From The Mouths Of God
He supposed that in a nutshell, this 'ability' of his was screwing with his head a little more that he'd thought. A lot more, actually, given the more recent events. It was as though, within the last twenty four hours alone, the 'ability's intensity had increased ten-fold with no warning as to why. For one, there was the duel monsters. He could see and feel everything on the field as though it was really there, interacting with all that was. He could speak to the monsters, and when it came to those that couldn't he was still able to tell what they felt. And while at some points he wondered if he was insane for all that he could see and feel, there was a part of him that knew that wasn't the case. That all of this was simply a matter of being the 'only one' that saw things as they really were. And really, it was probably for the best...
He didn't want to think of what would have happened if people realized that the cards were summoning monsters to fight and kill each other in a never ending war. Would the cards end up used as some kind of weapon, put to use in wars? Or would they end up gathering dust, determined too large a threat to even touch? The fact was, the only reason he still dueled despite what he saw was because there was a feeling he had, somewhere in his heart, that to simply 'stop' would be even worse on the monsters. That to leave them in whatever world the originated from would simply mean more hell for them. After all; regardless of what happened, they lived to fight... And for them, things like Parasite Paracide, or the appearance of a 'God' was simply a bad day dotted among the years, a small bit of rain in an otherwise perfect moment.
Of course, there was the 'rest' of his ability to take into consideration. The 'flashes' of the future for one were confusing to say the least, a part of this 'ability' that despite clearly being tied into his 'vision' was completely beyond him in understanding. The visions had nothing to do with the monsters after all, very rarely having anything to do with any sort of relevant action, and yet he somehow knew that the monsters and the items had just about everything to do with it. Whatever ties were there however, he couldn't see them.
Not like he could see the ties with the 'Millennium Items', the things that held the objects power in place and guided it along its tracks. There was certainly a link between the items and his vision, that was for certain. And he knew this not only because of those tablets from the museum, but because of some gut feeling that was probably tied to his own 'fore-sight'. Some nagging and grating knowledge that told him those objects... Had far more secrets to reveal. The items... They were frightening things, things that were beyond comprehension and yet all the same completely within it when it came to his own ability to do just that. Whatever things 'man was not meant to see', he was evidently exempt- no matter how horrific the nightmares he was left with as a result. There was the Millennium Eye, who thinking back, had been relatively tame compared to the other 'spirits'. Merely a moving mass, overshadowing all within it as it attempted to do its master's bidding. And yet each time he thought back on the being, its form changed. It shifted, his memory altered by his own changed perception on duel monsters, the world, and everything within it. It had mutated from the golden eye with shadowed arms he'd seen half a year before into an endless, shadowed 'snake'. A being with naught but a great and golden eye for a face, with shadowed arms sprouting along the sides of the body as it came close and opened a great and endless maw. A mouth that resembled a black hole, and empty space that was just as if not more traumatizing than the flames of the Millennium Rod.
When he pushed the 'Eye' from mind however, it was the 'Tauk' that came in to replace it rather than its flaming 'cousin'. An entire being formed of streams of light and stardust, of empty and vast space dotted with the cosmos before it. Endless space, constantly expanding, and at the top of it all was an ever changing sun and moon for an eye, with hands that gleamed with just as much intensity of a thousand suns. The Tauk was calm compared to its 'brothers' really. Possibly even 'kind' he told himself as he leaned against the bathroom wall and sunk to the ground. It only sought to give warnings where they were needed, to glean the past, present, and future from those it passed that it would allow fate to travel correctly.
But then he remembered the Tauk's warning, the words it had given upon realizing that his ability left him strangely immune to its prying. And with the thought of the warning came to mind the demon that it described. And all of the reasons why his ability would drive him into an early grave came back to him, all of the reasons why he kept his mouth shut returned, the blond giving a shudder as the flames and teeth came to mind. Terrifying... Horrifying... And even then, now that he'd escaped and could see what other victims it had taken, just what could he say? About anyone, about Anzu? That she was still possessed because he heard the Millennium Rod speak through her? That he could even hear the Millennium Rod, hear the 'Eye' that they'd seen in the depths of Yugi's mind, recall the writhing, snaking form the Eye held as it was forced back by the sheer will of Yugi's determination alone? That he saw Anzu's eyes glow gold, saw the flames surrounding the brows of each ghoul and the teeth and eyes which held the control in place?
The blond took a shuddering breath, head in his hands as he breathed nervously. Everything... Everything was going out of control, everything... The duels were one thing but everywhere he looked he was getting flashes of fires, seeing things that everyone else simply wasn't.
But he couldn't say anything! He couldn't, for his friend's sake, for the sake of their friendship, he just- "Jonouchi-kun," a worried voice whispered from beside him, the sound just as clear as it would be coming from a solid body.
"NyAHHH!" Katsuya jumped, only to find himself smacking his head against the sink and rubbing the back of it as a stinging pain ran through his skull. "Ung... Shit..." As if everything else wasn't bad enough... He shook himself off, looking at the crouched spirit of his friend with a swallow. "Y-Yugi," he said with a swallow, looking up and past the boy to see nothing but the rest of the room. "How did y'-" How was he here without...
"The other me and I have been working on the distance between each other," he explained somewhat shortly, pulling himself to his feet with the ease that came with defying gravity's laws. "It comes in handy when we need to know where the next bus is, or if we're lost," the boy continued with a short laugh, shaking his head. "He's on the arena deck right now," Yugi explained, "But that's not the point. Jonouchi-kun..." His eyes closed partially in evident worry, the boy looking down somewhat with unease. "I... I didn't say anything until now," he admitted quietly, "Since it looked like you were thinking about something important but..." The boy swallowed, reaching out to grab his friend's hand and help the blond up to his feet. "I can tell," he was saying quietly, "I can tell that there's something wrong. I mean... If you don't want to say anything," he hurriedly added, "You don't have to of course... But if there's anything... Anything at all," the boy repeated, hovering in mid-air to meet the blond's eyes as he spoke, "I want to help you with it, alright..?" He...
"Yugi..." Katsuya swallowed, turning away somewhat as he bit his lip. He wanted to tell him, but the fact was... "I..." He couldn't. The blond sighed, averting his gaze a moment as he grimaced. He just couldn't, he couldn't say anything..! Even being on the sidelines was a threat, and if Yugi knew that, how would he react? He would be second guessing his every move, wondering if the next card would send damage off to the sidelines... He would end up paranoid about any match he saw, either driving one to never watch the other or worse...
He couldn't do that to his friend!
Yugi continued to stare as his friend slowly looked back at him, Katsuya swallowing his unease and steeling himself. But he could do this, he told himself, taking a deep and silent breath. He could at least do this... "Yugi," he said with a swallow, clenching and un-clenching his fists as he went on, "Bakura... I think it's th' other Bakura in control. I think he's been there since he got to th' coliseum... Maybe even since he went t' th' hospital," he added, his friend's face growing pale with the words.
"W-What?"
Katsuya again swallowed, nodding his head as he continued. "I can't be sure," he added, the small white lie meaning little for the situation. "I mean heck," the blond snorted, "We all saw that th' ring wasn' around his neck! But... Didn' y' say tha' only holdin' th' puzzle let you an' th' Other Yugi switch," he asked, unease evident in his voice. "Tha' back with th' dragon card game, touchin' th' puzzle was enough t' switch out?" Yugi fell silent at that, the memory of the small time he'd been trapped in a jar coming to mind. Maybe he should't have used that example he thought to himself, the image and feeling of darkness coming to mind as he closed his eyes. Maybe... "Let's face it," he finally said after a moment, pushing the thought from mind. "Bakura was holdin' th' ring in his hands when he showed y' what it was doin'... An we never saw where it went after that," he added, swallowing.
Come to think of it, he'd missed that until now... What he wouldn't bet that it was currently around Bakura's neck. These words however were much to take in, Yugi looking to the side with somewhat narrowed eyes as he hesitantly spoke. "...There... There was a moment earlier," he muttered, eyebrows furrowed slightly as he thought back to the dinner. "After the tournament match up was announced. Bakura's eyes seemed different... Harsher, fiercer... Like a snake's," he added with a swallow, his friend biting his lip. Try everything was different, but yea, that worked... Besides, for all he knew that was another 'just him' deal. The whole 'hair on end' and constant 'flashing' he meant. Yugi looked up at the ceiling, narrowing his eyes with a look almost similar to what he'd held back in the depths of his own mind, when he'd defended his other half's thoughts from the Millennium Eye. "This duel... It could be dangerous," he muttered nervously. "If the Other me and the Other Bakura both decide to fight the way they normally would... That would mean..."
The spirit looked down, Katsuya turning momentarily to the side. If those two did what they normally did, it would mean calling in a 'shadow game'... It would mean that win or lose, someone would die, possibly both..! "...We need t' get up there," he said quickly, his friend nodding in response as the blond ran to the exit. "C'mon, let's go..!"
"Right!"
It was strange, not seeing Jonouchi in the 'crowd' at the side. After he'd disappeared from the room it hadn't taken long for dinner to finish, and for himself and the others to make their way to the elevator lift. The duel was to start in just two minutes now and the arena he stood on was large and rectangular. At the far end stood raised platform, just opposite the elevator lift for the announcer and the Kaiba siblings to both stand at. As it was, they were already doing this, with Isono tapping the radio on his head as Kaiba crossed her arms and leaned against the shoulder high railing that surrounded the entire arena. At the sidelines, near the railing he could see Anzu shivering, Namu and Shizuka doing the same. Just seconds later and he could see Honda and Otogi both glaring at Ryuzaki, the boy handing Shizuka his iconic green 'duelist' jacket as the girl thanked him. 'I'll be fine,' he was saying as his friend questioned him on the action, 'If anything, this wind is a relief; I've been sweating like a pig in this stuff!
'
The boy's response was a rather pointed frown at the comment and a rather disgusted look at the jacket, with Shizuka's answer left more or less unsaid. It was fairly obvious as to why the girl was now hesitant about the jacket of course... But as she was already wearing it, it was all too late to complain. In addition to things like this however, he could hear his friend's shouts over the side, the arena a good five feet above the 'spectator's floor'. "This... This is the 'aerial duel field'," Anzu was shouting incredulously, Namu as well standing at the side and rubbing his arms with a scowl. "They want people to fight in this?"
"It's f-freezing out here," Otogi muttered, the teen having arrived in his usual vest and t-shirt adopted in recent times. Honda himself seemed to be rather immune to it all, having brought his black jacket along despite the heat of the ground below. "What is this," his friend was growling, blowing hot air over his hands as he shoved them under his arms. "What the hell is the point of this..?"
Chuckling came from the side at those questions, Kaiba momentarily turning to face the group from the stage. "Hnhnhnhnhn... At an altitude of a thousand meters above the ground," she 'explained' with a smirk, Mokuba having prepared by putting on a sweater, "The difference in temperature from here to the ground is a full ten degrees... Combined with blistering, slicing winds," the woman added in her well disguised voice, "These duels will test the very limits of those participating..." Still more chuckling hit the air at that, the woman's smirk appearing just a few notches lower than the near psychotic one he witnessed a little over a year prior.
Testing the limits with the wind and cold in a game of Duel Monsters... Yes, that did sound like Kaiba, didn't it? Even so, his friends were still ready to cheer for the match, loudly deciding that it 'wasn't so cold really' as they stood there on the side. "So it's 'harsh'," Anzu was saying, shaking her head as she smirked. "That doesn't mean that we'll just leave!"
"Yea! You show them Yugi," Honda shouted, cupping his hands as his voice tore through the streaming winds. "You win this!" He would... He-
"Go for it, other me!" The other Yugi momentarily turned as his partner and Jonouchi both arrived from the lift, the spirit briefly turning to his friend to reassure him of a few things. 'We aren't late', he was saying, 'It's alright..!' Jonouchi's eyes seemed to be filled with a heavy emotion of sorts until he met his own gaze, a sudden light appearing as the blond grinned and rushed over to the side.
"Heh! Hey Yugi!" He was here...
But as he back across the field, mutterings at the side dying on the winds, he couldn't help but notice the fierce stare in his opponent's eyes. "Well... It's been a long time since we could talk like this," the albino said plainly, wind pushing the fabric of his shirt against the ring he wore. By some dark magics at the teen's power it melted through the shirt, appearing atop the fabric to glimmer dully in the moonlight above. The sneering grin on Bakura's face darkened, the teen chuckling as he gestured to his opponent. "Wouldn't you agree, 'Yugi'?"
Well well well... 'Damn,' he could hear Jonouchi mutter from the side, 'I was right...' So it would seem. As to why Jonouchi had suspected this, he would think it a required trait for a guard after what happened in the 'Monster World'. No matter what happened, Jonouchi's job was effectively to guard that family. And while the thought seemed more than bizarre to him, he still had to admit that fact. Just as he had to face the 'other Bakura' across from him now. "Hnp... I had a feeling things were going too well from your end," he muttered, eyes narrowing darkly. His lighter half had once mentioned 'Bakura' helping him in the Black-Clown fire. He hadn't believed him, even after the boy had managed to get a single day of 'walking around town' in with the spirit. What happened that day was blocked from his mind, just as it was blocked from the lighter Bakura's. But when it came to him, a nagging thought came to mind- earlier, this Bakura had emulated the 'normal' one's actions perfectly, up until the look he'd gained with his match announcement. So how long... "Just how long have you been in control, 'Dark Bakura'?"
The answer... An even darker smirk came across Bakura's face, low chuckling hitting the air as he narrowed his eyes. "How long do you think..?"
It wasn't good. Yugi narrowed his eyes, staring across the field before shaking his head and sighing. "Who knew that we would face each other with cards the next time we met," he said with a blank stare, clicking his disk into place as Bakura did the same. "It almost reminds me of the last time we played..." The last time they'd instilled a 'shadow game'.
"Ahhh yes," his opponent muttered nostalgically, "The 'Monster World'..." Bakura smirked, the already vicious wind appearing to tear through their very skin as it increased in intensity. "I must say," he admitted with a grin, "I really enjoyed playing that game with you... My first loss! It was exciting... Though I think it would be best to hold off on the magics that did that this time around, while the 'kids' are watching," he added darkly.
Tch! 'Kids' eh? Well considering that the last time this happened Bakura was actually killed... He supposed his lighter half would prefer they duel 'normally'. "Tch." The teen shook his head, holding his disk out in position as he stared his opponent down. "I'm only going to ask this once," he growled, narrowing his eyes as quiet mutterings went on from the side. "Are you after the Millennium Puzzle?"
Briefly the teen appeared to stare, before shrugging and shaking his head. "Hnnn... A tempting offer," the albino responded idly, "But no, not at all... The Puzzle suits you far more than it does me," he stated plainly, Yugi raising his eyebrows for a moment at the comment. He wasn't after the puzzle... Well that was certainly new. So then what... "What I want is your God card," Bakura announced with a smirk, narrowing his eyes as he gestured around them. "After all; to dominate the gaming world," he explained plainly, "You have to win! And to win this match means to get your God, clear?" Ah- In other words he didn't want anything! But that made no sense at all, it meant- "Now then," the teen muttered, appearing to space out somewhat as he fell silent. Yugi's attention was pulled to the voice from behind him, Isono's shout clearly piercing the air...
"Round one of the Tournament Semi-Finals will now begin," he shouted. "DUEL START!"
"GO!"
"Could someone PLEASE explain what the hell is going on!"
The others sighed somewhat as the duel began, initial shock over the 'appearance' of the other Bakura more or less settled. The fact was, it wasn't much of a shock for himself; there was no additional wind, no visible storm in the air. Bakura had been his darker half since before they'd seen him in the coliseum. Even so. For those who were not familiar in the ways of the elusive Millennium Items and the bullshit they carried with them, the reaction was to continue shouting in shock. This was all understandable when they themselves were shouting...
But could someone please shut Ryuzaki up? "Nihan," Shizuka asked from beside her friend, the blond tensing momentarily as he recognized the boy's jacket around her shoulders and arms. He didn't know what was worse, that the jacket fit her or that she was wearing it and- He should probably listen to what she was saying. "What's everyone talking about..? 'Dark selves', 'the Ring'... What does it mean," she pressed, her voice returned to its 'public' and 'shy' tone.
The others in the group of 'odd ones out' nodded, expressions more or less revealing identical shock. "Even his eyes changed," Namu added from the side, Katsuya mentally wincing as the tanned teen approached. Awwww, why was he... Oh of course he was here damn it. God... "They went from brown to red..! What's going on?"
"Whatever it is," Otogi muttered under his breath, "It's not good... Not at all..." Yea, tell him about it.
However, he could hardly expect the others to take that as an explanation. Katsuya sighed, crossing his arms as he looked back to the three with an almost uncharacteristically severe gaze. "Long story short," he explained quietly, "Th' Millennium Items are these Ancient Egyptian relics w' some kinda unknown, dark power... 'Magic' you could say," he added, Shizuka and Ryuzaki both trading confused and skeptical glances as Namu appeared to half listen. This feeling... It was almost as though 'Namu' already knew... Even so he went on, glancing back at the arena with a swallow. "I've seen souls taken w' these things, even switched int' figurines... Some 'f them control people's minds, an others c'n read 'm, or tell th' future. But in th' case 'f th' Ring an' Puzzle," the blond continued, ignoring the confused frowns from his friends at the mention of an item they didn't know of, "Th' item comes with a sep'rate personality. Darker ones, some nice like Yugi's..."
"And others 'evil', like Bakura's," Honda added darkly, having guessed where the conversation was going.
Ryuzaki narrowed his eyes, silent for a moment as he ran the large bit of information through his head. "Right... Let me get this straight," he said with a cough. "Bakura and Yugi are possessed by Ancient Egyptian ghosts with some kind of 'dark power' while other guys are running around with mind-control and soul-stealing devices?"
"Keichi," Shizuka muttered with a nervous laugh, "It sounds a lot worse when you say it..."
"I'm just repeating what they just told us," he said with a shrug, "You can't blame me for throwing it out there!"
"Maybe we can't... But it's still true," Anzu said with a shudder, shaking her head and rubbing her bare arms in the cold. "Last year, shortly after we met Bakura," she began with a swallow, "When we met his other side... This side," she added with a short gesture, "Locked each of us in RPG figurines, forcing us to play a table-top game with him. Otogi wasn't there," the woman said with a nervous swallow, "But Mokuba was." At that Ryuzaki looked toward the stage, the boy only just noticing the look of dread from Mokuba as the youngest on the ship hid somewhat behind his sister. "We almost died," Anzu muttered under her breath, a majority of the group paling as they recalled the experience.
Hell... They did die. "That's... That's incredible," Namu muttered, shaking his head in apparent surprise. Incredible wasn't the word for it, but it certainly seemed to have quieted Ryuzaki as the boy realized just what kind of person he was planning to room with. "It's unbelievable..." That one...
He supposed that one fit a little more. "Yea, well, say what y' want," Katsuya muttered, looking back to the stage with a swallow. "I've got a nasty feelin' about this duel..."
"You're telling me," Honda muttered in response as he shook his head. "Shit... You better not lose Yugi," he shouted loudly, the spiritual form of their friend vanishing for the puzzle to add the needed support for the match. "Beat this guy!"
"Bring back the real Bakura," Anzu continued, the duelists above drawing their hand as the winds tore past.
"Hey, whatever works," Ryuzaki said with a shrug, before cupping his hands with a nervous laugh. "H-Hey! Yugi! Can I stay in your room? ...Ow!" The boy ducked as a hand smacked across the back of his head, rubbing it as he looked at his friend. "S-Shizka..."
"Honestly..!" The girl turned back to the duel above, watching as Isono announced the start and the duelist's almost required banter began from before them.
"Lets see what you're made of," Yugi spat, smirking as he looked over his cards. From the white knuckles his grip had, it was taking all he could to keep the cards in place, his opponent likely doing the same.
"Hn! I'll do more than THAT," his opponent responded with a chuckle, setting a card on the disk. A tablet arose seemingly from the passing winds themselves as he moved, free hand gesturing to the field as he shouted. "It's my turn! And I'll play the Portrait's Secret in attack mode," he continued, the tablet carving out the image of a somewhat aged man on its front before seemingly going dormant. "Turn over!"
Eh- Katsuya narrowed his eyes, tilting his head somewhat. The tablet was card out, but it was in attack mode, not defense. So where- "Hnhnhnhnhnh..."
The blond shuddered somewhat as bone-thin and yellowed hands 'seeped' out of the stone, a skull-like face following after. Shadowed and sunken eyes stared forward at the field, the skeletal monster arising from the tablet to hover above its inaccurate portrait. "H-Hihhhh..."
All fear aside, the others at least had a positive reaction to what looked to be an amateur move. "Heh... Bakura's completely defenseless with something like that," Ryuzaki was saying with a grin, crossing his arms as he shook his head. "That's just a 'vanilla' monster... There's no effects, no cards on the field... It's got barely any attack!"
Shizuka frowned at that, swallowing as she turned. "But Keichi, doesn't that normally turn out to be a trap..?"
Her friend also frowned at that, only for the group to watch as Yugi summoned a monster to deal with the portrait easily. The tablet arose and carved within seconds, smoke filling the field and bursting forward to materialize into the prematurely summoned monster with a snarling roar. 'Baphomet attacks,' the teen was shouting, four armed demon charging through the tablet to rend it into dust. 'And I'll lay single card face down before I end my turn!'
The second tablet arose at the side, blank face staring forward as his opponent frowned. "Tch! My turn," Bakura shouted in response, another tablet quickly appearing to the field. A dust of sorts sifted through the tablet as its crude and simple image appeared, the cloud forming an antique looking bed atop the field. Within the bed a small girl appeared to sleep, expression of calm twisting into un-dying terror as a blade wielding husk of a woman arose from her form. "I summon the Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in attack mode," Bakura announced plainly, "End turn!"
"A-Attack mode again," Katsuya shouted, staring at the field before shaking himself. "O-Oi, how'd he even get here with that kind of play!"
"It's like he doesn't even understand the rules of the game," Ryuzaki muttered incredulously, shaking his head. "Heck, even you picked up on things after the first move," he added, turning to Shizuka as the girl scowled.
"Oiiii," the girl muttered dangerously, "Just what's that supposed to mean..?"
Ryuzaki swallowed, backing away with a nervous laugh. "Err... It means... Ah..."
"It means tha' Yugi's gonna win this easy," Katsuya offered with a slight smirk, only for it to fall as he realized who he was defending. "Wait..." He wasn't supposed to be on Ryuzaki's side!
A sigh came from the side, the others turning momentarily as Namu scowled. "This isn't entertaining at all," the foreigner muttered, watching as Yugi summoned yet another monster to the field.
"Gamma," the boy was shouting at the moment, a winged, metaloid monster charging forth from the tablet that had appeared at the side of the field. "Attack with MAGNET PUNCH!" The monster nodded curtly, hopping into the air with steel wings before charging the bed with a right hook. The wood splintered into pieces easily beneath the force of Gamma's tightly clenched fists, the medium for which its ghost could survive destroyed as its tablet collapsed to the ground. "In addition, Baphomet attacks directly," he continued, the four armed monster giving a loud growl in response.
"GnnnAOO!"
"Gh!" Claws the width of a person's arm came down on Bakura's body, the limb literally cutting through his form as the albino growled. Easy... Baphomet appeared to send the teen a leering grin as it returned to its side of the field, flexing white-feathered wings as it crouched atop the tablet. The duel was passing so easily, the blond thought to himself, and yet...
"My turn again," Bakura muttered somewhat stiffly, setting a card on the field for yet another tablet to appear on the field. As the beast carved itself into form the smoking suit of armor stepped forward, the monster missing only a helm and a head both as it spun a double-handed sword in its hands. "Headless Knight," its summoner announced, "In attack mode! So, Yugi," he continued with a sneer, crossing his arms as his opponent frowned. "It's your turn now..."
Yea it was his turn but... Again Gamma struck at its master's command, Baphomet following behind to inflict a direct attack as the knight's armor crumbled into scrap. Three moves. Only three moves in, and already the tide was in Yugi's favor, with the boy's life points completely untouched. It was almost too much even... Almost...
"Seven hundred fifty life points," Ryuzaki was muttering, the group's eyes wide with confusion and horror both as Bakura took the attack without batting an eye. "If Yugi gets another attack in," the boy continued shortly, "He'll win but..."
Yea... This was definitely a 'But' situation. "Is Bakura-san really that weak," Shizuka asked with a swallow, staring in disbelief. "If he made it to the finals, he would have had to beat six people wouldn't he?"
"Pretty much," Otogi muttered with a swallow, the others merely staring.
"It's actually kinda creepy," Anzu added, shaking her head as Bakura drew his next card. No... Not just creepy.
It was damned scary. Each monster so far hadn't shown a single bit of fear or resistance, merely letting themselves die... If anything, they were enjoying it, those with mouths laughing as they were destroyed, voices only silent because of the lack of a truly solid form And now... "Hnhnhnhnhn... HAHAHAHAHA!" He really hated himself sometimes, seeing things like this. "Thank you so much for falling for my trap," Bakura shouted with a laugh, eyes wide as he waved a card somewhat in his hand. "You've just signed your death warrant!"
"What-!"
"But that's impossible," Honda protested, his expression more or less mirrored by those around him. "Yugi's been dominating this match since it started," he continued with a shout, "There's not a card in sight..."
"Unless its something else," Otogi muttered with wide eyes, the crowd falling as silent as the group on the 'stage' as Bakura's laughter calmed. Y-Yea...
There was always that..! "Hnhnhnhnhn... In this deck of mine is a monster considered by some to be the most terrifying of cards ever printed into existence," Bakura bragged, eyes narrowed into mere slits as he spoke. "It is a monster that cannot be tribute summoned in any way, only by one special method of actions... Three monster cards, in attack mode, destroyed within five turns," he announced, setting the card as a tablet arose directly to his side, "All residing in the bowels of the grave! And for such a sacrifice," he continued with a cackling grin, acid green smoke carving an image into the stone as he laughed. "I am rewarded with this! The Queen of the Dead, she who devours the living... DARK NECROFEAR!"
"Hnhnhnhnhahahaha..." Dark chuckling rang through the air, the source clearly that of a woman rather than either of the duelists on the field. The smoke of the tablet was filling Bakura's side of the field, swirling into the forms of hands and screaming faces both as the voice continued. "Your sacrifice shall indeed be rewarded," the 'woman' whispered, before breaking into laughter once again. Gh- Katsuya tensed as black stiletto boots appeared from within the tablet, carrying with them a woman with skin in the same deep blue colour of cold dead flesh. Her ribs were made of wrought steel, hiding within them half eaten organs and in her arms she carried the top half of a broken and sightless doll, her arms themselves appearing just as jointed beneath the black iron armor. Completely hairless the monster stood, turning largely black eyes to the side before a sinister smirk came over her face. And whatever Bakura was saying became background noise to him as the monster stepped toward him from the arena, stooping down to a kneeling position as she stared curiously at the blond.
"Gh..." White irises on black sclera stared forward, an audible crack coming through the air as her doll as well turned. "Hng.."
"O-Oi," Ryuzaki muttered from beside the blond, tapping his shoulder to get no response. "Jonouchi, are you alright..?"
"Nihan," Shizkua questioned, her brother merely swallowing from beside the girl. "...Nihan?"
"...Jonouchi-kun," the lighter Yugi offered, hovering beside his friend with wide and worried eyes. No.
No he wasn't, even though he was nodding an 'affirmative' so that the others could look back to the field. No he really, really wasn't..! "So you are the one he speaks of," Necrofear was muttering, Bakura setting a face down card and ending his turn as the tablet appeared to his side. "How interesting," she continued with a smirk,"To see the powers of the ancients so strong in one of your time..." The smirk grew to a dangerous extent, the woman straightening up as her opponent sacrificed Baphomet in exchange for the Dark Magician girl. "Well..." The two both watched as Baphomet erupted into flames, tablet scrubbing clean before the scantily clad magician appeared on the field. "I'll be waiting to see what comes of this," she decided, staring at her opponent momentarily before turning her head back to the blond. "But first..." Necrofear held her hand up toward the front of the field, Katsuya ignoring the mutterings and motions going on across the field to swallow as a spirit was created from the air around it. "Hnhnhnhn... Isn't he cute," she asked, the blond shuddering despite the opposing magician's recent power-up from a book her summoner pulled into play. For the moment he was too busy staring at the tiny little 'ghost orb' swimming around its creator's hand. Speaking of which... "This is the little one who lives in my doll," Necrofear explained, the doll in question hanging lifeless for the moment. "I thought you should meet before the little one is sent to work... You'll be seeing each other again after all," she whispered 'warningly', the Dark Magician Girl merely closing the book she'd been given with a snap.
"Hnp! We'll see about that," she muttered, spinning her wand and pointing it forward with narrowed eyes. "You're going nowhere near him, understand! This one is not to be touched!" A what? The blond frowned somewhat, eyes narrowing in disbelief. Were these things... Fighting over him?
"Hn..." Necrofear appeared to smirk at the comment, stroking the doll in her hands as her 'spirit' floated and spun toward a swallowing Katsuya. "Not in this realm," the woman said mysteriously, Dark Magician Girl growing tense and infuriated in response while the subject of their argument held back a shudder.
"Hnhnhehehe..." Please leave him alone. "Hehehehe!" Please leave him alone NOW.
The Dark Magician Girl's book appeared to explode into dust, the girl shaking with rage as she made to hover above the air. "Gh...! Why you... BLACK BURNING," she screeched, flames spiraling from the tip of the staff. The fires tore through the monster before her, Necrofear merely closing her eyes in 'peace' as the soul she held turned worriedly from Katsuya's side.
"Hn... I will see you soon then," Necrofear 'responded' as her flesh slowly blistered and melted away, the remaining portions of her body crumbling into dust as her tablet did the same. W-What...
"That... That fast," Katsuya muttered, only to tense as the soul lingering in the air poked him in the side. Eh- What the hell! He frowned, only to blink as it pointed its 'tail' toward Necrofear's former summoner. Something above Bakura... The smoke and dust from Necrofear's tablet was sitting on the air still, converging above the albino, but why- "What th'..."
"Hehehehehe... Thank's for killing my monster again," Bakura said with a smirk, crossing his arms as the dust continued to reveal a form. The ghost at Katsuya's side also seemed to cheer in response darting forward across the field and pulling the blond's attention back yet again. "Now Necrofear's special ability can come into play," he was muttering, Katsuya narrowing his eyes in suspicion. As for what that ability was...
Yugi was holding a cautious frown to the field, looking over his monsters and Bakura's own side as Katsuya swallowed. The spirit... It flew into a monster, hiding itself from sight, but why would it- "Magnet Warrior," Yugi ordered, a nasty 'gleam' appearing in Gamma's eyes as Katsuya tensed, "Attack Bakura with Magnet Punch!"
"Hnhnhehehehee!" Ohhhhh crap.
"Hnhnhnhn..." Bakura smirked almost nastily as the monster turned, ordinarily clenched fists held outstretched toward its summoner. "I don't think so."
"Wh-" Yugi abruptly ducked under the force of a vicious wave of energy passing through him, the spirit from Necrofear's doll blasting through the boy with a mad cackle as Gamma's hand surrounded itself in poisonous smoke.
"SPIRIT BURN," the high-pitched squeal of the ghost cackled, before blasting out of the host it had taken with a laugh. "Hnhnhnhahaha!"
Magnet Warrior's rigid body returned to life as the ghost laughed about the field, its former host shaking its head and looking around in confusion. "What-was-I-doing-again," it inquired, turning to the Dark Magician Girl with shuttering optics. "What-..?"
The girl beside him sighed, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "You were possessed," she began with a frown. "Really, letting yourself get-" Uhhhh... She was saying?
The magician abruptly fell silent, eyes growing dim as Bakura explained the spirit's purpose. "The magnet warrior was possessed by the spirit of the marionette Dark Necrofear carries with her," he stated plainly, "The loyal servant who exists solely to avenge its master. You gave it the freedom to attack," he was continuing with a smirk, "And it was only happy to oblige... Provided it was attacking its enemy." In other words Yugi, who was currently growing notably pale as Bakura continued on with a maddening grin. "Do you know the best part," he was saying with a laugh. "While you lose half of that monster's life points, I gain just as many! More over," he added loudly, "You've activated my trap in killing Necrofear! The DESTINY BOARD!" From the blank tablet beside him dust began to form, rising into the air amid ominous laughter. The clouds that hung over him from Necrofear's death converged and swirled, revealing the clouded shade of the monster that had only moments before stood across the field.
"Hnhnhnhah... Hahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! Hear these words that the dead doth form," Necrofear cackled, spirit appearing above and behind her master as an enormous board appeared before her hands. "I grant to you the first letter... D!"
D..? Clouded hands guided an immense stone pointer, the letter in question appearing through the hole before a cackling shade arose to the woman's side. "What the... A ouija board," Honda muttered, narrowing his eyes as the spirit revealed the very letter Necrofear had decided on.
"Those things are used in the West to talk with the dead," Otogi added, also staring at the device oddly. "But what would that..."
Bakura continued to laugh, crossing his arms as thin strokes of smoke and fog lapped at the sides of the arena. "What can I say," he chuckled darkly, "Dark Necrofear just wanted to pass a message along... And the first letter is 'D'," Bakura announced with a grin, "As in 'D-E-A-T-H'... Death! One letter per turn, leaving just four more... Do you understand," the albino muttered, the audience and Yugi both gritting their teeth as the english word was spelt out. "When that happens, you lose! HnhnhaHAHA!"
'Death'... At least it didn't really mean death, but with this guy who knew really... "Yugi..." A few members of the group swallowed, expression fraught with worry. "He only has four turns left?" Shizuka's 'question' was left unanswered for a moment, Honda merely scowling.
"So even if he has lifepoints left he'll just lose..? What kind of..." Don't even start on how cheap this was, just don't.
Ryuzaki grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes and staring at the field with crossed arms. "Absorbing lifepoints and putting a time limit on the game... I guess he really did have a strategy," the teen muttered, only to narrow his eyes as Bakura setting two more cards on the field. "...Shit...
"There's more to this combo," Bakura was shouting with a grin, the two tablets appearing to shine blankly onto the field before both carving themselves into existence. "Look closely! First, the spell card 'the Dark Door'," he announced, the first tablet to appeared quickly dispersing into a thick dust. Clouds formed across the center of the field, rising into a sturdy wall across the arena before revealing a small, toothy door of sorts. Only one monster could attack each turn now, Katsuya thought grimly, watching as the second tablet carved itself to remain dormant, the image of naught but ground appearing on its form. One monster per turn and then the door would close... "Lastly I summon the Earthbound spirit in defense mode," Bakura was shouting, "End turn!"
With those very words the ghost's secondary host seemed to stiffen, the ghost within her taking complete control as a new tablet came into view. The carving of kuriboh could be seen on its surface, its summoner waving a hand across the field as he continued on his move. 'Dark Magician Girl,' Yugi ordered with a shout, the monster merely standing as the wind blew her hair forward. 'Attack with Black Burning!'
The girl however merely stood, shadowed eyes turning as Katsuya winced. "Shit," he muttered, ignoring the sudden attention he briefly caught in response. "Not good..." Bad choice, very bad choice...
The Dark Magician Girl slowly turned toward her master, staff held toward the boy as he was left stumbling under an already inflicted attack. "Black Burning," she muttered almost stonily, the flames from her staff washing over her master as the boy paled.
"Gh- This time from the Dark Magician Girl," he hissed, unknowingly standing directly in the fires that had been summoned as he recovered from whatever the holographic counterpart had done. "Tch..."
"But of course," Bakura said with a smirk, ignoring his opponent's confusion. "The marionette's host changes each turn after all... If you're not careful," the albino continued darkly, "You'll have me at full strength while your own army tears you to pieces..." And quite literally too, the blond thought bitterly from the side. Even worse... "Of course, you only have three turns to do that," Bakura chuckled, his deceased monster moving the ouja board's pointer to the letter 'E' as a second skeletal shade arose to the air. "Soon to be two! I set a card face down and end my turn!"
Awww... Shit. Yugi was visibly grinding his teeth as he took his turn, Katsuya keeping uncharacteristically silent as the ghost of Necrofear's doll floated around the field. "Hnhnhnh.. Hnhnha!" Hihhh... The second spirit had carried with it the english letter 'E', and with it Necrofear's dark announcement of the fact. A blank tablet now stood threateningly at its master's side in addition to this, and already Bakura's lifepoints put him ahead of his opponent.
"Damn... Th' tables sure turned on th' duel pretty quick," he muttered, narrowing his eyes as the ghost continued to laugh.
"Tell me about it," Ryuzaki added with a growl, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he looked up at the arena. "If he doesn't find out how to deal with Necrofear's effect he's screwed..." Ehhhh...
Shizuka nodded in agreement, swallowing down a wave of unease. "But we can't tell which monster is being possessed by the spirit," she whispered, her brother shifting somewhat uncomfortably in response.
"And if Yugi guesses randomly," Anzu continued, "He's still got a chance of destroying himself..."
Namu as well frowned, the expression seeming somewhat false as he tossed in his own two cents from behind. "Of course if he doesn't do anything in three turns," the blond said with a slight shrug, "He'll still lose..."
The a majority others turned at that, narrowing their eyes while Yugi pondered his move. "Hey... It ain't 'still'," Katsuya said with a frown, the others more or less nodding in response.
"That's right," Honda added, Ryuzaki and Shizuka simply staring for the moment. "He'll figure something out..."
"One way or another," Otogi muttered, Yugi's shout tearing across the air as all others watched in silence. Somehow...
"Bakura," the boy was shouting, pointing his monster forward as the warrior leaped to the air with a nod. "I won't simply sit by because of the chance of failure! Magnet warrior Gamma attacks," he announced, "With MAGNET PUNCH!"
"Hah-" Katsuya grinned, watching as the monster sped forward through the narrow wall's hole with a shout. "Yes," he shouted with a laugh, "He guessed-"
"ACTIVATE TRAP!" Fuck. "Dark spirit of silence! Turning your command over to the next attack mode monster," Bakura roared, the skeletal shade charging into the attacking warrior as it screeched. Gamma clawed at its face as the ghost burrowed into its body, ethereal smoke pouring from its joints as it locked into place. Yugi's command to attack went to the next monster but...
Dark Magician Girl's eyes were still shadowed, her summoner growing pale as the monster turned toward him with her hand held forward. "Gh- The ghost is in..!"
"Black Burning."
"Glck!" The boy doubled over as the attack struck, the combined force of what were merely holograms and piercing wind pushing his golden puzzle painfully into his stomach. As the remaining flames lapped at his side of the field he stood, swallowing back a slight grunt of pain as he growled. "Nng..."
The tables were now completely turned thanks to that attack, Yugi left with seven-fifty as his point total and Bakura at almost 'full health'. And just as before, it had only taken 'three turns'. "Y-Yugi," Anzu shouted worriedly, the boy pulling himself to a steadier position against the wind. "YUGI!"
"Shit... Bakura's combo is pretty much flawless," Ryuzaki muttered with disbelief, "He's almost flipped the table completely..."
"More importantly," Shizuka added quietly, those on the field staring with wide eyes as Necrofear announced her next letter, a shadowed 'A' hovering into existence, "There's only two turns left..!"
Another cackling skeleton with a letter, Necrofear leering as she looked toward the ground. This was... "Gh... 'D-E-A'," he muttered under his breath, swallowing as the ghostly monster laughed under her breath.
"Correct... This message is almost complete," the shade muttered, voice echoing over the air and mixing into the air. Shit... Shit! "This message... It will finish no matter what," Necrofear cackled, Katsuya swallowing as he narrowed his eyes.
Gh... Not if he could help it! Yugi was standing still on the field, staring at his opponent and swallowing back his unease. And as those around him waited with baited breath the blond steadied himself before looking past the ghost that was swirling around his friend. Stupid, creepy ass ghost... All he could do was shout, but he would at least do that! "Tch... YUGI," he shouted, the boy turning briefly as his lighter half appeared to the side and stared. "It ain't over yet," the blond called out, nodding somewhat as he continued. "There's a way t' turn this around... And yer gonna find it! 'Cause we're fightin' in th' final rounds, got it," he continued, Ryuzaki raising his eyebrows at the call.
"The finals," the boy muttered from the side, before ducking and turning toward his friend with another scowl. "Ow! Shizka!"
"What did I say about talking about nihan," she growled dangerously, arms crossed as her friend tensed.
"Gh- I'm just saying!"
Yugi gave a curt nod after staring for a few moments, the argument at the side ignored for the sake of the match on the field. "...Right!" Two blank faced tablets appeared at his side as he set a pair of cards, the teen making his move while he gestured to where the holograms likely were on the field. "I'll set two more cards face down," he announced with a swallow, "And I then end my turn... I won't lose," the boy growled stubbornly, pointing forward with narrowed eyes. "No matter what you throw at me Bakura, I will prevail!"
"Hn!" The response was merely a snort, his opponent shaking his head. "Don't make me laugh," Bakura sneered, "You're on the edge of death! Horror and hesitation are more than obvious in your eyes... And with only two turns left," the albino continued as he laughed, "I have nothing more to say than that..." The low chuckling continued to fill the air, Bakura shaking his head as he crossed his arms. "I pass my turn," he said with a grin. "So show me just what sort of plan you have up your sleeve, 'Pharaoh'!"
"Pharaoh," Ryuzaki hissed, his friend shrugging from beside him as he frowned.
Honda and Otogi as well were confused, the emotion undetected in Namu's eyes as Anzu nodded. "A while ago," she explained quietly, "We went to the museum... There was a tablet on display with a carving that looked identical to Yugi, complete with the Millennium Puzzle..!" Yea...
"It was pretty weird, trus' me on that," Katsuya added, the others raising their eyebrows. Ack- Shit, he really needed to keep his mouth shut... The blond hurriedly coughed, looking away as he thought up an excuse. "Eh... I... I saw th' tablet when I was on 'guard duty' f'r Kaiba," he muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"Kaiba went to a museum," Honda asked incredulously, briefly looking back at the woman in question before Yugi's shouts filled the air. "Ah-!"
"Activate the spell 'Monster Recall'," he announced, the tablets before him pulled into the spell's blank form as the monsters as well disintegrated into a mist. "I return all monsters on my side of the field to my deck," the boy shouted as his field cleared, "Before reshuffling and drawing five cards!" The duel disk whirred to complete the command, Yugi drawing five cards and refreshing his hand as the machine finished. "As a result of this," he was stating clearly, the ghost on the field hovering and screaming without a host, "Your marionette has no where to go... But even if I can't see it, I know what will happen when I do this!" At that the others around blinked, attention drawn somewhat more as a new card was set to the field. "First, I summon Kuriboh in attack mode," he announced, the tablet reappearing for the tiny fur ball to claw its way forward with a short 'krii!'. The spirit of the marionette immediately struck, the monster's eyes growing shadowed as the second of the ghosts on the field moved to strike. "Your Marionette possesses Kuriboh... But the Spirit of Silence does the same," Yugi shouted, thick clouds of smoke pouring from out of the monster's mouth. "And while both of these cards are linked to my monster, I'll activate this," he announced, familiar steel chains tearing forth from his remaining blank tablet as the stone glowed brightly. "Chain destruction!"
"Gh! Shit..!" The chains wrapped completely around the monster as Bakura grit his teeth, the spell pulling taught as tiny flailing streams of ectoplasm tried and failed to escape.
"Kuri..." Kuriboh strained beneath the fource, his summoner closing his eyes with a wince as its cries hit the air. "Kuri... Kuri... KURIIII!" With a high-pitched screech the chains tightened completely, crushing the tiny kuriboh into a pile of bloodied fur and bone. With no host to protect them the remaining spirits screeched, dragged painfully into the tablet from which the chains came as they clawed at the ground.
Bakura grit his teeth as his two spell tablets ground into dust, clenching his fists before Necrofear's voice again came over the air. "The fourth letter," she announced with a sneer,"'T'." Yet another skeletal shade floated out from the board with an english letter, Katsuya swallowing as the spirit's master announced this fact to his opponent. 'Only one turn left,' he was snarling, opponent merely smirking in response.
"Hmp! One turn is all I need," the boy announced with a grin, Bakura immediately paling in response. The albino's eyes seemed to flash gold for a moment, glazing over as Katsuya swallowed from the side. Hang on...
Bakura never spoke to his 'other', so who could he possibly be speaking to, and with that look in his eyes... A sudden feeling of dread washed over him, Katsuya glancing back behind him to grow pale. Namu's eyes... They'd fogged over, an odd expression coming over his face as he crossed his arms. What was... What was he- "Shut up," Bakura abruptly roared, eyes growing clear as he drew his next card. Namu's expression as well cleared immediately with the shout, a frown briefly appearing over his face as Bakura held his head. "I don't need your help... Leave!"
"What the hell is he talking about," Ryuzaki muttered, his words largely voicing a majority of the group's opinions for the moment. Who knew...
But Bakura's face had taken a dangerously manic turn as he looked over his next card, mad cackling filling the air around them as he set it to the field. "Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! I sacrifice Earthbound Spirit to summon the Earl of Demise," he announced, his defensive tablet scrubbing itself clean before re-carving the figure of a bald, rotted corpse in moth-eaten clothes. The rusted blade was the first to meet the air, the monster steeping forward with a leering moan as it raised the sword for battle. "Now... Attack Yugi," the albino roared, his opponent merely tapping the duel disk at his arm in response.
"Hmp! Activate the spell Monster Reborn," he announced, the tablet releasing a great and glowing Ankh into the air as a new image carved on its formerly blank face. "Bringing your Dark Necrofear to my side of the field to counter your attack!"
The spirit holding the ouja board abruptly gasped, before flaring into nonexistence as smoke wrapped its new tablet. As the new carving came over the field still more smoke came over the air, the woman's thigh length boots slowly stepping forward from the stone. "Hn... A worthy move... But will it last," Necrofear 'pondered' with a smirk, easily grabbing the earl's approaching blade before rending it from his hands. As the zombie looked at his hand dimly his queen struck, blade falling forward to cut the monster cleanly in two. The earl's tablet immediately crumbled as a result of the action, Yugi narrowing his eyes as Necrofear stood at his side. "Hn..."
"Now," the boy began with a confident shout, "Your combo is broken Bakura! What plans do you have up your sleeve now?" Ohhhh you never say that, never, never say that!
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." Especially since Bakura was laughing damn it! "Well... How about this for a 'plan'," he 'decided', tapping the disk as his blank tablet abruptly exploded into dust an shrapnel across the field. Thick smoke and fog filled the air from the seemingly miniscule in comparison stone, clouding the duelists and monsters from view as Bakura's opponent shielded his eyes with a shout. Within moments the fog cleared from the field, revealing to those watching the duelists and their monsters yet again... But rather than Necrofear standing at Yugi's side it was the same trio of monsters he'd had prior the move, with the demon's spectral form standing above with her ouija board. "Would you look at that! We're back where we started... On the stage of your last turn," Bakura cackled, a sneering grin on his face. "Confused," he asked, the others before him more than growling in 'agreement'. "Take a look at the card I activated... The spell 'Deja-Vu'! Bringing both of us back to one turn prior," the albino explained clearly, "With the spells you broke my combo with buried in the grave! So tell me Yugi," he continued with a shout, mad grin on his face as he laughed, "Just how will you escape this time?"
How... That was a good question... From beside him the others were more or less shouting calls of encouragement, with Shizuka, Ryuzaki and Namu all holding silence in an apparent silence. 'Don't give up', they shouted, 'Don't give up..!'
'Don't...' And as Yugi's hand hovered above his deck, his lighter half giving him a confident and hopeful nod, the shouts appeared to help just enough. "We have to draw 'that' card," the original Yugi said clearly, his other pulling at the deck with a curt nod. "Now..!"
The monster hadn't even been summoned and he could already see the results from the draw. Above on the field Yugi was sacrificing his three monsters, each one burning and erupting into a pillar of flames while he set the card on the field. The others on the sidelines gave a slight shout at the 'realism' of the holographics in response to the play, ash and clouded tablet dust seeming to fill the air as thunderclouds rolled in on the skies. But although lightening was striking the ground nearby, coming dangerously close to the airship, not a single drop of rain fell in the resulting storm. This monster...
God... "ARISE," Yugi roared, "THE SAINT DRAGON OF THE SKIES... OSIRIS!"
"GRAAAAAAOOOOOOO!"
A poem had come to mind, for reasons beyond him. And if he was muttering it under his breath, no one could hear over the shouts across the field, Katsuya's eyes almost growing dull as the mutterings came through his ears. 'You who have faced death and returned from the bowels of the unknown, whom the great God Ra shines upon but Set despises,' he could hear, 'Whose power now breaks the bonds of the likes of life itself, I ask that you come to my aid, I ask that you grant me your power, I ask-'
"...And you shall RECEIVE! And thus the WAR for the throne CONTINUES," the great dragon abruptly shouted, head piercing through the clouds as it streaked past the airship's side. "And thus," the beast roared as he returned above the other side, "The next BATTLE is DECIDED! Young KING," he roared to the boy beneath him, those around staring incredulously as mutterings of 'hologram limits' came through the air, "I will do as you REQUEST!" G- It spoke! Of course it did he was telling himself, but it spoke!
"Ah... Ahhh..." Huge... Impossibly so, Katsuya thought to himself with a swallow, and yet not even as large as it should be with the power it radiated. "So this 's... Osiris," he found himself muttering, staring up at the monster with wide and awestruck eyes. The dragon began to curl about the end of the ship as the storm converged viciously, coils swirling almost endlessly through the air as the enormous double-jawed mouth appeared above Yugi's form through the clouds. The beast was easily the size ofSeto's house in terms of width alone, massive and gaping maw likely large enough to swallow the structure whole. With a thought alone, it would be able to destroy the ship, simply tightening the coils that sat around the front and back both...
And yet this was the power that Yugi held within his deck, what he alone could control at this moment. His strength was at the boy's fingertips, and with a single order everything would end. And as wide, stadium sized wings opened to the air, an earth shattering roar coming over the astonished crowd, Bakura as well was swallowing with terror, his ring clattering in the ferocious wind God had brought with him. The spirit of the Marionette was child's play to the Gods after all... And as a simple shade, it was far too terrified to make an attempt to do the unthinkable and attack such a beast in a pathetic attempt to control it. "Prepare yourself," Yugi was shouting over the winds, "Because this is, as you said, the LAST MOVE! And now-"
"I wouldn't do that," a rough and barely shaken voice said from the side, 'Malik' visible at the lift entrance with what looked to be a rod in his hands. The cloaked man's expression was hidden under the hood he wore, nonetheless appearing mysteriously unfettered by the winds about him as he stood. That... In his hands...
"The millennium rod," Anzu muttered somewhat questioningly, frowning as the man held it in his hands. Its gold seemed almost false in comparison to the dull gleam of the other Millennium Items, the shine that only intensified when the power was in use. This item... It couldn't be real he told himself, it couldn't... The eyes weren't there, they weren't anywhere near the field, so-
"Listen carefully," the man was muttering darkly despite this suspicion as the God itself paused to growl, "For the one you face is not a shadow of your friend's soul," he explained, "But the embodiment of my own." The wha- Wait, he was saying he was controlling him? ...But that was bulshit, there weren't any eyes or flames or anything! ...But Bakura's eyes had flashed 'gold' for a moment he reminded himself, exactly like... "My Millennium Item is more than just a tool," 'Malik' stated to the boy above, "It is a power. Ordinarily this boy would be unable to stand," he continued, Bakura seemingly gaining a glazed expression as 'Malik' spoke from the side. "In fact... Allow me to prove it," he went on, the crowd frowning as he held the rod forward.
The fierce wind accompanied by a 'switch' blasted through the air, pulling the group's attentions to where Bakura abruptly crumpled to the ground with a grunt. The albino grabbed his arm, hissing in pain as he 'woke up', and as a tiny red stain began to appear through the bandage the 'other' Bakura himself appeared to stand behind him with a scowl. Hang on...
He could separate? He could do exactly what Yugi could, and yet he'd never... "Hng... Where..." Oh hell... "Where is this," the teen above them whispered, choking on his words as he looked about the fear. "This feeling... What's happening," he cried, Yugi paling from across the field as 'God' appeared to leer down at him. "What is this?"
"B-Bakura... Bakura," Yugi shouted, Osiris as well closing his mouth from behind.
The storms appeared to increase even more in intensity, teeth grinding in aggravation as the monster growled. "A COWARD'S ploy," the dragon spat, wings appearing to tense and clench in anger as it roared. "Actions worthy of a THIEF! You DARE to step in to the BATTLE of the GODS," he snarled,"YOU who wield the MILLENNIUM ROD!" What? The rod was involved?
Hang on, what did that even have to do with- "If you attack," 'Malik' was saying with narrowed eyes as he opened the elevator's door, "You won't kill him completely... But the damage will be enough," he continued, stepping back into the re-opened lift with narrowed eyes. "Think about whether you're willing to take that risk," he muttered, crossing his arms to hide the rod from view. "Alright... Pharaoh."
Doors closed over the lift as the crowd burst into angered scowls, eyes narrowed as they turned to the lift. "You... BASTARDS," Honda snarled, fists clenched as Otogi did the same. It seemed as though the only one not snarling in rage was 'Namu', the teen again standing with shadowed eyes as the crowd stared to the field rather than behind them.
"What the hell is this," Ryuzaki growled angrily, "A human shield bluff?"
Shizuka swallowed from beside the boy, shaking her head nervously. "I don't know," she whispered as she shook, "But at the same time, I can't help but think..." That it wasn't..?
"So... THIS is your plan," Bakura's 'other', 'Ghostly' half was muttering from above the field, time counting down for the forfeiture of a turn from behind him. "To force Yugi into a standstill..." The lighter one was in tears on the ground now, cards only loosely held in his hands as Osiris' presence forced the teen into silence. His other half's eyes appeared to flash with some unknown emotion as he stared at the boy, narrowing further as his arms crossed. "You..."
Someone was manipulating Bakura. Katsuya's eyes widened and narrowed in a single moment with that realization, staring toward the shade as it slowly turned to glance at him in response. "C'mon," he spat under his breath, narrowing his eyes further as he raised his voice, "C'MON!" The others jumped as their friend began shouting angrily, the other Bakura turning his full attention to the blond with an odd look across his face. "You really gonna let someone else make yer decisions, BAKURA? ARE YAH?"
For a moment, the shade merely stared, eyes wide with incredulity as he looked the blond over. Briefly it seemed as though he was going to say something to the blond, but as his eyes drifted to something behind him he regained his steel-eyed glare and frowned. "Tch... No," he growled, turning away as his hair stood on end, answering the blond and himself all at once. "No I won't... To win with a technique such as this... It wouldn't be my win," he snarled appearing to 'flame' in rage as he re-entered his body by force. "The only one who wins a battle like that is YOU... So BACK AWAY," he roared, his body abruptly standing up with narrowed eyes, "I have no time for the likes of you... Malik..." As the spirit of his lighter half appeared in the same crouched position it had been prior his other-self grit his teeth, holding his arms to the sides with a sneer as he growled. "You can 'duel' on your own time..!"
Yugi swallowed, eyes wide as Osiris also stared at the albino across from them. "B...Bakura," he whispered, the crowd watching in astonishment as time continued to tick away.
"The THIEF has RECONSIDERED," the God muttered in amazement, head raising upward just slightly as it stared. "An interesting CHANGE..."
Yea... Tell him about it, Bakura actually listened to him! What the hell was up with that! "Hn! I've lost this round," Bakura said with a smirk, forcing an image of superiority right to the very end. "But don't listen to the words your cloaked 'friend' just spouted! This host is key to my plans," he sneered darkly, "And I won't let further damage touch it... So come on," he shouted, Yugi swallowing as he stiffly nodded, "COME ON... YUGI!"
"Very well," the boy roared in response, pointing the dragon God forward as its first mouth opened to charge a blast of flames. "Osiris attacks!"
"And quite so! HEAR THIS THIEF," the monster announced, "You BRAVERY will not go UNNOTICED! RAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Whether or not Bakura heard the words of the dragon as it faded away from existence was debatable, if not unlikely. It was particularly difficult to believe as a blast of hot lightening and flames streaked toward the albino standing before them, mad laughter hitting the air while the fires surrounded and blew past the teen. The lighter half's form could still be seen behind the body in safety as this happened, slowly lifting his head to stare...
And for the first time he saw him, rather than simply hearing a disembodied voice. "The other... Me..?"
"HAHAHAHAHA... AHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAAAA!" Light filled the air amid the dying cackles, blinding the crowd and duelists both as they shielded their eyes. Bakura's laughter disappeared amid the blast, the storming winds only beginning to die with the storm as it passed. And when the dust and clouds finally cleared, all that was left was a smoking body, standing with his arms open in a seemingly protective gesture as opposed to the challenging one it was.
"Bakura," Yugi muttered with wide eyes, staring at the smoking body.
He seemed untouched, still just as pale as ever... And yet despite that it was more than obvious the strain the body had gone through, the wind causing his body to shake as it stood. And with a sneer and a rasping cough the teen laughed at this fact, before falling forward with a resounding clatter. He... That attack had...
"B... Bakura!" Yugi ran over with a panicked, followed by a number of the others as they ran up the arena steps and toward the body. Anzu was first, followed by Honda, as they approached the body and attempted to wake the albino, but despite this they quickly herded away as Mokuba hopped onto the arena from the stage above. "Gh- Mokuba," Yugi muttered, the others only barely doing as Mokuba silently requested
"You need to get back," the boy said rather plainly, the others frowning in response. "Give him space, alright!"
Isono as well was speaking, standing from the stage with a somewhat tense expression in place as he gave what now seemed insensitive words. "The winner of the match is Mutou Yugi," he announced clearly, swallowing as he and his boss both made their way down from the stage. "All spectators and competitors must now clear the field; an announcement will be sent out when the following match is decided," the man continued shortly, the others turning in protest before being interrupted.
"Medics will handle the situation from here," Seto calmly muttered from the side, fixing the group with a strange if not severe glare in order to cut the complaints short. "Until then I suggest you listen," she continued, an unfamiliar doctor running out from the lift to the stage with a pair of guards behind her as Seto spoke.
The CEO walked toward the elevator lift with those words, Yugi reluctantly following Mokuba down from the arena as mutterings and shouts came from behind and shortly thereafter beside and before them. 'Strap him to the board,' one was saying, Bakura carefully lifted to the plank for easy transport as pressure was applied to his bleeding arm. 'We'll have to continue treatment from his room, lets move!'
The lift was quickly filled with people while care was given to the albino behind them, silence reigning in the elevator's trip. Seto and her brother were the first to leave, getting off at the 'top floor' of the ship to head for their rooms. At the bottom however the group found themselves converging in Katsuya's own room, worried expressions and silent swallows coming over the air as they stood or sat in awkward silence.
Ryuzaki was sitting a fair distance away from the group, Shizuka and Namu at his side a few moments later with somewhat pale faces. From what Katsuya could tell, the boy was trying to figure out how to breach the topic of his no longer having a place to sleep... A topic that would be more than simply 'rude' in a situation such as this, despite the slight problem it brought up. Yugi had switched back out with his lighter half for the moment himself, the ghost sitting on the opposite side of the room with Katsuya as he frowned. Whatever he'd spoken about with his lighter half however, it thankfully didn't arise in their conversation. Avoiding what little of the ability he knew however, was apparently impossible for the moment. "Jonouchi," he was 'asking', a slight frown on his face as he looked his friend over. "Back during my duel against Bakura... Your eyes drifted off when Bakura collapsed. When you shouted at him," he continued with a frown, "Were you talking to..."
"I was," he said somewhat plainly, swallowing another wave of unease as he answered the unasked question. "Talkin' t' the other Bakura I mean... He was muttering something," the blond added in defense as he whispered, "An' it felt like if he got an extra push," he continued, "That he'd realize he didn' wanna win like that..."
"The other Bakura is a dark being," the other Yugi muttered somewhat lowly, his friend nodding in agreement.
"Yea... He's scary as hell too," Katsuya admitted with a swallow, "But he still has some kinda connection t' th' real Bakura righ'," he continued, his friend appearing to narrow his eyes at the comment. "Might not be th' best 'f pals... But th' fact is, Bakura wasn' th' only one there."
"No, he wasn't," the spirit muttered, shaking his head. "But this bond... To think that Bakura and Malik both would be working toward the same goal," he muttered, the blond beside him holding his tongue in response.
There was a knock on the door just at that moment, and as Katsuya moved to open the sliding door the others turned to stare. Eyes met nothing but air as they stared forward, before the blond looked down to spot who had knocked. "Ah- Mokuba..."
"Dr. Kuzushi says that she's done with Bakura's emergency care," the boy explained at a somewhat hesitant tone, looking back to the door behind him with a swallow. "You guys can come see him now," he continued as he looked back. Ah...
The others rushed forward nearly immediately with those words, Mokuba stumbling out of the way as they filled Bakura's room. The door had been left open for the moment, and upon first glance it became obvious that it held the same layout as the room he'd just left. At the bedside where Bakura slept, a middle aged woman sat, slightly graying hair partially tied up in a clip at the back of her head. At the sudden appearance of a crowd she turned, calm expression quite betraying the look of 'no nonsense' that she held in her eyes."Ah... You must be Bakura-san's friends," she said curtly, bowing her head in greeting. "I've finished dealing with his wound... He's lost a fair amount of blood," the woman went on, "But so long as he's allowed to rest he should be fine."
"Phew..." So nothing serious then... "That's a relief," Honda muttered, shaking his head as the others stared toward the albino's motionless form. A single portable monitor had been hooked up, a heart-rate skipping across as Katsuya's eyes drifted around the room. Ryuzaki appeared to have remained behind with Namu for the moment, for reasons beyond them. Though as a nasty feeling of dread rose up within him, he had to wonder if it wasn't going to possibly cause problems.
For the moment however, Anzu's question to the woman there was what was grabbing his attention, the blood draining from his face as he realized what she was asking the doctor about. "It would have looked like a large ring," she was explaining to Kuzushi, "A golden ring with five dangling 'prongs' and a triangle bound to the center." Kuzushi appeared to frown at this, muttering something as Anzu continued to gesture to the albino beside her. "It was just around his neck," the woman protested nervously, "Are you sure you didn't see it?"
The woman before them again shook her head, arms crossed. "I assure you," she said plainly, "I have not; I would have seen it while dressing his wounds, if it is as large as you say."
The others paled further at this, swallowing as Anzu appeared to frown. The Millennium Ring wasn't there... The Millennium Ring was.. "Bakura's ring is gone?" Otogi muttered a curse under his breath as he stared at the body, swallowing as Ryuzaki returned from outside.
"Hey, I just wanted to tell you I got another place to sleep and..." He froze, gaining a 'not now' look from Shizuka while the others continued to ignore him. The mixed fear and worry was more than enough to tell him to bite his tongue for the moment, the boy rubbing his head as he nodded. "Aaaaand I'll just tell you later," he decided with a cough, ducking out as the others bit their lips.
"You... You're sure you didn't see it," Honda asked with a swallow, the doctor again nodding as she left for the door.
"Very," she responded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to clear this situation with my associate."
"But you're absolutely sure!"
As a fair bit of annoyed 'VERY sure' responses came over the air, Katsuya had to share a look with the other Yugi as he swallowed. This was bad...
This was very, very bad.
AN: Originally, we were going to have the 'drawing' for the next match in this chapter. But I've decided that this will instead move to the 'before the chapter' things, particularly since JouVSRishid will be a two part-er.
Not because of the duel though; that will all fit in one. It'll be something else. Hehehe...
In any case, a number of interesting things in this chapter! Ancient blood? Osiris knows who Bakura is? What is this madness! All will be revealed...
But not in the next chapter. I have to raise questions before I can answer them I'm afraid...
Also, someone recently corrected me on Anzu's heterochromia; the lighter colour is always on the outside, so Anzu's eyes go from blue to brown, not brown to blue. So here's to that.
Now! I'm going to be off at my relatives until Monday, so the next update won't likely be for another week; there will however, be lots of art as a result, so keep your eyes peeled! I'll be doodling quite a bit during my 'non-visiting hours' after all.
Anonymous Review Responses
A very, very deep hole Iona. Possibly a few inches shy of China.
I would imagine that popping up out of nowhere really is a bit of an amusing point for her really… And you're quite right to say that without competition it wouldn't be right.
And yes, yes he is getting tired… As for the steak, he's only getting away on it because they don't know better; you don't really see food of that consistency in Japan, so they don't know how he'd eat it. And given that he eats everything with about as much zeal and vigour as Naruto with ramen…
It's understandable why the point flew past their heads.
Any ways, enjoy the above chapter!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that wishes Dark Necrofear would stop rubbing her head...
This chapter title is referring to the proverb 'Out of the mouth's of babes', sometimes read as 'from the mouths' instead. It means, in a nutshell, that occasionally children will say wise or 'adult-like' things, though in this case the title is more referring to the fact that Osiris just gave you a bit fat HINT just by showing up.
Yes, Jonouchi gets to be an Exposition Man. Even better, it's about the Millennium Items. That's right. It's not Honda, Anzu, or even Otogi, the latter of which was pretty much raised on the subject, explaining things in the manga or anime.
It's Jonouchi. Awww yea.
A lot of Ryuzaki's dialogue here, and even a bit of Shizuka's, was ripped from Namu's own. It's actually kind of sad… She doesn't have a single line during this duel! As a result, most of them are bouncing around her shy side (Which is largely there because of all the people she's unfamiliar with) and her very angry side (Ryuzaki more or less being the sole target for that one.).
HEY. Here's an interesting thing. Bakura and Yugi (The Yami's at least) weren't playing a Shadow Game! They were just playing! The reason Bakura collapsed had completely to do with the injury; Bakura bled out too much, and his Yami was only barely keeping him aloft with his own power.
Of course, even if that wasn't what was making it okay to attack, Yami quite likely would have done it anyways, as he really really doesn't like Bakura. Well, he would have tried anyways; Yugi would have stopped him more likely.
Ryuzaki, stop stealing people's lines! You even ripped a few from Kaiba's thoughts! (Though that was only because Kaiba's POV never happened in this chapter.)
Speaking of dialogue, interesting thing; Mai wasn't watching this match in the manga. I left it that way too, to keep things a little clearer.
Originally in the dub, the message was 'Final'. Apparently the word 'death' is inappropriate, but turning perfectly normal matches into games where the looser is sent to a nightmarish void for all eternity is A-OK.
Heck, the only 'risk' to Bakura's well being was not so much that he'd die, but that he would and actually was in immense pain! And until that point, the only threat was that they'd lose the tournament!
In addition to Ryuzaki's great dialogue theft, some of Bakura's lines are missing. Partially because they make no sense, and partially because the duels are actually moving quicker in the fanfic than in the manga and anime; there's not as much 'dramatic pause', as 'dramatic pause' is really only useful in a visual medium. Typing 'dot dot dot' just gives off the feeling of a flat 'what' when its typed I find.
Also, Ryuzaki inherits Jonouchi's doubts about the duel, with a few bits handed to Namu in his 'attempt' to be friends with everyone. Mostly because Jonouchi's busy beating himself over the head about the rules; he can't tell Yugi which monster the ghost is in, because it'll get them both disqualified. Competitors can't offer advice, and if advice is taken then you're still disqualified. (At least when it's 'direct' advice. Things like 'HE'S TRIBUTE SUMMONING' are just too obvious to be considered cheating. And in contrast, things like 'NOTHING IS INFINITE' are simply too vague.)
Normally, I'll keep the Japanese names on monster's for the sake of accuracy, unless the difference is a matter of 'Black Magician/Dark Magician'. But in some cases, the English names sound much cooler; 'The Earl of Demise' is simply 'Ghost Earl' in Japanese. Not quite as threatening.
Originally, Mokuba simply calls for a first aid kit, and the tournament moves on 'as planned' with the Kaiba siblings not even batting an eye. But as fanfic-Kaiba more or less understands just what the issues in failed health care would be, along with the high risk of people dying is, she's got doctors coming on scene.
Also, in the manga, Anzu took the ring with the excuse that she would look after it. In the anime, she swiped it while no one was looking, spawning a ship-wide search as Anzu stayed behind in Bakura's room. I opted to go with the latter... It helps get people moving around the ship.
Yami and Jonouchi's conversation from Bakura more or less borrows from the one they (And Yugi) had in the anime and manga. Yugi was first comparing Yami to Yami Bakura (before quite bluntly saying that his relationship with Yami was far healthier than that of the bond between those two), and somewhat later Yami was mentioning that Yami Bakura saved his lighter half... Something that really, really confused Jonouchi.
I made the second doctor's name a pun too guys! While it's not using the kanji for 'doctor', it reads like the archaic version of it... Namely 'kusushi' (Though in the name's case it's pronounced 'kuzushi', similar to how 'Anzu' should technically be 'Ansu'.)
That's all for now! Remember, the next update won't be for a while (Try a week...)... So until then, enjoy!