I wrote this for the prompt "Beyond Good and Evil." When I thought Yu-Gi-Oh!, I immediately thought of the pharaoh and all his shenanigans in the first series manga. He leaves you wondering whether he's being a good guy or just plain evil, and I wondered how Yugi would react to finding out about everything. This is what I came up with. It takes place in the anime world but brings up the penalties from the manga.
Absolution
While Yugi sleeps, the pharaoh pays one of their former enemies a visit to teach him a lesson he'll never forget. Before he can get Yugi back home safe in bed though, he wakes up. The pharaoh decides that now is as good a time as any to finally admit to all the penalty games he dealt before Yugi was even aware of him. Yugi is not pleased to hear any of it. Not pleased at all.
Yugi's shoes click loudly against the tile floor as the pharaoh slips leisurely through the automatic double doors. The main lobby at the Domino City Municipal Hospital is usually empty at this time of night, but the spindly man behind the reception desk doesn't seem effected by the extra body in the room. He smiles and waves the pharaoh through without a word. The doctors and nurses in the hallway don't seem to care much about him either. They wouldn't normally let a tiny teenager–dressed in full Domino High uniform, no less–roam the hospital past visiting hours.
The pharaoh couldn't care less about visiting hours, or curfew for that matter. He smiles to himself as he boards the familiar elevator, an elevator that he and Yugi have ridden too many times to count. Anything is possible with a little shadow magic.
The elevator takes him to the topmost floor, where he draws Yugi's shoulders back and strolls to the room at the far end of the hall. It contains the patient who doctors have basically given up on. He's lain comatose for months now, and no one knows why, no one except the man gripping the handle to his door as he silently closes it behind him.
He flicks on the lights and stands at the bedside to gaze down at the chiseled face, arms crossed as he all but sneers with disgust. He's only doing this because he knows it's what Yugi would want, but if it were up to him, he would leave this man to rot here for the rest of his days.
It only takes a brush of his fingers against the man's arm for him to wake, which he does with a lurch and a wheezy gasp. The first things he sees are the pharaoh's seething eyes. His face goes even paler than it already is, and the pharaoh's glower quickly turns to a cold smirk.
He's going to enjoy this far more than he should.
"Hello," he says, voice dripping with false sweetness, "Ushio." He shifts his hand to place it casually at his hip, and the movement makes the former student volunteer start. "It's good to see you again."
Ushio opens and closes his mouth several times, but nothing comes out as his eyes dart around the sterile room. Finally he blurts out a quick, "Wait a minute…You put me here! What…what did you do to me?"
"You did it to yourself. It was your greed and your lack of compassion for others that formed that hell." The pharaoh's eyes take on a sinister light. "Now listen to me. You've trespassed in the souls of countless innocent people, and for that you played the Penalty Game. I'm letting you go free now, and hopefully you've learned your lesson." His smirk deepens, sending a noticeable shiver through Ushio. "But if I find out that you've so much as looked at someone the wrong way, I'll break you even worse than before." Now he's outright smiling. "And you don't want to know what will happen if you ever cross me again."
With that the pharaoh turns around to leave, not bothering to stay and see the man's reaction. He already knows that the time to fetch Ushio a bedpan has passed.
The street outside the hospital sits peacefully, moonlight casting intricate patterns onto the sidewalk through the thick canopy of trees. The night wind is cool against the pharaoh's face as he shoves his hands into his pockets. He grins to himself, satisfied with his latest visit to one of Yugi's former bullies. A tiny part of him hopes that Ushio doesn't stick to the straight and narrow. He'd love to be able to follow through on his promise, but he quickly quells that thought. He's getting ahead of himself. Right now he has more important things to worry about.
He tosses one last cursory glance back at the hospital before stepping gingerly into the crosswalk. He's in no real hurry to get back home. The night is still young, and the pharaoh highly doubts that Yugi will notice the absence of a few hours' sleep when he wakes up tomorrow at noon. Besides, he knows from experience that walking too fast would only risk waking Yugi up. He doesn't think the "I noticed we had to go to the bathroom" excuse would work this time. As long as he stays quiet and doesn't make any sudden movements, Yugi will be none the wiser.
The pharaoh hasn't even made it halfway across the street when the light catches his attention from down the street. He turns to find that a sleek convertible, a Ferrari, he thinks, has just turned the corner up ahead. It's barreling straight toward him, and it doesn't show any signs of stopping.
With hardly any time to think, the pharaoh runs back the way he came and has to dive onto the sidewalk to avoid being run over by the latest innovation in speed and class. The driver of the car shouts out a loud and lengthy rant–something about kids being out late and not watching where they're going–but the alcohol-fueled rant is the last thing the pharaoh is worried about.
He can feel Yugi beginning to shift at the back of his mind.
"Oh no," he mutters, hands cradling the puzzle. He holds his breath as he waits for the inevitable chewing-out he'll get when Yugi wakes, but miraculously Yugi's spirit only stirs for a moment before resuming its slumber. The pharaoh sighs and runs a hand across his forehead. "Well that was close–"
Seemingly out of nowhere, a white ambulance zips by right in front of him, sirens blaring and bright, and the pharaoh gulps. He blinks, and when he next opens his eyes, Yugi is in control.
Yugi stares around groggily, eyes wide as he takes in the deserted, uneven sidewalk. Blooms from the broadleaved trees behind him fall daintily over his head. "What in the world…?" He has to admit that he's woken up in stranger places than this, but he at least had some idea how he got to those places. He's about to seriously start freaking out when he notices that the pharaoh seems…less than innocent, and his eyes narrow. "Pharaoh, what's going on?" The pharaoh remains silent and Yugi shouts, "I know you can hear me!"
"…You're dreaming?" the pharaoh finally offers.
Yugi scowls. "Don't try that on me," he says flatly. "Is there something you want to let me in on?"
The pharaoh sighs and materializes next to Yugi, arms crossed as he fails to conceal that guilty gleam in his eyes. "I…suppose an explanation is in order."
"You bet. I want to know…"
Yugi trails off to give a deep yawn, and the pharaoh takes this chance to say, "Yugi, you look tired. Why don't we head back home so you can get some sleep? We can discuss this tomorrow." If he can get Yugi to agree to this, tonight while they're dreaming, the pharaoh can reorder Yugi's thoughts. In the morning he'll be convinced that this really was all just a dream.
Yugi shakes his head, though, and says, "I want you to tell me what's going on right now. This…this isn't like you, Pharaoh."
The pharaoh sighs, Yugi's anxious, wide-eyed gaze giving him little choice but to give in. "Fair enough. Let's get out of the middle of the sidewalk first."
With a nod, Yugi gets to his feet and turns around, noticing the hospital for the first time. He casts the pharaoh a look. "What? Did I run out of insulin in the middle of the night and you just had to go pick me up some more at 3 AM?" The pharaoh doesn't justify that with an answer, and Yugi sighs. "This had better be good."
"I think you'll be satisfied," the pharaoh replies vaguely, and he sets to work gathering his thoughts. Once Yugi has settled himself on the stone bench beneath the trees, he turns his gaze to the pharaoh, who's seated cross-legged beside him, and waits wordlessly for him to begin.
"I've told you that I was the reason you experienced those lapses in memory a few months ago, haven't I?" the pharaoh finally asks after a long moment.
"Of course," Yugi says, surprised that he would even ask. "You said you were standing up to my bullies." Then he pauses thoughtfully and asks, "That is what you were doing, isn't it?"
"Yes. But I never told you exactly how." The pharaoh pauses to think about how best to word this before saying, "Do you remember the Penalty I dealt Kaiba after the first time we dueled him?"
Yugi nods, and then his eyes widen as he understands. "Are you trying to tell me that wasn't the first time you did that?"
"No, it wasn't."
They both remain silent as a large truck thunders by. The side is decorated with a colorful banner that reads "Sound Pierrot."
"Well, how many other times has it happened?" Yugi asks once the truck is long gone.
Almost sheepishly the pharaoh replies, "To be honest, I lost count."
Frustrated, Yugi goes about the task of trying to remember all the times his memory blacked out, and he doesn't like what he finds. "That television director who went blind…That was you, wasn't it?" Very slowly, the pharaoh nods. "And that guy in the back shop who 'accidentally' got stung by his poisonous scorpion?" The pharaoh nods again. "…The guy who burned to death at Burger World?"
"That…was one of the more gruesome penalties," the pharaoh says, unable to even meet Yugi's eyes.
"All of that was you," Yugi says quietly, voice distant. "All of that was…me."
The pharaoh's eyes snap up to meet Yugi's. "No. It wasn't you. Never believe even for a moment that–"
"Well you did it all in my body," Yugi says icily, an ill-fitting glower on his face, and amid the guilty feelings, the pharaoh thinks that Yugi must look ridiculous scowling all the time when he takes over. Then, sounding genuinely hurt, Yugi asks, "Pharaoh, how could you do such awful things to people? And why did you never tell me about any of it?"
The pharaoh sighs. "Because I knew you would react like this." Then he adds under his breath, "And they all deserved it."
"What?"
"Um…Maybe that wasn't the best way to word it."
"You meant what you said," Yugi practically snarls. "You've done horrible things to countless people and you barely even care!" Then Yugi sounds more confused and disappointed than angry as he says, "I…I can't believe you."
"Just let me explain what we're doing here and maybe you'll have a change of heart," the pharaoh says carefully, and Yugi scoffs.
"I highly doubt that."
The pharaoh decides not to let Yugi's attitude frustrate him, knowing that the late hour must be getting to him. He always gets grumpy late at night. "Okay, do you remember Ushio the hall monitor?"
Yugi fidgets nervously at the mere mentioning of that name, and the pharaoh seriously considers going back up to Ushio's room tomorrow night and undoing what he just did.
"I remember him," Yugi finally says with a small voice. "He's been in a coma ever since–" He pauses as realization finally hits him. "Oh my God. That was you, too."
"Yes," is the pharaoh's simple answer, and he looks away under Yugi's troubled gaze.
"There's still something you're not telling me." Yugi's voice is curt, and the pharaoh decides to get on with it before Yugi loses all his patience entirely.
"This is the hospital where Ushio is staying."
Before he can get anything else out, panic blossoms in Yugi's chest, and before the pharaoh can ask if he's all right, Yugi says, "You came to finish the job."
"What? No! Yugi, I'm not that deranged." Yugi quirk's an eyebrow at his choice of words, and the pharaoh's voice grows smaller. "You know what I mean." He looks up at the leftmost window on the top floor, where he's sure Ushio is having a nervous breakdown by now. "I came here tonight to pull him out of the Penalty Game and wake him up. When I first sent him there, I had every intention of leaving him there forever." Then he turns to Yugi and smiles. "But you've taught me that everyone deserves a second chance. Even scum like him."
It takes some time for Yugi to absorb what the pharaoh just said, and then he all but whispers, "I understand." The pharaoh isn't so sure Yugi really does, and he's about to say something more when Yugi beats him to it. "So…now I'm curious. What stopped you from putting Kaiba in an all-out coma that time?"
This question surprises the pharaoh, but after a short while he says, "I guess I saw some good in Kaiba, and I thought sparing him and peeling away the layers of his heart would allow him to see it too." And then he mutters, "Little did I know Kaiba and good don't even belong in the same sentence together."
"Hey, I'm sure Kaiba has plenty of good in him. He just…needs some time to find it."
The pharaoh nods. "Yugi, it's when I got to know you better that I stopped dealing out such harsh Penalty Games. I realized that it's not the type of thing you would do." Then he smirks. "It's the only thing that's kept Kaiba from getting another Mind Crush treatment."
With a snort Yugi says, "Believe me, Pharaoh. Sometimes even I want to Mind Crush that guy."
"I'll have to remember that the next time he's mouthing off."
They spend a little while in comfortable silence before Yugi says, very quietly, "I want you to know that I'm not mad at you, Pharaoh. I'm just glad you finally let me in on everything."
The pharaoh doesn't have time to give a response. He's suddenly aware once again of just how cool the air really is tonight, and Yugi is calling from the back of his mind, "Now, it would be nice if you got us home before my grandpa wakes up and thinks I've been kidnapped."
The pharaoh smirks at this. "I'm surprised you trust me to do even that after tonight."
"Honestly, Pharaoh, I'd do it myself, but I have no idea how to get back from here."
"You've never been downtown?" the pharaoh asks, eyebrows rising.
"Not lately." When the pharaoh opens his mouth Yugi adds, "And all those rides home from the hospital don't count. I was asleep."
Chuckling softly, the pharaoh stands from the bench. "Well, you get some rest. We'll be back home before you know it."
Yugi nods mentally and lets himself fall dormant inside the Millennium Puzzle. He falls asleep to the pharaoh's steady footsteps, comforted more than he usually is by the thought that he's lucky enough to have a protector.
I like how this turned out. It was really fun to write their interactions, and I loved writing the scene where Yugi wakes up. Everything involving Ushio made me laugh:p This is the first of many in a deluge of Yu-Gi-Oh! stories I intend to post, so if you liked it, stay tuned for more. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!