"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck!"
Mokuba had stopped counting after Honda's fiftieth 'fuck'. He sat next to an extremely upset Yuugi who held a crumpled handkerchief in his hands, crying loudly. Honda paced back and forth, burning holes into the carpet. Mokuba wrung his hands over and over again. Hirutani stood in the middle of the living room, looking pale and aghast.
"I'm so sorry, guys. I didn't know..."
"Our job is one big risk," Honda cut him short, "but I can't believe that he had the guts to go without me! We're a team!"
"Please Honda-kun," Yuugi cried, "if you were killed too, I... I would have no reason to live!"
"Nonsense, Yuugi," Mokuba said, shocked. "You... you don't mean that!"
Hirutani put his hand on Yuugi's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm so, so sorry. I know you're best friends. I should've been there. When Jounouchi tipped me off about the heist, I... I should've been in charge of the team. I've been doing too much deskwork as of late..."
"You coordinated the entire operation, Hirutani-san," Yuugi said. "You couldn't have known Jounouchi-kun was there. It's not your fault."
"It is!" He balled his fist and punched the armrest. "Jounouchi didn't have enough experience as an undercover agent. I should've stopped him when he suggested it! I should've brought in another agent!"
"No, it's my fault," Honda said, voice strained. "I never should've let him go alone. He talked me out of it... I should've stood my ground! He convinced me... the jerk! I should've been there!"
"You would both end up getting killed," Mokuba said. He tried to console Yuugi as much as he could, but he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Kaiba stalked into the room.
"What's going on here? Someone died or something?"
"Kaiba, you jerk!" Honda shook his fist in Kaiba's face, but the tall CEO wasn't impressed.
"Well?"
"Kaiba-sama, my name is Hirutani. I'm with the gang taskforce of Domino City Police," Hirutani introduced himself. "I just brought the unfortunate news that Jounouchi has been killed. He had tipped us off that a heist would take place at the docks this evening. The Ryuzaki had received a generous... amount of counterfeit goods. I send out a team to intercept and arrest the Ryuzaki, but Jounouchi... had never mentioned that he was going to be at the raid himself. When the gang opened fire, we returned it... and he was caught in the crossfire."
"Oh. The detective." Kaiba's face was expressionless. "Who's going to solve my case now? The attempt to kidnap and possibly murder my brother?"
"I'll continue the investigation," Honda said, angry.
"You'll be too busy crying and moping about your partner's death," Kaiba said. "I'll talk to the captain to put competent detectives on the case."
Honda lunged at Kaiba, but Hirutani was faster and restrained him, albeit with great difficulty.
"Honda! Sit down. Sit down! Violence won't help matters!"
"No, but it'll be very satisfying," Honda growled.
"Your friend needs you," Hirutani said softly. "He's completely broken. Look at him, Honda. Focus on him, not on Kaiba."
Honda calmed down and went to sit next to Yuugi's other side. He was still crying. Kaiba rolled his eyes.
"I didn't open my mansion to give shelter to crybabies and for the police department to waltz in whenever they please," he said. "And has this threat, this Bakura, been dealt with?"
"Do you even think about anyone else but yourself in your life?" Honda asked bitterly.
"I'm thinking about my brother's safety!"
"Kaiba-sama, everyone is working hard on this case," Hirutani answered. "It has proven to be very, very complex... and Jounouchi had valid theories, but those are now gone forever."
"No, they're not," Honda said, determined. He was looking at Kaiba and missed the surprised, slightly angry look on Hirutani's face. "He told me a lot about his theories, and I'm going to pursue them one by one until I get to the bottom of this!"
"It's the Pharaoh's fault," Hirutani said.
"The Pharaoh?" Kaiba parroted.
"The big boss," Hirutani elaborated. "We hadn't heard of him until six months ago. He's on a frenzied search throughout Domino City to find certain artifacts, and nobody knows why. He had the yakuza under his thumb in just three weeks, and not two weeks after the rest of all the criminal gangs. Anyone who brings him the right artifact can count on his blessing and hard cash, but if you displease him, you're dead. Jounouchi was investigating him, that's why he went undercover. I think he had already established a connection between the Pharaoh and the Ishtar family..."
"The ones with diplomatic immunity," Honda all but spat. "That's just great! What if they are behind this criminal network and installed a big, bad Pharaoh-boss to supervise the whole thing. They even kill cops, and there's nothing we can do about it!"
"If the Ishtars are indeed responsible for Jounouchi's death, then the only repercussion they'll face is deportation," Hirutani said.
"So they'll be send back to their home country and they won't get punished," Mokuba concluded. Kaiba had followed the conversation intensely and snapped at his younger brother.
"This is not your problem, Mokuba. Stay out of it."
"No, nii-sama." A heavy silence fell. Yuugi looked up, smothering another cry in his soaked handkerchief. Even Hirutani looked at Mokuba, baffled. "I want to help. They are my friends. Jounouchi was my friend."
"You can't possibly..." Kaiba sputtered.
"Yes I can, and I will. Jounouchi was kind and funny, and he didn't treat me like the poor-little-less-successful-Kaiba brother," Mokuba said.
"I never treated you like that," Kaiba protested.
"I never said you did. I know how people think about me. It doesn't matter right now, we have more urgent problems to think of."
Honda nodded. "We're going to continue where Jounouchi had to leave off. Are you with me, Yuugi?"
"Y-yes," Yuugi said.
"I understand your grief and sorrow," Hirutani said, "but I have to stop you here, and this time I won't be swayed. We can't have civilians running around trying to solve our cases, and you should know better than to encourage them, detective Honda."
Honda looked a little embarrassed. Kaiba spoke up. "Finally, someone with their brains in the right position," he said. "Mokuba, you're not going anywhere until the security system has been fixed."
Hirutani looked puzzled. "Haven't you hired new security yet, Kaiba-sama?"
"I have hired bodyguards, but the security system I designed myself has... need for maintenance," Kaiba said sourly.
"It has a few glitches," Mokuba explained, ignoring the sudden furious look on his brother's face. "Really, nii-sama, it's not a crime to admit that you can't do everything yourself. You already designed and build the entire system, it's just not 100% complete."
"I will get it fixed," Kaiba said, heatedly.
"Then you might not be safe," Hirutani said. "Who are the new security guys?"
"I trust the law enforcers to do their job," Kaiba bit back. "Now, if this crying fest is over, I want you to leave, now!"
"No!" Mokuba jumped up from the sofa. "Enough, nii-sama! They can stay as long as they want!"
Kaiba's look of surprise at his brother's defiance was priceless, and perhaps funny in any other given circumstances.
"If you really want to," Kaiba said, his voice dark. He turned around and left the room with his tall stride, his back as straight as a ruler.
"Who's going to tell Shizuka-chan?" Yuugi asked, his voice shrill. "And his mother?"
Honda was about to say something, but Hirutani cut him off. "I'll do it, Honda. I take full responsibility. I'll take it upon myself to inform them."
"Thank you," Honda said, relieved. He had brought bad news like this to families before, and it had never been his favorite task, obviously. He didn't know anyone who would enjoy telling a family that a loved one had been killed. He turned towards Yuugi. "If you want to go home, I can take you there," he offered. "I rather think that this environment is better for you, having Mokuba around." He explicitly didn't name the elder Kaiba brother.
"Yes, please stay, Yuugi," Mokuba said. "You shouldn't be alone."
"I'm not sure if this is for the best," Hirutani objected. "I'm not sure if Jounouchi told you this, Mutou-san... but you have a very striking resemblance to the Pharaoh. You might be in danger when you go back to your own home, unprotected."
"Yes, he told me." Yuugi's voice was soft and hitching. "He even asked me if I had a secret twin brother. That was just before he told me that he was going to go undercover." The tears started to flow anew.
"I'm sorry," Hirutani apologized again. "If Kaiba-sama's security system isn't working perfectly yet, you won't be safe here. I want you to come with me, Mutou-san, so I can take you to a safe house. You'll have 24/7 police protection there."
"Nonsense!" Mokuba rushed to his brother's defense. "We have bodyguards, and nii-sama will have ironed out the glitches soon enough! Stay here, Yuugi!"
"I know it's been a very rough evening, but we have to be careful now." Hirutani looked at Honda. "Help me here, Honda. Your friend will nowhere be safer."
"If Yuugi wants to stay here, he stays here." Honda stuck his chin forward. Hirutani shook his head.
"The Pharaoh is a dangerous man. People will come after Yuugi, mistakenly identifying him as the man who..."
"Enough," Honda cut him off. "Go back to the police station, Hirutani. I'll see you there."
Hirutani pursed his lips, but as he noticed nobody was paying attention to him anymore, he turned around and left. Yuugi pressed the soaked handkerchief to his face and lost himself in loud wails. His best friend was dead.
Time seemed to stand still in this strange mansion. It felt like it was some kind of time capsule, standing outside of time itself. The Ancient Egyptian decorations and Mahaado clad in traditional robes didn't add to a modern atmosphere, yet the mansion felt warm and comfortable, as if everything was going to be all right. Jounouchi sipped his tea once again.
"Mutou Yuugi is a friend of mine," he explained. "A very, very good friend. I met him at high school, back when I was a bully and a gang member. Thanks to his support, I didn't go down the drain. I improved my life and made friends, I swore off violence and trained to become a cop. The reason why I said 'Yuugi'..." He couldn't tell Mahaado that he already had caught a glimpse of the Pharaoh, the other man unaware that Jounouchi had seen the two of them exchanging a kiss. "...when I was lying on the floor, in pain, I guess I was delirious. My vision was blurred, and I saw someone standing over there, who looked like Yuugi... he has a very distinctive hairstyle."
He curiously awaited Mahaado's reaction, fully counting on the man's denial that there could be anyone resembling his Pharaoh. The bodyguard didn't seem surprised or shocked at all.
"I thought so," Mahaado said.
"You thought so?" Jounouchi tilted his head. "Why was the Pharaoh even there? Why did you save me?"
The bodyguard stared into his mug. "We are scouring the city for Items, as you know. We were pulled towards the docks because the Pharaoh sensed the presence of an Item there... but when we arrived, people were shooting and fighting." He waited for a long, drawn-out moment. "Tell me, Jounouchi... do you believe in magic? In otherworldly powers that are unseen, but can be a deadly force when wielded? Do you believe in the power of light and darkness?"
Jounouchi hesitated. "I guess so. After what you did to me the second time I was here, freezing my body so I couldn't move... and now I'm completely healed from a stab to the shoulder, without leaving a scar... yeah, I'm not saying I believe immediately, but I guess you can call me... open-minded?"
"That is better than totally denying it." Mahaado actually smiled. Smiled! Jounouchi thought he could be friends with the man, if he wasn't so vicious protective of his Pharaoh. "There is an ongoing war between light and dark, Jounouchi. It is as old as mankind, even older."
"Everyone has a dark side," Jounouchi said. He was ashamed to admit it, but he had enjoyed the brutal violence back in his gang years. He had taken out his own frustrations, about his abusive father and his severely sick sister, on innocent bystanders, and he had enjoyed his power when he robbed unsuspecting tourists or simply beating someone up for the hell of it. It wasn't something he was proud of.
"Agreed." Mahaado took his time to eat another piece of bread. "But the powers of light and dark are more than a dark side to a person. It is an all-encompassing force that drives the world. There will always be dark and light, and there will always be war. And right now, the darkness is winning."
"I was afraid you would say that."
"It is not that simple, Jounouchi. Three millennia ago, light achieved a great victory over darkness. Thanks to the Pharaoh, darkness was completely banned out of this world. It came at a great cost: his life."
Jounouchi forgot to drink his tea. "He died?"
"He sacrificed his life to seal the darkness away," Mahaado continued. "He could not do it on his own, so he used his Item of power. The Sennen Puzzle."
"Sennen Puzzle," Jounouchi parroted.
"It is one of seven Sennen Items in total. You already encountered two of them: the Sennen Ring and the Sennen Rod."
"Bakura and Marik."
"There you have it," Mahaado said. "The darkness incarnated."
"Go on," Jounouchi encouraged the other.
"The Sennen Items were distributed amongst the six Priests serving the Pharaoh. I was the original owner of the Ring until I was killed by Bakura."
"Holy fuck!" Jounouchi blurted out.
"It is complicated." Mahaado showed a weary grin. "A lot of powers were involved, powers that were completely normal in Ancient Egypt, but are non-existent in this current world. I expected you to run for the hills from all this talk about magic and dark powers, but you are surprisingly resilient."
"I can't imagine Bakura Ryou..."
"Not him." Mahaado shook his head, a tone of regret in his voice. "And not Malik, either. Their dark sides. They manifest with the help of an Item. Or in Malik's case, by a human sacrifice."
"You're kidding!"
"I most certainly am not. Malik had a brother, Rishid. I am very sure that Malik's dark side has overpowered him and took his life to obtain a physical form in this world. Bakura Ryou is serving as a host to the real Bakura, who is in possession of the Ring."
"Yadonushi-sama," Jounouchi said.
"You have met the Dark Bakura?" Mahaado's voice was strained.
"Yeah. He dumped a table on me."
"You are most fortunate, Jounouchi. Both Dark Malik and Dark Bakura have tried to kill you, and you have managed to survive."
"Yeah, lucky fucking me."
"This is not a matter to mock. Bakura Ryou is in real danger. He probably does not know what is going on and does not realize he is going to be in even more trouble once Dark Bakura finds a suitable physical body to permanently reside in."
"Creepy." Jounouchi mulled over Mahaado's words and suddenly piped up: "Hey! Why didn't he take my body?"
"I am not sure, but you should be very grateful that he did not," Mahaado said sternly. "First of all, you would have died and second, with a body, Dark Bakura is even more dangerous."
"So..." Something clicked in his mind. "...if the Pharaoh wields one of those Sennenen Items as well..."
"Sennen," Mahaado corrected him.
"...he's a Dark Side too?"
"He is," Mahaado admitted. "Just like your friend Yuugi is his light side. The Pharaoh is nothing short of God, but he has darkness inside him because he shouldered it millennia ago to save the world from total destruction. It takes tremendous strength to seal the shadows away, and he sacrificed his life."
"And the Items... are used for darkness?"
"The Items were created to strengthen and power the light." Mahaado didn't look at Jounouchi when he continued. "However, their... origins have corrupted them and now the Items can be used for darkness as well. In fact, that is why Bakura is looking for them so religiously. With all the Items combined, he wants to call forward the God of Darkness."
"And who might that be?"
"Zorc Necrophades," Mahaado said. Jounouchi dropped his teacup.
"The security guy?"
"What do you mean?"
"Zorc Security is the biggest security company in town! They provided bodyguards for... fuck..!"
Mahaado looked confused. "What? What is wrong?"
"Pegasus, Dartz, Kaiba... they all had the same security company! That's why Bakura had access and opportunity to kill the CEO's!"
"Bakura is the King of Thieves," Mahaado said. "He can steal your soul and you would not notice until it is too late."
Jounouchi hit the table with his fist. "Yuugi is at Kaiba's manor! If Bakura goes after Kaiba again, he's in big trouble!"
Mahaado looked pensive. "This is serious. I should talk to the Pharaoh. If his light side is in trouble..."
"He is," Jounouchi said. "I know it!"
"Yes, I will talk to him immediately." Mahaado rose from his seat.
"I'll go with you," Jounouchi said. "I can explain as well."
"No. You will stay here."
"Hey look, I appreciate the both of you saving my life, and I'm prepared to do everything you want me to do to solve all this, but I need to talk to the Pharaoh. My best friend is in trouble, and I don't have the time to deal with ancient traditions or rituals or whatever. Just let me fucking talk to him!"
"Fine. You will meet him." Mahaado turned around brusquely. Finally! Jounouchi followed the bodyguard up the stairs along the hallway. He halted in front of the same room Jounouchi had seen him and the Pharaoh before and knocked on the door. Without awaiting an answer, he opened the door to enter.
"Great Pharaoh," he announced himself, "I have arrived."
The room was far bigger than Jounouchi had imagined. A sandalwood and spicy scent hung in the air, the large open fire place lit and spreading warmth all over. A divan was placed at both the east and west walls, adorned with richly embroidered pillows. The midnight-blue, velvet curtains were closed. Atop the mantle of the fire place he could see a row of figurines of Egyptian deities. The Pharaoh was shielded from view due to the high back chair he was sitting in. Jounouchi traipsed after Mahaado, who approached the large chair with reverence. He couldn't help it, his heart started to beat faster and faster. Finally he would see him, full frontal view! Mahaado came to stand in front of the chair and Jounouchi stood next to him. He gawked. The Pharaoh turned his head towards them. Long, golden earrings - which looked pretty heavy - reached his shoulders and framed his face: a sharper, harsher visage than Yuugi's rounder, open appearance. The golden bangs and the even wilder multi-colored spikes were conspicuous, but his eyes were even more striking. Narrow, burning red eyes framed with long, black lashes, looking at him with an astounding confidence, bordering on arrogance that matched... no, surpassed Kaiba's. Jounouchi's jaw went slack. He never thought that had ever been possible. Red eyes like blood, dark lines like the depth of a grave. This was the 'beautiful, pretty darkness mine' that Marik had rambled about? A golden crown with a familiar stylized eye was nestled in his hair, and along with the broad golden collar around his neck and shoulders, he was also wearing golden rings and bracers. If that wasn't enough, Jounouchi's eyes were drawn to the large, golden Puzzle: an upside-down pyramid, with another stylized eye on the front, resting against his chest. The Pharaoh was dressed in traditional garb, like the first time Jounouchi had seen him wearing when he peeked through the door. A wide, purple cape completed his outfit. Mahaado bowed to him and said something. The Pharaoh answered, his voice much lower and deeper than Yuugi's, and brimming with authority.
"Hey! Speak Japanese, you tourists!" Jounouchi said. The next moment he found himself on the floor, in a kneeling position, his head painfully pressed against the carpet. It felt like something incredibly heavy weighed down on his back. He grunted.
"You will not speak unless spoken to," Mahaado said. Every bit of empathy had disappeared from his voice. "You are in the presence of the Great Pharaoh. You will pay proper respect to him and you will do as you have been told!"
"Mahaado." It was the Pharaoh's voice, and immediately, the weight was gone from his back. "Stand up, Jounouchi Katsuya."
He got up and shot a deadly glare at Mahaado. The man stared right back at him, totally reverted to his modus as bodyguard. Jounouchi patted the sleeve of his jacket as if removing dust, even though this room was cleaner than anything he had ever seen.
"Thank you, eh... Pharaoh." Jounouchi was obviously not speaking with the right amount of respect, as Mahaado looked like he wanted to kill him right there on the spot. "I would also like to thank you for saving my life."
The Pharaoh nodded. It was creepy how he looked so much alike Yuugi, yet the idea of him actually being Yuugi, was too funny for words. His shy, reclusive friend as a Pharaoh!
"You have a strong sense of justice, Jounouchi. We require your help in this."
Not a 'would you like to help us?' or a plea, but a command. Jounouchi got slightly annoyed.
"I want to help you, but I first want my friend to be safe. Save him the way you saved me, with your magic and stuff," Jounouchi said. Mahaado all but growled.
"The Pharaoh must rest. I have told you how much of his strength it took to help me to heal you. Do not underestimate the situation, Jounouchi."
"Is my light side not safe with Set?" The Pharaoh suddenly asked, his eyes aimed at Mahaado. Before the other could answer, Jounouchi spoke up.
"Seto," Jounouchi corrected him. "Kaiba has a big house, but I just figured out Bakura is a killer and a thief, and I don't think Yuugi will be safe..."
"The Thief was supposed to be incarcerated," the Pharaoh said, sharply. "How come he has escaped?"
Mahaado looked embarrassed, but directed his dismay at Jounouchi. "We had high hopes of this current world and technology to keep the Thief in one place. Do not tell me that you cannot keep track of prisoners?"
"He had help," Jounouchi said, impatiently. "Zorc."
"The Dark God has not risen yet," the Pharaoh snapped. "I will sacrifice my life again to make sure he will not be summoned again!"
"Great Pharaoh, no!" Mahaado sounded aghast.
"Zorc Security," Jounouchi elaborated. "It's a company that's involved with major security projects in the city. They provide bodyguards, cameras, gates... everything you need to build your own fort. Even the security cameras at the police station are from Zorc Security."
"We thought the biggest threat would come from Marik and his Rare Hunters," the Pharaoh said. "While our attention was focused elsewhere, Bakura build his own network to infiltrate and corrupt this society. This is a grave error." He heaved a sigh. "A costly mistake that I have to rectify, immediately. If necessary, I will call forth the gods from the heavens to cleanse this city and nation!"
He got up from his chair so fast that Jounouchi barely saw him move, but Mahaado was even faster. The Pharaoh wavered, but before he could topple over, Mahaado was at his side, stabilizing him.
"You have not rested enough, Pharaoh."
"There is no more time to rest, Mahaado. I told you before. We will have to bring my light side here..."
"I will bring him here." Mahaado's voice was stern. "I cannot perform my task if you lack energy, Pharaoh. Please."
Jounouchi could see the sheer willpower that kept the Pharaoh standing upright. After some more coaxing from Mahaado, the Pharaoh sank back into his chair and mumbled something intelligible.
"I will bring you tea," Mahaado said. "Then I will execute your orders, Pharaoh." He shooed at Jounouchi. "We will go downstairs."
"But... Yuugi!"
"We will go and get him," Mahaado said. "But first, I will bring the Pharaoh his tea." Jounouchi wanted to strangle the man. The world was at stake in this war of light and darkness, and this man was fussing about bringing the Pharaoh his goddamn tea! Jounouchi had no other choice but to follow Mahaado downstairs. Whatever happened, he didn't want to invoke Mahaado's wrath.