I imagine Tristan being a super badass. I mean...he kinda is to be honest.
Oh and I couldn't help myself. Spot the YGOTAS reference!
Disclaimer: I don't own YuGiOh. I'm not making any money. Nuff said
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HIKARI STRONG
Chapter Seventeen
"Who are these people?" Yami asked, looking at the captives in the cells.
Bakura shrugged. "How should I know? Besides, I don't care. I just want to get my hikari and get to hell out of here."
The Pharaoh smiled. "You really care about him, don't you?"
Bakura snorted. "No more than you do yours," he said dismissively. He met Yami's expression with a glare. "Don't you dare look at me with that satisfied expression!"
Yami rolled his eyes. "Look, you and I hate each other. It's fact. We always have. But things are different now. We're in a different time, we have our own bodies again, and our hikaris are in a difficult situation." Yami gave the thief a serious look. "Whether we like it of not, we must work together, and that includes helping these people escape."
Bakura rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Fine. But after I find my hikari."
"Bakura?" called a voice off in the dark. Change of Heart and Dark Magician charged forth, the thief and the Pharaoh not far behind them.
"Bakura!"
"Yami!"
"Yugi!" Yami yelled as they approached. "Are you alright?"
"We're okay," Yugi replied, reaching out to Yami through the bars. They shared a sweet but awkward kiss. Yugi pulled away saying, "We can't use our powers. And Ryou tried picking the lock but it did no good."
Bakura rose a brow at Ryou. "You can pick locks?"
Ryou looked at the floor. "Well I did learn from you," he told his dark half.
"Who 're they?" asked a small voice from the cell next door.
"Oh!" Yugi said, turning to the tiny figure that was looking on curiously. "Jaden this is Yami and Bakura. Their mine and Ryou's boyfriends."
Jaden blinked. "They have funny hair, too."
"Watch what you say, kid!" Bakura threatened.
"Stop, Bakura, you'll scare him!" Ryou scolded, kneeling down to comfort the child.
"Gods you're so temperamental," Yami told Bakura. He ignored the glare he received, reaching out and running a finger over the bars. "This is old magic," he said, eyes darting about, "but it's merely a barrier of sorts. We'd have to attack it from both sides but I don't see how."
Bakura's expression became thoughtful. "Maybe it only suppresses hikari powers," he suggested. "What if we used Shadow Magic?"
Yami blinked. "We don't have shadow magic, Bakura."
"The Millennium Items do," Bakura replied impatiently. He turned to Ryou. "Hand me the Ring."
Ryou was stunned, beginning to shift uncomfortably. "Why?"
"Because the Puzzle won't fit between the bars," the thief replied bluntly.
Ryou bit his lip. It was a lot to ask. "Bakura-,"
"Do you love me Ryou?" he asked the boy, his tone even.
"What?" Ryou blurted, shocked by the question.
"Do you love me?!" Bakura asked again in frustration.
Ryou looked right at his other half, their nearly identical eyes connecting. "You know that I do."
Bakura held out his hand. "Then trust me."
There was a long silence where the thief and his hikari stared at each other, before Ryou stood up and walked over to the bars, taking off the Millennium Ring. Looking in Bakura's eyes one more time, he tried to muster everything into his next gesture. I trust you not to leave us. I trust you not to betray us. I trust that you love me, too.
He handed the Millennium Ring to Bakura.
"Okay, then," Bakura said, putting the Ring on and looking at Yugi. "Now I need you to concentrate, Yugi. Concentrate on the Puzzle's powers. If we do this right the barrier should shatter and we can get you out."
Yugi nodded, holding the Puzzle and closing his eyes. Nothing happened for a bit, but then the two Items began to glow, spreading a blinding light through the dungeon. Ryou squinted and Yami blocked his eyes. Jaden made a squeak of discomfort.
Then a literal shattering sound filled the air, as the barrier could be seen disappearing in the shadows. When the Items stopped glowing, Ryou took out the bent up paper clips he had attempted to us before, reaching around and moving them about in the lock. Ryou smiled when he heard a satisfied clank.
"Awesome!" Yugi cheered as they opened the door and slipped out. Yami wrapped his arms around him tightly, and Bakura pulled Ryou into a heated kiss.
"Here," the thief said, putting the Millennium Ring back around Ryou's neck. Ryou smiled at him, pecking him on the lips before walking over to Jaden's cell.
"We have to save them," Yugi said, looking at the other cells.
"Leave that to us," Ryou said, taking a couple more paper clips from his pocket and handing them to Bakura. He freed Jaden and gave him to Yugi and Yami. "Get him out of her first. They've really done a number on him."
Yugi scooped the tiny child up and held him tightly. He almost sobbed at feeling how skinny the boy was.
"I get to go, too?" Jaden asked.
Yami tentatively reached out and patted his head. "Yes, you get to go, too."
"Get going, then!" Bakura demanded. "Maybe the priest found Blondie." He turned to his look-a-like, giving him a smack on the ass.
"Bakura!" scolded Ryou.
"Sorry," he said in tone that conveyed how not sorry he was. "You're just so sexy when you're being bad."
"Can you at least wait until we get home you insufferably horny rabbit!"
"I AM NOT A RABBIT!"
Jaden let out a small laugh. "They're funny."
"Indeed," Yami said. He held out his arms to take Jaden, noticing that Yugi was having trouble carrying him. Jaden hesitated, but moved from Yugi to Yami, holding on tightly. "Come on. Kaiba probably needs our help."
Yugi managed a small grin. "Doesn't he always?"
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"Damn!" Duke grunted, throwing another guard off him, He had several monsters out helping, but now and then one of the oafs would get pass his barricade. Tristan on the other hand, appeared to like doing things the old fashioned way. He had a couple of monsters out as well, but he fought flawlessly, taking out one guard after another. "Geez, Tris, how do you do that?!"
A smug look crossed Tristan's features as his fist lashed out at another guard. "My voice gives me super strength."
Duke dodged a man with a bat, ducking and tripping him to the ground. He rolled his eyes at his friend. "Cocky much?"
"You're just jealous," Tristan told him. His face fell as he looked over. "Duke, look out!"
"Huh?"
It was slow motion from there. A large man with a switch-blade. Duke backing up in terror. Tristan lunging forward, taking the man down, using the weapon against him.
"Shit!" Tristan cried, grabbing his side. At first Duke was confused, but when he saw blood and Tristan falling the ground, his heart stopped. He ran to Tristan's side, letting the duel monsters take care of the rest of the guards.
"Tristan," Duke said softly, staring at the wound. He knew this was bad. Very bad.
"Don't look so scared," Tristan teased, though his voice was dripping in pain. "I've had worse."
Duke swallowed, a flurry of emotions running through him. Fear. Confusion. Anger. "Why?!" He got into Tristan's face, tears stinging his eyes. "Why would you do something so stupid?! Why would you do that for me?!"
A strange smile appeared on Tristan's face. "Joey isn't the only one who has a thing for rich boys."
Duke's eyes widened., staring at the brunet. Tristan had...had a thing for him? "What?!"
Tristan was still smiling, reaching to touch Duke's cheek with the hand that wasn't holding his side. "Yeah, pretty crazy, huh?" he said' struggling to talk. "Guess you grew on me Dice-Boy. I know you'll probably never love me back, but I just...I just wanted you to know."
"Tristan?" Duke called out as the other boys brown eyes rolled back. "Stay with me, Tristan!"
" 'M glad...I could tell you," Tristan slurred, his eyes closing.
"Tristan? Tristan?!" Duke panicked. He carefully remove the boy's jacket, tearing it here and there, making a make-shift wrap. He tied it tight over Tristan's wound. "You're not dying on me, you idiot! I'm not gonna let you die after you drop a bombshell like that on me!"
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The power Joey felt once she was merged with the Red Eyes Black Dragon was incredible. She felt like her blood was made of fire, her skin hard as diamonds. She stood straight and tall, the large black wings that protruded from her back fanning out.
Orpheus stared at Joey angrily. His face was covered in blood now, making him look more menacing. He spit out some blood before getting to his feet.
"Do you really think you have what it takes to defeat me?" Orpheus asked, purple orbs appearing in his hands. "Even with the powers of your dragon, you have no idea how to properly use them."
When Joey spoke her voice had a loud roar to it. "Juno once warn Victarion, now I'm gonna warn you." Balls of scarlet flame appeared in her hands. "Neva' unda'estimate a dragon."
Both of them launched their attacks at once, pushing each other back. Joey winced. The amount of power was becoming painful and Joey could feel Red Eyes becoming strained as well.
"You're losing, Josephine," Orpheus mocked, his purple surge pushing back Joey's fire. Joey gritted her teeth, her hands shaking as she tried to fight back. "Face it. You were weak before and you are weak now."
Joey growled. She wouldn't lose. She couldn't lose.
I've taken on CEO's, Shadow Games, motorcycle punks, even some ten-thousand year old psycho, she tensed, trying to keep Orpheus' power at bay. Hell, even before that I was thug. I've been fighting for my life for as long as I can remember.
"You're not weak, Joey," Seto's voice rang in her head.
"Despite what you believe women are badass," Tea's said next.
The memory of Juno standing before Victarion, ready to fight even though she was pregnant, flooded Joey's mind. Her strength had been remarkable, but her end so tragic.
"Maybe this is a second chance," Yugi's voice echoed.
And then Joey thought of Serenity...
The Millennium Scale began to glow at her chest again, a new power and determination coursing through her veins. Her flames exploded, pushing back Orpheus' power. Joey couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction from the man's now terrified face.
"Impossible!" he yelled. "You shouldn't be this powerful! You shouldn't even know what to do with it!"
Joey grinned. "I warned ya not ta unda'estimate me."
Red took over the whole room, a blazing inferno raging toward Orpheus, and his wretched screams echoing along the walls. The mirror cracked. The monitors fizzled and burst. The furniture caught aflame.
All that was left of Orpheus Vladis was a pile of charred remains.
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"What was that?" Jaden asked Yugi and Yami as they heard the explosion. They exchanged looks before continuing on, noticing a room up ahead that gave up an odd light.
"Who the hell are you?"screamed a woman with a long emerald braid. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl stood in front of their masters and the little boy, awaiting the attack.
It never came. A red seal expanded across the room, the middle of it holding the device creating the light. It looked oddly like a signal light. The light began to turn a deep, ominous purple.
The woman screamed, her skin beginning to steam and melt from her body. Yami buried Jaden's face in his shoulder, and Yugi covered his own eyes. When the screaming stopped, the device began to move, along with the roof above it, opening to reveal the periwinkle sky. A purple light shot up into the sky, emitting a terrifying whirring noise.
"What is this?" Yugi asked, blinking nervously.
Jaden shifted in Yami's arms. "It's the bad thing."
"Yami stared at the little boy. "The bad thing?"
Jaden nodded. "That's what Yubel told me."
"Who's Yubel?" Yugi asked.
"She's my friend. She watches over me, " Jaden explained. "She protected me from...from that." He pointed to the contraption.
Yugi looked at it as well, not daring to take a step foreward. "What does it do?"
"It eats light people," Jaden told them, looking at the floor. "And the ones they don't feed to it get...get their powers taken."
"Light people?" Yami asked. "You mean hikaris?"
"I think so," the small boy said. He kept shifting in Yami's arms. He was obviously very frightened.
"But...why?" Yugi asked.
The little boy shrugged. "Yubel says to open the dark place."
"The dark place?" Yugi asked, raising a brow.
Yami held Jaden tighter to him, glaring at the device as he saw a black gaping hole begin to open in the sky. "The Shadow Realm."
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Gah! What am I doing? I'm causing chaos all over!