Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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Malik wasn't sure exactly what he was expecting of this 'America' place that they were going to. In the first place, he never really stepped 'out' when he left the Clan to begin his war against the Pharaoh. He was never naive about how he looked, after his first few trips outside of the underground he was well aware of his exotic nature. Not covered up, save his back, his naturally straight blond hair, and his active use of old traditional Egyptian eye make up all made him stand out. He knew that once the Pharaoh saw him, he would be visual marked.
He used the Rod and Rashid to bring others to him, hence he was faintly aware of 'America' and several other countries through out the world. But only in a nebulous sort of way, and once he learned that the Pharaoh and his 'host' were in Japan? Well it was no trouble to use the Rod to let him have a crash course in Japanese. Had he still the Rod, Malik would have just used it to learn this 'American' language as well. Thus it still stuck with him that he would be pretty crippled in his usefulness here.
But he was still unsure of what he expected of this country, having only seen a few shows about this land. He wanted to be confident that he could fake his way through things from what he saw on television. Only to then remembered how television liked to depict his homeland as one of poverty and starvation. Which Malik was wearing 'waay' too much gold for 'that' to be the case and far too under dressed for other less poor parts of his land. The American shows always showed buildings that made Malik think of Japan. But this area of town, even in the darkness struck a cord of difference in the Egyptian. There were buildings that looked to be made of wood and others of stonework rather than the cold slabs of concrete that he was used to in Domino.
Beyond that, it looked almost the same as Domino City, only there was a more steep hill like quality to the area. The wind carried the smell of the sea like Domino air and there was a slight chill that he was now accustomed to as well. Which he could only guess made sense because Japan shared an ocean border of sorts with America, unlike Egypt.
So probably the first thing that hit Malik as the most interesting was the first openly kissing couple he saw. Both his homeland and Japan seemed distinctly against that he had found and had come to accept as a global norm. Yet here was an open display of hand holding, hugging, kissing, and he found himself positively fascinated by that.
"Come on Malik," Bakura broke into his fascinated study of the 'environment' before grabbing the teens' shoulder and dragging him along.
"So... people in this country actually 'do' stuff like that?" He asked as he followed Bakura's white haired head obediently. Jounouchi gave him an amused grin before walking along studying their location.
"Like what? The open signs of affection stuff?" Bakura asked, glancing back at the blond before shrugging. "Yes, America was mostly populated by Europeans, and they're more open to that."
"Uh? 'Populated by'? Why don't you say 'discovered by'?" Jounouchi asked, blinking at the white haired teen in confusion.
"Because America had its own race of people living here first, so how is it 'discovered' if its already populated?" Bakura countered as he looked up at a sign on a street and began trying to get his bearings. "Basically the first to arrive here 'thought' they were in India, hence the people of this land were named 'Indians'. So its not really 'discovering' anything or anyone 'new' because there was already a misconception about the location. Also while Europe 'did' overpower and pretty much take over India by force, and had control over Hong Kong. The difference is that Europe eventually, in some view, begrudgingly has restored those lands back to their original nations' control, more or less. America hasn't."
"Oh, so what happened to them?" Malik asked, as he glanced and then got totally distracted by what looked like a hanging person from a sign.
"Well, you'd probably resonate strongly with them," Jounouchi noted thoughtfully, "Like how Egypt is all Islam now and you will be killed for being of a different faith. Even if it was there first, its like that."
"Uh huh, so what part of America's religion posts dead bodies outside of businesses?" Malik asked as they passed a tall robotic man in black with a silver platter in his hand.
"That's all yours 'Candy Man'," Bakura replied, making a slight brushing gesture towards the other blond. His mind was caught up on a map that he had in his mind that he had been going by. He couldn't just grab a map without drawing attention to the fact that he didn't 'know' where they were going off hand. If they were simple tourists, they would be traveling by day and the use of a map made sense. But at around 1:00am?
They had no hotel to go by to be 'dropped off' at by friendly people, no visas or monetary funding for food. If they got accosted by 'anyone' they were going to end up being taken to a police station he was sure. The eight hour time difference coupled with America being a day behind Japan meant that three teens just walking alone on a Sunday night was already conspicuous. Not that he 'wanted' to try out an American jail, and a big part of him wanted to say that going alone would have been the better option.
But would it really be the 'best' option?
They had no real way to set the local authorities after Pandora. Without knowing more about Travis, there was no way to manufacture a reason why he would be a target. True Bakura 'could' probably find out what he needed, and if he needed back up he could probably just have gotten one or both of these two. But there was only a slim chance they would get a bigger lead than finding Travis and warning him.
He could do it himself really, if he wanted too. He spoke English, he would have been able to update his passports and visa. Plan everything out like a tomb robber would and hate himself for everything he pulled off. There was a mercy when he was original reborn in this life without the memories of the past. But now with every passing day the skills came so readily and the memories were at his beck and call. He may have had only the basic knowledge of the skills he would have needed back then. But whatever he lacked, his love of Monster World and being a Dungeon Master fixed that, now didn't it?
Beyond that there was probably one overarching reason why Bakura, begrudgingly something fierce, tolerated the notion of this trip. Why he was willing to lead a pair of non-English speaking guys through a foreign town in the dark. It had everything to do with the growing sense of futility found in their situations. The Sennen Items brought about their own level of Crazy for everyone, leaving Malik with his machinations and Jounouchi just had to hang out with either Yugi or himself.
Back then all it needed was for Yugi to shift to the Other Yugi and whatever threat was taken out via some Shadow Game or a turn of the cards. It created this lulling false sense of invulnerability, that so long as the Other Yugi was around, nothing bad would happen. Bad people would be hurt, good people may get injured, but would ultimately get better. The Other Yugi may have protected his group from the Ring's attacks, but Maliks' presence had been the game changer.
The first few rounds had been dangerous yes, locked to death machines, poison pills or plunging to ones' icy cold death. But on the Blimp when Dark Malik took over was the first serious time anyone had faced 'bad' consequences. Jounouchi being knocked out the first time should have been the first big warning. But apparently there was some unrealistic expectation that the Other Yugi would be able to protect everyone without injury.
After that the game wasn't so 'fun' anymore, as the Other Yugi proved to be only able to protect them so far. Play the game at your own risk, be aware of what 'could' happen if you fail. Going through the memories of three thousand years ago also had their results. When Jounouchi gained cards that held a deeper meaning from people around him, he accepted those meanings, he was more respectful of them in Duels. Finding out that a certain set of those cards were based off of human souls?
Well Bakura never did inquire about how he dealt with Mahaado those first few days, after meeting the Magician in the modern world. Though he was aware that the magician had taken up the notion of light 'ghost' scares on the poor guy. The idea that not 'all' those cards were purely ink on card stock must have had an impact. But at this point it was a mote point as another far more pressing issue was evolving.
The question now was, could Yugi do the same as the Other Yugi?
Could he protect everyone the way that the Other Yugi could? Yugi wasn't the Other Yugi, rather his reincarnation, and Bakura expected everyone else was looking at Yugi to become their modern day 'Other Yugi'. They were looking at him to become their leader and gloss over the fact that Yugi was his own unique self. Yugi had already proven that he was able to surpass his past in terms of strategy and skill in Duel Monsters. But that didn't automatically make him leader material, leadership took more than just giving orders.
Bakuras' eyes glanced through various windows of bars that held people having drinks, meals, engaging in conversation. Walls lined with liquor or paintings, this town was normally filled with life, people living and going about their natural patterns. Even its seedy, underbelly was undoubtedly also hard at work making the quick buck.
And if that demon got restored to power, they would all be dead.
Just trash lining the street, the buildings would have already been gutted by demonic flames leaving ash mixed with whatever fluid it came across. Glass shattered outward into the street, doors dangling off the last hinge or just on toppled over. Bits and pieces of human bodies would be arrayed on the ground, whatever managing to avoid being burned by that Demon remaining in pieces. Demonic flame wasn't merciful enough to 'leave' a whole body for burial, even 'if' there was someone to do the burying.
"Kura?"
"Hey, you in there man?"
Bakura snapped out of his mental thoughts as a pair of hands grabbed either wrists and his instincts kicked in causing him to yank his wrists free and whirl about. Malik and Jounouchi were both eyeing him; one in concern, the other in mild alarm. He blinked in confusion as his eyes went from one pair of eyes to the other.
"You started going into Tomb Robber stalking mode, and we figure you must have started having that look cuz you scared off a drug dealer by walking." Malik commented with a faint shrug while Jounouchi nodded. It was hard to see the pair as they stood there between street lights with only the tips of Maliks' bangs and his ear rings visible under his hood.
"Any thoughts you want to share man?"
Bakura blinked in confusion before turning to look out toward where he 'had' been going and then checked behind where he had been. He could feel the light breeze dancing along his skin, the mixed smells of car exhaust, spilled beer, ocean, mountain chill and Hell.
His stomach proceeded to drop into his feet and ooze out of his toenails into the street. He tried to think of how long the Book could have been in this country before its temporary move to Japan when Catherine ordered Mahaado to bring her home. The number of bodies and the unknown location of where it was taking place began to cause him alarm.
"Kura? Earth to Bakura!" Jounouchi actively shook Bakura as the lack of getting an answer was starting to worry the blond.
"We never thought about it did we? How things just seemed so... convenient..." Bakura began as he turned and resumed his walk, leaving the pair behind him and confused. He reached the street corner and it would be a quick walk from where they were to where the magic shop was. On the other hand the cemetery where John Mysterio had been laid to rest was in the complete opposite direction, in a more secluded area. Left to the Shop, right to the Dead.
Seven Sennen Items, seven continents on Earth...
Damn that demon for all his planning!
Bakura turned towards the cemetery regardless of the empty, dark road it was bound to be, his mind already churning into a darker place. He ignored the group he was with, so long as he knew the two blonds were with him, that was all that was important for now. He'd discuss it further when he didn't have any risk of someone hearing him. The time was too perfect for a criminal underbelly to be in full swing. A person didn't 'have' to be Japanese to understand it or speak it, not if that monster was as active as he believed.
Meanwhile the pair of blonds behind him glanced at each other in mounting concern for the their friend. The one quick glance back at them that Bakura had given, was with eyes that reminded them strongly of the Spirit of the Ring. Coupling that with turning down the darker road was enough to get the pair to silently, mutually, wonder. If the demon was active, wouldn't it mean that they could end up losing Bakura?
"Bakura talk to us!" Jounouchi finally grumbled as he quick stepped his way up to the white haired teen and grabbed the teen by the shoulder. All around them buildings that had been shut down for the night loomed silently around them. For now there was no one around, no thugs or drug pushers, but for how long that would remain? Bakura knew enough from the Ring that the setting was a deception, he couldn't trust the area.
No. He couldn't trust any country ruled by the influence of the Sennen Rod.
Both Kaiba and Malik had used the Sennen Rod, Kaiba in the past as Set, Malik in this life time. But Bakura could feel that old remembered taint and it brought back the discussion that they had before about gods and reincarnation. After all, when Set received the Sennen Rod he was only a General, Malik was only a young teenager. But now Kaiba, under the God theory, was a God so perhaps immune to the evil of the Sennen Rod. Yet it was the Blue Eyes White Dragon that was the source of light that pushed away the Demon's touch. Not to mention Set was associated with a God of Chaos. Regardless of how well intention Set 'was', there would always be a random effect to his actions.
Malik on the other hand was still just a mortal, would the Demon try to assert control over Malik while he was in a controlled continent? It didn't seem likely, since Maliks' personality hadn't shifted at all for all his time in Japan. But he may not have been in it long enough, and even if Bakura was pegging America as the Rod, he could have been just as wrong. He had no way to tell if his worry was correct, it could after all be just paranoia, or if he was right and just had the pieces in the wrong area.
Perhaps it would be better to let Yugi do the puzzle solving?
If the demon 'was' somehow associating each continent with one of the seven Sennen Items in an effort to make it harder to destroy them. America would be perfect, what with its overcrowded prison system. It would be perfect...
Malik and Jounouchi straightened in alarm as Bakura suddenly exploded in a outpouring of words that they couldn't catch. Japanese spilling into English into Ancient Egyptian all over each other so much that even Malik had trouble putting some of the words together. But what they lacked in verbal comprehension they picked up the pure anger that radiated off the white haired teen. There was no mistaken the outrage, disgust, and venom in the incomprehensible words.
"Seven Continents, seven Sennen Items and America is 'perfect' for the ritual. The over populated prisons promise the perfect recipe of criminals who 'are' criminals. The weakness in the original set was that some of my people weren't criminals! They were innocents! But now... Now they can make 'Perfect' Items, not just perfect, but they can make one set 'per' Continent and not be caught!"
They knew the stories, knew what the Items were capable of, but what Bakura was suggesting. Was it possible? Seven sets of Sennen Items scattered across the world? Seven possible gateways for Zorc to return, or maybe even creating seven different Zorcs that could bring down the world? This was a world of technology, not magic leaving it unprepared for a surge of demonic energy. The group was too small, Zorc took down 'armies', and even if they had Yugi re-fuse the Three Gods again. It just seemed out of this world that this was even a possibility!
