Warning: Character death.


Chapter Twenty-Seven: Saving Yugi

"Who said you're not important? I've travelled to all sorts of places, done things you can't even imagine. But you two…street corner, two in the morning. And a taxi home. I never had a life like that. Yes, I'll try to save you."

-The Doctor

The Time Lord stared down at the gathered crowd, watching as their faces all turned to look up at him. He ran a hand through his hair before carefully peeling Yugi's jacket back from the key and picking the rapidly cooling metal up in his hand. He could feel the faint buzz of time contained within the key, the soft hum of the TARDIS. Even now his ship was trying to come back to him.

The Pharaoh closed his eyes, straining his senses to catch where the TARDIS was, latching onto her song before moving two paces over and inserting the key into the empty air. He opened his eyes, taking a step back and tossing the jacket back to Yugi, listening to his companion fumble with the jacket as he stared at the key, relieved when it started to glow.

It had taken close to three hours to get the key charged, the length of time worrying the Pharaoh. What if the inner dimensions of the TARDIS had been thrown too far out? But those were all useless worries now, he could figure out a way around this mess. He sighed, watching the ghost-like form of the TARDIS fade in and out as his time machine tried to get to them.

Before the Time War, this kind of thing could have happened and it could have been fixed easily. Yugi could have acted like that and kept his grandfather without a second thought. Of course, the Pharaoh would have spent some time debating that point when he would have ventured back to Gallifrey. He flinched at the thought, at the reminder. Gallifrey was gone.

The Pharaoh turned to glare at all the people who were staring at the struggling TARDIS. "No one touch that key."

There were nods, most of which the Pharaoh ignored. They would all listen to him, he offered the only way out. He walked through the crowd of people, wanting to find a place that wasn't quite so human that he could hide out in and wait for the TARDIS to come back. Unsurprisingly, Yugi fell into step with him.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Get everyone in here out and keep them on the TARDIS while I fix this. Then all the humans are herded out of my ship to spend the rest of their lives as normal people. Even your grandfather stays." The Pharaoh raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Yugi. "Good enough for you?"

"And you thought of that all on your own?" Yugi smiled at him, the expression fading after a moment. "Does…does that include me?"

The Pharaoh looked down at his companion, only then realizing that he had stopped referring to Yugi as a human and reverted back to his old line of thought. He stared at the human, easily keeping the emotions from showing on his face. Part of him wanted to keep Yugi off of his ship. It would just be rewarding the human's bad behavior if Yugi was allowed to continue traveling with him. Who was to say that Yugi wouldn't take it upon himself to do this again?

On the other hand, he didn't want to go back to traveling without someone there. At least Yugi filled up the silence of the TARDIS, even when he was asleep. Without someone there, there was silence, not only in his head, but also in the massive ship that he called his home. And he was coming to hate the silence, even though that had been the reason that he had run from Gallifrey in the first place. The thought itself was almost laughable. He could always just get another companion to travel with him.

But he just didn't want to.

And that thought annoyed him as well. He should be able to easily leave a companion behind without any attachment at all times, especially when they had betrayed him like Yugi had. Yet, the Pharaoh found that too easy to push away. Yugi was right, if he had this second chance he would have acted.

He rolled his eyes, reacting before he had much more time to think over the question. "The TARDIS likes you too much."

Yugi stared at him for a long time before a smile crossed his face, the young man nodding before looking away. And, just like that, they had an understanding. It was almost frightening how well Yugi could read him.

His attention was turned away from his inward thoughts as they walked around the edge of the crowd, the Pharaoh spotting Junri cradling her infant son as she walked, apparently trying to calm the boy down. The Time Lord glanced over at Yugi, laughing at the look on his face. "Couple more years and that could be you."

Yugi shuddered, shaking his head. "Don't want to think about it."

The Pharaoh was just about to return with his own jibe centering around Miho when it happened. Someone in the crowd bumped into Junri, the two of them stumbling backwards. The two people began to fall, Junri losing her grip on the infant Yugi. The Pharaoh lunged forward, too slow to catch the infant.

He stumbled to a stop, staring at the young man who had caught the baby, Yugi's purple eyes wide as he held his infant self. "I'm sorry."

The Pharaoh quickly took the baby from Yugi, trying to calm the infant as he turned around, staring at the creature that was materializing in the room. There were screams from behind him, the Pharaoh backing up as the creature twitched into life, a bit dazed from being forced through something so old. The Time Lord felt his mouth go dry as he handed Junri her baby son back, motioning for her to get behind him, watching the creature the entire time.

He didn't blame Yugi for this, he couldn't. It had just been an accident, time working against them and forbidding this one way out. But there was sure to be another, the Pharaoh had survived long enough to be able to react quickly to such things. For now, he just had to save those that were there.

"Behind me, now!" The people stared at him before rushing to huddle behind him, the Pharaoh glaring at the creature as it finally recovered, stretching out its wings before focusing its attention of them. Maybe he would be old enough to protect these people. After all, he was older than the building itself. It could work.

The creature shrieked and dove forward, the Pharaoh watching with wide eyes as the four limbs that covered the mouth moved away, unable to stop staring at the sharp teeth that were coming his way.


Sugoroku pulled Yugi out of the way as the creature swooped past them, grunting as they both hit the floor. The elderly man looked up, sighing in relief when he saw that his daughter and infant grandson were safe.

"No!" The shout brought his attention back to this Yugi, quickly reaching out to grab the young man's wrist and pull him back. Yugi shot a glare over his shoulder before trying to scramble away again. As Yugi continued to fight the hold on his arm, Sugoroku looked over to see what was causing his grandson to act like this. His eyes widened as he saw the flare of gold on the scales of the creature before it took off again, sailing around the room. Yugi shuddered, curling up on himself. "No…"

Sugoroku blinked at the odd behavior, standing up to draw Yugi back to somewhere safer when the creature coasted past them all, apparently getting ready to swoop down on its next victim. Its flight path took it right through where the blue box was materializing. There was a quick flash of light, Sugoroku squinting as the creature writhed in agony before disappearing, the hazy form of the blue box disappearing as well.

The inside of the church was silent at that moment, silent enough to hear the sound of the key dropping to the ground.

Yugi was up on his feet in the next moment, rushing over to where the key was lying on the ground and scooping it up. Sugoroku hesitated before walking over to his grandson, frowning as he noticed that Yugi's shoulders were shaking. He hurried his stride, reaching Yugi and walking around him to see his face, surprised to see that his grandson was on the verge of tears. "This is all my fault."

"Yugi…"

"It's all my fault. If I hadn't…and then…he wouldn't…" Yugi sniffed and looked up at him, his hands still cupped around the key. "I've killed you all."

Sugoroku wrapped his arms around Yugi, surprised when the young man slumped into the embrace, clinging to him like he was Yugi's only hope of survival. He frowned and rubbed a hand up and down Yugi's back, waiting for the teenager to calm down. Yugi finally stopped shaking, reluctantly pulling away. He stared at the key on the chain before carefully putting it around his neck, a shaky smile appearing on his face. "I guess it doesn't matter what I tell you about the future, because it's not going to happen anymore."

"Don't give up Yugi."

"There's no way to get back." He shook his head, running a hand through his tri-colored hair. "I'm not the Pharaoh, Grandpa, I just point out things that he doesn't notice. I'm no one important. "

"Nonsense."

"It's true."

"No." Sugoroku pointed a wrinkled finger at Yugi, watching the young man rock back a bit. "You are my grandson, so you are important. And we will find a way out of here."

Yugi stared at him a moment more before nodding, staring at the floor. Sugoroku took pity on the young man, guiding him over to one of the pews before sitting up down, looking around the church as he thought. There always had to be a way out, even it was a slim chance, at least some of them could escape. His gaze lingered over his daughter and infant grandson, quickly moving on.

He wanted that younger Yugi to have a chance to grow up into the wonderful young man that he was standing beside. And he wanted to give Junri the change to actually live instead of hiding herself away from the world that had hurt her.

His gaze stopped on one of the ornate windows, staring outside. Even with the distortion of the glass, he could still see the image of a car, turning the corner and running up a ways onto the sidewalk before disappearing. Sugoroku frowned, giving Yugi's shoulder a final pat before wandering over to that window, watching the events replay themselves over twice more.

The Pharaoh had said that it was nothing that he needed to worry about, but the repetition of the even was what struck him. Also, the man was not disturbed by the creatures, some of them even swerving around the moving car; which meant that this was important. And it was the same car that had nearly killed him this morning; Sugoroku recognized the model and color. The same car from when Yugi had saved him and the same car from outside of the church. And that was leading him to one conclusion, a conclusion that he didn't like in the least.

Sugoroku turned to look back at the interior of the church, watching as people broke into huddles, gathering with their loved ones and speaking quietly. They were all waiting for death to come to them, another creature to breech the walls of the church. His gaze traveled over to where Junri sat, suddenly noticing how right it looked for her to just be alone with her infant son. Maybe right was not the correct word, but it looked tolerable, even though he wished that he could walk over and join them. But that would leave the grown up version of his grandson alone.

He looked over at the older Yugi, staring at him. This Yugi didn't look right alone, but he didn't belong over there either. Sugoroku ran his hand through his hair, sighing before looking out the window again. His choice was being made for him, it seemed. He wasn't allowed to stay.

With a heavy heart, he wandered over to where he had left the vase, the wedding present that would have never been given, looking towards the door before walking over to where Junri and his infant grandson were. He looked at his daughter before giving her a hug, Junri tensing at the sudden move. She smiled and brushed him off kindly. "What was that for, Dad?"

"Take care of him, alright."

"Dad?" But he was already walking over to where the older Yugi sat, still staring at the key.

Sugoroku knelt on the ground, ignoring his protesting knees. He rested a hand on Yugi's shoulder, watching his grandson realize that someone else was there, turning his head to look at Sugoroku. The elderly man smiled at his grandson. "I may not approve of that man you travel around with, but I do respect him. He tried to keep me here for you."

"What?"

He reached up to pull Yugi into a hug. "Don't forget me, Yugi."

Yugi stiffened for a moment before collapsing forward, hugging Sugoroku. "I won't Grandpa, I won't. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Sugoroku stood up, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder before walking to the doors of the church, opening them just a bit before peeking out. The car was just beginning the start of its cycle. Sugoroku took a deep breath before rushing out, jumping towards one side as he heard one of the creatures that circled overhead give a screech, forcing himself to focus. His left hand kept a tight grip on the vase. Some part of him felt foolish for bringing the vase with him, but it was an ugly thing anyway.

He stepped out into the street, managing two steps before he saw the car coming, forcing himself to stop instead of running on. He was Yugi's last chance. If he ran, then his grandson would never grow up. Sugoroku took a deep breath and closed his eyes, not wanting to watch the car hit, wishing his grandson a good life.


Yugi rested his head against the wooden doors of the church, gritting his teeth as he fought back tears. He would never know what possessed him to watch his grandfather die, but he had anyway. He felt that he owed it to Sugoroku. But it still hurt, and it was for the second time today. He shuddered, pressing himself closer to the wooden doors.

He was such an idiot.

He should have just allowed the Pharaoh to take him wherever the Time Lord had wanted to go in the first place instead of insisting on this. He was no more than a stupid human. Yugi sighed, curling his hand into a fist where it rested on the door. He was an idiot and a coward.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, Yugi turning slowly to look into the familiar cold blue eyes of the Pharaoh. He stared at the Time Lord, part of him wondering if he had been taken by one of those creatures to before he was given a gentle shove in the direction of the street. "Go to him."

Yugi stumbled a bit, looking back over his shoulder before taking off at a run, partially aware of the crowd that was beginning to gather behind him at the doors of the church. He didn't care; right now he had his chance to do as he should have in the beginning, if he hadn't been such a coward.

Those thoughts were brushed from his mind as he stumbled to where his grandfather lay, falling to his hands and knees beside the elderly man before carefully taking his hand. "Grandpa?"

Sugoroku's purple eyes slowly opened, Yugi biting back a whimper at how unfocused they were. He suddenly doubted that his grandfather even knew who he was, but a weak squeeze of his hand and a smile proved him wrong. Sugoroku stared at him for a moment more before exhaling, his purple eyes falling shut.

Yugi bit his lip, still holding onto his grandfather's hand and not daring to turn around. He did look up when he heard the car door slam, blinking up at the young man who stumbled out of the car, clutching a wrist that looked broken. The young man gasped and dropped to his knees beside them, muttering apologies over and over again. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't stop. He just ran…right in front of me…"

Yugi waved the apologies away with his free hand, remaining by Sugoroku. He stared at his grandfather, the strength that had appeared from nowhere suddenly disappearing. Yugi slumped, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. He wasn't aware of anyone around him until he felt a hand land on his shoulder, relaxing at the familiarity of it. "He's gone."

"Yes."

"At least I was here." Yugi gave a sad smile, still not turning around to speak to the Pharaoh, he paused, looking at the wrinkled hand that he held. "But, I've changed history again."

"It doesn't matter as much this time. Now, it's just small adjustments."

"But he wasn't important." It hurt Yugi to say that. Sugoroku had been very important to him. "He never changed the world; he just would have continued to run his game shop."

"Yugi…" He heard the Pharaoh sigh. "The most important people in the world are those who do not seem to be important. It's why we have to be so careful when trying to save people."

"Alright." Yugi slowly stood up, hearing the ambulance coming. He turned to look at the crowd of the people who were staring from the church, easily spotting his mother sobbing. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing up his already messy spikes before looking back at the Pharaoh. "I guess we go now."

He turned, not surprised to see the TARDIS waiting for him; the time machine would always find the Pharaoh. Yugi began trudging towards the ship, suddenly wanting nothing more than to have a shower and eat the ice cream that he knew was in the kitchen. For a moment, rational thought intruded and reminded him that was a girly thing to do, but it was how his mother had always cured her low moods and he had just picked the habit up.

Yugi tensed as a hand slipped into his, giving it a quick squeeze before pulling away again, but only going far enough that they were no longer holding hands. Their hands brushed against each other every once and a while, more than enough comfort for Yugi, especially knowing the Pharaoh.

He didn't look up at the Time Lord, allowing the Pharaoh to open the door to the TARDIS, stepping inside and immediately heading for the kitchen. He heard the TARDIS give a rumble of confusion, Yugi sighing and shaking his head. He didn't really feel like talking right now, walking into the kitchen and taking the tub of ice cream out of the freezer. He hunted out a spoon and flopped down in the booth-like table, opening the tub and just eating the ice cream right out of it.

Yugi examined the tub as he ate, using that as a distraction to keep from thinking. Of course he had reached for the chocolate, he was such a girl. He sighed and dug out another spoonful, staring at the no longer smooth surface. Yugi licked his spoon clean, considering the metal utensil before he began to poke the rounded end into the ice cream, making little marks in what was left of the smooth surface, not looking up at the Pharaoh entered the kitchen.

"The whole purpose of ice cream is to eat it."

Yugi looked up before going back to his prodding. "I am."

"Doesn't look like it." When Yugi didn't respond, the Pharaoh sighed, Yugi listening to him walk across the floor and slide into the booth. The young man still didn't look up, proceeding to ignore the presence of the Time Lord. He tipped his head to the side before getting another spoonful of ice cream and eating it, licking the spoon clean before going back for another spoonful. "That's disgusting, Yugi."

The young man finally looked up at his traveling companion, rolling his eyes. "You'd better not touch my comfort food."

"It's my ship."

"It's my ice cream. Ask the TARDIS." He doubted that the Pharaoh actually would; watching the Time Lord carefully. As he thought, the Pharaoh just continued to stare in disgust at the tub of ice cream. The Time Lord finally stood up and shook his head.

"While the TARDIS understands this human habit, I don't. I'll leave you to your…contamination." Yugi gave a little salute with his spoon before going back to his ice cream, listening to the Pharaoh walk out of the room to do whatever it was that the Time Lord did while Yugi was recovering from their various adventures.

The young man stared at the tub of ice cream, forcing himself to concentrate on other things, like the flavor, the pattern on the table, or what the tub itself said. But, in the end, that amounted to nothing. Yugi gave up, jamming his spoon into the ice cream before shoving the tub away, burying his head into his arms and sobbing.


1992-Domino City, Japan

He was standing in his apartment, staring at the picture of his grandfather. Hesitantly, Yugi reached out to trace the frame, almost afraid to touch the glass over the smiling face. He glanced back over his shoulder at his mother's room, a rumble from his stomach reminding him of why he had ventured out here. He was hungry, but his mother wasn't going to move from her room today.

It was that day.

His mother was a strong woman the rest of the week, juggling a job and taking care of him. Yugi shifted nervously, glancing at the picture and then at the kitchen again before wandering back down the hall, peeking into his mother's room. Junri had the photo album out, that was a bad sign. It was worse this year.

She looked up and smiled at him, waving him over. "Come here, Yugi."

The little six-year-old bounded over, a bundle of energy despite his complaining stomach; but he could wait. His mother needed him now.

Yugi scrambled up onto the bed, shuffling closer to his mother. He curled up against her side, Junri shifting the photo album so that he could get comfortable. She gave her young son a smile before spreading the book out over their laps, lovingly tracing over the photos there. Yugi immediately recognized the section as the time from before he was born until he was about one; it was the only section that had pictures of his deceased grandfather.

He sighed and wrapped his arms around his mother in a hug. Junri gently stroked his back, scanning over the pictures before pointing to one. Yugi perked up, staring at the picture. His grandfather smiled back, the elderly man standing behind the counter of the game shop that he ran. Held in his arms was a bundle, what Yugi only could assume was himself as a baby.

He blinked before looking up as his mother with a smile. Junri returned the smile, albeit hers was a little shaky. She moved one hand from his back to push his bangs out of his eyes, running her hand down his cheek before looking back at the picture. "This was taken just a week before the wedding, the one that your grandfather died at."

Yugi tipped his head to the side, not sure what to make of that. He had always been told that his grandfather had died in a car crash. Junri sighed and pulled him closer. "We were at the wedding and he just ran outside for some reason, right into the path of a car. The driver was only a young man, but he stayed."

Junri frowned for a moment, trying to pick out one detail that she couldn't quite remember, Yugi waiting patiently for her to speak again. "There was…this man who stood by him…was there when he died. I can't remember anything much about him, but he was there, able to do what no one else at that wedding was willing to do, wait beside a dying man and offer him comfort."

The book was set aside and Yugi was pulled into her lap, the young boy snuggling up to his mother. Junri held him for a while without talking, staring off into the distance before she looked down at him. "You were his little light…and mine."

Yugi nodded, trying to wrap his arms around his mother to give her a hug, disappointed when they couldn't reach. But, apparently, his effort was enough. Junri gave a little laugh before picking him up, walking out of her room without setting him down. "Let's get you some food."

"Alright mommy."


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