It was dark, darker than the blackest night. There was not even a shadow, for there was no light to cast one. In this darkness a voice could be heard chanting, saying words long forgotten to mankind in a complex spell that had been sealed away for thousands of years.
In the darkness a pair of red eyes gleamed, the only illumination in this desolate void. They seemed to be looking down, as if reading something, a book perhaps. As he continued the spell a dark light began to develop. Slowly the darkness was illuminated, casting the now desired shadows that had not been present before. The room was painted black with gold and red trim. The room was obviously well cared for and was spotless…..save for the blood that dripped to the floor. A body was sprawled at the man's feet, gazing outward with unseeing eyes. The man's voice became strained as he continued reading. But that was all right. The ritual was almost done. Soon he would have the power to control the world. Finally the chant stopped and he looked up from what he was reading. The dark light grew stronger and stronger until it was almost blinding in its unnatural light. Through that light he thought he heard a scream, but then the light faded and there was nothing there. Voldemort narrowed his eyes and screamed in rage. It hadn't worked! He went through all the painstakingly gruesome and specific steps to get NOTHING!!! He took deep breaths. No matter. There were other ways to get power. Yes, there were other ways to get power. Still, someone was going to pay for this, and he knew exactly who.
Yugi Muto sighed and curled up on the blankets. At first glance one might mistake him for a sixteen year old, however he was actually twenty two, and very depressed. It had been six years since his Yami had left for the afterlife. He now had a job, a car, a life, even his own apartment. But what he didn't have was company.
Sure. He had his friends. They weren't so shallow that they would just dump him to the side of the road after Ya….Atemu left. Still he felt lonely. But still…..no matter how hard they tried their presence just wasn't as soothing, their touches as tender, or their voices and calming as his others had been. He curled into a ball of misery and cried. Usually he wasn't this upset. Most of the time he could set aside the pain and enjoy the time spent with his friends…..
But then again…..it wasn't everyday that you saw the body of your other half displayed as a mere object in a museum.
Yugi fought back tears as he remembered what had happened. Today had been the day that Atemu had left for the afterlife and the others decided to have a day out to celebrate. They weren't glad he was gone, quite the opposite. But they didn't think Atemu would like them breaking down after so much time. Instead they toured around the city, going to every place he had dueled, eaten, or just been. Their final stop had been the Domino museum. It hadn't been intentional to go there. But there was a new Egyptian exhibit open there. They decided to take a look and see what had been uncovered, a memento to the time he had ruled as pharaoh. It was okay at first, just pottery and everyday trinkets. Then they had come across burial jewelry.
He had only known what it was through his Yami, and even then his knowledge was limited. But what stopped his heart was the plaque that was under it.
This jewelry was found on the body of what many claim to be the nameless pharaoh. The intricacy of the designs and use of glass show how valuable this was. What many boggles many is the depiction of the strange monster at the top. Many believe it to be the immortal form of Ra himself. Others say that it looks like the monster the Winged Dragon of Ra from the popular game of duel monsters. While this fact is unlikely archeologists are searching for more evidence as proof.
Tears had come to his eyes and refused to go away. Turning around Yugi had rushed deeper into the museum, heading for where he knew the mummies would be displayed. He stopped in front of a glass case. The tears that had threatened to spill from his eyes came now. With a cry he launched himself at the glass and sobbed. Inside was his others body, no longer rich and noble as it had been, just wrinkled and decayed beyond all recognition. Yet somehow he knew it was him. He looked up to the now wrinkled and wizened face, defaced from the harsh mistress known as time. He sobbed anew and hugged the glass, as if he pressed his body hard enough he would go through and be able to hold him.
"No. Not like this. Please. Not like this. I can't bear…..not like this." His friends caught up with him. Their faces immediately hardened when they saw the display. A gentle hand came down on his shoulder. The fingers caressed his shaking muscles, causing him to become slightly more stable. He looked up. It was Ishizu, her eyes swimming with tears. He gulped for air as he tried to speak, tried to form words past the lump in his throat. Finally he came up with only one word. "Why?" She looked away.
"It was not of my doing. Nor any of my intention to have him brought here….like this…..but they found him while I was away. The board suspected me of hiding something and therefore authorized the place I deemed unfruitful to be searched. The men who guarded the tomb were overpowered and…..here he is." Yugi looked away.
"Can't you do something. He doesn't deserve this. He deserves to be resting…..at peace." His fists clenched. "HE'S NOT JUST A TREASURE SET OUT FOR AMUSEMENT!!!!" Several turned at his outburst and stared at him as if he were insane.
"Yugi…." She set a hand on his shoulder. "I know you don't want him here. Neither do I….but there's nothing I can do. I tried to convince the board to at least let him stay in storage…..they wouldn't have it. I would have lost my job."
"So your job is more important than him?" He asked bitterly.
"Yugi!" Tea scolded him. She looked at Ishizu apologetically. "Please forgive him. He's just upset. Ishizu nodded her head.
"I understand his rage…..and his pain. I need to keep my job so that nothing else can be found. Would you like his most treasured possessions scattered about here as well? No Yugi. As much as it pains me to see him here, there are other things to protect too." Yugi broke down, crying into her dress, clutching at her like a life line.
"It's not fair." He whimpered. "It's not fair!" Ishizu ran a smooth hand through his silky hair.
"I know Yugi. I know it's not." She gently pried his hands off of the material that made up her dress. He immediately latched onto Tea, the one who came closest to Yami out of all his friends. Yami….his Yami…..it was so hard to think of him as anything else, the other half that competed him, no matter how different they were. He had always been so kind, so fair, so gentle. Yugi remembered when he had confessed his feelings for him. Yugi had been scared at first, but slowly the shock had faded away and he discovered he had the same feelings. It had increased their bond to a whole new level. And Yugi was glad of that. It helped ease his aching heart, to know that Yami had cared and still cared that much for him. Sometimes he wished that he would die in his sleep and join him. He would often imagine it as he lay on his bed. He would feel a tugging in his chest first, right over his heart. He would look around for the source but there would be nothing there. He would lay back down and sigh. The tugging would become stronger until it felt like he was being pulled out of his body. And then he would be free. He would open his eyes and there he would be, standing above him with a tender smile across his face. He would smile as well and they would go deep into the desert, worrying about nothing else for eternity.
He felt a tugging in his chest. Yugi looked up with hope. Could it be? After all these years would he finally be going to him? There was nothing there in the room. Yugi sighed. But inside he was bubbling with energy. Was he here? Was he finally going to be reunited with him again? The tugging in his chest grew stronger. He flung himself into the feeling, while getting into a proper position to be found in, in the morning. He closed his eyes, waiting for the final tug that would release him.
Instead his entire body erupted into pain.
Yugi screamed. Now he was scared. It wasn't supposed to hurt! Was it? He tried to relax, only to scream as the pain seemed to split his chest apart. Blood welled from marks on his hand where his nails dug in. And just as soon as it came, the pain stopped.
Yugi panted on the ground as he tried to recover from the shock. What had that been? What had happened? Had something happened to Yami? Oh Ra! Something happened to Yami! He got up from the ground and began frantically looking for some sort of sign. Oh gods! Please let his yami be all right! A gold glint caught his eye and he stopped dead in his tracks. Very slowly he turned around and looked at what was on the ground in disbelief.
It was the millennium puzzle.
It wasn't its usual shining gold. Now it was dull and almost brassy in appearance. Yugi tried to push those thoughts away and nearly fell to his knees. How could this be? How did it end up here? What was it even doing here? He reached out with a shaking hand to touch it. Something told him not to. Something told him to stop. But he couldn't. Timidly he hand brushed s smooth side of the artifact. There was a flash of white and he was gone. The only change; was that the puzzle had regained its golden sheen.