An alternate take on that stupid decision Atemu makes in the duel with Raphael.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yu gi oh. This is all in the name of creative fun.
Untitled
The sun beat down hard on an isolated plateau in the California desert where the pharaoh was in the greatest conflict of his life. Only this time it wasn't with his opponent.
"Please, Pharaoh, don't play that card. Raphael never would have given it to us unless he wanted you to play it."
"And if I don't play it we'll lose!"
"Maybe, but at least now there aren't any stakes. Think about it! If we lose now Raphael can't take away our soul, so he won't get what he came here for. He won't even get our title because this isn't an official match! Please don't do it…for me."
The last words were soft and pleading as Yugi gripped the pharaoh's arm even tighter than before. The pharaoh bowed his head in thought as his fingers holding the seal twitched madly.
Everything Yugi said made perfect sense, but something still clambered inside his chest, clenched his heart, begging to be released; telling him to play the seal and accept what it could offer, the power unlimited power. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply trying to hang onto his last shred of rationality. If he played the card and won then Raphael's soul would be taken and that would bring their enemy one step closer to releasing the great beast. And if he didn't play it and lost, although it would be a great blow to his pride, Raphael went back to his boss empty-handed. He wouldn't even take the title of King of Games because, as Yugi said, this wasn't an official match, Yugi was right, and besides he would do anything for him.
He relaxed and felt Yugi's grip on him slacken, and in one swift movement he swung his arm down and put the Seal of Orichalcos back into his hand.
Yugi wrapped his arms around his Yami from behind his head coming to rest on his shoulder.
I knew you could do it.
He let his famous smirk grace his face. Stay close, Yugi, we have a duel to win.
XXX
"No, how could this happen?"
The pharaoh put away his deck and adjusted his duel disk in silence. Normally he would give a speech about how Raphael's greed had blinded him to what was truly going on, that he should have never challenged him, and that he was not the only one who cared for his monsters. Instead he tossed the card to the dirt in front of him looked at Raphael with knowing eyes before turning around and making his way down the cliff to his friends waiting on the other side. He could hear them shouting in celebration already.
XXX
On the train headed for their next target the bragging continued. As the scenery flew by Joey and Tristan recounted the duel again and again, and embellishing more and more each time.
"To think my buddy would ever play the card."
"You said it, Joey! I can't believe that big gorilla actually thought that would work!"
As Tristan laughed, the pharaoh took over Yugi and stood up abruptly.
"Excuse me."
He walked to the end of the car and went into the small room that connected it to the rest of the train. The minute the door closed he slumped against it and slid down to the floor. Yugi appeared beside him placing one transparent hand on his shoulder.
"Pharaoh, what's wrong?"
"I can't be around them right now, Yugi. Telling me how great I was for not playing that card when I was so, so tempted to. I wanted to turn that power against them. To feel it coursing through my veins to have total control and inflict on them the same pain they have put unto others."
He shuddered as the creature within him squirmed and wriggled at the thought of the great strength it could have wielded.
"If you hadn't stopped me I don't even want to think about what might have happened."
"It's okay."
"No, no it isn't," he said choking back tears, "I was so angry at what he told me I wanted to prove him wrong to show him that I cared for others and was a good and righteous king, but what if he was right? What if I was sealed away because I was a threat to me people?"
"Don't say that! Of course you were a great king!"
"How can you be so sure? If I was such a great person I never would have wanted to use something that was pure darkness, to infuse my monsters with that kind of corrupt energy."
Yugi sighed and leaned back against the wall. "You know I think that this Orichalcos seal has fried everyone's brain. Mai is working for the enemy and you are taking everything they say as true without a second thought. I'm supposed to be the one with the self-esteem issues here, remember?"
The pharaoh just curled himself up into a tighter ball and sat there silently.
"You're being far too hard on yourself, Pharaoh. I know you're a good person because if all you wanted was power you would take over my body and could search for the items like the spirit of the ring. Yet here you are risking everything to save the world with no benefit to you."
"The world wouldn't even been in danger if it wasn't for me. I wanted to find out my identity and in doing so released this plague upon mankind."
"And if I hadn't solved the puzzle you wouldn't be here looking for yourself, and if Pegasus hadn't created Duel Monsters they'd have no way to collect people's souls. We could sit here and play the blame game all day, but it isn't going to accomplish anything."
"So how do we accomplish things this time? They always seem to be one step ahead of us."
"I don't know but that's what we're going to find out you and me. It's what we do."
"Should I really be doing it this time? I mean they did say-"
"Why do you care so much about what they say! They're our enemy!"
"They have access to something that was there when I was, before I was trapped, they might know what I am-"
"So, you'll take any label they give you even if it's false just to have some identity?"
"Well no but-"
"But nothing!" And with more strength than he should have in his transparent form he grabbed the stone around the pharaoh's neck, snapping the string, and throwing it to the far side of the car.
The pharaoh sat there in shock and Yugi came close and put his arm around him.
"You're…you're my friend, I think that's pretty awesome even without a name. Look, Pharaoh, not everything is just black and white. You can't just slap a label on something or someone and have it just be that forever. I mean those guys think they are doing the world some huge favour by getting rid of those they believe are evil and unclean, but they're not. Hypocrites all of them. The seal has blinded them to the truth that they are hurting humans and duel monsters alike, being just as corrupt and evil as what they think they are fighting, because they're disrupting the balance."
"Balance?"
"Yeah, like without chaos you can't have order. Without war there isn't peace. The seal brings out your darker qualities we already saw it with Mai. It's got her thinking that she has to beat everyone to be worthy just like it had you thinking you had to play it to beat Raphael into the dirt to not be seen as a failure. Wanting to have power just for a moment doesn't make you evil it makes you human; and if it had been Joey or Tristan they would have been tempted too. But without it we wouldn't be able to appreciate good things."
Yugi breathed deeply and continued. "I know how you feel you know. When I would get teased I would start to believe I was all those things they called me, but thanks to you I've learned that it doesn't matter what title people try to give you what matters is what you title yourself." Yugi blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry I'm not making much sense am I?"
"You're rambling a bit, but you are making a lot of sense too. You're saying that just because they think I'm evil doesn't mean I am. That it's okay to make mistakes and be tempted by wrong things so long as you recognize and make up for it, balancing everything out again. You have to be a peace with yourself not look to others for validation. Am I right?"
"It sounds a whole lot better when you say it."
"Good king or not as a royal leader I should be good at making speeches. Thank you, Yugi."
Yugi blushed harder. "You're welcome, and now that we've got that straitened out we should get back to gang. We still have a world to save!"
He nodded. "Right."
The pharaoh stood up and made his way back to his friends, his stride long and confident again. He couldn't change what might or might not have happened in his past but he could control what he did here and now. He would find out his true identity and name, but for now he would be content to be untitled.
The End