Yu-Gi-Oh, October, part 29
Title: October
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: implied Yami no Marik & Yami no Bakura, Yami no Marik & Ryou, Yami no Yuugi & Yami no Bakura, established Jounouchi & Mai, Yuugi & Anzu, forthcoming Yami no Marik & Yami no Bakura & Yami no Yuugi
Warnings: foul language, violence, shounen ai
Genre: AU, sci-fi
Summary: They’re not from this world, and have lived through time, space and universes to fulfill their goals- the ones called Shadow Born, Thief King, and Pharaoh. With their own reasons and motives, what happens to the ones they inevitable drag into their lives?
Author’s notes: Everybody is around 18-20 of age, except Yami no Marik, Yami no Bakura and Yami no Yuugi. Gratuitous use of artistic license and a whole lot of made up crap. Feedback greatly appreciated.
Key: --------- = scene change
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Jounouchi woke up in the middle of the night. The next second he was alert, and his hand slid under his pillow, where he had hidden his laser gun. What had woken him up? It couldn’t be Honda’s snoring, he was used to that. Otogi was as silent as a grave, his breathing even and calm. There was no one in the hotel room but the three of them. Jounouchi’s fingers curled around the grip of the gun. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a pulsing light, coming from his laptop. Incoming call? At this hour? Muttering under his breath, Jounouchi put the gun away and pulled the laptop towards him. Usually Otogi would deal with communications, it was very rare for someone to contact him, Jounouchi, directly… he tapped the keyboard. It was a secure line, from Altana - what, was Kaiba calling him out of bed now? He activated the link and was taken aback when he saw who appeared on screen: it wasn’t Kaiba, but his younger brother, Mokuba.
“Mokuba,” Jounouchi said, “are you all right?” He kept the volume low as he didn’t want to wake up his teammates, even though Honda would sleep through an entire war.
“Jounouchi, I’m sorry to wake you,” Mokuba spoke hurriedly, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “My brother… he’s gone for two days now, and I’m worried!”
“Kaiba has left you behind?” Jounouchi was flabbergasted. “He rarely travels without you!”
“I know!” Mokuba didn’t bother to use his indoor voice. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but ever since he returned from Yllsen Volta V, he’s been acting weird!”
“Define ‘weird’,” Jounouchi couldn’t help but comment. Mokuba took it seriously, which made him feel guilty for his bad quip. It was apparent that the young Kaiba was distressed.
“He’s been talking about a God Dragon, of Dragon God, ever since, and how much he wants it. It has something to do with the Duel Monsters game. I’m not sure if you heard about it..?”
“I know the game.” Jounouchi remembered that Mokuba hadn’t witnessed the destruction caused by Ra, as Kaiba had launched the Blue Eyes already by then, as to save his brother from the impending disaster on the planet. “Go on.”
“He has retrieved his deck,” Mokuba said. “He never takes it out of the vault, and I thought it was just some kind of keepsake… but now, all of the sudden, he has retrieved it and has taken it with him.”
Kaiba has a Duel Monsters deck? “Where did he go to?” Jounouchi asked, even though he could take a correct guess. His stomach tied itself into knots.
“Vertregg 12. What’s there, Jounouchi? What’s so important? He took Isono with him and… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. Something’s wrong, I can tell.”
“Don’t worry, Mokuba.” Jounouchi tried his best to comfort him. Whereas Kaiba often treated him derisively, Mokuba had always believed in Jounouchi and stood up for him several times. Right now, Mokuba wasn’t the Vice President of KaibaCorp, but a scared young kid, afraid for the fate of his brother. “We’re about to leave for Vertregg 12 soon ourselves.”
“Is it about the Ishtar bounty? His sister Ishizu has been here a couple of times and every time after she left, my brother was completely out of it.”
“Yes, it has to do with Malik Ishtar and the others who came with him to Yllsen Volta V,” Jounouchi said. He assumed Kaiba had told Mokuba everything, but on the other hand, if Kaiba had left him alone like this…
“The Pharaoh?” Mokuba asked. “He was talking about someone named the Pharaoh. Jounouchi, what the hell’s going on?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll meet up with Kaiba and talk to him as soon as we’re on Vertregg 12,” Jounouchi said, his voice soothing. “If you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed now.”
“Yes, of course,” Mokuba said. “Different time zones. Sorry for disturbing you, Jounouchi.”
“No problem. You can always call me.”
The younger Kaiba brother nodded before he disconnected and Jounouchi crawled back into bed. Otogi had been right: Vertregg 12 was going to be the center of something extremely powerful and… dark. With even Kaiba getting involved on a personal title, this was getting out of hand. Duel Monsters. What was it about that game? Was it because of the God Cards? Still, it was just a game. Jounouchi could appreciate a nice game himself, he’d been gambling with his teammates on particularly boring space travels. He had the feeling that Duel Monsters didn’t have anything to do with gambling. This was much, much bigger and he had difficulties falling asleep.
The next morning, the team went to the docks to check up on the October and the Cyber Commander. Honda had arranged for the delivery of several supplies and Otogi had packed a back-up of the system he had used in the Time Wizard, which he wanted to install into the new ship. They had to be ready in time before the October would leave.
“The last engine has arrived,” Honda said, impressed when he reported back to Jounouchi. “That guy is insane, yet a fucking engineering genius.” He shivered. His broken arm was a painful daily reminder of the ease with which Marik had snapped it. “I don’t know how he does it, but I estimate he’s going to be finished by tonight.”
“Have you seen any of the others?” Jounouchi asked.
“Ryou Bakura,” Honda said. “He really likes to assist Marik. The others didn’t show themselves.”
“Weird.” Jounouchi looked over his shoulder. “How long do you need, Otogi?”
“A couple of hours,” Otogi said. “I can’t install the system in just a few minutes.”
“You have until two in the afternoon,” Jounouchi said. The system was a lot of software and hardware and he didn’t know how to install it, but he trusted Otogi’s expertise. They didn’t have the luxury to take all their time, however. As soon as the October left, they needed to go into pursuit. Otogi protested, but Jounouchi didn’t hear it. Yuugi had never answered to his message, which strengthened his belief that the Pharaoh was controlling everything around him.
“Until two, Otogi,” he said sternly. “We assume that the October is leaving tonight. We have to be ready by then. Let’s get to work!”
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Yuugi sat in the cockpit behind Marik, slightly huddled in his seat. Atemu sat on his left side, casually holding his hand. To his right was a gruff Bakura, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Next to Marik was Ryou on his left and Malik on his right, communicating with the tower to ask permission for departure. Yuugi listened half-heartedly. Bakura’s harsh words played in his mind over and over again. He had mustered all his courage to ask Atemu about what he had said. The Pharaoh had reassured him that Bakura was talking nonsense, he was just a thief with a big mouth and he, Atemu, had never told him a lie before, had he? Yuugi had to admit that he was right, theoretically Atemu had never told him a lie, but he hadn’t been generous with the truth either. Yuugi had kept that to himself. It didn’t sit well with him. He told Atemu he had a funny feeling about all of this, and the Pharaoh had kissed him, gently cupping his face.
“Aibou,” he had said, “I trust you, and you can trust me. After this is all over, we will be free to go wherever we want to. I will show you space and beyond, I will show you everything you want.” He had proceeded to undress him and Yuugi had given into the sensations, longing for, craving the other’s touches and kisses. But somehow it had… dissatisfied him, making him feel...he couldn’t really describe it. It was something he wanted to fight against, and yet he wanted to succumb into it. It felt good and bad at the same time, and he didn’t know what to do. What was ‘this’ what Atemu had talked about? He enjoyed Atemu’s touch, but his mind continued to wander off.
“Are you afraid of the launch, aibou?” Atemu asked.
“No, I’m fine.” He always got a little nauseous from the launch into orbit, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle and besides, it usually subsided after half an hour anyway.
“You are a little anxious,” Atemu said. “Do you not wish to return to Vertregg 12?”
“I do, I do,” Yuugi hurried to say. “I want to see grandfather again, and the store! I’ve been gone far too long.”
Not hearing Anzu’s name, Atemu smiled. “You will be home soon before you know it.”
Bakura snorted, but refrained from commenting. Malik received permission from the tower and Marik engaged the engines. The massive thrumming sent shivers all over Yuugi’s body. Marik showed a crooked, yet happy grin. The engines started up flawlessly, thanks to the new equipment.
“Fuck, what did you put into those things?” Bakura asked, staring at his trembling hands.
“And these are just two engines,” Marik grinned in return.
“How long before we reach Vertregg 12?” Ryou’s voice trembled as well.
“Five hours,” Marik answered, operating the control panel. Every light was green.
“That is not too long, is it?” Atemu asked. Yuugi nodded in response, but he squeezed Atemu’s hand hard. The October came to life with much more violence than before, the engines roaring like a roaring lion. “I want you to rest up before we arrive,” Atemu said. “I am going to need your strength, aibou.”
“If you want me to,” Yuugi said.
Atemu brought up his other hand to stroke his hair. “I very much want you to.”
Yuugi nodded and missed the look Ryou was giving him over his shoulder. Instead, he curled up into his chair to be as close to Atemu as possible and closed his eyes. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, even though Atemu petting his hair was comforting and soothing, almost hypnotizing. He really was going home… but why wasn’t he excited about it? There was something… someone… he was forgetting about, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t fathom who. His grandfather? No, he would see Sugoroku as soon as he was home again. He needed to talk to him about the Game Store… and traveling all over the galaxy with Atemu… the repetitive, soothing strokes made him forget. Yuugi fell into a slumber and he woke up with a jolt when Atemu tapped his shoulder.
“We have reached our destination, aibou.”
“Home?” Yuugi asked blearily.
“Vertregg 12,” Atemu confirmed. “It is nighttime, aibou. I have to take care of something first, then we can go to your grandfather.”
“Yes, I want to see my grandfather.” Yuugi yawned. “Where are the others?”
“They are waiting for us.” Atemu reached for Yuugi and took him by the hand. “Come, aibou.”
Yuugi followed him and his face lit up when he saw the others, standing at the end of the ramp of the October. The space port looked quite eerie at this time of night, the docks illuminated by dimmed lights. The night air was quite chilly and Yuugi shivered. Atemu hooked his arm through his elbow as they joined the rest. Marik had a large, lumpy bag in his hand and Bakura also carried a bag, slung over his shoulders. Ryou and Malik looked insecure, not knowing exactly what was going on.
“Where are we going to?” Ryou asked.
“This way,” Atemu said and took the lead. No one protested and followed the Pharaoh. Yuugi opened his mouth as they approached the offices for customs and admittance to the planet, and he saw the clerks working the late shift standing up straight, their eyes fixed on a point far away from the group, not seeing or saying anything. He looked at Atemu, only to notice the familiar, glowing eye on the Pharaoh’s forehead.
“Mou hitori no boku?”
“It is all right, aibou,” he said. “We do not want to deal with bureaucratic procedures right now.”
“Hear hear,” Bakura muttered. The group continued walking. Yuugi didn’t recognize the environment, he wasn’t familiar with the space port at all and everything looked so different in the dark. Atemu seemed to exactly know where he was going and took a turn to the right. Soon enough, Yuugi had lost all idea of where he was, with all the buildings tall and looming around him. He wondered how and why Atemu knew his way around here, just as the Pharaoh stopped in front of a building that looked just as tall and dark as the others. It was Marik however, who balled his fist and banged on the door. After a moment, a bulky man opened the door and stared down at the group.
“The arena’s closed for tonight,” he said grumpily.
“Not to us,” Atemu said.
“It’s going to cost you,” the man immediately retorted and held up his hand.
“Get out of the way,” Marik said and bared his teeth. The man swallowed and withdrew his hand.
“Come on in.”
Ignoring the sweaty guy, Atemu led the group downstairs, into a huge basement. Yuugi was baffled. A huge, well-lit area with a raised platform in the middle, almost like a boxing ring, stretched out in front of him. People walked around with strange devices strapped to their arms and others were exchanging small, rectangular cards… one thing Yuugi was sure of, they weren’t simple playing cards. He held his breath. He had heard so much about it, but to see an illegal Duel Monsters game with his own eyes…
Another bulky man approached them. “We’re closing for the night.”
“We need the arena for one duel only,” Atemu said and flashed a card to the guy.
His eyes lit up with greed. “What’s the bet?”
“Millions,” Marik said and brusquely pushed the man aside. His undignified “Hey!” was ignored as Bakura, Atemu and Marik climbed into the arena.
“Hey look, it’s a battle royale!” someone said. People flocked together around the arena, including a tall, slender man with an eager look on his face. His eyes were on Atemu as if he knew him, but Yuugi told himself that it couldn’t be true. He didn’t understand at all, yet he walked over to Atemu’s side, as if on automatic pilot. The excitement running through the crowd was contagious. He was about to witness a very special game of Duel Monsters, he was sure of it!
Marik put his lumpy bag down, unzipped it and pulled out two strange devices. He handed one to Atemu and used the other one to attach it to his arm.
“Whoa, those are first-generation Duel Disks,” the young man next to Yuugi said out loud to no one in particular. Duel Disks? Yes, duelists had to use a device to put their cards in as a conduit for the holographic technology to project the summoned monsters. Bakura put on his own Duel Disk, kicking his bag to the side. They exchanged their decks for the required shuffling accompanied by suspicious, angry glares; Marik’s in particular was full of hatred. More people amassed around the arena as the duelists stepped back into their respective corners.
“My turn is the first!” Atemu said and his hand hovered over his deck. To everyone’s surprise, a soft golden glow went through the deck and Yuugi could see how a card moved itself up to the top. “I call forth the Token of Heavenly Trinity!” A monster appeared on the field, an angelic creature with crossed arms and a glowing face, too bright to reveal any defining features. “By paying 1000 life points, I can multiply this token by the number of participants of the field!” The counter on his Duel Disk went down to 3000. “We are with three…” The Token multiplied with three, occupying Atemu’s field. “… and now I sacrifice my Tokens to call forward God! Show yourself, my divine golden servant!”
A collective gasp went through the crowd. The tall man on the other side of the arena stepped forward, mouth agape. Silence. Nothing happened. No God appeared.
“How’s that for a surprise?” Marik said as he held up his Duel Disk, shaking it at Atemu. “It looks like Ra doesn’t want to serve you, Pharaoh.”
Atemu slowly turned his head towards Bakura, who shrugged.
“What? I stole the card once, I could steal it twice,” he said and grinned. “Aren’t you going to ask me when I took it from you?”
“You… thief!” Atemu choked on his words. He narrowed his eyes and drew his lips into a tight, bloodless line. Now he had no monsters on his field, nothing to defend himself with. Marik playfully twitched his fingers as he grabbed the top card of his deck.
“Sorry, your turn is over,” he said. Studying his hand, he discarded one card into his graveyard and summoned a two-headed monster by the name of Jakyll. He set two cards in the magic/trap zone and pointed at the creature with 1600 ATK.
“No, Marik!” Bakura barked at him, but it was too late. Jakyll sped forward, its sharp claws lunging at the Pharaoh as Marik yelled: “Direct attack!”
“Mou hitori no boku!” Yuugi cried out.
The Pharaoh moved his hand just slightly. “Osiris, protect me!”
The audience didn’t have time to gasp. The Sky of God Dragon answered the call immediately. Large bolts of lightning surrounded Atemu without harming him and a bright, red light swooped down, encompassing his entire field and overloading the holographic technology. Jolts of energy crackled and when the God materialized, Yuugi couldn’t believe his eyes. A two-mouthed dragon hovered over Atemu with its wings spread and large, razor sharp claws flanking the Pharaoh’s sides. Osiris opened its lower mouth and released a gigantic roar, blowing the first rows of spectators completely off their feet.
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Jounouchi docked the Cyber Commander without a problem. As this ship was bulkier than the Time Wizard, he was assigned a cargo slot. He gritted his teeth when he noticed his neighbor; the October took up two cargo slots with its sheer, massive size. Otogi and Honda spend a minute looking at it, before clasping Jounouchi firmly on the shoulder.
“Come on, we’ve got to go.” Otogi turned his head. “Before we left, I reached out to some old contacts I have on this planet. One of them sent me a list of possible locations for illegal tournaments.” He tapped his PMA. “I suggest we check them out one by one.”
“All right,” Jounouchi agreed. “Everyone got their holoscrambler?” He had informed his team about Kaiba’s presence on Vertregg 12, and told them to look for him. He was sure that the CEO was using an alterfactor, as to not be recognized. They set out to work according to Otogi’s list. The first three locations were closed-off factories and not the hotbed of an illegal Duel Monsters tournament. Otogi checked his PMA and said: “Guys, I’ve got something. My contact just send me a message that a battle royal is going on, and apparently a guy with a ridiculous hairstyle tried to play a God Card on his first turn, but it didn’t work.”
“The Pharaoh,” Jounouchi answered. “Where?”
“Follow me,” Otogi said and he jogged to the east. Honda and Jounouchi easily kept up with his pace and they reached a tall, generic building. The doors stood wide open and people pushed and pulled at each other to get in.
“We have to get in,” Jounouchi said. He used his elbows to create a path, shoving people to the side, ignoring their cries and curse words as he used quite a bit of force. It took a great deal of effort to plow through the masses, but he finally made it through and ended up in the large underground area with the dueling arena. His jaw went slack. He had seen Ra, in all its blazing glory; this was an entirely different God, massive and powerful. Its very breathing rumbled through the air, menacing and low, yet everyone was looking at the God with awe and admiration.
“It’s Osiris!”
“Osiris!”
Jounouchi’s eyes went to the arena, to the small man standing underneath Osiris. He expected to see Atemu calm and in control, but the panicked look in the Pharaoh’s eyes surprised him. Why was he panicked? He was just in time to see Yuugi, climbing onto the arena and moving towards Atemu.
“Mou hitori no boku! What are you doing?” His voice got drowned out by Osiris’ mighty huff, a giant thunderstorm rolling through the building. Nobody was leaving; more so, they were pushing around the arena to get closer and recording the God on their PMAs.
“Find Kaiba!” Jounouchi hissed at Honda and Otogi. He didn’t wait for them to take action, instead he ran towards the arena. Yuugi had reached Atemu by now and touched his arm, without getting any response. Marik’s Jakyll was still on the field, the monster itself hesitating to continue its attack. Osiris wasn’t in defense mode, but as Atemu had almost a full hand, its ATK was 4000, way over Jakyll’s 1600. Marik wasn’t going to be deterred.
“You a God, I’ll call mine!” he yelled and flipped over his magic card: Monster Reborn. Bakura pointed at the both of them, as his turn was taken away from him. “You bunch of fuckers!”
Yuugi tugged at Atemu’s arm. “Bakura-san hasn’t had his turn yet! Mou hitori no boku! You’re not playing fair!” He didn’t get an answer and with a disgusted look on his face, Yuugi turned away from him to run towards Bakura, who was defenseless without any monsters on his field. Atemu grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back with surprising strength, forcing him to stay at his side. Monster Reborn activated; of course the first card Marik had thrown into his graveyard was the Sun of God Dragon. A golden glow emerged from his Duel Disk and the amassed crowd went wild at the prospect of seeing another God. A huge golden orb appeared above the arena. The crowd tightened the ranks, everybody pushing forward to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Jounouchi could barely make his way through, pushing and shoving.
“Idiots!” Bakura put his free hand under his trench coat and pulled out a package. He tossed it at Ryou, who had chosen to stand behind him, outside of the dueling field. “Run!” he yelled. “Take this and run!”
“What?” Ryou caught the package, wrapped in black cloth. He exchanged a look with Malik who had overheard Bakura, but he didn’t move. His lips moved; he was saying something but it got drowned out in the cacophony of sounds. With the appearance of another monster on the field, Osiris’ special ability was triggered. The crowd gasped at the second mouth opening slowly, but not any less terrifying.
“It looks like Ra doesn’t know which side to choose,” Jounouchi heard someone say. The golden orb hovered motionless over the arena. Marik crossed his arms in front of his chest and started reciting a chant in a language Jounouchi didn’t recognize. He assumed it was Ancient Egyptian. This was getting out of hand really fast. Even Bakura was taking a few steps back. “Get out of here!” Jounouchi pushed at the people around him. “Run! Run for your lives!” He got no reaction at all. Everyone gawked at Osiris, craning their necks and holding up their PMAs to record everything that transpired. Pure, raw energy crackled, electrifying the area and all these idiots weren’t even afraid! Jounouchi pushed and pushed. Where the hell was Kaiba? His holoscrambler didn’t pick up on the CEO’s whereabouts. “Get out! Get away!”
Osiris lunged forward, preparing its attack. Jounouchi finally made it to the arena and started to climb onto Atemu’s side of the field. No logic, rationality or sanity was visible on the Pharaoh’s face, his eyes matching Osiris’ blood red color. He had a tight grip on Yuugi, who tried to free himself, the look on his face filled with pain. The golden orb changed shape and Ra revealed itself, like a massive bird being hatched. It was solid and huge and let out a roar that rivaled Osiris’. Jounouchi forgot to breathe. Osiris was about to launch its attack while Ra transformed into a blazing phoenix, shielding itself with its wings for the incoming blast. Fire and energy clashed and the next moment the arena exploded, sending everyone flying through the air.
Jounouchi was lifted up as well and got caught in the shockwave, along with everyone else who had been standing close to him. He landed on the floor again, with people piling up on top of him. Grunting in pain, he could hear panicked yelling and screaming and the frantic footsteps of people trying to get themselves into safety. Jounouchi managed to get back up, quickly checking up on the men and women close to him; no one had suffered any broken bones, and he yelled at them to get the hell out. He cursed. He had lost his holoscrambler and his vision was hampered by heavy, thick smoke, the aftereffect of the explosion. His eyes started to water and he rubbed at them. A couple of feet away, he saw a tall man lying on the ground, unmoving. It couldn’t be… he tried anyway.
“Kaiba? Kaiba!” Jounouchi yanked at the man’s shoulder. Luck was in his favor again; the man groaned and opened his eyes.
“Jounouchi,” he said and coughed violently. With trembling fingers, he turned off his alterfactor, showing his real face: Kaiba. “What are you doing here?”
“You need to get out of here,” Jounouchi urged him.
The CEO shook his head. “Not without the God Cards!”
“Are you nuts? You need to get out of here, now!” Jounouchi ignored his own aching body and stuck out his arms to help Kaiba back up on his feet. “These guys destroy entire planets for breakfast, remember? Get out of here before you get killed!”
Kaiba pushed him away. “You better be worried about your bounty,” he said. “I want the Pharaoh and the God Cards, Jounouchi!”
“You just saw what these people and their Gods can do! Kaiba!”
Kaiba didn’t respond; he was staring at the dueling arena again, ignoring how a fire had started at the other side of the building. Marik was surrounded by the Sun of God Dragon, lighting up his face, distorted in an utterly insane, bloodthirsty grin. He had little sanity left on his mind and he pointed at Atemu, flanked by his Sky of God Dragon, smoke clouding his vision.
“One turn kill, Pharaoh!” Marik cackled. “I’ll burn you into the hell you deserve!”
“Mou hitori no boku!” Yuugi shrieked. Osiris moved forward and opened its lower mouth again. The Gods were about to clash and if Jounouchi didn’t know any better, he thought they were mad at each other. So much anger, so much hatred, and no sanity or reason left. Bakura was caught in the middle somewhere, apparently without a God Card, or being unable to play it; where was the third god card, where was the God Soldier, Obelisk? Jounouchi didn’t have the time to give it a good thought. Otogi and Honda showed up, worried about him. He shoved Kaiba into their arms. The CEO protested.
“Get him out of here! Get everyone out!”
“Nobody is listening!” Honda yelled. “These people are insane!” No broken arm, cuts or bruises was going to keep the spectators from watching the duel. Even those who had scrambled to get themselves into safety, started to return, mesmerized by the two Gods on the field. Just as Otogi and Honda tugged Kaiba along with them, Osiris lunged at Ra and shot a huge beam of energy from its lower mouth, right as the phoenix-mode Ra went at Osiris in a blazing flame of glory. The divine clash was too horrible for words. A second explosion followed, destroying the entire arena and huge bolts of energy ripped the entire building apart. The roof was blown off and the sudden influx of air fueled the fire, flames shooting up in the air. Screams, yells and cries; everybody panicked and this time there was no turning back. Jounouchi fought against the stream of people and he got pushed, shoved and punched.
“Yuugi! Yuugi!” Jounouchi didn’t know why he cared, or why he was so focused on the smaller man standing between the remnants of the arena. Coughing, cussing and almost crying from the intense heat and smoke, he reached Yuugi and grabbed him at the shoulder. Yelping, Yuugi clung to Atemu, body and mind in shock.
“Let go of him!” Jounouchi roared into his ear. “The whole place’s coming down!”
“Jounouchi-kun?”
“Yes, it’s me,” Jounouchi said, relieved that the other recognized him. “Come on, we have to leave!”
“I can’t!” Yuugi shook his head. “Not without him!” He shook Atemu’s arm. “Mou hitori no boku! Atemu-kun! You’re scaring me!”
The Pharaoh didn’t listen, his eyes fixed on the other side of the field where Ra and Osiris were battling; sharp claws raked through burning fire, flamed wings scorched thick skin. Atemu did say something, but his words were lost in the commotion. His grip on Yuugi weakened. He didn’t see, hear or noticed anything else but the Gods. Yuugi called his name once more and the next second Atemu let go of him completely, pushing him away. In that split second, Jounouchi roughly pulled at Yuugi to create as much distance between him and the Pharaoh as possible. The hurt and disappointment on Yuugi’s face was heart wrenching, yet he still tried to reach for Atemu, tried to get him out of the dangerous situation.
“No!” Jounouchi dragged Yuugi with him. Above them, the supporting beams of the destroyed roof came crashing down. Osiris dove for his Pharaoh to protect him while Ra screeched. Yuugi yelled, Jounouchi screamed and they jumped away, rolling over the floor as stone smashed into stone and the pandemonium reached its devastating apotheosis.
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This entry was originally posted at http://the-goldenpath.dreamwidth.org/74053.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: implied Yami no Marik & Yami no Bakura, Yami no Marik & Ryou, Yami no Yuugi & Yami no Bakura, established Jounouchi & Mai, Yuugi & Anzu, forthcoming Yami no Marik & Yami no Bakura & Yami no Yuugi
Warnings: foul language, violence, shounen ai
Genre: AU, sci-fi
Summary: They’re not from this world, and have lived through time, space and universes to fulfill their goals- the ones called Shadow Born, Thief King, and Pharaoh. With their own reasons and motives, what happens to the ones they inevitable drag into their lives?
Author’s notes: Everybody is around 18-20 of age, except Yami no Marik, Yami no Bakura and Yami no Yuugi. Gratuitous use of artistic license and a whole lot of made up crap. Feedback greatly appreciated.
Key: --------- = scene change
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Jounouchi woke up in the middle of the night. The next second he was alert, and his hand slid under his pillow, where he had hidden his laser gun. What had woken him up? It couldn’t be Honda’s snoring, he was used to that. Otogi was as silent as a grave, his breathing even and calm. There was no one in the hotel room but the three of them. Jounouchi’s fingers curled around the grip of the gun. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a pulsing light, coming from his laptop. Incoming call? At this hour? Muttering under his breath, Jounouchi put the gun away and pulled the laptop towards him. Usually Otogi would deal with communications, it was very rare for someone to contact him, Jounouchi, directly… he tapped the keyboard. It was a secure line, from Altana - what, was Kaiba calling him out of bed now? He activated the link and was taken aback when he saw who appeared on screen: it wasn’t Kaiba, but his younger brother, Mokuba.
“Mokuba,” Jounouchi said, “are you all right?” He kept the volume low as he didn’t want to wake up his teammates, even though Honda would sleep through an entire war.
“Jounouchi, I’m sorry to wake you,” Mokuba spoke hurriedly, the words tumbling out of his mouth. “My brother… he’s gone for two days now, and I’m worried!”
“Kaiba has left you behind?” Jounouchi was flabbergasted. “He rarely travels without you!”
“I know!” Mokuba didn’t bother to use his indoor voice. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but ever since he returned from Yllsen Volta V, he’s been acting weird!”
“Define ‘weird’,” Jounouchi couldn’t help but comment. Mokuba took it seriously, which made him feel guilty for his bad quip. It was apparent that the young Kaiba was distressed.
“He’s been talking about a God Dragon, of Dragon God, ever since, and how much he wants it. It has something to do with the Duel Monsters game. I’m not sure if you heard about it..?”
“I know the game.” Jounouchi remembered that Mokuba hadn’t witnessed the destruction caused by Ra, as Kaiba had launched the Blue Eyes already by then, as to save his brother from the impending disaster on the planet. “Go on.”
“He has retrieved his deck,” Mokuba said. “He never takes it out of the vault, and I thought it was just some kind of keepsake… but now, all of the sudden, he has retrieved it and has taken it with him.”
Kaiba has a Duel Monsters deck? “Where did he go to?” Jounouchi asked, even though he could take a correct guess. His stomach tied itself into knots.
“Vertregg 12. What’s there, Jounouchi? What’s so important? He took Isono with him and… I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right. Something’s wrong, I can tell.”
“Don’t worry, Mokuba.” Jounouchi tried his best to comfort him. Whereas Kaiba often treated him derisively, Mokuba had always believed in Jounouchi and stood up for him several times. Right now, Mokuba wasn’t the Vice President of KaibaCorp, but a scared young kid, afraid for the fate of his brother. “We’re about to leave for Vertregg 12 soon ourselves.”
“Is it about the Ishtar bounty? His sister Ishizu has been here a couple of times and every time after she left, my brother was completely out of it.”
“Yes, it has to do with Malik Ishtar and the others who came with him to Yllsen Volta V,” Jounouchi said. He assumed Kaiba had told Mokuba everything, but on the other hand, if Kaiba had left him alone like this…
“The Pharaoh?” Mokuba asked. “He was talking about someone named the Pharaoh. Jounouchi, what the hell’s going on?”
“Don’t worry. We’ll meet up with Kaiba and talk to him as soon as we’re on Vertregg 12,” Jounouchi said, his voice soothing. “If you don’t mind, I’m going back to bed now.”
“Yes, of course,” Mokuba said. “Different time zones. Sorry for disturbing you, Jounouchi.”
“No problem. You can always call me.”
The younger Kaiba brother nodded before he disconnected and Jounouchi crawled back into bed. Otogi had been right: Vertregg 12 was going to be the center of something extremely powerful and… dark. With even Kaiba getting involved on a personal title, this was getting out of hand. Duel Monsters. What was it about that game? Was it because of the God Cards? Still, it was just a game. Jounouchi could appreciate a nice game himself, he’d been gambling with his teammates on particularly boring space travels. He had the feeling that Duel Monsters didn’t have anything to do with gambling. This was much, much bigger and he had difficulties falling asleep.
The next morning, the team went to the docks to check up on the October and the Cyber Commander. Honda had arranged for the delivery of several supplies and Otogi had packed a back-up of the system he had used in the Time Wizard, which he wanted to install into the new ship. They had to be ready in time before the October would leave.
“The last engine has arrived,” Honda said, impressed when he reported back to Jounouchi. “That guy is insane, yet a fucking engineering genius.” He shivered. His broken arm was a painful daily reminder of the ease with which Marik had snapped it. “I don’t know how he does it, but I estimate he’s going to be finished by tonight.”
“Have you seen any of the others?” Jounouchi asked.
“Ryou Bakura,” Honda said. “He really likes to assist Marik. The others didn’t show themselves.”
“Weird.” Jounouchi looked over his shoulder. “How long do you need, Otogi?”
“A couple of hours,” Otogi said. “I can’t install the system in just a few minutes.”
“You have until two in the afternoon,” Jounouchi said. The system was a lot of software and hardware and he didn’t know how to install it, but he trusted Otogi’s expertise. They didn’t have the luxury to take all their time, however. As soon as the October left, they needed to go into pursuit. Otogi protested, but Jounouchi didn’t hear it. Yuugi had never answered to his message, which strengthened his belief that the Pharaoh was controlling everything around him.
“Until two, Otogi,” he said sternly. “We assume that the October is leaving tonight. We have to be ready by then. Let’s get to work!”
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Yuugi sat in the cockpit behind Marik, slightly huddled in his seat. Atemu sat on his left side, casually holding his hand. To his right was a gruff Bakura, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Next to Marik was Ryou on his left and Malik on his right, communicating with the tower to ask permission for departure. Yuugi listened half-heartedly. Bakura’s harsh words played in his mind over and over again. He had mustered all his courage to ask Atemu about what he had said. The Pharaoh had reassured him that Bakura was talking nonsense, he was just a thief with a big mouth and he, Atemu, had never told him a lie before, had he? Yuugi had to admit that he was right, theoretically Atemu had never told him a lie, but he hadn’t been generous with the truth either. Yuugi had kept that to himself. It didn’t sit well with him. He told Atemu he had a funny feeling about all of this, and the Pharaoh had kissed him, gently cupping his face.
“Aibou,” he had said, “I trust you, and you can trust me. After this is all over, we will be free to go wherever we want to. I will show you space and beyond, I will show you everything you want.” He had proceeded to undress him and Yuugi had given into the sensations, longing for, craving the other’s touches and kisses. But somehow it had… dissatisfied him, making him feel...he couldn’t really describe it. It was something he wanted to fight against, and yet he wanted to succumb into it. It felt good and bad at the same time, and he didn’t know what to do. What was ‘this’ what Atemu had talked about? He enjoyed Atemu’s touch, but his mind continued to wander off.
“Are you afraid of the launch, aibou?” Atemu asked.
“No, I’m fine.” He always got a little nauseous from the launch into orbit, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle and besides, it usually subsided after half an hour anyway.
“You are a little anxious,” Atemu said. “Do you not wish to return to Vertregg 12?”
“I do, I do,” Yuugi hurried to say. “I want to see grandfather again, and the store! I’ve been gone far too long.”
Not hearing Anzu’s name, Atemu smiled. “You will be home soon before you know it.”
Bakura snorted, but refrained from commenting. Malik received permission from the tower and Marik engaged the engines. The massive thrumming sent shivers all over Yuugi’s body. Marik showed a crooked, yet happy grin. The engines started up flawlessly, thanks to the new equipment.
“Fuck, what did you put into those things?” Bakura asked, staring at his trembling hands.
“And these are just two engines,” Marik grinned in return.
“How long before we reach Vertregg 12?” Ryou’s voice trembled as well.
“Five hours,” Marik answered, operating the control panel. Every light was green.
“That is not too long, is it?” Atemu asked. Yuugi nodded in response, but he squeezed Atemu’s hand hard. The October came to life with much more violence than before, the engines roaring like a roaring lion. “I want you to rest up before we arrive,” Atemu said. “I am going to need your strength, aibou.”
“If you want me to,” Yuugi said.
Atemu brought up his other hand to stroke his hair. “I very much want you to.”
Yuugi nodded and missed the look Ryou was giving him over his shoulder. Instead, he curled up into his chair to be as close to Atemu as possible and closed his eyes. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep, even though Atemu petting his hair was comforting and soothing, almost hypnotizing. He really was going home… but why wasn’t he excited about it? There was something… someone… he was forgetting about, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t fathom who. His grandfather? No, he would see Sugoroku as soon as he was home again. He needed to talk to him about the Game Store… and traveling all over the galaxy with Atemu… the repetitive, soothing strokes made him forget. Yuugi fell into a slumber and he woke up with a jolt when Atemu tapped his shoulder.
“We have reached our destination, aibou.”
“Home?” Yuugi asked blearily.
“Vertregg 12,” Atemu confirmed. “It is nighttime, aibou. I have to take care of something first, then we can go to your grandfather.”
“Yes, I want to see my grandfather.” Yuugi yawned. “Where are the others?”
“They are waiting for us.” Atemu reached for Yuugi and took him by the hand. “Come, aibou.”
Yuugi followed him and his face lit up when he saw the others, standing at the end of the ramp of the October. The space port looked quite eerie at this time of night, the docks illuminated by dimmed lights. The night air was quite chilly and Yuugi shivered. Atemu hooked his arm through his elbow as they joined the rest. Marik had a large, lumpy bag in his hand and Bakura also carried a bag, slung over his shoulders. Ryou and Malik looked insecure, not knowing exactly what was going on.
“Where are we going to?” Ryou asked.
“This way,” Atemu said and took the lead. No one protested and followed the Pharaoh. Yuugi opened his mouth as they approached the offices for customs and admittance to the planet, and he saw the clerks working the late shift standing up straight, their eyes fixed on a point far away from the group, not seeing or saying anything. He looked at Atemu, only to notice the familiar, glowing eye on the Pharaoh’s forehead.
“Mou hitori no boku?”
“It is all right, aibou,” he said. “We do not want to deal with bureaucratic procedures right now.”
“Hear hear,” Bakura muttered. The group continued walking. Yuugi didn’t recognize the environment, he wasn’t familiar with the space port at all and everything looked so different in the dark. Atemu seemed to exactly know where he was going and took a turn to the right. Soon enough, Yuugi had lost all idea of where he was, with all the buildings tall and looming around him. He wondered how and why Atemu knew his way around here, just as the Pharaoh stopped in front of a building that looked just as tall and dark as the others. It was Marik however, who balled his fist and banged on the door. After a moment, a bulky man opened the door and stared down at the group.
“The arena’s closed for tonight,” he said grumpily.
“Not to us,” Atemu said.
“It’s going to cost you,” the man immediately retorted and held up his hand.
“Get out of the way,” Marik said and bared his teeth. The man swallowed and withdrew his hand.
“Come on in.”
Ignoring the sweaty guy, Atemu led the group downstairs, into a huge basement. Yuugi was baffled. A huge, well-lit area with a raised platform in the middle, almost like a boxing ring, stretched out in front of him. People walked around with strange devices strapped to their arms and others were exchanging small, rectangular cards… one thing Yuugi was sure of, they weren’t simple playing cards. He held his breath. He had heard so much about it, but to see an illegal Duel Monsters game with his own eyes…
Another bulky man approached them. “We’re closing for the night.”
“We need the arena for one duel only,” Atemu said and flashed a card to the guy.
His eyes lit up with greed. “What’s the bet?”
“Millions,” Marik said and brusquely pushed the man aside. His undignified “Hey!” was ignored as Bakura, Atemu and Marik climbed into the arena.
“Hey look, it’s a battle royale!” someone said. People flocked together around the arena, including a tall, slender man with an eager look on his face. His eyes were on Atemu as if he knew him, but Yuugi told himself that it couldn’t be true. He didn’t understand at all, yet he walked over to Atemu’s side, as if on automatic pilot. The excitement running through the crowd was contagious. He was about to witness a very special game of Duel Monsters, he was sure of it!
Marik put his lumpy bag down, unzipped it and pulled out two strange devices. He handed one to Atemu and used the other one to attach it to his arm.
“Whoa, those are first-generation Duel Disks,” the young man next to Yuugi said out loud to no one in particular. Duel Disks? Yes, duelists had to use a device to put their cards in as a conduit for the holographic technology to project the summoned monsters. Bakura put on his own Duel Disk, kicking his bag to the side. They exchanged their decks for the required shuffling accompanied by suspicious, angry glares; Marik’s in particular was full of hatred. More people amassed around the arena as the duelists stepped back into their respective corners.
“My turn is the first!” Atemu said and his hand hovered over his deck. To everyone’s surprise, a soft golden glow went through the deck and Yuugi could see how a card moved itself up to the top. “I call forth the Token of Heavenly Trinity!” A monster appeared on the field, an angelic creature with crossed arms and a glowing face, too bright to reveal any defining features. “By paying 1000 life points, I can multiply this token by the number of participants of the field!” The counter on his Duel Disk went down to 3000. “We are with three…” The Token multiplied with three, occupying Atemu’s field. “… and now I sacrifice my Tokens to call forward God! Show yourself, my divine golden servant!”
A collective gasp went through the crowd. The tall man on the other side of the arena stepped forward, mouth agape. Silence. Nothing happened. No God appeared.
“How’s that for a surprise?” Marik said as he held up his Duel Disk, shaking it at Atemu. “It looks like Ra doesn’t want to serve you, Pharaoh.”
Atemu slowly turned his head towards Bakura, who shrugged.
“What? I stole the card once, I could steal it twice,” he said and grinned. “Aren’t you going to ask me when I took it from you?”
“You… thief!” Atemu choked on his words. He narrowed his eyes and drew his lips into a tight, bloodless line. Now he had no monsters on his field, nothing to defend himself with. Marik playfully twitched his fingers as he grabbed the top card of his deck.
“Sorry, your turn is over,” he said. Studying his hand, he discarded one card into his graveyard and summoned a two-headed monster by the name of Jakyll. He set two cards in the magic/trap zone and pointed at the creature with 1600 ATK.
“No, Marik!” Bakura barked at him, but it was too late. Jakyll sped forward, its sharp claws lunging at the Pharaoh as Marik yelled: “Direct attack!”
“Mou hitori no boku!” Yuugi cried out.
The Pharaoh moved his hand just slightly. “Osiris, protect me!”
The audience didn’t have time to gasp. The Sky of God Dragon answered the call immediately. Large bolts of lightning surrounded Atemu without harming him and a bright, red light swooped down, encompassing his entire field and overloading the holographic technology. Jolts of energy crackled and when the God materialized, Yuugi couldn’t believe his eyes. A two-mouthed dragon hovered over Atemu with its wings spread and large, razor sharp claws flanking the Pharaoh’s sides. Osiris opened its lower mouth and released a gigantic roar, blowing the first rows of spectators completely off their feet.
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Jounouchi docked the Cyber Commander without a problem. As this ship was bulkier than the Time Wizard, he was assigned a cargo slot. He gritted his teeth when he noticed his neighbor; the October took up two cargo slots with its sheer, massive size. Otogi and Honda spend a minute looking at it, before clasping Jounouchi firmly on the shoulder.
“Come on, we’ve got to go.” Otogi turned his head. “Before we left, I reached out to some old contacts I have on this planet. One of them sent me a list of possible locations for illegal tournaments.” He tapped his PMA. “I suggest we check them out one by one.”
“All right,” Jounouchi agreed. “Everyone got their holoscrambler?” He had informed his team about Kaiba’s presence on Vertregg 12, and told them to look for him. He was sure that the CEO was using an alterfactor, as to not be recognized. They set out to work according to Otogi’s list. The first three locations were closed-off factories and not the hotbed of an illegal Duel Monsters tournament. Otogi checked his PMA and said: “Guys, I’ve got something. My contact just send me a message that a battle royal is going on, and apparently a guy with a ridiculous hairstyle tried to play a God Card on his first turn, but it didn’t work.”
“The Pharaoh,” Jounouchi answered. “Where?”
“Follow me,” Otogi said and he jogged to the east. Honda and Jounouchi easily kept up with his pace and they reached a tall, generic building. The doors stood wide open and people pushed and pulled at each other to get in.
“We have to get in,” Jounouchi said. He used his elbows to create a path, shoving people to the side, ignoring their cries and curse words as he used quite a bit of force. It took a great deal of effort to plow through the masses, but he finally made it through and ended up in the large underground area with the dueling arena. His jaw went slack. He had seen Ra, in all its blazing glory; this was an entirely different God, massive and powerful. Its very breathing rumbled through the air, menacing and low, yet everyone was looking at the God with awe and admiration.
“It’s Osiris!”
“Osiris!”
Jounouchi’s eyes went to the arena, to the small man standing underneath Osiris. He expected to see Atemu calm and in control, but the panicked look in the Pharaoh’s eyes surprised him. Why was he panicked? He was just in time to see Yuugi, climbing onto the arena and moving towards Atemu.
“Mou hitori no boku! What are you doing?” His voice got drowned out by Osiris’ mighty huff, a giant thunderstorm rolling through the building. Nobody was leaving; more so, they were pushing around the arena to get closer and recording the God on their PMAs.
“Find Kaiba!” Jounouchi hissed at Honda and Otogi. He didn’t wait for them to take action, instead he ran towards the arena. Yuugi had reached Atemu by now and touched his arm, without getting any response. Marik’s Jakyll was still on the field, the monster itself hesitating to continue its attack. Osiris wasn’t in defense mode, but as Atemu had almost a full hand, its ATK was 4000, way over Jakyll’s 1600. Marik wasn’t going to be deterred.
“You a God, I’ll call mine!” he yelled and flipped over his magic card: Monster Reborn. Bakura pointed at the both of them, as his turn was taken away from him. “You bunch of fuckers!”
Yuugi tugged at Atemu’s arm. “Bakura-san hasn’t had his turn yet! Mou hitori no boku! You’re not playing fair!” He didn’t get an answer and with a disgusted look on his face, Yuugi turned away from him to run towards Bakura, who was defenseless without any monsters on his field. Atemu grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back with surprising strength, forcing him to stay at his side. Monster Reborn activated; of course the first card Marik had thrown into his graveyard was the Sun of God Dragon. A golden glow emerged from his Duel Disk and the amassed crowd went wild at the prospect of seeing another God. A huge golden orb appeared above the arena. The crowd tightened the ranks, everybody pushing forward to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Jounouchi could barely make his way through, pushing and shoving.
“Idiots!” Bakura put his free hand under his trench coat and pulled out a package. He tossed it at Ryou, who had chosen to stand behind him, outside of the dueling field. “Run!” he yelled. “Take this and run!”
“What?” Ryou caught the package, wrapped in black cloth. He exchanged a look with Malik who had overheard Bakura, but he didn’t move. His lips moved; he was saying something but it got drowned out in the cacophony of sounds. With the appearance of another monster on the field, Osiris’ special ability was triggered. The crowd gasped at the second mouth opening slowly, but not any less terrifying.
“It looks like Ra doesn’t know which side to choose,” Jounouchi heard someone say. The golden orb hovered motionless over the arena. Marik crossed his arms in front of his chest and started reciting a chant in a language Jounouchi didn’t recognize. He assumed it was Ancient Egyptian. This was getting out of hand really fast. Even Bakura was taking a few steps back. “Get out of here!” Jounouchi pushed at the people around him. “Run! Run for your lives!” He got no reaction at all. Everyone gawked at Osiris, craning their necks and holding up their PMAs to record everything that transpired. Pure, raw energy crackled, electrifying the area and all these idiots weren’t even afraid! Jounouchi pushed and pushed. Where the hell was Kaiba? His holoscrambler didn’t pick up on the CEO’s whereabouts. “Get out! Get away!”
Osiris lunged forward, preparing its attack. Jounouchi finally made it to the arena and started to climb onto Atemu’s side of the field. No logic, rationality or sanity was visible on the Pharaoh’s face, his eyes matching Osiris’ blood red color. He had a tight grip on Yuugi, who tried to free himself, the look on his face filled with pain. The golden orb changed shape and Ra revealed itself, like a massive bird being hatched. It was solid and huge and let out a roar that rivaled Osiris’. Jounouchi forgot to breathe. Osiris was about to launch its attack while Ra transformed into a blazing phoenix, shielding itself with its wings for the incoming blast. Fire and energy clashed and the next moment the arena exploded, sending everyone flying through the air.
Jounouchi was lifted up as well and got caught in the shockwave, along with everyone else who had been standing close to him. He landed on the floor again, with people piling up on top of him. Grunting in pain, he could hear panicked yelling and screaming and the frantic footsteps of people trying to get themselves into safety. Jounouchi managed to get back up, quickly checking up on the men and women close to him; no one had suffered any broken bones, and he yelled at them to get the hell out. He cursed. He had lost his holoscrambler and his vision was hampered by heavy, thick smoke, the aftereffect of the explosion. His eyes started to water and he rubbed at them. A couple of feet away, he saw a tall man lying on the ground, unmoving. It couldn’t be… he tried anyway.
“Kaiba? Kaiba!” Jounouchi yanked at the man’s shoulder. Luck was in his favor again; the man groaned and opened his eyes.
“Jounouchi,” he said and coughed violently. With trembling fingers, he turned off his alterfactor, showing his real face: Kaiba. “What are you doing here?”
“You need to get out of here,” Jounouchi urged him.
The CEO shook his head. “Not without the God Cards!”
“Are you nuts? You need to get out of here, now!” Jounouchi ignored his own aching body and stuck out his arms to help Kaiba back up on his feet. “These guys destroy entire planets for breakfast, remember? Get out of here before you get killed!”
Kaiba pushed him away. “You better be worried about your bounty,” he said. “I want the Pharaoh and the God Cards, Jounouchi!”
“You just saw what these people and their Gods can do! Kaiba!”
Kaiba didn’t respond; he was staring at the dueling arena again, ignoring how a fire had started at the other side of the building. Marik was surrounded by the Sun of God Dragon, lighting up his face, distorted in an utterly insane, bloodthirsty grin. He had little sanity left on his mind and he pointed at Atemu, flanked by his Sky of God Dragon, smoke clouding his vision.
“One turn kill, Pharaoh!” Marik cackled. “I’ll burn you into the hell you deserve!”
“Mou hitori no boku!” Yuugi shrieked. Osiris moved forward and opened its lower mouth again. The Gods were about to clash and if Jounouchi didn’t know any better, he thought they were mad at each other. So much anger, so much hatred, and no sanity or reason left. Bakura was caught in the middle somewhere, apparently without a God Card, or being unable to play it; where was the third god card, where was the God Soldier, Obelisk? Jounouchi didn’t have the time to give it a good thought. Otogi and Honda showed up, worried about him. He shoved Kaiba into their arms. The CEO protested.
“Get him out of here! Get everyone out!”
“Nobody is listening!” Honda yelled. “These people are insane!” No broken arm, cuts or bruises was going to keep the spectators from watching the duel. Even those who had scrambled to get themselves into safety, started to return, mesmerized by the two Gods on the field. Just as Otogi and Honda tugged Kaiba along with them, Osiris lunged at Ra and shot a huge beam of energy from its lower mouth, right as the phoenix-mode Ra went at Osiris in a blazing flame of glory. The divine clash was too horrible for words. A second explosion followed, destroying the entire arena and huge bolts of energy ripped the entire building apart. The roof was blown off and the sudden influx of air fueled the fire, flames shooting up in the air. Screams, yells and cries; everybody panicked and this time there was no turning back. Jounouchi fought against the stream of people and he got pushed, shoved and punched.
“Yuugi! Yuugi!” Jounouchi didn’t know why he cared, or why he was so focused on the smaller man standing between the remnants of the arena. Coughing, cussing and almost crying from the intense heat and smoke, he reached Yuugi and grabbed him at the shoulder. Yelping, Yuugi clung to Atemu, body and mind in shock.
“Let go of him!” Jounouchi roared into his ear. “The whole place’s coming down!”
“Jounouchi-kun?”
“Yes, it’s me,” Jounouchi said, relieved that the other recognized him. “Come on, we have to leave!”
“I can’t!” Yuugi shook his head. “Not without him!” He shook Atemu’s arm. “Mou hitori no boku! Atemu-kun! You’re scaring me!”
The Pharaoh didn’t listen, his eyes fixed on the other side of the field where Ra and Osiris were battling; sharp claws raked through burning fire, flamed wings scorched thick skin. Atemu did say something, but his words were lost in the commotion. His grip on Yuugi weakened. He didn’t see, hear or noticed anything else but the Gods. Yuugi called his name once more and the next second Atemu let go of him completely, pushing him away. In that split second, Jounouchi roughly pulled at Yuugi to create as much distance between him and the Pharaoh as possible. The hurt and disappointment on Yuugi’s face was heart wrenching, yet he still tried to reach for Atemu, tried to get him out of the dangerous situation.
“No!” Jounouchi dragged Yuugi with him. Above them, the supporting beams of the destroyed roof came crashing down. Osiris dove for his Pharaoh to protect him while Ra screeched. Yuugi yelled, Jounouchi screamed and they jumped away, rolling over the floor as stone smashed into stone and the pandemonium reached its devastating apotheosis.
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