Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Falling From Grace ❯ Chapter 25 ( Chapter 25 )

YUGIOH

Falling From Grace

 

 

 

Chapter 25.

Neither Ed nor the bottle was found at Kaiba Land. And soon the others ran out of time.......they had to make it to the Dome, to face Kaiba.

 

By 6pm, Yugi, Tristan, and Joey had reached the Dome. The first thing they noticed was Kaiba standing in all his glory, in the dueling ring wearing his white trench coat, and awaiting for their arrival. Mokuba was loyally behind, but he was also tugging on his brother's trenchcoat, pointing to his right, and muttering something to his brother.

 

What he was pointing at was Tea, also all ready at the side-lines, and drooling over Kaiba. Obviously, her strange behavior caught Mokuba's attention, and he wasn't quite sure how to react to it. Kaiba was ignoring them both. His focus seemed to be mainly the door that Yugi's group came in from. And as soon as they entered, Joey became his prime interest.

 

They noticed one other thing when they entered. It appeared that for a change, Kaiba had decided to be unusually discreet in keeping an audience away. Except for them, there was no one else to witness his battle against Yugi. That in itself proved to be very unusual for Kaiba, since anytime he battled Yugi he insisted on having as many people as he could see the battle....certain he would win. There wasn't even any added mechanics to the arena to create a 'pretend' crowd, in order to pad his ego.

 

As for Kaiba, he was indeed tempted to advertise the event, so that everyone could be there to witness Yugi's downfall. It took a great deal of effort to keep himself from doing so.....but he did it, and for a reason. For once, his main purpose for battling Yugi wasn't for the title.....it was for Joey. He knew Joey had been feeling insecure enough on this male/male relationship he wanted with him. He didn't want him to feel any more awkward then he probably all ready felt, when Kaiba won the match.

 

Yes, as far as Kaiba was concerned.....he 'would' be the victor. There was no room failure when it came to getting what he wanted. He would prove to Joey he was the better man, and win him over.

 

Tristan and Joey now took their positions at Yugi's end, while Yugi walked into the dueling area. But, he didn't acknowledge Kaiba, yet. Instead......Yugi looked to Tea. "Hi, Tea......how are you doing?"

 

She gave Yugi a cold glare, then smiled blissfully at Kaiba. "I know you probably want me to route for you, Yugi. But I'm going to prove my loyally to Kaiba, to show him that I deserve him more than anyone! So, don't even think of getting in my way! I'll be doing great, as soon as you lose!!"

 

Yugi looked sad by that. But he refused to let her words bother him. Instead, he said, "Tea......I don't know what's wrong with you, but I'm going to try and help. No matter what bad things you say to me, it's not going to be enough to lose our friendship. Do you understand? I know the person I care for is still inside you, somewhere....and I'm going to find it. No matter what, we're still friends. I'm not just fighting for Joey today, I'm fighting for you, as well......and the friendship that ties us together. And I'm going to prove to Kaiba that nothing can break that bond."

 

But Tea ignored him, as she continued to ogle Kaiba.

 

Yugi then looked over at Kaiba, saying, "If you say you didn't do this to Tea, then I'll believe you. But after what I seen from you trying to bribe Joey, obviously you still need to learn what friendship really is. And I'm going to teach that to you today, and prove to you that all your efforts are for the wrong reasons!"

 

"Is that so?", Kaiba asked, then smirked. "Well, maybe I'm not the one that needs a lesson today." He then looked over at Joey. "We'll see who wins soon enough, Yugi."

 

Yugi then changed to Yami, and announced, "Then, let's duel!"

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

 

During the battle, both players were fighting furiously with each other. Yami was playing hard....but he was having trouble, and was still feeling drained.

 

'I'm not sure if we can do this, Yami.....I feel so tired, today', Yugi said.

 

Yami said, 'Have faith, Yugi. Don't forget our new card that will turn everything around.'

 

'Of course!', Yugi smiled. 'It's a symbol of our friendship, to prove that we'll stick behind our friends, no matter what!'

 

"Kaiba!", Yami announced. "You can't win this duel!"

 

Kaiba laughed. "From how I'm seeing it, Yugi.....I'm all ready winning. I've all ready destroyed your little 'Swords' barrier, and you now have one of my Blue Eyes White Dragons breathing down at you."

 

"Yes......and I'm sure that your Kaiser Sea Horse is about to bring another one", Yami noted. "But there's one problem with your plan. No matter how powerful your will is, I will NOT allow it to harm my friends!!"

 

Yami pulled his next card, sensing it was the one he needed before he even saw it. As Yami smiled, Kaiba became concerned, knowing Yami probably just pulled another trump card. "Behold! My Angel's Barrier magic card!"

 

Angelic women appeared, surrounding Kaiba's monsters. "What is this?", Kaiba asked.

 

"The Angel's Barrier permanently prevents all light monsters on the field from attacking, as long as it remains on the field. And since your deck focuses on the most powerful of light monsters, your Blue Eyes White Dragons......the symbol of my protection over my friends will be the key to your undoing!!", Yami announced. "I will now sacrifice my monster, and summon my Dark Magician Girl!"

 

Kaiba looked concerned. His Blue Eyes was paralyzed from that magic card, and Dark Magician Girl had enough power to take down his Kaiser Seahorse, preventing him from summoning his second Blue Eyes. And worst still, even if he did summon his second dragon.....he would still not be able to attack with them. "Are you done yet?"

 

"Not yet", Yami smiled, making Kaiba even more upset. "I will now use my Mage's Stone magic card. And when Mage's Stone is played with a Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can automatically summon my own soul card against you.....come forth my Dark Magician!"

 

Both magicians were now on the field, greatly worrying Kaiba. There was a lot of power behind those cards. And especially when Dark Magician was summoned, Yami had a way to call forth all sorts of magic combo's with him.

 

Yami then stated, "Due to my Angel's Barrier being summoned, I cannot attack this turn. It's your turn, Kaiba."

 

Kaiba didn't look happy, at all. His Kaiser Sea Horse was still atleast on the field, but sacrificing him to summon his second Blue Eyes wouldn't help in the least. Even if he summoned Ultimate Dragon at this point, it would do no good.....not with Yami's light barrier preventing him from doing anything!

 

And worst still....it was just like what was happening in real life. Yami was using his own will to hold him at bay from his objective. 'I wont allow it!', he thought in anger. 'I will not allow him to bar my way from what I want. Joey 'will' be mine!'

 

Looking over Joey's way, he could see that Joey actually looked worried.....not happy. It made him feel better. No matter what Yami was doing to try and stop him.....Joey still seemed to be on his side. While thinking about Joey, Kaiba then drew his card.....and his eyes widened at what he received.

 

For a change, Kaiba had made his deck not to be just a force to fight and defeat Yami with.....it was also a deck to try and reach Joey. And at this moment, his words were definitely ready to be played. Kaiba smiled, and said, "Well, I think you're in for a surprise, Yugi. It's your own mistake to try and predict how my deck will be made. Let me show you a symbol of my own. I sacrifice my Kaiser Sea Horse and my Blue Eyes White Dragon, to summon a new monster!"

 

'He's sacrificing his Blue Eyes to summon another monster??', Yami thought in shock. What he summoned shocked him even more.

 

"That's a Red Eyes!!", Joey blurted in disbelief.

 

"No way!", Mokuba exclaimed, equally shocked as everyone else. Tea just glared, angrily.

 

"Is that Joey's card??", Yami asked him.

 

Kaiba smiled. "Not exactly. The Red Eyes Black Dragon is indeed a rare card.....but not nearly as rare as my Blue Eyes. I also happen to have one of them in my collection of cards.....I simply refused to ever use one in my deck. I never believed a Dark Dragon of weaker strength would ever fit.....but I was wrong. Infact, thanks to this little addition, your new barrier is now nothing to me! Red Eyes, destroy Yugi's Dark Magician Girl!"

 

As the REBD obliterated his Dark Magician Girl, Yami watched in shock. 'He was wrong? What did he mean?'

 

Yugi then said to Yami, 'Yami....even with Kaiba using Red Eyes on the field, we can still beat him!'

 

'I used Angel's Barrier as a symbol of my belief towards my friends, to protect us from Kaiba's soul cards. And yet, he's using Joey's most dearest card to defeat me......'

 

'Yami?', Yugi called to him.

 

'What does this mean?' Yami suddenly had a strange feeling he was missing something right in front of his face....something very important. Normally, a duel between him and Kaiba portrayed more than just a battle....they were expressions of the heart. Things that they felt deeply for, would come out during the duel. This time was no different.

 

'Yami, did you hear me?', Yugi called again.

 

Yami tried to think about what Kaiba was trying to say to him. 'Why is he after Joey? Is it more than just trying to get the upper-hand? Kaiba.....what are you trying to tell me? What do you need Joey for? Why would you sacrifice your own soul card to summon a monster that would normally belong to him? It doesn't make sense.....'

 

'Yami!', Yugi yelled, snapping Yami back to the here and now. 'Kaiba's just using that card to play mind games with us, like he was doing with Joey. It's not really Joey's card. Don't let him get to you. Our Dark Magician is still stronger than a Red Eyes. All we have to do is attack him!'

 

'Yes.....you're right, Yugi. We can't let Kaiba's new strategy blind us from our objective. We have to stay strong', Yami agreed.

 

Yet, to their surprise.....taking down this other Red Eyes became a lot harder than they had expected. Kaiba had somehow managed to guard the dragon, despite it being weaker than the Dark Magician. And when he was finally destroyed, Kaiba simply used Monster Reborn to bring him back, yet again. Kaiba didn't even bother to try and re-summon Blue Eyes back to the field, and didn't even look in Yami's graveyard to see if there was a stronger monster that he could use, instead.

 

Mokuba was just as confused as Yami was. He knew his brother was not one to use another person's favorite card, instead of his own. Given, Yami's card wouldn't presently allow him to attack with his Blue Eyes. But Kaiba's normal tactic would be to shatter the barrier.....not to use a different monster, instead of his own soul cards. And why would he put that card in his own deck? It would be like Kaiba deciding to add Dark Magician to his cards. Even if Dark Magician could be used to combine with Ultimate Dragon, he'd never do it because it was a monster that belonged to Yugi.

 

As for Yami, the Angel's barrier which was originally meant to shield him against Kaiba's dragons was now doing nothing to help him, since the Red Eyes was a dark monster. If anything, this barrier was now only harming Yami more, who had some light monsters of his own that presently couldn't be used. It also took up a slot on his side, limiting his use of trap or magic cards.

 

This strange new strategy was really messing Yami up. These moves Kaiba made symbolized more of a partnership, instead of him portraying his normal rage. And the more Kaiba kept throwing Yami off, the weaker they were both feeling. Plus, Yami noticed something else too that worried him even more.

 

'I feel so tired, Yami', Yugi said, pulling the next card.

 

'As do I, aibou. It has to be what I told you before at the arcade.....the bonds that tie us have weakened, causing this drain in us. But we have to fight on......we have to prove to both Joey and Tea that we will not lose faith in them', Yami stated.

 

'Joey? But Joey's been routing for us.....', Yugi said.

 

In the background, Mokuba and Tea were both routing for Kaiba, who didn't seem to be paying attention to either of his supporting fans. As usual......Kaiba believed in standing alone. On the other end, Tristan and Joey were also routing, and for Yugi....that seemed perfectly normal.

 

Yami stated, 'Then maybe you haven't been listening that carefully, Yugi. Tristan has been cheering for us. But I don't think I heard our name mentioned from Joey's lips even once.'

 

Yugi blinked at that, and listened more closely.

 

Tristan cried out, "Come on, Yugi.....you can do it!"

 

"Yeah! Let's go! You can win this!", Joey said. As Yugi glanced over, he noticed that Joey was saying that, and wasn't even looking at Yugi.....he was looking at Kaiba.

 

And Kaiba seemed to have glanced at Joey yet again, and the faintest smile was apparent on his face.

 

'What?', Yugi asked in surprise. 'He's.......he's routing for Kaiba!'

 

'Perhaps that Red Eyes wasn't meant just to blind us, Yugi......but to blind Joey, as well', Yami stated.

 

Yugi lowered his head to fight the sadness coming over him. 'He did it, didn't he? All of Kaiba's bribery and trickery had worked for him. He......he bought Joey, and took him away from us.'

 

'Stop it, Yugi!', Yami insisted. 'If you give up on him now, you're giving up on your friendship. Perhaps, Kaiba's glamour and deceit had caused Joey to lose his way. It's up to us to help him see he is wrong. Don't give up, Yugi!'

 

'I.....I'll try not to.....'

 

But Yami wasn't sure if Yugi could keep this going. Yugi depended on his friends, and with them turning away from him.....he was losing Yugi's strength. He had to help this out, somehow. "Kaiba!", Yami announced. "I'm interested in knowing what it is your fighting for, this day. I'm fighting for my friends. Should I guess you're once again looking for your precious title??"

 

"Perhaps that's part of it", Kaiba smirked. "But I believe we already discussed this last time at your grandfather's game shop. There's something I want......something that you're getting in the way of. And when I win, I'm taking my prize....." As Kaiba said this, he once again glanced in Joey's direction.

 

Obviously, Mokuba knew nothing of this arrangement, and his eyes widened after what Kaiba said and who he looked at.....not sure what it all meant, either.

 

And Joey immediately blushed, and looked away.

 

With that said, Yami dramatically boomed, "You're not taking anyone today, Kaiba! These are my friends, and as long as I have the power to help them.....I will protect them, even from you!"

 

"Stop it, all ready! I've heard enough!!", Tea suddenly snapped in rage.

 

This shut everyone up, making them look over at her. Tea continued to rant, saying to Kaiba, "Joey doesn't even deserve you.....I do! I'm the one you should be fighting for! You don't really even care about him!!"

 

Kaiba crossed his arms, asking calmly, "And what makes you say that?"

 

Yami was quiet, raising an eyebrow......curious over what was being said. "Because what you're feeling isn't real! You're only feeling that way because of that damn potion I gave you.....that's why!!"

 

---------------------------------

 

Next Week: Oh, no.....Tea blurted out the unthinkable! Will Tea reveal all? If so, is Kaiba still going to chase Joey, or will he now be rejected? Don't miss next week, when this duel changes the lives of some of the characters, forever!

 

Narr: I know you guys probably all hate me for that cliff-hanger.....but it couldn't be helped. Atleast it's only a week away, right?

 

Also, I was trying so frantically to get Chapter 24 out last week, that I forgot to add my special congratulations to Dimples 91 (aka: Ninjitsu). You were my 100th reviewer! Woo-hoo! I think this has to be my very first fic that I officially have gotten over 100 reviews on! Yay!!

 

Ninjitsu: Tea? You haven't seen nothing, yet. ;)

 

Lady Psychic: Uh-oh....another prediction. We'll have to see if you're still on the money or not, when it comes up.

 

Rubisora: Yeah.....Tea seems to be getting worst. And after this chapter, we'll have to see what she does next. I know....poor Mokie. He needs a good ol' fashioned pity party (Awwww!). So, was it sad how he looked, or the fact that only one person dressed as him? I've seen people in magazines trying to dress like Yami. Pretty scary, really. The hair's the toughest thing to imitate. But anyway, don't feel so bad. My son looks more like a girl (infact, he looks like a clone version of when I was younger. Really frightening!). And it doesn't help that he tries to keep his hair as long as possible. After reaching 1/2 way down his back, I finally told him enough is enough and made him have a hair cut. He's not happy, but he still has shoulder-length hair. It's not like I gave him a buzz-cut, like his Dad wanted him to have. ;p

 

Growing Pain: Thanks for reading. Please review again.

 

Cinnamonqueen: Yes, it makes it really tough for Joey in this situation who to route for. And as you've seen, he finally seemed to make his choice which is taking a toll on his best friend. But the battles not over, and you never know who'll win until the very end. (just like the show!) :D

Well......good. Then I did what I was trying to do. It's never easy to make a unpredictable story. Plus, I want to keep the readers guessing, but at the same time not make it so complicated that it loses anyone, either. It's tough to keep a balance on everything. There are chapters I have to sometimes entirely re-write, just to make it sound right. Hope you liked the latest chapter!

 

Dannita: Oh, no problem. I noticed there was quite a drop in reviews around the holidays. But with people being so busy and vacationing.....it's not surprising. Hell, I'm pretty shocked I kept going as well as I did during the holidays. As it was, I probably had a lot more errors than normal during that time, since the kids were yapping so much I could barely concentrate. Heh.....you're not supposed to like what she's doing. She's presently 'evil' Tea, at this point (then again....some people like her better, that way). Of course, Tea's not in her best frame of mind, either. She's very chaotic and unpredictable. And also remember that I tend to portray Tea in ways that I see her. In the show, even though Tea always did her little friendship chants, she'd somehow turn around and get into even bigger trouble than before, playing the 'oh so helpless victim'. So, you take someone who's a liability to the group 1/2 the time, and make her try to achieve her own goals.....what happens? That makes her now a liability 1/2 the time towards herself. So, yeah....some of the things she does may not always help her. It might even hurt her more. But any unpredictable force in a story is never to be taking lightly. You never know what a loose cannon's going to do next. Well, now it looks like you have more reason to worry about that potion thing, since Tea just brought it up. And the only way to find what happens next, is to be here for next week! ;)