So here is my attempt at explaining what Joey's true powers are. I hope it makes sense. I've been using the word hikari as sort of an umbrella term and here I mention stuff from GX and 5D's (CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!) Since the word simply means 'light' I figure I can get away with it.

Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. I'm not making any money. Nuff said

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HIKARI STRONG

Chapter Sixteen

Where the fuck am I? Joey thought as she finally came to. The cream-colored ceiling above her was spinning. She squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. When the world around her stilled, Joey made to sit up, rubbing her head. She winced as she felt a tender knot at the back of her head. That's gonna leave a mark.

It was then she noticed what she was wearing. It was a crimson gown, much like the ones she'd seen Juno wear in her dreams. It exposed one of her legs all the way up to the middle of her thigh, and fasted at one shoulder. What the hell am I wearin'?

Joey got up from the bed she had be laying on, examining her surroundings. The room had hardwood floors and a large magenta rug. The bedding of the four-poster bed was decked with pinks and off-whites, with shades of brown and peach mixed in. A large window opened up to view a lake outside, and across the room was a giant vanity with a large mirror. Joey strode over when she saw the Millennium Scale in its normal, larger form placed on it. She snatched it up and put it back around her neck, watching it shrink back down. Then she noticed something far more disturbing.

Above the mirror hung several monitors. Some showed empty halls and archways, but others showed prisoners and guards. One showed Yugi and Ryou trapped in a cell block. Another made Joey bite her lip as she watched Seto, Yami, Bakura, Duke and Tristan following two dragons down a corridor. But the farthest monitor to the right on the second row, shot a hundred emotions through Joey.

"Serenity," she whispered, reaching up to touch the screen.

"She is unharmed," said a voice, its owner entering the room. Joey jumped as she turned around. "As promised."

Joey's eyes widened. That blue hair. Those dark eyes. "You?!"

"Ah, you recognize me then?" the man replied casually. "However, you probably know me as Victarion, but I'll call you Joey if you call me Orpheus."

Joey glared, clenching her hands into fists. "Where's my sista'?"

"In the next room, actually," Orpheus explained, walking over to the mini-bar in the corner. "Care for a drink? Oh, my apologies, I forget. You're not quite old enough, are you?"

Joey made her way to the door, only to find it locked. "Let me see my sista'!" she demanded.

"All in good time, my dear," the blue-haired man told her, taking a sip from his glass. "As soon as you and I come to an amicable agreement, you and your sister will be on your merry way."

Joey glared. "I ain't agreeing' to nothin' wit' you!"

"Oh dear, being reborn appears to have ruined your speech," Orpheus observed. "You do realize you just used a double negative, of course?"

Joey made to lunge forward to retaliate, only to find herself frozen in place. Orpheus tutted. "You wouldn't really risk you sister's life like that? Or the lives of your friends?" Orpheus smirked. "Come now, Josephine."

"Go ta hell!" Joey shouted.

Orpheus gave a dark chuckle before taking another sip of his drink. Setting it down, he began to circle Joey as he spoke. "Do you understand what it means to be a hikari?" Joey continued to glare, saying nothing. She understood to a point, but wasn't about to actually talk to this psycho. Orpheus continued, "Hikaris are pure light. Everything in their souls reflect it. Now you may think, dear, that because of your checkered past, there's no way you could be such a thing. However, you must remember, your light still burned bright even in your darkest hours. It merely took others to help you find it again."

Joey set her jaw. What the hell was he getting at. "I didn't quite understand the concept myself until I discovered my previous incarnation," Orpheus continued. "He found this power in several people, and sought to take it so he may take Rome, and perhaps even the world. When he discovered Juno's power though, he knew it was just the power he needed, so he sought to marry her. Well, I do believe we both know how that turned out."

Joey struggle against her invisible bindings, wanting nothing more than to tear this man apart.

"Well, when I found out my past as Victarion, I became curious about this phenomenon myself. I discovered there are several kinds of hikaris. Some derive their power from another, a yami, like your friends. Some have simpler powers, like seeing spirits. There are also Signers, but we needn't discuss those. We're here to talk about you. Perhaps the rarest hikari of all. So rare it only appears every five thousand years." His smirk infuriated Joey. "You are a Dragon's Light."

"Yer point?" Joey said impatiently. She hated that she was actually curious about what Orpheus was saying.

"What you don't realize, my dear, is you've had this power all along, locked away deep inside. Haven't you wondered why you were changed into a girl? Men can be carriers of the power, but only women can be full Dragon's Lights. It is the power to merge with dragons. Dragon's only trust females to merge with them, due to the fact that since they have the ability to carry children, they understand how to handle another's life inside them." Orpheus took a step forward. "I unfortunately never got to see the full potential of such power. Juno seemed to know merging with the Red Eyes Black Dragon could hurt her unborn child." He sighed. "Such a pity."

"Yer an asshole!" Joey raged. "And yer stupid! Don'cha know yer not supposed to tell me yer psycho masta' plan?!"

Orpheus cackled. It was cold and frightening. It put every other evil laugh Joey had ever heard to shame. "I haven't even told you the best part." He smirked, looking over at the monitor. "How I take these powers for my own."

Joey's blood ran cold. "Ya leave my friends alone!"

"Unfortunately, for most rituals," Orpheus said, ignoring Joey, "the hikari must be willing to give up their powers. Some are - feeling burdened or what-not. Others, I must beat into submission." He fingered the screen that held Ryou and Yugi in there cell. "Hikaris like your friends however, I need only capture them, tie them down, and bleed them dry."

"Don't ya touch 'em!"

Orpheus cackled again. "Oh, I won't my dear...if you cooperate." He waved his hand and blood-red circle appeared on the floor around them. Symbols spun slowly around it. Joey had a very bad feeling about this. "You see, Josephine, a man can obtain the power of a Dragon's Light. It's nothing difficult, but the ritual must be done properly; the circle in place, the right amount of blood." He took out a dagger and sliced open his own hand before kneeling and slamming into the circle. The symbols spun a bit faster. He smirked as he stood up straight, towering over the blonde. Joey felt her skin crawl. He grabbed her wrist roughly and cut open her palm, causing the blonde to wince from the pain. He threw her down, forcing her hand atop the place where he had put his own bloody palm. The symbols spun even more. "Victarion figured it out soon after discovering Juno's power, and that is exactly why he sought to marry her. No one questions what a married couple does together, after all."

It took Joey a moment to understand, but when she did she wanted to throw up. "Oh, hell no, ya sick sadistic bastard! Ah!" She cried out in pain as Orpheus crush her injured hand to the floor with his.

"I can always let you watch your friends and sister die and then take you by force," he told her. "Maybe I can even have that lover of yours watch. To have you taken from him a second time. It would be so delightful to see." The blue-haired man roughly pulled Joey against him, "Now don't be foolish, Josephine."

Joey continued to glare, wishing she could move on her own. She would never bend to Orpheus's wishes, but she knew with position she was in, he would forced her anyway. She bit back a sob. What would Juno do? she thought. What could Juno do?

It was the Millennium Scale that answered for her, glowing bright from her chest. A force struck out from it, sending Orpheus flying across the room. Joey found that she could move again as the red circle vanished.

"You bitch!" Orpheus yelled, scrambling up and stomping toward Joey. "You and your fucking scale! Just you wait! I'm going to thoroughly enjoy hearing you beg for your friends lives while I-,"

A black dragon crashed into the room, charging at Orpheus. The man tumbled, hitting his head against the wall. Red Eyes roared again, turning to face his master.

Joey's eyes locked with her dragon as she clutched the Scale to her chest. She reached out the touch his nose, Red Eyes nuzzling into it.

"Let's do this, pal," Joey said, as a bright reddish-orange light enveloped her and her Red Eyes.

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Seto jumped as the Red Eyes Black Dragon took off, flying erratically from the group. "What the-," he began as he made to go after it, but a loud boom distracted him. A mob of guards and monsters entered, charging at them.

"Go find the others," Tristan yelled. "Duke and I got this."

"We do?" Duke asked, earning him an elbow to the gut.

Seto hesitated, eyeing the number of guards. He was snapped out of his analyzing when Tristan grabbed him by the collar of his coat.

"Look, man, I don't like you and you don't like me," he said bluntly, "but we both care about Joey. Now if you wanna save her you need to get your ass moving!"

In another situation, had the pointy-haired brunet said anything else, Seto would have thrown him down on the ground and kicked his ass for good measure. But for the first time since the moment they met, Tristan Taylor and Seto Kaiba had come to an understanding, and Seto figured that was worth sparing Tristan.

"What are you waiting for?!" Tristan yelled, pushing Seto away. "Get going!"

"Come on, Pharaoh," Bakura said, shoving Yami through a nearby door. "I want my hikari home before dinner. He's the only one who can cook a rare steak properly."

Seto walked over to the stairs where the Red Eyes had flew up, his Blue Eyes leading the way. He spared one last glance at Tristan. The two shared a nod before Seto made his way up the staircase.

The stairs were steep, not to mention narrow in some places and wider in others. Blue Eyes screeched in discomfort, but carried on alongside her master. Suddenly a bright reddish-orange light burst from above, and Blue Eye screeched again, lunging forward with more fervor. Seto narrowed his eyes.

"Joey."

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Yay. Tristan and Seto understand each other now. Yah don't worry I'm not that cheesy. They still hate each other. They will never be friends. I think the world would end...in flames...and zombies...and mummies.