Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

The Butterfly Effect

Chapter LXXXII

There was supposed to be a fanfare. I wasn't blind to that fact. Our team had made it to the quarterfinals, Jonouchi and I were being taken care of by a team that could only qualify as great or the best, seeing who had hired it, and our friends were allowed to join us onboard the blimp that was supposed to serve as our field of battle for the quarterfinals. It was supposed to be happier. It was supposed to be a lot better.

It wasn't. It definitely wasn't. And if the fact that we were in the blimp early, to the point where, I was sure, Malik was sure to get upset because he couldn't make a grand entrance didn't, then the fact that I, once again, found clothes on a bed that I knew I would have to sleep in this time would.

I dried out, got dressed, and sat. I looked at my deck, knowing that I had to work in that Silver Screen — Mirror Wall but unable to find the motivation to as I tied my hair low and got up to look outside. And I sighed as I watched the grass move, the empty stadium around us through the windows, knowing that, in a few minutes, there wouldn't be anymore ground to watch before going to sit down again, only for my head to snap up when I heard a knock.

And for it to almost lower in shame when I answered.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

Yuugi. If anyone would catch on, it would be him.

I let him in and watched him struggle with the two cans he was holding to point at the table with a smile and, I'm sure, was supposed to be an inviting hum. I sat down with him there before being slid one of the drinks my direction, a green tea soda that was, honestly, hard to refuse under his encouraging smile.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, you okay?"

However, I could only spare him a glance at first as I took a sip, recognizing that he wasn't just concerned, he knew.

"… Should I be?"

"Maybe not? All I know is that whatever happened is enough for you to look upset and get Mokuba to avoid you, which he doesn't do."

He knew I'd gone through hell. He knew I was struggling.

"… It does look bad, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Then again, if I'm right, things weren't exactly clean for anyone."

And it wasn't just because he was trying to be empathetic, either.

"Not any good for you, either?"

"Dealt with a Ghoul who tried to saw my legs off, two that promised to kill Kaiba and me by blowing the glass from underneath our feet, and another that, while technically less dangerous, was basically Malik since he'd surrendered his mind to him, ramping up the creepy factor. Then I had to fight Jonouchi because Malik thought it'd be fun to take control of him using a ploy he can't remember, now."

He'd lived through it.

I held my breath, "… I'm sorry I asked."

"You looked like you needed to know."

And looked at his smile, unsure how to feel. Unsure what to make of the fact that I was being told any of this. Was I meant to empathize? Feel sorry for him?

"So… What happened?"

… Or was it really just simply so I could feel comfortable emptying my baggage?

"… I… might have dealt with a Ghoul."

From the look, from the fact that he closed his eyes and, for a brief moment, looked angry before resuming his calm disposition, the latter. From the fact that I could feel Yami's angry being held just below the surface as Yuugi sighed and pursed his lips, but did little else, definitely the latter.

"A Ghoul?"

"Yeah. Tried killing me by blowing up the building we were in. I don't — I don't think either of us was meant to escape, win, or lose. Only reason I was able to escape was because of a chair I was able to overturn when the building collapsed. That… wasn't the worst part, though."

"What was?"

"… She had a point to make, and she made it."

But, from the fact that he simply lapsed into silence after my explanations, he probably didn't know what to make of any of it.

Lilith had been a nasty piece of work. She'd been a horrible person with terrifying intentions. And her blowing herself up to get her point across…

"It's always the most broken that find the cruelest of punishments to give themselves, huh?"

I looked up. To Yuugi, who continued, "The first one I mentioned… He used Black Magician, too. More of a statement to the fact that he was an actual magician and trickster than anything else, but the way he treated the game… It felt like looking through a distorted mirror. An example of what could have happened if I hadn't… found it in me to do what I did in the beginning. What Yami could have turned into should I have given up. And while I'd been worried during the duel… It felt even worse to know why."

And giving a bittersweet smile as I blinked, unable to find the words, the way to express what I wanted out, but knowing, strangely, that I was understood. That Yuugi and I knew exactly what we were talking about, no matter how difficult it was to share.

I smiled. Chuckled, unable to help myself. I found tears bursting forth before I could say anything else, unable to miss the film in the purple eyes that shared my smile.

The Sky Sage: Whenever one faces adversity, it is always important to regroup and see where you stand before you make your next move. And if you're capable of finding someone who is in the same situation you are, you best not dismiss them. They are not your enemy and they might just provide the insight you lack or simply a shoulder to lean on.

In other news, I wanted to apologize for last week. Thursday of that week wasn't a particularly fun day, and it was downhill from there, hence my lack of anything substantial even if there were questions that, I'm pretty sure, were going to be raised if just because of what happened. For those wondering, yes, there is an explanation to the insanity that happened and it will be answered later. In fact, with the way the quarterfinals go, I'm pretty sure you guys can figure out when they will be. I'm sorry for the lack of immediate answers, but there's a lot still that needs to happen before the ball even starts unraveling.

As for everything else... I would like to apologize in advance if any delays occur. These are all ready to be published, but I currently don't have internet at home, which means that I'm being left at the mercy of my phone's hotspot and whatever else happens afterward (For the curious, the AC broke down also. But it's repaired now so thank God). Again, I'm sorry. I really, really am. I'm trying.