Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Wake Not The Guardian ❯ Spirit vs. Spirit ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter 7 - Spirit vs. Spirit

The dark figure laid Téa's unconscious form in an ebony coffin lined with white satin. A shadow stood by the doorway.

" She is holding the Soul Guardian card. I could not fully trap her in the soul card." The figure turned round, facing the shadow. " You will have to make sure your end of the deal works, otherwise we will be destroyed."

I will not fail, master…

" She will stay unconscious until the duel is over. She is trapped within her mind, rather than the card. I don't suppose it matters where she is, as long as she lures the others here. You have the field ready?"

Yes, lord…

" Then all we have to do is wait."

Yami slipped on some clothes, and met the others out in the hallway. Joey handed over a card that he had found in Téa's room, along with her pack of protective cards. " Look. Téa's in a soul card."

Yami looked down and studied the card. Téa was pictured in a corner of a dark stone room, lying in a coffin. Tristan looked over his shoulder. He frowned.

" That looks familiar…" It suddenly dawned on Tristan. " The mausoleum! She's in the mausoleum!"

Yami stared at the card. " It's different from normal. There's something not quite right about it. She's slightly transparent, look." He pointed at her, and the others nodded.

" Let's go find her!" Joey announced.

They sprinted down the stairs and out to the mausoleum. Yami stepped into the mausoleum, noting that the door was open when before it had been shut.

" Come out and show yourself," he ordered. A shadow moved, and he heard a distinctive low chuckle. " Your cowardice amuses me. You go to all this trouble to lure us here, yet you do not show yourself."

A low voice came out of the darkness.

" I like to make a dramatic entrance." The shadows slowly disappeared, and revealed a dark figure standing by a wall. It moved forwards into the light, and Yami and the others realized it was Bakura. " It is good to see you again, Pharaoh. I trust you are well?"

" I have no time for small talk, Bakura. You have harmed one of my friends, and now you will pay."

" Soon, but first I would like to introduce to you my very good friend, Kobora. He is especially looking forward to meeting you."

" I have no time for this."

" Oh, but you do." As if he had just noticed Tristan and Joey, he beckoned them into another room. " I expect you are wondering where Téa is…" Tristan, Joey and Yami barged past Bakura, and stopped when they saw her. Yami walked over to her, and touched her pale cheek. She was stone cold.

" What have you done to her?" Yami asked, turning round.

" She's not dead, do not fear. She is merely trapped within her mind. That magic card of yours is strong," Bakura said to Yami, allowing a ghost of a smile to grace his lips. " Now, down to business. If you will come with me, we need to start the duel."

" You are in no position to be making orders, Bakura," Yami said, keeping his cool with difficulty.

" Oh, but I am. You see if you refuse this duel, you would have instantaneously lost, and I would be the winner."

" What are the stakes?"

" What do you expect? Winner takes all."

Yami returned to the others, his face showing no emotion. Joey and Tristan sat in the corner by Téa, holding her hands in an effort to warm her up.

" I have to duel. I have no choice."

Tristan nodded, looking at Joey when he spoke up.

" What would happen?" Joey asked.

" If I win, Téa will be released, and Bakura and Kobora will be destroyed. If I lose, Kobora gains my place in the Millennium Puzzle, I will be trapped here forever and you and Téa will be killed. I must do this."

Joey looked downcast. " Is there another way?"

Yami shook his head. " But you are allowed to watch if you wish, as Bakura will be watching the duel."

" Whoa! You're not duelling Bakura?" Joey asked.

" No."

" But you don't know anything about Kobora!"

" I must do this. It is the only way to save Téa."

The three of them looked at her inert form, and both Tristan and Joey nodded.

" We'll come."

Téa opened her eyes slowly, and sat up. Holding her hand to her head, she hoisted herself up from the floor and looked around. She was in a small room, with wild flowers placed at various points on the wall. She moved out of the room and found herself in a dark corridor facing another door. Pushing it open, she saw the room was split into two; half pure colours and half dark ominous colours. A figure stood in the middle of the back wall, looking at the floor, a long gown flowing around her. The colours were also split down the middle of her, and Téa moved forward bravely.

" You have found me at last, Téa. I have been waiting for a long time."

" Who are you?" Téa asked. The woman looked up slowly.

" I am you."

" Kobora, this is the Pharaoh you will be duelling," Bakura said. A shadow moved forward and stepped up to a duelling deck. The shadow only had one distinguishable feature; a pair of deep red eyes.

I hope you are feeling lucky…

" I never need luck," Yami stated.

" Kobora is an Egyptian priest whose fascination with duelling led to his unfortunate demise. His soul was trapped in a small stone scarab. An archaeologist found the stone and unknowingly released his soul here, and he has been searching for someone with a Millennium item to duel with. If they lose, he is able to dispel the residing spirit from the item and take its place."

" And if he loses?"

" He will be destroyed."

" Then prepare yourself. The heart of the cards is a powerful thing."

Téa found herself staring at an older version of her. " I - I don't understand."

The woman smiled. " I am your Soul Guardian. I am everything you are and more."

" What's your name?"

" You will find that out in time, Téa. But for now I will be known as Sentinel."

" Where are we?"

" You are trapped in your mind for the moment. When Bakura tried to trap you in a soul card, you were holding my card. I have protective powers, but they are not as strong against Millennium items. I can only change what will happen, not stop it. You are now trapped in your mind whilst the duel goes on, rather than a soul card."

" Bakura? Duel? What's going on?"

Sentinel told her, and Téa sat down suddenly. " So you're saying I have a spirit in my mind?"

" If you wish to call me a spirit, then yes. When you unlocked the box and opened the cards, you released us."

" There are more of you?"

The woman nodded and smiled again. " Each card has its individual spirit. The spirit is released when you use the card, giving you power to do whatever the spirit can."

" I'm not sure I understand you."

" Say you used the card Angel of Transportation. The spirit would be released into you, and you would be able to transport anywhere."

Téa sighed. " I'm really going to need someone to explain every little bit to me."

Sentinel moved forwards and put her hand on Téa's shoulder. " I will teach you bit by bit. But for now you must rest. Yami and the others are worried about you." She helped Téa up and led her through another doorway that had suddenly appeared. There was a bed lying on one side, in the light, and a seat on the other side in the dark shadows.

" Why are you…split into two, if you don't mind me asking?" Téa said, lying down. Sentinel sat in the seat, regarding her with amusement.

" I represent your soul, Téa. The white half is your pure and innocent side, emotions such as love, friendship and loyalty. The black half is your darker side, the one that you suppress. It is emotions such as jealousy, hatred and gluttony."

" But…"

" Do not worry, Téa. You are not an evil person. Everyone has those emotions in their soul; everyone has a dark side. But sometimes the negative emotions can be used for good. You have found a way to channel these negative emotions and use them to fuel your loyalty and love for your friends."

Téa's eyes were closing as she sank into the comfortable bed. " How's the duel going?"

" I do not know. We will find out soon."

Joey clenched his fist as he looked over at Bakura. The white-haired boy was sitting in shadows, watching the duel in amusement. Yami and Kobora were both on 900 life-points each, and the duel was going faster than Joey had expected. Both duellists seemed to be matched in capabilities, and even though the end was near, the final turnout couldn't be predicted. He shared a look with Tristan, who reflected his feelings, and they both concentrated back on the duel.

Yawning, Téa rolled over. She felt a lot better, and sitting up she scanned the room for Sentinel. The woman had fallen asleep in the chair, and Téa smiled. She looked so peaceful, even if half of her was in shadows and dark colours. She suddenly felt very heavy, as if someone were dragging her down.

" Sentinel?"

Sentinel stood and smiled. " You must prepare to wake up. If you feel as if you are being dragged down, it means you are about to wake up. You will be released from your mind soon."

" Is the duel finished?"

Sentinel shook her head. " Téa, listen to me. You have to finish the duel. I have broken the spell that trapped you in your mind, and now you must stop Yami and take his place. Use your deck - it will allow you to banish Kobora's soul back into the scarab."

Téa nodded, understanding. Sentinel helped her out the door, and Téa could see that the room she had first woken up in was now surrounded in light.

" Good luck, Téa."

She stepped into the light…

She felt groggy, but there was no time. Téa had to stop the duel. She grabbed her cards and ran into a dark cavern.

" Stop the duel!" she announced, stepping forward.

" Téa?" Yami asked. Joey and Tristan stood up, shocked. She moved next to Yami, facing Kobora, and put her hand on his arm.

" I've got to finish the duel."

Not wanting to let her, yet realising she had to, Yami nodded. " Be careful," he whispered in her ear as he joined Tristan and Joey at the side.

Kobora looked as if he had been expecting it.

You're strong to resist my master's power…but not strong enough to prevent him from destroying you…

Téa shook her head. " That's what you think."

Then show me your moves…

Removing Yami's cards from the field, Téa shuffled her own and placed them by her side.

Ladies first…

Téa took the top card from the pack and placed it in front of her. " These cards will allow me to do what I want to you. This is no longer a game."

I think you are wrong…

" I've ended my go."

Yet you only pulled one card…you have strange tactics…

A card appeared facedown on the field. " It seems Kobora has played a magic card, Téa," Bakura's voice came from the shadows. " From what I hear, you cannot duel. Let us see how you fare against an original player."

" Right at this moment, Bakura, you don't have the power to blackmail Téa. These cards are even more powerful than you could ever imagine," Yami said, fighting down anger.

" Show me."

Téa stared in wonder at Kobora's life points as they flickered down to zero. She had done it - defeated an Egyptian by herself!

Stepping down to join the guys, she watched as the field slowly disappeared, leaving just the empty space of a cavern. They hugged her, congratulating her, but all she was looking at was Bakura and Kobora.

" Isn't something supposed to happen?" she asked. Yami and the others looked up.

" You're right, Téa," Yami said.

Bakura sauntered up, grinning. " I guess something went wrong."

Suddenly Téa realised what was supposed to happen. " I don't think so," she said, stepping forward and holding a card up in front of her, so Bakura could see it. " This is the White Witch card. It allows me to gain her powers and use them as I see fit."

Bakura backed away, signalling frantically for Kobora to do something. Joey and Tristan grabbed him, and held him down.

Yami stayed to the side, his quiet support enough to encourage Téa. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to open. She could feel the power flowing through her from the card, and another presence appeared in her mind.

Opening her eyes, she realised Kobora was mere metres away from her, his red eyes looking murderous.

" You're not going to get me that easily," she said loudly, holding both hands in front of her. A bright light shone out from the card and surrounded her, and Kobora stopped, moaning.

" I banish you to another half life inside that scarab," Téa yelled over the top of Kobora's moaning, and another rushing noise that had started up.

A wind started up from nowhere, blowing Téa's hair behind her. She felt the force of the power she had just released, and watched as Kobora staggered back and suddenly turned into a pillar of black smoke, swirling round and down into a small stone scarab lying on the floor.

Then everything went black.