Yami Yuugi grinned smugly. "The power of teamwork and friendship is stronger then any darkness you could conjure, Bakura!" he declared.
Yami Bakura smirked in dark amusement. "Any darkness I could conjure?" he repeated in amusement, jabbing a thumb back at the mummy behind him, as if reminding the other spirit of it's existence.
"You were the one who turned Akunadin to your will," Yami Yuugi countered. "Even if he was the one who summoned Zork, Zork is STILL your creation!"
A chuckle answered him. "Is that so?" the paler man asked in smug amusement. "This is a game, Pharaoh... a resemblance of your memories, recreated to even the scales for our final battle. If I lost once, do you think I would reset the battle field the same way it was then?"
Yami Yuugi scowled.
"Memory is an interesting thing," Yami Bakura continued, folding his hands as he smirked. "Yadonushi only remembers what he wants to, just the good parts of his life. You went even farther, forgetting everything because it didn't fit in with what your host wanted you to be." His grin widened as he noticed Yami Yuugi's firsts clench. "Hoou? Hit a nerve have I?"
"Aibou has nothing to do with my lack of memory," Yami Yuugi countered, scowling.
Another amused chuckle. "You forget, Pharaoh..." he said the title mockingly as he lifted up the Ring. "I've been inside your mind. I've seen what you were like when you first awakened, even though you tried to bury those memories deeply so your host would never find out what you did while he slept. You had your memories when you first woke up. You were exactly like you were when you were sealed then..."
Yami Yuugi almost snarled. "Liar," he accused, back straightening. "Don't think you can take advantage of how I was when Aibou first put the Puzzle together! Every day was a battle to protect him!"
Yami Bakura threw back his head in a loud cackle.
The former pharaoh's fists clenched tighter. The fact that this theif had the NERVE to mock him...! After all the atrocities he had committed!
"That's it, get angry," Yami Bakura grinned. "Let Zork feed off that hatred like you did then."
A roar from the game made Yami Yuugi look down in shock. "No!" he exclaimed, eyes wide as one of his priests took a direct hit from Zork. He looked up again at Yami Bakura. "You-- You monster!" he accused, feeling a bit shaken. "That's it, isn't it! Zork feeds of anger and hatred, which is why you're making everyone suffer!"
The theif chuckled. "Almost right..." he said in amusement, tracing the line of the card that bore the monster's image. "Zork feeds off of your anger and hatred and becomes stronger every step you take into Darkness, like how Diabound grew more powerful as my hatred grew. That's why I took him from you."
"..." Yami Yuugi blinked. "What?" he finally asked.
"Haven't figured it out yet, have you, Pharaoh?" Yami Bakura grinned. "Every monster came from a soul. Every Kaa in your temples was taken from someone, sealed away by a Sennen Item." He chuckled. "If Zork was my creation, I would have summoned him from the very start and killed you on my entrance. Instead, I had to get the Puzzle first..."
Yami Yuugi fidgeted, hand instinctively going to where the Puzzle normally rested on his chest. He wanted to shout at the theif, do something to stop him from continuing. Lies. It was all lies he was spinning. Everything he said--
Except Yami Bakura had never used lies in the many times they had clashed. It was always a game, to get what he wanted without haven't to be proven wrong... Why would he start now? He wasn't the type to break the board and declare a tie when he was losing. In fact, he did the opposite, declaring his own loss and vowing to return... Why now, would he change tactics?
Unless...
No. No, he was lying. He had to be lying. There was no way that he couldn't be...
He became aware that the theif was grinning at him and scowled. "You needed the power boost," he declared. "Even in games, you need to follow rules!"
Another chuckle. Yami Yuugi's fists clenched tighter. Again, that mocking sound...
"Mahaado's darkness, he sealed inside the Ring so it wouldn't corrupt him. He was the most sensible of the lot of you all," Yami Bakura continued, leaning his chin on his folded hands. "He knew the Item's origins, and that magic made from the blood of the unwilling who had been mercilessly slaughtered would always be tainted with the sin of that act... No matter how good the intentions, magic made from such an evil act would never be pure or good." His face had darkened slightly. "It was only thing that kept him loyal to your side."
Yami Yuugi's fists pounded on the table as he stood up. "Don't taint his memory!" he shouted. "Mahaado gave his life to stop you!"
Yami Bakura looked up with a smirk. "He gave up his afterlife in shame," he corrected smugly. "After failing to protect the afterlife of the former pharaoh, how could he attain it himself?"
"I don't know what you're trying to do, Bakura--" Yami Yuugi seethed.
"You wanted your memories, PHARAOH," Yami Bakura smirked. "You're getting them..."
"Your lies are NOT my memory!" Yami Yuugi shouted, pounding the table again. "You're cheating! BATSU--" He broke off, grimacing as he remembered he didn't have the Puzzle.
Yami Bakura crossed his arms, leaning back against his chair smugly. "How quickly you revert when your host can't see you," he smirked.
Yami Yuugi froze. He was playing into his hands, wasn't he? Doing exactly what the theif wanted. He forced himself to unclench his fists and sit down again, glaring at Yami Bakura. "You're just trying to trick me into helping your side so I lose," he accused.
"You think I'm playing just to win, Pharaoh?"
Yami Yuugi's eyes went wide. "What?"
Yami Bakura spread his arms, gesturing to the board with an almost insane grin. "These are the seeds of your memories! Your name, your Kaa, everything set up so you'll realize what you've done and who you were!"
Yami Yuugi stared. "My-- Kaa?" he repeated, an unsettled feeling growing in his stomach.
Another chuckle. "You're looking at him." Yami Bakura smirked, pointing down to the game board.
Yami Yuugi looked down, unease growing. There were very few Kaa remaining on the battlefield, all of which were easily recognizable. "Mahaado isn't--"
"Not him," Yami Bakura interrupted, with a small chuckle. "Look for another 'protector of the Pharaoh...' Though he's not quite a cobra since you twisted him..."
Yami Yuugi looked up in shock. "You-- You mean---!" he stammered.
Yami Bakura grinned wickedly. "Yes, Pharaoh. Zork is your Kaa."