Of Gods and Lovers (Rei no Kaado)

[mugenginga]

Everyone was talking on top of each other and it was hard to make out any single part of the conversation. Anzu and Yuugi seemed focused on each other. Jounouchi seemed ready to punch the first thing that looked at him funny, and was speaking to Souji. In any case, one person would be lucky to hear even parts of another person clearly. Yuugi and Anzu seemed to be managing fine enough, but they were also the two closet to each other.

"But why is it so dangerous? Wouldn't it be a good thing if Bakura-kun and this other spirit split? It sounds like he's a lot like the original spirit was..."

Yuugi looked at Anzu, "If someone's there when it rains, these monsters called Shadows kill them!"

"That son of a bitch stole Yuugi's puzzle? I had him right there, I could have popped him one! Arrogant bastard talked to me like he was Yuugi's friend or something!"

Anzu's eyes widened in response to Yuugi, "Kill them!? So you got out because of Seta-san-tachi? If Bakura-kun really is in there, we have to help him! We'll help!"

"No, some one has to stay here for when Atem comes back! Besides, you and Jounouchi-kun don't have any way to fight the Shadows!"

"And you do? Yuugi, we're your friends! We can help! I'm sure if you just leave a note..."

"You can count on my help," Jounouchi pointed to himself with his thumb, "I'm not letting that bastard end up getting anyone hurt!"

...It was pretty chaotic.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji continued to have a serious expression on his face as the others spoke. He didn't like this situation in the least. In fact he didn't say anything else until Jounouchi and Anzu said they wanted to come along to help around the same time. He addressed Jounouchi first.

"The TV World's a dangerous place. I don't know what awaits us down in whatever reality Bakura's mind conjured up, but what I do know is that Bakura's own personal Shadow will be there. Neither of you two can summon Personas," Souji said. "And I doubt those Millennium Items will be much help against a Shadow. It would be better if you stayed here."

Minato thought of something. "Wait, Souji..." He turned toward Jounouchi. "Do you have any Duel Monsters cards on you?"

[mugenginga]

Anzu looked confused as Souji spoke. First they said there was another world on the other side of a television, and then that Bakura's mind would create it? And that Bakura would have one of those Shadow things Yuugi had mentioned? She frowned and shook her head.

"I'm sure we can help Yuugi somehow!"

"Anzu..."

Jounouchi turned to Minato as he addressed him. He blinked as the blue haired teenager asked his question and reached into the pocket not holding the Scale and pulled out the deck of forty cards, holding it up. Due to what he'd shown Adachi earlier, the card on the bottom and closest to Minato was the Red Eyes, Black Dragon. It was his signature monster, having quickly become so after he won it from Ryuuzaki in Duelist Kingdom.

"Course I do, what kind of Duelist do you think I am?"

Yuugi, of course, had winced as Souji spoke. The conversation had gotten back under control, but he didn't like where he knew Minato was going with that. He really did think someone needed to stay behind to wait for Atem. His expression only became less positive as Anzu dug into her own pocket and pulled out her own deck. She looked up towards Minato after glancing at the cards in her hand.

"Is there a reason you're asking?" She inquired.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji blinked as both Jounouchi and Anzu pulled out decks. He'd figured Jounouchi was a duelist, but Anzu too? Still, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring the two of them along as well. Bakura was their friend, but things could go south if they were involved. Especially since they didn't know about how a Shadow related to someone.

"Yeah, there is," Minato said. He looked toward Yuugi. "I don't know why, but you can actually summon monsters from Duel Monsters cards in this world. And we already know they work against Shadows; Yuugi used them once before to fight his Shadow." He pointed toward Souji with his thumb.

"Can we not talk about that?" Souji said. He wasn't even sure how him having a Shadow worked, considering certain other facts. He looked toward Anzu and Jounouchi. "I think we should at least test it before you go rushing in there."

[mugenginga]

Yuugi didn't return Minato's eye contact. He didn't want to tell Jounouchi and Anzu not to come. They were right, they were really good support. But he was worried they be in trouble. Anzu had taken the card from the top and was looking at it. If anyone looked over her shoulder, they'd see she had Saint Magician. She held it up so Souji could see.

"So how do you summon them?"

Jounouchi had looked at Red Eyes as Minato spoke. He remembered that world they'd gone to in order to help Atem. Near the end there, Atem had actually combined the god cards. So if those cards were something like the cards... He lifted up the card. Hey, worst thing that would happen is nothing.

However, when the card turned into light and the light shot into the air, Jounouchi practically fell over. Anzu jumped and stumbled beside Yuugi, who had looked up as the light took a familiar shape. In a flash, nothing short of a dragon about four times as tall as Jounouchi materialized. Jounouchi's eyes were saucers as the Red Eyes, Black Dragon turned its head and roared at him.

"Jounouchi-kun, it might attack you!" Anzu said, taking a step back.

Actually, the dragon showed no signs of violence whatsoever. It looked over at the group a few times before turning its head towards Jounouchi. Despite the eyes being straight red, there was an almost life to them. It seemed to be waiting for Jounouchi to say something.

"...heart of the cards, huh?" Jounouchi said quietly, "Wow, that's a bit more literal than..."

"Atem says its called Ka," Yuugi said.

...actually, it sounded like the damn dragon was purring.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Neither Souji nor Minato were too surprised when the dragon appeared, but the roar did catch Souji off guard a bit. Well, that certainly confirmed it. Souji still didn't support Jounouchi and Anzu coming along, but it wasn't like he had any reason to stop them now. They did have some way to defend themselves.

"Is that dragon purring?" Minato asked.

"I have no clue," Souji said. "Alright, go ahead and... unsummon that thing. You can come, just... make sure you keep some cards on you. If we're going to do this, we should go now." He paused before starting to walk off. "I'll go get Teddie."

If anyone said anything, he didn't hear them. Minato sighed. Souji was really in a bad mood today. Minato could only guess why, though he had a couple ideas.

[mugenginga]

Anzu still wasn't sure about the dragon. Before, she'd always taken comfort in the fact that they were holograms. Alright, they hadn't quite been holograms when Dartz had been trying to destroy the world, but that was... a special case. And even if they hadn't been holograms in Ancient Egypt, that was a very long time ago. Even with the security of holograms, there was a reason she favored smaller and cuter monsters. The dragon didn't seem all that dangerous though, so she just stood there. She looked over at where they had come.

"Is it possible to wait for Atem?"

Yuugi flinched as she said that, almost as if she'd hit him. Anzu blinked and looked at him with an odd expression. He noticed it, but chose to focus on her words rather than her actions. He shook his head.

"There's no way to know when it'll rain. We have to save Bakura-kun now," he looked up, "But someone should wait for him... Jounouchi-kun?"

Jounouchi blinked and pointed at himself, "Me? Wouldn't Anzu be better?"

(OOC: Minato might get this best. XD After all, Peachshipping is the closest thing to canon the manga has... Also Yuugi's blindness and tendency to think Anzu likes ATEM more. XD)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato looked pained as Yuugi flinched at the mention of Atem. Yeah, they were fighting. It would bother him if they waited for Atem before heading out to rescue Bakura. But as Jounouchi retorted that Anzu should stay behind for Atem, Minato gave a nervous chuckle.

"Uh... yeah, Jounouchi, maybe you should stay here," Minato said. Jounouchi would be better in a fight, but things would get complicated if Anzu stayed behind. And somehow Minato doubted Atem would stay here either way if Bakura was in danger.

--------------

Souji pushed the door to his apartment open. "Teddie! Are you in here?"

[mugenginga]

Anzu looked up at Minato with a confused expression as he chuckled. Her eyes widened and she was opening her mouth to say something, but Minato spoke before she could get the words out to Yuugi. Yuugi didn't even notice her, a rare case for the usually observant (especially with his friends) teenager. He was still waiting for a response from Jounouchi.

Jounouchi wasn't entirely stupid. He could tell something wasn't being said. He glanced at Anzu, who was now hanging her head. Something seemed to click and he let out a sigh. He walked over to Yuugi and forcefully put the cards in the short teenager's hand. Yuugi blinked and looked up.

"Jounouchi-kun?"

"You don't know this, but I once had to punch that guy for being an idiot. Don't make me go do the same thing to you, alright?"

"I really don't need the cards, Jounouchi-kun..." Yuugi said. Atem actually had the deck, but he didn't need them either way. He had fifteen spares and his own Persona. He was glad it was Jounouchi staying behind, though.

"Hey, Anzu! Try not to inconvenience Yuugi to much!"

"I don't need to hear that from you!" Anzu said, putting her hands on her waist. However, the tension seemed to have dropped a bit from that.

----------

There was some crashing from the kitchen, shortly followed by a few pots and pans rolling out of said room. A few seconds later the comparatively short blond stumbled out, half a Topsicle sticking out of his mouth. There were a few red spots on his blouse, indicating at least partially what exactly had happened. He gave a nervous smile, which actually managed cute given the popsicle sticking out of his mouth.

"Wuff gowin awn, Sessay?"

Yeah, he was talking with the food in his mouth. If Souji had good ears, he'd realize Teddie had said "What's going on, Sensei".

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Minato gave another nervous laugh as the mood began to lighten up a bit thanks to Anzu and Jounouchi. It was a good thing they were here. Minato knew that. Even if the Fall was coming soon, it was a good thing they were here.

"Looks like we just need to wait for Souji and Teddie, then," Minato said.

--------------

Souji resisted the urge to facepalm as Teddie stumbled out of the kitchen. "Were you getting into my Topsicles again?!" He shook his head and regained a more serious expression. "Never mind. Forget it. We've got a situation. Adachi dropped Bakura's Ring into the other side in an attempt to get rid of Anpu, but it's entirely possible he dropped Bakura in there by accident. Either way, we need to rescue them."

[mugenginga]

(OOC: Yeah. So far Yuugi's just met antagonists. XD Kaiba, Malik, Bakura... well, the latter sort of qualfies. Even with Anpu though, this has got to be the most screen time the teen has gotten in a single arc EVER. XD)

Teddie looked sheepish as Souji sort of scolded him. If there was any doubt in Souji's mind before, it was probably gone now. When Souji's expression shifted and he mentioned Bakura, Teddie almost choked. The popsicle popped out of his mouth and he tried to catch it while coughing at the same time. A few moments later, the food was on the floor. Teddie looked up with an angry expression, rare for his mascot form and almost unheard of for his human.

"Yuugi-kun is Bakura-kun's friend, right? I should be able to find him then!" Teddie hesitated, "...I don't know how much I can help if its not Bakura-kun though..." And then he quickly shook his head, "But I can try! I can wait for you on the other side! The weather channel said it might rain today!"

If Souji had watched the forecast that morning, he'd realize it had said there was a 15% chance of rain today, but a much higher chance tomorrow. In any case, the inaccuracy of the forecasts in this world meant there was a chance. Even more problematic, that chance could occur while the group was in the TV World. They really didn't have any time.

----------

Yuugi had told Jounouchi his apartment number. The blond had looked between Anzu and Jounouchi for a moment before rolling his eyes and heading into the building. Hey, if neither of them realized things, it really wasn't his place. Besides, Anzu might hurt him. Although he had to admit Yuugi was acting a slight bit different than usual. Less restrained and more apprehensive... then again, quite a lot of things had clearly happened. And it has been summer in their "world"... it looked late Autumn here. That was several months, after all.

...It was entirely possible Souji would run into him heading downstairs to get the others, actually.

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji had figured there was a chance of rain, just from the sky. If it rained while Bakura was still in there, they still had time to rescue him, but it wasn't much. Once the fog came at midnight, there wouldn't be any hope for Bakura. He gave a small nod.

"Alright. We'll meet you on the other side, then. I've got to meet back up with Yuugi. Him, Minato, and another friend of his are going in there with us," Souji said. Without waiting for a response from Teddie, he headed out. They didn't have any time at all, and that was the worst part. They needed to hurry.

On his way down the hallway, Souji spotted Jounouchi heading upstairs. He nodded toward him, but didn't say anything. He wasn't really sure what to say about Jounouchi. The guy seemed like a bit of a delinquent, but then again, so had Kanji. He'd wait and see for now.

Finally, Souji made it back down to where Yuugi, Minato, and Anzu were waiting.

"Alright, let's go. We need to head to the mall," Souji said.

[mugenginga]

Teddie hadn't doubted for a minute how serious Souji was. But it really hit home the way Souji turned around and left without even waiting for a response. While someone else might have had the sense to think the group was jumping to quite a few conclusions, Teddie was the type to just trust what Souji said. He turned to the television and frowned as the door shut behind Souji. Man, the thing was tight sometimes. He sighed. He had to do it though. His nose was really good at things like this.

----------

Jounouchi had a rather serious expression at Souji's nod. He was getting the feeling something wasn't being said. From Yuugi most of all, the guy wasn't the greatest at keeping secrets. The Souji guy was still looking at him funny, too. It didn't occur to the blond to think it had to do with the Millenium Items. He had stopped to watch Souji leave and head out the door, but continued up the stairs after that. Did it have to do with Atem somehow?

----------

"Anzu, I'm not sure you should carry that around... how did you get it, anyhow?"

Yuugi was looking up at the Key. It made him more than a bit nervous that both Anzu and Jounouchi had Millenium Items on them. He actually hadn't missed the connection to Shaadi, but his mind had made a different assumption than Minato had seemed to make. All the items seemed to be connected to people. The Ring, Eye, Puzzle, and Torque all related to past lives, at least if that female Priest of Atem's had been any indication. The Rod was probably connected to Malik for his connection to Ishizu. The fact that the Key had attached itself to Yuugi made the short teenager anything but happy. He knew about what Shaadi had done with Anzu. He couldn't figure out why the Scales were with Jounouchi though. Why were the two disconnected items attaching themselves his friends?

"Yuugi? Yuugi, hey?"

Yuugi jerked his head up. Anzu, and quite possibly the others, were giving him a concerned look. He gave a nervous smile, "Sorry, what was that?"

"Really, Yuugi. You need to be more focused! I don't know how I got the Key, I was just told it was with me when they found me," she pointed at the bandage on her forehead, "I don't like it though. Are you offering to carry it?"

Yuugi looked relieved, "Yeah. It should be safe with me, because the Items seem to respect Atem."

"Yuugi, you aren't Atem!"

Yuugi bit his lip, looking confused, "It's really hard to explain, but I think-"

It was then that Souji came out. Anzu and Yuugi both looked over to him for a moment, but Anzu turned back to Yuugi, "You think what?"

Yuugi shook his head, "I can explain later. Right now we have to help Bakura-kun! Anzu, you don't have to draw the cards. They should respond to what you want, and I know you know what cards are in the deck, so just focus on what you want to summon."

"How would I use the Traps and Spells?"

Yuugi hesitated, "I'm not... really sure... but the monsters should be enough!"

Anzu frowned, "If you say so..."

Yuugi turned to Souji and nodded, "Alright, we're ready."

(OOC: I figure this thread is mostly if not completely closed. It might be better if you posted a response here as a final wrap up, but it should be okay either way. XD I'll let you make the new thread in the Mall.)

[Firebreath Fishslap]

Souji nodded then. "Alright. Let's head to the mall, then."

(OOC: Shoooooort closing post)

[mugenginga]

(OOC: Not! Seriously, I needed you to post for a reason. XD)

Jounouchi had gotten bored with sitting, and quickly. He'd checked the default channels on the television in Yuugi's apartment. Nothing worth watching. He did catch the weather report given what the group had said earlier, but it looked like they'd finally decided it wasn't going to rain that day. Tomorrow evening, 90% chance. Jounouchi had also caught the day display. Was this one of those regions that didn't snow in winter then?

He'd then gotten up and checked the food cupboards. Somewhat sparse, but there was some ramen. He was actually a better cook than he'd ever really shown the group. With is father, he'd had to learn to cook for two and deal with the complaints. He'd pulled down some supplies and made some food, but that killed maybe half an hour.

By the two hour mark, Jounouchi was bored out of his skull. He'd attempted to sit through some really bad programming, looked through his cards, found a pair of glasses and wondered why Yuugi even had them, and was about ready to actively go out and look for Atem when the door to the apartment opened. Jounouchi nearly jumped out of his skin at the noise and came out of the kitchen (which he'd been looking at again) just as a vaguely familiar voice came up.

"I'm home..."

"Atem-kun?"

Atem shot his head up in surprise at the voice and his eyes widened at who was standing in the kitchen doorway. He stared for a few moments, having a rare moment of pure shock, before looking around the apartment. Yuugi didn't seem to be there. Jounouchi opened his mouth to speak, but Atem managed to cut him off.

"Where's Partner?"

"Uh... Yuugi you mean?"

"What are you doing here? When did you get here?"

"Hey, not so many questions!" Jounouchi looked at Atem, "Got your tan back, huh? Man, I totally wouldn't have recognized you if it weren't for that thing your memories set up..."

"Jounouchi-kun, I asked a question."

"You asked several. Yuugi went off with some guys named Minato and Souji. Oh, and Anzu, and-"

"Did you say Anzu?"

"......yeah, what's up?"

"Did Partner say anything to her?"

"About what?"

Atem shook his head, "Where did they go?"

"Hell if I know. Souji said something about a 'TV World', but a world on the otherside of the television sounds like pure nonsense..."

"Why would they go there?"

"Huh? Oh! Some asshole named Adachi threw the Ring in there and they think Bakura-kun's inside it!"

Atem gave a long pause there. The Ring had been taken from them by that man calling himself Enjin. He wasn't quite sure how it had gotten back to Adachi from that point, but if it had he had no doubt the man would have put it in the TV. Anpu could mimic Bakura perfectly, so...

"We have to go."

"Whoa, Atem-kun, go where!?"

"To the mall!" Atem's near anger surprised Jounouchi, "If Partner's gone into the TV World, he could get hurt!"

The former Pharaoh didn't wait for an answer before turning right around and heading out the door. Jounouchi stood there, unsure what exactly to do with the encounter. After a few seconds he let out an exasperated sigh and ran towards the door, heading out.

"Atem-kun, wait up! I'll go with you!"

Atem had almost gone out of sight on the stairs, but he paused and looked towards Jounouchi. He was extremely concerned about Yuugi, but Jounouchi could handle himself. He thought for a moment before nodding and letting Jounouchi catch up. The two of them headed out of the Apartments. He could deal with Adachi later, he had more important things at the moment.