Shadows of Guilt (Rei no Kaado)

[mugenginga]

Anzu looked more than a bit confused as Souji spoke. Yuugi's eyes widened as he quickly looked over to Souji as he asked his question. Teddie seemed mildly surprised too, and his eyes flicked to the side as soon as the question ended. Away from making eye contact with Souji. That thought had actually crossed his mind as he'd been chewed out for yelling at Anzu. If Souji thought so too, it was almost a given. But they didn't have time for this, and he was their only way out!

"I'll be fine. Honestly!" He looked at Souji and forced a smile, "Just think of it as a bad mood! I can work past it! If I'm not here you can't rescue Bakura-kun! You need a way out!"

It was now that a concealed presence would be felt by Izanagi. Not Souji, as it was clear by his trouble seeing earlier that he was not fully sharing what he was sensing with his avatar. The seal had clearly been phenomenal up to this point, as it would be just now that Izanagi was picking up on it. It seemed behind one of the other doors almost, but that positioning didn't seem quite right. If Izanagi focused on it, the presence would vanish. However, that focus would allow him to recognize it...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

That didn't stop Souji from looking any less concerned. He bent down a bit so he could look Teddie in the eye before standing up straight again. He shook his head.

"Teddie, it won't do us any good if you're in a 'bad mood,'" Souji said. "...If it's bothering you that badly, we can come back tomorrow. It won't do us any good if we get killed because of--"

He paused and turned around. He looked rather confused, really.

I know I felt it, Izanagi said. That demon, Nyarlathotep. I know I felt it. At this point, I'm really starting to wonder if it's actually acting on Abel's orders or if it's just hounding us out out of its own interests.

Souji scowled. How had it even followed them into the TV World in the first place?

"Souji? What's up?" Minato asked. Souji looked more than a little on edge himself from where Minato was. The way he'd turned was almost like a person who had just barely heard something off behind them would.

"Alright, show yourself!" Souji yelled. He looked toward Minato. "Izanagi sensed that demon Abel sent to tail us again. Nyarlathotep." He didn't really bother to think about or care that Anzu would have no idea what he was talking about. Nyarlathotep was the more concerning thing at the moment.

[mugenginga]

Teddie wasn't replying. Souji was still speaking and the bear didn't want to cut him off. But his worries still stood as Souji spoke. It wouldn't be any better tomorrow. If it didn't rain tonight, in fact, it would be worse. But they had no way to get out of the TV World without him, so he had to be here. They needed to do this today, even if he anxious. He wasn't 'just' a Shadow anymore, he had better control! At least that's what he was telling himself. He blinked in surprise as the words were suddenly cut short and looked up towards Souji as he turned away and glanced around.

"...Sensei?"

Yuugi blinked and turned towards Souji as he became distracted. He had been focusing on Teddie. Anzu glanced between the group once more, feeling rather the third wheel. Was this why Yuugi hadn't wanted her to come? It was then that Souji started shouting and got his explanation out to Minato. Yuugi looked rather surprised. After that talk he'd had with K1, they were still being watched? No, Yuugi found himself being corrected. Souji was still being watched. Izanagi was still being watched. There seemed to be a bit of a personal vendetta from K1 towards Souji, at least in his capacity as the King of Bel.

Anzu, however, looked like she was about to faint. Had Souji just said demon!? The first, last, and what she'd hoped was only demon she'd ever seen was that thing called Zorc. She hadn't yet made the connection of the name to that first Dark Game she and her friends had been put through. Yuugi and his friends were dealing with another demon? And one sent specifically after them!? She found herself taking a few steps back, allowing the ones clearly more capable of fighting to remain in front of her.

There was a clicking sound as one of the doors in the hall opened. The door opened in a way to prevent the room inside from being visible, but if the group had some method of catching it they'd see it was mostly black. A bit of discoloration seemed to form a vague and yet ornate shape, but Nyarlathotep passed through it and the door slammed shut seemingly by itself before any kind of focus on it could be gotten. He straightened up once the door was closed and smirked at the group. Anzu's eyes got wider and she took a few more steps back. The demon regarded her for a moment with a much larger grin before he returned his attention to Souji.

"I have to say..." it stated, the ability to speak without a face unsettling Yuugi as much as it always did and removing any remaining color from Anzu's face, "This place is rather refreshing... It has been some time since I have been in a place so suitable to my being. In any case... Izanagi-no-Okami, I presume you called for a reason?"

[Firebreath Fishslap]

To be honest, Souji hadn't expected Nyarlathotep to listen to him. It might have been better if it hadn't, because the moment it came out of the door and smirked at them, he could swear he felt his heart skip a beat. The thing was damn creepy, and everyone present knew it. Really, he had to wonder if that was the reason Abel had sent that specific demon after them. He wouldn't put it past Abel to pull a stunt like that with what he had seen of him.

Souji's freaked expression changed to a scowl as Nyarlathotep spoke.

He wants you, Souji said to Izanagi. They never do want me, do they?

Souji closed his eyes, and his stance slightly shifted before he opened his eyes again. That sudden change of stance, plus the apparent change in tone of voice once he started speaking would be all too familiar to Anzu.

"I'm tired of you following me, Nyarlathotep," Izanagi growled. "Abel sent you to trail Souji, didn't he?"

[mugenginga]

Anzu was more than a bit freaked at this point. When Souji's stance changed, her eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Yuugi had begun turning towards her the instant Izanagi surfaced, and he put his hand on her wrist. It caused her to jerk rather visibly, earning an amused glance from Nyarlathotep as he turned back to Souji. Yuugi spoke in a hushed whisper, making sure Anzu could see his face due to their height difference. Ther conversation was simultaneous with Nyarlathotep's response to Izanagi.

<sub>"Anzu, its okay! He's an ally!"

"I've only ever seen one of them that was an ally, Yuugi!"

"He isn't connected to a Millenium Item. Please, you have to trust me that you can trust him!"</sub>

Anzu looked rather hurt at the unintended implication. Yuugi frowned as he realized what he'd implied, and went to pull away. His eyes widened as Anzu put her other hand on top of his and gave a forced smile. She nodded, and Yuugi found himself feeling more than a bit awkward. When he felt the slight blush raise on his cheeks, he jerked away with enough force. Anzu's eyes widened at what seemed a rather dramatic reaction, but didn't turn back to him. Nyarlathotep was finishing up his bit just as that happened.

"He informed me to keep an eye on a Shadow and his true form, yes," Nyarlathotep smirked, well aware of the likelihood of Souji being allowed to listen in, "Although as a mask he is rather special, is he not? The other Shadow among your party is effected by the dark recesses of the subconscious... It is amusing. I would not call it wise to remain him among your party. Oh dear, but that would mean you would have to let the thief's reincarnation die, wouldn't it?"

He let out a chuckle worthy of his race and crossed his mutated arms. One hand was raised up so the claw like "hand" rested against the side of his cheek, "That is a dilemma. I suppose you could supplicate yourselves to my King for aid... he has allowed exit from this world before, after all..."

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji glared at Nyarlathotep as he spoke. It wasn't just the Shadow comment that was angering him, that was part of it. It was the part when he outright stated he was just a mask that was getting to him. And then, as if Nyarlathotep hadn't done enough to make Souji mad, he had to say what he did about Teddie, and then he made his comment about Bakura. By this point, Souji was seething.

I hate this demon so much, Souji growled. He's really starting to piss me off.

Souji wasn't the only one who Nyarlathotep was angering. Minato was starting to look just as angry as Souji felt. He ground his teeth as Nyarlathotep offered Abel's help in the most taunting way possible. The demon unsettled him, but right now the anger was overriding that unsettling feeling.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't refer to my avatar as a Shadow," Izanagi growled. It was true, in a sense, but he tended to avoid calling Souji by that now. Half due to bad memories regarding how Souji had gained his body back, the other half because he tried to stay on good terms with him these days.

"And we don't need Abel's help to rescue Bakura!" Minato yelled. "So you can forget about it!"

Izanagi wasn't so sure about that. Teddie was suffering from the same symptoms normal Shadows had regarding the receeding fog, and if they pushed things too far, there was a high likelihood Teddie would end up losing it like normal Shadows did on foggy days. If that happened while they were on this side, Bakura wouldn't be the only one who ended up dead.

"I'm confident in Teddie's help," Izanagi said. "Tell your king we'll ask him if we need his help."

[mugenginga]

There was a grin of arrogant victory on Nyarlathotep's face as Minato flipped. He had undone his arms and was going to go into an elaborate shrug when Izanagi spoke. Now that god was a trickier one, he wasn't nearly as easy to cause to blow one's top. Not impossible, Nyarlathotep had in some capacity given up on tougher cases, but it would take more then the taunting so far. He acknowledged he'd heard Souji with a slight nod and then turned back to Minato.

"You should control your blood pressure, Minato-kun," Nyarlathotep's wings spread to either side, and he began to fly backwards. He had a solid grip on where everyone stood. His face was just as arrogant as it had been when Minato yelled at him, "Before you leap into Death with open arms, consider how he would feel about your face right now..."

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato quite visibly twitched as Nyarlathotep taunted him. He clenched his fists before doing exactly what the demon wanted him to do and running at him, fist drawn back. "You bastard! You're going to pay for that one!"

"Minato, don't!" Izanagi yelled as Minato ran past him.

[mugenginga]

(OOC: Rather heavy godmoding, but done with permission over IM.)

"Minato-kun!"

Yuugi took a step forward to try and catch Minato, but there was far too much distance. Due to the way the group had rearranged himself, the short teenager would have had to pass Teddie. He realized the futility of it and stopped after a step. Anzu had shouted towards Minato around the same time, and while she used the -san honorific it had been rather overrun by Yuugi's shout. She didn't know who Nyarlathotep was referencing with Death, but she'd assumed it was a nickname. Teddie's eyes widened as Minato pretty much leapt away from the group, his fist ready for a punch.

The hall meant it took on the outside of one second for Minato to reach Nyarlathotep. In that one second, the demon's expression (as it were) became fitting of his race. It was nothing short of demonic as he moved to the side with speed to rival if not beet Abel and lifted up one of his talon-like hands. He caught Minato's hand as the punch went and threw Minato to the opposite side of the hall. The blue haired teenager hit the door, actually putting a crack in it. Before reactions could be had, the demon moved in blur of black and pinned Minato the the damaged door with one arm, and brought his face very close. He said nothing, the outside world would hear nothing, but something would ring in Minato's head.

"Come now, you have permission to speak your piece. Say what you mean. Tell yourself, tell your friends; Who are you really angry with?"

A pulse of energy pretty much ripped through Minato's mind, and he would find words escaping without permission. The presence of a powerful Shadow would be felt all but consuming Minato for the next few seconds, long enough for at least a sentence. If Minato couldn't get it under control, it would last longer and get to say more. It wasn't a case of him having to accept it this time, and if someone could throw Nyarlathotep off the connection would instantly break. Minato, however, would feel almost as if someone was reaching into parts of his mind even he wasn't quite aware of and yanking things up...

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Izanagi's eyes widened as Nyarlathotep skillfully countered Minato's attempted attack. The power he was feeling from this demon wasn't normal. It wasn't even that of a normal demon. The power this demon was showing was rivaling even Abel's own power, and from what Izanagi knew of the Throne of Bel, he knew that it granted god-like power. This was the power this demon held...?

Minato had let out a pained gasp as he hit the door hard. He hadn't expected that in the least. That pain changed to panic as Nyarlathotep pinned him against the door and put his face far too close. As that familiar voice rang through his head, Minato couldn't help but feel that someone was literally reaching into the deepest parts of his mind. He tried to keep his mouth shut, but his mouth wasn't cooperating.

Izanagi had already started moving forward as Minato began to speak, but he didn't make it to the demon and Minato before something Minato had long buried down inside of him forced its way out.

"It's all Ryoji's fault... none of this would have happened if it wasn't for him!" Minato yelled. Izanagi punched Nyarlathotep away from Minato, releasing the terrified looking blue haired teenager. Minato appeared to be trying to press himself further against the door as Izanagi spoke.

"...You forced his Shadow to come out," Izanagi growled. "Just what are you?"

That was...?

Shadows can change over time, based on one's thoughts and feelings. What that was right now was Minato's current suppressed feelings, Izanagi replied. He was still keeping a very close eye on Nyarlathotep. Something was terribly wrong here.

[mugenginga]

Yuugi had narrowed his eyes and gotten a glare something like Atem might wear. A blue card had appeared in his hands in a burst of flame and he'd almost gotten it crushed when Minato let out a somewhat distorted shout. Like a shadow might have. It caused his agressive look to fade to surprise and his hand to falter. The card vanished from the surprise. Anzu had even gotten to the point of trying to defend Minato, having pulled a card and holding it halfway into the air when Minato yelled. She didn't know who Ryoji was, but the way his voice had distorted was like how Bakura's Shadow distorted from Bakura's own voice.

Teddie's eyes had all but popped out of his head as he felt the huge surge in energy and a Shadow being practically ripped up from Minato. Izanagi had launched forward at this time. Teddie had summoned his card as well, but stopped when Izanagi's attack impacted with Nyarlathotep. His didn't vanish, it merely fluttered down to his mitt where he caught it. He held it in a manner to be able to crush it at an instant if the need arose.

The impacted hit didn't seem to really catch the demon off guard, but there was perhaps a bitter impact than one might of expected. Better in that not only did it remove Nyarlathotep from Minato, but he went flying several feet, hitting the ground and sliding the rest of the way to the door at the end of the hall, cracking it as well but not to the severity Minato's body had damaged the previous one. The demon shook its head and rose into the air, the energy around it returning to normal levels. He looked up at Izanagi with a smirk.

"If you must know, I am Nyarlathotep. I would think you knew that already. Try to not stress your shell too much Izanagi. You can't express your full power in it, after all," the demon glanced to the angry and agressive looks of the group. He seemed to scowl for a bit and muttered something under his breath.

_{"It's always Persona users, isn't it?"}

He lifted his head again, "In any case, I still have a mission to perform. You can't reach me from there, so I suggest you keep your little pet in check unless you want him to kill you. Farewell, or my entertainment will end."

With that final taunt, Nyarlathotep turned his head towards the door he'd ran into and it seemed to melt into blackness. This time the group would get a head on view of what he melted into. It looked something like oil, but on it were ornate patterns in various dark light. If any of the group knew the sort, they'd realize they were vaguely Aztec. Nyarlathotep shot a final smirk towards the group before turning and shooting into the shadows, which quickly stabilized back into the door... which was no unbroken.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Izanagi continued to keep his eyes focused on Nyarlathotep as he spoke. This demon was obviously not normal, and some of the knowledge it had couldn't have just come from observing Souji and himself. Izanagi frowned as Nyarlathotep looked away and muttered something he couldn't quite hear too clearly. He went back to scowling as Nyarlathotep gave one last taunt and turned toward the door, which seemed to have melted into a black, oily substance. There were vaguely Aztec patterns all over the door, and Izanagi scowled as that nagging feeling hit him again. He knew he knew this demon from somewhere. But the knowledge of where continued to elude him.

Minato still appeared to be trying to flatten himself up against the wall as Nyarlathotep finally left, though to where, none present knew. He was breathing heavily, and his eyes were about as wide as saucers. Izanagi turned to face him, and realizing that this was a situation better for one of Minato's friends than a god, allowed Souji to surface. Souji started slowly walking over to Minato, who was still shaking a bit.

"...It felt like... he was he was reaching into my head. Like he was reaching right into the back of my skull and tugging out things I've never... ever wanted to say," Minato said. "I-I couldn't stop myself. Whatever he did to me forced me to say what I did."

"Minato, it's okay," Souji said, just as Minato's knees gave out on him, and he fell forward, catching himself with both hands. The impact caused his glasses to slip off of his face and clatter to the floor.

"I-I'm okay..." Minato said.

"You're exhausted," Souji said. He looked around at the others, and then made a decision. "Teddie, go ahead and open up the portal out of here."

Souji didn't like it, but at this point, it would be better to turn back than try to push things here. Teddie was having trouble due to the fog and Minato was exhausted and would just be a dead weight at this point.

[mugenginga]

There was a period of seconds after Nyarlathotep had left that no one did anything. Even Izanagi just hung there, staring at the wall. To Yuugi it looked as if he was waiting for Nyarlathotep to jump out at them again. With that risk there, he just stood there. Anzu was the only one in that time that did anything significant, focusing on bringing her breathing back under control, her head turned towards Minato and worry plastered on her entire face. Souji moved first, and just with one step it was like a weight had been lifted. Everyone relaxed a bit more, and things began to move again.

Minato forced out the words. His legs already seemed weak. As Souji told him it was okay, Minato collapsed. Yuugi ran over to Minato and crouched down on the other side of him that Souji was. He put one hand on the blue haired teenager's shoulder, not sure if any words would do any good. Anzu looked towards where Nyarlathotep had vanished for a final time before putting the card back in her deck and taking a few worried steps towards Minato. She stopped about halfway there, looking a little... stuck.

Teddie looked up as Souji told him that they needed to leave. He looked like he was going to argue for a moment, but the expression changed. He bowed in a nod and walked over to the end of the hall, near the door Nyarlathotep had melted through. He gave it a nervous glance for a moment before a pile of televisions appeared in a puff of smoke. He gave a worried look back to the group.

"Alright, we should hurry..." he said, sounding a bit depressed.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji helped Minato stand up again as Teddie summoned the pile of televisions, but once Minato was standing again, he brushed Souji away. Things had seemed to have hit depressing for him again after what Nyarlathotep had forced him into saying. Without a word, he headed over to the TVs and climbed through them.

Souji looked a little pained as Teddie spoke. Things had hit depressing for all of them again. He was just hoping it didn't rain hard enough that night to bring on the fog. He had to hope at least Bakura would still be there the next morning... that they wouldn't find the Ring, or worse, Bakura's dead body, hanging from a telephone pole the next morning.

He looked over toward Anzu and gave a pained smile. "...I'm sorry we had to drag you into this." Without waiting for her to answer, he headed through the TV.

Both Souji and Minato landed in front of the TV they had left through in the electronics store. Souji looked over at Minato again and was about to say something when Minato shook his head.

"...I think I want to be alone," Minato said.

[mugenginga]

"Atem-kun, could you at least explain what's going on!?"

Jounouchi was having trouble keeping up with the former Pharaoh. He was quite a bit taller than him, but he was having trouble keeping up with him. Why was Atem so worried about Yuugi? He was with the others, and while he found a bit of personality conflict with Souji, he figured Yuugi would be safe. Still, Atem looked rather panicked. He hadn't spoken the whole way there, and they'd run the whole way there. There remained no explanation to Jounouchi's question as they'd gotten into the mall. No explanation as the tanned teenager had run into the entertainment store.

Jounouchi found himself looking up at the sign and wondering just what was going on when Atem turned a corner and managed to ram right into Minato, sending them both falling backwards. Jounouchi flapped his arms and pretty much skipped to the side to avoid getting run into by Atem as he fell. His back hit a display of CDs and arched in obvious pain as several clattered to the ground.

----------

Anzu shook her head quickly and was about to say something, but Souji had already gone through the television. She looked up at Teddie, who urged her on with his eyes. She looked over at Yuugi. He looked away and thought for a moment before looking back at her.

"I'll explain later, Anzu. It's a long story..."

She gave a firm nod and walked towards the television. She looked back towards Yuugi for a moment. The teenager had his head hanging. It was rare to see him this depressed. It was only when someone he cared about was in significant danger... well, he did care about Bakura. Out of pure habit she held down her skirt as she carefully climbed through the television. Yuugi looked up in time to see her shoes vanish, and headed towards the television as well.

----------

Anzu managed to land somewhat gracefully outside the television just as Jounouchi was hopping backwards. She jerked her head up in the noise and was stricken speechless as she saw Minato and Atem on the ground. She knew instantly it was Atem, she'd seen him in his memory world. But it hadn't struck her to think he'd be tanned like there. Same height... everything except the attire, which was more like what Yuugi had taken up to wearing shortly after Duelist Kingdom.