Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds are copyright of their respectful creators – I do not own anything besides the fanfiction below
Warning! Character death is portrayed here – if you are uncomfortable with the concept, then I suggest you stop reading right now
[The below is based on the plot of the Walking Dead game by TellTale Games – scenarios and characters are altered to suit the roles]
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Eleventh Hour
"Yugi, just hang on a little longer –"
"Yusei!"
The former clamped his mouth shut as the latter addressed him with authority. "There's no time," the King of Games rasped, "You'll have to leave without me."
Yusei glanced at the bite on Yugi's arm – it had scabbed over, but the infection had already spread through his bloodstream. They advised severing as soon as they discovered it, but he constantly assured them he'll pull through just fine; confident they'll find a cure before he turns.
And yet he's now crouched before the slowly-dying teen.
"I can't lose you too!" Yusei pleaded, "J-Just hang in there, okay?" He fought back tears that threatened to flow out of his royal blue eyes. Yugi's violet orbs bean to dip; weakly placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I can't," he admitted, "I've hung on long enough."
Unwillingly, earlier incidents flashed in Yusei's mind.
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Kaiba slowly approached Pegasus, his frown deepening as Mokuba winced painfully in the latter's arms. "He's not going to make it," Yusei pointed out before anyone else could, "Sorry, but he has to go."
"He's the only family I've got," Kaiba countered, "He'll be okay; he just needs a little more time." He flinched as his little brother coughed up blood; noticed he looks paler than usual. "Kaiba, he's in pain…" Pegasus muttered, "I know it's not fair to snuff out his life, but don't you think it's worse if you let him suffer like this?"
"Seto, please…" Mokuba whimpered, "It hurts…"
Silence blanketed the atmosphere.
"Atlas," the older Kaiba finally spoke, "Stop the RV." He then grabbed the pistol from the holster clipped to his belt; checked that it was loaded. They silently watched him step out followed by Pegasus cradling his brother close; the trio headed into the woods nearby.
"He's going to do it, isn't he?" Jaden muttered, "He's going to kill his own brother over a walker bite –"
BANG! "No!"
Yugi and Yusei dashed towards the woods to find Kaiba kneeling on the ground, staring at a now-dead Pegasus. "He…he just…" the young CEO stuttered, "Oh god…"
"Pegasus killed himself?" Yugi whimpered as Yusei pried the gun out of his hand. "Go wait in the RV," the latter requested. He then approached Kaiba as he looked at Mokuba, who appeared to have passed out. "You don't have to do this," he suggested, offering no resistance as Kaiba took the pistol from him.
"I can't let him suffer much longer," he mumbled as he stood, a lone tear streaking down his cheek as he aimed the pistol at his little brother. "Say 'hi' to Mom and Dad for me," he added, finally pulling the trigger.
BANG!
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Gunshots echoed as the group absconded through the streets, a horde of walkers chasing them. "You blokes go ahead to that building!" Jack ordered, "I'll lure these fuckers away!"
"Jack, no!" Yusei pleaded; got dragged away as they fled in the opposite direction. Yugi and Jaden quickly boarded with door shut as some stray walkers rammed from the outside. "That won't hold for long!" Kaiba growled, "Upstairs, now!"
They managed to find their way through a broken window and rushed up a rickety fire-escape ladder as additional walkers staggered from some of the rooms, rotten digits barely grasping them.
"Gah!"
That scream momentarily stopped Yusei in his tracks; eyes widened as he watched Jack being cornered and swarmed before hearing the all-too-familiar sound of flesh ripping apart. Strong hands pulled him away before he could witness any more of that spectacle.
Catching their breath, Kaiba did a headcount and noted all four of them had managed this far. "We have to keep moving," he panted, "We're low on ammunition, and who knows how many more are after us right now." He did a quick survey of their current surroundings and decided staying on building rooftops is the best-available option at the moment.
"Yugi, you're bleeding!"
Cerulean orbs darted towards Jaden as he backed away from said teen. Yusei watched as Yugi glanced at his left arm before rolling up his sleeve, anxiety evident in the latter's violet orbs. "No…no…" he whimpered, clutching his arm.
"When did that happen?" Kaiba demanded as he inspected his arm, frowning as he didn't receive any answer; pulled out a machete he found earlier. "Yugi, that arm has to go!" he insisted as said teen backed away.
"No, I'll be fine! I'm still okay, really!" Yugi argued. "You're going to turn on us!" Jaden countered, "I hate to say this, but I'm supporting Kaiba with his decision!"
"No! Please!" Yugi pleaded, "Y-You guys can leave me if I start acting weird – that's fair, right? Right?"
"Enough!" Yusei yelled. Huffing, he turned to Yugi. "Are you sure you could hang on as long as possible?" he asked, earning a scared-yet-confident nod. "Then that makes two of us," he added.
Jaden blanched. "Yusei, are you crazy? He's bit!" he pointed out, "You're just saying that because you saw Jack being mauled to death down there!" He realized too late at what he had just blurted out; yelped as he got tackled and received a few hard punches from his angered comrade.
"Yusei, stop!" Kaiba ordered as he pulled the trashing teen off Jaden, "He didn't mean it. Calm down!" When he felt he had regained his composure, he slowly released him before checking on the battered teen. "Yugi will keep his arm for now," he decided, "But once he turns, one of us will have to put him down – got that?"
Neither felt comfortable with that decision, but they agreed anyway.
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Kaiba balanced himself atop a rickety railing, exhaustion and starvation making his task somewhat difficult; leapt and clambered onto a neighbouring building's rooftop edge. Yugi went next, followed by Yusei. Jaden was about to join them when –
Creak…snap! "Aah!" Thud!
"Stay here," he ordered as he slid down the emergency ladder; rushed to Jaden. "K-Kaiba…" he sobbed, clutching his broken leg. "Shit…" the former hissed, "Okay, I'll try to –"
"Look out!" Yugi and Yusei exclaimed, a fresh walker horde closing in from both sides of the alley. "Go! Leave me here!" Jaden ordered, pushing Kaiba away as he tried to help him up, "Just go!"
Before he could say anything else, the young CEO quickly ended his life with a single bullet to the head. "Keep running, you two!" he ordered Yugi and Yusei as he slashed away at incoming walkers, "I'll catch up!"
He could barely hear their footfalls as they hesitantly fled from the scene.
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"We're almost there, Yugi. You can't give up now," Yusei insisted, grimacing as his comrade threw a violent coughing fit. "No, it's really game over now…" the latter replied, blood leaking out of his mouth, "You have to go without me, okay?"
"B-But –!"
"You're stronger than you think, Yusei. You'll make it out alive," he continued, "Get out while you still can, alone if you have to." Cold metal was then thrust into his hands; Yusei looked down and went pale – it was a pistol. "No…" he begged, "Don't make me do this!"
"It's unfair, I know…" Yugi admitted, remembering Pegasus' words, "I don't want to die, but I won't forgive myself if I turn and hurt you or anyone else. So please…before it's too late." Clutching the loaded pistol, Yusei finally let loose all the tears he held back. "Alright…" he sighed shakily, "It'll be over before you know it."
"Thank you, Yusei…" the King of Games praised, drawing his last breath and closing his eyes while his friend slowly closed his finger around the trigger.
BANG!
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Yusei hung the Millenium Puzzle onto a makeshift tombstone bearing Yugi's name. "I'll never forget you," he muttered, "Rest in peace, wherever you are." He stood and turned as Akiza approached him. "Ready to go?" she asked, earning a nod before leading him to a waiting pickup truck.
"You did the right thing," Kaiba assured him as he started the engine, driving them towards their designated rendezvous point where the rest of their surviving friends are.