[IC] Yugioh: The King's Shadow

[Jazz]

Yami didn't look to Yugi. Seto glanced at Yami, wondering what was going on with him. Yami only shook his head. "It is just a feeling I have. It seems hard to explain right now, Yugi. Sorry." Not even Yami himself could explain it. Maybe from somewhere within the past, he can't remember with Serena in it. Mahad glanced at Yami, knowing what he unknowingly meant though said nothing.

The dragon rumbled in agreement with helping Joey's friend. When Tristen made his move to contain the Shadow, Red-Eyes took no time to set the shadow aflame. Joey held onto Serena, making sure that she wouldn't be able to escape. "It's not your brother, Serena! It's just a shadow to play tricks on ya! Open your eyes!"

[MegaraFoxfire]

Yugi looked at Mahad and raised an eyebrow. He knew the old soul knew what was going on. Then yugi said “it’s not the past Yami...whatever happened back then won’t happen again...we will make sure of it. You have to have faith...” they landed by the portal and yugi jumped down.

The shadow shrieked then vanished in smoke. Serena blinked hard and her eyes cleared. She fell against Joey, shaking as Tristen ran over. “You okay Serena? We saw you and you looked...” Serena had her face buried in joeys shoulder and muttered “it sounded just like Aaron...Yami didn’t see it right? He didn’t see my weakness?” She spoke softly so only Joey heard her. Joey and Adam were the only ones who knew about her brother.

[Jazz]

Joey wrapped his arms around Serena when she buried her face in his shoulder. "No...No he didn't." He looked to Tristen giving him a knowing look. A look of loss. "He was worried and wanted us to help so he could hold things off at the portal," Joey explained as his dragon lowered his head and rubbed lightly against Serena's back, having huffed and yowled in worry. "She's fine Red-Eyes. Just a little shaken is all. Come on. We gotta go catch up." He encouraged Serena.

Yami looked to his partner and listened to his words. He should know better and yet here he was, worried about things that they would make sure wouldn't be repeated. Upon landing, Mahad gently lowered his friend as Seto jumped off Blue-Eyes. They looked at the portal and Yami looked back in the direction of his friends, waiting for them to show up. Zero then spoke up. "So what do we do when we get here? Go inside and flick a switch or something?" Yami shook his head. "Last time it took the help of the gods to close this portal. It would seem that is who we might need to do so again with the help of Malik and Ishizu." He pressed the earpiece at his ear then. "Adam. How is everything there? We are at the portal as we speak."

[MegaraFoxfire]

Serena nodded and stood up straight, wiping her eye and her eyes angry. “I’m going to make them pay for this...no one uses my brother...” she turned and rubbed the dragons face and smiled. “Thank you my friend...May we have a ride to the pharaoh?” Tristen nodded to Joey, getting his look.

Adam spoke up and said “things are looking okay. It hasn’t gotten bigger. When you get inside you have to find the monster that’s guarding the core of the gate...and then somehow hope a god helps us shut this thing...” yugi moved to mahad and asked softly “what’s wrong with him? I have never seen him like this...”

[Jazz]

Joey smirked, glad to see the fire back in Serena's eyes. Red-Eyes Black Dragon lowered, where they could climb on his back. Joey became the gentleman and let Serena get on before himself. "Let's get going bud'! Time to go close the portal!" And once everyone was on, the dragon took off.

Yami nodded then and looked to the portal. Better to wait then to charge in now with who they have now so they did not understimate the monster within.

Mahad looked to Yugi and could see his concern. They were both the best thing Yami had to family and friendship. Now it would seem the magician would need to inform Yugi on what Yami was most likely thinking. "It is feeling and thoughts that Yami has not been able to place and understand where they belong. In this case it would be with Serena. He seems to feel a familiarity yet he cannot place it. He knows that he must protect her. Yet she is meant to protect him. He wants to have faith in her abilities and being at her side when she wanted to take on a task would feel like disgracing her because of where she seemed to be within his court." Mahad explained to Yugi in hopes that maybe he would see Yami confliction.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Serena held onto Joey as the dragon jumped back into the air, looking at the portal. “We have duke with the others right? We are going to need more help from the gods if we are going to end this...” she saw Yami below and her pulse jumped. She sighed and muttered “why can’t I be calm around him...”

Yugi sighed and looked at Yami. “He needs to remember...know who she really is to him...I wish I could help somehow...mahad do you know who they were to each other?”

[Jazz]

Mahad shook his head. "Sadly I know as little as my King does. I only know that she was apart of his court and that is about as much as my knowledge is on this matter. This I believe is for both my King and Lady Serena to find out together." Saddened that he could not help Yugi and the others in figuring out Yami's continued mysterious past.

Joey took a glance at the necklace around his neck before looking ahead, seeing the portal. "But didn't Duke and Seto get blessed or thin' by the same god?" He asks. When they saw Yami, Yugi, and Seto below Joey had Red-Eyes land next to Blue-Eyes. He then hopped down and offered Serena help, should she need it. Yami went up to Serena with worry on his face. "Are you alright, Serena?"

[MegaraFoxfire]

Yogi rubbed his chin and muttered “it helps more then you know...from what I’ve seen and heard...I think Yamis feelings are more then just that. Something is happening and they have to find..” he stopped then looked at Yami. “Heart and soul...they are hunting both...what if...they aren’t the same thing? Or the same person...”

Serena nodded and said “yes, but you have a different god. Along with Yamis god cards and the god that watches over me...that’s a lot of fire power” they landed And Serena looked up to see Yami before her. She blushed and said “I’m alright...just got caught off guard is all...Joey and tristen helped quickly” tristen frowned and muttered “is there something going on between those two?”

[Jazz]

The Dark Magician seemed thoughtful of what Yugi maybe getting at but right now left to looking to his best friend and Pharaoh. "I guess it will be a matter of time when they find out what it all means." Mahad tells Yugi.

Joey could understand what Serena was talking about. So they would anything of God-like firepower to get this thing closed. Made sense. He glanced to Tristen then and shrugged. "Yer askin' the wrong person man. I dunno!"

Yami nodded, glad to see she was alright. He would need to thank his friends later. For now they needed to get back to working on this portal. He did give his two friends an appriciative smile before looking to the portal before them? He knew Yugi still had Ra within his deck and he himself had the two others. "If every one of us is ready, let us step through and face whatever monster that will be in our way." Yami looked to his friends that were before him and had his game face on. Whatever maybe in there, they were going to face together. Facing the portal, Yami was the one to take the first steps to go into it knowing his friends would follow as did their Duel Monsters.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Yugi watched the pair and suddenly everything they knew click. He looked at Mahad and asked “in the past...Were Zahra and the pharaoh really close? More then just friends?”

Serena nodded and took the spot right behind Yami, the others following suit thru the portal into darkness. Adam sighed in the van and muttered “good luck my friends...I pray you find truth...”

[Jazz]

"From what I can gather, they were. Childhood friends along with Mana and myself. As we grew and our pharaoh crowned, they later got closer. I do not remember how close they were." Mahad answered. He soon followed his former king into the shadows. The others followed suite with their monsters.

Seto with Blue Eyes White Dragon, and his two cards yet to be summoned, Dragon Spirit of White, Maiden with Eyes of Blue.

Joey with Red Eyes Black Dragon, and Pheonix Gearfried. Yami with, Dark Magician, Kuriboh, Celtic Guard of Royal Arms, Obnoxious Celtic Guard and Twin Hearted Knight card he hadn't summoned.

Yugi with one of Kaiba's Blue-eyes White Dragons, Dark Magician Girl, Silent Magician Lvl 8 in his hand.

Serena with Guardian of the King, and White Sage of the Sands who had not been summoned.

Going into the shadows, the group could see nothing thus far. Continuing on it would slow change to that oh what looked to be a outstandingly large dark room with pillars. The core to the spell that opened the the shadows to Domino City in the middle of the room.

Nothing seemed to be guarding this core which made Yami wonder what could hiding here that would serve as the spells guard(s). Joey looked at the core thinking this was going to be a snap. But as he looked at it more, he begin to see something something suspicious. "Wait a minute! How come they are making it so easy?! That's just not right."

Yami had stopped halfway from the core when Joey said something and figured this would be the case. Kaiba took a glance to Joey and stood next to him. "You don't say. This quite common Wheeler, but have to admit that it's quite old when it's the most common thing that ever could happen.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Tristen walked next to Joey and said “this is odd…I would have thought those cloaked freaks would have gotten here by now…” Duke nodded and said “and where are the riders? Weren’t they heading here as well?”

Yugi moved next to Yami and said “Yami, I think I have an idea of what they are after…but I have to ask…do you know if in the past, you and Zahra were more then friends?” Serena was walking along the edges of the room, looking for any clues. Then she muttered “this place seems…familiar…”

Adam was watching the portal, rubbing his chest. “If he uses that card…then the truth will be known…”

[Jazz]

"I thought so too. Maybe something happened and they got caught up." Joey theorized. Kaiba stepped away and went along the edges to this vast room to see what was going on as well. His dragon stying near the entrance as well as some of the other creatures.

Yami looked to Yugi when his name was said, listening with an open mind. He thought about Yugi's question, arms crossed over his chest and looked rather puzzled himself. "Honestly I do not know. Nothing much as surfaced since learning of Zahra by her name and what little I remember." Yami states. "What was this idea that you have about what they might be after?" He asks with curiosity.

Joey took a step further to examine the core that kept this gate open. Looking down he could see what looking to be a pentagram of sorts, being in the middle being that of a floating dark looking sphere. Joey made sure not to step on the pentagram. "I guess that spheres powering this place up. But how can we get it?" Joey wondered.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Tristen looked around and frowned. “I don’t like this guys…this could be a trap…anyone have any idea what’s going on?” Duke was looking at a wall and said “hey, who reads hieroglyphs? There’s a bunch over here”

Yugi looked around then said softly “they keep saying the heart and soul of the pharaoh…Yami? What if it’s more then just you they are after? What if the heart is…talking about someone?”

Serena walked over and looked at it closely. Then she said “we need to hit it without touching it with our hands…maybe my staff can help”

[Jazz]

Yami hummed as he seemed to consider this idea of Yugi's idea, "This is plausible." He figured that if it someone, and what Yugi might be suggesting. He took a glance to Serena then and looked back to Yugi. Honestly he know there was a friendship there as far as he knew, but what would it take to be ones heart Yami wondered. He was pulled from his thoughts Duke called out asking if anyone know how to read Hieroglyphics. He went over to where Duke was to take a look and see what they may have to say.

Joey looked to Serena when she proposed to use her staff to hit it. He looked to the pentagram then the orb. "Wait. What if its booby trapped? What if  come from the ceiling and slower on us or if a big Boulder comes out of nowhere and tries to squish us? " Joey asks nervously, having watched alot of treasure movies. Kaiba shakes his head at the rediculous notions that Joey had thought up. "I doubt that."

[MegaraFoxfire]

Serena shrugged and pulled her staff from her side and said “only one way to find out” she moved to try and get a clear shot of the sphere, like she was playing pool. Tristan stood by seto and muttered “should we get ready to run?”

Duke pointed at the wall and said “there, it’s like a message or warning…any idea what it’s saying? And why is it here?” Yugi was looking around then stopped. He knew this place. He turned and said “guys, I know this place. I’ve been seeing it in my nightmares…”

Just as yugi said it, Serena hit the core out of the pentagram and looked around, waiting for something to happen.

[Jazz]

Just as the core was knocked out of the pentagram, the room started to shake like an earthquake. The middle where where the core was had the ceiling come crashing down which Joey dodged out of the way as did Tristen, each monster came to their respective summoner to aid them. Mana had appeared before Yugi to shield him from the dust and debris. Mahad took to defending Duke and Yami where as Joey's Gearfried helped Tristen, and Red eyes helped Joey.

From the rubble was a massive beast. Once the rubble had cleared there stood Exodia, Master of the Guard as well as several other monster spirits.

Joey looked to the monsters that were now in the room with them to see they now were going to have a fight on their hands.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Yugi ducked down as the magician appeared, everyone taking cover when needed. Then the monsters appeared and Serena stood up and sighed. “Alright then…seems we have to fight our way out…”

Yugi looked at Seto and said “stay close to Yami. This is where my nightmares have been based on…I’d rather them just stay nightmares”

[Jazz]

Seto almost wanted to roll his eyes of how concerned he was for Yami but knew how close they were. Practically like brothers. So he didn't say anything and took to action instead. "Blue eyes, White Lightning!" He orders of which the dragon responds with a ball of energy to charge and shot ot at her masters enemies, effectively taking down a monster.

The Dark Magician stood his ground to defend the two who were behind him. Yami thanked his friend before looking back to the wall and seeing what the Hieroglyphics had to say, see if there was a clue to this chamber.

Even Joey getting in on the action with Red-eyes and Gearfried.

[MegaraFoxfire]

Yugi looked around and said “wait, where is Serena?!” Tristen looked around and cursed “was she hit? Anyone see her?”

Serena was on the other side of the room, her guardian having been stopped in protecting her by a figure in black. She was laying against the wall, her head bleeding as she figure moved to rest a hand on her cheek. “Now my guardian…I’ll make sure he doesn’t get you killed again…” he turned to a nearby monster and said “take the pharaoh to the alter. Let’s have the nightmare of the past come back to haunt them…”

Serena heard a voice within her, a deep voice. “Guardian of the shadow…why do you sit by? Arise and defend your king…” shadows were surrounding Serena, the figure who pulled the mask down to show Drake hadn’t noticed.