Winning Without Gods (A Yu-Gi-Oh Fanfiction)DONE!

Chapter 22: Useless Atem

Game Shop

Atem found himself transported to a familiar place. The inside of the Game Shop. "It survived?" He glanced at Bakura. "You!"

"Don't go there." Bakura growled, his face none the happier but he clearly had his ring back. "Sit back and ride out the end like everybody else." He looked at who brought Atem. "Who are you?"

"Li. I am your subordinate," he said.

"Well where the fuck have you been?" Bakura went off on him.

"Saving all the cats in the Domino City area," he said. "Taking down mankind's population is one thing, but let a cat be killed and the goddess Bastet will claw me past my next death."

"Great. Out saving kitties. How's anybody supposed to survive any of this if I don't get some fucking help! So far, all I've seen is some upstarts demanding Rider go with them." He gestured to the people by the door. "Of which they haven't gotten a willing participant for yet."

"We'd rather not hurt her," one of the unknowns in the doorway said. "There is death, and then there's death of peace in the afterlife. It's not worth it."

"Atem."

Atem turned around. She had been right behind him. Masika was okay. "I'm glad you are safe. Did the others make it safely?"

"Mai and Mokuba are upstairs," she said. "Kaiba had gone with Shizuka to get Honda. She wouldn't quit asking, she felt it was only right to get him and tell him about her deal with Kaiba. Kaiba said it was best to follow her instincts."

I know they are alive then.

"Do not get mad at Bakura, he saved more than us." She gestured for the ring from him. He gave it up to her. "He needed time to adjust. He still needs time to adjust." She had kept her head down. "How is Anzu?"

"Anzu, Jounouchi and Yuugi are all fine." Atem looked around. Home. "It's really okay."

"Bakura did it." Now, Ryou Bakura had to be back in control. There was no ring to give Bakura power. "It all happened so fast. Yuugi has been visiting so often for Anzu or Satiah, that when the door rang I just answered it. I never thought someone would thrust the ring in my hands."

Ryou Bakura looked toward him. His eyes glistened. Clearly coming to terms with things too. "It wasn't perfect, and I feared he'd become like Zorc. This time, once he had power, he started to balance out. He hates that I'm telling you, but it's true. He isn't Zorc. He used the ring to find who was responsible and they were waiting for him. Hanasake."

Hanasake. "He is claiming rulership over the area Yuugi and the others are at."

"He sat The Bandit Bakura down. The things they spoke of. He's not Tomoyo Hanasake," Ryou Bakura revealed, starting to slightly choke. "All of them, these followers, they were given hosts. Then? Hanasake, he offered it to Bakura. A game. A game called Dragon Cards. He said it would sever the users soul from the body. A clean cut. I don't know how it could work, but they made it work. They said the gods allowed it."

Oh no. "Hanasake isn't possessed."

"He's dead. They all are. These spirits, they took their lives, their children, even their wives. Everything that was the hosts was theirs!" He covered his face. "Bakura didn't do it. He. He hung on. We both hung on, hoping that someone would do something. But? It? Domino City. It would fall with or without his input."

"He saved the schools he could," Masika said for Ryou Bakura. "He gave the biggest grocery store. A bank because he didn't trust Hanasake. The Game Shop. What he could, 20% of . . ." She finally stumbled. "Of what he could."