Disclaimer: Yugi-oh is the property of Kazuki Takahashi, who is a genius.
Emergence
Chapter Nineteen: To Walk Beside You
Jame
Jame settled into her office chair and pondered the computers that sat in a neat row against the wall. Security had finished cleaning out Kaiba's ex-assistants offices (and escorting said ex-assistants off Kaiba Corp property) and now Jame was stuck trying to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do. The plan had gone completely awry, she was supposed to be happily fired by now, damn it. Her vacation time was nearly up an all she had to show for it was a happy boss and a small line of computers. Not exactly the result she had been hoping for.
Maybe I'm doing this whole thing wrong. Jame noted that the cleaning crew had once again nudged her rolodex too far to the right and slid it back into place. Maybe if I replace myself? Get him some executive assistants that aren't trying to destroy him? Show him what a real secretary could do for him? Jame shrugged mentally. Worth a try, nothing else has worked so far.
Kaiba
Mokuba was back. Kaiba stood at the window in his home office listening to his brother unpacking, calling greetings to the staff and thumping around in his room. He vaguely wondered how long it would take till Mokuba realized that he was there. Part of him desperately hoped his kid brother wouldn't find him. When Mokuba found him, he would have to tell him about… that. He'd be curious about his friends, about what had been happening while he was away. He'd want to know where Jo…
He didn't want to discuss it. Childishly, he clung to the belief that if he didn't talk about it, if he didn't say it, it wouldn't be true. He closed his eyes, trying to deny the burning in them, to ignore the way moisture would leak out the corners, spiking his lashes.
He could almost see it, anytime now, Jo would saunter in, sprawl in a chair and give him a smile. Hey, Kaiba, whatcha doing? Then he'd shrug, pretend to work, watch him out of the corner of his eye. Yug and the others are heading over to the arcade. Want ta come? He'd snort or grunt or something, a small sound to say he was listening, without committing himself to anything. Jo would probably sit with one leg over the arm of the chair, bouncing his foot. It'll be fun. He'd pretend to ignore that comment, perhaps pretend to read something or be looking for something, as he covertly studied him, wondering how someone like Jo would even bother with someone like him.
"Big brother!" Mokuba snapped him out of his dream. He was already bounding across the room. A huge smile on his face.
In a moment he was wrapped in his brother's joyful embrace. "Mokuba." His voice sounded odd, hoarse, distant.
"I didn't know you were here." His brother smiled up at him. He watched the smile fade bit by bit as silence stretched between them. "Seto?"
Kaiba blinked then nodded, "How was the flight?"
Mokuba stepped back slightly, looking confused. "What happened?"
Kaiba shrugged, "The head of Quistcell committed suicide."
Mokuba frowned, "So? I didn't think you knew him."
"I didn't but I was there when he did it." He turned away, looking out the window.
Mokuba perched on the edge of his desk watching him. "You okay?"
He shrugged again. The rain had finally let up. Big, soft white clouds now floated serenely across the sky. Pools of clear sparkling water were scattered across the pavement, reflecting the clouds.
"Seto! What's going on?" Mokuba's hand caught his sleeve, tugging at him, insisting he answer.
"Yugi and Yuai were missing for a couple of days." He refused to look at the younger boy. "They were hitchhiking. Their ride broke down and they got lost looking for a phone."
"Are they all right?" Mokuba let him go. Concern for his friends edging his voice.
Kaiba nodded, "Fine.
"Then what's wrong?" Mokuba sounded irritated, exasperated.
Kaiba glanced at him quickly, then looked away. "While they were gone…" He watched as a gardener walked under the window, carrying a pair of sheers. "Jo, Honda, Anzu and Mai went looking for them."
"And..?" Mokuba prodded.
Don't say it! He shrugged. "Yugi and Yuai arrived home before they didn't."
"Did." Mokuba corrected. "Seto, you're not telling me, are you?"
"Didn't. Honda did, Anzu did, Mai did." He opened his mouth to say it, but the words wouldn't come. Instead the scene the police had told him about flashed through his head: a crumpled, wrecked car at the bottom of a dry gorge, empty seats covered in blood, the car set in neutral, obviously pushed off the edge.
"Well… then what?" Mokuba grabbed his arm, hauling him around to face him.
He honestly couldn't bring himself to say it. "The police called the mansion while I was dealing with Yoshikawa." He couldn't meet his brother's eyes. "I called them back. The car got totaled."
"That's it? One of the cars got wrecked?" Mokuba didn't let him go. He was frowning. "What, was your favorite computer in it? Your deck? Important business plans? What?"
"No, nothing was in it. No one." Kaiba tried to pull free, escape, but the kid wouldn't let him go.
"Seto…" Mokuba's voice had a hint of a warning.
"Jo." He managed to get out before his mouth and throat closed on him.
Mokuba gave him a small confused frown. "What does Jo have to do with…"
"He's gone."
Yamis
"So we all found out the same thing." Bakura was flopped on the ground beneath the tree. "We have to sing our way out of this."
"Seems so." Yami poked the tree that still seemed interested in at least tasting him.
Marik lay on his back, smiling, "Can't have everything. I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic, like blood sacrifices, potions, lots of smoke, maybe a bit of lightning."
"I'm not doing it." Bakura scowled, "I'm staying here."
Yami Yugi shook his head. "It's your choice. But with the way things are going, I am trying." He looked at the blue river that lazed by. "There is too much going on. Duke was kidnapped and someone used shadow magic to wipe his mind. Mokuba was nearly killed. Kaiba was magically attacked. Yugi and Yuai were kidnapped and their friend was murdered. Now, Jonouchi is missing."
"It's not like we won't be able to come back here. The body will in actuality be little more than a solid illusion," Marik waved his hand lightly around, gesturing to the landscape around them. "We will still be connected to the Millennium items and to the Shadow Realm. The only thing changing is people will see us and we can interact with the mortal realm."
Bakura growled, "I don't like it."
Marik yawned and got to his feet. "Like it or not. I won't leave my hikari to face what ever is coming alone."
"Agreed." Yami Yugi stood as well, looking down at the sprawled thief, "Are you coming?"
Bakura stood, "You two first. If it works, then maybe I'll do it."
"Stage fright?" Marik stretched.
"Fuck off."
Marik grinned, "Maybe once we have bodies, I'll give you a try."
Bakura made gagging noises.
"Alright, I'll try it first. Yugi's waiting for me." Yami Yugi looked away. "Mahado said to sing it as I emerge into the mortal realm."
"Yea, for Mahado." Bakura stood and shuffled uneasily as Yami Yugi started humming softly.
The pharaoh ignored him, closing his eyes in concentration as he began to sing.His velvety soft voice caressed gently over the words, as power and magic started swirling around his form.
"Lost in darkness, banished from life
In shadows I call, yearning for light.
In faith I walk toward life
In faith I walk from death
In faith I walk toward the light
Leaving behind the shadow of all enshrouding night
Born from woman I first walked the world
Now born of dark I will myself to be."
Bands of light wove hissing around him as he sang, weaving into a pillar with Yami Yugi standing in the center. A stream of energy arched across the center hitting the pharaoh, causing his slender form to convulsively jerk. His mouth widened in a gasp of pain, then firmed again as he took a breath and continued singing.
"Back to bone, time holds me now
Back to blood, pain bites me
Back to flesh, mortality is mine again
I step away from the shadow, away from the night
Born in darkness, ending in life
I do not look back, let me emerge to the light."
Streams of light flashed back and forth, some snapping at the pharaoh's slender form, others cascading around him. Every time one of the crackling flows of energy touched him, his body shuddered, his voice wavering a second.
"The door opens, the shadows recede
The door opens, the light beckons
The door opens, life calls
The night is over, light fills me
Let the past lift and the shadow part
I live once more, born to the world of light."
At the last note the column exploded in light. The sides collapsed inward catching the startled pharaoh. His body arched back, a silent scream on his lips as he was suddenly snuffed out. The column glowed eerily for a second, then it too disappeared.
Malik frowned slightly and scratched his nose, "I think our calculations are a bit off. But on the brighter side, it had lightning."
Yugi, Ryou, Malik, Honda & Yuai
"Okay so there are actually three dead Egyptian guys." Yuai looked at the three 'hikaris' doubtfully, "and they live in those pieces of jewelry and they are presently trying to get bodies by singing a song."
Ryou looked away feeling a bit embarrassed. "Well, when you put it that way…"
"Mine's not from Egypt." Malik scratched his head embarrassed. "He's actually…well…me. The dark half of my mind. We got split in half and he kind of got stuck in the Millennium Rod and," his voice dwindled off and he looked down at his feet, "he's trying to take over the world with a ball point pen and a pack of Juicy Fruit gum last I checked."
"It's really not like that Yuai." Yugi gave her a hug. "Just wait till you meet them. You'll like them."
"Just as long as Bakura doesn't try to knife you." Malik mumbled.
"Or Yami Yugi mind crush you." Ryou looked innocently away at a passing flock of birds.
Yugi spun around and glared, "Or Marik try to turn you into a helpless mind slave."
"He only did that once." Malik glared back. "While Bakura…"
"My yami is perfectly fine. He just likes glittery things. And knives glitter." Ryou nudged Yugi. "How many times has yami mind crushed someone? Hmmm?"
"He only does it to bad people." Yugi nodded to Malik. "His yami…"
Yuai looked over at Honda who was sitting on a nearby park bench. He was staring across the park at the people who were out enjoying the day. He'd been quiet most of the time they'd been here. She walked over to him and sat down, watching her boyfriend and his two friends bicker. "You okay?"
Honda didn't look at her, "Sure. Fine."
Yuai nodded. "Okay."
They sat there watching the three, the fight seemed to have degenerated into who had a cleaner room. Yuai was pretty sure Yugi wouldn't be winning that fight any time soon. Last she'd seen it, the room had looked like a demolition crew had just blasted through.
"I left him there you know." Honda whispered. "He was standing in line to use the phone and I just walked away." He leaned forward resting his arms against his thighs, dangling his hands between his knees, his head bowed "He's my best friend. I should have been there."
"Honda…"
He shook his head. "It's okay. I know, don't blame yourself, right? I couldn't have known. If I did I would have stayed." He looked up at her. "I know. It doesn't help, but I know."
The three hikari's suddenly stopped bickering and looked around. A soothing voice could be heard quietly singing. Occasionally, the voice would pause, sometimes mid word, then it would continue, smooth and clear.
Yugi smiled. "Yami?"
There was a sudden flash of harsh white light and a slender form collapsed bonelessly to the ground at Yugi's feet.
"Yami!" Yugi knelt down at the figure's side and tried to turn the other over.
Honda scrambled to his feet and went over to help him. Ryou, Malik and Yuai hovered worriedly in the background as the two checked over the limp unmoving form.
"He looks like he's okay. He's just stunned I think." Yugi cradled his twin close to him, soothing his hand through soft, colorful hair. "I can touch him. Really touch him." He breathed, "Not just pretend, I can feel him."
Malik leaned closer. "And we can see him too. Are you sure he's okay? Marik isn't entirely sure this worked."
"I'm fine." Yami's voice was hoarse and a bit shaky. "Tell him to hurry it up."
Malik nodded, his eyes unfocusing for a second. "Okay, he's going to give it a try."
The voice this time was deeper. It seemed to curl around like a dark, velvety cat purring in the night. Again the voice paused in places, occasionally stopping for a few seconds before beginning again. The light flashed again and a tall, muscular figure sprawled on the ground at Malik's feet.
Malik gave a happy cry and gathered up his yami. "It's you! Oh Ra, look at you." He was laughing and crying as he hugged his other close. "I can even smell you." He buried his face in his yami's hair as the other raised and hand and pulled him closer.
Ryou stood looking out at nothing, with a slight troubled look on his face.
Yugi was already helping his yami to his feet and smiled at him. "I guess its Bakura's turn."
Ryou shook his head sighing. "He won't come."
"The thief is probably afraid." Marik grunted as Malik helped him to his feet. "I have to admit, it looks painful." He glanced over at the pharaoh. "Thought you had obliterated yourself, for a minute or two."
Yami Yugi smiled nastily, "Tell him I don't blame him for not wanting to try it. It's complicated. It takes a lot of power and it hurts like hell." His smile widened. "And he is just a tomb robbing thief. We really can't expect him to try something like that. Can we?"
Ryou's eyes unfocused again, then he winced. "Okay, he's going to try it." He put his fingers in his ears. "Just trust me on this. Plug your ears and start humming now."
Bakura ground his teeth together. He knew that that idiot pharaoh was setting him up. The baka had laid it on thick enough to trowel with a bulldozer. That didn't mean however that he liked it. He looked around at the peacefully flowing river and the tree with its small beautifully deadly flowers and shrugged. It wasn't like anyone could hear him. He took a deep breath and sang.
The tree reacted first. While it had completely ignored Yami Yugi's dramatic departure and Marik's equally spectacular exit, it now shuddered at the horrendous act that took place so near it. It shivered in horror pulling its branches back and raining a shower of silvery leaves down in shocked protest. Its tiny flowers shriveled and started falling to the ground where they lay twitching, their tiny vicious mouths opening and closing like stranded fish gasping for air.
The river was only a second behind. Its waters churning and retracting, as small fish like creatures suddenly started floating, belly up, to its surface.
The voice this time wasn't a soft, soothing whisper, nor did it slide into your ears like liquid night. This time it sounded a lot like a dying pig that was gargling while suffering from the world's worst case of hiccups.
Malik groaned as he covered his ears. "Okay. So the ass had a good reason to not want to do this."
Yami ground his teeth together. "Just when I think he can't do anything worse to me, he finds something he hasn't tried."
Yugi had his fingers pressed into his ears and was humming loudly to himself, but his eyes still watered in pain. Ryou stood with his head bowed and his eyes squished shut, shivering violently every time the voice tried, and failed, to hit a high note. Marik hid behind his yami, covering his ears and counting backwards from one hundred aloud.
Honda and Yuai shuddered and dashed off to watch from a distance and stood watching the others suffer.
"Kami, that is bad." Honda winced as a couple of high notes wafted toward them. "Forget shadow magic. He could have brought the kingdom of Egypt to its knees just by singing a lullaby."
The flash of light mercifully put an end to the horror and a white haired form slumped at Ryou's feet. The four that had stayed close, heaved a visible sigh of relief as Ryou knelt down and gathered his yami into his arms.
"Thank Ra, its over." Yami pulled Yugi into his arms as he glared down at Bakura's stunned form. "Thief, if you ever put my hikari through such suffering again. I'll gut you with a cheese grater."
Bakura blinked dazedly up at him, "What are you yelling about now baka? I never touched your light. Well, at least not recently."
"I'm with him on this tomb robber." Marik cuddled his hikari protectively. "Sing another note around Malik and I'll hold you down while he," he nodded to Yami, "does the grating."
Bakura moaned, hiding his face against his light's stomach. "Fuck. I didn't think anyone could hear me."
Jame
"You what!" Jame yelled into the phone. She was sprawled in her chair waiting for Kaiba to arrive. She really didn't have much hope, it was past two and he hadn't shown yet.
"We worked out a rent to own program with Kaiba last night." She could hear the gloat in Drover's voice. "Basically, he's setting us up in Domino City. It's pretty plush. We get our own place, state of the art equipment, and he's even agreed to update our road set up and gear. It'll be great."
"You can't do that!" Jame shivered in anger, picturing the self satisfied look on her now ex-best friend's face. "You can not do a rent to own program with me being rented to be owned."
Tink laughed softly, "Sure we can."
"Don't pout Jame." Pease cooed. "Just think how happy everyone will be. You can organize things day and night. Kaiba won't have to worry about a secretary and we get new gear. See, everyone's happy."
"I am NOT HAPPY!" Jame snarled into the mouthpiece of the phone.
"Jame, sweetie, why don't we leave you alone to think about it for a bit. We'll call you tonight." Tink snickered.
"NO! Don't you dare, you coward.." The line clicked and went dead.
"Rent to own." She swung around to glare at Kaiba's door. "Okay you, just you wait. I haven't even gotten started yet. By the time I'm done you'll be begging me to leave."
Someplace
The man looked down at the blood spattered, unconscious figure sprawled on the dirty futon and turned away. The kid wouldn't be going anywhere, not in the condition he was in. He shut the door behind him and walked over to the Formica table that rocked unsteadily at his touch. Scooping up a bottle of amber liquid, he walked over to the worn couch and thumped down, unscrewing the top of the bottle and taking a generous swig as he clicked on the television.
"Well Kaiba, whatcha gonna do?" He grinned easily as a commercial with two men in overalls watching a car of scantily clad girls, waving beer bottles flickered by. "I got your candy assed boyfriend, Kaiba. Come and get him."
He tossed back another gulp of liquid fire and turned to grin at the door. "This is gonna be fun. You don't mind sharin' now do you Kaiba. If ya do, better speak now." He paused a moment. "Don't hear nothin', so I guess you don't mind." He laughed softly, "You're right generous there Kaiba. Too bad I gotta kill ya, but don't worry. It'll take awhile. You gotta suffer first."
He took another drink and set the bottle on the floor. "After all Kaiba, you destroyed my life, it's only fair that I destroy yours too."
Please review and tell me how you liked it. What parts of the story worked for you? What parts left you confused and what did you really want deleted? I'm writing not just for me to write, but for all of you to read. Let me know what you think.
Ta Da! That's it folks! This story will take up again in the third part of the series "Psyche". For you folks who are curious about this stuff, the word psyche is originally from Greece. It means both soul and butterfly. I was just reading a neat article about Eros and Psyche. It's pretty interesting. Especially the part about Psyche opening Persephone's box…