Through the Darkness, a short YuGiOh! fanfic by Tsunami Storm
General POV:
"This is the only card I've got left. 'Resurrection of the Dead'! I use this card to revive 'Saggi the Dark Clown'! [600/1500]" Seto called, knowing that this was the end.
"I praise your ability to play out this game to the very end." Pegasus complemented in his most condescending voice. "If I should defeat that card on my next turn, I shall win!"
"Mokuba-" Seto whispered to himself, giving up all hope. "Forgive me-"
"My attack!" Pegasus crowed. "'Devil Box'! [2300/2000]" A playfully-colored Jack-in-the-Box spun onto the field and popped open to reveal a hideous-looking monster with a bird-like beak. The monster cackled and reached into its mouth with both hands and comically searched around for a large scythe before pulling it out and leveling it at Seto. Then it sprang forward on its spring to attack Saggi.
"Farewell, Mokuba- Farewell, Yugi-" Seto whispered as he closed his eyes and braced himself for the attack that would cost him the duel. He didn't even look up as his last monster was slashed to pieces.
Devil Box retreated back to the Toon World book, and Pegasus resumed his gloating. "You have no cards left in your hand. Therefore, you lose."
Seto growled out his frustration and glared at Pegasus. He knew the Froot-Loop was just drawing this out for his own amusement.
"Kaiba-boy, I presume you are aware of what it means to lose a game? The loser loses everything. What is precious to them- And even themselves. You shall suffer the same fate as Mokuba-boy!" Pegasus announced.
At this, Seto looked up in shock. "Mokuba-!"
Pegasus' Eye started to glow as he cried, "Mind Card!" and Seto was paralyzed by the blinding light coming from the golden orb. He gasped as he felt his soul being ripped from his body and taken to another dimension. Before he left this one, however, he fought the pull of the force that was taking him and listened to what his captor had to say after his loss. Somehow he could hear the gaming mogul's thoughts as well as his spoken words.
Your mind has now been sealed within this card. You will now eternally become my servant, forced to carry out my every bidding. Pegasus thought smugly, and Seto could do nothing but watch as his vessel stood there with blank, soulless eyes. He found it odd and marginally amusing that his body was still standing when there was nothing supporting it, but then Pegasus began to speak aloud as he held up two Duel Monster cards- though Seto knew that they were far more important than flimsy bits of cardboard with ink on them. They were the cards of his and Mokuba's souls.
"The elder brother and younger brother-" Pegasus mused. "The two cards are this close, yet their souls are separated by what almost seems like infinity. To think that you'd have enjoyed a better meeting had you gone to the other world instead." He chuckled to himself as he fell silent. As Pegasus put the soul-cards in his coat pocket, Seto could have sworn he saw tears falling from his brother's eyes. But that was impossible- wasn't it?
"Remove the corpse from my presence!" Pegasus commanded, and Seto looked back up as his body was dragged away by two guards. Suddenly a dizziness swept over him, and his consciousness began to fade. He knew he couldn't resist the force any longer, or risk shredding his soul. So, he submitted-
And knew no more.
Seto's POV:
Pain.
That's the first thing I was aware of.
Intense pain, like the very core of my being was on fire. Like my immortal soul was burning in the depths of-
No! That can't be. I'm not dead! I can't be, I'm only fourteen! I know I don't look it, but hey, I'm tall.
What happened to me? The last thing I remember was- Oh yeah, that duel with Pegasus. I was winning, then he pulled some kind of hocus pocus and somehow played exactly the right card he needed to turn my deck against me. I can't believe I lost to that Froot-Loop! Then that creepy Eye of his started glowing-
Is that how it happened? Am I really- dead? Oh, Mokuba- forgive me. I've failed you.
"Not true."
What was that? Who's there? I can't see anything. Where are you?
"Forgive me for startling you. That was not my intention. I am at your right side. Fear not, for I am a friend. And worry not, your eyesight shall return shortly. You need merely to adjust to the darkness of Duat."
Duat? What in the world is that? And how in the world are you reading my mind?
"I am not. You are speaking aloud. Your senses must be scrambled because of your abrupt relocation to this realm. Do not worry, you shall regain them. As for where we are, it is another dimension separate from the one you know. It is a place of endless darkness where the souls of those who lose a Shadow Game are sent. It is a place of punishment."
A- a Shadow Game? I've heard that before. After my duel with Yugi.
"Ah yes. The Chosen One. He freed your soul from your dark side and sent that evil to Duat. Though, he was merciful and spared your true soul when you lost. Your latest opponent was not so forgiving."
Pegasus. You will pay for this!
"He is not the most pleasant duelist to face in battle." My companion agreed. "Especially with the Millennium Eye."
Wait, Millennium Eye? Is that what it's called?
"Yes. An ancient and powerful relic from a bygone era. A time you know as Ancient Egypt. Back then, sorcerers would summon powerful creatures from a different dimension and battle in Shadow Games- using magic and stone slabs instead of holographic technology and cards as you do now. And these Shadow Games were not played lightly. To lose a Shadow Game in those days meant immediate destruction of the body and eternal torment of the loser's immortal soul."
So I am dead. I lost a 'Shadow Game'- as you call it- and now I'm suffering for it for all eternity.
"Not exactly. For some reason or another, Pegasus decided to spare your vessel and only send your spirit to Duat. I know not why. I am guessing he imprisoned your vessel somewhere in his dungeons, a bit redundant if you ask me. Your vessel cannot move on its own without your consciousness to give it life, but then- that man has always been a little- strange."
That's the nice way of putting it.
The voice laughed. "I suppose you are right."
Wait a minute! Is that what happened to Mokuba?! Is he here too? I gotta get him out of here! He doesn't deserve this!
"You are partially right. Your younger brother is indeed here, but- as he was not sent here after losing a Shadow Game- he is not experiencing the same punishment that you are. He is simply- here."
You mean he's wandering around this dark realm all alone? I've gotta find him!
"He is not alone. Just as I have taken it upon myself to guide you through this ordeal, a friend is also with your brother, keeping him safe."
Well that's comforting. At least I know he's safe. I still have to find him, though. We're all we've got left. He's the only family that I have, and vice versa. He needs me.
"I can take you to him, if you so wish. But it will be dangerous."
I don't care. If that's what it takes to reunite with my brother, then so be it. I'll pay any price to make sure he's all right.
"A noble thought." The voice seemed impressed, and I thought I heard a bit of pride in his voice. This mysterious voice was proud of me?
"I have been watching you for a while now. You have had many tough trials in your life, and have triumphed over all of them. You did have to be turned once from your path- because your heart was on a path to eventual destruction- but the Chosen One freed your heart from that evil and you started walking on the right path again." Again, the voice sounded proud.
I owe Yugi a lot. If I ever get out of this place, I'll have to thank him.
"I have a good feeling that you shall get that chance." The voice answered. "It is not exactly a vision of the future- as one of my good friends long ago had- but I have a strong feeling that you shall be released from this Realm. Eventually. This is not an eternal punishment."
That makes me feel better. Now all I have to do is find Mokuba.
"Take my hand. I shall lead you to him." The voice offered, and I could sense him holding out a hand toward me, giving me a choice whether to trust him or not. Though I couldn't see anything, I reached out my own hand to where I thought the voice was coming from, and a hand that was of a similar size to mine took it.
Okay.
-In a different part of Duat-
Where am I? It feels like I've been wandering around forever. The boy thought as he looked around him. He couldn't see much, just black and purple shadows everywhere. Occasionally a flash of lightning would lance across what Mokuba assumed was the sky, and he could take a few steps in one direction before being plunged back into darkness.
Wait a second. What's that? He asked himself as he looked ahead of him. A small glimmer of light was floating in the distance, and it seemed to be coming closer. Sure enough, the glimmer turned into a ball of soft pink light, bobbing just a few feet in front of him.
"Hi." Mokuba quavered, and the pink ball bobbed up and down as if replying in kind. "Who are you? Are you here to help me?"
The ball bobbed up and down again, and Mokuba took that to mean 'Yes'. "Who are you?" He repeated.
A friend. A voice that seemed to come from the orb said.
"Okay, somehow I can understand you, orb. So where are we?"
Duat.
"Duat? Never heard of it."
It is another dimension removed from your own. In your world, I guess it is known as Hell, or the 'Shadow Realm'. Not much can survive for long in this harsh, barren world- except for those people who possess a strong heart. In other words, duelists. Like you.
"Me? But I'm not a duelist. Not really."
Maybe not yet. But you do have a strong heart. Just like your brother.
"You know Seto? Where is he? Is he all right?"
Yes, I know him. He is here- trapped in Duat like you- sent here by the same means. The man called Pegasus defeated him in a Shadow Game, and now he faces the penalty that all who lose face: eternal torment.
"That can't be! Seto lost?! He never los-" Mokuba was about to say his brother never loses, but then had to take back that statement. He'd lost to Yugi, and then had fallen into a coma for weeks.
Yes. Unfortunately that is the case. However, I get the feeling that this punishment may not be forever- like it used to be in the past. Somehow I feel that you two may make it out of this. Someday.
"Orb? Or whatever your name is- you've gotta take me to him. He's my only family, and we look out for each other. That's how it's always been since our parents died. I've gotta help him!"
The light bobbed up and down again as if nodding. As you wish. I can take you to him. Take my hand.
"What hand?" Mokuba asked, and the light laughed.
Oops. Forgot I was a ball of light. Just rest your hand on my top. I shall do the rest. The light suggested, and Mokuba did as he was asked. Some kind of force tethered his hand to the ball, and the two flew off in the opposite direction of where Mokuba had been walking.
Seto's POV:
This is taking a while- I thought to myself as we flew through the Shadow Realm. I didn't dwell too long on the fact that my mysterious companion could fly. I've seen plenty of strange stuff in my day, and I had a feeling that it was going to get a lot weirder from here on out. So I just went with it.
"This realm is large and host to many monsters, some evil and some benign. But not all DARK monsters are necessarily evil." The voice replied to my thought, and I could somehow tell he was trying to tell me something. So I took a wild guess.
You're saying that you're a DARK-attribute monster, but you're not a bad one?
"You are quick." The voice answered, seeming surprised and impressed at the same time. "I guess I should have expected that, though. You did create that impressive holographic technology to bring us to life, so to speak." Once again, I heard pride in the man's voice.
You're 'Black Magician', aren't you? I guessed, and that made my companion stop suddenly in his tracks and turn around to gape at me. At least, I thought he was gaping at me. I still couldn't really see anything.
"How-?" Black Magician began, but then trailed off, shaking his head. "Quicker than even I had expected. You are something else, young man."
That made me grin. I'd caught my rival's best monster off-guard. If I ever got out of this hellish place, I'd grin whenever I saw him in a duel against Yugi. But that was a pretty big if. After a few moments we began traveling again, though now I knew who my mysterious guide was.
-Some time later-
"How is your heart?" Black Magician asked me, and I looked in his direction in surprise. Then I realized I hadn't felt quite as bad in a while as when I first awoke in this realm.
It's fine. I answered. Are you doing that?
My companion nodded. "I am using my power to hold back the Penalty Game as much as I can, but I am afraid some of it is still getting through. Unfortunately, I am not strong enough to hold it all back. I am sorry."
You don't have to apologize. I told him. Come to think of it, you don't have to do anything. Why are you helping me? Not that I'm not grateful.
"Because I owe a debt to someone- someone I could never repay- but I hope to pay part of that debt by aiding that someone's Chosen when he needs help. And because I cannot ignore someone in need."
A debt? What kind of debt?
"It is a long story." Black Magician hedged.
I shrugged. I've got time. That's the only thing I do have at the moment.
Black Magician chuckled. "I suppose you have a point." Then he began. "It was long ago. I was serving my master, fighting for both of our lives- indeed, for the safety of the whole world- against a young man who was possessed by a dark sorcerer. The young man commanded a powerful Ka and defeated me in battle. I was helpless to serve my master, and the sorcerer would have destroyed my master had it not been for the White Dragon. With her light, she freed my friend from the control of the dark sorcerer, spared my master's life, and probably saved the whole world from destruction. I owe the White Dragon everything. And that is something I can never repay. The least I can do is aid her Chosen- you- when you need help. Like now, for instance."
So many questions were buzzing around in my mind after Black Magician's tale, but the most prominent one was Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a girl?!
Once again, I'd surprised Black Magician. "Of all the questions you must have, that is the one you ask?" He chuckled to himself, and I shrugged. "Yes, Blue-Eyes is female. Well, one of them anyway. It does not really change anything, does it?" He asked me, and after a minute I shook my head. So one of my favorite dragons was female. So what?
So I'm Blue-Eyes' Chosen, and Yugi is yours? I asked Black Magician, and he nodded. "More or less, but that is a very long story for another time. I can sense that we are nearing the center of the Realm. And if I am right, your brother is headed this way as well."
General POV:
-In a different part of Duat-
"Yugi-! Yugi! Yugi! I'm this way! Yugi! Please save me!" An old man's voice called in the darkness, and all four of the other 'inhabitants' heard it and traveled toward the sound. Mokuba spotted his brother Seto with none other than Black Magician himself, and his own companion- the pink orb- seemed happy to see the tall spellcaster.
"Mokuba!" Seto called, inexpressible joy on his face as he spotted his younger brother. Thank goodness he was all right!
"Seto!" The boy was also overjoyed to be reunited with his Nii-sama. He ran to his older sibling and tackled his waist in a bear-hug. Seto merely closed his eyes and smiled, wrapping his arms around his little brother's shoulders.
"I'm so sorry, Mokuba. So sorry." Seto sobbed, tears of relief mixed with tears of guilt. "I tried to get to you as fast as I could, but you still got trapped in this awful place. It's all my fault." He breathed.
"You had no way of preventing it, Seto. Pegasus is the creep that's responsible. I don't blame you at all!" Mokuba frowned, upset that his Nii-sama was so torn up about this. It wasn't his fault at all! "I'm just sorry you had to come rescue me. Again." He growled peevishly.
Seto snickered. "Well, you're my little brother, kid. What'd you expect me to do? Just sit at home?" He teased, giving his brother an affectionate noogie.
After the brothers' touching reunion, they all looked to the 'newcomer'- a familiar elderly gentleman in green overalls and an orange bandanna.
"Sugoroku." Black Magician gasped, and approached his duelist's grandfather. After a moment he spoke to the others. "He does not appear to see or hear me. But he has discovered that you can communicate to those in the human realm through dreams. I guess he is trying to contact Yugi."
"Really?" Seto asked, surprised. "Such a thing is possible?"
"If you know that the person you are trying to contact is asleep. But it is almost impossible to tell when that is, as time moves differently here in Duat. What may feel like minutes to us is hours in their dimension."
"Can we try it too? Maybe Yugi can somehow get us outta here!" Mokuba asked, and Black Magician nodded. Seto added, "Much as I hate to admit it, he's the only one who's got a shot at defeating Pegasus. If he can do that, maybe he can get us out of here." As one, both of the brothers put a gentle hand on one of Sugoroku's shoulders to try to tap into Yugi's dream.
"Yugi! This way!" Sugoroku called, and Seto and Mokuba waited with bated breath if Yugi would answer his grandfather's call. "It's painful-! Hurry up and save me!"
Why would
Yugi's grandfather be in a Penalty Game? Seto wondered to himself. As far as he knew, he'd never dueled Pegasus.
"Sugoroku did not, but Yugi did." Black Magician answered. "That is why Yugi came to Duelist Kingdom in the first place. To save his grandfather's soul."
Yugi's in the same boat as I was. We were both trying to save our family from Pegasus. No wonder he was so devastated after our duel on the castle rampart-
"Grandpa! Where are you?! Answer me!" came a new voice from somewhere close by. They all recognized this new voice, and Seto gasped, "Now Yugi's here?"
"Not physically. Dreams sometimes open portals to Duat, and his dream-state has brought him here. You can see and hear him, but he cannot see you. He can hear you, though." Black Magician explained, and Seto nodded. This just kept getting weirder and weirder.
"Yugi! I'm over here!" Sugoroku called again, and the three prisoners saw the dream-Yugi look down at something on the ground. Sugoroku's soul-card.
Sugoroku smiled. "Yugi- I've missed you-" He said in a fond voice, and Seto and Mokuba smiled as well. They could understand that bond, as it was similar to their own bond with each other. But then what Sugoroku said next erased their smiles. "It hurts-! Hurry and get me out of here-!" The old man sounded like he was in a lot of pain, and both brothers hated to see someone suffering and not be able to help them. Though Seto was able to keep an emotionless mask over his emotions. Mokuba was not as practiced.
"Grandpa! But how-?!" Yugi asked, kneeling down toward the card that held his grandfather's soul prisoner.
-Scene break-
"Grandpa, how do I save you from here? I don't know how!" Yugi asked again, holding the card to his face with both hands, still kneeling on the ground.
"Save me! I'm in great pain! Yugi!" was Sugoroku's only reply, and Seto looked confused. "Why doesn't he just tell Yugi how to do it?"
"He might not know how." was Black Magician's only answer, and Seto looked back at Yugi- who had punched the brick pathway in frustration. "But how do I do it?!"
Suddenly the card he was holding flew up out of his hand and stuck itself to a large white cross made of some kind of stone. On its left and right were two similar crosses, to which were attached the cards of the brothers' souls. Without warning, all three of the prisoners found themselves bound to those same crosses- suspended by invisible chains around their wrists, ankles and waists.
"Grandpa!" Yugi cried, racing after the card and stopping before the three crosses. He gasped. "Kaiba-kun- And Mokuba-kun as well-!" He breathed.
"Can- can he see us?" Seto gasped, finding it hard to breathe already. It seemed the crosses were somehow negating Black Magician's efforts to dull the pain on his spirit, and now that burning sensation was back in full force.
Black Magician shook his head. "He can see your cards. That is what he is looking at."
The pain was becoming unbearable. He had to say something. "Get me out of here-!" He begged, hoping that Yugi could hear him. Beside him, Mokuba made a similar plea. "Save me, Yugi!"
-Scene break-
"I-It's painful-!" Seto gasped, barely able to breathe, but a small part of him was glad that at least his little brother was spared this agony. Beside him, Mokuba repeated his plea. "Yugi-! Save me-!" Though from the way he said it, it was getting hard to breathe for him as well. Yugi, please hurry. If not for my sake, then at least for Mokuba's- Seto pleaded mentally, worried for his brother's well-being.
"Grandpa! Kaiba-kun! Mokuba-kun!" Yugi gasped, still not knowing what to do.
"Yugi- That Pegasus man is a much more terrifying person than you realize-!" Sugoroku began, and Yugi gasped, feeling that his grandfather was warning him about something important.
"Grandpa, what do you mean by that?" Yugi asked.
"That man's heart has been engulfed in darkness! He's already gone to the Dark World!" Sugoroku warned him, but Yugi didn't get it.
"Dark World-?" Yugi asked.
"That man lives in the sorrowful darkness, only thinking about gaining the power he needs-! You'll be fighting against that great darkness itself starting right now! And that Dark Power is stealing away my life this very moment-!"
"Is that what's happening to me and him? Is that why it hurts so much?" Seto asked Black Magician as a small blue flame started to burn at the base of the crosses. Black Magician nodded sadly. "If you are not released from this Realm soon, your life-force will be completely drained away and Pegasus will use it for his own dark ends."
Suddenly the fire burst into a blazing blue inferno that reached almost to the cards on the crosses. Seto felt the white-hot flames licking his legs and lower half, and it was all he could do not to cry out. Around him, he could see Sugoroku and Mokuba in similar situations. "Mokuba!" He cried. "Stay strong, kiddo!"
Yugi was apparently thinking along the same lines, because he put a hand up in front of his face and shouted, "Grandpa!"
"Yugi! YUGI!" Sugoroku cried.
"Grandpa!" Yugi cried again, trying to approach the crosses and free the cards of their captives, but the flames were too strong. "Grandpa! Kaiba-kun! Mokuba-kun!"
-Scene Break-
"Grandpa!" Yugi cried, helpless to aid his grandfather and two friends.
"Yugi! I believe in you! That you'll surely save me!" Sugoroku imparted, and Seto felt that he too should say something, but all he could manage was a strained "Yugi!" Mokuba's plea was the same as he cried, "Yugi!" Then finally, Sugoroku called out "YUGI!" before the flames grew into an enormous pyre and consumed the three crosses, blazing up to the heavens. Yugi cried out one final time "GRANDPA!" And from somewhere nearby, a church bell tolled twice.
Yugi woke up from his dream with a start, gasping for breath, and- in Duat- Black Magician and the orb of light searched frantically for the 'prisoners'.
"Sousho-sama, where could they have gone?" The pink orb gasped, worried, and Black Magician shook his head. "Perhaps that man's power has already consumed them. The Sennen Eye is not to be taken lightly, you know."
"I know. I remember what it does to weak hearts." The orb answered. "But Mokuba and Seto are both strong. They would not give up that easy. They would keep on fighting to the end."
"For their sakes, I hope you are right, Mana."
Seto's POV:
Darkness.
That's the first thing I was aware of.
Pitch-black darkness, like someone had blindfolded me with a cloth as black as midnight. I know that doesn't make much sense, but then, what in this world does?
I take in my first breath in I don't know how long, and suddenly I'm aware of my other senses. I feel something hard under me and at my back, so I must be leaning against a stone wall. That's right. Black Magician said something about Pegasus imprisoning my body in a cell in his dungeons. That must be where I am.
How long have I been here? I remember watching Yugi as he soundly defeated Pegasus, I remember cheering for him when he did, and then- everything went black. I guess Pegasus kept his word and released our souls. Wait, that's right!
"Mokuba-" I groaned, opening my eyes for the first time in days. I slowly got to my feet and shuffled to the cell door. To my surprise, it was unlocked. Did one of the guards unlock it when Yugi defeated their boss? Or maybe Honda and Bakura somehow found the right keys and freed me like they did with Mokuba. I suppose I'll have to thank them as well now. But first I gotta find my way out of this castle and get Mokuba out of here.
I somehow found my way to the doors of the castle gate, and I could hear Mokuba calling my name from beyond them. Using almost all of my strength, I pushed both doors open wide and smiled at a sight I'd wanted to see for so long. Mokuba was all right, and he was right in front of me! My smile grew as he tackled my waist in a hug, crying, "Nii-sama! Nii-sama!"
"Mokuba." I breathed as I hugged him back, feeling a nearly-uncontrollable joy rising within my heart. Jounouchi was getting a little teary in the background, but I wasn't paying much attention to them. All that mattered now was my little brother.
I gently pushed Mokuba back a little so I could kneel to his eye-level, and he dried his tears and beamed at me. "Nii-sama, I protected our Kaiba Corporation." He pulled out his locket as he said this and opened it, revealing a picture of me when I was ten and playing a game of chess with him at the orphanage. "I know." I answered, taking out my own locket and opening it next to his, revealing a picture of a five-year-old Mokie playing chess and smiling at the camera. "I'm sure they haven't discovered that this is the key card." Mokuba continued proudly, and I smiled back at him.
"Mokuba, that was really cool. You protected Kaiba Corporation." I praised him, and he giggled happily. I stood to my feet and addressed the group that helped to save my little brother's and my own soul. "Yugi, you saved Mokuba. I owe you one." I admitted.
"It's nothing." He replied, polite as always.
"But Yugi, don't you forget that our duel is not over yet." I reminded him, and he replied, "I know."
"I'm looking forward to dueling you again." I told him as I turned away to walk to the helicopter that I'd flown over here to rescue Mokuba. Honestly, I was a bit surprised it was still there in working order. Mokuba was walking right by my side, as it should be.
It was then that I noticed something. Something was missing that I'd had from the time that Mokuba was kidnapped:
The pain was finally gone.
The End
Well I hope you lovely readers have enjoyed this fairly long one-shot. I've had this one bouncing around in my head ever since I first saw S1 of YuGiOh! on TV, back when it first aired. Boy was thata long time ago!
I used the lines and descriptions from the subbed version, as 4Kids censored all the good stuff. Darn it, 4Kids! Y u take out all the things that make the show interesting?!
Constructive Criticism/Suggestions are greatly appreciated,
Glowing reviews are even better!
But flames will be tossed in the fireplace where they belong.
Well, that's it for now. See you next time!
God Bless!
Tsunami Storm