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the_goldenpathTitle: Red Dawn or the World ends Tomorrow
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: Yamishipping (YnY x YnB x YnM), Anzu x Honda, unrequited Yuugi x Anzu, one-sided Mahaado x Atemu
Warnings: violence, angst, potty mouths, shounen-ai, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!
Genre: AU, science fiction, action/adventure
Diclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Takahasi Kazuki. No money is made off of this. Fic written just for entertainment purposes.
Summary: Seven Items, seven Generals. What once was the peaceful green Earth has turned into a war-ridden danger zone under the tyrannical rule of Kaiba Gozaburo, with Domino City, Japan, as the centre of his empire. The resistance, led by young rebel Mutou Yuugi, is searching for a way to retrieve the seven so-called Sennen Items, as they are believed to hold the power to bring universal peace. It’s only a matter of time before Yuugi crosses paths with the Generals in his search, ultimately meeting the most powerful of them all: the one they call ‘Pharaoh’.
Author’s note: Feedback is greatly appreciated. I refer to Yami no Malik/ Malik no yami no jinkaku as ‘Marik’ for the flow of the story.
Key: ----------- = scene change
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“Are all the systems back on yet?”
“N-no, Gozaburo-daimyo, it’s very complicated, I guess we have to-”
“Then why are you calling me?!” Gozaburo interrupted the man, spitting at the small screen of the videophone. The entire KaibaCorp. building was equipped with state of the art technology, and he couldn’t accept it that it wasn’t working. Usually he had enough power to keep an entire city running, much less his own building! Usually. But ever since the Pharaoh had summoned a God in his own quarters to… escape – it left Gozaburo a bitter taste in his mouth – the whole building was operating at half, if not minimal, power. The image feed for the videophone was down as well, but the last thing Gozaburo needed to see was the face of the frantic engineer. He could hear the man cowering and sobbing that was enough.
“I can send you a report of the damage on the upper floor…”
Gozaburo cut the connection. He wasn’t waiting for a damage report; he was waiting for the electricity to be at full power again! The morons! Gozaburo stalked away from his desk, almost crushing one of his beloved chess pieces under his foot. With an annoyed grunt, he kicked it away. The servants were even too frazzled to clean his quarters. Everyone was still up in arms about the explosion. It was the most damage the building had ever sustained, and it appeared that the Pharaoh had not taken only one, but two of the upper floors with him. The reconstruction of the floors and ceilings, repainting, reapplying fixtures and cables, the whole works, was going to take time and quite the manpower.
A weak grin appeared on his face. He wasn’t exactly short-staffed, and he could always draw men away from his Elite Troops, if it was really necessary. For now, the redecoration could wait; finding the Pharaoh and Mahaado were top priorities. As soon as he got his hands on that ungrateful little bastard, he was going to choke the ever-loving life out of him, and then make him wear a new and improved armor 24/7. There had to be a glitch, otherwise he would’ve never disobeyed. Gozaburo rejected any possibility that the Pharaoh might have acted on his own, even though he was fully aware of his connection to Mahaado.
He decided to focus on something else. He would deploy all of his Elite Troops, and apprehend everyone remotely connected to that bloody Resistance. If someone got killed… well, that would just be an added bonus. He wasn’t going to waste his time with interrogation and torture. Nobody but their leader was important enough; he wanted to wring someone’s neck.
The orange light from his phone flashed; another incoming call. He grudgingly pressed the button to accept the call. If this was another moron about the damages…
“What is it?”
“It seems that the Generals aren’t in the building anymore, Gozaburo-daimyo.”
“They aren’t... in the building anymore?” His eyes narrowed disapprovingly, a wave of anger welling up in him. “Has anyone seen them leave? Has Set arrived yet?”
“We haven’t seen him, and nobody saw the others leave either.”
“Incompetent morons!” Gozaburo cut the connection again. How dare they… how dare they leave the building without his permission, just like that? Bile rose up in his throat. From all the things he had created, the Pharaoh had always been the best and the strongest. If he allowed himself to think in terms like that, the Pharaoh had always been the most beautiful and the most complex creation. He regarded almost every other creation as a fluke, as a failure, but not ever him, no, not ever his Pharaoh. Gozaburo had taken virtual reality to a new level, and all that he lacked was the knowledge of his adopted son…Seto. With his intelligence and knowledge, he would’ve turned the entire world in a virtual place by now, and there would be no flukes whatsoever - like Marik and Bakura, two idiots who only served one purpose.
With Seto’s programs, the Pharaoh would have been beyond perfection, and Gozaburo himself would be immortal. Once he was, even the creation of the Pharaoh would be nothing more but a speck of dust on his entire lifespan.
Gozaburo frowned as he stared at the blank screen of the videophone. It had always bothered him that the Generals had developed this strong bond with the Pharaoh, ultimately answering to him instead of their creator. There had been nothing he could’ve done about it; the process wasn’t fine-tuned yet, it wasn’t complete. That was why he needed Seto, ironically enough. He couldn’t figure out the flaws on his own. Maybe, as soon as he was immortal, he could spend as much time as he wanted to work out everything. The Generals had their memories - as scattered as they came - the Pharaoh didn’t even remember his real name, for instance. A side-effect, but an unforeseeable one. The only thing he had remembered was his attachment to his fucking Puzzle. Gozaburo caught himself on the swear word, and took a deep breath to calm down again. He wasn’t weak. He wasn’t going to lose.
Every one of his Generals had a bond with their Item, a bond that overstepped life and death, literally. Somehow, their ties to the Items were so much stronger than to him - their own creator! Gozaburo sat down in his chair, calmly as he could be. He had to think about this, and made some serious adjustments. It wasn’t too late to salvage this disaster. He had started from the bottom before; he could bring himself up to the top again. He would regain his absolute power, no matter what, and his Generals would return to him, on their knees. As for the Pharaoh… well, he could forget about getting nicely decorated quarters ever again. Gozaburo wasn’t going to reward him for his disobedience. And as for Noa, who had been thwarting him as of late, well, he could forget about…
Once again the orange light of his phone flashed, interrupting his train of thoughts. He should’ve known; with the ongoing panic, apparently everyone’s brain had shut down. Annoyed, he pushed the button and was rather surprised to hear his own son on the other end of the line. They had left each other without many words after assessing the damage; Gozaburo had simply assumed that Noa had returned to his quarters, just like him.
“Father,” he spoke quickly, “Mokuba is gone! He is no longer in my quarters!”
“Why did you leave him alone? Couldn’t you have called for a servant to look after him while you were going upstairs?” No one had a fucking brain around here! Gozaburo’s voice was loaded with disdain and disappointment. Mokuba wasn’t only the next generation Kaiba, but also a valuable pawn. He was the ultimate trick to pull, the last drastic measure to resort to - and now it had slipped through his fingers? Gozaburo hadn’t minded at all that Noa had taken care of the young kid - he didn’t like kids, unless they were as intelligent as Seto and could hold up a decent conversation without dissolving into kiddie talk. That was however, until he discovered how manipulative his eldest son could really be. It wasn’t a secret that Gozaburo didn’t think much of him, and he had actually been surprised that Noa had finally mustered up the courage to go against his father’s wishes…but Gozaburo took pride in always being one step ahead, and he had already prepared plans to remove Mokuba from Noa’s grasp and have him subjected to the same training and education as once Seto had been.
“I told him to hide in my bedroom and to not come out,” Noa bit back. “Who could I have ever asked for to watch after him, when the top of the whole building just had exploded?”
“If you couldn’t have found anyone, at least you could’ve taken him with you,” Gozaburo wasn’t about to be deterred, even though his suggestion was ridiculous. “You let him out of your sight. It doesn’t matter much; he’s probably at the lower levels, searching for his brother.”
“Seto’s laptop is missing.”
“Of course it is! Mokuba isn’t stupid. He probably thought he could get away in the chaos and confusion. Go down to the lower levels. The first thing Mokuba goes searching for is his brother.”
Gozaburo blurted out an extremely explicit word when another light started flashing on his phone. Wasn’t there anyone around here capable of doing something on his own?
“What’s the matter?” Noa asked, raising his eyebrows. He couldn’t recall his father ever uttering a coarse word like that. It was almost equal to him being greatly upset, and it didn’t bode very well.
“Speak,” Gozaburo ignored Noa’s question and pressed the button to put the other call on the speaker.
“Gozaburo-daimyo, Gozaburo-daimyo, we have detected a heat source approaching us..!”
It was hard to make out the words as a dozen voices were screaming loud in the background at the same time. He winced from the noise. Gozaburo was about to demand the person on the other end of the line to stay calm and repeat his words, when Noa spoke up.
“He is right, father. Sensors on the building pick up a rapid increase in temperature, coming from the east. What on Earth could that-?”
The line went dead. The weak flash lights on his phone died.
He didn’t even bother to press the buttons and try to re-establish the connection. Gozaburo already knew what was coming and with one fluid movement, graceful in a bizarre way, he got up from his chair and walked to the cracked windows on the east side of his room. Just like the Pharaoh, he had favored a view over the city.
The light was beautiful; there was no other way to describe it. Liquid fire, rolling towards him, such beautiful destruction that it was breathtaking and terrifying at the same moment. The servants wouldn’t know what was going to hit them. They never understood the beauty and the power of the Gods anyway. Noa wouldn’t know what was going to hit him. He was probably trying to re-establish the connection, maybe wondering what the increasing heat could be. Gozaburo almost wanted to laugh. He had strived for immortality, and instead he would die at the hand of an immortal God. He had never thought that he would burn to death; he hadn’t even considered he would die some day at all. Immortality…he had been so close, but now it was out of his reach. The light was so calm, even when rapidly approaching. It was disturbing how easily it was to keep watching in fascination while death was imminent.
It was too late to say prayers. He would never reach the elevator in time. He would never get out of this building in time. The air was thickening, vibrating from the heat. The glass was already heating up, expanding the cracks, and a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. Maybe some of the servants would notice the light and be fast enough to escape. But even if they did manage to escape the building, the debris was going to bury them. No one was coming out of this alive. The building was going to be reduced to ashes. It was not much of a consolation that he took at least some people with him in his death. They were just simple servants. He was going to die without any fame to his name, and his immortality would be forever denied.
The cracks expanded rapidly under the increasing pressure of the heat. For no apparent reason, Gozaburo looked over his right shoulder. His chessboard had fallen on the floor, the pieces strewn all around it. Ironically enough, the King stood still upright. The bishop was broken.
It was his last thought as everything exploded, glass splintered, concrete and steel crumbled under the heated onslaught of a divine attack, slashing the building in two. The upper floors immediately caved in, collapsing on top of the lower ones, crashing down like a house of cards. Burning flames engulfed everyone and everything inside, claiming instant death and destruction. And so KaibaCorp. and its ruler was taken down, going under in a sea of red hot violence, its destruction shaking Domino City on its very foundations.
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It took a while before Yuugi realized he was still alive. He was holding his breath, his lungs painfully screaming for fresh air, and slowly, very slowly, he relaxed. Someone had wrapped his or her arms around him, and he was holding onto someone else. When the light subsided, he could see he had latched onto Jounouchi. Anzu had his arms around him, and Honda around her. Next to him was Otogi, and Shizuka was in the middle, wedged between him and her brother. They had formed a protective circle around each other; a unity to shield each other from the blow.
But it hadn’t come. The God, still hovering in the air, faced another direction, not theirs. Yuugi could see its impressive torso, covered with golden armor-like plates and its massive wings, the feathers burning with destructive intensity. Nothing, but absolutely nothing could hurt this God, he thought. It was the more surprising, and slightly unsettling, that the light from this powerful creature was so warm and comforting, almost gentle. Compared to the red dragon they had seen before, it was almost friendly, and Yuugi didn’t understand at all. He did understand however, that they had survived the attack. His friends were all alive; and that was what mattered to him most.
Mahaado was standing close to the Pharaoh, with barely any space between them. He looked down at him, his hand on his shoulder. The magician-General looked relieved.
“Please call the golden God back, my Pharaoh.”
The smaller man looked into the direction the God was facing, his lips pursed. What was he seeing? Yuugi straightened himself to look into the same direction; Anzu immediately tightened her grip on him, afraid the attack wasn’t over yet. Yuugi saw a mushroom shaped cloud at the horizon, a column of immense thick smoke rising up towards the sky. Something was burning, and he had a good idea what was burning. He shivered.
“Never,” the Pharaoh repeated. He didn’t move. His right eye was twitching and his hands trembled a little, but he kept staring at the horizon. Mahaado mentally cursed the armor once more. It prevented the Pharaoh from feeling Mahaado’s touch; the padding was so thick that the touch of a hand was completely lost. The magician-General nodded solemnly.
“Nevermore will Gozaburo keep your Puzzle away from you,” he said. “It is over. It is time to call the golden God back, my Pharaoh.”
“Very well,” the Pharaoh finally acquiesced. “Winged Dragon of the Heavens, return to me!”
With the exception of Mahaado and the Pharaoh, everyone closed their eyes again for the light. Shizuka whimpered as she couldn’t see. She expected another attack to happen and clung to her brother. Yuugi felt Anzu’s fingers dig into his skin, and he subconsciously tightened his hold on his best friend as well.
“Is it over yet?” Jounouchi whispered. He didn’t sound afraid, more like… curious. He was hardly afraid of anything, and he would even accept death from a God if it meant his sister wouldn’t have to suffer. His attention was constantly focused on Shizuka, who tried to tuck herself under his arm, seeking protection.
“I… I am not sure,” Yuugi said.
“Who dares to open his eyes?” Honda mumbled.
“I do,” Jounouchi immediately offered, but Shizuka shrieked.
“No, onii-chan! No!”
“Shizuka…”
“No!”
The girl was too upset, and Yuugi gently disentangled himself from both Jounouchi and Anzu. He caught her peeking at him and he showed her a confident smile, even though he wasn’t feeling all that confident. Jounouchi didn’t look up at him but let him go, knowing why Yuugi had to do this.
It was only a few steps, really, but it seemed like miles to Yuugi. The short distance between him and the Pharaoh and Mahaado was hard to close, even though his heart was filling up with worry. He saw the Pharaoh lying on the ground, and Mahaado kneeling beside him, cradling his head to his chest. The Pharaoh’s eyes were closed and his body was limp, but the magician-General wasn’t panicking. He saw Yuugi approaching, and with a short nod he indicated that it was safe to come closer.
“The Winged Dragon is gone,” Mahaado said, his voice stern and composed as ever. “It has done where it has been summoned for. May all the Gods have been finally laid to rest now.”
Yuugi didn’t quite understand, but he came closer and knelt as well, staring at the man who looked so much like him but wasn’t him. Very gently, he lifted up his hand and touched one of the similar golden bangs, framing his face.
“What happened? Is he...?”
“He needs rest. Summoning a God takes a lot out of him, and I have the firm belief that the armor causes it; as long as he wears it, his usual power is restricted.” Mahaado looked annoyed and suddenly moved up his hand to remove the headpiece. He threw it onto the floor with a disdainful look on his face. “With your permission, Mutou Yuugi, I would like to take him to your Game Shop and give him my bed.”
“We all better return to the Game Shop.” Yuugi was fascinated with the Pharaoh’s similarity, but refrained from touching anything more than his hair, which felt strangely rough and tangled. Mahaado made a non-committal sound of agreement, slowly getting up and straightening himself, visibly wincing from his bad leg. Yuugi helped him to support the Pharaoh, and he turned around to his friends and yelled: “It’s okay! Everything’s okay!”
He didn’t wait to see their bewildered, confused faces, but was grateful for Jounouchi immediately running up to him, Shizuka in tow.
“Need any help? What happened?”
“Could you get him into the car?” Yuugi asked. “We’re going back to the Game Shop, all of us.”
Jounouchi scrunched his face up in a mixture of disgust and disbelief. “You want him in the same place you are? Yuugi, sometimes I think you’re really-”
“It does not matter anymore,” Mahaado brusquely cut him short. “You will not have to fear anything of Gozaburo ever again. If I had any way to reward you, I would, but I can only give you my gratitude if you could please take my Pharaoh to the Game Shop and…”
He was abruptly interrupted himself, not by Jounouchi who still looked incredulous at the thought of even touching the Pharaoh, but by a piercing scream.
“Nii-sama! Nii-sama!”
Otogi, who had joined Jounouchi to see if he could help out too, suddenly hissed “Kaiba!” and ran towards the car. Yuugi immediately followed him, leaving Jounouchi to cry out an indignant “Hey!”. He picked up the Pharaoh anyway and ran after Yuugi as best as he could, Shizuka holding on to his shirt, and Mahaado struggling to catch up, his bad leg hindering him.
“He’s not breathing anymore! Do something, Otogi!”
Yuugi didn’t know the kid, and the name ‘Kaiba’ send immediately shivers down his spine. The boy couldn’t be much older than ten or eleven, and he had tears in his eyes as he tugged at the other’s clothing. It was the first time that Yuugi actually got a good look at the other Kaiba, and he was taken aback by his condition. Horror filled him at the thought what had happened to him, and he immediately wanted to help him, only he didn’t know how. Otogi, who was pretty much at the end of his rope himself, leaned a little into him and pressed his fingers against Kaiba’s neck to search for a pulse.
“Come on man, you have come this far… Come on!”
“Move over, Otogi,” Anzu said. She pushed him away so she could reach for Kaiba herself, her fingers professionally searching and finding the best place to check for his pulse. She frowned as everyone remained silent. The younger Kaiba bit back his tears, visibly shocked and upset. His hands were fisted in Kaiba’s shirt and he still tugged, as if he could shake his brother into consciousness again.
“He’s alive,” Anzu said and she sounded amazed herself, “but he needs an IV and medical care right away.”
“We all go back to the Game Shop, right now!” Yuugi repeated. “Anzu, you can drive – can you reach the Game Shop from here?”
“Yes I can, provided the roads aren’t blocked,” she said. “But I need assistance as soon as possible when I get there.”
“Let me go with you, Anzu-san,” Shizuka piped up, her voice slightly wavering. “I can help you.” She had assisted Anzu before and had no trouble following up her orders; despite her visual handicap, she worked fast and precise.
“I don’t have my supplies,” the girl answered. “We took everything with us when we left the basement. I lost my bag after the first attack of the God.”
“We’ll search for it,” Yuugi said urgently. “We all carried supplies with us, not everything can be lost. We’ll join you as soon as possible at the Game Shop!”
“All right,” she bit on her lip. “Mahaado, get in the backseat, you can hardly walk.”
“But.. my Pharaoh…”
“You can have him on your lap for all I care,” she said, sounding just as stern as he could be. “Otogi, you, get into the car as well. Shizuka, you can take the passenger’s seat.”
“But that’s way too many people,” Otogi said.
“You want to walk?” Anzu snorted, eyeing his frail physique. He was in need of medical attention too and walking the entire way back to the Game Shop could prove to be too much for him. “Squish onto the backseat, right now.”
“Why are you grinning so much?” Jounouchi asked Honda who had been remarkably quiet, but was grinning like a loon.
“Nothing, I just like my girl taking charge,” he said and laughed out loud at Jounouchi’s face.
“I’m going to be in a car!” Shizuka clapped her hands enthusiastically, distracted from the earlier events. Her brother helped her into the seat, fastening the seatbelt for her. Mahaado, the Pharaoh and Otogi were all on the backseat, together with the Kaiba brothers, ‘squished’ indeed as Anzu called it, but they had no other choice. She started up the engine, and searched out Yuugi while she shifted the gear.
“Don’t take too long,” she mouthed, and the car moved – she didn’t floor the gas because driving too fast with all the injured people in the car wouldn’t be for the best. Yuugi didn’t answer and just watched her go. He felt alone all of the sudden, but not an inch less determined to find and retrieve their supplies.
--------------------------
“Oh, come on…”
Anzu turned at the faucet, but no water was coming out. Heaving an irritated sigh, she turned around and dipped her towel into a bucket, wherein water had been stored. It wasn’t as fresh, but it served only to wet her face a little. She couldn’t recall the last time she had slept for more than two hours, and the dark circles under her eyes spoke volumes.
“You better get some rest, Anzu-chan.”
“Says the one who slept even less than I did.” She snorted, but not disdainfully.
Yuugi leaned against the doorpost of the kitchen and remained silent. He needed the support to stay upright, as he was about ready to keel over. Together with Anzu and Shizuka to a lesser extent, he had been up and running to tend to everyone’s wounds almost 24/7 these last few days. To add to the stress, a lot of people had turned up at the Game Shop, confused about what had happened and whether the days of the dictator were truly over. The Resistance was known to give shelter to anyone, and people were still afraid and uncertain. Reliable news sources were hard to find and there were many rumors flying around. Witness after witness reported however, that the KaibaCorp. building had been destroyed by a huge ball of fire. No one assumed that anyone made it out alive, yet some Resistance members searched all around the premises to see if they could find Gozaburo or his remains, to rule out that he’d been able to escape.
“I can’t wait until the water is back on again.”
“It’s such a chaos,” Yuugi agreed. “It will take a while before this society is functioning again as it should be.”
“Such a legacy,” Anzu shook her head and dropped the towel on the kitchen table, “we’re going to need the rest of our lives sorting this mess out.”
“We’re going to sort it out the good way,” Yuugi said. “We can always ask for help from the United States. They managed to escape Gozaburo’s tyranny. No one ever will seize such power here again.”
“I hope so.” She was a natural optimistic person, but her experiences in this hard life had forced her to become more cautious. Her smile was soft yet filled with faith.
“I only need to visit the Pharaoh before I’m done,” she continued. “Then I’m ready to call it a night.”
Yuugi nodded. “How’s Kaiba?”
“He’s doing all right, considering the circumstances.” Her smile faltered. “If it had been an hour later…”
“Yeah.” Yuugi knew what she wanted to say, but left the words unspoken. Fortunately, it hadn’t taken them too long to find a few of their scattered bags and bring everything to the Game Shop. Jounouchi and Honda had immediately gone back to search for the rest, but with the supplies from the retrieved bags Anzu had been able to treat the most urgent patients: Kaiba, Otogi and Mahaado who had lost a considerable amount of blood.
“I’ll check up on the Pharaoh. You go to bed, all right?”
Anzu hesitated for a moment, but the thought of sleep now that the most important patients had been taken care of, won over.
“All right. But don’t hesitate to call me in case you need me, hm?”
“I won’t.”
She brushed past him as she left, and he waited for another minute before he detached himself from the doorpost. Mustering up the last of his strength, he forced himself to make another round and check up on the patients. It was early evening, but both he and Anzu had gone for the past 72 hours with very little sleep. He was ready to crash himself. He didn’t have much to eat either; they were low on everything, with barely any supplies left. Otogi had brought some provisions with him along with the Items, but most of it had been reserved for the patients. Yuugi needed to be very careful with the distribution.
It was so very strange - the house was filled from top to bottom with people. Yuugi had allowed everyone to stay upstairs, especially Kaiba, Otogi, Mahaado and the Pharaoh. Concerning the first two, it would be too much to ask of them to move downstairs, to a chilly basement. Weakened and prone to infections as they already were, that kind of environment could prove to be their death. Ironically, the white sheets Yuugi had used to cover all the furniture with, had been turned into bandages. The ones who escaped being torn, were used to cover the beds of the patients, as they were originally intended for. Yuugi had thought that seeing all the furniture uncovered, his careful preservation of a moment in time ruptured and disturbed, would upset him greatly; but either he was too tired to care, or his emotions had been numbed throughout the years. He had felt barely bothered, the sadness not eating at his heart as he expected. Memories of his parents and grandfather were still the same, and keeping everything covered had weighed him down, instead of allowing him to move on.
Yuugi slipped into the living room and picked up the small, yet heavy golden box from a shelf in the corner. Despite dealing with the patients, inquiring people and general commotion, he had managed to take a peek inside the box. His earlier thoughts were confirmed: it was filled with pieces, the pieces of a golden puzzle. With the box in his hands, he crossed the living room and went through the door to the hallway with the adjacent bedrooms.
Halting at the second door to the right, he wasn’t very surprised to see Mahaado still awake. The former magician-General, with new, clean bandages around his leg, had firmly insisted that his bed should be given to the Pharaoh. He would be fine to sleep on the floor. Anzu hadn’t pressed the matter even though sleeping in a bed would be much better for his leg; as his situation wasn’t life-threatening and she was too busy with the other patients, she had simply left it at that. When Mahaado wasn’t on the floor, he sat in the chair next to the dresser, a blanket wrapped around him, keeping watch over his Pharaoh.
This time, he had pulled the chair close to the bed, blanket loosely wrapped around him. He was stroking the Pharaoh’s hair, using a comb he had dug up from somewhere. He carefully worked out the tangles in the multicolored strands. There wasn’t enough water or cleaning products for everyone, so even the Pharaoh’s hair was still matted, giving him a rather wild, unkempt look.
“Is he asleep?” Yuugi asked softly as Mahaado put the comb away and rose to his feet, shifting the blanket so it wouldn’t fall off of his shoulders. Despite his bad leg, the magician-General stood straight up, a defensive shield between Yuugi and his Pharaoh.
“He has been, for most of the time. His dreams have been… brutal on him.” Mahaado’s eyes were focused on Yuugi, darting for a mere second towards the golden box and then back to his face again. He had used his heka to completely destroy the Pharaoh’s armor, and ever since the artificial suppression had been cancelled, the Pharaoh had suffered very vivid and haunting nightmares and dreams. Yuugi wasn’t sure why exactly this was happening or what to do about it; but it pained him to see Mahaado in pain. He felt responsible for his Pharaoh’s well-being and was at a loss.
“Marik and Bakura are gone,” Mahaado said and his voice lowered a few octaves. For a split second, Yuugi thought he heard ‘Malik and Bakura’, and his heart clenched painfully together. He hadn’t seen them return to the Resistance. “They were connected in a certain way to my Pharaoh that I could never dream of attaining. I wish, but…” He shook his head.
“He feels that they are gone?” Yuugi inquired.
“What they shared went beyond normal comprehension,” Mahaado explained. His fingers plucked at the blanket. “To us, they were his bodyguards and ‘care-takers’. To many, they were just revolting, despicable dark creatures who reveled in pain and mocked everything and anything. To him…” he looked at the Pharaoh, “they were more than the world and the entire universe.”
“I’m sorry,” Yuugi said.
Mahaado shrugged as if he couldn’t care less, but Yuugi had seen his eyes. He felt truly sorry for Mahaado, and he wondered if he could give him a hug. He took a few steps and put the golden box on the dresser. Just as he was about to turn around and say something, the Pharaoh shifted in his bed, bleary eyes opening.
“My Pharaoh,” Mahaado was quick to greet him, and bowed.
“My Priest,” he answered, voice a little hoarse.
“Yes, your Priest,” Mahaado whispered, and lowered his head. He tugged the blanket closer around himself, his fingers clenching at the fabric. “Do you need anything, my Pharaoh? Is there something I can get you?”
“I am fine,” came the answer, followed by a short cough. Mahaado rose and picked up a bottle of water. He poured a little liquid into a cup. Anzu and Yuugi had distributed the water, and judging from the looks of it, Yuugi was fairly sure that the former magician-General hadn’t drank anything himself. He patiently waited until Mahaado helped the Pharaoh to drink, and supported him to sit upright, fluffing the pillows behind him.
“Thank you, I am all right.”
Yuugi was pleased to hear the Pharaoh’s voice; it was low and even, so much unlike the mad, angry and upset tone he had spoken in before.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” he said.
The Pharaoh looked at him, slightly disturbed as he took in his appearance. There hadn’t been an opportunity for him to say anything about their striking similarities before, and it had to puzzle him. And talking about Puzzles…
“I brought you your Item,” Yuugi said. “It has to be assembled. You can’t touch it right now, though.” He exchanged a quick look with Mahaado, wondering if the Pharaoh and his Generals were aware that touching their Items meant the end of their existence. Isis.
“How long will it take before it is assembled again?” the Pharaoh asked.
“I don’t know. It seems to be a very complex, intricate structure. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.”
It was surprising to hear him say that spontaneously, and Yuugi smiled. It had been for the best to remove that horrible armor; the Pharaoh was indeed a whole different person without it.
“Where are the others?”
“I am sure the other Priests will arrive anytime soon, my Pharaoh,” Mahaado said. “We will be reunited at last.”
“My court will be together again.”
“Not quite, unfortunately… Isis has... left us.”
He looked confused. “She did? But how… my court cannot be complete without the six of you. I…”
“My Pharaoh, we can never be complete, I regret to say.” Mahaado sounded sad. “Two of us have already left, and things have changed. The world has changed. We have changed.”
“I do not understand…”
A knock on the door, and everyone looked up. It was Jounouchi, who peeked through the open door, his hand on the doorpost. Yuugi knew it was going to take quite some time to get used to look at his friend’s hands without flinching; just like Honda, Jounouchi had refused any treatment for his burned skin. The scars would remind them for the rest of their lives of Osiris’ attack, but maybe that had been their reason…to keep their battle scars as a reminder of how bad it had been. Yuugi respected their decision, but had difficulties to refrain from flinching when he saw the marred skin.
“Malik and Bakura are here to see you, Yuugi.”
“Marik! Bakura!” The Pharaoh shot up straight in the bed, his eyes bewildered, stretching his arms. “Are they here? Where are they?”
“I am sorry, my Pharaoh, but those are not… the ones you know.” Mahaado tried to calm him, meanwhile throwing a murderous glare at Jounouchi. The blond was less than impressed and stepped to the side as Malik entered the room, followed by Bakura.
The Pharaoh gaped at them, and the disappointment was visible on his face. He calmed down, his lips drawn into a tight line, his shoulders slumping, and arms falling back on the bed covers. Malik ignored him and went straight to Yuugi, holding out his hand. When Yuugi in a reflex held out his hand as well, Malik reached behind his own back, unhooked the Sennen Rod and placed the Item in Yuugi’s hand.
“This is yours.”
“The Sennen Rod,” Mahaado said, reverently.
Bakura followed Malik’s example and stepped forward, casting a nervous look at the Pharaoh before handing Yuugi the Ring.
“The Sennen Ring…” Mahaado’s expression changed, from interest to pure…
greed. His eyes were attached to the golden object with the prongs, now lying in Yuugi’s hands.
“Thank you,” he said. He was very glad to see them again; he hadn’t been sure about what had happened to them. Bakura averted his head from the Ring and stared pointedly at Malik, who took off his coat and dumped it on Mahaado’s chair.
“My sister told me a lot about our family,” he said, tone of voice low, the grief audible when he spoke about Isis. “A lot, but not quite enough. Many mysteries have shrouded our family, have divided our tribe. She didn’t know everything, and we weren’t able to retrieve every piece of information. What she did tell me, was that our tribe was cursed to carry certain marks… for a crime committed in a past, long long forgotten ago.”
Jounouchi had stepped away from the door, but he hadn’t left. Just like everyone else present, he was hanging onto Malik’s lips to hear the rest of his story.
“I don’t know a thing about this crime, but I was punished for it, rather painfully.” He grimaced and took off his sweater, handing it to Bakura who took the garment from him. “On my back, they carved certain… things that would remind me for the rest of my life of this crime, and I was forcefully instructed to pass this on to my own children, should I have any.”
“How…” Yuugi started, but Malik shook his head.
“Your name is on my back, Pharaoh,” he said bluntly. “No one can read it, because the knowledge of this language has been lost since centuries. From father to son, they butchered and carved the word into each other’s flesh as best as they could.”
Mahaado looked like he was going to throw up. The Pharaoh’s face was set in stone, a hint of disbelief coloring his eyes, while Yuugi’s jaw had dropped in horror and shock from Malik’s story. Bakura plucked at Malik’s sweater, obviously having heard the story before, even though he avoided looking at his friend. Jounouchi shook his head almost unnoticeably.
“I will show it to you.”
He took off his shirt and promptly turned around, showing the Pharaoh his back. A heavy silence reined the room.
“Can you read it?” Yuugi asked softly, but curiously.
“Yes. Yes I can,” the Pharaoh answered, sounding incredulous. “Mahaado?”
“I cannot, my Pharaoh.” His voice held an ashamed tone to it. There was another minute of silence, until the Pharaoh spoke again.
“Atemu. My name is Atemu.”
“That is a wonderful name,” Mahaado sighed.
Malik turned around again and put on his shirt, grabbing his sweater from Bakura’s hands. The Pharaoh looked upset, his face pale. Mahaado held the blanket around his shoulders, his fingers compulsively clenching and unclenching. No one spoke, and the silence became uncomfortable. As soon as Malik had finished dressing, Yuugi urged him and Bakura out of the room with gentle gestures. Outside, he thanked Malik for what he did.
“I can only hope it helps him, somehow,” Malik said as he put on his coat. “We won’t be staying around to find out, though.”
“I thought as much,” Yuugi replied. “Are you really sure you don’t want to stay, just for a little longer?”
Malik shook his head in time with Bakura’s.
“There’s plenty of space,” Jounouchi piped up, suddenly. “We can make space for you.”
“Thank you, but we have to go. We have done what we were supposed to do, and that’s it for us.”
Yuugi looked at the both of them. Bakura kept his black trench coat obsessively closed, his hands clutching at the torn and ripped fabric. Yuugi wasn’t really sure if some of the stains on Malik’s shirt were dried blood or not, and they weren’t in any condition to travel. He tried to convince them once more.
“You’re injured,” he said, “and your clothes… at least stay to get some rest and regain your strength.”
“We’re fine,” Malik spoke for the both of them. Bakura was silent as ever, but his eyes never left Malik.
“Where will you be going to?” Jounouchi asked.
“My homeland,” was the short answer and Malik was about to turn around, when Yuugi opened his arms. The other frowned but gave into the hug nonetheless, a look of slight awkwardness on his face. He put his arms quickly, but firmly, around Yuugi before withdrawing again.
“Thank you for everything. Good luck, Malik-san.”
“Thank you,” he answered, a little strained, and stepped to the side so Yuugi could approach Bakura for a hug.
“Thank you too, Bakura-san. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Bakura said, his soft voice hardly strained, and he didn’t withdraw from the hug that quick either. Yuugi couldn’t tell if Bakura wanted to stay and rest up, but Malik was obviously the one in charge. Still, he was convinced that Bakura and Malik would make it; wherever they were going – to the Middle East, judging from Malik’s skin color – they would arrive safely.
Jounouchi didn’t hug them but nodded in respect. Malik and Bakura left, their footsteps on the stairs the only sound for another minute until complete silence reined again. He coughed behind his hand.
“I’ve seen a lot of weird things,” he said, “but those two take the cake.”
“Malik-san and Bakura-san have grown up very differently than we did,” Yuugi said good-naturedly.
“I think there are just a few screws loose with blondie…”
“At least he has a good friend in Bakura-san.” He stifled a yawn.
“You’ve been up for ages. Why don’t you get some sleep? Me and Honda can keep an eye on everything. You’re about to keel over.”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Jounouchi-kun. Just another word to the Pharaoh and I’m off.”
“All right. I’ll tell people not to disturb you.”
Yuugi went back into the small bedroom, noticing that the Pharaoh was lying down with his eyes closed. Mahaado had resumed his position in the chair, watching by his side.
“Thank you for everything you have done for us,” Mahaado spoke. As soon as his voice filled the room, the Pharaoh opened his eyes again.
“You’re welcome,” Yuugi said and smiled. Yes, they were both welcome. After everything that had happened, Yuugi wasn’t the one to hold grudges; he believed in second chances, and he also believed in the good nature of people. Jounouchi had called his view naïve and unrealistic, but these moments made it all worth it.
“How do you feel, Atemu-san?”
“My name sounds strange, yet familiar,” he answered, showing a very small smile. “It… it is wonderful to know that I do have a first name. For a long time, I thought I did not have one. It was always Pharaoh this, Pharaoh that…Bakura called me Pharaoh-sama, and Marik always called me ‘pretty Pharaoh’…”
It was impossible to miss the pained look on Mahaado’s face, but it wasn’t until then that Yuugi noticed that they were holding hands – as in, Mahaado had Atemu’s hand between his own, fingers gently caressing. Judging from the former Pharaoh’s relaxed posture, Yuugi assumed he didn’t mind at all.
“We have overheard a little of your conversation,” Mahaado said, pointedly steering away from the topic. “How he spoke of returning to his homeland.”
Yuugi nodded. “Yes, now that Gozaburo is gone, I’m sure that traveling and traffic will increase once again, and that the world will slowly recover from the wounds he has torn.”
Mahaado remained silent, and it felt uncomfortable. He cocked his head. “Why? Have you decided…”
“None of the Generals belong in this world.” It was Atemu who spoke.
“That is what Isis-san said as well.”
“She was wise,” Atemu sighed and brought up his other hand to rub his nose. “Her visions told her about the future, and she was wise in her interpretations. The reason for her defection was not to give you information, but to tell us that things were coming to an end.”
“Did you really believe she betrayed you?”
“I never believed she did,” Mahaado answered hotly at the same time Atemu nodded.
“Gozaburo said that she had defected, that she had willingly searched out the Resistance to give out information. I believed it, because I… I believed Gozaburo.”
“My Pharaoh, your rationality and your independent thoughts were blocked, distorted, by that armor you always wore,” Mahaado chided him gently. “Gozaburo’s grip was firm on you, and you were not able to break it. Not until now.”
“His days are over,” Yuugi reminded them, “and ours are only beginning. I will assemble your Puzzle while you rest, Atemu-san.”
“Thank you,” he said as his eyelids drooped. Mahaado tucked the covers around him as Yuugi left, stifling another yawn. The last room on the right was reserved for the Kaiba brothers. Yuugi had learned both their names properly – Seto and Mokuba – from Otogi, and he couldn’t help but peek inside as the door was open. This had been his grandfather’s room. It didn’t hold much furniture besides a bed, a cupboard and a small desk. The makeshift bed on the floor was intended for Mokuba, but everyone knew the kid crawled into the bed with his brother just to stay close to him.
Once more he was very grateful that he and Jounouchi had managed to find some of Anzu’s bags. One had contained everything necessary for the IV. It had saved Kaiba’s life, providing him with the much needed nutrition and fluids. Anzu had also treated his chafed and sore wrists and told him to rest; his body would need time to heal, and he would feel weak for a while. Kaiba had been too far gone to protest but as soon as he regained consciousness, his eyes had been alert and bright, and there was nothing weak about his glare.
“Good evening, Kaiba-kun,” Yuugi said. For a change, Mokuba was in his own bed, already asleep. Only the top of his mass of black hair was visible as he had curled himself completely into the blankets. Kaiba was awake, propped up by pillows, his long, thin fingers spread on the pages of a book, lying between his bony knees.
“Evening, Yuugi,” he said curtly. He was still a ghost of his former self, with his hollow cheeks and sickly-pale skin color. Anzu was convinced he would recover completely in time, with the help of good and balanced food. Yuugi couldn’t wait for the other to gain some weight and strength – it was disturbing to see someone who had been on the brink of starvation.
“Do you have any confirmation on Gozaburo’s status yet?”
“People are still looking for him, but it’s safe to say that he went under with the building,” Yuugi answered. “The God was… very thorough.”
“What a shame I missed it.”
Yuugi grimaced. Kaiba’s body had given out on him at the moment the God had launched its attack. “How are you feeling?”
“Weak. Tired. Slow. Cranky.”
“You’re going to feeling like that for some time to come...”
“Yes, I know.” Kaiba lifted up his hand with the IV. “She told me all about it.”
“You have time enough to recover,” Yuugi said. “You can stay here for as long as it takes.”
Kaiba snorted, but didn’t comment, nor said any thanks. He dropped his hand back on the book again, the small movement demanding too much of him.
“My father… or whatever he was, is gone. Heh. I longed for him to die. I wanted to kill him with my own hands, preferably. I don’t feel the tiniest bit of remorse, but I hadn’t expected this chaos.”
“We’ll rebuild the world,” Yuugi said. “It’s not going to be easy, and it won’t happen in two weeks, but we’ll get there.”
“Are you always this damn optimistic?”
“Why yes, I am,” Yuugi beamed at him. Kaiba grumbled something incomprehensible in return and closed his eyes.
“Good night, Kaiba-kun.”
“Go to bed, Yuugi.”
He had to chuckle, dissolving into another yawn and Yuugi quickly left. He took the stairs up to his attic room. He hadn’t been here in a long, long time until recently, when the house had filled up with injured people. He had spend his youth here, until Gozaburo and his Elite Troops had turned the world upside down. So many victims, so much sadness… but now there was hope and faith for mankind. This world was going to be rebuild, and there would be no more pain, no more sorrow. Yuugi undressed himself and slipped under the sandy colored covers. He was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
-------------------------------
Continued here
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9-1 | 9-2 |
Fandom: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Pairings: Yamishipping (YnY x YnB x YnM), Anzu x Honda, unrequited Yuugi x Anzu, one-sided Mahaado x Atemu
Warnings: violence, angst, potty mouths, shounen-ai, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!
Genre: AU, science fiction, action/adventure
Diclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! belongs to Takahasi Kazuki. No money is made off of this. Fic written just for entertainment purposes.
Summary: Seven Items, seven Generals. What once was the peaceful green Earth has turned into a war-ridden danger zone under the tyrannical rule of Kaiba Gozaburo, with Domino City, Japan, as the centre of his empire. The resistance, led by young rebel Mutou Yuugi, is searching for a way to retrieve the seven so-called Sennen Items, as they are believed to hold the power to bring universal peace. It’s only a matter of time before Yuugi crosses paths with the Generals in his search, ultimately meeting the most powerful of them all: the one they call ‘Pharaoh’.
Author’s note: Feedback is greatly appreciated. I refer to Yami no Malik/ Malik no yami no jinkaku as ‘Marik’ for the flow of the story.
Key: ----------- = scene change
“Are all the systems back on yet?”
“N-no, Gozaburo-daimyo, it’s very complicated, I guess we have to-”
“Then why are you calling me?!” Gozaburo interrupted the man, spitting at the small screen of the videophone. The entire KaibaCorp. building was equipped with state of the art technology, and he couldn’t accept it that it wasn’t working. Usually he had enough power to keep an entire city running, much less his own building! Usually. But ever since the Pharaoh had summoned a God in his own quarters to… escape – it left Gozaburo a bitter taste in his mouth – the whole building was operating at half, if not minimal, power. The image feed for the videophone was down as well, but the last thing Gozaburo needed to see was the face of the frantic engineer. He could hear the man cowering and sobbing that was enough.
“I can send you a report of the damage on the upper floor…”
Gozaburo cut the connection. He wasn’t waiting for a damage report; he was waiting for the electricity to be at full power again! The morons! Gozaburo stalked away from his desk, almost crushing one of his beloved chess pieces under his foot. With an annoyed grunt, he kicked it away. The servants were even too frazzled to clean his quarters. Everyone was still up in arms about the explosion. It was the most damage the building had ever sustained, and it appeared that the Pharaoh had not taken only one, but two of the upper floors with him. The reconstruction of the floors and ceilings, repainting, reapplying fixtures and cables, the whole works, was going to take time and quite the manpower.
A weak grin appeared on his face. He wasn’t exactly short-staffed, and he could always draw men away from his Elite Troops, if it was really necessary. For now, the redecoration could wait; finding the Pharaoh and Mahaado were top priorities. As soon as he got his hands on that ungrateful little bastard, he was going to choke the ever-loving life out of him, and then make him wear a new and improved armor 24/7. There had to be a glitch, otherwise he would’ve never disobeyed. Gozaburo rejected any possibility that the Pharaoh might have acted on his own, even though he was fully aware of his connection to Mahaado.
He decided to focus on something else. He would deploy all of his Elite Troops, and apprehend everyone remotely connected to that bloody Resistance. If someone got killed… well, that would just be an added bonus. He wasn’t going to waste his time with interrogation and torture. Nobody but their leader was important enough; he wanted to wring someone’s neck.
The orange light from his phone flashed; another incoming call. He grudgingly pressed the button to accept the call. If this was another moron about the damages…
“What is it?”
“It seems that the Generals aren’t in the building anymore, Gozaburo-daimyo.”
“They aren’t... in the building anymore?” His eyes narrowed disapprovingly, a wave of anger welling up in him. “Has anyone seen them leave? Has Set arrived yet?”
“We haven’t seen him, and nobody saw the others leave either.”
“Incompetent morons!” Gozaburo cut the connection again. How dare they… how dare they leave the building without his permission, just like that? Bile rose up in his throat. From all the things he had created, the Pharaoh had always been the best and the strongest. If he allowed himself to think in terms like that, the Pharaoh had always been the most beautiful and the most complex creation. He regarded almost every other creation as a fluke, as a failure, but not ever him, no, not ever his Pharaoh. Gozaburo had taken virtual reality to a new level, and all that he lacked was the knowledge of his adopted son…Seto. With his intelligence and knowledge, he would’ve turned the entire world in a virtual place by now, and there would be no flukes whatsoever - like Marik and Bakura, two idiots who only served one purpose.
With Seto’s programs, the Pharaoh would have been beyond perfection, and Gozaburo himself would be immortal. Once he was, even the creation of the Pharaoh would be nothing more but a speck of dust on his entire lifespan.
Gozaburo frowned as he stared at the blank screen of the videophone. It had always bothered him that the Generals had developed this strong bond with the Pharaoh, ultimately answering to him instead of their creator. There had been nothing he could’ve done about it; the process wasn’t fine-tuned yet, it wasn’t complete. That was why he needed Seto, ironically enough. He couldn’t figure out the flaws on his own. Maybe, as soon as he was immortal, he could spend as much time as he wanted to work out everything. The Generals had their memories - as scattered as they came - the Pharaoh didn’t even remember his real name, for instance. A side-effect, but an unforeseeable one. The only thing he had remembered was his attachment to his fucking Puzzle. Gozaburo caught himself on the swear word, and took a deep breath to calm down again. He wasn’t weak. He wasn’t going to lose.
Every one of his Generals had a bond with their Item, a bond that overstepped life and death, literally. Somehow, their ties to the Items were so much stronger than to him - their own creator! Gozaburo sat down in his chair, calmly as he could be. He had to think about this, and made some serious adjustments. It wasn’t too late to salvage this disaster. He had started from the bottom before; he could bring himself up to the top again. He would regain his absolute power, no matter what, and his Generals would return to him, on their knees. As for the Pharaoh… well, he could forget about getting nicely decorated quarters ever again. Gozaburo wasn’t going to reward him for his disobedience. And as for Noa, who had been thwarting him as of late, well, he could forget about…
Once again the orange light of his phone flashed, interrupting his train of thoughts. He should’ve known; with the ongoing panic, apparently everyone’s brain had shut down. Annoyed, he pushed the button and was rather surprised to hear his own son on the other end of the line. They had left each other without many words after assessing the damage; Gozaburo had simply assumed that Noa had returned to his quarters, just like him.
“Father,” he spoke quickly, “Mokuba is gone! He is no longer in my quarters!”
“Why did you leave him alone? Couldn’t you have called for a servant to look after him while you were going upstairs?” No one had a fucking brain around here! Gozaburo’s voice was loaded with disdain and disappointment. Mokuba wasn’t only the next generation Kaiba, but also a valuable pawn. He was the ultimate trick to pull, the last drastic measure to resort to - and now it had slipped through his fingers? Gozaburo hadn’t minded at all that Noa had taken care of the young kid - he didn’t like kids, unless they were as intelligent as Seto and could hold up a decent conversation without dissolving into kiddie talk. That was however, until he discovered how manipulative his eldest son could really be. It wasn’t a secret that Gozaburo didn’t think much of him, and he had actually been surprised that Noa had finally mustered up the courage to go against his father’s wishes…but Gozaburo took pride in always being one step ahead, and he had already prepared plans to remove Mokuba from Noa’s grasp and have him subjected to the same training and education as once Seto had been.
“I told him to hide in my bedroom and to not come out,” Noa bit back. “Who could I have ever asked for to watch after him, when the top of the whole building just had exploded?”
“If you couldn’t have found anyone, at least you could’ve taken him with you,” Gozaburo wasn’t about to be deterred, even though his suggestion was ridiculous. “You let him out of your sight. It doesn’t matter much; he’s probably at the lower levels, searching for his brother.”
“Seto’s laptop is missing.”
“Of course it is! Mokuba isn’t stupid. He probably thought he could get away in the chaos and confusion. Go down to the lower levels. The first thing Mokuba goes searching for is his brother.”
Gozaburo blurted out an extremely explicit word when another light started flashing on his phone. Wasn’t there anyone around here capable of doing something on his own?
“What’s the matter?” Noa asked, raising his eyebrows. He couldn’t recall his father ever uttering a coarse word like that. It was almost equal to him being greatly upset, and it didn’t bode very well.
“Speak,” Gozaburo ignored Noa’s question and pressed the button to put the other call on the speaker.
“Gozaburo-daimyo, Gozaburo-daimyo, we have detected a heat source approaching us..!”
It was hard to make out the words as a dozen voices were screaming loud in the background at the same time. He winced from the noise. Gozaburo was about to demand the person on the other end of the line to stay calm and repeat his words, when Noa spoke up.
“He is right, father. Sensors on the building pick up a rapid increase in temperature, coming from the east. What on Earth could that-?”
The line went dead. The weak flash lights on his phone died.
He didn’t even bother to press the buttons and try to re-establish the connection. Gozaburo already knew what was coming and with one fluid movement, graceful in a bizarre way, he got up from his chair and walked to the cracked windows on the east side of his room. Just like the Pharaoh, he had favored a view over the city.
The light was beautiful; there was no other way to describe it. Liquid fire, rolling towards him, such beautiful destruction that it was breathtaking and terrifying at the same moment. The servants wouldn’t know what was going to hit them. They never understood the beauty and the power of the Gods anyway. Noa wouldn’t know what was going to hit him. He was probably trying to re-establish the connection, maybe wondering what the increasing heat could be. Gozaburo almost wanted to laugh. He had strived for immortality, and instead he would die at the hand of an immortal God. He had never thought that he would burn to death; he hadn’t even considered he would die some day at all. Immortality…he had been so close, but now it was out of his reach. The light was so calm, even when rapidly approaching. It was disturbing how easily it was to keep watching in fascination while death was imminent.
It was too late to say prayers. He would never reach the elevator in time. He would never get out of this building in time. The air was thickening, vibrating from the heat. The glass was already heating up, expanding the cracks, and a few drops of sweat appeared on his forehead. Maybe some of the servants would notice the light and be fast enough to escape. But even if they did manage to escape the building, the debris was going to bury them. No one was coming out of this alive. The building was going to be reduced to ashes. It was not much of a consolation that he took at least some people with him in his death. They were just simple servants. He was going to die without any fame to his name, and his immortality would be forever denied.
The cracks expanded rapidly under the increasing pressure of the heat. For no apparent reason, Gozaburo looked over his right shoulder. His chessboard had fallen on the floor, the pieces strewn all around it. Ironically enough, the King stood still upright. The bishop was broken.
It was his last thought as everything exploded, glass splintered, concrete and steel crumbled under the heated onslaught of a divine attack, slashing the building in two. The upper floors immediately caved in, collapsing on top of the lower ones, crashing down like a house of cards. Burning flames engulfed everyone and everything inside, claiming instant death and destruction. And so KaibaCorp. and its ruler was taken down, going under in a sea of red hot violence, its destruction shaking Domino City on its very foundations.
It took a while before Yuugi realized he was still alive. He was holding his breath, his lungs painfully screaming for fresh air, and slowly, very slowly, he relaxed. Someone had wrapped his or her arms around him, and he was holding onto someone else. When the light subsided, he could see he had latched onto Jounouchi. Anzu had his arms around him, and Honda around her. Next to him was Otogi, and Shizuka was in the middle, wedged between him and her brother. They had formed a protective circle around each other; a unity to shield each other from the blow.
But it hadn’t come. The God, still hovering in the air, faced another direction, not theirs. Yuugi could see its impressive torso, covered with golden armor-like plates and its massive wings, the feathers burning with destructive intensity. Nothing, but absolutely nothing could hurt this God, he thought. It was the more surprising, and slightly unsettling, that the light from this powerful creature was so warm and comforting, almost gentle. Compared to the red dragon they had seen before, it was almost friendly, and Yuugi didn’t understand at all. He did understand however, that they had survived the attack. His friends were all alive; and that was what mattered to him most.
Mahaado was standing close to the Pharaoh, with barely any space between them. He looked down at him, his hand on his shoulder. The magician-General looked relieved.
“Please call the golden God back, my Pharaoh.”
The smaller man looked into the direction the God was facing, his lips pursed. What was he seeing? Yuugi straightened himself to look into the same direction; Anzu immediately tightened her grip on him, afraid the attack wasn’t over yet. Yuugi saw a mushroom shaped cloud at the horizon, a column of immense thick smoke rising up towards the sky. Something was burning, and he had a good idea what was burning. He shivered.
“Never,” the Pharaoh repeated. He didn’t move. His right eye was twitching and his hands trembled a little, but he kept staring at the horizon. Mahaado mentally cursed the armor once more. It prevented the Pharaoh from feeling Mahaado’s touch; the padding was so thick that the touch of a hand was completely lost. The magician-General nodded solemnly.
“Nevermore will Gozaburo keep your Puzzle away from you,” he said. “It is over. It is time to call the golden God back, my Pharaoh.”
“Very well,” the Pharaoh finally acquiesced. “Winged Dragon of the Heavens, return to me!”
With the exception of Mahaado and the Pharaoh, everyone closed their eyes again for the light. Shizuka whimpered as she couldn’t see. She expected another attack to happen and clung to her brother. Yuugi felt Anzu’s fingers dig into his skin, and he subconsciously tightened his hold on his best friend as well.
“Is it over yet?” Jounouchi whispered. He didn’t sound afraid, more like… curious. He was hardly afraid of anything, and he would even accept death from a God if it meant his sister wouldn’t have to suffer. His attention was constantly focused on Shizuka, who tried to tuck herself under his arm, seeking protection.
“I… I am not sure,” Yuugi said.
“Who dares to open his eyes?” Honda mumbled.
“I do,” Jounouchi immediately offered, but Shizuka shrieked.
“No, onii-chan! No!”
“Shizuka…”
“No!”
The girl was too upset, and Yuugi gently disentangled himself from both Jounouchi and Anzu. He caught her peeking at him and he showed her a confident smile, even though he wasn’t feeling all that confident. Jounouchi didn’t look up at him but let him go, knowing why Yuugi had to do this.
It was only a few steps, really, but it seemed like miles to Yuugi. The short distance between him and the Pharaoh and Mahaado was hard to close, even though his heart was filling up with worry. He saw the Pharaoh lying on the ground, and Mahaado kneeling beside him, cradling his head to his chest. The Pharaoh’s eyes were closed and his body was limp, but the magician-General wasn’t panicking. He saw Yuugi approaching, and with a short nod he indicated that it was safe to come closer.
“The Winged Dragon is gone,” Mahaado said, his voice stern and composed as ever. “It has done where it has been summoned for. May all the Gods have been finally laid to rest now.”
Yuugi didn’t quite understand, but he came closer and knelt as well, staring at the man who looked so much like him but wasn’t him. Very gently, he lifted up his hand and touched one of the similar golden bangs, framing his face.
“What happened? Is he...?”
“He needs rest. Summoning a God takes a lot out of him, and I have the firm belief that the armor causes it; as long as he wears it, his usual power is restricted.” Mahaado looked annoyed and suddenly moved up his hand to remove the headpiece. He threw it onto the floor with a disdainful look on his face. “With your permission, Mutou Yuugi, I would like to take him to your Game Shop and give him my bed.”
“We all better return to the Game Shop.” Yuugi was fascinated with the Pharaoh’s similarity, but refrained from touching anything more than his hair, which felt strangely rough and tangled. Mahaado made a non-committal sound of agreement, slowly getting up and straightening himself, visibly wincing from his bad leg. Yuugi helped him to support the Pharaoh, and he turned around to his friends and yelled: “It’s okay! Everything’s okay!”
He didn’t wait to see their bewildered, confused faces, but was grateful for Jounouchi immediately running up to him, Shizuka in tow.
“Need any help? What happened?”
“Could you get him into the car?” Yuugi asked. “We’re going back to the Game Shop, all of us.”
Jounouchi scrunched his face up in a mixture of disgust and disbelief. “You want him in the same place you are? Yuugi, sometimes I think you’re really-”
“It does not matter anymore,” Mahaado brusquely cut him short. “You will not have to fear anything of Gozaburo ever again. If I had any way to reward you, I would, but I can only give you my gratitude if you could please take my Pharaoh to the Game Shop and…”
He was abruptly interrupted himself, not by Jounouchi who still looked incredulous at the thought of even touching the Pharaoh, but by a piercing scream.
“Nii-sama! Nii-sama!”
Otogi, who had joined Jounouchi to see if he could help out too, suddenly hissed “Kaiba!” and ran towards the car. Yuugi immediately followed him, leaving Jounouchi to cry out an indignant “Hey!”. He picked up the Pharaoh anyway and ran after Yuugi as best as he could, Shizuka holding on to his shirt, and Mahaado struggling to catch up, his bad leg hindering him.
“He’s not breathing anymore! Do something, Otogi!”
Yuugi didn’t know the kid, and the name ‘Kaiba’ send immediately shivers down his spine. The boy couldn’t be much older than ten or eleven, and he had tears in his eyes as he tugged at the other’s clothing. It was the first time that Yuugi actually got a good look at the other Kaiba, and he was taken aback by his condition. Horror filled him at the thought what had happened to him, and he immediately wanted to help him, only he didn’t know how. Otogi, who was pretty much at the end of his rope himself, leaned a little into him and pressed his fingers against Kaiba’s neck to search for a pulse.
“Come on man, you have come this far… Come on!”
“Move over, Otogi,” Anzu said. She pushed him away so she could reach for Kaiba herself, her fingers professionally searching and finding the best place to check for his pulse. She frowned as everyone remained silent. The younger Kaiba bit back his tears, visibly shocked and upset. His hands were fisted in Kaiba’s shirt and he still tugged, as if he could shake his brother into consciousness again.
“He’s alive,” Anzu said and she sounded amazed herself, “but he needs an IV and medical care right away.”
“We all go back to the Game Shop, right now!” Yuugi repeated. “Anzu, you can drive – can you reach the Game Shop from here?”
“Yes I can, provided the roads aren’t blocked,” she said. “But I need assistance as soon as possible when I get there.”
“Let me go with you, Anzu-san,” Shizuka piped up, her voice slightly wavering. “I can help you.” She had assisted Anzu before and had no trouble following up her orders; despite her visual handicap, she worked fast and precise.
“I don’t have my supplies,” the girl answered. “We took everything with us when we left the basement. I lost my bag after the first attack of the God.”
“We’ll search for it,” Yuugi said urgently. “We all carried supplies with us, not everything can be lost. We’ll join you as soon as possible at the Game Shop!”
“All right,” she bit on her lip. “Mahaado, get in the backseat, you can hardly walk.”
“But.. my Pharaoh…”
“You can have him on your lap for all I care,” she said, sounding just as stern as he could be. “Otogi, you, get into the car as well. Shizuka, you can take the passenger’s seat.”
“But that’s way too many people,” Otogi said.
“You want to walk?” Anzu snorted, eyeing his frail physique. He was in need of medical attention too and walking the entire way back to the Game Shop could prove to be too much for him. “Squish onto the backseat, right now.”
“Why are you grinning so much?” Jounouchi asked Honda who had been remarkably quiet, but was grinning like a loon.
“Nothing, I just like my girl taking charge,” he said and laughed out loud at Jounouchi’s face.
“I’m going to be in a car!” Shizuka clapped her hands enthusiastically, distracted from the earlier events. Her brother helped her into the seat, fastening the seatbelt for her. Mahaado, the Pharaoh and Otogi were all on the backseat, together with the Kaiba brothers, ‘squished’ indeed as Anzu called it, but they had no other choice. She started up the engine, and searched out Yuugi while she shifted the gear.
“Don’t take too long,” she mouthed, and the car moved – she didn’t floor the gas because driving too fast with all the injured people in the car wouldn’t be for the best. Yuugi didn’t answer and just watched her go. He felt alone all of the sudden, but not an inch less determined to find and retrieve their supplies.
“Oh, come on…”
Anzu turned at the faucet, but no water was coming out. Heaving an irritated sigh, she turned around and dipped her towel into a bucket, wherein water had been stored. It wasn’t as fresh, but it served only to wet her face a little. She couldn’t recall the last time she had slept for more than two hours, and the dark circles under her eyes spoke volumes.
“You better get some rest, Anzu-chan.”
“Says the one who slept even less than I did.” She snorted, but not disdainfully.
Yuugi leaned against the doorpost of the kitchen and remained silent. He needed the support to stay upright, as he was about ready to keel over. Together with Anzu and Shizuka to a lesser extent, he had been up and running to tend to everyone’s wounds almost 24/7 these last few days. To add to the stress, a lot of people had turned up at the Game Shop, confused about what had happened and whether the days of the dictator were truly over. The Resistance was known to give shelter to anyone, and people were still afraid and uncertain. Reliable news sources were hard to find and there were many rumors flying around. Witness after witness reported however, that the KaibaCorp. building had been destroyed by a huge ball of fire. No one assumed that anyone made it out alive, yet some Resistance members searched all around the premises to see if they could find Gozaburo or his remains, to rule out that he’d been able to escape.
“I can’t wait until the water is back on again.”
“It’s such a chaos,” Yuugi agreed. “It will take a while before this society is functioning again as it should be.”
“Such a legacy,” Anzu shook her head and dropped the towel on the kitchen table, “we’re going to need the rest of our lives sorting this mess out.”
“We’re going to sort it out the good way,” Yuugi said. “We can always ask for help from the United States. They managed to escape Gozaburo’s tyranny. No one ever will seize such power here again.”
“I hope so.” She was a natural optimistic person, but her experiences in this hard life had forced her to become more cautious. Her smile was soft yet filled with faith.
“I only need to visit the Pharaoh before I’m done,” she continued. “Then I’m ready to call it a night.”
Yuugi nodded. “How’s Kaiba?”
“He’s doing all right, considering the circumstances.” Her smile faltered. “If it had been an hour later…”
“Yeah.” Yuugi knew what she wanted to say, but left the words unspoken. Fortunately, it hadn’t taken them too long to find a few of their scattered bags and bring everything to the Game Shop. Jounouchi and Honda had immediately gone back to search for the rest, but with the supplies from the retrieved bags Anzu had been able to treat the most urgent patients: Kaiba, Otogi and Mahaado who had lost a considerable amount of blood.
“I’ll check up on the Pharaoh. You go to bed, all right?”
Anzu hesitated for a moment, but the thought of sleep now that the most important patients had been taken care of, won over.
“All right. But don’t hesitate to call me in case you need me, hm?”
“I won’t.”
She brushed past him as she left, and he waited for another minute before he detached himself from the doorpost. Mustering up the last of his strength, he forced himself to make another round and check up on the patients. It was early evening, but both he and Anzu had gone for the past 72 hours with very little sleep. He was ready to crash himself. He didn’t have much to eat either; they were low on everything, with barely any supplies left. Otogi had brought some provisions with him along with the Items, but most of it had been reserved for the patients. Yuugi needed to be very careful with the distribution.
It was so very strange - the house was filled from top to bottom with people. Yuugi had allowed everyone to stay upstairs, especially Kaiba, Otogi, Mahaado and the Pharaoh. Concerning the first two, it would be too much to ask of them to move downstairs, to a chilly basement. Weakened and prone to infections as they already were, that kind of environment could prove to be their death. Ironically, the white sheets Yuugi had used to cover all the furniture with, had been turned into bandages. The ones who escaped being torn, were used to cover the beds of the patients, as they were originally intended for. Yuugi had thought that seeing all the furniture uncovered, his careful preservation of a moment in time ruptured and disturbed, would upset him greatly; but either he was too tired to care, or his emotions had been numbed throughout the years. He had felt barely bothered, the sadness not eating at his heart as he expected. Memories of his parents and grandfather were still the same, and keeping everything covered had weighed him down, instead of allowing him to move on.
Yuugi slipped into the living room and picked up the small, yet heavy golden box from a shelf in the corner. Despite dealing with the patients, inquiring people and general commotion, he had managed to take a peek inside the box. His earlier thoughts were confirmed: it was filled with pieces, the pieces of a golden puzzle. With the box in his hands, he crossed the living room and went through the door to the hallway with the adjacent bedrooms.
Halting at the second door to the right, he wasn’t very surprised to see Mahaado still awake. The former magician-General, with new, clean bandages around his leg, had firmly insisted that his bed should be given to the Pharaoh. He would be fine to sleep on the floor. Anzu hadn’t pressed the matter even though sleeping in a bed would be much better for his leg; as his situation wasn’t life-threatening and she was too busy with the other patients, she had simply left it at that. When Mahaado wasn’t on the floor, he sat in the chair next to the dresser, a blanket wrapped around him, keeping watch over his Pharaoh.
This time, he had pulled the chair close to the bed, blanket loosely wrapped around him. He was stroking the Pharaoh’s hair, using a comb he had dug up from somewhere. He carefully worked out the tangles in the multicolored strands. There wasn’t enough water or cleaning products for everyone, so even the Pharaoh’s hair was still matted, giving him a rather wild, unkempt look.
“Is he asleep?” Yuugi asked softly as Mahaado put the comb away and rose to his feet, shifting the blanket so it wouldn’t fall off of his shoulders. Despite his bad leg, the magician-General stood straight up, a defensive shield between Yuugi and his Pharaoh.
“He has been, for most of the time. His dreams have been… brutal on him.” Mahaado’s eyes were focused on Yuugi, darting for a mere second towards the golden box and then back to his face again. He had used his heka to completely destroy the Pharaoh’s armor, and ever since the artificial suppression had been cancelled, the Pharaoh had suffered very vivid and haunting nightmares and dreams. Yuugi wasn’t sure why exactly this was happening or what to do about it; but it pained him to see Mahaado in pain. He felt responsible for his Pharaoh’s well-being and was at a loss.
“Marik and Bakura are gone,” Mahaado said and his voice lowered a few octaves. For a split second, Yuugi thought he heard ‘Malik and Bakura’, and his heart clenched painfully together. He hadn’t seen them return to the Resistance. “They were connected in a certain way to my Pharaoh that I could never dream of attaining. I wish, but…” He shook his head.
“He feels that they are gone?” Yuugi inquired.
“What they shared went beyond normal comprehension,” Mahaado explained. His fingers plucked at the blanket. “To us, they were his bodyguards and ‘care-takers’. To many, they were just revolting, despicable dark creatures who reveled in pain and mocked everything and anything. To him…” he looked at the Pharaoh, “they were more than the world and the entire universe.”
“I’m sorry,” Yuugi said.
Mahaado shrugged as if he couldn’t care less, but Yuugi had seen his eyes. He felt truly sorry for Mahaado, and he wondered if he could give him a hug. He took a few steps and put the golden box on the dresser. Just as he was about to turn around and say something, the Pharaoh shifted in his bed, bleary eyes opening.
“My Pharaoh,” Mahaado was quick to greet him, and bowed.
“My Priest,” he answered, voice a little hoarse.
“Yes, your Priest,” Mahaado whispered, and lowered his head. He tugged the blanket closer around himself, his fingers clenching at the fabric. “Do you need anything, my Pharaoh? Is there something I can get you?”
“I am fine,” came the answer, followed by a short cough. Mahaado rose and picked up a bottle of water. He poured a little liquid into a cup. Anzu and Yuugi had distributed the water, and judging from the looks of it, Yuugi was fairly sure that the former magician-General hadn’t drank anything himself. He patiently waited until Mahaado helped the Pharaoh to drink, and supported him to sit upright, fluffing the pillows behind him.
“Thank you, I am all right.”
Yuugi was pleased to hear the Pharaoh’s voice; it was low and even, so much unlike the mad, angry and upset tone he had spoken in before.
“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” he said.
The Pharaoh looked at him, slightly disturbed as he took in his appearance. There hadn’t been an opportunity for him to say anything about their striking similarities before, and it had to puzzle him. And talking about Puzzles…
“I brought you your Item,” Yuugi said. “It has to be assembled. You can’t touch it right now, though.” He exchanged a quick look with Mahaado, wondering if the Pharaoh and his Generals were aware that touching their Items meant the end of their existence. Isis.
“How long will it take before it is assembled again?” the Pharaoh asked.
“I don’t know. It seems to be a very complex, intricate structure. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you.”
It was surprising to hear him say that spontaneously, and Yuugi smiled. It had been for the best to remove that horrible armor; the Pharaoh was indeed a whole different person without it.
“Where are the others?”
“I am sure the other Priests will arrive anytime soon, my Pharaoh,” Mahaado said. “We will be reunited at last.”
“My court will be together again.”
“Not quite, unfortunately… Isis has... left us.”
He looked confused. “She did? But how… my court cannot be complete without the six of you. I…”
“My Pharaoh, we can never be complete, I regret to say.” Mahaado sounded sad. “Two of us have already left, and things have changed. The world has changed. We have changed.”
“I do not understand…”
A knock on the door, and everyone looked up. It was Jounouchi, who peeked through the open door, his hand on the doorpost. Yuugi knew it was going to take quite some time to get used to look at his friend’s hands without flinching; just like Honda, Jounouchi had refused any treatment for his burned skin. The scars would remind them for the rest of their lives of Osiris’ attack, but maybe that had been their reason…to keep their battle scars as a reminder of how bad it had been. Yuugi respected their decision, but had difficulties to refrain from flinching when he saw the marred skin.
“Malik and Bakura are here to see you, Yuugi.”
“Marik! Bakura!” The Pharaoh shot up straight in the bed, his eyes bewildered, stretching his arms. “Are they here? Where are they?”
“I am sorry, my Pharaoh, but those are not… the ones you know.” Mahaado tried to calm him, meanwhile throwing a murderous glare at Jounouchi. The blond was less than impressed and stepped to the side as Malik entered the room, followed by Bakura.
The Pharaoh gaped at them, and the disappointment was visible on his face. He calmed down, his lips drawn into a tight line, his shoulders slumping, and arms falling back on the bed covers. Malik ignored him and went straight to Yuugi, holding out his hand. When Yuugi in a reflex held out his hand as well, Malik reached behind his own back, unhooked the Sennen Rod and placed the Item in Yuugi’s hand.
“This is yours.”
“The Sennen Rod,” Mahaado said, reverently.
Bakura followed Malik’s example and stepped forward, casting a nervous look at the Pharaoh before handing Yuugi the Ring.
“The Sennen Ring…” Mahaado’s expression changed, from interest to pure…
greed. His eyes were attached to the golden object with the prongs, now lying in Yuugi’s hands.
“Thank you,” he said. He was very glad to see them again; he hadn’t been sure about what had happened to them. Bakura averted his head from the Ring and stared pointedly at Malik, who took off his coat and dumped it on Mahaado’s chair.
“My sister told me a lot about our family,” he said, tone of voice low, the grief audible when he spoke about Isis. “A lot, but not quite enough. Many mysteries have shrouded our family, have divided our tribe. She didn’t know everything, and we weren’t able to retrieve every piece of information. What she did tell me, was that our tribe was cursed to carry certain marks… for a crime committed in a past, long long forgotten ago.”
Jounouchi had stepped away from the door, but he hadn’t left. Just like everyone else present, he was hanging onto Malik’s lips to hear the rest of his story.
“I don’t know a thing about this crime, but I was punished for it, rather painfully.” He grimaced and took off his sweater, handing it to Bakura who took the garment from him. “On my back, they carved certain… things that would remind me for the rest of my life of this crime, and I was forcefully instructed to pass this on to my own children, should I have any.”
“How…” Yuugi started, but Malik shook his head.
“Your name is on my back, Pharaoh,” he said bluntly. “No one can read it, because the knowledge of this language has been lost since centuries. From father to son, they butchered and carved the word into each other’s flesh as best as they could.”
Mahaado looked like he was going to throw up. The Pharaoh’s face was set in stone, a hint of disbelief coloring his eyes, while Yuugi’s jaw had dropped in horror and shock from Malik’s story. Bakura plucked at Malik’s sweater, obviously having heard the story before, even though he avoided looking at his friend. Jounouchi shook his head almost unnoticeably.
“I will show it to you.”
He took off his shirt and promptly turned around, showing the Pharaoh his back. A heavy silence reined the room.
“Can you read it?” Yuugi asked softly, but curiously.
“Yes. Yes I can,” the Pharaoh answered, sounding incredulous. “Mahaado?”
“I cannot, my Pharaoh.” His voice held an ashamed tone to it. There was another minute of silence, until the Pharaoh spoke again.
“Atemu. My name is Atemu.”
“That is a wonderful name,” Mahaado sighed.
Malik turned around again and put on his shirt, grabbing his sweater from Bakura’s hands. The Pharaoh looked upset, his face pale. Mahaado held the blanket around his shoulders, his fingers compulsively clenching and unclenching. No one spoke, and the silence became uncomfortable. As soon as Malik had finished dressing, Yuugi urged him and Bakura out of the room with gentle gestures. Outside, he thanked Malik for what he did.
“I can only hope it helps him, somehow,” Malik said as he put on his coat. “We won’t be staying around to find out, though.”
“I thought as much,” Yuugi replied. “Are you really sure you don’t want to stay, just for a little longer?”
Malik shook his head in time with Bakura’s.
“There’s plenty of space,” Jounouchi piped up, suddenly. “We can make space for you.”
“Thank you, but we have to go. We have done what we were supposed to do, and that’s it for us.”
Yuugi looked at the both of them. Bakura kept his black trench coat obsessively closed, his hands clutching at the torn and ripped fabric. Yuugi wasn’t really sure if some of the stains on Malik’s shirt were dried blood or not, and they weren’t in any condition to travel. He tried to convince them once more.
“You’re injured,” he said, “and your clothes… at least stay to get some rest and regain your strength.”
“We’re fine,” Malik spoke for the both of them. Bakura was silent as ever, but his eyes never left Malik.
“Where will you be going to?” Jounouchi asked.
“My homeland,” was the short answer and Malik was about to turn around, when Yuugi opened his arms. The other frowned but gave into the hug nonetheless, a look of slight awkwardness on his face. He put his arms quickly, but firmly, around Yuugi before withdrawing again.
“Thank you for everything. Good luck, Malik-san.”
“Thank you,” he answered, a little strained, and stepped to the side so Yuugi could approach Bakura for a hug.
“Thank you too, Bakura-san. Good luck.”
“Thank you,” Bakura said, his soft voice hardly strained, and he didn’t withdraw from the hug that quick either. Yuugi couldn’t tell if Bakura wanted to stay and rest up, but Malik was obviously the one in charge. Still, he was convinced that Bakura and Malik would make it; wherever they were going – to the Middle East, judging from Malik’s skin color – they would arrive safely.
Jounouchi didn’t hug them but nodded in respect. Malik and Bakura left, their footsteps on the stairs the only sound for another minute until complete silence reined again. He coughed behind his hand.
“I’ve seen a lot of weird things,” he said, “but those two take the cake.”
“Malik-san and Bakura-san have grown up very differently than we did,” Yuugi said good-naturedly.
“I think there are just a few screws loose with blondie…”
“At least he has a good friend in Bakura-san.” He stifled a yawn.
“You’ve been up for ages. Why don’t you get some sleep? Me and Honda can keep an eye on everything. You’re about to keel over.”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks, Jounouchi-kun. Just another word to the Pharaoh and I’m off.”
“All right. I’ll tell people not to disturb you.”
Yuugi went back into the small bedroom, noticing that the Pharaoh was lying down with his eyes closed. Mahaado had resumed his position in the chair, watching by his side.
“Thank you for everything you have done for us,” Mahaado spoke. As soon as his voice filled the room, the Pharaoh opened his eyes again.
“You’re welcome,” Yuugi said and smiled. Yes, they were both welcome. After everything that had happened, Yuugi wasn’t the one to hold grudges; he believed in second chances, and he also believed in the good nature of people. Jounouchi had called his view naïve and unrealistic, but these moments made it all worth it.
“How do you feel, Atemu-san?”
“My name sounds strange, yet familiar,” he answered, showing a very small smile. “It… it is wonderful to know that I do have a first name. For a long time, I thought I did not have one. It was always Pharaoh this, Pharaoh that…Bakura called me Pharaoh-sama, and Marik always called me ‘pretty Pharaoh’…”
It was impossible to miss the pained look on Mahaado’s face, but it wasn’t until then that Yuugi noticed that they were holding hands – as in, Mahaado had Atemu’s hand between his own, fingers gently caressing. Judging from the former Pharaoh’s relaxed posture, Yuugi assumed he didn’t mind at all.
“We have overheard a little of your conversation,” Mahaado said, pointedly steering away from the topic. “How he spoke of returning to his homeland.”
Yuugi nodded. “Yes, now that Gozaburo is gone, I’m sure that traveling and traffic will increase once again, and that the world will slowly recover from the wounds he has torn.”
Mahaado remained silent, and it felt uncomfortable. He cocked his head. “Why? Have you decided…”
“None of the Generals belong in this world.” It was Atemu who spoke.
“That is what Isis-san said as well.”
“She was wise,” Atemu sighed and brought up his other hand to rub his nose. “Her visions told her about the future, and she was wise in her interpretations. The reason for her defection was not to give you information, but to tell us that things were coming to an end.”
“Did you really believe she betrayed you?”
“I never believed she did,” Mahaado answered hotly at the same time Atemu nodded.
“Gozaburo said that she had defected, that she had willingly searched out the Resistance to give out information. I believed it, because I… I believed Gozaburo.”
“My Pharaoh, your rationality and your independent thoughts were blocked, distorted, by that armor you always wore,” Mahaado chided him gently. “Gozaburo’s grip was firm on you, and you were not able to break it. Not until now.”
“His days are over,” Yuugi reminded them, “and ours are only beginning. I will assemble your Puzzle while you rest, Atemu-san.”
“Thank you,” he said as his eyelids drooped. Mahaado tucked the covers around him as Yuugi left, stifling another yawn. The last room on the right was reserved for the Kaiba brothers. Yuugi had learned both their names properly – Seto and Mokuba – from Otogi, and he couldn’t help but peek inside as the door was open. This had been his grandfather’s room. It didn’t hold much furniture besides a bed, a cupboard and a small desk. The makeshift bed on the floor was intended for Mokuba, but everyone knew the kid crawled into the bed with his brother just to stay close to him.
Once more he was very grateful that he and Jounouchi had managed to find some of Anzu’s bags. One had contained everything necessary for the IV. It had saved Kaiba’s life, providing him with the much needed nutrition and fluids. Anzu had also treated his chafed and sore wrists and told him to rest; his body would need time to heal, and he would feel weak for a while. Kaiba had been too far gone to protest but as soon as he regained consciousness, his eyes had been alert and bright, and there was nothing weak about his glare.
“Good evening, Kaiba-kun,” Yuugi said. For a change, Mokuba was in his own bed, already asleep. Only the top of his mass of black hair was visible as he had curled himself completely into the blankets. Kaiba was awake, propped up by pillows, his long, thin fingers spread on the pages of a book, lying between his bony knees.
“Evening, Yuugi,” he said curtly. He was still a ghost of his former self, with his hollow cheeks and sickly-pale skin color. Anzu was convinced he would recover completely in time, with the help of good and balanced food. Yuugi couldn’t wait for the other to gain some weight and strength – it was disturbing to see someone who had been on the brink of starvation.
“Do you have any confirmation on Gozaburo’s status yet?”
“People are still looking for him, but it’s safe to say that he went under with the building,” Yuugi answered. “The God was… very thorough.”
“What a shame I missed it.”
Yuugi grimaced. Kaiba’s body had given out on him at the moment the God had launched its attack. “How are you feeling?”
“Weak. Tired. Slow. Cranky.”
“You’re going to feeling like that for some time to come...”
“Yes, I know.” Kaiba lifted up his hand with the IV. “She told me all about it.”
“You have time enough to recover,” Yuugi said. “You can stay here for as long as it takes.”
Kaiba snorted, but didn’t comment, nor said any thanks. He dropped his hand back on the book again, the small movement demanding too much of him.
“My father… or whatever he was, is gone. Heh. I longed for him to die. I wanted to kill him with my own hands, preferably. I don’t feel the tiniest bit of remorse, but I hadn’t expected this chaos.”
“We’ll rebuild the world,” Yuugi said. “It’s not going to be easy, and it won’t happen in two weeks, but we’ll get there.”
“Are you always this damn optimistic?”
“Why yes, I am,” Yuugi beamed at him. Kaiba grumbled something incomprehensible in return and closed his eyes.
“Good night, Kaiba-kun.”
“Go to bed, Yuugi.”
He had to chuckle, dissolving into another yawn and Yuugi quickly left. He took the stairs up to his attic room. He hadn’t been here in a long, long time until recently, when the house had filled up with injured people. He had spend his youth here, until Gozaburo and his Elite Troops had turned the world upside down. So many victims, so much sadness… but now there was hope and faith for mankind. This world was going to be rebuild, and there would be no more pain, no more sorrow. Yuugi undressed himself and slipped under the sandy colored covers. He was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
Continued here
Previous chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9-1 | 9-2 |
Tags:
- clashshipping,
- darkshipping,
- fic: complete,
- psychoshipping,
- red dawn,
- yamishipping,
- yu-gi-oh!: all cast,
- yu-gi-oh!: jounouchi katsuya,
- yu-gi-oh!: jounouchi shizuka,
- yu-gi-oh!: kaiba gozaburo,
- yu-gi-oh!: kaiba mokuba,
- yu-gi-oh!: kaiba seto,
- yu-gi-oh!: mutou yuugi,
- yu-gi-oh!: pharaoh atemu,
- yu-gi-oh!: priest mahaado,
- yu-gi-oh!: yami no bakura,
- yu-gi-oh!: yami no malik,
- yu-gi-oh!: yami no yuugi
