Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Dragon Blade ❯ Chapter Four: The Priest, the Magician, the Thief, and the Pharaoh ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is owned by its creator, Kazuki Takahashi and it's respective anime companies. I'm borrowing the characters and ideas for a nonprofit fan fiction written solely for the enjoyment of myself, and hopefully others.


"Oh, well bloody hell, those mortals sure did put a crimp on my plans," the Tomb Robber snorted as he calmly watched as the Dark Magician vanished with the two innocents.
gripped his sword as he watched the white-haired boy, so much like he remembered. He was just as sadistic and cunning as Seth had remembered as well. Still, he had a form now and he had the sword again.
Dragon's eyes blazed like lightning as he looked at the handle. The Tomb Robber was inspecting the Puzzle thoughtfully as he tapped it with one finger. Seth almost regretted handing the Puzzle to him, knowing what would happen if he got his hands on all of the Items.

"You, you bastard! " a female voice screamed as a tiny figure launched itself at the Tomb Robber.
watched as the white-haired youth simply backhanded the redhead. He watched curiously as a pair of green eyes sparkled hatred at the Tomb Robber. The young woman was beautiful and her hair and eyes reminded him of the people from his homeland. She looked up defiantly at the Robber before her eyes moved over to him.

"Where's Seto?" she snapped at him as she stood her ground.
asked, "Who is this Seto?" He blinked in surprise when he realized that he could speak the girl's language. He had also been surprised that he had understood both of their words, despite their strange speech patterns.

"Your brother took him, pet, so don't go rushing at me," the Robber chided as he lovingly stroked the Puzzle.
girl hissed, "You're a fucking monster."

"Such language. I think I should silence that pretty mouth of yours," the Robber warned with a leer.
crossed her arms and retorted, "You could try."
smiled despite himself. He briefly wondered if Celtic blood ran through her veins as well. She looked at him again, her eyes wide and sad, before she turned back to the Robber again.
crossed his arms, surprised at the armored armbands around them. He wondered if this person whose body had been stolen was a great warrior. If he was worthy of the Blade, then he must have been, despite his strange manner of dressing. The stiff fabric encasing his legs was shiny and hot and the white robe was filled with various metal facets.
noted that the girl was watching him wistfully again. He asked, "Was this Seto your lover?"
pale cheeks colored with the question as the Robber laughed. The Robber chuckled, "I thought you would like a new priestess, Priest."

"I will not take anyone who is not willing, Robber," Seth answered calmly as he looked at the still blushing, yet seething young woman. He had to admit that she was pleasing on the eye and he admired her spirit.
Robber glared and retorted, "Call me Bakura. That's as good of a name as any, Seth. Now, that lovely lass there is Serenity."

"Go to Hell," she spat at Bakura, her fists clinched in anger, "Yami and Joey are gonna stop you and you know that."
looked at the Puzzle and frowned. He could still see Yami's Elf rushing at him. He could feel the sword cutting the support right before he fell. He could hear the Robber's laughter as part of his soul was taken away to wreak his vengeance.
vengeance.
had kept him going for countless eons, locked up in that tiny jewel. He had yearned for this moment ever since he felt the agony of having his soul rendered from his body, at least a part of it. Strangely enough, the thought of helping this fiend sickened him, despite the promise of vengeance.
simpered darkly as his' black eyes glittered. He held the Puzzle by its chain to let it swing back and forth. The gold sparkled in the light and his Ring's spires reached toward the puzzle. Seth scowled as he realized the Robber's true purpose. Bakura wanted to rule the world using the Items' powers and he wanted Seth to use his dragons to help gather them.
chuckled, "Foolish mortal girl, Yami's locked up here and he's separated from Yugi now."

"What do you mean?" Serenity asked as she watched Bakura.
answered, "Meaning the good Pharaoh can't do much of anything." He smiled himself as he wrapped his mind along the idea that the Pharaoh had finally lost a game. Then he realized he had not beaten him, but this stupid Tomb Robber had succeeded where he had failed.
flexed his hand around the sword. He felt a pulse of hot energy wash up his body in time to his anger. No matter what he had done he had failed. He had lost the game only to be betrayed and now trapped in a different prison by an insane thief. He almost laughed at the irony of it.

"Unless Yugi gets the Puzzle back," Serenity replied defiantly. Then she rushed at Bakura again. Seth had to admit that the girl was fast and she was graceful. Also, he admired her fire and her spunk.
punched the white-haired youth and wrapped her hands around the Puzzle. Seth simply snapped his blade up, stopping right at the white hollow of her throat. He calmly raised the blade to make her stand to her full height. He leaned toward her and whispered, "That was a mistake."

"How can you just let him do this?" she snapped at him, her green eyes blazing.
grinned as he answered, "Because I can. Yami lost the game and he betrayed me. It's time that he pays for his trespassing."

"Thank you very much, Priest. Now, I want to show you something. However, pet, you're going to have to go back up," Bakura said as he snapped his fingers.
knew that this was the thief's magical realm and he had power here. How much power was debatable, but he still created this castle and pocket realm. He watched as the girl was chained to the wall, still seething with curses and threats.

"Now, mate, let's go have some fun. There's something I want to show you," Bakura stated darkly as he tossed the Puzzle over his shoulder. Curious, the former priest followed him. However, he turned back to look at the girl.
redhead was leaning her head back against the wall. He noticed that her eyes were closed and she was crying. Her suffering was of no importance to him.
that was what he was trying to tell himself as he followed Bakura out of the chamber.

Ryou was afraid that his yami would come back with Yugi or Joey in tow. He didn't want to think about what Bakura would do to them. He didn't even want to think about what was going to happen to Seto Kaiba.
small, white-haired boy curled his hands around his head and sighed. He just wished that stupid Ring would go away, but it was bonded to him in some strange way. At first he was delighted to have Bakura back. Bakura gave him suggestions on how to deal with bullies and kept him safe.
quickly found out that Bakura was only being nice to him to further his own ends. Bakura was using him, just as he used everything else around him. Bakura was an opportunist and had little care for the ones he used, unless it was Ryou, but that brought him right back to his selfishness.

"Oh, Hikari!" Bakura's sadistically cheerful voice called out.
made sure that his eyes were dry as he stood up to face the darker version of himself. He reasoned that the best part of this place was that they could separate as two beings and he was free of the constant, dark, taunting voice in his mind. He opened the door to the chamber to let Bakura in.
heart sank when he noticed that Seto Kaiba was walking right along side with him. He stammered, "K-k-k-aiba?"

"No, this is Seth," Bakura answered with false patience, belittling Ryou like one would a child.
looked at Bakura in horror. He felt his stomach revolt in protest as he thought of what Bakura did. He asked in a soft voice, "What happened to Kaiba?"
no, Seth's fierce blue eyes focused on him. They widened as he looked at Bakura then back at Ryou, lingering on their faces and eyes. Ryou shivered as he looked at the darker version of himself: the wild white hair, the black eyes, and the incessant snarl. He thought he might be physically ill.
was strange to hear Kaiba's body and voice ask, "Who is Kaiba?"

"Well, he's not my Hikari's lover, that's for damn sure," Bakura snorted, blowing a lock of his silvery hair from his eyes. Then he smiled and suggested, "Why don't you take a look for yourself, Priest?"
watched as he pointed to a mirror across the room. Seth walked over to the mirror. Ryou had noticed that there were hundreds of mirrors placed around this castle, especially around the halls. He knew that Bakura liked to look at himself from time to time; he was quite vain in all actuality.
heard Seth gasp and looked over to see Seth running his fingers through Kaiba's dark brown hair and tracing his nose and cheeks. Seth backed away and said, "I was reborn . . . As were you and the Pharaoh. You put your spirits into the Items and the reincarnations were destined to find them."

"You always did have a sharp mind, Priest," Bakura snorted.
said, "I'd expect any carnation of Seto Kaiba to be highly intelligent."

"You used this boy's lover as bait to lure him here. That is a low trick, but I wouldn't expect any thing more worthy from a lowly thief," Seth sneered, glaring at Bakura.
thought, I guess Kaiba didn't change much when he was reborn then. Still, the same arrogant Kaiba. He secretly hoped that Seth would beat his yami, just as ruthlessly as Kaiba played Duel Monsters.
smiled and it wasn't pretty. His eyes flickered as he retorted, "It got you here, didn't it?"

"I suppose it was a suitable method for someone of your talents," Seth volleyed back as he crossed his arms almost defiantly.
laughed as he spun the Puzzle on its chain. Ryou felt an icy tendril of fear run down his spine as Bakura said, "But you get to watch as I kill that annoying Pharaoh, Seth. You should thank me for that."

"Killing children now? Somehow I'm not surprised," Seth snorted, sounding amazingly like Kaiba at that moment.
asked, "You're going to kill Yugi?"

"That harmless mortal? He's almost as pathetic as you are, my little Ryou. No, pet, I'm going to destroy his yami. But first, I need to summon him here," Bakura answered flippantly as he held up the Ring to the Puzzle.
watched as Yugi's darker half materialized before them, gasping and shaking as if he was newly born. Yami was taller than Yugi and his face was more angular than Yugi's more rounded features, and Yami's eyes were the color of garnets. The slender form clad in black leather trembled on the floor as he tried to stand up.
bent down and lifted Yami up as if he weighed nothing. Ryou flinched as Yami was dragged to one of the room's many shackles. Yami said, "Seth, you do not want to do this."

"You betrayed me. You practically killed me. I trusted you. My trust! I shared secrets of my land with you and you use one of the monsters from my home land to kill me," Seth growled as he latched the manacles around Yami's arms.
retorted, "And again you're letting this thief play you like a fool."

"You have no idea what it was like. You have no idea the torment that I was put through. You deserve whatever fate the thief has for you," Seth snapped as their eyes met. The intensity of their anger and emotions made Ryou want to look away. Bakura watched them like a vulture.

"And I have something very interesting for you," Bakura snickered as he drew his cards. Ryou shivered as he realized what Bakura was going to do. He stepped back so he wouldn't have to watch.
pleaded with him, "Ryou, you don't have to take his abuse."
flinched as if Yami had struck him. Seth stated, "Look at him cower. Let him suffer if he does not have the will to escape."
flinched as the Dark Necrophilia appeared, shrieking in ghostly rage. Bakura smiled as the Dark Necrophilia was then engulfed with black flames as he held a trap card up to Yami's face. Ryou watched as the all familiar card that Bakura had drawn started to form in front of their eyes.
gasped, "The Ouija Board . . ."
glared as Bakura explained in a singsong voice, "Yes, the infamous Ouija Board card. Now, as you probably know, this will spell out Death. Unfortunately for you, very good for myself and my priestly friend, instead of losing a Duel Monsters game, you will die. Quite painfully I might add. So after each time your little Yugi or that idiot use a card, it'll slowly spell out D-E-A-T-H a letter each of my turns. You better hope that Yugi and Joey don't use their decks, Yami."
hissed, "Why don't you face me, Bakura? Or are you too afraid of the outcome?"

"I'll face you," Seth replied quietly, his hand gripping his sword.
snorted, "No need for that, Priest. We've already won. Now, maybe we can get Yugi and Joey to use some of their cards."
looked away as Bakura threw his head back and laughed. Seth snorted as he turned and walked out of the chamber. Ryou took one last look at Yami as Bakura looked him over.
stated, "Now, my little hikari, we can't have you stopping me now, can we?"
closed his eyes as Bakura joined with him once again. He realized that it maybe easier this way. At least he wouldn't have to see Yami die.
snorted as he felt something warm slide down his cheek as he resumed control of the body.

"Hey, Seto, hurry up!" Mokuba's voice called out to him as he ran, his long raven hair waving behind him like a banner. The little boy laughed as he ran up the hill, up to the cherry blossom tree at the very top. There were still a few white blossoms floating around the air, but the tree was covered in shiny green leaves.
sun beat down on Kaiba's back as he chased after his little brother. He laughed as he caught up with the boy, reaching out and grabbing him up with one arm. They laughed together as they playfully rolled to the ground.
retorted, "What was that about me hurrying up?" Mokuba laughed as the elder Kaiba tickled him. When Mokuba didn't answer, Kaiba pressed, "Huna? What was that?"

"Stop it Big Brother!" Mokuba laughed as he tried to escape Kaiba's clutches.
let his little brother go, only to collapse beside the tree. He laughed himself as he watched Mokuba lay in the tree's shade. He looked around and realized that someone was missing. He frowned as Mokuba looked around himself.
little boy innocently asked, "Hey, where's Serenity? Shouldn't she be here?"
sat down beside Mokuba and frowned. He slowly answered, "She should be here."

"Where is she?" Mokuba asked, rocking back and forth on his haunches with a puzzled look on his face.
looked around at the grassy knolls all around them. The warm breeze picked up, sending a spray of white blossoms and green leaves through the air. He rubbed the back of his neck and continued to scowl. Serenity should be here with them. It would have made everything perfect, but she wasn't here.
answered, "I don't know."

"You should go find her," Mokuba suggested with a wide grin.
looked the little boy over then around at the picturesque surroundings. He knelt down in front of Mokuba and asked, "What about you?"
grinned as Tristan, Tea, Mai, and Sugoroku appeared behind him. Tristan playfully tousled Mokuba's hair and said, "The mutchkin's safe with us, Kaiba, don't worry."
stood up and looked down at his baby brother for one last time. Mokuba took his hand and said, "You need more in this world than cool stuff, Seto."
asked, "What do you mean, Mokuba?"

"Just listen to your heart, Seto. I know that you have a good one," Mokuba answered simply as he wrapped his arms around Kaiba's waist.
returned the hug, confused at his brother's cryptic words. He took comfort in Mokuba's warm body as he rocked the little boy back and forth in his grasp. Mokuba finally pulled away and looked up into Kaiba's eyes.
whispered, "How do I listen to my heart?" He looked down into Mokuba's huge, smokey eyes as if he had the answers.

"You think too much. Leave the part of you that deals with machines and use the part of you that reads me stories about heroes every night," Mokuba answered sagely, "You'll surprise yourself."
reached up to tap Kaiba's forehead. Kaiba frowned at the tiny, dark finger as Mokuba pressed there. He moved his hand away and stepped back into Yugi's group. Kaiba noticed the symbolism there, and that his little brother was growing up and didn't need him like that anymore.
just as quickly as they appeared, they were gone, leaving him alone. As he watched, he noticed that the sky was growing considerably darker and lighting cackled in the distance. The once warm breeze became frigid as it picked up, blowing hard enough to rattle the tree's branches.
stood there in the growing darkness and the coming storm and shivered. He wrapped his arms around himself as it grew harder and harder to see. He felt icy tendrils cut underneath his white duster as they made him numb.
numbness spread throughout his body as the darkness became all consuming. He felt fear rush through his being as he recognized the beginning of something that still gave him nightmares. He shook his head dimly as he tried to fight it as the numbness and cold spread over him as the darkness became all consuming.

"No!" he screamed, right before he collapsed.

Mokuba looked at the card that his brother, Yugi, and Joey had went to. He picked it up thoughtfully and studied the picture of the huge castle there. He loved castles and Seto promised him that they would go to Europe together very soon so that they could explore the various castle ruins there.
had even been studying up on his English, French and German just so he could understand the people in the places they would visit. Still, it seemed very right that Seto was sucked up in this castle, acting the role of the hero just like in the stories that he read to him at night. Mokuba knew that Seto could be heroic; it was just that he didn't like to be the center of attention or claim that he not the sort of person to do so or that he was too busy.
with the keen wisdom that only children can possess, knew that his brother was capable of being brave and good. He had stormed into Duelist Kingdom to look for him and went against Pegasus despite the impossible odds. He had even given up his soul.
little boy shivered at that very memory. He remembered the cold, dark, unfeeling place his soul was and how alone he had been there. It was the most terrifying thing that he could remember because Seto couldn't save him.

"I wonder if they're doing okay," Mai whispered as she lightly touched the card.
little boy smiled at the pretty blond and replied, "I think they're doing just fine."

Seto Kaiba awoke. He groaned as he sat up, realizing that the duster was heeding his movements. He moved to take it off when he noticed his arms.

"What the hell?" he asked as he looked at the green staff in his hand. Then he looked at the shining purple armor around his arms. Then he stood up and gasped.
was wearing dark violet robes and purple armor. And he was holding a green staff. He gripped the staff in shaking fingers as he realized that he knew he was tall, but this was ridiculous, especially when he looked down at Yugi and Joey. Especially when Joey was now a foot shorter than him now, instead of a few inches.
kept his voice from sneering as he asked, "What the hell did you do?"

"Kaiba, listen, we had to give you a body and we summoned a monster because they don't have true souls so we gave you a body," Yugi stammered.
on the other hand, held up his thumb and said, "Looking good, Kaiba."
awkwardly rushed past them, nearly tripping on the damned robe and the fact this body was much taller than his own, and made his way out of the ruins into a hallway. He saw a mirror and was almost afraid to look at it. He walked over to it as fear turned into anger.
stood there, seething, as he looked at his own dark, intense blue eyes, but in the solemn, stoic face of the Dark Magician. He ripped the purple, cone helmet off in irritation as long, pale violet hair spilled around his face. He watched as his eyes widened in shock as the Magician's jaw dropped open.

"Kaiba! Wait, let us explain!" Yugi shouted, out of breath as they reached him.
threw the helmet against the wall and turned to face Yugi and Joey. Joey was quaking with silent laughter, and that only manage to spark his anger even more. Kaiba sneered, "Why the fuck did you put me in here!"
fidgeted as Joey broke into true laughter. Kaiba shouted wordlessly as he turned away. He closed his eyes as he caught his breath, trying to reign in his anger. He sneered, "You . . . You did this to me . . . You . . ." He turned back and glared at a stunned Yugi, who was watching him with wide eyes.

"Kaiba, please, if you just listen to me . . ." Yugi tried to pacify, but Kaiba wasn't going to hear any of it. He was too angry. His body was shaking with the rage even as he felt something dark stir up within the borrowed body.
bellowed, "You could have put me in any other damned Duel Monster's body, but no, you have to put me in the fucking Dark Magician! You could have put me in the Red Eyes Black Dragon, but you have to put me in the fucking Dark Magician!"

"Quit saying that!" Yugi screamed back as he looked up at Kaiba.
ignored Yugi and continued, "Even the Curse of Dragon would be better than this, but you made me be the bloody Dark Magician!"
he shouted, the mirror shattered as if it had been broken from the inside out. Kaiba instinctively shielded his face as shards of glass flew around him. He froze as he looked at the thousands of reflections of the Dark Magician with his eyes in the mirror. He reached out and touched the shards of glass as he realized that he had done this.

Magical powers that I don't know how to control . . . Yugi, why this though? Kaiba thought as Yugi and Joey slowly approached him. He whispered, "Why this mockery?"

Why this monster that constantly beats me? Why something that is such a symbol of yourself, Yugi? Did you think it was amusing? I'd expect something like this from Joey, but not from you. I wouldn't think that you would have that sort of cruel streak in you, Yugi Moto.

Yugi blew strands of blond hair from his eyes. He looked genuinely upset as he answered, "We couldn't put you into a dragon because Seth could control you and because this was the strongest, most human looking monster that I could think of at such short notice. I wasn't mocking you, Kaiba, I swear it."
suggested, "Hey, we could of put you into Kagemusha . . ."
sneered sarcastically "Oh, of course. My life long dream is to become one of your second-tier monsters, Chihuahua."

"And Serenity thinks that the Dark Magician's cute. I say it's a big improvement," Joey retorted.
glared at the blond boy and tried to stop himself from doing any physical violence to the idiot. However, magical violence was another matter entirely. This time, Kaiba was aware of the black energy cackling from him as it struck a point behind Joey. The blond screamed, cursed, and jumped out of the way from the smoking hole in the wall.

"Kaiba, what the hell was that for?" Joey snapped as he stared at the smoking hole.
took a deep breath and answered, "I didn't mean to do that." He did smile as he added, "But I'm not complaining."
crossed his arms and said, "Joey, don't provoke Kaiba."

"I can take care of myself, Yugi. If the dog wishes to challenge me, it's his funeral," Kaiba retorted, a bit miffed at Yugi's defense.
ignored him and continued, "He doesn't know how to control the Dark Magician's power. It's going to react to strong emotions, like anger. So, unless you wanna be blown up, don't start anything, Joey."

"Hey, I'll be good if he'll be good," Joey warned with a glare. Kaiba glared back and smiled unpleasantly.

Without Yami's constant presence, Yugi felt rather alone since he couldn't contact them through their mental bond. Still, he hadn't realized that Kaiba would be so upset that he had chosen the Dark Magician's body for him to inhabit until they freed his. Then he remembered something Shaddi had said, "The Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes White Dragon are natural rivals."
realized why Kaiba was taking this so badly. They would have to face Seth and the Blue Eyes. That much was certain, but he hadn't realized that the Blue Eyes were that much a part of Kaiba, just as the Dark Magician was a part of him.
absently reached for the Puzzle before he realized it wasn't there. He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked around, desperately wanting the Puzzle back. He just seemed so lost and alone without his Darkness.
the background he heard some shuffling and a few metallic clinks. Joey asked, "Kaiba, what the hell are you doing?"
grunted and Yugi turned around to see Kaiba struggling with the Dark Magician's armor. Kaiba grunted, "I'm taking off this armor."

"Why?" Yugi asked as Kaiba managed to take off the head piece and the first layer of shoulder pads. Kaiba then let them drop onto the floor, shaking the long, pale violet hair out. Kaiba then reached down to the bottom of the robes and tore the slits for the legs even longer before tearing another line up the front of the robe. Yugi watched this with a combination of curiosity and horror. It was almost as if he was defacing the Dark Magician.
took a few steps and did a few lunges before nodding in satisfaction. He stretched his arms and answered, "Mobility. I could barely move in those robes and armor, Yugi. It looks good on a Duel Monster, but for a person, this outfit isn't practical."
remembered when he had his Duel with Bakura in the Shadow Realm and he was transformed into the Dark Magician himself. He remembered how heavy the armor was and how difficult it was to move. He realized, despite Kaiba's penchant for flowing dusters, everything that Kaiba wore was practical for movement.
began to walk in silence again before Joey said, "Maybe we should split up to find Bakura."
looked up at Kaiba, which seemed really strange because it was almost like the Dark Magician was here with them. He looked up into Kaiba's intense blue eyes and he automatically knew whom he was dealing with. And the look on Kaiba's face was pure business.
said, "I'll look for Seth."
realized that Kaiba's voice sounded really faint to him and was about to ask him to repeat that when he was hit with a sudden jolt of pain. He cried out as the agony swept over him and wrapped his arms around himself to ward the pain. He fell to his knees as it intensified, each wave more and more acute.

"Yug!" Joey shouted as he automatically knelt by his side.
shivered as the pain faded away to a bone-chilling frost, settling all over his body as he tried to move. It was just so cold. So damned cold.

"Yugi," Joey cried as he reached out and tried to touch the shaking boy.

The Ouija Board's pointer swung wildly from left to right before landing on the letter D. Yami screamed in pain as his life force was slowly drained away. Bakura sat beside him, toying with the Puzzle.
white-haired thief asked, "How are you doing, Pharaoh?"

"Curse your black soul to Hell, you son of a bitch," Yami sneered between grit teeth.
struggled fruitlessly in his bonds, chained up to a wall as the Ouija Board's pointer started to sway wildly again across the board. He looked up at the Board and wished he had his deck, something to counter the effects of this spell.
stood up and knelt so that he and Yami were at the same eye level. Crimson eyes met black as the two ancient spirits stared each other down. Bakura smiled as he pushed Yami's sweaty strands of hair from his face and Yami seethed silently.
said, "Your little Yugi is going to seal your fate. Already, his Dark Magician has played an attack. At least your hikari works with you. Mine's quite useless except for a host body. Mortals, I'll never understand them."

"You use to be mortal yourself, Bakura," Yami hissed as he lunged at the spirit.
snorted, "And like you remember that? Unlike Seth and myself, you have very little recollection of our past. But do you wanna know what the bleeding ironic part of it is?"

"I have a feeling that you're going to tell me," Yami replied dryly as he lifted his head to watch Bakura.
smirked and said, "I can just call Seth down here and have him let lose the dragons. Yugi and the puppy of course will play against them, killing you in the process. Your faithful little Yugi is going to be the source of your demise."

"I will not!" Yugi cried out as he pounded his fists into the hard stone floor underneath him. The vision vanished as he managed to sit up. He was still cold, but the pain was fading away. The vision burned in his mind as he could still see Yami chained to the wall, sweating and shaking with pain as his life force was slowly decimated.
asked, "You won't what, Yugi?"

"I'm not going to be responsible for Yami's destruction," Yugi answered fiercely.
asked, "What are you talking about?"

"The Ouija Board trap card, Kaiba. Bakura's using it against Yami," Yugi answered as he managed to stand up.
asked, "What are you talking about?"

"It's an effective card, a bit dramatic and costly, but it works if you have the right deck for it," Kaiba mused as he looked at Yugi, "But how could he use that against Yami?"
scratched his head and took a deep breath. He wracked his brain for reasons on how Bakura could use it in such a manner then it hit him. He answered, "Easy, Yami and I are two halves of the same whole, Light and Darkness, right?"

"Yes . . ." Kaiba answered before his eyes lit up with realization as well. He snapped his fingers and said, "Clever bastard, I'll give him that."
sighed in obvious annoyance as he asked, "Okay, for those not initiated in Mystic Speak, could you please tell me what the hell's going on?"
looked at Joey and said, "The Ouija Board is a trap card activated by the sacrifice of the Dark Necrophilia. Within five turns, it spells out 'Death', therefore ending the game. That tiny explosion that you caused must have set it off."

"Except the bastard is using it to kill Yami, but how do you kill a spirit?" Kaiba reasoned.
took a deep breath and figured out how to put what he knew into words. He began, "It's draining Yami's energies. Bakura somehow created a way to give Yami a corporal form, and through our bond, I felt it. It's not hurting me like it is him; he's trying to shield it from me, but within five turns, Yami will be dead."
looked at him and asked, "How was it activated? Bakura couldn't of played it before you drew the Dark Magician."
gave him a sheepish smile and answered, "Your little temper tantrum back there did it."

"But I didn't even attack anything," Kaiba pointed out with a frown.
fidgeted as he replied, "You wanted to attack Joey."
crossed his arms and snapped, "I always want to attack Joey. Why is this any different?"

"Because, you're a Duel Monster now with the powers and rules of one," Yugi explained quietly, trying not to meet Kaiba's angry stare.

"So you're saying that we can't play any monsters except Kaiba?" Joey asked in confusion.
glared and snapped, "I'm not some card for you to play. I'm a person too . . . I'm just trapped in a Duel Monster's body."
sadly nodded and said, "Yes, but I don't know how long we can stall to save Yami, and we have to find Bakura, Seth, and Serenity too." He sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. It just seems hopeless , he thought miserably.
touched his shoulder and said, "It's cool Yug. We've been in worse situations. We'll save my sis, Yami, and get Kaiba his body back, even though I have to admit that the Dark Magician's body is a huge improvement."

"Still, maybe I was a little hasty about putting him there, Joey. I could have wasted my most powerful monster," Yugi sighed as he looked up at his friend.
smiled and threw him a Thumbs-Up before he said, "Listen, Yug, if anybody can do this, it's you, Yami or not. You're the best Duelist around. We'll kick Bakura's ass, save my sister, make fun of Kaiba, get him his body back, and get the Puzzle and Yami back, Yugi. I mean, look who's by your side. You've got me."
chuckled and shook his head. Joey always could make him laugh. Yugi said, "I'm glad that you're my best friend, Joey."

"You too, Yug. Oh, and you've got a royally pissed off Kaiba too, that has to count for something," Joey added with a friendly pat on Yugi's shoulder.
looked up and realized that Kaiba hadn't said anything for the past couple of moments. There was no snide comment when Joey did his little pep talk and no intelligent reasoning to get through this. Joey looked up as well.
said, "Hey, where did Kaiba go?"

"Damn, he ran off!" Yugi cursed as he ran his fingers through his hair. He shook his head in disbelief and sighed, "Same old Kaiba."
shrugged and said, "Well, we can't go looking for him now. Lets go kick some ass."
gave a short nod and replied, "Right."

Seth looked at the necklace around his neck. He frowned, puzzled, at the tiny painting sealed behind the card. There was a little boy with a head of wild, black hair, dark skin, and huge, violet-grey eyes. The little boy was beautiful and smiling and happy in the painting, or rather, "photograph" was the word that his mind provided from the soul that previously inhabited this body.
boy looked remarkably like his mother.
wrapped his fingers around the talisman as he entered the tower again. Serenity was sitting against the wall, her arms dangling above her head due to the chains holding them. She looked up at him with watery green eyes before looking away.
asked in a cold voice, "What do you want?"
walked over to her and unlocked the shackles. She rubbed her reddened wrists as she looked up at him. He crossed his arms and said, "I'm taking you out of here."
stood up and asked, "Why?"

"Do you really wish to stay here?" Seth retorted as he gestured around the bleak surroundings of the tower.
shook her head and pushed her hair behind her ears in a youthful gesture. Seth studied her for a moment and wondered what he should do with her. She looked as if she could use a change of clothing and a hot bath. Bakura had set up a nice room for him including a large marble tub with exquisite plumbing.
told her, "If you are to be a priestess then you must look the part."

"Who said I would be anything?" she snapped as he lead her out of the tower.
answered, "No one. But it's better than being a consort."

"I'm a person too, you know. Just because I don't have magical powers or a Puzzle that gives me a dark spirit that kicks butt in games doesn't mean that I don't have thoughts or feelings," Serenity spat at him as they walked down the steps.
laughed at her brazenness. He said, "You have spirit."
looked at him and smiled right before she broke off into a run. He shook his head right in disbelief as he gave chase. He was taller than she was so it wasn't hard to catch up with her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her up.
screamed, "Let me go! You're not Seto! Don't touch me! Let me go!"
ignored her as he easily lifted her to his shoulder. She fought and kicked him as he carried her to his chambers, cursing his very existence and calling him some things that he had never even heard of before.
the time they reached the other side of the castle, she had quieted down. She seemed sort of defeated as he sat her back down. He looked into her face and asked, "Are you going to run again?"
crossed her arms and retorted, "I might."

"You know I'll just catch you again. Besides, I can't guarantee your safety in this place," Seth warned as he guided her again.
asked, "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because I'd like to talk to you. I have some questions and I think you can answer them," he answered as they reached the door to his chamber. Seth unlocked it with the key that Bakura had given him earlier and opened it.
actually didn't like the room. The bed was huge and draped with black silk and red velvet, all the furnishings were made of black wood, and it reminded him of a harem or the lush chambers that the Romans were fond of. Seth remembered his home, the cool air, the sweet rains, and looking up at the endless stars on a bed of warm fur. He looked down at the talisman around his neck.
little boy reminded him of his mother. His beautiful, ill-fated mother. He gripped the photo as he could still hear his mother telling him to run. He could see the Roman soldier attacking her, running her through with his blade.
crossed her arms and snapped, "Why should I tell you anything? Yugi and my brother might be hurt or worse and you're responsible for it."

"Why should I care?" Seth retorted with a glare.
answered, "I don't know, maybe if you were human you might."

"Ties like that are weak, my dear. They'll only leave you in the end. Only betray you in the end," Seth snorted darkly as he remembered the elf and Yami.
replied, "Not if they truly care about you."

"Love is an illusion for petty minds," Seth hissed, "A nice story told by people who cannot rise above themselves."
snapped, "You might look like Seto, but you're nothing like him."

"Look where love got him. He doesn't even have a body anymore," Seth replied with a smirk.
flinched right before her hand landed sharply across his cheek. He hadn't even known she was going to slap him, but it stung none the less. She was seething with fury as she growled, "Don't say that again. Never say that again."

"You're a little too bold for your own good," he sneered as he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. He gave her a tiny shake and spat, "I could do whatever I wanted to you right now and you couldn't do a damned thing about it."
looked up at him defiantly and retorted, "Then do it. If you like the power so much do it. If it makes you feel like a man go right ahead!"
looked into her bright green eyes and her determined features. The heat rising between them was almost palatable. He could see what this Seto Kaiba saw in her. He growled as he pushed her away.
looked at him for a moment before sitting on the bed. He purposely looked away, not wanting to think about it. He had been betrayed and used all of his life. This little slip of a girl was no different than Yami or the Romans responsible for the slaughter of his people.
looked at her again and noticed she was about to cry. She looked up at him then looked away. He slowly approached her and sat down beside her on the bed.
barked, "Now what?"

"I wanted to ask you who this was," Seth answered as he held the talisman open for her to see. Her eyes wavered as she gently took the necklace into her hand. She traced the little boy's features with her fingers without looking at him.

"Who is the youth?" Seth asked, watching her carefully.
glared up at him and snapped, "Why should I tell you?"

"Is he related to the person who previously occupied this body?" he asked gently as she smiled at the locket.
nodded and let it go. She answered, "Yes, Mokuba's Seto's little brother."

"Little brother?" Seth asked in wonder as he looked at the locket again, "He . . . he looks like my mother."
gave a shaky laugh and said, "Seto told me that Mokuba looked almost exactly like his mom. I wouldn't know; Seto was orphaned a long time ago."

"Tell me more about Seto Kaiba," Seth demanded, his curiosity almost overwhelming.
studied him for a moment before she answered, "Well, he's the CEO of a large corporation and he's an expert Duelist. He acts arrogant and cold, but that's only a front. If you get to really know him . . ."
the next half an hour, Seth listened as Serenity told him all she knew of Seto Kaiba. He watched as her expression brightened as she warmed up to her subject. She seemed to forget about him as she told the story, smiling absently as she related some silly note. It was obvious that she cared for him very much.
Seth couldn't help to compare Seto to himself. They both were orphans, but apparently both Kaibas had been adopted by a very cold and cruel man that abused Seto, making him cold and ruthless. Finally, Seto had enough of the abuse and the shadow of a threat hanging over Mokuba, so he killed him.
there was the fact that Seto and the reincarnated version of the Pharaoh were rivals, except little Yugi had risked everything to save him. She told him about Mokuba, a brave, sweet, if head strong little boy who meant the world to Seto. As she talked, he wondered if he had a force like Mokuba in his life if he had turned out any different.
voice died away and he looked at her. He asked, "Why did you stop?"

"Because I'm done," Serenity replied as she crossed her arms challengingly.
stood up and looked down at her. Her story made him think, made him wonder. He looked down at the sword and frowned. He needed to think away from her influence and maybe talk to both Bakura and Yami.
was silent as he locked the door behind him.

Serenity laid back on the bed with a groan moments after Seth left. She knew that Seto's story had gotten to him, but then again, it had gotten to her the first time she had heard it from both Seto and Mai. Still, she wondered what Seth was going to do with the knowledge and if she could get Seto back.
cried out in frustration and pounded the lush pillows around her. This room looked like some Goth Harem or something. She stood up and began to pace the room, restless and upset.
the door blew up.
cursed as she ducked behind the bed. She waited until the smoke cleared to look up. "Yugi?" she called out as she looked at the dark form enveloped in smoke in the door way.

Man, looks like the Dark Magician's been put through the wringer, she thought as she looked at the Duel Monster. His helmet was gone, letting his pale violet hair drift around his handsome, angular features and she noted that the armored shoulder pads and head dress were gone. She had always thought the Dark Magician was highly compelling, but there was something about those intense, dark-blue eyes really that drew her in.
she realized who she was looking at. She started to shake with delirious happiness as she looked at him. She called out, "Seto!"
rushed over to him and automatically wrapped her arms around his waist. He held her back and his voice asked, "How did you know it was me?"
tilted her head to look up at him. The Dark Magician had to be seven feet tall at least. As if sensing her hurdle, he bent down to her. She pushed back the long strands off of his face and stared into Seto's dark blue eyes.
answered, "The eyes."
took a step back and gently gripped her shoulders. He asked, "Are you hurt?"

"No," she answered with a fierce shake of her head as they drew closer again. The abnormally long fingers stroked her hair as Seto rested his chin on the crown of her head. She closed her eyes and tried to blink back tears.
whispered, "I was so worried about you."

"I'm not going to let some soul stealing thief to get the better of me. Still, are you okay?" Seto asked, his dark eyes full of concern as he knelt in front of her.
nodded and mused, "I don't think Seth would hurt me."

"What do you mean?" Seto asked as he stroked her cheek, thoroughly distracting her. She sighed and leaned into the soft caress. She couldn't help but notice his hands were cold though, another reminder that the body wasn't his.
answered, "He's a lot like you were. He's angry and cold and doesn't want anyone to get through."

"He practically sealed Yami's Death Warrant," Seto replied darkly as he gave a look toward the door.
frowned in confusion. She asked, "What do you mean? I know he took the Puzzle and gave it to Bakura, but what are you talking about, Seto?"
took her hands and frowned when he saw the red marks from the shackles. He gently rubbed them as something else sparked through his fathomless eyes. "They'll pay," he whispered in a hoarse voice as his fingers deftly soothed her raw skin.
sighed and rested against him. It felt so good to know that he was safe that he was okay. He might not be in his body now, but he was safe. She confessed, "I thought I'd lost you."
didn't say anything as he looked down at her. A million things flashed through his blue eyes as he did, things like fear, anger, concern, and warmth. She gently pried her hands away from his only to reach up and smooth the long hair from his eyes. It was slightly coarse, not as soft as Seto's natural hair, but she could deal with it.
gently leaned even closer to brush his lips against hers. She jerked back when she felt the cold lips brush against her own. He sighed, "Sorry. This was the only body that Yugi could put me in at such short notice." There was another flash of anger in his eyes as she realized that the Dark Magician was one of his least favorite monsters simply because Yugi used it so often.
leaned forward, ignoring the chill of his lips, and gave him a proper kiss. She thrilled as she heard him groan and return it. She noted that he was being careful with her with each sweet touch.
gently pulled away and he stood up. She said, "We need to find Joey and Yugi."

"Not yet," Seto answered briskly.
gasped when a familiar sword blade found itself under Seto's throat. Seto looked down at it as the wielder calmly directed him to turn around. Serenity took a step forward, but two pairs of familiar blue eyes warned her from two different directions.
sneered, "I know you're not an ordinary monster, but what the hell are you doing in here?"


I'd like to thank my new Beta-Reader, Animom for the strict critique of the first draft of this fic. She was harsh, strict, and exactly what I needed. The story improved under her skillful eye. That's why it took so long to get out.
out, Elf now has finally found a Beta who isn't afraid of her.
go read Animom's highly chilling Seto-centric fic "KP Duty". I promise you that you'll never see Pegasus in the same light ever again. It's a wonderful fiction, especially if you like dark angst, all without the trappings of suicide!
dedicate this fic to Alecto, who patently waited for this little twist for a long time. Read her fic "Gifted" for a different kind of alternate universe.
to always, Nate Grey. It's his fault that I'm into Yu-Gi-Oh! Plus, if you like crossovers, "Suffer the Children" is one of, if not the one, best damned crossover that I've had the pleasure of reading.