Sorry for the long delay for this chappy, but we did warn you guys about it happening. I guess we can also blame it on ff.net's stupid downloading process. It wouldn't let us upload the new chapter! *sigh* Oh well… On with the responses!
BlackHoleSun/JSC106 – Yeah, poor everybody! Lol! The guess the whole gang's getting punished in this fic, huh? Kaiba's gonna haunt your nightmares, but he's always gonna haunt Sylvia's fantasies. :-) Ooh, you are brave to read this at night, heehee, and thanks for letting us know about your dual pennames. Sorry we got you confused. :-)Thanks for the review!
Metranome – Reading fics at midnight huh? Insomniac or just night owl? :-) We're pleased that this fic is so addicting. You thought House of a Thousand Corpses was funny? Hm, maybe Kabuki should go see it sometime just for a couple of laughs. We heard it was just your regular campy horror movie. *shrug* Oh, don't worry, Sylvia enjoys pitying Seto, of course she is a little biased about him, but Kabuki agrees with you. (Maybe that's the reason he's having weird mood swings in the fic, huh?) *nods enthusiastically* Yes, even Yami is falling victim, poor spirit, and everybody thought he was safe inside of a puzzle. *sigh* Shoulda known better from this fic. *evil grin* Glad we're able to keep you on your toes! Thanks again for the nice long review. :-)
darklight – Sorry we made you all weepy, darklight, but hopefully it wasn't too detrimental to your day. Kaiba's getting shunned because the hotel wants him to be shunned. It's as simple as that. And as for poor Mokuba, well, we're not going to tell if it gets better or worse for him cause that would be giving things away. *evil grin* And we like keeping our secrets. *Sylvia puffs out chest at mention of fight scene* heehee, we're glad you liked it! Thanks for the great review, as always, darklight!
Anime*2000 – Well, we did warn you that it was going to be a rollercoaster ride, but don't get too comfortable just yet. The ride's not quite done… Sorry we couldn't update too quickly, but we'll try to do better next time. *sheepish grin* Thanks for the review!
Allenby – Well, the hotel does have that 'possession effect' on people it seems. *thinks for a minute* A roll of toilet paper or a bar of soap… to go to the bathroom or wash yourself… my, my that is a hard decision. *tosses hands into the air* Okay, roll of toilet paper it is, we know anybody can use that, right? Heehee, thanks for the review!
sakuya – Don't worry about being tardy, we're more than guilty for it for this chap. Yeah, Seto's been targeted by the hotel, and now it seems by his 'friends' as well (we're not quite sure if Seto even considers the gang friends, really). Pegasus? *looks around* Pegasus? *looks under cushions of couch* Heehee, yes he does make a cameo appearance in this chappie. Good timing! Sylvia: "I'm glad you liked Rag Dolls, I'm considering writing more on that same vein but I'm not quite certain. If you have any suggestions just send me an email at ezmerelda07@hotmail.com." Thanks for the great review!
SetoKaiba419 – Heehee, we thought messing with both Kaiba bros might get a few people riled up. Oh, don't hate Tea just yet, she still might make a comeback. We'll get a better idea of what's going on with Seto in future chappies, this one's kind of a recovery chap (from multiple traumas/arguments). *shrugs* Well, we'll just have to keep you guessing about how Yugi's Millennium Puzzle fits into all this, but then again, Pegasus might answer a few of your questions in this next chapter (or he might just confuse you more – you know how he can be *grin*). It is strange that Joey feels sympathy for Kaiba when his brother's involved, isn't it? My, my, you are the second person to wonder if Pegasus is coming up in this chapter. Are you and sakuya psychic or something? Because Kabuki and Sylvia had this chapter written long before chapter 10 was posted. :-) If you're looking for SK's The Shining, I'd suggest looking in Barnes and Noble, Media Play, or any other bookstore. Warehouses like BJ's and general stores like Target wouldn't carry it because it isn't any of his newer work. Have you seen the movie Dreamcatcher? Sylvia liked it but Kabuki thought it ended badly. *shrug* Another difference in opinion we have. Oh well. Glad we could help with the VC info, we hope you find both series/novels enjoyable! Thanks as always for the great review!
Thorn – You know that would be interesting, to have an innocent spirit mixed in with all these hateful ghosts. No friends and somehow died peacefully? Hm, we guess it could happen. But remember, that just as the hotel seems to bend several of the guests to its will, it might have just as much of a pull on the spirits that exist there. Well even though you've never read or seen the Shining, it never is fully explained why exactly the hotel is evil, its more or less assumed. That's a really interesting idea, though, and we do like to insert little cameos of our reviewer's ideas into the fic in places, so keep your eyes peeled, you never know when your kind, gentle spirit might show up. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Well, now let's see what's happening in the Overlook, or rather what's happening outside of the Overlook. *sly grin* Just to clear things up, just because Kaiba has had a bit of a rough time lately (in Weekend Detention and in Kabuki's Harping on History for people who keep up with that fic) she really does like the guy. She just likes to abuse the characters she likes. Sheesh, look at how she's treating Pegasus in that other fic! Anyway, enjoy the show, guys! Don't take our little hateful acts against Seto and Pegasus personally, we just like to hurt the ones we love. *sly grin* Oh, and do try to leave a review too. They do encourage us!
--Sylvia & Kabuki
*****
Chapter 11:
Miles away from the Overlook Hotel in one of the plush blue seats of his private jet Maximillion Pegasus refilled the wine glass at his side, one amber eye flicking impatiently to the digital clock on the wall. It was already noon, and by all accounts he was reacting quite quickly to the distressed call he'd received; but for some reason Pegasus felt it wasn't fast enough. He thought about urging the pilot to fly faster, but his own natural fear of flying kicked in and he contented himself with another sip of wine instead, savoring the fine claret and biding his time until the anticipated landing. There was little else he could do, though he hated to admit it, and for the umpteenth time he berated himself for getting involved in the situation in the first place. He leaned back in the chair and tried to relax, but his mind kept returning to the impetus for his impromptu trip, and he couldn't help but shudder.
He'd been unusually busy promoting Duel Monsters that week, and after the long hours in his office and making the best of the boorish corporate elite, he'd thought it a fine idea to drop by his little pet project for a bit of quiet time and sketching. No matter what troubled his mind, somehow the act of putting pen to paper soothed him, and he'd nearly been relaxed until that abhorrent Ms Sweeney had arrived with the busload of high schoolers. Pegasus had almost forgotten about them. Secretly he knew Croquet had brought him up there for that very reason, and he'd shot the man a withering glare when Devlin explained why he was there. He thought back to the reaction of the irritable woman when he'd explained quite bluntly that her school system had contacted him first about the weekend detention project, to which he'd reluctantly agreed. It was, after all, a relatively simple way of getting the place restored to its former glory without too many added expenses. Besides, it was something he could easily write off on his taxes.
Her reaction, though, had given him pause. It had almost made him retract the entire deal and have the whole group sent home. She'd been so surprised, it made him curious enough to bring up the subject later as the limo trudged down the darkened dirt path. It was only then that they both realized that neither group had initiated the contact nor proposed the idea of involving the Overlook Hotel in the Weekend Detention plan. It was a curious discovery, and neither had known what to make of it. Ms Sweeney had shrugged it off as though Pegasus was lying to her, but for him the revelation had been incredibly disturbing. After he learnt of the suspicious means by which the group had been brought there, Pegasus had nearly turned the limo around and picked the whole group up. It was the thought of humiliation; his own pride and his fear of Seto Kaiba's wrath which bade him hold his tongue, though the power to turn the car around was his and his alone. The limo had driven on, dropping the annoying Ms. Sweeney at her dusty school bus, and he'd glanced at the road behind them through the rear mirror, the red of the tail lights washing the path in a blood red glow. He'd been afraid, but had discarded the thought. He'd refused to turn around and force the group of kids from the hotel. He wished now that he had.
He knew that the Overlook Hotel was a strange place, a hotbed of supernatural activity which was dangerous but highly fascinating to a man of his peculiar tastes. It was something he liked to visit now and then, just to walk the corridors and remind himself that there was indeed a realm after death, that life didn't simply cease. More precisely, that his beloved Cecelia's life hadn't simply ceased. A plan concerning the hotel had been stewing in the back of his weary mind, but he'd abandoned it when he'd first begun to sense that the hotel was not only unfriendly, but downright dangerous – at least to someone as psychically sensitive as himself. In the end, he'd agreed to the detention plan on the basis that the ghostly inhabitants couldn't harm anyone who lacked the ability to see or sense them.
The plan, though, had taken a turn for the worst when he'd noticed that young Mokuba was among the company. It was bad enough that Yugi Moto had brought the power of his Millennium Item to the place. How would a mere child fare in the midst of such frightening activity? Pegasus' cool exterior had softened somewhat when he'd realized that the boy possessed a gift much like his own, to sense the energies of both the living and the dead. Though Mokuba wasn't nearly as apt at wielding his power, Pegasus could tell that the boy was already quite strong. But how could Pegasus have broken the news to the group, as distrustful of him as they were? Kaiba would undoubtedly jump him for merely mentioning the kid's name. So he'd given his warnings and left the matter in the hands of Fate. What more could he have done? None of them were willing to listen to his warnings, and Kaiba had been so very angry. It was that unchecked rage which had made Pegasus cringe in pain as his remaining strength had been drained to counter the barrage of fury and violent imagery the duelist champion unleashed. He'd practically fled then, ready to let the group fend for themselves. He'd been weak and nearly drained of his energy, it didn't replenish itself as fast without the Millennium Eye, and he didn't trust the group to let him leave safely. Croquet had been a blessing to help him by aiding him to the limo then, and Pegasus had thanked him later at the airport.
Almost as soon as he'd left the country for his island home, though, Pegasus had begun to regret his actions. He realized that he was basing his actions on the idea that the hotel wouldn't notice the boy. Hell, that it wouldn't notice the power of Yugi's Millennium Item. He knew he'd underestimated the hotel before, when it had tricked him into going upstairs and into that damn room on the second floor … He shook his head and took another draught from his wine glass. Better not to dwell on that particular little fiasco. Croquet and Kemo had hoisted him out, and Pegasus hadn't regained consciousness for two days.
That in mind, he'd spent all of Friday night thinking about the Overlook and hoping for the best. Obviously the thoughts had invaded his dreams. He hadn't slept well the previous night, though he didn't remember what had frightened him so terribly.
Then the inevitable had happened. He'd received a call from Mokuba and yet it had been so much more than a simple cry for help. Pegasus' head was still throbbing from what could only be dubbed a psychic shriek. He'd been meeting with a very important client, a British representative interested in hosting a new tournament in the United Kingdom when the pain had struck. It had quite literally bowled him over, and the head of Industrial Illusions had slumped against a wall helplessly as the voice of the small boy tore through his mind. It was a blur of images and emotions, sheer unbridled fear foremost among them, and looming in the background was a slinking thing in shadow, the bruised and dusty figure of Seto Kaiba, and a hazed vision of words written haphazardly in blood – REDRUM. Pegasus had no idea what it all meant, until the voice caught up with the images, and the child tore through his mind like a hot knife through butter. ::Pegasus! Help!:: The head of Industrial Illusions had groaned, and tried to reach back to the boy, to soothe him a little and somehow calm the distressed child, but without his Millennium Eye he hadn't the range nor the strength. The child's power was incredible!
What good would it do to try to help Yugi and the others? Surely Kaiba would be the first to bar his silver-haired nemesis from the front door, the idea of Pegasus being able to get close enough to contact Mokuba was unimaginable. It wouldn't happen, and then what would he do? But Pegasus had to chance it. He couldn't just abandon the boy. Mokuba had called, after all. It had to be of dire importance. If he had to force them one by one into his limo, he would get the lot of them out of the Overlook. There was no other option.
Pegasus placed a thumb and forefinger over the bridge of his nose, and took another deep breath. He hated being wrong about something, and he hated more that he'd have to correct it. He felt Croquet come near, uncertainly, and without a word he took the empty wine bottle and replaced it with a full one. Pegasus nodded in thanks, but kept his gaze downcast. He knew that Croquet understood that the hotel was at the root of the problem, and he knew that even though the bodyguard was sworn to protect him at all costs, the contract didn't extend to gruff man's agreement. Croquet had told him whenever they'd left that he was worried about leaving a bunch of kids alone in a place like that. He hadn't spoken much about it, very much like Croquet, but the emotion and worry beneath his steel gaze was unmistakable. Pegasus was ashamed of his drastic actions and wished once again that the plane could move faster without further jarring his nerves.
Then the visions came again, this time far more real, far more grotesque, and Pegasus's pupil shrank in fear as the horrible images flew through his mind. Metal, steel, blood, cold, the swinging light on the ceiling, a feeling of something tight around his throat, and for a moment Pegasus couldn't breath. His fingers flared outwards in an attempt to ward away the unseen assailant, as he jerked in panic. He felt Croquet's hands on his shoulders, his warm comforting voice far away, but Pegasus could barely hear him. There was a door. Why wouldn't they open the door? Something slick was under his feet, and he felt like he was falling, vertigo gripping him, he felt the blood rushing to his head as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried harder to grab air. He tried to return the boy's thoughts with something, anything, just to let the kid know that he heard him and was coming, but the child's voice boomed back to him before he could form a responding thought. ::Please! You've gotta help me! It's Seto!:: Slowly, Pegasus' lungs moved again, the breath coming and leaving as it should, and he slowly came to realize that the steel arms that wrapped around him and clutched his body so tightly belonged to Croquet. Rarely had Pegasus seen the man so broken up, so distressed, so frightened, as when he felt the man of steel trembling in his grip. Only once had Croquet ever seemed so upset, and that was when Cecelia…
"I'm okay, Croquet. It's over." Pegasus was shocked at how quiet his words were, how distant he seemed even from himself. Croquet moved backwards, his sunglasses had been thrown aside, probably broken somewhere in his haste to help his employer, no, his friend. Pegasus smiled wearily, and took hold of his wine glass with shaking hands, sipping slowly, making sure the muscles in his throat still worked. Croquet was eying something on him, but Pegasus was still too thrown to notice.
"Max, there's something … on your neck…" The seasoned bodyguard narrowed his eyes, probing the marks experimentally. "It looks like someone tried to strangle you…" Pegasus watched him, not surprised by what he said. He knew this was probably harder on the bodyguard than it was on him. Give him guns, give him drug lords, give him a bunch of angry duelists – Croquet wouldn't flinch. But toss a bit of magic into the mix, or even just a pinch of the supernatural, and the poor man fell apart. Really Pegasus knew he should have brought Kemo along. The big lug was so much better at dealing with this sort of thing as the result of too much brawn and very little brain.
"Tell the pilot to hurry, Croquet. We've not much time left." Although Pegasus couldn't help but catch the glint of disapproval in Croquet's eyes, the bodyguard nodded wordlessly and left for the cockpit. Pegasus laced his fingers together, and bent over in his seat, resting his forehead against his knuckles. "I'm coming, Mokuba. Just hold on a bit longer. I don't know what I can do, but I'm coming"
*****
"Tea, ya can't just accuse somebody a hurtin' their little brother like that without some kinda proof or somethin'!"
"He was hunched over the kid, Joey! You saw what he did to you, and now he's turned on Mokuba too! We can't trust him!"
"I agree Kaiba's a first class jerk, but I don't think he'd ever hurt Mokuba. Yugi told us how determined the guy was in Battle City to get 'im back, and then again at Duelist Kingdom. I mean c'mon, Tea!"
"Look, I'm scared, Joey! I'm scared for you, and Yugi, and Mokuba – and Kaiba's been acting so strange lately. I just don't want anyone to get hurt and … Joey, just look at the kid! Look at those awful bruises around his neck! Somebody did that to him, Joey! And Kaiba was the only one in the room. Who else could have –"
"It wasn't him, Tea!"
"How do you know that for sure?"
Joey took a deep breath and ran a hand through his bushy blond hair. "Look, when a guy fights with someone, they know him. It's kinda hard ta explain, but ya see, I'd bet just about anythin' that Kaiba's innocent here."
"So you're saying that because you fought with him you know he's a good guy?"
"Well … yeah!"
"Oh please! Joey, that is perhaps the stupidest thing you've ever said!"
While the two friends bickered over what was to be done, Seto stood nearby. He couldn't get any closer to his brother and each time he tried, Tea would start eying him with distaste and curl her limbs around the boy like he was a doll. Kaiba didn't want to further implicate himself by forcing his presence, but he couldn't leave Mokuba's side. He stared across at the small boy, his eyes trailing over the violet bruises, the long rip down one arm of the long-sleeved blue shirt, and the vacant expression. Mokuba sat like a cruelly discarded marionette, his eyes wide but unseeing as he sat exactly where Tea had placed him on the couch, sneaker feet hanging limply over the edge of the worn green cushions, head against his chest as he stared and stared and stared …
"Look, the meat locker door was open too and you know Duke, Tristan, and I closed it."
"Who cares! That doesn't explain anything, Joey! You're just grasping for some way to get Kaiba off the hook."
Joey winced at her choice of words. "It might explain a lotta things."
"Joey, Kaiba's not your friend. He doesn't like you, me, or anyone. We've both seen him act crazy, and I think this was just another of those times. He got tired of beating on you and took it out on Mokuba."
"He wouldn't do that, Tea. It was the things in the meat locker! I'm sure of it!"
"Things? What things, Joey? The last time I checked, empty rooms don't leave bruises!"
"So you don't believe I saw anything in there, is that it?" Joey narrowed his eyes at the girl. "What about Yugi? Have ya forgotten about how he an' Mokuba saw somethin' too? Why would they lie? Have I ever lied to you, Tea?"
*****
In the lobby, Yugi was slouched in one of the more comfortable studded leather chairs, his violet eyes wide as Duke and Tristan regarded him with a mixture of worry and undeniable curiosity. Duke was kneeled at Yugi's side and sighed reluctantly as he held out the substantially cooled mug of coffee still somehow clenched in his fingers. "Here, kid, you need this more than me."
Yugi nodded mutely and took the mug, sipping the lukewarm liquid. It wasn't the best in the world, and Yugi really hated coffee in the first place, but anything was better than just sitting and feeling feeble. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." Duke leaned back on his heels to watch the other boy for a moment before asking the question at the forefront of his mind. "So, what happened back there?"
"I don't know." Yugi blinked numbly, swallowing another draught of the distasteful liquid as slowly the realization hit him. "I don't know… but… but Yami won't answer me. I think … I think he's hurt."
Duke shook his head. "I have no idea what that means."
"My … the spirit in my Millennium Puzzle, he … he won't …" The boy's eyes filled with tears as he hunched over in the chair, clutching the mug as though it was the only thing left to hang onto.
Duke patted him on the back. "I guess we're all victims this weekend, kiddo."
"No … this is worse …"
"Worse than Kaiba and Joey's duel to the death back there? Not possible, Yugi." Duke shook his head, jumping when he heard a strange clomping sound but relaxing again when he realized it was just a large clump of snow falling from one of the hedge animals outside. He growled at the interruption and stomped over to shut the large main doors. He'd forgotten completely about them in his worry for Yugi, and he figured there was already very little warmth to be found in the hotel, there was no point wasting any heat to stupidity.
Tristan watched him go and shook his head, patting Yugi on the back as he stared across the lobby at the other main attraction. Mokuba was still in a weird comatose state. It was the strangest thing Tristan had ever seen – and that was saying something. He watched as Joey tried to convince Tea to allow Kaiba to get near his brother and shook his head. Jeez … the place was turning into a regular nuthouse. Tristan shook the excess snow from his leather jacket and took the seat closest to Yugi, rubbing his shoulder in the hopes that the poor kid would come to his senses. "C'mon, Yugi, snap out of it. Even without the weird puzzle spirit, you've still got us. We'll help you and get this whole mess sorted out, ok?"
The boy nodded listlessly, and Tristan sighed. No matter what he did, nothing seemed to work. Yugi was closest to Tea and Joey, but the two of them were preoccupied with what Tristan was beginning to dub the Great Kaiba Caper. He turned from the group of bickering bozos and watched as Duke moved to stir the embers of the fireplace. The long-haired duelist looked around for extra logs, but didn't spy any and kicked the stone hearth in frustration, jumping up and down in pain for a moment afterwards. He returned to Tristan and Yugi a moment later, collapsing into a settee with a huff and fishing a pair of black and white dice from his jacket pocket, which he tossed up and caught repeatedly. "Ok, I'm outta ideas. Are they done yet over there?" Duke shot an emerald glare at Tea and Joey. "I'm afraid to ask what's happened. They all look like somebody died. Aren't they worried about Yugi at all?" He propped his feet up on a nearby chair, unmindful of the effect his wet boots would have on the priceless antique. "Damn, Kaiba looks like shit."
Tristan smiled and punched the guy on his arm playfully. "Knock it off. Yugi needs our help, not a comedy act."
"You help your way, and I'll help in mine."
Yugi muttered under his breath and the two boys regarded him, a small violet-eyed boy in a chair much too large. The chair might have seemed to swallow him whole. Tristan shook him head and patted Yugi lamely on the shoulder. "It's ok, Yugi. I'm sure whatever happened back there isn't as bad as you think." The boy only twitched in response, his body limp and defenseless as though his mind had flown the coop. Tristan shook the boy again, noting with a growing sense of dread the way the arms and body swayed beneath his touch. "C'mon, Yugi, this isn't funny so cut it out. You're worrying me here!"
"I don't think that's a good way to comfort him, Tristan." Duke knelt before the boy and stared into the vacant violet eyes, then sighed. "He's not here. I don't know what happened, but Yugi's off in la-la land."
*****
The voices of Tristan and Duke faded, and Yugi retreated further inside his own mind, cutting off his connection with the real world, and turning toward the soul chamber nestled somewhere between the Millennium Puzzle and his own mind. He approached the great entrance to Yami's soul chamber, large and foreboding and inscribed with the large modified Eye of Horus – the Sennen Eye, and flanked on either side by tiny scriptures in hieroglyphics which Yugi had never been able to understand. He stared at the great door for a moment before he urged himself to be heard.
"Yami? Yami, I know you're scared. It scared me too, I don't know what happened, but together we can figure it out. Joey and Kaiba stopped fighting, but Mokuba's hurt and we need your help. Won't you come out and see me?" Yugi waited a moment before approaching the great door. "Yami?" There was no answer, and uncertain as to what could be detaining his spirit friend, he placed a hand to the door. The Sennen Eye glowed as the door swung open, revealing for a moment the familiar labyrinth of passageways which marked the mind of his friend. "Yami, are you here?"
Silence again greeted him, and Yugi urged himself not to panic. It wasn't the first time Yami had hidden away within this place, ashamed or embarrassed for some reason, and every time he used the labyrinth though not it's traps to stall his human companion. But Yugi had a natural knack for navigating labyrinths, and it never took very long to find the center where his friend was always waiting. Yugi sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, and beginning his short quest. "Alright, Yami, if this is how you want to play this. I'm coming." He hated taking such serious tones with the Pharaoh, but really he had no other choice.
The path was winding, but Yugi had an undeniable pull that led him through, and eventually he found the center of the puzzle. Smiling as he turned the last corner, Yugi walked into the elaborate courtyard which greeted him – trees, plants, flowers, a small waterfall, and the silver light of the crescent moon which never changed. But he stopped short when he saw that his friend was nowhere to be found. "Yami?" A knot of worry had been gradually building inside of him, and the panic slowly took hold, forcing a terrible lump to form in his throat. He immediately began running about the courtyard, searching everywhere for his friend, he thought that perhaps he was injured or unconscious, but when he stopped to realize the Spirit was not there, he knew that he'd known it all along. For the first time since Yugi had completed piecing together the Millennium Puzzle, he was truly alone.
*****
"He'll be ok," Tristan tried to reassure his friend. "When he lost to Kaiba that one time at Duelist Kingdom, I thought the kid was having some sort of a breakdown. He just cried and carried on about a second person in his head and then got real quiet. I dunno, but this time he seems much worse." He rubbed the boy's arm briskly for any sort of reaction, but Yugi merely sat and stared. "You think he can hear us at all?"
"I told you he's not in there. It's like he's suffered some sort of extreme trauma, though I don't know why." Duke fingered the dice in his hand absently as he thought.
"The Puzzle spirit maybe?"
Duke touched the kid's face, wincing at the cold marble feel of the pale cheek beneath his fingers. "I don't know anything about any puzzle spirit, but I do know a serious condition when I see one. In my opinion, Yugi needs a doctor right away." In that moment, as though the spiky-headed boy had heard the words and harbored some deep phobia of the medical profession, Yugi Moto blinked and returned to consciousness. The haze was swept away, and the familiar lively eyes gazed at Duke and Tristan with something akin to panic. He shook his head violently, like a horse resisting a bridle, and leapt to his feet, toppling the knelt Duke backward. "Hey! You're ok!" Duke rubbed his wounded backside. "You could warn somebody before you jump around like that. I thought you were in serious trouble there!"
Tristan, knowing Yugi well enough to realize the kid was acting way out of the ordinary, stood as well. He reached instinctively for the shorter boy, but to his surprise Yugi pulled away, eyes shining with plump tears which spilled over, coursing freely down his pale cheeks. "Whoa! Calm down, Yugi. It's only us!"
But the boy seemed disoriented still, and he shook his head again, placing one hand to the side of his head in obvious discomfort. When he spoke, his voice was high and hysterical, and it grew louder with each hiccupping breath. "You don't understand! Yami's gone! I don't know what happened, but I can't feel him any more! He thought it would work but it didn't and now something even worse has happened and – he's gone! Yami's gone and I don't know why!"