I apologize for this taking a bit of time. I wasn't sure how I was going to go about doing all of this. I am writing two stories in one so it's hard to get everything situated without either story overlapping. But, with everyone's help, I was able to get great ideas for how to lead into ultimate doom.
So, today, five years ago, I lost my mother. We had her ashes buried. I feel better about this. It was a rough day, and I cried, but I'm okay and I made it through. My sister and I wrote poems for her today. So here they are. Alyssa's is the first one then mine is the second one:
"Remembering You" by Alyssa
Helping people and animals,
Caring for the world around you,
You lived to be outside,
Under that big blue sky.
You were happy just about any place,
It didn't take much.
A cigarette, a glass of tea.
A minute was never wasted,
You found plenty to do.
You said "Life is what you make it"
Your work was never done.
The purring of your happy cats and the smiles of your children,
It was worth millions to you.
The tales you used to tell us,
We did believe.
From your life stories, to day to day experiences,
Oh! One of these we would love to hear.
Your smile, your warmth
Your blue eyes, your sense of humor.
All these things were your own design
And of these we wish we could see again.
Things you said can never be replaced,
So funny, we had to laugh.
We lived to see what you would do next.
We had special days and special times,
From just a quiet moment, or a ride
Or dinner at home,
You made it all so special each time.
You liked to tease, you would not cease,
'Till you got a reaction,
Then you were pleased.
That was just you and we loved it.
You didn't have much money,
But you said:
"I am rich; just look what I have,
My family, my cats and my friends."
What a woman, this mother of ours.
Just one last hug,
And hearing her voice,
This we do yearn for!
But now she is gone,
No more to see.
But I will just bet,
Taking care of animals, she can be found.
Just look around,
Her memories you will see,
And above all,
She is still alive in our hearts!
Sorrowed: By me
Painted tears
Beyond the sands
Cast in depths
Drown in sorrow
Drown in pain
Open the gates
Of hell and pain.
Waves of gores
Waves of glory
A helpful friend
A wonderful soul
Lost in time
Held by the light
Kept in the night
Whispers of wisdom
Whispers in kind
Losing you was the end of my life.
Feared raining tears
Swallowed by the forgotten
Under the moon
Under the sun
Idolize the kind
Not the strong
Heroes fall
Victims die
Memories that I'll never forget
Pictures of you to remind me of your doom
The happy times are the worst of all.
Secondly, I am a judge for the Yugioh Fandom awards. I will be a minorshipping judge because that is what I specialize it seeing as how I write Darkshipping, which is, unfortunately, a minority pairing. People just don't see the brilliance of this pairing, I'm afraid. Well, at least I'm not the only one who likes this pairing. :D. Oh I cannot wait to write my Casteshipping story: Hostage! *squeee!
Anyways, so I hope y'all enjoy this lovely chappie I have for y'all! I think we ended up with 25 pages! And here I thought I wasn't going to be able to do much! I am so on a roll! I'm going to start on the next chappie tonight, probably. I'll try and update tomorrow...I'm going to be busy for a while. I have projects and papers to work on. I'll try to make time for my stories, but I can't promise anything so if y'all don't see updates for a while that's why.
The Dragon's Dance is officially on hiatus until I can get inspiration. If I don't get any in about six months or so, I'm taking the story down. Let's get the chappie underway! Mai is kick ass this chappie! WOO! :D.
Endlessly:
I could love you endlessly, I could fall in love with you and we could keep a miracle alive. Every time I look in your eyes, I get lost inside of your soul. What are you doing to me? Don't you know that I hate you? Don't you want my blood on your hands? Don't you want me to scream? Don't you realize that it's too late to bring me back life? I'm already further than death. I'm drowning in my desire for you and my need to kill you. I want my hands covered in your blood, I want your skin underneath my fingertips I want you to reach out and touch me, I want you to burn me alive with your beautiful eyes. I want to hear your voice when I go to bed at night, I want to lie next to you and watch the world go by. I want to end you for good, I want to make you suffer, I want to see the look in your eyes when you look up at me when I hold the knife above your heart. I want you to know that any claims of hope you had of us is nothing but fantasy we'll never have. I want you to be the one that kills me, I want my blood on your hands.. I want you to end me I want to feel your passion. I want to feel your soul wrapping around mine. I want to know if you feel this too. I want to know if I can kill you now. I want to feel you underneath me I want to feel something besides this loneliness I feel inside. I want to bring the demon out of you.
I want to know if it hurts when I cut you up inside. I want to know if you really hate me or if I really hate you. I want to make me scream, I want to feel the power within me grow. I want you to knock me out, I want you to defeat me. I want something so much more from you than I could ever get. I want you to bleed, I want you to scream. I need you to know you're driving me crazy. I need you to know my soul burns passionately for you every time you give me that look I think I'm going to lose my mind. I want you dead, I want your soul to scream, to earn itself to me. I need you to know this isn't a game anymore. And what would you think if I told you that loved you this whole time? What would you say if I told you I never wanted to hate you, that I never loved you at all? What if I was playing with your mind?
What if I was lying right now? What if I told it was too personal to tell you how I felt about you? What if I told you that everything you've done to me was nothing more than just a wicked fantasies you dreamt of? What if I can't take it back? What if I don't want to? What if everything I said wasn't a lie? What if I tried to bring you back? What if I really did love you? Would you love me back, even though you think of me as a fool? Am I fool to fall in love with you? What if I told you that loving you is so impossible, it's not reality. I couldn't take it anymore. You burn me alive, I'd give myself to you if I could.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh. If I did, then Yugioh would have ended with Bakura and Yami admitting their undying love for one another and Seto would have pulled Joey into a kiss to shut him up because Puppy and Darkshipping rock!
Warnings: My usual, y'all know what that means, but for those of you who happen to be new to my awesomeness, it means there's lemony goodness!
Summary:
Moments away from destroying Zorc, Yami hesitates, asking Horakhty if she can set Bakura free. She agrees, telling Yami that in order for him to pass into the afterlife, he must break his enemy of the darkness, and he only as a year to do so.
Chapter Twenty-nine: Snake eyes.
[Mai's POV]:
I sit in a black leather chair at a beauty parlor in Domino City. It's been nearly three weeks since I've last seen my friends, but I have been quite busy as of late. But, I finally have a free schedule for a few hours and dammit, I'm going to enjoy it!
A young redheaded woman holds my foot as she files my nails to give me a pedicure. I love having nice, clean pretty nails to show off. Richard told me I have beautiful feet and he loves how I decorate that beauty. I'm glad some men know beauty when they see it.
Unlike some. Marik Ishtar is one of them. I never liked that brat. It was his yami, Mariku, that had locked me in the Shadow Realm, but ultimately it was his fault since he created that darker half in the first place.
Well, he's long gone so I don't have to worry about anything.
The duel with Serenity was incredible. I learnt a lot from dueling her. The girl has come a long way since I've met her. When I first met her, prior to the Battle City finals, she was scared, naive little girl who worshiped her brother. But now, now she's a strong young woman who can stand up for herself if she needed to.
She told me about how her parents got a divorce and how her mother took her with her and left Joey to fend for himself against his drunkard of a father. If I ever see that bitch, I'm going to strangle her ass. I don't mind breaking a few nails if it means delivering my friends from stupidity. I hate women like that. They have kids and then they treat them like shit. The fact that I can't have kids on my own makes me have even more sympathy for Joey and Serenity.
Richard and I have been looking into adoption places for years. We finally found one. Well, technically two. Twins: Reginald and Rio Kastle. According to their file, they lost their parents to a fire when they were only four years old. None of their family was able to take them in, so they were sent to an orphanage. So far, no one has wanted them. Sucks to be them, they look like great kids! They're about thirteen years old. Sure, that is a bit old I suppose, but these kids need homes dammit!
The door chimes, revealing a woman with short brown hair. She's about average height for the female race. She's wearing a grey business suit with matching high heels. She has on pearl earrings, which are totally fake. A necklace with a golden heart locket. Her eyes are a familiar hazel.
"Pam," the owner, Cheryl, says to the newcomer, "How are you dear?"
"Exhausted," Pam replies with a fake laugh. "Seems you're quite busy, Cheryl."
"Well, I have to make money some way," the black haired woman says with a smile. "The usual?" she asks.
"Yes," Pam says.
Pam and Cheryl go in the back where the washroom is. I can't see them anymore, but I can hear them.
"So, what brings you to Domino?" Cheryl asks. "I thought you and your daughter moved to Los Angeles."
"We did," Pam replies. "But she took a plane ride here. I'm here to bring her back."
"Do you know where she is?" Cheryl asks.
"Right now she's with Seto Kaiba." Pam replies.
My eyes widened. No...she can't! Pam is Serenity and Joey's mother?! I compose myself when I hear them walking through, grabbing a magazine, I pretend to read it as my hair and nails are worked on.
"The Seto Kaiba?" Cheryl gasps. "What on earth is she doing there?"
Pam sits in one of the black revolving leather chairs. Cheryl spins her around so she's facing in my general area. The middle aged woman's lips curl in disgust.
"Because my son is a faggot and is getting fucked by that rich slob." Pam spits.
My hands grip the magazine tightly. How dare she! How dare she call Joey a faggot! What the hell is wrong with this bitch? If anyone's a faggot it's her!
"I have told Serenity time and time again that she is only allowed to see her brother during the summer months. I got an unexpected meeting from work and when I came home, she had bolted. I couldn't get in contact with her. But I was able to using another number. I knew Seto Kaiba was pulling the strings with that. He wants to make sure his new lover is happy." the woman nearly gags. "It's a shame too. My son is a great looking young man. He needs to be with a lady, not a man. He thinks he's in love, but he's really not."
"Well, you know how kids are these days. They get into the wrong crowd and then things happen." Cheryl says as she works on the bitch's hair.
"Hmm. I suppose, but Yugi seems to be a good kid. Well, I thought he was. I found out later that all of Joey's friends are queers." Pam says in disgust. "What is wrong with this generation, Cheryl?"
Cheryl sighs. 'I'm not sure. Have you been over to Kaiba's to get Serenity?" she asks.
"I have," Pam says. "I can't do much face to face. Kaiba holds great power and money. He is the richest man in Japan as of right now. He can get away with pretty much anything."
"He shouldn't be able to get away with keeping your daughter though." Cheryl says.
A wide smirk breaks across the faggot's face. "I know. I've already planned to take him down." she says.
"Oh? And how do you plan on doing that?" Cheryl asks.
"Simple. Kidnapping." is the sickeningly sweet reply.
"And how do you plan on pulling that off?" Cheryl asks. "Didn't you say Serenity board a plane here on her own free will?"
"I have an idea of how to take care of that, Cheryl." Pam says dismissively.
"Well, I hope everything works out. I'd hate for you to lose your daughter too." the beauty shop manager sighs.
"Oh don't worry," Pam says getting up out of the chair once Cheryl takes off the wrap around her. "I won't."
"It was nice seeing you again, dear." Cheryl says as they walk to the counter to pay.
"And you too. I do miss coming here. I just can't be here." Pam sighs. "You understand."
"Of course, dear. You take care of yourself, you hear?" Cheryl says placing a hand on Pam's shoulder.
"I'll try." Pam says.
After she leaves, Cheryl turns towards me.
"Take her down."
I smirk. "Oh I'm planning on it, cousin."
XXXXXXXXX
[Seto's POV]:
It's been about two weeks since the rabid bitch came into my home demanding Serenity. She realized that I wasn't about to give up the fight and threatened to call the cops. Even with that threat, she won't give up that easily. My lover and his sister believe her lies. I saw the smirk on her face as she hugged her son. To think she hates him because of his sexuality.
That's the one thing about Gozaburo that was decent. And that's saying something coming from me. Out of all the shit he did, out of all the pain he caused me, out of all the things he did to me and tried to do to my brother. Never once did he punish me for being gay. But, that doesn't mean if he were alive I'd give him a big hug. I'm glad that asshole is dead. I wished he were still alive so I could kill him.
Pam Wheeler is the bitch's name. She works as a social worker. She's trying to cover her own crimes by pending them against others. From what I've researched, most of the families she has attacked never even did anything. She had someone set it up so she could take the children away.
I need to protect Joey and Serenity at all cost. The bitch will strike and if Serenity and Joey don't open their eyes, they'll fall victim to the trap. Mokuba is smart enough to see beyond the lies and has agreed to help me take her down once and for all.
In order to protect our lovers, Mokuba and I have agreed it would be best if they moved in with us. I will, of course, be enforcing some ground rules for the younger couple but I trust my brother not to disobey my wishes. And I'm sure Serenity wouldn't disobey them either, but one can never be too cautious.
Joey and Serenity, and Mokuba are at the arcade with their friends. I'm at work. I should be working on the latest project of my company, but my boyfriend's happiness is much more important to me. I will protect him from his evil mother and take down his father once and for all.
Suddenly my phone begins to ring. I answer it after the second ring, using my finger to scroll with the mouse pad on my laptop.
"This better be good, Charlotte." I snap. "What have I told you about interrupting me?"
"Sorry sir," my secretary says. "But there's a Miss. Valentine here to see you."
Mai? What does she want?
"Send her up." I say.
"Right away, sir." Charlotte says and with that, we both hang up.
A few moments later, the top female duelist in the world appears. I haven't seen her since Battle City. Nothing about her has changed. She's still got those giant boobs and that 'I look like a goddess' attitude. I can tell even if she hasn't opened her mouth yet.
"Well? Are you going to offer me a seat?" Mai snaps.
"Does this look like Hotel La Creme to you?" I ask typing away at my laptop. "You have legs, use them to sit down."
I look over the top of my laptop to see the woman roll her eyes and sit cross-legged in a chair across from me.
"Why are you here?" I ask.
"Close the laptop." Mai demands. "I have some information you might want to know."
"About?" I press.
"Pam Wheeler." she says.
"I already know about what she's doing in her job." I say.
"I'm talking about her plan to take Serenity away from Joey for good." Mai says.
I close my laptop, sitting up straight.
"Tell me everything."
XXXXXXXX
[Yugi's POV]:
We're at the arcade right now. Everyone's playing games. I'm sitting at the table with Yami.
'So how are you and Bakura?" I ask taking a sip of my drink.
Yami sighs swirling his fry in his ketchup. He hasn't touched his food at all. Joey tried to get some of it earlier, but I smacked his hand away, telling him to leave Yami and his food alone. He pouted for a moment, but then when Bakura challenged him to a dance off, he got excited and left, completely forgetting about the food.
Bakura has been acting strangely as of late. Marik and Ryou are very concern. I know Yami is. He hardly eats anymore because he's worried about Bakura. We're nearing the time to save him from the darkness. Marik and I had a discussion last week about this. We both believe that Zorc had been talking to Bakura and reminding him of things in his past, so he's using that as a way to trick him and turn him against us.
"I should have never agreed to this." Yami says so lowly, it's almost inaudible.
"Agree to what?" I ask, arching a brow.
"Saving Bakura" he says looking down.
I slam my fist against the table. The wooden piece of furniture rattles. Yami's head snaps up, his eyes are widen.
"I don't ever want to hear you say that again!" I shout.
"But Yugi-"
"No buts! You know damn well you did the right thing! You knew it was going to be hard. Bakura hasn't completely gotten rid of the darkness inside of him, but he's come a long way! Doesn't that mean anything?" I exclaim.
We get a few heads turned, but I ignore them. I'm too angry right now to care about petty things like embarrassment.
"Of course it does!" Yami exclaims. "It's just...Bakura's shutting down."
"I know," I sigh.
"I don't know what to do. The night I went out and found him, and we made love, it was almost desperate." Yami says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"When I found him that day, he just held me to him, never saying anything. I played with his hair to ease both of our minds and then well, we made a bet." Yami says, blushing.
I laugh. He gives me a look. I roll my eyes.
"Anyways, so I thought we were going to do the bet, but we didn't instead he ended up making love to me. It wasn't like last time….it was different. Not because it was gentler, but because it felt different, emotionally." he says.
"Do you think he was trying to tell you something?" I ask taking a sip of my drink.
"I'm not sure. He seemed desperate though. When he was preparing me he told me that he was 'remembering me'." he replies.
My eyes widened. "He was trying to say goodbye to you." I gasp.
Yami's eyes widened. "He doesn't want to be with me?" he asks.
I shake my head. "Yes and no."
Yami sighs. He understands what I mean. Yami isn't stupid. He knows Bakura has a hard time getting close to people. He knows that Bakura has a lot of hidden memories and dark secrets. Zorc feeds off of such things. Bakura is holding onto something in the past, It's preventing him from fully conquering the darkness.
He's come a long way. He's opened up to us and we have opened our arms to him. Not just for Yami's sake, but for his as well. At first, no one wanted to save Bakura, save for Marik, but now we're all concerned for his wellbeing. His happiness, like Yami's means everything to us.
Bakura befriended Mai was a great thing. He needs someone strong in his life that he can lean on when times get tough. He does have us. And, of course, he has Yami, but sometimes you need more. Someone who gets things we don't. I know Mai had a rough life, I'm not sure what went down with her, but I'm sure it was bad. Otherwise she wouldn't act the way she does...or well, did. She's come a long way since Duelist Kingdom that's for sure.
Bakura and Yami are alike in the sense that they both believe that have to be strong all the time. They believe tears, breaking down and leaning on someone for support is weakness. They want to do everything themselves. It's hard to swallow your pride and ask for help. It's hard to accept help as well. Bakura was furious when he found out that Yami had brought him out of the Shadow Realm to help him.
"I'm trying to make this easier on him. To be honest, I was shocked that he admitted he was in love with me." Yami says.
"It's because you already knew it." I say. "You saw it in his eyes, felt what was in his heart. And he felt it too. People won't admit something unless they know the person they love returns the favour."
Yami smiles slightly. "It's strange being in love with him."
I laugh. "I imagine so, Bakura's been your enemy for over five thousand years."
"I still remember the first time I saw him." Yami says looking around me as if capturing the moment again. "He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't. Even after all the shit he pulled, I still wanted him."
"I think I know why you love him so much," I say. Yami looks at me. "Well, one reason you do is because he doesn't treat you like you're a God. He doesn't hold you up above himself. If anything, he does the complete opposite."
Yami laughs. "That's true."
"Then there's the fact that he has nearly beaten you." I say. "I think he gives you the rush, the challenge you crave. No one can beat you-except Bakura."
"You could beat me." Yami says.
"Possibly," I concur. "But I don't have that challenging drive, that passion that Bakura does. His determination is off the charts."
"Love does that to you." Yami says. "He was fighting for the people he loved. That's why he went to such lengths. When I first woke up in this time and saw him, I thought that he was evil. I thought he wanted to destroy the world for power. But that wasn't the case at all. When I relived my memories, I remembered looking into his eyes. When we fought-when our souls collided. I remember seeing beyond that crude, sadistic attitude. I remember looking beyond what he wanted everyone to see. I saw his passion, his drive. I didn't know what had happened. He mentioned his village. I didn't want to believe it. But then I found out the truth, I was devastated. He blamed my father, and went after me."
"He knows it's not your fault, Yami." I say.
"I don't think he realizes who the real culprit is. He knows that my uncle actually committed the act, but I don't think he realizes who the mastermind behind it is." Yami says.
"Bakura seems to be holding onto things. I think it's becoming too much for him that's why he's shutting down like he is." I say.
"I've tried to get him to open up, but he refuses to talk about it." Yami says.
"What do you expect? You, of all people, should know that Bakura isn't one to open up." I say.
Yami sighs. "I know, but…"
"We'll save him, Yami." I say taking his hand.
"Thank you, Yugi." he says.
I smile, squeezing his hand. 'You're welcome. Now then, how about we get up from here and play some games?" I say. "You know you want to see Bakura dance."
Yami blushes profusely. I laugh, standing up. Yami doing the same.
XXXXXXXXXX
[Tristan's POV]:
Bakura, Anzu, Duke, Joey, Serenity, Mokuba, and myself are gathered around the games. Yami and Yugi are elsewhere. Yami has been down as of late and Yugi is trying to cheer him up. Right now, Bakura and Joey are playing DDR. I honestly don't know why Joey is even dancing off against Bakura, I mean the guy has been dancing all of his life. Joey barely knows the basics. But, Bakura challenged him and Joey never passes up a challenge even when he knows he'll lose.
Joey and Serenity told us what happened. It seemed too easy in my opinion, but I'll let Joey and Serenity make that call. Serenity would know her mother better than any of us. After all, she's lived with the woman for years. Maybe I'm just over thinking things. Either way, I'll support my friends.
"Alright who's next?" Bakura says with a cocky smirk.
I used to hate that smirk. It was the smirk of death. Now, it's just that arrogant attitude. Bakura has become part of the group. And we all know something is terribly wrong with him. It's the reason Yami is so down. It's the reason Ryou has been giving excuses about needing to study and it's the reason Marik is being more of a bitch than usual. Bakura refuses to confide in anyone. When any of us asks what's wrong with him, he snaps at us.
I wish I could help more, but Bakura is not of my expertise. All I can really do is support my friends-those who truly know Bakura. Marik,Yami, and Ryou know Bakura better than any of us. They should know what's wrong with him. I know it has to do with his past, but to me it seems like he's returning to that evil side again.
Until Bakura gets the darkness out of him, I won't trust him. Not fully anyways. I do feel more comfortable around him. I know he loves Yami. You can see it in his eyes that he does. But it seems like he's fighting within himself, like he still hates him. I just hope he wakes up and realizes what he's got, before he loses it for good.
XXXXXXXX
[Yami's POV]:
Yugi and I walk over to where the others are. Joey and Bakura are playing DDR. Joey, of course, is losing, but I know he's enjoying himself. I look at my lover. He's not. Not like he should be anyways. It seems he's forcing himself to do this. Maybe for my sake. I think he's trying to convince me that he's alright and doesn't need help. I'm not stupid, I know there's something going on with him.
He's closed up. Two weeks he's been like this, and every day it's getting worse. With time pending, I am fearful every second I'll lose the love of my life. His inability to talk about his fears, to confide in me about his past will be his undoing. I have to stop it before it's too late.
The question is, how? With Bakura refuses to open up to me anymore than he already has, it's difficult to save him. I know he knows this deep down. I know he wants to be saved, but he believes he can do it all on his own. He knows that I love him. Yugi told me that the reason Bakura has even opened up to me this much was because he knows in his heart that I love him. But if that's the case, why isn't he talking to me about what's bothering him?
"And I win, again." Bakura says jumping off the platform and walking over to me.
"I'll beat cha next time, 'Kura." Joey scowls.
Bakura rolls his eyes, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him. "We'll see." he says turning his head to look at Joey. My friend rolls his eyes. Bakura laughs. It's not the laugh we've grown to love; it's forced, mixed with pain and something we all used to fear: darkness.
My lover turns to me. "What's wrong, Yami?" he asks.
I try to pull away from him, but his hold on me-both psychically and mentally-is too much for me to resist. Even with his current state, I still want to be held by him. I still love him.
"I'm not the one with the problem, Bakura." I say.
Bakura pulls me closer to him. "Would you stop that?" he hisses in my ear. "I told you, I'm fine."
I jerk away from him. Bakura reluctantly lets me go. "No, you're not. You haven't been ever since that day at the fair. In fact, you've only gotten worse." I say.
"If I say I'm fine, Yami, then that means I am!" Bakura shouts.
My friends, who had been doing their own thing leaving Bakura and I to our own thing, turn to us.
"Yami? Bakura?" Anzu says approaching us slowly. "What's going on?"
"Nothing!" Bakura hisses storming off….or he tries to. Joey stops him.
"Out of my way." my lover commands in a warning hiss.
"No." Joey says determinedly.
"You are trying my patience-"
"No, ya trying my patience." Joey says. "We all have been worried sick bout cha and all you can do is pretend you're happy! Well, snap out of it and tell us what's wrong!"
"I don't know where everyone is getting off that something is wrong. I'm going out, I'm hanging out with all of you, what more do you want?!" Bakura exclaims.
"We want-"
"Joey," I say. He looks at me. "Just let him go."
"but-"
I shake my head. Joey moves out of the way and lets my lover pass. Everyone watches him leave, when he's gone, they turn to me.
"We need to find out what's going on with him." Anzu says.
"No shit," Duke says rolling his eyes. "Haven't we been trying that?"
"Bakura's not going to open up," I say.
"I don't think that's it, Yami." Serenity says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Think about it," the redhead says walking closer to the group, Mokuba doing the same. "Before he would tell you anything. Hell, he even started opening up to us. He'd tell us about his family and brag about how everyone threw themselves at him. Then, we go to the fair. He has fun like he always does, but he starts to fear things. Then, he and Ryou have a conversation and he bolts. You go after him and he seems like he wants to say goodbye to you, like he's trying to protect us from something. Now it's like nothing happened. He's returned to how he was before."
"But why would Bakura…" Anzu says but stops. Her eyes growing wide with fear. "Guys what if...what if Zorc has something over Bakura?"
"Like what…"
We all look at one another, realization striking us like hot lightning.
"Bakura," I whisper tears blinding me.
He hasn't accepted it. He hasn't accepted any of this.
XXXXXXX
[Bakura's POV]:
I had to get away from everyone. I could feel Zorc was about to snap on them. Right now I have somewhat of control, but I know the longer I stay locked in my own mind prison, the more that control slips away from me. Being in this cage, I am forced to think of things I pushed in the back of my mind. It's making me go crazy. I constantly hear their screams, their pleas for help. The only thing that's keeping me from giving up everything is Yami.
His voice, his presence keeps me sane. It keeps me going. It's the one thing that I focus on to help me through this terrible time. I know Zorc knows this. That's why he's trying to keep me away from him, from everyone. Yami and Marik have both asked me what is wrong. I want to tell them, I need to tell them, but I am unable to. Zorc isn't going to allow me to foil his plan.
I know he's planning something sinister. I know he's planning to destroy Yami and the others. What that plan is, I'm not sure of, but I won't let him win. No matter what happens to me, I will protect my friends. I'll protect them from the darkness that I used to worship.
I walk through the streets of Domino back to the Game Shop. No one says anything to me. How would they react if I told them that long ago I would have done everything to rule over them? What would they say if I told them that my boyfriend had stopped me and delivered them all from my wrath? I bet those homophones, like Serenity and Joey's mother, would fall to their knees thanking Yami.
I enter the Game Shop. Mr. Muto is behind the counter going through a new pack of cards that had just arrived today.
"Good afternoon, Bakura." Mr. Muto says.
I want to get upstairs, but Zorc isn't going to go for that. My legs are forced to move and I walk over to the old man.
"Hello, Mr. Muto." I say.
"Where's Yami and the others?" he asks.
"At the arcade." I reply.
"Hmm," the old man says. "So what are you doing back here?"
"I just don't feel all that good." I lie. That's an understatement. I feel like shit.
"I'm sorry to hear that, do you need me to get you anything?" Mr. Muto asks.
"No, I think I'll just go lie down-" I stop talking when I spot the new cards. The Millennium Item cards. "Pegasus finished making all of the Millennium Item cards?" I ask pointing to the cards lying on the counter.
Mr. Muto smiles, holding the cards up. "Yup, I just got them about an hour ago. I have them all now." he beams.
I smile, the smile is that of greed. Disgusting.
"Well that's good." I say. "Is there a special deck that they go with?"
"Well, I think they could go with any deck really. They're mostly magic cards. The Rod and Ring are trap cards though." Mr. Muto replies. "But from what I understand it works best with an Occult deck."
I feel myself grin even more. Mr. Muto's too busy looking at the new cards to see this. I wished he'd look up to see how disgusting I look.
"Say, you don't mind if I borrow these do you?" I ask.
Mr. Muto looks up at me. "Why would you want to do that?" he asks.
"Well, you said that the Millennium Item cards work best an Occult deck and," I say pulling out my deck out of my pocket and showing him my cards. "I happen to have that kind of deck."
"Ah, so you want to try and beat your man with the cards, eh?" he chuckles.
I'm forced to laugh. The sound makes me sick to my stomach. "Yeah, you know how Yami is. He needs to get beaten at Duel Monsters."
"Well, as long as you're careful, I don't see why you can't use them." Mr. Muto says. "But I want them back, okay?"
"Oh don't worry," I say greedily reaching out for the cards. "I'll be careful."
"No!" I scream trying to shake the steel bars of my prison, begging them to collapse. "Mr. Muto, don't give those to me!"
"I'd like to watch your duel, if you don't mind." Mr. Muto says.
"I'll talk to Kaiba and see if we can't have an arena at Kaibaland for a while. It'd be interesting to see me beat the King of Games at his own game in front of thousands of people, wouldn't you agree?" I chuckle.
"Oh indeed." Mr. Muto says. "I'm sure everyone would love to see the new Millennium Item cards at work."
"No doubt," I say. Mr. Muto hands me the cards. I run my fingertip along the edges, studying the cards' effects. I grin to myself at their power. "This is going to be one hell of a duel."
"No!" I scream tears rolling down my cheeks like rainfall.
It's over. I have the cards.
XXXXXXXXXX
[Mai's POV]:
After I pay for my trip at my cousin's, I walk outside. Pam is standing on the curb, waiting for a cab. I walk up to her.
"Do you need a ride?" I ask.
She turns to me. "And who might you be?" she asks scanning me. Yeah bitch, scan me. I know I look good.
"My name is Mai Valentine," I reply. "I'm known as the top female duelist in the world. I couldn't but overhear your conversation with Cheryl."
The woman pales. "I-"
I laugh, "Don't worry, Ms. Wheeler." I say placing a manicured hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to turn you in. Actually, I was wondering if I could help."
She looks at me inquiringly. "And why would you want to help?" she asks.
I force a smile, "I happen to know your son. And I am very deeply in love with him." I lie.
The old hag backs away, a nasty smirk nearly breaks that hideous face of hers. I feel a shiver run down my spine, but she doesn't notice my discomfort.
"Oh I knew my son wasn't a faggot." she says. "You say you want to help me?"
No I want to kill you fucking bitch! I smile pleasantly, "Yes, I'd like that very much. I want your son in my arms."
She looks around for a moment before turning to me. "Do you have anywhere we can go?" she asks.
"My luxury hotel." I say. "We can devise a plan to get Joey with me and Serenity back with you."
"Well, let's get going." She says.
"Then follow me." I say leading the way. She follows close behind. My toeless high heeled shoes tap against the concrete sidewalk loudly as I approach my limo. Preston is already outside of it, holding the door open for myself and the faggot.
"The hotel, Preston," I say.
"Right away Miss. Valentine." he says with a slight bow before closing the door.
"Would you like a glass of champagne?" I offer pouring myself a glass. I need some alcohol if I'm going to deal with this bitch today.
"If you wouldn't mind." she says.
I get another glass out, pouring her a glass of champagne. I hand the glass to her. She shakes the glass slightly the liquid swirling in the glass. She takes a delicate sip.
"That's some good champagne." she lies.
Bitch, you can't even afford this champagne!
"Thank you," I smile. "I always have the best of what life has to offer me."
"And a classy lady like yourself deserves such things." she says.
I laugh. "Oh don't be so modest, Ms. Wheeler!" I say, faking a blush.
"Please, call me Pam." she says.
I fake a smile. "Pam."
We reach the hotel and are lead up to my room. We sit in my living room.
"You must make pretty good money to afford such a luxury room." she says settling down in my white leather couch.
"I own the whole hotel." I smile.
"Even better!" she exclaims. "My son can really use a motivation like you."
'Well, that's what I want. I want your son to get away from Kaiba. I fear that he's using him." I lie.
The bitch sighs heavily. "I know. I just don't understand what went wrong. It has to be those friends he hangs out with. John would never let Joesph live it down if he found out that he was being screwed by a man." she spits in disgust.
I bristle, but she doesn't catch it. "If you don't mind me asking, why did you and your husband get a divorce?" I ask.
The bitch sits up a bit straighter, taking a delicate sip of her champagne before setting it down on the small glass table beside of her the soft clang of glass hitting glass rings in my ears for a brief moment. "I never wanted a divorce. We got one because of Joey," she replies.
I arch a brow. "What do you mean?"
The bitch sighs, "We were having money problems. John had a drinking problem. He started to get abusive. I wanted a divorce, but he had agreed to go to AA meetings if I'd stay with him. I agreed. Everything was going fine, I came home from work one day. John was drowning himself in alcohol, I asked him where the kids were and why he was drinking. He told me that Serenity and Joey were at their grandparents. I demand an explanation as to why they were gone. He told me that he had passed by Domino Park riding a cab after his AA meeting and spotted Joey and a little boy kissing. He said it was brief, but it was enough to boil his blood.
"He told me that he sent them away so he wouldn't hurt them. I was furious, not because of the fact that he refused to hurt them, but because my son's first kiss was with another boy! We sat down and talked about a plan to stop this foolishness nonsense. I wasn't going to let my son become a faggot. He was to be a good Christian boy, grow up, find a nice lady, wait to have sex when he was married, and give me grandkids.
"So, John suggested that we get a divorce. At first, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea, leaving my children in his care. After all, he wasn't too fit since he was relapsing on alcohol and was a violent. He told me to take Serenity and he'd take care of Joey's problem. How could I say no? So, I did what I had to do. I took Serenity to California and left Joey with John." she explains.
Anger boils within me. My fingers curl into fists, my manicured nails piercing my palms. I hide the anger deep within me. I can't snap, not yet. I have to get more information out of her. I have to make her spill everything then I'll tell Kaiba. He'll take this mother fucker down.
"My god," I gasp covering my mouth with my hand. "He kissed a boy? How old was he?"
"About ten," the bitch spits. "A time when boys should be faking their non-interest in girls, saying they have cooties and sneaking a kiss in a tunnel of their favourite hideout, not sucking on the tongue of his best friend!" she nearly shrieks.
"Pam," I say scooting closer to the bitch, I wrap an arm around her shoulders. "It's going to be okay, it's not too late to save him."
She turns to face me. "Are you sure?" she asks.
I remove my arm, taking her hand in mine. Her hand feels as cold as her heart. "I promise," I say.
She smiles. "Thank you, Mai. I just...it's so hard...I hated leaving him I really did, but I knew that John would snap him out of it." she says, faking.
"No doubt. It's a shame someone like Joey turned gay." I lie.
She closes her eyes, heaving a sigh. "I know, I thought John would have been able to help, but Joey's always been so rebellious. John said he started getting better and coming home on curfew until he met that idiot Yugi."
"How awful," I say. "Well, what are you going to do about Kaiba? I heard that you want Serenity back."
"I hired Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood to help." She says.
"Those two idiots?" I scoff.
"Are they not any good?" she asks.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Depends on what you want them to do. Personally, I wouldn't use them." I say.
Pam reaches for her glass. I let go of her hand, wiping in across the leather couch before reaching for my own.
"I want them to challenge Serenity and Joey to a duel." she replies.
"Oh?" I say. "And what do you expect to gain out of this duel?"
"Well, there's a written contract that if Rex and Weevil win Serenity and Joey are to come with me, but if they lose then I am to leave them both alone." the bitch replies.
"And do you think that'll work? You know Joey is the third greatest male duelist in the world right?" I say.
"Yes, I know that, but only because he gets help from his little faggot squad. My son has no talent." she laughs humourlessly. "As for Serenity, well, she's too naive to even know how to play such a complex game. She doesn't realize how messed up her life will become if she's around her queer brother another second."
"Well, Joey beat Rex in Duelist Kingdom and Weevil in Battle City." I point out. "I don't think hiring them was the best idea, Pam." I say.
"They told me they'd take care of it as long as I give them their pay." she says. "They happen to be good hard working boys."
More like greedy funguses.
"I agree," I lie. "Weevil was the top regional champion for the longest time. Rex was the runner up. If not for that stupid Time Wizard, Rex would have won against Joey at Duelist Kingdom."
"Exactly, Joey can't win on his own. He has to have help-support. I want them to duel without that support, but I'm unsure of how to get them in a secret location where not even that faggot rich pig could track them down." she spits.
"Hmm. You know I think I know a place." I say.
"Oh?" she says.
"It's deep in the city," I say. "During Battle City a man named Arkana dueled against Yugi, Kaiba couldn't track him down for the longest time."
A smirk appears upon her face. "Do you know where this place is?" she asks.
"I do," I fake a smile.
"Excellent," she says.
I force my smile wider. "I'll tell them of the location and I'll lead Serenity and Joey there." I say.
"And then I'll get my children back and really cure my son of the gay disease." she says.
"Exactly," I say.
"To the cure." she says holding her glass up.
'To the cure," I mumble with a fake smile.
Our glasses click together and we both take delicate sips.
"Well," I say standing up. "I'm sorry to be rude, but I need to get to a photoshoot in about an hour, so I need to get ready."
"Oh dear," the bitch says standing up. "I didn't realize-"
"It's alright, I'm the one that invited you here in the first place, Pam." I say. "I'm just glad I could help you."
Pam smiles. "I am too. Here's my number." she says handing me a slip of paper. "Call me anytime."
I take the paper. "Will do," I say.
I walk her to the door. We say our goodbyes and then she leaves. I watch through the crack to see if she's gone. Once she's out of sight, I walk out of my room, purse flung over my shoulder. I walk down to my car. Preston is already out, holding the door open for me.
"Where to, Miss. Valentine?" he asks.
"KaibaCorp," I reply getting into the limo. "It's time to pay Seto Kaiba a visit."
XXXXXXXXX
So Pam is a total bitch and Mai and Kaiba are going to take her down. And Bakura has the Millennium Item cards! AHHHH I am so excited! *dies* Review lovelies! :D.