Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Virus ❯ Chapter 6

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Here is my second posting today!

I would like to thank those who have taken the time to review my story so far:

Onua Wingstar: Thank you, and here's your update!

Neko and Inu-chan: As a thank you for Neko's…umm…enthusiasm (*smiles*), I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Goddess of Death: Yep, Yugi is in a pickle, and the bad stuff hasn't even happened yet. It is fun to write Yami Bakura, even though I've only seen him in ONE episode. Darn WB keeps messing up the timeline. Grrrr!

Taito-kisses/Dogma: <leev hands Taito-kisses a lasso and some sedatives> Thank you!

Icz: I think I responded in an earlier chapter, but here I go again. Some angst coming up before the lemony goodness.

A/N: Obviously, Ryou and Bakura are together in this story, but everyone else is up for grabs. Still PG-13 (for safety reasons) but we will be sneaking into the R section in a few chapters. I may change it to NC-17 on media miner. I'll keep everyone posted.

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Virus - Chapter 6

"Baka Pharaoh! You and your hikari guard your precious dueling deck almost as well as you guard your puzzle. I have done nothing." Bakura's eyes blazed with righteous indignation. He was completely innocent, yet they all looked at him as if he were a lowly dung beetle. All except for Ryou, who quietly asked to view his memories of the morning. Bakura agreed.

Ryou turned to the others and upheld his yami's innocence. "He did feel a strange magic earlier. It must have happened at the start of the duel. Yami, did you feel this power as well?"

Yami, unhappy at not being able to vent his fear and anger, responded grudgingly, "It happened just as Yugi ordered the Dark Magician to attack."

Bakura recalled something he had heard earlier. "Perhaps you should direct your anger towards our host. His paid slave fled this dwelling just before the duel began. He muttered something about chips and something called a 'pracks' before his abrupt departure."

Kaiba's attention focused on Bakura. "Prax has to be Wayne Prax, a business rival of mine. But chips?" Kaiba felt a chill as he recalled his orders to Robbins the night before. The man had prepped the disks for the duel. /Did he mess with one of the control chips? Theoretically, altering a control chip could cause the circuits in a duel monster card to function erratically, making it impossible for the duelist to control it. But if Robbins switched chips, how would that bring a duel monster to life?/

Kaiba shared his thoughts with his guests and retrieved the disk that Yugi had used. When he opened the casing, the imposter chip was easily spotted. At their puzzled expressions, Kaiba briefly described the chip's purpose. Yami and Bakura exchanged looks. The ancient spirits had an idea of what had happened.

Yami stepped to the center of the room and addressed the gathering. "First, you must understand that duel monsters are not merely pictures on cardboard. They are very real. They exist in the Shadow Realm just as surely as you exist here. You know that one of the powers of the Millennium Ring allows Bakura to bring duel monsters into this reality. What you may not know is that the Millennium Puzzle wields this same power. I believe that all the millennium items hold such energy."

Bakura took up the tale. "The dueling decks belonging to yamis are mere portals to the Shadow Realm. When called upon, the monsters can appear outside of a duel and do the yami's bidding."

Yami began to pace as he continued. "Never before has a monster of mine performed without prior direction. I believe this device, " Yami waved towards the gutted dueling disk, "has allowed the Dark Magician to act independently of my or Yugi's command."

"Before they disappeared, Dark Magician said something about Yugi bein' safe, so wherever they are, Yug's OK, right? The Magician wouldn't hurt Yugi or nothing? Right?" Joey voiced a concern that many held.

"As a key part of Yugi's deck, he held a key role in protecting the boy. The Dark Magician is unpredictable now. He must be destroyed." Although not completely untouched by Yugi's plight, the thought of destroying one of the Pharaoh's favorite monsters filled Bakura with malicious glee. "Therefore, I humbly offer my services as executioner."

"Silence, thief! If a time comes when I must choose between a duel monster and my hikari," Yami closed his eyes, "I will obliterate the monster myself."

Tea had maintained her silence, but now had to ask, "So, where are they?"

"Ignorant mortal! They have fled to the Shadow Realm. Where else would a duel monster go?"

"Bakura, please. Your attitude is not helping." Ryou's soft plea reached Bakura's heart, and he ceased baiting the teens. For now.

"Bakura is correct. The Shadow Realm is the logical place for the Magician to hide. He has probably taken Yugi to the Dark Citadel." Before the question could be asked, Yami explained that the Dark Citadel was a fortress in the Shadow Realm that was inhabited by the duel monsters Yugi carried in his deck. Ryou/Bakura had a similar castle, as apparently all millennium item holders did. This was news to Ryou.

"We have a castle? Why have I never seen it?"

"One - it lies within the Shadow Realm. You cannot go without me, and I will not take you there. Two - you know what lies within our dueling deck. Can you honestly say you want to visit THEM?" Bakura's words were delivered in a chiding manner. Ryou admitted that he did not particularly wish to see where some of his more gruesome monsters lived.

"I will go to the Citadel and rescue Yugi, but I will need help." Immediately, Joey, Tristan, Tea, and Ryou raised their hands and offered to go with Yami. Bakura slapped down Ryou's hand and glared at the boy until Ryou lowered his head.

//Hikari, do not be angry.// Bakura pleaded silently with Ryou. //This will be a dangerous mission. The Dark Citadel is Yami's fortress, but if the monsters are acting on their own, no one is safe. I cannot allow you to place yourself in jeopardy. You are too important to m-uh, your friends and your family.// Ryou smiled to himself and silently told his yami that he would abide by his wishes for now.

Yami, understanding Bakura's protectiveness, smiled gently at Ryou. His other friends were eager to help him in his search for Yugi. Unfortunately, Yami did not believe they would be able to give him the type of assistance he required. Yami faced the one he needed.

"Kaiba. Will you journey with me to the Shadow Realm?" Yami paused for a beat and gritted his teeth. "Please?"

Kaiba smirked up at Yami. "Bet that hurt, huh? Why me? If anyone, I'd think you'd want Bakura there. He has a millennium item and Shadow Powers."

Yami answered, looking directly at Kaiba. "Because Bakura helps no one unless there is something in it for him. You and I may consider Yugi's safety priceless, but he does not."

Yami turned to his friends. "I am sorry, but your dueling decks are simply not powerful enough to help if the Dark Magician chooses to fight me. Especially if he convinces the others to join him." Returning his gaze to Kaiba, Yami said, "I need you and your deck. Specifically, your Blue Eyes White Dragons. They are the only creatures who can stand against my monsters."

"You forget, Yami. It was your monsters who defeated me once." At a snort and a glare from Joey, Kaiba amended his statement. "OK, twice. Sort of."

"Yes, the cards were mine, but the monsters were under my direction. They have never needed to develop strategies of their own. They may find independent action more difficult and thus they are too unpredictable. I will take no chances with Yugi's safety. I ask you again. Join me in the Shadow Realm. Help me to save someone we both love. Help me to save Yugi."

The dumbfounded expressions on the faces of Yugi's friends told Kaiba that until that moment, he had been successful in hiding his attraction to Yugi from them. All watched with rapt expressions as Kaiba stood, crossed to Yami, and held out his hand. "Let's do it. Let's bring Yugi home."

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After his announcement, Kaiba took Tea, Joey, and Tristan aside. Tea agreed to stay with Mokuba until Kaiba's return. She would also let Yugi's grandfather know what had happened.

Joey and Tristan were convinced to seek out and follow Saul Robbins in order to find evidence of his connection with Wayne Prax. Kaiba gave them the false control chip and the address of a trusted circuitry expert. Kaiba wanted to know exactly what the thing was and what it was supposed to accomplish. He was convinced that there was no way Prax or Robbins could have known about the living duel monsters, so the purpose of the chip was still a mystery. Joey and Tristan assured Kaiba they would find the information he needed. Kaiba intended to deal with Wayne Prax when he returned with Yugi.

While these preparations were occurring, Ryou was deep in conversation with Bakura. /Yami is extremely upset and is not thinking clearly. You must tell him!/

//The fool will figure it out soon enough. Your little friend will be fine. Yami will choose him over Kaiba when the time comes.//

/That's not the point. He shouldn't have to choose. Tell him./

//No! He is of the Shadow Realm. He knows its rules. If he ignores them or forgets them, he must pay the consequences.//

/What if it were me, yami? I could have been the one holding Kaiba's dueling disk. What if one of our monsters carried me off to the Shadow Realm? Or worse, what if I had played the Maneater Bug? It might have killed me while you were stuffing your face. Don't you think you would be a little upset?/

Bakura considered his light's words carefully. Fear had coursed through him during Ryou's speech. Ra! What if Ryou HAD gone first? He could be suffering in the Shadow Realm right now! Bakura knew his deck very well, and he knew his monsters were NOT nice. Should he remind Yami of the flaw in his logic, or should he keep silent and watch as the Pharaoh's relationship with his hikari was shredded beyond repair? Looking at his own sweet light, Bakura realized that there was really no choice.

"Pharaoh! There is something you must know about the Shadow Realm."

Yami raised an eyebrow at the other spirit. "Tomb Robber, there is nothing you can tell me about the Shadow Realm that I do not already know."

"Truly? So then you do remember that while in the Shadow Realm your Millennium Puzzle will protect only one of the mortals? And that if, excuse me, when you retrieve Yugi, your protection of Seto Kaiba will cease? His soul will be shattered." Bakura was smiling, surprised to find that he was actually enjoying helping Yami. "How then will your beloved hikari react to the callous murder of a rival for his affections?"