Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Do You Dream of Me? ❯ Chapter 30

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-gi-oh, I wouldn't be re-writing the early manga, I would have written it in the first place. I don't own it.

 

A/N: This was one of my first fics, sort of a challenge to myself to write something just slightly AU and see what happened. Ideally, it would have been finished by now, but due to my depression and that hiatus (which I'm very sorry about) it's not.

 

I've lost a lot of my interest in this project, but I'm still doing it because I promised myself I would never leave a fic unfinished and because so many readers like it. I would really like to move on to other projects.

 

I didn't want to cut this fic short, but I think to avoid giving you an inferior product, something that only does the minimum, I think I'm going to have to at least skip the filler games between Death-T and Monster World. This means for Bakura fans that you'll be seeing him sooner. This fic was always meant to stop after Monster World. I did say there's going to be a Seto/Seth pairing, but that's part of the AU.

 

This won't be ending too quick, there's at least 10 chapters left to go, but if anyone reads the authors notes I thought you might want to know the status of this fic. I'd like to apologize for the last couple chapters, I really don't feel they've been up to snuff.

 

/\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\

 

Yugi, Jou and Honda looked into the room where the game would be played, steeling themselves up for the battle ahead. Suddenly, Kaiba's face appeared in each of the squares of the floor. “Hello again, Yugi! Welcome to Death-T 1, the first game of the theme park! The three enemies you're about to face are mercenaries I've hired especially for this game! If you're lucky, you'll die in a blaze of glory like a shooting star across the sky!”

 

Jou grimaced. “Listen up, bowl head! Your games suck! We're gonna make it to the top!” Damn rich bastard, thinking his money would make them just lose like that… just one more person looking down on him, one more person he would show up!

 

Inside, Yugi was terribly worried. TV screens. Cameras everywhere. What if Kaiba's real plan was to make Yami use his powers and show it to the world? He had to know even mercenaries were no match for his Yami.

 

He hid his worry from Yami. Yami needed to rest now, for whatever lay ahead. And if Yami knew Yugi was worried, he would worry too… Yugi wasn't as powerful as Yami, but even so… he wanted to protect him in return. He wanted to develop his own strength and make Yami proud of him.

 

It seemed that all the Kaibas were watching him out of all the screens as he said, “Enjoy your last game.” And the screens blanked out.

 

Jou had played laser tag before, this seemed similar enough. He started to order everyone forward, then checked himself.

 

This wasn't a game. Or, it was a game, but a weird game. More like a war. This was really dangerous.

 

And this was physical stuff, combat. Yugi was a great gamer, but dodging… not his thing. And Yugi was what this was really all about. They had to protect him, get him through all this so he could beat the bastard who had done all that to Gramps.

 

After all, Yugi was good with games, but he had never been in real combat. He, and Honda to a lesser extent, had. “Yugi?”

 

“Yes, Jou?”

 

“You stay here. Honda and I'll take them out.”

 

Yugi started to protest, then nodded. “We've got to keep you safe. You're the important one here,” Jou told him.

 

Just like Yami thought of him as the important one. His friends were going into danger, and… “I'll watch your backs.”

 

Jou nodded. “Okay, but stay back, you hear me Yug'?”

 

Yugi nodded.

 

Jou gestured for Honda to move out. Let's see… lateral thinking was the way to win.

 

There were walls cutting up the space, limiting the lines of fire.

 

Up… he'd take the high road. Jou climbed up on top of one of the walls, “Yeah! Now I've got room to fight!” He'd just given them a warning, so in order that they didn't have time to react he jumped from wall to wall, running, until he was on top of one, who looked in shock. He laughed, exhilarated, as he pointed his laser gun thing at him. This was more like it! He'd missed that thrill.

 

The guy pointed his own gun at him.

 

…wait a minute, why was he playing by Kaiba's rules?

 

Jou kicked the guy in the face. “My way is faster!”

 

The other two stared, shocked that one of them had actually been taken out. Then they started firing at Jou, who dodged nimbly.

 

Honda grinned. They'd shown themselves! He hit one dead on as they went after Jou.

 

And nothing happened. Jou got under cover fast.

 

Then Honda took a glancing blow, not on the target spot… and it hurt! An electric shock! “Jou, Yugi, there's something wrong with this game, we have to pull back!”

 

They left the game chamber and met up with Anzu again.

 

“What's wrong, Honda?” Yugi asked, puzzled. He was ashamed of himself, he hadn't hit any of them!

 

“Yugi…” Honda's teeth were gritted. “This game is rigged.” He threw his gun to the ground. “Our guns are useless! There's no way we can win!”

 

“What?!” Yugi had been sure one time he had hit, but nothing had happened…

 

Honda was furious at the lousy trick.

 

Anzu stared. What exactly was going on?

 

The baby in her arms growled. Not only was he interrupted in his molestation of Anzu, but his uncle was talking bad about Kaiba! He grabbed Anzu's gun and let them have it!

 

They all dodged, but a shot hit one of the spare suits on the wall, with crackled!

 

Honda stared. “What the… There was an electric shock when the laser hit the sensor on that spare vest!”

 

Yugi paled. IF that had been one of them… he checked, Yami was still well asleep. Yugi swore to keep this to himself. Yami had only given Kaiba a penalty game of a fake death the last time, but if he knew Kaiba had tried to kill his precious Yugi, he might kill him for real.

 

If Yugi died, Yami would also be trapped in the Puzzle again! And after meeting the spirit (or spirits?) of the Items, he knew it would be as horrible as it had been before Yugi solved it.

 

Darkness and chains and endless echoing cold…

 

Memories drained away…

 

Yugi realized he would rather kill Kaiba than let that happen. He didn't want to think he was that sort of person, but he would. Yami tortured, Yami not remembering everything that had happened between him and Yugi…

 

Honda had grabbed Anzu's gun. It looked the same as theirs, but was built completely different. “So that's it! Those mercenaries have real laser guns. They've got lethal weapons.”

 

“Kaiba didn't know Anzu was our friend when he hired her and gave her the gun… Wait a minute.” Jou thought for a second. “Maybe he did.” Crazy guy and his games…

 

“But now we at least have one gun we can face them with!” Honda didn't care about all that psychological stuff right now.

 

“Us against two pros…” Yugi shook his head. “We need some sort of trick.”

 

“What I did won't work twice. Well, it might, but with lethal weapons we can't risk it.” Jou shook his head. When he was younger he would have grinned and done it, but now…

 

The baby was pissed they were still saying bad things about Kaiba. “I'd like to shoot you with the gun!”

 

Honda looked at his nephew and grinned. “Leave this to me!”

 

A few seconds later, he stepped through the gate, not even trying to take cover. The mercenaries walked up to him and laughed. Then Honda raised his hands, still silent. They laughed more. “So yew chickened out?! Yer gonna surrender?! But I'm afraid it's no use.” An evil grin.

 

“Yeah, Whut he means is, ol' Kaiba told us to kill yew!”

 

“So say your prayers! Heh heh heh…”

 

“It's execution time!” They pointed their guns at him and were about to fire.

 

When Johji tossed the gun in the air from where he'd been strapped to Honda's back. And Honda took them out with two shots from Anzu's real laser gun.

 

Honda grinned. “Haven't you ever watched any Westerns? The hero is always the one who says the least! Oh, and don't worry.” He looked at them as they fell to the floor writhing. “I turned the voltage down. You won't die.”

 

When he came back Jou, Anzu and Yugi cheered.

 

Anzu's moment of respect for Honda ended when she found out he'd promised that little pervert Johji a bath with her if he helped Honda out. Honda begged her and Anzu scowled and headed toward Yugi and Jou, who were moving on to the next challenge. “No way!”

 

If any of them had been able to see Kaiba then, they would noticed the smile on his face. He had derived some pleasure from their victory. Worthy opponents…

 

He had lost, but even so… he hadn't put so much energy into anyone's destruction since Gozaburo. He hadn't felt anything this deeply since Gozaburo.

 

Kaiba thought of it as hate, but also there was… he wanted to win. No, he wanted not just the victory but the game. He hadn't felt this way since…

 

Anzu had joined the group after being filled in. Damn, she was going to lose another job… someone was going after Yugi again. Because of Yami. Yami wasn't taking over this time, he was letting Yugi handle it so far.

 

She knew she should probably be pissed at Yami for putting her best friend in danger, but for some reason she felt she had more reason than ever before to trust him. Maybe it had been seeing Yugi, her timid friend, in so much danger yet still unafraid. Yami was good for him. Yugi was right about him.

 

But how had she been the one to end up carrying Johji?! “Honda, he's your nephew!” Boys! Grrr…

 

Honda groused and took him. “Okay, okay…”

 

Jou and Yugi ignored the exchange. “We cleared that shooting game without a problem.” Jou was grinning. He hadn't been in mortal peril in ages. It was making him feel alive. “It was a good warm-up, but now we're really going to kick butt! Right, Yugi?”

 

“I guess, but I still feel nervous! We could've died back there.” He didn't want to think about it, the old Yugi would have been frozen in panic by now… but he had to think about it. Yami and his friends were on the line. “And I'm sure Kaiba's next game will be even more dangerous!” He was a game master. He had to try to plan, to come up with something, even though he had no idea what would be next.

 

Johji was crying in Honda's arms, reaching out for Anzu and her breasts. Honda begged Anzu to take him back but she wasn't having any.

 

“Anyway! No matter what it is, we can beat it!” Jou grinned at Yugi. To think that the little runt he'd teased to try to get him to fight back had come so far, was so brave… he was proud to be Yugi's friend, he realized.

 

He thought maybe he understood how Yami felt now. At least a bit of it… Yami and that whole situation was weird. And there were ghosts involved, and evil magic. He hated that sort of thing. But Yugi was his friend and Yami was too, he guessed. No, really he knew.

 

“Yup!” Yugi grinned. Wait till he showed Yami!

 

“You got it!” Honda said loudly to be heard over Johji.

 

Jou wished he hadn't jinxed it by thinking about spirits and all that stuff he hated. The next game was in a haunted house-like set up. He shivered. “What's with the change in scenery?” Everything so far had looked futuristic. “This is creepy!”

 

“Yeah, it sends a chill down your spine!” Honda agreed. “Anyway, let's keep moving.”

 

Yugi nodded and went forward with him. Spirits other than that of the Millennium Items didn't frighten him. Yami was a good spirit. The best spirit.

 

“Welcome to the horror zone…” a creepy voice said behind them. Jou and Yugi recognized the butler from the Kaiba mansion.

 

After the second game was over, Anzu folded her arms to shield her breasts (sheesh, was everything trying to molest her today?! She was now just as pissed at Kaiba as the rest of them. She should file a complaint about workplace harassment!) and glared. “We will never speak of this again.”

 

Jou nodded firmly.

 

Yugi was pinching his nose.

 

Honda had taken Johji off to change his diaper. He was never, never letting his sister dump him with her kid again. Never ever. Even if he had saved their asses twice now.

 

The butler moaned in his seat, still sizzling slightly.

 

What really sucked was that that wasn't even Death-T 2, just the ride to it. “The murderer's mansion?” Great. Just great.

 

When would these crazy games end and Yugi finally be able to face Kaiba with Yami by his side?