Tsel
This is a story from long ago.
Many many years before, when the earth was but dust in the sky, there was Chaos. An empty existence that simply 'was'. Chaos however, as empty as it was, was not stagnant. It existed, and it grew, until finally it could no longer 'be' as it 'was'. It burst into an explosion of new existence, a creation of magic and power...
A creation of two great and ageless beings who remain with us to this day, ever growing, ever changing. The first being was Darkness. An entity of death, and of destruction, even to the things that had yet to be born. It was a being who could not feel true 'delight', save for within the presence of the despair it so caused.
The second being was Light, a creator, a bringer of life and of growth. A creature whose despair could only be brought by the senseless destruction wrought by her brother, whose tears fell only when her creations were left in pain. For all that Light did, there would be a reaction from Darkness. And in all that Darkness did, there would be an answering force from Light. For together these two beings were locked in a never ending cycle, a spiral of defeat and success, of love and hate, of good and of evil. And between them, there were two realms to call their own...
The realm of darkness, an endless void filled with torment and despair. A realm where only the dead could reside, where only the souls of the forgotten, the hopeless, and the lost could remain.
And the realm of light which we live in now, our realm of secrets and spirits beyond anything man can imagine...
It is between these realms that there lay another world however, young Ancient. A third world, a world of balance formed from the scraps and dredges of light and darkness. A domain where the powers of both beings intersect... A world...
Of shadows.
Light and Darkness did not enjoy the presence of the other, if that was not already obvious to you young Ancient. They were constantly locked in competition, never winning, never losing. This struggle brought destruction and creation both, bringing never ending grief of all forms to both sides. And from the wreckage of their battle came a people who would do the same. Beings of light and darkness both, with a desire to endlessly battle in all of their waking moments. Beings who could not die, and yet did so many times with honor. These monsters, variant in size and form, became the shadows you know now...
When Light discovered the shadows that lay between her realm and that of her brother's, she became intrigued. Such beings formed without intention... What would happen then, if she formed something herself, formed something with a plan, with an idea of what would be created? And so, using these shadows as basis Light moved to her own realm; she took the soil and elements available to her from the dust, and formed all that you see now. She carved the mountains tall and the deserts vast. She sculpted the reeds of the river and the crocodiles which swim within them. She created man... And all that man was capable of.
But Darkness did not know of this. He did not know of the people that lay between their realms, and was unaware of this advantage that Light had formed over him. And so, when he did become so aware of all that had passed without his knowledge his rage grew strong... Stronger than it had ever been before. Unable to form life of his own, he told Light that for all she created he himself would destroy. 'This life that you have formed will come to an end,' he warned. 'If not today then tomorrow, if not tomorrow then the day afterward. I will not be defeated by the likes of you.' He would plant seeds of himself in all of her children, and when the time was right those seeds would blossom.
Light would not back down so easy however. She called forth the shadows of the neutral realms, and forged with them a deal. 'On your own, you are unable to enter my world,' she told them, bathing the monsters in her light without burning them as it normally would. 'However, should you promise to protect all that I have created, I will grant you such passage. I will allow you to breathe the air of my realms, to taste the fruits of my trees.'
The shadows agreed, unable to resist the pleasures of the world of light. And one by one, they bound themselves to the souls of the people of light, taking with them their friends and family under the protection of Light's gaze. And it is from this bond that a new people arose...
While the Darkness waited, ever patient, for the moment where his own children could strike...
Somehow, the Kaiba Corp building looked a hell of a lot taller now that they stood before it in the last hour or so of the afternoon. It had always been tall granted. If anything the tower resembled most other business buildings, being tall, mirrored and rectangular, with a heli-pad at the top and the company logo somewhere on the building's wall. One key difference of course, was the trio of Blue-Eyes statues around it...
But really, that was probably expected, and if they didn't have time to tell Bakura and Otogi what they were doing then they didn't have time to stop and stare at the giant white stone dragons. "So this is where they took her," Katsuya muttered, swallowing a slight wave of nausea. Just looking up the sides was making him sick now... "Sheesh... F'r a buildin' like this, it attracts some pretty d'sgustin' people..." He blinked, before turning to the side- something had moved in the corner of his eye. Some sort of shadow... This wasn't from a vision, but-. "AH- Yu-"
A card sliced through the air, his friend immediately snatching it as it came toward his face. Briefly, he had a look of shock on his face, the boy staring at the small paper cut that the card had given him. A small line of red slowly made itself visible, an audible hiss coming through the air as a result. Looking at the card however...
Well, why not pay more attention to the one who threw it he decided. "OI! Who's there," Katsuya snarled, Honda turning just as quickly while the two Yugis stared at the 'weapon' in growing horror and shock.
"Don't bother hiding," his friend snarled, his fists clenched tightly. "We know you're up there..!"
Katsuya nodded, "Tha's righ'," he chorused, cracking his knuckles. "SO C'MON OUT! RIGH-"
An almost lazy voice came through the air, accompanied by a relaxed sigh. "Hold your horses," he muttered in English, the words going in one ear and out the other as the boys traded frowns. "I'm coming, I'm coming..." Ah? A tall, wavy haired man stepped forward, chuckling as he adjusted the duel disk on his wrist. For a moment, he almost looked familiar- his eyes, though quite clearly not from Japan, looked like something he'd seen before. The sense of familiarity vanished just as soon as he spotted the dueldisk on his arm however, Katsuya's brief expression of mild surprise vanishing rather quickly. "My my," the man muttered. "You're impatient. Ah, but whatever... Welcome to the 'stairs of conflict'," he announced, cracking his neck with a grin and gesturing to the 'stage' before him. "You're right on time!" Gh...
"Y' talk pretty big," Katsuya muttered, looking toward the man with narrowed eyes. The accent he spoke with certainly seemed foreign to say the least... Maybe American, he thought to himself. He wouldn't be surprised; given the leather riding chaps and the overall look of the guy, he wasn't from 'down town' or anything similar. (Still, why did he seem familiar..?)
Maybe he was related to someone in his class or something. You never knew really. He didn't get the chance to ask however; the others beat him to it. "Are you from Industrial Illusions," Honda called out, stance still ready enough to launch an attack if needed. "Are you working with Tenma..!"
"Tenma, yes," the man said with a smirk. Another low chuckle met the air, and he continued. "Industrial Illusions... No." No..? He stepped closer to the center of the building's entrance, cracking his knuckles and blocking the door. "You could say I'm a 'mercenary'," he continued plainly. "Hired by Tenma to block your way. 'Card Professor Deschutes Lew'," he laughed. "One of the thirteen heads from the American League!" The le-
This was- "Hang on a second," Honda muttered, narrowing his eyes. "The 'Card Professors'... Wasn't that the same group Rebecca mentioned when we met her?"
Katsuya nodded. "Yea. Th' league that r'fused her entrance b'cause of her age..." They hadn't found out until much later how much of a gap that was for her actually- Limit was 14 evidently, and it was something she was fairly sore over. "But-"
"You..." The teens looked back, watching as Yugi seemed to shake with rage. The look on his face had been mixed with shock for a fair amount of time already; it seemed however that he'd decided to speak only now though. "This card...!" That card..?
The others looked over his shoulder, blood draining from their face the instant they caught the image. A stunned and wide-eyed face behind a set of bars... "Oh hell," Katsuya muttered, stepping back as his eyes glanced over the 'title' of the card. "Anzu... A soul pr'son card w' ANZU!"
"Just like the ones Pegasus used," Honda whispered, before looking back to Deschutes in horror. "Exactly like..."
"Hey," he chuckled with a shrug, a small look of unease visible despite the action. "Don't look at me like that now! I'm just delivering a message; my employer gave that to me while meeting with the rest of the professors at the top of the tower. If you plan to reach him," Deschutes went on in apparent amusement, "Then you'll have to defeat me in a duel first." Duels..?
"Again w' th' duels," Katsuya muttered, only just now remembering his own back in the house. "'S great we ain't usin' fists but who th' hell thought this up..?"
Honda shrugged, and in response to the challenge the other Yugi wordlessly moved forward. The message was clear. 'I'll fight you', he seemed to say. 'And no matter what, I'll win...'
"DUEL START," the two chorused, disks clacking into place as they drew cards.
"Duel start," the others muttered in response, shaking their heads. Fuck this was surreal...
At least things were back to 'normal' though he thought to himself, watching as the dark 'film' came over them to herald the battle's beginning. The 'arena' limits were set into place and insults were being traded as per the usual... Mostly. This time, the insults came only from one side. While Deschutes was busy grinning and talking about how sorry he felt that the other twelve duelists inside wouldn't get their fight, Yugi merely stared across the field with a look of complete ice. Strange...
He'd have thought that stare was tightly fenced into the Kaiba family, not that he blamed the guy for 'borrowing' it. "I'll go first," he spat, stone already rising up from the ground with his words. "First, I set one face down card... And then," he continued, the second tablet carving an image without a single sign of hesitancy, "I summon the Queen's Knight! End turn!"
The red Queen kicked out from the stone before the image could even finish carving itself from existence, sword held high as she came to rest upon the field. As their opponent began to chuckle however, she frowned, fist tightening its grip upon the blade. "...He finds our battle amusing," she hissed incredulously, the American across from them merely smirking at the expression his opponent held. "He dares..?"
The woman's snarled protests were cut short, their opponent glancing over the field and shaking his head. "Hn... First turn," he said calmly, "And already you're preparing to summon a God Card! Hnhnhahahaha..." He drew his card, setting another on the field as a large stone wall rose up with a carving soon to follow despite the lack of mist. "Don't think I'll let it happen so easily! I summon the Mobile Fortress, Gear Golem," he announced, the stone halting in place to sit dormant. "Defense mode!"
Defens- "D'fense mode," Katsuya shouted. Sheesh... "Tch- Big mouth f'r someone who starts out w' nothin' but defense!"
Deschutes' smirk grew. "Not quite 'nothing but'," he stated clearly, low chuckling bringing a few frowns to those watching. Not qui- Oh, Katsuya found himself thinking as two more tablets appeared to fence their summoner in from the sides. That. "I set two cards face down and end my turn!" That was great- but why the hell did it form a fortress around him? The question was left unsaid, Katsuya opting to listen to his friend's opponent for the moment instead of asking himself things he couldn't answer. "So, 'Duel King'," the man laughed, tapping a few buttons on the duel disk before his grin widened. "Lets see what your 'God' does."
The taunt was feeble; that much was obvious, and it was enough that both Katsuya and Honda were holding their tongues as Yugi snorted. "Tch. It doesn't matter what kind of strategy you're using," Yugi growled, "WE will shatter it! My turn," he continued, pulling the next card from his deck as a tablet rose beside that of the Queen's. "I summon the King's Knight," the boy announced, a third tablet rising between them. The image upon the stone slowly carved itself with wisps of smoke, and gold and orange armor slowly made its way forward. Yet another tablet was rising however; and just as the King began to appear, so did the third warrior. "Now that the King and Queen are on the field," Yugi 'explained', "I bring forth the Jacks Knight... Moreover," he roared, the two blade wielding knights stepping out from the stone with expressions to match their origin, "I equip the Jack's Knight with the Sword of Lightning! ATTACK," he roared, the knight pulling his now sparking blade back to rush forward into a charge. "THUNDER BREAK SWORD!"
"GHH-!" The moment the blade made contact with stone the face down tablet to the side crumbled. A vortex of sand and dust arose, and as the Jack's Knight pulled back his summoner paled.
"Trap card activated," Deschutes chuckled, left side left exposed with the vanished stone. "Negate Attack. How dangerous," he sighed, shaking his head as he smirked. "I'm not about to let your attack come through; for this turn all damage dealt to me is 'zero'," the man continued, drawing his next card. "Which brings it to mine! First," he announced, "I sacrifice this monster to summon a new one; the Castle Gate, in defense mode," Deschutes called out, the stone before him growing taller and wider upon the field. Even if points were left from the considerations it was obvious which side had the advantage at the moment; the wall was far too thick and far too wide for the monsters to properly get around, with the 'door' on its front showing no signs of giving in. Which was more or less why he was as pissed as he was. Deschute's reactions helped though he supposed. "HAHAHAHA! An iron wall," the man howled, grin wide. "Not a single thing can get through..."
"Which means Jack's Knight attack won't affect him at all," Honda muttered, eyes widening somewhat as the knight in question sheathed his blade and scowled. "Shit..." If only it were in attack mode, Katsuya thought dryly.
They'd be done by now.
"But... With a monster that has no attack points there has to be something else right," Yugi added, Katsuya's eyes narrowing. "...Right?" Well...
Probably, but he was kind of thinking otherwise..! Of course, time and time again it seemed the 'bad guys' so to speak actually had logic on their side, so he probably should have seen that coming. "Don't think you're getting off easy now," their opponent was saying, still tapping the buttons of the duel disk and flipping cards to match the actions. "I'm not done yet!" Oh of course not! "Activate the spell Brain Control," Deschutes called out, withered hands appearing from a dusty tablet with the words. "Giving me the Jack's Knight and allowing me to utilize the Door's ability..!" Ability? The sound of a cannon met his ears, and abruptly Katsuya paled.
The hands already had the Knight completely spell bound... "Shit- YUG-" Too late, he realized quickly enough.
And given Yugi's expression, the duelist had caught on rather quick himself. "MONSTER CANNON," Deschutes roared, the Jack's Knight having been blissfully led away by the spell cards hands before finding himself rudely shoved into the tablet's twin doors. "Inflicting his attack on your life points directly!" The doors swung open instantly in response, and before anyone could comprehend the sight of a cannon appearing between them they were more or less covering their ears.
-BRM-
"GHGN-" Though the cannon ball formed from the remains of the Jack's Knight apparently passed through him Yugi still doubled in pain. The remainder of the Knight's tablet was nothing for defense- it shattered the moment its armor broke through, and continued on to slam against Yugi's stomach. Unable to speak for a moment he clutched his middle, gasping for air and fixing his eyes on the ground as his monsters turned to him in worry. Across from him, Deschutes was laughing of course... 'How does it feel,' he howled coldly, 'To be hit in the stomach by your own monsters?' The monsters themselves merely narrowed their eyes, holding their tongues in response...
But the words of their opponent were apparently enough to snap him out of the momentary pain that the cannon left him in. "...My turn," he said lowly, drawing his next card. He looked over his hand with shadowed eyes for the next number of moments, staring at the one he'd drawn before snapping his gaze upward. This move- Katsuya blinked, before finding himself smirking. Only the third move, but this was definitely 'it'. He still couldn't see it as clear as he normally would... But this was definitely the 'last turn'. "I sacrifice the King's Knight and the Queen's Knight," he began, the pair both closing their eyes with similar expressions of calm as they collapsed into a spiral of dust. "And I summon the Dark Magician! From this point on," he snarled, the dust forming one single tablet and being upon the field, "These friends of mine won't allow you to do as you wish..!"
"Well put," the magician responded, stepping onto the ground as the dust blew down to a clear sky again. Hell yea it was 'well put'. ...But...
Why did it feel like there was...
Deschutes stared for a moment, blinking a few times as he looked over the magician. One. Two. And... "Gh... DHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHHA!" W-What the fuck..! "Activate trap," he shouted, scarcely keeping his laughter from cutting the words short. "Overbearing trade! With the sacrifice of my monsters and half of my life points," he shouted, the Magician finding himself rather swiftly pulled to the other side of the field to hang in mid air at the duelist's side as the remaining tablets crumbled out of existence, "I take control of all your monsters! So much for 'your' 'friend'," he laughed, the magician pulling at unseen bonds in the air with a scowl. The chuckling continued, and with crossed arms Deschutes looked over to the monster with a smirk. "Looks like your cute friend here will finish things for me..." Ehehehe... Uh...
What. "...Did... He say cute," Honda repeated, pointing over. Yugi's expression of confidence hadn't yet changed after all; they didn't likely have much to worry about in regards to what the trap had done. But...
". . .Please finish this," the Dark Magician muttered, face pulled into obvious unease from where he hung in mid air. ". . . Now."
"Aha... Hah... Y-Yugi... Y' might wanna..." Might wanna listen.
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." The tablet on Yugi's side of the field began to carve itself out, the invisible restraints holding the magician vanishing. "I thought I said that they wouldn't allow you to do as you wish," he chuckled, the magician stalking back over to his side of the field with shadowed eyes and a somewhat put off expression while their opponent paled. "Reveal face down," Yugi called out, "Owner's Mark! The Magician returns to my control," he roared, the Magician taking aim with his staff. "And I enter my battle phase... GO," he ordered. "ATTACK!
"BLACK MAGIC!" The electricity shot forward instantly, surrounding their opponent completely. Direct hit...
They won. "Gh- EOOOOOOOOO!" Deschutes raised his arm in defense, attempting to block the blinding light from the Magician. Half of 4000 was 2000- an easy destruction for the Dark Magician to take care of really- so with the attack now complete and slowly blowing away, there was nothing more to do.
"Hn!" The mage twirled his staff, tablets slowly sinking into the ground as he looked back to his summoner. "I'll take my leave, my Pharaoh," he said calmly, turning to give his summoner a curt nod. To Katsuya's slight surprise, the boy nodded- So then... He'd heard..?
'Of course he did,' came a muffled voice from his own deck, 'He could always see them it was only a matter of time..!' Er... Really?
Was that really how it worked..? (And how the hell did they manage to speak through his bag...) Honda and Katsuya both walked up the stairs, looking toward the now defeated 'professor' as he stumbled onto his knees against the backlash of the 'holographic' attack. "Hah... Three moves," the man was muttering, slowly reaching into his pocket for something. "Three..." He pulled himself up as the other Yugi approached, shaking his head and holding out a blank, plastic card.
"...And this is," the boy asked, only for Katsuya to stare and blink.
"Ah- Hang on a sec," he muttered, pulling out a similar card from his pocket. Most of the card was white; however, there was also a black band along the side, along with the KaibaCorp logo across the front. "Tha's one of th' buildin's key cards..! How-"
"Each of the others hold a card like this," Deschutes said stiffly, tossing it to his former opponent with a neutral expression in place. The statement alone made it obvious what 'how' meant- with that in mind, they continued to listen. "Beside the fact that they won't be handing them over until you beat them, these cards are keyed into all doors before the following duelist. No other cards will work," he added, sending a humored look to Katsuya as he moved to try his own on the front door. "So don't bother."
The blond cursed, pocketing his card and glaring at the door before them. "Tch. Figures. Damn Tenma..."
As Deschutes rolled his eyes Honda frowned, the other two Yugi's busying themselves with setting the disk right and replacing the cards in their deck. "I don't suppose you could tell us where the 'following' duelist is then," he asked, adjusting his grip on a school-bag that he hadn't bothered to leave behind.
"The next one?" He blinked, jerking his head toward the door. "Head for the staff elevator. I'm assuming you know where that is," he added, looking toward Katsuya. "Given your own card..."
Again the blond blinked, before nodding. "Er... Yea. Jus' past th' lobby..."
"Then you can deal with the rest yourselves," Deschutes said with a yawn, stretching and heading back down the steps. "If the one I think is there, she'll make herself obvious. ...Man..! I never expected to end up out of the running so quick though... 'King of Duelists' indeed," he chuckled, Yugi in question frowning at the remark.
"You..."
"I think I'll do a bit of sight seeing," the man continued absently, slipping into English as the boys stared. "Find a cafe... Meet someone new... I think I have a cousin here somewhere, hn..." Um...
He was pretty sure he recognized the word 'cafe' in there, but did anyone else catch whatever the hell he'd just said? Katsuya shook his head, turning as the current 'ghost half' of Yugi tapped him on the shoulder.
"We don't have time," he said plainly, his friend nodding in response. Right.
"Alrigh' then... In we go," Katsuya decided, the other Yugi having already moved beside him with Honda to open the door. "T' th' next duelist," he shouted, walking into the building.
For the most part, a lot of the halls were dark. The lobby was lit only by the light from the immense glass windows and door at the front, leaving the hall at the side completely bathed in shadow. It was almost eerie actually; it reminded him of a haunted house, something that managed to send small shudders down his spine. Entering the 'second lobby' however, which would lead to the elevator brought just as much confusion as it did a dull illumination on said darkness.
"AH- What the hell-" The boys tensed as they turned the corner, faces instantly blasted with a wave of synthetic fog. It took up most of the air in the room- inhaling a nice big chunk of it was not making him feel any better either. "Agggh... What is this, obon," Honda hissed, coughing as he waved an arm in his face.
Katsuya shuddered, mirroring the action with a grimace as he attempted to clear himself some air-space. "I dunno, but don' r'mind me of Obon; las' time I saw fog on Obon..." Was horrible.
Horrible. "You just about pissed yourself last time there was a fog machine on Obon," his friend chuckled, Katsuya growing red in the face.
"Gh- I told y' not t' mention it!"
"What are you two even talking about," Yugi muttered, his other half merely searching the fogged hall for the next duelist and paying the mist no mind. He watched as his friends quickly entered a scuffle, pushing and pulling at the others fists as they bickered.
"Oh come on," Honda was snickering, a few coughs coming between laughs. "You can't say that it wasn't the most hilarious way for Kimodameshi to fail ever," he laughed, pushing his friend back and ducking a swipe.
"It ain' hilarious it's cruel damn it!" So stop talking about it pleaaaaaase.
Yugi blinked. "You guys went through kimodameshi..?" He wasn't going to answer that.
"Keheheheh..." Again Honda ducked a swipe from his friend, laughing. "Gonna have to do better than that..!"
"Gh-! Get back here! I'll show you better," he snarled, lunging at the teen before the other Yugi's voice cut them off.
"Quiet," he hissed, the two immediately freezing. "They're coming..! Can't you hear it?" Hear-
A shadow of a woman came to mind, accompanied by a tall figure that reeked of death. "Th' next card pr'fessor..." His breath stuck in his throat, the blond turning to squint through the fog. There was nothing but a curtain of white. "Where 's she..."
"She," Honda questioned, Katsuya opening his mouth only for someone else to speak first.
"That's right," a calm voice answered, high heels clacking against the tiled floor. A blonde young woman walked forward, already prepared duel disk held forward as she nodded. "I have to say, you know how to keep a woman waiting. Welcome to my battle field," she said calmly, the fog seeming to clear as she smiled. "My name is 'Tilla Mook'... And I will be your next opponent." Ah-
Honda and Katsuya both smirked, Yugi struggling not to do the same despite the fact that Tilla wouldn't see him regardless. "Gh... Hihhh... 'Mook'," he whispered. "Seriously?"
"Shhhh! This is ser... This is serious," Yugi laughed, his other half standing ahead and resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
Honda threw off his own quiet bout of laughter, looking around and whistling. Yugi was right; not the time. (But seriously, 'mook'?) "Damn... You 'professors' like to show off don't you," he said clearly, Tilla modestly bowing her head.
"Hn... It's only fitting," she said rather simply, a shadow seeming to part the fog further. "This field is where my master sleeps, after all." Uh... Kay..?
"M... Master," Katsuya muttered with a swallow, before drawing back as a spirit hovered behind her. Ohhhhh fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck-
"Yes," the Vampire behind Tilla sneered, placing a comforting hand on his summoner's shoulder. "Master. If you would watch and learn, puny 'ancient'..." Again with the ancient..!
And holy crap why did it have to be a fucking vampire..? Any retort he thought of was cut short yet again as Tilla smiled, half-lidded eyes staring toward them in an almost haunting show of anticipation. "My master's identity matters little to you," she said calmly, eyes flickering toward Katsuya. "Compared to the Duelist King, with a prize of 10,000 dollars on defeat your 'ten' is worthless. Stand aside and wait for the end," she continued coolly, Katsuya growling under his breath. Ten...
"TEN DOLLARS," he snarled, held back by a sighing Honda and 'light' Yugi as he growled. "Tha's barely 1,000 yen y' prissy vampire bitch!"
She blinked, her opponent as well turning as the blond seethed. "Hn... Quite the mouth. It still doesn't change 'Mr. Tenma's view of your worth however," Tilla chuckled, looking back as the other Yugi took a more battle ready stance.
"WHAT KINDA PRIZE IS TEN BUCKS!"
"Jonouchi, calm down!"
"J-Jonouchi-kun...!"
"Plenty," Tilla retorted, her gaze sharpening each moment it was left on the blond. "Now please... I'm trying to prepare for a duel here," she muttered, a growl coming from the vampire at the side as Katsuya deflated.
"Cool it, brat." Gh-!
"Nyyyhhhhhh..." Ten... O-One thousand yen... And the vampire... And... ...Gh...
Damn that Tenma...!
Yugi clicked his duel disk into place, stepping forward with a curt nod. "Are you ready," he called out, his opponent nodding in response.
"But of course- now... DUEL," she called out, the field scarcely changing under the usual 'film' of the battle. "I'll move first! Set one card face down," Tilla began, the tablet rising with a coating of black ash as the vampire to her side stood from behind to watch. The blackened stone almost seemed to have rounded the corners from the top, and as a small mound of soil followed Katsuya shuddered- a tombstone. "Following that," Tilla continued, a second black grave arising to carve itself out with an almost liquid substance rather than mist, "I summon the 'Blood Sucker' to the field!" Blood sucker? Katsuya grimaced as a rather grotesque mix between human and vampire bat clambered out from the stone, before perching at the top to stretch its wings and hiss. Oh.
That was... Pleasant. (Was it seriously sticking its tongue out at him, or was that just the monster's face?)
"Your move now Yugi," Tilla said with a smile, her opponent scowling.
"Tch... I know," he responded. His card was drawn, expression tight as he stared across the field; most likely, his thoughts and the lighter Yugi's were the same right now. Why summon such a weak monster with no effect? Nonetheless, he continued with his own turn, a tablet already rising from the ground and carving itself an image of a monster. "I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior," he decided, the gold coloured 'robot' leaping from the stone with a nod. "Now... Attack Tilla's monster," he ordered, the monster nodding.
"Roger-that," it exclaimed monotonously. "H-AH! BETA-MAGNET-PUNCH!" With one swift blow the stone beneath Blood Sucker's feet crumbled, the monster in question clattering to the ground to follow in a pile of ash. The ground seemed to shudder beneath the body's remains, and eventually it sank from sight completely. As the blow from Beta's fist blew back a few wisps of fog however Yugi's expression of suspicion remained unchanged, just as his opponent's smile. The warrior himself seemed to notice this, pausing and turning back uneasily. ". . .AH. Boss-?"
Tilla chuckled, tapping the duel disk as an image began to etch itself into her blank tombstone. Again a blood-like liquid was seeping from the cracks, Katsuya growing rather pale as he looked away. "Your 'Beta's attack has activated my trap," she said calmly, tapping the side of the duel disk. "Reveal face down card... 'Thirst for Blood', allowing me to special summon one Vampire monster to the field. I choose 'Vampire Lady'," she continued, a rather beautiful if not obviously dead woman stepping out from the stone with a calm smile. If not for the blue skin, he'd probably say something actually. As it was...
Someone finish the duel, now. "Hnnn..." Yugi's eyes narrowed, the boy looking over the field suspiciously before taking two more cards from his hand. The Vampire Lady wasn't much more powerful than Blood Sucker after all; so there was still a question of what was going on. "I set two face down cards," he announced, bringing his arm back as Beta returned to his side as well. "End turn. ...Tilla," he continued, frown still unchanging. "You stated that this was where your 'master' slept..?" Yea, except he wasn't sleeping Katsuya mentally added with a shudder. Probably bored to tears, but not sleeping... He shook himself as Yugi chuckled, only to pale further when he noticed that the vampire at Tilla's side had now snapped to attention. "Hnhnhnhnhn... Why don't you show me just who this 'master' of yours is," he challenged, opponent's smile growing in response.
Oh come on, did... Did they really need to- "A challenge," Tilla 'asked' with a chuckle, drawing her next card. (No, it wasn't, please don'-) "Well well... I accept, 'little Yugi'. I find that sort of challenge quite agreeable..." The woman chuckled somewhat, looking over her hand before nodding. "Very well," she announced, waving a hand over the field to switch cards as the Vampire behind her vanished. "I'll show you the master within my deck..! I sacrifice the Vampire Lady to summon him," she continued, the woman's tomb crumbling and erupting into a cloud of dust that surrounded her completely. The spirit at Tilla's side vanished... "ARISE, my Master... CURSE OF VAMPIRE!"
"Hnhnhnhnhnhnhn... HnhnHaHAHA..!" The dust blew from the spot all at once as a roped figure appeared, fangs revealed in a leering grin. "At last," he hissed, licking his lips. "A worthy opponent..." K-Kay...
Someone keep the vampire from talking please... As Yugi stared his opponent merely smirked, pointing her monster forward with a nod. "Now..! GO, my master! Your will is my own! Strike the Magnet Warrior down," she ordered, the monster charging to do just that.
"POISON CLAW STRIKE!"
For a moment, Katsuya wanted to ask what the hell poison would do to the Magnet Warrior. In fact, as the Vampire's claws sank into the metal of its body, it looked like both monsters were about to ask the same thing. With no blood to carry the poison through his body, all the Vampire had managed to do was wedge his hand into the monster's body. Eventually however, the Vampire sighed. "Hah... Hold still for a moment," he decided, grabbing the warrior's head as the duelists stared.
"Um..." Alright... If Yugi could see his monsters...
"..." And... Tilla could see hers...
Well wasn't this an interesting image? "...Are-you-done-yet," the Magnet asked, looking awkwardly to the side as the Vampire searched around through its circuitry. "Because-this-is-all-very-" Abruptly the robot's eyes grew dim, the Vampire tossing its metal husk to the side and cracking its knuckles while the corresponding tablet crumbled to dust.
"Hn! Really... If it isn't one thing it's another," he muttered, walking over to his mistress' side as both duelists stared.
Yugi's eyes appeared to move toward Beta's corpse as the fog shifted around them, before gritting his teeth as his lifepoints finally reacted. He hadn't lost too much... But if he took a direct hit... "Hn... So," he eventually said, looking across at the monster Tilla had summoned. "That monster is your 'master'," he said quietly, his opponent nodding in response.
"That is right," she answered calmly, turning away from the Vampire with a confident nod. "And he will surely defeat you." Errrr... Yea. About this whole 'master' thing...
"Please tell me I ain't th' only one freaked out abou' this," Katsuya muttered, the two at his side merely nodding wordlessly in response.
"You're not..."
"If I didn't know about you already," Honda muttered, "I'd say she was off the deep end..."
Ignoring the first remark... "Damn right," the blond hissed under his breath in response, watching as the other Yugi gave his opponent a curt nod.
"Hn! I'm almost curious to find out how he'll do that," Yugi snarled, tapping the duel disk as a blank tablet to his side began to etch an image for itself. "Activate trap," he announced, "Soul Rope! For the price of 1000 lifepoints," he continued, "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior! And now for my turn," the boy went on, drawing his next card. "I summon Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts," he roared, cool and dusty stone rising as the one horned lion broke free. "Following that, I play this... UNION ATTACK!" As another tablet rose to the field the monsters charged, combined strength easily ripping through the vampire's flesh. "All monsters attack at once," Yugi explained, "Striking one monster with their combined strength!"
Easily destroying the vampire, Katsuya finished in his mind, grinning widely. "Heh... ALRIGH' YUGI," he cheered, pumping a fist as he shouted.
"Some 'master'," Honda laughed. "Gone in one hit!"
Suddenly, Katsuya's grin faded, and he found himself swallowing in unease. "Hn!" Tilla merely snorted, closing her eyes momentarily as the others stared. "A waste of energy," she responded. "My master is immortal... Hnhnhnhnhnhn..." Er... Immortal..?
"Gh... Tilla," the Vampire hissed, clutching his side and looking toward the woman as she nodded. The bleeding monster had barely pulled himself to his feet, and he looked toward his summoner with dimming eyes. K-Kay... What?
Another nod, and she pulled the hair away from her neck. "I am yours, master..." What. The Vampire's grin widened, and he shot toward the woman instantly, wounds forgotten. He bared his fangs, latching onto the woman's neck-
WHAT. "Tha'-"
"Jonouchi," Honda said stiffly, closing his eyes a moment as both of Yugis stared in dumbfounded shock. "...Give it to me straight. Is he really... Is he really sucking..."
Katsuya nodded, choking as the vampire continued to feed off of its master's blood. "Yea. Yea he really..." Oooooh god he was gonna hurl...
"What the hell kind of monster," Honda groaned, "Is programmed to actually feed..."
"Stop talkin' Honda." Stop talking, because thanks to this he was noticing that there were more than just a few scars on that woman's neck...
"Hahh..." Tilla let out a slight moan as the others stared, the Vampire's wounds healing completely as he stepped back onto the field. Bringing a hand to stop her own bleeding she smiled darkly, rubbing the remains from her neck. "Hnhnhnhnhn... When Curse of Vampire is destroyed in battle," she explained, "I can pay 1000 of my life points to bring him back with 500 more in attack. All I do, is for him," she continued, smiling softly. "And now... It's my turn," she stated calmly. Y-Yeaaaa... That... That just... (Someone get him a bucket...) More chuckling filled the air, and the woman drew a card. "I play the continuous spell 'Threat of Demon's Eyes'," Tilla announced, a stone tablet with the spell's image rising up in the shape of yet another tombstone. "Just as my master's will is my own, so is it yours..! Your monsters will no longer stand in his way," she shouted, a pair of ghostly eyes leering from the stone as Yugi's monsters paled. "Now brace yourself... For my Master seeks your life! POISON CLAW STRIKE," she roared, the vampire darting forward.
"Face my power," the Vampire hissed, slashing at the boy and tossing him back with a shout. "Young KING!"
"GGNHG!" The monsters at his side turned, Yugi looking up from the ground with gasping breaths. "Gh..." His monsters had been forced down on their hands and knees... And yet this was not defense mode spell. They couldn't move an inch to do even that... That was beside the point however. While the monsters could only watch, Yugi weakly pulled himself back to his feet, looking across the field with narrowed eyes. In one strike Yugi's life points were almost gone... And from across him, Tilla's smirk only grew.
"Hnhnhn... Your life is at its end," she said almost frankly, closing her eyes and smiling. "Come the next turn, my immortal master will drain you completely of life- with his direct attack, you can do nothing... This is the end..." The end..?
Her opponent snorted, drawing his next card with a smirk. He wouldn't have even needed to do that... With a card that he'd already held he made his move, the mist seeming to swirl violently through the room. "Really now," he 'asked', chuckling under his breath. "So sorry Tilla," he told her. "But I don't agree with you... I sacrifice my two monsters," he announced, both of them finding themselves surrounded by a dusty spiral as their tablets crumbled to dust, "Summoning the monster Buster Blader, in attack mode!"
"HM!" Black, skintight armor coated the warrior that appeared, an almost face-less being standing before Yugi as the dust collapsed to the ground. His tablet slowly rose up behind him, and as he hoisted his blade over his shoulder the others stared almost incredulously.
"W- ...The... The swordsman," the Vampire laughed, his mistress doing the same.
"N... HAH! HaHAH! Yugi... Even if you destroy my Master, he will only come back stronger than ever... This does not change your fate," Tilla insisted, shaking her head.
"No," Yugi responded in agreement. "But this does..." 'This'? "Reveal trap card," he announced, the second of his blank tablets carving an image across its surface. "Magic Transfer!"
"Wha-" Tilla froze, blood draining from her already pale face as the Vampire at her side choked. Magic Transfer... Another 'copy' spell, like his Graverobber...
And it was perfect for this situation.
"...What...?"
As though fighting an invisible hand the monster at Tilla's side bowed down. His wings folded against his back, and with a snarling face he managed to look across the field, watching as what was formerly blank stone looked toward him menacingly. "You... To steal my EYES," he snarled, Yugi merely chuckling in response.
"Hnhnhnhn... Magic Transfer copies the effect of a continuous spell card on the field," Yugi explained, unable to hear what the Vampire said. "Have a taste of your own medicine," he continued, the tablet at his side now mirroring that of the tomb across it. "Threat of the Demon's Eye activates, and you're left defenseless..!"
If Tilla had heard him, she was obviously still in too much shock to respond. "W... What..?"
"Hnhnhnhnhn..." The buster blader moved slowly toward his summoner's opponent, Tilla's eyes slowly looking up to where it towered above her. It was quite clear that what she saw was no mere hologram; that the giant and menacing being, faceless and literally covered in shadows, was there in the flesh with a blade that could cut diamonds. "Hello there... 'Little Girl'." It was quite clear to the woman.
She would not survive if that blade hit her. "N... No... Oh no," she whispered, the monster raising his blade high above him. "No... N..."
"HNN!"
"There are two kinds of self-sacrifice," Yugi stated with a smirk, watching as his monster switched grip on the handle to prepare his attack. "While I admit yours is powerful... Mine just happens to be more suited for this sort of battle. Buster Blader," he ordered, the blade swinging downward. "SWORD SLASH OF DRAGON!"
"HHHAAAAHH!"
"NNN-hh!"
-tpf-
Tilla stiffened completely as the blade crashed down, the force blowing her clothes to the side somewhat as the blade chipped the tiles. With the very swing of the sword the stones began to fade, the fog passing with it as the machines 'mysteriously' stopped functioning. Tablets crumbled to the ground and, pulling his blade back from the ground as the Vampire choked and hissed from its mistress' side, the Buster Blader chuckled.
"Hnhnhnhnhn... Really... A Duel Monster being the 'master', since when did that happen," he muttered, ignoring the snarls from the vampire behind him. The monster slowly faded from existence, still laughing as he shook his head. "See you later," he continued, evidently not caring whether or not Yugi could actually hear him.
"HahahahhaHAH! Great going," Katsuya cheered, smacking his friend on the back of the shoulder as Yugi chuckled. "Whew!"
"Another 'three move duel'," Honda muttered, shaking his head with a grin. "MAN... We're just going to fly through this aren't we," he said, a somewhat relived undertone on his voice. The boys looked over to Tilla, the woman still somewhat left in shock from the attack.
"...Tilla," the Vampire muttered, tapping her on the shoulder a few times. "... Tilla..." No response. Evidently she was still in shock, not that he could really blame her.
Katsuya sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Er... Y' think you could get th' card," he asked, the Vampire merely fixing him with a blank stare as his mistress snapped out of it.
"N-" She turned, blinking a few times in surprise. "Ah- You can see-" She covered her mouth as though realizing what she'd been about to say. "You..."
Yugi stepped forward, holding a hand out expectantly. "Perhaps some other time," he offered stiffly, Honda nodding in agreement. "If we could have the key card..?"
Tilla turned, regaining a more serious expression as she nodded. "Of course," she told him, pulling out her card and handing it to him. It was when he caught the gleam on the card that he realized the lights were coming back on- slowly granted, but it was certainly a lot brighter than it had been to start with. "This card will open the door to the next room ahead," Tilla explained, gesturing to the door at the end of the elevator hall. "It's rather large... I believe it might be a foyer of sorts." As Yugi nodded, moving aside to test the card in question she turned back to Katsuya. "And... You..." Him? ...Oh. Right.
Ahhh... He blinked, turning from where he'd been having a 'staring contest' with the Vampire. "Eh- Oh! Ahhhh..." He looked back to the others a moment, before looking toward Tilla. He didn't really want to talk about duel-monster things right now. Speaking of dueling though... "...Hey... C'n I borrow your dueldisk?"
The look he got was expected really. "...What."
The blond laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well... I left mine at home an'..."
"Hahhh..." The pair turned, 'Vampire' shaking his head in apparent incredulity. "You mind as well allow him to use it for now," he told the woman, frowning somewhat. "I have a feeling he'll need it soon enough..." Of course he'd need it, he was gonna-
Why the hell did he have a flash of the basement levels? … And what was with those glass tubes..?
Katsuya shook it from mind, merely watching as the Vampire and his mistress had an exchange of sorts. Whatever they were talking about while he'd been busy with that 'flash' it must have done the trick though; Tilla was unloading her deck at that very moment, pocketing it and handing her duel disk to him.
"Make sure you don't lose it," she warned, narrowing her eyes. "I don't know what my Master means by 'Ancients'..." (Again with the Ancients..!) "But I won't allow anyone to lose something like this- I'm doing this only because he trusts you. Understand?" Er...
The blond numbly took the device, looking toward the Vampire in question before nodding. "'F course," he said, clicking it over his arm. "No probl'm... Ah..." He coughed, backing away- the others were already past the opened door... "See y' both later," he decided, turning to run over and join the others. "Thanks f'r th' disk!"
"Hn. You can say 'thank you' when you find Coppermine," the Vampire muttered, Katsuya frowning as he joined up with the others. Coppermine..?
He shook it from mind, instead looking over his duel disk with a smirk. "Heh... Oi, Yugi," he called out, both of them turning somewhat as Honda did the same. "Don' worry abou' th' next duel alrigh'? I'll give 'm hell..! Heheheheh..."
"Jonouchi... While winning duels and saving Anzu is our goal," Honda muttered. "...Is it really worth the possibility of becoming more of a hindrance when someone attacks you directly..?" Hindrance! Wha-
Yugi blinked at that, the other half as well seeming to frown. "Ah- That's right... We don't know what happens when you lose all your life points, do we," he asked, turning to the blond in worry. Errrr...
Despite not hearing a word of what he said Honda seemed to be building on that comment, a tight frown in place. "The point of this 'fight' is to get to Anzu... Not to end up with two casualties..." Katsuya coughed, turning away for a moment. Right... That.
"Yea, yea... I know," he responded, frowning as well. "But tha's exactly why I gotta win, got it," he continued, crossing his arms. "So we c'n get t' Anzu faster..! But man," he continued, turning on Honda with a scowl. "What's with y'! I get tha' Yugi's worried, but yer actin' like I'll lose Honda!"
"Er..."
"Y' think I'm gonna lose," he continued, a mocking and accusatory point aimed toward the teen. "Yer beliefs in yer friend goin' down?" If he even thought about losing...
That was the same as thinking about dying..! "J-Jonouchi..?"
The other Yugi smirked, chuckling under his breath. "It's alright, Honda, Aibou," he stated, both looking over as Honda briefly glanced to the 'blank spot' his friends were looking at. "Jonouchi's beaten Ra before after all... No matter what kind of enemy we face, we'll beat them easily, alright?" He held out a hand, mirroring the symbol that they'd formed over a year prior in the 'Death-T' event. The great 'permanent marker face' that Anzu had made.
That Anzu wasn't there to complete.
"We'll get her back," Yugi whispered, eyes narrowing. "Our 'missing piece'..."
Katsuya and the others stared a moment, before nodding sternly. "Right," Honda said, moving through the open room. "In that case, we can only move forward. Now..." He looked around frowning. "Jonouchi..."
"We're in th' stair an' entryway," the blond 'answered', not bothering to wait for a question he'd already 'heard'. "Normally th's place 'd be full," he continued, looking around the empty floor, "But it looks like they cleared 'm out... I think th' room w's more t' show off than anything really..." Then again, this building had been built by Gozaburo first right? So he supposed that if Seto was going to do anything with a great big room containing a sun-roof, putting trees in it was better than nothing. His eyes drifted around the room, before blinking. "...Ah?"
The blond wandered off to the side, the others turning. "Hn..?"
"Jonouchi," Honda shouted, "What-"
"It's a card," he called back, picking it up from the ground. "Hang on, I-" He paled, smile freezing as he sound of gears mirrored his move to flip it over.
'Booby Trap', the card read. And nothing else. Oh hell.
-rrrrmmnnnnnnn...-
"Ahhh shit," he muttered, the floor dropping from under him as he grabbed at the edge of what had formed a falling ramp. "FUUUUUUUUCK..!"
"J-JONOUCHI-KUN!"
"SHIT!"
"JONOUCHI!"
Honda bolted, pushing Yugi back as he dove and skidded down the ramp. "That idiot..!"
"Gh- Honda-"
"Don't follow us," he snarled, looking back with wide eyes. "Got it? We'll catch up later, you go on ahead..!"
"Other me, Jonouchi's not moving..!"
The other Yugi stiffened, again moving to reach for his friends. "Gh-"
Honda looked back down the hole, paling as the ramp began to move slowly upward again. "Shit... Go on," he barked out, sliding down as he gave a final thumbs up. "You can do this..!"
"Honda-"
"GO!"
That was the last thing Yugi heard and saw before Honda finally allowed himself to tumble off the ramp before it threatened to crush him.
The last thing that Katsuya saw before he passed out however, was someone entirely different. Someone who could have been younger than he was for all he knew.
"Man," someone muttered in English, a clear American accent meeting his ears as an almost cat-like face looked down in worry. "When he said 'wait for someone to fall', he wasn't kidding..." Briefly, he'd thought of asking what the hell that was supposed to even mean- Or if they even spoke Japanese...
But really, he was too busy closing his eyes, groaning in pain, and watching as the 'light' Yugi's spirit charged down through the floor in panic...
That and passing out.
Couldn't really forget that one.
Why was it, he asked himself, that all his dreams as of late started with sand?
He was standing beside 'little him' again. Or 'past him'. Or maybe 'little past him'.
It was all very confusing, and he kinda wished he had his 'other self's' name, since he sure as hell didn't remember it himself. There was nothing to give it away despite this after all- no carvings, no writings, and no one to call it for him. At the moment, he wasn't too worried about that though...
No, he was more worried about blocking the rocks that they were throwing in the kid's- rather his- face.
"Where's your shadow, liar," they screamed, a number of children cornering the boy in a niche between the buildings. The sun hung low in the sky and though the children looked nearly identical in colour of skin and hair he felt that there couldn't be more of a gap between who they were. And while 'Katsuya' rubbed some of the blood from his face, another stone scratched his arm. "Where is it," the children jeered, gathering all they could for ammo. "Where is it, huh? The elders all got one, and you said you have one too! So where is it, liar?"
"Go away," 'Katsuya' snarled in response, ducking another rock as he attempted to breathe. "I already told you..! I'm not lying..!" More stones flew through the air, and still the boy persisted. "They aren't my shadows," he pressed, shaking his head. "They don't belong to any one, they're 'theirs'..!"
The children paused a moment, trading looks. For a moment, it seemed they were going to even drop what they held right then and there. Then, as Katsuya had apparently expected, they burst into laughter. "Gh... Hahahah... HAHAHAHHA!" While Katsuya stared at the children in rage the tallest sneered, spitting at the ground before him. "You really are a liar," he hissed, shaking his head. "And here we thought you were 'chosen'!"
Katsuya frowned, momentarily distancing himself from the 'memory'. Chosen? What the hell? As if being called 'ancient' wasn't enough, now he was...
Chosen? With that thought Katsuya's vision swam, the entire scene blurring and shifting until it was that of the catacombs. The first thing he recognized were the walls; thick stone, carved and stowed underground with tunnels and mirrors to provide light when torches did not suffice. He'd walked down here while in Noa's realm... Well, sort of, he thought to himself. He hadn't really come through here, but he'd seen this room from the other side of the broken wall. The one he'd actually been in was brighter. The second thing he noticed however was not the room, but rather the elder behind him, who had a 'protective' hand on his shoulder.
"I believe," the elder was saying, voice laced with an almost desperate hope, "That we may not have lost our bloodline as we thought brothers."
The others of the circle before him stirred, and Katsuya frowned with suspicion. Like the 'past self', and the children from before, they each had darkened skin. Their eyes were a cold grey, and their hair a just as chilling white-silver to contrast this and blend in with dirtied robes that stank of age. Quite unlike himself however, they were each incredibly old... As expected from 'elders' he supposed.
There were eleven before him. Twelve counting the one behind him. A sacred number, a voice whispered in the back of his mind, a number that an additional person would damn, but for now he paid no attention to it. The eleven before him were almost exclusively male; out of the entire group there was perhaps one woman, two others who could have been either-or. Age left them 'unknown', their faces beyond gender specific recognition with shawls and robes covering most of their bodies. All that Katsuya could see of most was their face and hands- nothing more. The only thing that gave the first woman away was the worn head-band around her brow. Even then, he thought idly, it could have still been a man.
With the first elder's words there had been muttering within the circle. The others turned among themselves, whispering and frowning. Finally one of them spoke. "You claim to hold the answer to our dying bloodline," the one with the headband 'asked', voice revealing her as the woman Katsuya suspected her to be. "We have not had such a thing since those before us gave away our power," she warned flatly. "Not since the people of the Nile stole the three stones!" Three stones..?
Before Katsuya could ask what the stones were, the elder behind him nodded. "It is true," he announced loudly, as though preparing to give a rousing speech. "The pieces of Light we so treasured sit in the tombs of the Nile kings... But with him," the elder insisted, 'Katsuya' looking and feeling rather put off by the suggestion, "With him, we can re-claim that power..!"
Again the boy frowned, looking up uneasily. Something told him he wasn't going to fulfill those desires... And as the scene shifted into darkness, Katsuya's suspicions were proven correct. He could hear voices. "You claim to hear them boy," the elders jeered, the sounds of men and women alike merging into one monstrous tone. "So where is yours?" He heard his own protest that his shadow hadn't 'woken up yet' only to hear it cut off by more shouts. "Where is the monster you claim to hear!" He tried to tell them he didn't hear his- that the monsters he saw and heard resided in the shadows of the world, not of their own.
They didn't listen. "You were supposed to be the key!" they screamed, a glimpse of their rage filled and torn expressions coming to mind. Like hell he was, his mind spat in response. How was it his fault he didn't steal what they'd given away? "Where is your shadow!" Where it should have been- and he wasn't going to split his soul in two trying to force it! If his shadow was going to arise as a monster than it would do so when it was right! He wasn't going to damn himself trying, he wasn't... "You see ours," the elders hissed, their faces shadowed and twisted in disgust. "And yet, you are without your own?" See the shadows..! Of course he could see..!
Of course... Of course he could... "You have no SOUL," they screamed, Katsuya's blood growing cold as the elders were joined by adults and children alike. "You have no SOUL, you cannot summon what isn't there..! You cannot-" No soul...
With more screams and spittle and stones Katsuya found himself falling back, face covered with his arms. His body was coated with hair line cuts and reddening bruises, his hair stuck to his face by either blood or sweat. The screaming had by this point faded and merged into a collective of voices- A collective that would be impossible to hear through, and impossible to discern a voice from. And yet as he began to sink further...
"Hey..."
He could hear a voice.
"It is not the fault of your soul that your shadow not reveal itself."
Two voices, in fact.
"Hey... …"
One seemed to come from a distant light.
"There is after all, a time and place."
The other, darkness.
"Hey..!"
Which one...
"In the same way..."
Which one did he go toward...
"Hey!"
Which...
The dragon was speaking again, though how he knew it was a dragon he wasn't sure. The voice seemed familiar however, even though he'd already started walking toward the light instead.
"Those of the Nile will someday find the 'Three Treasures' to be more than the stones and artifacts they thought the ancient ones granted them." Three treasures..? He'd mentioned that at one point hadn't he?
"HEY..!" For a moment, Katsuya wanted to ask the more calm of the two voices what these 'three treasures' were. If they had to do with those 'three stones' he'd heard someone mention earlier, and about whether or not they'd been 'stolen' or 'given'.
Waking up however...
He found he almost completely forgot that particular detail of his dream.
"HEY!"
AN: But Usagi, Jou didn't pass out..! Shhhh, I wanted to put another vision there. Which... Seeeeeems to have little to do with plot but hey, you know me~ (Not to mention this chapter would be VERY short otherwise. WOWWWWWWW.)
Also, for those wondering what the three new duelists look like, I could do two things. I could show you the manga... Ooooooorrrr I could show you the pictures I drew of them! Yayyyy...
This is just me, having an art block when I should be practicing painting until I can actually speed paint, but WHATEVER.
Remember when I said that Yugioh R's duels were REALLY SHORT?
I REALLY WASN'T LYING, HOLY CRAP. Good thing I planned for if I ended up actually being forced to put two duels in one chapter though! (Heck, I probably could have fit THREE here.) Whoo!
In any case, we'll get more story than dueling in the next chapter (hopefully); it all depends on what's going on really... Depending on what's revealed in the card part of the plot, I can reveal what's happening on the more 'shadowy' side. Of course, chapters are still short, but I'm aiming for this word count to be the average... It'll likely spike when we hit anime arcs again, but the fact is, I'm not filling a chapter with more than two duels just to get a big one. That's silly.
Also mean.
AND! As promised, Contest Results are down below. HOWEVER; this is only HALF of the contest!
From the chosen results below, voters may now pick out their favorite- as in ONE favorite- so that the results are a little more balanced. See, when you have like... FIFTEEN options, it's a little hard to get a solid margin. This way, we can clearly see the 'number one choice'.
Again, that's down below, in the Contest Section; once again, this poll will be held until the update after the next!
And with all that said and done..!
Anonymous Review Responses
Reviews this week were short and sweet; most likely because this arc is... Really fast paced, and really doesn't have much to talk about just yet. WHOOPS, MY FAULT.
Honestly, I just like getting reviews period, so it'd be silly to comment on how long reviews are when I've shortened the chapters myself~ So hi again Iona..!~
Yakou knows how to be a prick, that's for sure..! I'm glad you like the start to this arc; hopefully you enjoy the rest of it as well!
And hey there Imadork!
Yea, the PM blocks out 'pissed', and I'm really not sure why... Oh well. Hahaha, if you haven't read R then strap in there, this'll be fun! I'm honestly EXTREMELY flattered that you feel you'd prefer this over the manga though- I just hope I can live up to your words!
I would imagine she's VERY tired of it... As to how she never noticed, the fanfic version is going with a twisted mix of hypnosis and VR-Mindscrew ALA what-Noa-did-to-Mokuba... Except not neaaaarly as bad.
Ohhhh, looking forward to visions are you? Let me know how you liked that great big scene up there then, hahaha!
In any case, enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you next time!
Usagi's Manga & Japan Guide/Corner
The section that's still creeped out by the vampire thing. HIHHHHH!
Today's chapter title means 'shadows' in Hebrew. However, depending on the context, it also means 'protection' or 'defense'. Rather fitting given that we dealt with a 'wall' deck and a vampire one all at once. (Oh, but tsel is technically pronounced 'tsale' by the way.)
Oh look a story! The visions at the top will alternate, and are mostly so that you can get all of what Jonouchi's visions accumulate into through this arc without ruining the flow of the story. So hooray for that~
Originally, Jou makes a comment on how the building has horrible taste. Given that he's actually kinda a fan of Blue-Eyes now (I would be too if I could see it in person.), he's not about to say that. Plus, he hates the people inside more than the building and those running it... A lot more.
If there's one thing I LOVE about R, it's the expressions (and I think I said this before...). It just feels like there's more of them. Right before the canon is set off, Yami has this look on his face that seems to be a mix of horror and 'oh FUCK' all at once. It's just one of those things that pulls Yugi away from the 'I am an awesome duelist who can NEVER LOSE' deal, and I love it.
Even if Yami doesn't actually lose through Yugioh R either. OH WELL.
No lie guys. Deschutes ACTUALLY SAYS THAT about the Dark Magician. IT... It really explains the look on the Magician's face too. Also it makes Deschutes even more amusing than he actually is; the shirt he's wearing might have a neck that'll cover his head if he wants, but it's still a midriff and those are still leather chaps.
Any ways, while I'm sure that the line meant something else in kanji... Hopefully...
I just had to keep it. It's one of those lines that... That you just KEEP. If you haven't guessed by the way, while R will be full of the usual trauma and mystery, it's also much much much MUCH lighter in tone as well; the manga had LOTS of well placed humor, and I have to say, I'm glad that Ito got a shot doing this before he moved on to his own thing.
('USAGI STOP GUSHING ABOUT MANGA YOU LIKE' 'NO.')
Might I say, while I'm on the subject of Deschutes Lew (Who is named after a codename for one of Intel's microprocessors, which was in turn named after the Deschutes county of Oregon and the Deschutes River.), he has a few interesting sounds in his defeat. 'EOOOHHHHHHH!'
It sounds like a donkey in my head, does that make me a HORRIBLE PERSON?
More on Deschutes, he looks uncannily similar to what I would imagine Otogi to look like once he's older. They even have the same style of eyes; and that's actually a little unique in this manga. (This only makes the 'cute Dark Magician' joke more hilarious for me by the way, thereby making me an even worse person.) Once I realized it however, I found myself scratching my head and thinking... 'What the crap, are they like... Cousins or something?'
THIS CAN'T BE UNINTENTIONAL.
One thing I both did and didn't like too much about the start of R was how fast it moved to each duel. Right after Deschutes defeat we cut to entering the lobby... Which for some reason looks like a GRAVEYARD... And then start up the second duel.
IT'S A LITTLE WEIRD. However, this isn't actually the fault of the manga; the scan of the chapter is incomplete! (Good thing the last three novels in the series are at my library...) Pity I can't read the RAW... (Even so, even Battle City seemed to have a little more. All of what I typed out for Deschutes was originally in 'flashbacks'.)
Hilariously enough though, you DO see the two boys drop their school bags right before the duel against Tilla in the scan available; they're in the background when they look for her.
I managed to find the summary at least though (I'd have just taken the manga from the library, but someone BEAT ME! -shoot!-); at the beginning of the chapter, there's a short scene with Tenma... However, the scene is so short, and so key to an event that happens so much later that I don't feel too bad about not ad-libbing it in; it'll fit much better where I've moved it.
Also, I managed to take a wild guess on Deschutes reaction after his loss and turned out to be dead on and correct; according to the summary (which is fairly in depth...), he explained the card system and, after one of the boys asked why he was telling them this, told them that it didn't matter any more; Yugi is the 'perfect duel king'. He wishes Yugi luck, and takes off.
What I didn't put here was a short bit with Jonouchi and Honda; Jou initially starts bragging about how they'll beat the crap out of anyone in their way, which gets him in an argument with Honda about how much of the dueling Jonouchi will actually be doing. Yugi then cuts them off; and that is the page that the scan online begins with. It was replaced here with the 'test of courage' fight though- mostly because Honda's not likely to be questioning if Jou can win so much as if he can survive, and you just don't bring that up on a rescue mission.
Also, Jou doesn't have a duel disk with him. It'd be rather silly to mention dueling when he doesn't have a disk on him.
Honda and Katsuya are referencing the 'Test of Courage' (Kimodameshi), a game similar to amusement park Haunted Houses. Two teens basically make their way through a course, at night, which is set up to be a scary as possible. Generally, this is done with couples in anime, for the same reason we have couples going to horror flicks...
However, it's seen as a bit of an adolescent rite of passage (Read: 'college initiation in Highschool' rite of passage), and therefore, when combined with Katsuya's horrible fear of the undead, absolutely hilarious.
Originally, Yugi asks Tilla who her master is, stating that he doubts 'Tenma is sleeping here'. Tilla completely side-steps the question however, going into the prize; she doesn't tell Katsuya his prize net until after he asks though, which gets the expected response...
After he spends a few moments trying to calculate that into yen. Fanfic Jou has a little more of an idea on that however; mostly because of conversations with Rebecca and Mokuba. Also because of that handy ability though; it's like having a calculator at anytime other than a test...
Poor guy...
Oh- Speaking of Tilla Mook, her name comes from 'Tillamook', another Intel codename. The codename in turn came from Tillamook, Oregon. (As for all these locations that Intel was picking, that's because they're located near the factories. Ohohoh, clever.)
Speaking of 'mooks', you should really already know exactly what was so amusing to the boys about 'mooks'.
And HOLY CRAP USAGI! Two duels in one chapter! Like I said; most duels in R last ONE manga chapter as opposed to the three or so in the original manga. In addition, they last like... Three moves when that happens. Which means there's... Really not much to fill the chapter with, since the entire point of the duels is to storm the castle so to speak. Oooooooh..~
More ranting on this scan I'm stuck relying on, it's really not... Not a good scan AT ALL for this chapter. At all. Sorry to say to whoever did this, but it's incomplete, and parts of the dialogue are actually scratched out and replaced with 'Whatever, I screwed up' essentially.
It... It's like 'seriously? Seriously..!' The ones making the summary at least bothered to figure it out! (Alright, I'm done with my rant. I just... It really bugs me, things like that. Least the next chapter was complete and up to scanlation-par.)
That thing with the vampire?
Actually happens. You even see the teeth marks. (WHAT.) It's... It's a little... (WHAT-)
Tilla is a fairly amusing character near the end. At the beginning she's very calm, and through the entire thing very devoted to the Vampire her deck relies on... But she's so completely clueless when her strategy is turned on her that it's almost pitiful.
It's even more hilarious right afterward though; while Yugi's looking over the key card, Jou actually does go over and ask for her duel disk. The look on her face is eerily similar to one that Jonouchi himself tends to make. (I have to wonder exactly how that exchange went though; we only see him asking.)
Blond? Sees duel monsters? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS USAGI- No, they are not distantly related or something that would be ridiculous...
Tilla just happens to be sensitive to the monsters of her deck. Like... Really sensitive. It's similar to how Mai sees her monsters and how Yugi sees his. Just...
Because of how much she's given into her 'master', she's kinda open to direct attacks. Not in such a way that the Buster Blader would have cleaved her in freaking two, but enough that it'd hurt and he'd bother avoiding it. (This is also my way of justifying the fact that her vampire FREAKING SUCKED HER BLOOD WHEN IT'S A HOLOGRAM.)
What's this Usagi? Another vision? But what does it meaaaaan!
It means that Egypt-Jou's life sucked, THAT'S WHAT. Any ways, don't worry- all will be revealed in due time! Until then, I suppose you can enjoy the 'elders' hating the crap out of past!Jou.
FanArt and My Art Section
First off, LeonaWriter (Who is way back on chapter forty or so... You can do it Leona!) recently drew two pictures for this fanfic..! We have Jou in a tree (remember that? That was way back in chapter four!), and an adorable kuriboh, all set for battle..!
https :/ leonawriter. deviantart. com/ #/ d3r9lub and https :/ leonawriter. deviantart. com/ #/ d3r9o4x
Next up, my own stuff...
Reference: First Three Professors – http : / i5. photobucket. com/ albums/ y153/ natasha_unos_1/ YGO% 20Fanfic% 20-% 20Skin/ SketchPage. jpg - The colours come from my own head (or in the case of Tilla, the head of the scanslator...), but the main designs themselves were from the manga, unless you count my silliness in the doodles. (Though the Dark Magician one is more or less an actual occurrence in the manga.) In any case, enjoy!
Musical Notes
Where I show off whatever I was listening to!
Only one song today; otherwise, I was listening to repeats. (And again, they have... Nothing to do with the chapter! Ahhhhhh...)
I give you the chorus cover of 'Magia'! This time, with a link to the video! Http : / www. youtube. com/ watch? v= 6uG50TkxRy4
Maybe I'll have more songs next time. Add some variety to my playlist. By the way, if you have a recommendation, let me know neh? The music is where half the inspiration comes from! … Well. Maybe not half...
Contest Section
Same as last time everyone! Anyone can vote, provided entrants DO NOT VOTE FOR THEMSELVES. Should those who have voted once not choose to vote, fear not; your favorites will stil be considered in the calculations. In fact, depending on the number of voters, the 'top three' system may end up becoming a 'three votes – two votes – one vote' deal for the this final round.
Votes will be accepted until the update after the next; assume two weeks from now to be the deadline!
Until then, all 'multi-entries' have been separated with a line! (With two lines to separate the entries from my notes to keep people from being confused.)
FROM MAGGIE MAY:
The story of Yu-gi-oh! with an X twist. One little letter - X instead of Y - and you have a whole new game. Yugi may still be king but Seto is definitely queen, with Jounouchi as her court (and courting) jester and jack of all trades.
Ever wonder why Seto acts like he has constant PMS? There is an explanation. Jounouchi and the gang learn that gender really doesn't matter. Or does it? Retelling of the Yu-gi-oh! Series – with one little difference that changes everything.
FROM IMADORK:
Jounouchi Katsuya will always look out for his friends, no matter how weird things get. That means he will keep on fighting, whether facing maniacs with freaky powers, monsters from a childrens game, or the fact that Kaiba's a girl. Wait, what?
FROM JADEJ.J:
Seto Kaiba has secrets that run skin deep but when Jou gets drawn in all bets are off. Both teens' dark secrets come to the surface & life changing experiences that will take them into dark secrets of Duel Monsters that no one knows.
FROM SORA KOHAKU:
After a extra credit project goes almost too well Jonouchi finds himself getting closer to his classmate Kaiba. Too close. Living in the same house too close. For every thing that starts going right for him there's another going wrong.
Curiosity couldn't possibly kill him, though Jonouchi doesn't doubt that given the chance Seto Kaiba would. It's just his luck that Mokuba Kaiba likes him so much.
Jonouchi Katsuya was the exception to the 'no jobs' rule at school. Jonouchi Katsuya also happened to be the great exception to the 'normal' rule when it came to children's card games.
Jou had a hunch- just a hunch nothing else- that Seto Kaiba was hiding something. It's just his luck that he was right.
Those are the ones! Now if the winning entry is short enough, I might stick my usual 'genderswap' or 'puppyshipping' warning there. It really depends; if the winner doesn't want me too though, I won't do it.
In any case, that's all for this chapter; I hope you enjoy it!
Until next time!