Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: it took over a YEAR to beta this thing back up to current chapters. (Dies)
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Yugi sat alone in his darken room, Kuriboh was settled down next to Mokuba for the night. The mansion was quiet with the servants having gone home, Kaiba had spent what few hours he had been awake working on the final parts of the press conference. It was clear that Mahaado couldn't pass himself off as Kaiba in a broadcast. What with, well, deferring to Yugi pretty much even when Kaiba wished against it. Perhaps if Yugi wasn't expected to be there at all, it wouldn't have been as noticeable.
But this was Kaiba and he wasn't taking chances.
So against every advisable suggestion the CEO was predictably determined to be awake and present for his own conference. Leaving Yugi alone in his room. Mahaado having retired to his own Tablet for the time being, allowing Yugi to think. The Kaiba Corp Grand Prix was going to have Yugi seeded into tournament. Which would be the first time that Yugi was to be officially in a tournament since Battle City.
It would also serve as the official 'coming out' of sorts for Yugi. As the first time people would get to see him post growth spurt. Granted he was already seen at school, and to degrees on the internet. However; outside of school there were a great number of naysayers, believing the 'Yugi' shown to be an actor. Now he would be presented 'as' Yugi, stand next to Kaiba and show that 'yes' he had physically grown.
Yugi was terrified to say the least.
On his desk in front of him was a small stack of papers with speeches that he tried to think up. Ways to say 'hi' to everyone, because if he didn't have something on hand there was this feeling that he might resort to his normal quiet 'hi' and silence. 'I'm certainly paying for hiding behind the Other Me now.' He ruefully thought as he turned to look at the clothes he had pulled out for the press conference. Black leather pants, black leather vest with the buckles down the chest and polished to a shine.
'I wonder if I should keep wearing black leather after all this?' he mused as he sank back into his seat. There really was no room for it, he 'had' to try to play the role of the Other Him. Show that type of confidence and control that the world recognized as 'Mouto Yugi', at least on stage. What he was like 'off' stage was allowed to be different. But on it? If only it was the gang who had blown up his home, he wouldn't need help being confident or bold. He'd need help being kept from being violent.
For now though, in several hours, Kaiba was going to wake up. They would get ready and all that planning was going to be set into motion.
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A terse silence consumed the trio. Allowing for quiet conversation between the other trio off to the side. From the point of observation, Bakura could pick up what Malik came to see as he lead them to Monte. The way the twins fidgeted, unable to be near each other, they ended up taking turns on who sat beside Monte.
As the spirits returned, they reported dutifully to Bakura that the local spirits had found spies in the forest. Directing the thief to the other side of what could be considered a valley. Amid the myriad of trees and bushes, the variety of colors that wasn't seen in his and Maliks' homeland. There was a charge among the group, for the first time getting a grasp on the 'enemy'. Those who willingly used the book that had damned all of Kul Elna.
"Follow them." Bakura ordered the Spirits as much as the other two could even hope to figure. Bakura contemplated their next move while looking over at the pair with him, his mind buzzing with a list of options on what was the best course of action. Teleporting after this group was still on the table, but it was risky, if these were bottom feeders no amount of bullying might have been able to get what Bakura needed. So would it be better to let them go? By now there would be some awareness that Bakura wasn't just on his own, that there was others in on this. Spirits to be exact.
How far up the chain of command could they use these people before they were cut off. Because once the higher ups got wind that they were being found out these bottom feeders were going to end up dead. Nothing more than the dead meat hanging on the hooks for a fisherman really. These guys could just be cut off as bait taken by a fish. Zorcs' crew wouldn't be stupid, Bakura and co were making trips in a way that screamed magic.
Yugi had reclaimed his Dark Magician and was manifesting solidly Kuriboh on his own. These guys probably were ordered to spy, maybe on the twins, maybe on Monte, seeing the trio would be a stroke of luck. The question would be in who's favor if the luck was good or bad. Zorc knew about Yugi and the Duel Spirits undoubtedly, but did he know about the souls still bound because of the Items?
While in that moment Jounouchi realized that this was 'it'. This was what amounted to the opening moves against the people who killed Yugi's mom and grandpa, and crippled Honda. His skin felt like it was buzzing, small bugs climbing along it. Jazzed up to shove his fist into the faces of people who had so far lost their own humanity. It took only a glance to the side at the magician's to remember that they predated the bombing. Comas, memory loss of years, accidents that resulted in permanent scarring and suicide, the list sounded bad with just the bombing. But with each layer it got worse, and Jounouchi grew more determined to help stop this demon once and for all.
'I thought it started with the bombing, but it didn't. How many others are like the guys here? Or bombed dead, or... or whatever that bastard can do!'
Jounouchi welcomed the autopilot of the situation.
Let Malik and Bakura do the thinking, Jounouchi welcomed being the 'heavy' of the trio. He didn't have to think, he just had to do as he was told. All the noise that had percolated in the back of his mind over the past few months was finally able to have an outlet. He'd probably deserve getting yelled at for just dropping the reins so easily. Trusting Bakura to have a plan when one considered it was 'Bakura' with the plan. Or even Malik. But when did Jounouchi ever think stuff through?
That's what Honda and Yugi were good at.
"It feels like a better idea to wait, let the spirits follow them back to their base. If we start the hunt now, well, we're on foreign soil. They can get the police on us," Malik noted his voice low, while Bakura studied the rings in his hands.
"Which is why we're still standing here. They have a truck and my concern is the element of surprise." Bakura explained, "if they're already in their vehicles we run the risk of them attempting to run us over. Regardless if they hit a tree or not, it leaves a mark of our presence here that I wouldn't like."
"Kaiba has that press conference going on this morning. Yugi said he's part of what Kaiba is doing, but after that? He grabs Mahaado, and we can get a drop on these guys?" Jounouchi voiced, as Bakura folded his arms across his chest.
"I want that book, now. We can go after the group at our leisure but that book takes priority," Bakura stated, his tone one that wasn't going to budge.
"Understandable oh King of Thieves, but don't let your vision become a tunnel. We haven't even found the prize," Malik remarked with a sidelong look. "And Jounouchi is right, Yugi bringing Dark Magician would be a power they wouldn't be able to overcome easily on the fly."
"Yeah, why would they have the book when John was about to go on his yearly clean up?" Jounouchi pointed out, needing to add his own voice at the mention of Bakura's 'other', darker occupation. The sound of leaves rustling the branches over head, the conversations that he could only vaguely follow off to the side. Hearing Bakura's assertive tone served to shake up Jounouchi enough to realize he had been referring to Ryou by his family name first. Despite them being friends.
Unsettling a realization certainly and making Jounouchi realize he needed to possibly help Malik at this moment. Strange to think, yet if Bakura was getting obsessed about the book, well he may have been a full grown thief reincarnated, but not Malik or Jounouchi! After Kaibas' press conference Yugi would be able to join them, and whatever Bakura wanted to do would be fine. So for now...
"I know, I know," Bakura grumbled in response to the comments from Malik. "I'm not interested in throwing myself into a death trap. Logically our hosts might have another reason to justify why the group is here and if they have the book to start with. But I couldn't lead them into talking about it, idle conversation is easy. Leading people already tainted by a demon's touch without breaking them quickly? Is far harder than I would like."
"We're grateful you didn't just discard the fact that he's a person," Jounouchi retorted with a faint grin that was ignored by the pair. "But you know the demon best out of all of us. So is there a reason why he would 'want' to be here?"
Bakura winced at the association as his mind tried to set the game board and see where the uses would come from. How arrogant was Zorc? How long would he assume he could go uncontested before he would start putting up defenses? Even if he didn't direct the group that blew up the Turtle Game Shop, he would know that Yugi would retaliate. Realistically the book wouldn't be near by or easily reached. Zorc would find a place to keep it safe and safe wasn't somewhere lying around on a coffee table as some mere 'light reading'.
Though in retrospect it was peculiar that they would allow Pandora to have the book. Did they not realize he would opt to try and retrieve Catherine at the time? Another question he would have loved to ask Monte had they the chance. Meaning these guys spying on the twins were the first, mentally sound, lead the group had since the bombing. A lead that they had to let dangle. Tantalizingly before their eyes for who knew how long before he could even hope to grab.
"Kura's going to kill us, isn't he Jounouchi?"
"I hope there's something large and alive still in this forest that he might be coaxed into eating instead," Jounouchi quipped back as the pair took note of Bakuras' decidedly, angry/hungry look.
"Think we'll have to run until we come across it?" Malik asked warily. As much as he enjoyed teasing Bakura, the guy looked no different in this moment than back in Battle City. A reminder perhaps of how much the demon had taken from Bakura. Through use the loss of his home in his past life and now, being disrupted from his studies.
If this was how Bakura was going to react when given responsibility over anything regarding the demon... Maaayyyyybbbbbeee they needed Yugi after all. "We let the spirits do their thing. If we're lucky, they'll be able to discern some physical little knickknack that might help them identify each other. We could use that to our advantage, so we can recognize threats as they approach and what to look out for. Sorta like how we found the shop trimmed with protection sigils."
"And hope that someone doesn't rip the heads off each person who is involved," Jounouchi added his voice as low as Maliks'.
"Sadly I suspect this isn't the main group, unless they're spying on us particularly. It doesn't make sense that they have people spying on the twins. I suspect they're here to make sure that Monte ended his life. It would make sense given that they threatened to kill Travis. They've known he's dead for years, Pandora only just found out now." Malik thought aloud as Bakura shifted his focus onto the pair and noticeably tried to get himself back under control.
"Just bottom feeders in the end, here to make sure the job is done... I can see it, he's the weakest of the group now. With two eliminated they may have been assigned just to watch the group crumble and take them out each time another gets weak enough." Bakura agreed as he stared a hole into the ground.
"Should we let the twins know they're being watched? If the demon is the reason they're forced apart, shouldn't they know that they're still being watched? What if this group carries around something that causes the compulsion?" Jounouchi suggested, 'they have a point, the uncle is already haunting the graveyard. His body is already who knows where, so there's no reason to 'be' here. Zorcs' bound to be doing more important things, the twins situation doesn't feel important enough...'
"Maybe after we can confirm they're watching the twins and not us," Bakura suggested. "Given what happened to them it might set them on edge. By all accounts the twins are still active performers we would be doing a disservice if we made them wary for no reason."
"Yeah, I hope it 'is' something they're carrying that they can get rid of," Malik added before stepping away to admire the trees. "But if they're spying on the magicians it might be for the best to appear to not be in the middle of a private meeting..."
"Yeah," Jounouchi agreed rolling his shoulders. "Just thinking about it being late night in Japan and... well, tomorrow, is enough to make my head hurt. What do you guys even have planned?"
"Well watch that press conference Kaiba's hosting. I need something normal in my life, and all in all that 'would' be rather normal." Bakura confessed, 'I so need the normality of it all. I can't watch the news without trying to dissect it for possible connections to this group. Which, news is already depressing enough it doesn't need the added 'flavor' if one would.'
"You're not going?" Malik asked with a raised eyebrow, one that got answered by Bakura's own white brow.
"I need sleep Malik."
"Yeah, I guess an old man like you would," Malik added with a grin.
"... Oh look a cliff. Would be a shame if someone tripped over it..." Bakura growled.
"Well its not like any of us are invited you know," Jounouchi pointed out as he watched the two have a stare down. "Moneybags isn't going to allow us into his precious conference. Heck at this point I think the only way 'Yugi' would get an invite would be if Mokuba asked nicely. Which is still a step up since it wouldn't work for us."
"So, what's so special about this thing that Kaiba has set up? Or do you not know?" Malik asked , willingly taking the bait out of the stare down with Bakura. Teasing the guy was fun, but Malik 'was' a bit curious given how much the topic of that conference came up. Even his sister mentioned it!
"All I know is that it's going to formally announce the opening of Kaiba's new little project. That theme park that's supposed to open here in America, sometime soonish. That and Yugi's super nervous about this conference." Jounouchi explained with a faint shrug.
"Yeah, Isis mentioned the conference, she's really getting back into her past life I guess. All fussing over Yugi, even though he's a teenager. I mean from what she said he was a kid back then, but he's not anymore." Malik confessed as he picked up a leaf and studied the veins that he found reaching through it. 'I wonder if there's enough of us to go after this group? Without the Other Yugi, how would Yugi pursue this organization? If he's willing then it would help speed things up rather than all of us dealing with each part one at a time.'
"Save we're not a crack militia with resources, we're high school students on the way 'out' of high school." Bakura pointed out with a sigh as he slipped the rings into Malik's leg pocket. "Spirits or duel spirits, we have our limits and they've had years to set this game up."
"Yeah, sickening to think these guys have been active for so long..." Jounouchi agreed as he looked from the corner of his eye at the trio of people. Monte was sobbing with his mask on the side and George was no better. Fred was leaning against a tree his gaze was on the sky but there was no mistaking the trail of tears that made their way down his face.
"Do you think Josie would know if she had something?" Malik asked thinking on Jounouchis' earlier suggestion. "Like if something was handed to her at the time as a 'going away present' or something that she kept on her? Not realizing what it was?" When Bakura looked over at him, Malik continued. "Well Catherine has a reason to not be able to visit given she has a brood. But Josie is still single and might be able to visit... I don't know just trying to make small talk I guess."
"No, its a workable question, once we get back and had some much needed rest. You can bring Yugi and go visit Josie. He won't be restricted to the rings given he has Mahaado." Bakura replied, earning a pair of raised eyebrows. "I want that book, it needs to be destroyed and I plan on making that happen as soon as possible."
The pair of blonds both gave Bakura a look, Malik frowning a bit as he had a better grasp of what Bakura was 'really' saying. "You know you need two others for the rings to work. You can't just take them and go jumping where ever."
"I can if I have Mahaado keep a tab on me, he may not trust me. But if he's in control of where I end up I can hunt this book down after I take my nap."