Y.A.R.: Okay, we are clear for take off!
Amy: Even though you had about a month's worth of delays?
Y.A.R.: Shut up! Writer's block along with other stories that I have kinda threw off my schedule to launch this thing!
Amy: *sigh* Which means the story's debut has to be cut short?
Y.A.R.: I still plan to release the story as scheduled, just not as many chapters to open it up. Anyways, to all my reviewers; the moment is here to unveil "Temptation to Madness!" Once I get through the introductory chapters, then we'll get into the new chapter release plan.
Amy: Though, she won't make you guaranteed promises on those dates...
Y.A.R.: T_T Why you gotta be so mean? I also have another two fics that I'm drafting up too.
Amy: Even though that you still have your other crossover fic to work?
Y.A.R.: Gah! No more talk, before I lose my thoughts!
Temptation to Madness
Summary: To truly understand that the lives of people around you can be affected by one single event; the love that two individuals shared beyond time and space. Temptation is an emotion that if driven beyond control to see another, it can lead to losing your grip on seeing reality and becoming insane. Yami wanted his true love to come back; meeting a girl who looked exactly like her drove his mind into a world of madness.
Chapter 1-Vivid Memories of a Lost Soul
(Yami's POV)
It should have been me...
It should have been me...
I was right there, injured on the battlefield; my high priests, my modern and past friends calling out to me...
The darkness was about to end me...
I heard a familiar voice calling out in the winds of destiny, "Atem!"...
Time froze when she stood in front of me in her astral body...
Blood spread down quickly into her royal garments; her own blood covering my own face...
"Ayame!"
That was the only thing I could say at the time of her death...
Her last words still vivid in my mind...
"Pharaoh, I wished that both of us could still be alive to raise...our...son..."
My tears were let out after those very words; to lose my true love right in front of me...
It should have been me...
It should have been me...
BOOM!
The sound of thunder woke me from my slumber, sweat building up on my body as I breathed heavily into my lungs. That same memory kept replaying for several days now, each time becoming more realistic and vivid than the last. I felt the tears releasing on their own, knowing my heart never stopped healing itself for what happened to Ayame, my love from another time. It was so long ago that she died, and I waited for her to reincarnate into the living world, but she never came. It was then after I retrieved my memories that I learned that she couldn't reincarnate until five millennia have passed.
I didn't want to go back into the afterlife; begging towards the gods that I needed to live the life that I never had the chance to experience at all. They knew the state I was in and granted my motion, even after the ceremonial duel. But, my happiness was short lived afterwards. Day in and day out, I endlessly searched for Ayame's reincarnation, hoping that she was also here considering that five millennia had passed so much. My efforts failed, wondering that what if the person who looked like her ended up dead. Ever since then, I grew depressed and refused most of the activities with my friends.
Yugi grew very worried about my current situation, and so did the rest of my friends. They thought that I was happy to be back into the living world; they were wrong. I wanted to find her so badly. The emotional wounds in my heart were still damaged from her death, not wanting to even start healing at all. I don't understand why she didn't returned to life; how could I have missed the chance to be with the one I loved so much?
I retreated back into my bed, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep, but I know that memory will replay in my mind: over and over again.
~Several hours later...~
"Yami! Yami, wake up! It's time for breakfast!" Yugi shouted.
Groaning through my mouth, I opened my eyes to see the rain still falling from the gray sky outside, but it wasn't as heavy than last night. I heard Yugi calling me from downstairs, and I wasn't in the mood to answer back. Moving the pillow over my head to block his voice, I drifted back to sleep, only to be awaken once more by the sound of my door being slammed open. I took the pillow away from my face and came eye to eye with my hikari. He was looking at me with this 'get up or I'll drag you across the floor' look, and I mumbled something unintelligible from my mouth.
"Yugi, it's the weekend. You know how much I sleep during then." I mumbled.
"Well, you might have to change that, Yami." Yugi remarked. "You been gloomy ever since we got back from Egypt; it's not like you to be this depressed about something that big."
Oh, did I forget to mention that I only been here for seven months?
"Look, I just been in deep thought for quite some time. I'm sorry if I worried you." I said.
A breath escaped Yugi's lips. "It's not only me you been affecting; it's also Joey and the others. They been quite worried about you as well." he inquired.
Ah yes; my other friends. They been in many adventures as well as dangers with me. Joey's still the friend I knew, other than the fact that he's not quite the study partner in school. Tristan and Duke was still fighting over Joey's sister, of which I feel regret towards Serenity; they were also doing quite well, if you count their grades to be in a huge difference. Ryou was back to himself after the mess in Egypt, and was attending school with us; I was hoping that some of his psychotic yami's personality didn't rub on him, otherwise we have to be careful around him at times. And Tèa...well, that part will have to be saved for another day.
I told Yugi that I'll meet him downstairs in a few minutes. He nodded and headed downstairs, while I headed into the bathroom and turned on the water for the shower. I had my body run against the boiling liquid; my head being soaked from top to bottom, and my mind was still on that memory from last night.
How can I forget such a precious person like Ayame? She was everything that I wished to be: free-spirited, outspoken, and unchained. Sure, I broke a few rules with her, but I could never forgot the love we shared for each other. She was a princess from the Spiritual Kingdom, a palace of which set itself between the entrance to the gods and the realms of hell. The kingdom overlooks everything throughout your life, even the things that you have hidden from the eyes of the public. When they passed judgment, you can only go to heaven if you have done more good than evil and it follows the same way when they send you to hell. I wanted to go back into time and prevent her from sacrificing herself, but it was an event that couldn't been avoided. Tears mixed into the water, as I shut it off and dried myself off, heading into my room to get ready for the weekend with my friends.
I know that they're worried about me, but the reasons were completely different than what was truly on my mind. I refused to duel and my grandpa suggested taking depression medication for what I had. I wasn't depressed about leaving my past:
I was depressed about losing the love of my life.
I looked into the closet to see that new black hooded jacket that Yugi brought me weeks ago when we had to go shopping for clothes that fitted into the body that I was granted into the modern world. I grabbed that along with one of my daily set of leather pants, taking a light blue shirt from the dresser. I told him that I would not go anywhere until I get my leather. I mean, c'mon, you can't be a sexy person without your leather pants. I could hear yelling from downstairs, and I could tell that Joey and Duke just shown up.
"No, Joey! Do NOT touch Yami's breakfast! You know how he gets when someone takes his stuff without him knowing!" Yugi shouted.
"Aw, c'mon Yug'. I'm starvin'!" Joey complained.
"May we need to remind you of what happened two weeks ago? You were in the Shadow Realm for three straight shitty days! We took forever to convince him to bring you back!" Duke pointed out.
Yeah, about that...it was completely an accident and misunderstanding.
Long story short: Joey unknowingly took my CD player when we were in the library. I got furious and sent him to the Shadow Realm. I found out later that it was a different blonde boy and took him out. You can say the least that he was scarred for life and stayed home for about two weeks.
I cared for my friends very much, but I couldn't let them know what I was truly mourning about the memories of my love. I headed downstairs and the shouting ceased, all three of them looking at me with concern in their eyes. Silence filled the room until Joey broke it, hoping to reach to me through his words.
"Hey, buddy." Joey said. "You alright and such?"
"I'm fine, Joey." I replied.
"I don't know." Duke said. "You been out of it ever since we got back from Egypt seven months ago. Are you sure that everything's okay? If not, we can call the Isthars and let them know about it."
"They don't fully know that I'm back in the modern world, guys. Last thing I need is them pondering about why I can't move on, knowing their farfetched theories." I mentioned.
"Then why have you been so moody these days?" Yugi asked. "You refuse to duel, which is unlike you; you sometimes decline to hang out with us, and I hear you crying in the bathroom almost every single day!"
Damn. I was hoping that Yugi didn't catch that last part; I really need to stuff those walls with something soundproof.
"I just been in deep thought for the time being." I lied. "Really, guys. You don't have to worry that much about me. I'm still getting adjusted towards my new life is all."
"...Okay." Yugi said. "You could at least told us back then, Yami. Now, hurry up. We have to meet Tristan and Ryou at the arcade for our boys' hangout day in one hour!"
I smiled at my friends and ate quickly enough as we said our goodbyes and headed straight towards the arcade. But, the pain and memories of Ayame's death still haunts my mind to this very point of time; the sorrow seeping into my soul every time I think about her. Her voice played within my head like a record, each time becoming more and more distant from myself. I felt the tears coming by, but I held them back in case the guys tried to look at me once more. My mind will always look upon this very question:
Where is Ayame's reincarnation, and why hasn't she shown herself in this modern day?
I shook the thoughts out my head and proceeded to have a good time with my friends for the day, even if it was only for a day. Speaking of which, Yugi told me that I'm going to have to start going back to school since he lied to the principal that I have some suicidal thoughts and had to be kept on lockdown. I think he got influenced by Joey and Tristan a little too much.
I guess tomorrow will be another day, only this time...I won't have any kind of privacy about my thoughts.
One chapter down, three more to write up!