Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Lethally Hot ❯ The Seventh of Battle ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: Toboe LoneWolf does not own YGO, biological weapons of any sort other than the common cold she got last month, or the works cited:
Willet, Edward. Ebola Virus. Diseases and People. Berkely Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2003.
…Or any other snippet of anything I quote.
//…// is Yami to Yugi; /…/ is Yugi to Yami; <<…>> is Bakura (the yami) to Ryou; <…> is Ryou to Bakura. (#) means footnote. Of which there totals one; but there are also comments/explanations as well.
Warning: Somewhat stronger language will be used. Because Bakura is not a fluff-ball.

Toboe LoneWolf: Now stride forward, dear readers, into Lethally Hot!

Chapter Thirteen: The Seventh of Battle

Doctor Seimei stared into what seemed like his fiftieth cup of coffee. Caffeinated coffee. Standard drink for all high-stress jobs and/or days. He inhaled the sweet aroma of coffee. Mmmm…

Another person poured a cup of coffee and plunked himself down in the opposite seat of Dr. Seimei.

"Seimei, I absolutely and positively hate idiots."

Dr. Seimei raised an eyebrow. "What do you need to rant about this time, Keni?"

Dr. Keni took a long sip of his coffee. "A guy came into ER and said there was something stuck up his butt."

"What?!?" Dr. Seimei coughed.

"And not just anything stuck up his butt," Dr. Keni added dryly. "A cucumber stuck up his butt."

Dr. Seimei stared at Dr. Keni, who nodded. "Yep. And why was it there?" Dr. Keni made an impression of an old man. "Because I put it there! And I liked it!"

"You're joking."

"I wish I were." Dr. Keni drained the rest of his coffee, growled, and walked over to the coffee maker to get some more. Over at the counter, he continued. "So I had to put on gloves and pull it out." He grimaced. "Needless to say, it was not pleasant."

Dr. Seimei swallowed. "I am greatly disturbed."

"So am I." Dr. Keni walked back to his seat. A faint ringing sounded from his coat pocket. "Aw, hell." Dr. Keni put down his cup and pulled out his cell phone. "Hello, Dr. Keni speaking."

"Hello, Dr. Keni. It's Ishizu Ishtar."

"Oh, hello! How are you today, Miss Ishtar?" Briefly he looked up to Dr. Seimei and mouthed Ishizu's name.

"Fine, thank you. I have the translation for you."

"Already? Great!" He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "What is it?"

" 'Cursed is every man who looks upon my creation. To see my secret is to die. He who looks shall be consumed by fire and ice. Terror shall seize him, for I am Apep's favored one.' And then, in symbols that are not Egyptian hieroglyphs, it reads, 'I claim this as my slave, my offering. I claim this as my revenge. Hail to the shadows.' "

Dr. Keni scribbled it down. "That's odd. It's like there's some kind of terrorist or psycho-killer out there. Sounds like some kind of occult."

"Possibly."

"Alright then, thank you very much, Miss Ishtar. I look forward to speaking to you again."

"The same. Goodbye."

As Dr. Keni turned off his cell phone, Dr. Seimei spoke before Dr. Keni could say anything. "She knows your cell phone number??"

"Er…yes?"

"…Not asking." Dr. Seimei pulled over the pad of paper and read the message. "Hm. Now this is interesting." He tapped the pad with his finger. "First, a mysterious death. Now this message. It does seem to be linked with some supernatural phenomena."

Dr. Keni scoffed. "Actual supernatural phenomena? Please, Seimei. None of this mystical stuff. I say it's some kind of cult threat, taking advantage of this Ebola hype."

"It's possible…but there have been some very strange events occurring around Domino." Dr. Seimei tapped his jaw. "Do you remember KaibaCorp's tournament? The one involving that new card game…Duel Monsters?"

Dr. Keni nodded. "Of course. Who hasn't?"

"Well, there have been stories, though I suppose they could be rumors, about some sort of supernatural phenomena actually occurring in that tournament. Some sort of group or cult called the Rare Hunters, something called 'the Shadow Realm,' lost souls, that sort of thing."

"You actually believe that stuff?" Dr. Keni laughed. "Really, Seimei. Put some logic in there. Clearly this message is some sort of curse, a warning, and that can't possibly happen."

"Well, it is a possibility. Tsuikyu did die strangely."

Dr. Keni shook his head. "Forget it. Anyway, what about you? How's Ebola-boy doing?"

"Not well, if that's new."

"Can't help asking." Dr. Keni shrugged. "Though that's why you're sticking around, right Seimei? Because the boy is in your care?"

"Yes, probably because of my exotic diseases specialty." Dr. Seimei took another sip of coffee. "I've looked up Ebola a bit recently."

"So?" Dr. Keni questioned. "What about Ebola? What are his chances?"

Dr. Seimei closed his eyes. "Discovered in 1976. Four strains, of which three are deadly to humans; fourth is not though possibly airborne. Vector unknown. No effective treatment. Typical symptoms are headache, flu symptoms, chest pain, thirst and extreme exhaustion."

Extreme weakness, weakness that you suffer of. It is difficult to imagine lying on a bed and suffering from being weak. Even lifting their head was a big, huge effort. …Most of them do not want to talk, they are too exhausted to talk. They do not want to do anything, they just want to die. That is one of the signs of Ebola: people are really exhausted, the whole time.

"There was an interesting fact I found out though. You know how everyone says that you bleed all over with Ebola? That's not entirely true. Not everyone has hemorrhage."

But then he added, "The ones that do, die."

* * * * *

Kaiba stared. This couldn't possibly be true.

Why was the stone tablet from the Domino Museum here?

"That's-- That's-- that's the tablet from the museum!!" Tea exclaimed.

Joey then added an eloquent, "Huh?"

The door, or entrance, or whatever, was made out of stone like the rest of the room. In huge, life-sized carvings of some pharaoh and another man, holding out their hands. Above them were two monsters, one appearing to be a dragon of some sort and a flying guy with a staff.

Then Joey began to see the resemblance. "No way! That's-- that's you, Yuge! With the Puzzle and all that in some fancy clothes. And that's the Dark Magician. And the Blue Eyes White Dragon! And that," Joey pointed dramatically, "must be Kaiba!"

"It is not."

Everyone turned and gawked at Kaiba.

Kaiba turned around, hissing each word, filled with vehemence. "That is not me. I am not some priest, I am not some Egyptian reincarnation, I am Seto Kaiba, and that is final!!!" He was actually shaking, as if he were on his last straw.

Silence in the face of denial.

"Alright, Seto Kaiba, we understand." Yugi said, and walked over to the stone tablet, placing a hand upon it. He turned weary eyes to Kaiba. "But can we forget that and try to get past this?"

"Fine." Kaiba bit off.

The group gathered around the stone tablet. It was eerily realistic, with the likeness of Yugi and well, Kaiba in the center. Lettering bordered along the edges and in the center. However, unlike the tablet in the museum, at the top were not carvings of the three Egyptian god monsters but some strange inscription. And unlike the inscriptions in the center and at the top, which were hieroglyphics (for the most part), the lettering along the edge of the tablet looked a lot like the one found on the card of Ra…

"Weirdo…" Joey said, knocking against the stone. "Are we sure this is the door? I mean, maybe there's some kinda secret passage or somethin'…"

"No, this is the door," Ryou affirmed. "See, there's a crack right down the middle, and well…where would the passage be anyway?

Joey shrugged. "I dunno. Like in the corner?"

Tristan frowned. "Wait a sec. Tea, you say you saw this thing before?"

Tea nodded. "Uh-huh. I was uh, hanging out with Yami and trying to help him remember his past, and we went to the museum. You know, because they had that new Egyptian exhibit. We found this stairway going downstairs to the basement or something. And right there, in the middle of the wall was that stone tablet!" Tea lowered her voice. "Then this lady came out and said, 'My Pharaoh,' and guess who it was? Ishizu Ishtar!"

"Wha?!?!" Joey exclaimed, and whirled around, jaw dropping. "Ya mean that same lady in Battle City?"

Yugi nodded. "Yes, the same one. And basically she told us that Yami was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who saved the world three thousand years ago and has to do it again today. And the answers we seek would come from Battle City. That's why we entered."

Kaiba rolled his eyes. That's why he'd entered?!? Because he believed he was a pharaoh and had to save the world?!? If he needed any more proof that the people here were insane, this was it.

"So, this stone tablet has some kind of meaning from the past," Ryou stated. "Which is…what?"

"This stone tablet was created by the Pharaoh's greatest friend and rival, his High Priest."

Eyes turned to Shadi, who folded his hands inside his wide sleeves. Shadi continued. "Three thousand years ago, the Pharaoh sealed away a great evil to save his people. To do this, he sacrificed his soul and name. Before the Puzzle was shattered, the Pharaoh gave it to his High Priest, and the throne passed on to him." Briefly, his eyes flickered over to Kaiba, who was clenching his fists. "The High Priest never forgot his vow as a friend to help the Pharaoh pass on to the afterlife, but neither did he forget his vow as a rival to defeat the Pharaoh and rightfully claim the throne. And so the High Priest created this tablet, as a symbol of his vow as friend and rival."

"Whoa…" Joey breathed. "Three thousand years…"

Tristan fingered the hieroglyphs. "So, these must have some kind of meaning, right?" He turned to Yugi. "You know what this stuff means?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't, and even if Yami did, he's…not really able to tell us."

"The hieroglyphs are a poem by the High Priest. A promise to the future." Shadi cleared his throat. "They read,

The Dead lay to rest
The Flesh turns to sand, to dust
Not even wealth nor sword can resist erosion by time…
Such was the fate of this nameless Pharaoh…

We cry out
The song of battle
The song of friendship
Guide us
To the distant place of soul's crossing…"

Then a great many things happened.

* * * * *

Bakura blinked and opened his eyes to see shadows swirling around him. What the-- He was back in the Ring?! His mind ran over the last few moments of consciousness. Kaiba. Door. Presence. Light.

Damn that host of his!!!

Fuming, Bakura reached out and grabbed that hated link he had to his host. But before he began verbally flaying his host, he felt…something.

Words trickled its way down the link, and Bakura's mind chilled.

"…the fate of this nameless Pharaoh…"

No.

"… The song of battle, the song of friendship…"

He would not let this happen, he would not let that thrice-cursed Pharaoh win--

"Guide us…to the distant place of soul's crossing…"

He would not let the murderer Pharaoh get away--

Bakura screamed as he ripped his away into the open.

I will kill him!

* * * * *

The words intoned through Kaiba's mind.

"Such was the fate of this nameless Pharaoh…"

A flash of blue came between him and the rest of the world--

"Here, Seto."
Young, mischievous face handed him something. Something cold. And wet. And--
"A FROG?!?" (1)

Another flash--

"The song of battle…"

Shadow monsters coming to our aid, in our name, to do battle--

--like blue lightening--

"The song of friendship…"

Calling forth the Great One in my loyalty to him, the cry of wind and rain and thunder--

--glistening in white-glow--

"Guide us…to the distant place of soul's crossing…"

Palace. Darkness. The ride. Summons in the night. Sacrifice.
"I swear my fealty to the Pharaoh of the Past and Future, He Who Commands the Wind…"
"I swear it upon my soul of honor…"
"We shall meet again, and finish…"

It all flashed before Kaiba's eyes, and for one brief moment, he knew.

"Yugi!" Kaiba roared. "I- am- not- finished- with- you- yet!!!"

* * * * *

Feeling of thunder without sound.

The Spirit of the Ring burst out, arms outstretched in rage. He leapt forward, with murderous intent, one hand flickering to the side--

Seto Kaiba found himself running towards the stone tablet --no, to Yugi--

Two beings screamed in defiance.

"I will kill you!"

"Yugi! I am not finished with you yet!!!"

--Shhhthunk!--

Time snapped back into place.

Kaiba breathed heavily, crouched over where he had shoved Yugi out of the way. Yugi lay on the cold floor, stunned as he watched the dagger meant for his heart quiver above him in the little crack down the stone tablet. Kaiba turned his head to glare with chilling cold eyes into Bakura's murderous ones. In a steely voice, Kaiba hissed, "No one beats Yugi before I do."

Bakura laughed. "And why should I obey you?" He crouched down, ready to spring again, and flicked out his other hand, sliding the knife blade into his hands. "You know nothing, little man, a mere piece in the game…time for you to be eliminated."

He sprung forward, grinning maniacally as Kaiba noticed that he could not get away in time--

"No!"

Joey jumped and tackled Bakura, yelping as Bakura swore and slashed at Joey, ripping open Joey's T-shirt and leaving a trail of blood to ooze across his chest. Joey gasped in pain, clutching the torn shreds of his flesh. Bakura sneered, and kicked Joey away.

"Joey!" Tea collapsed over Joey, sobbing as she tried to staunch the blood. Tristan ran and stood over both of them, staring at Bakura eye to eye.

Joey coughed from the floor. "No one…hurts…my…friends."

"Hah!" Bakura tossed his knife, catching it as it flipped over. "Fool. You wish to die the same death second time?"

Tristan clenched his fist. "You'll have to get past me first."

Bakura flipped a finger. "Keh. I don't care about you." He spun the knife around, until the point stopped at Yugi's white face. "I care about him." He brought the knife to his lips and licked off a few drops of blood. "I have a very, very, interested care about the puny one's death."

"And why is that?" Kaiba asked in a cold voice. "What is Yugi to you?"

"To me?" Bakura laughed. "He is my bane and suffering of three thousand years. Because of him, all I had was taken away from me. I had a chance," he snarled, "at killing him three thousand years ago, but that damned Pharaoh got away. Well this time," Bakura gripped his knife and narrowed his eyes, "he's not going to get away."

"But-- I'm not Yami." Yugi stuttered on the ground. "I'm…me."

Bakura barked out a laugh. "Does it matter? He is you and you are him. By killing you I kill the Pharaoh." He raised his knife. "And even if that does not kill him, I will have taken away everything he holds dear, for you are his one and only weakness…"

Then he smiled. A sick, twisted smile. And Bakura stepped back, and raised his arms. "So come to me, King of Thieves, Touzoku-ou, Stealer of Souls, Servant of Darkness. I call upon the Ravager, kindred being in blood-lust. I call upon the Ravager to destroy his soul!"

And the Ravager answered.

The screeches that haunted Yugi's mind grew louder until it drowned out all thought. Invisible wings beat the air, and ghostly shadows whirled and whisked around them, with the cry of dragons echoing in the chamber. They came in with the shadows, ephemeral as fog. It didn't matter that they were only shadows, mere spectral manifestations of its physical killer; they were terrifying all the same, flickering back and forth in unholy life. One Beast circled around Bakura, slowly bringing in more shadows into itself until it materialized. It curled its long, black body around him and unfurled its wings.

Bakura stretched out his arms. "Look upon your torturer, Yugi!"

Tristan gasped. "It's been you all this time?!"

"What, me?" Bakura smirked. "Ah, we're old friends. We go back a long ways. I didn't know he was still around." He looked over his shoulder and looked at the Ravager's cold eyes. "Though I suppose your kind are hardier than most, eh?"

The Beast hissed its amusement. Bakura smiled, and swept out his knife. "Do what you like to the others, but leave the little one to me."

With one screech in unison, the Ravager turned its bloodless eyes upon its prey.

Meet Fear.

They moved swiftly and silently, ravenous jaws gaping open to snap once and end it all.

Tea threw herself over Joey, trying to protect him, in an unconscious movement echoing the past--

Tristan clenched his fists, ready to protect them both with his bare hands and will alone--

Kaiba grabbed the knife in the stone tablet and stood over Yugi--

--And for the first time in his life, Shadi acted.

"Hold!"

The Ravager howled in the denial of its prey. Sparks flew where the Ravager slammed itself into the faintly golden shields Shadi created. One shield-dome pushed the Ravager out until it was packed between the chamber's ceiling and the shield, and another shield within the shield held Bakura within.

Bakura screamed and flung his knife, only for it to clatter against the shield. "Damn you priest!"

Yugi turned wide eyes at Kaiba, then at Shadi. Shadi was standing there, hands folded into his sleeves, the Ankh shining behind them. And Kaiba…Kaiba was standing over him, one hand gripping a knife, feet planted firmly on the ground between him and Bakura. Both of them…had…saved him?

Slight pause. Then Kaiba turned his head just enough to look at Yugi with one eye. "Now that we have a reprieve of the insanity, I just want to enforce my previous position that I am not going to let you die before I beat you. That is it. That is all. Understand?"

His eyes, Yugi thought, told a different story. Swallowing, Yugi nodded.

"I hear a different tale, Priest." Shadi spoke. He stood with his eyes closed. "He is the Chosen One, soul-kin to the Nameless Pharaoh you swore your loyalty to. In this, by protecting him you protect your king."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed.

Shadi raised an eyebrow. "He is my king as well, and I will guard him even when I am ashes."

The Ravager was hissing, circling around the shield just waiting for them to fall so they could reach their oh-so-close, delectable prey. They could see it, they could smell it, smell that life-blood beating, da-dum, da-dum, pulsing with life just waiting to be ripped out and painted across the walls.

Kaiba stood with his back to Yugi, eyes following the trails the Ravager left in its wake. "Yugi. Since you're the one who brought us all into this, and the fact that Bakura seems to be intent on killing you, do you have any ideas?"

Yugi's mind was racing. The thought of Kaiba actually protecting him was practically inconceivable. Kaiba asking him for ideas was unheard of. Shadi, for once, acting when all he did was standby and look mysterious was completely against everything Yugi ever knew of the man. If someone had told Yugi that those said persons would act that way, Yugi would have questioned that person's sanity. Yugi almost laughed at the strangeness of it all, and barely caught himself. This was no time for hysterics.

There had to be something. Yugi could see Bakura pacing his enclosed circle like a caged lion, one who was very, very hungry.

"Ryou--" Yugi exclaimed, "he's still in there! It's the only way to keep him alive! We've got to get Ryou back!"

"Excuse me?" Kaiba raised an eyebrow.

Yugi swallowed and explained briefly. "Er…well…Ryou has a Millenium Ring like I have the Puzzle, and the Ring has a spirit inside it too, except this one happens to be bent on revenge. We call the spirit Bakura and um, the normal one Ryou…" If this was a test for Kaiba's seemingly changed belief-system, this was it…

Turning away, Kaiba muttered, "I thought 'Ryou Bakura' was his name…"

Bakura seethed behind the shield Shadi had placed over him. The Shadows began ghosting over the edge, purple-black fire lacing up and down the barrier until it became a crackling dome of magic. That damned priest was going to pay. They were all going to pay for what they did to everything he cared about. Yes, they would pay. With interest. In blood. Blood for the ninety-nine that died that day…

"Seto." Shadi spoke, his voice unwavering. "I can hold him for only a short time. Whatever you were planning to do, act now."

It was then that Bakura screamed, and the shields fell down. Shadi collapsed from the pull. Bakura emerged from the glow, the Millenium Ring's pointers flying in the whirl of dark energy. He looked contemptuously at the fallen Shadi. "Fool. Did he not know that the shadows hunger still even when fed to gorging? You cannot hold back the shadows."

Bakura's eyes narrowed into slits. "Even the Ravager cannot be held back in its thirst for vengeance. For it is written,"

'The Ravager shall strike again.
Unfulfilled vengeance does not die so easily.
It shall return when its incarnate bids it.
Until then, let the black breath be unleashed.
All hail the shadows.'

"Thus it was written, and thus it was foretold. Foretold three thousand years ago, in the script of thieves, so that all who followed my path would know the secret of releasing the Black Shadow." Bakura's eyes pierced Yugi with absolute hate.

Yugi stood with his back against the stone tablet, frozen. Frantic thoughts ran through his mind. He couldn't save them, he couldn't protect them, he couldn't dare watch the dance of death beginning before him…

--What do I do I can't stop It Yami's not here I don't know what to do --Courage-- what? Who? Sounds so familiar but how can I--

"Prepare to die, Yugi." Slowly Bakura reached behind his back, and when he pulled them back, two more knives were in his hands. The manic smile grew. "Prepare to die, all of you."

The Ravager fed on its summoner's rage. They wanted blood, dark red, fresh blood. Oh yes. They were all going to die. Their eyes turned red, flickering with the lust for blood, the need for blood. Murderous, burning red.

The chamber filled with a combined roar.

The Ravager dove down with the intent to kill.

Bakura leapt forward, arms flickering to the side, tiny knives ready to fly--

:Chosen!:

Without thinking Yugi raised up his right hand and screamed in a foreign language, "Yalan i mórea istar!"

And the Dark Magician answered his call. Purple robes swaying in an invisible wind, he pointed his staff at the enemy that dared threaten his master.

Bakura yelled as he was stopped in mid-leap by pure magic. He landed heavily; his knives' edges skittering against the stone floor. Purple-black streams of magic shot out of the Dark Magician's staff, making the Ravager scream in pain. The Ravager curled and writhed, and turned its eyes to its challenger. Deep purple eyes gazed at the beast before him. Raising up his staff, he called yet even more magic to gather in this chamber. The two great beings of magic stared at each other.

Bakura's eyes widened as Yugi's summoning brought forth the feared Dark Magician. How had he…?

The Dark Magician turned and stood by his master's side, arms crossed. Yugi gazed at him with wonder. Did he really…do that?

Bakura looked back and forth, from Yugi to the Dark Magician to the cold Kaiba in front of him. Each one of them stared back at Bakura with unflinching eyes.

"So, Yugi…you summon the servant of the Pharaoh…" Bakura laughed quietly. "Well then, shall we play? The Pharaoh's servant against the Ravager. Myself against the High Priest." He raised his knives. "Yes, we shall play, and whoever wins will lay claim to you, little Yugi…"

"You play a dangerous game, Bakura." Kaiba warned. He stepped forward, his single knife clutched in his right hand. "You will lose."

Bakura smiled. "That is what they always say." He bowed mockingly. "Before they lose."

The two began to circle, Kaiba always keeping Bakura away from Yugi.

The Dark Magician nodded once towards Yugi before moving forward. The Ravager growled, and met him head on with mouths full of fangs. They wove and turned in mid-air, tracing elegant trails of crackling magic…

Bakura grinned. He could easily kill the fool in front of him, just by using a touch of magic or throwing a knife, but where would the fun be in that? The High Priest gave him much grief in the past, and Bakura would have his fun.

Kaiba glared at him, the knife trembling in his hand. "Ryou, you are not going to get past me."

"And what makes you think that?" Bakura laughed. "He is dead to you, little man. Nothing you do can bring him back unless I will it."

Kaiba's eyes flickered. "Ryou! Do you hear me?"

Tea closed her eyes in absolute terror. She could feel the Ravager ghosting over her and the cracks of reflected power in the air. Joey clutched in hand in weak assurance as blood continued to seep out the impromptu bandage made from Tea's orange vest. Tristan gritted his teeth. "Come on, come on…"

"Do you know what you did, Priest?" Bakura taunted. "Do you know you have blood on your hands?"

Kaiba ignored him. Inwardly he was struggling for words. He couldn't believe he was trying to recall the words Yugi spoke to the apparently mind-controlled Joey during their duel. Somehow Yugi had done it, and now he had to do the same… "Break free of him, Ryou!"

Bakura snarled. "He is mine! You dare try to turn him from me?"

"He is not yours, Spirit of the Ring," Yugi spoke, and stepped forward, his eyes narrowing in anger. "Ryou was never yours in the first place."

Above them were the cries of battle and crackling rays of dark purple and red-black magic. The Dark Magician sent spell after spell, and many of the Ravager died, but more came to take their place. The serpentine beasts circled around the lone Dark Magician, teasing him, tearing parts of his robe off and playing with the bits. It would be over very soon now. Soon he would tire, and they would feed…

"Do you hear that, Yugi?" Bakura taunted. "They are keening in anticipation. Soon your precious magician will be a shredded playtoy."

"My magician will not fall." Yugi said simply. "I put my trust in him, and in Ryou."

"Bah! That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" Bakura sneered. "Trying to call back Ryou is like trying to call back the shifting sands of Egypt. They will come and go to no one's command."

Kaiba quirked an eyebrow. "To yours, as well."

Joey cracked open an eye. "Ya hear that? Ryou ain't yours."

Bakura growled. "He is mine, mortals! Mine! Mine to take and own, as I will take your life!" The Millenium Ring glowed, and rays of blue light shot of the pointers and hit the Ravager, making them glow in an unearthly blue light.

Yugi's eyes widened. He could feel the magic, feel the magic strengthen the Ravager. Bakura was using the Millenium Ring to power the Ravager further…soon Dark Magician would be overpowered. Yugi gripped his own Puzzle, and tried to strengthen his own magician. But his mind was weary, and he did not know how to use the Puzzle…

Bakura jabbed a knife forward. Kaiba barely managed to dodge it, and tried making a retaliatory swipe. Bakura easily sidestepped Kaiba's attempt and stepped forward, locking their knives together. The two looked into each other's eyes.

"Prepare to die!"

The Ravager darted forward, towards the Dark Magician's heart--

Yugi's mouth whispered words he did not understand--

--"Túla, vaiva…"--

Bakura whipped one knife across Kaiba's hand, sending his knife flying--

Winds suddenly came and swirled around the Dark Magician, winds of magic--

Bakura reversed his knife and hit Kaiba in the stomach--

The winds brought with them strength--

Kaiba fell to the ground in shock--

The Dark Magician swung his staff and blocked the Ravager's attack--

But now there was no one in the way of Bakura. Yugi stepped back, only to stop against the stone tablet. He was trapped. Laughing, Bakura reached forward for Yugi's throat--

* * * * *

Ryou floated among the shadows, not even trying to wade through them.

He'd been here countless times.

There was no trying to break free.

Oh, he had, once or twice. Not often. Not likely.

Or, as the spirit put it, not ever again.

He should have been in his soulroom. His nice, safe, small soulroom. With a nice, safe, lock on the door.

He should have known that his yami would find a way to circumvent that.

Now, it was only by the generous action of his yami that Ryou would wake up from this nightmare and find himself in his soulroom. His yami couldn't hold him here for long, because eventually the magic would fade and he would be in his soulroom, but until then Ryou was stuck in a fog of shadows.

Sometimes, if he tried hard enough, he could see. That was when he had more strength. Sometimes he heard voices.

But now, he was tired, and he would have to wait.

Laughter.

His yami's laughter. He could hear chanting.

"All hail the shadows…"

"Ryou! Do you hear me?"

Yes, he heard them. He just couldn't do anything. He was just too tired to care anymore…

:Awake!:

Ryou blinked. Who said that?

"He is not yours, Spirit of the Ring…Ryou was never yours in the first place…"

"He is mine, mortals! Mine! Mine to take and own, as I will take your life!"

Ryou's mind began to rebel. He, his?

:Sleep no longer!:

"Trying to call back Ryou is like trying to call back the shifting sands of Egypt. They will come and go to no one's command."

"To yours, as well."

And Ryou remembered.

Pictures of the Ravager and knives and Bakura's plan. He saw his hands snap forward to knock the Priest down and the spirit reaching forward for Yugi--

No!

Ryou's eyes flashed, his will returning. His mind was his own!

The shadows writhed at this new attempt from its captive.

Ryou struggled against his bonds. This time, he would break free! With a mental cry Ryou broke the bonds that held him and he fell in his soulroom. Ryou shook his hair out of his eyes and scrambled to his feet.

He ran for the door. Out there the spirit was going to kill and Ryou had to stop him!

* * * * *

Yugi's vision filled with Bakura's wild, mad eyes and his clawed hands reaching for his throat. He was going to die--

The Dark Magician felt his master's mental cry for help. With a cry he pushed back the Ravager with his staff, and summoned the power of the wind around him. Raising up his bitten staff, he shouted one last incantation.

The winds roared, and they too cried out for a need to rip and tear. For now the winds had teeth, and they turned and bit into the Ravager. The Ravager screamed in pain. The winds whirled into a cutting tornado, and they slashed and tore and raged, until the Ravager lost its hold and fell back into the shadows. The Ravager snarled in its retreat. They would be back.

The Dark Magician calmed down the winds and flew down towards his master, but he knew that it would be too late--

For a moment, Yugi saw death.

Then suddenly Bakura's eyes flickered, and he faltered, and instead of crushing Yugi's throat he slammed into the stone tablet.

The Dark Magician came down to stand between Yugi and the crazed madman. Eyes wide, Yugi stepped back and hid behind his magician as he watched Bakura rise shakily.

No, not Bakura…Ryou.

The Dark Magician leveled his staff at Ryou, ready to blast him. Yugi pushed the staff away, and the Dark Magician gave him a look of annoyance. Yugi reached out a hand. "R-Ryou?"

Ryou looked at Yugi wearily. "Hey…" Then he grimaced, and fell to one knee. "He's trying- to break- free--"

<<Yadonushi!!! You are mine!>>

<I was never yours.>

Bakura's eyes widened as Ryou fiercely fought for control. Ryou clutched his head, his face twisted in pain.

For a second, Bakura clawed his way back into control. His mad eyes met with the Dark Magician's purple ones. …Those were familiar eyes. He'd seen them before…on that priest…before he'd taken the--

"You!"

The Dark Magician nodded his head slightly, his eyes darkening. This was the thief Bakura, the one who had stolen the Millenium Ring. Though his scar was gone and his skin paler, his aura was still the seething fire of revenge…

With the spirit distracted, Ryou broke through. "Yugi! I can't…hold him…much longer…"

Yugi ran forward and grabbed Ryou's shoulders and looked into changing, turbulent eyes, shifting from Ryou's softer, terrified eyes to Bakura's raging ones. From one firestorm to another, Yugi could see the warring minds. One fighting in fear and pent up anger, the other with sheer power and hate.

Ryou groaned and slipped further, practically resting in Yugi's hands. Yugi shook him. "Ryou, keep fighting!" His face darkened as he saw the Millenium Ring begin to glow. "Spirit, release him!"

The Dark Magician looked closely at this new boy. This one…was different. This one had no lust for revenge, no dark desire to kill. Just acute terror that the thief would be released and more death would follow.

Then the Dark Magician pulled back his staff, stepped forward, and tapped Yugi on the shoulder. Yugi looked over to see the Dark Magician smile, point towards the Millenium Ring, and open up his hand, palm up.

Yugi's eyes lit up. The Dark Magician must want the Ring for some reason. Maybe he could help Ryou. Yugi's hand reached for the Ring. Suddenly the Ring pointers flared and Ryou grimaced as he heard a flaming round of curses. Yugi frowned. Perhaps only the Ring-bearer could hold the Ring when the spirit was…obstinate…about transfers. He shook Ryou again. "Ryou, give him the Ring."

Ryou frowned in confusion. "What?" He looked at the Dark Magician in slight fear.

"I think he can help."

Wincing as Bakura screamed another round of blasphemous epithets, Ryou tugged on the cord that the Ring hung on. His muscles strained between two warring minds, and sweat trickled down Ryou's face.

"You will not…best…me."

Impatient, the Dark Magician flicked his hand. The Ring flew over Ryou's head and landed softly in the Dark Magician's hand.

The pointers flared and waved, and the Dark Magician's mouth quirked up slightly as he heard even more creative curses coming from the spirit of the Ring. He folded his hand around the Ring, feeling the magic aura of its power once again. Yes, he knew this Ring, knew it well…knew how darkness had been woven into its making long before even his time. There was one way to make the Ring…behave. Holding his staff over the Ring, he hissed a command.

"Lóre."

The pointers stilled. The Dark Magician handed the Ring back to Ryou, winking. Ryou put it back on confoundedly, as now the Ring was…silent. Again. Like the spirit had been subdued or put to sleep or…something.

Yugi looked at Ryou questioningly. Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "He's…quiet now."

Before Yugi could say anymore, the Dark Magician clasped Yugi's shoulders firmly and turned him to the fallen Kaiba at the tablet footsteps.

Kaiba coughed out blood, his pupils pulled into tiny dots from the pain. With a gasp he yanked out the knife and felt a gush of blood pour out between red fingers--

"Ooooh, man." Tristan groaned, and ran over to Kaiba. "He wasn't supposed to do that." He took off his jacket and tried to staunch the bleeding.

Yugi inhaled sharply. The Dark Magician led him firmly to Kaiba though, and pointed to the Millenium Puzzle. Yugi clasped his hand around his treasured possession. "Wha- what do you mean?"

Joey stumbled over towards them, leaning against Tea. He looked down at Kaiba, who was curled in over his wound. "This ain't good." He looked at the Dark Magician. "Not to mention weird."

Shadi stirred from the ground and woke up with a pounding headache. He cracked open one eye to see a strange gathering at the threshold of the stone tablet. Something like blood, and the Chosen One, and the One-Who-Is-Not-Insane, and the Dark Magician. Ah. He closed his eye. Maybe he'd just go back to sleep…but with a groan he pushed himself up and made his way to the rest of the group.

Everyone was taking things so cavalierly it might have looked like they didn't care. But that was because they'd been through so many wild things in the last three minutes that anything else was just-- whatever. Like their minds were overloaded, so now they were in a state of numbness.

The Dark Magician pointed to the Puzzle, then at Kaiba. Yugi looked at his Puzzle. "You want me…to heal him?"

The Dark Magician nodded.

"But I don't know how to use it!" Yugi protested. "I can't--"

"He's not going to live if you don't try," Tristan interrupted. "Gut wounds are nasty."

Yugi swallowed. "I'll try." Closing his eyes, he tentatively placed a hand on the eye symbol of his puzzle and reached out mentally for that same power he'd inadvertently used before.

He felt a light presence in his mind, and it gently guided him to a certain part of the Puzzle. Once again, words unbidden formed from his mouth and spoke.

"Elessa."

Power flowed from the faintly glowing Puzzle to the stab wound. First he mended the torn veins and capillaries back together, growing them back into the thin intricate net of blood vessels. Then the bruising and lacerations healed, along with the torn walls of the intestines pulling back together. Muscle reformed and pale skin stretched over the hole, until all that was left was a shiny white scar.

When it was over, Yugi fell down heavily, exhausted. He didn't think his legs would support him anymore. At least that was all he had to worry about for now. The Ravager had receded from his mind, and Yugi no longer had to put up a barrier to hold onto sanity.

Kaiba stirred, and moaned softly. Dazed, he sat up and looked down at his stomach to where there should have been a nasty hole. Beneath his torn shirt was smooth flesh. Well. This was…interesting. From the corner of his eyes he could see the Puzzle glowing. Oh great...he hadn't-- He had. Great. Just great.

Tristan picked up his blood stained jacket and groaned. "Aw man, this was my favorite jacket too…"

The Dark Magician looked at Tristan in amusement. He stamped his staff on the ground, and Tristan looked in amazement as the blood on his jacket…melted away. The blood on the ground streaked and coagulated, until it too melted and disappeared. The Dark Magician smiled, and crossed his arms. And then he just-- vanished.

Ryou blinked. "How'd he do that?"

Yugi's mouth twitched. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

"Yeah well, now that the whole fiasco's done, can we open the door and get this over with?" Joey drawled. "I'm getting tired of surprises."

Yugi stared at Joey, with the faint red line underneath Joey's T-shirt. "Joey! You're hurt--"

Joey waved a hand. "It's nothin'. Rest a bit, Yuge. I can handle it."

Ryou walked over to the stone tablet. "Well, it's back to this guys. Somehow we've got to get this open."

"Oh joy," Tea muttered.

The rest of the group walked (or limped, or crawled, or in some way) made their way to the stone tablet. Everyone just stared at it blearily.

Ryou fingered the center inscription. The one that had been on the other six doors, in thieves cant. "Well, now we know what these mean." He grimaced. " 'All hail the shadows…' "

Tristan patted Ryou's shoulder. "Not your fault, man. Besides, you showed him, hey?"

Ryou rubbed his head. "Yeah…"

Shadi pointed to the poem inscribed at the top. "The poem I read would be the hieroglyphs up here. However," he pointed up higher, to the writing that lined the edge of the tablet, "these glyphs I do not know."

Everyone just stared at Shadi for a moment.

"Whaddya mean, you don't know 'em?" Joey shook his head. "Figures. All this way and we're stuck."

"I understand them," Kaiba said in a monotone voice. "I know what they read."

No one said anything in sheer shock. Kaiba stood up slowly, and gazed at the tablet. The thing that haunted his dreams. And today he had seen more things that would haunt his dreams. Perhaps one day he could convince himself that they were fantasy. But for the time being, they were true.

"Know this: I am Seto Kaiba. Nothing more, nothing less. The past is behind me, and nothing will change that." He paused. "The future is fluid."

"Thank you, Seto Kaiba," Yugi whispered in a voice only Kaiba heard.

Kaiba's eyebrows twitched. Then his mouth opened and ancient words in a language he once long knew came out.

"En khenemes-ee wab-ee: medew, khenmes, a'q…"

To my friend and priest: speak, friend, and enter…

The door opened with a swirl of shadows to reveal the last and final memory.

* * * * *

The Ravager is not happy.

And when the Ravager is not happy, no one is happy.

This is the beginning of the end.

For which, that is the question.

Tick.

Footnotes / Comments:

(1) Based off of Lizeth's fanart called "For You." Don't own. Very funny. Totally Seto and Yami. It's on her deviantart site, and she has great art. Link: [http://lizeth.deviantart.com] Looklooklook!

(2) *blinks* The cucumber incident was based on a real-life story. Told to me by an ER physician. One thing I cut out…the patient had diarrhea. Enough said. XD Very funny when he told it to us.

(3) Right. The poem. Comes from the manga; Battle 264 "The Entrusted Card." I had two conflicting versions of this poem. Couldn't figure which one was right. One I think was a more literal Japanese translation, the other more lyrical. So what I did was try to put the two versions together to convey the idea I wanted. -_-;; Ended up being the first half of the poem was one version and the second half the other version. Dunno if that worked. *shrugs*

(4) Okay, I guess the biggest question is what the heck is Yugi and the Dark Magician saying?!? My answer is…something! ^^;;;; Okay, what they are speaking is like…a magical language. You know, the cliché use of magic words and all that. ^^;;;; Except it is a language, like ancient Egyptian is a language. And no, I did not make up the words/language; I used an actual language. Kind of. The grammar is probably all wrong, since I have only dictionaries (which conflicted over each other) and a few guidelines on grammar. I would have used Egyptian except I couldn't find the words I needed. Anyway, there are clues to what language I used/where it came from. One (vague) clue is in the inscription Bakura said. The second, bigbigbig hint is in the incantation Kaiba read out loud. And the third is really my fault and another big clue: The word "istar" means "wizard"; I could not find the word for "magician." ^_~ And that's a clue to what Yugi actually said. This language will have connections to the next chapter.

(5) Gut wounds. Not pleasant. Very bad. Your intestines are delicate things, very fragile, and contain volatile stuff, like bile, acids, and undigested food. And if ripped out, the small intestines are about 6 m long (20 ft). Try putting that back in-- if possible. Basic first aid states that if you are impaled, especially in the gut, don't pull it out. The very thing impaling you is the thing holding your intestines inside your body and not out the hole the impaling object created. Once removed…not pretty. Major puncture wounds are very difficult to stitch up. Even today, surgeons still dread treating stab wounds more than lacerations. Think about it. Imagine something cut off versus smashed in. It's going to be relatively easier to put back the cut pieces together than the smashed stuff.
So Kaiba really shouldn't have pulled out that knife. But then again, who wants a knife in their stomach? XD Okay, medicine lesson over.

Toboe LoneWolf: And now, for your reading enjoyment, we haveth…*drumroll* Bloopers, Cut-Outs, and General Mishaps!

Bakura crashes into the floor…for the third time.
"@&!)%, woman! Why do I have to keep getting knocked into the ground?!"
Djanil looks from the side. "Because the authoress has no creativity? Because you can't kill them yet? …Or perhaps it's her weird way of getting back at you…"

"Yugi!" Ryou cried out. "Attack me now!"
Yugi blinked. "I have this weird feeling of deja vu…"
Toboe LoneWolf: *falls over* Cliché, I know…

Then the Dark Magician pulled back his staff, and stepped forward. Ryou looked at him with slight fear. But instead the Dark Magician smiled (a frightening action in and of itself, but that's beside the point) and said with all seriousness, "The authoress thinks you're cute."
Toboe LoneWolf: WHAT?!?! *.*

Perhaps only the Ring-bearer could hold the Ring when the spirit was…obstinate…about transfers.
Bakura regained control. "No! Not my preciousssss!! Nasty hobbitss, trying to take the precioussss!"

Kaiba's eyebrows twitched. Then his mouth opened and ancient words in a language he once long knew came out.
"Open Sesame!"
Toboe LoneWolf: *raises hand* Okay, who totally saw that coming?

Djanil: …You are disturbing, Toboe LoneWolf.

Toboe LoneWolf: As always. XD

Author's End Notes:

Toboe LoneWolf: Oh. My. Word. I finished it.

Djanil: Yes, you did. …Next chapter.

Toboe LoneWolf: *facefaults*

Bakura: *snickers* That's what you get for slamming me into things.

Toboe LoneWolf: *moans* It was so…complicated. You know how many rewrites this took? How many cut-and-paste rearrangements I made? First it was knife fight first, then summoning, then chant, then it was chant and summon, then it became double summon, and then Ryou had to enter the scene, and…oh man, this was so confusing.

Djanil: *crosses paws and rests head* Anyway, Toboe LoneWolf apologizes for the somewhat overused plot elements. She has tried to make it original as possible but so many stories have this sort of thing that it's hard to make it original. *raises eyebrow* So she tried putting them all in, and this is the sad result.

Toboe LoneWolf: Mrph. This chapter would have been so much easier visually. It is so much easier to have simultaneous events on a screen than on paper. Next chapter should be much easier. Very linear. No simultaneous battles, no multi-events, everything is one-on-one…

Yami: Joy. Because I'll be able to do something instead of lie in bed.

Toboe LoneWolf: I wanna sleep…anyways, hope you guys liked this chapter. I really tried to make this original, with summoning and Ryou asserting himself and not saying, "attack me! It's the only way!" (ever notice that this seems to be happening frequently in YGO? First Ryou, then Malik, semi-Joey, Yugi…) but I don't know if this all flowed well. Plus, Kaiba is just…Kaiba.

So…may the next chapter be fruitful! Next chapter…Yami knows the cure works. Now to administer it to all of his people…More battle, more fun. Fear. *waves* Ja ne!