Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. I'm not making any money. Nuff said
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HIKARI STRONG
Chapter Fifteen
"Joey calm down," Tea said as the blonde paced back and forth. "This isn't going to help Serenity."
"Well givin' up myself and my friends won't help anyone!" Joey snapped. She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I just...I don't know what to do."
"We'll get her back," Seto said, taking Joey's hand and squeezing it. "I swear we'll get her back."
"How?" Bakura demanded, folding his arms. "My hikari just got out of a cast! I will not see him hurt again!" He rounded on Ishizu. "This is bullshit! How do you expect us to stay on the sidelines like this?!"
Seto suddenly smirked viciously. It was the kind of smirk that appeared when he summoned his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. He touched a button the nearby, intercom. "Bring them in," he said. He then turned to Ishizu. "Did you really think I wouldn't find a way around this?"
Yami raised a brow. "What did you do?"
Roland entered the room, pushing a cart with several boxes that suspiciously looked like duel disks. "I simply altered the design," Seto answered, adding, "a lot," in a low voice.
Ishizu sighed. "I told you Kaiba. You cannot fight these monsters with holograms."
Seto smirked only increased. "We won't be using holograms. The technology now creates a complete and tangible image." He glared at Ishizu. "Never underestimate what I can do."
"Seto," Mokuba said, running into the room, a stack of papers in his hands. "I found it! It was hard since they used a freaking VHS - how did they even find one? - " Seto gave him a look that told him to stay on track. "Anyways, here's the location. I think that there might be others being held captive there. The place is huge."
Seto took the papers from his brother and ruffled his hair. "Good job, Mokuba." He then put on his new duel disk and set it into battle mode. Yami and Bakura did the same, followed by Duke and Tristan. Yugi and Ryou each took one of Joey's hands.
"We'll get her back, Joey," Yugi said.
Joey nodded. "I know," she said, squeezing their hands before letting go and leading the way out. She felt that foreign strength within her again. Juno's strength. "I'll take down anyone who gets in my way."
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"Security looks tight," Tristan mentioned as they hid in the woods atop a hill that over-looked the dour looking castle. "That place is creepier than Pegusus'."
Joey growled impatiently. "We've gotta get in there," she said.
"We will," Seto said, pressing a button on his collar. "Got anything, Mokuba?"
"There's a pathway underground on the south-east side," Mokuba's voice rang from the collar. "You'll have to create a distraction, but if you can do that-,"
He was cut off by a large explosion. The group looked up to see the Seven Armed Fiend flying out of the rubble on the opposite side of the castle, several guards chasing after it. Bakura laughed maniacally. Everyone stared.
"What?" he said. "You wanted a distraction."
Joey slide down the hill and took off at a sprint. "Now or neva', guys."
"Joey wait!" Yugi yelled as he and Ryou took off after her.
Seto was right on their tail. "Mokuba," he huffed into his collar, "make sure whatever security system they have is shut down!"
"Sure thing, big bro!"
"I think becoming a girl has made Joey more impulsive," Duke stated as the others caught up.
"It's Juno's memories," Yami informed them. "After seeing what became of her and her child, I believe Joey is determined to make sure no one else is hurt."
Seto glanced at the Pharaoh before narrowing his eyes. "Well she's going to get herself killed if she keeps doing things like this."
They made it to the opening, slipping through one by one. They glanced around. There was no sign of Joey, Yugi or Ryou.
"Dammit!" Seto yelled, punching the nearby wall.
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"Joey!' Ryou called, heaving as he ran as fast as he could. "You've got to slow down!"
Joey hardly heard him. All she could think about was Serenity, the little sister she should have been able protect. She now wondered what would have happened had she been born a girl. Would her mother have taken her? Or would she still have been left behind with their drunken father?
Joey shook her head. Now was not the time to play with what-ifs. She could wonder about them later. Right now she needed to save her sister, and protect her friends in the process. Memories of Juno's demise flashed through her mind.
That won't happen this time, she thought, setting her jaw. This time I'll protect everyone. Yugi, Ryou and me will be the protectors this time. Not the protected. And maybe, I can protect them, too.
"Joey, look out!" Yugi hollered, breaking Joey out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a huge, burly guard. Joey fell to her knees, sliding across the floor and evading the man's attack.
"Dark Magician Girl!" Yugi hollered, the gold summoning circle forming around him. The Dark Magician Girl appeared shortly after, charging at the guard. More guards showed up and Joey jumped to her feet.
"Earl of Demise!" Ryou called out, summoning the grotesque zombie forth.
"Flame Swordsman!" Joey shouted. The swordsman came to her aid.
"There's more coming!"yelled Ryou in a panicked voice.
Joey swore. She knew they would have to physically fight some in this situation, but Yugi and Ryou weren't those kind of fighters. And I'm good for a girl, she thought, but I'm still a girl. I'm not as strong as I was when I was a guy.
"Come on," Joey said, pushing the two boys in front of her. "Let's run for it!"
They took off, dodging and tackling guards and dealing crushing blows with their monsters. Joey saw a door ahead, and inhaled sharply. We're almost there, Just get behind that door and if we can block it we're home free.
But then something struck Joey in the back of the head. She heard yelling and screaming, saw lights flashing. She swore she heard the roar of the Red Eyes Black Dragon before completely blacking out.
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Dammit, Joey, Seto thought as they searched for the missing hikaris. Bakura was sounding as frustrated Seto, and it was obvious Yami was doing his best to remain calm. Seto's patience was not helped by the constant bickering of Tristan and Duke.
"Will you two shut the hell up!" he roared, resisting his urge to kill them only because Joey would never forgive him.
Duke and Tristan jumped at his outburst, staring for a moment. The green-eyed boy pointed at Tristan. "He started it." Tristan glared.
"I don't care who started it!" Seto told them.
"Kaiba," Yami tried to say in a comforting voice. "We'll get them back. We'll get her back."
Seto growled and stomped ahead, blinded by his rage. "We better, or I swear I will kill someone this time," he ranted. He clenched his hands into fists, the one emotion he hated most flooding him: Fear. "I will not lose her again."
"Again?" Tristan questioned, confused.
Seto froze, swearing under his breath again. He hoped they thought he meant something else, like when Joey almost drowned, or when she almost died after dueling Marik's dark half, or when Dartz took her soul.
No such luck. "You denying, stubborn son of a bitch!" Bakura said, stepping in front of him. "You remember don't you?!"
Seto narrowed his eyes. He had always brushed them off as dreams...nightmares. But when Yami mentioned Joey knowing about Juno...about her's and Set's child, he was starting to wonder how far-fetched it could all really be. He was having trouble finding the fine line between coincidence and the fate he didn't believe in.
"You do, don't you?" Yami asked more gently.
Seto scowled. "It doesn't matter. The past is the past. I won't be making the same mistakes as my so-called past self." He continued moving forward, signaling that he was done with this discussion.
Then, his duel disk began to glow, along with Yami's and Bakura's. The Blue Eyes White Dragon, the Dark Magician and the Change of Heart emerged, charging forward.
"Follow them!" Yami yelled.
Seto didn't need to be told twice. He took off after the creatures, keeping pace with Yam and Bakura. Duke and Tristan weren't fat behind.
They came to a corridor with a door at the end, and a site that only angered Seto all the more.
Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon laid down the ground, obviously injured. Blue Eyes landed in front of him, letting out an angry screech. She then bit down on her front claw, drawing blood, and pressed it to Red Eyes' wound. Red Eyes grunted. Seto raised a brow.
"What the hell?" Tristan asked.
"That's how dragon's heal each other," Bakura said matter-of-factly. Everyone stared at him. "What? You didn't know that?"
"You know the oddest things," Yami told him.
Seto rolled his eyes, looking back at the two dragons. Red Eyes got to his feet, and Blue Eyes began to nuzzle him aggressively. The black dragon hesitated at first, but nuzzled back.
Even our dragons, Seto though. He stepped forward, getting back to business. The two dragon broke apart, looking at him readily. "Can you find Joey?"
The black dragon squawked in response, and Seto hoped that meant yes.
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"Yugi," Ryou said, shaking the smaller boy. "Yugi wake up."
"Huh?" Yugi said, blinking. He shook his head and began to pull himself up, trying to adjust to the darkness. "Where are we?"
"I don't know," Ryou responded. "I think it's a dungeon of some kind." He glanced thoughtfully at the cell door.
Yugi nodded, not liking the sound of any of that. He rubbed his sore head, finally able to make out the bars surrounding them. There were cells at either side of them. Then he noticed something was missing.
"Where's Joey?!" Yugi screeched, panicking.
Ryou shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't see where they took her before I was knocked out."
Yugi bit his lip. "I hope she's okay."
"Me too," the albino replied. "Until then we need to get out of here."
Yugi rose a brow. "Couldn't you just pick the lock?"
Ryou sighed, thinking he probably never should have mentioned his hidden talents to the shorter boy. "I tried already. Every time I would try something would...electrocute me or something."
Yugi made to stand up. "Okay then," he said, before shouting, "Buster Blader!"
Nothing happened.
Ryou's brow furrowed as he stood up as well. "White Magical Hat!" he yelled.
Still nothing.
"You can't use your powers in here," said a tiny voice from the next cell. Yugi and Ryou turned their heads squinting.
"Is someone there?" Ryou called out. The two boys crept over, trying to see in the darkness. A small figure could be seen, but it remained hidden in the shadows.
"It's okay," Yugi said soothingly. "We won't hurt you. Well, we can't. But even if we could we wouldn't." Ryou face-palmed.
After a moment, the figure moved, and the boys could make a much smaller boy crawling toward them, grasping the bars of the cell as he stared from the other side. He was obviously malnourished, and Yugi couldn't make out what was bruise and what was dirt. The little boys wide eyes stared at Yugi and Ryou as he clumsily pushed dirty, puffy hair out of his face.
"Hello there," Ryou said as he and Yugi crouched down to be eye level with the boy. The boy flinched a bit. "It's okay. We're friendly. We won't hurt you I promise."
"You have funny hair," the boy said quietly. He winced suddenly, as if expecting to be punished for his statement. "I-I'm sorry I said that."
"Shh, it's okay," Yugi said, reaching out for the child. At first the boy stiffened, but when he realized the spiky-haired boy meant him no harm, he allowed him to touch his hand. "I'm Yugi," Yugi told him, taking the boy's hand in his. "And this is Ryou."
"What's your name?" Ryou asked gently.
The boy bit his lip, but finally responded. "I'm Jaden," he said slowly. "Jaden Yuki."
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OMG Jaden! Yah I bet you all saw that coming and I'm so not clever or original.