Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Psyche ❯ Solutions ( Chapter 22 )

AN: The <blah, blah, blah> indicate what the hieroglyphics are saying. Also, has anyone but me ever noticed that the name Marik is the same as Karim, only backwards and twisted? Last note, I am behind on my behind schedule. I can't believe it…grumble, grumble… I might need to stretch this story even farther then I originally planned, just to get everything in.

 

Psyche

Chapter Twenty Two: Solutions

~*~*~*

OCs

~*~*~*

Ahmose: (Egyptian for: The moon is born) Yami's son back in Egypt.

E'on: Jonouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Jame: Kaiba's obsessive-compulsively organized secretary who wants to be fired.

Kallon: The Dark Sage and one of the three rulers of the Shadow Realm, though he tries hard not to be.

Kisara: The only female Blue Eyes White Dragon. (Not really an OC)

Koori: (Japanese for: Ice) The largest male Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Ledowr: The Magician of Black Chaos, also one of the three rulers of the Shadow Realm, and is trying even harder not to be. He is also Yuai's husband.

Pepi: Yami's third wife back in Egypt.

Shimo: (Japanese for: Frost) The other male Blue Eyes White Dragon.

Yuai: Yugi's girlfriend, sort of..., one of three rulers of the Shadow Realm. Though she's been slacking lately. She is married to Ledowr.

 

~*~*~*

Yami and Marik

~*~*~*

 

The police had done a through job of collecting any evidence and totting it away. Not to say that there wasn't mountains of pure garbage drifting around the shack, but it seemed that all the really important stuff was long gone.

 

“Pharaoh, hey, pharaoh!” Marik's voice broke Yami out of his disgusted search of the room Jonouchi had been held in.

 

“I don't want to see any more of his magazine collection!” Yami yelled back, irritably kicking a empty dog food can across the room.

 

Marik appeared in the door. “This place has really been picked over. I think we're wasting our time here.”

 

Yami shrugged, “Let's just do the fruit loop's bedroom then leave. We've still got the cliff side and the house Kaiba nearly got blown to bits in.”

 

“How about the business dude?” Marik ambled back into the ruins of the living room.

 

“Yes, him too. But only him.” Yami slogged through the garbage towards the bedroom silently cursing Marik's longer legs, that could easily step over the garbage heaps he had to wade through. “But if we chase after every business associate that Kaiba's driven into an insane rage, we'll be investigating till we die of old age.”

 

The bedroom was, if anything, in even worse shape then the living room. The windows had been shattered and dirt, leaves, and branches mixed into the tangle of papers, clothes, and food containers that heaped in small mountains through the room. The odor of decaying trash, moldy bedding, and old urine seemed to spring at the two yamis's noses with a diabolical laugh. The two wilted.

 

“I'd say let's break for lunch, but I just lost my appetite.” Marik covered his nose and mouth with one pink hand, noticed what was clinging to its palm, the smeared it across the wall next to him with a disgusted look.

 

Yami swallowed queasily. “Let's just get this over with and get up to the cliff. If all else fails we can throw ourselves off and die clean.”

 

Marik stepped over to a pile and shook his head, “The problem is that we can't die. I'll have to live with this memory for the rest of eternity.”

 

“Maybe we'll get lucky and you will die.” Yami settled next to another pile. “I do have incredible luck.” He reached into the pile and pulled out a decaying mass of soggy paper. He gave it a disgusted look and was about to toss it, when something caught his attention.

 

It's all your fault Kaiba. You took them away from…

 

“Marik, I've found something.” Yami kept reading as the blond dark knelt at his side reading over his shoulder.

 

…me. It's all your fault.

 

He'd read that before. Hell, it was painted on some of the walls and carved into the window sills. No, what caught his attention was the scribbled, barely legible hieroglyphics that flowed lopsidedly down the page after it.

 

< I gave you everything and you destroyed it. You destroyed everything. All my work! All that time, and you demolished it. Careless, spineless… You'll pay, Seth. You will pay. It's all your fault. I'll destroy everything, everyone you ever loved. I will make you pay for what you did.>

 

“Shit, it's after Seth?” Marik stepped back.

 

Yami stood up, “Who the hell is this? Seth made his share of enemies, but…” He gestured around the wreckage of the cabin. “here? Now?”

 

“If it's connected to the Eye, could it be that old priest of yours? Akunamatata, or whatever.” Marik poked at the pile a bit more hoping for more papers.

 

“Akeneden. No, he wasn't the happiest of men, but he loved Seth. He'd never do this.” Yami reached in a pocket, pulled out a large plastic zip lock bag and dropped the sodden mass of papers into it.

 

Marik stood up, pulled off his gloves and tossed them away. “Zork?”

 

Yami snorted disgustedly and headed out the door. “Dealt with.”

 

“Do you think Bakura?” Marik took another glance around the living room as they passed through it, but didn't see anything except trash.

 

“And put Ryou in danger? Not a chance.” Yami shook his head and walked back to the car, dropping the plastic bagged papers into the back seat through the open window. “The thief would rather be eaten by a Man Eater Bug.”

 

“Then another of your priests. Shadi?” Marik looked almost gleeful at the prospect.

 

“I don't like him, but I don't see it.” Yami yanked off his gloves and tossed them aside. “If he was after Seth, he wouldn't use,” Yami gestured toward the cabin, “these methods. He does have some honor.”

 

“Sister?” The blond yami ducked his head, almost looking afraid of Yami's answer.

 

“No. She's annoying, but, again, she does have some honor.” Yami started hiking up the hill, towards where Jonouchi was pulled into the Shadow Realm by Ledowr, and the kidnapper had committed suicide. Yami wasn't expecting to find anything up there, but it was better to be through, and it would postpone having to sit for hours in a car with Marik on the trip back.

 

Marik gave an almost inaudible sigh of relief, then caught up to Yami. “How about Karim?” Marik looked around the woods trying to come up with possibilities.

 

“Did you take a good look at the Celtic Gaurdian? That was Karim.” Yami reached the trail head and started up the slope. “He was also a good friend of Seth's. You can also wipe Mahaado off your list. Kisara would barbeque him if he even had a passing thought of harming Seth.”

 

“We've run out of people.”

 

“It has to be someone.”

 

~*~*~*

Kaiba

~*~*~*

“I need to get back to work.” Kaiba stormed around Seth's soul room study, or at least pretended he was storming around. If his legs had a tendency to wobble, and his footsteps didn't quite match in tempo or length, he tried hard to ignore it. He was trying to storm, not wobble pathetically. He absolutely refused to acknowledge that his brief, as in five minutes, visit with his surviving employees had tired him out to the point of near collapse. “You can't keep me here!”

 

Seth looked up from the scroll he was reading, and nodded, “That is true. You can return to your own soul room anytime you wish.”

 

“I want my body back!” Kaiba tried to slam his hand against the desk, but his atrophied muscles lacked the power to make the gesture as meaningful as he hoped. He looked at his hand disgustedly wondering if there was some kind of weightlifting program for the soul.

 

Seth set the scroll aside and stood up. “Hikari calm down.” He stepped around the desk and caught Kaiba in a embrace. “You don't have the strength, yet. I let you go visit your people. Tomorrow you can work on those papers you brought home with you. You are not however, going to take over the body and go back to work till you are strong enough to do so.”

 

“I'm fine!” Kaiba squirmed weakly in his yami's embrace trying to get free. Seth just leaned back against the desk and waited till Kaiba wore himself out and sagged bonelessly against him.

 

“It is obvious that you are not fine.” Seth scooped him up and walked back to the bedroom. He put his exhausted light on the bed and smoothed the blanket over him. “You'll be better soon. Just be patient with yourself.” Seth stepped back to the door. “Sleep hikari. If you are better tonight, you can spend some time with Jonouchi.”

 

Kaiba glared at the ceiling till his darkness went away. “I'm not some stupid little kid that you can bribe.” He snarled softly. He waited a few minutes, pretending he was waiting for his yami to get busy, then got up. The room tilted alarmingly, but he took a few deep breaths, and forced his tired legs to take him out of the room. He carefully made his way down the hall, and found the first set of stairs.

 

He didn't know how long it took him, but after what seemed ages of stumbling, falling, laying panting in heaps at the bottoms of various staircases, and periodically tripping over his own clumsy, leaden feet, he finally got to his own soul room. He nearly crawled into his bed and lay there, his breath sobbing in painful gasps through his lips. When his eyes tried to slip close he forced them back open and dragged his body up to sit on the edge of the bed. He pulled a scrap of parchment from his pocket and read through it a couple times.

 

“Seems simple enough.” He took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled a few steps till he grabbed onto a statue of one of the Blue Eyes, to keep himself from falling. “Okay, now…”

 

Seth was sitting in his study, checking into a few texts that might help his stubborn light recover quicker. Most of them had the same advice, meditation. He really didn't like that answer. His light was not really the meditative kind. However, the scroll that he presently read seemed to think that judicious amounts of rest with periods of moderate mental activity could also work. The author stressed the need for focus and peace, not necessarily stillness and meditation.

 

He propped his chin against his hand and thought it over. It might work. His light was certainly intelligent enough to enjoy a mental challenge. That work he brought home might actually be put to some good use. It would allow him to focus on something that wouldn't be too stressful. If it did become too much, Seth had no problems handing part of it off to Mokuba. The child was old enough to handle some of his brother's duties. Now, the only problem was to convince Seto that rest and peace were a necessary part of his recovery. “Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn.”

 

The sudden pain caught him by surprise. His mouth dropped open in a soundless scream as he collapsed to the floor next to the chair, feeling as if someone had suddenly gutted him from the inside out. Just as the first wave of pain subsided allowing him to push himself to his knees and to desperately reach out to see if his light was in danger, the next wave of agony hit, sending darkness crashing down around him.

 

~*~*~*

Bakura, Ryou, Yugi, Malik, and Mokuba

~*~*~*

 

Ryou, Yugi, Marik, and Mokuba were all clustered together around the small DVD rack in the corner of the living room trying to figure out what movie they wanted to see. None of the hikaris wanted Seth to miss any of Captive Passions, so those tapes had sat neglected in a small pile since the other yami had let his light nag him into visiting what was left of Kaiba Corp.

 

“How about The Never Ending Story?” Ryou looked over at him questioningly.

 

“The kid with the magic grain of sand?” Bakura shook his head, “Forget it. I'll gut someone before the end.”

 

“Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?” Mokuba waved a box with a stone dragon on it.

 

“Cheesy graphics.” Malik snorted. “I was really looking forward to the transformation and …bleck. All that work to turn into a fat, claymation dinosaur with stubby wings.”

 

“How about Silence of the Lam…”Yugi suddenly had two sets of hands covering his mouth, as Mokuba ripped the DVD case from his hands, pulled out the disk, and cracked it in half.

 

Ryou called back over his shoulder, “Ooops, that one's broke.” He turned to Yugi hissing, “Don't give him ideas. I don't need bottles of Chianti showing up at dinner.”

 

The hikaris and Mokuba went back to the DVDs and Bakura stretched out on the couch idly flipping through channels. The lights quarreled over The Lord of the Rings -nice graphics, nice booty call with Legolas and Aragon getting plenty of air time, but panned for the title.-, the Harry Potter movies -okay booty call, though the cloaks spoiled the fun, but after a few minutes, panned for being liable to give a certain yami ideas about plants, two headed men, and bludgers- and they finally decided on an old romance, Sleepless in Seattle -only one booty to contemplate, a bit sappy, but it wouldn't lead to Ryou having nightmares for months. Bakura half paid attention to the squabbling, but drifted off during the discussion about giant chess sets.

 

He was just sleepily contemplating pulling the old, soft blanket off the back of the couch and settling down for a good nap, when an explosion of Shadow Magic had him up on his feet and running up the stairs with a knife gripped in his hand, before his brain fully processed the event. He vaguely heard Yugi and Ryou urge a startled Mokuba to get back into the kitchen as he leapt the final steps and landed in the hall. Get down to the shop now hikari! Bakura yelled over the mind link to his light. He heard Ryou's squeaked reply, as he slid open the door to Yugi's room, checking for intruders.

 

He could hear soft moaning from Seth's room and slunk down the hall as silently as a cat, listening and sensing for anything out of place. He swore silently to himself as he came to the door. Whoever, or whatever had made the noise was quiet now, but the residue of magic hung heavily around the room. “If you've been playing games priest, I'll fillet you and serve you as dinner. I'll even get the damn bottle of Chianti I wasn't supposed to know about.” He whispered as he gently nudged the door open.

 

The room stank of magic, but no one attacked him, so he pushed the door completely open and looked in. The priest was laying on the bed, by the looks of it unconscious, and on the floor next to him lay a naked, emaciated form. Bakura winced at the slenderness of the arms and legs, but passed over whoever it was to check for more immediate dangers. Nothing presented itself, so he stepped carefully over and looked down at the figures.

 

“Shit.”

 

~*~*~*

Jonouchi

~*~*~*

He waved goodbye to his father and sister as he walked into the shop and locked the door behind him. Except for his mother, it had been a great day. After the park and lunch, they'd gone to the arcade, where he found out that he really, really shouldn't challenge his baby sister to a game of Maximum Carnage. When she'd completely humiliated him, they'd headed back to his dad's place and had hung around eating bad food, playing video games and listening to the stereo. He bounced up the steps, hoping to talk to Seth for a bit, and maybe play a round or two of Duel Monsters with Yugi. He stopped in the kitchen, and grabbed a soda from the fridge, then ambled in to the living room, wondering what they'd been doing while he'd been out.

 

The living room was empty, except for a small pile of DVDs scattered in the corner and a small litter of cups, cans of soda, and a few bowls of old, petrified nachos. He could hear a few voices up stairs, so ambled up, wondering what game Yugi had pulled out that would even get Bakura to join the fun. He poked his head into his small friends room, but no one was there. He took a sip from his soda and walked down to his, Seth's and Mokuba's room.

 

The room was crowded. Bakura was leaning over the bed, with a look of surprise on his face. He could hear Mokuba's voice calling for his big brother, but he couldn't see the spiky haired kid. Yugi and Malik were standing together holding a clutter of towels, bowls, cups of some steaming liquid, and, oddly, a pair of grandpa's old pajamas. Ryou was crowded next his darkness, clutching a washcloth and a large glittery knife.

 

Jo stepped in and nudged Yugi, trying to get a look over his shoulder at what everyone was looking at on the bed.

 

Bakura glanced over at him, and jerked his head, indicating that he should shoulder his way through and come next to the bed. “Your lover boy is a class A fuck up.”

Jonouchi wiggled past Yugi and Malik and saw what everyone was so weird about. Laying side by side on the narrow twin bed, was Kaiba and…well Kiaba. One was healthy looking with soft, glowing brunet hair, a pale but healthy complexion and a slender, but well filled out form. The other looked like someone out of one of those Nazi concentration camp news clips from history class, with the bones showing with painful clarity beneath taunt pale skin, and hair that lay in a dead, dry thatch of muddy straw.

 

Mokuba was sitting on the bed torn between the frighteningly skinny version of Kaiba and the healthy one. Neither version was moving, which was driving the child to tears. “Big brother, please. Wake up. You have to wake up.”

 

Jo looked over to Yugi.

 

Yugi bit his lip and shook his head. “I don't know. We were down stairs and Bakura jumped off the couch, and…” He looked helplessly at the two brunets.

 

“It's that stupid, fucking song. Yami must have given it to Seth and it backfired.” He stepped away. “Everyone out except the squirt and mute boy.” He grabbed his knife from Ryou and waved it towards the door. “Out.”

 

The hikaris fled. Bakura grinned then turned to Jonouchi. “Keep an eye on them. I'm calling the pharaoh and the nut. One of them might have stumbled over why we've now got a skeleton of Kaiba.”

 

Jo nodded dumbly staring at the two prone forms. It was hard to tell that they were even breathing. He sat down next to Mokuba and pulled the kid onto his lap.

 

“Which is he? I can't tell. Seth said Big Brother was sick, but… He can't be. Can he?” Mokuba looked over at Jonouchi with sad, worried eyes.

 

~*~*~*

Yami and Marik

~*~*~*

“…and that's the way we became a family.” Marik sang for the ten thousandth time.

 

Yami dragged himself into the game shop hoping that somehow, someway, the gods would have mercy on his tortured soul and obliterate Marik from existence. It had been a long, long trip back, and Yami wasn't sure he'd be able to stop himself from killing the blond haired yami once he regained his strength and will to live.

 

“Yami!” Two voices cried at the same time and two lights plowed into their darknesses.

 

Yami staggered back, blinking heavily at his hyperactive little one.

 

“Bakura's been trying to reach you for hours.” Yugi was burrowed under one of Yami's arms.

 

“There's two Kiabas.” Malik wrapped himself around his dark's neck, planting happy kisses on his cheek.

 

“Two…Did Seth do the spell?” Yami dragged himself and his clinging light up the stairs.

 

Bakura was standing on the top, frowning. “Something went wrong. One looks like shit and they're both out cold.”

 

Yami, still feeling a bit quivery from hours of the Brady Bunch tune, sat down in a chair. “I don't remember that being a possibility.” He grunted softly as Yugi planted himself on his lap and snuggled under his chin.

 

Marik nodded, “I didn't read anything about that either. The spell is supposed to give you a solid illusion of form. The form is dictated by your hikari's form.” He looked over at the tall, tanned, blue eyed yami. “Except for those who later modify it.”

 

Bakura smirked. “Jealous?”

 

Marik shrugged. “Why?” He batted his eyelashes at Bakura. “You want me to change into something a bit more comfortable?”

 

Malik stepped nimbly away as Bakura launched himself at the other yami. “Anyone want some dinner?”

 

Yami pushed Yugi lightly off his lap, “Order pizza and maybe a side of soup.” He tromped through the door. “I'm too tired to chew.”

 

He walked up the stairs to the bedrooms and pushed open the guest room's door. Mokuba was now sitting at the desk, half heartedly working his way through a stack of paperwork. Jonouchi was sitting on the bed with the skinnier Kaiba's head on his lap, gently running his fingers through the dull locks.

 

Yami came over and looked at both of them, then shrugged. “Jo, come here.”

 

The blond carefully wiggled out from under the limp form and came to stand next to Yami.

 

“Close your eyes for a moment Jo.” Yami gently turned him to face the two sleeping brunets.

 

Jonouchi closed his eyes, tipping his head questioningly to the side.

 

“I want you to touch Kaiba.” Yami nudged him forward a step toward the bed.

 

Jo opened one eye and peeked at his friend.

 

“Just do it Jo. I'm too tired to play right now.” Yami nudged him another step, sounding irritated and slightly dangerous.

 

Jo closed his eyes, and reached out his hand. How the hell am I supposed to know which is which?

 

“You know him Jo. Now pick him out. Which is Kaiba?” Yami gave him one last nudge and the edge of the bed hit his knees.

 

Kaiba? He felt his hand wavering stupidly above the bed. He tried to figure out how to tell them apart. He pictured Kaiba standing in front of him, with that insufferable, superior look on his face. Kaiba? He felt silly. He listed a few of Kaiba's personality traits. Adorable. Complete ass. Loyal. Smart. He started wondering if Yami was playing him, and peeked over to see if the dark was holding a camera taking pictures of this. He wasn't, so Jonouchi closed his eyes again. Okay, how about something else. Kaiba sitting at his desk with his chin propped against his twined hands, silently brooding, with his blue eyes dark and unfathomable. Kaiba striding across a dueling arena, with his coat flaring behind him, all pride and determination. Kaiba swimming with Mokuba in the backyard pool, splashing his brother, laughing. Such a rare, beautiful sound. Kaiba's taste, the feel of his body as he slipped clothes off his lover and replaced them with kisses, licks and hungry caresses as Kaiba wound his hands into his hair. Kaiba's weight shifting against him, pushing demandingly against his body, as he gasped and writhed under him. His hand fell on dry, course hair. Found you.

 

Yami frowned, but wasn't terribly surprised. “Kaiba sang the song, not Seth.” Yami looked disgustedly down at the two on the bed, assessing their condition. “Seth had reason to be worried.”

 

“Will they be alright?” Mokuba stood next to Yami, looking anxious.

 

“A hikari isn't supposed to sing that, and it definitely isn't supposed to be sang in one's soul room. Seeing a hikari can't get to the Shadow Realm. I'd say Seto just did a pretty good job of trying to kill himself and Seth.” Yami yawned and turned away from Jo's and Mokuba's shocked faces. “If they're still alive in the morning, maybe Bakura and I will be able to do something to sort it out.”

 

Jo reached out and caught his arm.

 

Yami shook his head. “No, nothing can be done tonight. Their condition is too fragile. We'd probably finish the job Kaiba started trying to help.”

 

Jo dropped his hand and looked helplessly at the two on the bed. Yami took the opportunity to get out the door and slump tiredly over to his and Yugi's room. Downstairs he could hear the sounds of mild chaos as Bakura and Marik fought over the toppings on the pizza. He could hear Yugi and Malik turn on the TV and call for Ryou to hurry up, that the show was starting. He closed the door behind him and fell on the bed, his mind sadistically replaying “This is the story of a lovely lady, the mother of three very lovely girls…”

 

~*~*~*

Review