Disclaimer: Yugioh is the sole property of creater Kazuki Takahashi. I do not claim to own any part of it. But if I did...(eyes glaze over dreamily)
Notes: In the last chapter, it was a horrible cliffie in which Jou walked in to see Ryou and Yugi both in pain. In this chapter, we backtrack to see what happened with Ryou and Yugi. I skipped ahead, as you can plainly see, but it's only because I don't think I could ever write a whole duel. Just try to fill in the blanks as best you can. Now, before I start, some parts may be confusing because they are happening simultainiously. In most cases, you'll be able to tell, but it might be confusing at times. If you have any trouble understanding, please feel free to say so in a review or e-mail, and I will try to clear things up as best as I can. Now, without futher adu, here is Chapter 7!Chapter 7: Promises Were Made To Be Broken
----25 minutes after the duel started----
----Back with Yugi and Bakura----
(LP: Yugi: 100 Bakura: 300)
Yugi groaned as he pulled himself up from yet another one of Bakura's relentless attacks, trying his hardest to ignore the Tomb Thiefs' evil laughter. Yugi was horribly beaten, but, somehow, Bakura had remained untouched and healthy, despite the various times Yugi had attacked him. He must be using Shadow Magic to deflect my attacks… How else could he stay so safe…? Shaking his head, he stood upright, knees trembling furiously as he began to draw his next card.
"Are you sure you're okay, Aibou…? I can help if you want…" Atem was furious with Bakura, and he wanted nothing more than to rush forward and beat Bakura into a bloody mess. But he understood why Yugi didn't want any help, and he wanted to prove, yet again, to his hikari that he trusted him enough to let him win on his own. Still…he was worried about his partner, and he wanted to give Yugi an opportunity to ask for his help, even if he didn't want it…
"I'm…I'm okay, mou hitori no boku…" Yugi stuttered, "I…I'm fine, I swear. Besides…if I can draw the right card, this duel will be over in one turn…"
"There's no use, Yugi," Bakura called from across the field. "There are precious few creatures in the game of duel monsters that can defeat my all-powerful Dark Necrofear (Atk: 2200, Def: 2800), and I'm quite sure I've destroyed most of yours anyways. Besides, I have a feeling you won't be drawing one before your turn ends… You may as well just give up now, and perhaps I'll show you a little mercy when I finish you off. Perhaps…"
Yugi's eyes shown with trust and determination as he brought his hand to the duel disk. Heart of the cards…please…guide me… Yugi grabbed the card between his index and middle finger, then gracefully pulled it out to his side, not yet looking at the card he has drawn. Please be the right card…please…
He slowly brought the card to his face, then opened his eyes and peeked at the image on the card. Thank you! Yes! A bright smile appeared on his face, widening with each passing second. "It's over, Bakura!" he shouted.
"What?" Bakura asked, surprised at Yugi's lack of fear.
"You may have defeated him once, Bakura! But with no facedown cards, you and your monster are finished!" he shouted as he threw his card on the duel disk with great finesse, "I play, Monster Reborn, to bring back- the Dark Magician (Atk: 2500, Def: 2000)!"
Both duelists watched as a card appeared in midair, glowing brightly for a moment, then shifting and growing into a large cross. The cross maintained the eerie glow as a coffin materialized in front of it, also glowing, then dropped to the ground with a dull thud. The lid of the coffin creakily lifted and fell to the ground beside it, another dull thud coming from the dirt below. Slowly, a purple-robed person rose from the coffin, and began to move into a vertical position, hovering eerily over the coffin like a ghost, its beautiful robe elegantly flowing behind him, despite the fact that there was no wind. Bakura watched with growing horror as the Dark Magician faced towards him, a calm, mysterious look on his normally emotionless face… Suddenly, his violet orbs snapped open, and he looked accusingly at Bakura, eyes dancing with a fire that mysteriously echoed Atem's.
"Dark Magician!" Yugi shouted, eyes filled with a fiery passion, "Atta-"
"Stop, Yugi!" Bakura shouted, interrupting Yugi just before he called his attack. He brought his gaze down to the Millennium Ring which hung around his neck. "Sumani(1)…" he said slowly, " I have one…trump card…and I think I'll play it now. Have fun…hikari Yugi."
As the finished his sentence, the Millennium Ring flashed brilliantly, leaving Yugi with a bright circle in the center of his vision. He furiously blinked it away, waiting for his vision to return to him, when a pained-filled voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Y-yugi…?" it asked timidly.
Please, no! Yugi thought desperately.
"Yugi…where am I…? Ah..!" it groaned, "Yugi…I don't feel so well. I…I think something's wrong with me…I don't remember what happened…how did I get here…? Why are we dueling…?"
Yugi looked ahead to see Ryou, clutching his stomach in pain, swaying on his obviously weak knees. "Ryou…" he said quietly, concern obvious in his voice.
"Yugi…" Ryou whispered as he fell forward suddenly, landing hard on his hands and knees. He screamed quietly, then fell silent, his eyes closing halfway and looking empty and emotionless.
Oh god…I…it's all my fault…! Bakura…he must have used his Shadow magic to deflect my attacks…and send them straight to Ryou's soul…! Every time I attacked Bakura, Ryou was the one who felt the damage… All the pain he's in right now…it's all because of me… If I attack him again and win the duel…he…he could…die…"
"What the hell's goin' on?"
Yugi snapped his head around to see Jou, who had just entered the forest area, gaping at the scene before his eyes.
"Ryou!" Jounouchi called loudly and angrily after a moment of silence, his mood swiftly changing from confusion to anger. "Kisama(2)…! What the hell did you do to Yugi?"
"Jou…" Yugi weakly said, "It's…it's not what you think…!"
Jou snapped his head around to face Yugi. "Well what the hell am I supposed to think Yugi!" he shouted, "You're over there looking like kuso(3) and Ryou's over there looking like he's just tired from beating it out of you! It was supposed to be a friendly duel!"
"Jou…" Yugi weakly pleaded, "Please…that's…that's not Ryou…! It's…Bakura.."
Jou stared at Ryou furiously a few moments more, then slowly turned his attention back to Yugi. "Mazaka(4)…" he whispered, just loud enough for Yugi to hear.
"No, Jou-chan…it's true. Please, Jou…don't try to help me… This is a Shadow Duel, and I don't want you to get hurt because of me… I…I have to do this on my own…"
Jou opened his mouth to protest and began walking foward, but was immediately interrupted by Yugi.
"If you trust me, Jou, you won't take one step closer. If you trust me…you'll help me by letting me do this alone…"
Jou mutely stared at Yugi, mouth opened slightly, clearly at a loss for words. He looked into Yugi's deep amethyst eyes and saw that they were filled with a fiery blaze of determination, and before he knew what he was doing, he nodded, as if hypnotized by the small boys' strength and determination.
Yugi softly smiled, turning away from Jou to face Ryou.
"Yugi…" Ryou moaned, his chocolate-colored eyes still cold and empty. "Please…help me…"
I can't do it…
"Mou hirtori no boku…?"
"Y-yes, Aibou?" Atem stuttered, struggling to keep his composure after realizing what Bakura had done to Ryou. He wanted desperately to go over to Ryou, yank the Millennium Ring off his chest, and furiously shake it until the Tomb Thief appeared so he could beat the Bakura into a bloody mess.
"Will…will you promise me something…?"
"What is it, Aibou…?" Atem asked, sensing that he wouldn't like what Yugi wanted him to promise.
Yugi shook his head. "I won't tell you until you promise."
"Aibou, that's-"
"Please, mou hitori no boku…please…"
Atem hesitated for a moment, completely against making a promise he might not be able to keep; but, he didn't want to let Yugi down. Besides that, he could sense that Yugi was determined, and would not take 'no' for an answer. After a short stare-down, Atem quietly said, "I promise…"
Yugi let out a sigh of relief and said, "You just promised not to take over, no matter what I do, and no matter how much you want to stop me from doing it." He sighed again, breathing heavily, the pain obviously beginning to affect him. "I'm…I 'm going to forfeit the duel…"
Atem's dark crimson eyes widened in shock, "Aibou…you can't! This is a Shadow Duel, and if you lose…I…"
"I know, mou hitori no boku," Yugi said, nodding,
"But if I take over-"
"No," Yugi said firmly, "I have to do this on my own…"
"But Aibou…what about your promise to me? You promised me you'd protect yourself at all costs! Doesn't that mean anything to you…?
Yugi lowered his eyes to the ground, nodding slowly. "Of course if does, mou hitori no boku… But…this is bigger than the both of us… And that is one promise I cannot keep…"
Yugi didn't wait for Atem's reply; instead, he slowly raised his weak and trembling hand, letting it drift slowly over to the top of his duel disk. Then he placed it firmly on top of his cards.
"I…I surrender, Ryou…" Yugi whispered. His Dark Magician slowly turned to face his master, violet eyes shining with admiration. He watched Yugi for a moment, then nodded slightly, as if accepting and agreeing to Yugi's plan. Slowly, he faded into the darkness of the forest, along with all of Yugi other cards on the field. Bakura's though, stayed in the exact same place, eyeing Yugi with a sick lust in it's eyes, obviously impatient to make him squirm and wriggle in pain.
Ryou blankly stared up at Yugi, only vaguely aware of the monster on the field, confusion dully shining through is handsome features. "Yugi…" he said weakly, "What are you talking about…? Wha…what's going on…?" He slowly looked around the forest clearing, finally seeing Jounouchi standing in the exact same spot Yugi had told him to stay him, watching fearfully but silently.
"Yugi…" Jou said to himself, torn between wanting to save Yugi and between promising not to help him. I never break a promise to a friend…but…I also promised I'd always be there for him…to protect him… What do I do…?
"Jou…?" Ryou questioned, "What are you-ahh!" Ryou's words were cut off by a horrible pain-filled scream, a mix between a moan and gasp. He reared up on his knees, hands reaching up and burying themselves in his long spiky hair, clenching tightly to his head. "What's going on!" he shouted, his voice full of pain and misery. "Yugi…help me! Aahhh!" Ryou then screamed, a long and loud moan, his voice slowly lowering in volume, eventually stopping completely. Ryou fell forward, using his hands to break his fall. After a moment, he stood up, hair sticking up wildly, eyes holding the mad glint they had held just moments earlier. The Millennium Ring glowed brightly against his chest.
"I knew you would fall for that, sweet, innocent, hikari," Bakura taunted, laughing madly as he finished his statement. "You would never attack Ryou, not after what nearly happened last time," He walked up to Yugi, glaring at him with hate in his cold eyes. "I'll see you in hell," he snarled hatred and anger dripping off each word.
"Dark Necrofear!" he shouted, "Attack Yugi with everything you've got! Kill him!"
Time seemed to stand still(5).
Dark Necrofear swiftly flew across the field, eager to attack Yugi with all it's might, while a terrified Yugi and Jounouchi looked on. Jou's fists violently trembled as he shifted his vision from Yugi to Ryou, clearly unsure of which promise he could keep to Yugi. Yugi…why did you have to make me promise you…? I don't know what to do…
Yugi stood still, his eyes facing the ground below, not even acknowledging the fact that a bloodthirsty monster was about to devour him. Yugi was scared, no, terrified, but despite that, he was smiling, knowing that he was doing the right thing.
Atem watched through Yugi's eyes, wanting desperately to take over and help Yugi. But in his heart, he knew he couldn't break his promise, despite how much he wanted to. Terrified, he looked on, tears springing to his handsome crimson eyes. Atem made no attempt to brush them away, nor did he care, but continued to look on as Dark Necrofear moved closer and closer to his fallen aibou…
"Yugi…NO! Please don't go through with this!" Jou suddenly cried, desperately rushing forward, finally making his decision. What good is keeping a promise if there's no one to promise to anymore! He quickly stood in front of Yugi, throwing his arms out as far as they would go, frantically trying to protect Yugi as well as he could.
Yugi's head snapped up, the strange contentness he had felt just seconds earlier instantly disappearing; terror clawed his way into his soul as only one thought passed through is mind: I can't let another per son get hurt because of me!
"Jou! Please get out of the way!" he cried, taking a step towards his friend. "I can protect myself! I have to do this if I want to save him!" …and you… he thought to himself. Yugi threw his arms towards Jounouchi and, with his last burst of strength, pushed him violently to the side, drawing a surprised gasp from the much stronger boy, causing him to stumble backwards and fall several feet away…just enough to keep him away from the attacking monster.
"AHHH!" Yugi amethyst eyes widened with fear, and he screamed with all his might as Dark Necrofear reached him, eagerly reaching out it's razor-sharp claws and slashing his arms and legs, adding more rips to the already-torn leather and drawing more blood from the new wounds. Yugi moaned in pain and fell to his knees, his eyes rolling back into his head, his legs furiously trembling and unable to hold his weight up any longer. The monster seemed unfazed by Yugi's pain, and continued to wildly slash at his weak body, taking the boy further and further into unconsciousness as it punched and swiped with all its might.
Seconds felt like eternity to the suffering hikari, and his vision began to become cloudy and unfocused as he felt himself slipping into the shadows. Dark Necrofear, as if sensing that its victim was losing his battle and wanting to make one last remaining mark, swiftly raised its claw as high as it would go, bringing it down with one swiping motion, right across Yugi's chest. The bruised skin cut open immediately, gushing blood out of the open wound as it ran freely down his shirt, permanently staining the fabric with it's sickening dark color. Yugi let out one last moan of pain and allowed his eyes to droop slowly.
"Aibou! Aibou!"
Yugi's eyes opened slightly, and he tried to stay awake to find out who was calling him. "I'm sorry…" he said to the darkness, to himself, and to the world. Then, he closed his eyes, drifting away into the corners of his mind and soul.
"Aibou! Aibou!" Atem called, frantically trying to keep Yugi from passing out, knowing if he did, there was a chance he would never wake up. "You promised you'd protect yourself, Aibou, please don't lie to me…!" He felt Yugi drift away and fall to the shadows, sensing that he would be unable to talk to him any longer.
Aibou's mind link has closed…but he never closes it…unless… No! He's not… Oh, god, it's all my fault! he cried, transparent from falling to his knees. He tried to reach out to Yugi and touch his face, but his hand fell right through, not even leaving a mark on the younger teens face.
"These hands…" Atem said, raising his hands to eye level and examining them closely. "These hands have caused Aibou to be hurt… I sensed something was wrong…why didn't I tell him! I could have stopped all this from happening! I'm the one that told him Bakura was gone! Because of me…he's…he's going to… Atems' thoughts were cut off as all of the exhaustion from Yugi's duel suddenly caught up with him, draining him of his energy. "No…" he thought, "Aibou…" His crimson eyes began to dull as he followed Yugi into unconsciousness, falling to his side, his transparent form landing on top of his fallen aibou, before disappearing and fading into the surrounding shadows.
"AHHH!"
Jounouchi lay in complete and utter shock on the cold forest floor, panic flooding through his entire being, reaching into the very depths of his soul. He lay quietly for a few seconds more, trying to soak in what he had just witnessed. "Y-yugi…?" he tentatively called, finally regaining the ability to think and talk. He waited for a moment, hoping against hope that Yugi would greet him warmly so they could walk home together and forget this horrible incident.
Finally, after a few moments of fruitless waiting, Jou cautiously began to stand, knees shaking slightly for fear of what he might find. "Yug…?" he called again, praying that Yugi would answer. He looked over to where he had been standing before Yugi forced him out of the way. "Yugi…!" he shouted, tears already leaking out of his light hazel eyes as he rushed over to his the mangled, bleeding, and unconscious body of Yugi. He wearily fell to his knees, taking Yugi's limp hand in his own, and squeezing if softly, praying for a reaction from the beaten teen. "Oh, god… Guys! Get over here, quick! Yugi…Yugi's hurt!" He shouted, panic showing clearly in his broken voice. He waited for Anzu and Honda to arrive, too terrified and grief-stricken to think of anything else to do but wait.
Wait…and hope.
"Jou…?" Anzu's voice timidly called, just reaching Jou's ears as she slowly emerged into the dark forest.
"What happened, Jounouchi?" Honda asked, coming up right behind Anzu. "One second you were shouting you heard something and the next you were gone… We were looking for ya but… What are you doing here, anyway?"
They both walked a little further, finally seeing Jou, who looked up at them, tears freely running down his face as he held Yugi's hand.
"Yugi…?" Anzu asked, hesitantly at first, unsure of what to do. "Yugi!" Panic overtaking her, she rushed over to his side, putting her hands over his bleeding chest. Startled, she pulled them up again, dark red blood slowly dripping off the ends of her fingertips. "Yugi…!" She cried, hot tears running down her attractive face.
"What the…!" Honda said, unable to think of anything to say or do. After a moment, he clumsily took off his jacket, feeling finally coming into his mind and body, and placed it over Yugi. "I'll…I'll go call an ambulance!" he called over his shoulder, trying unsuccessfully to mask the pain and uncertainty in his voice.
Jou dimly watched Honda's back as he left the forest, slowly beginning to realize the severity of the situation. "Oh god…" he said to himself, voice not registering with the panic-stricken Anzu. "It's all my fault!" he called out to no one, looking into Yugi's scratched and bleeding face. "I'm so sorry Yugi…!" he moaned, "I'll get Bakura…I promise you. I'll get him…!" he turned his attention towards the spot where Bakura had been only a few moments ago, thinking he had heard a twig break, seeing nothing but the swaying forest trees. He eyed it closely for a moment, then turned his head toward the sky. "You hear me, Bakura?" he shouted to the treetops, "I'll get you! I'll kill you for what you did to Yugi!"
----End of Flashback----
Yay! This was my favorite chapter to write so far. It's weird, most of the time, when I write, I get into a kind of...'zone', and I dont' really see what I write until I look back and read over it. Then I'm like, "Wow, did I write that?" I swear, the other day while I was reading over it, I heard the MCR music video 'Helena' come on in the other room, and I ran to see in. I was feeling all sad because of what I just read, and the song did not help. I started crying, I really did! It was so weird! I'm not bragging or anything, I just think it's weird that the story kind of writes itself. Anyway, horray! Last chapter of the flashback! What did you loyal reviewers think of it? (huggles all old reviewers and also the new ones) (hands out lolly-pops) Lol, sorry, but I'm starting to lose all my money giving you guys stuff. You know, I spoil you...(huggles)
Reviewers (In order of review):
yugirules: (huggles) Thanks for the compliment! Sorry this chappie wasn't up sooner! Hope you liked this one, too!
tai'sgirl23: Oh, crap. If that made you mad, you're gonna be super pissed now. (whispers to Bakura) "Run if you want don't want to be mauled by and angry fan!" (Bakura blinks) (runs and hides in a garbage can) (shifty) Anyway, glad you like the plushie! I love them too! Sorry for not updating sooner, but it's here now! Thanks for the compliment, too, the duel was hard, but fun, to write. I'm glad you appreciate it! (huggles you again)
qwertopip: Glad you like the chappie! If you liked the graphics in the last one, you're definately going to enjoy this one!
yugioh-startrekker: I'm glad you like the torture parts, they were hard, but fun, and sad to write, and it's good to know peole enjoyed my hard work. Good luck on your fic, I hope it comes out well! I'll be sure to check it out when you post it!
IceBaby911: Yay! A new reviewer! (huggles you extra hard) Glad the beginning chapters made you sad, they were meant to, but sowwy for making you cwy! (hands you a tissue) Anyway, hope you enjoy the rest of the fic! Btw, I love your fic, Lovers Betrayal! It's really great! I think I reviewed on it...but I'm not too sure. I hope I did, I dont' wanna be a hypocrite... Anyway, hope you like the rest! (huggles you again)
seers-of-a-lost-paradise: Yay! Glad you liked the duel, I hope you like this part, too! I have no idea how old Jii-chan is, but if I were old I'd pretend not to be able to do stuff so I could guilt people helping me. (Lol, I'm evil) And, yeah,a lot of people and going to want to kill Bakura now! Just be easy...he's a main character. You can kill him when I'm done! Anyway, you're not going to find the new chappie there! It's right here! Sowwy for making you wait...but I'm glad you were so patient! (huggles you) Hope you like this part!
Darks00: Thanks for reviewing here! I really like your story, and I'm glad you liked mine, too!
C.B.A: Yeah, I liked making Yugi brave, I think he would be willing to do anything to save his friends (as you can see here). He doesn't like Bakura hurting Ryou, and he's quick to voice his opinion because he feels so strongly about it. (cheers for Yugi) Thanks for all the compliments, and for taking the time to write a long and insightful review! (huggles you) Oh, and yay! I was wondering if some people knew that Bakura did it, I guess some did! Yay for you! And you're not dumb! (huggles you and hands you lolly) Btw, sorry I haven't e-mailed you back yet, my stupid computer won't let me get or send e-mails. It'll probably work if I turn the computer off and wait a day, but I didn't want to wait to post this chapter. So, I'll e-mail you tomorrow! See ya later! (huggles you again)
yugilover#1: Yay, a new reviewer! Glad you liked this chappie! Aren't you lucky, you didn't have to wait as long as everyone else!
Oh, and anonomous reviews are now accepted and welcomed. I didn't ever realize I had to enable them to be allowed, I figured it out earlier today. So, for those of you who won't have an account or are too lazy to log in, sorry for any inconvinience! (huggles you)
Notes (all words are in Japanese):
1) This can mean many things, such as 'I'm sorry' 'Excuse me' or 'thank you'. I'm using it here as 'It's not over.'
2) A very rude way of saying 'you'
3) 'shit'
4) 'no way', 'never', 'impossible'
5) The next few parts are when it happens simultainiously. I hope there wasn't any confusion, but if there was, feel free to voice it, and I'll try to make it clearer.
Also, I don't know when I can get the next chapter up. It might be longer than a week, but I hope not by too much longer. I have to do a project before school starts, and I also have to go to band camp everyday. (boo!) Sorry, I really would rather be writing this! I'll try to get it up as soon as I can!