To Another
It happened so fast that day. I didn't know what was happening. One minute I was happy that Joey and I were going to see his sister and the next we were dueling and I was called onto the field. The duel itself bugged me, or rather what had been required to get me onto the field.
But at the moment I ignored that in favor of the more pressing problem. Exodia.
I was defeated rather quickly, but I had been defeated before but then, then.
I felt Joey's pain as he was beaten and then his horror as I was taken from him and brought to another deck. One filled with tormented cards taken from their friends. I screamed out my Rage and they let me, knowing what I was feeling, knowing my pain.
The mighty Exodia looked over at me for a brief moment before averting his eyes, seemingly ashamed of what he had helped do. It gave me the impression that he was the one the cards blamed for being here and I could understand their view. But I could also sympathize with having a horrid duelist having control over you. After all that was what I had gone through before Joey saved me. I walked over to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault, it's the duelist's. Don't blame yourself, not matter what the other cards say. You can only obey when in a deck." He looked at me again, his ancient eyes sad and he was joined by two other reflections of himself, all looking at me with hurt and self-loathing in their eyes.
Three?
This duelist had three full summoning spells of Exodia? Joey and I never even stood a chance and to see the pain and broken spirit in the Forbidden one left a horrid, uneasy feeling in my heart. Something big was going on and I was now a part of it as well. I left Exodia alone and went to find my own part in this prison called a Deck, watching as the cards parted before me, almost afraid of me and I guess I didn't blame them.
I wouldn't want to get in the way of a pissed off Dragon either. Curling up in the darkness I closed my eyes and fought back the tears that wanted to come. It wasn't just that I was taken by force, but this deck was also cut off to the rest of the Shadow Realm and I couldn't even check up on my home. I tried to keep the hope that Joey would get me back. He did so once and he taught me to fly again, taught me to believe in myself. I knew he wouldn't rest until I was back.
My last thoughts before my uneasy sleep were a prayer that he would make it to his sister in time, that this wouldn't stop him from keeping his promise.
'Your sister comes first Joey, I'll still be here waiting.'
~*~
Tristan looked everywhere for his friend, worry eating away at him from the inside. This wasn't like Joey; his sister meant the world to the blond.
So why wasn't he there with her?
He nearly gave up and was ready to turn back when a large shadow fell over him. Startled he looked up but saw nothing in the sky yet when he looked back down he saw the shape again; it's dark form covering the ground in front of him. Whatever it was it had wings and seemed to be flying down an alleyway a little ways away from where Tristan had stopped.
He blinked and watched, as the shadow seemed to stop and wait for him to follow.
"This is too weird, but what do I have to lose." He fired up his engine and took off after the shadow, feeling as if he was chasing a ghost. But the ghost hadn't steered him wrong he found out.
"Joey!" he cried out. There at the end of the alley was the battered form of his missing friend. The shadow was now nowhere to be seen, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Joey to Serenity in time.
Grabbing his friend and securing him onto the bike behind him he took off to the hospital waving to Yugi and Tea when he passed them, letting them know that he had Joey safe and sound, well almost. They cheered him on and he picked up speed, feeling Joey waking up behind him. He couldn't be sure but he thought he heard Joey mumbling something about his cards.
~*~
I felt him wake up and heard his words.
'Thanks Red-eyes.' I had done all I could for him by leading Tristan too him, projecting a form of myself into the living world and hoping for the best. It had taken a lot out of me and I was worried that I would be attacked while I rested here. In this state I wouldn't be able to fight back and this deck wasn't exactly the most friendly of places after all. But then, Exodia and a lovely angel with brown hair walked over to me. She smiled as Exodia settled in front of me, guarding me from the others.
"We saw what you did. Sleep now, you deserve it." She placed her small hand across my eyes and I drifted off in to a peaceful rest, one that I desperately needed.
When next I woke it was for one thing and one thing only. He was here!
I had heard his voice, Joey's. He was here to get me back. The rest of the deck heard it too, heard the challenge and saw me lift my head up. They smiled sadly, and I realized that they had all been abandoned as hopeless to get back by their own duelists and for a moment I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I would be going home.
"Don't worry about it." One said to me. "If one of us gets home, than there is hope for the rest of us." I saw them nod in agreement and smiled back.
We listened as Joey was refused and I nearly fell into despair, but then the Pharaoh came forward and offered to take his place, putting the Dark Magician on the line. We all gasped at this, knowing how much that card meant to the Pharaoh.
This was being done for me?
I agreed with Joey when he said not to, but the Pharaoh wasn't listening and started the duel. We all held our breaths as the duel progressed. Hoping for our chance, waiting to see what would happen. When the parts of Exodia's spell were summoned I saw the Forbidden one look at me, an apology in it's eyes and I did my best to smile and tell him not to worry that there would be a way to win. I felt Joey's presence and reached out for it, trying to comfort him as well.
'I feel you Red-eyes. We'll get through this, I promise.'
I bowed my head in response.
'I know.'
The duel continued and then it looked like it would be all over, that this creature holding our cards would win again, but the Pharaoh won instead and I raised my voice, rejoicing. The rest of the cards looked happy for me and as the Pharaoh grabbed me and presented me back to Joey. As Joey looked down at my card I knew he had something else in mind, but was worried.
'Red-eyes?'
'Yes?' I felt the hesitation and tried to comfort him. 'What is it?'
'I know we have been through a lot together and you must know that you mean the world to me, but, he needs you more right now.' That surprised me and he took my silence as hurt before I could respond. 'I'm not trying to get rid of you it's just that, well, he did win you back.'
'And you want me to protect him since he is a close friend.' I smiled. 'I understand.' I kept smiling even though I was scared inside. I was going to be in the Pharaoh's deck and
I wasn't sure what to expect from that.
What if I wasn't good enough, what if I was rejected like with Rex? But I still smiled and agreed and listened quietly as Joey convinced the Pharaoh to accept me. I watched Joey walk away as I was placed in my new home. And then I smiled for real as I realized that the pieces of Exodia had been ripped to pieces. I felt the powerful card rejoice at his freedom from the creature whom had called himself a Duelist.
Scared and nervous I looked around my new deck and saw all these faces staring at me, watching quietly and at the front of all them was the Dark Magician, the one who had been on the line to get me back, arms crossed, stance lazy. I remembered him from before though, when he had been around during my healing, but still he made me nervous and who would blame me?
He seemed to know this and smiled slightly before bowing.
"It seems we have a new member of our family for awhile, so please, feel welcome." I tilted my head, surprise showing clearly on my face I was sure of it, but soon everyone was there welcoming me and I understood why Joey trusted the Pharaoh with me. I had just gone from one deck to another and knew that when the time came, I would go home to be where I belonged.
But for now, I would be taken care of and loved. If Joey trusted and cared for him, than so would I. I had promised to protect him and I would keep that promise.
I could do no less.
It happened so fast that day. I didn't know what was happening. One minute I was happy that Joey and I were going to see his sister and the next we were dueling and I was called onto the field. The duel itself bugged me, or rather what had been required to get me onto the field.
But at the moment I ignored that in favor of the more pressing problem. Exodia.
I was defeated rather quickly, but I had been defeated before but then, then.
I felt Joey's pain as he was beaten and then his horror as I was taken from him and brought to another deck. One filled with tormented cards taken from their friends. I screamed out my Rage and they let me, knowing what I was feeling, knowing my pain.
The mighty Exodia looked over at me for a brief moment before averting his eyes, seemingly ashamed of what he had helped do. It gave me the impression that he was the one the cards blamed for being here and I could understand their view. But I could also sympathize with having a horrid duelist having control over you. After all that was what I had gone through before Joey saved me. I walked over to him and rested my head on his shoulder.
"It's not your fault, it's the duelist's. Don't blame yourself, not matter what the other cards say. You can only obey when in a deck." He looked at me again, his ancient eyes sad and he was joined by two other reflections of himself, all looking at me with hurt and self-loathing in their eyes.
Three?
This duelist had three full summoning spells of Exodia? Joey and I never even stood a chance and to see the pain and broken spirit in the Forbidden one left a horrid, uneasy feeling in my heart. Something big was going on and I was now a part of it as well. I left Exodia alone and went to find my own part in this prison called a Deck, watching as the cards parted before me, almost afraid of me and I guess I didn't blame them.
I wouldn't want to get in the way of a pissed off Dragon either. Curling up in the darkness I closed my eyes and fought back the tears that wanted to come. It wasn't just that I was taken by force, but this deck was also cut off to the rest of the Shadow Realm and I couldn't even check up on my home. I tried to keep the hope that Joey would get me back. He did so once and he taught me to fly again, taught me to believe in myself. I knew he wouldn't rest until I was back.
My last thoughts before my uneasy sleep were a prayer that he would make it to his sister in time, that this wouldn't stop him from keeping his promise.
'Your sister comes first Joey, I'll still be here waiting.'
~*~
Tristan looked everywhere for his friend, worry eating away at him from the inside. This wasn't like Joey; his sister meant the world to the blond.
So why wasn't he there with her?
He nearly gave up and was ready to turn back when a large shadow fell over him. Startled he looked up but saw nothing in the sky yet when he looked back down he saw the shape again; it's dark form covering the ground in front of him. Whatever it was it had wings and seemed to be flying down an alleyway a little ways away from where Tristan had stopped.
He blinked and watched, as the shadow seemed to stop and wait for him to follow.
"This is too weird, but what do I have to lose." He fired up his engine and took off after the shadow, feeling as if he was chasing a ghost. But the ghost hadn't steered him wrong he found out.
"Joey!" he cried out. There at the end of the alley was the battered form of his missing friend. The shadow was now nowhere to be seen, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Joey to Serenity in time.
Grabbing his friend and securing him onto the bike behind him he took off to the hospital waving to Yugi and Tea when he passed them, letting them know that he had Joey safe and sound, well almost. They cheered him on and he picked up speed, feeling Joey waking up behind him. He couldn't be sure but he thought he heard Joey mumbling something about his cards.
~*~
I felt him wake up and heard his words.
'Thanks Red-eyes.' I had done all I could for him by leading Tristan too him, projecting a form of myself into the living world and hoping for the best. It had taken a lot out of me and I was worried that I would be attacked while I rested here. In this state I wouldn't be able to fight back and this deck wasn't exactly the most friendly of places after all. But then, Exodia and a lovely angel with brown hair walked over to me. She smiled as Exodia settled in front of me, guarding me from the others.
"We saw what you did. Sleep now, you deserve it." She placed her small hand across my eyes and I drifted off in to a peaceful rest, one that I desperately needed.
When next I woke it was for one thing and one thing only. He was here!
I had heard his voice, Joey's. He was here to get me back. The rest of the deck heard it too, heard the challenge and saw me lift my head up. They smiled sadly, and I realized that they had all been abandoned as hopeless to get back by their own duelists and for a moment I felt ashamed. Ashamed that I would be going home.
"Don't worry about it." One said to me. "If one of us gets home, than there is hope for the rest of us." I saw them nod in agreement and smiled back.
We listened as Joey was refused and I nearly fell into despair, but then the Pharaoh came forward and offered to take his place, putting the Dark Magician on the line. We all gasped at this, knowing how much that card meant to the Pharaoh.
This was being done for me?
I agreed with Joey when he said not to, but the Pharaoh wasn't listening and started the duel. We all held our breaths as the duel progressed. Hoping for our chance, waiting to see what would happen. When the parts of Exodia's spell were summoned I saw the Forbidden one look at me, an apology in it's eyes and I did my best to smile and tell him not to worry that there would be a way to win. I felt Joey's presence and reached out for it, trying to comfort him as well.
'I feel you Red-eyes. We'll get through this, I promise.'
I bowed my head in response.
'I know.'
The duel continued and then it looked like it would be all over, that this creature holding our cards would win again, but the Pharaoh won instead and I raised my voice, rejoicing. The rest of the cards looked happy for me and as the Pharaoh grabbed me and presented me back to Joey. As Joey looked down at my card I knew he had something else in mind, but was worried.
'Red-eyes?'
'Yes?' I felt the hesitation and tried to comfort him. 'What is it?'
'I know we have been through a lot together and you must know that you mean the world to me, but, he needs you more right now.' That surprised me and he took my silence as hurt before I could respond. 'I'm not trying to get rid of you it's just that, well, he did win you back.'
'And you want me to protect him since he is a close friend.' I smiled. 'I understand.' I kept smiling even though I was scared inside. I was going to be in the Pharaoh's deck and
I wasn't sure what to expect from that.
What if I wasn't good enough, what if I was rejected like with Rex? But I still smiled and agreed and listened quietly as Joey convinced the Pharaoh to accept me. I watched Joey walk away as I was placed in my new home. And then I smiled for real as I realized that the pieces of Exodia had been ripped to pieces. I felt the powerful card rejoice at his freedom from the creature whom had called himself a Duelist.
Scared and nervous I looked around my new deck and saw all these faces staring at me, watching quietly and at the front of all them was the Dark Magician, the one who had been on the line to get me back, arms crossed, stance lazy. I remembered him from before though, when he had been around during my healing, but still he made me nervous and who would blame me?
He seemed to know this and smiled slightly before bowing.
"It seems we have a new member of our family for awhile, so please, feel welcome." I tilted my head, surprise showing clearly on my face I was sure of it, but soon everyone was there welcoming me and I understood why Joey trusted the Pharaoh with me. I had just gone from one deck to another and knew that when the time came, I would go home to be where I belonged.
But for now, I would be taken care of and loved. If Joey trusted and cared for him, than so would I. I had promised to protect him and I would keep that promise.
I could do no less.