FIC: Road Blocks (Chapter Six)
Title: Road Blocks
Author: ShadowSpirit
Email: HPFerret@aol.com
Feedback: Sure.
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairing(s): Fadeshipping (Jounouchi x Yami no Malik), ???
Chapter: Six
Summary: They took him away... Couldn't they see? Didn't they realize that he was still wanted by someone? Of course not. Of course not, they were so blind... but... he had to get him back. He just had to.
WIP: Incomplete
Word Count: 2347
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters. This is not used in any way to make money. Please do not sue me. Thank you.
I'm quite fond of my Yami no Bakura, lol. I'm actually in the process of writing chapter 10 right now (the reason I haven't posted this is quite silly), and all in all, YnB is quite insane. He does actually have breakdown moments. He does actually have things, or something he cares for, but his methods are fairly loopy, and while it seems he may have forgotten some key points, he hasn't. But after this chapter you'll see another side of him: when he really starts to lose it.
I've been pondering names lately... and think I fond a method to my madness:
In the text I will always refer to the spirits as Yami no _____ (or Pharaoh, thief, ect)...
In dialogue...
YnB: sometimes slip to being called 'Bakura' by anyone. A lot by YnM.
YnM: 'Mariku' most often by Jou (I can't remember if Jou will sometimes refer to him as YnM, if anyone notices, can they tell me? 'cause I'd prob go back and change that) because Jou figured he deserved to have his own name. YnB uses it reacurringly.
YnY: 'Yami' sometimes. To most of these characters it's 'Pharaoh', lol.
I do plan on writing a one-shot called Speed Bump that will take place in the Battle City/blimp/final (leaving out the Noah-arc except for a few minor comments on it) that will be the 'backstory' to this pairing, but first I need to rewatch episodes. The fic won't be out until after this one.
[Story Hub]
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Road Blocks
Chapter Six
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“See now, that wasn’t so bad.”
Seto Kaiba woke on a cold, basement floor, dark eyes scrutinizing him before Yami no Bakura straightened and clapped his hands together. “And we got exactly what we needed from you. Silly priest, so stubborn. But saved by the pretty little girl, and well, yourself, I suppose.”
“What’s going on?” he groaned, holding his head and sitting up. His mind keyed in on more, hearing a crackling behind him and turning his head back to see a fire controlled on the ground, glowering gold. “How’d I get down here?”
“Bakura made us carry you,” Jounouchi answered from the side, nervously. A ghostly Ryou was besides him, a piece of chalk held loosely in his hand. When Kaiba checked over the floor he saw that he was seated over some sort of large symbol sketched around his body. He quickly moved off of it, standing and coming face-to-face with Yami no Bakura.
“I decided to get started without you being conscious,” he shrugged and pressed closer, constantly eying Kaiba’s condition. “Ryou how ’bout lighting those other fires now that our main-man is awake?”
“What about the deck?”
“What about it?”
Ryou glared. “You said you needed it for this.”
“Did I? Silly me. Wanting to get you out of the room, how could I?” he gasped sarcastically. Ryou mumbled and shuffled into his pockets for the matches. There were three small piles of books at points of the symbol. Kaiba was starting to realize he really wasn’t going to like this. “You’ve already reached out to the Shadow Realm once today, so you can manage it again,” Yami no Bakura told him. “Now come on, back to your spot.”
“I don’t think so -”
“No choices!” he laughed and pushed a hand firmly against Kaiba’s upper chest, leading him back to where he had woken up. Kaiba growled and went to move again until he realized the fires had been lit. “Now you’re an intelligent lad, we all know. So you know what shells are, yes?”
“Sea shells, sea shells, by the sea shore,” Kaiba mocked.
“Ah yes… shame. Not those kind of shells. Now,” invading of bubble space, “let’s turn back to the Introduction of Souls 101, shall we?” He held an imaginary book in a hand and “turned a few pages” and read. “Spirits and souls can not walk around this plane all on their lonesome. They need something to ground themselves to. A body, or as souls like me like to call - ahem, sorry Ryou - shells. Guess what, Kaiba?”
Any thought about bolting was gone. Kaiba looked down to see light crawling up from the symbol and wrapping around his hands and legs, binding him to the ground. He stared sharply at Yami no Bakura, who closed his “book” and finished, “we’re going to be making a shell today!”
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“Don’t you listen?” he sighed and stepped over to the former priest, kicking him lightly in the ankle. “Keep those ears of yours open this time, got it? We’re going to make you into a shell. In other terms, if it makes you feel better, you’ll be an anchor for Yami no Malik’s soul. You following now? And remember, you really don’t have much of a choice.”
“I didn’t agree to this!”
“Actually, you did,” Yami no Bakura laughed. His Sennen Ring was glowing. “But don’t worry, I’m still going to uphold my end of the deal, remember that part? You get the Pharaoh? No sweat! You’ll still be a happy lad. Now… enough chat. To work!”
“Bakura, are you sure this is a good idea…?” Jounouchi asked, nervously.
“You’re not one to talk! I’m helping you out, and here you are questioning my methods! Cut a spirit some slack, would’ya? Man, everyone around me… gods…” he threw up his hands, annoyed. But his attention was quickly brought to the struggling Kaiba on the floor. “Stop that,” he snapped. “You better start sending your magic through the Shadow Realm.”
“No.”
“Huh. Well, see, that’s more of a problem for you then it is me. See, if you don’t, the ritual is going to crumble and to put it lightly, you’re going to die.”
“I will not become your shell!”
“Yami no Malik’s anchor,” he corrected. “Ryou, go get me the phone.”
“Why?”
“Why?” he repeated. “That’s a stupid question! If Seto Kaiba is going to be dying, then like a good citizen I should make sure that his dearest little brother has someone to look over him.” He crouched down near Kaiba, a dark smile on his face. “Who shall it be? Myself or the Pharaoh?”
“Neither! I’m the only one who will be taking care of my brother!”
“What part of you’re dying do you not understand?” he paused and turned his gaze to his other half. “Ryou! The phone, dammit!”
The magic on the floor gave a strange swivel around Kaiba. His eyes widened and he suddenly stopped struggling and hung his head. The room was silent except for the crackling from the fires. No one moved, Ryou pleaded internally with his other who ignored his words. Jounouchi could sense that Yami no Bakura was plotting, but he thought that every word out of the dark spirit’s mouth were lies, including the ones about Kaiba dying. Then he saw the current state of the other.
“For Mokuba’s sake,” Kaiba hissed under his breath.
Yami no Bakura clapped his hands together. “Ah! Good then!” He sent a brief chuckle of laughter across the link to Ryou: I told you so and then stood up. “Katsuya, get over here and stand across from me, on the other side of Priest-boy here.”
“Um… right…” he moved quickly then watched the other for more instructions.
“Ryou -”
“I’m not leaving,” Ryou interrupted. They exchanged glares and thoughts, coming to an “agreement” - or maybe Ryou simply lost, Jounouchi thought - and Ryou merged back with his other.
“Call out to the Shadow Realm with your magic!” Yami no Bakura yelled at the now obedient-Kaiba.
“And how do you propose I do that,” came the dull, drained response. There was a ripple over his body.
The dark spirit blinked, then began to smirk. Jounouchi looked surprised. “So that’s why you were so suddenly against this,” he whistled. “Someone still apart of you so desperately wanted to protect his Pharaoh. Ah, good thing your will to protect you brother won over it! Damn Priest would’ve given your lives for that King of Games.” He snorted, annoyed by the very thought. “Disgusting. But it’s time to get along with the ol’ Tomb Robber. Stop being loyal!” he yelled, and slapped a hand across the Kaiba’s face.
Someone else was glaring soundlessly through his eyes. For a moment, old, dark and dirty purple clothes that didn’t fit into the times at all surrounded Kaiba. The eyes closed and everything else faded back to him with another ripple. Energy began to fall off his body, dripping into the circle around him and turning it dark. It bubbled and rose up into a column that began to taint the ceiling.
Jounouchi started to back away when Yami no Bakura’s voice reached him through the energy. “Touch into it! Call for Yami no Malik with your mind ! And don’t hesitate! Any more hesitation and everyone in this room is dead !” Jounouchi jumped, almost did hesitate but then his hand was quickly pushing into the energy.
Static danced across it. He expected pain, but the most he had was the pins-and-needles effect people got when parts of them went numb. He clenched his eyes and in his mind cried: MARIKU!
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He was having a jolly-good-time with a squad of Gravedigger Ghouls. “Jolly-good-time” meaning he was beginning to feel a tear down his soul. Like a fissure; his spirit was bleeding energy. If he was on the physical plane, away from the Shadow Realm, he’d be tattered and bleeding everywhere.
Lucky him, he didn’t make a mess when he was injured.
Dark energy erupted somewhere distant from him. He heard it. The ghouls looked in its direction, distracted. Almost as shocked as him. Something darker than here? No. It was different. It’s entire substance was wrong. It didn’t fit in the Shadow Realm.
The monsters wanted a piece of it. It was better than toying around with him and getting nothing but brief amusement; this was something that could very well make them grow into something more real, make them stronger. … And then they’d probably come back to play with him.
Oh, how he couldn’t wait.
When waves emitting from the eruption finally flowed to him, they brought something else. He wasn’t going to believe it at first, but there was no missing the familiarity. “Katsuya?” The next wave curled around him; he was suddenly caged - just fucking great. What a way to drain his hope. As if his energy wasn’t low enough already, he could barely try to push back the continued waves. They stopped moving past him after the first had caught him.
“What a way to go? Destined to darkness? Huh. Damn -” something clicked in his mind. He recognized part of the dark energy. A small scrap he thought he should know, but its signature was screaming SETO KAIBA. He clenched a fist. “Goddammit Bakura, I thought I said no about the Priest!” he yelled as loud as he could as the energy broke down at his body.
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“And that’s how you catch a spirit!” Yami no Bakura cheered. Jounocuhi was seated on the floor, looking worse for wear from being exposed to the almost toxic darkness. The spirit was smirking triumphantly. He watched the column slowly die down, caving in on itself and simmering into the erased symbol. Light energy fused back into Kaiba. The angry eyes of the High Priest continued to send daggers towards the spirit until the energy had completely returned…and then like a light his presence was switched off.
Seto Kaiba lurched forward, one hand clutching his head, the other his stomach. His body was no longer bound. The chalk-symbol was completely gone. Ashes were in place of the fires. Kaiba’s pupils shrunk to slivers; Ryou, within his shared mind, recognized him to be warring with himself. He promptly began to pester his darker half about what was going on, unable to split away or take control.
He can’t survive what you’re putting him through! Ryou yelled.
Oh, yes he can, dammit. Someone else just has to push over and make some room. Calm down already, you’re giving me a headache. Yami no Bakura waited for more of an argument, but Ryou simply went quiet. The dark spirit was pleased.
“Come on now, it can’t be that bad. One presence in your body doesn’t even really count for much, so just ignore his sulking ass. The other is probably thoroughly pissed off at me, so you may as well try and keep him contained a bit until he cools off a little. Might give you a migraine, but that’s nothing to worry about!”
“Bakura… I’m going to fucking kill you…” Kaiba’s arms dropped to his sides as he sluggishly got to his feet. Eyes glinted and he looked furious, but something was off.
“Hiya, Mariku!” Yami no Bakura laughed and took a step back. “Well then, I’ll be off now. Your dearest loved-one is behind you.” He waved his fingers and then suddenly Ryou was in place, sighing dejectedly.
“He can be such a wimp,” Ryou muttered. He stared at the other. “This is going to be confusing. You two don’t sync up very well. Ugh… I almost feel bad for Kaiba. But I guess not much could have been done…”
Yami no Malik was glaring through Seto Kaiba’s eyes. It was almost like controlling someone with the rod, except he had less of it, and he couldn’t manipulate the body as easily as he use to be able to Malik. Confusing for Ryou? It was bad enough for him! And he had two people trying to take control over him! Kaiba didn’t notice the presence of the High Priest, but Yami no Malik was having hell beating the magic-user back for just a little while.
And his energy still needed to recover. “I’m going to pummel your other once he stops chickening out,” he told Ryou, and then turned around, remembering what Yami no Bakura had said. His anger dwindled when he saw Jounouchi sitting there, half asleep. He bent down enough to prod the boy in the shoulder.
“’s’not my fault, Kaiba. Blame the white-crazy-haired freak,” was his muffled, tired response.
He smirked. “That’s no way to greet someone who’s been freed from the Shadow Realm.”
Yellow eyes blinked lazily to look up at Kaiba’s body. They filled with confusion. “Man, Kaiba, what did you do, eat a frog? You sound funny.”
“Katsuya,” he complained. “It’s me.”
“…” If he looked hard enough… “…M-Mariku?”
“There you go.”
“Mariku!” Jounouchi jumped to his feet, nearly knocking the other over when he flung his arms around the body. Chuckling, Yami no Malik returned the embrace, but didn’t get long until Priest-boy and the High Priest beat him down mentally.
“Dam -” he started in frustration, then Seto Kaiba’s restored voice took over, “- get off of me, mutt.”
Jounouchi quickly did so. He looked startled and a bit upset. Around the room he could see that after it was certain that Kaiba was back in control, Yami no Bakura showed himself as well.
“I believe I have business to attend to. Keeping up on my side of the deal, hm? Ah, Priest, do be a dear and not thrash your new occupant? I’m sure he’s had a bit of a hard time where he’s been. I’m sure that you two can find some mutual ground.” He turned and started for the stairs before pausing and calling back, “Oh, Priest, Katsuya… get out of my house.”
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Additional to names:
Priest: Seto Kaiba
High Priest: The lurker in purple. You never actually really hear anything from him, but he can be fairly troublesome.
So you know the reason I delayed so much on this chapter? 'cause I couldn't think of what was causing YnM so much trouble in the Shadow Realm. And what did I finally settle on? A magic card. Lol. Go me. But really... I give a life to all cards in the Shadow Realm... and then some. I've developed a very odd style to writing this series.
You know, the Abridged series is quite funny...