Yu-Gi-Oh! and all its characters, settings, scenes, intricacies, and oddities belong to Mr. Takahashi. Inflatable hammers belong to - well, anyone who's ever won one at a carnival or purchased one at a toy store - but the idea of placing one in the hands of reformed juvenile delinquents from the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe belongs to Frenziedpanda7.
This is not a stand-alone story. This is a 'missing scene' from the hilarious 'Yu-Gi-Oh! The Tale Of The Inflatable Hammer' written by Frenziedpanda7. She's on my favorite authors list, so, please read her story first.
You've read it already and you are back? Good. Please enjoy my silly little scene inspired by her story, and posted with her permission.
Missing scene from Yu-Gi-Oh! The Tale Of The Inflatable Hammer
Shadowed Armistice
Jonouchi slumped to his knees and threw his hands over his head thinking to protect his face from whatever Dark Magician's wrath was about to unleash upon him. He felt a tug as the hammer was pulled from his grasp. When nothing else happened for what felt like half of eternity, he dared to look up.
Highly pissed-off blue eyes bored into him. Jonouchi gulped. This wasn't the first time an irritated blue-eyed gaze had been directed his way - and knowing that his path and Kaiba's were most likely to cross again as they were both duelists, so, regretfully it wouldn't be the last - but this was the first time he felt as if he soul were being pierced, read for content, and found lacking. While one part of Jonouchi's mind wondered how Dark Magician could have found out about lasers, much less managed to conjure one with magic, the other realized he wasn't dead. Yet.
"Did you seriously expect to vanquish me with such an ineffective weapon?" The Dark Magician's voice was deep, low, and devoid of inflection. By this, Jonouchi realized he'd not only managed to piss off Other Yugi enough to banish him here, idiotically attacked Yugi and Other Yugi's favorite monster (who was most likely only trying to help the foolish human who'd been sent here to get back to where he belonged), but also insulted said monster at the same time.
"Uhm, no," Jonouchi finally managed to stammer out, staring up at the looming and irate duel monster. "I just... panicked, you see, and..." He gulped. Dark Magician was doing his laser-eye beam gaze again. "...and, would you stop starin' at me like that? Please? I didn't mean... And that whole wrong accessory card thing... Look, man, I really don't wanna pee my pants, you know?"
The Dark Magician flambéd his soul for a searing moment more before the spellcaster's eyes finally closed. When they opened again, the intensity of the mage's gaze had reduced a million-fold and a trace of humor warmed the depths. Dark Magician sighed.
"There are no - facilities for one like you here in the Shadow Realm." A slight smile touched Dark Magician's lips. "How is it we, who are on the same side, fighting for the same friends, wind up in these oddly confrontational moments?" he asked.
"I dunno, ma-"
BAM-SQUEAK!
Dark Magician bonked Jonouchi on the head with the hammer. "It was a rhetorical question. Think!" The command was punctuated with another emphatic squeak as the inflatable hammer struck his head again. "Think more carefully before you act. At least with me. Do that, and one other - favor - for me, to be specified at a later time, and we are even."
Jonouchi nodded vigorously. He thought it best to not ask for specifics or reassurances about this 'other favor' as he scrambled to his feet. Dark Magician wasn't likely to ask anything Jonouchi would have problems with, anyway. Heck, even if he did, to get off of the hook and into better graces with this duel monster, it would be worth it.
"You got it, DM!"
Dark Magician's head snapped around and his gaze started heating up again. Jonouchi cringed, and ducked. "Uh, Dark Magician! Yeah, Dark Magician! You've got it! Think first, then act, and do you a favor later on, right?"
Dark Magician sighed. The idea was to have the young one think before acting, not think and yet act rashly. Still, he'd take whatever he could with this impetuous young man. Jonouchi had a good heart, even if he were a bit lacking in the foresight department.
A swirl of magic bloomed into being before them, then opened.
"Your way back, no doubt," Dark Magician noted.
"Good thing I'm used to the Other Yuge's stares," Jonouchi muttered. "I'm sure he'll be glarin' at me, too." He turned, feeling as if he were forgetting something.
"Oh, no." Dark Magician lifted the hammer to his shoulder and floated up taking it out of Jonouchi's reach. "I'm confiscating this. I'm certain that was the intent of opening a portal to the Shadow Realm in the first place."
"Ah, man!" Jonouchi complained. "I got sent to the Shadow Realm and didn't even get a lousy t-shirt!" To his distinct surprise, Dark Magician laughed.
"We don't have concession stands for products like that here - yet. Fare well, Jonouchi. May our next meeting be less..."
"Dramatic?" Jonouchi supplied. "Yeah, I'm all for that. Good-bye, Dark Magician!"
As Jonouchi stepped into the magic corridor he wondered how Dark Magician had enough cultural reference to understand about 'lousy t-shirts' and concession stands. Ol' DM had always been a monster to watch out for on the dueling field, but Jonouchi realized that perhaps he was one to watch out for off of it, too. Somehow, that thought really, really concerned him.
-end-