Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Kokoro no Maho: Magic of the Heart ❯ Chapter 8: Revelations ( Chapter 8 )

Kurama no Miko2003: Okay, minna! I'm back! And, as you can tell, since Chapter 7 got posted, my Writer's Block from hell's gone. *looks at humongous gray cube labeled as "Writer's Block"* Okay, maybe not. But it's losing its effects on me! So, I'm back, more or less! But updates will be iffy! It all depends on how much homework I get bogged down with! After all, I'm in college, and these grades _matter_. So, Kaze no Uta, the disclaimer, if you please!

Kaze no Uta: Kurama no Miko2003 does not own Yu-Gi-Oh. She never did, nor will she ever. So, lawsuit happy lawyers, stay away! Stay very, very, very far away! You can't sue her!

Kurama no Miko2003: Thank you. *hands Kaze no Uta a _big_ cup of cappuccino* And I hope everyone's enjoying the fic! And I'm changing the whole bit with not having the God Cards in. They're going to be in; Yami will have Osiris (aka Slifer), Kaiba will have Obelisk, and Malik will have Ra.

Chapter 8 ~ Revelations

"Damn it!" Yami shouts for what must have been the millionth time that day. "I should have seen the loop! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn . . ." A sob forces its way out of his body, the emotional wall he built up finally shattering. Dropping to his knees, he begins to angrily punch the floor of the living room of the Kame Game Shop. Yami Sonomi instantly kneels down next to Yami, hoping to console him while trying to hide her own tears.

"Daijoubu, Yami. We'll get them back, don't worry. And whoever took them will pay," she darkly finishes, eyes flashing pure, unrestrained anger. Her aura flared for a moment before she controlled her anger.

"Un," Sonomi groaned as she came to. "Where am I?" She looks around. The last thing she remembered was the entire House of Mirrors darkening around her. "Yuugi-kun!" she shouts, yet upon scanning the room, no tri-color haired boy was present. In an instant, the lights suddenly turned on, their brightness forcing Sonomi to shield her eyes. "Who- who's there?!"

"Ah . . . Sonomi, I never thought you'd forget me so soon," the voice replies.

"So . . . soon?" she asks, curious.

"You mean you don't remember me, my dear? It's your beloved high priest, Seto," he says, walking into the light.

"Kaiba-kun!" Sonomi exclaims. "But wait, what are you doing here?"

"It's High Priest Seto-sama to you!" he spits back at her. She suddenly notices a golden object in his hand.

"The Millennium Rod . . . how did you get it?" she replies. `I thought Malik had it!'

"You're wondering how I got this, right?" Kaiba asks. "It was quite simple, really. All I had to do was to pretend I wanted to be friends with that Egyptian freak and then steal the rod from under his nose. That yami of his proved to be a bit of a problem, but that was easily fixed. Yes, this little rod packs quite a punch, as I'm sure you'll find out soon . . . quite soon, as a matter of fact," he sinisterly finishes.

`No! He's going to use it on me! What did Neechan say about the rod? Oh yeah, it can control minds!' In an instant Sonomi knew what was going to happen and mentally cried out for her yami. / Neechan! Neechan! Help me! Help- /

"It's no use trying to reach your other half, my dear. For, you see, I've blocked this room using Shadow Magic. There's no help, you're just trapped here, all alone," he finishes, enjoying the panic and fear that worked its way onto Sonomi's face.

"Yami-sama, I think something's wrong," Yami Sonomi suddenly says. "I- I just tried mentally contacting Mi-chan . . . and . . . and her end's blocked. And it doesn't feel like she's blocking me either . . . it feels like someone else is." Yami stopped his rage and processes what Yami Sonomi just said.

"This only means one thing: whoever has Yuugi and Sonomi has a Millennium Item." At that instant a loud bang resounded from the door, followed by loud cursing in ancient Egyptian. It was Yami Malik.

"Yami Malik! What are you doing here?!" Yami Sonomi exclaims. She suddenly sees Malik slumped on his yami's shoulder. "What happened to Malik?"

"Kaiba; a few weeks ago he started to befriend us. We thought that it was okay, but earlier today, he came by and attacked us both and stole the Millennium Rod. I tried stopping him with my Shadow powers, but he . . . he managed to unlock the true powers of the Rod, something that neither Malik nor I have been able to do!" Yami Malik says, carrying his beloved hikari over to the sofa. "Malik tried to fight him for it, but Kaiba got him with Shadow Magic . . . perhaps I should say Priest Seto."

"P-Priest Seto?!" both Yami and Yami Sonomi exclaim.

"No wonder why he went after our hikari," Yami Sonomi says, realization hitting her. "He's out for revenge . . . Seto _Kaiba_ may not want revenge, but _Priest_ Seto will. And I know that accursed Priest has more than enough power to take over any body by force, especially if it happens to be his light half. But wait . . . I thought _you_ were the spirit of the Rod, Yami Malik."

"No, I'm not. I'm just a part of this beautiful one that was formed from his anger and pain . . . When I lay my hands on that fucking priest again, he'll pay! No one hurts my Malik and gets away with it!" he replies, clenching his fist for effect. His eyes glow a deadly crimson as he did so, giving him the look of someone born of pure evil.

"Shut up. You should be glad you're not tied to the Rod," Yami Bakura starts. "Otherwise, I'd kill you." The room falls silent, Yami Malik not having a response for what Yami Bakura said. Just then, the phone rings; Yami gets up and answers it, pretending to be Yuugi.

"Moshi moshi?" Yami says, holding the receiver to his ear. "Hai, Masaki-san?" He pauses as Anzu's mother says something. "Anzu? Iie . . . I haven't seen her since she decided to go home early from the amusement park." He pauses again. "You mean she never made it home?" At that, everyone in the living room turn to look at Yami, attentive. "Hai, we'll start looking for her right now. Don't worry, Masaki-san. We'll do our best to find her!" At that, Yami replaces the receiver and walks back over to Yami Sonomi.

"That was Anzu's mother, wasn't it?" Ryou asks, breaking the silence. Yami looks up at him, surprised that Yami Bakura had not insulted his light for speaking out of turn.

"Hai, Anzu . . . Anzu never returned home this afternoon," Yami says. `It's all my fault! I rejected her . . . I left her to walk home alone in that state . . .'

"Well, what are we doing just sitting here? Let's go start looking for her!" Jounouchi says, optimistic.

"But it's been hours since we last saw her; she could be _anywhere_!" Honda replies. "We wouldn't even know _where_ to start looking!"

"Wh-what if Kaiba got her?" Yami asks, saying the one thought that everyone had subconsciously thought of. Everyone just turns to look at him, hoping it was not true. "It'd only make sense . . . considering why she left."

"She left because she said she wasn't feeling well!" Jounouchi replies. "Not for some other reason."

"Actually, there was a second reason why she left," Yami Sonomi starts. Everyone looks at her, stunned. "Isn't that right, Yami-sama?"

"H-hai . . . Anzu . . . she . . . confessed that she had feelings for me . . . I turned her down, and then she left. That's why she said she was leaving," Yami quietly says. At that, Yami Bakura nudges Yami Malik.

"What was that for?" Yami Malik demands.

"Pay up; you lost the bet. You said that the bitchy speaker had a thing for the Pharaoh's brat. I was right; she wanted the Pharaoh himself!" Yami Bakura lets out a triumphant cackle. Yami Malik mumbles something unprintable and hands Yami Bakura a fifty-dollar bill. Yami's eyes widen.

"You two bet _that_ much?! Why, I outta send you both to pay Anubis a visit for that!" Yami shouts, blushing.

"Really? You'd have to challenge us both to a Yami no Game first, baka Pharaoh," Yami Bakura replies, smirking at Yami's blush.

"Guys, I hate to ruin your argument, but what about Anzu?" Jounouchi says.

"Let's go back to the amusement park. We'll split up and look for her there, and then we'll start looking at the other places she likes to visit," Ryou suggests.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's that damn Priest," Yami replies. "In the state she was when she decided to leave, it'd be all too easy for Seto to kidnap Anzu." At that precise moment, the phone rang again; Yami answers it.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hello, Pharaoh. Remember me?" a cold voice replies. Yami could only stand in silence; his worst fear was confirmed. "I take your silence as a yes. I have the girl, and yours and that bitch's hikari. If you want them back, give me the rest of the Millennium Items." The once-holy man hangs up; only to leave Yami in a pool of self hatred. `If only I'd known . . . if only I'd killed him earlier . . . if only-'

"It was him, wasn't it, Yami-sama?" Yami Sonomi asks, half fearful, half angry. Millennia of darkness and solitude could not erase what he had done to her; the simple fact that her light would be facing him did not sit well with her.

"H-hai . . . he says he wants the Millennium Items in exchange for Anzu, Yuugi, and Sonomi."

"That bastard!" Yami Sonomi curses. "When I lay my hands on him, I'll send him straight to Anubis! We'll see what the feather makes of him!" Her aura flares in response to her anger. (AN: This is a reference to the fact that a person's heart is weighed against a feather before entering the afterlife. If the person lies or is deceitful, the person's heart will weigh more than a feather; such people are devoured by a chimera named Ammit and never enter the afterlife. Those who pass, obviously, do.)

"Calm down; we won't get anything done just by randomly lashing out at him!" Malik suddenly says, shocking everyone. "Don't forget he has the Rod now; he can force any of us to do anything! The simple fact that the spirit is unleashed only means that he can use the Rod's powers to an even greater extent! What I was able to do with it would look like child's play!" Just then, the shop's bells rang; Sugoroku said something inaudible, which was then followed by a female voice. A few moments later, Sugoroku enters the living room, oblivious to the ongoing discussion, followed by none other than Isis.

"Neesan!" Malik exclaims, surprised to see Isis.

"Oh, she is your sister? Well, I must go back to tending the shop; I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"I saw what happened; there isn't much we can do at this point. All I can say is that the Millennium Rod must have called out to its original possessor . . . why is beyond me; the Tauk has not given any clues as to why," she begins. "What I have done, though, is to check if Shaadi knows anything. He told me he would contact me later if he found out anything. As of yet, all we know is that Kaiba Seto is indeed the reincarnation of Priest Seto of the past; but I'm pretty sure we can count that as common knowledge at this point."

"There's a spirit in that Rod, am I right?" Yami says, not even waiting for Isis to get to that point.

"Yes, there is. It's none other than Priest Seto's spirit. Unless if I'm very much mistaken, he's very much out for revenge. I was at the museum when Kaiba attacked my brother, so I don't know the details. Malik, if you mind?"

"Not at all; it all started several weeks ago. He suddenly starts being all _nice_ to me; says he wants to be my friend," Malik starts. "Then, earlier this afternoon, he stops by, saying he wanted to duel me for fun, since he never got to during Battle City. So we start dueling, right? Just as I was about to begin my first turn, he tells me he wants to use the restroom, and the minute after I tell him, he covers my nose with some handkerchief soaked with something or other and I was out until I woke up here. I think my yami may know the rest. Oh yeah, and can someone give me an aspirin? Whatever that shit was, I've got a splitting headache from the seventh level of hell." Yami walks to the bathroom and returns with an aspirin and a glass of water. "Thank you." Malik pops the white pill in his mouth and downs the entire glass of water.

"Yes, now, my part of the story. I was upstairs reading a book on ancient Egypt when Kaiba suddenly burst into the room. I had put the Rod on the desk off to the side, and I was about to ask him what he wanted when he suddenly makes a mad dash for the Rod. I tried to stop him, but he was faster. The Rod instantaneously responded to Kaiba when he touched it. The transformation was immediate; Priest Seto was suddenly in control. He says something about thanking me for keeping his Rod in such good condition and then tries to leave. I naturally got in between him and the door; big mistake. He just used Shadow Magic on me and blasted me straight through the door of the room across the hall." Everyone was stunned into silence; it was common knowledge that Yami Malik was a powerful Shadow Magician. He was at least as good as Shaadi, which meant he was even more powerful than Yami Bakura. "He just walks out without as much as a second thought."

"I'm not handing over the Ring," Yami Bakura simply states.

"But we don't have much of a choice here; he's even better than Shaadi, which means only Yami stands a chance against him in a one-on-one fight," Isis quietly replies, trying to hide her fear. "Yami Sonomi may stand a chance as well, but given her past with him, I don't know . . ."

"Damn it! Fuck it all!" Yami suddenly yells. "I should have killed that bastard Priest back then! Fuck it . . . Fuck it all . . ." He breaks down into frustrated sobs again, frustrated at himself in the past and present. Yami Sonomi rushes over to him, cradling the once Pharaoh in her arms. She, too, was angry at herself for not seeing the loophole within the conditions of the duel, but with Yami falling apart, there was no way she would as well. One of them needed to be strong, and since it was not Yami at the moment, she was the only other.

"Shhhhhh . . . it's alright Yami. We'll get them back, I swear. That priest won't be keeping them forever," she says, hoping to sooth Yami with her words. "What can we do, Isis?"

"At this point, we should put all Item holders under protection, especially Bakura. The tomb robber has a history with the priest. Seto didn't specify the details of the exchange, so he may choose to take the Ring first himself. Seeing how easily he blasted Yami Malik, Yami Bakura would be an easy target for him," Isis replies, knowing that Yami Bakura would not like her response.

"Indeed," Shaadi says, appearing from the floor. Everyone lets out a shout of surprise; none of them expected Shaadi to just appear from the floor!

"It is most important the Ring remain safe for the being. If he possesses both the Ring and the Rod, his power would be unmentionable. No one would be able to oppose him; he would simply transfer his opponent's soul into something else. Yes, the Ring must remain safe. As for the Puzzle, he must not have it. The Pharaoh's powers reside within it; if the priest acquires that as well, the results would be just as disastrous, if not more so. The priest has become strong over these past millennia; he will not be easy to defeat."

"Is there anyway we can defeat him?" Yami Sonomi hesitantly asks. Shaadi suddenly turns to look at her.

"Who are you?" he asks. "And what is that hanging around you neck?"

"It is the eighth Millennium Item, the Millennium Heart."

"The Rogue Item, I see . . . the one that was never mentioned in history," Shaadi says. "You were the creator of the item as well, were you not?"

"Yes, I am. I put my spirit within to ensure . . ." before she could finish, Shaadi put up a finger to silence her.

"There is no need for that. I know more than you think about the past." He pauses for a moment, and then continues, "We must first make sure the Ring's hikari is kept safe; we shall worry about the captive hikari later."

"No, we will get Yuugi and Sonomi out, now!" Yami exclaims, causing everyone to stare at him. "Don't you get it? The sooner we can get those two out, the less leverage that damn Priest has against us! That Priest has more than a few mind games he can play on Sonomi and Yuugi!"

"You are not thinking rationally, Pharaoh. Wait and see. For now, I shall weave an enchantment on the Ring's hikari."

~ To Be Continued ~

Kurama no Miko2003: Okay, guys, you know what to do! Review!

Yuugi: Please! I don't wanna be stuck with Kaiba!

Kaiba: Hey, don't blame me, blame my yami!

Priest Seto: Hehehe! Revenge shall be mine! Muahahahahahahahaha- *hack* *cough cough* Gotta do something about that cough . . .

Sonomi: Oh, shut up! You're annoying us!

Yami: Aibou! You're still alive!

Yuugi: Yami! *huggles Yami* It takes more than the Shadow Realm to kill me!

Yami: *huggles back* Yay!

Kurama no Miko2003: Not to wreck the happy moment, but you _do_ realize I'll be splitting you guys up again once I get back to this, right?

Yami and Yuugi: No! *cling to each other*

Kurama no Miko2003: Awwwwww . . . kawaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone else: *plugs ears*

Kurama no Miko2003: Don't worry about it like I have the heart to kill off you two.

Sakura (from my YYH fanfic continuum): Yes, but you had the heart to kill me!

Kurama: Yeah!

Kurama no Miko2003: Are you two going to try and pick a fight with me? You _do_ realize that I'm a fanfic authoress, right?

Kurama and Sakura: *nonchalantly* So?

Kurama no Miko2003: Ever heard of "authoress' powers"?

Sakura: *nonchalantly* And?

Kurama no Miko2003: What I write, goes. I'd be careful if I were you two . . . After all I can make character death seem like _nothing_.

Sakura: As if!

Kurama no Miko2003: *scribbles something*

Sakura: *suddenly stuck in a pool of jello* Hey!

Kurama no Miko2003: Let _that_ be your punishment!