Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Beyond The Darkness ❯ resurecting monsters ( Chapter 5 )

Oni: just what I thought, almighty pharaoh

Yami: *ignores her and cuddles yugi*

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Oni: oh, one last thing: here, we're rolling back the clock to the time shortly around Yugi's kidnapping.

The figure stood at the mouth of the deep, narrow, pitch black cave. The land surrounding him was desolate and decayed. Death and despair permeated the air. (A/N: ha ha! I made a rhyme! Shakespeare, eat your heart out!) The bare ground was dry and full of deep cracks and caverns. Bright, shiny white bones picked clean eons ago littered the brown land. Deadened, burnt trees were the soul occupants of this desert. No bird of prey nor demon of the blackest and foulest of hearts even crossed this place. It was avoided by all, except for one. And this said shadow hadn't been here in ages, since his last battle.

He was not unnerved by this place and its haunting, chilling atmosphere. There was nothing for him to be feared; all occupants of this area were underground, and the strongest of beasts were all entombed in eternal slumber far below the surface. There maybe some petty scavengers, but they would all flee before him. But no, he couldn't reveal who he was. Word of his return must not leak out. He must simply go in and awaken his fearless fighters. It was time for the Dark Magician to return and put a final end to Pegasus.

This desolate land had been desecrated by his and Pegasus' demon hoards so long ago. This was the place of their final battle. His monsters that hadn't been killed were put under a heavy, sedating sleeping spell when he'd been locked in the puzzle, for he was the only one who could control these powerful creatures.

Without a backwards glance and a purposeful stride, Yami the Dark Magician and King of the Shadow Realm went down into the cave's murky, dark depths. Malicious eyes gleamed out at him through a veil of never ending night, eyeing him hungrily. He smirked and chanted a soft spell, which released one of his newer acquaintances. The bright orange baby dragon, freshly hatched, took off merrily into the darkness. There were scuttling noises and terrified shrieks then a snapping of sharp baby teeth and all was silent. The baby dragon ran ahead of her new master, happily eating all the scavenging monsters it could find and easily swallow in one greedy gulp.

"Wait for me after you've enjoyed your meals. I shouldn't be long: I just have to awaken my sleeping army." He received a loud burp as his answer as the little dragon scrambled off for more prey. Yami simply would have unsuppressed some of his immense power, but then he would have become detectable. He had only come this far unharassed by hiding his powers and identity. It was far less suspicious for a newly hatched, foolish baby dragon orphan to wander into the cave and reek havoc before meeting an untimely end than for a dark stranger with unparalleled power enter and have all creatures, great and small, flee him. The dragon, he knew, wouldn't come chasing after him, and the scavengers here were no match for her; she'd be completely safe.

Without wasting much time, Yami headed further down into the ever steepening and darkening unknown depths. Down, down, down the Dark Magician unfearfully tread.

The rocky incline was narrow and treacherous, yet he navigated it with ease. The jagged rock walls were black and would have glittered red if any light could have come down there. But all methods of light, from fire to electricity, failed down here. The air was old, stale, and bitterly cold, devoid of any emotions or life at all. It was hard to imagine that any beasts, even the Lords of the Dark, could reside here.

Coming upon the first side passage, Yami took it and daringly tread its treacherous path. It was a narrow walkway which he had to scrunch down in, then opened into a deep cavern. Even Yami's keen crimson eyesight could barely make anything out. Only memory kept his footsteps swift and sure. He walked until he came to the middle of the cavern and bumped into a gargantuan black boulder. He reached out softly and touched the cold, dead stone. It felt like a finely carved dragon muzzle. He stroked it fondly. "My loyal friend, you have served me well in the past. Now I must awaken you. It is time to finish what was started long ago." He petted the cold muzzle once more, then stepped back.

Yami cupped his hands around the Millennium Puzzle, nearly touching but not making any contact with the gold. He closed his eyes and summoned a scant trace of his power, reminiscent of a demon stirring. The puzzle glowed faintly, for Yami didn't require the full use of his magical capabilities, and he didn't want to send of too strong a vibe, less others become aware of his presence. The soft golden glow traveled from the puzzle to engulf the gigantic rock, which the light revealed was a stone carving of a dragon. Yami chanted softly in an ancient tongue that was dead to all but a few remaining spirits. Small cracks formed in the rock and traversed its great length, growing wider and deeper as Yami continued his low chant. When he reached the end, closed his full lips and opened his glazed ruby eyes, the cracks spread even further until the rock became dust, and through the dust was reborn a monstrously magnificent black dragon with dagger like claws and glowing red eyes. The terrifying Red Eyes Black Dragon had been reborn. This one was the oldest, strongest, and most powerful of his breed of dragon.

The pink frost over Yami's eyes faded until his natural white and cold, glittering ruby cut through the darkness into the bright blood red eyes of the black dragon. He reached out a hand, and the dragon thrust his huge muzzle against Yami's soft, warm palm. /Good to see you to, old friend./ Yami closed his eyes again, the puzzle glowed, and the dragon disappeared into the puzzle to be hidden until the time came for the showdown with the eccentric madman.

The puzzle thudded against Yami's chest as he made his way back out of the cavern and into the main entrance way, memory guiding his footsteps. He only had a few more monsters to collect. Not many of his had survived the last great duel. His mind guided his body and his heart was left to wander until he came to the next cavern.

He really, truly missed Yugi, and was riddled with guilt for abandoning him. But he had had no other choice. It had been a few months ago when he had first gotten a very vicious vibe from the Shadow Realm. The feeling of power was emitted at such a high volume that only another of equal power could have sensed it. Yami had been the only one who sensed it, so that meant only Pegasus could have emitted it. He had left without a word, hiding his heartache from his poor little hikari. He had had to leave immediately and slip silently into the Shadow Realm to investigate and prepare. As soon as he had sensed Pegasus's strong burst of power, the Dark Magician (aka Yami) had known what he was up to. He was setting the stage for his release from the Shadow Box. Yami had to discreetly begin his counter plan. It had taken him so long just to travel undetected to the section of the Shadow Realm where his remaining generals in his army slumbered.

By toning down his power, Yami had also cut off his connection with his precious light. He had to disconnect himself, temporarily, from Yugi, and couldn't tell Yugi where he was going or what he was planning, for Yugi's own safety. If Yugi had no link to Yami, and no knowledge of his doings, then the small one would be safe from the Shadow Realm and Pegasus's grasp. The lunatic wouldn't be able to find Yugi, and thus have to steal another soul to free himself. His innocent one would be safe. It had broken his heart in two to tear himself from the little one, but it had to be done. For Yugi's safety. That's what Yami told himself repeatedly, and what kept him going. He had to fight and kill Pegasus, and protect his aibou. This was the only way he could do both.

Heart gnawing and twisting with resurfaced guilt, Yami callously went through resurrecting all of his monsters until he came to the deepest and darkest part of the cave. He came to a ledge which overlooked a plunge into eternal blackness. The dark hole was deep, going down, down, down into nothingness. Or so it appeared. Squaring his shoulders, Yami braced himself then jumped off of the rocky ledge into the ebony embrace of oblivion.

He plummeted thousands of feet below the surface. Nearly 24 inches before he would have crashed to his death on the hard, rock bottom, his body glowed with a red aura- his spirit power- and he slowed, his feet neatly touching the floor and crushing the old, fragile skeleton, remnants of one of the many fools who had met their deaths here. He callously kicked aside the decrypted, disjointed pile of bones. The dismantled skeleton went hurtling into other scattered bones, some of them well chewed and varying in shape and size. The sound of bone clinking against bone and smashing against solid rock echoed up the massive cavern, the sound of another bouncing body meeting its demise.

Yami smiled. So far, so good.

He had only one creature left to awaken; Neko Oni (A/N: yeah, yeah, that's my name, but it's NOT me; just couldn't think of any names right now: note: I did NOT insert myself into this fic; I just felt like using this name. for all you observers, I've been naming most of the monsters, and had hinted at this name in previous chapters. Also, I DO NOT know a damn thing about exodia: since this is au, I'm making it up.) This was his most powerful monster, Exodia bound in flesh, muscle and bone. This one would be particularly difficult to summon and bind in the puzzle.

Yami walked forward into a dank tunnel that dripped with cold water. He was so far underground that an underground well was above the cave. He traveled without any incidents; no minor demons scampered into his way, as they had in the previous tunnels higher up in the cave. The dripping of the water was the only thing, besides himself, to stir here. No demon dare tread here, save for Yami. He was the only one who could control the creature sleeping within. Nerves humming, the demon king quickened his pace until his footsteps started to echo. He purposefully slowed, not out of fear, but out of necessity; any sound what so ever must NOT be heard down here; all creatures foolish enough to trespass met with untimely death. A few bony carcasses of creatures lucky, or unlucky enough, to make it

Yami shivered in spite of himself. He had forgotten just how ferocious and vicious Exodia was. His most favored pet. His least trustworthy pet. Exodia was so rare, she was the only kind in existence; Yami owned the only form of this never ending nightmare. Briefly, the dark spirit contemplated turning around and leaving her here. But he might need her for the fight, and she would be highly pissed to be left behind.

Heart thumping and teeth clenched, Yami walked into the wide cavern at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel had been cold and emotionless; this part of the cave was burning hot with rage and hatred. Yami shuddered at the suppressed power running through the veins in the walls. Exodia had been entombed in here for so long, some of her power had leaked into the cave itself, twining amongst the rock, warding invaders away and delightfully killing them when they trespassed.

Swallowing then squaring his shoulders, Yami took swift strides to the far rock wall that pulsated off a ravenous hatred. Slick, sweaty fingers gripped the puzzle, which he lifted over his head. He took a deep breath then shoved the puzzle point first into heart of the rock wall. Into Exodia's heart. The wall began to vibrate and crack. Yami jumped back, closed his eyes, and erected a red tinted bubble around himself; a shield to ward off any flying debris and anger. Huge chunks of rock wall of rock wall went hurtling into the silence, breaking it. There was an unholy red light that filled the cavern like sun bathed blood and a heart stopping scream.

Yami opened his eyes. The vibrant wine colored light had faded, and its source was free. Out of the rock had come a tall humanoid monster with long, thin, pointed ears covered in thick onyx fur. She had calf length, thick, silky pitch black hair, and her skin matched her hair in its blackness. Her figure was full and cut, simply clad with a strip of black cloth across her breasts and another tied around her hips. She was all a deep, dark, and unholy black, the color of the darkest of evils and reeking of a yearning for blood and battle. She easily became one with the shadows, her form a simple yet irresistible one. The only thing on her that wasn't pitch black was her eyes; they had frosty white irises and white pupils, giving off the deceiving impression of being blind. A pair of smooth scaled, black wings of such a magnificent wing span any harpy would be jealous of protruded from her back. Exodia stood proudly before him in all her winged, growling glory.

Crimson rimmed pupils met white ones. Yami let his strength, power and determination reflect in his eyes. Exodia became excited, sensing the call to battle, and knelt before her commander, obediently awaiting her orders and yearning for the chance to kill once more. Yami shook his head. /Not yet, but soon. Pegasus is going to try to free himself very soon, and we must be ready./

Exodia's eyes narrowed. /I am ready. I will gladly tear his flesh from his bones. It has been so long since I've been imprisoned; my fangs long for the taste of fresh blood dripping with power./

/Not yet. You must go into the puzzle now; no one may know that you have been awakened, for then they would know I have returned, and it's not time to make our presence known yet. We will take Pegasus and the Shadow Realm by surprise./

Exodia growled, not liking the fact that she was free to wreak havoc and feast once again only to be bound once more. /I have slumbered enough. The Shadow Realm has grown to quiet over the centuries we've been here. Mortals do not fear us as they used to; they no longer believe we even exist./

Yami

Exodia hissed. /We defeat Pegasus, only to be entombed once again? I refuse to go back./

Yami was silent; if Exodia didn't loose her bloodlust, she would have to be killed along with Pegasus. What made her an excellent, efficient warrior also made her a cold hearted killing machine. It was only her admiration of Yami's own powers and effectiveness in battle that had her on his side.

Bowing her head, Exodia succumbed to her Master's will. The puzzle glowed, as did Exodia's night colored body, and she allowed herself to be drawn inside and reunited with her old comrades.

Yami sighed and turned to leave the cavern.

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Oni: wow! Sugoi! This was a long one!

Yami: it only took so long b/c you kept stopping to play harry potter!

Oni: oh, yeah, I'm advertising *snickers* go to www.harrypotter.com and play some of their games! It's totally awesome! You can get diverted for hours!

Yami: like you did?

Oni:………………

Yugi: *tugs on Yami's shirt*

Yami: *bends down*

Yugi: you're still gonna take me to see the second harry potter movie, right, yami?

Yami: *thinks of screaming children- and adult- harry potter fans, remembering Oni's last experience seeing it* um, aibou, why don't you go with Oni, Ghost Girl, and Egyptian Princess to see it?

Yugi: *to Oni* you're going to see it again?

Oni* squeals and nodds* yupp!!! I saw it on November 15th, the first day it came out, with Egyptian Princess (my best friend carrie-chan) and Ghost Girl didn't get to go so we're all gonna go out to eat and then see it and it's gonna be so awesome . we've got nearly the whole week off of college b/c of thanksgiving, and we're gonna go see it!!

Yugi: I wanna come!

Oni: sure, but you're gonna have to sit in my lap b/c you're too short to see the screen!

Yugi: okay, only if I get icecream

Oni: *glares at Yami* you just HAD to get him hooked on that stuff……..he's gonna be bouncing around for hours………you're watching him!

Yami: *massive sweatdrop* *goes to get rid of icecream*