Chapter 12-Two Items, Two Souls, One Link
As the limo raced along the roads back towards Domino, the monks and their Japanese friends began to make conversation regarding the last while since they first met. Back in Domino, Kaiba watched out the window behind his office, waiting for any sign of the limo or the sun's falling from the sky. Mokuba walked in, Kaiba stared at his reflection in the glass.
"Seto, I'm worried. What if Yami was telling the truth?" he asked. "That other Kaiba from the future has been here for a few days, no-one is good enough play you for that long".
"The idea of me coming from the future is understandable" Kaiba replied. "But why would I return to Yami?"
"He said its because I was taken away and couldn't handle it all by himself, he's trying to get you guys to work together!" Mokuba called. "Remember how messed up Yami looked when he came in?"
Kaiba only glanced at Mokuba for a second longer, he continued to stare out the window, his blue eyes the focus of his attention. The depth of power they brought, no glimpse of any breakdown towards Yami's plea earlier, his eyes then moved, from their own reflection to Mokuba's.
"I mean, come on Seto, when he got all worked up" Mokuba added. "You can't fake that and then he blacked out! Don't tell me that was an act".
Kaiba then stared again, seeing Yami collapse in Seto's arms, it sent a shiver down his spine.
"Kaiba, you have to listen to me!" Yami called.
Kaiba growled as the Pharaoh entered with the CEO's future alter ego, Mokuba stood beside his desk, not moving, not surprised by the entrance made by the two.
"Have you been crying?" Kaiba asked.
"I saw what'll happen in you don't help us" Yami snapped. "Yugi dying, right before you!"
Kaiba sneered, still unable to believe, he then watched as the Pharaoh wiped away the single tears that stayed in place.
"If you don't stop playing games, you'll be risking everyone's lives. Bakura is not going to wait 11 years. He's coming back now! Soon, I can feel it. We're both from Egypt, there's some sort of link between us. Where he is, I don't know".
"You still don't get it. You can't be from Ancient Egypt, you know how to play Duel Monsters and everything that a normal kid could" Kaiba yelled.
"But I'm not a normal kid!" Yami shouted back. "If I was, how have I been existing inside of Yugi's mind?! If that wasn't true then the Ceremonial Duel wouldn't exist and none of this would be happening!" Seto stared at Yami, the Pharaoh now resorted to panting from the shouts he threw at Kaiba.
"This make-believe game is a bit old now. 4 years is long enough!" Kaiba laughed.
"This is no game. If I wasn't who I say I am, then how do you explain what's happened? Who I really am then!" Yami yelled.
"You're no Pharaoh!" Kaiba protested.
"And you're no Kaiba!" Yami snapped.
"What?" Kaiba gasped.
"Mokuba told me about that chess game against your step-father before you were adopted" Yami exclaimed. "How you cheated to win and get you and him out of there. You can't call yourself a Kaiba, so if anyone knows about being a fake, it's you!"
Yami then placed his hand against his forehead, feeling the beads of sweat fall, Seto watched him. Kaiba snarled, something so personal, shared with who he considered his rival and mortal enemy. Yami then began to fall forward; Mokuba yelled out, Seto then grabbed Yami left arm as he descended, twisting the Pharaoh's body, catching his chest against his left arm, Kaiba's eyes widened slightly. Seto then pulled the Pharaoh to him.
"Looks like your refusal to help is already destroying us" Seto snarled.
But before Kaiba could protest, Seto pulled Yami from the ground, holding him close in his arm, Yami's face now hidden from Kaiba against Seto's chest.
Darkness fell upon the highest peaks of the sky, with the sun now leaving its usual post. Kaiba gave up on waiting for the packed vehicle, walking away and allowing the sun to sink further.
At the Game Shop...
At the Turtle Game Shop, Yami sat on the sofa, talking to Grandpa, the first time he had a chance to do something like it since being released from the Puzzle. As the evening ran on further, Yami left to be alone in the bedroom, Grandpa began to work on dinner, creating a feast for the teenagers upon their return. A way of feeding them all and at the same time, a way to express his worry without them realizing. Within 20 minutes of Yami having left, the door opened. Grandpa raced into the living room as the large group entered.
"Hey Grandpa!" Yugi called.
"Where's Yami got to?" Joey asked.
"He's upstairs, it been a rough couple of days for him" Grandpa sighed. "Why don't you go and see him Yugi? I'll call you both when dinner's done".
"Speaking of dinner, what the heck are you cooking?" Tristan asked. "It looks like a banquet for a royal family or the Prime Minister".
"Close enough. I want you all to have dinner here" Grandpa insisted. "Things are going to get crowded what with Seto and your new friends moving in for a while".
"Don't worry Mr Muto, not all will stay. Yugi said Omi should live here" Tea explained. "Destiny and Kimiko are staying over mine, Raimundo offered to stay at Joey's and Serenity's. Then Clay said he'd stay at Bakura's".
"Really?" Grandpa gasped. "Well I suppose it'll leave more room for the rest of us".
"Mr Solomon Muto?" Omi asked. "It is an honour to be staying with the man who claimed the sacred Millennium Puzzle from the deadly pyramids of Egypt".
"No need to make a big fuss of it, I don't" Grandpa chuckled. "And please call me Grandpa, all of the others do".
Upstairs in the bedroom, Yugi and Yami talked about what he had seen, the destruction of the smaller twin.
"I could hear you scream. I went all cold" Yami recalled. "Then Tea, Vicky and Kaiba came out of hiding. Your monsters disappeared and you fell to your knees. Your dying words were to me, you said, 'I'm sorry Yami' when you fell forward. I can't help but think that when this battle happens, I really could lose you the same way".
"Yami, you don't need to worry, Bakura likes to duel, that's what he did to delay me giving you your real name" Yugi explained. "He'll challenge you and lose".
"But it's not just him. The others, their enemies are supposed to be in it and Marik" Yami explained.
"We'll find a way...somehow" Yugi replied. "Listen, you've just had a bit of a rough time the last few days. Let us handle getting the Power Rangers here. I've heard they live in America".
"But Yugi-" Yami whispered.
"I don't want to risk you getting hurt too close to before Bakura comes" Yugi interrupted.
"He's coming now!" Yami called. "Bakura is powering up in the Shadow Realm!"
"What?!" Yugi gasped. "How do you-?"
"Bakura and I are the same as our Millennium Items" Yami explained. "I can't tell how long he's planning to stay or how strong he is, but I can feel him. He's using the Shadow Realm to power himself up".
"But he's trapped there" Yugi claimed. "It shouldn't matter".
"I know there's a way he can get out if he's done this before, but I don't know how he can escape" Yami sighed.
"You're not doing it!" Yugi yelled.
"What?" Yami asked.
Yugi then covered his mouth, realizing he had just blown his secret eavesdropping, he stared at Yami who glared at him in a way Yugi had never seen before, suspiciously.
"OK" Yugi sighed. "I heard you talking to Vicky during the night on the boat. You were talking about heading into the Shadow Realm to stop Bakura before he could get here".
"What, do you think I would leave an exit open for him or something?!" Yami laughed. "Yugi, I'll only do that if we need to".
"But you said-" Yugi cried.
"Don't worry. It's what I'm saying now that counts" Yami whispered, holding Yugi to him.
"Yugi, Yami, come down here!" Grandpa yelled.
The pair then left the bedroom and headed downstairs, Yami stared as the gang spread around the room, the Xiaolin Warriors mixed within the groups.
"Looks like catching up isn't going to be too hard" Yugi laughed. "Omi's going to sleep down here with Seto".
Yami smiled and the two continued down the rest of the stairs, heading towards the large crowd, Grandpa and Vicky smiled as they watched the pair walking down, all seeming to have returned as close to normal as currently possible.