Author's note: I sometimes switch how Yugi refers to the Pharaoh because names can reflect how we see a person. Yami means darkness, and it was the name used to refer to him before they knew that he was a Pharaoh. I tend to think of 'Yami' as the person that he was before he got to know Yugi and learned from him. He refers to him as the Pharaoh because that was what he knew him as for a good portion of their friendship. Atem is rarely used he never had the chance to get into the habit of calling him that. If I use Atem it's usually just for , I know it's confusing.
On another note: I don't think that I've worked on anything quite like this part of the story. It's far darker than my previous work. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading!
-ForeverLily
Higher Stakes Chapter 9: Yugi's darkside
All of the the guests left for their homes and hotel rooms after dinner, leaving Yugi and Tea to a blissfully quiet house. "I love our friends, but I'm exhausted. It's been a long day." Tea plopped onto the couch.
"I'm not sure how much longer I can deal with Pegasus being here. I don't think that I've ever seen Mokuba act that hostile towards anyone."
"I can't say I blame him. He still gives me the creeps, especially since he has the eye back. I know that he's on our side now, but I just can't forget that we nearly lost you," she shuddered.
Yugi plopped down next to her. "At least we have all six people now. That means that soon we can start looking for her."
"Why can't we start looking for her now?"
"We need a plan. This is the person who nearly ended the world twice, so we shouldn't mess around with him. He won't hurt Akari because he needs her alive to serve as bait. I know that's not very comforting, but that's how things stand," he sighed. "Once we get our hands on the last two items we'll have to strike first-the first move gives the advantage. Come on, it's been a long day. Maybe we should go to bed early. We're both too exhausted to think clearly."
"Agreed."
Tea fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Once again Yugi found himself unable to sleep, so he got up and went to his old room. Lately it had become a place to think when he didn't want to lie awake in bed.
Not being able to go after Bakura right away was maddening. They knew that he had to be somewhere in the city. In a city like Domino there were any number of places where he could be hidden, and with all of that talk about setting the board he had to have something big planned. His promise was for a game like nothing they had ever seen, and they had to be prepared for anything.
"First we should bait him. Instead of hiding in our homes we should be out wandering the city with our cards and our items on hand. Let him think that we're easy targets. We need to draw him out before he's ready." The lights flickered again. "Chances are he wouldn't come out himself, but maybe some of his cronies will." The lights flickered again. Why was it only the lamp that flickered?
"Pharaoh?" The lights flickered again. "Once for yes twice for no?" The lights flickered once in agreement. "Why don't you just contact me through dreams? You said that you won't get in trouble for it right?" The lights flickered. "So then why? Are you afraid of using too much shadow magic?" They flickered again. "I was fine in the past. Besides, how am I supposed to build up tolerance if I'm not exposed to it? Why can't we?" The lights flickered twice. "There's no changing our mind is there?" The lights flickered in agreement. "You've got to stop blaming yourself for putting us in danger." The lights flickered twice. "You're too stubborn for your own good, but thanks. It isn't much of a plan, but at least it's better than nothing. Why do so many of our plans involve waiting?" The Pharaoh didn't even have to answer because Yugi knew the answer. It was fate. Sometimes relying on fate really sucked.
"And Pharaoh?" The lights flickered once. "If I'm getting you in trouble please don't do anything else. We'll be fine. We're all adults now-we can take care of ourselves." The lights flickered twice.
"No we can't take care of ourselves?" Two flickers. "We aren't getting you into trouble?" One flicker.
"If you say say so. It's getting late, I should probably sleep. Goodnight Pharaoh."
Yugi crawled into bed and slept dreamlessly.
The next morning the decided to close down the shop. If they got any more attacks they'd risk endangering customers. Anzu still decided to teach her classes. Yugi was the main target after all, and they still needed to pay the bills even if someone was after them.
Tea hastily grabbed her bag. "Yugi, could you do me a favor and stop by the store today?"
"Sure, anything in particular?"
"Just get whatever looks good because after last night's disaster, you should probably be the one to cook dinner. I don't know if my nerves can take another disaster like that one."
"No problem."
"Thanks." She gave him a peck on the lips. "I should go before I'm late. Be careful okay? I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to you!"
"I'll be fine."
Maybe fine was little too much to hope for.
He took the quickest route possible. It was difficult to not look paranoid when he felt an increasingly strong impulse to look over his shoulder as he quickly walked down the street. Don't make eye contact. Don't look guilty. Don't look scared. Just keep walking. Nobody seemed to notice because they had places to be. They were on their to work or had errands to run themselves, so why would they if someone was walking down the street a little more quickly than normal, even that someone was the King of Games?
Steps fell into rhythm with his and he increased the pace, but the steps increased to match his. As he walked he kept an eye on the reflections on the windows of shops and homes and noticed that he wasn't just being paranoid-he truly was being followed.
What was the best way to handle that sort of situation? Yugi decided to duck into an alley so that innocent people wouldn't get dragged into it.
"I'm guessing Bakura sent you?" He asked without turning around.
"You should feel honored that my master thinks that you're a worthy enough opponent to send me!"
"Hmph! Hmph!" someone cried from behind him. He hastily turned around. The man hid behind a cloak and he held a girl hostage.
Yugi took his deck out. "Fine, I'll duel you."
The man just laughed. "You think I'm stupid enough to duel the King of Games? We'll play a different game instead. He held out two decks of duel monsters cards.
"You'll need your deck for later, so I've been instructed to not harm it. We'll be using these instead." Why wouldn't Bakura want his deck out of the way?
"Place the stack on one hand." Yugi obeyed. "Now we take turns picking up cards with this." The man grabbed two knives seemingly out of nowhere. We can't take less than three cards at a time. Is that understood?" The man's eyes lit up with a sort of vindictive pleasure. He was enjoying this a little too much. This wasn't a man following out orders. This was a man with a grudge. Why couldn't he place him? Was he one of the Shadow Hunters?
"I'll do whatever you want, just let the girl go!"
"I can't do that-she's insurance to make sure you behave."The man was the first to go. He thrust the knife into the cards and held it up for him to see. " Three. Your move Mutou."
Yugi did just that. He exerted as little pressure as possible. "Three cards."
The man expertly stabbed three more. Yugi's hand started to tremble as he began to lose his nerve. He accidentally got 6 the next time. "Damn it." He cursed under his breath.
"Don't be nervous. Only your soul's at stake!"
Yugi tried to clear his head using the same method that he usually used for tournaments and public speaking, but it wasn't working. It was hard for Yugi to harm a card when he knew that it represented something very real. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but did he have a choice? If he didn't play the game he would lose by default and put the whole world in danger.
Yugi's heart pounded harder with each turn. When Yugi realized that they were nearing the end of their game he eyed the other guys hand. Yugi still managed to have the most cards left. The cloaked man was sweating visibly when he reached for the knife. He was terrified. If he lost there would be consequences.
Yugi tried to talk him out of it. "What's the point of all of this? Neither of us have to lose. Just end the game."
"No way I'm losing to a little punk like you. Don't you get it yet Mutou? This is payback for what you did to me!"
Nothing about the man seemed familiar, but the game was another story. Why couldn't he remember?
"All I wanted was to be your bodyguard...for a small fee of course. I thought I was doing a good thing by offering to protect a little wimp like you. How did you repay me? You sent me to my own personal hell!"
The memories came flooding back. The man's name was Ushio-He was Yugi's childhood bully. Yugi had little recollection of what Yami had done to him, but he could assume that it was some sort of shadow game. He must have been trying to imitate it. "I acknowledge that my other self had no right to hurt you. He was wrong, and I take responsibility for what he did while inhabiting my body, but you should let the girl go."
He held a knife up to the scared girl who was tied up next to him. "Throw the game and the girl walks."
"What happens if I throw the game?"
"I told ya, the girl walks. You also have to face me in a penalty game. When you lose you'll lose your soul. Oh, and one last thing," he smiled with malicious glee. "This penalty is different from the one you put me through. You'll see soon enough because you're weak. You just don't get it-you don't have what it takes to let the girl pay the price for your safety."
"No, you're the one who just doesn't it. I'll throw the game because I know that compassion and courage make me stronger. So here!" He held up his knife with one card. "I've broken the rules. I'm ready for your shadow game!"
"Excellent."
"Now let her go."
"Fine." He sliced the ropes and shoved her forward. "Go on then!" She just looked at him and looked at Yugi.
"Just go, I'll be fine." He whispered. She nodded and ran away as fast as she could.
"Now that's it's just you and me."
"That's not quite true." Bakura laughed sadistically as he emerged from the shadows. "I think I'll take over from here. I'm sure you're anxious to let the games begin, after all, you do claim that they are your forte. Tell me Yugi, did you know that there are two kinds of shadow games? There is the kind which you no doubt are most familiar with, where monsters are pitted against each other, but there is another kind, one which I find most fitting. People seem to think that you are some kind of bloody saint, but we'll see about that. This shadow game tests the darkness in a person's heart. It can only be performed by those with great skill with shadow magic or one who wields a millennium item. Which means that the moron over there is most unsuitable for the task. I on the on the other hand meet both qualifications."
Yugi understood better than Bakura realised. Even before he reclaimed the puzzle he still had hazy memories from when he first put the puzzle together. It had scared the hell of out of him to discover that the being that resided in it had challenged people who had wronged Yugi to twisted games and then sentenced them to a harsh punishment when they fell victim to their own faults. Ushio had been forced to live with the illusion of money raining around him that he could see and never touch. So Yugi knew that he was being tested, and that the chances of him winning were slim. "I know what you're doing. So what's it going to be?"
Bakura laughed. "It doesn't take a genius to figure out your greatest fault Yugi. I've known you since you were little more than a child, and a piece of me once lived in the very puzzle around your neck. You lack faith. It is delightfully ironic that the very man who is known for his belief in fate and the heart of the cards lacks something so fundamental to this belief. Even the great King of Games is a hypocrite! Your lack of faith is so integral to who you are that it will be impossible for even you to overcome. Isn't that why you needed someone who was stronger than you to fight your battles for you?"
Yugi wanted to yell at him indignantly, to defend himself, but deep down he wondered if Bakura was right. He was still afraid of making the wrong move. He still questioned every move he made. However, there was one thing that Bakura didn't count on. People change. Yugi may still doubt himself, but he didn't let it run his life. He took risks without second guessing himself now because he knew that giving in would do any good. "Are you finished congratulating yourself on a victory that you haven't even won? Let's get on with the game."
"Very well." A game board resembling Dungeon Dice Monsters appeared before them in the swirling shadows. "You are standing on a game board. Each turn you will roll the die and walk the number of spaces that you roll. The object of the game is to take the correct path and find your way towards me. Oh, and one more thing. You will have ten seconds to make a move before the space beneath you begins to crack. You have an additional two seconds before you fall into the shadow realm. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
There was something that Bakura wasn't telling him. It sounded way too simple, and the object of the game was to test the person playing. Even without whatever obstacles Bakura was planning for him winning would be difficult. 14 seconds to make a move was hardly anything at all. There would be absolutely no room for indecision.
"Fine." Yugi rolled a two. He quickly surveyed the board. So far the board looked clear.
"The clock is ticking…" Bakura taunted
"I'll move straight forward two spaces." So far everything seemed okay.
On the next turn Yugi rolled a six. H made his first step when the Earl of Demise blocked his path.
"Did I mention that there are a few obstacles? You have two options. Summon a monster, or roll again and go around. Since you have already moved one space whatever you will be minus one. Just keep in mind that your twelve second rule is still in effect." So now he was playing game without knowing the rules? Was it even possible for him to win a game blindly?
Would going around be more advantageous? Maybe not, there was not telling what he be against next. 2,000 attack points was too risky. He'd roll. Yugi rolled. Three. "I'll go one space to the right and two forward."
"I never took you for a coward."
"It's strategy."
"Cowardice, strategy, they're all the same for someone like you."
"I'm rolling again." Six again. He decided to move forward six spaces again. Maybe he needed a more aggressive approach. There was no was to know what was ahead, so he just needed to face it head on. "I'll move forward six spaces.
Summoned Skull glared at him menacingly. Yugi this wasn't the right risk for him to take. If he drew the right card he didn't have spell cards to back him up or build a strategy around. Yugi hated gaming without a real strategy. "I'll roll again." Four. "This time I'll move one space to the right and three straight." All was clear. He rolled again.
"Six. This time I'll move two to the left, one space ahead, and three to the right. Maybe if he changed directions he'd run into fewer monsters. He was wrong, and when he found himself staring at Gaia the Fierce Knight he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He would run out of space on the board if he didn't make a more decisive move. He was doomed. The odds were small, and there was no way that he could win a game that was designed to test his weakness. He as good as lost. He reached for his deck, but stopped. He only had one monster in his deck that counter it on it's own. This wasn't going to end well. Believe in yourself. Yugi heard. The floor began to quake underneath his feet. He could feel it start to crack.
"Two seconds."
"I summon the Dark Magician!" He said without looking. He peeked and saw that he had drawn exactly what he needed. "Oh thank God." He sighed. He was almost finished. Despite all of the shadow games he'd been in and the number of times he'd been close to death this was so nerve wracking. Despite the simplicity of the game it tested his inner strength, and in that way it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. Preparing to sacrifice himself to save Joey on the pier that day hadn't been so difficult, neither was the duel with Pegasus in the Shadow realm. He stepped up without a thought-fighting for someone else was always easier than fighting for himself. Somehow he had always felt more confident fighting for other people. Now Yugi's greatest enemy was himself. He wondered how Bakura had known to make the game this way. It was as if he had stared straight into his soul.
"Don't look so relieved. You're not out of the woods too. Did you really think I'd make this so easy? What you've experienced so far wasn't the real challenge. Oh, and the time limit no longer applies. This is going to be far too entertaining to rush." He looked up
"Pharaoh? How?" Yugi gasped. No, that couldn't really be him.
"It wasn't too difficult convincing them to allow me to return in order to fix your errors." Something seemed off about him.
"That wasn't necessary."
"Oh, but it was. Bakura's been back for two weeks and you've nearly been killed and your daughter's been kidnapped. You weren't strong enough to make the right sacrifices for the good of man, and now all of you must pay the consequences."
This had to be some sort of mind game. There was no way the Pharaoh would be okay with him sacrificing the girl in order to win…. except that's exactly what he wanted to do when Kaiba had stepped onto the ledge in Duelist Kingdom "I'm sorry."
Yugi knew better than to listen, but he couldn't help it."No, I'm sorry, sorry that I had to share body with someone so weak. You're just not strong enough to handle all of this-you never were. It's not your fault, it's just the way you are. I suppose that's why I'm the King of Games and you're the same frightened child in the body of a grown man." His words stung, but somehow they rang true. Yugi never knew what he was doing. He was a grown man and yet he still needed to use the spirit as a crutch just so they didn't get entirely overwhelmed by Bakura. The painful truth was that he had always felt like a fraud. For some reason he was the one that people seemed to lean on, but was it him that they were looking up to, or were they clinging to the memory of the Pharaoh that had once inhabited the puzzle?
Yugi stood, unable to speak as the Pharaoh looked on at him grimly.
"Just give up Yugi- you're never going to get past me. You should let me take your place. Nobody noticed the last time. I'm the one your wife is in love with-you were just the consolation prize. Isn't that right Yugi?" Images from his teenage years flashed through his mind. Tea's disappointment when she was landed with Yugi instead of the Pharaoh at their date in the amusement park. The way her face lit up after the Pharaoh took control. The way that people were so amazed by Yugi, when the person they were truly amazed by was the spirit who occasionally borrowed his body. "Your daughter would be ecstatic to meet the true King of Games, and I'm sure Seto misses having a true match for his skills. Most importantly," the Pharaoh's forehead glowed with the eye of Horus. "I am the one with the skills needed to overcome your enemies. While you run away from the shadows with your tail between your legs I stand strong against it while using it for my own purpose. How can you when you cannot even face your dark half?"
"You're not the Pharaoh. This is all some sort of cheap trick. End it now Bakura, I know this isn't really him!" It was the strangest of illusions-he knew that what he was seeing could not possibly be real, but he still found himself drawn in by his words. They were far more painful than they should have been, and some small part of Yugi recognized that they rang true.
"You are right-to you I am not the Pharaoh, I am Yami. Greed and pride have their tentacles wrapped around me and manipulate me like a puppet master deciding my every move. I covet what I have not earned and envy those are able to exist peacefully, and wrath flows through my veins as surely as blood, for I want nothing more than to wipe those who have hurt me from the face of the earth and dance on their grave. Or maybe," he gave a crooked smile, "Perhaps you can understand Yugi, I am your dark side. All of my mistakes are yours."
The Penalty games, the ledge, the orichalcos...the stage around Yugi re played each incident in surround sound. Watching your own memories from a perspective other than your own is a weird experience-he had never been the type to carry around a video camera, and he had always refused to watch his own interviews because it was embarrassing seeing all of his quirks on television. Besides, these were the memories that Yugi has actively tried to forget.
The desperation in Seto Kaiba's eyes haunted him. It was true that he had stopped the spirit, but he was only seconds away from killing him. The fact that the spirit could do something like that and be okay with it had terrified him. But, the horrible truth was that if it was the only way to save his daughter he might've followed through on that move. What did that say about the man that he had grown into? Had practicality turned him into a man for whom the end justified the means regardless of who got hurt? The thought made him sick to his stomach. He had become the man that he has once feared.
The Penalty games...allowing Kaiba to walk off of the edge...lust for victory...they had all happened while the Pharaoh was inhabiting Yugi's body, so they were his mistakes too. The radical change in the Pharaoh had almost allowed Yugi to forget all about it. "What's this really about?"
"You have to defeat me in a game, of course."
The voices from his memory grew louder and louder at this. They were almost deafening, forcing him to watch as he relived the lowest moments of his life. He could feel himself sinking into despair.
Yugi took a good look at his old friend, wondering why he would do this to him. He saw arrogance cross his lips in a cold smirk that would have a made a much younger Seto Kaiba proud, and he saw vengeance in his bright green eyes. He knew those eyes. They were the eyes of someone that was in the thrall of the orichalcos. "I think I understand now...Yami." He understood that he was staring darkness in the face. "It's your move."
"Very well. Step onto the scale. If you can balance it before the other side touches the ground you will keep your soul."
Author's Note: I just wanted to remind you that the Spirit of the Millennium Ring hadn't been around Yugi since, well, Yugi's trip to Egypt. This means that his knowledge of cards is restricted to the 'classic' cards. These days 2,000 attack points isn't all that impressive, but it used to be big deal. Duels don't particularly interest me, so shadow games reflect a mixture of shadow games as they appeared in season zero Manga and in the English dub. The history is all canon and the shadow games they recollect occurred as they did in the anime, but I did use some of the pre-duelist Kingdom history from season zero manga.
-ForeverLily
