in response to his anger.

Ryou blinked in surprise at the as he looked out at the image, which seemed to hold an underlying tone of something behind its sharp red eyes. The fact that the monster was not responding to Bonz who continued to call out for it to attack seemed to back the Spirit's words. To his amazement, the monster suddenly shifted into a defensive position, arms crossed over its chest and wings folded out in front of itself; the serpent tail however continued to gaze out towards him in a manner that seemed knowing, tongue occasionally flicking as it stared directly at the Ring.

Keith however stared dumbfounded at Diabound as it shifted out of attack position. The fact that Bonz obviously hadn't actively done so sent the fleeting thought that the card was a fake. But that couldn't be possible, he had made certain to nab the first card ever printed. He had made certain that it was the real deal!

Bonz blinked confusedly and looked down to the card, dumbfounded when he saw the card was still in attack position, "Keith it won't attack! Is this card defective?!" Bonz called out.

Keith growled, "I got the first fucking one ever made! It's the real deal!" he barked irately, to which Bonz huffed, unsure of what to do as he looked at the troublesome card. Clearly he wasn't getting anywhere with this card…

Shaking it off he looked back to the duel, "Armored Zombie, You attack instead! Destroy the dragon!" he called, hoping that his monster was untainted, which, to his relief it wasn't and successfully attacked, although no damage was dealt to his opponent due to defense.

Ryou felt the wave of frustration surge into his soul room as Akefia stared out across the field. After so long of not seeing something that was likely closer than even a family member and meeting them in such a predicament… it was likely not setting well at all with the Thief judging by the shaking Ring… Ryou shifted as his turn kicked into effect… what could he do? He had plenty of targets to choose from really… but he'd have to face Diabound eventually… He paused as his eyes glanced down at his cards and felt his spirits perk significantly as he observed one of his face downs. That would work!

'Don't worry,' Ryou said suddenly and confidently to the Thief as he drew his turn's card, 'I have a way to get him on our side before the duel ends!' he beamed as he looked at his freshly drawn card, just what he was looking for!

"First I tribute Forgotten Souls to maintain Dark Sanctuary! Next…. I activate Change of Heart!" In a flash of light a half angel, half demon appeared on the field, "I gain control of 1 monster til the end of my turn, And I'm sure you know which one I'm using it on."

With a flash of light the Angel Demon vanished in a brief flurry of its wings, as it vanished, Diabound's eyes flashed and without the slightest hesitation he immediately flew across the board and took his took his attack stance once more on Ryou's side of the field prepared to attack his former master, the serpent tail once more locked onto the Ring hissing in a more than pleased manner.

Upon the activation of the card, Akefia found himself excited, even more so when Diabound took his rightful place on his side of the field and observed the ever attentive creature as it stared back at him, 'Welcome old friend… We'll need you to take out this fool…And you won't have to battle with him any longer~' he smirked from within his confines and then directed his seriousness to the waiting creature, 'I just need you to listen to this Boy…. Got that?'

The serpent's head shifted to Ryou for only a moment before letting out a steady hiss, acknowledging the command. For what purpose the boy, who shared quite the remarkable resemblance to his master, served was unknown to him, Diabound was not about to question his master. If this Boy was by some importance to his master, then obey him he would; immediately the serpent head locked its gaze along with its main head's towards the bony boy who stiffened visibly….

Bonz felt himself growl in frustration as he realized that whatever had gone wrong was over now, and the card was functioning perfectly for his opponent. But whatever the case, the duel was not yet done, "I still have Call of the Haunted! My monster can't be destroyed!" he called defiantly.

Ryou simply smiled, "I know, which is why I was waiting for this card. De-Spell!" Bonz amazingly managed to pale even more as Ryou revealed the card and played it, "Call of the Haunted is destroyed! Your monsters are mortal again and lose the attack bonus!" Ryou declared as the Spell card shattered, his monsters shrinking in response to the loss of energy,

Akefia began laughing loudly and excitedly as their opponents' defenses fell away, leaving them exposed to the very manifestation of his own soul, 'GAHAHAH! These fools don't even have a prayer!~' he shouted ecstatically, nothing could stop them now!

Ryou nodded, a grin on his lips as Akefia's sheer elation flooded him, urging him on, "Now to finish this…. Diabound! Destroy Crass Clown!"

Diabound's fists clenched as he reared back snarling excitedly at the command; this one attack and he would be in his rightful place! With that, he lunged forward ferociously at the clown, the serpent licking forward and constricting it. With a swift and powerful pull and no small amount of satisfaction, the clown fell along with Bonz's shoulders as his life points fell to 0, the sight made Akefia shudder and then grin victoriously, 'A flawless victory~ and nice spoils I must say~' he mused aloud to Ryou, who beamed at the praise from the Spirit, 'Though now I will tell you to watch your step Boy. Thus victory might not be taken that easily… I can almost guarantee that.' Ryou's smile faltered some at the warning as the images faded away and felt his heartbeat pick up nervously.

"I lost…." He managed stiffly, his head drawing into himself, bracing for Keith's inevitable wrath.

True to instinct, Keith was on his feet and fuming, 'Fuck it! The rat won!' he thought angrily, teeth grinding as he observed the silverette looking from him to his lackeys and back again. If he weren't so angry, he might have smirked at the clearly nervous display. Glitch or not, he wanted so badly to knock the living hell out of the kid for making a fool out of him in front of his posse as well as lost one of the rarest cards in the world.

No… no he wouldn't have it, 'Feh… not like we really need to hand the card over-' He could feel his fists tightening, ready to head over and let into the little punk himself, but no sooner had he even finished his thought, he felt his body completely freeze in place, as if he had just been encased in steel, completely unable to move as the icy chill of a mildly irritated consciousness entered his mind,

{{Now, now Kieth. Don't be a sore loser. Besides….}} Malik began, the words slipping of his tongue almost mockingly despite being so cool and uncaring, {{Does that child have a pendent… a pyramid with a ring around it?}} Malik inquired halfheartedly, a thought occurring to him.

Keith blinked and glanced immediately to the shimmering object around the still tense boy's neck, 'Yeah. So?' he paused as the realization hit him almost immediately, 'Is it one of those items?'

Malik twirled the Scepter in his hand, {{It Is…. So another bearer is on the island. The Owner of the Ring…..}} he hummed thoughtfully for a moment before giving a slightly amused huff, {{Heh… no wonder Diabound refused to attack. Hand over the card.}} Keith was about to interject when Malik continued firmly, {{Now that Diabound has found its original master it'll be useless with us. Get your underlings and leave…. Once you're out… take their star chips and work your way to the castle. I'm in a good mood so you won't be punished for this little incident~ Don't push it….}} he added, the words laced with a deadly seriousness that Keith knew all too well not to challenge.

Feeling the force holding him prisoner vanish, Keith stood only a moment more, biting back his furious pride and huffed roughly to his waiting cronies with a growl, "Deal's a deal. Leave the card and the chips. We're heading out!" he snarled with such intensity as he stalked off that the trio decided best not to argue.

Ryou watched carefully as the group left the tunnel, only relaxing when Bonz rushed by calling for his gang to wait up, "He was oddly….a good sport about losing…" Ryou muttered aloud as he exited the box and headed to claim his prize.

Akefia hummed thoughtfully, also mildly surprised by the man's retreat. Normally his type would have seen to have let out some form of steam, 'Yes… Rather sporty as you say… But for now~' he piped rather excitedly, completely forgetting the irritating pack of jackals as he looked towards the station where the card still sat, beaming as Ryou stepped back onto the contraption.

The mere sight of the little sheet of paper sent a shudder throughout his being as Ryou took up the card, immediately sensing the creature dwelling within which was radiating just as much enthusiasm, 'Welcome back Diabound~' he thought contentedly as he looked out at the image. It wasn't his own hand…. but to have him this close was more than enough…. In the back of his mind, he honestly didn't mind the fact that it wasn't his own hand… the Boy had proven to be a lot more than he pinned him for.

Ryou smiled at the Spirit's happy excitement and began reading his new monster's effects, blinking in surprise at just how many helpful effects it had. He smiled as he looked over the reflective image of the creature before placing the card safely into his deck box and turned his attention to the glints still on the table and took them up, smiling proudly,

'Not at all bad~' Akefia mused as the boy took up the little golden glints, a clear renewal of determination emanating from him, 'That much closer to our goals.'

Ryou nodded as he affixed the stars, 'Yes, I just need four more…' he thought as he turned to exit the battle box. He flinched at a sharp pain on the back of his head and tenderly rubbed it as he stepped down, inwardly thanking the fact that he had such thick hair as it might have been worse… he stalled and stood alert at the sounds of hurried footfalls and echoing voices. Were they coming back? Were they going to rush him? He tensed and braced himself….

Akefia also tensed and listened intently to the oncoming footsteps, humming as he realized they sounded different. He relaxed when the tall brunette named Honda rushed into the main cavern, smiling in relief when he saw Ryou, "I found him!" he called back towards the tunnel.

Akefia huffed as the others quickly rushed into the cave, 'Better late than never I guess…'

Ryou relaxed and blinked a bit confused, "What are you guys doing here?" he blinked as Yami rushed into the cave, a look of worry on his face, "Is something wrong?"

Yami seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he observed Ryou, "The Puzzle showed me a vision of you getting carried into a cave… What happened? Are you alright?" he asked, still clearly concerned.

Ryou blinked in surprise at the declaration, even a bit more so at him being so upset, "Oh… Yes. I'm alright." He replied smiling reassuringly, "And… well... as for what happened…"

~few minutes later~

"So now I have six star chips and a new card." Ryou finished looking pleased with himself.

"What?!" Jounouchi exclaimed in clear anger, "Why the heck did those guys kidnap you like that? Just for a duel!?"

Ryou shrugged and shook his head, "I don't know. I didn't catch their names, but the head guy was some American with a flag bandana on his head and wore sunglasses too."

Honda immediately stiffened and crossed his arms in a huff, "Great, I saw some guys walking away when we came in… Must've been them but they're long gone by now…"

"Uh… guys…. Does anyone else hear that grinding noise?" Anzu inquired, prompting everyone to fall silent. True to her observation, there was indeed a low grinding sound emanating within the cavern. In an instant everyone's eyes widened and immediately rushed towards the cave entrance… just in time to see Keith's men shove a large boulder into the mouth of the cave, and in only a moment heaved it just enough to prevent their escape.

"Have fun getting out of there chumps! Haw-Hahahahahaa!" Keith laughed as the boulder was firmly shoved into place, sealing the group within. Malik said to hand over the spoils… he never said nothing about "inconveniencing" the little punk. A petty action maybe… but it did serve to make him feel some better about himself. That done he tilted his head to his worn out lackeys…..

Within the Ring Akefia watched the whole scene unfurl and growled as he, his host and the baggage were locked within the cavern, 'Damn bastards… I knew they'd do SOMETHING…. So damn inconvenient…' he muttered mostly to himself as he glanced back down the tunnel as the group of teens tried fruitlessly to make the boulder so much as twitch.

Ryou sighed after several minutes of straining and stepped back. There was just no way they could get out that way anymore… He hummed as he felt the Spirit's thoughtful emotions and then blinked recalling the battle box. Looking back he spotted a far darker wall and perked as he realized that it was not a wall, but another path, "Hey guys there's another path over there!"

Everyone turned to look where he was pointing and brightened as they spotted it. Nodding to one another they all abandoned the boulder and proceeded further into the tunnels…

-Outside-

Keith hummed to himself as he strode away, content with the "gifts" his cronies had given him and found himself more or less sauntering off towards the fields. Considering that Malik had immediately known about what he'd done, it was a miracle in of itself that he was conscious at all. Or perhaps just convenience…

{{You have eight star chips Keith. And with Yugi and the Ring bearer out of the way I expect you in the castle by the end of the day. It couldn't be easier for you right now.}} Malik pointed out hintingly.

Keith dared to huff at the comment, as if amused that he himself could actually lose, 'Don't worry about it. I'll just find a random weakling and that'll be that.'

{{You had better Keith,}} Malik hissed as he gripped the Scepter irritatedly, scowling by his nonchalantness … he had too much directly riding on this tournament to have any screw ups. Too much had already been disrupted to have this go awry, {{The sake of your mind and soul is on the line!}}

Keith felt himself shudder and fell silent as he headed to the mess of Battle Boxes in the field below…

-Within the Tunnels-

After walking some ways into the tunnel, that thankfully had been set up with torches giving some form of light, Anzu blinked as she observed the increasingly smaller crags in the walls, "The walls seem to be getting smoother…" The group perked at the thought. Smoother walls meant a possible exit.

But as he gazed forward, Jonouchi paused and gasped as a fork in the tunnels presented itself. Looking down one and then the other he came to a rather unsettling observation, "It's a labyrinth!" The group immediately groaned. A labyrinth?! That could take forever to navigate….

Ryou felt his spirits dampen at the thought, "Wonderful…" he muttered bitterly. They only had so much time… they couldn't afford this! What would happen to his father!? There had to be some manner of getting out quickly… some way to know how to get through a maze… some way to…. he stalled as a chuckle emanated from the Ring. Immediately he perked as he looked down at the Ring, 'You wouldn't happen to know any way of guiding us out of this would you?'

Akefia shifted almost contentedly for once in his binds, a grin on his face and eyes glinting at the mere mention of "labyrinth". Oh how that word brought back so many memories and pulse pounding thrills. He chuckled at the question and hopeful tone of his host, 'Hahahah… I was BRED for this sort of thing~'

He smirked as he felt his host's spirits perk up once more, his fears put out as Akefia began carefully scanning the paths laid before them, looking closely at the walls to the very dust on the ground, thankful that none of the morons in his company had darted forward and screwed up his process, and soon found himself smirking as he locked his gaze down the left tunnel. Carefully with some manipulating, he directed a portion of the Ring's shadow energy into one of its prongs which rose in response, 'That way.' he declared, 'And be careful… places like this are often booby trapped like crazy. Tread with caution.' He warned firmly recalling the morning's observational blunder…. He would not have his host falling to simple lack of attention.

Ryou blinked as one of the Ring's left prongs directed him accordingly. Carefully he took up the Ring and held it before him, nodding at the Spirit's tone, 'Right… I'll be careful.' He replied as he walked forward and down the path, carefully scanning for anything out of place. Seeing nothing he looked back to his friends, "This way!" he called, to which the group looked to him confused, but having no real options themselves, decided to follow the silverette as he continued to walk carefully and a bit slowly as he proceeded.

Anzu looked around for anything that might have prompted her friend's decision to select this tunnel. Not seeing any immediate difference she looked towards him, "Ryou… how do you-" she paused as she then noticed Ryou holding something out before him. It took only a moment to see what it was and slightly gulped as she noted one of the prongs was pointing on its own accord, "Oh…. The Ring." She muttered, nervousness lacing her voice.

Ryou nodded and looked back at her giving her a friendly smile of reassurance to show that he was still himself, "Don't worry, I'm fine. The Ring will show us the way out."

Anzu looked on at Ryou's soft and kind face and slowly nodded, "If you say so…" she managed feeling a little better.

Still keeping a sharp eye out as he directed the Ring, Akefia felt himself smirk as he listened to the little conversation, 'Still not going to tell them of me?' he mused aloud to his host, 'Haha. That's fine. Better they don't know…' he mused as he distracted his gaze from the path to cast a sidelong glare at the form not far beside his host. The glare only lasted a moment, although he would be willing to do so until the Yami burst into flames, but given the circumstance, he directed himself back to the task at hand and proceeded to guide his host through the tunnels, occasionally stopping to simply observe the area before selecting the more reasonable route.

The process took less time than even he thought, and soon the group was met with the welcome sight of light at the end of what had since become a corridor. Relieved, they all made way towards the light and were met with a sizable, clearly man-made, room that adorned what appeared to be a Duel Table with a peculiar design. No sooner had the last of the group stepped in however, a large heavy door slammed down, barring them from retreating back towards the tunnels.

Along with everyone else, Jonouchi jumped and whirled to face the door, "What the-!?"

Akefia paused and then grunted somewhat boredly, 'That figures…' once more, no turning back…

The shifting sound of movement within the room snagged his and everyone else's attention.

Yami hummed and turned back towards the open room, "Someone's here…" he began but was almost promptly silenced when swift movements erupted as if from nowhere. The movements came from two identical bald men, each adorning similar outfits but in different color, both moving with lightening quick reflexes and movements that were in total sync as they spun, jumped and preformed acrobatic techniques before simultaneously landing perfectly on both corners of the opposite side of the Duel table leaving everyone staring in a mix of amazement and confusion.

Akefia stared at the two men some few moments, jaw somewhat agape in bewildered confusion before finally finding his tongue, 'Good Gods…. I think we just ran into a pair of gypsy performers…'

Okay guys sorry for the wait! One thing came up after another and well it took a while to get the chapter up as you see ^^; we're very sorry for that.

This chapter was written by Renagade and edited by me.

Renagade: Thief Bakura

Miss-DNL: Ryo, Keith, Bonz, Zygor, Sid, Diabound, Yami, Anzu, Jonouchi, Honda, Malik

Note: In this story there are two Call of the Haunted cards, the trap (real card) and the magic card from the anime. We kept both to keep this duel the same. Also Diabound has abilities added to the Diabound Kernel card, which will be shown soon, to make him more like the real Diabound from the Millennium World.

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