Gosh! I have been so busy, I didn't think I would get to post this on time! Please forgive any mistakes as I have given it a very quick look over but no time to edit properly. I hope it's alright.
There is a little bit of adult material but nothing graphic. There could also be the odd curse word.
Transcending Boundaries
Chapter 2.
The weeks following graduation were rather full-on for Yugi. Not only were he and his friends adjusting to life outside high school, but he was also having to deal with the media attention surrounding his rather odd victory at Seto Kaiba's tournament.
He had not heard anything from Kaiba, but the media were reporting that he had gone to ground, apparently to work on rectifying the problems that had occurred during the final duel. According to a spokesperson, a malfunction inside the server had caused a power fluctuation, resulting in the manifestation of the faulty Diva hologram.
Jonouchi described the statement as a pile of bollocks. Yugi did not disagree with him. But as the victor of a final that no one had actually been awake to witness the conclusion to, he had to come up with a more intelligent answer.
None of them had any idea how close they had all come to oblivion and Yugi chose his words carefully. His friends were impressed with the way he diplomatically avoided telling the truth, while at the same time describing how he had never stopped believing he would win and that his plea to the Heart of the Cards had been answered by his most trusted friend. The interviewer took this to mean his Dark Magician had been the key to victory. Yugi just smirked knowingly and did not add anything else.
Thankfully, after six weeks the fuss was finally starting to die down enough for Yugi to breath properly again.
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Although they were still not officially a couple, Yugi and Anzu had been spending more time together. Anzu did not have dance practice today, and he had managed to get out of running the shop for the afternoon so that they could spend time together, alone.
Anzu's parents were both at work, so rather than go out to the mall, they decided to hang out at Anzu's house.
Yugi hoped that they might spend the afternoon getting more intimate, but Anzu had put on an old film starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair. Yugi was not in the least bit interested in the film, but since Anzu loved the music, the dancing and the New York setting, he was happy for it to be on if it meant that he could be close to her.
The film was going over his head as he sat chewing on how to start a conversation about their physical relationship – or lack of.
Because they were such good friends, they always felt so comfortable together. The downside of this was that they took each other for granted. However, things had started to get a little bit awkward lately and Yugi sensed that it had a lot to do to her leaving for New York in a few weeks.
He really wanted to ask her to be in a proper relationship with him, but did not know how to say what he wanted without it sounding like he wanted sex - which he did, but only if she wanted it.
Fearful of rejection, he was quickly coming to the conclusion that it was probably best if he didn't say anything at all. They were okay as they were, weren't they?
When they were alone together, they cuddled. They had even kissed a couple of times. But in public, she was always telling people they were just good friends, and this was starting to confuse him. He was even begnning to wonder if she was embarrassed about being involved with him romantically. It hurt to think that she might reject him.
He screwed his eyes shut and breathed in the scent of her hair as her head rested against his shoulder. If they were not destined to be together then he would enjoy these moments.
He could feel his arm starting to go numb where she was leaning against it, and had to adjust his position slightly.
She lifted her head and sat up at look at him. "Are you okay Yugi? You don't mind watching this, do you?"
"I'm fine," he confirmed. "Just losing the feeling in my arm."
"Oh! Sorry," she giggled, sitting forward so that he could pull his arm free. "Is that more comfortable?" She said, leaning back again and taking his hand in hers. Smiling, she entwined her fingers with his and pulled his hand down to rest in her lap.
He glanced down at where his hand was and felt himself heating up at the thought that she might let him slide his hand between her legs.
But as much as he wanted to act on his desires, he did nothing.
"Ooh! I love this dance!" With a whoop of delight, Anzu suddenly leaped up. She started to copy the moves on the TV screen. Yugi chuckled and watched her dancing. He could not have cared less about Ginger and Fred, but Anzu was simply beautiful to watch.
"Come on Yugi?" She extended her hand. "Dance with me?"
"Whaaa! No way! Two left feet, remember?" He laughed and waved his hands defensively.
"Don't be a spoilsport! I will teach you the steps." She grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him off the sofa. "It's easy."
He reluctantly let himself be dragged to his feet. "I only know one dance, and that is the 'step on your partners toes' dance," he complained.
"Then I will keep my toes out of the way. Stand next to me and we will start slowly." She held his hand, dipped her hip and tapped one foot forward and then out to the side. He tried to follow her moves and was finding it easier than he thought he would. She picked up the pace and suddenly spun herself around on her toes. Taken by surprise he tried to lift his arm for her to spin underneath but he mistimed it and went the wrong way, causing them to become tangled up. Anzu was laughing so much that she almost fell over but Yugi wrapped his arms around her to prevent her falling and pulled her close.
He suddenly realised just how close they were when she put her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck as she continued to laugh. Her warm breath tickled his neck and made him feel amorous. His heart jumped when he felt her eyelashes fluttering on the sensitive spot on his neck where his ear joined his jawline.
He almost let out a squeak when she then placed a kiss on the same spot. He wanted her so badly.
They had no idea who instigated it, but the next moment they were kissing far more passionately than they ever had previously.
Anzu's hands quickly found their way inside his shirt, fervently kneading and stroking muscles in his back.
One of his own hands rested on the small of her back, while the other grasped at the soft, silky flesh at the top of her thigh. Hormones on fire and feeling bold, he started exploring where he had never been allowed to explore before – thank Ra she was wearing a short skirt.
At first, he was afraid she might knock his hand away. But instead, she moaned into his mouth and he felt her body quiver slightly as he tentatively pleasured her.
His libido was telling him to ravish her, but his common decency was warning him to stop this at once. She was going to New York soon and had hinted that her priority was to concentrate on her dancing and not become involved in a serious relationship. If this was going where he thought it was going they would end up naked, having sex, and that would make them serious, wouldn't it? Stop! Don't stop!
Suddenly, the need to breath pulled them both apart. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" He panted, removing his hand from between her legs "I didn't mean to..." His fingers felt like they were coated in silk, making him shiver with desire.
"It's okay Yugi." She ran her palm over his cheek and gently cupped his jaw. "I.. I..." She swallowed nervously. "I know what I said about not waiting a relationship until I had finished my degree in dance. But it's not fair of me to ask you to wait."
"But I can wait!" He blurted, stupidly.
"Can you? I'm not sure if I can."
"But I love you Anzu. I will do whatever you want!"
"You are too nice Yugi. I take you for granted and I shouldn't. Mai told me that I should stop stringing you along and make my mind up before some other woman catches your eye."
Now he was starting to worry about where was this conversation going. Was she about to dump him? "I don't think you are stringing me along! And I don't look at other women – not in that way!" Not strictly true. He liked to look but... "I would never cheat on you!" Now he was sounding desperate.
She removed her hand from his face and ran it down his arm and took his hand, steering them both to the sofa. They sat down, nervously facing each other. This is it, she's going to tell me she only sees me as a friend.
"Yugi I... We have been friends for such a long time. But my feelings for you..." She was interrupted mid sentence when the door bell suddenly ran, startling them slightly.
Frowning in annoyance she huffed, "I wonder who that is?" When she went to stand up, Yugi pulled her back down.
"No! Please...? I need to know what you were about to say?" He gave her a nervous, defensive grin. The door bell rang again, this time, impatiently.
"I should..." she pointed at the door, "answer it first. Just in case it's a delivery or something. Then we can carry on," she winked at him, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and stood up. "I love you too Yugi." She whispered the words bashfully, as if embarrassed by them. Face pink, she hurried towards the door.
His mouth formed an O as the meaning in her words dawned on him. He felt a big surge of relief and his libido swelled with expectation.
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Whoever was at the door seemed impatient. Anzu was about to call out that she was coming, when she heard Mokuba's desperate shout.
"Yugi? Anzu? If you're there, please answer? It's urgent!"
"Mokuba!" Anzu gasped in surprise, "What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" A desperate looking Mokuba surged into the hallway, just as Yugi came out of the sitting room.
"Sorry for barging in like this, but you gotta help me? It's Seto. He's gone!" Tears filled his eyes as he spoke.
"What do you mean, gone?!" Yugi asked, concern masking his irritation at having their make-out session interrupted.
Anzu placed a sympathetic hand on Mokuba's shoulder. "Where has your brother gone Mokuba?" Mokuba let out a sob, accompanied by a rather snotty, bubbly sniff. "Yugi, can you get the box of tissues for Mokuba, please?" She pointed to the sideboard in the dining room. Yugi did as he was told.
Composing himself, Mokuba thanked Yugi for the tissues and blew his nose like a trumpet.
As Yugi waited for Mokuba to finish blowing his nose, he felt like he had been here so many times before: Kaiba messes up and ends up in serious trouble, leaving a frightened Mokuba to come running to him for help, resulting in Yugi risking his own safety to save him – when would Kaiba ever learn? He was getting a little fed up with it. "What has Kaiba done this time?" His voice came out dark and accusing. Anzu felt a chill run down her spine – he sounded just like Atem.
"I'm sorry Yugi. I know you must be getting fed up with this, but you are the only person I can trust and who might know what to do."
"It's okay Mokuba. Don't apologise, just tell me what happened?" Yugi tried to give him a reassuring smile.
Mokuba smiled at Yugi through his tears and explained how his brother had spent the last few weeks modifying the cube and building a pod which could transport him to other dimensions. When he got to the part about wanting to see Atem, Yugi clenched his fists and looked visibly shaken.
"The thing is," Mokuba continued, "he was wearing a special suit. It is designed to keep him from being torn apart or incinerated when he moves through barriers. It was transmitting his vital signs until about an hour ago and then it stopped. I tried to ring you but you didn't answer, so I went to the game shop and your grandfather said you were with Anzu. So I came here. I'm sorry."
Feeling a twinge of guilt, Yugi looked over to where his phone was resting in his jacket pocket. He had turned it off so that his nice afternoon with Anzu would not be interrupted by people messaging and ringing him – which happened a lot these days. "I should apologise to you Mokuba. I turned my phone off. I kind of get a lot of fans ringing and it gets a bit much sometimes." He took a steadying breath and Anzu squeezed his hand.
"Do you know if your brother found Atem?" Anzu asked as calmly as she could. Mokuba shook his head.
"I have no idea. I can't communicate with him."
"We will help you find him, won't we Yugi?" Anzu gave Yugi a pleading look and he gave her a worried smile. His jaw tightened apprehensively and Anzu noticed how his previously pink, flushed cheeks were now a little pale.
"Yes," he replied, "we will try to help. Do you want to show us where he left from?"
Mokuba nodded. "I hope you don't mind, but when I couldn't contact you I called Jonouchi. We're picking him up on the way."
Of course they did not mind. The pair grabbed their coats and shoes and followed Mokuba outside to the waiting limo.
They picked Jonouchi up outside the shopping centre where he worked as a cleaner. "What's Money Bags been up to this time then?" He did not seem very amused. He was even less amused when Yugi told him that he had gone to the afterlife to duel Atem. "Is he insane?!"
No one answered his rhetorical question and Mokuba looked away – he could not disagree with Jonouchis's comment.
On the way there, Mokuba explained that they were not going to Kaiba Corporation HQ, but rather to a small control centre on the edge of Domino Harbour, in which the space elevator to the space station was housed. Mokuba explained that the space station was Seto's sanctuary. The technology was so advanced that if Seto wanted, he could take over every computer in the world, should he choose to do so. For a short time, Mokuba seemed to cheer up as he swelled with pride at his brother's genius.
"So, he built the space station to snoop on what people were doing?" Anzu raised an eyebrow.
"No! It's to house the Duel Links server primarily. But the technology is so sophisticated that he could control any computer, television transmission, radio broadcast, electronic gadget... You name it, he can control it. Not that he would!" He added, when he saw the horrified looks on there faces.
Yugi rolled his eyes. If he were to judge by past behaviour, he would not put anything past Seto Kaiba if it meant getting what he wanted.
"So, how high up is this space station? And what's it look like?" Jonouchi wanted to know.
"It's not as high as the international space station," Mokuba informed him. "And it does not move. It generally stays at around fifty thousand feet and is anchored to the ground by the space elevator. I guess it's more like a sophisticated barrage balloon than a space station."
"Haven't you seen it Jonouchi?! It's quite easy to see from the ground," Yugi informed him.
"Yeah, course I have!" He lied, "Just ain't paid it no attention."
The car drove up a dirt track. Barbed wire and 'private' 'keep out' signs marked the entrance. Yugi noticed the infra red beams that deactivated as they drove along, reactivating behind them after they passed.
"We're here." Before them, on a rocky outcrop, jutting into the sea, was a domed, silver, white and glass building with the KC logo embossed on the panelling. A thin white, shimmering beam extended from the top of the dome, upwards into the sky. The beam attached to to the space station. Jonouchi let out a whistle of astonishment. "Wow! Dat looks like something you see in Star Wars!"
"One day, my brother hopes that colonists will be able to travel to other dimensions and live in constructions like these. You will be even more impressed by the space station. The technology is still in it's infancy, but we have been developing a system where there is normal gravity in out of space. We are doing the final tests with NASA, and they hope to use our environmental system in the International Space Station within the next twelve months or so."
"Wow! We can still float about if we go up there, right?" Grinning like a five year old in a sweet factory, Jonouchi pointed to the KC space station.
Mokuba rolled his eyes at him. "Only if I alter the environment."
"Are you forgetting why we are really here Jonouchi?" Anzu scolded him.
"Hey! That was a legit question! I wanna know what's gonna happen to us when we get up there!"
"What about the pod he used to transport himself? Can I see it?" Yugi asked, more seriously.
Mokuba dropped his gaze. "That might be a problem. You see, unlike the VR pods, where your mind is placed inside an avatar of your choice, this transfers your whole body as well as your mind. I pleaded with him not to go but he wouldn't listen..."
"Typical Kaiba," Anzu made a tutting sound and rolled her eyes.
"Anyway," Mokuba frowned, "Seto did not want anyone following him, so he self destructed the pod."
"What an arrogant ass hole! Doesn't he know that we wanna go see the Pharaoh too?!" Jonouchi snapped, his voice raising in pitch.
"It's not that," Mokuba defended. "He used the cube as a means to access the other dimensions physically. Without the cube, it's almost impossible to follow."
"Almost, but you still think I might be able to find him, don't you Mokuba?" Yugi questioned.
Mokuba sucked on his bottom lip and looked a little unsettled. "I'm not sure. I kind of needed your support and I hoped that because of your connection to Atem, you might still be able to communicate with him."
Yugi chewed his thumbnail. "I don't know if I can, the Puzzle is gone Mokuba. It was the last thing that tied him here, to this world... and me." His mouth twitched with sadness at that thought. He pushed the sadness away and his expression became thoughtful. If Kaiba had developed the technology to travel to the afterlife, then this was a game changer. It meant that they might all be able to see Atem again. The chance was too good to miss. "But I'm willing to try."
Worried about his true motivation for wanting to go, Anzu touched his arm. "I know you want to see him again Yugi – we all do. But what if it's too dangerous? Kaiba is already missing, and if you go after him, you might be lost too. I don't want to lose you."
Smiling weakly, Yugi reached out and brushed his fingertips over her cheek. "I won't take any risks. I promise." Anzu opened her mouth to respond but knew how stubborn he could be about changing his mind once he had made up his mind to do something, so she just sighed and gave him a worried smile.
"Okay, but be careful." She threw her arms around him and gave him a chaste kiss.
"I will." Embracing her, he prolonged the kiss. Even with Jonouchi and Mokuba watching, she did not resist and kissed him with unashamed love.
"Weheh! I knew there was something going on between you two!" Jonouchi grinned and fist pumped the air. Even Mokuba looked a little happier – he had always liked the idea that Anzu and Yugi should be together.
"Get that dirty grin off your face Jonouchi! That's exactly why we kept it secret." Anzu snapped.
"Hey! I think it's great that my two best friends are finally official," he stepped forward and embraced the both, patting them on the back. "I will make sure he comes back safe to ya. Heck, I will even help save Moneybags, for Mokuba's sake."
"You're not going too are you?!" Anzu gasped.
"Yeah, course I am. Ya didn't think I would let my buddy do this all on his own did ya?! And besides, if there's any chance we might see the Pharaoh again, I'm definitely going. I still gotta thank him for saving my life when I found myself in that freaky, disappearing world."
"Then I'm coming as well," Anzu stated, resolutely.
"Guys?!" Mokuba held his hands up. "I don't know if I can send all three of you! It will be hard enough just sending Yugi. And I can only send your minds as far as the multiverse. After that, you will have to navigate yourselves using the last known tracking details I have for Seto."
"Oh!" Jonouchi looked disappointed. "Well, I guess you had better show us to the space station anyway."
Mokuba gestured for them to follow. A retinal scan identified him and the doors to the ground control centre and space elevator opened. The four stepped inside.
A rather efficient sounding, computerised female voice sounded a security alert, warning of three unauthorised personnel. Mokuba gave the names of his three guests and ordered the computer to grant them access.
"You need to stand there." He gestured to a hexagonal plate on the floor. "Stand facing the screen and it will scan you and give you entry into the facility."
Jonouchi looked apprehensive about it but Yugi nodded and boldly stepped onto the plate. An infrared beam passed from the tip of his hair to his feet and then back up. The computerised voice confirmed his identity, blood type and even announced him medically fit, before issuing him with a biometric passport. Jonouchi and Anzu both followed.
Once inside the facility, Mokuba took them into the space elevator. There were three bursts of energy and they shot skywards. The sensation made them feel odd; it was like their skeleton had shot upwards leaving the rest behind on the ground floor and they were now racing to catch up with it.
They stepped out of the elevator and Jonouchi stumbled out, looking green.
"Don't you dare throw up on Kaiba's space station," Anzu growled.
Mokuba grabbed a sick bag from a hook on the wall and shoved it at him. Jonouchi promptly retched into it. "Man, that lunch cost me a mornings pay!"
"That will teach you for eating too much," Anzu scolded.
"It's okay. Quite a few people throw up when they get off. That's why we keep the sick bags," Mokuba explained.
"Ugh! Ya could a warned me."
"Are you okay now Jonouchi?" Yugi asked, concerned. Jonouchi nodded and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Yugi turned to Mokuba. "Would you like to show us what we need to do?"
Mokuba took them to a travelator which took them along one of the long tubes, linking the different parts of the space station.
"Wow! Look at the view! It's amazing," Anzu gasped.
"It is," Yugi agreed. Thanks to the Puzzle he had seen a lot of incredible things, but he had never been so high up into the earth's atmosphere before. Below him were the Islands of Japan, and beyond them the ocean and the other continents. He could see how Earth curved and he found himself wishing that Atem was here to see it with him.
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Two hours! Seto Kaiba had just about had enough of being treated like this. He had bathed and changed and then been left in his room with little to do but chew his nails. And even more annoyingly, his portable holographic transmitter system had packed up. Unless he could fix it – and without access to electricity and a computer, that looked unlikely – he would not be able to force the Pharaoh to duel him on his terms.
Fed up with sitting around, he decided to go and find the Pharaoh.
Throwing open the door, he stepped outside and found himself face to face with two burly guards, both carrying spears. It the afterlife was supposed to be a nirvana then why did everyone keep waving spears at him?
That's it for this chapter. Thank you for reading.
Please review.
