Tiger and Dragon
The other side of the door was to be expected really. At least, it was expected after everything else they'd encountered so far. The only light they had came from within the room, and as they stepped out into the hall a quick look to the left told them there was only one way to go. As Honda moved off to the right with mutterings of getting out, Katsuya found himself glaring at the second 'Mei' door at the side. "Fuck..." He shook his head, walking after the others and stowing his hands in his pockets. "Now that we're on the other side, both doors lead to the same place... Stupid Meikyuu brothers," he muttered under his breath, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "What a bunch of liars..." A few nods from the side told him that essentially everyone else shared his thoughts on this, though their way of showing it varied from his own livid scowl and Bakura's ever so slight frown.
Either way, making their way down the path made it fairly easy for their fried nerves to cool down. Heck, the moment they'd left the room, 'Other Yugi' had become the 'Original Yugi', and was cheerily heading down the hall behind Honda. If that wasn't a sign that his 'other self' was feeling relaxed, he didn't know what was. In any case... Only one turn down the far more spacious path and a series of candles could be seen along the walls; hopefully if someone had bothered with putting lights here, they were in the clear. "Either way," Honda muttered as Anzu mentioned this under her breath, "We can't relax just yet..."
Behind them, holding the tail-end of the group Bakura nodded. "That's right," he muttered, adjusting his sweater as his frown deepened slightly. For a moment Katsuya's eyes were drawn to the shirt itself but... "We still don't know if this path will lead us above ground..."
Katsuya merely snorted, hands still in his pockets as he scowled and focused on the path again. "Heh... With luck it'll lead us right t' th' castle dungeon and we can slam Pegasus a good one!" He gave a harsh laugh, a sound that lightened considerably when Honda joined in with a grin himself.
"Hey," he said with a smirk, turning back to the blond. "Don't forget me! I want to get a few hits in myself you know!"
Another snort, though this one was fairly more lighthearted in tone. "Hah! Yer gonna have t' beat me first then, cause there won't be anything left by the time I finish!"
At this, Honda merely turned back to the front with a laugh. "Well in that case," he began with a grin, "I'll just have to do that!"
Katsuya moved to respond to that, before stopping himself short. 'In that case,' he remembered her saying, 'Let me put it this way. I'm going to get to Pegasus' castle before you!'. Seto-chan... Was she alright..? From ahead, Honda had noticed that the conversation fell short and turned his full attention on the path. The others as well were keeping fairly silent as they walked, and the blond found himself staring at the dimly lit path in silence. She didn't look to good before... Hell if she'd say it, but he was still worried! ... God, what was the world coming to when he was worried over Seto Kaiba... She could look after herself if the duel before was any sign! Geeze...
It did not take long before silence completely covered the group really. Anzu was distracting herself with the walls, as was Honda. Bakura in the meantime held a steady, if not hesitant pace at the back, eeriely quiet even by the albino's standards. Looking to the side for a moment, Katsuya noted that Yugi seemed to be staring into his backpack in silence. Listening close, the blond could hear him whispering, most likely to his Grandfather by means of the camera. Before he could really focus on what they were saying however, Bakura broke the silence with a nervous cough. "Ah," he pointed forward, expression changing from nervousness to slight relief. "Look! There's light over there!"
The group turned in the direction he pointed, grins quickly spreading on most of their faces. Well damn... Stairs! "It's an exit," Honda shouted from ahead, charging forward as the tie from his headband flapped behind him. "It has to be!"
"At last," Anzu cried, running forward as the others picked up the pace as well. The sound of backpacks thumping up and down on their owner's shoulders filled the air, as did a number of cheers while the light brightened. "We can finally get out of this place!" Footsteps thundered across the stone ground as a stair case came into view, light from the sun pouring through the exit at an almost blinding sheen. "We made it!"
Katsuya's grin grew further, and as he ran up the stairs he caught the grin that Yugi had beside him. "ALRIGHT! Come on," he shouted, his friend nodding from beside him. "Next stop, Pegasus'-" He cut himself off, almost tripping as he came out of the staircase to stare ahead of them. Trees surrounded most of the exit, which of course had led directly to the grounds. As he moved forward to look around however his silence persisted, Yugi also freezing as they both looked forward. By this point, the others had followed not to far behind of course, with Honda already staring at the sight before them. 'Where on the island are we,' Bakura was asking from behind, the rest of the group following Katsuya's gaze in the meantime.
Anzu turned to him, expression caught somewhere between relief and shock. "Look for yourself," she managed to say, the last of the group turning to look at the immense castle before them. Compared to the early morning view, the sight of Pegasus' castle was fairly impressive, towering above them in an almost intimidating position. Though they couldn't get to the base of the stairs from where they were, it was still right there... A convenient move, putting the path out of the labyrinth right at their goal really.
Staring at the castle, the group fell somewhat silent. After all this... Their goal was literally right in front of them. No tricks, no catches... It was right there, ready for them to take on. And yet, as they watched the setting sun there was still the silent question of whether or not four other people had already made it or not. If they had... What did that mean for Mokuba, or Yugi's grandpa? Or even Seto-chan herself, Katsuya wondered with a frown. In the end, Bakura was once more the one to break the silence, though likely unintentionally at first. "I wonder," he asked, eyes appearing fairly distant at the moment, "Do you think any other duelists have reached Pegasus' castle already.."
"Well," Anzu said with a frown, addressing the topic that was effectively gnawing at everyone's thoughts for the moment. "There's Kaiba but... He isn't really in the tournament." The woman's frown deepened, and she turned back from Bakura to face the castle again. The sun was creating a complete glare from behind it, giving the castle the appearance of an enormous shadow above them. "I wonder if they let him in..."
At those words, Katsuya as well found himself growing a little cold, looking at the castle in the distance with narrowed eyes. That was a good question... A shiver ran down his spine, and he continued to squint into the glare of the sun. Why was it that he felt off again... Was there someone up there, at the entrance to the castle? He couldn't tell- not in this light, that was for sure. "Who knows," he found himself muttering, before the group began heading for the stairs. As he gave one last look at the palace in the distance, he turned to catch up with the others. 'I hope so...'
Fourteen Hours Prior, 2:40 AM
What were her options, she pondered in the split second before Crocketts dared to ask her that question. The first one was the least likely; pick the padlock by jamming all ten of the chip slots at once. Time would need to be on her side for that option however, and she did not have that luxury. The padlock was keyed to open only with ten 'starchips', ten tiny, golden pieces of cheap metal that were being passed around the island like candy. And given Pegasus' general behaviors, somehow that wasn't surprising. Nonetheless it was the only key, so she supposed she could find one of the people Pegasus hired to gather those and take ten from them. And if they decided that it had to be 'in a duel', she had thought with a mental snort she could simply test her duel disk further.
Her mind however, was made up rather quickly when Crocketts opened his mouth again, her actions decided not by logic but by a furious rage that was aided by her exhaustion and hunger both. "Please," he said with that sly, crocodile's grin, a low growl building in the back of her throat. "Come this way... We have a room prepared for you in the annex..." He dared... The growl grew louder, but not so loud that her soon injured victim could hear. He dared...
The reaction, regardless of the two guards who had come in to check on things from outside being present, was fairly instantaneous. With one swift motion her right arm moved forward, briefcase little more than dead-weight and a blunt weapon. A loud crack came through the air as she swung the case into the Crockett's unprotected skull, eyes wide with anger. "ARE YOU JOKING," she roared, quickly dumping the briefcase on the ground as shouts came from the guards. Sounds of guns being drawn and hurried footsteps faded into the background and the woman continued her assault even as logic pounded the back of her mind. Now hold on... She could use this to her advantage. It only took an instant after all. And in that instant, between the time it took for Crockett's cracked and destroyed sunglasses to hit the ground she'd already grabbed the man by his suit jacket. By the time Saruwatari had a gun to her head...
She had a gun pressed firmly against Crockett's skull, the elderly man's eyes and mouth wide in a silent and shuddering horror. "Kaiba," Saruwatari hissed, teeth grinding as the woman smirked. The upper hand was hers. If she couldn't get to Pegasus herself, she would make him come to her. "You..."
"Saruwatari, isn't it," she asked, tone flooded with contempt. This scum... She'd hired him to protect her brother and instead he'd done the reverse. Even a dog had done a better job than he did! "Hnhnhnhnhn..." The woman chuckled as Saruwatari stared at her, the man visibly tensing at the reaction she was having to the gun in his hands. "It's because of KaibaCorp's special employee training that you even know how to hold a weapon you know..." As Saruwatari swallowed her smirk grew, and she continued. "Did you ever finish the course? Watch," she stated, smirk dropping to a narrowed glare as she turned her attentions to her captive. Best to make the situation very clear as fast as possible after all... The safety was clicked off the gun, and as Crockett's eyes widened even further in terror she continued. "I'll teach you how to fire a gun right now..."
No response... Her eyes turned back to her hostage, cold and almost blank as they looked down. Really, such a pity... Oh well. If she had to deal with one of Pegasus' men then it would make the situation all that more obvious to her real target, wouldn't it? She squeezed the trigger slightly, the shuddering breaths of her captive increasing in volume as she stared. 5 seconds until fire... Sweat was visibly dripping off the man's face, and she wouldn't doubt it if he'd pissed himself in fear. Four... Saruwatari still wasn't responding, he would be next then she supposed... And he did likely have a radio on him... Three... "Y-Y.. S-STOP! STOP, SARUWATARI," Crocketts cried, tears running down his face to mix with the blood already pouring from his head wound. "P...Put your gun down! PUT IT DOWN! Can't you see his eyes he's serious!"
Two seconds... Saruwatari scowled, and as the sound of clattering met her ears she lessened her pull on the trigger. The gun had been dropped... Good."Hn!" She glanced at the weapon on the ground, her own not moving from Crockett's face. Very good... "Glad that you have at least a portion of a brain," she stated, narrowed eyes turning back on her captive once more. "..As for you," the woman continued, "You'll be my hostage until I see Pegasus." She dropped the man to the ground, watching him shrink under the 'stare' of the gun. Pathetic... She turned her attention back to Saruwatari, the sudden glare causing him to freeze on the spot. "Carry my duralumin case to the guest room," she ordered, the man in question holding his hands in the air and nodding nervously. The threat she would give need not be said aloud, and her target knew that all too well.
"Alright," he muttered, visibly swallowing under the pressure. As the man moved around the woman to grab the briefcase off the ground, he continued. "Just... Just don't do anything too hasty alright..?"
She sneered, eyes narrowing further at the comment. "Hasty," she repeated incredulously, aim never shifting as Saruwatari picked up the case and moved in front of her. The word couldn't possibly describe the situation. "Don't push your 'luck'... And you," she shouted, leering at Crockett's bleeding form on the ground. Crockett's head had been cut rather messily by the glass of the sunglasses he'd had, as well as the side of her briefcase it seemed, but given that he had the time to hold it and whine he was obviously not beyond 'use' for the moment. "Get up," the woman demanded, her target nodding furiously in response before scrambling to his feet with his hands in the air. As her two 'hostages' held their stance before her, Seto moved to take a more advantageous stance, grabbing the second gun and pocketing it as she did so. "Now then," she continued, both men swallowing in response. "You said you 'prepared' a room for me? Why don't you lead the way then?"
Another nervous swallow, and with frightened mutterings from Crocketts she was led off down the door to the left. Door being the 'loose' term of course... The east and west wings of the castle were divided by tunnels closed off with a gate. It was inside these tunnels that the entrance to the wings themselves were found, and regardless of hurried shouts from the second guard behind her she kept her eyes on Saruwatari and Crocketts; the guards would not move fast enough to save their 'comrades' if she were to be attacked after all... That was the point of the hostage after all. A few keys were being pushed into a code box, numbers pushed including 2, 5... More 2s, 8... 7 and 9. Seto narrowed her eyes as the door clicked open, logging the numbers in the back of her mind. She could figure out what the full code was later. As the door was pushed open by Saruwatari, the woman watched as her hostages led her inside, door closing tightly behind them. Once inside the hall she was met with a bright light from the simple lamps on the side, portraits of various western themes hanging on the wall. Numerous vases could be seen lining the sides, filled with a wide assortment of flowers but she paid them no mind as they were taken to the room. The door was closed of course... But that would be fixed. "Now then... Open the door," she stated 'calmly', leveling a stare to the taller of her captives. With a nervous nod, Saruwatari did as ordered, pushing the door wide open with his free hand. "And get inside..."
For a moment, it looked as though the man was going to say something. Perhaps even attempt to fight. Thankfully for both Saruwatari and her own patience however, he did not. "Good..." She crossed one arm continuing to hold her aim as the wide open door gave her complete view of the room. Both Crocketts and Saruwatari currently stood before her, the latter holding the case with a tight and worried grip. "Next," she stated coldly, eyes narrowed to mere slits by this point, "You are going to open the case and carefully place each deck to the side..."
The two in front of her stared, as though questioning what she was about to do. She didn't move, instead continuing her gaze- two seconds was all it took before the men before her stooped down to get to work.
"And by the way," she added, grip on the weapon almost tightening as she spoke. "Don't get any blood on the cards... Or I'll make sure you clean each and everyone before you die..."
The silence in the room spoke for itself after that, though there was a scramble as Crocketts covered his bloodied hands with his sleeves for fear of his life. Dully, Seto watched as each deck was carefully lifted from the briefcase and carried to the side, on a desk in the center of the room. Not a single word was passed... What words did the damned have for their judge after all? Nonetheless, she would not be killing anyone... Yet. No reason to after all. Give her a reason to believe they had done harm to her brother however and heads would roll in seas of blood, hostages the first to go.
Staring into the room as the last deck was moved to the side, she took a quick glance to both ends of the hall. Being approached by backup was the last thing on her mind after all... Good... No one was there. This spoke wonders for Pegasus' staff really. She walked forward, keeping her back to the wall at all times once she had entered the room. The door was shut behind her as she walked, her captives merely staring whilst she made her way around. "Remove the duel disks as well," she commanded, gun steadily pointed toward the men at all times. "And be careful with them... Each one is worth more than both of your lives combined." Again, Saruwatari grit his teeth, as though about to say something but the gun once more told him otherwise. The security guard quickly undid the latches in place on the devices, and as the two were removed and placed to the side with the cards Seto nodded. "Now... I'm going to repeat what I asked when I first came here, understand?" Her already disguised voice grew dangerously low as she continued, now the opposite end of the room and pulling a chair back for herself. "Get me Pegasus," she growled, "And tell him that Seto Kaiba will speak with him!" As Saruwatari hesitantly walked backwards to the door, Seto looked down at Crocketts and smirked. "As for you... Get down on your knees..."
And within the next few minutes, her hostage and former 'employee' both realized just how dead serious she was about her goals.
Pegasus, however, did not it seemed. Thirteen hours and counting, and still she was waiting. Seto sat impatiently in her seat, legs crossed as her foot tapped against the lid of her open briefcase. The table so far was mostly unchanged. An empty glass of water from around noon, which she had long since made clear was free of poison (one couldn't be to careful...), but aside from that there was nothing. In her right hand, as it had been for the last number of hours she'd managed to stay awake somehow, was the gun she'd had trained on the door for the past number of hours. In her left... Nothing, and as it gripped the side of the chair she could hear panicked and angered shouts from outside.
"Is Mr. Crocketts alright," came Saruwatari's voice in English, footsteps thundering down the hall as he ran. The guard she'd been holding at bay with her weapon shook his head, instead motioning toward the door.
Even from inside the room, she could tell the man was nervous... Then again, most people were when there was a 'man' holding a gun to them as they kept another one's head viced between a briefcase. "We don't know his status at the moment," he was responding in the same language that had been drilled into her skulls those years ago. Handy... They were likely moronic enough to assume she didn't know really, though Saruwatari should know better... "He's still being held hostage in the guest room!"
She smirked darkly, before dropping it at the feeble 'h..help...' coming from the briefcase. Tch... Couldn't he keep quiet for even a moment? A light push against the case silenced the man swiftly, and as a small bit of hair was spotted around the side of the door frame Saruwatari's voice came into the room. "Kaiba," he shouted, obviously re-armed by this point. Not that it would do him good... "Let him go! We've already told you all we can!" Lies, of course. Nonetheless.
The woman scowled before responding, eyes narrowed in rage. "Then bring me Pegasus," she demanded, the guards outside of the room tensing at her tone. Her left hand gripped the chair tighter as she spoke, nails almost digging into the sides. "And be sure to tell him that if he keep me waiting any longer, I'll snap his so-called advisor's neck!" Muttering continued from outside, and her scowl deepened. Not for the conversation... More for the content. 'did you inform mister Pegasus,' they were asking, Saruwatari nodding his head in response. 'yes,' he responded to them, Seto's expression shifting to suspicion rather than rage momentarily. Oh? They had had they? 'But he said to wait until the time was right...'
Tch! Suspicion was once more replaced with anger, and the woman grit her teeth as her head pounded. The proper 'time' was well over twelve hours ago, and until then she would not rest for anything! She ignored her fatigued form, forcing her voice to hold out to a confident shout once more as the guards outside turned to the room again. "I know you cowards have taken Mokuba prisoner," she stated, watching as the guards tensed once more. "Are you still going to deny it, even with a life at stake..?" As she said this, the woman looked down at Crockett's miserable form, the man having somehow survived the likely concussion he sustained the night before. At least he'd had the sense to keep his bleeding wound pointed upwards rather than toward the case...
"I... I don't know," he whined, unable to move or shake his head. Hn. She hadn't been asking him... "I don't know! I'm telling you the truth!" Bullshit.
She smirked darkly, knowing full well that there was more; she hadn't been forced into months of classwork on the subject of business to fail when it came to reading a man's voice and actions. It was important in business and it was important here. It was clear... Crocketts was lying through his bloodstained and chattering teeth. "I had you remove my things from this briefcase for a reason you know," Seto began with an again lower than 'normal' tone. A thick silence came over the room with those words, and her dark and possibly crazed smirk grew. "If you insist on continuing with this deception, your blood will be more than easy to wash off the duralumin sides... I'll already be taking it in to be cleaned as is," she continued, the smirk widening slightly as Crocketts gave a jerking and involuntary shudder. "The inside isn't much more when compared to the outside after all..." The woman turned her gaze back to the door again, eyes narrowed as her smirk dropped. "Twenty minutes," she called out, releasing her grip on the chair. "And if I have no news by then, of either Pegasus or my brother's wearabouts... I will close this case."
And with those words all but one of the guards scurried out of sight, Seto turning her narrowed glare back to the case before her. Pegasus...
Just how long would this scum keep her waiting even now...
What Seto Kaiba did not know at the moment wasn't much for the moment, an impressive feat for someone who had been comatose almost two days prior. Rather, there was little she didn't know in terms of 'what mattered' for now, to say the least. What she didn't know was, however, something that likely would have incensed the woman even more about things so it was probably best she was left unaware for the time.
At the moment, Pegasus was seated calmly at his desk, laptop screen black as he awaited a call from one of his staff. The man looked at a clock on the side of the desk sighing. "My my... At this rate I'm going to have to injure another of my prized guests..." He sighed, shaking his head to no one in particular as he ran over the events of the early morning. It had already been terrible enough to be woken up so early, but to think that Seto Kaiba had taken his assistant hostage in that time... Dreadful! If he... Rather she, the man added with a humored smile, continued with this then orders to fire might have to be taken. And Saruwatari could certainly get her knee before the leg was dropped. Pegasus gave another sigh, before looking to the side of the room. There was a second screen there, giving him yet another stream of live feed from a scene that had been set up moments after his assistant was taken hostage. A feed crafted from a plan that he'd conceived moments after hearing the news that his employee's 'helicopter' plan had, unfortunately, failed horribly.
He would have to send his condolences to Okami and Johnson's families both...
Nonetheless, he thought as he ran over that hastily crafted plan, he took a sip of wine from the glass currently held in his hand. It was one thing, after all, for 'Kaiba-dear' as he was humerously refering to the woman as for now, to know they had Mokuba. It would be a whole other thing if they spoiled the surprise of holding the boy's soul hostage however! And that just wouldn't do. So for now, the screen had a motionless and chained form seated limply in a stone cell, head . He'd even put matters in place to make it seem as though the boy was fine so to speak~! So long as the guard kept out of sight, his commands would be responded to in full...
And the camera feed from the dungeons 'had' no audio after all.
Pegasus idly took another sip of his wine, before replacing the glass on its coaster. Really... How much longer would he be kept waiting... Injuring someone physically was something he never enjoyed doing. Let their minds come up with their punishment, while their bodies remained intact... He would much rather not have to go against that particular policy.
-bzzz.- He blinked as the screen began to 'buzz', leaning forward on his chair. -bzzzzz.- "Ahhh!" He smiled, clicking the button on his laptop as a member of the security came into view on the screen. "At last... What news do you have," he asked, grabbing his wine glass once more and listening intently.
"Mr. Pegasus," the guard began, using the language that the CEO in question grew up with rather than that of Japanese. "We've received a report from the player killers Delusion and Deceit." Pegasus blinked, recognizing the 'code names' for Mei and Kyuu both; the Meikyuu brothers had actually encountered someone and lost then? Interesting... And even if they lost, they would have only bothered to make contact if they had either been outsmarted in their riddle or... "The competitors Katsuya Jonouchi and Yugi Muto have successfully collected 10 starchips, and are now headed toward the castle as we speak."
He brightened instantly deciding against finishing his wine for the moment. Yes! Brilliant! "Ah! This is incredible," he cheered, his smile widening. "I was waiting for this moment," the man continued with a sigh, the guard on the screen looking as though he didn't quite know how to respond. "Attaboy, Yugi~ I knew you could do it," he cheerily muttered to himself, slipping back into Japanese out of some odd and unknown habit. The man's expression grew slightly more serious in that instant however, and he turned his attention back to the guard. "You are dismissed," he stated calmly, watching as the screen faded to black before replacing the smile on his face. "Haaahhh... But my my," he continued, hands folded in his lap as he pretended to speak to his awaited guest. "The road to my castle may be longer and harder than you think... And I'm not quite ready to end this game... Hnhnhnhnhn..." Pegasus turned his attentions to the laptop, smile turning into a fairly twisted smirk as he laughed. "Now, let me see," he began, eye narrowing with anticipation. "I had another guest waiting didn't I?" With a small 'click' he activated a second web-cam screen, the portrait in his 'guest quarters' clearing into a view of Seto Kaiba's right side. "Hello there," he began, watching as the woman turned with a jolt. Ahh... And just within range too. "My 'dear' Kaiba~"
The moment she heard the sound of static, she'd turned toward the only possible source. There were no windows in the room, no slats in the ceiling to reveal a hidden screen. And painted screens would have been to obvious. To the side however, a lonely portrait caught her gaze. There... As much as Pegasus was a fan of painting, she had a feeling that the simple portrait of Mount Fuji was out of place given the western theme of the building... As the screen cracked to reveal Pegasus' pale white image, she grit her teeth, left hand digging into the chair once more. 'Hello there,' the man began with a cruel smirk across his face, 'My dear Kaiba...' Dear? And what happened to 'boy'? Tch!
Ignoring any and all possible room for thought lest they be gleaned from her mind, she opted to go straight to the point. "Pegasus," she growled, attention only briefly caught by Crocketts feeble 'M-Mr. Pegasus' from below. Eyes narrowed further in annoyance, and a quick 'tap' to the briefcase elicited a pained shout from the man before he fell silent once more. On the screen however, her former 'buisness partner' merely shook his head in response.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Oh my 'dear' Kaiba," he began, the woman idly noting that he'd again dropped the boy and added 'dear'. "You disappoint me so much," the man continued, shaking his head once more. Of course she did... Did she care? "Where did you learn your 'manners'," he asked with a sigh, an expression of faux worry on his face. "Is this how you always act in another person's home?"
She growled, gritting her teeth once more as her right hand threatened to fire off the gun right there from its tenseness. No time for this... She had no time for jokes! "Pegasus," she grit out, narrowing her eyes as her attention turned to the screen completely. "I know that you attempted to complete a take over of my company... Had that been all, I would have dealt with this through a proper 'meeting'. But I also know you abducted my little brother," she shouted, her target's amused expression only serving to agitate her further. This man... This scum of a man, and he dared to smile and taunt her even now! "GIVE HIM BACK, NOW!"
The man chuckled, shaking his head. "My my..." Briefly, he appeared to ponder saying something... Instead however, he chuckled again. "Very well," he stated, waving his hand dismissively. "Under one condition!"
Seto continued to grind her teeth, before her bleeding and bitten tongue reminded her to speak. "What is it," the woman asked, angrily tapping the briefcase yet again as Crocketts pitiful moans threatened to fill the air. One condition, whatever it would be...
"You should know," Pegasus stated with a wicked smirk, fondling his undone tie at the moment. Odd... Not like Pegasus to have something 'out of place'... "After all," he continued, as Seto's eyes widened with the man's next words. "How is it said in your country? Oh right..." The smirk grew, eye narrowed in mirth as he gripped both ends of the tie in his hands. "You could say that you and he are tied together by a single string... Tied into a knot and pulled tightly against the other, each end shares the same fate..." The man chuckled as he did the string around his neck up in a tight knot, Seto's expression of rage and shock increasing as he went on. "Bound together, each one strains pointlessly against the other... The time has come 'my dear'," he said with a laugh, the tie now neatly done up in a bow around his neck. "For Altair and Vega to intersect..."
The woman stared, eyes widening briefly before she narrowed them with a growl. "You..." Those were the names of two stars, but in addition to that they were the counterparts of an old story she'd once told her brother years before. Before Gozaburo, before all of this... The silver river, a tale that she had absolutely nothing to do with save one small and blatant fact. She grit her teeth, pushing the comparison to the back of her mind. He knew... He knew... Which meant that, if she was being compared to one, than the other would have to be... Her eyes remained as narrowed as before, the woman refusing to reveal her shock to everyone present. Pegasus was bad enough... The others however... "You don't mean.." He couldn't mean him. Hell, how could he even DARE to imply such things!
And yet, she noted as the man spoke again, he had once more dropped 'boy' and replaced it with 'dear'. "That's right 'Kaiba-dear'," Pegasus stated with a chuckle. Crocketts and the security outside the door were both too distracted to catch the underlying meaning of the name, instead focused on the 'hostage' part of the situation. Hell, they'd need a decently processing brain to even consider what 'dear' implied, but all the same... "There is only one way for you to get Mokuba back," the man continued with a narrowed eye, hands folded in front of him now that his 'work' was done. "You must defeat Yugi!"
Her teeth ground further, growl caught in her throat as she glared. "And what makes you think you're in any position to decide that," she said with a snarl, a tap to the briefcase before her bringing Pegasus' attention to her hostage. As Crocketts jerked slightly against the pressure on his neck, the man's boss seemed to have no reaction to the act at all. "You might have finally bothered to call Pegasus, but I don't intend to simply bow to your whims when I could be leaving with my brother!"
Again Pegasus chuckled, shaking his head. "Really my dear..." There was the sound of a click, and abruptly the image fizzed and cracked to reveal another room. What... "When you see this image from my surveillance cameras, you'll know you don't have a choice..." Surveillance...
It was black and white, hardly a decent quality image. Most security cameras were as such however, given the constant run-time. All the same however, even from the position of the camera she could see him. Through iron bars and dark stone surroundings, she could see him. Both arms were shackled to the walls, and the moment she saw his beaten form slumped in the cell room she tensed. "Mokuba!" She leaned forward in her seat, watching as the boy lifted something from under his shirt. White shirt... Where did he get those clothes, she didn't remember... Those weren't... "Mokuba," she shouted, watching as her little brother fingered a locket shaped like a card. That locket, it looked just like...
She could remember a voice... 'Nee-sama,' he had said, Seto momentarily vanishing into thought as she watched the reel, watched her brother continue to slump forward over the locket he held. 'I wish you could have been with us this summer, with Katsuya-nii and Shizuka-chan... But you still can't move,' he had said. She didn't care that the 'mutt's name had come up again, that she didn't know who 'Shizuka' was. When had he said this... When... 'You can't talk... But don't worry about anything,' the boy had continued, his sister presently watching in silence as the boy slumped back against the wall. When had he said this..? Why did he think... 'Your company will be safe with me and Katsuya-nii, so you don't need to get all stressed out anymore! When you come back, I... All of us, we'll be waiting.' Waiting..?
Crocketts had gotten out of the briefcase, her feet having moved when she'd seen Mokuba on the screen. Her weapon had lowered, and across the room Saruwatari was hesitantly moving to Crocketts side. And as she continued to watch, the elderly man was hurriedly rushed out to the others, likely to be taken to a doctor on-site. She didn't care anymore... Lost in thought, she didn't care as she stared at her brother's worn body, the boy still cradling the pendant as though it were his last treasure. 'That Yugi guy at Death-T said that you'll come back when you solve 'the puzzle of your heart',' Mokuba was saying all those months ago, voice reverberating around her skull. 'So I took this picture of us together, and made it into a pendant. Nee-sama,' the boy had stated, tone low and serious. Saruwatari was returning, slowly and hesitantly with his weapon at the ready. Her own weapon was now pointed to the ground, her eyes wide as they stared at the screen before her.
She still didn't care. 'Even with all the money in the world, this will be my most valuable treasure. No amount of money will take it away... I'm giving you the other half,' he said, and at the time she could recall feeling something around her neck and down her shirt. 'I'm putting it around your neck nee-sama... As long as you have that, I know you'll come back. That's what I'm wishing for after all, that's what everyone is wishing for... Complete the puzzle of your heart...' "Mokuba," she forced out with a quietly strained and somehow still hidden tone as the camera feed clicked off and switched back to Pegasus.
'This is the final piece...' "Gn..." The gun clattered to the ground as she bowed her head, the locket around her neck hanging limply as her now free right hand moved to clutch it tight. Mokuba Mokuba Mokuba... All these things that happened... "Gk..." All these things that were still happening...
"Saruwatari," Pegasus was stating calmly, Seto only vaguely aware of the sound. "Give dear Kaiba those things we were talking about..."
The guard gave a stern nod, and without looking up she knew he was now standing in front of her. "Kaiba," the man stated, his target merely sitting in silence. "Take these... They're five starchips that Mokuba stole and hid in his pockets." Stole..? Why would Mokuba steal, he didn't need... Saruwatari's chuckling brought her back to reality as the chips landed on the ground before her, gleaming in the light of the room with a dull sheen. Starchips... The 'keys'... "Your little brother really looks up to you... Hnhnhnhn..." Gh...
Seto grit her teeth, slowly looking up as Pegasus' voice came through the room again. "Wager those starchips and battle Yugi," the man was 'commanding', Seto releasing her hold on the locket to clench her fists tightly. "If you win, I'll let you into the castle... Where Mokuba is."
And of course, he didn't say 'I'll give you Mokuba'... Fists tightened even more, the scabbing lines her nails fit into opening once more. "Pegasus," she grit out, standing from her chair. Saruwatari had long since fled the room, leaving her 'alone' so to speak, leaving her to whatever actions she would take next. "Don't forget that the 'tie of fate' you speak of is wrapped around your neck!" With those words her target merely chuckled once more, and in a flicker of light the screen was replaced with the image of Mount Fuji again.
Silence. Alone in the room she was now met with silence. She lowered her gaze to where the starchips sat, staring numbly at her briefcase on the ground. Only a few drops of blood there... Grabbing a kleenex from a box on the table, she wiped it off with a blank expression. So she had to face Yugi in order to get her brother back... Her eyes narrowed as the blood was wiped up, and dropping the kleenex to the side she grabbed the starchips to pocket them with her 'true' deck. "It seems we really are tied by the thread of destiny," she muttered under her breath, moving to re-pack the briefcase with a disgusted expression on her face. "Try to cut it, but it cannot be broken... Entangling us both." Her expression darkened, and as she stacked the last of her decks in the case she slammed the lid shut with an echoing 'click'. This battle...
She did not want to fight a battle with strings attached! And yet she had no choice... She couldn't see half the hall on the video camera after all; how was she to know if they had a gun to her brother's face or not as well? Seto grit her teeth, grabbing one of her dueldisks and clicking it into place on her wrist. Regardless, she decided as she grabbed her things to leave the room. She would not lose... She could not lose!
As she walked out and down the hall, her coat whipped around her, sudden movement bringing the sides up against the walls as she walked. The suitcase was gripped tightly in one hand, second duel disk in the other and she deliberately ignored the small bit of blood that would likely stain both devices from her cut palms. Forced herself to ignore the sleep she refused to have, the pain her empty stomach was giving in retaliation to the nearly two-day long 'fast' she'd taken. It would likely last two days in the end, but she didn't care... Not any more. She just wanted... Needed... Had to get him back... The guards posted at the doors payed her no mind as she walked past them, a glare set almost permanently on her face. Out of the hall and into the courtyard, out of the courtyard and on to the large open 'walk way' of the castle gates.
Defeat Yugi... Those were Pegasus' demands, she told herself as she looked down the staircase. But why would Pegasus wait so long to tell her this? It was growing late... Awake for over 24 hours, having eaten nothing during that time... The glass of water was doing nothing to aid her strength, and she'd only taken it to ensure her voice didn't give out half-way through speaking. The woman scowled as her vision threatened to blur, tightening her fists as she threw off the drowsiness. She had no time for these things, no time for weaknesses... She could guess why Pegasus had waited this long- he wanted to make sure that Yugi would actually come, that he hadn't managed to lose to some third-rate duelist elsewhere!
And though it took longer than she would expect, he did not fail to prove her own and Pegasus' suspicions right. Why should he after all, when he had beaten her as well? In the distance, far beyond the bottom of the staircase she could see a cluster of shadowed figures in the dying sun. Most seemed relatively normal of course, but there was one that was by far unique in itself... No one else had hair that completely ridiculous after all. (How did anyone have hair shaped like that, honestly..)
Seto placed her briefcase at the side of the stairs, crossing her arms and forced her eyes to remain open. If Pegasus wanted a duel he would get one... And she would win, for her brother's sake. No matter what... Any fear she might have of loss was intolerable, any hesitation unthinkable! As the group below hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, she narrowed her eyes. She would fight... And she would win. No matter what the cost may be.
The path around the castle was a short one to tell the truth. As short as it was however, Katsuya couldn't help but get a nagging feeling that something was happening. Or about to happen. Or something along those lines at least. And as it turned out when they arrived at the castle steps in silence, there was. "There it is," Katsuya muttered, staring up path. "Pegasus' castle..."
"Right..." As his friend said this, the blond turned to look at Yugi with a blank and possibly worried stare. "After all this," Yugi was saying, staring ahead. "It'll be over..." Got that right...
Katsuya turned forward again, moving toward the winding stair case. It was probably as long as the path from the maze exit to that point really- walking forward as Bakura and Honda joined him, he had to stare with wide eyes. "Man," he muttered under his breath, scratching his head. "Somehow I don't r'member walking this much when we were brought her last time..."
At the side, Bakura nodded, blinking. "I think we were taken to a separate entrance last time," he said quietly, the teen's arms wrapped around his chest for the moment. "The sun is facing a different direction than it would have last time..." In response to that, Honda and Katsuya both stared, pausing in their trek up the stairs. Looking at the clearly bewildered expressions, their friend coughed and explained. "If it was the same time on the first day," he began, arms still firmly in place around his middle, "Then the sun would be setting in the opposite direction.
Oh. Ohhhhhh... Katsuya nodded, before looking back down the stairs. "Eh?" He blinked, looking near the bottom where Anzu and Yugi were talking. Why were they still down there... Honda and Bakura as well turned, also blinking.
"Weird," Honda muttered, adjusting his hold on his bag. "What's taking them?"
The blond shrugged, before cupping his hands to 'address' the issue. "OI," he shouted, the two far below turning at the sound. "What's taking so long!"
Beside him, Honda nodded before joining in. "YEA," he called down, watching as Yugi and Anzu merely stared upward through the sun's glare. "You take much longer we'll leave without you!"
"Honda-kun," Bakura muttered with a frown. "What point would there be for us to go ahead if we aren't dueling..?" While Honda rubbed his head muttering 'eh... right!', Katsuya continued to look down the stairs at the others. Still not moving...
He decided to give another shout, the other two beside him jumping in response. "OIIIII! Yugi, Anzu!" As the two down the stairs turned again, begining to move, he grinned. "What's takin' yah, Hurry up!"
As Yugi and Anzu both came up the stairs, he noted a few things. One was that it was the 'Other Yugi'... And his face looked a little scratched up. The other was that Anzu looked a little less than- "Honestly," she said with a scowl, glaring at the taller three with narrowed eyes. "Yugi tripped over one of the steps trying to catch up with you morons, try thinking before you shout!"
At this, Katsuya merely winced, watching the other Yugi give a shrug- well, obviously he wasn't any part of this... "Er... Right..." He coughed, before turning back to the stares. Now that the sun was a little less obvious behind the castle, it was easier to see the top of the staircase really. Briefly he wondered why Yugi had switched out again... Though now that he thought about it, it most likely it had to do with the 'coming battle'. As they looked forward however, the group paused, Yugi frowning slightly. "...Somebody's there," he muttered, the setting sun glaring into their eyes.
Following the boy's gaze as the sun dipped behind the castle, he frowned. "Yer right..." Hard to make out of course, what with 'less glare' being far from 'no glare' but... Still, Yugi had eagle eyes or something, they were only about a third up the staircase. "But wh-" Katsuya froze, eyes wide as the sun sank further and allowed his vision to clear the sight before him. "Set- Kaiba," he shouted, the others somehow missing the slip up with the mere presence of the woman. "But what the hell is sh... Is he doing there? He's blocking th' door!" Really blocking it to; these staircases were fairly narrow at the top from what he could tell.
Anzu frowned worriedly, hands gripping the large bag she'd been given by Mai the night before. "You don't think..." She swallowed, staring up at the castle and Kaiba both with hesitancy. "You don't think he might be working with Pegasus do you..?" Ahahahha NO.
At this, Honda shook his head, interrupting what would have been a rather loud shout of disagreement from Katsuya. "No," he muttered, eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms. "He might be an asshole, but he said pretty damn clearly that he hated Pegasus as much as we did..." As Katsuya nodded in agreement to this, he continued. "No... If he's working with Pegasus, you can bet it's because Mokuba's being used as leverage against him." Hostage...
As those words, the group fell into a rather awkward silence. Mokuba... The thought that he would possibly be used as more than just a hostage to reel them in was alarming really, but at the same time who expected Seto Kaiba to suddenly 'come back from the dead'? From above, it seemed as though the woman was leering at them all, almost daring them to say a word against her. 'I'm not moving,' she seemed to be saying, arms crossed as she stood before them. In the end, nothing was said however, and Yugi began to move forward in apparent confidence. "Regardless of why he is there," the boy stated, making his way up the stairs with a blank expression in place, "We have no reason to simply wait here- lets go."
At this, the others merely nodded, walking slowly up the stairs to find Seto still blocking the path with a glare in place. Katsuya stood beside Yugi as they came up to the woman, his own expression a mix of neutrality and worry. Why was she here... More over, had she gotten any sleep? She looked exhausted... The woman merely stared at them both for a few minutes, before Katsuya decided to speak. "Oi, Se... Kaiba," he asked, the woman barely giving him a glance in response. Damn she looked pale right now... He mentally shook it off, frowning as he continued. "...Y' think you could move? Yer blocking th' way..."
For a moment, she merely gave him a look that said 'You think?', before shifting it back into her glare. "I'm not moving," she stated rather bluntly, turning her attention to Yugi.
The boy in question also narrowed his eyes before speaking, hands held steadily at his sides. "Kaiba," he stated with a fairly steady and demanding expression in place. "Let us past." Er... Alright, guess asking was probably outta the question... That was about as blunt as what Seto herself had said.
At these words, it seemed that Seto chose to abandon whatever else she had planned on saying to Katsuya (There was obviously something...), instead lessening her glare slightly. "Yugi," she began, Katsuya noting that she seemed to shake just slightly as she spoke, "I knew you would defeat your opponents on this island, no matter how strong..." What was she talking about? The blond frowned as he listened, Yugi's own gaze becoming slightly narrowed with the woman's words. Seriously... What... "That's the reason why I left you to earn those ten starchips... After all," she continued, eyes appearing slightly less 'fogged' than they had been initially (Seriously, was she alright?). "There's only one person in this world that can beat you... And that person is me!"
Katsuya blinked. "Hey! Is... Is this really the time t'-" he frowned as Yugi silently cut him off with his arm and a look. "...Yugi..." Alright... He'd let her finish...
Given that she was apparently still talking. "I realized my fate on this island," Seto continued, eyes narrowing slightly. Fate? "Yugi... As long as we're alive, one of us will always be a thorn in the other's side!" Wait what!
"Kaiba," Yugi growled, eyes narrowing further. What the hell... What the hell, was she really taking this fucking stupid grudge here? Really? When she looked dead on her feet and her brother was...
He as well growled, though he supposed it was a show of good self-control that he didn't have Honda or Bakura pulling him back at the moment. "Gh... You gotta be kiddin' me," he bit out, the woman turning to him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "You're seriously goin' on about that?" At the silent stare he received in response, the blond seethed, pointing toward the castle. Alright... Screw any theories they'd had on the castle, and screw any crushes he had! ...For now. "Your brother is in there," he roared, eyes wide. The woman had come all this way, not even waiting to get some rest before showing up... Possibly not getting any rest since the last time they saw her... Why the hell would she bring up the thing that got her comatose in the first place! If she could do something why wasn't she doing it! "So where th' hell do you come off just standin' here!"
Seto narrowed her eyes, apparently ignoring the blond. Instead, he noted, the eyes had been drawn toward his outstretched right hand. "Hnn," she muttered, the blond still red in the face. "You as well..." Him as- The starchips... Of course. For a brief, split second moment the smirk on Seto's face seemed more like a smile than a 'joke'. More 'good' than 'well good for you'. In the end however, it widened and became more reminiscent of past 'arguments'. "Tch! It seems I underestimated you mutt," she stated with a seemingly insulting grin. "I hereby promote you from a losing dog to nameless stray."
"Nameless... WHAT?" The blond's already red complexion grew dangerously dark, and as he shook he found himself unable to speak. What the hell... Regardless of expecting the insults, why was she blocking their way now? She had no reason for it! Hell, if she was able to do as much as Mokuba bragged, she could probably have just killed Pegasus by now! ...Well, maybe not kill Pegasus given the eye thing but... Even if Honda was right, even if this was her being put up to it... His anger slowly faded at that thought, and he found himself staring rather than shouting again.
...Maybe... That was why...
As the blond fell silent, thoughts of what Pegasus could have already done to Mokuba in mind once more, Seto's grin shrank into a smirk again. "Hnhnhnhnhn... One could almost call this a miracle," she was muttering, only serving to once again agitate the blond before her. Dogs, losers, 'nameless strays', what was with these insults?
He grit his teeth, eyes narrowed. "Gh... S...Kaiba," he forced out, attempting and failing to calm down. Calm down... Calm down... It might have seemed worse now, but they were probably in the same boat... They had to be in the same boat, what other reason could possibly make sense..? "You came here f'r Mokuba... Why th' hell are you out here bugging us instead 'f in there?" Would she even answer..? Hell, should he have even bothered asking?
The woman stared, the smirk vanishing completely. "Why," she asked, adjusting the grip she held on her own arms. "Hn! You could say it answers this question as well," she began, both Yugi and Katsuya narrowing their eyes at that. "'Why did I lose at Death-T?'," she asked, answering her own question before anyone could come up with a smart-ass remark (He sure as hell had one.). "I searched endlessly for the answer... How was it that at the last moment, you summoned up a miracle 'Yugi?" She turned, staring past the group with a neutral stare as the wind blew about them. "I think I know what that answer is," she stated, Katsuya blinking with minor surprise. The answer..? "The thing that Yugi had that I did not..." Did she mean...
Er... Was she talking to herself? He glanced back at the others, watching as Anzu gave a small shrug while Honda simply stared with a 'wtf' expression on his face. Bakura of course had little clue what was going on, so he wasn't really sure that this wasn't normal but... Huh...
He blinked again as the woman continued, hands moving toward something around her neck. 'The thing Yugi had'... Abruptly, he tensed as he realized what the woman was holding, the theory of a 'hostage' appearing all the more likely. That thing... It was the locket that Mokuba had... "Yugi," Seto shouted, dropping the locket to speak again. "If you want to enter the castle, you'll need to get through me first... This duel was fated to happen from the start!" At this, Yugi nodded. Apparently his mind was already made up. Of course, Bakura and Anzu were both attempting to convince him otherwise until someone else showed up... ('You already have ten starchips, you don't need to fight!')
And ohhhh speak of the devil, that someone else was appearing at a time where he could avoid getting his face smashed in. Asshole. "Not so fast," came Saruwatari's chuckling voice, Seto visibly eying the man with distaste. Well, she obviously recognized him then, though he expected no less really... "You can't run away from this one Yugi... Either you enter or Kaiba does," he continued with a smirk. "Not both of you!"
At this, Katsuya narrowed his eyes. "Great... Figures it'd be like that," he muttered, glancing at Yugi once more. Well... This or nothing, for both of them really.
Beside him, Yugi returned the stare before nodding. Well... Here went nothing then... "Alright Kaiba," the boy stated, eyes narrowing slightly. "I accept this duel... And I will defeat you!"
In response, the woman merely grabbed her briefcase and led them through the door to the courtyard. "Good," she stated bluntly, back turned to the others as she walked. "I'll show you where we'll be fighting then." Past courtyard they were taken to a tunnel of sorts at the side, and upon being taken through that the group soon arrived to a large 'balcony' of sorts looking out at the sea.
Walking in silence, Katsuya blinked as Anzu's voice barely came over the air behind him. "Kaiba doesn't look too good," she was muttering under her breath. As the blond turned to her, Anzu jumped slightly before continuing. "Jonouchi," she said with a slight frown, reading the teen's expression as they found a place to stand at the side. "You noticed as well..?"
As he nodded, Honda also joined in the conversation with a frown. "Yea," the teen said, "I noticed too- he look a bit paler than normal?" Just a tad...
Katsuya coughed awkwardly, while Anzu nodded once more in agreement. "Ghost white," she said with wide eyes, before narrowing them with a frown. "He's shaking a bit too... Maybe he's sick?"
"He did just wake up from a coma..." Honda frowned, crossing his arms. "I mean... That can't be healthy, but I figured since he had the energy to be as big a jerk as he normally is..." The two turned to Katsuya, as though waiting for his input on this.
"Nh-" The blond growled, crossing his arms. "What, because I live there I have all th' answers?" They merely continued staring, Bakura seeming to do the same as they gave him a look that said (rather bluntly), 'Yes'. He groaned, leaning against the wall beside the balcony stairs. "Look... Y' said it yerself Honda, I mean... Pegasus' got Mokuba! And..." He continued to frown, mentally wishing that he could actually answer the question asked for once. Honestly, he had no clue the reason why, he was in the same boat! Damn it... "Well if Pegasus' had me on a leash like that I'd be pale to," he finally muttered, trailing off as he stared back toward the balcony.
At this, the others fell silent themselves- In some cases with worried thoughts of something worse, and in others the reassurance that it was just a show of, for once, nerves. It couldn't be anything else right? What other reason did they have to think really... "Well," Bakura finally said, turning back to the front. "He seems fine enough so far right..? So lets just watch the duel then..." The albino's words seemed to be all it took to solidify that reassurance for those who had gained it, and the four moved to focus on the soon-to-begin duel.
While the others had been talking, Yugi and Seto had both walked to on the ends of the balcony, the woman having roughly handed Yugi a duel disk before pulling something from her pocket. Looking at them from a distance, you couldn't really guess that one was near collapse... Though she couldn't be that far gone right? ...Right? "Yugi," Seto stated, expression seeming distant yet again. "We'll each bet five starchips on this duel... Only the person who wins may enter Pegasus' castle," she continued, dropping the chips to the ground in front of her. "Understand?" There was a curt nod from Yugi as the boy pulled half of his chips from the glove, dropping them in front of him as well. At that, she as well nodded. "Good... And of course, we'll be using my duel-disks to fight- but it won't be the same as when I fought your 'mutt," she continued, Katsuya growling slightly in response. Again with the dog comments! Would she just drop it already? He shook it off however, continuing to listen as he and the others watched from the sidelines. "I've switched the system to 'Expert Mode', so the game will be more our speed..." And what the hell was that supposed to mean, he wondered idly, face still slightly red as he listened to Seto walk Yugi through the set up of the disk. 'Our speed', honestly...
From behind, the others already started up a cheer, Honda's in particular sounding over the air rather loudly. "GO FOR IT YUGI," he cried, Katsuya watching as his friend attached the duel disk to his arm and inserted his deck. "You beat this guy twice before, you can do it again!"
At those words, Yugi nodded, while Seto merely narrowed her eyes. "Are you ready Yugi," she shouted, her own deck long since placed in the holder on the duel disk. Watching the two stare each other down, Katsuya briefly wondered who the hell he was supposed to cheer for. Seto wasn't in the tournament... It should have been easy for her to force her way into Pegasus' castle. With this in mind though, why couldn't Yugi win a second duel and follow in after? Or was there even time for that, he thought with a frown. It was almost sun-down after all... Damn it... Yugi's grandfather and Seto's brother... They both had something to fight for, so how the hell could he favor one side! Mentally, he groaned. Man... If only this was way-back-when, back when he would be in the same boat as Honda and the others.
Namely easily able to say 'Kaiba's sick? Huh. Oh well, GO YUGI!'. Course... Now that he thought about it he'd take the current situation over that one. Sheesh... He rubbed his head, attempting to clear his head before it just gave up on him. Couldn't think straight... What was with all this, seriously...
The blond shook it off, focusing on the two duelists again and watching as Yugi gave Seto a single nod in response to her question. Yugi grabbed his disk with a determined glare, and as the duelists prepared to start the wind appeared to pick up in anticipation. "I am," he shouted, and with a single word it began.
"DUEL!"
AN: Dayum I moved fast! Sadly my art didn't move nearly as quick. Actually, you probably won't see that one coloured one for a while... I might even re-ink it, as Gimp is complete crap compared to Photoshop... Which I will have in a matter of weeks, giving me the resources to make the lineart much much smoother, as well as even get the shading done better than the crap that Gimp allows. Don't get me wrong, Gimp is damn handy when you have no other choice.
But the fact is, if not for the fact that it was free, I wouldn't go near it with a fifty foot pole.
You know, I think that at this point Jou's life can effectively be summed up as 'What is this, I don't even-'. Also... I am very very confused and worried about the end part. I know from experience that you can sure as hell get as pissed as he did even when the other end of the conversation is in bad condition... But I keep wondering if I should have done something other than Honda suggesting that the situation would be a hostage type deal, after which everyone was essentially mentally bashing Kaiba for blocking their way (Right... After Honda said that he was probably doing this because of Mokuba, and OH HEY SHE IS.)... Not to mention the conversation that Jou, Honda, and Anzu (For some reason, Bakura was exempt... But he's got his own problems given last chapter.) had on Kaiba's generally ill appearance at the moment... Which was immediately followed by, on Anzu and Honda's part, loud shouts of encouragement for Yugi. Course, I don't know if that counts as ignoring their own words or not... Since Honda and Anzu still quite clearly say 'WE DON'T LIKE KAIBA.'
AUUUUGH confusion. Time for a new topic!
HOLLLLY SHIT! You people REALLY like the idea of a cross-dressing, female Priest Set! Poll results thus far guys:
Female Crossdressing - 8 (One vote is anonymous)
Obviously Female - 3 (One vote is anonymous)
Male - 2
As a side note, depending on the results, the poll might be extended; if Male catches up enough, and crossdressing is still clearly in the lead, then around the 'Poll Closing' date I'll remove the 'obviously female' option and continue to hold the poll until a scene that would clearly oust the Priest as male or female occurs. (Most likely the Kisara and Set vision on the airship.)
Now then! ON TO BUSINESS. Before I get going with the usual reviews and crap, I'm putting a few songs here that I've added to my 'repertoire' here... Mostly because they're catchy, and I love them... And they're effectively running the fanfic, so you mind as well know the crap inspiring them. Why, some are in English. (Horror!) (Granted, there's only two here...)
First off we got 'Crossroads' by Brandon Flowers... Which is really great when you want something that isn't violent and insulting in a relationship, so it'll probably be on repeat in one of the later chapters if you catch my drift. (Kaiba being nice? BLASPHEMY. Also un-true. Merely Kaiba not caring enough to spout insults at the time. I'll say nothing more on the matter now..~) If you watch the music video, it has nothing to do with the song. YAYYYYYY.
Annnnd second we have 'Boss Death', originally by the Vocaloid Miku. But you all know me by now, and are probably searching for the Nico Nico chorus cover already. Very good song, and when you compare the music to the lyrics, it's surprisingly meaningful... I probably should have listened to this back during the monster world arc, but hey, it spouted interesting ideas for the 'Legendary Heroes' arc. (Trust me when I say, that arc will have more than the anime shows in both languages.)
AND NOW FOR THE REAL BUSINESS.
Anonymous Review Responses
Iona, you are a wonderful person, anyone tell you that? Seriously... You've reviewed essentially every chapter, and you didn't just pussy foot around any details either! Like... Three paragraphs of things that really help! SERIOUSLY.
On a more responding note, why did he keep that thing... Part of me wonders if it's because his dad gave it to him, and he doesn't see the guy anymore but... Maybe he just can't 'bring himself' to. Like it's the ring's creepy way of just not leaving. And of course, we could alternatively go with the fact that it just has the creepy ability of zapping itself back around Bakura's neck like in the anime... But let's not. Also.
Throw it in the fire frodo Bakura! THROW IT IN THE FIREEEEEEE
Oh.. Oh oh oh! You've misunderstood! The only part that was in Jonouchi's head were the dreams... And even then it's only limited to how the dreams played out. After all... The dragon and the dog kigurumi obviously never 'existed', but the conversation happened later on that same night. Jonouchi is indeed getting weird things thrown at him, and they are most certainly real... Keep an eye peeled for what the 'Pegasus dream' translates into later on.
You know what... Takahashi also finds Jonouchi as the stronger of the 'three guys' (Yami, Kaiba, Jou). WHOO! Certainly explains why the main character of GX, who he designed, was intended to combine Jonouchi's personality with Yami Yugi's dueling ability. (Didn't really capture the complete personality, but you can definitely see the exported traits when comparing Sho/Syrus to the normal Yugi and Judai/Jaden to Jonouchi.)
Hey, someone new! Hi there Death-Dimension12. Wow~ Number one favorite huh... Thanks! And much appreciated that you aren't throwing tomatoes (Though those would likely be the ones to get the most rise, as I hate hate hate them.). No worries, no cliffhangers! Updates will get slower in two more weeks, but I'll still be updating. Besides, I'll let you know if a great big time-lapse occurs... I know for a fact that one will likely happen next summer, as I'm currently engaged... And we're considering August as the wedding date. (And typing fanfiction on my honeymoon and wedding would be a little ridiculous.)
Anyways! Ok... So you're voting for the crossdressing Priest Set then? Got it! Your vote has been added!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wonders if anyone really cares what it thinks outside the facts... Wait, it's not a person, nevermind!
The title of the fanfic draws on a popular Chinese way of comparing bitter rivals; namely the Dragon VS Tiger idiom, depicting two beings who are violently different, yet just as terribly similar as well. They're said (of course) to be linked by destiny itself, and while the Tiger is seen as brute force that just completely overwhelms its opponents, the dragon draws its awesome power from wisdom and patience.
Seeing any parallels yet guys? I'll clarify! The dragon is generally the more down to earth person, relying on strategies... Hey there Yugi! As for the tiger, he'll just be hot-blooded. But hang on... Kaiba may be a freaking card game powerhouse, but he/she certainly isn't a loud person. In fact, one could argue that Yami Yugi is more hot-blooded, given his general drive to just fucking win. (And before you argue, I point you to the end result of the duel that just started up there. Yea. You know what I mean.) So who is the dragon and the tiger then?
It's a big question. Maybe they're... (gasp!) BOTH?
There's a fair bit of dialogue splitting in the short 'start off' with the others; originally, Bakura and Jonouchi's lines were all Honda's... And that's about where things began to roll down hill...
For some reason, it's the other Yugi who takes out Grandpa's camera! But... Grandpa doesn't know about the other Yugi until the Millennium World arc. So... He doesn't recognise his own grandson then? Bwa..? (After all, regardless of appearance, there are still subtle differences that a guy who lives in his house should notice!) For that reason, there's a switch back for at least a few minutes. It's about as Deus Ex as the conversation that Jonouchi has with 'Yami Yugi' in Burger World really... So... Yea.
Honda's headband is ninja worthy guys. The 'tails' on that thing go past his shoulders!
There's also dialogue switching; originally, the question of who made it to the castle was made inside the tunnels... In fact, in the manga, the moment they came out of the tunnels was when they reached the staircase to the castle, and when they spotted Kaiba at the top... And hilarity ensued.
Speaking of dialogue switching and changing, some of the lines were taken directly from the anime, specifically the Japanese version. In the anime, they adapted the 'I think there's another me' scene from Death-T into a conversation Anzu and Yugi had shortly after exiting the cave. The others had gone on ahead, but Yugi ended up tripping over a rock... On his first step. At which point Anzu said, 'I think there's two Yugi's. A cool and kinda scary one, and a nice and unreliable one'. Unreliable huh..? Anyways, he still tripped! And scraped his face up... Most likely the switch from Yugi to 'Yami' had to do with whatever he and Anzu were talking about though.
As to what it is... Who knows.
Kaiba says it himself in the manga; that briefcase is made of Duralumin, a material often used in aircraft (Like zeppelins), auto, fuel tanks... You know. Stuff that isn't a briefcase holding trading cards. Annnnnd yet... On a more specific note, duralumin is an aluminum alloy made with copper, magnesium, and maganese... It's an air-hardening metal (Meaning that it gets stronger with time up to a certain point), and also one of the strongest when compared to its weight.
This is why his briefcase deflects bullets. Whoo!
'Even a dog HAD done better'... Had? As in past tense? Oh Kaiba... I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.
Or is it you seeing what I did there? OHOHO... Obviously most of Kaiba's thoughts have been twisted somewhat; I'm almost certain that his 'real condition' didn't factor into his actions during Duelist Kingdom. See below for more on that, but the fact is, Kaiba is extremely lucky to be alive right now. And not because of violent hostage situations.
First person to guess what those numbers 'spell' gets a cookie. Here's a hint; the numbers are '2 5 2 2 8 7 2 9', and the password was used in the Japanese anime in letter form. It will be handy to know later on...
Given previous show of how nit-picky about the cards Kaiba is (Two words. 'Gyakutenno Megami'.), I wouldn't be surprised if this extended version of the hostage scene is how it played out. At all. After all... You touch those cards, you will die, most likely a long and painful death. Or so Kaiba implied in the manga and anime both, much to my amusement.
Fun Fact: Gyakutenno Megami is a common card.
Concussions? WHAT CONCUSSIONS? Seriously, while Yugioh is normally really good at not playing up an injury and making it non-fatal (Though Mokuba's ten-story fall in the anime is another glaring example), there are still some examples. Namely Crocketts getting completely wailed in the face by a briefcase FULL OF METAL THINGS AND CARDS. About 50 stacks of 50 cards I might add. That's a lot of weight. And Kaiba isn't going easy either... So really, chances are, not only is Crocketts bleeding (Also avoided in the manga/anime), but he's probably got a concussion that needs to be looked at.
Badly.
And yet he's walking around and talking about well enough to speak to Yugi and CO after all this is done...
CROCKETTS. CROCKETTS GET TO A HOSPITAL.
Also, I'm gonna say this now, but Saruwatari has balls. Yea, he's a god-damned asshole. But that asshole was just following orders. Also, Mokuba can be an insufferable snot when you get on his badside, and Saruwatari was likely exposed to that too much.
I know what you're thinking. You're saying 'But Usagi! YOU HATE SARUWATARI! (Still do actually) WHAT ARE YOU SAYING.' Fact is, after taking even the basics of psychology, I can't help but be objective about things like this at least once. Hell, wait until I hit the Noa arc.
You will never look at Gozaburo the same again. EVER.
Anyways, back to Saruwatari- at the end of Duelist Kingdom, he quietly comes to Kaiba's cell, unlocks it, and tells him (in a fairly neutral if not calm and sad tone given his expression) that 'it's over'. This doesn't happen in the anime of course (As in the anime, he actually works for the Big Five. And really IS an ass, thereby making him deserving of his upcoming fate, mwuahaha), but I have to say... Manga Saruwatari might be a jackhole, but he's jackhole with a good deal of heart for his boss. Hell, all of Pegasus' employees have 'heart' for him from what I can tell. You'll see what I mean later.
Some might wonder, 'what's with the mentions of English?' Well, fact is, I2 is an American company, and Pegasus himself is American. While he does indeed have Japanese staff, you can bet that the 'common' language of the building is English... Japanese was probably only used for the other scenes due to the Big Five being a Japanese group (respect MATTERS), and Mokuba not knowing any other language... Which means that his soulless body would be unable to respond to anything outside that language, so using English around even his soulless body would be rather pointless.
Interesting fact; in India, the 'Red string' is used to denote a brother and sister bond rather than a romantic one.
Another cool point to keep in mind, the 'joke' of it is that the string is used to kill any unwanted love interests for either of the two joined. Hihhhhh! (When compared to the above 'string of fate' comparison, you get some bizarre imagery.) Also, you've probably guessed that my string line is a play on both what actually happens in the manga (Pegasus compares Yugi and Kaiba to the ends of his 'tie'... Which is a ribbon actually.), and the season 0 line mentioned in an earlier chapter. Which... Was reused in his very chapter.
Another 'reference' in Pegasus words, Altair and Vega are the two stars that were personified in the Chinese myth 'The Silver River', a tale centered around the Milky Way. Specifically, the stars (Obviously not called Altair and Vega at the time!) were said to be a man and a woman who, on the seventh day of the seventh month each year, were permitted to meet after being separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the time. (They crossed a bridge of magpies. Ooooh) It brings new meaning to 'star-crossed lovers'.
Basically, Pegasus is being a dick and comparing Kaiba's 'obsession' (Though it's still rather borderline at this point) to a crush, while simultaneously telling the woman that he knowsssss. I was actually trying to find something other than the 'silver river' myth to tie this to... But I couldn't find anything 'well known' enough (The myth is something I found in books when I was 10 so... Yea.)... Damn. Thankfully, 'Altair' and 'Vega' being star names, the only ones who probably caught it are Kaiba and Pegasus himself, given that I sure as hell never connected the myth and stars together and I'm fairly sure that most people in security and business would otherwise not bother.
Oddly enough, for a brief moment when the camera is on and showing Kaiba Mokuba's captured form, you can see someone's legs in the hall... It was probably a guard though.
On another note, I caught myself in a plot hole! I'd forgotten about the cell scene, oh dear... Mokuba's soul wasn't taken by that point obviously, so since I already had it stuck in a card... Well, fact was, it'd have been worse if I just put it back really. In the end, it served to add more creepy to this. True, I could have had Kaiba get a looped feed of Mokuba shortly before Pegasus came in... But in the end, there's a lot of nightmare fuel in the whole 'He was dead/soulless the entire time...' creep-phrase.
What Kaiba's recalling up there is what Mokuba's mental monologue in the manga was... I didn't want to cut that out, and found it appropriate for the way the plot is heading to make it 'as above'. And before you ask, I did indeed keep this part canon. The last piece to Kaiba's heart really is Mokuba...
However, had it not been for Jonouchi in the earlier chapters, that 'last piece' would be 'lost' so to speak... Hence 'Kai's message of 'For her sake, don't die, both of you' during the Monster World. As for who the hell Kai is... It's just a tiny shred of Kaiba that happens to know why the hell she's still alive. AND THUS THE PLOT THICKENSSSS.
Crocketts wasn't rushed to the hospital after all that crap that happened..? Not even when he was released from his rather frightening briefcase prison? (Seriously, that stuff would have me in a bed for weeks with nightmares.) Well... That's what the manga says at least. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE THIS. That man is spending at least a few hours in a medic's care before he gets back to work, at least.
I couldn't resist putting the 'season 0' line there, I'm sorry. (Yes, that line is CANON.) Technically, it was stated loooonnng ago to Yugi personally in season 0 lines, but I don't really go by that anime... I love it to death, but I find the manga a little easier to use given that it's the one that doesn't involve Kaiba hiring other people to beat Yugi in a game of sorts. Because lets face it guys, he actually says, in both the anime and manga, 'I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT WILL BEAT YOU'. ...Little obsessive Kaiba?
You've probably already noticed, but the 'storming the castle' scene differs greatly between the manga and anime. In the anime, the scene with the helicopter was essentially crammed into the castle one. Kaiba for one piloted the helicopter on his own, and arrived on the island to be cornered by Saruwatari. This is where the gun scene occurred, part of which involved Kaiba pulling off a rather well placed arm-grab-toss to the guy. (Right over his shoulder... Ow.) In any case, after this Kaiba made his way into the castle, where he actually successfully found Mokuba's cell and started breaking him out...
Wait, Kaiba can pick locks? Well, he can hack a computer... (And the password was not Pegasus in Japanese. That would be SILLY.) Sadly, Pegasus came at that moment and snatched Mokuba's soul right there, rather quickly forcing Kaiba into the same deal as above. WELL DAYUM.
When Kaiba comes back out of the castle in the manga, he's got his briefcase back. I guess that whatever blood was spilt was cleaned..? Then again, there wasn't any bleeding in the manga... So I guess it didn't matter. In any case, I would guess that having all those cards left unwatched was just something he would not stand for, hence why the case was taken along. (And even now, FemKaiba says 'I still wouldn't stand for it!', and brings it along...)
There's a big dialogue change here, heralding both a plot-hole fix and a first 'big change'! (Big being figurative, given that this is cupcakes compared to what's about to start.) First off, there obviously isn't as much negativity against Kaiba as a whole, particularly between Jonouchi and her. In addition to some dialogue switching, a quick note; for some reason, it completely flew over the group's head that Kaiba is not only in control of a rival company to Pegasus' by this point due to the attempted takeover, but the man has his/her brother. Why the FUCK would Kaiba work with Pegasus willingly, or even consider doing such a thing!
And yet Anzu's line was spoken by Honda...
Course, the line after that was Jonouchi's, and canon Jonouchi detests Kaiba, to the point where he didn't even think of the fact that Mokuba would factor into things. Hence the change of lines... And a hint at the conversation points Honda would have in the manga with Jonouchi. (A subtle hint on the stairs, blink and you'll miss it.) It was actually fairly difficult to progress that scene for these reasons actually; most of the dialogue was enraged Jonouchi accusing Kaiba of 'switching sides', and everyone else considering that to possibly be true.
Even... Though it's fairly clear that isn't the case. EHHHH.
In the end, most of his rage came from a slipped thought of hostages again due to how Kaiba treats the situation. He realized it when he spotted the locket of course... But until then the idea that Pegasus would pit Kaiba against Yugi in a 'win-win' situation was completely beyond him.
After all, what other point would their be (outside entertainment) for Pegasus to do that? See... If Yugi loses, there's a good chance he won't make it through (In Pegasus' opinion) to the castle, meaning the company is Pegasus regardless of what Kaiba says (Kaiba still has to regain control from the board.)... And that's 'if' (HAHA, we know the answer~) he loses right? Should Kaiba lose of course, it means one less problem for Pegasus to deal with...
Kaiba's insult to Jonouchi, rather the 'promotion' was a little different in the anime and manga both. Now... In the manga it was essentially from loser to a nobody. In the anime, it's about the same thing, as Kaiba says 'make-inu' (Loser, or in some translation error's 'losing dog') to 'uma no hone' (Literally 'Horse's bones'. Yea.)... Which is effecitvely the way to call someone a 'nobody' and be insulting about it. (Horse's bones? Really Japan? Then again, 'Baka' is made of the words 'horse' and 'deer'...)
In any case, sticking to my usual 'dog' thing, it became a 'nameless stray'. Which is like a nobody. But now it's a dog. Ohohoho~ (This will actually be addressed later on, during one of the 'original' arcs...)
Around this time in the manga, we see Kaiba's eyes with literal flames drawn in them, the word 'BURN' written above his head. Directly after this, Yugi says 'Kaiba's different. There's something hidden in his eyes...
Yeeeep. That's hidden alright.
The balcony-esque area of Pegasus' castle is conveniently the exact distance required for Kaiba's prototype duel disks, more convieniently a point that has a round area on both ends with a thin path in the center, and even more conveniently built raised above the rest of the area as a seperate location.
Pegasus Pegasus Pegasus, did you steal Kaiba's thought's again..? I wouldn't put it past him. (As to what he more recently snatched, that's at the end of the duel. Unfortunately.)
A note on Bakura; way way back when he stole Anzu's line of 'Yea! After all, Jonouchi is-' (etcetc..), he wasn't about to reference Death-T. That would be silly, as he didn't even know about it at the time, and though he does now he's still not completely sure. Bakura's a polite person, he isn't the kind to just judge on other's opinions. (Not like some people...) What Bakura was going to say however was centered around the fact that Jonouchi sacrificed his soul in an attempt to save Mokuba's own during the monster world arc... Didn't to a good job obviously, but nonetheless. All the same, whether or not Jonouchi knew about this fact, it's a damn good thing he stopped him; how much do you think it would help Kaiba's already very fragile condition had she been told that 'Oh yea, and your brother's soul was temporarily locked in a figurine with the risk of death. But no worries, we got him back, but you should probably know that Pegasus could potentially do the same thing.' It wouldn't go over well.
Speaking of Kaiba's already delicate physical and mental being, lets go over the facts contributing that we know of shall we? Rather, the facts that occur after the coma. So far...
Kaiba woke up around Noon the 'First Day'. Rushed out without eating a thing, though for the sake of not killing the poor woman lets say she had lunch before 'waking up'. Took a helicopter non-stop to Pegasus' island, which took around oh... 10-12 hours. So we can so far compare this to eating breakfast, and then skipping lunch and supper. Around this time, people tend to go sour with the moods; either they'll go effectively 'bi-polar' (Happy = REALLY happy, Sad = REALLY sad. Basically, a bi-polar person really feels every emotion they have.), or they'll get listless... Or they'll just be cranky. All depends on your metabolism, but since we obviously don't know that we're just sticking with slightly cranky. Something that won't really stand out too much in Kaiba's case, particularly after Death-T.
Ah, but then she also did a bit of fighting... Right after sitting down for hours and hours on end, which would already have her exhausted. (Sitting and thinking takes more energy than you think; how did you feel after your last exam for example?) In addition, shortly after landing the helicopter, she took part in a duel, which requires brain power (Albeit not much in this case, but given her mental musings on Jonouchi, we'll say it), and due to the use of the duel disks (YO-YO) some more physical power.
Going to the castle involved another fight, and though quickly resolved it leads us to this; '10-12' hours after she woke up, it was midnight. She reached the castle around 3 AM, and Pegasus didn't speak to her until 4 PM. This means that as of noon that day, she had gone 24 hours without food or sleep; she probably had the sense to at least demand water, but you never know, as she's not about to abandon her hostage to take a bathroom break when that's meant to be under wraps. For the sake of her health, lets say she had some water. Sure, she's got her liquids...
But she's now gone 25 hours without food or sleep, is about to take part in a duel that most assuredly will require her full attention to take part in, and oh yea, lets not forget that she's still recovering from a six month long coma.
Face it guys; the only thing keeping Kaiba from a complete breakdown right now is grit determination and the fact that Mokuba's life is riding on hers... So... Yea. Expect blurred vision and a bit of emotional extremities of the non-weepy variety. (Think of it this way; Kaiba's desperation just took the bullet train to hell.)
Seriously, how does anyone 'pick a side' with the full knowledge of things? It hasn't really hit most of the others of course, as they either just don't know who the hell Kaiba is (in Bakura's case) or they... Really don't like him in comparison to Yugi (Everyone else). But thanks to Jonouchi's developed crush, not even his pure detest for being called a dog can make up his mind. Because when it gets down to it, he still knows how a hostage situation works, given that he's been at the wrong end of them before; once in the 'yo-yo' chapter of course, and another even earlier, when he was successfully forced back into Hirutani's gang early in the manga (Ironically it was the chapter directly after Yugi first dueled Kaiba)... That was when Jonouchi missed a few days of school actually, as Hirutani came to him and said this: Either join the gang, or he'd essentially do away with Yugi, Honda, and anyone else he felt particularily close to. In that situation, he couldn't well just call the cops and hope for the best (Besides, that's not his style.). Instead, he played along and hoped for the best...
It ended with him getting sick of himself, getting the shit beaten out of him with tasers, and the Other Yugi electrocuting a majority of Hirutani's gang. Owch.
In any case, what with Jonouchi knowing about the issues of a hostage situation, he can't well fault Kaiba for standing in their way and insisting they play along as well. Because the fact is, epic and bad-ass as Kaiba is... The woman has no clue if her brother's going to die or not, and if she makes a wrong move the kid is fucked.
Also yesssss that is /recognition/ she looks at Jonouchi with. Before giving him an 'upgrade'. Ahahaha~