Chapter 28
"You got out," Yugi said slowly. He looked over Yami's body; Yami looked almost exactly as what Yugi might have if Yugi hadn't been born a hundred-pound weakling. Darker skin, colder eyes. Body more slender than Yugi's slight frame. Yami watched his face. Yugi was unable to say anything.
Smirking at Yugi's speechlessness, Yami cocked his head slightly to one side and said, "So... How do you like..." He spread his slender arms out. "...the new me?" He smiled, not entirely reassuringly.
Yugi opened his mouth, soundlessly. Nothing he could say at this point could express the utter bafflement and helplessness he was feeling in the dark face of this situation. Yami's smirk, while definitely familiar, had never been turned upon Yugi before. Yugi couldn't meet those sharp, cruel eyes.
And had he ever pictured Yami as cruel? This person standing before him had an unidentifiable gleam in his eyes that Yugi couldn't place at first. Had it been there before? Had he noticed? His head spun.
Yami seemed to sense Yugi's discomfort and folded his outstretched arms across his chest. He was almost two feet taller than Yugi was, and if Yugi had dared meet his eyes, he would have had to step back a bit and crane his neck upwards. "Well?" Yami snapped, impatiently, the cold welcoming draining rapidly from his smooth voice.
"How did you do this?" Yugi whispered, still looking at the cracked and jagged sidewalk. "Why..."
Yami's grin widened. "Oh, I can answer the latter sufficiently enough." Yugi wished that he hadn't asked the question. He stared at the ground, trembling, and silent. The dark figure in front of him made a careless gesture, and spoke. "It was simple, really. Yugi... You are familiar with the Shadow Games, am I correct? And of the role of the King of Games, the Watchman of the Dark?" Shadows tingled across Yugi's skin at Yami's voice.
"Yes," Yugi whispered, still refusing to face the knowing, judging eyes.
"Well, then you must know that I played the Shadow Games primarily for your protection. Is that also not correct?" Yami probed him, almost mockingly. Yugi pinched his arms through the material of his jacket. "...Yes..."
"You would have that be my fate for as long as you needed. I am no slave. The final decision, when the opportunity came for me to make it, was obvious."
Yami put one hand in his pocket, and with the other, reached out and lifted Yugi's chin so that the two were looking at eachother face to face. "...How could someone like me live forever serving the wills of others?" he asked, softly.
Yugi stared at Yami, with widened eyes. Yami only went on. "So when the chance for freedom was given to me, I only had to think of one reason why I should leave you; I had to, being partners for so long..."
Yami's head was lowered; a thin strand of gold hair brushed against Yugi's cheek in the dead wind. "...and I thought of one."
Yami's breath, so alive within the decayed atmosphere of the city, contained dark currents.
"I did not need you any longer."
A silent sob, barely detectable, beat once through Yugi's leadened heart. Other than that one, final death of hope, Yugi was completely still and silent.
Yami gently let go of Yugi, and, without so much as a parting word or a last contemptuous backwards glance, strode away.
Yugi stood on the sidewalk of the dying city, and felt as if his own soul were joining the grey metropolis in its slow descent to darkness, as he watched the person he cared about most walk unconcernedly out of his life.
"You can't!!" he screamed, suddenly. "I still need you!!""
But not even the shadows were around to answer.
"You got out," Yugi said slowly. He looked over Yami's body; Yami looked almost exactly as what Yugi might have if Yugi hadn't been born a hundred-pound weakling. Darker skin, colder eyes. Body more slender than Yugi's slight frame. Yami watched his face. Yugi was unable to say anything.
Smirking at Yugi's speechlessness, Yami cocked his head slightly to one side and said, "So... How do you like..." He spread his slender arms out. "...the new me?" He smiled, not entirely reassuringly.
Yugi opened his mouth, soundlessly. Nothing he could say at this point could express the utter bafflement and helplessness he was feeling in the dark face of this situation. Yami's smirk, while definitely familiar, had never been turned upon Yugi before. Yugi couldn't meet those sharp, cruel eyes.
And had he ever pictured Yami as cruel? This person standing before him had an unidentifiable gleam in his eyes that Yugi couldn't place at first. Had it been there before? Had he noticed? His head spun.
Yami seemed to sense Yugi's discomfort and folded his outstretched arms across his chest. He was almost two feet taller than Yugi was, and if Yugi had dared meet his eyes, he would have had to step back a bit and crane his neck upwards. "Well?" Yami snapped, impatiently, the cold welcoming draining rapidly from his smooth voice.
"How did you do this?" Yugi whispered, still looking at the cracked and jagged sidewalk. "Why..."
Yami's grin widened. "Oh, I can answer the latter sufficiently enough." Yugi wished that he hadn't asked the question. He stared at the ground, trembling, and silent. The dark figure in front of him made a careless gesture, and spoke. "It was simple, really. Yugi... You are familiar with the Shadow Games, am I correct? And of the role of the King of Games, the Watchman of the Dark?" Shadows tingled across Yugi's skin at Yami's voice.
"Yes," Yugi whispered, still refusing to face the knowing, judging eyes.
"Well, then you must know that I played the Shadow Games primarily for your protection. Is that also not correct?" Yami probed him, almost mockingly. Yugi pinched his arms through the material of his jacket. "...Yes..."
"You would have that be my fate for as long as you needed. I am no slave. The final decision, when the opportunity came for me to make it, was obvious."
Yami put one hand in his pocket, and with the other, reached out and lifted Yugi's chin so that the two were looking at eachother face to face. "...How could someone like me live forever serving the wills of others?" he asked, softly.
Yugi stared at Yami, with widened eyes. Yami only went on. "So when the chance for freedom was given to me, I only had to think of one reason why I should leave you; I had to, being partners for so long..."
Yami's head was lowered; a thin strand of gold hair brushed against Yugi's cheek in the dead wind. "...and I thought of one."
Yami's breath, so alive within the decayed atmosphere of the city, contained dark currents.
"I did not need you any longer."
A silent sob, barely detectable, beat once through Yugi's leadened heart. Other than that one, final death of hope, Yugi was completely still and silent.
Yami gently let go of Yugi, and, without so much as a parting word or a last contemptuous backwards glance, strode away.
Yugi stood on the sidewalk of the dying city, and felt as if his own soul were joining the grey metropolis in its slow descent to darkness, as he watched the person he cared about most walk unconcernedly out of his life.
"You can't!!" he screamed, suddenly. "I still need you!!""
But not even the shadows were around to answer.
