Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! and the characters herein are the property of Tazuki Takahashi.
Warning: This is a puzzleshipping story.
Timeline: After the ceremonial battle between Yugi and Atem.
Dark Reunion
Chapter 1 – Domino kidnapping
Domino City: the source origin of the game Duel Monsters. Worldly known for the place of this invention, Domino City had many dueling visitors in the month of July, one of the hottest months of the year. The sun practically baked the streets. Most people kept indoors on such a hot day, but Yugi Mutou walked Domino's Streets in search of a job, since he had recently quit his last one. It would be sad to say that Yugi wanted to continue cleaning toilets and vacuuming floors in Domino City Hotel after three straight fulltime years, especially not when the city's main hotel was owned by Seto Kaiba, as so many other major companies in Domino. Being Seto's employee wasn't exactly the greatest bliss in the world, even though Yugi considered Seto a friend. So now Yugi wandered Domino's streets: sweating like a pig and wishing he had brought enough money with him just to buy a bottle of Coca-cola.
Yugi stopped at a wooden bench, panting. He had walked a little faster than his logic sense would normally allow. He sat down. His mind had sailed off to somewhere distant.
How long had he been walking around without thinking where he was going? He had been thinking about Atem again. So often his mind wandered to the man he loved and missed, but that man no longer existed. Not in this world. It had nearly been over three years since Yugi last saw the Pharaoh. But Yugi had moved on now. Why then did his heart still ache, as if it was only yesterday he saw Atem walk away, into the light? Since that day a tight knot had been a permanent evil in his stomach. He tried to forget it. He tried not to think of where Atem was now. Did he still think of Yugi even though he was dead? Or did he just sleep blissfully? Unaware how sorely he was missed? One thing especially still haunted Yugi. He had never told Atem just how much he loved him. He so desperately needed the words to be said out loud. He needed the words to be embraced. He needed someone to hold him and tell him everything is going to be all right. He needed Atem. But he was gone. Maybe that was the knot that wouldn't go away.
They had been each other's half for years. Atem, who he called Pharaoh or Yami had been his darker self, concealed inside the millennium puzzle. Yugi even missed the puzzle. He missed the feeling of it and knowing that inside it Atem was always there, right by his side. After all those years fighting together, laughing together and struggling together, it was like something inside him had died. Yugi had been ready to die for the puzzle's safety… Atem's safety. Yugi remembered how his friends tried to release the puzzle from its capture while a fire raged in the old abandoned building where Marik had tried to steal the puzzle from him. No matter what, Yugi had kept a tight hold on the puzzle. "I will never leave you Pharaoh…" The sentence repeated and repeated inside Yugi's head.
He remembered the Pharaoh. He recalled that day in the fire with such clarity. The Pharaoh had seen everything from inside the puzzle. He had reached out to Yugi. Yugi remembered the serenity that calmed him, when the Pharaoh's hands enclosed Yugi's head. The pharaoh just held Yugi, while the fire licked the old walls. Yugi was sure he saw something in the eyes of the Pharaoh. Something he had never seen before. The Pharaoh's eyes had burned as greatly as the fire around them. "Thank you…" the Pharaoh had said.
Yugi sat very still now. His boyish and innocent eyes flickered. He felt tears pressing their way through. But he managed to keep his cool.
What a way to find a job, Yugi thought. He was supposed to be active and ask around in Domino's stores, but instead he sat on a bench nearly sobbing.
"Hey, aren't you the famous duelist Yugi Mutou?"
A familiar voice came from Yugi's right side. A young man about Yugi's age stood lazily in front of him, dressed in shorts and a navy t-shirt. His silvery white hair gleamed in the hot day sun. His dark eyes almost beamed at Yugi. Yugi immediately recognized his old friend Bakura.
"Hey Bakura! It's such a long time since I've seen you". Yugi beamed back at Bakura, his sadness loosened its grip on him.
"Indeed. What are you doing on such a nice hot day like this?"
"I, uh. I'm trying to find a job actually". Yugi placed a hand of the back at his head, as if something was itching, while a faint smile lit up his face.
"Maybe doing something else than sitting on a bench would help then?" Bakura chuckled. "So what are you doing later?" Bakura asked in his usual friendly tone. "It feels like I haven't talked with you or any of the others for years. Well, that is the case I guess. We've got a lot of catching up to do".
"Um, actually I'm meeting the others later. You could come with us then? I think the plans are dinner somewhere for now, maybe we'll go see a movie afterwards if you're interested?"
"That sounds good to me", Bakura replied and smiled. "By the way you look like you could use something to drink, want to get a soda somewhere?"
"Sure, I could really use a drink". Yugi's mouth felt like the Sahara desert now, only worse. But then he remembered his lack of money. "But, um, I forgot my wallet back home; it's not usually like me to forget something like that".
"No worries, it's on me". Bakura laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder, smiling. "I know a shortcut to the nearest refreshment store, let's go". Bakura suddenly took a tight grip on Yugi's hand and dragged him up from the bench.
The suddenness surprised Yugi. "Woah, okay. You seem thirsty too Bakura". Bakura didn't reply, but only held Yugi's hand tighter. He walked faster and faster by each step.
Yugi thought he had heard someone call his name as they walked towards the store, but maybe that was just his imagination. Bakura surely didn't give Yugi any time to turn around and look.
Yugi's hand began to ache. "Hey Bakura, slow down, you're hurting my hand". Bakura's silence went on. He dragged Yugi around corners and down a narrow none populated road. "Bakura, I mean it! Stop!" Yugi now began to resist, but Bakura's strength was greater than Yugi had ever imagined. "What are you doing? Let me go Bakura!" Yugi tried to gain some kind of eye contact with Bakura, but in vain.
Suddenly Bakura dragged Yugi down a dark alley. Yugi's fear curled up in him like an anticipating snake when he saw people, people who seemed to be waiting for them, seemed to be expecting their arrival. They were dressed in strange red robes. Their eyes seemed only dark, almost completely black to the struggling Yugi.
"Bakura what is this? I said let me go!" Finally Bakura let go, but not gently. He threw Yugi on the ground. Yugi's chin hit the ground hard. Yugi immediately felt something wet and warm run down his chin.
An icy chill ran down Yugi's back when he heard Bakura speak again. "Now, my friend, you are going to be of great use to me, you are going to help me gain the greatest power in the world".
Yugi couldn't believe what had just happened. In front of him Bakura was completely changed. He now looked exactly like the dark Bakura, like the evil spirit who had infested the millennium ring five-thousand years ago, but that couldn't be. Bakura had been destroyed, along with Zorc. Bakura's evil grin taunted Yugi.
"You, you can't be", Yugi said out loud. "You vanished, you, you need the millennium ring to be alive".
Bakura laughed loudly. "Do I now? Maybe you only thought I did." Bakura stared intensely into Yugi's eyes, suddenly kneeling in front of Yugi, whispering into his ear. "Now a change of subject, if I didn't have the slightest interest in you, I would kill you in a heartbeat, but truth be told you've always fascinated me. I'm going to be a good boy and only sacrifice some of your blood in the offering".
"Wha, what offering? Sacrifice my blood? Bakura have you gone mad?" Okay maybe when his memory took him back Yugi remembered a certain lust for world dominance, Yugi thought darkly. And did he just again hear someone calling his name in the distance? He couldn't tell.
Bakura only chuckled and moved closer so that his nose touched Yugi's. Out of nowhere Bakura stuck out his tongue and licked Yugi's one cheek. Yugi was speechless, his eyes opened wide in horrid surprise. Bakura then rose and looked over his shoulder at his followers.
"Get him in the van".
Yugi suddenly woke up to reality. "You pervert! What is it with you and licking stuff?" Yugi spat out, rising to his feet. Yugi didn't see a big guy nearing him from behind, giving him a blow to the head. Yugi fell to the ground once again, completely knocked out.
For Joey this hot July day was just another day among the bunch. He happily strode the streets of Domino, heading for the grocery store in shorts and sunglasses. With music in his ear he hummed one of his favorite songs.
"Billie Jean is not my lover; she's just a girl who claims that I am the one, da da da, da da da". Ahh nice weather, Joey thought. If only Tristan wasn't going on a "date" with Serenity today we could have all gone to the beach. Hmm wait they were going to the beach, he sure hoped Tristan wouldn't try anything fancy on Serenity, but hey there wasn't much he could do about it anyways since Tristan and Serenity became official. Hmm maybe Yuge would want to go to the beach then, but he was going to look for a job today. Maybe I can find some duelists who I can show my awesome dueling strategies to. There sure were many duelists around.
Joey suddenly stopped. Wasn't that Yuge over there talking to Bakura? How strange. He would have sworn Bakura had left Domino for good. He told them right after the ceremonial battle that he would travel to Egypt and become an Egyptologist, whatever that was. Maybe he was just back to visit.
"Hey Yuge! Bakura!" Joey hoped that they would hear him. He only saw them from a distance. But they didn't. He saw Bakura suddenly drag Yugi up from the bench he was sitting on. It seemed odd to Joey.
Why did Yugi seem so uncomfortable? Maybe he should follow Yugi just to make sure he was all right.
Joey started to follow Yugi and Bakura, but it was easier said than done. They moved faster and faster. And didn't he hear Yugi yell at some point? It didn't sound friendly to Bakura at all. He saw Yugi being dragged around some corners, Joey panted and tried to keep up, but suddenly they were gone. Where were they?
"Yugi! Where are you?" Fear started to crawl in Joey. There were no more people around. The street was empty. Desperately Joey looked everywhere he could. What mess had Yuge now gotten himself into? Joey looked for several minutes without any result.
Joey suddenly heard voices. It came from an alleyway. Joey peeked down the alley, he saw to his horror that Yugi were being unconsciously put in some van and there were odd looking men in robes.
"Hey! You stop right there!" Joey thundered in front of the strangers. But to his disappointment they all hurried in the van and hit the speeder.
"Wow!" Joey hugged the wall as fast as he could as the van sped past him. Joey caught a glimpse of a guy with white, silvery hair sitting in the front seat. Was that? No, it couldn't be.
Joey ran after the van as fast as he could, but it had sped out of reach in seconds, like he could do anything if it was in reach anyway other than being run over, Joey thought desperately. "Yugi!" Joey screamed. Most people would have seen the impossibility in running down a van long ago, but not Joey. He ran as fast as he could after it. While Joey ran his lungs to limit he reached down for his cell phone in his pocket. Joey soon found the name he was looking for and pressed the call button.
"Come oooon! Pick up the phone!" Joey's impatience scared some by passers who looked at him like was he mad. Finally a voice emerged from the other end.
"Hello?"
"Tea!"
"Joey you sound like you're running a marathon, what's wrong?"
"It's Yugi! He's been kidnapped! He was taken into some van by strangers! Listen, I'll try to catch up with them, I'll call you back later". Joey slammed down the receiver, only because he had suddenly caught sight of a guy who was withdrawing money, and left his convertible turned on only a few feet behind him. Joey couldn't believe his luck. He didn't hesitate. He jumped in the front seat and hit the speeder.
"Hey, that's my car! Come back!" The guy pointlessly ran after his accelerating car.
Joey now only thought of one thing. Get to Yugi in time; he could still remember the way the van took. They were taking Yugi somewhere outside of Domino City. Whatever they were going to do with him, Joey hoped he wouldn't be too late.
