Sunrise
Friendship was a strange thing. Not a negative sort of 'strange' of course, as friendship was almost completely positive in its nature. But it was still strange. The dictionary defined it as a bond through which one could be considered loyal, caring, and understanding to the other. But there was more to the term than that, he thought. It was a tie that could match with and occasionally even surpass that of the family bond from what he had seen, and on its own its power 'friendship' had the strangest ways of holding true despite the most negative of circumstance. It was a corny acknowledgement. One could even say that was cliche. But the 'power of friendship' was a power nonetheless, and it was this 'power' that allowed the friends tied by it to help each other to surpass what ever problems they needed to overcome. That power that allowed them to move on through life, for the sole existence of the bond. Because they were friends. Because they trusted each other. Because they knew that no matter what the situation, no matter what the damage done, there would be a way out.
And that was all that he needed to know to understand the term, provided his lighter and calmer half was always there to remind him why. Friendship was, so long as the memory was available, easy to understand. But trust, true trust, was different. Even in friendship, 'trust' could occasionally get its holes. It could 'slip up', in a single moment of doubt, no matter how strong the friendship remained through it. And throughout almost the entire evening of the tournament, it was these thoughts of faltering and questioned trust that were running through his mind despite all he wanted to believe. These thoughts that, so fragile in nature, had shielded from his lighter half out of his worry for the reaction, these thoughts that had him wondering what had happened to his friend in that year.
Yugi, the 'real' Yugi, had noticed something was wrong with himself after all. He'd noticed when the shade that was known as the 'other Yugi', the 'pharaoh', had been acting in secrecy, desperately hiding his intentions for entering the tournament. He'd even guessed the reason, piecing the answer together just like, dare he say it, a puzzle. To find his memories, to find his reason for existence... And despite the secrecy, his lighter half had respected the desire to keep the reasoning secret, promising to help in whatever it took to reach that goal. He always did have a way of knowing when something was wrong really... It was what made Yugi 'Yugi', one of the many things that set them apart.
But this time, though his lighter half had his doubts about everything being as 'fine' as their friend had claimed, it seemed that he was the one to realize something was wrong first. That he was the first to notice, or at least notice more than the occasional 'zone' during class. He would admit that it had to do with what he'd seen at the pier of course. If anything, he'd have found it hard to believe that the pier had been a separate occurrence altogether. It had taken time to even recover from seeing Jonouchi in the state he had of course, let alone realize that the 'mind control' had been far more than just that. That rather than the manipulation of thoughts it had been a manipulation of the body, with the soul itself torn from its physical bonds. His friend had been aware of the battle and Rod both, and fighting during the entire battle as he suffered injury after grievous injury. And even when he had first been flung from the puzzle to the ground, sensations unlike any he'd felt before rushing through him, Jonouchi had been in enough dis-repair that had it been a real body he'd have died long ago. His arms had been tatters, with spots where bone could be seen between hanging and ragged muscles. The fact that he could move his arms at all was a surprise in fact, especially considering the multitude of burns covering the blond's body. Even that however was nothing compared to the other forms of damage that had been sustained, the lower half of his jaw effectively being ripped from the bone as the demonic form of the Millennium rod bit into him.
Yet he'd somehow managed to not only push through but effectively ignore the damage done, speaking to him as though all it was was a standard fist fight, but he had managed to defeat the fiend. He'd fought off the twisted fires and teeth gnawing at his physical body, ignoring flying blood and impossible acts of physics and reality in order to save his friend. It was a frightening sight... A horrific one, and combined with the sensations of touch that he had on his own accord, with the enraged emotions running through him, it was altogether a relief in more than one way when it was over. When he had returned to being a 'shade' with minimal capability in emotion, returned to the 'black-white' haze he had become so used to. Returned to the state that Yugi guided him through, that he relied on his partner to hold a balance in.
Something was off however, both after and during the match. Jonouchi had claimed the sight had been a result of the Rod, and nothing more. That the monsters deliberately refusing to battle for his sake were merely a side effect, that to hear them speak mattered little. But he'd been too calm with his explanation, a fact that was clear even with the unease and fear running rampant at that time. He'd acted as though it was just another fight on the streets, and while he admired his friend's courage, he knew how his friend reacted to things. He knew what sort of reaction would have ordinarily arisen from the encounter with the 'Rod', from the actions done. Yet despite his suspicion and unease the power of friendship and trust had taken its toll again; he himself kept secrets from Yugi after all. What gave him the right to pry into what was likely a private matter? If he was able to keep important things from his friends, then so could anyone and everyone else he knew. It was only fair.
But it was also incredibly worrisome. As Ryuzaki had noted after all, Jonouchi's jacket was in tatters. His body had sustained exceedingly light burns and there were scrapes that could not be explained by simple 'hologram' damage. And as the doctor had found later on at Kaiba's request, there were bruises covering Jonouchi's middle in addition to those scrapes. And though he couldn't be too sure of the source of those same bruises, it looked almost like a fist from what he'd been able to tell...
It looked almost similar to the fist of the very monster Jonouchi had so wanted to warn him against earlier that morning. There were 'ring' marks, lines resembling the armor of the beast... There was just so much going on, and so little he understood now! He knew that Jonouchi could see and hear him. In fact, from the last 'test run' they'd had a few months prior he also knew that running into Jonouchi as a spirit would only end in bruises. They collided as though in reality, a pain searing through his body that should not have been possible as a spirit in an object. In addition to this he knew that his friend had a habit of spacing out; a habit that had grown to an alarming extent in recent times, growing from perhaps once every two weeks to once every day or so. If they were lucky. Stranger still however was that quite often during those times, the blond would appear to either grow tense...
Or even finish the very sentence one of them had been in the middle of saying, despite the knowledge more often than not being of private knowledge. An act that would quickly be followed by nervous laughter and a sudden change in the subject.
Jonouchi could see more than simply him though, he knew that much. He had seen Bakura on the field during their match, spoken to his spirit and somehow convinced him against whatever plan he'd had. Perhaps if that was all however, he'd pass it off. Bakura held a spirit within the Millennium Ring after all, so it was only natural. But there were other, stranger actions that he'd noticed just in the last match. In Jonouchi's match.
He didn't... 'Play' properly. During duels and matches he not only managed to pass through a fight without looking at his hand, but also without touching the required buttons located on the disk itself it seemed, the blond merely waving his hand over the field in a gesture that most would do following the button's press. He would set cards without a glance or a thought, and no matter what, it would be the card he stated it to be. Stranger still, his eyes followed empty space on the field as he battled, and when he took a loss it looked almost as though he'd lost a friend. And it was true he supposed, that the cards had their own spirits. But the cards were still bound to the holograms on the field, never bearing a true physical body, existing to simply fight...
Was that really true though, he found himself asking. When Osiris had arrived during both duels, the monsters appeared to shift in their positions if only just slightly. Their feet touched the ground as shadows appeared beneath them, and they moved as though completely there, as though pulled into reality and given solid form. And when Ra had appeared, the same thing had happened, or so it seemed. It was hard to tell given that Ra had been the only being on the field of course, but nonetheless, with the summoning of 'Fake-Ra', the feeling of intensity had hung on the air. Ra had appeared to arise in a pillar of light from the temple's ark, but as he grew and snarled above and before them his scales had suddenly begun to bleed black. His form had swirled into a vicious and imposing vortex with his own great and toothy maw at the center, and from it lightning appeared to strike the arena at random. Thunder clapped all through the air, the winds themselves fell flat...
And yet instead of reacting as expected, or even with minor shock at the very least, Jonouchi had spaced out just as he had a habit of doing so many times before. He'd stared forward with blank and wide eyes, taken a step closer to the immense dragon... And if he looked close enough, it looked like he was speaking. A single long string of words, his attentions at the sky rather than his opponent. Words meant for the God above. And Ra...
Ra had answered him. He'd even cut the blond out from his strange blank stare, Jonouchi looking upward and appearing to hold a short conversation with the monster. And yet despite that knowledge, he couldn't tell what Ra said. He could only watch as with each movement of its mouth the lightning struck, thunder covering the words completely. All he was left with was wondering why Jonouchi had warned Rishid against summoning the card in the first place, why he had warned him against angering God, when Jonouchi shouldn't have even known of the danger. When he shouldn't have even known 'God' as anything more than an all powerful card. But more importantly, as he thought, he found still more questions coming to mind. Why Jonouchi had claimed to know the exact number of turns the duel would take, was one, how Jonouchi had known that 'Malik' was never standing before him was another, and how he'd known the real Malik stood behind him...
'I jus' had... A feelin'.' That was what he had said, voice hesitant and filled with nervousness as he gave the excuse to a friends. It was just a feeling, nothing more he'd said. Maybe he'd have believed him if that was all their was. Maybe if that was all he'd seen and heard, he'd have believed what he said and passed it off as his strange and circumstantial luck.
But Jonouchi had blood on his forehead as he came down from the arena. He'd had scratches and scrapes covering him almost completely, arms seemingly covered with a hair-thin layer of stone dust. Injuries that hadn't existed prior the duel, conditions that had never been there.
Maybe it was Ra; he had that effect after all, he had too. If Osiris was able to bring reality to the field after all then it would be ridiculous to say Ra didn't. But Ra hadn't been summoned until the very end of the match, and even then he had not truly made his presence on the field. The most he had done was shock Jonouchi into temporary submission, with not a single moment left to cut the blond's forehead, or bruise his arm. No... Something was wrong, horribly wrong, and that was all it was.
That was what had cemented further in his mind when he passed on Mai's message, when he'd found Jonouchi leaning against the wall in a fragile and clearly frightened state, a state he'd only seen during battles involving his life-long and irrational fear of the undead. Mai would be fighting next, he had told the blond. The others had long since headed into the lift, with Yugi wondering where Jonouchi had gone as he himself left to find out the answer to that very question. And after passing along that message Jonouchi had stared off, not looking at his friend... 'I know.'
She would be fighting against Malik he'd then mentioned, the one who held the real Dragon of Ra...
Katsuya had held his head and nodded, repeating the answer that was clearly not sarcastic and more or less filled with grief and fear. 'I know.'
She wanted to fight alone the boy had gone on, without the support of the others, despite the danger of the match and-
'I KNOW!'
Something was horribly, horribly wrong he told himself after that outburst, the spirit's eyes having grown wide and frozen in response to the cry. There was no doubt about it, something was wrong. But he didn't know, he didn't know what to do now... Would a true friend force another to reveal what was wrong, despite how uncomfortable they clearly were?...
Or support him from the shadows and pray it didn't get worse than it had?
While the other Yugi stewed over these facts even from the sidelines of the field and Seto stood at the arena top to glare across at where Malik stood, Katsuya found himself holding his head from behind the crowd. It was a rather convenient niche in the arena's sidelines really, the arena as a whole dipping out somewhat in the middle. And so long as no one turned around, no one would realize that he'd spontaneously developed a headache. The 'light' Yugi had been hidden away from the field for the moment of course, lest his spirit effectively be devoured by darkness. The effects of shadows was never healthy it seemed, and after the Duelist Kingdom Yugi's other self would take no chances. Seto herself seemed to fight off her own symptoms with only slightly more ease than Mai, the woman visibly pale in the face despite the blank and glaring expression she used to hide that fact. Mai was far more obvious in her unease- she was pale, clammy, and while no longer shaking her determined expression was cracking little by little under the psychotic gaze from her opponent.
There was little time to ponder on the reason why he wasn't effected however, as the duel had just begun, Isono's announcement to start made just in time for him to turn away with an ill look on his face. Around him, the voices were just as loud as before however, Katsuya using just about every ounce of willpower not to plug his ears and tell the shades to stuff it. And yet as he forced the voices to the back of his mind, finally succeeding in gaining a silence of sorts, he found himself growing pale to realize that they had silenced themselves on their own. After all...
There was a duel to be had. And why bother speaking during one of those? "Come on Mai!" Cheers had already erupted on the field, Katsuya coming somewhat closer to get a better view. "You beat me, you can beat him easy," Ryuzaki shouted as the disks were set into position, cards drawn to each opponent's hand. They'd managed to break past the 'keep quiet' rule it seemed, with Mai not at all minding the cheers... And while he couldn't hear the woman's shouts in response, the look on her face and reactions of the crowd were all he needed, a lighter feeling coming up from within. But Malik...
Malik..! His face seemed to stretch with every other word that he shouted across the field, his voice echoing and doubling with each word. And with every word and sight of the bizarre doubling the cheer he'd somewhat gained was squashed down further.
But despite all this, Mai was still going to fight... And they couldn't stop it. No matter what, they wouldn't be able to stop it, and her words made that all too clear. 'Here I come,' Mai had shouted across the field, Malik's maniacal grin growing in response.
'In that case,' he announced insanely, 'Let the Shadow Game BEGIN!'
Cheers surrounded the field as the duel began, Katsuya and Yugi holding an uncharacteristic silence as the former walked to stand beside his friend. Somehow, with all that was at risk, he couldn't really get excited about this. Actually, he couldn't get excited at all... Given that regardless of what happened someone would die. And that the chances of Malik being the one to die were depressingly slim. "It's my turn," Mai announced from above, setting a card on the field as Katsuya's attention was pulled from these thoughts. "I summon the Amazon Swordswoman in attack mode," She shouted clearly, "And set one card face down! End turn!"
All at once the shadow beneath the woman's feet seemed to stretch, first forming a black and featureless being and then fleshing out into the thick muscled and sword-wielding monster they'd seen prior. "What th' hell," Katsuya muttered in his breath as the summon came about, Malik chuckling darkly from across the field. There was no tablet to herald the Amazon's arrival it seemed, nothing at all. If anything the woman had quite literally formed itself from Mai herself, the shadow it arose from somehow still visible on the field despite the impenetrable darkness.
And yet as a blank tablet formed to the side in the meantime he noticed that Mai herself was staring in confusion as well, eyes drawn to her chest as a light appeared to form from the center. The light was white, glowing, eerily reminiscent of the spirits he'd seen in his dreams... And as a cord of light grew from that light it attached to the shadowed monster that had just been summoned, the woman appearing to immediately mirror her summoner's actions. "This... What is this," Mai muttered, Yugi's own eyes widening as well as he followed the woman's gaze. Oh no... Oh no no no, he didn't want to know how or why, but he knew what that meant.
And as Malik explained the point of the 'cord' that appeared, he couldn't help but shudder in worry and fear both. "It's a life line," Malik stated with a sneer, the words parroted by his opponent with obvious incredulity. And as he continued to explain the cord merely pulsed, seemingly allowing something to flow from body to body. "This game... It's going to be the greatest game we've ever played," the Egyptian cackled, grinning wildly as he laughed. "A game where our monsters and lifepoints decide how long we live, where anything your monster feels is mirrored on yourself! The pain and terror... I'll take it all, anything," he laughed, drawing a card and setting a separate one to the field. "And for my first monster," the Egyptian announced, his own shadow stretching and forming as the eye of wdjat appeared across the shadow's brow. "The Executioner Makyura! I'll show you the fun you can only experience in the dark," Malik sneered, his shadowed monster mirroring his gestures as triple-bladed weapons appeared on its arms. "Into the realms of illusion and seduction... MAKYURA ATTACKS," he roared, pointing forward as the soul-joined monster charged forward, "Now DIE!"
"Hn!" In an instant Mai tapped her duel disk, waving her hand as the single tablet on the field began to crumble to dust. "Activate trap," the woman shouted in response, "Amazon Phalanx!" A trio of warriors briefly carved itself on the crumbling stone, smoke wrapping around the stone as she continued. "Not only does it cancel your monster's attack, ending its turn," the woman explained, arrows flying from the tablet stone to pierce Makyura's limbs, "It takes 500 points off of its attack power! Now," the woman continued, drawing her card as the Amazoness appeared to mirror her movements, "The swordswoman attacks! Execution Blade!" Ordinarily, Katsuya was fairly prepared for what happened on the field.
Heck, as the Amazoness, with eerily blank eyes, brought her sword toward Makyura, he was finding himself waiting for the head to literally roll. But then he noticed that where the arrows had struck were now bloodstains on Malik's pants...
And as the swordswoman's blade sliced Makyura's head clean from its shoulders, he found himself gawking as 'head' became 'heads'. Makyura's head toppled to the ground with a dull 'thud', and just as blood spurted freely from Makyura's arteries, so did the blood from Malik's own. The blond's head clattered to the ground even while laughing, and as Mai screeched from across the field, hands pulled close, the chuckling continued to fill the air. The executioner vanished from the field, melting into Malik's shadow along with the 'soul rope' that held it in place...
But Malik's head, while sitting on the ground by the base of his neck, was most assuredly still able to speak. A sight that had Katsuya growing incredibly nauseous as Mai only just began to stiffle her cries. "Hnhnhnhn... How exciting," Malik muttered with a grin, headless body moving forward to pick the head up by his hair. Slowly the head was tucked beneath his arm, staring forward with no troubles at all as his opponent continued to shiver. "That first hit was almost invigorating... Hnhnhnhnhn... Now..." Malik adjusted his grip on his head, moving his Makyura card to the grave as he went on. "I probably should have mentioned this before, but Makyura has a special effect... I can play and activate any spell or trap I want when he dies... But which one to use I wonder," he muttered, blood continuing to flow and stain his body and the ground both as Mai's screams died to whimpers.
"Head... His... His head," those below could hear, staring as the woman shuddered in terror. "His HEAD..!"
"H-Hey... Hey, Mai," Honda shouted with a swallow, Yugi and the others as well narrowing their eyes in slight confusion or suspicion. "Mai! Are you alright up there," he asked loudly, slowing bringing the cupped hands back to his sides. There was no answer for the crowd besides those same shuddered gasps, and the teen looked back to the others with a slight frown. "What's going on you think..?" Ah... Besides the obvious? Er...
Obvious to him? "All that happened was an attack," Anzu muttered, the others attempting to encourage the woman and snap her from her stupor. "Just one attack, which she made," the woman continued, "And yet she's completely paralyzed!" Just an attack...
"Y-Yea," Katsuya found himself muttering, blinking something wet from his eyes before numbly wiping it off with his hands. Red... Even in the darkness he could see... "Jus'... Jus' an attack, it was jus'..."
Yugi turned to look worriedly at the blond, catching the unease in his friend's tone only to freeze. "...J... Jonouchi," he whispered, breath catching for a brief moment. "Jonouchi you have blood on..." Oh god he needed to wipe this off..!
A new tablet appeared on the field, Malik's apparent decision in play cutting Yugi's whispered and worried words short. "Here we go," the blond decided, the stone crumpling to dust as it formed a new 'cord' for his monster to use. "The trap card Rope of Life! Very useful for Makyura," he continued with a grin, the 'rope' of light and spirit again raising from his shadow. Malik idly spun his head in his hand as the shadow rose, bladed armor gleaming dully as he chuckled. "Hnhnhnhnhn... This trap not only revives my monster," he stated darkly, "But it adds 800 points to his original attack... I have to discard my entire hand though," he added with a 'sigh', shrugging as his eyes glanced to the hand of cards he held. "Pity... But oh well.." He moved his head back toward his body, appearing to 'screw' it back into place as Mai and Katsuya continued to hold back their dinners in response. A loud crack came over the air as the Egyptian adjusted his neck, adjusting himself before making the necessary 'sacrifice' to bring back his blade wielding monster. Cards were sent into the grave, and as the blond's hand was emptied out he looked across the field with a wicked grin. "Now now... Just what's with that look," he asked with a psychotic grin, voice far too calm to be normal. The woman across from him merely took quickened breaths, hyperventilating in panic as her opponent grinned. "So scared," Malik muttered with a chuckle. "It was your monster who cut off my head! Your monster who caused me this pain," he added, chuckling as the crowd frowned. "You should be celebrating, not quivering like a mouse! HAHAHAHAHA!"
Those below immediately frowned for the most part, Ryuzaki in particular narrowing his eyes. "Cut off 'his head'," the boy muttered, shaking himself. "What the hell is he talking about..." What was he talking about..? Ahhh...
Hahaha... That wasn't exactly something a person could easily describe..! "Oh no... Oh no no no no no," Katsuya muttered under his breath, Yugi slowly looking back as his friend stared at the field.
The blond's eyes were flying across the field as he pieced together what was about to happen, Malik's mad cackling filling the air and momentarily encouraging the prior screams to start up yet again. "I'm going to return the pain you gave me two-fold," Malik was cackling, pointing his monster forward despite the stains across his thankfully darkened clothing. "Go Makyura," he ordered, the monster shifting from it's 'mirrored' stance to charge forward with a nod. "ATTACK THE SWORDSWOMAN!"
As Mai stared across the field in shock, it took a moment for reaction to set in. The scantily armed Amazoness was easy prey for the shadowed monster after all, particularly while standing as motionless as its master. And as Makyura's three arm-blades tore through the Amazoness' chest, he found his own eyes widening incredibly, staring at the timing of the wounds that followed. This wasn't supposed to happen, a voice told him in the back of his mind. This wasn't how the fight worked... This wasn't what the monsters were supposed to do.
But as though torn by an invisible force Mai's corset gained three steady lines of shredded fabric in the same instant her swordswoman had, and as blood spurted from the wounds they could see her collapse to her knees in numb shock. No... "Mai... MAIII," he screamed, the woman before them staring at her shaking hand as the blood poured from her wound. That cut..! With that kind of cut you weren't supposed to live, there was no way she'd be just take that and...
"What's going on," the others were shouting through the screams that suddenly filled the air, "Why is she..."
"MAIIII! MAI, DON' LISTEN' T' HIM!" Whatever she did, don't let him mess with her head, don't let..!
"Hnhnhnhnh... As the monster is injured so will the master suffer," Malik 'explained' as he laughed, the woman across from him going into shock as she stared at bloodied hands before her. "Lose all your lifepoints and you'll die... But until then," he continued with a broad grin, "Your blood will continue to flow, and your nerves will continue to react... It's only an illusion," the Egyptian continued to shout psychotically, "But you'll still feel every bit of pain... And that... That is the power of this game! HnhnhaHAHA!"
"Illusions... She must be seeing illusions," Yugi muttered with wide eyes, shaking himself in his shock. "It's as though she was hit by her own monster and-" The boy abruptly froze, staring as his friend stared forward with almost watery eyes. "...Jonouchi..."
Katsuya ignored the steady stare he was receiving, the stare that others had forgone in lieu of cheering the woman before them on. "Mai," the blond shouted with a swallow. "MAI! You have to get up," he screamed, voice laden with a desperation that had those around staring oddly as he pulled their attentions toward him. "You have to keep going," Katsuya shouted, "Even if that thing tears you to shreds!" Even if there was... Nothing left... "You can't let your lifepoints run out," he chocked, the woman atop the field ignoring him as she continued to frantically attempt to stop her bleeding, "You CAN'T let..! It ain't real," he shouted, ignoring the panicked breaths the woman gave from above. "They're illusions! Th' blood, th' pain, they're all fake! You have t' keep fightin', you have t'..."
Malik appeared to turn with those words, a dark and chuckling sneer on his face. "Hnhnhnhnhnh... How interesting..." Interesting? This guy found all of this interesting! "Only those directly involved in the game should be able to see this," Malik muttered with a cackle, the crowd narrowing their eyes as Katsuya swallowed. Shit... He shouldn't have opened his mouth... "You claim to see it..? You claim to see the source of the pain your friend is in..? Without saying anything? Hhnhnhnhnh..."
"Gh..." Damn it... The blond bowed his head somewhat, his friend stepping forward before any questions could be asked.
"...MAI," Yugi called out, narrowing his eyes. Though the woman still failed to respond the boy shouted as loud as possible, determined to make the woman hear his words. "This is a 'Shadow Game'," he warned and explained, "Illusions created by the fear and doubt within will fill the field, and they will test your resolve! Those who succumb to the illusions succumb to reality and thereby death," the boy announced, "So contain yourself! None of what you see is real, it's an illusion created from your own fear!"
At this Mai slowly turned to the side, bloodstained face pale with terror. Those last words, combined with the constant, unending shouts had finally broken something, broken whatever shock the woman had from losing a portion of her very life. "...Fear... It's created by my... Fear," she whispered, hands still fruitlessly attempting to halt the flow of blood from her chest as she held them close. 'Come on,' the crowd shouted, 'Keep going, come on!' And as the woman slowly stood, holding her hands to stare at them...
"...Gone..." As Yugi glanced just briefly at his friend, a grin had to come over Katsuya's face. Above on the platform the blood had abruptly vanished from Mai's clothes, all wounds and traces of the prior attack having vanished completely. "Gone... it's..." She'd done it! "MAI," he shouted with a grin, the woman in question mouthing a silent 'thank you' to the crowd before steeling her resolve to look forward. "GO FOR IT! You c'n win this," he roared, a grin on his face. He didn't care that the blood on himself and the field hadn't vanished... Or that Yugi appeared to again be barely holding his tongue, silently pondering the reason he could see this at all...
And as a monster wielding a chain and blade in her arms arose from Mai's shadow, it was evident that the woman had regained the will to fight, the woman before her taking a battle stance rather than mirroring her summoner's own 'duelist' position. "My turn," she called out among the cheers, Yugi and Katsuya again silent as they watched the field. "I summon the Amazoness Chain-Woman in attack mode, and in addition set one card face down! End turn," the woman announced, blank tablet appearing at her side as Malik appeared to stare emotionlessly across the field.
The blond across from Mai appeared to merely tilt his head in idle amusement, drawing his next card and looking it over. "...My turn," he said almost blandly, before yet another wicked grin came over him. Though no wind blew beneath the curtain of darkness the blond's cloak seemed to furl about behind the Egyptian as the look increased, wicked grin across his face as a tablet arose from the side to carve into existence a bizarre and twisted device. A torso and head, covered in steel and black 'skin', from the bottom of which formed a brace. As the monster appeared however, by all accounts resembling a torturous head-lock device, it was Malik's announcement that took the crowd off guard. "I summon the Iron Demon, 'Viser Death'," he shouted, pointing the new monster forward, "And I attack your Amazoness!"
"Attack- It's only got five hundred points though," Otogi muttered, narrowing his eyes. "There's no way that can work!"
"So why the hell isn't it dead then," Ryuzaki hissed, both Mai the two aware of the situation staring with wide eyes as the vice positioned itself atop the chain wielder's head. Slowly, slowly the device's pins moved forward, closing in on the head... But just as soon as it had done this it stopped, merely sitting atop the woman's head as her summoner swallow. So why...
"Why th' hell isn' it doin' anythin'," he muttered, Mai and her monster both clearly tense with panic as the vice latched just slightly onto the latter's head.
Across on the field the woman's opponent merely grinned, eyes narrowed with sick and sadistic mirth. "Oh... You won't see anything from this guy for a while," Malik chuckled, gesturing to the monster across from him. "Not for three turns at least... And after that," he continued darkly, trailing off as the vice abruptly tightened.
"NGH-" Mai's face abruptly contorted with pain as the blunt drills of the device ground against her monster's skull. "Ahhh... AAAAAHHHH!" The woman's form buckled, hands holding the sides of her head as she and her monster both mirrored each other, mouth hanging open in an endless scream. "AAAAAAHHH!"
"What the hell," Ryuzaki muttered, Katsuya merely swallowing and turning toward Malik as the Egyptian explained.
"Three turns," Malik stated darkly, bringing a hand to his head in gesture. A slight drill motion was made, the blond's laughter continuing to fill the field as he cackled. "During those three turns," he explained, "The Viser will slowly squeeze about your head tighter and tighter, until finally it drills completely through the skull... And what your monster feels so will you!"
No... NO! "MAI," he shouted, the woman still frozen in excruciating pain.
Those at the sides could only stare with wide eyes, confusion more than evident as they tried and failed to make heads or tails of the situation. "Why... Why is the monster's attack affecting her," Shizuka asked from the side, holding her arms close for warmth in the intense darkness. "Why is Mai..."
"MAIIII!" Come on come on come on, wake up! "MAI," Katsuya roared desperately, "SNAP OUT OF IT! YOU NEED T' SNAP OUT 'F IT, C'MON!"
"Trapped," he heard Yugi mutter, the boy staring with wide eyes as he slowly shook his head. "She's completely covered," the boy continued, "If they keep going..."
Katsuya slowly turned toward his friend, eyes wide and desperate. "Yugi," he said quietly, the boy's eyes just as wide and fear filled as his own, "If this fight doesn't stop..."
The boy merely grit his teeth, fists clenched as the eye of wdjat glowed fiercely across his brow. Briefly it looked as though he was going to say something; in the end however, it was the loud and grating voice from the field that answered. "Really," Malik laughed from above, wicked grin set across his face. "You should explain these things to your friends," he sneered. "No one can stop this game! Not without casualties... The moment I win, this woman dies," the teen cackled, face appearing to stretch and distort as Katsuya stared through a curtain of rage. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me..."
"Gh... Bastard... You MONSTER," Yugi roared, the Egyptian above merely continuing to laugh at the crowd at the sides.
"Sweet sweet anger... Wonderful! So wonderful!" Gh... Nothing wonderful about this... "Yugi... Fuel that anger for me," Malik demanded, grin widening and stretching with madness as he laughed. "I want to see the same anger I've held through life in your eyes when we battle, I want to experience every bit of it!"
"Gh... MALIK," the boy snarled, only to be cut off by a weak and almost strangled voice from above.
"Yugi..." The group swallowed, turning as Mai winced and forced back another wave of pain from her mind. "Yugi, and Jonouchi as well..." Ah- Him too? "Please," the woman whispered, "This is my fight. Don't try to stop it," she asked, a pained and forced smile coming over her face. "I'm a 'duelist'... And I'll fight this guy to the end! I activate my trap," she shouted through the pain, tapping the dueldisk as her blank tablet carved and revealed its image. "Grave Arm! It allows me to send one monster to the grave-yard," the woman announced, ignoring Malik's chuckling as the hand spread across the field.
The woman's opponent merely snorted, arms crossed. "Hn! Too bad," he sneered, grinning darkly. "Viser Death is immune to such cards while in his 'stand-by' state... Your card is useless! You've wasted your turn!"
"Just who said I was using it on your monster," the woman growled, the tablet to her side merging into the ground below. From the ground came a fissure, rotted and cold hands pulling the monster attached to Mai and dragging it into the ground with no resistance whatsoever. "I'm destroying mine," she announced clearly, "The chain wielder!" The chain?
"...You... Your own monster," Malik questioned through narrowed eyes, his opponent's expression clearing as the pain from the vice vanished.
"Correct... And because of it," she continued, a sigh of relief escaping her as her head cleared, "I can activate the monster's effect!" With those very words the ground cracked, the trap unable to restrain what was seemingly acting on its own. "The chain of death! By paying 1000 lifepoints," the woman roared, a chain ripping from the ground to embed itself into Malik's duel disk, "I can take one card from your deck!" One card... But that meant...
Malik appeared to tense as the chain bore its way into the duel disk, before watching as the clawed end retreated with a single card in its grip. "Hnn..!"
"The card I pick is Ra," Mai shouted, evidently un-phased by the fact that the chain had snatched the God Card and sent it directly into her waiting hand. As fingers gripped the card tightly the chain corroded into dust, scattering to the winds while Mai smirked. "Your 'God' is now mine," she roared, flashing the card across the field. "It's over!" God... She got...
"Hahaha... HAHA! YES," he cheered, pumping his fists as he grinned. "That was great Mai!"
"Mai," Yugi added in through the shouts, "Keep at it! You're doing great!" She had a chance now! As long as Ra was kept off the field, she had a-
Malik appeared to only grin from across the field despite the loss of his card, face again appearing to stretch off from his own as he spoke. "You troublesome little wench," he muttered through his sneer, the golden card appearing to gleam in Mai's hand with a blinding light as they stared. "I'm going to make sure your death is more painful than before! HnhnHAHAHAHAAAA..!" Ghk-
Shit this guy was scary..! Yet even with that his opponent kept her cool, adding the card to her hand with narrowed eyes. "Hn! Say what you want," Mai spat, a smirk coming across her own face as cheers again erupted from the crowd. "Before you manage to come even close to that," she snarled, "I'll make sure you suffer in hell!"
"Hahahaaa! She got God, she got it!"
"She was probably planning that from the start, incredible!"
"Alright! Mai," Ryuzaki shouted, a grin developing as Yugi smirked from beside him. "You summon that God card," he continued with a laugh, "And you'll be in the-"
Oh no. "Mai," Katsuya called out, the boy behind him tensing as he was cut off. "MAI! Whatever y' do," he shouted with a swallow, vividly recalling the God's words during the last fight, "DON'T SUMMON RA!"
As a deep rumbling seemed to come from the card in 'response' to the words Mai turned, eyes wide with incredulity as the others followed her gaze. "Don't summon it," Honda questioned, shaking himself as he turned on the blond. "I don't even play and I know that would be stupid!"
"'Ra' is supposed to be the strongest card," Anzu added, looking back to the blond with just slightly clouded eyes as her friend bit his lip. "Why wouldn't Mai summon it?" Why?
Because if she summoned that card... Mai appeared to shake her head as the blond beside the field gave no answer for the moment, instead drawing her next card to take her turn. "Hn! Two cards face down," she announced, tablets arising from the shadows behind her to sit blankly on the field. "And in addition to that, the Amazon Warrior," the woman announced, the monster arising from her shadow to take a stance nearly identical to her summoner. As the woman cracked her knuckles, lean body quite clearly made for hand-to-hand combat she shifted to a more battle ready stance, her summoner giving the woman a slight nod before staring across the field. "End turn!"
"Hn! My turn then," Malik sneered, reaching for his deck as slight growling came from the side. "Draw..."
Hng... Malik appeared to study his hand from above, taking time to plan his next move as Katsuya grit his teeth. Mai was probably ignoring him the blond thought to himself, fists clenched in worry. He knew, he just knew that... And when Ra appeared to the field... "Jonouchi," Yugi whispered from close beside him, the blond turning with a start. "Why did you warn her against Ra..?" Why did he-
For a moment, Katsuya couldn't bring himself to answer. In fact, as Malik summoned a blank, trap 'tablet' into existence, he almost considered claiming it to be another 'feeling', passing it off as nothing but a fluke. But as Makyura charged forward for an attack, blades at the ready, he found himself speaking anyways. "She's going t' die," he whispered, eyes again welling with tears as he lowered his gaze.
"Die..? What do you mean 'die'," his friend hissed, glancing back at the field as Mai tapped a button on her duel disk. "Ra is-"
"If she summons Ra, she dies," the blond repeated almost bluntly, voice raising somewhat as the others stared. "Tha's what I mean! She doesn' even need Ra," Katsuya continued, half using the words as an excuse. "She has her monsters! An' if she sticks t' th'm," he went on, "Then she'll win... But if she tries to summon Ra..."
"...Tries," the boy questioned in response, only for his attention to be pulled back toward the field.
"Activate trap; Amazon Curse Master," Mai's voice called out, her trap carving into existence in a manner oddly similar to Rishid's trap monsters. Carved stone turned into a cross-legged and middle-aged woman in robes, orange smoke furling about the stone. The smoke poured forward, misting and solidifying into the curse master's form, the woman narrowing her eyes and leering at the field around them before getting to work. "For this turn," Mai announced, the witch folding her fingers and steadily muttering a few words under her breath before sending a wash of smoke toward the field, "The attack of Makyura and my Warrior will switch!"
"More like your souls dear," the witch muttered, standing from the stone she'd appeared from as she slowly began to fade from sight. "Just what have you gotten into," she asked with narrowed eyes, tablet crumbling to dust. But of course there was no answer, and as the card which heralded her existence was sent to the grave the woman who summoned her continued on.
"Makyura is destroyed," Mai announced, unable to hear the words of her 'trap' as the warrior charged her opponent. With a single swift kick Makyura's head was snapped out of place, a sickening crack echoing through the air as the same happened to Malik. The Egyptian slowly turned his head back as Makyura vanished into his shadow, a louder crack coming through the air as his head came back into place. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, the teen licking the fluid from his mouth with the bitten tongue in question and grinning as more of his maniacal laughter filled the air. This...
This was not good... "Hnhnhnhnhn... Such a wonderful feeling, an incredible feeling," the Egyptian shouted with psychotic glee, grin continuing to twist before them. "And even better, you've fallen right into my trap," he cackled, the tablet at his side carving the image of a funeral procession before crumbling to dust. "Last Will! When a monster is killed," he roared, the dust of the tablet cloaking his disk, "I can draw five new cards!" The blond did just that as he grinned, giving the slightest of glances to his cards before grabbing one from his hand. "And of course, Makyura's effect activates," he announced clearly, Mai narrowing her eyes from across from him. "And for that reason," the blond continued, "I can play this..! The Nightmare Wheel!"
Thunder erupted through the air as the tablet appeared, crumbling almost immediately after the image graced its form. The dust from the stone blew far across the field, wicked bone developing and morphing from the dust as a cruel spiked wheel appeared on its axis. The thorns in the center of the device dug painfully into the Amazon Warrior's back as it latched into position on the field, but despite this Mai managed to hold her tongue as she jerked and tensed under the onslaught of her spine. Blood dripped just slightly from her back from where it could escape the natural plugs formed from the wheel, and across from her Malik explained the device's effects, the amount of points she would lose with each turn... Along with how the wheel would turn with it, pulling the monster under bone-teeth and peeling at her skin. But as worried shouts continued to fill the air for the soon to be victim in question, Mai merely smirked and chuckled through her pain.
"Hehehehehe... I have to thank you for that trap," she said darkly, sounding almost similar to her opponent as she tapped her disk. The second tablet at her side slowly carved into existence, smoke seeping from the cracks as Mai continued. "You've allowed me to activate my own! Dramatic Rescue," the woman announced, the image of a falling warrior appearing across the stone before it crumpled into dust, "Allowing me to trade your trap card with a monster, while returning the target to my hand!"
At this Malik raised his eyebrows a grin in place as the dust flew about the field and sunk into her shadow. "You plan to summon Ra despite wise warnings," he asked through mad chuckles, the crowd and Mai both momentarily tensing at the words. Clearly Malik was enjoying the unease resulting from not keeping his mouth shut...
But Mai managed to steel herself rather than listen to Malik's words, the nightmare wheel instead pulling from the Warrior and crumbling into a dust that merged with the other trap inside her shadow. The Amazon herself melted back into the darkness as the trap took effect, Mai's 'soul rope' digging into the darkness at her feet. But as she looked toward her opponent the woman merely narrowed her eyes, shaking her head. "No," she shouted clearly, "Thanks to Jonouchi's match I already know that Ra's power is dependant on that of its sacrifices... If I summoned Ra with this card it would be useless," the woman added, Yugi briefly narrowing his eyes as his friend's warning came to mind.
"Oooh... Clever are we," Malik asked, chuckling under his breath while a second 'rope' developed from the woman's front.
The woman across from him merely glared in response, taking a card from her hand as a new monster arose from within her shadow. "Hn! Just watch," she shouted, a blur shooting up from the darkness as the rope connected. "I have a plan... And on the next turn," Mai continued as the others frowned, "Ra will rise!"
Damn it, he really wished he was better at warning people about crap... Even so, as Malik ended his turn, the majority of the crowd was still staring in confusion. "How," Honda was muttering, glancing at the others. "She only has one monster on the field, how is she going to get three..?"
"I gotta pretty good idea," Katsuya said under his breath, swallowing as a birds screech pierced the air. Mai's favorite monster, with sleek feathers and long hair had flown from out of her summoner's shadow, but rather than displaying the usual snootiness of the Harpy it instead held a battle stance nearly identical to those around it. It was almost as though these were Mai herself, and not the monster in the card... As though what the 'curse master' had said was far more accurate than he'd care for.
But as cheers came from all those around him, Mai holding a steady frown, Katsuya still had to swallow a wave of terror. Don't do it, he thought to himself, Yugi again halting his cries to turn to his friend as the feeling spread. Don't do it, don't, he mentally cried, the woman before them still speaking.
"The Amazon Warrior was merely a distraction," Mai was stating clearly, drawing a card as it came to her turn once more. Cards were exchanged within her hand, and a blank tablet rose from the ground as the next card was placed. "This card here... This is my most powerful monster," the woman announced, the 'cords' from her chest tripling as the ends dove into her shadow. "It's my turn now," she continued, the tablet's dust burrowing into her shadow as two more arose. "I play the card Kaleidoscope, turning two harpies into three! And using these monsters as offerings," Mai shouted, setting the latest card on the field, as her shadows slowly settled before her, "I'm going to do just as you feared Malik!" No. No no no... "I SUMMON THE SUN DRAGON RA," she cried, the harpies each vanishing into pillars of light as the life-lines holding them burst into flames and disintegrated from sight. No...
No! Damn it, no! From the three pillars came one single light, filling the arena and causing his eyes to water. Damn it... "...Mai," he shouted, somehow still able to stare forward even as thunder cracked and pierced the shadows above. "MAI!" A blinding light had broken through the darkness in a single clean strike as the shadows swirled angrily around it, and as the light developed above the center of the field Katsuya found himself falling considerably silent.
"Th-This... This is..." Mai stared with wide eyes, the crowd falling silent with awe as the light continued to illuminate the field. The blinding light was only barely dying down but even with that it glowed with all the brilliance of the sun. And despite this the woman's opponent was unphased...
Why would he, when the dragon itself refused to even speak for the moment. "Well well... Congratulations," Malik chuckled, hands held out in a 'congratulatory' gesture. "You've summoned God! But tell me," he roared, an immense sphere only slightly visible from above the airship as the blinding light seared over the field, "Do you think you can control it!"
Ra... This was Ra but... "Dorman'," Katsuya muttered, fighting off a strange and almost numbing feeling as he abruptly gripped the railing for support. Spots were filling his eyes under the carved sphere's presence, but for the moment the power emanating from the 'sun' was more than enough to distract the others. This was Ra... But Ra was dormant, unresponsive. "Ra's dorman' form," he repeated under his breath as he shook his head, "This isn'..."
"Why... Why is the God Ra appearing as a sphere," Yugi muttered, Malik's voice tearing across the field to answer with almost sadistic cheer.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... A pity really," the Egyptian laughed, his opponent slowly looking back to stare across the field. "Only a choice few can gain Ra's favor and fight along side him... Do you doubt me," he continued, Mai narrowing her eyes as the Egyptian continued. "Well... Just look at the card! See anything... Different," he 'asked', grin widening as another 'stretch' briefly hovered in the air.
The woman swallowed, blood draining from her face despite the strengthened front she'd put up. "Different," Mai asked incredulously, Katsuya holding his head at the side in pain. "What could possibly be 'different'? The card belongs to the duelist," she continued almost angrily, "There's no reason for it... To..." The woman froze, eyes widening as her gaze fell to the card on the disk, the image briefly flashing through Katsuya's mind as he was met with the same gibberish as the woman who summoned it. "These words..."
"I don't suppose you can read hieratic," Malik drawled sarcastically, Seto abruptly whispering something into her radio as she stared at the field. Translation... They were going to try translating it but- "Only those who can read the words of Ra's power can harness it after all," Malik continued, chuckling darkly. "The Dragon of the Sun doesn't simply fight because he is 'told'... Hnhnhnhn..." Mai began to shake her head and shudder as the realization struck, eyes widening further as the crowd stared toward the sphere. Hieratic... That was the language of the card, that ancient Egyptian 'writing style' that came along side hieroglyphs. But as all those around stared, attracted by Ra's light, words still formed in his mind, fogging over the shouts from above on the arena. "It's useless," Malik was shouting in the distance, continuing to explain Mai's mistake. "Even Pegasus Crawford was unable to read this card, merely copying the words from stone. This God is different, special... To those who recite his prayer, he will lend his power," he announced, "Even from across the field!"
The crowd froze with that, faces falling. "What..."
At that moment, as Mai appeared to mentally collapse. From beside Katsuya, Yugi was griting his teeth, Malik's laughter echoing through the air while the woman above paled even further. "Bastard," the boy growled, face growing red as the eye on his brow continued to glow. "From the very start he knew this would happen, that the summoning-" The boy froze, as though realizing something important as he slowly turned to look at his friend. The blond did not appear to notice the gaze however, instead wincing as more spots filled his vision, holding back a shout of pain as he gripped his head. "...That the summoning would... ...Jonouchi," he muttered lowly, eyes wide with worry and horror both as Mai placed a final face down card and ended her turn. "Jonouchi," he asked almost fearfully, "What's wrong..?"
Anzu as well seemed to turn, her eyes completely clouded over this time. "Jonouchi," she muttered, the gaze far to blank to be normal. "Are you..."
For the moment Katsuya found himself unable to care about the continued mind-control victim beside him. Instead, his own eyes blinded themselves, lightning filling his vision as a voice seemed to whisper in his ear. "Viser shock," he muttered under his breath, the words shortly there after mirrored by Malik as the tablet and torture device appeared to the field. The device, a cross lined with a semi-circle of glassy spheres and tessla coils arose directly behind Malik's opponent, the woman turning to look with wide eyes as the Egyptian cackled.
"Too bad," Malik was shouting, the blank tablet that had risen with Mai's card completely crushed by the device. "This card returns all face-down cards on the field to their hand!" Ohhhh no... Oh... "And with no God, no monster, trap, or spell to protect you," the teen cackled, the device appearing behind Mai as Katsuya looked up with horrified eyes, "The machine attacks directly!"
"No..."
"Wh-!" Mai's arms were gripped tightly in shackles before she could even comment on what was going on, limbs pulled across to the sides as her body appeared to be held in the style of crucification to those on the field sidelines. And as spikes gouged her arms to hold them in place, blood coating the steel bars of the device, vicious amounts of electricity were released. And through the blinding light released from the machine they could hear blood curdling screams coming through the air, the head brace of Viser Death latching on to join in as it bored into the woman's skull. "AAAH... RAAAAAAAAHHHH! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"MAI," the blond shouted, the crackling metal holding the woman's jerking body in place as she screamed.
"GHRAAAAAAAAAAA! GHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"MAI," he cried, the others staring in horror even as the electricity died down. The body that was so tightly latched to the device slumped as much as allowed by the shackles, head hanging limp as choking whimpers of pain escaped the air. Sparks still flew across the air... The metal still steamed with heat, and worse...
"You know," Malik shouted, a wide grin across his face as his eyes widened for what seemed to be the first time since his 'appearance', "This show isn't all bad... Even at the edge of death, pain is just a reminder... Just a sign that death hasn't occurred," he laughed, those below gritting their teeth in rage. "And now... For the ritual that will break even the darkness should I want it! God has three abilities," the Egyptian 'explained', cackling madly as those below stared. Even as the Egyptian spoke from above he could feel himself slipping... Katsuya was holding his head again, a sudden but silent grunt of pain coming over the air as his eyes closed over. He could... Hear... "Now then... Allow me to show you the first of those three," Malik cackled, his next words clearly in a separate language despite his understanding of the sound. "Great God of all he travels," he heard, mouth opening on its own accord, "Who creates all he sees, whose eye is the warrior Sehkmet, whose knowledge is unsurpassed,"
"Who sails on the evening barge of a million years," he found himself muttering despite himself, "Who is accompanied by Command, Perception, and Magic, whose Father is Nun, who passes life and death each day... Who battles with the dark serpent along side the God of Storms," the blond went on, the closest to his sides slowly turning with wide and likely terrified eyes as his words mirrored Malik's own. "I ask that you arise to my side, that you illuminate my path with your LIGHT... That you lend to me your power in this most humble of requests, that you protect me from my enemies ... I ask, of the great God RA," he finished, eyes slowly clearing as he looked up to witness the sphere crack into the God's immense form,
"And you are ANSWERED..." The entire chant... The entire chant, he'd repeated it, hadn't he..? Cracks began to appear along the lines of the sphere as Katsuya stared, immense wings opening to bathe the entire airship in a cocoon of light. Still more cracks appeared along the wings as they spread wider, metallic and golden legs lowering behind the enormous ship as its mammoth and toothed beak opened wide. "YOU who hold the MILLENNIUM ROD," he roared, wings giving one single, windless 'flap' as he rose far above the field to stare at all those below. "I ACCEPT your TRIBUTE and FIGHT by your SIDE!" It...
It was actually siding with this guy! Blood drained from Katsuya's face as God announced his apparent pleasure, Malik's cackling filling the air as the 'sun' shone across the field. "AHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAAA! Gaze upon the true form of GOD and become blinded by his light," he laughed, arms held out and open as the air stiffened and cracked under 'God's pressure. "For in this turn it will be the flames of the sun itself that burn this woman down... Hhnhnhahaha..."
No... The blond's senses cleared as he fought off the pressure Ra instilled across the field, slowly shaking his head as he swallowed. No, no, no! "MAI," he shouted desperately, silently willing the woman to wake up and break free of the illusions so she could move again. This was a Shadow Game. That was what his mind told him and what Yugi's shouts had told him. "MAI!" It was a game where all attacks were as real as the sky around them, and where the loser would face punishment at the hands of the powers in the winner's possession. And tied up on the enormous torture device before them, Mai was in the perfect position for sacrifice. She was held, forced to stand prone despite laboured breathing and weak gasps for air, and when Ra's attack struck it would be with all the force of the sun itself. So it would have been without the powers of Darkness, and so it would be with them in play, an attack that relied on Ra's power rather than that of the items that it so sided with. 'Burn,' Malik was shouting through the thundering skies, time briefly appearing to slow to an abrupt stop as Ra began to prepare a blast of flames in its mouth. 'Burn into ashes and let your soul vanish into darkness!'
"Stop this... STOP THIS," Yugi cried, eyes wide with horror as he turned on Malik. "You've already won," he screamed, "There's no need to attack!" There was never any need, never..!
But of course, Malik was not one to do this. If anything the shouts and fear merely amused him more, his eyes narrowing with mirth as he stared down to the side. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Yugi... I want you to watch carefully," he stated with a chuckle, "To watch as your friend is sacrificed to the Darkness itself... And I want you to bring out all of the hate and rage I know you hold," the Egyptian announced though his grin, eyes widening further. "Scars of memories sit carved across my back, memories my 'family' has watched over for countless millennia... So that when the Pharaoh returns, we can represent those memories... Generation after generation," he explained, "For years, this family has borne nights of darkness and pain, living in a land without the sun... Hnhnhnhn... HnhnhahahHA! AND NOW," Malik roared, cackling madly as the others stared in terror, "Now," he cried, "Thanks to that carried hatred, unlocked and unleashed, I can EXIST! I, who 'he' thought would protect him," Malik laughed, "Who he thought could control me... I have SURPASSED my 'shadow'," the teen roared, psychotic grin seeming to stretch from his face. "And I am free to do as I like... Free to destroy, destroy, DESTROY!" This voice... Katsuya's eyes narrowed slightly, the cackling continuing to fill the air as he swallowed. Where had he heard it... Where... "All that I see will be DESTROYED, leaving nothing but DARKNESS!"
"Darkness," the boy beside him repeated almost mutely, swallowing as the crowd froze. Nothing but endless darkness, pain, terror... As Yugi stared toward Malik, seemingly frozen in shock, the order for attack was given, with Katsuya snapping from his frozen state to charge forward.
No... He wasn't letting this happen he told himself, he wasn't... Shouts were filling the air as he ran, shouts that he ignored. Questions of what he thought he was doing, orders to get off the arena as he leaped onto the 'stage', threats to be disqualified if he didn't listen to those same orders. He didn't care... He didn't care, nothing was worth letting someone close die like this! The blond continued to run, charging toward Mai as the order was fulfilled. 'ATTACK,' Malik had cried, the God behind him more than happy to comply. 'With the flames of the SUN!' No, damn it...
NO! 'Die...' "NO!" Katsuya pulled at the shackles holding Mai in place, the woman's eyes widening as Ra as well stared toward the blond. "I ain't lettin' anyone die," the blond whispered, hot metal singing and burning his fingertips as he bit his lip. "'M not lettin' anyone get hurt, not again... Come on," he growled, pulling at the chains to receive no luck in freeing his friend. "Come on..!"
"What... What are you doing," Mai muttered, looking up at the blond weakly as he continued to struggle. "What do you think you're doing," she whispered, "Coming here..!"
"Th' hell does it look like I'm doing," he snarled, pulling at the chains before dropping them with grit teeth. "We're friends... An I can't jus' watch y' suffer like this," he continued, red and burnt hands held in protest as he shook his head. "I can't jus' watch y' die!"
"You... But my life points," the woman continued.
"I don' care about life points!"
"But this," she coughed, shaking her head, "This game is just..."
"This isn' a normal game," he said clearly, eyes wide and serious as Mai stared in shock. "An' these aren' holograms," the blond continued, not knowing if he was whispering or shouting any more. "So stop arguing..."
"Not... You... ...You warned me," the woman cried, shaking her head as flames from Ra's charging attack already began to singe the field. "You warned me! And I should have listened, really, you don't have to do this..!"
"Tch- Don' pull tha' on me," Katsuya growled, narrowing his eyes. "My warnin's 'r too vague f'r anythin'... I ain't movin'... Not at all," he shouted, the heat and light from behind becoming almost unbearable. "Y' hear tha'? Jus' try me!" Even if it meant...
Death. "Why have you COME," Ra demanded, voice sending thunder through the air despite the cut-off from the world of reality. "Why have you COME to SUFFER for what is another's FATE?" Why?
Katsuya grit his teeth, slowly turning to look up at the draconic and griffin-like monster with rage filled eyes. Why not? "...Because I don' want this," he spat, voice low enough that only Mai could hear him. "An' I ain't afraid," he roared, holding his hands out in challenge as he looked up at the monster, "SO DO YER WORST!"
"HMP! VERY WELL," the God thundered, flames erupting from its mouth as Katsuya's eyes were blinded by its light. The blond held them open nonetheless, watching as through the fires Ra began to 'melt' "PREPARE yourself," he roared, body vanishing into the flames as they shot forward in attack. "For THIS is YOUR trial... LITTLE KING!" King? 'Little' king..? But wasn't that-
In the blinding light he couldn't see what happened after those words. All he knew was that he was suddenly being pushed to the side, the blond stumbling to the ground and staring with wide eyes as Yugi, the other Yugi, took his place. And as the flames struck and centered on the boy completely, Yugi's face torn with rage and pain both. "Gh- RAAAAAAAAHHHHHGG!" Flames enveloped the boy completely, Yugi clearly fighting off the near-maddening pain as he turned toward the field. Eyes were red and bloodshot, the light and stylized on on his head still glowing fiercely as he snarled. "Gh... MALIK," he roared, the field clearing of darkness even as the flames burned and left no mark. "With all your hate and pain... I'll take as much responsibility for it as needed," the boy spat, breathing ragged and laboured as Katsuya stood with wide eyes. "But before I do I will make sure you burn in the deepest pits of HELL!" The final bits of light cleared with those very words, the flames extinguishing themselves... And as his vision cleared the blond found himself running forward to catch the boy, his friend toppling forward with a grimace as he choked on his own breaths.
"Gh- Yugi... Yugi," he shouted, the boy weakly staring upward as he winced. "Y-Yugi..!"
More chuckling filled the air, the laughter no longer echoing as wind again began to blow. "Say what you want 'pharaoh'," Malik was cackling from the side as he grinned. "Soon enough I will crush your precious puzzle and vessel... And I'll scatter it into the void..."
"Gnnh..." Katsuya ignored Malik's ramblings, instead attempting to move his friend into a better position of recovery. The duel had yet to officially end... Mai for the moment was simply standing limp behind him, the 'Viser Shock' having vanished as her very life was drained from her body. But Yugi...
"Yugi," he muttered, looking down at the boy as the blood from the match vanished from the area. "Why... Why did you..."
The boy's eyes merely began to close over, weak breathing slowing to a more relaxed pace. "...Jo... Nouchi..." Sleep... He was exhausted, he was out cold...
A shadow hovered over the two on the field, Isono's voice announcing the match result from across the field. Katsuya slowly looked up as the shadow hovered over him, holding Yugi tightly as Malik held the Millennium Rod forward. A blade could be seen at the end of it, a blade that for some reason appeared to be coated with dried blood in his eyes despite the gleam it gave off beneath the moonlight... A blade that brought a single scream to mind as the blond swallowed. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Protecting his 'friends'... How pathetic," the Egyptian chuckled, grin widening as he licked the tip of the blade. "Perhaps I should end your lives right here and end your misery..."
Katsuya grit his teeth, narrowing his eyes and growling darkly. "You... I'm not afraid of you," he spat, the Egyptian before him seeming to drop the grin just slightly in response. Across his brow the eye of wdjat seemed to flash, brightening, and those on the side who had come near seemed to freeze. But despite the feeling of absolute terror that the power instilled, despite the darkness still surrounding them, he continued to hold his gaze. No fear flashed through his eyes to betray his emotions and words, no hesitation... There was nothing but hate, anger, determination... "Not even now," the blond growled, face growing red. "I'm not afraid of you..."
A smirk grew on Malik's face, the blond adjusting the grip on his Millennium Rod as he loomed above them. "Oh... We'll see about that," he chuckled, turning to the woman at their side as Katsuya grit his teeth. "But for now," he whispered, lightly lifting Mai's head using the rod as a support, "I'm taking my God Card back." The statement was growled in considerable contrast to his general tone, the Egyptian ripping the card from the disk before setting it carefully in his deck. "You're lucky to still be alive," the blond muttered under his breath, "But in the end you'll regret it. It would have been better if you died here... Now you have to face the penalty," he sneered, grin growing widely as he chuckled under his breath. "And I know just the thing, just the punishment sitting in your mind... PENALTY GAME," he roared, the woman before him collapsing on the spot as Katsuya stared.
What... But she had already been 'brain dead' so to speak, what did... "Mai... You..." Rage began to build, the blond turning to stare at Malik with wide and murderous eyes as he shook. "You monster... What did you just do to her," he roared, receiving naught but laughter in response.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Me," the Egyptian laughed, narrowing his eyes as he replaced the end of his Millennium Rod's blade. "She did this to herself," he chuckled, smirk growing even further. "She knew the risks of the battle but she sought out the ultimate pain and pleasure in her heart... You have 24 hours," Malik continued, moving to leave the arena with a grin. "If you don't kill me before then," he trailed off, "Then this woman will never wake up, her soul devoured from the inside out... Hnhnhnhnhn..." Gh... Gh...
"I'm gonna do more than kill you," the blond snarled in response, shouting after the Egyptian as he left the field. Yugi was carefully left on the ground as he turned, eyes wide as he continued to call after the disappearing psychopath. "I'm gonna make sure y' go through every damn thing y' put my friends through!"
The teen merely turned at that, smirking darkly as his robe fluttered behind him. "Oh please... Just relax," he drawled, rubbing the head of the Millennium item in his grip. "Soon enough, you'll have the opportunity to drown in darkness yourself... If you aren't already," he added cryptically, turning back to take his leave.
Al.. Already..? He was 'drowning' 'already'..? From behind him the doctor and guards had arrived, the one to answer the call again turning out to be Dr. Kuzushi as the woman checked over Mai's vitals. Kyouko slowly attempted to rouse Yugi in the meantime, jumping back as the boy opened his eyes with a groan. "Ah- He's awake," the woman shouted, turning to the doctor behind her. Relieved shouts mixed with the worried ones on the side with that, the former maid continuing to shout to her 'partner'. "He's waking-"
"Yugi..!" Katsuya immediately came over to the boy's side, his friend sitting up as Kyouko momentarily stared before moving to help Mai onto the emergency 'board'. "Yugi," he repeated somewhat quieter, "You... Are you alrigh'..?"
The boy nodded, his friend moving to help him up as he took his hand and pulled him forward. "I'm fine," Yugi said somewhat quietly, choking as he regained his strength and looked up at the blond. "It's you, and Mai that I'm worried about," he continued, medics clearing the field with the woman in question on the board between them. "What happen-"
"Mai's out... Comatose," he clarified, before moving on. "It's not like th' others though," Katsuya stated, answering the question before it was even asked. "Penalty game... Malik inflict'd a penalty game," he explained with a swallow. "An' if somethin' isn' done soon..." The blond fell silent, looking back at Yugi as Isono announced a fifteen minute preparation break for the next match. Damn it... All this going on at a game tournament of all things... "Yugi... Why'd y' do that," he asked, "Jump in front 'f th' attack..?"
"Hn! You acted first," the boy responded, a smirk on his face as he looked away somewhat. "Besides... I had... A 'feeling'," he muttered with a calmer, quieter tone, "That if I didn't act soon the worst would happen..." The worst..? For a moment, the two merely stared off in silence, as though to let the words sink in. But as Yugi again stared up at the blond, the others shouting out statements of checking on Mai while they left the field, he quickly began to speak again. "Jonouchi," he started, an odd look coming over his face as he finally removed the self-made block on his questions. "Earlier, when Malik was summoning Ra... I heard what you said earlier," the boy stated, his friend tensing in response.
"What I said," he repeated, Yugi merely staring in silence. "Whad'y'-"
"Jonouchi," the boy said clearly, the two now the only ones remaining on the arena deck. "While I can't know for sure... I'm almost certain that you were speaking in Egyptian." Egyp- O-... Oh...
He had to say... Of all the ways to be found out, he had sure as hell not expected it to be like this.
AN: Dun dun dunnnn!
And you know what's worse? Yugi still won't get everything; so Jonouchi's still going to be a complete moron about this!
And in other news, due to certain flash-backs that are due to happen in Seto's duel, along with bits of build up, it's likely that the KaibaVSIshizu match will be split in half. Most likely it'll cut off at the flashback, but we'll see. Any ways, I went with the 'anime ending', in that next chapter there'll be a small shot of everyone around Mai's bed. In the manga, Otogi and Honda carry her to her room, and the fourth match starts right after.
Yeaaaaa... ...Fast update though eh?
On to other things, the song 'Poker Face' (No, NOT the one by Lady Gaga!) from vocaloid Gumi is amazing. ...When sung in a chorus. (Hehehehe)
Now then!
Anonymous Review Responses
Of course its not ordinary! You don't see games like poker keeping people alive Iona! But yes… I suppose it's no surprise that the unlikely would make the 'best' defense, hehehe.
As for Ryuzaki, he'll be catching a break next chapter, thankfully. Particularly since he's been holding back on asking the others because of sheer awkwardness.
In any case, I'm glad you like the dialogue fun! As for Mai… Ahhhhhh Mai… It doesn't help that these guys are pretty much her 'first friends', so the simple thought of rejection tends to sting. Sure she was pulled out of it to a minor extent, but by that point… Well…
See the penalty game below.
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that can't break this stupid hourglass! AGH!
This chapter's title is fairly obvious; 'Sunrise' refers both to the 'first ability' of Ra (only listening to those who chant) and his general appearance in the middle of a 'shadow game'.
And here you thought that everyone was dense-ish on the topic of Jonouchi!
Nope. They've noticed. And they're getting rightfully scared about it to. Of course, Yami's a little more 'aware' than the others, and I'm placing emphasis on how much 'Yami' relies on Yugi, as it's a plot point later on… It helps that Yami's the only one who got the 'I KNOW' outburst, which is as close as they've ever gotten to 'DAMN IT I'M PRECOGNITIVE'.
Also, he's obviously the only one who saw the hell on the pier in 'mostly' full vision; which is really the main factor (besides the shadow game deal) in convincing Yami that something is up.
Malik actually does call the realm of monsters/darkness/shadows/whatever a world of illusion and seduction by the way. Is it wrong that I laughed?
As you can see, I have my manga chapters back, which means I can stick to the manga's version of the game. This makes me very happy, as damage mirroring and scorpion hourglasses have strange ways of amusing me, and work far more than stolen memories and sand in my head.
You can all back away slowly now.
Normally, blood doesn't flow like that. There's not really enough of it to geyser out of Malik's head.
Unless of course your blood is only an illusion and replaced by your lifepoints. Then it can just do whatever.
Yugi still hasn't said anything to Jonouchi concerning 'things', but not for lack of wanting to; it would just be really rude and counterproductive to talk in the middle of Mai's fight. Think of it as being in a play, or playing in a sport tournament, and turning to see that your friends are chattering away rather than watching you.
It really, really sucks.
Originally, Mai only asks Yugi to stand back on the 'stop fighting' deal. But since Jonouchi quite clearly wants this to stop as well, she's asking him too.
A lot of Jonouchi's cheers and lines from the manga were passed on to Ryuzaki in terms of dialogue; this is because Jonouchi actually kind of knows what happens to people Ra doesn't deem worthy of summoning him… So things like 'Once you summon Ra, you'll win!' become really silly.
Heeeeyy, what's with Anzu's eyes? Well, Malik was still controlling Anzu when he flipped out; more importantly however, he pulled a Bakura a short ways back… There's a shard of his soul, a 'memory' as he puts it in the ring, along with, due to actively brain-puppeting Anzu, Anzu herself.
I'm actually going to really have fun playing with that.
Also, Seto's entire existence here was pretty much pondering what would happen when Mai summoned Ra, so no Seto-POV today. It'll mostly be her point of view for the next few chapters anyways...
So many things on Ra! There actually is a translated chant, but only in the dub. I didn't use it. Because... Yea.
Instead, I made something up… It sounds more chanty and less rhyme-y. As for all the references… Whoo! Here we go!
First off, 'of all he travels' is pretty much 'everything'; Ra was said to travel the world in a carriage through the sky, and a boat through the underworld, following the path of the sun. …The sun tends to be fairly visible when it comes to the world.
Next, 'creation'. Supposedly, Ra created people either by speaking them into existence, simply calling out their names, or creating them from his tears and sweat. The knowledge point is a little bit of a given.
Sekhmet however, not so much. Supposedly, Ra could send his eye after people, and that eye would become the goddess Sekhmet. And it would be pacified by mixing beer with red dye. …Kay?
Now then! Ra's boat was called both the 'Mandjet' (Boat of Millions of Years), the Morning Boat, and the Mesektet, the Evening Boat. They would carry him on his journey, and in addition to having Set to help him out on the underworld part while fighting Apep, he would travel with various deities during his travels through the sky, including Sia (perception), Hu (command) and Heka (magic).
We already know Set is the God of Desert and Storm by now, and the fight against Apep is fairly obvious… But did you know that Ra came from the ocean? Nun is the primordial god of the 'abyss', the 'ocean', and is considered the 'Father of the Gods'.
This includes Ra. The rest of the chant, of course, is asking for help. Yayyyy~
In other news, Jonouchi was originally frozen completely by the power of the eye on Malik's head. Things are a little different now though, though this could be a bad thing given what makes 'Yami Malik' 'happy'…
Also some of Malik's lines are just plain weird. I left them in the fanfic though. Even though they point to S&M.
The penalty game Malik inflicted on Mai is as follows; basically, she's hovering above what is likely her soul-room in a glass hourglass, separated from the top by the Ra card. Malik explains how slow and painful her death will be and then rips the card out; this releases swarms of flesh eating insects bearing the eye of wdjat on their back, and these bugs will slowly devour her flesh until there is nothing left and she 'dies'. Yeaaaaa...
In any case, that's all for this chapter, and hopefully Pokemon White won't be too much a distraction when it comes to more things to delay writing. Hehehe.
Until then, enjoy! And thank you very much for reading!