Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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"Is that a dragon?!"

Somehow, despite having four people preparing to keep peeled eyes for the hospital. It was still a random person on the bus that got the first sight of the hospital.

Their voice carried across the bus causing everyone to look outside the bus in surprise and interest especially the four. Thankfully the darkness of the bus hid their expressions of alarm while they saw the brightness in the distance. As the bus made the turn they saw Blue Eyes air borne, though that they couldn't see what the dragon was facing. For the rest of the bus it looked like the dragon was focused on the 'hospital' itself.

"No one needs to stop at the hospital correct?" The bus driver called out, his voice justifiably worried.

"We do!" Bakura called out, amid the sea of 'no' that came from the others.

"Oh man she looks rather cool," Jounouchi commented under his breath as he admired the fact that there was an honest to god 'dragon' flying out there. Nothing static or programmed about her movements, it was kind of like watching a hawk or falcon. She flowed through the air with wings of leather though not with a bird like still body.

Not that Bakura had the time or incentive to pay attention to Blue Eyes White Dragon at the moment. He walked up to the front of the bus, while everyone else was in an uproar about the dragon. Pondering out loud if it was a real dragon or if it was a new hologram display from KaibaCorp, with people even taking pictures on their phones.

'This isn't good,' Bakura noted as he heard a tinge of irritation in the voices of the dissenters among the bus riders. A fact that Bakura couldn't fault really when Kaiba had shut down the city just for a tournament for Battle City. If they were thinking it was a hologram, it wasn't bad, except the driver was already alarmed and if the bus schedule was now going to be distorted because of 'this'. 'I'm glad I don't follow the business world. I can only imagine how this must affect Kaiba's company standing...' he thought.

"Please, we have a friend at the hospital we need to check on." Bakura urged though he realized that there was only so far he could push. After all asking these people to be put in a dangerous situation for which he couldn't protect them was too much.

"Do you think that it is a real dragon?" The driver, a middle aged man who probably had driven this route decades, asked.

Which left a problem, Bakura knew it was real and he could sell it as fake to get the man to drop them off at the bus stop. But as they watched there was no current sign that the dragon had used her breath weapon. Which was great that it showed that she was either aware or being ordered to keep from doing so for the sake of the hospital. Yet that didn't comfort him regarding the actual threat that was on the roof with her.

They were still too far for him to get a visual on the spirit and the spirits with him were reporting that the Spirit had been given a title and was calling fiends to its side. The hospital itself was possibly unaware of the current danger and while Bakura 'could' use his deck to help. They 'had' to reach the hospital.

Too close and they run the risk of exposing the bus to the dangers of the Fiends. Not close enough and they would have to run and Bakura wasn't sure how far he could project his power to get the spirits there. Sure he had the spirits telling him what was going on, but giving them access to his deck so they could manifest? He had limits, he wasn't vain enough believe otherwise.

"While I would say it isn't real, after all dragons generally 'aren't'. I do understand that you have an obligation to drive the bus safely along its route. Well, if you could stop as close as you feel comfortable, we would greatly appreciate that much," Bakura offered politely. As close to the middle of the road option as he could find. Perhaps there was an actual upside to the massive amounts of running he had to do when the girls chased him, Malik and Yugi...

If he could run the length of the mall he could run to the hospital... Though 'up' the stairs was another story, but he was trying not to think on that. Ahead and along the side they could see Blue Eyes as she circled the hospital and it was hard to say she was 'fake'. She flew like... well like a dragon given that the earth didn't 'have' real dragons. Blue Eyes was more a European built dragon and those had negative connotations as opposed to Asian dragons.

'Actually that would explain their aversion to just going to the hospital...' Bakura realized as the bus began to slow down. Granted it was Kaiba's symbolic dragon, but it was a 'dragon' and really the mythos they were starting to create about Kaiba was more than enough. "Everyone!" He called out, watching as Jounouchi's head jerked around to see him as he gestured to get the others.

Jounouchi grabbed Malik and Honda, getting them up as the bus didn't reach the bus stop proper, but it was visible. Allowing the quartet to spill out of the bus when it did stop, allowing the driver to leave quickly for the passengers' safety.

"A real Blue Eyes... I mean, Mahaado was a lot to take in, but he's a mage... That's a dragon..." Jounouchi commented in quiet awe in the evening air. Blue Eyes could be 'heard', the beat of her wings, the growls she emitted, the roars... There was 'no' way that the people in the hospital weren't hearing this.

"Imagining if it was Red Eyes?" Malik offered helpfully as he tapped Jounouchis' forearm to get the guy to start jogging. "Come on, we got to back someone up."

Honda just spent a moment watching Blue Eyes and listening... Listening to a real dragon roar and taking in the sounds. The cars on the roads in the distance, the leathery sound of dragon wings beating the air to keep the dragon aloft and her own vocal tones. He had to soak all that in when he heard Malik and took off after the trio before him. His cane was in his right hand, but it was the first time he physically 'ran' since Kaiba healed him.

Electricity coursed through from his knee up and down his leg, sending him crashing to the ground. Crying out in alarm as he hit the ground and the cement of the sidewalk that lead to the hospital scraping his hands.

"Honda?! What's wrong?" Jounouchi asked in clear alarm, the wet squeaks of sneakers caught Honda's hearing as he knelt there trying to assess what was wrong. "You ok?"

Honda pulled himself to his feet, his lips a straight line of determination. "Everything feels right... I guess, I've been working with my knee before Kaiba did his thing. But maybe running is too much too soon for it."

He couldn't think of anything else, as he carefully tested his knee and found it 'was' working properly. Folding properly into place back and forth without issue only with the tingling that would have suggested he ran a marathon or something stupid.

"Let's hope that's the case, we don't need people going home thinking they're fine only to fall apart again. Simply because Kaiba's healing turns out to be temporary." Malik pointed out as he jogged back to them.

"Man don't even joke about that," Jounouchi openly shuddered at the thought given the magnitude of Kaiba's 'stunt'. Which was the only way Jounouchi could internalize the very act of Kaiba healing the injured and sick as well as bringing back the dead. His mind just could not fully wrap itself around this idea.

"You going to be ok, Honda?" Bakura asked as he returned, his ears more trained on the sound of the dragon over his shoulders than Honda.

The tall teen nodded apologetically before gesturing with his free hand for the others to go on. "I guess I need to properly work on my knee to get it used to being healed, go and help Yugi I'll catch up when I can. Maybe I can pick up some useful information at least."

Bakura nodded, "people assuming deafness would be a boon," he admitted before he turned and jogged off into the night with Malik following immediately.

"Go Jounouchi, I can't run yet but, but I'm still on my way," Honda pushed Jounouchi's shoulder, lightly shoving the guy back. "I'm fine, just got to get my leg used to not having a bum knee."

The blond nodded slowly, his lips twisted in a faint rueful smile before he finally opted to turn and follow the pair before him. Carelessly running through the lit up sidewalk path to the hospital but they never got 'that' dark. Not with the glow of light that was the Blue Eyes above them. Near the emergency room entrance were a number of people who appeared to be lingering around outside.

But the power had been out, perhaps they had been lead outside for their own safety?

'So wait, have they seen Blue Eyes above them?' Bakura wondered as he jogged long. If they did why were they staying so close and not trying to escape a very real battle? It wasn't as though the growling that the dragon was emitting was silent!

Power had gone out, and Bakura was grateful that he wasn't responsible for deciding what the next course of action should be. He rushed passed the people and rushed through the propped open front sliding doors of the hospital doors. The large lobby was empty of the living with only the pale lights over head illuminating the room. Ancient spirits drifted through the room, focusing on distracting the living from looking at the recognizable attribute of the trio. With such vividly different hair from the basically black haired community, the spirits recognized that people didn't need their attention drawn to Bakura or the others.

'I don't need to be up there...' he thought to himself as he reached down and placed his hand on his deck. In the distance he could see the staff rolling people back towards the nearest escape routes, justifiably so. How they were being carried down wasn't of Bakuras' concern outside of the possibility that they were using the elevators. Since running 'up' all those flights of stairs was going to basically make the trio useless to the group above.

So he willed his deck towards the spirits and as they did in California they began grabbing the decks' images and carried them to the roof. Spiritless as the deck was, they were mere costumes for the spirits to pass through floor after floor. Through the lit rooms of anxious patients who eyed the ceiling with trepidation or cowered in fear. Some couldn't leave their beds and sat resigned in their fear, others were out of bed, hobbling as best as they could with those metal bars and IV bags things.

The floor with the most delicate were filled with silent rooms with their machines beeping, and staff that was rushing to check on each patient. No one was making an attempt at leaving, where could they even go?

Higher still the spirits rose, ragged clothes, undead skin, monsters and demons things that would give a fright to the living. The hospital wasn't always filled, there had been rooms cleaned and ready for occupation. Some staff shivered as the spirits passed through the room, others flinched but beyond that it was quiet.

Once the spirits rose up through the roof, what rested before them was the massive spirit that Yugi had given form to. Fiends were manifesting through what little shadows that were, but theirs was a growing number and they were swarming around the Ka that belonged to the one priest. It was all the spirits needed to direct their focus onto the fiends. They swarmed forward, their voices were wails and shrieks that were associated with the monsters that Bakura lent them.

Drowning out Anzu's own alarmed shriek that she muffled behind her hands as Mokuba threw himself into her. His young arms wrapped around her waist as the roof suddenly got flooded with spirits that rose from the floor. For a wild moment Anzu feared that the new spirits were creations of the Emperor until she saw them moving to get the lesser fiends away from Bastet.

"Ryou has arrived," Yugi explained, his voice with the soft drawl around whatever he put in his mouth.

"Ryou?" Anzu blinked as she lowered her hands and looked at Yugi. Sudden realization caused her eyes to widen. "His deck! He's using his deck?" Yugi nodded in answer and with that reassurance she gave more of her focus on the forces fighting before her. It was comforting to be sure to know that Ryou was near by and able to lend help. Was he alone though? Did he bring any of the other guys?

Screams of the damned souls that served Bakura's deck filled the air thrown out further by the sheer force of the dragons' growls. Anzu began to curl up against Yugi, despite his weakened physical state as she watched the fight. It had been one thing to watch a fight in a movie or tv, or even standing on the sidelines of holograms. There were spirits and fiends entering into airborne clashes, a war of monsters on the roof of the hospital! Even if half the army was lead by a friend it was still a horrifying sight.

"So the thief is here," Kaiba growled, his fist clenched just as much in annoyance as in pain. There would be a bruise by morning if not sooner, but he didn't care as much as he could have. "What makes him think I need his help?"

"We're getting overwhelmed?" Isis breathlessly offered in teasing helpfulness, wishing that Mahaado was there. Before he had learned of Seto's bloodline and stopped being Seto's ego trimmer. She hadn't been hurt physically yet, through her Ka or in body, but it took energy to keep the shield going to protect the Blue Eyes. Warm winds was whipped about them from the beating of the Dragons' wings.

Zombie dragons, spirits riding in on their 'beds' with swords and shields, and white hats floated across the roof fighting in their own ways. It was certainly a sight of the macabre for Isis and Rashid who had never really 'seen' Bakura in action. At least in the sense of his deck on full display, though there was some faint thought that maybe there were more than the typical 40 cards being represented?

Rashid was relieved for the respite as the spirits from Bakuras' deck joined them. Bastet had been bitten and thrown more times than he wanted to remember as the Emperors' minions had swarmed the roof. Not that the Emperor was so arrogant as to ignore the presence of the spirits. He was showing more awareness of where to place his feet. Where as before he had been more loose with his steps, the fiends were moving for him without being ordered. Now with Bakuras' forces starting to push back, the Emperor was making an effort to step on them.

It was something of a plan, forcing each spirit to be alone with a group of fiends to keep the Emperor from just stepping on them. While he was still trying to battle the Blue Eyes. There was a nasty gnash on his arm from where Blue Eyes had bitten during one of their tussles. While the dragon didn't appear to have any injuries, the older man had caught the sound of Seto's grunts of pain.

Emperor was trying to tear the Blue Eyes out of the sky. But if he slammed the dragon into the building, well Rashid was under the impression that the hospital wasn't refilled with patients. But it was still going to be with more injured and possible causalities if this continued. But perhaps there was no way to avoid that, as a familiar feeling began to creep up Rashids' spine.

The moisture that had collected onto his skin began to feel thick, weighted more than the water...

"You feel that?" Isis asked in concern as she looked about her hand reaching out to pull Seto back to them.

"I remember this feeling..." Seto growled low and angry, a male dragon to his angry Blue Eyes.

Of course the three of them remembered 'this' tainted feeling, the demon who directly brought about the deaths of the two elder. Then scarred the younger among them for the rest of his ancient life, "he's strong enough to get involved? This is not good," Isis pointed out.

Seto may have pushed back with his storm, but he was an exhausted god who had worn himself out further when he summoned Blue Eyes. Zorc couldn't 'get in' as it were, but they could feel him on the edges of the cleansed landscape of Domino city. Poking, prodding, testing the power that had cleansed the city.

Perhaps Zorc realized what Yugi had done, for out of the darken sky a corrupted sword descended. Cutting through Supria's shield and causing a wail of pain to escape from Isis as she crumpled at the sudden assault. It flew down swift and sure towards the Emperor who grabbed the hilt on self defensive instinct.

Akin to the Sword of Damocles, thorns erupted out of the hilt, digging its way into the Emperors' hand. Wrapping its way around to hold the Fiend to the blade regardless of what the fiends' will was on the matter...