Cards Bare Their Teeth
He could hear their shouts as he entered the box. However, as he walked towards his seat, that was the least of his worries. 'Beat that creep', they were shouting. 'That puppet's messed up', Honda was adding in the background. And among it all he could hear Mokuba's broken cries at the imitation of his brother, while the one who would ordinarily the the loudest of the group held a morose and fearful silence. 'Yugi', 'Other Yugi', or 'Dark Yugi' as he was known (He didn't even know himself after all) glared at the puppet and its controller as he sat down. 'Slaughter him,' he had said as he entered. 'Leave nothing left.' He would do just that.
"Today is the day," the puppet said in a broken tone of Kaiba's voice. Wooden limbs moved in an oddly slim fashion as it placed a deck of cards on the table, still 'grinning' back at 'his' opponent. "The day I k-k-k-kill you! Kyakyakyakya~~" Tch... A faltering stutter as the ventriloquist attempted to perfectly emulate a voice that was already fairly unique... The man failed terribly at it, Yugi noted with narrowed eyes. In fact, he doubted anyone could create a duplicate of the particular tones that Kaiba used; the fact that this man was still attempting to do so...
He growled at the puppet's voice, gripping the table. This scum... Humiliating Kaiba's memory and form, degrading the name of a fellow classmate he'd considered a 'true duelist'... Yes, he'd done things against himself, his friends, and his family that most would consider unforgivable. But that was the point of the penalty game he'd imposed... The chance to redeem himself. And he knew that Kaiba would over come that! Even in the duel at Death-T, he'd shown that, playing a completely fair game during their final match! And he wasn't the only one... If even Jonouchi could find faith in Kaiba, then he would hold firm in those beliefs!
The puppet held up three fingers, before placing three star chips on the table with a 'clack'. Pulling the hand back under, it looked back towards its opponent with a broken chuckle. "Y-Y-Yugi... We'll each bet th-th-three star chips..! Hee heh hee..."
Yugi tensed at the grating chuckles, pulling out his remaining three with a nod. "Fine... All of my star chips then!" If he won this, he'd have six rather than five... A fine 'bonus' for taking out scum such as this. He watched as the puppet drew five cards, grabbing his own with a snarl. "Duel!"
'Kaiba', though he refused to believe that this was somehow him in any way shape or form, placed one card on the field and continued to laugh. "I p-p-p-play B-Battle Ox!" The monster appeared, Yugi tensing; that card... The minotaur card! He watched as the armored ox-man snorted, stomping the ground and giving an experimental swing with his ax. This card was one of Kaiba's... So he was playing with a duplicate deck? Tch... Just how far had these people fallen...
He looked over his hand, before leveling a stare to his opponent and moving a card to the field. "Then I'll fight you with this," he said with a frown, watching as the familiar, violet robed sorcerer appeared on the field. "The Dark Magician!" The monster appeared, its attack power easily dwarfing that of the ox. He pointed the wizard forwards, still frowning. "Black Magic!"
The puppet cried as its life points dropped to 1200, reeling back slightly. Tch.. This ventriloquist... Too just what extent was he going to insult Kaiba's existence? He listened to the shouts outside, swallowing. They were all wondering the same thing he was, no doubt. It was only one card, but what else of Kaiba's did this scum have in his position... It should be impossible to recreate the deck completely, but why... Why, even when he had already gained a lead on his opponent, he was so nervous...
The fact was, even without the deck this ventriloquist really did have him on edge. A 'vegetative state', that was what Jonouchi had said Kaiba was in at that moment. He didn't know the details but... According to the 'real' Yugi's memories, his 'other self', a coma could be induced, as could vegetation, by means of chemicals and machinery. The body could be kept alive even when the soul had given in... What happened... If Kaiba truly had failed... If he had given into his darkness and died, his body kept breathing only through the machines? Leaving nothing but a shell and a dying hope for Mokuba..? "And now," the puppet said calmly, drawing a card with a few cracks of wood. "F-f-for my next card... Keh heh heh!" Yugi frowned as the puppet began to laugh, narrowing his eyes. What was he up to... It continued to laugh, gaining a mad grin as its controller altered the shape of its eyes. "Th d-d-dragon of r-r-revenge has risen from hell!" The puppet cackled, placing the card on the table. "Are you r-r-ready Yugi!"
"What..!" Impossible... As shouts resounded from outside however, he watched in horror as the card materialized. Bright light filled the spot, a loud roar piercing the air. White scales shimmered into existence as the dragon reared on its legs, flexing its wings with a 'grin' of sorts.
The damned puppet continued to laugh as Kaiba's monster appeared, roaring loudly as it glowed. Regardless of the seeming hesitation of the card... It was there. It was... Impossible! "Come forth! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Impossible..! Kaiba's blue eyes white dragon card... It was just not possible, there were only three in existence and the only one with those was-
A shout came from outside, and he turned. "Be careful Yugi," Mokuba was shouting, Katsuya doing the same. He watched as the boy squirmed in Saruwatari's grip, while Katsuya fixed a wide eyed glare at his opponent. "Industrial Illusions sent a spy to steal Kaiba's cards! He's using them now!" A spy-! He turned back, the boy continuing to shout for him to win. Tch... To think he'd stoop that low... Stealing these cards... And if he stole the entire deck, that meant-
"Heh heh heh heh..." The puppet continued to chuckle, smirking darkly. Just how many different ways could wood be bent into these expressions... How many expressions would this piece of filth try and fail to emulate? "It's really m-me Yugi," the doll began, with the same clacking chuckle he'd started with. As Yugi grit his teeth, it continued to speak, a glint appearing in the ventriloquist's eyes. "I am b-b-borrowing the b-b-body of this doll... To g-g-get my revenge..." It continued to laugh, the teen tensing under it's 'gaze'. "Be prepared... Heh heh heh heh heh..!"
Had he died, he briefly wondered, gaze lowering somewhat. Had he really gone, failing the challenge imposed upon him to succumb to a permanent darkness? Even with the amount of faith that Mokuba, even Jonouchi had had in the teen? He could tell that there was something connecting those two to him somehow, someway... If... Kaiba had been unable to repair those connections however... He shook, expression sinking deeper into a mix of anger and thought. An undying part of Kaiba's soul... Filled with an endless grudge and a thirst for vengeance... had it really come out from that penalty game, to inhabit this doll? 'Kaiba', he thought to himself bitterly. The challenge that he'd imposed, that he had likely failed... And even in death, with this scum and filth insulting his mere memory... 'Will you always be my arch-rival!' He continued to shake, before a shout from outside stopped him. "Calm down Yug," Katsuya shouted, the teen blinking. His friend's expression had softened only slightly, and it was likely for the mere fact that he was currently looking at someone other than the opponent. "It's just th' ventriloquist throwin' his voice! This thing's got nothin' t' do with the real Se- Kaiba! Believe me on that!" Yugi frowned slightly, as though about to say something. In the end, he simply stared, thoughts running rampant in his mind. Odd... Now why had he stumbled over Kaiba's name... In fact, it sounded almost as though he was about to refer to the teen by his given one rather than his last...
He turned, facing the puppet of Kaiba with a glare. Not the time... He needed to focus on this duel, and win. The glare deepened as it continued to speak, cackling in a manner quite unlike the real Kaiba. "L-L-Let's place more cards," he said with a laugh, grinning. Its eyes stared blankly at Yugi from across the table, unblinking and frozen in one direction. "I w-w-won't attack with Blue Eyes White Dragon yet... Because by f-f-forfeiting my attack this turn," the puppet continued, "I can p-play this card face down instead..." He chuckled, grinning darkly. "Soon your m-m-monsters will have nowhere to run!"
That card... He looked at it with narrowed eyes, frowning. Was it a spell, or a trap... If it had a cost, it was not likely to be good... He'd need to be cautious, particularly with that Blue Eyes on the field. "It's my turn," he muttered, drawing a card. There weren't any monsters powerful enough to challenge Blue-Eyes in his deck... Not with normal attacks in any case... "Dark Magician goes into defense mode," he said, shifting the card as the magician did just that. "And I'll also play Curse of Dragon in defense mode as well..." He'd need to find some sort of spell... A trap... Anything.
Yugi's eyes narrowed as the puppet began to laugh again. "I kn-kn-knew you'd do that," he said, grinning." Of course it did... After all, defense mode monsters didn't cause damage when destroyed... And there wasn't much else he could do other than that. "But it w-won't save you," it continued, causing the teen to narrow his eyes further. "Th-That's because I'm playing this! I activate my trap," the puppet shouted, revealing the card stop defense. What! He watched with horror as the monsters switched modes, the puppet cackling. "Now all your monsters are in attack mode," the puppet cried, Yugi frowing pale. Because of that... "Keh heh heh heh... That's it," the puppet continued. "There's nowhere to hide! Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Burst Stream! Annihilate the enemy dragon!" Curse of Dragon was eliminated on the spot in a blast of blazing white fire, Yugi's eyes widening briefly. This confident voice... No matter how hard the ventriloquist tried it wasn't the same... But the echoing undertone that succeeded was haunting the entire room. He watched as his life points were halved, the others shouting as he clenched his fists.
No... How was he supposed to win against that! For him to draw Blue Eyes as his first card was the worst possible luck..! The cackling continued, mirrored by the bodyguard, 'Saruwatari's laugh outside. "AHAHAHHAAA," he was shouting, causing the teen to tense more. Amid the shouts from outside, he could pick out the suit's words clearly, as though he were right beside him. "I bet Kaiba's happy," he was saying with a shout, still laughing. "If he's watching from heaven!"
More resounding shouts... Katsuya turning to yell angrily at the man only to be thrown back by the threat of a gun. Anzu and Honda holding him back, while Bakura attempted and failed to calm him... Mokuba's loud wails of misery and denial... "HE'S NOT DEAD," he cried, voice faltering at the volume it was shouted at. "HE'S NOT!"
"Listen to 'm Yug'," Katsuya was shouting. "HE AIN'T DEAD!" The blond was turned back to the box now, expression almost causing even he to take a second look. It was a face he had never seen save once, through his other self's eyes... And even then, this expression seemed different from what he saw in the warehouse two months prior. "HE'S ALIVE!"
Mokuba as well continued to scream, soon overpowering even Katsuya's voice. "MY NII-SAMA ISN'T DEAD," he cried, tears streaming down his face. "YUGI... YUGI! You told me... YOU PROMISED! THAT MY NII-SAMA WILL COME BACK! AND I BELIEVED YOU! I BELIEVED YOU! AND I'M STILL WAITING," he wailed, Yugi gritting his teeth at the shouts. "I'M WAITING AND WAITING, BECAUSE I STILL BELIEVE WHAT YOU TOLD ME!"
Mokuba... Yugi turned, watching as Katsuya shook from the inability to comfort the boy, as Mokuba shook and caved under the pressures of everything going on... He was right... Both of them... They believed in Kaiba... And so did he..! He had to..! He believed in Kaiba! No matter what! Kaiba... Kaiba was still alive, and still coming closer and closer to waking up, closer to solving the puzzle of his soul! "I never lose," he spat out, drawing a card. His strength was renewed... And he would not falter! If he played the right cards, even the dragons would fall! "And I won't change that even now!" The teen looked over his card, before smirking. Now this would work for now... "Magical Hats," he shouted, playing the card as four hats appeared. "And I play it on the Dark Magician!" The magician was covered completely, and the four hats merged into one before dividing. They then revolved around the table at high speed, switching and moving through the others before coming to a stop in a solid line. Yugi smirked at the ventriloquist's confusion, the man's expression further supporting what the others had been saying. This wasn't 'real'... There was no necromancy, or spirit channeling at work. Now then...
The puppet frowned, before sneering as he drew a card. "I'll take out your hats one at a time," he said with a snarl, voice faltering slightly as he pointed the dragon forwards. The dragon in turn roared, charging a beam of white lightening within its mouth. "BURST STREAM!" As one of the hats disintegrated, the puppet scowled; obviously, he'd missed his target. All that was left in its place as it vanished into smoke was a blank space on the playing field. "No Dark Magician... Hmp..."
Yugi chuckled, drawing another card. "Too bad," he said with a smirk. The first card was to stall; this one would shut down at least the first of Kaiba's dragons if he was lucky enough. "My turn... And I play this card," he said with a grin, the card vanishing into the hat he placed it in. Three hats... And one with a trap. His smirk grew as the puppet stared in confusion, and the teen explained. "Hnhnhnn.. Three top hats... If you choose the right one," he began, taunting the opponent now that he was confident in his playing. "You destroy the Dark Magician, and I loose 500 life points... But if you destroy the wrong hat," he said, grinning darkly. "You'll activate the trap card I just played..." And when that happened...
The table fell silent for a moment, before the puppet scowled, the eyes of its controller narrowing as well. "I know," he said with a shout. He continued to frown, before pointing. "There! The middle one! BURST STREAM!" Middle eh..? Well, he thought with a chuckle. Middle it was... White flames and lightning struck the hat, fabric burning away to nothingness as the ventriloquist stared expectantly.
Watching his opponent, Yugi continued chuckling as a card was revealed in the smoke of the flaming hat. "Hnhnhn... Good choice," he began, watching as the puppet and ventriloquist's faces both fell instantly. They saw what it was... And what it was was a trap. "For me that is!" The spellbinding circle appeared on the field, lowering Blue-Eyes attack as it locked it into position. Blue-Eyes howled with rage as the circle tightened on him, rendering him completely immobile. "Now Dark Magician," he shouted, the monster in question hopping out of his hat. Without a reason to exist, the other hats vanished completely from existence, leaving the Dark Magician alone on the field. "Attack the Blue Eyes White Dragon! BLACK MAGIC!" The Magician nodded, aiming his staff forwards before firing a large blast of dark energy forwards. The energy surrounded Blue-Eyes completely, the dragon howling as it disappeared. His turn ended, the others cheering as he did so. Now that the dragon was gone, he could focus on attacking this impostor... The cheer however, quickly vanished, as the smoke clearing to reveal what the ventriloquist had done for his own turn. Yugi looked forwards in shock, hardly believing what he saw. "No..!" To have drawn that very monster again..! Right when he needed it..!
The second Blue-Eyes roared in anger, charging an attack before avenging its fallen partner. "BURST STREAM," came the puppet's mad cackle, and as the magician was blown away Yugi was left with 500 life points. How... How! "Keh heh heh... What's the m-matter Yugi," he said with a grin. The dragon seemed to only partially share in his mood, giving a quite growl as it sat on the opponent's side of the field. "I just played the s-s-second Blue Eyes White Dragon!" He continued cackling, and Yugi's face fell considerably. "Have you forgotten," the puppet began, grinning in response to the fallen expression on his opponent's face, "That I have th-three blue eyes white dragons..? Now p-play your next card," it continued, laughter cutting the air with a screech louder than nails across a chalkboard. "So the d-dragon can turn it to a-ashes! Keh hehehehee!" The second dragon... Yugi winced, gritting his teeth. He hadn't anticipated the dragons to be drawn so close together...
He didn't have a card... Yugi's eyes lowered as his final hope vanished, body shaking considerably. He didn't have a single card in his deck that could beat the blue eyes white dragon... He'd used his only change against the last one, and now that the second was already out on the board, while his own field was empty... He closed his eyes, mentally cursing himself. He...
He lost...
It was almost light in there. So light in fact, that unlike when she would need a window to see around her slightly, she could see the entire room she sat in. Well... Almost. Seto looked up from where she sat, face rather blank as she took in her surroundings. The sun was shining... Though the edges of her vision were clouded from existence, she could see her backyard. Most trees had lost their leaves, but in her yard there were a few stubbornly clinging to their own. Not many remained on the branches of course... But it was enough that there was a small series of gold and red specks across her trees. Her lawn of course was cleared of the leaves, leaving it the same green colour. But from the sky, she could see a few flakes of snow begin to fall. Ah... It was snowing. Though she didn't much care for it, it didn't seem to bug her much. All together, the scene was actually fairly calming and yet... She stood, frowning as she held her puzzle close. Something was wrong, she thought, staring at the hole in her puzzle. She wanted to attach this last piece... That one piece which would join the now three stationary 'prongs' in her puzzle, the three tiny pieces that just needed something to join them to the rest of the sphere. Yet she couldn't find it, no matter how hard she tried... She knew almost everything now, from beginning to end about her life, but something what was it... What was it she was missing? She'd managed to connect the last two to each other, attaching it to the 'base' she'd found before, but without the piece that was missing she wouldn't be able to finish the puzzle!
In the distance, she could hear a roar... A flash of white lightening, and a shout... She looked down, a small window of sorts opening in the same way it did ages and ages ago. Like that time, it was nothing but a foggy, hazed curtain of grey there, but why... Why did she feel... Why did she feel almost like she was needed somewhere... It was a nagging, pressuring feeling that made it seem as though, if she didn't act soon, it would be pointless, but why?
A dizzying shudder passed through her as the larger window she had, the one to what she decided was 'reality' closed up. She clutched her puzzle, frowning as another cold shudder passed. Though her memories were otherwise unaffected now, the feelings were nonetheless giving her the chills. Why did she feel weak, feel small... Why did she feel afraid? She was... According to her memories, not someone who was afraid. Never afraid, she couldn't be afraid! Not from what she saw... She hid, yes, but not because she was afraid, right? It was because of something else, because of something she had to protect... Her fingers dug into the puzzle, and her eyes narrowed. Scared... The woman, a girl again really, gritted her teeth. Her puzzle was almost complete... She was close, so close... Why did she feel like everything was riding on that piece though! Why did it feel like everything up to this point would be for naught if she didn't get that piece soon!
She looked through the window at her feet, frowning. Where was it... Where was it... Abruptly, something golden appeared before her from the window, and she held it in her hands. "...This piece..." There was nothing but despair in it... No memories, no visions... Just despair, like what she felt now. Fear, pain, hopelessness... All the emotions she wanted to have nothing to do with, all the emotions she wanted to see nothing more of, to hear nothing more of, to feel nothing of... She clenched the piece, gritting her teeth. "...You... You want me to acknowledge that..?" The piece merely shined innocently, as though to agree. Tch... This wasn't the piece she needed either... It fit into the side yes, but it was only half of the base, half of what she wanted right now! Seto sneered, staring at it in disgust. "Hn! I don't do 'fear'..." Nonetheless, she stared at it for a few moments with narrowed eyes, holding silent. Fear... Her eyes narrowed further, before she nodded. Accept the fear... She placed the piece on the side, before finally clicking it into place. Accept the fear in order to conquer it completely... The other small pieces locked in around the one she placed in, leaving nothing but a small sliver left to fill. An odd shaped hole that would join those same three pieces from before.
Feeling over the mostly completely puzzle however, she dropped it in shock, reeling back as she fell on the floor. Something different... The girl clutched her head, eyes wide as a rush of memories came to her. Something was happening... Below, she watched as the window cleared to a scene that wasn't anywhere near where she stood now. "What is this," she hissed, looking below at the window that floated below her. Two people sitting at a table... Playing "What the hell is this!" This vision... Light, sunny... A 'duel box', at least she was sure that was what it was called... The vision honed in further however, and the sunlight vanished. Within the cube there was nothing but haze and holographic fog, along with the monsters on the table. And to each side... She shook, glaring at the teen in the 'window' with wide eyes. "WHAT IS THIS?"
Yugi, that was the boy's name right? She recognized him from her more... Dark memories. However, she also recognized him from school, from that store... She frowned, gathering all she knew on the teen. Mutou Yugi... The one with two sides, the one who defeated her not once but twice... While the first was a joke, a battle that even she hadn't bothered to deal with properly, the second... She smirked at the memory, eyes closing briefly. If she could fight him again... Just beat him properly... Seto frowned again as she looked down through the window, looking closer at her would-be-rival. He had his head lowered in defeat... Something she wanted nothing more than to see just once, but not like this. She gritted her teeth, biting back a growl. She would be the one to defeat him... And only her! She would reclaim the top as she had before, becoming the 'king' in his place... And this time, she would do it properly. Looking at the expression on Yugi's face, her eyes narrowed. Just what had him bearing such a disgusting face... What had him hanging his head in shame like a child, or a disciplined animal even? It was pathetic... It disturbed her, and though she tried to convince herself that it was only because she wasn't on the other side of the table she felt as though there was something else... She looked across from him, towards the shadowed puppeteer who was covered by a hat. He held something... Something bathed completely in shadows that refused to reveal itself to her. What the man held however, was the least of her concerns as she spotted the monster on his side of the field. She knew that monster... That monster was... The girl snarled, nails digging into her head. "That... That is my dragon," she shouted, voice seemingly reaching no one. Her eyes grew wider than they had been before, face twisted with rage as she shook. "How dare they... How DARE they!"
Shaking with rage, she was thrown off focus by another wave of memories she had apparently not regained, the girl clutching her head again. "Gh... Hh..." She winced again as she studied the dragon below, attempting to figure out how it came to be there before crying in pain. The memories continued to flood her mind, forcing Seto to her knees as she gritted her teeth. What was this.. What was this? High school classes passed her by, followed by tutor sessions, vocal lessons, 'Kaiba' replacing her name, games, Mokuba, the orphanage, her father, the crash, Christmas... All these memories, all these times that she already knew, passing her by until-
Kaiba froze as the memories grinded to a halt, stopping at one moment and one only. Mokuba's birth... Eyes staring off into space as she held her head, the girl stumbled slightly. The day her brother was born... And at the same moment she realized, unwanted tears developing yet again, this was the moment that... She... "...Okaa-san..."
She remembered her mother.
She never knew her name of course... She was only 5 when she died after all but nonetheless, she could remember what she looked like on that operating table. Contractions came too early; she knew what those words meant now. She knew why it was that when they'd pulled Mokuba out from her mother's shivering form that she died. She remembered, with a horrified expression of now available knowledge, that the pale, cold woman she'd seen on the table wasn't asleep... Merely drained of most of her blood and long gone...
She remembered when she'd told Mokuba he had her eyes. She hadn't remembered their mother at that time, and she wasn't sure she was right...
But she was. Somehow, she wasn't sure why, she was right. Beautiful, wide blue eyes that stared with nothing but kindness... Identical to her little brother's... But unlike Mokuba, the rest of the woman wasn't tanned with black hair, regardless of the resemblance between them otherwise. No... Their mother had been special. A slight defect in her genes had given her something else, something that was rarely ever seen. While her skin was of average, peach complexion, long, pure white hair cascaded down the woman's back... Giving the appearance of an angel... Or perhaps, she noted as the memories superimposed over her view of the duel table below, something else...
"Mother..." She watched the image play in her mind, the woman standing there. Blue eyes, set on a pale face with white hair... She missed her... She didn't want to say it out loud, didn't want anyone to know this weakness... But she missed her so much... She bit her lip, hands moving down from her head to pick up the puzzle she'd dropped. It had begun to 'sink' into the window below, and took a little more strength than usual to pull out. The girl stared at it sadly, the memory of that calm, smiling woman still blurring into her vision. The puzzle wasn't done... Seto looked down an image of the woman that essentially personified her dragons looking down at her with a calm and reassuring nod. It wasn't done, still missing that one piece but...
Somehow, she knew that if nothing else happened, that piece would never come to her. That all of her work would be for naught, and she'd be trapped here indefinitely. Seto clutched the puzzle close, frowning. What if... She could take it with her..? If the piece was something she had to find, rather than wait for? She had a feeling... That this time, while the window was there, she wasn't meant to pass it by. The 'voice' that had yelled and shouted for her to ignore the others... That voice that she'd ignored... It was gone, nonexistent. This time... With her puzzle in hand... What if...
She gritted her teeth... And with the puzzle still clutched tight in her arms, jumped through the window below.
'HOW DARE THEY!' Yugi dismissed the ghostly voice, which barely hit his ears as a whisper. He lost... There was no hope for him now, and as he drew a card and played a monster on the field, he winced and waited for the end. Stop defense was still in play... The voice continued to ring through his ears, but the teen shook it off. He was probably hearing things anyways... At this moment, nothing else could possibly make sense other than that. "Good," the puppet was saying with a cackle. "Good... You p-p-played your final card, yes?" As he merely waited for the blast, he found himself weakly glaring at the puppet that called itself 'Kaiba's Ghost'. A pathetic, horrific imitation that did no justice at all... And yet, where the original could not, it had managed to beat him. "WHAHAHAHA! THEN THIS IS THE END! Go Dragon, DESTROY YUGI!" Pathetic... A horrific joke of god one could say even... He screwed his eyes shut, waiting for the familiar heat of the dragon's white flames...
And then something remarkable happened... He frowned, feeling nothing as the same voice continued to whisper in his ears. Yugi opened his eyes, looking across the table only to stare with wide and confused eyes. It wasn't attacking... In fact, it's mouth was clamped firmly shut, its head raised and turned to the side. The whispering voice returned, a faint, almost childlike chuckle echoing in his ears. And as he heard this, the dragon continued to stare at what was apparently an empty space in the room. What was this... He looked at the spot, frowning as something began to shimmer into existence there. "What's wrong," the ventriloquist shouted, not bothering to use the puppet as he moved to stand. Wood clattered to the floor as the image became clearer, the old, gagged man apparently completely unaware of the sight that both Yugi and 'the dragon' were looking at just now. "Why isn't it attacking!" He ignored the wrinkled ventriloquist, instead continuing to gape at the now complete image at the side.
A... A little girl... Wearing a yukata... His still wide eyes only grew larger as the girl gave a smile, her body glowing dimly as it began to 'age' and shift before him. The teen stared, silent as the dragon continued its silent vigil, before giving a small cry as the girl slowly became a 'woman'. Clothes changed... From a yukata to a pair of pants and a flowered shirt with hair that dropped past the shoulders. Then to a messily cut hairstyle he slightly recognized, coupled with a pair of boy's pants and a casual shirt. Hold on... That face, he realized as the hair neatened out, the 'child' turning toward him. He knew this face... The spirit continued to shift, growing taller as a white, militaristic outfit came to replace the clothes she'd held before. As this finaly change occurred, she turned to him, finally looking down at the teen with a seemingly cold and uncaring expression. Yugi's eyes widened with shock, face frozen as the crystal clear image of Seto Kaiba appeared before him appearance identical to that of when 'he' had been at Death-T. He... Or if this 'spirit' wasn't a bad case of hallucination... 'Hmp,' Seto said, her voice clearly that of a woman- any doubts that Yugi held would just have to vanish for now really. 'Using my dragons... No one does that and gets away with it...' The voice as well shifted, becoming the one that he was far more familiar with as the dragon itself began to vanish into nothingness with a silent nod. '..Yugi,' She continued with a frown, the teen swallowing in response as the commanding and deep tones of the CEO rang throughout the room for only him to hear. 'You know what to do... I'm giving you permission only this once.' And then she was gone... 'Only this once,' she'd said... While destroying her own dragon... Somehow, he knew just what she meant...
"The dragon's vanishing," the ventriloquist was muttering, Yugi merely staring as the spirit as well did this. As Kaiba faded, so did the dragon, and before long both of them were vanished from the room without a trace... As though neither had been there to begin with. "But why.." The puppet clattered to the ground, and the man shook his head. "NO!" Wood clacked across the floor as the old man stood, shaking his head. "NO!"
Kaiba... A woman... Who would have thought, he mentally whispered to himself. To think that of all people... In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but laugh as that conversation with Katsuya all those weeks before made sense now. 'She has the same kanji', he had said, when asked about a name that he likely had been unable to give for now obvious reasons. 'She's ice cold though'. Oh boy... Ooooh boy... Either... Something had been in that fish or... The teen shook his head and smirked, before it softened into a calm and relieved smile. No... Kaiba... Somehow, he knew just then, that the puzzle the woman was putting together... While perhaps not all done, there was no doubt.
Seto Kaiba had woken up.
Miles away, a young woman took a shaky step out from the wheelchair she'd spent immeasurable amounts of time in. The woman held her head, wincing slightly before staring out the window. "...I..." She frowned, eyes narrowing. Arms moved down to her sides as she took in the partially dead yard, breath misting on the glass of the window. Strange... Though she clearly remembered losing to Yugi, something felt... Different... There were numb memories of voices in her mind, and as her eyes drifted to the side table by her bed, she frowned. "What is this..." Her voice was of course the same, hoarse voice she had thanks to years of covering it with acting... And she certainly didn't see any other changes to herself. But why did she feel... Different? There was a voice from one of her maids, the door opening before a gasp of shock resounded through the hall behind her. Dishes clattered to the ground as the woman ran out of the halls, her voice numbly reaching Seto's ears.
"Oh my," she had said, shaking. "Seto-sama.." Footsteps sounded through the house, Kaiba ignoring them as she continued to stare at the table. "Seto-sama is awake!"
Yes she was awake... But why did it still feel like something was missing..? She walked over to the table, idly picking up what looked to be a Blue-Eyes figurine from it. Hn... Not bad... Her thoughts turned back to her apparent sleep, the woman frowning. She'd been at KaibaLand last she remembered. Facing Yugi in a game of Duel Monsters... Yugi... He'd done something... That much was obvious given that it was clearly late fall rather than late spring as it had been before. Not to mention she'd woken up here, in her home... In a wheel chair. But that wasn't what was bugging her now...
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the things on the table, still holding the dragon in his hand. The door creaked open as she heard someone step in, and she continued frowning. "Who put those there," she said hoarsely, her voice having been out of use for far too long. The woman turned to level a stare at the maid who had come in, the woman bowing her head slightly.
There was a bit of silence, before the nervous maid answered. She was young... This was one of her 'rare' hires, where the person had come not because they figured serving a billionaire would earn more money but because they needed a job. Now what was her name... Kyoko? Kyouko... Ah. Seto's eyes remained in the partially narrowed stare they were at as the maid before her answered, the woman wringing her hands from the nerves. "I... Jonouchi-kun did, Seto-sama..." She coughed, before bowing her head again and continuing. "H-He and Mokuba-sama believed you would want them there... He was assigned your security during your time out of the hospital O-Ojou ...O-Obochama..." Hn! She'd almost slipped, hadn't she. Nonetheless...
There was no response. Jonouchi... She turned, frowning as she replaced the dragon on the table. So many pictures on the table... Most had her brother in them. Idly, she noted that the boy had placed, for some reason, a picture of him with the very people she preferred to avoid there. And the blond in the photo... "Where's Mokuba," she said bluntly, ignoring the numb feeling of emptiness she still had. She could question his identity later- if she was right, it'd been at least half a year since she'd faced Yugi in Duel Monsters, and she wanted to see her brother. There was nervous silence from the maid, and her eyes narrowed as the CEO turned back on her employee. "Did you hear me," she spat out, fists clenched. The calendar on the wall said 'Saturday'; there was no school, no events that would mean her brother was out of the house, and the maid before her would either know the location or know someone who did. "I said, where is my BROTHER?"
"W-Well," the maid said nervously, gulping audibly. "About that..." The woman coughed, shaking on the spot as she lowered her head. "Fo-Forgive me, Seto-sama... But at the moment, Mokuba-sama is... M...Missing.."
She didn't care if she couldn't remember who this 'Jonouchi Katsuya' was, Seto decided as her eyes widened. "WHAT..." Her eyes quickly narrowed again, and she charged past the wheelchair towards her closet. "Explain everything now," she snarled, grabbing her clothes and moving to her washroom. As far as she knew, this unknown person was dead (Though she got an odd feeling of dread with that thought...)to her, and it mattered not who or where he was. But if her brother was missing... "And be quick!" Missing, she had said...
Kyouko nodded, following after Seto with an audible gasp of nervousness. "Y-Yes... Jonouchi-kun claimed he had a clue as to the boy's location," she began, attempting to keep her voice professional rather than stuttering. "H-He mentioned someone named Pegasus... I... I think you know-" She was cut off as a pair of pajama's flew past the door, Seto still scowling as the maid watched her wrap a roll of binding around her chest in record time. "S-Seto-sama..?"
"You're dismissed," the woman forced through gritted teeth, the maid bowing quickly. "Gather the rest of the staff in the foyer," she added as the maid left the room. No one messed with her brother... No one...
She might not have treated him well in the past... But now that she was awake and there to change things... Seto gritted her teeth as she pulled on her clothes, simple shirt and pants being added on with a long and flowing coat. No time... No time, she told herself, grabbing her briefcase from the side of the bed and charging out the room. She didn't know how, but the amount of time she would have to get to her brother was slim... And Pegasus... No doubt that whoever this 'Jonouchi' was, he wouldn't be able to find Pegasus' private island. It wasn't marked on a map after all, and she only knew it's location from a previous visit. No time... There was no time to save her brother, no time to hold him close as she should have all those times before... But she would make up for that now, she told herself as she stormed through the hall.
Even if she died trying, she would get him back and safe at home. After all... She'd promised at least that much to him, hadn't she?
Back on the island and outside the Duel Box, the reaction to Blue-Eye's unannounced and unreasoned disappearance was almost unanimous. "YEEEEA!" There was a resounding shout from the others, fists and cheers thrown into the air. For his part however, Katsuya seemed very much unlike himself as he stared through the glass of the duel-box in confusion. Ordinarily... He'd have gone with his beliefs on the card doing that, it having its own will... He'd be shouting loudly with the others, cheering; because hell, he was more than happy about the fact that it had done that!
But he could have sworn, that for an instant... To the side of the table, just across from him... "YOU GO YUGI," Mokuba shouted from behind them, grinning. The shouts pulled Katsuya from his thoughts, and he joined in with his own cheers as Mokuba still shouted loudly. "YOU SHOW HIM!"
Saruwatari in the meantime balked, eyes wide as he managed to keep his hold on the boy. "What..." He shook his head, gritting his teeth. "There must have been a bug in the battle box... It must have..." Hahaha... Bullshit.
Mokuba grinned, still loudly proclaiming his excitement over the matter. "Dumb ass," he shouted as he looked up at his former guard, grin growing. While there wasn't much else to describe the reasoning behind what had happened, he had an idea... Spending all this time with Yugi and Katsuya's friends tended to have that effect. "KaibaCorp's duel-box wouldn't go on the fritz like that so easily!" He turned his attention back to the box, eyes narrowed with mirth. "Heheheh! My nii-sama's cards aren't going to listen to that guy! It serves you right! YUGI," he called out, managing to cup his hands to his face from the awkward position he was held in. "BEAT THE CRAP OUTTA THAT VENTRILOQUIST!"
"What he said Yug'," Katsuya added with a shout, ignoring Anzu's warning words of 'remember that there are childre-' "YOU SLAUGHTER THIS ASSHOLE!"
"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT SWEARING IN FRONT OF KIDS!" He rolled his eyes as Anzu glared at him, instead focusing on what was inside the box for the next few moments.
Inside, there was a nod from his friend as Yugi turned back to his opponent. The second dragon was gone, and there was only one more... But they had a clear shot at the ventriloquist now... Time to continue the game!
700 points... As he looked over his hand, blinking, he idly wished that Blue-Eyes' disappearance had happened during the battle phase rather than before. But the fact was, either way still gave him a clear shot at winning this match... 700 points... That was the number of lifepoints his opponent had at the moment, and that was the number he would need to blast through. Yugi stared forwards, now certain that he could win this battle. "It's your move," he said calmly, pointing to the field. "If I were you, I'd summon a monster."
The ventriloquist nodded, eyes narrowed. "Hn... I summon Grapplar in defense position..." Of course it was defense...
And really, it figured... He was probably going to summon defense monsters until he drew Blue Eyes, regardless of whether or not he drew a monster more powerful than his own. "My turn then," the teen muttered, grabbing a card. Stop Defense was still in play... So anything he placed would be forced into attack mode. If the third Blue Eyes was drawn, it was likely he was finished... But with this card, he thought with narrowed eyes. With this card, he had a chance. "I set one card face down," he said calmly, before placing yet another on the field. "And I summon the Elf Swordsman in Attack Position! Now, attack Grapplar!" The elf charged forwards, slicing Grapplar cleanly in two with his blade before shouldering the weapon and returning to his side of the field. "Grapplar has been killed!" And of course his life points...
The ventriloquist merely chuckled, leering at the teen as they remained as is. "Fu fu fu... My life points still won't go down," he said with a hidden smirk, chuckling. "My turn!" He drew a card, visibly narrowing his eyes before making his move. "I set a monster in defense position," he began, before removing the card from his hand, "And then I set one card face down."
Tch... He set another card... A magic card or a trap... Deciding not to worry about it too much, he instead pulled another card from his deck to go on with his turn. "I'll set another face down card as well," he decided after looking over his hand. Grabbing another card and playing it on the field, he turned his attention back from the table to his opponent once more. "And I summon the Holy Elf!" The woman appeared on the table, head bowed with her hands folded in front of her as she began to chant. Low, almost musical muttering filled the room, and somehow it put him at a little more ease than before. The duel was getting tense... The air was thick, and the pressures were high... But no matter what, he wouldn't lose.
"My turn," the ventriloquist muttered, before grinning as he drew a card. Tch... He knew what that meant... "I drew the Blue Eyes White Dragon," the man cackled, said dragon appearing on the table with a roar and a burst of light. Damn it... Well, here went his plan... "Attack the holy elf," the ventriloquist continued, still cackling madly. "Burst stream of destruction!" Crazed laughter continued to fill the room, the teen across from him merely crossing his arms with narrowed eyes in response. "THIS IS THE END!"
The end was it? He smirked, listening as the elf continued her chanting. Well... Not quite. Yugi flipped over one of his two cards, the smirk still in place. He had a feeling that would happen after all... And with this, the other dragon would be destroyed! "Activate trap," he shouted, a large dome of light appearing around his elf. "Sacred Barrier, Mirror Force! The barrier will reflect the attack," he added, watching as the white lightening struck the shield only to be bounced back towards the dragon. However, that was only the beginning it seemed;Yugi frowned as his opponent also flipped a card over, watching as the ventriloquist continued to chuckle. Tch... It figured it would be a trap...
"Trap card activate," he said with a grin. "Attack Nullification! The attack aiming for Blue Eyes is negated!" The lightening was sucked into an aperture like hole, before vanishing from existence. Tch... As expected, he saw through it... "Fu fu fu... Your trump card was wasted in vain," the ventriloquist said with a smirk, beginning to cackle again. "I've already made you use up your best strategies!" As shouts continued from the outside, Yugi merely smirked. Best strategies? Please... He had much more where that came from... "Come Yugi," the man said with a laugh, "It's your last turn, and you're still out of options..."
The smirk grew, and he moved his hand towards the set card on the field. Now that the traps set before were out of the way, his path was clear... "Really," he began, the smirk growing. "I still have my trump card," the teen added, relishing in the fear and horror that was now washing off of his opponent. "I activate the card 'Dead One's Revival!" As though reading the ventriloquist's mind, the old man's eyes widening, he continued to grin. 'Only this once'... That was what Kaiba had said, and he would respect his... Rather 'her' wishes. "You're wrong," he shouted, eyes narrowed rather cruelly. To think this scum would still consider stolen property his... Tch! "It's not your card I want to ressurect... It's Kaiba's card!" The Blue Eyes White Dragon from before roared behind him as it appeared, the two dragons hissing as they stared each other down. At the moment their attacks were equal of course but... He smirked as the Ventriloquist continued to pale, gesturing to his second monster. "No... I won't attack now... Not until she's finished..." At the ventriloquist's pale stare, he continued. "Ever since she came into play, the Holy Elf has been chanting a spell... A support spell, combining her attack with any monster on the field! PREPARE YOURSELF," he shouted, as the Blue-Eyes' attack jumped to 3800. The elf's chants quieted, the table filling with silence as Yugi pointed the dragon forward. "THIS IS KAIBA'S RAGE! Here I come..." The dragon reared its head, charging its attack before blasting down on both the one on his opponent's side and on the last life points of the opponent. "HOLY BURST STREAM!"
Fires lept at the ventriloquist before swirling into nonexistence, the cards blowing from the table in the force. "E-EYAAAAAA!" The ventriloquist tensed, jerking back in his chair as he lost. "Hih... Hih... I... I lost... I..."
Yugi stood, a wave of anger washing over him once more. He felt a rush of 'power' flow through him, and as a sourceless wind rushed around him, he looked down at the man with disgust. "Bastard... Scum... Don't think that it's over with just that," he stated, voice echoing throughout the room with a commanding and frightening tone. "My rage hasn't been satisfied just yet!" As the ventriloquist looked up in horror, he continued to stare, eyes wide with a murderous emotion that he hadn't felt since possibly the first time he'd come to his 'other self's defense. "You stole Kaiba's cards, fooled around with a worthless puppet and called it he- His 'heart'... And for that," he roared, not caring that the others were watching him now, "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" He pointed forwards, the 'wind' gusting forwards as he shouted. This was it. "PENALTY GAME!" From the puppet below came an apparent copy of the ventriloquist himself, silently clacking upwards as it moved from its own will. It clambered up onto the man's lap, reaching out towards the shaking puppeteer's face before widening its mouth in a scream mimicking that of it's 'original'.
A mirror image... As the ventriloquists screams filled the room, the man attempting to flee that which was only visible to him, Yugi smirked. "Hn hn hn..." Chuckling, he moved to gather his cards as the smirk grew. "Stay in that illusion with that 'cute doll' of yours..."
Grabbing Kaiba's deck and placing the star-chips on his wrist, he thought back to what had effectively turned the battle around. Kaiba... That appearance... The spirit that appeared on the side to give him that message... It couldn't have been a hallucination. That was definitely a woman that had appeared, no doubt about it but... What did that mean exactly, if Kaiba actively hid such a thing?
Turning to leave the box, he sighed. He would just have to find out he supposed... After all, both he and his partner had their own methods to go about these things, and it wasn't like they didn't have time. They'd simply have to pray that it wasn't anything too life-threatening really...
As Yugi had finished the battle off, Katsuya and the group had, in fact, not been watching the teen inflict the penalty game as Yugi had assumed. Much as they'd have loved to, there was something a little more important going on really. To be specific, they'd been distracted by the argument Saruwatari and the blond were having at that moment, all firearms ignored. "Let 'm go 'Saru'," he shouted, the teen deciding to just go with calling him an ape. Besides, 'Saruwatari' was too long for the moment in his opinion. "You an' I both know that Pegasus is gonna want 'm alive, so LET HIM GO!" Please don't know about the key being fake, please please please...
The 'suit' scoffed, moving farther backwards as he continued to hold the gun against Mokuba's head. "And are you willing to take that risk," he asked the blond, smirking. As Katsuya clenched his fists, Saruwatari continued to smirk, before laughing wickedly. "Face it Jonouchi! Even with the same combat training, which, might I add, I offered to teach, this is a situation you just can't win!" Damn it... As the others stood feeling considerably confused, Mokuba gave him a desperate look. Did he want him to stop..? Or did he want him to get him out of here? It was hard to tell, but no matter what...
"Tch... Just let 'm go already!" He froze as there was a click sound, and slowly turned as another hired suit came over. "Gh..." This gun wasn't held at Mokuba...
It was aimed at Bakura's back, the teen having been the furthest away. Laughter filled the area, and Saruwatari's smirk grew. "Good... My backup is here." As Bakura grew slightly more pale than what should have been humanly possible, he addressed the entire group. "Don't move, either one of you... Or it could cost your friends their lives!" The teens fell silent, and Katsuya gritted his teeth in frustration. No... He was right there! Damn it..!
Mokuba continued to struggle against his hold, before finally addressing Katsuya as he was dragged off. Nothing else to do... There was nothing else..! "Katsuya-nii! Whatever you do, make sure Yugi wins!" His eyes widened, and Mokuba continued to fight fruitlessly against Saruwatari's arm as he was pulled away. "No matter what!" The blond watched, eyes wide as the boy vanished into the foliage. "PROMISE!" He... He would...
The other 'suit' laughed, safety of his gun clicking off as he as well backed away. Now, the gun could easily be turned on either one of them before there was a chance at disarming him. Shit... "Now then," he said. "I want you all to turn around and count to thirty..." The gun was aimed rather carefully at the group, and they slowly did so, hands raised. Backs turned to the man, Katsuya swallowed nervously as the numbers mentally came through his mind. "Count nice and slow..." Damn it... "One... Two..." Damn it! He was right there, right there... Who knew what they were going to do to Mokuba now, when it was so clear to Pegasus that the key wasn't there..! "Five... Six..." Numbers faded out in sound, and before he knew it there was a click from the door as Yugi came out. And not a single sound from the other 'hired help'.
He looked around, frowning as he took in a relatively empty section of field. Tch... The other guy had left as well then... Which meant that they were good as gone now. Nonetheless, he turned back to Yugi, paying no particular attention to the ventriloquist whimpering in the corner of the box. Quite frankly, he could care less about the 'penalty games' right now... And really, good on Yugi for doing it. The others were currently congratulating Yugi on his win, the teen holding a second deck of cards in his hand. He got his star chips back, Kaiba's cards were ready to return to their rightful owner... Yugi frowned however, as he looked around at everyone, noticing rather quickly that there was someone missing. "...Where's Mokuba?"
Katsuya clenched his fists, the others shifted awkwardly as he stared at the ground. "That bastard Saruwatari..." He swallowed, eyes narrowed as he thought about the first thing he'd do once he was in Pegasus' castle. "One of his buddies arrived with another gun, forcing us to turn our backs..." He gritted his teeth, turning to look at Yugi in an attempt to calm down. "Dragged Mokuba off and I couldn't do a damn thing!"
As the others fell silent in response to that, Yugi stared off into the direction that Saruwatari had apparently disappeared into. His expression seemed slightly distant, even with the narrowed, well recognised look of 'they will fucking pay' on his face. It looked as though he had wanted to say something but... In light of recent events...
It also looked like he believed it could wait.
As requested, everyone was gathered along the sides of the foyer, watching as their employer stormed down the stairs with clear rage across her face. "MORONS," she shouted, storming through the halls to the main entrance. The group merely bowed their heads, saying nothing as the woman continued with her disguised voice. "ALL OF YOU!" As her so-called security bowed in appology, her maid chased after, a worried expression on her face. It looked as though Kyouko was carrying something but really... She could care less right now. "I can't believe you bastards let Mokuba get taken away while I was gone!"
The people merely stood there, staring at the ground. "Yes... Terribly sorry..." "We're all terribly sorry Seto-sama..." Same thing over and over and over...
Behind her, the maid finally caught up, voice clearly panicked. "O-Obochama! Where are you going," she cried, Seto not even bothering to turn. "You can't go, your body isn't-"
She snorted, having already made plans within the first few minutes of discovering her brother was gone. Amid all this, her servants were still attempting to get by with simply 'terribly sorry', 'so very sorry'... Really... Just... "Oh just SHUT UP," she finally shouted as she turned, the employees falling silent. Kyouko in the meantime visibly cringed, shrinking back before continuing anyways. Honestly, what was it that couldn't wait just a damn moment...
"Obochama! PLEASE," she shouted, running forwards with a folder held tightly against her chest. "I swore to Mokuba-sama that I would-" Seto turned to her, eyes narrowed as the woman stopped in place. Swore what... She watched as the maid swallowed nervously, before handing the file over. Now what was this... "I... I promised him... 'If Seto-sama were to wake up', I was told, give this to him..! Please, take it..!"
Seto took the file, eyes still narrowing as she turned back, opening the door with a scowl. "I see... Maybe you can do this next task as well then," she began, still frowning. "Unlike the rest of these morons..." As the maid stood silently on the spot, Seto continued, stepping through the doorway. "Bring me my helicopter," she called through gritted teeth. "I'm flying to Pegasus' Island!"
Only a few minutes later there was a roar of spinning blades and they were off, taking to the skies as directions to the island were given to the pilot. A quick take off... Perhaps she should give that maid a raise. Seto looked out of the window, eyes narrowing as she thought about what she might find on that island. Mokuba... She pulled the pendant from around her neck, thinking back to the things on her side table. She'd noticed this fairly quickly of course, finding it around her neck as she changed... But she hadn't really looked at it until now... Staring at the image of Mokuba from those long past years, her usually hard gaze softened. How long had she been 'sleeping', she wondered as the pendant was closed over with a 'click'. How long... The memories she had seemed faded, like a half remembered dream... Seto stared at the window, mentally going over what had been there. For some reason with each item there she could recall a message... A small conversation from her brother's side that she had been unable to answer to. A dragon mask... She could remember Mokuba talking about going to a festival with that same 'Katsuya Jonouchi'. A figurine... Again, Mokuba had spoken of this 'Jonouchi', claiming that he had sacrificed himself to join him in a game of sorts... And somehow, according to her brother she had... Saved them somehow? Seto held back a snort at that, instead giving a sarcastic smirk as she stared out the window. Yea... That was bullshit right there really.
The woman's eyes narrowed as she continued to think, recalling each item that had been there. The dragon sculpture, a CapMon figurine (From Mokuba no doubt)... Briefly her thoughts drew back to the figurine she saw, the woman frowning as she recalled its appearance. Whoever made it was dead, creating such a thing in her image without her knowing... What was it, some sort of role-play toy? Honestly... Nonetheless, she felt some sort of attachment to it, along with everything else on that table.
Like the pictures... Documenting the time since she'd been asleep, her brother had continued to fill her in on his day, without fail when he was there. But why... She gritted her teeth, a frown appearing even as she sat in thought. Why couldn't she remember who this blond idiot that they called 'Jonouchi' was? Those pictures... 'The' picture that connected the name to the face really, it showed a summer evening... Her brother was dressed in a yukata that she didn't even know the boy had, grinning widely as he sat underneath a night sky. Beside him was a young woman, probably 13 or 14, an older woman who was likely the girl's mother, and lastly...
That blond... The one who seemed to have been hovering over Mokuba with a sense security, protection... While she felt a pang of jealousy almost, having not been the one to spend this time with her brother, she also had to feel relieved really. Whoever he was after all, he'd obviously kept the boy sane while she slept. This did nothing for her mood however. Seto clenched her fists, still frowning. 'Jonouchi Katsuya', who had supposedly gone off to find her brother as she was doing now. And where was he now? WHO was he? It disturbed her, that after waking up there was still a hole in her memory, a hole she felt shouldn't have been there at all... As though a small part of her had been taken as payment to wake up from whatever it is she'd been in.
Tch... Tightening her grip on her briefcase, she pushed it from her mind. What ever... She wouldn't let this bug her. She didn't let anything bug her, she couldn't. For her brother's sake, she couldn't let anything like that happen again... Not now that she had a clear mind...
She had something to protect; and she would damn well do just that, no matter what the costs.
AN: WELL. DAMN. Talk about your tithes. I can hear you all going 'WHY DID KAIBA FORGET ABOUT HIM WRAAAAAAAGGG IT MAKES NO SENSE.'
Actually, you're probably not saying this at all. You're probably just wondering why the hell I did that, and what this means for future interactions. I will spoil it slightly by saying this:
One, reactions will still be 'as Canon', with some added flair. Actually, it's Katsuya's 'added flair' that causes the reactions to continue as Canon.
Two, she'll remember by the end of the arc... Those who read the manga will know why. (Even though Katsuya actually has very little to do with the final piece.)
NOW THEN!
News on the Poll... One person voted for CrossDressing, but the others are blank; this poll is going to go on until I reveal that tablet... Kinda. If a majority are for both male and crossdressing, I'll hold another one until we actually see a vision of the Priest; due to the fact that it's doubtful the tablet would really be questionable in gender if there was crossdressing involved. In addition, Iona brings up an interesting fact involving the Priest's right of passage in terms of Ancient Egypt...
It's public circumcision. I mention this not because I'm writing it (That would be very awkward, and very off track.), but because it affects the cross-dressing option.. A lot. For obvious reasons. ANYWAYS.
Another question, outside the ones in earlier chapters... So far one person mentioned being interested in the scene from one of my pictures (Specifically the Noa one) actually happening; if no one voices a dislike for this, I'll probably do it... (So if you don't like it, say so, really fast!)
Last note here, but this marks the end of the fully prepared chapters; from this point on, things will update much slower than before, as each chapter will have to be typed out and then edited... And given the fact that it takes a good chunk of my day to edit these, along with the fact that I finally got my online schooling started, you can count on it taking more than one to pop out the next chapter.
Also, art~ I was trying to hold off until it was inked, but I have the sketch below in the art section for you.
Anonymous Review Responses
Hey again Iona! As you said, I can twist fiction with history here if I must... In the end, I don't think I'll go with cross-dressing though, I keep rolling it through my head and for some reason it doesn't appeal... I guess when the poll results come in, I'll see which one wins and work with it really!
And yes. Yes he is.
I assume this means you caught my 'screw the rules Kaiba has money' twist on 'Screw the rules, I have money' joke? (Referencing Abridged in here is so so fun...)
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that has more to talk about each day! ...Except this one.
From near the end, 'Ojou-sama' (Which is what Kyouko was about to say) is the term used for a wealthy young woman/girl... Generally used by maids and such towards the daughters of very very rich people. What she ends up actually saying however is 'Obochama', which is the male counterpart. What with only a choice few of the staff being in on Kaiba's secret here, it's generally that last one that's used rather than 'ojou-sama'. (Fun Fact: The maids actually do refer to Seto as 'obochama' in the manga.)
The title of this chapter, 'Cards Bare their Teeth' is the same as the very chapter from which Kaiba woke up in. It's me being all symbolic again. Ooooooh~
Script has again been ripped, for most of this chapter obviously, outside the clearly original scenes and Kyouko the Maid giving Kaiba all the papers Mokuba hid away. Major changes that happened however, at least when compared to what we see in the anime/manga are (Aside from what was just mentioned) mostly made up of Jonouchi's reaction to everything (Throw in a life and things get pretty serious really)... And of course Kaiba actually showing up before Yugi as the dragon vanished.
You wanted a big reveal? WELL THERE'S A START.
Also, I took some creative liberties with a 'Kisara Comparison'. Now obviously this isn't going to translate like that in the past... That would be silly, and make Kisara rather old. Not to mention that Kaiba's 'Mom', going by this fanfic, looks more like a bleached Mokuba. Rather I was feeling all mushy watching certain episodes of Yu-Gi-Oh... This will in fact come into play later on however, when Kaiba has that trippy vision of Kisara and Priest Set on the blimp; very much so in fact.
The puppet really does stutter constantly in the manga. It drives me INSANE. Another manga-accurate point is Saruwatari being... Well, Saruwatari. Unlike the manga however, Mokuba recognized the man right off the bat; I figured that it was one of those things that he wouldn't take a few seconds to realize, what with Jonouchi actively calling him by name.
Another manga difference here is obviously the hired help arriving with another gun; after all, once it hits them that Mokuba is needed alive, that gun isn't as much a big deal. But when there's a second gun, pointed at the people who obviously don't matter to Pegasus... Well, shit really hits the fan and they're stuck. It makes more sense though really, for them to have been forced to lay off rather than magically missing the fact that a fairly large guy in a suit dragged Mokuba off really. (How did they do that again? Oh yea. Duel Monsters. Really, priorities...)
I hope you enjoyed the treat I gave you guys~ Because I DID.
I swear, doing something from Yami Yugi's point of view has never been so exhilarating... Save maybe the time I did first chapter Yugi in a role-play challenge, but that's not the point.
ENJOY YOUR PENALTY GAME GUYS.
On a side note concerning Yugi... Yes 'both' of them know now. However, it won't 'really' be brought up for a while, not until the others aren't in the same room so-to-speak. On another note, if you see anything that suggests.. 'something' between he and Kaiba don't worry. Neither of them are feeling anything of the sort. (It likely just 'came out wrong' so to speak.) Unless you see that sort of thing... But... Personally, I myself do not.
Fan-Art and Art Section
One picture for you guys; I was hoping to have it all inked by the end of this chapter (Hence why it took so long to finish editing), but in the end it isn't... So I'm giving you the sketch.
'Matryoshka' - http: / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO%20 Fanfic%20- %20Skin/ Tasha2-1. jpg - Title comes from two things in this case; the first is the vocaloid/Nico Nico cover I was listening to; look up 'Matryoshka' with the key words 'Nico Nico Chorus', and find the one uploaded by 'AnotherNicoUploader'. It's pretty catchy. In any case, once I found out that they were saying 'Matryoska', which is, by the way, the term for 'Nesting Doll' in it's language of origin, I ended up drawing a pair of them... And suddenly THESE TWO popped out of them. And then I was looking at the background, lamenting how empty it was. ... So the pharaoh ended up there. D'OH. Nonetheless, look what's on the nesting dolls, and see if you can figure out why Jonouchi even has something on his.
With that, I'll see you next chapter... Which is hopefully sooner rather than later!