Ennead: Battle of the Gods - Night on the Blimp

“I’m sorry, Jou, but I’m breaking my promise.” Yugi’s tone was apologetic and soft as she smiled at him ruefully from across the dock. His mind, which was still recovering from kicking Isis out of his head, stalled.

She couldn’t mean…

“Mystical Ref Panel!” Yugi’s gaze turned upwards, to the pixie holding the magic mirror containing the very last card Isis had managed to make him play, the direct assault card, Meteor of Destruction and his heart froze. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t… “Direct your attack towards me!”

“Yugi!” Jou screamed as the fireball launched itself out of the mirror and consumed the opposite side of the field.

And then he woke up.

Gasping for breath he quickly scanned the room he was in, only to find he had not woken any of the others who had crashed in his room. A fact he was both grateful for and irritated by as he had to weave between them to grab a drink of water.

This was the third time this evening he had been woken up by the duel at the docks and he knew it would be almost impossible to get back to sleep again. Especially when every time he closed his eyes he saw Oneesan having to pick herself up after a direct assault, or Yugi falling after the meteor’s attack or worse, his best friend lying limp and unbreathing on the docks after he had pulled her from the water…

He thanked every god he had ever heard of that her heart had still been beating and that he had learned CPR.

He knew it was not safe to wander the blimp, but staying here would not help either. He wanted fresh air to clear his head, or to go for a walk, but they were trapped by Rich Boy’s insistence on showboating and Isis’s insane other self that seemed to want to rip Yugi’s friends apart to get to her.

He flinched as he remembered Mai’s Shadow Game and the harm Yugi had taken upon herself in order to not only interfere in the Game but protect him and Mai from Ra’s fire. He had sworn that he would defeat Isis and save Mai, but he had no idea how he was going to do that. Not yet anyway.

Part of him wanted to check on Yugi. She had been tired and sore when she had come around after the attack, but he had let Anzu talk him into heading into his room and sharing it with the others, giving Yugi the space Anzu thought she needed. He was not so sure. Yugi did better around her friends. She always had.

After the incident earlier today though he could not be sure that she would want him around. He had hurt her. Isis had had him under her control, but it had been him playing the cards. Him who had taken a piece of the Puzzle out. Him who had broken his promise to Oneesan and made Yugi scream in anguish and emotional pain at the betrayal.

He had to make things right but he did not know how.

Oneesan was okay now. He knew that. He knew he had managed to fight Isis’s control enough to put the piece back in and free her once again, but he had still done it. Yugi had, somehow, forgiven him for his treacherous actions, but he could not forgive himself. Not yet. Not until he had worked out how he could ever make it up to them.

He did not think that he ever could. Yugi had nearly died because of him and he had sent Oneesan back to the Shadows. He had not broken free from the brainwashing until it had nearly been far too late to save his friend and even then he had needed Kaiba’s help to revive her.

Jou cussed quietly, causing to Honda grumble in his sleep and roll over. The blonde grimaced and made up his mind. He’d go for a walk and see where he ended up. Isis had to be in bed by now and he needed to clear his head or he would be in absolutely no state to duel in the morning. That would be bad. Yugi would need the emotional support of having someone in the competition with her.

He was still tempted to knock on her door but he suspected Yugi was most likely either asleep or trying to sleep and would not appreciate being woken because of his nightmares.

He slipped out the door, locking it behind him so Isis could not hurt anyone else because of his carelessness and headed down the darkened corridors. He was unsure of where he was headed but he did not care as he tried to calm down.

Despite everything, Yugi did not hate him for what had happened. Oneesan had even deliberately pulled him aside to tell him that she did not blame him for sending her back to the Shadows and that if he wanted to be mad at anyone, he should be mad at Isis. Logically he knew that. He was just a normal duellist. He did not have any magic of his own that he could have used to protect himself from Isis’s Millennium Rod. He could not have stopped her from taking control of his mind and brainwashing him into trying to kill Yugi.

That knowledge did not help when he closed his eyes or awoke from a nightmare but it did help now, as he wandered the hallways and let his feet lead him around the kitchens, past the control deck and back down to the bedrooms, stopping him right in front of Yugi’s door.

He hesitated. She was probably asleep. He knew he himself was only awake because of the nightmares. Oneesan would probably behead him if she had finally managed to talk Yugi into sleeping and he woke her up but…

He knocked on the door.

“One minute,” Yugi’s voice was shaky as she answered, worrying Jou, “Who is it?”

“Just me, Yuge.”

“J…Jou?” He heard her scramble for the door and when it opened it was to reveal Yugi was still dressed, the Millennium Puzzle hanging in it’s customary place and she looked worried. “What’s wrong?”

“Couldn’t sleep either?” His response got a startled and slightly hysterical laugh from his best friend, who moved aside to let him in and locked the door behind him.

The moment it was safe Jou hugged her, feeling her freeze up in his arms before she clung to him, clearly needing the comfort despite the wavering question of, “Are you sure you wouldn’t be safer with the others?”

“I’m here, Yuge. Where I want to be…” He rubbed her back gently, reassuringly and heard her sniffle, suggesting Yugi was about to burst into tears.

“B…but…it’s not safe. I’m not safe…Isis will hurt anyone who’s close to me…” Yugi mumbled as she tried to get herself under control. “A…Anzu was right to keep you all away…you’re…”

“Not going to abandon you Yuge.” Jou promises, edging towards the bed and pulling Yugi into a sitting cuddle, “No matter how dangerous the situation looks. I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”

“But…I…I can’t…” Yugi trailed off, trying not to admit to what she was thinking.

“Can’t what Yuge?” Jou asked quietly.

“I can’t,” Her voice wavered, on the edge of tears, “I can’t lose any more friends…” She started sobbing.

Jou had been expecting it and held her tightly, rubbing her back and cooing softly, the way he would if Shizuka needed comfort. It seemed to help as Yugi’s sobbing soon slowed as the girl curled into him, still needing the contact but beginning to doze off.

“You’re not going to lose us, Yuge.” Jou promised quietly, just continuing to hug her, “No matter what happens, we’re going to stick with you.” He felt her relax and little and began to let go of her.

“Stay?” Yugi’s tone was soft and pleading as she grasped his top.

“Alright.” Jou nodded, lying down with her and staying still so she could drift into an exhausted sleep. He soon followed, the comfort of having Yugi pressed in against him keeping the nightmares away for the rest of the night.

SneakPeek: Ennead: For Those We Love: Chapter 4

THIS CHAPTER IS WITH THE BETA READER, I FINISHED THE CHAPTER LAST NIGHT, HENCE WHY THERE WAS NO UPDATE YESTERDAY.  

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“Yuge?” Jou asked, worried, as Oneesan stalked into the room, pieces of cardboard in one hand, dueling glove in the other, golden box poking out of her jacket pocket. He didn’t think he had ever seen the spirit of the Puzzle stay this angry after a Challenge. There were times that had come close, but Oneesan’s rage normally burned out pretty quickly, taking the magic with it. At the moment, however, he could just glimpse the darkness still swirling around her frame and from the looks on the faces of the others, they could too, “You alright?”

“Yes, but he won’t be.” Oneesan snapped, slumping onto the mat and shoving the duelling glove at him. “Here. That insect won’t be needing it anymore.”

“Insect?” Jou examined the glove, noting that there was already a star chip inserted in it as Anzu quietly asked, “You don’t mean Haga?”

“Someone’s going to notice if you’ve driven Haga nuts.” Honda hissed at Oneesan, glancing around and glad that almost everyone had gone back to sleep even as he wished Bakura’s Challenge had not opened his eyes to the magic loose in the world around him. Seeing the Shadows cling to ‘Yugi’s’ frame was creepy, “Can you fix him?”

“He cheated.” Oneesan shrugged, causing the Anzu and Honda to wince, while Bakura let out a resigned sigh. They knew the dangers of cheating during a Challenge. Haga wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. “Besides,” Yugi’s other self continued, “He deserved everything he got.”

“What did he do?” Anzu asked, frowning.

Oneesan’s response was to reveal the pieces of cardboard. Jou swore loudly enough to wake some of the other duelists as he realised what they were.

“He ripped up Exodia?!” Anzu yelped.

“Now you see why I’m quite so ticked?” The ancient ex-Pharaoh asked as she put the pieces away in the box her spares.

Ennead: My original plan for Imori...

“Hey Mutou-kun?” Yugi blinked and wheeled around to look at the speaker to find that Imori had followed her. She watched him warily, taking note of Oneesan’s sudden intense focus. Her older sister seemed to have taken a dislike to the boy for some reason and that was enough to have her on edge, “Look I wanted to apologise for today.”

Yugi let out a sigh. She had been unnecessarily harsh when she had turned him down but Ojiisan had been insistent that she never play a game of Dragon Cards. “I should apologise too.” She replied, smiling at his despite her unease. “I didn’t mean to snap earlier. It was uncalled for.”

“No, no,” Imori shook his head, looking embarrassed, “You were busy and your Ojiisan did say that no one should play it. I just thought it might have been, you know, superstition or something.” He pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket, “I meant to give you this earlier.”

Yugi blinked at him, able to feel Oneesan’s surprise also, and took the box. Inside was an anklet, a beautifully designed one. It had vines and lotus blossoms engraved into the thick, brass, hinged squares that made it up. Some kind of lacquer giving hints of colour to the flora. Yugi was shocked as she looked to Imori, “Not that I’m not grateful, but why?”

“For  returning my game yesterday.” Imori explained, looking sheepish, “I had a little pocket money left over after I bought that Monster Fighter game so I thought...”

“Thank you.” No one except her grandfather had ever bought her jewellery before, so Yugi wasn’t quite sure how to react. She hadn’t been doing anything special. It had just been the right thing to do. She hadn’t expected someone to reward her for it. “You didn’t have to...”

“I wanted to.” Imori smiled at her. “May I?” He asked, gesturing to the anklet.

Yugi nodded. It would be rude not to try it on after all and she could take it straight back off again. It wasn’t like wearing it for a few minutes would break the school dress code any more than wearing the Puzzle did.

Imori removed the anklet from the box and Yugi sat on a nearby desk. She felt her older sister bristle when he rolled up her right trouser leg and was then too busy smoothing Anesan’s emotions to see how he did up the clasp.

“Thank you.” Yugi smiled at him as he backed off, examining it from a distance. She had to admit it looked good on her. She couldn’t wear it for too long though, she had swimming later and she didn’t want to ruin it. When she reached for the clasp however, she found that she couldn’t get it undone.

“Umm, Imori, how do I undo it?” She asked, confused when the little lever that should have unlocked the clasp refused to move.

“Huh?” The boy looked just as baffled as he tried to undo it. After about a minute he pulled back, a worried expression on his face, “Uh oh.”

“Uh oh?” Yugi worried, ‘uh oh’ was never good.

“It’s stuck.” Imori’s expression moved towards embarrassment as he gave her a sheepish smile, “I can’t get it loose.”

“It’s alright.” Yugi mentally winced against the irritation that spiked over the link from Anesan even as she tried to reassure the boy. “I’ll work out how to get it off when I get home. It’ll be okay in the water right?”

“Should be.” Imori looked relieved that she wasn’t too mad at him, “Sorry Mutou-kun.”

“It’s an accident.” Yugi shrugged, “Don’t worry about it.” The bell rang for the end of the lunch break and Yugi hastily rolled down her trouser leg and grabbed her bag, “See you later.”

“See you.” Imori nodded and darted off.

Yugi let out an amused huff and headed for her own form room, intending to tell the others about the gift. Anzu looked a little worried, while Honda had expected Jou to start teasing her about potential boyfriend, only for the blonde to turn sulky.

None of them could undo the catch either, boding badly for getting the anklet off without breaking it later on day.

Anzu badgered her for information the entire way to the changing rooms. The other girl liked Imori about as much as the spirit of the Puzzle did and she worried for her friend. Yugi didn’t get much attention from guys and Anzu had heard rumours about Imori and his temper. She just didn’t want Yugi to get hurt.

Anzu’s fussing both amused and frustrated Yugi. She had no interest in dating in general right now. She couldn’t just date anyone. Whoever she went out with would have to cope with the fact she was possessed and it wouldn’t be fair to drag Anesan out on a date.

Even if she had been interested in dating, she wouldn’t date Imori. She got a weird vibe from him. Like there was something lurking below the surface. She wanted to think that it was just paranoia, she had been through quite a lot recently after all. However considering Anesan had taken an instant dislike to him too, she was going to listen to her instincts on that front.

She half wondered if he was possessed too but she didn’t really want to ask. There was no real easy way to bring it up after all and she didn’t really want to regain her reputation as a weirdo when she was finally making friends with her other classmates.

She got changed with Anzu, blushing slightly as she changed into the swimming costume she had had to buy from the school. Not having to buy her own was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she would have been really embarrassed to show up in her old swimming costume  but a curse because it meant she could now fit in the girl’s uniform. 

She had been informed that she could finish the term in the boy’s getup, but when the next term started, she would have to wear the girl’s uniform. She was dreading it. The jacket was a horrible colour and the skirt was so short she could wear it as a belt. She was tempted to take after Anzu, who wore shorts underneath it to prevent boys getting a flash of her underwear.

It was good though. It meant she’d grown some over the course of the term. Though she was still the smallest in her year, she at least had filled out a bit and, as Anzu had insisted, she did look much more feminine with longer hair now it no longer looked like a starfish.

She practically leapt from the changing room to the pool, not wanting to stand around with this little on and amusing Anzu no end as she splashed into the pool.

“Mutou!” The teacher scolded, “No cannonballs!”

The lesson progressed smoothly after that. As they assessed the swimming skills of the class as a whole, Yugi was pleased to find that for once she was placed in the upper most group. She’d always enjoyed swimming, it was the only sport she was even vaguely good at, mostly because her grandfather had insisted on swimming lessons from a young age. To find she was actually better than some of her more athletic classmates made her grin.

As the lesson came to a close, Yugi stayed in the pool to do a few more lengths. She had no intention of getting out until most of her classmates had left the area. She was normally one of the last back to the changing rooms anyway. Sometimes she even took so long that there was no one around to see her. In hindsight it probably hadn’t helped the gender misconception.

A loud ruckus from the girls’ changing rooms caused the female teacher to dart in to see what was going on and caught the attention of the group of teenagers hanging around the edge of the pool. Yugi headed for the side herself, concerned that something serious had happened.

Halfway there, Yugi felt something ‘shift,’ like the world had suddenly moved sideways, and she didn’t have time to do more than let out a startled yelp before it felt like her right ankle had a concrete block attached to it and she sank like a stone.

She hit the bottom of the pool, the water closing up over her head. With the surface more than a meter above her, Yugi didn’t waste time trying to reach for it. Instead she reached her for ankle, trying to work out what had happened and how to free herself from the weight still pinning her to the floor.

The anklet she had been given pressed into her foot painfully as she tried to lift it, only to find that it was the present itself that was weighing her down.

Surprise and fear seeped in as she fiddled with the clasp, trying to undo the anklet and free herself. Had Imori known what his gift would do? He had to have done, surely, or whoever he had gotten it from but she didn’t know what she’d done to him to deserve this.

The catch remained as jammed as it had earlier.

Yugi had to cover her nose and mouth with one hand as her body started screaming for air, resorting to tugging on the anklet with her other hand, trying to pull it off. It didn’t help, she wasn’t strong enough to break the suddenly far too heavy hinges between brass squares.

Desperation sank in as she realised she was stuck, trapped far below the surface and it was likely that no one had seen her go under. She tugged and tugged, panic making her heart race and only aiding in making the need for air that much more pronounced.

Then there was a pair of splashes from above her and suddenly there were two others in the pool with her. Yugi’s eyes widened as she recognised the blonde mop and the brunette spike as her friends, relief causing her to settle down slightly.

The pair tried to pull her to the surface, only for the weight at her ankle to keep her down. When the pulling didn’t work, Yugi gestured to her ankle. Honda swam down to it. When she managed to get across that it was the anklet causing the problem, she felt him fiddling with the clasp for a moment before he winced and shot for the surface.

Yugi’s mind was swimming, her lungs constricting painfully as Jou swam down to see what he could do. It was only the hand covering her lower face that prevented the reflexive breath that her body was trying to take.

Suddenly the pressure at her ankle was gone as Jou managed to break the catch by yanking on it. A dull thud sounded as the jewellery hit the pool’s floor, but Jou was already dragging her up. Yugi didn’t have the strength to swim herself, but it didn’t matter as Honda rejoined them and within seconds the trio had broken the surface.

Yugi gasped for breath the moment she was clear of the water, coughing and spluttering as she took in the air she’d so desperately desired. Jou shifted her in his arms so she was on her back and he was supporting her with his body. One arm wrapped around her chest tightly enough that she wouldn’t slip loose and sink again, but not tight enough to prevent her regaining her breath while the other helped him strike out for the side.

The two boys got her to the side, where the teacher, who looked pale, helped them pull her out. “What happened?” The teacher demanded, confusion and concern obvious as she took control of the situation.

“C...Cramp.” Yugi gasped out, the world around her still spinning. She felt sick and trying to think wasn’t helping.

The teacher looked at the two boys who nodded in agreement, glad Yugi had managed to come out with an excuse as neither of them had managed to think of a sane version of ‘Yugi’s jewellery was cursed.’

Once the teacher was satisfied that Yugi could walk on her own, she entrusted her to her friends’ safety and insisted that they take her down to the nurse’s office to get checked over before they went home. She wasn’t convinced about Yugi’s story that she had caught her foot on something while swimming along the bottom to shore. However she had reports to file and a pool to get checked, just in case, so she left them too it.

The moment the teacher was gone, Jou let out a savage snarl. “I’m going to kill Imori.”

“What else did he do?” Anzu asked, hovering in the door to the pool as Yugi got herself changed in the girls’ changing room.

“What do you mean ‘else’?” Jou demanded only to shove past Anzu when Yugi let out a despairing moan. “Yuge?”

“My Puzzle!” Panic was etched on her features as she pulled apart the contents of her backpack and tossed her clothes everywhere. “It’s gone!”