Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
The Butterfly Effect
Chapter LXXXI
I couldn't be more grateful at the fact that Mai, despite my taking her out of the tournament, was kind enough to propose her car to drive us around the city. I couldn't be happier at the fact that the moment I requested a quick snack, after a thorough scolding from my brother for not eating lunch, I was given something to eat and drink. And I couldn't be more glad that Mai had no problem with not following the law once we were settled in the convertible, my brother accepting my hand on his arm just so I could find Jonouchi with little to no inconvenience.
But if I was glad about all that, if I found joy in the previous moments, it was lost as I struggled, tried my hardest to focus on fading signals that only came to life for no longer than a second before fading into nothingness.
It had never, ever done this before. People had faded in and out in different instances, most notably Yuugi in the beginning, but never gone so quiet, I could barely find them without brute-forcing my way through. So what the he–?
The sun shone and the wires threw me out. Sent me careening back to myself along with something cold, something that screeched in hatred as it was forced to leave, leaving me to flinch into my seat as I heard one shout beside me.
"What the hell?!"
The sight of the anchor was enough to confirm my worst nightmares.
The car screeched to a stop as I ripped my scarf off and disengaged my Duel Disk before I left the car the moment it did. I felt the metal of the Key rest against my skin as I reached, reached for the sun, and beyond as I ran to the scene, hearing the shouts of various people as I rushed past them, only the sound of my thoughts resonating clearly.
You wanted to me help you. Help me in turn.
I crouched and grabbed something from a box in passing before diving off the pier without question. I swam forward, putting my trust in what I'd heard and what I'd find if I followed the energy that I'd used to guide myself here. And, once I came in contact with something solid, I reached out for what could only be a hand, putting the key I had picked up with little to no hesitation before waiting, praying that Jonouchi still had enough strength to pull us both out of here.
He did. Thank god, he did. And the fact that I found myself pulled out of the water and on the pier minutes later before Jonouchi came to lie next to me not long after was just reassurance.
"You're insane."
Along with his choice of words.
I chuckled. Weakly and not long, but I chuckled as I heard the commotion grow around us, the first words coming clear being, "What the fuck, Megumi?!", making me crack an eye open to my now irate brother. I tried to sit only for dizziness to overtake me, forcing me to lie back down with a groan and my brother to cast his anger aside, if only for a moment, to help settle me against a pillar as the commotion once again grew into noisy background and mucky colors.
"Here."
Before everything halted and came back into focus.
I snapped up and was avoided, the shaking of a plastic container meant to catch my attention more than the upset that grazed charcoal eyes. I took it and was half-tempted to grab him as he walked away, the only thing dissuading me being the heated glare I could feel coming from an icy blue stare that I knew better than to look at. And I slumped against the post as I took in what I'd been left with, opening the container to shakily take a bite of the sandwich I was left with.
That someone who had known me to be hungry and I'd run from had just given me.
… This was supposed to be happier, wasn't it? Then why wasn't it? How bad did I screw up this time to make something like this feel like a failure?