Chapter 23: Inner demons
When Yamir had proposed the idea of using Ms. Chuono as a way to boost up the Pharaoh, he had personally thought it was a brilliant idea. The teacher was already well despised among faculty and students alike, his own host was a rather quiet person. Fitting in at her side was perfect…
Until he spent more than five minutes with her alone.
"That hair has to go next, I hope you realize."
Yamir paused mid bite of his onigiri, giving her a glare.
"You touch it, I will personally rip your windpipe to shreds."
She raised an eyebrow.
"You don't have much of a choice."
Yamir chuckled, giving a shrug.
He got up, pacing across the room. The lights flickered as wisps of smoke emerged from the floor.
"Actually… I do. Because you work for me." He turned to her, pulling out from under his shirt a necklace… a necklace made up of a gold ring, surrounding a pyramid. It glowed brightly as her eyes glazed over. "Now… who is the King of the Underworld?"
"Master Zorc…"
"And I am NOT a child. In my day, this body would be considered an adult. Modern times may have changed that but I am years beyond you." He continued on. "Now, we'll strike the Pharaoh hard and fast with this…" He slid an object across the table to her.
She picked them up, her eyes blank.
"Don't do anything too illegal… but make it clear, we mean business."
She bowed her head.
"Yes, Pharaoh Yamir."
Ah sweet music…
oooooo
The meeting room for the student council was… cold.
Anzu rubbed her shoulders, trying to warm herself up.
"Ms. Chuono… why am I here?"
"I've gotten quite a bit of information on you… that's all." She slid a file across the table. Her eyes gleamed with amusement at Anzu's face falling.
"Are you… proud of yourself? Making that guy do your bidding?" She growled. "You know what you look like right now?"
"I look like I own your future in my hands."
Anzu's hand trembled as she flipped it open.
Her heart sank as her eyes welled up with tears.
The file was filled with photographs from her part time job. Her uniform in full view, pictures of her serving customers, talking to her friends when they stopped by.
"This isn't… this isn't against the rules… I thought…" Her voice shook. "You can't do this… Please… I'm saving up to go to my dream school!"
Ms. Chuono smiled.
"If you knew your place, you wouldn't have spoken up. I suppose it's all for the best, hm?" She walked around the table, resting both of her hands on Anzu's shoulders. "You're not exactly the prettiest girl here."
"Wh-What…?"
"A dance academy costs so much money too. You wouldn't be able to keep it up forever… then what happens, hm? Coming home a failure?" She sneered. "Go back to working fast food, for the rest of your life?"
Anzu shook her head, her shoulders trembling. How… Who told her all of this?
"You don't know that! And I'll be an adult! You can't say what I can and can't do when I'm older!"
"Hm… but if my current proposal goes through and it will, because I have dirt on the headmaster, I send these pictures through… and oh look at that…" Ms. Chuono took a pen, scratching out Anzu's face in one of the picture's. "Dream over."
"No… No, no, I'm sorry! I didn't… I didn't mean…" Her voice cracked, as she covered her mouth. "I'm sorry!"
Ms. Chuno smiled.
"You will be."
No…
Anzu jumped up, slamming her shoulder into Ms. Chuono's, grabbing up the file, making a break for the door…
Opening it just as Yugi arrived outside of it.
"When did you…?"
Yugi smiled sadly.
"I had a feeling you would be here." He frowned. "Run. Don't stop until you get home."
Anzu hugged the file to her chest, looking back into the room.
The teacher hadn't moved from her spot, her head down.
"I… She…"
"Don't. We'll talk about it later." He took her hand into his, giving it a squeeze. "Go. Now."
She let out a small sob, giving a nod.
"R-Right…" She hurried off.
I gotta burn these… All of these…
Yugi stepped inside, closing the door behind him.
Ms. Chuono's head snapped up.
"You…" She hissed… her voice warped.
The temperature of the room dropped rapidly as she spoke, mist wafting up from the floor. The lights flickered overhead as she leaned against the table.
"The Pharaoh's precious pet…"
Yugi growled.
"Zorc, you have a lot of nerve…" His eyes narrowed. "You think you can just do what you want!?"
Ms. Chuono smiled, one of her eyes turning gold as the room around them changed rapidly… to the same familiar tomb from before.
"And now you're right where I want you."
Yugi wasn't fazed as he shrugged off his backpack, his eyes glowing as he rested a hand on the puzzle.
"And the door of darkness…" The gold eye appeared on his forehead, as the now familiar power surged through him. He grew in height, shrugging his school jacket off, throwing it around his shoulders. His eyes slowly opened…
One bright red… the other a brilliant violet.
"Opens."
"We've never driven together."
"It's time for a new game then… Because those who harm MY dancer, will pay dearly."
Yami chuckled.
"You take the lead. I'll provide the power this time. This is your grudge."
"Oh? The Pharaoh won't play today?" Ms. Chuono taunted.
Yugi chuckled.
"No… It's my turn now."
He waved a hand as the tomb changed.
Etchings of monsters appeared all over the walls, spells and hieroglyphics etching themselves into the pillars all around them.
Two stone pedestals appeared before them.
Yugi's eyes glowed brightly as he snapped his fingers.
For a moment two mirrors, identical to one another, hovered above the pedestals… Before he snapped his fingers again, causing them to break into dozens of pieces.
Ms. Chuono narrowed her eyes.
"Childish…"
"This game's rather simple but I'll know if you cheated." Yugi waved a hand, summoning two blind folds - one in both of their hands, along with white gloves. "We'll put together the puzzle blindfolded. If you complete it first, you win."
"And what do I get?"
Yugi grinned.
"Come now, Zorc… Ms. Chuono, you both get the pleasure of saying you defeated the Pharaoh. Isn't that more than fair?"
She placed the blindfold over her eyes, as Yugi did the same.
This power…
It's so raw… Yugi took a deep breath to steady himself.
"He can't help you cheat."
Yugi chose to ignore that. He knew he could count on Yami, no matter what in these situations but he wanted to prove himself too. The magic coursing through his body, the sheer power… the strength he didn't know he could even possess.
He wanted to master it too.
Breathe…. Visualize…
In his mind's eye he could see it. The outlines of the pieces coming together as his hands flew across the table, piece after piece sliding into place.
Across the tomb, Ms. Chuono lowered her blindfold.
"Go ahead. He doesn't need to know. What is he gonna do?"
He's just a child…
She glanced across the temple at him, the boy's shadow growing, with each piece completed.
It didn't match him though… A tall shadow that loomed over him, a figure with a long staff, in their hands.
She looked down at the mirror. She just had to be faster than him.
For a while, they fell into silence, focusing on the puzzle.
"By the way, Ms. Chuono…" Yugi chuckled. "This is part of a Shadow Game… but I won't play the finale the way Yami will. If you're not careful, you could get caught…"
"Caught how?"
"In a web even your own silver tongue can't get you out of."
She rolled her eyes.
"And when I'm through with you, I'll ruin that girl's life. Forget Broadway, forget the stage. Hello student loans and crippling debt."
Her puzzle was nearly completed…
She neglected to notice the frown that formed on Yugi's face.
"You really want to ruin a student's life for what reason? What darkness laid in your heart even before this, hm?"
"She's pretty. If I could get away with it, I'd have done much worse. At least I can ruin her future. I can't very well lay my hands on her as much as I'd like to. Scratch up that face beyond recognition…" She gasped as she covered her mouth.
She hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Yugi smiled wryly.
"Tsk, tsk… That's quite the nasty side…"
Clink
The last piece of his mirror slid into place… as she put her own final piece in.
"I did it!"
Yugi's blindfold fluttered to the floor as he trained his eyes on her.
His eyes glowed brightly as he pointed to her.
"You believed you took me to a tomb where I'd face my death… This place is nothing like your evil. Take a look around!"
The room began to shake and tremble around them.
She looked around in fright.
"What the…? Zorc! Zorc help me!"
"He can't save you now…" He smiled. "This isn't a tomb. Ms. Chuono, welcome to the Temple of Judgement."
He waved a hand as a large stone tablet appeared behind her. His smile faded into a serious gaze.
Around them, shadows began to materialize of several priests all around them, eyes of gold energy appearing on their faces.
"Your soul is disgusting and full of hubris. I believe it's time I removed that for you…"
He snapped his fingers as a pedestal appeared under her, sending her falling back as bonds made of magic held her to the tablet.
"The Shadow Game reveals a person's true nature… However, while Yami would punish you with endless horror, I find I can do much worse for less." He smiled. "A lifetime of hurt you've caused throughout your career… I hope it was all worth it."
"You brat! I'll have you expelled! I'LL BREAK THAT WORTHLESS PUZZLE-!"
"Take it… This power is yours."
"Thank you, My King…"
His eyes narrowed.
He could see it now.
A monster, who had her arms wrapped around Ms. Chuono, its form shifting to match hers for a moment before transforming into a creature made of dark ooze.
He pointed right at her before retracting his hand back.
An orb of dark energy left Ms. Chuono as she fell from the tablet to the temple floor with a thud.
Yugi looked at the orb in his hand.
"Disgusting…" He murmured before flinging it towards the tablet, the monster's form etching itself into the stone.
"Game…" He took a deep breath. "Set…"
As the temple faded from view, replacing it with the student council room, he stumbled back against the door as he released the power, sinking to the floor. Yugi held his head in his hands, letting out a small groan.
"Ooooww!"
"You okay…?" Yami appeared before him.
Yugi looked across the room to where Ms. Chuono was. She was still passed out on the floor, her makeup cracking like porcelain.
He gave a small grin.
"Much better than I was."
Yami grinned, ruffling his hair up.
"And I couldn't be prouder. We did it." He looked at his hands. "That kind of power… I've never experienced it before."
"Think we could do it again?"
"We can try."
Yugi's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
Yami nodded.
"I admit, I wasn't sure how you would handle her punishment. I must say, that was inspired."
"Ahaha…?"
"And so fueled by your love for Anzu too!"
"YAMI!"