Darkest Powers


Isis sat at Hirutani's desk, hands gracefully folded in her lap. She was wearing the same typical dress as when Jounouchi had met her at the National Museum; he assumed it was a type of traditional Egyptian garb. He was more worried about his fellow detective, though; Hirutani looked like he'd been run over by a freight train. His skin was swollen and already showing discoloration from the imprints of Marik's brute strength.

"Looks like I'll be wearing high-collared shirts for a while," he said.

"I cannot apologize enough, Hirutani-san," Isis said. "I will understand if you press charges."

"I'll decide about that later. For now, I'd like to know what this was all about, Ishtar-san."

She looked up, a proud woman with a protective ferocity in her eyes. "I would like to know what you used to trigger him, Hirutani-san. You did see the difference, did you not?"

Silence. Jounouchi mouthed "Trigger?" at Hirutani, but he didn't receive a reaction. He had the feeling he was watching a grave conspiracy develop in front of him, but everyone was keeping him out of the loop on purpose.

"What difference?" He finally asked, when nobody offered an explanation.

"Marik was speaking in grammatically correct, full sentences, and you understood him, correct?" Ishizu asked. "You understood what he was talking about."

He shifted in his seat. "I wouldn't say that I understood him," Jounouchi said. "He was talking about the darkness and how beautiful it was." Marik's ramblings hadn't been as disturbing as that crazed look in his pupil-less eyes and the apparent ease he wanted to kill Huritani with. From the corner of his eye, he could see Isis shudder. It was barely noticeable and for a split second she closed her eyes, breathing steadily.

"I want to know what triggered him, Hirutani-san."

Hirutani hesitated. His hand went to the top drawer of his desk and he took out a sealed evidence bag. "I arrested him while he was carrying this."

"It is a ceremonial dagger!" Isis gasped. "I..."

"It's evidence in a murder case," Hirutani said. "We found Marik wielding it, not far from the KaibaCorp. building."

"Impossible." A multitude of emotions crossed her face: regret, disbelief, acceptance, slight anger and it was gone just as fast as Jounouchi noticed it. "Marik has no real sense of the world," she finally said. "Or no sense of the real world."

"Look, Ishtar-san," Hirutani said, uncomfortable. "We received an emergency call about a dangerous knife-wielding person and from the description, I figured it was Marik. I went to pick him up myself. After all, I've dealt with him before."

Isis nodded solemnly and Jounouchi realized that the hidden frustration wasn't aimed at Hirutani, but at Marik. What was this woman hiding?

"The knife is evidence in an ongoing murder investigation," Hirutani repeated. "I asked Marik about it and he immediately launched into his maniacal rant about the darkness." Isis remained silent. Jounouchi was dying to know what was going on in her mind. "The big question is, of course, where did Marik get the knife?"

"I do not know." She met Hirutani's gaze head-on. "If you could not get it out of him, I certainly cannot. Like I said, Marik has no sense of the real world. What he finds, he uses. What he dislikes, he discards. It is already a heavy burden to bear, Hirutani-san. He cannot go to school. He cannot hold a job. He often does not know where he is. He talks about darkness and death often, and he scares me."

"I understand, Ishtar-san. It's not easy for you." Hirutani's stern features softened. "Taking care of someone with... special needs can put a lot of strain on a family. Have you ever considered other options, like putting him in some kind of home?"

"Or an institution?" She didn't seem to be offended by Hirutani's words. Both men picked up on the wave of frustration in her voice and her composure. "I do not wish for people to die, Hirutani-san. And people will die when I lose my sight on him."

An awkward silence. This time, Isis avoided eye contact and stared at her hands.

"People will die..? That was exactly what Marik was talking about, Ishtar-san. Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

She straightened herself. "This will be enough for now, Hirutani-san. I will take Marik home with me."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening, Ishtar-san," Jounouchi cut in. She stared at him and he was shocked by the harsh, cold look in her eyes. He steeled himself quickly - he was the detective, after all. "Marik has stolen a valuable, key piece of evidence and now it's contaminated with his fingerprints. We have to find out where or whom he got it from. More so, he intimidated and assaulted not one, but two police officers."

"You have no right to accuse him of theft," Isis went on the defensive. "Besides, Jounouchi-san, you assaulted him as well. Marik goes home with me. If you need to question him, you will do so in my presence."

"No," Hirutani said, shaking his head. "I'm going to take him into custody, Ishtar-san. After..."

The door flew open and Ushio, captain of the Domino City Police, stormed into the office, filling up the small space with his large presence instantly. Hirutani and Jounouchi jumped up from their chairs but Isis didn't move, not startled in the least.

"Isthar-san, my apologies," Ushio said, bowing to the woman. "I have called a special unit to escort you home. Please, feel free to leave at your leisure."

Jounouchi's jaw dropped. "Captain," he protested, but Ushio cut him off.

"You'll offer your apologies to Marik Ishtar," he said. "Assault with a chair! What were you thinking, detective?"

"He wasn't even fazed by it!" Jounouchi cried out.

Ushio turned to Isis and offered her his hand, which she gracefully accepted. Her slender fingers disappeared into the large ham of his hand.

"Thank you, captain," she said. The look in her eyes was nothing triumphant, just a matter-of-fact glare that she had every right to be treated with this kind of gallantry.

"This way, Ishtar-san. Do you require any more assistance?"

Jounouchi couldn't hear her answer as he was too busy trying to process what just happened, watching her retreating back. Even Hirutani was completely dumbstruck and they were still gaping and gawking when Ushio returned. He slammed the door close.

"What the fuck?" Jounouchi finally managed to get out. "What's going on?"

"Diplomatic immunity," Ushio said. "We have to be very grateful if she doesn't press any charges against you, Jounouchi, for assaulting that whacko with the chair."

"He was choking him!" Jounouchi pointed at Hirutani. "Look at his neck!"

"I know." Ushio rubbed his jaw, clearly torn. "I don't like it one bit either, but even the mayor holds her in very high regard. We could be in a lot of trouble if we don't pay her the proper respect."

"What about him?" Jounouchi pointed once again.

"You can press charges all you want, Hirutani," Ushio said. "They simply will be swept under the rug."

"Because of her diplomatic immunity?" Jounouchi bristled.

"Her diplomatic immunity is what it is, immunity," Ushio answered.

"So she gets away with theft, assault and attempted murder? Why does the immunity even apply to her brothers?"

"Brother," Ushio corrected him. "Apparently, she demanded this when she was invited to Domino City."

"Just wait a second," Jounouchi exclaimed. "She was invited to Domino City? She's a museum employee, not an ambassador! Why does she have diplomatic immunity in the first place, and why are her demands met? Why is everybody fucking talking about her brothers in singular?"

"Marik Ishtar doesn't exist." Ushio dropped his bomb.

"Come again?"

"I filled in his social security number the first time I arrested him!" Hirutani snarled.

"You booked Malik Ishtar, not Marik," Ushio said, his voice gruff. "Don't get me wrong, this frustrates me just as much as it does you."

"What's the deal with these people?"

"All I know is that they're the last descendants from an ancient nomadic tribe in Egypt," Ushio said. "They lived underground as Tomb Keepers, but don't ask me whose tomb, or what they exactly did... the children were born underground and never registered. Isis was the first to enter the system, for whatever reason. Her brother got a social security number when she came to Domino City with him. It was one of her demands."

"What the fuck..." Jounouchi tried to keep calm. The Ishtars had demanded privileges and gotten them without a second guess. "Malik has a social security number, but not Marik? I repeat: what's the deal with these people? What's so goddamn important about them that they can make demands at any cost?"

"I really don't know." Ushio looked defeated. "Every time I ask a question or try to find out more, I'm stopped dead in my tracks. Once, the mayor himself told me that if I appreciated being the captain, I should stop digging."

"That's horrible! Because of their so-called diplomatic immunity, they can get away with murder?"

"We have no lead or evidence that any of the Ishtars are involved in the CEO-killings," Ushio said sharply. "Don't jump to conclusions, Jounouchi."

"Marik is the enigma here," Hirutani mused. "He talked about the darkness before, but not as coherent or as threatening as now. He's obviously psychotic, and Malik doesn't have any control over him."

"And their sister shields them, using her position and her diplomatic immunity. Captain, what happens if they're involved with the murders?"

"In the worst case scenario, we'll have an international, political scandal on our hands. I doubt they'll want to stay in Japan when incriminated..."

"Good riddance," Jounouchi said.

"We have a lot of work to do," Ushio said curtly. "Jounouchi, you take Hirutani to the hospital. As soon as you get there, interrogate that Amelda guy who witnessed the attack on Dartz. I received news that he has woken up from his coma."

"Yes, captain," Jounouchi said, meekly.


On their way to the hospital, no words were spoken. Hirutani finally broke the silence, his voice hesitant.

"Jounouchi... what's wrong?"

"Huh? What?"

"You haven't uttered a word since we got in the car. I know we're not best buds, but we are colleagues and our cases overlap. We should be working together, not giving each other the silent treatment. What are you mulling on?"

Jounouchi shrugged. He tried to buy himself some time to come up with a plausible answer. Hirutani knew him from back in the day that they had joined a gang, and he would see right through him if he lied. Besides, Jounouchi didn't like lying anyway.

"I've already spoken to Amelda," he finally said.

"Really? Why didn't you tell the captain?"

Jounouchi parked the car and turned the engine off. He waited for a moment, then looked at Hirutani. "Off the record, just between us?"

Hirutani nodded, lips drawn in a tight line. He understood the meaning of the situation.

"When I spoke to Amelda..." Jounouchi started. "When he described what he had witnessed, he identified a good friend of mine."

"Fuck," Hirutani said immediately. "I'm sorry to hear that, Jounouchi."

"You don't get it," Jounouchi bit at him. "It's impossible! My friend is a good person who has never hurt a fly. He has no connection to the CEOs whatsoever, no motive..."

"I know, Jounouchi. But we also know that our friends can turn against us, or have a darker side than we could ever imagine."

"If he had ever hurt a fly in his life, he'd nurse it back to health," Jounouchi said. "Listen, it's impossible that he has anything to do with the CEO killings."

"Then, what's the big deal?" Hirutani tilted his head, his voice becoming raspier. "If he's truly as innocent as you claim he is, I don't see the problem. Should he ever be accused, then his innocence will be proven quickly." When Jounouchi didn't answer, he continued: "You're in doubt, aren't you? About your friend?"

"Amelda described him into detail." Jounouchi shivered at the thought of Yuugi being involved in criminal activities. It just didn't make sense. He wouldn't believe it until the moment he saw it. "I guess I wanted to believe that Amelda's mind was jumbled, distorted, but he was lucid and expressed himself well."

"So, he's a very reliable witness." Hirutani grunted as his voice failed him. "I want to help you, Jounouchi, but the pain is killing me. Can we go see a doctor?"

"Yeah, sure, of course." Jounouchi got out of the car and closed the door. "Just a minute," he said. Hirutani looked aggravated.

"What?"

"The ceremonial knife," Jounouchi said. "Why did you have it in your desk drawer?"

Hirutani turned red in the face. "I know it's not according to procedure," he said. "I confiscated it from Marik upon his arrest and I sealed it into an evidence bag before interrogation. I should've logged it into the evidence register immediately."

"It's okay, I'll take care of it," Jounouchi said. "We have to work together. Now, let's get you to a doctor."

While Hirutani was being looked after, Jounouchi send Honda a text message that he was at the hospital and he would call him later. Honda send a message back that he'd be waiting for him at the station. Jounouchi pocketed his phone and went to see Amelda. Ushio didn't appreciate procrastination, and the truth had to come out, sooner or later. He had to ignore his personal feelings and act like the detective he was. Taking a deep breath, Jounouchi knocked on the door of Amelda's room.

"Enter!" Amelda immediately recognized Jounouchi and a tentative smile spread across his lips. "Good morning, detective."

"Good morning, Amelda." Was it really still morning? He felt like he had been up and running without a moment of rest for two days. "I see that you're feeling much better."

Amelda had much more color to his face and looked well-rested. "The doctor told me that I can leave in two days. I really want to get back to work! My employer already has a new client for me."

With the current crime spree, Jounouchi didn't doubt the market for bodyguards was skyrocketing. "Zorc Security, right?"

"Yes. He's shown great interest in my recovery."

"He?"

"Zorc Necrophades himself," Amelda said, awe in his voice. "The man in charge of Zorc Security. He even paid the hospital bill."

"That's amazing!" Jounouchi wished the Domino City Police would show just as much empathy as this Zorc guy. "I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to come down to the police station and record your official statement."

"Of course," he said. "Any progress?"

"We have a suspect," Jounouchi said, feeling sick to his stomach. He kept his facial expression as neutral as possible. "There's nothing you'd like to add or to change about your statement, is there?"

Amelda shook his head. "No. I'm very convinced of what I saw. I'll never forget it. That intense red..."

"You mentioned something like golden...?"

"Or blonde, I'm not sure of the exact hair color but of the rest, I'm willing to bet my life."

"All right," Jounouchi said, though he wished he could ignore the nausea building up. If he's truly as innocent as you claim he is... ...then his innocence will be proven quickly. Yeah, but his best friend's life would also be destroyed. "Thank you for your cooperation. I wish you all the best."

"Thank you, detective." Amelda reclined back into the cushy pillows and closed his eyes.


With a heavy heart, Jounouchi wrote his report and mentioned meticulously what Amelda had said. Honda wasn't too happy about it either.

"The worst thing that could happen is that the captain wants to bring him in for interrogation," Honda said. "He has worked with Yuugi to draw up the killer's profile, for crying out loud. He'll realize quickly that it's just not possible. Yuugi doesn't fit the profile and he has no motive, no connections to the CEO's. We're detectives, Jounouchi. We're here to prove his innocence."

"The captain will take us off of the case immediately, and you know it." Jounouchi gritted his teeth. "I don't want anyone else investigating this case. It's ours!" His phone went off and he took it out of his pants pocket. His eyes went wide as he saw the number on the display.

"What is it?"

"It's the number of the captain!" Jounouchi paled. "Do you think he already knows..?"

"Answer the phone," Honda urged him, but he had paled just like his friend. Jounouchi flipped the phone open.

"Moshi moshi? Captain?" He listened intently and hung up after mere seconds.

"What's going on?"

"Breaking and entering in progress at the Kaiba Manor!" Jounouchi grabbed his coat and car keys. "The alarm system went berserk with intruder alerts and all communication is cut. Let's go! If this is the same motherfucker, we'll catch him!"


The impressive manor was surrounded by police cars. Jounouchi pulled up to the front of the Kaiba residence and jumped out of the car, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Situation?" He yelled.

"Unconfirmed number of intruders," an officer said, "and we don't know if there's a hostage situation going on. We're awaiting orders from the captain!"

Jounouchi figured that the manor had the same security system Kaiba had demonstrated at his office. Nobody else but Kaiba knew how to operate it, which put him at an incredible disadvantage.

"What do we do?" Honda asked him. "Wait for the captain?"

"No. We're going in," Jounouchi said. "Give me a radio!"

The officer handed him one and he clipped it to his belt. Honda followed suit.

"Wait for my signal," Jounouchi said. "Check the perimeters and have the men patrol the area. If someone who's not me, Honda or Kaiba, comes running out of that house, you're going to arrest him, got it?"

The officer bellowed a "Yes, sir!" and immediately passed the orders on.

The door to the manor was open. Two men were lying on the floor, unconscious. Jounouchi didn't bother to check their pulse, he could see their chests rise and fall. He didn't know who they were; bodyguards, he assumed - apparently Kaiba didn't rely only on his computer system after all. Guns drawn, Jounouchi and Honda advanced through the hallway.

"Where could Kaiba be?" Honda whispered. "We can't search the entire manor with just the two of us, Jounouchi."

"He must have some kind of study or personal office," Jounouchi said. Honda rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but where? The manor is bigger than the police academy and Domino High combined!"

"He could be anywhere." Frustrated, Jounouchi gritted his teeth. "I'm taking the second floor," he said.

"Split up?" Honda asked.

"No, we should stick together. I don't like to be surprised by an intruder running around here," Jounouchi said. "Let's go!"

He didn't have a solid explanation for taking the second floor, just his gut instinct. He should've waited until more back-up had arrived, so they could comb through the manor systematically; however, Jounouchi had also the gut feeling that he had no time to lose. The intruders were still on the premises, and they had to be the same people who had managed to get into Dartz' glass office without being seen. He realized he was thinking of the perpetrator as 'they', as Kaiba's alarm system had signaled multiple intruders; it just couldn't be the work of one person, could it? He moved up the grand staircase, knowing that Honda had his back. The hallway to the right looked ominous and dark.

"Be careful." Jounouchi moved forward. The second floor had windows, right? And it was still daylight, right? Why was it so dark here? "Honda?"

"Right here." Honda's voice sounded a little distorted. "What's wrong with the lights?"

"There's light!" Jounouchi saw a flicker of red in the distance. Maybe the warning light of the alarm system? He approached it, careful and cautiously. Sounds. Voices. People talking. Kaiba? Jounouchi moved closer, gun in his hand. His other hand went to his radio and he plucked it from his belt. "I located the intruders on the second floor," he said. "Send back-up!" No answer. No confirmation. Jounouchi turned his head around. "Honda?" He was surrounded by darkness. His breathing became labored. The adrenaline pumping through his body spiked with his sudden fear; there was no telling what was up or down, left or right, behind him or in front of him. This darkness wasn't the kind of darkness that could be chased away by switching on the light. The darkness is pretty, you know. He's golden and dark. Red eyes like blood, dark lines like the depth of a grave. He's beautiful, pretty pretty darkness mine, and you're not worth his gaze.

The voices! Jounouchi tried to orientate in the dark, determining the direction from where the voices came from. Two voices, male... not Japanese, not English... he couldn't identify the language. He tried to suppress his fear. He would find a way out of this. Focus and concentrate. This crippling darkness... wait, there it was, that shimmer of red! Along with the voices... he cocked his gun. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the upcoming confrontation. His entire body tensed up and he was about to take a step forward, when the darkness lit up with an ominous, circular glow, accompanied by an eerie sound. Much to his horror, Jounouchi recognized both the object and the sound: the chiming prongs of the mystical 'ring' Bakura Ryou had shown him. The antique artifact lit up so brightly that it cast an eerie glow on its wielder: Bakura Ryou. Jounouchi gasped - that was impossible! How...! Despite the darkness, Jounouchi could see it wasn't the polite delivery boy, even though it took him precious seconds to realize it. He looked much older, with narrower, harsh eyes and his lips drawn into a bloodless, cruel grin. Jounouchi's hand started to tremble.

"You.. are... under..." His voice was squeaky and unintelligible. His terror increased. This wasn't really happening. Jounouchi Katsuya wasn't afraid of anyone. He had fought his way up in one of the most notorious gangs of Domino City, he had survived his abusive childhood, he had arrested criminals and murderers. No one was able to cast such fear, such menace with just one look, but Bakura Ryou - he thought of him as Bakura Ryou - did it effortlessly.

Another glow in the dark revealed the presence of another person and Jounouchi aimed his gun at the newcomer. The shape was triangular, and the light was... different, somehow. It felt warm compared to the cold glow of the ring. Jounouchi couldn't make out what the triangular shape represented, but its light illuminated its wielder and his heart skipped a beat.

"Yuugi...?" He asked out loud. Fiery red eyes turned to him, a stern face framed with golden bangs, and the last thing Jounouchi remembered was the sound of jewelry and he fell to the ground.


He awoke because of the voices. Someone was talking at rapid speed with an unmistakable tone of authority: Kaiba, and someone tried to argue with him, to no avail.

"I don't pay millions of yen a month for this worthless kind of service! You failed to protect what is the most valuable to me! You're fired! You're all fired! Now get out before I have you all arrested for gross incompetence and facilitating attempted murder! Get out!"

Funny, Jounouchi thought, had someone actually tried to kill Kaiba? Really? He recognized the second voice: captain Ushio.

"Kaiba-sama," the honorific -sama sounding weird coming from him, "please, calm down. What happened is bad enough, but now we have evidence, thanks to your security system."

"I want everyone involved reported and arrested," Kaiba was angrier than before, "and I'll sue everyone until they're committing ritual seppuku, goddamnit!"

Jounouchi opened his eyes and wiggled a little. He was on a sofa, supported by a multitude of cushions and Honda sat next to him, obviously relieved.

"Captain! He's come through!"

"Jounouchi! You scared the fuck out of everyone! How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, how come?" Jounouchi shook his head. He didn't feel any pain. What happened?

"I lost sight of you, and when I found you again, you were on the floor," Honda said. "Gun in hand and totally unresponsive. I was afraid you were in a coma, just like that Amelda guy."

"No, no, I'm fine."

"Maybe you should go to the hospital," Ushio suggested.

"I don't have time for everyone goddamn rolling on the floor here to get taken to the hospital!" Kaiba barked from the other side of the room.

"What the hell happened?" Jounouchi asked.

"Kaiba's brother," Honda lowered his voice. "Mokuba. He was almost kidnapped! The bodyguards were taken down first, to which the security system reacted, apparently surprising the kidnapper. He had already managed to subdue Mokuba."

"No way! Is he okay?"

"He was injected with a sleeping agent," Ushio filled in. "He's in his bedroom, safe and sound." Kaiba was about to say something, but decided against it and left it at a brusque snort. "Kaiba-sama has every right to be upset. This was a very close call."

"But... why his brother and not Kaiba?"

"We don't know yet," Ushio said and stared at Jounouchi. "That's why I employ you and Honda. If you're really feeling all right, then I want you back to work this case 24/7. You'll have the assistance of every department you need and unlimited access to every database. I want this solved. If the kidnapper could come this close to Mokuba, the next one will be Kaiba-sama himself."

"Do you believe it now, Kaiba?" Jounouchi couldn't help but ask.

The tall man snorted loudly again, but he didn't answer. That was a small victory in itself. Ushio took Kaiba apart to talk about something and Honda turned to Jounouchi again.

"You really okay? Man, I really thought you were dead. You still look as pale as a ghost."

"Yeah, and I know exactly why," Jounouchi said, miserably.

"What are you talking about?"

"When I was in the hallway, just before I passed out..." he took a deep breath. "I saw Yuugi."



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