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"I don't know, Ashleigh, I don't know." Yugi whispered, halfway afraid to consider the consequences.
Max nodded. "Then come on. It appears we'll need your expertise." Kaimiri took the scrool and looked it over. "Yes, this is it." He said. "This spell will take several days to prepare fully. Mostly to collect the materials and diagrams needed." Jack was frozen where he stood. "What...?" Melhana let a harmless cord of power color the lines the color of her aura, revealing the lines of power running from each of her fingers and immobilizing Jack. "A simple, and effective spell. It takes hardly any power to initiate it, and even less for upkeep. The most power anyone has to expend on it is when they actuall send a spell along the lines." She explained. "The lines themselves immobilize the target, rendering them helpless, much like I've done with you. From there, anything can be done through the lines." "Like what?" Jack asked, well aware of the crimson threads crisscrossing his body. "An electric shock; incineration; even freezing the person on the other end of the lines." Melhana said. "Or, just pull on them hard enough and the target of this binding spell is dismembered. When done correctly, one can even use them for mind control." |
"I will be honnored" Yuai replied.
"A week? Ok...." the entity said. Shortly after, Ashleigh fell asleep. At that time, Aka appeared. "You know if she goes through with this, I won't exist anymore right?" she asked Yugi. |
Kaimiri didn't explain the full reason the spell needed a week to mature. It was attuned to the phases of the moon, and the new moon was only a week away. The spell had to be performed either on the full moon or the new moon.
"I know," Yugi whispered. "I wish she wasn't though. What if whatever she's planning goes wrong? She'll be gone for good; well and truly dead." |
"That is her plan! The only way for her angel powers to kick in is to be fully dead. She knew it will take 4 full for you guys to get all your gear ready and she knows that she's going to be wrapped up. That gives her body plenty of time to adjust" Aka whispered back.
|
Yugi bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying. His hand was trembling. "There isn't another way, is there?" He whispered.
|
Aka shook her head.
"No, there isn't. I'm as scared as you are" Aka replied. One week past from what Ashleigh has told them. The funeral for Mokuba was held and that took Kaiba to a whole new low. He vowed to get his revenge on Kaimiri, which nearly killed Atemu who was training him to control his powers. Kaimiri on the other hand, with the female entity and Yusei's help, gathered all the components for the spell and now was waiting for the new moon to show. At that time, Ashleigh was saying her goodbyes since Max told her that they had to move D-Day because of these people called No. Hunters appeared. As she was doing so, Yugi tried his best to talk her out of it but it always ended up as arguements and threats of divorce which scared Yana. |
Kaiba groaned as he picked himself up off the ground yet again. For the fifth time that day, he'd been thrown to the ground, hard. This time it was from a magic blast. The smell of anise and sandalwood was still hanging in the air. He massaged the back of his neck eliciting a loud crack from the stiff joints. A sharp pain in his ankle let him know that something was pulled or torn. At least it wasn't a sprain.
"Never do that again." He growled. Kaimiri stood at the edge of the circle, Yusei on the other side, and the female entity in the center. "Are you both ready for this?" He asked. The night of the new moon had finally arrived. "Yes," Yusei replied. He kept a careful eye on the entity in the center. "All right, Selena, let's see what those implants look like now." Selena nodded and started removing the bandages from her throat. As they fell away, a metallic glint reflected off the silver surface of the implants. The scar from high school was still there, but now it was partially covered by implants that were supposed to allow her to talk. The doctor examined the implant. "There appears to be no adverse affects," he said. "Let's see if it does it's job. Turn it on." Selena obliged. She reached around to the nape of her neck in back, and pressed a small button. A small light on either side of her throat--the implants--turned on and glowed green. Selena swallowed. "Is it working?" She asked, surprised to hear a computerized simulation of her voice. The doctor smiled. "Well, I believe you answered that question just by asking." He said. "Just fair warning; since this implant operates on taking your thoughts and turning them into electronic sound, you'll have to turn it off if you want to keep something to yourself." He hesitated slightly. "You won't be able to sing, either, I'm afraid. Yugi Mutou told me about your voice." Selena nodded. "I see," She said. It wasn't perfect, but the sound generated from the implants were really her own voice, just as it had been in high school. "It's not much of a loss anyway, to be honest. And thanks for the warning about having to turn this thing off to keep thoughts to myself." The doctor nodded. "Well, I can't see anything wrong with how it's working or any rejection by your body, so I can let you go now." He said. "I want to keep an eye on you for a few more weeks though, just to make sure there aren't any long-term complications." Selena nodded as she left. "All right, and thank you." She said. With that she left sickbay, glad she wasn't stuck using her phone to talk anymore. |
Ashleigh slammed the door, startling Melhana and Nefe.
"I'm so close to divorcing that little prick!" she gumbled, "If he just accept what's going on, this wouldn't happen!" "They have been arguing with each other lately" Aka simply explained, "All because of the plan." "Kaiba, do you want to get rid of Kaimiri or not?" Atemu growled. So far, Kaiba didn't show any signs of improvment. "I think so" the entity said, unsure of the result. Having those two there was enough but the King being there too? So much pressure. "I see that it went well" Max said, seeing that Selena came out of the doctors office happy, "Those implants are quite special. Try singing one verse. Don't worry, it won't overload the implants." |
Melhana sighed. "Ashleigh, Yugi's worried about you. We all are." She said. Just that morning, Ryo had had another attack; his heart had given out. He was right now recovering in the sickbay.
"Melhana's right, Ashleigh." Neferhenta added. "He's trying to keep you safe, just like the rest of us." "Of course I do!" Kaiba replied hotly. He shook his head. "I don't have time for this." He grumbled, picking his jacket up from the bench and leaving. "I've had enough of this for one day." "All right," Kaimiri said, placing his hands to the diagram drawn on the floor. Yusei did the same. "Whatever happens, don't remove the flow of power. That will only make it worse if something goes wrong." Selena shook her head. "I don't trust this thing yet." She replied. She didn't admit that she had her misgivings about her own singing ability either. |
"Sure, ok. Don't be surprised if bonehead of a Jono asks you the same thing" Max replied.
Atemu lifted a hand up which caused Kaiba to be bounded. "You are not done Kaiba. Nothing's over until I say so. If you are serious about leaving, try and get out of the binding spell" Atemu said. "And I have to stay in the middle and do nothing?" the entity asked. "So? It would be easier if he just accept that I'm going to die and there is nothing he can do about it" Ashleigh resorted. |
Melhana shook her head at her friend's morbid statement. "Ashleigh, listen to yourself." She said. "Haven't you even given a bit of thought to any alternatives?"
Kaiba growled. "You must really be enjoying this," he said grumpily. However, he did close his eyes and look for that pool of--god forbid, he was admitting it--magic in him. It didn't take long for him to find it, and touching it his gold aura ignited. He then proceeded to analyze the binding spell Atem had put on him. He smirked. It was so pathetically easy for him to find the weakness in the binds. He let a stream of power leak into the kink he found, and..... Ended up blasting himself into the wall. Selena sighed. "Duly noted," she said. "Well, if he does ask I can always whack him over the head with my sketch pad." Kaimiri nodded. "We'll need you to activate your powers as well to complete the circuit. I'll let you know when." He said. He nodded to Yusei. "Begin," He said. |
"Do you think there's an alterntive?" Ashleigh replied, "because what I can see, there isn't."
"Good point" Max said, "But you should try it out sometime" Max said. "Ok....." the entity said, confused. "Told you that we're not finished" Atemu sighed, "And you need to learn how to put that anger to power and that takes about 1-2 years but we only have 2-3 weeks to do it in." |
"Whatever," Kaiba grumbled. He continued on his way for the door. "Either way, I'm done here today. One of these days I swear your 'training' is going to put me in the emergency room."
And with that he left the dojo, slamming the door behind him. Melhana bit the inside of her cheek. Much as she hated to admit it, she didn't see any alternative either. But that didn't stop her from deterring her friend. "Okay, so say you go through with this plan of yours. What if it doesn't work, and you don't come back to us? Hasn't that possibility crossed your mind even once?" "Allright, if it'll make you feel better then I'll give it a try sometime." Selena conceded. Kaimiri and Yusei let their power flow into the array. It glowed a soft silver light, giving the room an eerie, ghostlike glow. "Now!" He told the entity. |
Atemu sighed.
Kaiba, you're just lucky you're not trained by Melhana or you already be there right now he thought. "It's a risk I'm willing to take" Ashleigh replied. "That's good but I suggest to try after we sorted Kaimiri out. But to matter at hand. I want you to sneak in with Ashleigh and hide. I want you to tell me if she gone through with it or not. By the sounds of it, Yugi's hasn't let it sink in yet" Max said. The entity let out a tainted crimson mist from her body. She can feel that something was happening to her but what? Atemu walked to Yugi's quarters only to find him crying in one of the pillows on the bed. He could tell that Yugi was totally upset about something. "Yugi, you ok?" Atemu asked. |
"Go away." Yugi mumbled into the pillow.
It didn't take long for Kaiba to reach his quarters. He headed straight to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He stood there with his hands gripping the sink tight enough for his hands to shake. That may have been caused by something else, but he didn't care right now. His eyes started burning, and he blinked away the tears that he knew were coming. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was drawn. Since...that day, he'd been out cold until a few days before the funeral. He was still having trouble working up an apetite. When he thought about what Kaimiri had done..... One of Kaiba's hands balled into a fist. With a yell of rage he slammed his fist into the mirror. He ignored the glass that got caught in his skin as he sunk to his knees. He was breathing hard, but not from the training session he'd just walked out on. Sitting up against the wall, he placed his good hand over his eyes and let the tears come out in silent misery and grief. Yes, Kaimiri thought as the entity's form became more and more coropeal. It's working. "All right then," Melhana said. "But if you ever need to...well, I'm not sure what to say honestly." "I know." Selena replied. "Yugi's been in his quarters all morning. I went there earlier and tried to get him to come out, but he wouldn't." |
"Yugi, you should know me by now. I won't leave until you tell me what's wrong" Atem said.
What's happening to me? the entity thought to itself. "If I disappear, they will know it didn't work" Aka said, "right Mel?" "And you know the risk right?" Max asked. |
Selena nodded. She knew the risks all too well.
Yugi mumbled something into the pillow, refusing to look Atem in the eye at the moment. Melhana sighed. "I guess it's completely useless to talk you out of this, huh?" She asked. |
"Yep, you got that right" Ashleigh said.
"Speak up, I can't hear you with the pillow over your mouth" Atem said. "Good. Ashleigh will be leaving next week and we will follow the week after. As you know, because of my Physic Powers, I can communicate to spirits, and that include the Angels. They said that Mokuba made it safety and sadly, Kaimiri finally got to Sho when our guard was down, meaning he won't be with us anymore. But they assure us that Ashleigh's plan will work. They're the ones who will be supplying the power to the girl's body. Why everyone have the possibly of the plan failing in their heads, they should trust the angels on this which it was originally their idea. They placed the idea and Ashleigh was saying what they want you guys to hear" Max explained. |
Selena sighed heavily. "That's why Ryo nearly collapsed then." She said. "So the body he was shown...it was Sho?"
Yugi pulled his head out of the pillow and wiped his face dry. "Atem," he croaked. His throat was raw from the last arguement with Ashleigh. "I...I can't figure out what to do. Part of me knows that Ashleigh's plan is the only one that'll work, but another part of me want to stop her from going through with it at all costs." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm torn. I don't know which is right; my heart or my head." |
"Yes it was and sadly, it's too late to revive him" Max said.
"Yugi, I got something to confess. It's not Ashleigh's idea. I was also informed of the plan. It was by the angels. They want Ashleigh to go through with it and they ensure it will work. You have to trust them. The part of you who wants your wife to go through with it is your angel side since you have an angel spirit. The part that doesn't want her to go is your human side. You have to let her to do what's best if you want not only Kaimiri and his father gone but also Yusei back" Atem said and he gave Yugi a hug. "I went through the same thing with the forbidden spell to seal away Zorc" he continued, "Seto thought I was crazy and didn't want me to do it but he let me because it was the right thing to do. I knew the risks and I followed through and the planned worked. You should do the same thing. The angels said in 5 months, Ashleigh will return either if she likes it or not. I on the other hand was stuck with you. Tell me, who was the more luckier one?" |
Selena nodded. "What was Marufuji-kun's reaction?" She asked.
Yugi wiped his eyes. "Honestly, I'm not sure." Yugi said. "I'm tempted to say Ashleigh, because she'll be back anyway, without having her memory wiped. No offense meant....." He trailed off. "Sora, I think this goes without saying, but you're freaking nuts." Aoi said. Sora took her glasses off and wiped them clean. "You know as well as I do that Judai's no doubt being tortured in there." She said. "That, and Max, or anybody else for that matter, will let any of us go if she knows about it." Kenzan crossed his arms. "I'm with Aoi on this one, Capt'n." He said. "It just ain't a good idea. I'm as close a friend to the Sarge as anyone, but what you're doing is dead crazy." "It's no worse than leaving Judai in there!" Sora retorted. "We've already lost Mokuba and Sho. I don't want anyone else to die either." She put her glasses back on and ran her hand through her hair. "Kenzan, Aoi, I've got to do this. I've got to get Judai out of there." "No, you're not." Kenzan said. Before Sora got her retort out of her mouth, he added; "because we're going with you." Sora smiled. "Thanks guys," she said. She wouldn't have been going alone anyway. Since Judai was taken hostage, Yubel had bonded to Sora. |
"Same reaction as Kaiba but not as dramatic" Max said.
"That the Angels can't promise you that. If she keep her memories I don't know but if it does get wiped, well, you know what to do, depending on the damage that been caused" Atemu said. "Sorry to interupt, but I know that something's up here and I want the full 911 on it" said a voice. They all turned around and they saw a familiar face. Marcia. |
Selena sighed. "At least that's good, I think." She said. "Have you heard anything about him now? How is he?"
"Right," Yugi said. He idly fingered the ring on his finger--the one that let him know when Ashleigh was in trouble. "I just hope it doesn't come to that....." "Yeep!" Sora yelped, accidentally stepping on Kenzan's food. He bit back a yell of his own. "Who are you?" Yubel demanded. "Calm down," Aoi told the spirit. "She's one of the good guys. And Sora, I think you're crushing Kenzan's foot." |
Marcia giggled.
"I scared Sora....sadly, it wasn't Judai....speaking of which, where is he?" she asked. "He wants some space. meaning he won't be with us for D-Day" Max replied. "You need to have more faith. You have been lacking of that for the past few months and I can sence that" Atem replied. |
Sora hesitated. "He was taken hostage by Kaimiri..." she said quietly. She turned away to hide the wetness in her brown eyes. "He...he lost a duel against Yusei in the tournament...and he did something to him. For a couple weeks Judai was in a coma, and then....." She trailed off.
"He was taken over by the Supreme King again." Yubel finished for her. "I can feel through my link that he's now back to normal...somewhat." Sora was biting her lower lip. I'm sorry Judai...I should've stopped you. She thought. Selena nodded. "I see." She replied. "That's all he said, that he wanted some space for a while?" The corners of Yugi's mouth twitched up in a smile. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" He asked. When Kaimiri was sure of the stability of the body, he gave the signal to start withdrawing the flow of power. "Cut your end of the circuit," he told the entity. It took several minutes, but Kaiba finally composed himself. He let his hand fall from his face and to one of the two lockets hanging around his neck. They were in the shape of Duel Monsters cards, and matched. Until a week ago, he'd only had one. The second had belonged to Mokuba. He opened the one with Mokuba's picture in it. Now, that was all he had left of his baby brother. "...why?" He asked hoarsly. "Why did you have to be the one born with that shard? Why couldn't I have been the one to have to die...?" |
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