Keeping Secrets Sucks
When she stepped onto the airship, she was greeted with her rival standing by the window with Mokuba watching and waiting for the ship take off from beside him. The door beside and beneath the stairs was still opened, and as she made her way upward she could hear footsteps behind her, sounding almost similar to a stampede... Perhaps she would regret allowing all of the additional people on board, but for the moment she didn't care. The evening wind had already begun to chill her thanks to the sopping state her clothes were in, and she needed to fix that. "I'll be in my room," she whispered to her brother, the boy briefly turning to nod before staring back out of the window. "I'll see you at dinner.
"Alright nii-sama," the boy responded, keeping relatively cautious about the names with the approaching group. He quickly turned back to look through the window, his excitement either mirrored or surpassed by the one beside him. By the time the stairway was filled with similar reactions completely however, his sister had long since stepped into the upper hallway above, door closing behind her as she pulled out her key card.
Hah... Room '1', directly beside Mokuba's own she told herself, walking toward the cold, sturdy built steel door. With walls and doors like this, no sound would escape at all after all... Something she was personally glad for. The card in her hands was slipped through the reader at the side with a smooth click, the woman stepping in before shutting the sliding door behind her with the push of a button. The room was exactly as designed... Simple, 'small', with a door on the side connecting to the on-board computers she'd personally installed for the purpose of finding 'Ra'. To use them however, would be something to do later. For now... The woman hung her coat up on the side, running a hand through her hair. For now she was wet. She was still very, very wet she noted with a grimace, moving toward the washroom to take a seat as she pulled her boots off. 'Lucky' her, the woman grumbled mentally as the first one came off with a 'pop', she had leather boots on...
Acting like a nice, giant pair of suction cups for her feet. The woman scowled as any trapped water was dumped into the sink from the boot, shaking her head before doing the same with another one. Well... This was wonderful, now wasn't it. She'd planned for clothing issues given the amount of time she'd be spending on the ship, but not shoes damn it. "Tch..." And now she had to wait for them to dry... Something that wouldn't happen for a number of hours, which meant that she would be stuck with cold feet for the rest of the evening and possibly the next day.
Tch. She put the shoes on the floor near the heater, shaking her head and moving further into her room while pulling her arm bracers and belts from her arms. Whatever, she told herself, placing the devices on a side table as she pulled her shirt off. She needed to get out of the wet clothes before the tournament started, not to mention dry the rest of herself off. The woman grabbed the phone as she pulled at the binding around her chest, a neat pile forming at the side when the bandages in question dropped to the ground as she waited for one of the staff to answer. Three... Two...
"Seto-sama," a voice on the other end asked, the ID on the other end having quite clearly told them who was calling. "Is there anything you need?"
"I want you to send Kyouko to room seven," the woman explained, moving to the small dresser at the side where her spare clothes were. Socks were added to the pile as she went, moving onto the belts around her shins as she placed them to the side. "Tell her to bring Yugi to the examination room and have Doctor Syn look over him," she continued on, a slight pause on the other end as whoever was speaking likely nodded.
"Right away," they responded, the phone clicking off as Seto replaced it on the cradle. Alright...
Now then. The last of the wet clothes were added to the pile a few moments later, Seto shivering just slightly from the now exposed dampness on her skin. Hhhhh... If she'd ever considered taking up swimming for exercise before...
Well, she'd take the treadmill any day she decided, clean and dry clothes in her hands as she frowned at the thought. Anything over swimming actually... The woman glanced at the clock to the side, quickly pulling her clothes on as she shook herself off. Pants, binding, shirt... She'd have to shower later she told herself, so she would just have to deal with the 'ocean smell' for now really. She could probably do that between the first two duels the woman decided as an after thought, clasping the belts and bracers back on her arms and legs before collapsing in a chair. For now however she needed to think. She needed to clear her head, calm down... She needed...
Something.
Seto rubbed her head, shaking herself and sighing as she moved to grab her duel monsters deck from her coat. Cards... That was as good a start to calming herself down as anything. She should be making sure her deck was ready for the tournament anyways, as for all she knew she would be fighting first. And if she were to be facing off against Yugi... Hn! Well, it wouldn't do to face him with a half-prepared deck now would it. The woman slowly began flipping the cards from the deck, images shining from the card faces as she went. Lets see... Kaiser Sea Horse... De-Spell... Enemy Controller... Blood Vorse... One by one the cards were placed, each name coming to mind within a split second of the draw. Rare Metal Dragon... Monster Reborn... Different Dimension Dragon...
As the cards were flipped from the deck to the small table Seto's thoughts gradually drifted off, the minutes of silence passing by as a frown came over her. No matter what card she drew, her thoughts were continuously snapped back from the name to the events that occurred earlier on. Back at the pier... Why did she jump in after Jonouchi? Why did she save him? She'd been telling herself it was for Mokuba, for his sake, as should the blond have died before him he would have certainly been traumatized beyond belief. But despite that excuse, she couldn't fully convince herself that it was only for Mokuba. She'd simply 'acted' after all, not thinking about the consequences, or the 'why's of the matter. She'd simply run over, watched Jonouchi's expression as he sunk into the water... And 'moved'.
The woman paused as she came to her next card, the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' staring up at her as her frown twisted. Why. Why did she care about what happened to them? Yugi was her rival, the one she wanted to defeat, so in his case it was only natural. If Yugi were to die her goals in the duel-monsters game would vanish, the challenge gone, the drive to fight vanished as she was left with nothing to face in battle. But why had she had even the slightest bit of worry for the blond, the 'dog', the mutt? Had she been the sort to even ask about that sort of thing the 'others', Yugi and the 'other' Yugi would both be rattling some nonsense about 'friends', about how just as they 'needed' her, she 'needed' them. That it was the only reason.
Hn! 'Friends'. That was just another word in the dictionary to her, meaningless. A phrase similar to 'acquaintance', or even 'partner'. All it meant was someone you weren't neck-to-neck in battle with, someone you could use on your way to the top, someone who would get in your way at the worst of times and serve as a stepping stone at the best. And who was she to argue if someone was willing to do that in the situation of the latter?
But Jonouchi... Seto's frown deepened somewhat, a shimmer appearing to come over her Blue-Eyes card as she stacked the deck back together with Blue-Eyes still facing her from the top. He couldn't quite categorize him like that. After all, he'd come in suddenly, stayed there against her wishes, and constantly zigged and zagged between a source of hate and a source of reluctant acceptance. That moron... He was loud, rude, a terrible influence on her brother even with only half a year of her absence...
And on the other hand a small voice in the back of her head reminded, he was probably the best thing that happened to Mokuba in a long time. He was the one who kept him waiting and hoping while still having a fair chance at experiencing life... And even after she'd woken up, he'd done his best to be there when she couldn't, no matter how sickening the idea of 'not being there' was. He was loyal to a fault, and just as determined when it came to getting things done...
A 'duelist' through and through she told herself with a slight smirk, not bothering to ponder on when the term 'duelist' had come into being to describe such a person. Someone she wouldn't mind fighting if it came to it. Someone that while she doubted she would go all out on, would be someone worth paying attention to in a match. Not that she would tell him that, the woman added mentally. The idiot would probably get an inflated head, brag about it endlessly to his friends and staff both, not to mention-
...Maybe he wouldn't, she found herself muttering in the back of her mind, looking up from the cards in her hand to the clock as she pushed the thought back. Then again, yes or no, would or wouldn't, did it really matter? At the end of it all, the question was still there and unanswered, enough that she found herself standing up to do what her brother would likely ask her to do sooner or later anyways. 'Why', she wondered, pulling her coat back on as she left to pull the blond to the doctor's office before the idiot collapsed from untreated wounds, 'Why do I care that you exist?'
If she could see things as clear as 'he' could, she'd notice that a small white dragon hovering above the card appeared to be pondering the same thing, before fading into the deck to join with the rest of the unseen monsters.
As the airship slowly but steadily rose above the district of Domino, the single window in the airship staircase was barely containing the number of faces peering through. "Woaaaaaah," Shizuka shouted, eyes wide with wonder as tears dotted her eyes. "It's... It's incredible! To be seeing this after all this time, its...!"
"We're going so far up," Honda said with a swallow, staring in wonder as the others did the same. "I can see all of Domino," he continued, "All of Tokyo even!"
Otogi turned at that, glancing back to the window before shaking himself. "I... Don't think all of Tokyo is really-"
"Oh hey," Yugi shouted abruptly, pointing toward a tiny 'dome' in the distance. "My house!"
"And there's my house," Mokuba added as they grew still higher, Ryuzaki squinting as he looked through the glass.
"Where, all I see is a patch of trees..."
"That's my backyard."
"WHAT-"
Shouts filled the air as the 'stow-away' group and friends clogged the staircase, looking out the window while others in the ship went about their business. Within seconds they'd risen high above the city, taking in streetlights, rushing cars, and altogether the kind of beauty that they very rarely if ever saw. The sight quickly became an enormous mosaic of tiny dotted lights, slowly moving eastward toward the seas. "Hah... It's been so long since I saw the city," Shizuka was whispering, her brother grinning at the side. "It's so... So..."
"It's pretty cool eh?" The girl turned as Katsuya smirked, staring through the window a moment before looking back at his sister. "An' th' best part is, we're th' only one who get t' see this," he said with a laugh, wide grin on his face. "Only th' strongest get t' fly! Hehehe!"
"Alrighty then 'strong-guy'..." The blond turned as Mai shouted from around the bottom of the stairs, the others turning to where the woman was poking her head into the 'hall'. "But if you think the view from that windows is nice," she added with a wink, "You should see it from your own rooms!" Ah... Their own... The boys abruptly turned to each other, Mokuba streaking up the stairs without another word as the group stared. "Shizuka-chan, Anzu-chan," the woman continued with a slight shout, "Drop by mine later, and we girls can celebrate hn? It's better than sleeping with a crowd of boys right..?"
Shizuka blinked somewhat blankly at that, before the others around moved past to get to their rooms with a nod. "Well... Now that I think about it, we should probably get settled," Yugi said with a cough, running past Mai as the woman smirked. The boy dug out his key card, the group slowly making a line as they left the narrow stairway. "Let's see," he muttered under his breath, "Room seven... So..." He turned as they came to the hall, looking at the door on his right and blinking. "Door three... Hey, Jonouchi-kun," the boy asked, turning to the other side of the hall, "What room are you... In..." He blinked as his friend slid a card through the nearest door, the entrance hissing open as Katsuya blinked. "Oh..."
"Yea..." The blond looked at his card a moment, before staring down the hall with a slight frown. "I think we're on sep'rate ends 'f th' ship too," he grumbled, "An' I don' think tha' was somethin' S... Kaiba f'rgot about either..." Which actually figured in a weird way, but wouldn't Yugi be number '2' instead then? Mutterings going on behind him slowly pulled at his attention before footsteps forced it back to the room at the side. "W-What th-" Where did everyone go- Katsuya jumped, poking his head in his room as Ryuzaki smirked from outside the door. "What th' hell!"
"Wowwwww... That was..." Ryuzaki continued to laugh, before turning away as Yugi as well made to leave for his room. Whatever was going on outside of the room however was really the least of his concern... Given that the inside was filled with people..!
"What th' hell are y' all doing in here!"
The blond was more or less ignored, the others merely wandering the room as he stood in the doorway. "Hey... Not bad," Honda was saying with a whistle, tapping a chair with his foot as he looked at the wall-embedded T.V. "It's like an American hotel... Hnn... Where's the remote," he muttered, his friend growing red as he began looking for the device in question.
"Gh-! How come yer all in here," Katsuya roared, ignoring the slight laughter from outside his room as the others shrugged. "Seriously..! Can't y' go somewhere else!"
"Not really," Otogi said with a shrug, opening a small bar-fridge at the side. Clattering noises came from the device, the teen's voice making its way over the sound as Katsuya continued to scowl. "It can't be helped after all... Kaiba didn't prepare rooms for 'cheerleaders'!" There was a slight pause, before he abruptly pulled away from the fridge with a white-coloured bottle. "Oh! Hey," he called out as he waved the drink, "They've got calpico!"
"And there's room service too," Anzu was saying from the chair in the center, Shizuka laughing from the side as her brother continued to seethe. "Maybe if we're lucky they have some cots onboard!"
"Oi oi oi," he shouted, fists clenched as he pointed outside the room. "Find somewhere else t' sleep!" This wasn't a hotel damn it! (Even if it looked suspiciously similar...)
The laughing continued from beside him, Shizuka shaking her head as Katsuya turned. "It'll be alright Nihan," she said through the laughs, somewhat quiet in the presence of the others. "And besides, it's just your two friends right? Anzu-chan and I will be in Mai's room," she continued with a smile, "So it won't be that bad..." Yea... It'd keep her away from Honda and Otogi he supposed... The blond calmed down somewhat, rubbing his head as Shizuka went on. "Besides... The more the merrier right," she 'asked'. Briefly the girl appeared to gain a look that at this point lacked only her former 'shiny glasses' to add to the 'scare' appeal, though as her brother coughed it seemed to be just as effective.
If not possibly more... "Eh-heheheh..."
Chuckling came from the side yet again, this time from the other three teens standing in the room. "Just calm down," Honda said with a grin, tossing his friend a drink from the fridge. Katsuya snatched at the drink on reflex, glancing at the 'calpico' drink before passing it to his sister; he wasn't really a fan of 'lychee juice'... Also he was busy mentally calling his friend out on an obvious lie. "It's not like Otogi and I are after your sister," the teen was saying, his friend's eye twitching in disbelief. "Besides! If we were," he added somewhat darkly, "We'd have competition..." Honda turned back to the TV at that, his friend tensing as he looked back toward the door for a moment. Gh- Ryuzaki..! He hadn't figured out what to threaten him with yet either! "Besides," Honda was saying as he opened a can of coke, "We can't just go bug Yugi right now, he'll be preparing for battle! It's important to him, you know," he added seriously, glancing back from the TV.
That... That... Katsuya's hand shook, clenching somewhat as he grit his teeth. "Ngggg... You don' think it's important t' me," he shouted, only to be answered with more chuckling as his friend was joined by the others at the T.V. And chairs. "Hey! Listen!" Still he was answered with silence, crossing his arms as Shizuka went to sit by the TV as well. Ahhhh... Screw it.
Katsuya looked back at the door, eyes narrowed somewhat. Looked like he was stuck sharing with the other guys, Ryuzaki not included. Where was Ryuzaki anyways though he wondered with a frown, stepping out of the room to look out in the hall. Ah- There...
Well that was quick. "I'm gettin' outta here," he muttered, disappearance briefly noted by his sister before she was again distracted by whatever was going on above on the TV. From what he could tell it was something about a fat cat jumping into a box... Whatever that was. Back to business however, Ryuzaki was momentarily just across the hall, stretching his arms as he walked out of room '3'. Room three... Wait, wasn't that Bakura's- "Ah... Ryuzaki..!" What was he doing in..!
The boy gave a short wave, stowing his hands in his pockets as the door shut behind him. "Hey," he said somewhat plainly, jabbing a thumb back to the room behind him. "Listen... I kinda figured you guys would end up with full rooms, so I'll be staying with your other friend... Bakura I think his name was," he continued, Katsuya choking abruptly as the boy briefly turned to the room.
"B-Bakura!" So he'd been in there too... The blond continued to choke, growing somewhat pale as he stared at Bakura's room. That... That wasn't good...
Even so Ryuzaki nodded, shrugging as he turned back toward Katsuya's door and made to enter the blond's room. "Yea," said with a somewhat relaxed tone, "I figured since you guys knew him well enough it'd be safe to ask... And I'm not really up to asking Yugi," he continued with a cough, unaware of the groan from behind him. Why... He got that he wasn't cool about staying with either of the duelists he'd been against but...
Why, of all people... Did he have to pick Bakura! "R-Ryuzaki," he said with a cough, "I don' think-"
"Hey, Shizka's in your room right," he asked, pulling the blond's thoughts to an alternate topic as they stood in the middle of the hall. Ah-
Shizu- "Oh... Hey," he growled with a start, "Abou' that..." He looked back from Bakura's door, tensing. "You better not be plannin' on doin' anythin' t'-" He was cut off as his room door slammed shut, teeth grinding as he was left speaking to the wall. "Gh... God... Damn it," he muttered, head smacking against the door with a groan. "Augghhhhh..."
"I see you're acting as bizarre as ever, Mutt." The flat nickname from the side resulted in yet another jump from its target, Katsuya turning as Seto stood behind him with crossed arms.
"Ah..." He swallowed, hurriedly straightening himself out as he coughed. "H-Hey, Seto-cha-"
"I see you didn't get to a doctor like I asked," she growled, cutting the blond off. The blond merely smirked at that, giving a flippant shrug in response.
"Hey," he said with a laugh, "I've been through worse, an- Nyh!" The blond stumbled as he was abruptly snatched up by his jacket, finding himself pulled toward the next room. "Nyhnynynyny..! What- What're y' doin'," he shouted, shoes scuffing against the ground somewhat as Seto tapped a few keys on the door's key pad. "Oi!"
The woman merely continued to scowl as the door opened, before roughly pushing her 'friend' into the room. "Do yourself a favor," she muttered following the stumbling blond inside, "And listen for once."
Katsuya blinked, turning back to look into the room somewhat blankly. It looked similar to the standard doctor's clinic really, complete with cushioned 'bench' at the side and shelves of first-aid and medical equipment nearby. There was a small stool and table at the side as well, with a nearby door labeled 'equipment'. More importantly however, besides the somewhat thick-set man on said stool holding a stethoscope... "Ah- Yugi," he called out with a start, the boy in question looking up from where he'd been staring off.
"Hah... Jonouchi-kun..!" The doctor quickly gave him a slight look that said 'please be quiet so I don't screw up my results', Yugi laughing somewhat nervously before giving his friend a wave.
Thankfully, the 'other' Yugi wasn't quite so tight-lipped. "Earlier," the spirit muttered plainly, turning from where he'd been keeping a close eye on the doctor, "Kyouko came to our room to guide us here; evidently Kaiba wasn't fond of the idea of facing an injured opponent," he added with a humored smirk, Katsuya turning to Seto as the woman leaned back against the door.
"Kyouko did that," he asked with a slight start, blinking at the thought of the maid on the airship. More importantly however, what was that about... "...Wait..." Katsuya blinked, staring at Seto with a somewhat confused expression in place. "You had her bring..."
Seto merely snorted, turning to leave rather than bother herself with answering. "Make sure they're both fit to duel within the next hour," she muttered, momentarily looking back with a dark smirk. "I'd rather not find that one of my possible opponents was so ignorant to their own wellbeing that they collapsed before the end..." Eh!
"Colla-" The blond tensed, gritting his teeth as he bit back a shout. "Seto-chan," he growled under his breath, the woman narrowing her eyes in response. "I definitely won't collapse when we fight," he snarled, pointing somewhat accusingly at Seto. "Definitely not! We fight in this tournament, I'm gonna beat y', y' hear?"
Again the woman snorted, shaking her head. "If, we fight," she countered with a somewhat sneering grin, "I certainly doubt that will be the case..." Tch... Seto ignored the scowl she was receiving in response, instead turning to Yugi as the boy and his other stared. "As for you," she began, arms crossed as she glared at the boy, "A word of advice; you have a God card. Use it." Well... That was kinda blunt. And obvious. Though he supposed, Yugi being Yugi... "Our battle will not end without that monster's appearance," Seto was saying with a low growl, "Do you understand? This is the realm of the 'Gods'... The final 'testing grounds' before the last series of matches," she continued. Yugi appeared to swallow somewhat, the doctor as well pausing to listen as his boss went on. "Those cards will determine the winner of this tournament," the woman muttered, turning somewhat for the door again. "And to get them, I will defeat you, I will defeat Malik, I will defeat anyone who stands in my way, and your title WILL be mine, are we clear?" A somewhat awkward silence settled over the air at the last outburst, the again 'calm' woman turning briefly as she received a quick nod from Yugi in response. They... They understood as much as any would... "Good..." Which was apparently fine by her. "You can come to the dining hall when you're done in here," Seto muttered at a quieter tone. "And make sure they don't leave until then," the woman added to her doctor, the man nodding somewhat in response. "Now. I'll see you soon... Yugi... Jonouchi," she continued, before looking over the blond's clothes in distaste. "And get rid of that jacket, it's useless now." Wha- Now hang on a secon- With that the door shut behind her, leaving the boys to stare before their thoughts on the matter could even be completed.
"Ah..." Katsuya blinked, staring momentarily before glancing at his jacket as the other Yugi merely blinked.
"...Hn. Interesting," he muttered, the blond turning to him abruptly with an incredulous stare. That...
That was his only reaction! The doctor at the side chuckled somewhat, shaking his head as he turned back to his first patient. "Ahhh... That woman never ceases to amaze me," he muttered in slightly accented Japanese, the boys both staring at the comment. Er... Really? ...Guess he knew her then... "Now... I forgot to introduce myself," the man continued, moving to push the stethoscope against Yugi's currently bare chest. "I am Doctor Ahmed Syn, one of two private physicians on board this ship in your friend's employ... And yes," he added at the somewhat shocked expressions he gained in response, "I know that you know." Okay... How- "It was fairly obvious in the way she treated you both," Syn muttered, moving the stethoscope around to Yugi's other side.
"Eh... It... Was," Katsuya asked with a cough, watching as Syn muttered a 'breathe in' to Yugi.
The doctor nodded, before pulling the stethoscope back. "Of course," he said rather plainly, turning back to the blond behind him. "She's far less bitter than she normally is around you both," Syn continued, "That much is clear from simply being in the same room." It... Was? Hell, he figured she was less tense at home, and if 'Hanami' was any sign she definitely had her moments but... "She's looser," Syn went on, "Less 'pained' with holding her guise... It's quite the relief, whether she admits it or not. ...You're done," he added quickly, looking back at his 'patient' and handing a leather shirt toward him. Yugi nodded as he took the shirt back, pulling it on and sliding off the bench as the doctor moved to change the paper out. "Now then," he muttered, tossing the paper in the garbage as he looked back to the others. "Seeing how this tournament is queued to begin after dinner, and that same dinner is staring in just a few minutes, I'll get right to business... 'Jonouchi', correct," the man asked, Katsuya nodding as the doctor gestured to his jacket. "If you could take off your shirt and get on the table please..." Ah-
His... Shirt? He tensed somewhat, nonetheless nodding somewhat stiffly as he removed his dueldisk and shredded jacket both. "Er... S-Sure," he said with a nod, growing somewhat pale as the 'other Yugi' stared confusedly. The bruise on his stomach... The pain had died down to the point where he'd forgotten all about it, but now that he was thinking of what was there... It had to have at least yellowed by this point, if not darkened to a sick, blue-purple hue... Even so he took a seat on the bench before pulling the shirt off, wincing as the doctor raised his eyebrows.
"Oh my... I was told there was a possibility of sustained injuries but..." The doctor swallowed, Yugi doing the same as he stared at the expansive bruise across his friend's stomach and chest.
"J-Jonouchi-kun," he asked with a high, whispered swallow, "Where..."
"What in the name of all..." The other Yugi as well stared, abruptly appearing to his lighter half's side as he gaped. "Where on earth did you get a mark like that!"
Katsuya again winced, the doctor looking over with worry before turning to the small gash in his patient's arm. Bandages, the doctor was probably thinking, Katsuya watching as the man hurriedly moved to grab the required gauze and antiseptic. "Ah... This..." The blond swallowed, eyes dotting across the ground as he searched for an excuse. Something, anything... Some... "Th's pro'bly came from when Malik an' his ghouls got me," he said with a cough, the excuse coming quickly as his eyes drifted over the cut on his arm. The blond gave a sudden hiss as the cut in question was lightly dabbed by Syn's antiseptic, barely resisting the urge to pull his arm back as the dried blood was cleared from the wound. Hopefully that excuse worked but... Eeeeehhh... It even looked like a bunch of fingers looking at it now, damn it!
Yet despite what he'd just said it was apparently a strong enough defense for his friend, as the doctor gave a slow nod before carefully wrapping some bandages around a patch of gauze he'd applied. "I understand," he muttered, Katsuya watching as the bandages were firmly taped into place. "Now then..." Syn moved the used supplies to the side, taking the stethoscope from back around his neck. "This will only take a moment," he explained as he took a seat on the stool, "I'll just be checking for any remaining water in your lungs, along with your breathing and heart rate, just to make sure you're alright... Now..." The blond tensed up somewhat as the cold metal touched his bruised skin, nonetheless going through the motions of the check up as he calmed back down. "Take a deep breath in," he asked slowly, the response immediate. Easily done, just had to hide the wince from his stupid cracked rib... "Now take a deep breathe out," the doctor continued, Katsuya doing just so as he again hid the flinch. Huh... It'd been a while since he'd had to do this, that was interesting... (Was that bad or good though...) "Now again," the doctor was muttering, "Breathe in..."
And out... Katsuya's eyes drifted over to the two Yugis as he subconsciously followed the instructions, the more ghostly of the pair hovering between the two as he spoke. "It seems that these next few battles will be a test of sorts," the spirit was muttering, his friends nodding somewhat in response. "Besides our strength as a whole," he added with a slight frown, "There's also the God cards..."
"Kaiba's Obelisk, Malik's Ra... And Osiris," Yugi added, the spirit and his friend both frowning somewhat. Come to think...
That cloud he'd seen before... "On to the other side now," Syn was muttering as he moved the stethoscope, Yugi and Katsuya only barely paying attention as they continued their 'conversation'.
"Three gods," Katsuya muttered, pulling a face. He hadn't even seen those things and he knew that the name wasn't something to take lightly... "Hihhh..! When those things clash, it's gonna be intense I bet..." Really intense... 'Earth-changing' one could almost say, which was more or less frightening to say the least. Briefly, the doctor looked up from his work, only to return to what he was doing as he muttered a calm 'breathe in'. Whether or not Syn was caring that his patients appeared to be speaking to themselves seemed to be a matter of 'minding his own business' thankfully. But on the topic of the Gods Yugi was merely narrowing his eyes, arms crossed with thought.
"The gods are one thing," he muttered, shaking his head somewhat. "We know who has them, so even though they're a threat we have an idea of what to expect. But I'm more worried about the 'eighth duelist'," he continued, looking to his partner with a frown. "I know all of the competitors made it," the boy added, "But I still haven't seen him..."
"Hnnn..." The other Yugi nodded at that, his own frown deepening. "And who knows what kind of man this duelist is..." Yea, tell him about i-
Wait, 'man'? The blond jumped somewhat as his vision briefly clouded, Syn looking back with a blink. "Ah... Sorry about that," he said with a cough, having only just finished. "I would imagine that bruise is quite tender..." He folded his stethoscope back up, ignoring the fact that Katsuya had said nothing about the device being the source of his sudden shock. "You're all clear," the doctor continued, "But I'm going to get you some pain medication for that bruise just to be safe... You can put your shirt back on in the meantime," he added with a smile, moving to open the 'storage' room at the side.
Pain meds..? "Eh... Sure," he said with a nod, watching the man disappear into the next room. The blond waited a few moments, before looking at the others and sliding off the bench. "Hey, you sure this guy's a... Well, a guy," he asked, the two Yugis raising their eyebrows.
"Hn? You think otherwise," the spirit questioned, his friend currently looking over his tattered jacket with a frown.
Damn, this thing really was dead... He grabbed his shirt from the tiny pile, pulling it over as his friends continued muttering behind him. "Jonouchi-kun," Yugi was saying with a slight frown, "What makes you think that?"
Er... Just a weird flash of a lady from behind, no big deal... Actually, she'd seemed kinda familiar despite the fact that all he really saw other than white fabric were tanned ankles and hands. Ahh... But he couldn't really say that could he..? Katsuya coughed, before shrugging as he grabbed the duel-disk from the side. "Just a feelin'," he said somewhat absently, watching as the doctor returned before clacking the disk into place. "Ah..."
"Here," the man said with a smile, passing the blond a small pill before placing the bottle at the side. "Tylenol. It should last about eight hours," Syn went on, taking a small paper cup and filling it with water from the sink at the side, "But if there's any pain or discomfort don't hesitate to ask." He handed the cup forward, Katsuya looking at the pill and water with a raised eyebrow. Eh... Pills...
That was new... Hell, besides cold syrup, he didn't really... Use meds. He shook it off, tossing the pill back with the water before throwing the cup into the trash. Eh, he mind as well, lest the doctor call up Seto he supposed. Of course, with his luck, the stuff wouldn't work but...
-Attention duelists,- a sudden voice cut through the air, a speaker system clearly visible above the door. Yugi and his friends both turned at the voice, listening as a woman's steady tone came over the system. -If all competitors could please enter the dining hall to the far end of the second floor for tournament briefing and complimentary dinner...- Oh hey, the tourna- Wait what?
Dinner? "Ah- Righ', Seto-chan said somethin' abou' food," Katsuya muttered aloud, grinning as he stowed his shredded jacket under his shoulder. "Sweet! It's startin' already!..!"
"We should get going then," Yugi said with a smile, stepping out of the room as the door opened. "Jonouchi-kun, I'll see you in a moment alright?"
"As will I," his partner added, hovering behind the boy as Katsuya nodded.
"Righ'! I'll see yah upstairs then," he shouted, moving toward the stairs before turning back. "Hey thanks f'r th' check over," he shouted, Yugi adding in his own polite thanks as the doctor smiled. Okay! The blond charged up the stairs, hand gripping the railing as he clutched his jacket. From what he could tell, everyone had already headed up to the main room really, with his own room door still completely shut. He and Yugi would be the last ones up there he supposed, and-
"Jonouchi-sa- Eh... Jonouchi," an accented voice corrected, the blond freezing somewhat as he turned from the stairs. Blond hair and a faded lavender vest met his gaze, Katsuya mentally wincing as the young man waved.
Great... 'Namu'. Ah... The teen blinked, glancing at the small flaming spirit on the tanned one's shoulder before answering. "Ah... Hey... Namu..." That spirit was staring at him right now...
If 'Namu' realized he was getting a cold shoulder however, he certainly didn't say anything as the pair made their way upstairs. In fact, a smile remained almost permanently fixed to his face as they moved, adding to the unease of the blond ahead of him. "Listen, Jonouchi," he was saying, bag still on his shoulder for some strange reason beyond him. "If we're battling, please try to go easy on me," Namu asked, stepping into the hallway behind Katsuya with a swallow. "I'm just a beginner that got lucky really, so..."
So what, increase his luck? See, before he went into the 'if he believed it' territory, Namu didn't feel like a beginner, and that was the problem. His voice seemed quiet and somewhat insecure, but there was an underlying tone of manipulation... And the way he held himself, it seemed as though he was forcing himself to slouched just slightly in apparent unease, with a slight spark in his eyes that said the same thing. And as he took all that in, he still couldn't help but glance at the flame on Namu's shoulder before pulling his gaze away. "Sorry," he hurriedly said with a barely hidden look of suspicion, moving to put a hand on the door before them with a swallow. "But I ain't th' kind of guy t' go easy on someone jus' cause they ask... Even with my friends, I go all out," he continued, looking away as the spirit on Namu's shoulder stared at him. God...
That eye... Scaring the crap out of him damn it... And yet there was no way he could or couldn't know what it was, there were just too many different cards in the world it could match to! Namu bowed from beside the blond as they pushed the main door open, smiling somewhat frigidly as he moved past his 'friend. "I understand," he said rather flatly, an oddly cold undertone meeting the blond's ears at the same time. "I'll fight with all I have then, understand?"
"...Right!" And would he ever... When the time came, of course. Briefly the blond cut those thoughts short, staring at the large room before him with wide eyes as he swallowed. "W-Woaahh..." It was huge... A curved round ceiling sat above, pushing the limits of the already enormous 'ship', and a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon statue of sorts stood at the far end with tables laden with food before it. Personally he told himself, the statue really didn't do the 'Ultimate Dragon' justice... It was 'blocky', with two mouths bowed and hanging open before trays with the third encased within a sphere of glass. But he had little time to contemplate the inaccuracy of things as a voice came from behind him.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way in," Seto was muttering as she passed, Katsuya jumping in response as he caught the smirk on the woman's face.
A thick scowl came over him, tattered jacket hanging from his hand as he growled. "O-Oiii..." Well... Whatever then! He'd get her back in the tournament! "I'm definitely gonna beat her this time," he told himself with those thoughts, "Definitely... No matter what..!"
"Er... Good luck with that?" The blond turned as Mokuba raised an eyebrow, an odd look on his face as they walked into the room toward where their friends had already pushed two tables together. "Besides the fact that I still think Nii-sama's going to win this tournament," he began with a slight cough, "I thought Yugi was the one that did the talking-to-himself..."
"Nah, Yugi talks t' the other Yugi," Katsuya said with a shrug, "That ain't talkin' to 'mself. We jus' don' hea- O-Oii," he growled, quickly realizing the hole he was in, "I don' talk t' myself damn it!"
"Hahaha..." The boy merely smirked, shaking his head as they stood in the entrance of the room. "Whatever you say Katsuya-nii... I'll make sure not to tell your sister." Mokuba 'winked' at that one, unable to keep a grin off his face at the blond's reaction.
Ooooogh... Of all things damn it, he wasn't! ...Well, he supposed he was wasn't he. "Oh... Tha' r'minds me..." Mokuba turned, blinking as his friend looked back with a calmer and more curious expression. "Did S- Did Kaiba really not know about where th' finals were," he asked, the boy beside him chuckling under his breath at the question.
"Oh... He knew that we'd be taking this to the finals," he said cryptically, the blond sputtering at the comment as he realized what that meant. "But I'll explain later. I'll be sitting with Nii-sama, alright," he added, waving somewhat as he moved toward the other side of the room. The boy ran off, Katsuya shouting various unintelligible phrases after him before looking over at the now four joined tables with disdain.
"Gh- Damn it..." She said within city limits at the tournament announce ment! How he knew that was his stupid flash thing, but he knew he was right! Somehow... Ah well... He continued to stare at the tables, frowning as he walked over. Bakura's table he could understand, and he definitely got why the others had pushed his and Yugi's in as well... After all, more space for them, and they were all friends; it'd just be rude and awkward to keep the tables separate.
But Namu's? Did they seriously have to add Namu's to the mix? As it was, the fact that Honda was sitting beside his sister was ticking him off, but- "Ah, Jonouchi-kun," Bakura said politely, an odd gleam in his eye as the blond shuddered. The albino turned from where he sat at one end of the 'table', a full plate of food already sitting before him as he ate. Sheeeesh... The tone sounded like the other Bakura's rather than the lighter, softer tones, but with the honorifics there... Why the hell couldn't life be more simple damn it? "They're about to start briefing us on the tournament," Bakura was saying as his friend came over, hanging his jacket loosely on an empty chair arm, "And besides that, it's an all you can eat buffet!" A shark-like grin came over him with those words, a large steak already in front of him and dripping with grease and sauce. The teen seemed to eye the dish hungrily, fork and knife clenched in his hands. "And with food like this..."
Ah- Katsuya froze somewhat as he took his seat, staring at Bakura in slight incredulity. "All... All you can eat," he repeated, Bakura appearing to give him an uncharacteristic 'well duh' look in response. "S-Seriously," the blond muttered, looking back to the tables before grabbing his plate with a grin. "Sweet," he shouted, the others at the tables shaking their heads. "I'm gonna go back f'r seconds, an' thirds, an'-"
A woman in a suit passed by, the others dropping their forks and cups in response as she turned toward them. For all appearances, had Anzu not been sitting right beside Malik, she would have passed quite easily for her. At least until you compared 'smiles', as the one Kyouko had on her face was akin to the expression a normal person was supposed to run from. "Ah, Jonouchi... Seto-sama asked that I tell you that due to the number of people who have mysteriously been found aboard the ship, the buffet has been limited to one plate per person... So try not to break that rule," she added with a dangerously sweet tone, the blond paling as he looked back.
O-One... "Awwww... Seriously," he groaned, sinking in his chair as Bakura chuckled beside him. "Aww man... I ain't gonna fit all tha' food on one plate..."
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Well," Bakura muttered, stabbing his steak with the fork, "One plate is fine for me I suppose..." The teen appeared to stare at the food a moment, before eagerly tearing into his steak as the others stared blankly.
"Er... Wow," Honda asked with a cough, watching as the grease and fluids dripped and flew off the meat, "You going to give it a chance to run away," he 'asked', Ryuzaki appearing to be wondering just what kind of person he was going to be bunking with.
Bakura gave no answer, instead muttering something about the steak not being 'bloody' enough and continuing to eat just as frantically, a round of awkward coughs and stares filling the air as a result. Riiiiight... Well. Um... Speaking of... Other things... "O-Oi... Kyouko," he asked, turning back to the woman behind him as the former maid nodded. "Since when were you..."
"'Not' a maid," she asked with a raised eyebrow, straightening herself in a proud and rigid pose. The woman continued to beam at the group, hands folded behind her back as she explained. "I was temporarily promoted," she announced proudly, "To tournament security, due to the absence of one of our 'usual' replacements." Kyouko winked at that, the blond before her coughing as she continued on. "I was going through the training during my free time," the woman explained, nodding her head somewhat as the others stared. "Besides... It's nice to wear a suit instead of the usual uniform," she said with a stretch, before turning to the front and replacing the somewhat serious gaze. "Ah... We're starting..." They were? The woman rushed off, the others of the staff following after her while Yugi came in to take a seat across from Jonouchi.
"I didn't miss anything, right," he asked, eyes filled with slight worry as his 'other' opted to glare at Bakura from behind the albino.
The group more or less shook their heads in response, glancing back at the front as the lights abruptly dimmed. "Nah... Jus' startin' according to Kyouko," he answered, a spotlight clearly illuminating the stage far to the front.
"Yea. And speaking of 'Kyouko'," Otogi added with a cough, looking back from the stage toward his friend, "When you said she looks like Anzu..."
"You really weren't lying," Honda muttered, staring at the woman incredulously before looking at the physical double. "Hey Anzu," he asked, "Are you two related?"
The woman raised her eyebrows from where she was sitting by 'Namu', shaking her head after a moment of silent. "I'm... Pretty sure I'd know about that," she said somewhat blankly, looking back to the front before shrugging. "Believe me," she continued with a cough, "I'm just as confused..."
"Hn... I'm more confused about the empty table," Ryuzaki muttered from beside the blond, the others looking across to where Seto and 'Malik' had appeared to just about divide their half of the room among themselves. Mai was currently sitting at the table near Seto's herself, rather than taking the chance of 'annoying' the more frightening looking of the two. As it was however, it looked as though she'd been striking conversation with Mokuba before the lights came off. Between Mai's own table and 'Malik's however, there was still the empty one. And given the closed doors at the side, it would remain as such. "If there's an eighth duelist," Ryuzaki was questioning, "Then how come they aren't here for the briefing?"
"Maybe they're just late," Shizuka said with a shrug, staring at the table from across her friend before a loud and clearly amplified voice came from the front.
"If I could have your attention," Isono requested clearly, a headset barely visible on his ear. The man stood at the center of the stage, looking across the room clearly as an additional female guard stood with Kyouko by the large Blue-Eyes structure. "Before we start with the dinner," the man announced, "I would first like to extend a 'Thank-you' from the whole of Kaiba Corporation for attending this competition. It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the semi-finals of this tournament, and I wish each of you luck in the continuing matches." So Mokuba was right, this was only the semi's... Damn it, then where were the finals! "Now," the man continued, gesturing behind him to the dragon. It was only now that the light revealed a series of 'bubbles' ricochetting around the sphere, bouncing back and forth across the dragon's currently closed maw. "As you can see," Isono was saying as he gestured to the machine, "This device is currently scrambling a series of bubbles, each with a number written on its front. These numbers correspond to your rooms," he explained clearly, "And will be matched at random to decide the following semi-final matches." Ah- Random picking?
"Sheesh..." The blond shook his head, leaning against the table as the others listened intently. "Pretty old fashioned way t' pick a match," Katsuya grumbled, looking at the enormous glass sphere locked around the middle dragon's head.
"The first match will be decided before the diner begins, so as to allow time to prepare," Isono was continuing clearly, silence reverberating about the room in his stead. "After the decision is made," he explained, "There will be a half-hour more to eat and meet at the arena above." Half hour more? Wait, so he could have eaten already! The blond scowled with those words, nonetheless listening closely as Isono continued. "This arena can be accessed through the elevator located at the far end of the halls on both floors, beside the stairways," he explained, "And will take place above the airship itself! Now then," the man shouted, gasps coming from their own side of the room in response to the 'above the airship' revelation, "Without further ado, we will decide the first match! Please listen carefully!" He turned, motioning to the two guards as each one pulled a small switch located on the left and right-most dragon heads. The spheres bounced around constantly, the dragon's each opening their mouths momentarily as the balls continued to scatter about.
With a resounding clatter a pair fell through the middle head's mouth, device closing abruptly to prevent further spheres from entering. The two balls clattered out through the remaining dragon's mouths, Kyouko and the second guard both holding the spheres out to Isono as the taller looked them over. "Alright," he shouted, turning back as the two women behind him dropped the spheres in some sort of canister to the side. "For the first match," the man announced, "Duelist number 'Three', Bakura Ryou!" Bakura appeared to choke on his food for a moment with that shout, wheezing back a swallow before pointing at himself incredulously.
"Gh- E-Eh? I'm first," he exclaimed, Katsuya laughing somewhat as the more 'familiar' tones of the albino hit the air.
"Hahaha..! That's some luck," Honda said with a grin, looking around Otogi from where he sat beside Namu. "Hey, do your best alright," he added, the others still beaming at the teen.
Bakura merely bowed his head, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm the first one picked... This is so unnerving..."
"I wonder who you'll be facing," Yugi muttered, a number appearing in Katsuya's mind as the blond raised his eyebrows. Ohhh...
He had an idea... "For the next duelist," Isono shouted, "Number 'Seven' Mutou Yugi!" Yugi jumped at the announcement, his question quickly answered as his other blinked in mild surprise. "Now, with the first match decided," the man went on, "I ask that you enjoy your meals... And as a final warning," he continued clearly, "Those competing cannot be more than five minutes late to their official duel, lest they be disqualified on the spot. All others may stand as spectators if they so wish however, and are free to come and go as they please. So, with those final warnings, enjoy your stay on the Battle Ship," he shouted clearly, "And may the best duelist win!" With that Isono bowed his head, the lights filling the room once more as he stepped away to join the guards at the side. Attentions were drawn back toward tables and food, those on the other side already moving to get their dinners as Katsuya and the others turned to the two soon to be opponents.
It was actually almost funny, having a Bakura VS Yugi match all over again... And of course, so long as there wasn't any creepy 'Monster World' business, it could actually be fun! Or at least, the other Yugi seemed to think this. Everyone else were more or less looking to the albino in pity, the boy sighing as he bowed his head. "Hehh... I can't believe I'm against Yugi..." The albino laughed somewhat nervously, turning to his friend. "I hope I do we- A-AH!" Bakura jumped abruptly as the face he turned to gained the stern 'glare' that the other Yugi was so well known for, swallowing as his friend raised an eyebrow. "A-Ah... Yugi..."
"Eh... Y-Yugi," Katsuya asked, blinking as the lighter half hovered in the air beside them. "What..."
The spirit shrugged, smiling. "I decided that since the other me is going to be dueling, he should have the body for now... Sorry about not saying anything." No no, really, it was fine, just...
Getting blasted in the side by a sudden wind while they were in an airship was scary as hell. "Man... Yugi against Bakura," Honda muttered as he grabbed his plate, shaking himself as he stood with a few of the others to get his food. "This fight mind as well be rigged," he continued, Otogi and Namu following behind him to the tables of food at the side.
Speaking of Bakura... Hihhh... If he had an occult deck, maybe he would have to stand closer to Yugi's side rather than the middle of whatever arena they were going on. And speaking of cards..! "Hey... Bakura," he asked curiously, looking to the teen, "Tha' r'minds me..." The albino turned, a majority of the others clearing the table to get their food as they left the blond alone with the teen. "I get that y' got all yer cards," he continued in reference to the locator devices, "But how did y' get them so fast..?"
Bakura seemed to blink at that, eyebrows raised as he swallowed a few carrots. "Oh! Well, it was actually quite easy," the teen said with a smile, swallowing a bit of the potatoes still left on his plate before continuing. "While taking a short cut through the cemetery," he explained, "I ran into Kotsuzuka-san..." K-Kotsuzuka..! The image of the boy in the middle of the cemetery came all to clearly to his mind, eerie moonlight illuminating his vision as Bakura spoke. "We dueled 'all or nothing'," he continued on, the view of the graveyard very quickly revealing itself as more than just his imagination. A sudden flash of Kotsuzuka came to mind in the darkness of the early evening location, changing from a sneering grin to a horrified look of failure. "After I won," Bakura was saying, seemingly oblivious to his friend's paling guise, "I received all of his locator cards... Now. If you excuse me," he said with a curt nod, finishing off his food before standing from the table, "I'm going to prepare for my match... Wish me luck!"
The blond weakly nodded, swallowing as he stood to get his own food in the meantime. Y-Yea... Good... Good luck then... A shudder ran down his spine as the 'vision' came further into mind, terrified shrieks filling his head as he winced. Kotsuzuka... Kotsuzuka was being pulled, but the things pulling him were... Hands, decayed and rotted hands, some of bone some of muscle, and he could hear laughing...
"...Jonouchi-kun," Yugi asked, the blond swallowing as he turned to the spirit beside him. Evidently the 'ghostly' half opted to stay behind while his other filled his plate, taking advantage of being the one in control for a meal this time. Unfortunately, this also meant that as Katsuya's vision settled back to the plate in his hands and the table he was getting in line for, his obvious cold dread was clearly visible to the boy. "...Jonouchi-kun, are you alright?"
Katsuya gave a somewhat shuddering breath, choking as he hurriedly nodded. "Y-Yea... Yea I'm fine," he muttered, keeping his voice low as Ryuzaki gave him an odd look from ahead in the line. Bad enough the duel monsters but... Trying to explain seeing things that either would happen or already had happened wasn't something he wanted to do. "Jus' th' image 'f Kotsuzuka's monsters in a cemetery, y' know? It... It's creepy..." More like terrifying actually... How the hell was he supposed to duel let alone sleep now?
His friend stared for a moment as Katsuya mentally crossed his fingers, before eventually nodding. "You never change do you," he said with a slight laugh, shaking his head as he looked at the blond. "At least not when it comes to the paranormal, huh..."
"Hahaha... Yep," he said with a quiet laugh, doling as much food as he could fit on the plate as possible. Hey, if he only had one run at this... Mind as well take advantage of that! Hell who knew, maybe the taste would distract him from... "Man..." Katsuya swallowed, again shaking himself. "An occult deck agains' zombies..." Another shudder ran through him, the blond forcing the image of a screaming Kotsuzuka from mind as he made his way back to the table with his food. "Am I glad I don' have t' fight him," he said with a laugh, a somewhat shorter one coming from the side.
"Heh! Already know what's in there," Ryuzaki asked, the blond shaking his head.
"All I need t' know is that it's occult theme," he said with a shudder, "An' I'm good... An' I gotta be blunt on this," the blond added with a swallow, "I have never felt so relieved tha' Yugi was fightin' someone..."
The boy across from him snorted at that, a small smirk on his face. "Well! This better not mean you won't go all out when we face off ourselves," Yugi countered lightly, his friend brushing off the suggestion with ease.
"Pff! As if," he said with a laugh. "I'm gonna win fair an' square an' get tha' Red-Eyes back!" Of course, the dragon didn't seem to care, he was still sleeping...
The one beside him certainly cared though. "Red-" Ryuzaki balked, choking on what he'd been eating as the blond beside him began wolfing his own food down with relative zeal. "You gave Red-Eyes to him," he shouted, eyes widening as he stared. The two teens in question stared at the outburst, Shizuka as well looking up from her plate while the her friend groaned. "Auuuuughhh... You idiot... You're never going to get it back now," he moaned, burying his hands in his head before jumping as he was poked with a fork. "Ack!"
"Keichi," Shizuka was saying with a growl as she pulled the fork back, "Watch what you say about my brother..."
"Y-Yea," Katsuya countered somewhat tensely, "I still have a fair shot! We hav'n' dueled jus' yet!" Not a big one granted but... Hey, all his losses had to mean he'd been learning something about Yugi's deck right? Even... If there was a God... He pushed the thought from mind, continuing with his stubborn self-defense. "You don' know that I'll lose f'r sure... So don' jus' act like I already have!" Though even as he said this, the dragon certainly looked quite comfortable on the other Yugi's shoulder, small streams of smoke furling from its nostrils as it snored.
Ryuzaki however, merely continued to groan at that, holding his head as his own 'partner' and raptor shook its head from behind him. "Auggggghhhh..." Oi oi oi... Stop groaning... "It's useless..!"
It was not! "Y' know," the blond growled dryly, "These 'r really big words comin' from th' guy tha' was knocked outta th' tournament..."
"Yea but I was knocked out because of a cheat," the boy hissed, his friend sighing as the two momentarily stopped eating to argue. "And the fact is," he continued with an accusing point, "If it wasn't for that I'd have probably been one of the finalists here!"
"Well yea," Katsuya responded with a shrug, "But I'm still here while you're jus' watchin'... Not t' mention," he added somewhat smugly, "I beat Haga on th' way here! An' seein' how Haga beat y' th' first time around," the blond continued, trailing off as the boy beside him scowled.
"Your defense sucks..! Haga got knocked flat out of the Duelist Kingdom in his first match," Ryuzaki growled, Shizuka and all those others remaining at the table sighing as the bickering continued. "I might not have made it to the finals," the boy muttered darkly, "But that's only because I didn't get there in time; I was just as qualified as you were, got it?"
Just as qualified..? "An' what's tha' s'pposed t' mean," the blond muttered, gaining a stiff nod in response as the boy seemed to say 'what do you think'. What did he think? Well what was he supposed to think, seriously, that-
"Ah..." Katsuya turned somewhat as he glanced to the normal Yugi, the spirit currently 'sitting' in Bakura's abandoned chair. "...Don't tell me he got ten star chips only to end up 'fifth'," Yugi muttered, staring as the boy before them held his glare. "...That... That would mean he went through one of the player killers," he continued with a swallow, his other self as well raising his eyebrows at that. One... One of the-
Katsuya's frown plummeted as he recalled the 'player killers' of the island, swallowing. "Wait... You..." He went through one of those?
Again the only response was a glare, a sigh coming from the side. "Can you please stop arguing," Shizuka said with a frown, the two both turning to her as she stared from across the table. "Nihan... Keichi... I don't know what happened on that island," she said seriously, "But you're not 'duelists' fighting each other right now, you're my brother and friend, so please, try to get along..!"
The two both stared at the slightly exasperated look, Ryuzaki slowly nodding as he stepped away from the table. "Right," he said quietly, pushing the chair in with his foot as he turned away. "Sorry Shizka... I'm gonna go grab my jacket," he continued, disappearing from the room. "See you outside in the arena." Outside?
...Of course. It was on top of an airship, of course it was outside. Shizuka watched her friend leave, nodding somewhat curtly in response. "Right! I'll see you then!" The girl smiled as her friend left, before fixing a frown on her brother. "Hnnng... Nihan..."
Eh! "W-What," he asked in protest, the others momentarily staring themselves as the 'shy-ish' girl they knew dropped into still more agitated mannerisms.
"Hnnnggh... Nihan, you just don't get these things at all," she muttered, shaking her head as she scowled. The girl held this look, her brother staring for a moment before she moved to leave. "I'll see you in the arena as well," she decided, walking away.
What? What did that even..? "O-Oi..! Shizuka!"
Hahhh... Damn it. The table fell quiet at that, the group left to its 'bare-bones' besides the addition of Malik and the absence of Bakura for the moment. "I wonder why the eighth duelist never showed up," Otogi was muttering in the resulted silence, the others turning to the empty table in question as the room cleared just slightly more. 'Malik' and Mai had both left a fair amount of time ago while they were talking and eating, with the Kaiba siblings leaving at that very moment. While Seto was calmly walking toward the door and minutely sending a competitive glare toward Yugi, Mokuba was waving somewhat cheerily before disappearing before the again closed door. As it was, even if that side of the room hadn't emptied completely, their own side was notably full in contrast, with only the two security guards remaining at their posts near the Blue-Eyes statue. And throughout it all, that single table at the opposite end had remained completely empty...
That one woman in white that he'd seen for a split second had remained behind in the darkness of her room it seemed, sitting at the edge of a bed in the darkness and- Damn it, he really needed to get a cap on this thing. The teens at the table briefly held their stare across the room, frowns on their faces in light of Otogi's statement. "Maybe he thought the duels would be decided by matching numbers to numbers," Honda said with a shrug, Katsuya mentally replacing the 'he' with a 'she' in his mind.
"Well we know that three and seven are taken," Anzu added in response to the theory, Yugi nodding somewhat with the mention of his number. "Not to mention two, one, and five..."
"And four as well," Namu added from the end of the table, before standing up to grab his bag. "That's my number," he said with a slight smile. "Anyways... I'll be right back, please excuse me..." He quickly bowed his head, before pulling the bag on his shoulders as the spirit as well adjusted itself. He was leaving now..? But why...
The majority of the table nodded despite the slight oddness of the situation, watching the tanned young man walk off to leave the room before turning back to listen to Anzu. "You were saying," Honda asked, the woman blinking off a somewhat spaced look that had momentarily come over her.
"Saying- Oh, right!" Anzu coughed, shaking herself before going on as the others stared. "So numbers one through five are taken, along with seven," she said with a nod, arms crossed. "It's only natural that with whatever card this eighth duelist got, he figured he wouldn't be called up... After all, with just six and eight remaining..."
"That's true," the other Yugi muttered from the side, the others jumping somewhat as they realized he was still there. "But to come this far and simply hide away" he continued somewhat suspiciously, "Even with that in mind..."
"It doesn't make sense," the lighter half continued from the statement, ignoring the fact that only two people could hear him as he spoke. "Even if they didn't want to do any socializing," he muttered with a frown, "They would have at least wanted to come for the briefing... Who knows what kind of information they would have missed otherwise!"
Well, they could have missed anything really... Unless... A thought came through his mind, eyes narrowed with thought and suspicion both as he crossed his arms. "'Nless they already knew," he said somewhat plainly, staring at the table with a frown. If they'd already known...
"Ah... What," Otogi said somewhat bluntly, the others turning to stare as their friend jumped under the question. Erk- Did he... Did he say that out loud? Crap, how was he going to cover-
"What was that," Anzu asked abruptly, an odd glimmer appearing in her eyes as Katsuya turned. "Did you say..."
Katsuya's chair was quickly pushed back, the blond moving from around it as he stood. "Nothin'," he said rather briskly, moving back from the chair with an unnerved swallow. "'S nothin'," he continued quickly. "I'll see y' on th' arena alrigh'," the blond muttered at a near whisper, "I gotta go check somethin'... I... ...I'll be righ' back..." Terrible excuse, terrible terrible...
But without another word he left the room, the others at the table staring as the door closed quickly behind him. He just needed a place to calm off, just... Just calm off... The closest 'place' turned out to be a bathroom stall in the men's rooms at the side of the hall, but right now he didn't care. The sink was turned on the instant he got into the room, splashing cold water over his almost white face. Hah... Hahh... Katsuya leaned against the counter with a shudder, forcing back a scream as he bowed his head and shook. Why... Why, why why...
When Anzu asked him what he'd been talking about, her eyes... He'd only glanced and in that moment they'd gone golden in colour, contrasting the usual light brown and blue eyes. And her voice...
Her voice!
"Did you say... You already knew..?" Why...
Why?
AN: Because I CAN Jonouchi. Er. Or something. Now he's in a real spot; tell everyone Anzu's under creepy mind control and somehow explain 'Oh yea, I have really weird powers that I don't know a clue about'... Or does he keep quiet, and hold off until Malik makes the first move? Because remember, most of the incidents where those sorts of 'powers' arise involve those same people stealing souls. So it's kind of a 'tomato in the mirror' situation. Except even worse, he doesn't have a Millennium Item to use as an excuse. (I would imagine that even having an item would make it somewhat less awkward.)
Anyways, this chapter is slightly shorter than the 'standard' (It's growing it seems), but this is mostly because of how well it ended at that line; there was going to be a bit more to the scene, but because of the context, I can use it to start off the next chapter, 'YugiVSBakura' instead. In fact, it's better that way. Go me!
Also in the next chapter will be the determining of the following match-up (Jou VS Rishid), and, should the length not be too bad, the events that take place before it actually starts. Depending on what I decide on, the format of the next chapter will effectively be what makes up those ahead of it... Well, unless you count certain visionary aspects in between of course.
So really, it's a work in progress that wholly depends on how long the duels themselves are; thankfully, I use the manga for most of these (Anime-only arcs being an obvious exception), and the manga duels are considerably shorter in comparison.
Possibly because in the anime, they have to take two episodes 'at minimum' it seems...
And in other news, using BlueLagoonLoon's recommendation of an August birthday, I scanned and scoured a 'Birthday-Horoscope Guide' (Which analyzes the days of the year, giving each date a specific write up of personality) before deciding on the 18th. Now normally, this would just seem silly.
But I only did this because I got bored and was searching up the birthdates of other characters... And you know what? The description matches with frightening accuracy when it comes to Seto.
Also, I found out Rishid's age while reading the manga; he's 25 in there, but due to slight timing differences, it's more likely that he's 26 already.
...Hey! He's around Mai's age!
Anonymous Review Responses
I hear that once you dump a parody, you're never the same Iona.
And yes… This interference will be a continual source of amusement for me too, not to mention his 'boarding problems' as we go; you can probably guess what's going to happen even just now, with the initial plan to share Bakura's room. (Bakura having only agreed because it would bug the others as it is.)
And… Hnn.. I just checked it over, but it looks as though the 'j' in 'jpg' decided to upper-case itself for some reason. If you replace it with a little 'j', it should work.
And yes… As you can tell, Yami's comment isn't helping at all, despite the fact that the only reason this happened is because of the combined concentration of sheer power resulting from the combined presence of Jonouchi (effectively the closest thing to a powerhouse you can get in this fanfic without being tied to an item or the seal of orichalcos), the Rod, and the puzzle. It's power times three!
And there was Fluffy here, but there'll be even more next chapter! …And then he'll have to go sit on a bus, as his coma will be there... Well, mostly on a bus, but that's for you all to figure out.
Until then, enjoy the above!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that should really stop being so mean to Jonouchi; the guy needs his sleep!
This chapter's title says it all... For both Seto (Who is otherwise glaring at the wet binding) and Jonouchi... The latter for far more obvious reasons in this particular chapter.
Due to the way I made the floorplan, there's no spot for windows like the anime and manga; all of the windows are in rooms, which leave a hallway through the centre. The only windows as a result are by the staircase, as anything toward the rear of the airship is either storage oriented or mechanical.
There's shout-outs everywhere! Calpico for one, is a drink of sorts... It's not really a 'soft drink', as it's not carbonated, but it's not really juice either. It looks kinda like weird milk...
But it's soooooo good...
Also making a cameo is a small series of shorts called 'Maru Neko' (Maru... the Cat.), for the name of this absolutely adorable round cat doing various things... Such as trying and failing to climb a wooden shelf unit, jumping in and out of a cardboard box, or hilariously digging frantically at the drain of a sink. You can watch these on College Humor actually; just search 'Maru Cat' and you should get them.
A fair bit of Kaiba's dialogue was altered here; shortly after Jonouchi started bragging, Kaiba shot him down in the original, both anime and manga. However, so as to get everyone cleared for 'safe' duelling (Lets face it, there's nothing safe about this), Kaiba's acting quite a bit different in the fanfic… And so as to preserve the idea that they hate each other, she doesn't drag him off until after Ryuzaki ducks back into another room. After all, if someone were to see her drag the blond off, it'd be fairly hard to claim that she still hates the moron.
Another room attached to the doctor's office? But that wasn't on the plan! Well it's there… I forgot to put it on though, as like I said above, most of the rooms beyond that point are all storage oriented. It's where all the monitors and systems for emergencies are stored; Kaiba was notably paranoid about the event, and rightfully so, given that by the end of it we have three, temporarily four of the competitors in comas... Not to mention that in the manga, Malik actually kills a member of the staff. Hihhhhh...
If you didn't catch the pun in Dr. Syn's name, you should really be ashamed of yourself. Though something tells me that the name (Which really is pronounced 'sin') wouldn't be a name in that language. Mostly because it translated to 'O'. Ehhhh...
As for why Kaiba has an Arabic doctor, she doesn't. Syn is American, and while it sounds a little weird to hire out of the country, this is where being a really good doctor means you're more likely to get hired... And where you don't just look at your own country. In other words, Syn stood out compared to the Japanese docs when it came to the need for a private and trusted physician. (Though the second doctor is in fact native Japanese.) Also, keep in mind that Kaiba likely takes numerous business trips to the US, as her main company export concerns an American company. Sure, the people who took it over (The Tenma brothers from Yugioh R) have Japanese names, but they're still located in the States. So having an American doctor would actually be pretty handy... That's not the reason he was hired of course. (Syn's actually been around for a while)
In any case, more on this later if it turns out to be 'relevant'... Or, if I get questions, I'll just answer them then. Yay~
Tylenol is distributed in not just North America, but also Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, Puerto Rico, Myanmar, Peru, Thailand, and Japan. Learn something new everyday!
Besides Malik's fun with vocal-disguises here, a little note on the 'Rod' spirit that's sitting on his shoulder. It doesn't have teeth right now; that's why, despite all his paranoia, Katsuya can't actually be sure that whatever ulterior motive he has is actually from 'Malik'... For all he knows, it could be a card. Particularly since there really is a monster out there that looks like a small flame with an eye; it's called, rather accurately, 'Fire Eye'. (Though that monster also has wings so...)
Also, 'namu' is apparently Arabic for 'growth', 'development', 'prosperity' and so on. Interesting. (It also sounds more like 'namo'...)
Malik is carrying his bag around because his Millennium Rod is in there. He's not stupid enough to leave it unattended in his room after all, and the fact is, it's too easily spotted if it's not in a bag. Unless you'd like to explain how he hid it in his pants.
Actually don't, PLEASE.
For those wondering whose number is what in the fanfic, it's like this; Kaiba has room number one of course, with each room on the 'first floor' labeled in order moving down. Jonouchi is number 2, Bakura 3, Malik 4, Mai is 5, Rishid is 6, and lastly, after Yugi's number '7', Ishizu sits at number '8'.
Since Yami Bakura's pretending to be his lighter half, he's using honorifics right now. And, since he didn't know Kotsuzuka that well, he's using 'san' rather than 'kun' as a result of that cover. And also yes, I included the steak scene from the anime. Mmmmmm delicious.
Besides, you can't deny that Yami Bakura likes his food. (And for a good reason that's similar to Yami Yugi's; they've both been dead and gone for thousands of years, the chance to eat, let alone simply taste something is incredible.)
Hey look, Red-Eyes… Something you might be wondering, but does Jou get him back? Well, we never see that match between the two (Yugi keeping it until Jonouchi beat him after all), but since he has the card after the Battle City arc finishes...
The manga being the manga, new chapters had a habit of starting on the most climactic point of the last one. So despite a fair bit of conversation that happened after Yugi and Bakura's match was announced, the chapter after started right at that point… And despite Yugi having no suspicions in the last chapter, he suddenly does in the next one. In any case, these suspicions will be raised next chapter before the duel, but I held off on it here to allow a more smooth transition.
Of course, suspicions in the case of Jonouchi will happen first, thanks to his last little freak out. Especially since that movement alone really tells them something is up.
Ryuzaki and Jonouchi's argument is of course stemming off the fact that one doesn't like the other for getting friendly with his sister while the other is being extremely defensive about it, and really wants Jonouchi to mind his own business. Ryuzaki is also very, very sore about the fact that he was knocked out by a cheat. Not to mention, if you think about it, having to bring up the fact that he got ten chips and was turned away from the door pretty much says that while the tournament had fifty or so people on the island, if you didn't make top four, you don't even get a mention.
Given that he got ten starchips only for that to happen, you can guess how sore a point that is when it's not being used to prove he's 'better'... Particularly since Yugi is right; unless Ryuzaki beat a Player Killer, it would have been impossible for him to get to that point. And the player killers... Kinda actually killed people. Eeeeeeehhh...
Brown AND blue? What are you up to Usagi? Well the fact is, it seems as though no one could decide on Anzu's eye colour. Sometimes they're brown, but sometime's they're blue, and when the manga first started out, they were amber. I compromised and gave her mixed coloration; in other words, Central Heterochromia. Basically, the outside of her iris is brown (The 'true' colour of her eyes), but as you get closer to the pupil, it grows blue.
In any case, that's all for now! Next up, Bakura VS Yugi!
Along with what happens when all of your chances at a decent place to sleep end up in comas. (Ooooo...)