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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 1, 2010 22:39:11 GMT -5
Atsuro had chosen to stay standing as well, which had a lot to do with the fact that he really didn't want to be sitting next to Malik. He still didn't really like the guy, and Malik still kind of freaked him out. Atsuro decided to take up a position nearby Yuugi. He smiled back at the shorter teen when he looked toward him. He knew that despite the fact that Atsuro was at least trying to be Yuugi's friend, he was probably making them nervous. Well, he was one of Abel's "court."
Atsuro hadn't known that the Dark Games were unable to be sealed now. If K1 had known about that, he'd convienently left out that fact when he talked about this place. If Atsuro thought about it, he would have realized Abel definitely hadn't known, because if he had, he wouldn't have come back here. In fact, Atsuro probably would have asked for an explanation himself if Malik hadn't spoken first.
"Hey, he said he was gonna explain things," Atsuro said to Malik. "Calm down."
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Post by mugenginga on Mar 1, 2010 22:50:06 GMT -5
Yuugi had taken a step forward. Okay, he wasn't sure what he could do against Malik. After the incidents of Battle City, he'd begun to trust the Egyptian teenager. Malik had his hands in fists. The angle was just right that Atsuro could see his eyes if he tried. He still looked angry, but there was something else. Emotional pain. Malik clenched his teeth and seemed to be thinking about something before he sat down.
"I don't need your involvement," he said to Atsuro. He looked at Atem, "I'm still waiting."
Atem nodded, "There was an incident sometime earlier involving a man named Adachi Tohru. I was still in the Millenium Puzzle when that man stole it and placed it in a dangerous alternate reality that's being called the TV World. The defining factor of the TV World is its a nest of sorts for man's suppressed emotions. Things they don't want to admit to themselves."
The former Pharaoh examined Malik's expression and continued once he confirmed there was no change, "In this world, I was able to take a seperate physical manifestation from my Partner. It happened when he first entered the world and the Puzzle expelled me when it was thrown in. The first time it was my Partner that was approached by his suppressed self, his "Shadow". The second time it was me. Shadows appear to have all the abilities of their surface selves, and in being a copy of sorts mine also had a copy of the Millenium Puzzle."
Malik raised an eyebrow at that. Yuugi thought for a moment he was going to object, but he didn't even open his mouth. Atem straightened up a bit and continued.
"My Partner and the friends we'd made came to save me. I tried to force my Shadow back into suppression. It didn't end well. My Shadow used the apparently copied power of the Millenium Puzzle to send me into a coma via a Mind Crush. Think of it as a sort of Penalty Game with no Dark Game to precede it. It seems to be a power exclusive to the Puzzle," Atem paused, "...that was where the ability to seal the Games was lost, it's the only thing I can come up with."
(OOC: Pausing for you to react.)
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 3, 2010 18:19:34 GMT -5
Atsuro scowled back at Malik as the Egyptian teenager essentially told him to butt out. He waited for Malik to sit down before looking back toward Atem.
He knew Adachi from both what Nyarlathotep had told them and from the incident with Bakura earlier. It looked like Adachi really had been up to a lot of really messed up stuff before. Adachi had probably been trying to kill Atem. And instead, Atem had ended up meeting this thing called a Shadow, which had then Mind Crushed him.
"So... because that thing Mind Crushed you, you can't seal the Dark Games anymore? Oh man. That's bad. That's really bad," Atsuro said. Probably a pretty dang massive understatement. "At least you're okay, though..." Not really much of a bright side, considering sure, Atem had his own body, but at the cost of not being able to seal away a series of dark evil artifacts anymore.
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Post by mugenginga on Mar 3, 2010 18:34:00 GMT -5
Malik shot a glare at Atsuro. Comments outside of what Atem was saying were merely delaying the full explanation. The teenager was startled as Yuugi gave him a rather critical look of his own. Of course he had, Malik had given a friend of his a dirty look. He scowled and turned back towards Atem. Yuugi's shoulders slumped and he looked back towards the former Pharaoh. No, according to Atem it wasn't a result of the Mind Crush. Malik was already upset, but the short teenager knew Atem was going to tell the full story.
Atem shook his head at Atsuro, "No, it was merely what allowed it to happen. I won't go into the details anymore than I'd ask Kaiba to tell us what happened when he was in his coma, but a decision was made. I had to choose my past, which in my opinion would have left me in the Puzzle and allowed the Games to be sealed, or my present, which came at the cost of that... I didn't know the full impact at the time, but I chose the present."
Malik stood up slowly. He was moving deliberately. Yuugi jerked his head towards Malik in surprise as the Egyptian teenager stood here, his fists clenched. His bangs fell over his face and hiding the eyes of his dark expression. It looked like if he clenched his fists much harder they'd bleed. He spoke slowly, as deliberately as he had been moving.
"...so you chose to make the suffering my family has gone through since Ancient Egypt pointless. A waste of time, something that can never be taken away but you chose to disregard nonetheless," Malik jerked his head up and the glare he was giving would have intimidated a demon. His screaming was hysterical as he continued, "Why, you bastard!? Was it because you think something like attachments to the modern world are more important than three thousand years of confinement!? Because..." Malik's glare managed to somehow intensify as he pointed at Yuugi, "Because of something as stupid as one life's worth of emotional attachment, something like love for your vessel!?"
Atem's eyes widened and he had taken a step forward as he saw Malik lifting his hand towards Yuugi. There was still a full couch between them, and the distance was avout even. If Malik had rushed him, Atsuro would have probably helped to protect Yuugi as well. Yuugi had taken a step towards Atem as well when Malik stood up and began screaming. However, both spiky haired teenagers stopped and exchanged a glance of surprise before looking back towards Malik. How had he figured that out? Malik had begun a painful and bordeline psychotic chuckling.
"ha... hahaha.... I'm right, aren't I... you ignored the suffering my family went through to restore your memories... for something like that," his expression which had become very pained went dark and focused on Atem again, "Damn you, you fucking bastard..."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 3, 2010 19:17:57 GMT -5
Atsuro kept looking between Malik and Atem as the situation began to escalate a fair amount. This was not going well in the least. He stepped forward as Yuugi did, expecting a fight of some sort to break out. It certainly seemed to be going that way as Malik exploded.
"Hey!" Atsuro yelled as Malik pointed at Yuugi and continued to scream. That wasn't called for in the least. But the ensuing silence afterward as Yuugi and Atem had their reactions and all but confirmed what Malik had said meant that Malik hadn't focused on him, and instead started his psychotic chuckling and looked pained as he spoke again.
"Hey, calm the hell down!" Atsuro yelled again. "He said that he didn't know that was what was going to happen! It wasn't his fault!"
He didn't like his chances. If Malik chose to attack him, he didn't think he'd have much of a chance of winning that fight unless he summoned one of the two demons he still had on him.
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Post by mugenginga on Mar 4, 2010 4:23:36 GMT -5
"Shut the hell up!" Malik shouted at Atsuro, "You say you know my life, then tell me how much it matters he didn't know! He knew he had to sacrifice his past, didn't he?" Atem flinched when Malik said that. Yeah, he had, "It's his fault he didn't consider the repercussions!"
"Atsuro, stand down," Atem said with an authoritive voice, "He has every right to be upset."
"Don't you dare pity me, you bastard," Malik growled in a suddenly low voice.
"Malik, stop!" Yuugi shouted.
Yuugi ran forward and spread his arms out in front of Malik. This was horridly familiar, the only thing that could have made it worse was if Malik had already started attacking Atem. This pose, this basic pose was exactly what he had taken the day before he'd solved the Puzzle. Before the person he'd eventually come to know as Atem had surfaced and exacted revenge on a certain Ushio. He didn't have any memories of that first Game, nor did he want them, but he knew that's what had happened during all of those early blackouts.
The difference was Yuugi didn't look panicked. He wasn't almost crying, his voice wasn't high with panic. No, his expression was angry and he had a look of extreme focus. This was more like the look of hatred he reserved for a rare few people. When Kaiba had tortured his grandfather, to give probably the first time he'd ever glared like that in his life. He titled his hand a bit and grabbed a blue card as it materialized in a burst of blue flame.
Atem's eyes had widened as soon as Yuugi ran in front of him. Malik had a point. Atem had disregraded all the suffering that had occurred so the Games could be sealed. The Ishtar Clan hadn't even crossed his heart. The choice was as much to leave his Partner behind or stay with him as it had been to preserve his past or choose his present. Even then he'd worried if his Partner would ever be able to stand on his own two feet without a crush, but now the shorter teenager was showing it in the wrong way. He put his hand on Yuugi's shoulder and gave a kind but firm command.
"Partner, put your Persona away and stand down."
Malik had seemed startled as Yuugi put his body between the Pharaoh and himself. His expression fell back into the pained glare quickly, though, not even caring what power Yuugi had seemed to begin calling upon. The Pharaoh's vessel always was about protecting the Pharaoh. Even if they hadn't had those feelings for each other then, it was a fact their friendship had been rather deep. Possibly better than what he'd proven his attachment to that Jounouchi had been. Malik had balled his hands up into fists again and now they were bleeding, the blood gathering under his fingernails and threatening to drip down the side of his hand onto the floor.
In his head, he could hear Ishizu admonishing him. Things like telling him it had been the Pharaoh's choice. That the Pharaoh had probably known what his purpose was. Malik clenched his teeth with enough force that his jaw hurt in seconds. Yeah, and it was his duty to choose to seal the Games. It was his fault for not realizing that by "sacrificing his past" he'd be given up that job. Everyone, always bound by their duty. Even with how much he had fought it, he'd ended up delivering the message on his back to the Pharaoh. And yet who was it that managed to avoid their fate? The Pharaoh.
"You can't expect me to just accept this..." Malik growled, but his voice was losing some of the strength and anger. Because no matter how pissed he got at the Pharaoh, it would change nothing. Even if he managed to kill the Pharaoh and his former vessel, his family wouldn't gain back three thousand years of confinement. He just had to accept his entire life had been wasted by a selfish decision.
Damn you.... I can't think of anything else but damn you... Malik thought.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 4, 2010 23:01:57 GMT -5
Atsuro's eyes had widened as Yuugi threw himself between Atem and Malik. And then if they could, they widened further as Yuugi summoned a blue card Atsuro didn't recognize. And based on what Atem had just said, that was that Persona thing that like half of K1's old friends from this stupid island could use, which meant it was plenty of reason for Atsuro to be worried.
When Yuugi finally stood down, Atsuro relaxed a bit, but not by much. He looked over at Malik, who finally did seem to be calming down a bit, and then over at Atem.
"Maybe I should go..." Atsuro said. Things didn't seem to be going very well here, and at this point, he didn't want to piss Malik off any further. The guy looked like he was having a bit of a breakdown.
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Post by mugenginga on Mar 5, 2010 8:44:41 GMT -5
"Atsuro-kun, you-"
"That might be better. Both of you should probably leave, there isn't anything more to say here. Malik," Atem waited for the platinum blond to look at him again, "I won't apologize. Even if I had realized the full extent of the situation, I might have made the same choice. If you want to hate me for that, feel free. You won't be the first person to hate me like that. Just be aware you've been controlled by your hate once before, and at the end of the day it doesn't do anything beyond fester."
Malik opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped. Atem had gotten calm there, meaning he wasn't going to listen to anymore "nonsense". That and if he pressed things, it was possible the Pharaoh's former vessel might have another kneejerk reaction. Yuugi had never struck him as the violent type, but... Malik turned and just then realized what he'd done to his hands. He unclenched them, the action taking some effort as the strength of the clench had caused them to cramp a bit. He wiped the bleeding palms on his black vest. Damn Pharaoh. He walked towards the door without saying anything else and wouldn't stop even if someone said his name.
"Atsuro-kun... I'm sorry," Yuugi said. Atem looked at his Partner in surprise at the apology as Yuugi continued to speak, "With everything you're going through, to have to see that..."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 5, 2010 21:25:13 GMT -5
Atsuro watched Malik leave without any protest before turning back toward Yuugi once the man had left the room. He tried to smile a bit for the shorter teenager.
"It's okay... You don't have to worry about me so much," Atsuro said. He knew that the last part of that statement didn't mean much to Yuugi; the shorter teen would still worry about him anyways, even though his group had bigger problems than Atsuro's group did.
A thought occured to Atsuro at that, but he shook it from his head. He doubted Yuugi would want to leave his friends on this stupid Island behind, and even if he did, the state of Atsuro's world wasn't much better. A war between the angels and the demons was about to break out and the human world would be the battlefield. Even though the human race as a whole had decided to stay out of the war, they'd still be caught up in other ways.
"Well, I guess I'll be going now," Atsuro said, and he headed out the door himself. He was going to go find something else to do for the next few hours. He wasn't worried about Abel or the others right now; he hadn't gotten any messages on his COMP from them, so it looked like they were having a calm day for once.
And of course, that made him stop and think for a moment. This was Abel he was talking about. Abel, who was currently having so much of a conflict with his demon side and his lust for some kind of fear spice that there was no way that nothing bad hadn't happened. He pulled out his COMP as he was half through the door, and started up a new email.
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Post by mugenginga on Mar 5, 2010 22:36:38 GMT -5
Yuugi just nodded as Atsuro told him not to worry. It wasn't convincing. Atem raised an eyebrow as Atsuro shook his head, but he didn't say anything. If he wanted to talk about it, he would. It was probably something related to Abel. Yuugi had taken a step forward to help Atsuro out the door, but Atem put his hand on his shoulder again. The short teenager looked back in surprise and Atem shook his head. There wasn't anything they could do for Atsuro. He knew his Partner knew that. Atsuro had chosen and was choosing to stay with Abel despite the knowledge it was a bad idea. Yuugi sighed as the door closed.
"Atem, what's Adachi up to?"
Atem blinked at the lack of honorific, "Why?"
Yuugi pushed Atem's hand off his shoulder, "Because I know the Ring got back to Bakura earlier today."
Atem narrowed his eyes, "Is he okay?"
Yuugi bit his lip. He was probably going to go with Malik. He looked at Atem and began to speak.
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Malik had paused once he got out the door. He looked at his hands again. Okay, they hurt quite a bit now that he couldn't channel his anger directly at the... former Pharaoh. He curled them up a bit in some kind of illusion of pain relief and looked around. It was possible Bakura hadn't waited for him and decided to go off on his own.
"Malik-san...?"
Malik about jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice. He whirled around and had a defensive status. The reaction startled Bakura and he had taken a step back and held up his arms. They both looked at each other for a moment before both relaxing. Bakura looked down at Malik's curled hands and his eyes widened in pained sympathy.
"It's nothing," Malik said as Bakura opened his mouth, "Did you decide to come with me?"
"Yeah..." Bakura looked away, "I don't have anywhere else to go. Malik-san..."
"What?"
"Is it bad that I don't hate Adachi-san?"
"I can't answer that for you. I can tell you its not smart for you to stay in that building regardless of your feelings about the man."
"Oh... Hey, what did you do to your hands?" Bakura pointed.
"I told you its nothing!" Malik growled. He continued after Bakura flinched, "If you're coming, then keep up. I'm not slowing down for you."
Malik turned to leave. Bakura hesitated for a moment and headed after the Egyptian teenager. He really didn't have anyplace else to go. Malik said that he shouldn't stay at that apartments. Had he known he was considering going back and talking to Adachi? He did need to apologize for his reaction to the man having the trust in him to admit his past... Atsuro would see them walking together. Malik still seemed a bit miffed and more than a bit cold. Bakura looked a bit hesitant and lost in thought as he trailed behind Malik, but he was keeping up for the most part.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Mar 5, 2010 22:51:41 GMT -5
Atsuro frowned at his COMP as he walked down the stairs. It didn't usually take this long for Seth to reply to one of his messages. Was something going wrong after all? Just as Atsuro's mind began to wander to any of the more horrid possibilities, his COMP beeped. He opened it up.
He blinked at the message before sighing and placing the COMP back into his pocket. He supposed he had been worrying a bit too much. Maybe Abel was actually having a calm day like he actually could most of the time in the demon realm. That was another possibility. Maybe this world's air just oppressed Abel like the demon realm's did to humans.
He passed by Malik and Bakura as he headed toward the door, but he didn't say anything. Malik had said he'd take Bakura in; Atsuro couldn't blame him for staying to that promise. But he had to wonder if the Egyptian teenager really had to speak that harshly. Maybe he was just pissed off still.
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