Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: Editing while recovering from a vision imparing ear infection WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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Almost everyone was huddled around this tired radio someone found in the kitchen. The system they 'had' been using only played prerecorded music and nothing modern played the local radio stations. The radio in question was old, something from the 80's smudged and battle worn black and tired gray. The face was smudged to the point that no one could see what station it had been left on, and was squinting to find the little orange line.
The station it had originally set on had gone off the air who knew when. Yet after both time 'finding' the station then finding a spot in the restaurant that would manage to get a signal. They were lucky in the end, a local station was reporting exclusively the weather in shocked awe.
Meanwhile the quartet huddled themselves near the door, eyeing the storm with far more awareness than the rest of the city. Until now they had only experienced the one storm that Kaiba created yet it had been at night. All the focus had been about the Yugi and the group going after him so no one really paid 'that' much attention to the storm that night.
The sky was 'black', the rain and hail made visible by these massive branched bolts of lightning that caged the sky. Caged the sky...
"Do you think it looks like the lightning is trying to 'hold back' the clouds?" Bakura finally asked into their own private silence. "The first storm we ever saw got the sirens going off, but this is leagues worse."
Malik and Valon glanced at each other before they adjusted their perspectives.
The bolts weren't single, they were multi branched and now that they were trying to trace the destination points. They did appear to be going across the sky, but not to the ground...
"I wasn't there, so maybe I'm wrong," Valon began, "can he do that? Like if we go by that, I mean the hail 'has' slowed up a bit yeah?"
Malik turned his gaze from the sky to Mahaado, waiting for the magician to answer instead of the usual speculation. "Mahaado?"
The magician gave the blond his attention then turned to observe the others before shrugging. "Well it 'is' called 'white Lightning blast'. Though she is not him, she would wish to aid him especially when he is increasingly distressed."
"So Blue Eyes is doing this?" Bakura was stunned as he looked back to the sky, "he's new at this, and I guess we take it for granted he suppresses his emotions. I guess suppression won't be the answer anymore for him."
Yet the storm did ease up.
Bakura had been counting between flashes of lightning and peals of thunder and there was a gap beginning to show. The hail was the first to disappear be it consumed by lightning or just gave up. It coated the road though, with so much white it looked like snow from the distance, making the road look ghostly with each flash of lightning.
"Any idea what triggered Kaiba into this?" Malik asked finally looking at Mahaado in idle curiosity. Yet he only got a shake of the head.
"I do not know, Pharaoh was going over what He would wear to the tournament when the storm began. When He started sensing the children and grew distressed is when He sought out Seth."
That was the hand grenade of the moment. Because Mahaado wouldn't talk, he was clearly on eggshells when in the park so what if Kaiba figured out what triggered Mahaado? Somehow having the worlds' only magician scared and causing one of the two true active Gods on the planet to lash out?
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It took another hour before they were on their way back to Kaibaland the storm was finally moving off, and far more tame than when it started. The rain was this light drizzle and the group needed to go back to their suites. Thus they moved out leaving Ryou to ponder just walking out into on coming traffic.
'Sweet Hathor he didn't realize that Valon worked on 'Motor' bikes'...'
Malik had found his new best friend, and probably first to be a part of the upper world! Even Valon seemed a little surprised at Malik's sudden enthusiasm. As Malik always had this air of detached aloofness, having him suddenly as excited as a child. Well, it was kind of amusing as it was nice, the guy had explained having his own bike back in Japan.
Soon Valon was explaining the best way to look after a motorcycle, how to take care of it given Malik rode it in Japan 'and' Egypt. Japan was mostly fine, but Egypt had this thing called 'sand'. Just sand for as far as the eye could see.
Oh that looked like a wonderful sized truck. Could kill Ryou in a single...
"Yes, she went before God and asked! God said that Maibe's son ended up serving under the royal house. But the demon killed everyone... we... 'helped' kill all those who served God when he was Pharaoh..."
Their tone annoyed Ryou, that nattering tone of women who were far too close to fits of amused giggles. Girls in high school no manners at all, yet being out in the street Ryou couldn't say anything without looking odd. 'She lost her son, possessed as I was, I took part in that murder when I unleashed him on Kemet you pair of idiotic dithering...' Ryou shot the two a look and thankfully no one was across the way to see it. But the women did and were cowed at the sight of an irate 'Thief King'.
"Uh... sorry are we bothering you?" Valon asked a little alarmed at the full expression change on Ryou's face. The white haired teen had gone from long suffering bland in his expression to full on ready to murder... Yet the street was mostly empty, so it couldn't be them causing Ryou's sudden personality shift.
Malik cast a glance at Ryou and inwardly shrugged before he heard Valon's comment. "I will bet he's listening to some of the ghosts who follow him around. Don't mind him. We're not what's setting him off..."
For which Ryou did nod in agreement, "apparently the Village Elder's son was stolen and they never found him again. Now its come to light her son ended up in the Palace serving Yugi's past self and was killed in that service. And they're chatting about it like high school girls," Ryou growled. "Apparently losing a baby is a 'joke' after a few millennium, a true laugh riot for the person who was forced to probably to do the killing themselves..."
The women in question, already paled began backing up. "We're sorry, forgive us... We've just... we'll go..." With that the pair disappeared as several other spirits who hadn't openly partaken of the conversation hung back a bit.
"You were forced man, I get that you feel guilty, and its messed up but its a good thing you do. It shows you still have your humanity and you haven't lost it for all the shit you've clearly seen and done... But you need to realize you can't be held responsible for someone forcing you..." Valon pointed out before shaking his head. "But I suspect by this point you know that. Its less 'knowing' and more the 'accepting' part that has you..."
"You're right... even from the prospect of just normal crimes the things I have done were horrific. But this was done by a demon and their touch stains souls..."
"It creates doubt. You spend the rest of your life doubting your actions," Valon agreed. "Had me a mate back at the garage, good guy but his demon was drink." Valon nodded while the other three, Mahaado invisible, interested in getting to know Valon better stayed following him the long road back to the park. "Killed his nephew cuz he was drunk behind the wheel. People like to believe that after having something like that happen you put down the bottle. They don't get that it drives you deeper. Sure the bottle put his nephew in the grave, but it also numbed the pain of what he did as well."
"You don't feel like you have a right to live, its as though there's this sign hanging around your neck for all to see. You burn with the shame, hide in your house, you'd rather stock liquor and die of starvation than leave the house than risk someone seeing you. You question if you can do anything right cuz liquor takes that from you. He started showing up late for work, messing up, our boss was a good man, gave him multiple chances. But he just couldn't find his way out, nearly let a bike out that didn't even have the bolts back in the tires!" Valon shook his head as the memory of 'that' day played out.
Sitting side this 'sweet' road hog custom made lines brought from the states. Owner was a burly biker thick from top to bottom. His hair was pepper and salt, tight curled and long, with a beard that just made him appear to have no face at all. The bike wasn't 'his' it was his late wifes' bike, 10 year wedding anniversary! They got matching bikes, went riding every day... til the sun betrayed her, chewed her skin full of cancer marks... Now he lathered up with lotions and treated her bike like it was one of the Queen's own jewels. What he couldn't give his woman he now gave to her gift to him, not a scratch on this beauty only time wore at her. When Valon had started he would only have been able to look at such a Harley. Now?
Now...
Now the Big John trusted him to work on The Lady.
But that was cuz he had Ricky in the office and was reaming the guy out from one coast to the other. 'Focus on the bike she needs you more...'
It was a cowardly thought, but damn it all Ricky had let a bike roll out only for the front tire to disconnect! The bolts having not been screwed in and a garage was nothing without its reputation! The kids in the garage were working to buff and get the damage off the bike before Big John got to working on it... But damn it Ricky...
Damn it all...
"Is he still there?" Malik asked politely, memories were playing across Valons face. The type of memories he knew well enough and could guess the answer easily enough.
"Naw..." Valon shook his head, sending that wild paint brush of hair he had waving. "Lost his job after that, bike's aren't a toy Malik. Garages like the one I worked at live and die by reputation, its not like these pretty stores with their lovely girls. 'Decent people' have problems seeing full sleeve tattoos or facial tatts. These are the types of jobs that will take in the people who came from a hard road, from prisons or bad homes. You got the skill they got a spot for you if you can prove yourself. But that means you can't just be sloppy, and Ricky wasn't some new kid, guy was older and been around longer than me..." He shook his head and sighed, "he just couldn't trust a single decision he made. Cuz he kept his brain so in the bottle he forgot the basics..."
"Losing confidence in your decisions," Malik nodded growing thoughtful. "Yeah I've been having that issue since I'm expected to lead the my people. But I've not done anything that really encouraged their trust in me. So now I have to earn it while being a teenager. Lots of old men who either want to control me because they think I'm a stupid kid. Or people who just don't want me because they rightly aren't pleased with how I ended up in charge..."
The most politically correct way he could say 'So yeah I killed my father and now have his position. Egyptian Politics: fun for the whole family!'
"So I guess that's just one more reason why we work so well together," Malik replied with this cheerful 'I'm saying NOTHING' as he glanced at Ryou.
Ryou shrugged and began ticking items of a list in his head aloud, "problems with tribes, problems with past life, problems with a curse affecting them, problems with alcoholic and debt ridden parent, problems with..."
"Ok so I've somehow fallen into a group of completely messed up beyond normal issue teenagers..." Valon cut in as he waved his hands to try and appease the growing 'list'. "So changing topic before we ride down somewhere dark... Um you don't think Kaiba's going to let that Vivian woman do anything too wild for the tournament? Do you?"
Memories of Jounouchi's wild cackles and his explaining of just 'what' Vivian started out doing earned a snicker out of Malik and a resigned groan out of Ryou.
It was as much a groan as it was an answer from Ryou. Young teen going on 60 with his resigned and defeated answer, "noooooo. Kids will be there and as harsh as Kaiba appears and acts now, the protection of children is important to him."
"Yeah I mean, Mai is always up for a challenge." An incredibly loaded reply right there, "but I know guys and I'm pretty sure there's going to be more teen, hormonal males, than 'card game' enthusiasts if she's free to do so."
'I swear Yugi. If he's right I want to be rocketed into space right now.' Ryou thought to himself.
'I made her forget that particular outfit,' Yugi answered cheerfully causing Ryou to drop his head in his head and fight the tears.
'SERIOUSLY?!' Ryou mentally blurted out in disbelief and the outfit in question appeared in his mind.
"Yugi?" Valon asked as he leaned over to Malik in some concern.
As Ryou just straight out facepalmed while his body grew tense enough that the man had to ponder if Ryou wanted to hit or scream.
"Yugi." Malik answered, calm with an almost flat tone as he watched Ryou. "Honestly I think Yugi is kinda using Ryou as a type of priest since my siblings are in Japan, Kaiba is busy and Mahaado doesn't like Ryou. He mentioned once that Yugi wanted Ryou to view things as a DM in a D game would and well..."
"Ryou is the game master Yugi is the rule book!" Valon replied catching on to the line of thought.
Causing Ryou to straighten up, turn around and kind of gape at the man, as he hadn't... really thought of it that way. 'Granted a book is cold and impersonal in its own way but... it does fit...' The anxiety that he was responsible for the group and all the weight it included suddenly melted away. A rule book was just that, a book of information that explained how the world around the DM worked. Leaving everything else to the DM to decide, and while that alone was frightening, if he was being given permission to just 'skim' the book to check on the rules...
"That... is actually a good way to see it, its one thing to be in charge of my own actions and plans... I had been afraid if I stepped on Yugi's toes me or the spirits would pay a sharp fine. But if He's going to serve as a rulebook for me. He's only telling me established rules that I have to work with... I'm free to do as I want to the field aren't I? Yugi's different of course, He can change the pages as it pleases, bend reality and awareness to His whim... But..."
Ryou's head tilted a bit to the side, as reassurance and confidence began to find their way in his spirit again.
'Its not like you don't need someone with a different perspective from time to time in your life...' Yugi pointed out warmly His voice a whisper that drifted away.
"I can do this... I can play a game of D against the demon." Ryou finally said and the thought of revenge. Not against the idiot priest who slaughtered his village but the demon that possessed him for all these years... For all his classmates and friends, for the victims of the slaughters and all the people who were just chaff that Ryou forgot...
Why yes. Revenge would be such a delicious steak to sink his teeth into!