by WSJ
The screen fades in and we see WSJ rolling around on the floor, laughing her guts out. In honor of the new story she has on a new outfit: black leggings, a blue t-shirt that says "VotH & SoS" across the front in white with a picture of the Millenium Ring underneith, and a black leather jacket with black boots. Her hair, instead of its usual braid, is in a pony-tail and tied with a blue scarf.
WSJ: *wipes a tear out of her eye* Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is just too good!
Ryou: *questioningly* What?
WSJ: *shakes her head, laughing* Go find Malik and his yami. They need to hear this too.
Bakura and Ryou look at each other, shrug, and run off to find the Egyptians. Several minutes later they come back, Malik and Y-Malik in tow.
Malik: *crosses his arms over his chest* Ok 'SJ, what do you want?
WSJ: *still chuckling* I got the Sailor Moon SNES game "Another Story" the other day. (And I've been obssesivly playing it 24/7, which is why I haven't been updating). It's an RPG, and basicly, the Sailor Senshi have to face off with their clones. Each of the clones (EVIL clones, of course) is named after a Babalonian god. *breaks out into laughter again* Oh, this is just too sweet!
Bakura: *annoyed* Just tell us already!
WSJ: *wipes away another tear of mirth* Sailor Venus's clone is named Ishtar, and labelled as the goddess of sex and love!!! *starts laughing so hard that she chokes on her own spit and Bakura has to pound her on the back*
Bakura: *laughing almost as hard as WSJ, the two are leaning on each other for support* Why Malik! I didn't know you kept so many secrets from us!
Ryou: *chuckling dispite himself* Really guys, we shouldn't be laughing...
WSJ and Bakura look at each other, then at him, then at Malik and burst out laughing again.
WSJ: This is just too much! On to the story! I don't own YGO.
Authoress's Notes: This is, if you haven't already figured it out, the sequeal to my Ryou-angst stories Visions of the Heart and All Saints' Night. I cover what they're about in this first chapter, so you don't technically have to read VotH and ASN to understand this, but it would help a lot if you did. VotH is where Briar-Rose and Jonathon, both major characters in this story, are first introduced, and also where a lot of fore-shadowing and pre-plot for SoS takes place. ASN is a sort-of side-story, but a couple major plot-lines of SoS (such as Ryou being mind-controlled and the "elements" of the Millenium Items), are started there, and several things left hanging from VotH are explained.
As for the romance, this is definately going to have Joey/Mai (it'll be solid, but it won't be part of he major story-line), and hints of Tea/Malik, with solid Tea/Tristan. About half of you who reviewed the last chapter of VotH wanted it to be Ryou/Serenity, and half didn't. I'm still contemplating whether to put it in or not. If I do, it won't be for at least six or seven (probably more) chapters, so relax. *bows slightly* Thank you. On to SoS.
()()()()()
Sacrifice of Shadows
Chapter 1 -- Telekinisis and Teleportation
"All right aibou, just try it again," the yami said, placing his hands gently on his other's shoulders.
His hikari nodded, setting himself for his next attempt. "M'kay,"
Surprisingly, this scene, touching though it is, was not coming from the Moto house. Far from it actually, it came from the house of Bakura.
It had been a little over three months since Ryou was blinded and Bakura turned into a mortal. He'd long given up trying to find a way to get back to the Ring, and concentrated instead on helping Ryou with his own problems and powers.
"It's simple Ryou, just do your best and concentrate." Bakura said softly, his hands still on Ryou's shoulders.
Ryou rolled his cloudy brown eyes. "Oh duh, and that's why I failed the first time! I'd like to see you try this..." But he did as his yami said and concentrated. The two of them disappeared in a small puff of blue smoke and reappeared down in the kitchen.
Unfortunatly, Shen Bakura, Ryou's father, was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the morning newspaper. Fortunately, he knew about Ryou's "talents". He jumped slightly as his son and his son's other landed next to the table, then sighed. "I'll never get used to you popping around like that..."
"Thanks for the lift, Runt," Bakura smirked, heading for the fridge to find himself something to eat. He had a charming little limp to his step, a lingering result of the beating that Ryou had given him the month before. (See ASN) As he passed he happened to glance at the clock hanging over the doorway and froze. "^&%$#@*%!!!!!!! We're gonna be late!!!!!"
Ryou yelped and with a flick of his hand his backpack rose off the table, easily floating close enough for him to grab it out of the air. Bakura rolled his eyes, grabbed his own bag and took Ryou by the hand, leading the blind boy toward the door. "Bye dad!" They chorused. Shen had insisted that Bakura call him dad.
For the past three months, Bakura had been going to school with Ryou, posing as his older brother. He was one class ahead of Ryou, which put him in the same grade as Yami Yugi and Mai. He would have been in the same grade as Yami-Malik too, but he, Malik, and Isis went to a private academy across town. Although, they were thinking about transfering to Domino High...
It also would have put him in the same grade as Seto Kaiba, but he was rather, um, tied up. Three months ago the demon Kuroi had killed him, but Ryou had managed to save his soul by putting him into Mokuba's body. Now both brothers did their best to co-exist in a yami/hikari-like set-up.
Bakura had registered under the name of "Yami Bakura", but everyone called him Bakura since there were two kids "named" Yami in that class, himself and Yami, Yugi Moto's "older brother".
It had been a little hard for the others to accept Bakura's sudden convert to kindness, but they had mostly gotten used to it, especially Yugi, Malik, and their yamis, because of what had happened on Halloween the month before. (Again, ASN)
And although the "gang" knew that Bakura no longer beat his hikari and they were on better terms, only Yami and Yugi knew how deep their partnership really ran. It had had to do with a Halloween fiasco a month before... But that is a much different story.
(WSJ: Which I just finished and is the aforementioned ASN.)
"Bakura, slow down!" Ryou laughed as his other dragged him along the sidewalk. "I can't sence where to put my feet this fast!"
"Well, we can't afford to slow down..." Bakura said, contemplating. He then shrugged and picked Ryou up, tossing him over his shoulder to ride piggy-back.
Ryou squealed and clung to Bakura's neck, but he was grinning. "I could just teleport us there." he offered.
Bakura shook his head. "Nope, sorry. You still don't have much control over your powers, and I don't fancy winding up in Antarctica. Again."
Ryou pretended to pout. "It wasn't my fault!"
"Yes it was! And besides, someone might see us. We can't afford that yet."
Ryou and Bakura hadn't told anyone about Ryou's telekinetic powers, mostly because they still had no idea how strong he was or how much he could do. Yami, Yugi, Malik, and Ishtar knew, from that bit of Halloween terror last month, but they'd promised to keep it quiet.
Bakura, Yugi, Yami, and Ryou did know, however, that Ryou's powers were unique to him, and not something gained from Millenium Items that the other hikaris would have. Bakura and Yami, after putting their heads together, desided that Ryou had inherrited his psycic abilities from his mother, who, they learned from Shen, had also been a telepath.
Now that he didn't have to guide his hikari, Bakura was able to go much faster. He looked a little silly, trying to run with a limp, but he didn't really mind. At least, not until Ryou inserted a picture of Igor into his mind... "Aibou! That's not funny!"
They arrived at Domino High a couple minutes later to find that they were not as late as they thought. Teens milled around the courtyard and Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Tea were gathered next to the stairs leading to the school.
Joey grinned and nudged Yugi in the side. "Look at Ushio!" the blond prompted, snickering. Yugi did and giggled dispite himself. The big bully was slowly edging away from the white-haired duo, who pretended to pay no attention to his obvious retreat.
Just after Ryou had gone blind, Ushio had taken advantage of his weakened state and beaten the crap out of him. If it weren't for Joey and Tristan, Ushio probably would have killed him. Joey and Tristan had then taken Ryou to the hospital, and Bakura got so mad that he challenged Ushio to a fight, one-on-one.
Bakura had come out of the fight mostly unscathed, save a nasty slash across the cheek from a knife Ushio carried (which had later faded to a vivid pink scar, a reminder of how far he would go to protect Ryou) and much shorter hair, again from the knife. However, Bakura also carried a knife, and Ushio definatly hadn't been so lucky. He was left with scars all over the place and Bakura had stabbed him hard enough in his right hand to leave it crippled.
Ushio was now very afraid of the white-haired yami (understandably so), and hadn't come near Ryou or Bakura since. He'd also stopped bullying Yugi, mainly because he was scared to death of what Bakura and Yami could do to him if they got together.
"Hi guys!" Ryou chirped as his yami let him down off his back. He had to restrain himself from levetating to the ground, remembering just in time that Joey, Tea, and Tristan didn't know about his powers.
"Hi," they responded.
"So," Joey asked, winking slyly at Bakura, but addressing Ryou. "Did'ja know that the new computer came in yesterday?"
Ryou blinked, cocking his head to one side. "New computer? I didn't know the school was getting any. And why only one?"
Joey grinned widely. "Well, it ain't a whole computer, jus' a keyboard. A braille keyboard."
Ryou's face lit up into a grin. "Seriously? Great! I was wondering what they were planning to do about my computer classes."
Yami glanced around and saw students beginning to wander into the school. "Let's go in," he said. "I already have two tardies this semester, and if I get another one it's a detention..." He could already see the wheels turning in Bakura's head, solving the "problem" of how to delay him, and Yami began to back away. "Oh no you don't!"
"Oh yes I do!" Bakura said, grinning as he chased Yami into the school. The others sweatdropped slightly, and Yugi and Ryou sighed, before heading in themselves.
~~Somewhere just a single realm away...~~
Briar-Rose chuckled slightly as she finally found what she was looking for; a musty scroll that had been shoved under several others in a forgotten room of what had once been the pharoah's palace.
Careful not to damage the ancient papyrus she unrolled it, the sheer power pulsing from it sending a shiver up her spine. She didn't need to look at the title across the top of the page, proclaimed boldly in hiroglyphics, to know that it was what she'd been seeking for the past several weeks. And now, finally, here it was, in her hands.
The curse that would be any yami or hikari's undoing, the curse that would give her the upper hand and time to steal the heart she'd centered her eyes on, the curse that would get those meddling Item-users out of her way... Permenantly.
Grinning sadisticly to herself, Briar-Rose began to read from the scroll, feeling the magic of the curse take shape around her. This would be her revenge.
()()()()()
WSJ: *still laughing hysterically, dispite the fact that Malik and his yami had stormed out long ago*
Ryou: ?^^? Now what's so funny?
WSJ: *trying to get her breath back* Oh the irony of it all! I'm surprised someone hasn't pointed it out to me before now!!!
Bakura: What now?
WSJ: Seto (heehee), K-Kuroi killed (teehee) him!
Bakura: *patiently* Yes 'SJ, he did...
WSJ: *glares* That's not funny Bakura! *bursts out laughing* But this is! Kuroi killed Seto by pushing him out the window, right?
Ryou: Well, technically he didn't kill Kaiba at all, since he sent his soul to the Shadow Realm, but go ahead anyway.
WSJ: *red in the face from laughing* Several years before that, Seto killed his adoptive-father by pushing him out the window! It's so ironic! I didn't even know that's how Kaiba Sr. had died until yesterday! I swear I didn't know at the time I was writing Seto's death!
Ryou and Bakura: *exchange glances as if to say 'Yeah, she's insane...'*
WSJ: *calming down a little* Ok, ok, I know this chapter was really short, and pretty boring, but it'll get a lot better, I promise. This was just setting the stage and giving a little back-ground info for the rest of the story.
Chapter 2: Ryou's sitting in class, minding his own business, when suddenly a mental scream, or several mental screams, give him a rather painful migraine. He comes back to his sences in time fpr Yugi to faint and realize that the screams he heard were those of Yugi, Mokuba, Malik, and a feminine one he couldn't identify. Not good. Joey, Bakura, and Ryou skip the rest of school to try to figure out what happened and Bakura comes to his own private conclusion: the Shadow Realm wants another heart.
God bless minna-san!