Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Guardians of the Watchtowers ❯ The Battle Begins ( Chapter 16 )

Finals are over! Yay!! Now that summer's here, I can finish up this story. Sorry for the wait!

Fanfiction reviewers:

Tenshi208: Thanks for the review!

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Ril: You're welcome. I hope it was ok. Thanks for the review!

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Disclaimer: Same as always. Don't own Yugioh.

~Blah~ : wolves or Slifer speaking through their minds

"Blah" : normal speech

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Chapter 16: The Battle Begins

Inside the throne room of Castle Istar, Pegasus, Isabella, Angus and the other Elders were planning the imminent return of the Guardians and the soon-to-be-new Guardians. Suddenly, a terrific roar was heard, causing the grounds and walls of the old castle to shudder. Pegasus's dark black eyes widened in surprise, and he rushed towards the broken window through which the Guardians had made their escape. He looked out towards the dark forest, his mouth gaping at the glowing tunnel that had shot out from within its depths. And at the creature that had formed inside of it, ready to break out at any second. Pegasus felt himself shudder at the sheer power he felt radiating from this being. It could not be who he thought it was. It just couldn't…

Back within the forest, four pairs of eyes watched with wonder and amazement as the bright tunnel before them continued to sizzle and crackle with magickal energies. Within it, they could see the outline of something unbelievably long and large, writhing and turning as it prepared to break out of the tunnel and complete the summoning. A second tremendous roar was heard, this one shattering the glowing tunnel, blanketing the surrounding area with bright white light. The four humans shielded their eyes from the blast, turning away slightly. A moment later, the brightness died down and Yugi took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. He lowered his hand, blinking his eyes several times to regain their focus. When they finally did, he let out a loud gasp, his hand coming back up to clamp over his mouth. Before him, was an enormously large red snake-like being, its long body, adorned with scales much like those of a dragon, snaking around the trees. It had claws the size of a mini-van. But what amazed Yugi the most was its massive head, for this creature had not one but *two* mouths. The lower mouth had two rather sharp-looking fangs protruding upwards from its lower jaw; the second, smaller mouth was directly on top of the first. Yugi could only stand there and stare.

Currently, the beast had its head low to the ground, so that it may speak with those who summoned it. Annoyance flashed through its glowering yellow eyes, its second mouth opening slightly to let out a breath of magick, transforming those before it into their true form. Satisfied, the dragon-snake creature at last spoke, its voice hollow and ancient, ~Why have you summoned me, Guardians of the Watchtowers?~

Raven stepped forward, her head lowered in respect, as were the others'. ~We need your help, Great One, to defeat those who have wronged us.~

~No.~

Raven, as well as the other Guardians, snapped their heads up in surprise. She looked at the god-creature questioningly.

~There is another reason.~

The four wolves looked at one another with uncertainty. What did it mean, there was another reason? Suddenly, Yami's crimson eyes lit up in realization. He stepped up next to his cousin. ~We have summoned you, Ancient One, to help us save those whom we love from a terrible fate.~

A low rumbling was heard deep within Slifer's throat that sounded much like a chuckle. ~Ah yes. Love. It is a surprise to find such a feeling in hearts overrun by darkness. Particularly in one whose heart was once betrayed by love.~ Beady yellow eyes turned towards Raven. ~How can you be certain that you will not be betrayed again?~

Raven glanced over to where the four humans were still standing, golden eyes catching deep cerulean ones. For a moment their eyes stayed locked, till she finally nodded her head in understanding. She turned back towards the god-creature. ~I just am. He would never hurt me.~

Slifer chuckled again. ~Such confidence in your voice. It amuses me so that you would place such trust in a *human*. Is this one really so different from the rest of his species, a species that you have fiercely despised over the past several centuries?~

Thoughts flashed back to that fateful night at the cemetery, when Yugi and his friends had first discovered who they really were. Yami's words from that night drifted back to Raven: All humans are not the same… She hadn't believed him at first, but then the human boy had offered his life in order to save Yami's. Such a thing had never occurred before, and was quite shocking to her. Then she met Seto and things really began to change for her. Why had she let him comfort her after the death of her friend? She had always been the strong, independent one of the Guardians, never wanting to rely on another's help. Her cousin was the only one whom she would actually trust with anything. But perhaps, Raven reflected, over 200 centuries worth of protecting the Watchtowers as well as watching out for the other Guardians was starting to take its toll on her, not so much physically but emotionally. She was tired of always being so strong, and the loss of Belinos had finally pushed her to her limits. Luckily for her though, Seto was there when she needed somebody to lean on. Raven let out a silent sigh. She hated to admit it, but she had been wrong all these centuries. All humans were not the same, and her hatred for them should only have been for the one who had betrayed her. Taking another small breath, she said softly, ~All humans are not the same. It's just taken me a few centuries to figure it out.~

The god-creature considered her words. ~Very well then. Your answers are satisfactory enough. I will help you. It will be curious to see the outcome of this interesting turn of events.~

Raven wasn't quite sure what "outcome" it meant, but decided she would figure it out later. She bowed her head low towards the god-creature, the others following her action. ~Thank you, Great One. We most appreciate your aid.~

A low growl came from Slifer's throat. ~I know that the Elders used the Lumbarion to murder a dragon. That in itself justifies my wrath…~ With another louder growl, the creature leapt through the trees and into the sky with a great swoosh of its wings, and took off at a blinding speed towards Castle Istar.

Raven watched the dragon-god take off, then turned towards the others. ~Let's go. Wouldn't want to miss all the fun, now would we?~

~Wait, Raven.~ Yami stopped her. ~Is it safe for Yugi and his friends to go with us?~

~Do you think it's safer for them out here, by themselves, in the middle of a forest filled with the Elders' creatures?~

Yami considered this for a second. ~Point taken.~

~Good. Then let's go.~

The four wolves and four humans once again took off towards the dark castle. They stopped shortly when they reached the Castle. Already, Slifer had left its mark: the dark gates had been torn down, and bodies of those dead-of-the-undead creature things littered the grounds. The Elders must have sensed Slifer's presence and tried to strengthen the defenses of the castle. But apparently, the magick of the Elders was no match for the sheer might of the god-creature.

Another tremendous roar of the dragon-snake creature was heard, and immediately after another part of the throne room's wall was blasted , sending bits of stone and wood flying everywhere.

Yugi's heart was pounding madly in his chest as the group ran through the castle's dark corridor and towards the throne room. Running down the corridor reminded him of his dream, where he had watched the Guardians fall and the Elders triumph. However, things were different now. The dragon-snake creature had certainly not been a part of his horrific dream, and its presence here now created such a high anticipation that maybe things would work out alright after all. That perhaps his dream was only just that: a dream.

Yami, however, was not as optimistic as Yugi was. He knew that everything and anything comes with a heavy price. Though they had already sacrificed their elemental powers (and thus their positions as Guardians), he felt, no he *knew* that more would be required to get Yugi and his friends safely back to their own world. In their original human form too, minus the tails and wolf ears. He just hoped that the price would not be more than they could give.

At last, the group reached the entrance to the throne room. Bakurian and Marius threw open its doors, their eyes lighting up with glee at the destruction before them: more dead-of-the-undead things were strewn about the room, including one particularly familiar creature with six arms. Except that the creature was rather missing a few of those arms. Bakurian laughed out loud. That proved what he had thought all along: that the stupid human's dream was nothing to be concerned with. Pish. People really should listen to him more often.

The Air Guardian's laughter caught the attention of two vampires, one recently brought back from the dead, hiding out in the far corner of the room, trying to avoid the god-creature's fury. Both looked towards the room's entrance at the same time, and both let out low growls, their lips curling up into hateful sneers, fangs showing clearly. Isabella narrowed her eyes at the sight of the human boy standing next to HER Yami. She knew what the Guardians must have done in order to summon Slifer, and it intensified her hate for the human boy. Yami would *never* have given up his powers for *her*. With an angry, frustrated cry, the demented vampire took off towards the entrance, intent on taking care of once and for all that pesky human. She was going to prove to Yami that he should have chosen her.

Angus, the vampire who had betrayed Raven to gain his immortality, also was not happy at what he saw at the room's entrance. After the Elders had disposed of that bothersome dragon, he had watched as the tall blue-eyed human boy had scooped up the motionless Raven into his arms and took off with her. Watched and grew completely jealous. Even though he had only used Raven to gain his immortality, still, he did have feelings for the shapeshifter (though he doubted she would ever believe that). He had hoped that one day she would understand, and now that he was immortal as she was, they could spend the rest of eternity together. But now this *human* would ruin everything. He didn't quite know the exact relationship between them, but he sensed that it was not to his liking in any way. He would not allow this human to get in the way. With another low growl, he too started off towards the entrance.

Unfortunately, Bakurian's laugh had not only attracted the attention of the two vampires, but also of Pegasus as well. Enraged at the Guardians having the nerve to summon Slifer and go against him, he threw out an arm towards them, shouting, "My minions! Go and attack the Guardians AND their pathetic little humans! DESTROY THEM ALL!!"

A bunch of gruesome-looking things began heading their way, but before Yami could figure out what to do about them (seeing as how they no longer had their elemental powers), a shrill screech drew his attention elsewhere. He turned, growling when he saw that demented vampire Isabella hurtling herself towards Yugi, her mouth open and her fangs ready. He reacted quickly, springing forth and knocking her off her path and onto the ground with a loud thud. He jumped off of her, placing himself between her and the stunned Yugi, baring his own teeth in a menacing growl.

Meanwhile, Raven had spotted Angus making his way towards them as well. Strangely though, he wasn't looking at her but rather at something behind her. She turned, and realized with a start that it was Seto he was glaring at. Even as a human, Angus would become quickly jealous at any guy who even *looked* at her. As a vampire, she guessed that his jealousy would be ten times worse now. Raven easily stepped in between the human and jealous vampire, narrowing her golden eyes as she did so. ~Back off, Angus!~ she growled angrily. ~I won't let you harm any more whom I love.~

Angus narrowed his eyes as well. "So, Raven, you've found somebody else have you? Not afraid that he'll betray you as I once did?"

Raven smirked, her eyes glinting with smugness. ~No. Because he is *better* than you could ever hope to be, in all your pitiful. Immortal. Life.~ She said the last three words purposefully slow, to let them fully sink into Angus's mind. She easily held her glare with that of Angus's.

An angry cry came from Angus as he hurled himself towards the wolf, grabbing her by the neck and hurling her into the nearest pillar with a force that surprised Raven. Kaiba yelled her name as he rushed toward her, only to be blocked by the dark-haired vampire. For a moment their eyes locked in a heated stare, and a grin slowly spread on Angus's lips. "I'm going to enjoy draining every last drop of your blood…" he whispered. "Then we'll see who the "better" one is." He unsheathed his wolf-headed sword as he started to advance towards Kaiba slowly.

Marius and Bakurian were in a bit of a bind. They no longer had their elemental powers to defend with. Marik and Bakura had grabbed swords, but their knowledge of how to use them was rather minimal. The four stood in a back-to-back circle, the minions circling around them. Things did not look so good for them.

Suddenly, a stream of dark magick blasted through the minions, sending them flying. Another stream of lighter-colored magick followed, sending more flying. Stunned, the four looked in the direction of the blasts, and saw two figures floating in the one of the holes that Slifer had made in the wall. Both held magician's staffs, one wearing a long dark purple robe, the other in a much brighter pink and blue outfit. Marius recognized them immediately: Myrrddin and Eiru, good friends of Yami and Raven. He never really liked them much, but at the moment couldn't be happier at seeing them.

Yami too saw the arrival of the two siblings, and mentally thanked them for their help. He turned his attention back the demented vampire before him. So, exactly how was he supposed to kill something that had been brought back from the dead by the magick of the Elders'? His speed and strength as a wolf will certainly help in the fight, but when it came down to the actual killing part, well…that would be difficult. However, before Yami could think further on the situation, another shriek came from Isabella as she tried to lunge around Yami and straight at Yugi. Yami blocked her path just in time, watching her closely with angry blood-red eyes.

Isabella let out a maddening laugh. "Yami, Yami, Yami. You may have killed me once, but this time it will not happen. I *can't* be killed by a simple stake this time. And you don't even have your Fire powers any more. Face it. You can't save your little *human* this time." She grinned an evil grin, showing off her fangs.

The wolf growled low. ~If you want Yugi, then you'll have to get through me first.~

The vampire continued smiling. "As you wish. But rest assured, I won't kill you. I want you alive when I drain your precious human's blood." She picked up a sword that was lying next to her on the ground, and with a shriek dove straight at Yami with it. Yami narrowly avoided the attack, turning quickly and sinking his teeth into the wrist that held the sword. He had caught the vampire in surprise, who shrieked in pain and immediately dropped the sword.

The taste in his mouth was excruciatingly bitter, by far the worst that he's ever tasted. A vampire-brought-back-from-the-dead's tasted absolutely horrible! But still he held on tight, twisting his head this way and that in an effort to cause some pain and hopefully slow her down. However, Isabella slammed her other fist into the side of his head a few times, forcing him to immediately let her go. The vampire backed off a few steps, holding her injured wrist and glaring with widened eyes. "Just for that, I'll make Yugi suffer even more!" she hissed painfully.

~Go ahead and try~ Yami replied evenly, preparing for her next attack.

Meanwhile, Slifer had the four Elders nearly cornered. They were tiring quite fast, whereas every passing second made him stronger. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. He hadn't had this much fun in ages.

Angus was now only a few feet away from the tall human boy. He looked him up and down, trying to figure out why in the worlds Raven would have any interest in him. "Nice ears and tail," he commented. "Perhaps I'll chop those off first." He took a few lazy passes with his sword for emphasis. Surprisingly though, there was no fear in the human's eyes. Which made Angus even angrier.

Kaiba's mind was working furiously to figure out a solution to this dilemma. Sure, he could run a multi-billion dollar corporation successfully, even with having to deal occasionally with those psycho executives of his. But to go up against a mad vampire with a sword, who obviously didn't like him very much, even though they had never even met before- that was…a first, to say the least. But he wasn't stupid- he knew exactly why Angus hated him so. And it wasn't like the feelings weren't returned. He would love to wring the bastard's neck out for hurting Raven like he did. Apparently, he was about to get his chance too. Even though he had no idea what he was doing, the businessman in him knew better than to show it. He stood his ground, glaring daggers at the vampire coming slowly towards him. He needed to check on Raven as well, who had yet to stir after being thrown against the pillar.

The dark-haired vampire, annoyed at not being able to intimidate the human, raised his sword to attack. It looked like the human was planning on taking him on. Fine by him. All the more pleasurable when he easily defeats him. However, before he could take his first swing, a powerful force slammed into him from behind, knocking him off-balance, the sword flying out of his hand. He turned, to see a rather angry wolf with glowering golden eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Always the stubborn one, Raven. Never knowing when to just *quit*."

The impact of crashing into the pillar had knocked the breath out of her, as well as creating a rather large bruise on her side. But she'll worry about the bruising later. She had a promise to keep. ~I never quit. It's time we settled this once and for all.~

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Ooo, nasty place to stop, but uh, I think the chapter's long enough. I'll try to update within the week. Thanks for reading and please review! I know I'm terribly slow! Sorry! ;)