The knife slipped over the plate as he cut his steak, and it made an awful, high-pitched noise. Noa winced.
“Sorry about that, Mokuba,” he said politely, spearing the piece he just cut off at his fork, bringing it to his mouth. “You should really eat some, it’s delicious. You’re far too skinny to begin with.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Just have a little bite, okay?”
Mokuba pursed his lips, but took up his knife and fork and started cutting the meat. The food was indeed delicious, but everything tasted rather bland to him. Ever since his brother was held captive at the lower levels and he was up here, with Noa, he simply didn’t have much appetite. He brought the food to his lips and took it off of the fork, chewing slowly. There wasn’t much he could do for his brother right now. Seto… every day without him felt like eternity. Mokuba was smart enough to realize Noa didn’t keep him in his quarters for the company he provided. He knew exactly how much Noa cared – for Kaiba Noa only. Mokuba couldn’t count the number of times he had tried to sneak out of these quarters and go downstairs, to smuggle some food to his brother, anything to see him. He even had had some hope after meeting that guy with the raven black hair, Gozaburo’s assistant, who seemed nice enough…but then he’d been exposed as a traitor, a spy for the Resistance, and Mokuba knew what his fate was.
He didn’t really taste the steak. It was the best of the best, and he’d get everything he asked for, his every wish would be fulfilled – only not his wish to see his brother, let alone free him. Noa kept telling him that Seto had forgotten all about him, that he lived another life, far away from here, without Mokuba as a ball in chain. How could Noa be so stupid, how could he call himself their eldest brother, when it was so obvious he held Mokuba for naïve and stupid? Did he really think Seto would even leave this Tower without him? That Seto would live somewhere alone, without him? Mokuba was very aware of what happened to Seto, and the thought that Noa regarded him as dumb, telling him his precious lies, was just insulting. His hand went to his chest, fingering the outline of a necklace. It had been a gift of his brother, and Mokuba was convinced that as long as he wore it, Seto wouldn’t die. It was silly, but it was something that he clung onto with all his heart and soul.
Noa frowned slightly when he saw Mokuba rubbing his chest and neck. That damn necklace. Whatever he had tried – showering the kid with new clothes, games and gifts, trying to distract him – he hadn’t managed to break the bond between Seto and Mokuba. He’d even told the kid Seto had forgotten about him, but Mokuba had refused to believe him. Refused! He swallowed his food, keeping his eyes on Mokuba’s fingers. The brothers had a bond he had never… he was never able to share. Noa was willing to overlook the fact that those two were adopted and by default not genuine Kaiba-blood, in favor of Seto’s intelligence and the work he had done to create a virtual world. Its use was practically limitless, and Noa and Gozaburo had both seen its great possibilties and advantages… but due to Seto’s sickly bond with his younger brother, he didn’t want his virtual creation to be used for anything else but good intentions. A whole world, created from scratch, and he had good intentions with it! Noa wanted to snort. Seto didn’t see what power he held, the power to absolutely rule, the power to be the only one in power - and he had trown it all away.
For all that he loathed Seto, Noa hated that he didn’t have a similar bond with any of his relatives. He hated that his father didn’t take him seriously. He hated that Mokuba and Seto were tied together with more strings than one, and that he was unable to cut it. His first victory was all but handed to him, after he had decided to keep tabs on Otogi. Finally, when the assistant had gone down to the lower levels to search for Seto, Noa had to do nothing but to send Marik and Bakura to apprehend him and dub him as a ‘traitor’. Now that he had convinced everyone that Otogi was a double-crosser, Noa had managed to trick both the Resistance and Gozaburo into doing what he wanted. Now Mahaado was out of the way, and the Pharaoh would soon follow. Noa started to smile, and he speared another piece of the steak to his fork.
After Mahaado’s capture, Gozaburo had called back the other Generals, dispersed all over the world. As soon as they would arrive at headquarters, Noa would create opportunities to dispose of them once and for all, one by one. He would strip his father of his power and influence, little by little – a painstakingly slow process, but very rewarding in the end. In the end, the world would bow to him, not to Gozaburo or his Generals. Noa was already planning on how to dispose of them, and he was saving the Pharaoh for last. That little piece of shit would go insane without his loyal bodyguards or caretakers around, and Noa would reclaim his own territory. He would torture the Pharaoh, harness the powers of his own beloved Gods and turn them against him. He would wail and cry and beg, the most powerful General stripped of everything he had, and he would be as a lifeless doll in Noa’s hands. His father, the Generals, the Pharaoh - they would all obey to him.
His smile turned into a wicked grin. Everyone was losing it but him. He would be triumphant in the end. In the end, there would be no Kaiba left but him, and he would set the rules with the virtual reality world, to do whatever he wanted. He didn’t notice Mokuba clenching his napkin, unnerved by the grin on Noa’s face. Everything was going perfect for once. Too bad he invested so much time in Mokuba- the kid couldn’t tell him anything about Seto’s system and had no idea about the passwords his brother had used. Noa knew he wasn’t going to feel bad when he ended up killing him. After all, Mokuba wasn’t a real Kaiba anyway. Only he was.
----------------------------------
Carefully, Otogi pressed his fingers against his neck and hissed when touching the tender skin. He should’ve known – Marik was strong, and he hadn’t exactly held back when he had grabbed him at the neck. Bruises were the least of his problems and Otogi got up from the floor again, stiffly, and wrapped his arms around himself. It was freezing cold here, and there was nothing comfortable in this cell; no food, no warmth, no electricity, no bed, no place to sit but on the hard floor. He was fortunate, however – they hadn’t shackled him like Kaiba Seto.
Otogi had been literally flung into the dungeon; he could still hear Marik’s wild cackle as he threw him. They had finally left him alone after hours and hours of interrogation and torture, forcing him into a broadcast to the Resistance to alert them of Mahaado’s arrival. The torture had been horrendous, and Otogi’s body had relented after the countless hours of physicial violence. Noa had made him confess the codes and frequency for the broadcast, admitting his involvement with the Resistance. Despite being beaten and tortured, Otogi hadn’t named Yuugi or the Game Shop; but he had made a broadcast, with Noa dictating his every word. He had lost consciousness after Marik had suggested having some ‘fun time’ with him, if only for a few minutes. Otogi had woken up in this cell, surprisingly without broken bones, but in excruciating pain, almost paralyzing his entire body. Hunger and thirst were chipping away at the last of his energy reserves. He had to get out of here fast before he ended up the same as Kaiba… and before the entire Resistance would be wiped out. He wanted to smack his head into the wall and forget, just plain forget. He hadn’t been courageous enough to defy Noa, and he hadn’t been strong enough to choose death over life.
He slammed his hand into the wall. The pain increased tremendously, but he didn’t care. It was his entire fault, he deserved the pain! Because of him, the Resistance was going to be in grave danger, if they hadn’t been wiped out already! Otogi trembled. Noa knew that Gozaburo was going to send a General after them, and the only one available was Mahaado… the tyrannical ruler wouldn’t want his prize pet, the Pharaoh, to be exposed to such filth as the Resistance, so he would send Mahaado after them. And Noa… Noa was hoping for the Resistance to capture Mahaado, as he knew what was going to happen next - the Pharaoh would search them out, enraged and ready to unleash one of his Gods. Noa would end up with two of the most powerful Generals out of his way. Damn him! Otogi gritted his teeth. This uncertainty, this not-knowing-what-was-going-on, was killing him! He needed to know how much time he had left! Otogi winced. The pain was unbearable, Marik had worked him over to his heart’s content. He had to ignore the pain and focus on getting out of here. He couldn’t live with himself, not if he didn’t try to reach the Resistance… Yuugi would more than probably forgive him, but Jounouchi, Honda, and the others..? Would they be as forgiving as their leader, because he couldn’t withstand the torture and pain?
Noa, goddamn Noa, he had set this all up! He wasn’t smarter than his father, but he sure knew how to manipulate people. By keeping an eye on him, for God only knew how long, Noa had managed to catch Otogi in the act. He had searched for the mysterious third Kaiba brother, Seto, to help him, and that had been his downfall. Noa had branded him a traitor, and Gozaburo didn’t care much for his assistant in the first place - he was going to end up forgotten, dying from starvation, with the knowledge that he had caused his friends’ suffering. He shivered violently. He knew strategies and how to execute them, and he already started to see Noa’s pattern. He wanted to weaken the headquarters by getting rid of his most powerful adversaries, and by playing one faction against the other. If Otogi were in Noa’s shoes, he probably would’ve played it the same way. Events were going to be triggered after this, like a snowball effect, and the only thing he could do was to get out of here right now. There was no way the Resistance could fight the Pharaoh. He swallowed thickly. He should’ve told Noa to kill him, to follow up on his threats, and to get it over with quickly. That way, he wouldn’t have caused more problems…
“Hey… hey, you’re awake?”
Otogi was startled out of his gloomy thoughts by the sudden voice. Cradling his hand to his chest, ignoring the bloodied knuckles, he recognized Kaiba’s voice and whispered in return:
“Yeah, I’m awake. How are you?”
“Just peachy.” Kaiba’s voice was still hoarse and raspy, but Otogi could make out his words just fine. Fortunately the walls weren’t soundproof.
“Did they shackle you?”
“No, I can walk around,” Otogi answered.
“Lucky fuck.”
He couldn’t help himself and snorted. This cell was small enough to develop instant claustrophobia: seven steps forward and he smacked into the door, three steps to either side and he smacked into a wall. The door had a very small window, providing him with a view on the dim lit hallway. He was grateful for that little bit of light – complete darkness would’ve driven him insane. On the floor, out of his reach, was the small package of food he had brought along when searching for Kaiba. It had to be moldy and spoiled by now. How long had he already been down here? Two, three days?
“They have worked you over good,” Kaiba suddenly spoke. “I could hear you screaming all the way here.”
“I don’t know,” Otogi answered. “I think I lost all my memories of it.”
“Smart guy,” Kaiba said. He moved a little, and the chains scraped over the floor. He remembered how he had been beaten all too well. He had refused to give Noa or his father the codes and passwords to his virtual world, and he had embraced the pain until he simply lost consciousness.
“My kingdom for my laptop,” he continued, tiredly. “I would hack every security system in this fucking building and take it down within fifteen seconds.”
Otogi snorted again. “That is, if you still have strength in your wrists.”
“Gozaburo is a nutfuck. He’ll never win.”
“That might be, but he’s nice and dandy upstairs, and you’re down here.”
“Thank you for reminding me.”
“No problem,” Otogi answered, but with half the sarcasm he would usually muster. His own chances of escape were minimal. He didn’t expect anyone to care for him down here. Noa would forget about him as soon as he lived out his purpose, and Otogi Ryuuji would rot away! He kicked at a clog of dirt, and went back to the door. Six, seven steps and he smacked into the door. Hopeless! He put his hand against the door and pushed, to no avail. The walls were seamless and smooth, no cracks whatsoever. The ceiling was too high to reach, and the floor was smooth as well; no old-fashioned bricks and mortar. Otogi doubted he could even jam a fingernail between the infinite small seam between floor and wall.
Slowly, he examined the door’s surface with his fingers, millimeter by millimeter. He hoped to find a lock on the inside, so he could pick it - Jounouchi had taught him how to do that. His friend had practically grown up on the streets…and thinking about Jounouchi made him think about Shizuka. He loved to see her again, he wanted to see her again. He had never questioned his love for Shizuka, but had put the needs of the Resistance above his own. Leaving her behind, even though she was in good hands, was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life…and now that everything had collapsed around him, Shizuka became his focus, his spirit, his hope. He would find a way out of here alive, and everything be damned, but as soon as he was out of here, he would ask her to be his wife. Jounouchi could whine and nag all about how he wasn’t the perfect husband for his sister all that he wanted, but he was going to survive, one way or the other!
----------------------------
Ever since he had been captured, Mahaado wondered why the furniture in the other rooms had been carefully covered with white sheets, turned gray from accumulated dust. There was something eerie about it, the silence, the sheets covering up any shape or color. The magician-General had kept his word and hadn’t used any heka. He stayed upstairs, resisting the temptation to walk down the stairs and see what was on the ground floor. He marveled at the odd structure of the building, with the kitchen and living room on the first floor, and so many nooks and crannies that you could get lost.
He used the bedroom and a bathroom, but he didn’t wander into the other rooms. It felt like he was breaching something, rupturing some unseen barrier, if he entered. Mahaado limited himself to walking up and down the hallway, to get at least some exercise, as he wondered why he hadn’t picked up and left yet. His heka wasn’t blocked or disabled at all, there were no guards in front of his room, there was no lock on his door. Nothing was keeping him here against his will. He should be on his way back to the KaibaCorp. building and immediately inform Gozaburo… but that felt wrong.
With a sigh, Mahaado sat down on his bed again. He had healed himself from the stinging ache in his jaw, as well as the giant headache he suffered. Soon thereafter, he had found his staff in the corner of the room – who was so incredibly trusting around his enemies? Didn’t this Yuugi know that he could destroy this entire building and kill everyone in it with just one blast of his heka? One spell, that was all it took? He wrung his hands, mulling over the questions he couldn’t find an answer to. It confused him. He had hoped to see and talk to Isis, but understood Yuugi’s reasons for not having them meet up, for now. This Resistance was strange, peaceful, and worked with an honor code based on a promise. A promise he could easily break if he wanted to, but somehow Mahaado felt compelled to honor his words – because he wasn’t a liar in the first place, nor was he someone to break a promise, and lastly… because the Pharaoh had asked him to. No, not the Pharaoh – Yuugi.
Their alikeness was uncanny and unsettling at the same time. He should be with his real Pharaoh, not with this Yuugi kid, who held him capt… no, he wasn’t really a prisoner. He couldn’t blame him. Mahaado didn’t know what he was waiting for. An opportunity, perhaps, to convince himself that he always had been right? That he was justified all along in his opinon that Gozaburo was wrong, and that he was going to pay for his crimes? Mahaado leaned forward and pulled the curtains a little to the side, staring up at the grey sky. It had been raining gently all day long, as if crying… he quickly pulled back from the window and folded his hands in his lap when he heard footsteps, expecting Yuugi to enter the room.
He was right – the small Pharaoh look-alike stepped into the room, carrying the familiar tray with food. Mahaado hadn’t complained, but the food was substantially worse than what he was used to – not because of bad cooking, but because there was so little available. Another gap between Gozaburo and the common people; the man kept everything to himself, even when he didn’t need it; the tyrannical ruler hoarded everything he could get his hands on.
“Yuugi,” he acknowledged his presence, then frowned when another person followed him into the room: Jounouchi.
Yuugi smiled at him and placed the tray on top of the dresser, poking at the covered dish.
“Our supplies are going down again.”
“I am sorry, I do not know the schedules of the supply transports,” Mahaado answered. “That was arranged far outside of my… ah, view.”
“Can the pretty words,” Jounouchi growled at him. “You’re a General, you’re supposed to know these kind of things.”
“I am sorry,” Mahaado repeated, keeping his voice low and neutral. “The organization of food and provision transports was never a part of my tasks.”
“Enough, Jounouchi-kun,” Yuugi quickly said when he saw his friend open his mouth to retort. “Isis-san never knew such things either.”
“How about your friends, or your precious Pharaoh?” Jounouchi sneered. “They aren’t really coming to your rescue now, are they?”
“Whatever will happen, will happen,” Mahaado said. “I have faith in my friends.” He left it at that, avoiding to talk about the Pharaoh - he couldn’t keep his voice neutral when talking about him. Mentioning the Pharaoh always made it personal.
“We’re not afraid of your Pharaoh,” Jounouchi said, “or any of your friends. We’ve taken enough shit of Gozaburo and his Generals as it is!”
“He’s a General, why do they call him ‘Pharaoh’?” Yuugi suddenly asked, interrupting Jounouchi and taking Mahaado by surprise.
“I-it is the way I have always called him,” the magician-General answered, a little stuttering. “We do not know his name, and it is impolite to address a son of the Gods with his real name.”
“This isn’t the medieval century, you know,” Jounouchi said. Yuugi looked a little downtrodden.
“It must be sad, not knowing your name,” he said. “To be called only with such a distant title like ‘General’ or ‘Pharaoh’…”
“Not even Gozaburo-daimyo calls him General,” Mahaado said. “Always ‘Pharaoh’. He is one, and one day, my Phar… Great Pharaoh will be free from those false illusions Gozaburo has put into his mind.”
Yuugi cocked his head. “You care for him.” It was a small consolation that even in this desperate world, people still cared for one another. “You care for him a great deal.”
“I…” Mahaado averted his eyes. “I am loyal to him, not to Gozaburo. Wherever he goes, I go.”
Jounouchi raised his eyebrows. “You’re not loyal to Gozaburo?”
“No, only to my Pharaoh!” Mahaado was shocked by his own vehemence. “He is the only one deserving of my loyalty.”
“What do you mean by ‘the false illusions Gozaburo has put into his mind’?” Yuugi asked, sharing a confused look with Jounouchi.
“He did that to all of us,” Mahaado said, shaking his head. “No one knows what… and who we are, exactly. We are Generals, and we do what Gozaburo says, but still… we all know that we somehow are tied stronger to the Pharaoh, and we obey him until the end. That is all that I know, and that is all that I abide.”
“Weird.” Jounouchi grimaced. “It stinks.”
“Doesn’t the Pharaoh know, something, anything?”
“His armor,” Mahaado said.
“What?”
“It’s his armor,” the magician-General repeated. “It’s his strength and weakness at the same time.” He started to look angry, narrowing his eyes, lips twisting in an ugly grimace. “Gozaburo wants him to always wear it, and he gets upset if he doesn’t. I just know that he did something to Great Pharaoh, and I know it has something to do with that thrice-damned armor! Protection, hah - whenever he isn’t wearing it, he’s a completely different person.”
“Different how?”
“More focused, more… lucid.” Mahaado blushed deeply. He wasn’t used to saying anything negative or incriminating about his Pharaoh. “Like he used to be. Just, fair, and… nothing like the sluggish, incoherent, insa… less healthy person when he wears that godforsaken armor.”
“I’ve never heard such a silly thing before,” Jounouchi said. “Are you telling me that your Pharaoh hasn’t sided with Gozaburo on his own free will?”
“He is a prisoner,” Mahaado was quick to answer. “Gozaburo makes sure he is comfortable and taken care of, but in some way, he is subduing him, robbing him of his sanity. My Pharaoh would never, ever, allow such a cretin like Kaiba Gozaburo to hold any power over him!”
“That must be some incredible armor,” Yuugi said, pensive. Jounouchi flailed with his arms.
“Com’on, man! This is just some weird trick! You can’t believe all this armor shit yourself? He probably needs it as some kind of compensation!”
“Do not talk about him like that,” Mahaado snarled. “You will see what I mean when he comes for me!”
Silence. The magician winced. Both Yuugi’s and Jounouchi’s expression had changed.
“He comes for you… what?”
“As soon as he learns that I am being held captive,” Mahaado answered, conveniently ignoring that Yuugi had told him he could leave anytime he wanted. “He will search me out and find me. But,” he looked at Jounouchi, unable to pass up this opportunity to return the sneer, “as I recall, you are not afraid of him.”
“If he summons one of his Gods,” Yuugi said, “then all is lost. We can’t fight such a creature.”
“Yuugi, you can’t be serious,” Jounouchi said. He refused to look at Mahaado, and refused to acknowledge the knot in his stomach. His mouth was often faster than his brains, and Jounouchi wasn’t as stupid as to not acknowledge the power of a General. “We haven’t seen anyone ‘coming’ for him yet. He’s lying!”
“Believe it or not, but Mahaado-san has never lied to me,” Yuugi said, voice curt. “If he says that the Pharaoh will do this, he will do this, and we better strengthen our position before a God arrives on our doorstep.”
“Then we issue a message to Gozaburo,” Jounouchi answered stubbornly. “We tell him that we kill his General if that Pharaoh dude does something to us!”
“No!”
“You can threaten all that you want. I will gladly die for my Pharaoh!” Mahaado raised his voice.
“How about dying right now?” Jounouchi threatened.
“Very well,” was Mahaado’s answer, and Yuugi looked in absolute horror at him. For a moment, as the magician-General carefully sat down on his bed, he thought Mahaado was going to talk, intimidated by the threat – but he folded his hands into his lap again and simply sat down, waiting. It dawned Yuugi a few seconds later that Mahaado’s “very well” didn’t mean he was going to talk, but that he was prepared to die, actually awaiting the end, ready to give his life.
“You can’t forsake your life just like that, Mahaado-san.”
“For him, I will,” the General answered. “What value does my life have if I allow to be afraid of death? I will be his eternal servant, dead or alive.”
Jounouchi looked like he was about to drop his jaw, but then he pursed his lips and nodded. He realized his hands were clenched into fists; slowly, he unclenched his fingers, composing himself again. This man was not exactly as he thought he would be. Not only had Mahaado kept himself to his word, not leaving the first floor and not using his heka to escape, but he had also shown great understanding and compassion, and not any of the blood thirst or violence he associated with the Generals. Jounouchi frowned. Maybe this Mahaado was an exception to the rule – it was still a fact that his beloved Pharaoh was all but happy to use his incredible powers, summoning those strange Gods to destroy entire cities in search for the Sennen Items, in search for destruction.
He turned around on his heels and stalked out of the room. “Come Yuugi, we have lots of things to discuss.”
Yuugi nodded as well and turned around to leave, but he halted at the door post. He looked over his shoulder at Mahaado, who hadn’t moved from the bed.
“Does he return..?”
Mahaado looked up, but his voice was strained. “It is my honor to serve him. What he thinks of me or feels for me is not important.”
Yuugi’s lips curled into a wistful smile.
“If it is any consolation to you… if he’s going to risk everything to get you back, I’m sure that he cares for you very much too.”
With that, he left the room, and Mahaado remained frozen in his position on the bed, until the footsteps on the stairs had died away.
-----------------------------
“Is pretty Pharaoh asleep?”
Marik spoke very soft as he touched the other, shaking his shoulder a little. Bakura had always thought Marik was unable to whisper; his voice was usually loud, very loud.
“I think you managed to wear him out.”
Marik heaved a sigh and brought up his hand to tug at his own hair. The bruises on his wrist and arm were clearly visible, sporting a horrid dark purple color. Bakura didn’t move; his body felt sore and worn-out as well. His eyes were focused on the Pharaoh who was in their midst again, hands stuck under the pillow. His breathing was even, and there wasn’t a single flaw in his face.
Shifting into a more comfortable position, Bakura looked up at Marik who sat upright, his hand still on the Pharaoh’s shoulder, his other hand ruffling the strands of his hair.
“I don’t feel so good.”
Bakura snorted. Marik had endured an extensive beating, and the Pharaoh hadn’t been mild to him either when he had learned the news about Mahaado. As promised, Marik was the one to tell him and as always, he had brought the news rather bluntly, enraging the other. Bakura mimicked his friend and heaved a sigh as well. His eyes darted over to the large window panes, offering the Pharaoh his much beloved view of the city. The middle and right panes were damaged, thick spider webs of cracks and cuts running from floor to ceiling. Bakura was aware of the thickness of the bulletproof glass, but this time the Pharaoh hadn’t used the power of his Gods to throw Marik against it. He’d been so enraged about Mahaado’s capture that he hit him on his own strength. Both Marik and Bakura had been surprised; nonetheless, the Pharaoh was still wearing his armor at the moment he lashed out.
It was strange how such a small, physically weak man like the Pharaoh could control so much power. Bakura had tried to find the source of that power, but he didn’t know exactly where to look. He assumed that wearing the armor helped the Pharaoh to overcome the lack of strength, but the summoning and wielding of the Gods was still a mystery to him. Bakura himself could use the shadows and Marik was insanely strong; compared to humans, it wasn’t normal. He was willing to accept the Pharaoh’s immense powers just because he was a Pharaoh - but Bakura was a thief, and it was in his nature to steal, be it golden artifacts or godlike powers.
Marik rubbed his back, stifling a yawn. His left eye was swollen, it was a miracle he could still see with it. The entire left side of his face was a horrid mess of cuts, bruises and abrased skin; there was even some dried blood on his cheekbone. His hair was matted and tangled; only because of his strong constitution, he was still breathing. Any other person would’ve died from similar injuries, but Marik strangely never seemed to break any of his bones, no matter how harshly he was punished. He noticed Bakura looking at him, and said: “What? Something the matter?”
“You look like shit,” Bakura answered.
“Yeah, guess why, smartass.”
Silence. Bakura closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep for a million years. He didn’t like physical pain, and despite his patience, he didn’t like waiting either. He wanted to see results, and above all, he wanted to know. He wanted to know why he existed, why Marik existed, why they were serving a Pharaoh. Why he had physical feelings for the others and some kind of emotional attachment to them. Why Gozaburo was calling the other Generals back, and why this Resistance knew how to capture a magician-General.
“I think we have another spy in the building.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Bakura snarled, though he knew his anger was wasted on Marik. “How did that Resistance know how to incapacitate Mahaado? How did they know when we would arrive?”
“Maybe that Otogi guy managed to give that information out before he got caught?”
“No, no.” Bakura shook his head. Marik made a surprisingly good point, but the order for Mahaado to go after the Resistance was issued after the assistant had been apprehended and flung into one of the dungeons. Bakura had witnessed his torture, but wasn’t aware of the broadcast Noa had forced him to do. “He couldn’t have.”
Noa. He pursed his lips carefully, staring at the other. Marik stared back with one eye open, blandly.
“Someone here, and Isis.”
“What about pretty Ishizu-sister?”
“She knows all about heka, doesn’t she? She could…”Bakura lied back down, his thoughts racing a thousand miles a minute. What if…
“If Isis has betrayed us and told the Resistance how to break his heka, I will make sure she will pay for it.”
“Pretty Pharaoh, you’re awake!”
“I will kill her,” the Pharaoh said. “No one deserves to live after what she did.”
Bakura moved up his hand and touched a few golden bangs, brushing them out of his face. The Pharaoh usually calmed down when his hair was being played with.
“We told you how sorry we are for screwing up,” he said. “We weren’t fast enough when he called for help.”
“You probably couldn’t have done much to help him anyway.” He tilted his head a little. “If the Resistance knew all of this, if they had information on his heka and how to break it, that means information has been leaked. You’re right - there must be another spy.”
Marik used this moment to drape himself all over the Pharaoh, and relaxed visibly when he noticed that he wasn’t going to get thrown off. He lowered his head a little and licked over the Pharaoh’s ear.
“Does that mean pretty Pharaoh isn’t mad with us anymore?”
“I am still very upset with all of this,” he answered. “I want Mahaado to be here with me again.” He looked from one to another. “And you are going to help me with that.”
“Pretty Pharaoh just has to say the word, and we’ll follow,” Marik said, all but cheerfully. Bakura nodded, pressing a kiss to the other’s neck. It more than probably had escaped Marik, but Bakura caught a good look at the Pharaoh’s eye color. He had never seen them so red before, liquid blood, and he was suddenly too afraid to admit that it scared him.
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They almost looked like a large, harmonious family having dinner. Honda, wedged between his fiancée Anzu and Jounouchi’s younger sister Shizuka, sat next to Jounouchi himself with Yuugi sitting next to him, then Bakura Ryou, Malik Ishtar and his sister, alongside a few other people, all part of the Resistance, sharing the evening meal.
Yuugi had made sure that Mahaado also had been served some food. The Resistance leader was still amazed that the magician-general kept his word. He hadn’t used any of his heka, nor had made any attempt to escape. It seemed like Mahaado was reluctant to return to the KaibaCorp. building. He wanted to see his Pharaoh more than anything, but he didn’t want to return to death and destruction, following the orders of someone he despised, but felt forced to answer to.
It was a very simple meal of steamed rice, tempura, a few dumplings shared between the children, and a salad of leftover vegetables. Anzu and Shizuka had made dinner and the girls were still talking, as if they hadn’t seen each other in years, instead of a few months. Jounouchi rolled dramatically with his eyes, teasing them about ‘girl talk’, which evoked a discussion about female and male rights in nowadays society, all in good spirit; even Isis was participating and laughing every now and then. Yuugi put his chopsticks down and looked around, satisfied. The hardships of life were forgotten at the moment, the danger they constantly were in couldn’t touch them, not right now. It might be a false sense of security for a moment, but it was their moment. Safe and sound, enjoying dinner.
His eyes darted over to Isis, who was smiling. She had finished her dinner and her hand was on Malik’s lower left arm. It wasn’t the first time he had seen her touch him. While he was talking to the soft-spoken Bakura, the woman suddenly turned towards Yuugi, catching his gaze. Her eyes narrowed, though her look didn’t hold her usual, distant haughtiness. She nodded at him, and he returned a rather confused look - did she want to tell him something, or not? However, she averted her head again and looked at her brother, with obvious sibling pride in her eyes.
Anzu nudged his elbow. “Something the matter?”
“What do you mean?”
“You look a little sad.”
“Really?”
She tugged at one of his golden bangs. “Yes, silly. What dark and grim thoughts are on your mind this time?”
“Nothing,” he half-heartedly replied, but was thankful for her distraction. He had never seen Isis so alive and genuinely happy before, and a tiny voice in the back of his mind told him that something was… going wrong, something was off. He didn’t want to ruin the mood – even Jounouchi had a good time, despite sharing dinner with the former General. Shizuka suddenly laughed out loud, like small silver bells tingling, and it was so contagious that soon everyone was just laughing. It was a wonderful sound, delightful; just for this moment, everything seemed peaceful and perfect. Anzu tapped at his wrist when she calmed down.
“I think I hear the transmitter, Yuugi.”
Silence fell, and a few people turned around, towards the big metallic box against the wall. There was absolute silence for a moment, and then it started beeping again, rhythmically. Yuugi’s eyes turned even wider. Those beeps… that was Otogi’s code for calling in! That couldn’t be right. Jounouchi quickly picked up on Yuugi’s frown, and recognized the code a few seconds later.
“Otogi,” he mouthed wordlessly to Yuugi.
It could be possible… after all, Otogi had send them a message before, even after he had told them not to trust his messages anymore. Otogi had feared that he had been found out, and had warned them to be very cautious. Not much later, he had send them a panicked, strained message about a General coming their way, who turned out to be Mahaado.
“Oni-chan?” Shizuka asked confusedly, as she was used to him running towards the transmitter with just the faintest echo of an incoming message. She knew how important the equipment was to establish and maintain contact with the several Resistance members all over the world.
Jounouchi didn’t answer, but moved towards the transmitter and turned a few buttons, securing the broadcast.
“Yes? Hello?” He asked neutrally.
“Moshi moshi?”
Jounouchi didn’t need to look at the others for confirmation. This wasn’t Otogi’s voice. It was a higher pitched voice, and he was unable to determine if it was a man or a woman. The voice resonated through the room again, albeit a little lower.
“Moshi moshi? Please answer me!”
“Who is this?”
“I’m a friend of Otogi,” the voice came again, slightly crackling due to the interference. “My name is…Namu.”
“Namu?” Jounouchi parroted. That was the stupidest name he had ever heard. “State your business, Namu. How did you obtain this frequency?”
“Otogi gave it to me. He’s in danger, in real danger,” Namu didn’t sound panicky, rather composed, but there was an undeniable urge behind his words. “I don’t know how I can help him. That jerk Noa has imprisoned him on the lower levels of the building; he’s out of my reach.”
“Otogi-san..!” Shizuka kept her hands in front of her face, smothering her shriek. Her mood had improved considerably after receiving Otogi’s previous transmission, confirming that he was still alive, but to hear now that he had been imprisoned… Anzu wrapped her arms around the girl, while Honda grimaced. If it were up to him, he would go straight to the KaibaCorp. building and free his friend with his bare hands.
“Is he still alive?” Jounouchi had to know.
“Yes, yes he is.” Another bout of interference, and they winced.
“Repeat that, please?”
“He’s still alive,” Namu spoke a little louder. “I don’t know for how long. I can’t help him. I would end up in the same cell… you have to help him! I can give you certain codes, so you can gain entrance to the building – but you have to be fast, because…”
“Because what?” Jounouchi yelled when an ominous silence fell. He smashed at some of the buttons to get a better, clearer frequency.
“…Generals,” the voice echoed again. “The Pharaoh has learned about Mahaado’s capture. He will attack soon.”
A collective gasp went through the room, and Isis closed her eyes. Yuugi didn’t know if she heaved a sigh from sorrow or relief, he couldn’t discern the expression on her face.
“How do you know? Where did you get all this information?” Jounouchi growled.
“I’m Gozaburo’s new assistant,” Namu finally spoke. “I know about Otogi and… his fate. I can help you, if you can help me. Leave your place, and come to the KaibaCorp. building.”
“And then what? Coffee with cake?” Jounouchi moved with his fingers over the buttons again, but there was no answer. The line was dead, though the electricity was still on – Namu had ceased communication.
Yuugi turned towards the others who had listened, maintaining his calm exterior. This was no moment to start panicking, despite the news they just received.
“Anzu-san, Honda-kun, Jounouchi-kun, I want to talk to you immediately,” he said. “The rest of you – I want you to start collecting food, water, candles, clothing, blankets. Wake the children and tell them to pack their belongings. Have them wear as many clothes as possible. Tell them that we are relocating, not that we’re expecting an attack.”
He looked at the people, seeing the first signs of panic. Hands were wrung, eyes were twitching, lips were curling… he pushed his own feelings of growing anxiety and terror away, reminding himself to focus on his group, on the people he cared for. He wanted them to survive – they were his friends, his family.
“Don’t allow yourself to panic,” he continued. “There’s no need to panic. Get your things and assemble at the entrance in rows of two. Don’t dawdle, but don’t panic either.”
At his gesture with his hand, everyone except for him and his friends left the room, even Shizuka. She protested vehemently, but Jounouchi told her to start packing. He would help her as soon as he was able to. Yuugi was about to say something when he saw Isis, Malik and Bakura standing next to the table, they hadn’t moved.
“I would like to have a private word with you, Yuugi,” the woman said, and she sounded pleading, urgent, instead of commanding.
“I understand, Isis-san, but we have a lot to discuss, and I…”
“Please,” Malik said. Everybody but Bakura and Isis looked at him, quite dumbfounded. They had never heard Malik say ‘please’ before, and certainly not as genuinely worried and urging like this.
“We can wait a few moments outside,” Anzu said, and before Jounouchi could protest, she grabbed his ear and started dragging him outside the room. Honda followed, snickering, and his comment got lost in the several “Ouch!” cries from Jounouchi. “Not the ear!”
Yuugi expected Malik and Bakura to stay as well, especially since the former had said ‘please’, but he left after a concerned look at his sister. Isis straightened herself, lacing her fingers together, patiently waiting until her brother and Bakura had left and they were the only two remaining in the room.
“What can I do for you, Isis-san?”
She didn’t hesitate for a second. “I have had visions,” she said, “visions of the future, intense visions. They were more than mere glimpses, and I need my Tauk to… confirm some of these visions.”
From all the things he had expected her to ask, this was the very last one of them. When Isis had defected and allowed herself to be captured, she had all but thrown the Item, wrapped in a cotton cloth, at him and had never asked for it again.
“You want your Item, Isis-san..? But…”
“It is not my Item,” she quickly interrupted him. “The Sennen Items are the instruments of good and prosperity, and they are officially the Pharaoh’s… not that he is the right person to have them right now, but…” She shifted her arms, hugging herself as if cold. “My brother and his friend are in grave danger, and so are you.”
Yuugi waited for her to continue as he ignored the sudden clenching of his stomach. They were having such a great evening together, why had it always to be ruined with darkness and despair?
“Malik knows about this,” Isis said. “The only reason why I don’t want him to hear this, is that it will upset and anger him, and when my brother is angry… you have to understand, Yuugi.”
“I understand,” he said, though he really didn’t understand it. What was she talking about?
“The Pharaoh has two… bodyguards,” she said, sounding dejected. “These two are the spitting images of my brother and his friend, and they even listen to almost similar names: Marik and Bakura. I met them a few times, and they are what is keeping the Pharaoh insane, even though they think the opposite. He is dragged down by their hatred, their lust for violence, their passion for darkness. You have to understand, Yuugi, that many things about us Generals are shrouded in mystery. We do not even know ourselves where we hail from and what our past is. What I do know, is that we owe loyalty to the Pharaoh, not to Gozaburo.”
“Mahaado-san told me something like that, yes,” Yuugi said. At least that was something he could understand.
“Mahaado knows, yes.” She looked sad and determined at the same time. “In one of my visions, I saw everyone of us at the Pharaoh’s court. We were filled with respect and honor for him, feeling grateful that we were serving him. I do not know how I came into Gozaburo’s service, and how those other two… Marik and Bakura… came to exist. I have no idea, but I do know that they are dangerous.”
“If they are his bodyguards, I’m sure they will accompany him wherever he goes?”
“They will.”
Yuugi scratched at the back of his head. “I don’t think I can follow everything, Isis-san…”
“It is not really necessary to understand everything,” she said. “All that you have to understand is that you are in danger, as well as my brother and his friend. I have told them, and they know what to do. They know the risk, and they are willing to take it. Marik and Bakura are their opposites, their dark sides, the violent part of their souls. If they confront each other, they will cancel each other out.”
“What? You mean that they will die?”
She shook her head. Her fingers dug into her own shoulders. “My brother and Bakura are stronger than those dark sides,” she said, and her eyes flashed something akin anger. “They have fought worse battles than this, and they have always won. Those bodyguards will not be the problem, the Pharaoh will be. Whatever happens, you must not allow him to summon a God – if he manages to summon one, all hope is lost.”
“Did your vision show you something about…”
“Nothing about a possible outcome.” Isis lowered her eyes. “Just a few things that I need to… verify. The Tauk must work... please let me have it.”
Yuugi remained silent. She was standing in front of him, a little taller than he was. An aura of grandeur and majesty was surrounding her, determination radiating off of her…but he could see the troubled fear in her eyes.
“Very well,” he gave in. “I will get it for you then, Isis-san. Just a moment, please.”
She seemed to have forgotten all about him as she stared blankly at him. Yuugi didn’t await her answer and hurried out of the meeting room. Malik and Bakura, who were leaning against the wall, immediately straightened themselves, Malik’s eyes blinking in curiosity. He went past them hurriedly. It wasn’t his intention to avoid them, but he couldn’t afford the time to stand still and discuss things. He managed to overhear some of the discussion between Honda, Anzu and Jounouchi, still waiting patiently outside.
“This Namu guy can get us in to the KaibaCorp. building,” Jounouchi exclaimed heatedly.
“I can’t believe you,” Honda looked like he wanted to smack someone, preferably his friend, upside the head. “Remember what Otogi has said? That we couldn’t trust his transmission? And now, suddenly a ‘friend’ broadcasts on his behalf? A ‘friend’ we never heard Otogi talk about, a ‘friend’ who is hell-bent to get us to come to the building to give us some codes, just like that? Wake up and smell the trap!”
“If we know it’s a trap, it’s not a trap anymore,” Jounouchi hissed in return, poking Honda at the shoulder. Yuugi’s troubled mind shut them out for now and he went into the house, leaving the basement behind him. It was eerily silent, as usual. It felt strange, because he knew a General was upstairs, a General who kept himself perfectly to his promise. Would Mahaado be pleased when he was told about the broadcast? That his Pharaoh was really coming for him, just as he expected… believed… wanted?
Chapter 4 | Chapter 6 |