Author's notes:
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Sailor Moon. In fact, I don't
even know what they are. *scratches head* What am I doing here?
Credits for this chapter go to FC-chan, who literally had to pull me
out of my bed of writer's block, whacking me on the head with her
hammer of self-inspiration. Well, I did get here, didn't I?
Warnings: Excessive "thinking" and very choppy paragraphing. Written
in this format to emphasize certain points. Might also warp your
mind, but that's not my fault ^^().
Note: ~~ Flashback sequence ~~
~ dream sequence ~
**************************************
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper"
- TS. Elliot, "The Hollow Men" (I've been quoting him throughout the
entire fic!)
**************************************
Last time:
The silver-haired man feigned another bored yawn. He shrugged non-
comittaly before looking straight at the Yami.
"My turn." A grin played on his perfectly calm expression.
**************************************
Chapter 13: The Heart of the Cards - Part 3
The first thing that registered in Yami-Yuugi's mind was pain.
It came, intense wave after wave, pummeling his body with a
relentless agony. Now, the Yami had been forced against the ground,
lying chest-down in his own pool of blood. He could feel the rivulets
of warmth trickle and ease down his sensitive skin. His right leg was
awkwardly twisted, and each breath drawn caused his chest to
constrict awkwardly.
Yet, most of all was the pain. It screamed a mind-numbing roar,
overwhelming his senses; overwhelming his determination; overwhelming
his basic pattern of thought. It was as if a gigantic hammer of force
had slammed the Yami face down in the dirt, draining his very source
of energy while chuckling in continuous exultation.
... Which was exactly what Pegasus was doing at the moment. The
silver-haired man was still laughing, bringing a hand to trace
invisible sketches against the Yami's back while his Magic forced
each finger-stroke to gouge a scarlet path across his skin. Yami-
Yuugi's jacket, shredded and stained, revealed all too clearly on his
beautiful pale skin each blemish and artistic cut.
Yami-Yuugi grunted, bringing a trembling arm up in attempts to
counter the onslaught. His hand was immediately blocked. Another
feeble swing with the other arm yielded the same result. And, for the
first time in 8000 years, Yami-Yuugi foresaw his defeat. He knew that
he would fall in front of his opponent, and he knew that there was no
way to outsmart him. For how did one defeat an opponent who could
read their every single move, predicting it and thwarting it before
it could even be exercised?
Another wave of pain lanced through the Yami's body, causing
him to involuntarily cry out loud, back arching in pain-stimulated
response. The agony continued to ravish and destroy until all it left
behind was a half-alive shell. All hopes, thoughts, beliefs, and
strategies had been eradicated.
Eyes fully dilated and mouth frothing a mixture of saliva and
blood, Yami-Yuugi limped to his knees, never taking his gaze off his
opponent. He knew that Pegasus had the advantage in this domain.
Though Yami-Yuugi too had a favourable battlefield, it was a far cry
from this strange world full of loss and despair.
Each inch of movement was a direct command of will power, the
Yami rising painfully to his feet while his opponent waited with a
cocky grin. Yami-Yuugi never stopped glaring. He _would_ defeat
Pegasus, one way or another. Loss, death, hatred, despair - those
emotions meant nothing to the Game King.
Yes, the only way to defeat Pegasus was to force Pegasus into-
Another blast of intensely concentrated Magic was fired, though
this time, the Yami did not try to dodge but deliberately leapt in
the projectile's path. The pain was every bit as intense as
anticipated. Again, it wrenched the Yami's body, leaving him an
empty, trembling husk.
Finally, the pain withdrew to a familiar empty dizziness, and
the Yami wavered for a few seconds before his mind returned to
coherent thought.
But this distraction was enough. For the blast of pain had also
provided a barrier, wiping out his mental processing. And
fortunately, a mind without thought was a mind that could not be
read. Of course, what Pegasus could not read, he could not predict.
The Game King was known for his resourcefulness, even in the
most unfavourable conditions. And now, he exercised this single
talent to its full potential, drawing his confidence from the other's
hidden weakness.
Tattered, torn, and barely standing, Yami-Yuugi surely did not
appear triumphant or even hopeful. Yet, within his ancient revived
soul lay a force trembling with anticipation; the trump card of the
battle. The Millennium Puzzle, encouraged by the Game King's personal
invigoration, began to once again re-work its Magic, glowing just
slightly to prove its inhumane awareness.
No longer did the Yami worry about Pegasus reading his mind.
For each blast the Yami took ensured a barrier against Pegasus from
his secret. It was a desperate strategy; one that gambled between the
brink of life and death, but within it lay the only possibility the
Game King had of winning.
Pegasus chuckled, idly firing powerful waves of Spell Magic at
his opponent, Millennium Eye glowing has he fixated his full
attention in watching his prey squirm feebly.
True enough, Yami-Yuugi had overtaxed his limits. Though his
actual body had passed away several millennia ago, this new temporary
one was far from powerful. He had lost his endurance, stamina, and
rapid reflexes. Instead, all this was traded for another power, one
foreign even to the Game King himself.
It was a type of occult power, one shrouded in Dark Magic and
ancient forbidden rituals. For with the blessings of this
temporarily-created body also came requests - requests obeyed since
the Yami's first encounter with his Aibou.
First was the blood-lust: a persistent hunger always demanding
to be satiated. Even now, as the Yami buckled and trembled
uncontrollably under each devastating blow, he could feel the
piercing cry of hunger. The hunger, however, had gratefully subdued
since the beginning of the battle, currently gorging on his own
blood. Yami-Yuugi had swallowed mouthfuls of this oddly pleasant
fluid, though it did not drain his energy as anticipated but had the
adverse effect of revitalizing him.
... It was a stupid topic to speculate on, but it too had a
purpose. In between the recovery time and Pegasus's next blast was an
interval where any registered thinking was open to a mind probe. This
was the part where the Yami's mental will was thoroughly tested and
exercised. Battered both physically and mentally, Yami-Yuugi found
himself once again re-assessing the tendrils of his resources. The
Millennium Puzzle, sensing its owner's uncertainty, wavered and
flickered slightly, losing some of its build-up of Magic.
Another blast burned and sizzled against the Yami's side,
charring his flesh until from the agony wafted a putrid aroma, sickly
sweet. Cool, half-dry blood sluggishly oozed onto the burn, Yami-
Yuugi involuntarily hissing at the stings.
There just wasn't enough time. As resilient and defiant as the
Game King could be, he knew for a fact now that his possibility of
winning dropped with every second. The Millennium Puzzle simply could
not invoke enough Magic in the allotted time to perform the needed
Spell _without_ Pegasus noticing. Only sheer blind luck could twist
the tables now. And somewhere, in that vague coherent space of
allotted thought, Yami-Yuugi regretted overestimating his own
condition. He could vaguely hear Pegasus laughing gleefully at that
train of thought before he was blasted yet again.
***************************************
Seto Kaiba was, very frankly, pissed. Currently, he was stuck in a
gigantic dark cavern, his only sense of refuge an aimless trek up and
down the wall-less corridors. It had seemed like eons ago when he had
first tried to escape this unusual dungeon, and unfortunately, every
attempt had resulted in the same conclusion - the was _no_ escape.
At least, not the conventional way. Upon coming to that
conclusion, Kaiba retraced his steps, furrowing his rows in deep
thought.
First of all, he had no clue where he currently was. The
mysterious opponent had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to
conveniently stuff him in this "dungeon" before turning to fact the
Game King. Vaguely, Kaiba wondered why Yami-Yuugi wasn't also brought
to this strange domain.
And it was at that very moment that Kaiba suddenly hit
inspiration. He spent the next few moments berating himself of for
his idiocy.
Of course they wouldn't lock the Game King in _this_ place.
Only fools dared to challenge the Game King on his own domain. And
surely, enough, the leader of the Authority was no fool,
understanding for a fact that the Game King in the Shadow Realm was
like a fish in a sea of water.
Now, how to find a way out? Here, Seto Kaiba was stumped.
***************************************
Yami-Yuugi dropped like a sac of rocks onto the ground. His
entire body had shut down to the point where even a single breath
became extensively complex and laborious to perform. Each gasp of air
trickled slowly into his lungs, straining them just enough against
his burning ribs before disappearing with a heavy sigh.
It was over. He had taken a gamble with his last chance... and
failed. The _Game King_ had failed.
At long last, Pegasus, bored with his attacks, sauntered over
to the Yami, face leering. He kicked the limp form of the Yami
heavily a few times, eyes glinting in satisfaction when Yami-Yuugi
responded with facial expressions of pain.
"You've lost." Pegasus's voice confirmed the result. "How does
it feel, _Game King_? How does it feel to know that you are
defeatable and that your pathetic excuse for a Millennium Item has
failed you?"
Yami-Yuugi could feel his Puzzle flare hotly in response,
though it too lacked the strength to move beyond a simple reaction.
He brought a trembling hand to wipe the layers of caked and sweaty
blood accumulating on his brows. Even though the Yami no longer had
the strength to speak, he voiced his words in his mind, knowing that
Pegasus's Millennium Eye would 'hear' the thoughts.
'You're wrong, Pegasus. I do not use my Millennium Puzzle, I
_am_ the Millennium Puzzle. The very reason I exist is because of
this Puzzle, and together, we co-exist as one.'
"Either way, it doesn't matter." Pegasus shrugged. "The
legendary Millennium items give unlimited power to he whomever bears
one. They are simply _items_, and cannot tell the difference."
'There's more to the Items than just power,' Yami-Yuugi warned,
'There Items have a purpose, and once this purpose is fulfilled, they
too will leave this reality to take their final rest.'
"I know very well the Legend that you speak of." The silver-
haired man looked bored; disinterested. "Unlike the solid power and
Magic of the Millennium Items, the Legend is a mere faerie's tale - a
story to discourage the ancient struggles for power in the Shadow
Realm."
Pegasus once again circled the Yami, pacing slowly and
deliberately like a tantalizing target around the exhausted Yami. "It
was said that those who seek too much power in the Shadow Realm will
be stopped by the keeper of the Millennium Items; the one with the
Millennium Puzzle. Yet, here you are, _Game King_ bowing like a slave
underneath my feet. Somehow, I highly doubt that you will be able to
stop me from doing anything, less from taking over your precious
Shadow Realm."
Yami's temper flared hotly. 'Idiot! Abusing the power of the
Shadow Realm will only lead to your own demise. I do not seek to
protect it but to _destroy_ it, stopping the agony and pain it has
caused once and for all.'
"Good for you." Pegasus shrugged indifferently. "But you forget
something. Once I have you destroyed, the Millennium Puzzle will
belong to me, and I shall have unlimited access in tapping the power
of the Shadow Realm. Yes, isn't that nice to know that you played
right into my hands? Isn't it wonderful to finally realize that I had
planned this all along?"
Yami-Yuugi was no longer listening to Pegasus's rants. He was
already lost in a puddle of self-beration and utmostly, despair. How
could he have been so stupid? How could he even think of defeating
the Authority right in their domain? He had thought that once he
challenged the other to a Game in the Shadow Realm, his victory would
be ensured.
What he didn't account for was Pegasus never even leaving the
sanctity of the Authority headquarters. Oh no - the leader of the
Authority was smarter than that. Pegasus had been deliberately waited
until his threats, namely the Game King, had been eradicated before
making a move in the Shadow Realm. Therefore, not only did he have an
advantage now, but he also had the added power of his soon-to-be
acquired Millennium Puzzle. Victory could never be any simpler than
that.
"Good bye, Yu-gi-oh." The silver-haired man's voice again
pierced the Yami's thoughts. He strutted over in front of his fallen
opponent, leaning over and gracefully snatching the Millennium Puzzle
with his cold fingers. For a single, brief moment, the Puzzle flared
and glowed with indignation. Yet, the struggle was meaningless,
Pegasus slipping the ancient Millennium piece from around Yami-
Yuugi's neck, one hand clasped around its dull edges.
Without the power of the Puzzle, Yami-Yuugi felt his last
struggles towards consciousness failing. His body was fading away and
his soul, no longer confined but defeated, fluttered like stardust
back into the darkness it had escaped for so many years. The silence
around him gave a deafening bellow. It surrounded the Yami,
enshrouding his figure so that he appeared no more than a semi-
transparent ghost.
The Game King closed his eyes, heaving one more breath in
desperate appreciation. It was strange, how much one valued life when
they were suddenly confronted with the end. From that single strand
of air, Yami-Yuugi could taste the essence of life, blowing
delicately through his body, particles brimming with life and more
importantly, reality. And slowly, every so reluctantly, the Yami
withdrew his grasp on that precious keepsake.
Just as Yami-Yuugi dismissed the last touch of life, his mind
was suddenly pummeled by explosion of sensations.
He saw his past as Pharaoh and his sacrifice for the Shadow
Realm so long ago.
He saw his present with Yuugi, and his love for the small,
innocent boy.
He saw a million, billion different images, all flashing in
wild sequences.
But last of all, he saw a small emerald-green field. There were
children playing on the field, frolicking under an azure-blue sky.
And even when the images disappeared, he heard the laughter of the
children, echoing and ringing over the darkness.
That much was eternal.
******************************************
"Stop right there!"
Pegasus turned around, bemused eyes greeting several figures
enshrouded by the partial darkness. Each one bore a non-descript
cloak save the smallest figure in the center leading the miniature
crowd. The silver-haired man shook his head, feigning an impression
that bordered impatience and despair.
"Oh no. Not some more intruders." Pegasus sighed, Millennium
Eye glowing. "These days, a decent guy can't get any work done
without people always intruding."
Yuugi was slightly taken aback at Pegasus's strange behaviour.
However, he immediately saw through the ploy, addressing the silver-
haired man for what he was, and more, what he had done. Violet eyes
glared accusingly at the leader of the Authority.
"What have you done with Yami?"
"Yami?" Pegasus brought a thoughtful finger to his mouth.
"Who's that? I don't know of any Yami." He grinned, Millennium Eye
glowing maliciously. "The last person I talked to was the Game King
and I'm afraid he just left. Quite rude of him, don't you think?"
Yuugi had never been considered an irrational boy. He had
always been kind, decent, caring, and most of all, almost inhumanly
conservative when it came to expressing emotions such as anger. Yet,
now, just staring at this silver-haired man, Yuugi felt those long-
absent feelings come pouring into his mind, filling it with
unfathomable rage. The anger seethed and churned in his mind until he
was all but trembling with its power.
Trying to restrain this almost foreign emotion, Yuugi clenched
his fists, digging his nails tightly into his palm while taking deep
breaths. He closed his eyes, calming himself before attempting to
speak again. Twin violet orbs bore like acid into their opponent's
gaze, and for a moment, Pegasus seemed to shuffle uncomfortably under
their inquisition.
"What you have done is unforgivable." Yuugi's words were short
and to the point.
However, the silver-haired man was one who would not be
intimidated by such a small and harmless boy. This was what Pegasus
convinced himself of as he returned Yuugi's glare with a comical
smile.
"But, Yuugi-boy, I've been looking forwards to meeting you!"
His voice was just perfectly conversational. "How about sitting down
and having some cheese? I even have fruit juice back in that
cupboard." He momentarily shot a hand towards a random area on the
left.
Yuugi glanced at the direction of Pegasus's hand, though he
immediately berated himself for his idiocy. Pegasus was trying to
distract him! As if to prove the point, there was nothing in that
corner reminiscent of a cupboard, save an empty cage, perhaps one
that once held a large animal. Yet, the cage was worn, like most of
the material in the large hallway, reminding Yuugi of legends
regarding ancient Medieval castles.
It was then that Yuugi spotted the glowing Millennium Puzzle
dangling from Pegasus's hand. The Puzzle seemed to glint just so
slightly as Yuugi locked eyes with it. The small boy's hand
immediately traveled to the identical Puzzle around his own neck.
Pegasus, too, noted Yuugi's Puzzle. However, his expression was
one of acknowledgment rather than confusion. In front of the eyes of
every spectator, the silver-haired man began to walk circles around
Yuugi. Each circle strayed the smaller boy further from the larger
crowd, though his paces were subtle and all-too harmless.
"Poor poor Yuugi." Pegasus spoke as he paced. "You've lost
everything. But, I can give you power. I can _help_ you Yuugi." The
silver-haired man grinned. "You sacrificed all this to earn the
_truth_, didn't you? Well, now, I shall tell you the truth."
Yuugi found himself slowly backing away from the menacing
authoritative figure. He forced his mind to block the persuasive
speech, casting mental barriers forged on his personal anger. This
was the man that had deliberately killed his friends and destroyed
his Yami. This was the _leader_ of the Authority; the very center of
a deadly 'belief'.
"What truth?" Yuugi spoke out loud. "I see no truth. All I see
is one big ugly lie. The lie that you hide underneath your smiling
face."
Oddly enough, the other members of the fallen Club 0013
remained silent, watching like mute puppets in the background.
"Yes." Pegasus agreed, nodding amiably. "It is one big lie.
Life is a lie the moment one starts it! All I wanted was a beautiful
world, one where we could be equally happy and live in harmony and
peace. For three-thousand years ago, the world was almost destroyed
because we humans could not agree. And when we disagree, we fight
against each other and hurt ourselves." Pegasus smiled winningly. "I
was trying to prevent our new future from this pain. So, I created
this society to help everyone. I was trying to do a favour for all of
you!"
Yuugi closed his eyes. From the corner of his mind, he could
see the morose Ryou; bloodstained Anzu; the grinning, reckless
Jounochi; and most of all, the missing link to his beloved Yami. He
could see his father being dragged away from the Authority, and the
charring remains of his house, ashes of his mother and grandfather
blowing in the wind.
And then, Yuugi laughed. He laughed a long and hard laugh, one
full of bitterness and mirth. A sardonic smile played on the small
boy's lips.
"Why, thank you."
Pegasus shook his head. "It just isn't befitting for one so
young as you to worry so much. Why worry at all? You don't have a
care for the world! Just be free!"
Yuugi shrugged. "Well, I wanted to be free. Thanks to you, I
can scratch out that idea."
The silver-haired man took another few steps until he was
dangerously close to the small boy. Now, his breaths came in harsher,
tighter inhales, and there was a strange flare of insanity brimming
in his single eye.
"I really liked you, Yuugi Mutou." Pegasus smiled, playing with
the words in a low murmur. "I thought you would appreciate what I had
done for you. But since your ideas differ so greatly from mine, I
guess I can't earn your respect anymore."
"No," Yuugi agreed in a clipped voice, one oddly unlike
himself. "You can't."
Pegasus shrugged. "I don't need to."
And suddenly, he lunged, grabbing the small boy in a by the
neck. The silver-haired man was easily twice the size of his target,
and he lifted the smaller boy with ease so that Yuugi hung, feet
dangling in thin air, slim neck wedged in a tight choke.
Yuugi turned pleading glassy eyes towards Setsuna and the
others. Instead of leaping into action, the figures simply stood
there, some of them fidgeting uncomfortably while others simply gazed
like interested spectators. Why weren't they helping? Why wasn't this
so-called opponent of the Authority, this so-called Club 0013
helping?
It didn't matter now - it was already too late. From the murky
darkness emerged an even darker blotch. The emerging mass began to
grow, pulsating and expanding shadowy tendrils on all sides of the
grey room. As the pitch-black darkness touched these walls, they
disappeared, leaving an infinite expanse of shadows.
Yuugi was suddenly released, falling to the ground with a
silent thump. He quickly recovered his senses, scurrying along the
surface until he was a good distance away from the other. From there,
he watched, tense baleful eyes never leaving Pegasus's face.
The silver-haired man simply smiled, a not-too-friendly smile.
"Do you know where we are, Yuugi?" He questioned, not even pausing to
wait for an answer. "This is the infamous Shadow Realm. The very
place that your Yami sacrificed himself for so many years ago before
being locked into the Millennium Puzzle."
Yuugi's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?" He found
himself having more curiousity than he should.
In response to the smaller boy's curiosity, Pegasus only
laughed. "You should have asked your Yami when you had the chance!
But seeing how the Game King is gone now, why does it really matter?"
"Then why did you bring me here?" The small boy clenched his
fists, bracing his form against the other. There were only the two of
them in this place; everyone else had been left behind.
Pegasus shrugged. "It's simple. I just want to challenge you to
a little Game."
Anger gave Yuugi the courage he normally lacked. "Make your
Game, Pegasus. I'll play."
"Yes." Pegasus repeated. "Of course you will play, if you want
to escape this place." He glanced at Yuugi's minute form with
amusement. "The Game will be a very familiar one - called Duel
Monsters."
Yuugi looked at Pegasus with apprehensive eyes. "I don't have a
deck, -." It was at that moment that Yuugi realized that he didn't
know the other's name.
"You can call me 'Maximillion Pegasus'." The silver-haired man
replied, not missing a beat. His Millennium Eye glowed slightly from
under the veil of silvery bangs.
The ground underneath the small boy shifted, a gigantic shadowy
podium rising from its smooth surface. Yuugi started as the podium
continued to grow, detaching itself from the ground to form a dull,
flat surface at the very top. On the surface rested a deck of Duel
Monsters cards.
Pegasus waved his hand dismissedly. "I found those just a while
ago. You may use them, since I believe they once were yours."
Now more puzzled than startled, Yuugi picked up the deck of
cards, noting how the podium quickly shriveled into shadows the
moment the cards left its surface. He quickly scoured through the
newly acquired deck. Every card was just as anticipated; an exact
replica of his own deck down to the very last card.
Yuugi looked up and faced Pegasus. "Fine. Let's duel."
The silver-haired man grinned, summoning a deck of his own from
another shadowy podium. He then began shuffling his deck, humming an
abstract tune to himself.
A thought suddenly occurred to the small boy. How exactly were
they supposed to play without a table or elevation of some sort to
set the cards on? Puzzled, Yuugi could only hold his own deck,
shuffling it absent-mindedly while watching the other. Despite the
confusion, a turbid anger was still seething in his mind, filling it
with hatred and most of all, a desire for revenge.
"My turn first." Pegasus proclaimed, drawing from the deck the
typical set of five cards. He then ho-hummed and harrumphed a few
times before finally choosing one and putting it into play. "Well, it
looks like all I have is this Red Archer Girl in attack mode." He
threw the card straight at the ground, watching it glow and expand,
warping into a life-size replica of the very creature it represented.
This all-too-real card glanced momentarily at her master, impatiently
twiddling with her bow and quiver while watching Yuugi make a move.
Yuugi, however, was frozen stiff. His mind immediately relapsed
into a state of shock, especially as he realized that the card on
front of him, the card that Pegasus played, was all too real. The
familiar fear began to consume him once again, forcing the small boy
into a state of relapse.
~~ It was a gigantic monstrosity, a good twenty feet in height,
all black armour and flashing claws. From its sinuous back arched a
pair of large, brittle wings, also the same ebony hue. The only other
colour flashing on this beast was the glowing red of its menacing
eyes.
The black dragon roared, opening its wickedly curved mouth to
reveal layer upon layer of large serrated teeth. From its jaws shot a
brilliant stream of intense fire, the heat all-too unbearable.
But most of all, this beast seemed to laugh at Yuugi, laughing
as it drained all of the small boy's energy. Again, it shot another
stream of flame; and this time, Yuugi could feel the strain the
dragon demanded from its "master".
He didn't even have enough energy to scream before he was
forced into unconsciousness. ~~
"No." Yuugi echoed, backing away from Pegasus and his card. "I-
I.." Tears brimmed around his eyes, making them seem a luminescent
crystal-grey instead of its normal violet hue. He continued to
stutter and tremble, knees buckling weakly as his mind continued to
feed on the uncertainty and fear. "Not this again..."
~~ The Red Eyes Black Dragon roared, teeth flashing a lustrous
ebony. It opened its jaws, baring its teeth.... ~~
"If you won't fight, then you will have to forfeit." Pegasus
proclaimed, voice jeering. "Such a pity, really. I expected a
magnificent battle, coming from someone like you."
Part of Yuugi didn't want to give up. That part urged him to
fight back, to be relentless to this _murderer_ in front of him. Yet,
it was quickly swallowed up by the greater mass of fear. Yuugi bowed
his head in shame. "I-I-forfei-"
Suddenly, a blast of white light shot through the battlefield.
The crackle of electric-white light eventually disappeared, leaning
behind a pair of shocked faces. Actually, Pegasus's face was more
enraged than surprised, and he fixed his livid expression at a point
some odd meters away from the left of Yuugi.
There, in the shadows, walked a tall form. He wore a long blue
trench coat that flared from waist-down like a cape. However, it was
not him that had caught Yuugi and Pegasus alike off guard. For behind
the lean brown-haired boy stood a gigantic behemoth of a dragon. It
was a pure white, glowing like chrome moonshine. Fixated in the
center of its head was a pair of brightly burning sapphire eyes.
The newly-arrived figure turned to fixate his half-stare at
Yuugi. "Yuugi. This is your last chance to prove anything. If you
give up now, then everything else you have done will be in vain." The
brown-haired boy put a hand on the flank of his dragon. Dull, almost
lifeless cobalt eyes glared inquiringly at Yuugi. "Is it really worth
it, Yuugi? Just this one moment of fear? Will you back away when you
have conquered so many other fears already?"
The small boy took a deep breath, regarding the brown-haired
youth now standing beside him. Yuugi realized that he knew this
person - this was the Seto Kaiba whom his Yami had acknowledged.
Another memory of his Yami brought a pang to his heart, though he
quickly suppressed it, and instead, focused on the question at hand.
Was he strong enough? Was he brave enough?
No. Yuugi knew the answer long before he realized it. In
reality, he was neither brave, nor strong, nor powerful. Those
elements were all illusions to a deceptive confidence. True, Yuugi
possessed some Magic and some determination, but they were a far cry
from the strength needed to defeat this opponent. Instead, the small
boy sought for something else, something past his personal
boundaries.
Friendship.
They were all dead now - Ryou, Anzu, Jounochi, Honda, and
finally, Yami. Some part of Yuugi's mind made the connection that
this mysterious brown-haired youth was not going to live long either.
And yet, it did not mean that they had disappeared from existence;
their very essence still thrived in the small boy's memory. Yuugi
could remember his love for each one as clearly as if they were
standing beside him. And it was that love, that hope, that
friendship, that he convinced himself to rely on.
Yuugi took a deep breath, one hand clutching his Millennium
Puzzle for support. He turned his determined expression towards his
long-sought for nemesis. "Yes, Pegasus. I will fight."
*******************************************
Seto Kaiba watched the entire battle play in front of him,
muscles not even daring to quiver. His mind, mingled with artificial
systems equivalent to a supercomputer, calculated every result, and
analyzed every aspect of the battle. And even then, Seto Kaiba found
himself captivated by each and every move.
Yuugi had initially sent out Celtic Guardian, only to have the
elvish swordsman defeated with a single arrow of the Archer Girl. The
small boy had taken the brunt of the attack well; he wasted not even
a single second before summoning his next card and laying another
face down.
Pegasus flickered only a casual glance at the boy's Summoned
Skull, pulling out a Toon Mermaid card and placing it casually in
attack mode.
The techno-magician was puzzled by the move. Why would anyone
want to place such a weak card in attack mode, without any barriers?
Kaiba immediately smelt a trap.
Fortunately, Yuugi seemed to be having the same internal
debate, calling his Feral Imp in defense before attacking with his
Summoned Skull.
The Red Archer Girl was easily defeated, and so were a good
portion of the opponent's life points. And even then, Pegasus was
still grinning, still humming to himself.
If Kaiba was Yuugi, he would sweat too.
***********************************
For a long interval, Yuugi wondered if Pegasus was deliberately
provoking him. The other was sending out several weak monsters in
attack, resulting not only to loss on the opponent's life points, but
also to the destruction of several decent monsters. And worse of all,
Pegasus barely even grunted at the impact of the pain. It was as if
he felt nothing of the destruction of his creatures.
However, Yuugi could feel all-too-clearly the incredible power
of the Shadow Realm. Now, the darkness seemed to swallow his energy
in gulps, consuming his power and Magic voraciously while demanding a
continuous effort to keep the allotted monsters alive. The sheer
mental strain of keeping even two monsters on the field was proving
to be too much for the small boy.
Yuugi put a hand to his forehead to steady his reeling senses,
entire body trembling with exhaustion. The cards held by his firmly
clenched hands began to quiver and shake uncontrollably, his
breathing shuddering in the same irregular gasps.
Pegasus too, seemed to note the suffering. He only grinned,
Millennium Eye flashing triumphantly while his other hand held the
dangling cord strapped to the Millennium Puzzle.
"What's the matter, Yuugi-boy?" He began to jeer, face no
longer carefully coveted. "You seem a little...exhausted."
The scarlet-haired boy tried to ignore the jeering and
taunting, focusing on the cards in his hand. Yet, even as he tried to
think, the Shadow Realm diverted his focus to its demands. It's dark
energy threatened to swallow him alive, drawing on his limited power
like a thick lead chain strapped around his neck. Yuugi could no
longer focus on anything but the consistent hunger for energy,
seeking to feed it, to satisfy it enough to allow his monsters to be
played.
His body quivered with fatigue, buckling and swaying weakly
from side to side. The world around him was wavering, blurring into a
huge mess of colours and sounds before re-focusing for only a few
precious seconds. Yuugi's hand quaked uncontrollably, spilling some
of the cards in his hand. Yet, the most telltale sign lay etched in
his face; void of all colour, silent parted lips trembling at every
breath. Taking a few breaths to steady himself, Yuugi forced his next
card onto the field. "I-I..." He gasped, gulping in ungainly amounts
of air, "I play the ... Dark Magician, in attack mode."
The familiar card, a long favourite of Yuugi's, materialized
onto the field from the darkness around it, decked in its regal
violet armour and staff. However, the magician's attention was not
fixated on its opponent's card but rather on his own master. With the
added bonus of maintaining the Dark Magician, Yuugi found that he no
longer had the energy to support himself, falling to his knees while
desperately fighting to retain consciousness.
"Yuugi, Yuugi, Yuugi." Pegasus sighed and shook his head as his
own Toon Mermaid was destroyed, again not even fazed. The silver-
haired man put a hand to his forehead in mock disdain. "You have
disappointed me so. I was expecting an entertaining an tough battle,
and this is all you can give me?" The man's voice began to burn into
Yuugi's mind, a brandish of pain and humiliation. "You have failed,
Yuugi. You can't defeat me, and you never will."
Despite the jeering and taunting, Yuugi focused his attention
only towards the Duel and more importantly, in maintaining his
monsters. He knew that the moment his defenses were broken, he would
be prone to attack. Yes, now it dawned on the small boy. In the
Shadow Realm, there were no actual "life points". The life of the
player himself determined the outcome of the Duel.
Now, Pegasus non-chalantly drew his next card, examining it
with a bemused expression before tossing it face-down on the field.
He then called his Toon Mermaid into attack mode, blasting apart the
Feral Imp with a single shrug.
Yuugi again felt the brunt of the attack, the sudden pain
slicing through his body to force a path through his internal organs
like a gigantic invisible blade. The small boy doubled over in pain,
curling into a fetal ball to minimize the intense throbbing lancing
through his body and head. He could vaguely hear someone repeating
his name, the sound desperate and unconvincing. And, as he lay on the
ground, chest heaving trembling gasps, he wondered why he was
fighting in the first place. What has his purpose anyway? Even
powerful emotions such as revenge, betrayal, death, hatred, love,
passion - those were only words; they alone had no meaning.
And even life had no meaning.
Yuugi closed his eyes. Yes, this was the end. The entire
struggle had been hopeless and inevitable. He should stop struggling
and just give up.
The laughter grew until it spilled through the muffled confines
of the Shadow Realm, echoing and reverberating against invisible
barriers. A triumphant grin lit across the silver-haried man's face.
His Millennium Eye still glowing, Pegasus drew his next card,
gratefully setting it aside in his hand. His lips were twisted in
barely contained pleasure as he watched the boy whimper and finally
collapse in a small heap on the ground, lids half shut in exhaustion.
"Now, the card which will end the Duel and give me my final
triumph!" Pegasus shouted, his face bathed in an expression of
insanity and delight. He flickered his hand slightly, forcing the
face-down card on his portion of the field to suddenly swell and
burst into life.
The newly-summoned creature was absolutely grotesque. At first
glance, it seemed like a gigantic blob, size comparable to twice that
of the Blue Eyes. However, its bulk was a solid dull-white, gleaming
like dried bones, complete with a network of bulging sacs and holes
across its shell-like exterior. In the center of the "monster" lay a
single eye, protruding from a thin cord-like substance to stare
balefully at its opponent. Somewhere, the monster had sprouted a pair
of slimy wings, and elsewhere, a set of bony claws. Now, the monster
advanced a few squelching steps towards Yuugi's monsters, single eye
bobbing up and down furiously as it moved.
Pegasus laughed as he saw the look of disgust creep into
Yuugi's faint expression. "You don't like my monster?" He mock-
taunted. "But it's my absolute _favourite_. In fact, I created it
just for you! I call it, 'Relinquished'!"
Yuugi simply stared placidly at the grotesque creation, his
horrified expression again returning to one of defeat. He continued
to stare sideways at the creature, barely flinching at its low,
grinding growl.
Though Yuugi had been defeated, Pegasus knew that the other,
Seto Kaiba, was still watching. Since the silver-haired man
absolutely _hated_ wasting a good show, he immediately set his
monster into attack mode, triggering its special effect.
"True, Relinquished might have an attack and defense of zero,
but you'll find its special attack to _die_ for."
Obeying its master's every whim, the Relinquished suddenly drew
its bulk to a massive height. From its lower half parted a gigantic
gaping hole, larger than twice the height of Pegasus himself. Then,
the creature gave a massive sigh, body shriveling considerably before
it suddenly began sucking in massive amounts of air with its gigantic
mouth. The result was an intense vacuuming effect, drawing anything
even remotely near the monster into its mouth.
Unfortunately, the Summoned Skull was the closest creature to
the vacuum, falling into the massive pit with a dismayed cry of
surprise. And even then, Relinquished didn't stop.
Slowly, ever so slowly on its large, bulky mass, the creature
advanced towards Yuugi. Before it executed its vacuuming effect, it
seemed to wave its single eye tauntingly at the small boy, daring him
to make a comeback; daring him to struggle.
However, Yuugi had already had enough. He wasn't afraid, nor
hurt, nor any emotion possible. He just simply did not care anymore.
And, as the creature breathed in a huge sigh, consuming everything in
its vicinity, Yuugi let it come. He let the massive amounts of air
tug and shove his small frame towards the large, gaping hole. He did
this, knowing that it was the end. It was over.
A heavy force suddenly slammed into the small boy's limp frame.
It was a powerful force; strong enough to shove Yuugi directly out of
the Relinquished's path of destruction and back onto the smooth
ground several meters away.
Surprised, Yuugi shot his eyes wide open, forcing his pain-
filled body to stare at the intruder. His large violet eyes just had
enough time to glimpse a single, slim figure, standing directly in
the path of the beast. The figure's cobalt-blue eyes burned with
anger and determination, and behind him, his Blue Eyes White Dragon
screamed and roared in surprise, tearing at the fabric around it to
reach its master one last time.
It was too late. Only milliseconds later, Seto Kaiba was sucked
into the massive gaping hole, figure disappearing into the darkness
forever.
There was a moment of silence as the Relinquished digested its
prey; body churning furiously in a rhythmic whirl. From its
multitudes of pores oozed a fine layer of crimson blood, dripping
down its ivory-white sides like jagged wounds against its brittle
flesh. But this blood was not the creature's blood. It was a very
human type of blood. An unclaimed scarlet liquid that no longer
belonged to anyone.
Yuugi felt himself crying once again. He saw behind him, the
magnificent Blue Eyes White Dragon give a last shrieking bellow
before shattering into billions of particles. Why had Kaiba done
this? Yuugi had done the other no favours - he barely even knew this
strange, brown-haired boy.
Now, it was the Dark Magician's turn to stare at Yuugi with
pain-filled eyes. Monsters were not supposed to feel emotions. They
were simply flat, lifeless cards, twisted into creation by a means of
Magic only. Yet, the Dark Magician appeared only too-human, casting
one last pleading look at the small boy before turning to brace his
lone frame against the hulking leviathan of the Relinquished.
And Yuugi continued to cry, sobbing in desperation at the last
attempt. The crimson blood still oozing down the Relinquished's side
reminded him of a passion once abandoned.
Again, Yuugi asked himself that single question. Why did he
fight?
But this time, all the small boy had to do was remember the
look of determination on Seto Kaiba's face, a determination
reflecting not only that single individual but also so many that
sacrificed themselves before him. Because, before they had died, they
had all shared that single answer.
Hope.
Even dying, they had all believed in hope.
The small boy slowly drew himself up from the ground. True, his
body still trembled with exhaustion, and the Shadow Realm still
heavily scarred his energy, but somewhere, he knew that his passion -
a passion for hope - was still burning.
All these emotions, all these consequences, all these
sacrifices, and it had come down to this.
Pegasus laughed, drawing his Relinquished in for another
attack.
The massive creature obediently opened its gaping mouth,
revealing the chasm within its deadly frame.
The Dark Magician braced himself for the attack, putting
himself directly in front of his master.
And, it was then, as the gigantic whirl of air came once again
to claim the last standing monster, that Yuugi solved the last piece
of the puzzle.
******************************************
At first, it looked like Pegasus had won. There was a chaotic
whirl of darkness, and the familiar sound of the Relinquished drawing
in its prey. And yet, when the noise and blur of colours finally
ceased, there lay, standing deliberately in front of the gigantic
skull-like beast, the Dark Magician. Like a timeless statue, his
stature remained stock-still, stave poised in one hand.
And then, there was Yuugi. The small boy was no longer slumped
against the ground, but had risen to his full stature. He bore his
petite figure with an invisible radiance, eyes shining with power and
light. Situated around the small boy, in a perfect circle, were five
different objects. Each object sparkled with their individual light;
a beautiful glow which spread to touch each other and eventually, the
small boy in the center. A Ring, a Tauk, a Rod, a Scale, and an Ankh.
And in the center of them all, the Millennium Puzzle.
Pegasus's eyes widened in disbelief. "No! That's not possible!"
He screeched, clawing his face in agitation. "How could he have the
other Millennium Items?"
However, the Millennium Items were not Yuugi's. They had no
master, and they obeyed no one. Just like the Shadow Realm itself,
each Millennium Item demanded a price for their power. So now, as
Yuugi tapped into their limitless Magic, he could feel each of the
items tugging and tearing at his soul, wringing apart his very
essence. His mind screamed in internal agony as he could literally
feel each item pry, claw-like, into his body. It was as if someone
had stuck each of his nerves into a pool of molten lava while
continually pummeling his battered body with load upon load of
invisible blunt projectiles.
The pain was intolerable, but the power it provided was
unlimited. Yuugi forced his way through the barrier or agony, opening
his wide amethyst eyes to glare directly at the man who had been the
sole cause of his misfortune. He glared at Pegasus with hate-filled
eyes, eyes filled with longing for revenge.
"Pegasus, you're finished."
But Pegasus refused to believe the truth. His Millennium Eye
began to glow a fierce golden sheen, but it was immediately repressed
by the power of the other Millennium items. Screaming in desperate
rage, the silver-haired man laughed maniacally, urging his
Relinquished to attack.
Yuugi was already prepared. From his hand, he took out two
single cards. And from there, time seemed to work itself in slow
motion.
"I play the Dark Magic Ritual Card!" Yuugi heard himself scream
amidst the roars and echoes. His sole purpose was firmly imprinted in
his mind. "And I use my Brain Control magic card to take control of
your Relinquished. Now, I shall sacrifice both your Relinquished and
my Dark Magician to make room for my new monster."
Here, Yuugi turned his fierce amethyst eyes towards the other.
Even in anger, they seemed almost unnaturally soft and repressed. "Do
you know what card I have created, Pegasus? Surely, you must know,
since you invented this game."
Pegasus said nothing, though the expression imprinted on his
face was more than obvious. Both his hands lay clenched in tight
fists, trembling with unconfined fury. His single eye was livid,
glowing with pain.
Yet, there was something else. Despite the desperate attempt to
hide it, Yuugi could see the familiar expression all too well.
Defeat. Pegasus knew he was defeated. And he could only watch,
a growing helplessness emerging from his once-perfected mass, as the
Chaos Mage emerged from the glowing chasm of the Ritual. This elegant
figure arched its back, twirling its staff in rapid circles as if to
prove its worth. It was indeed a beautiful card, bedecked in pure
black, light turquoise skin eerie and slightly haunting. Though no
larger than the former Dark Magician, just the glowing eyes of this
Mage crackled with power.
Fed by the energy of both the Millennium Items and his own
personal desire for revenge, Yuugi beckoned his Chaos Mage. The small
boy nodded to acknowledge his card before turning to glare full force
at Pegasus.
Pegasus. The leader of the Authority. The one who had brought
all this pain and suffering in his greed and deceit. It was _he_ who
had created the false utopia; he who had destroyed so many lives in
his conquest for power.
There was no doubt about it.
Yuugi said nothing, though his finger pointed to the silver-
haired man.
Pegasus was evil.
"Chaos Mage, destroy-"
But Pegasus had disappeared. Instead, someone else had taken
the leader of the Authority's place.
She faced Yuugi, twin wings extended on a glorious flurry of
white feathers, burnished gold hair strewn across her face in
tattered desperation. Though her face seemed battered and worn, there
was a permanent glimmer of determination in her eyes, matching the
insignia of a single crescent moon burnished on her forehead.
And Yuugi faltered, dropping the Millennium Puzzle, not even
noticing when it fell with a heavy clunk onto the ground, Magic
forever lost.
*******************************************
~Angels are said to have wings. Beautiful, brilliant wings of
purest white, soft and downy to the touch, glittering like virgin
snow. They are said to have a golden radiance and bring with their
gaze a sense of perfect serenity.
If this was true, then Mutou Yuugi had just seen an angel.
She came to him, walking silently on feet that never touched
the ground; her light, fragile body borne by large wings a swan would
envy. Long golden hair fluttered like twin streaks behind her, tied
from the top in equally symmetrical buns. A single crescent moon
glittered on her forehead, and her eyes were the purest of sapphire.
Yet, it was not her beauty nor angelic peace that enraptured
Yuugi so much. There was something about her, something ageless,
almost priceless. For a moment, she held her gaze towards Yuugi,
looking at him with eyes that pierced his deepest thoughts. A tingle
ran through the young boy's body as she continued to gaze into him,
and he squirmed, writhing uncomfortably under her inspection. It was
as if she was ruthlessly rendering his every memory and action, eyes
leaving nothing behind as she judged his soul. And then, as fast as
it came, it was over.
Yuugi gasped, gulping in heavy breaths of air as he dared
himself to breathe again. His large violet eyes stared in both awe
and fear at this angel.
And the angel stared at him with solemn unchanging eyes.
: You have failed: ~
End
***********************************************
End notes:
I shall leave the _real_ ones to the "end notes/extra stuff chapter
at the very end. Hmm.. I guess I'll have to add some bonuses to make
it interesting ^_~
Thank you Yami-kun, for pointing out Blue Eye's "White Lightning"
attack. I shall correct it, when I get my mind to it. And XD, thanks
for the review, though I believe that other fanfic writers deserve
the compliment more than I do ^^=
As you can see, this chapter was badly edited, and poorly written. I
apologize for any inconveniences. Oh, and Katarik? I have no clue why
Yami spared Seto. I think it was because I needed him in the plot
line later on. XD.
Eevee muse: What?!?! You told me it was because Seto and Yami had
meet Millennia ago, and had an established friendly rivalry with each
other!!
Zoo: Oh... yeah.... ^^() Darn! Why didn't you tell me earlier?
Eevee muse: ...
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Sailor Moon. In fact, I don't
even know what they are. *scratches head* What am I doing here?
Credits for this chapter go to FC-chan, who literally had to pull me
out of my bed of writer's block, whacking me on the head with her
hammer of self-inspiration. Well, I did get here, didn't I?
Warnings: Excessive "thinking" and very choppy paragraphing. Written
in this format to emphasize certain points. Might also warp your
mind, but that's not my fault ^^().
Note: ~~ Flashback sequence ~~
~ dream sequence ~
**************************************
"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper"
- TS. Elliot, "The Hollow Men" (I've been quoting him throughout the
entire fic!)
**************************************
Last time:
The silver-haired man feigned another bored yawn. He shrugged non-
comittaly before looking straight at the Yami.
"My turn." A grin played on his perfectly calm expression.
**************************************
Chapter 13: The Heart of the Cards - Part 3
The first thing that registered in Yami-Yuugi's mind was pain.
It came, intense wave after wave, pummeling his body with a
relentless agony. Now, the Yami had been forced against the ground,
lying chest-down in his own pool of blood. He could feel the rivulets
of warmth trickle and ease down his sensitive skin. His right leg was
awkwardly twisted, and each breath drawn caused his chest to
constrict awkwardly.
Yet, most of all was the pain. It screamed a mind-numbing roar,
overwhelming his senses; overwhelming his determination; overwhelming
his basic pattern of thought. It was as if a gigantic hammer of force
had slammed the Yami face down in the dirt, draining his very source
of energy while chuckling in continuous exultation.
... Which was exactly what Pegasus was doing at the moment. The
silver-haired man was still laughing, bringing a hand to trace
invisible sketches against the Yami's back while his Magic forced
each finger-stroke to gouge a scarlet path across his skin. Yami-
Yuugi's jacket, shredded and stained, revealed all too clearly on his
beautiful pale skin each blemish and artistic cut.
Yami-Yuugi grunted, bringing a trembling arm up in attempts to
counter the onslaught. His hand was immediately blocked. Another
feeble swing with the other arm yielded the same result. And, for the
first time in 8000 years, Yami-Yuugi foresaw his defeat. He knew that
he would fall in front of his opponent, and he knew that there was no
way to outsmart him. For how did one defeat an opponent who could
read their every single move, predicting it and thwarting it before
it could even be exercised?
Another wave of pain lanced through the Yami's body, causing
him to involuntarily cry out loud, back arching in pain-stimulated
response. The agony continued to ravish and destroy until all it left
behind was a half-alive shell. All hopes, thoughts, beliefs, and
strategies had been eradicated.
Eyes fully dilated and mouth frothing a mixture of saliva and
blood, Yami-Yuugi limped to his knees, never taking his gaze off his
opponent. He knew that Pegasus had the advantage in this domain.
Though Yami-Yuugi too had a favourable battlefield, it was a far cry
from this strange world full of loss and despair.
Each inch of movement was a direct command of will power, the
Yami rising painfully to his feet while his opponent waited with a
cocky grin. Yami-Yuugi never stopped glaring. He _would_ defeat
Pegasus, one way or another. Loss, death, hatred, despair - those
emotions meant nothing to the Game King.
Yes, the only way to defeat Pegasus was to force Pegasus into-
Another blast of intensely concentrated Magic was fired, though
this time, the Yami did not try to dodge but deliberately leapt in
the projectile's path. The pain was every bit as intense as
anticipated. Again, it wrenched the Yami's body, leaving him an
empty, trembling husk.
Finally, the pain withdrew to a familiar empty dizziness, and
the Yami wavered for a few seconds before his mind returned to
coherent thought.
But this distraction was enough. For the blast of pain had also
provided a barrier, wiping out his mental processing. And
fortunately, a mind without thought was a mind that could not be
read. Of course, what Pegasus could not read, he could not predict.
The Game King was known for his resourcefulness, even in the
most unfavourable conditions. And now, he exercised this single
talent to its full potential, drawing his confidence from the other's
hidden weakness.
Tattered, torn, and barely standing, Yami-Yuugi surely did not
appear triumphant or even hopeful. Yet, within his ancient revived
soul lay a force trembling with anticipation; the trump card of the
battle. The Millennium Puzzle, encouraged by the Game King's personal
invigoration, began to once again re-work its Magic, glowing just
slightly to prove its inhumane awareness.
No longer did the Yami worry about Pegasus reading his mind.
For each blast the Yami took ensured a barrier against Pegasus from
his secret. It was a desperate strategy; one that gambled between the
brink of life and death, but within it lay the only possibility the
Game King had of winning.
Pegasus chuckled, idly firing powerful waves of Spell Magic at
his opponent, Millennium Eye glowing has he fixated his full
attention in watching his prey squirm feebly.
True enough, Yami-Yuugi had overtaxed his limits. Though his
actual body had passed away several millennia ago, this new temporary
one was far from powerful. He had lost his endurance, stamina, and
rapid reflexes. Instead, all this was traded for another power, one
foreign even to the Game King himself.
It was a type of occult power, one shrouded in Dark Magic and
ancient forbidden rituals. For with the blessings of this
temporarily-created body also came requests - requests obeyed since
the Yami's first encounter with his Aibou.
First was the blood-lust: a persistent hunger always demanding
to be satiated. Even now, as the Yami buckled and trembled
uncontrollably under each devastating blow, he could feel the
piercing cry of hunger. The hunger, however, had gratefully subdued
since the beginning of the battle, currently gorging on his own
blood. Yami-Yuugi had swallowed mouthfuls of this oddly pleasant
fluid, though it did not drain his energy as anticipated but had the
adverse effect of revitalizing him.
... It was a stupid topic to speculate on, but it too had a
purpose. In between the recovery time and Pegasus's next blast was an
interval where any registered thinking was open to a mind probe. This
was the part where the Yami's mental will was thoroughly tested and
exercised. Battered both physically and mentally, Yami-Yuugi found
himself once again re-assessing the tendrils of his resources. The
Millennium Puzzle, sensing its owner's uncertainty, wavered and
flickered slightly, losing some of its build-up of Magic.
Another blast burned and sizzled against the Yami's side,
charring his flesh until from the agony wafted a putrid aroma, sickly
sweet. Cool, half-dry blood sluggishly oozed onto the burn, Yami-
Yuugi involuntarily hissing at the stings.
There just wasn't enough time. As resilient and defiant as the
Game King could be, he knew for a fact now that his possibility of
winning dropped with every second. The Millennium Puzzle simply could
not invoke enough Magic in the allotted time to perform the needed
Spell _without_ Pegasus noticing. Only sheer blind luck could twist
the tables now. And somewhere, in that vague coherent space of
allotted thought, Yami-Yuugi regretted overestimating his own
condition. He could vaguely hear Pegasus laughing gleefully at that
train of thought before he was blasted yet again.
***************************************
Seto Kaiba was, very frankly, pissed. Currently, he was stuck in a
gigantic dark cavern, his only sense of refuge an aimless trek up and
down the wall-less corridors. It had seemed like eons ago when he had
first tried to escape this unusual dungeon, and unfortunately, every
attempt had resulted in the same conclusion - the was _no_ escape.
At least, not the conventional way. Upon coming to that
conclusion, Kaiba retraced his steps, furrowing his rows in deep
thought.
First of all, he had no clue where he currently was. The
mysterious opponent had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to
conveniently stuff him in this "dungeon" before turning to fact the
Game King. Vaguely, Kaiba wondered why Yami-Yuugi wasn't also brought
to this strange domain.
And it was at that very moment that Kaiba suddenly hit
inspiration. He spent the next few moments berating himself of for
his idiocy.
Of course they wouldn't lock the Game King in _this_ place.
Only fools dared to challenge the Game King on his own domain. And
surely, enough, the leader of the Authority was no fool,
understanding for a fact that the Game King in the Shadow Realm was
like a fish in a sea of water.
Now, how to find a way out? Here, Seto Kaiba was stumped.
***************************************
Yami-Yuugi dropped like a sac of rocks onto the ground. His
entire body had shut down to the point where even a single breath
became extensively complex and laborious to perform. Each gasp of air
trickled slowly into his lungs, straining them just enough against
his burning ribs before disappearing with a heavy sigh.
It was over. He had taken a gamble with his last chance... and
failed. The _Game King_ had failed.
At long last, Pegasus, bored with his attacks, sauntered over
to the Yami, face leering. He kicked the limp form of the Yami
heavily a few times, eyes glinting in satisfaction when Yami-Yuugi
responded with facial expressions of pain.
"You've lost." Pegasus's voice confirmed the result. "How does
it feel, _Game King_? How does it feel to know that you are
defeatable and that your pathetic excuse for a Millennium Item has
failed you?"
Yami-Yuugi could feel his Puzzle flare hotly in response,
though it too lacked the strength to move beyond a simple reaction.
He brought a trembling hand to wipe the layers of caked and sweaty
blood accumulating on his brows. Even though the Yami no longer had
the strength to speak, he voiced his words in his mind, knowing that
Pegasus's Millennium Eye would 'hear' the thoughts.
'You're wrong, Pegasus. I do not use my Millennium Puzzle, I
_am_ the Millennium Puzzle. The very reason I exist is because of
this Puzzle, and together, we co-exist as one.'
"Either way, it doesn't matter." Pegasus shrugged. "The
legendary Millennium items give unlimited power to he whomever bears
one. They are simply _items_, and cannot tell the difference."
'There's more to the Items than just power,' Yami-Yuugi warned,
'There Items have a purpose, and once this purpose is fulfilled, they
too will leave this reality to take their final rest.'
"I know very well the Legend that you speak of." The silver-
haired man looked bored; disinterested. "Unlike the solid power and
Magic of the Millennium Items, the Legend is a mere faerie's tale - a
story to discourage the ancient struggles for power in the Shadow
Realm."
Pegasus once again circled the Yami, pacing slowly and
deliberately like a tantalizing target around the exhausted Yami. "It
was said that those who seek too much power in the Shadow Realm will
be stopped by the keeper of the Millennium Items; the one with the
Millennium Puzzle. Yet, here you are, _Game King_ bowing like a slave
underneath my feet. Somehow, I highly doubt that you will be able to
stop me from doing anything, less from taking over your precious
Shadow Realm."
Yami's temper flared hotly. 'Idiot! Abusing the power of the
Shadow Realm will only lead to your own demise. I do not seek to
protect it but to _destroy_ it, stopping the agony and pain it has
caused once and for all.'
"Good for you." Pegasus shrugged indifferently. "But you forget
something. Once I have you destroyed, the Millennium Puzzle will
belong to me, and I shall have unlimited access in tapping the power
of the Shadow Realm. Yes, isn't that nice to know that you played
right into my hands? Isn't it wonderful to finally realize that I had
planned this all along?"
Yami-Yuugi was no longer listening to Pegasus's rants. He was
already lost in a puddle of self-beration and utmostly, despair. How
could he have been so stupid? How could he even think of defeating
the Authority right in their domain? He had thought that once he
challenged the other to a Game in the Shadow Realm, his victory would
be ensured.
What he didn't account for was Pegasus never even leaving the
sanctity of the Authority headquarters. Oh no - the leader of the
Authority was smarter than that. Pegasus had been deliberately waited
until his threats, namely the Game King, had been eradicated before
making a move in the Shadow Realm. Therefore, not only did he have an
advantage now, but he also had the added power of his soon-to-be
acquired Millennium Puzzle. Victory could never be any simpler than
that.
"Good bye, Yu-gi-oh." The silver-haired man's voice again
pierced the Yami's thoughts. He strutted over in front of his fallen
opponent, leaning over and gracefully snatching the Millennium Puzzle
with his cold fingers. For a single, brief moment, the Puzzle flared
and glowed with indignation. Yet, the struggle was meaningless,
Pegasus slipping the ancient Millennium piece from around Yami-
Yuugi's neck, one hand clasped around its dull edges.
Without the power of the Puzzle, Yami-Yuugi felt his last
struggles towards consciousness failing. His body was fading away and
his soul, no longer confined but defeated, fluttered like stardust
back into the darkness it had escaped for so many years. The silence
around him gave a deafening bellow. It surrounded the Yami,
enshrouding his figure so that he appeared no more than a semi-
transparent ghost.
The Game King closed his eyes, heaving one more breath in
desperate appreciation. It was strange, how much one valued life when
they were suddenly confronted with the end. From that single strand
of air, Yami-Yuugi could taste the essence of life, blowing
delicately through his body, particles brimming with life and more
importantly, reality. And slowly, every so reluctantly, the Yami
withdrew his grasp on that precious keepsake.
Just as Yami-Yuugi dismissed the last touch of life, his mind
was suddenly pummeled by explosion of sensations.
He saw his past as Pharaoh and his sacrifice for the Shadow
Realm so long ago.
He saw his present with Yuugi, and his love for the small,
innocent boy.
He saw a million, billion different images, all flashing in
wild sequences.
But last of all, he saw a small emerald-green field. There were
children playing on the field, frolicking under an azure-blue sky.
And even when the images disappeared, he heard the laughter of the
children, echoing and ringing over the darkness.
That much was eternal.
******************************************
"Stop right there!"
Pegasus turned around, bemused eyes greeting several figures
enshrouded by the partial darkness. Each one bore a non-descript
cloak save the smallest figure in the center leading the miniature
crowd. The silver-haired man shook his head, feigning an impression
that bordered impatience and despair.
"Oh no. Not some more intruders." Pegasus sighed, Millennium
Eye glowing. "These days, a decent guy can't get any work done
without people always intruding."
Yuugi was slightly taken aback at Pegasus's strange behaviour.
However, he immediately saw through the ploy, addressing the silver-
haired man for what he was, and more, what he had done. Violet eyes
glared accusingly at the leader of the Authority.
"What have you done with Yami?"
"Yami?" Pegasus brought a thoughtful finger to his mouth.
"Who's that? I don't know of any Yami." He grinned, Millennium Eye
glowing maliciously. "The last person I talked to was the Game King
and I'm afraid he just left. Quite rude of him, don't you think?"
Yuugi had never been considered an irrational boy. He had
always been kind, decent, caring, and most of all, almost inhumanly
conservative when it came to expressing emotions such as anger. Yet,
now, just staring at this silver-haired man, Yuugi felt those long-
absent feelings come pouring into his mind, filling it with
unfathomable rage. The anger seethed and churned in his mind until he
was all but trembling with its power.
Trying to restrain this almost foreign emotion, Yuugi clenched
his fists, digging his nails tightly into his palm while taking deep
breaths. He closed his eyes, calming himself before attempting to
speak again. Twin violet orbs bore like acid into their opponent's
gaze, and for a moment, Pegasus seemed to shuffle uncomfortably under
their inquisition.
"What you have done is unforgivable." Yuugi's words were short
and to the point.
However, the silver-haired man was one who would not be
intimidated by such a small and harmless boy. This was what Pegasus
convinced himself of as he returned Yuugi's glare with a comical
smile.
"But, Yuugi-boy, I've been looking forwards to meeting you!"
His voice was just perfectly conversational. "How about sitting down
and having some cheese? I even have fruit juice back in that
cupboard." He momentarily shot a hand towards a random area on the
left.
Yuugi glanced at the direction of Pegasus's hand, though he
immediately berated himself for his idiocy. Pegasus was trying to
distract him! As if to prove the point, there was nothing in that
corner reminiscent of a cupboard, save an empty cage, perhaps one
that once held a large animal. Yet, the cage was worn, like most of
the material in the large hallway, reminding Yuugi of legends
regarding ancient Medieval castles.
It was then that Yuugi spotted the glowing Millennium Puzzle
dangling from Pegasus's hand. The Puzzle seemed to glint just so
slightly as Yuugi locked eyes with it. The small boy's hand
immediately traveled to the identical Puzzle around his own neck.
Pegasus, too, noted Yuugi's Puzzle. However, his expression was
one of acknowledgment rather than confusion. In front of the eyes of
every spectator, the silver-haired man began to walk circles around
Yuugi. Each circle strayed the smaller boy further from the larger
crowd, though his paces were subtle and all-too harmless.
"Poor poor Yuugi." Pegasus spoke as he paced. "You've lost
everything. But, I can give you power. I can _help_ you Yuugi." The
silver-haired man grinned. "You sacrificed all this to earn the
_truth_, didn't you? Well, now, I shall tell you the truth."
Yuugi found himself slowly backing away from the menacing
authoritative figure. He forced his mind to block the persuasive
speech, casting mental barriers forged on his personal anger. This
was the man that had deliberately killed his friends and destroyed
his Yami. This was the _leader_ of the Authority; the very center of
a deadly 'belief'.
"What truth?" Yuugi spoke out loud. "I see no truth. All I see
is one big ugly lie. The lie that you hide underneath your smiling
face."
Oddly enough, the other members of the fallen Club 0013
remained silent, watching like mute puppets in the background.
"Yes." Pegasus agreed, nodding amiably. "It is one big lie.
Life is a lie the moment one starts it! All I wanted was a beautiful
world, one where we could be equally happy and live in harmony and
peace. For three-thousand years ago, the world was almost destroyed
because we humans could not agree. And when we disagree, we fight
against each other and hurt ourselves." Pegasus smiled winningly. "I
was trying to prevent our new future from this pain. So, I created
this society to help everyone. I was trying to do a favour for all of
you!"
Yuugi closed his eyes. From the corner of his mind, he could
see the morose Ryou; bloodstained Anzu; the grinning, reckless
Jounochi; and most of all, the missing link to his beloved Yami. He
could see his father being dragged away from the Authority, and the
charring remains of his house, ashes of his mother and grandfather
blowing in the wind.
And then, Yuugi laughed. He laughed a long and hard laugh, one
full of bitterness and mirth. A sardonic smile played on the small
boy's lips.
"Why, thank you."
Pegasus shook his head. "It just isn't befitting for one so
young as you to worry so much. Why worry at all? You don't have a
care for the world! Just be free!"
Yuugi shrugged. "Well, I wanted to be free. Thanks to you, I
can scratch out that idea."
The silver-haired man took another few steps until he was
dangerously close to the small boy. Now, his breaths came in harsher,
tighter inhales, and there was a strange flare of insanity brimming
in his single eye.
"I really liked you, Yuugi Mutou." Pegasus smiled, playing with
the words in a low murmur. "I thought you would appreciate what I had
done for you. But since your ideas differ so greatly from mine, I
guess I can't earn your respect anymore."
"No," Yuugi agreed in a clipped voice, one oddly unlike
himself. "You can't."
Pegasus shrugged. "I don't need to."
And suddenly, he lunged, grabbing the small boy in a by the
neck. The silver-haired man was easily twice the size of his target,
and he lifted the smaller boy with ease so that Yuugi hung, feet
dangling in thin air, slim neck wedged in a tight choke.
Yuugi turned pleading glassy eyes towards Setsuna and the
others. Instead of leaping into action, the figures simply stood
there, some of them fidgeting uncomfortably while others simply gazed
like interested spectators. Why weren't they helping? Why wasn't this
so-called opponent of the Authority, this so-called Club 0013
helping?
It didn't matter now - it was already too late. From the murky
darkness emerged an even darker blotch. The emerging mass began to
grow, pulsating and expanding shadowy tendrils on all sides of the
grey room. As the pitch-black darkness touched these walls, they
disappeared, leaving an infinite expanse of shadows.
Yuugi was suddenly released, falling to the ground with a
silent thump. He quickly recovered his senses, scurrying along the
surface until he was a good distance away from the other. From there,
he watched, tense baleful eyes never leaving Pegasus's face.
The silver-haired man simply smiled, a not-too-friendly smile.
"Do you know where we are, Yuugi?" He questioned, not even pausing to
wait for an answer. "This is the infamous Shadow Realm. The very
place that your Yami sacrificed himself for so many years ago before
being locked into the Millennium Puzzle."
Yuugi's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?" He found
himself having more curiousity than he should.
In response to the smaller boy's curiosity, Pegasus only
laughed. "You should have asked your Yami when you had the chance!
But seeing how the Game King is gone now, why does it really matter?"
"Then why did you bring me here?" The small boy clenched his
fists, bracing his form against the other. There were only the two of
them in this place; everyone else had been left behind.
Pegasus shrugged. "It's simple. I just want to challenge you to
a little Game."
Anger gave Yuugi the courage he normally lacked. "Make your
Game, Pegasus. I'll play."
"Yes." Pegasus repeated. "Of course you will play, if you want
to escape this place." He glanced at Yuugi's minute form with
amusement. "The Game will be a very familiar one - called Duel
Monsters."
Yuugi looked at Pegasus with apprehensive eyes. "I don't have a
deck, -." It was at that moment that Yuugi realized that he didn't
know the other's name.
"You can call me 'Maximillion Pegasus'." The silver-haired man
replied, not missing a beat. His Millennium Eye glowed slightly from
under the veil of silvery bangs.
The ground underneath the small boy shifted, a gigantic shadowy
podium rising from its smooth surface. Yuugi started as the podium
continued to grow, detaching itself from the ground to form a dull,
flat surface at the very top. On the surface rested a deck of Duel
Monsters cards.
Pegasus waved his hand dismissedly. "I found those just a while
ago. You may use them, since I believe they once were yours."
Now more puzzled than startled, Yuugi picked up the deck of
cards, noting how the podium quickly shriveled into shadows the
moment the cards left its surface. He quickly scoured through the
newly acquired deck. Every card was just as anticipated; an exact
replica of his own deck down to the very last card.
Yuugi looked up and faced Pegasus. "Fine. Let's duel."
The silver-haired man grinned, summoning a deck of his own from
another shadowy podium. He then began shuffling his deck, humming an
abstract tune to himself.
A thought suddenly occurred to the small boy. How exactly were
they supposed to play without a table or elevation of some sort to
set the cards on? Puzzled, Yuugi could only hold his own deck,
shuffling it absent-mindedly while watching the other. Despite the
confusion, a turbid anger was still seething in his mind, filling it
with hatred and most of all, a desire for revenge.
"My turn first." Pegasus proclaimed, drawing from the deck the
typical set of five cards. He then ho-hummed and harrumphed a few
times before finally choosing one and putting it into play. "Well, it
looks like all I have is this Red Archer Girl in attack mode." He
threw the card straight at the ground, watching it glow and expand,
warping into a life-size replica of the very creature it represented.
This all-too-real card glanced momentarily at her master, impatiently
twiddling with her bow and quiver while watching Yuugi make a move.
Yuugi, however, was frozen stiff. His mind immediately relapsed
into a state of shock, especially as he realized that the card on
front of him, the card that Pegasus played, was all too real. The
familiar fear began to consume him once again, forcing the small boy
into a state of relapse.
~~ It was a gigantic monstrosity, a good twenty feet in height,
all black armour and flashing claws. From its sinuous back arched a
pair of large, brittle wings, also the same ebony hue. The only other
colour flashing on this beast was the glowing red of its menacing
eyes.
The black dragon roared, opening its wickedly curved mouth to
reveal layer upon layer of large serrated teeth. From its jaws shot a
brilliant stream of intense fire, the heat all-too unbearable.
But most of all, this beast seemed to laugh at Yuugi, laughing
as it drained all of the small boy's energy. Again, it shot another
stream of flame; and this time, Yuugi could feel the strain the
dragon demanded from its "master".
He didn't even have enough energy to scream before he was
forced into unconsciousness. ~~
"No." Yuugi echoed, backing away from Pegasus and his card. "I-
I.." Tears brimmed around his eyes, making them seem a luminescent
crystal-grey instead of its normal violet hue. He continued to
stutter and tremble, knees buckling weakly as his mind continued to
feed on the uncertainty and fear. "Not this again..."
~~ The Red Eyes Black Dragon roared, teeth flashing a lustrous
ebony. It opened its jaws, baring its teeth.... ~~
"If you won't fight, then you will have to forfeit." Pegasus
proclaimed, voice jeering. "Such a pity, really. I expected a
magnificent battle, coming from someone like you."
Part of Yuugi didn't want to give up. That part urged him to
fight back, to be relentless to this _murderer_ in front of him. Yet,
it was quickly swallowed up by the greater mass of fear. Yuugi bowed
his head in shame. "I-I-forfei-"
Suddenly, a blast of white light shot through the battlefield.
The crackle of electric-white light eventually disappeared, leaning
behind a pair of shocked faces. Actually, Pegasus's face was more
enraged than surprised, and he fixed his livid expression at a point
some odd meters away from the left of Yuugi.
There, in the shadows, walked a tall form. He wore a long blue
trench coat that flared from waist-down like a cape. However, it was
not him that had caught Yuugi and Pegasus alike off guard. For behind
the lean brown-haired boy stood a gigantic behemoth of a dragon. It
was a pure white, glowing like chrome moonshine. Fixated in the
center of its head was a pair of brightly burning sapphire eyes.
The newly-arrived figure turned to fixate his half-stare at
Yuugi. "Yuugi. This is your last chance to prove anything. If you
give up now, then everything else you have done will be in vain." The
brown-haired boy put a hand on the flank of his dragon. Dull, almost
lifeless cobalt eyes glared inquiringly at Yuugi. "Is it really worth
it, Yuugi? Just this one moment of fear? Will you back away when you
have conquered so many other fears already?"
The small boy took a deep breath, regarding the brown-haired
youth now standing beside him. Yuugi realized that he knew this
person - this was the Seto Kaiba whom his Yami had acknowledged.
Another memory of his Yami brought a pang to his heart, though he
quickly suppressed it, and instead, focused on the question at hand.
Was he strong enough? Was he brave enough?
No. Yuugi knew the answer long before he realized it. In
reality, he was neither brave, nor strong, nor powerful. Those
elements were all illusions to a deceptive confidence. True, Yuugi
possessed some Magic and some determination, but they were a far cry
from the strength needed to defeat this opponent. Instead, the small
boy sought for something else, something past his personal
boundaries.
Friendship.
They were all dead now - Ryou, Anzu, Jounochi, Honda, and
finally, Yami. Some part of Yuugi's mind made the connection that
this mysterious brown-haired youth was not going to live long either.
And yet, it did not mean that they had disappeared from existence;
their very essence still thrived in the small boy's memory. Yuugi
could remember his love for each one as clearly as if they were
standing beside him. And it was that love, that hope, that
friendship, that he convinced himself to rely on.
Yuugi took a deep breath, one hand clutching his Millennium
Puzzle for support. He turned his determined expression towards his
long-sought for nemesis. "Yes, Pegasus. I will fight."
*******************************************
Seto Kaiba watched the entire battle play in front of him,
muscles not even daring to quiver. His mind, mingled with artificial
systems equivalent to a supercomputer, calculated every result, and
analyzed every aspect of the battle. And even then, Seto Kaiba found
himself captivated by each and every move.
Yuugi had initially sent out Celtic Guardian, only to have the
elvish swordsman defeated with a single arrow of the Archer Girl. The
small boy had taken the brunt of the attack well; he wasted not even
a single second before summoning his next card and laying another
face down.
Pegasus flickered only a casual glance at the boy's Summoned
Skull, pulling out a Toon Mermaid card and placing it casually in
attack mode.
The techno-magician was puzzled by the move. Why would anyone
want to place such a weak card in attack mode, without any barriers?
Kaiba immediately smelt a trap.
Fortunately, Yuugi seemed to be having the same internal
debate, calling his Feral Imp in defense before attacking with his
Summoned Skull.
The Red Archer Girl was easily defeated, and so were a good
portion of the opponent's life points. And even then, Pegasus was
still grinning, still humming to himself.
If Kaiba was Yuugi, he would sweat too.
***********************************
For a long interval, Yuugi wondered if Pegasus was deliberately
provoking him. The other was sending out several weak monsters in
attack, resulting not only to loss on the opponent's life points, but
also to the destruction of several decent monsters. And worse of all,
Pegasus barely even grunted at the impact of the pain. It was as if
he felt nothing of the destruction of his creatures.
However, Yuugi could feel all-too-clearly the incredible power
of the Shadow Realm. Now, the darkness seemed to swallow his energy
in gulps, consuming his power and Magic voraciously while demanding a
continuous effort to keep the allotted monsters alive. The sheer
mental strain of keeping even two monsters on the field was proving
to be too much for the small boy.
Yuugi put a hand to his forehead to steady his reeling senses,
entire body trembling with exhaustion. The cards held by his firmly
clenched hands began to quiver and shake uncontrollably, his
breathing shuddering in the same irregular gasps.
Pegasus too, seemed to note the suffering. He only grinned,
Millennium Eye flashing triumphantly while his other hand held the
dangling cord strapped to the Millennium Puzzle.
"What's the matter, Yuugi-boy?" He began to jeer, face no
longer carefully coveted. "You seem a little...exhausted."
The scarlet-haired boy tried to ignore the jeering and
taunting, focusing on the cards in his hand. Yet, even as he tried to
think, the Shadow Realm diverted his focus to its demands. It's dark
energy threatened to swallow him alive, drawing on his limited power
like a thick lead chain strapped around his neck. Yuugi could no
longer focus on anything but the consistent hunger for energy,
seeking to feed it, to satisfy it enough to allow his monsters to be
played.
His body quivered with fatigue, buckling and swaying weakly
from side to side. The world around him was wavering, blurring into a
huge mess of colours and sounds before re-focusing for only a few
precious seconds. Yuugi's hand quaked uncontrollably, spilling some
of the cards in his hand. Yet, the most telltale sign lay etched in
his face; void of all colour, silent parted lips trembling at every
breath. Taking a few breaths to steady himself, Yuugi forced his next
card onto the field. "I-I..." He gasped, gulping in ungainly amounts
of air, "I play the ... Dark Magician, in attack mode."
The familiar card, a long favourite of Yuugi's, materialized
onto the field from the darkness around it, decked in its regal
violet armour and staff. However, the magician's attention was not
fixated on its opponent's card but rather on his own master. With the
added bonus of maintaining the Dark Magician, Yuugi found that he no
longer had the energy to support himself, falling to his knees while
desperately fighting to retain consciousness.
"Yuugi, Yuugi, Yuugi." Pegasus sighed and shook his head as his
own Toon Mermaid was destroyed, again not even fazed. The silver-
haired man put a hand to his forehead in mock disdain. "You have
disappointed me so. I was expecting an entertaining an tough battle,
and this is all you can give me?" The man's voice began to burn into
Yuugi's mind, a brandish of pain and humiliation. "You have failed,
Yuugi. You can't defeat me, and you never will."
Despite the jeering and taunting, Yuugi focused his attention
only towards the Duel and more importantly, in maintaining his
monsters. He knew that the moment his defenses were broken, he would
be prone to attack. Yes, now it dawned on the small boy. In the
Shadow Realm, there were no actual "life points". The life of the
player himself determined the outcome of the Duel.
Now, Pegasus non-chalantly drew his next card, examining it
with a bemused expression before tossing it face-down on the field.
He then called his Toon Mermaid into attack mode, blasting apart the
Feral Imp with a single shrug.
Yuugi again felt the brunt of the attack, the sudden pain
slicing through his body to force a path through his internal organs
like a gigantic invisible blade. The small boy doubled over in pain,
curling into a fetal ball to minimize the intense throbbing lancing
through his body and head. He could vaguely hear someone repeating
his name, the sound desperate and unconvincing. And, as he lay on the
ground, chest heaving trembling gasps, he wondered why he was
fighting in the first place. What has his purpose anyway? Even
powerful emotions such as revenge, betrayal, death, hatred, love,
passion - those were only words; they alone had no meaning.
And even life had no meaning.
Yuugi closed his eyes. Yes, this was the end. The entire
struggle had been hopeless and inevitable. He should stop struggling
and just give up.
The laughter grew until it spilled through the muffled confines
of the Shadow Realm, echoing and reverberating against invisible
barriers. A triumphant grin lit across the silver-haried man's face.
His Millennium Eye still glowing, Pegasus drew his next card,
gratefully setting it aside in his hand. His lips were twisted in
barely contained pleasure as he watched the boy whimper and finally
collapse in a small heap on the ground, lids half shut in exhaustion.
"Now, the card which will end the Duel and give me my final
triumph!" Pegasus shouted, his face bathed in an expression of
insanity and delight. He flickered his hand slightly, forcing the
face-down card on his portion of the field to suddenly swell and
burst into life.
The newly-summoned creature was absolutely grotesque. At first
glance, it seemed like a gigantic blob, size comparable to twice that
of the Blue Eyes. However, its bulk was a solid dull-white, gleaming
like dried bones, complete with a network of bulging sacs and holes
across its shell-like exterior. In the center of the "monster" lay a
single eye, protruding from a thin cord-like substance to stare
balefully at its opponent. Somewhere, the monster had sprouted a pair
of slimy wings, and elsewhere, a set of bony claws. Now, the monster
advanced a few squelching steps towards Yuugi's monsters, single eye
bobbing up and down furiously as it moved.
Pegasus laughed as he saw the look of disgust creep into
Yuugi's faint expression. "You don't like my monster?" He mock-
taunted. "But it's my absolute _favourite_. In fact, I created it
just for you! I call it, 'Relinquished'!"
Yuugi simply stared placidly at the grotesque creation, his
horrified expression again returning to one of defeat. He continued
to stare sideways at the creature, barely flinching at its low,
grinding growl.
Though Yuugi had been defeated, Pegasus knew that the other,
Seto Kaiba, was still watching. Since the silver-haired man
absolutely _hated_ wasting a good show, he immediately set his
monster into attack mode, triggering its special effect.
"True, Relinquished might have an attack and defense of zero,
but you'll find its special attack to _die_ for."
Obeying its master's every whim, the Relinquished suddenly drew
its bulk to a massive height. From its lower half parted a gigantic
gaping hole, larger than twice the height of Pegasus himself. Then,
the creature gave a massive sigh, body shriveling considerably before
it suddenly began sucking in massive amounts of air with its gigantic
mouth. The result was an intense vacuuming effect, drawing anything
even remotely near the monster into its mouth.
Unfortunately, the Summoned Skull was the closest creature to
the vacuum, falling into the massive pit with a dismayed cry of
surprise. And even then, Relinquished didn't stop.
Slowly, ever so slowly on its large, bulky mass, the creature
advanced towards Yuugi. Before it executed its vacuuming effect, it
seemed to wave its single eye tauntingly at the small boy, daring him
to make a comeback; daring him to struggle.
However, Yuugi had already had enough. He wasn't afraid, nor
hurt, nor any emotion possible. He just simply did not care anymore.
And, as the creature breathed in a huge sigh, consuming everything in
its vicinity, Yuugi let it come. He let the massive amounts of air
tug and shove his small frame towards the large, gaping hole. He did
this, knowing that it was the end. It was over.
A heavy force suddenly slammed into the small boy's limp frame.
It was a powerful force; strong enough to shove Yuugi directly out of
the Relinquished's path of destruction and back onto the smooth
ground several meters away.
Surprised, Yuugi shot his eyes wide open, forcing his pain-
filled body to stare at the intruder. His large violet eyes just had
enough time to glimpse a single, slim figure, standing directly in
the path of the beast. The figure's cobalt-blue eyes burned with
anger and determination, and behind him, his Blue Eyes White Dragon
screamed and roared in surprise, tearing at the fabric around it to
reach its master one last time.
It was too late. Only milliseconds later, Seto Kaiba was sucked
into the massive gaping hole, figure disappearing into the darkness
forever.
There was a moment of silence as the Relinquished digested its
prey; body churning furiously in a rhythmic whirl. From its
multitudes of pores oozed a fine layer of crimson blood, dripping
down its ivory-white sides like jagged wounds against its brittle
flesh. But this blood was not the creature's blood. It was a very
human type of blood. An unclaimed scarlet liquid that no longer
belonged to anyone.
Yuugi felt himself crying once again. He saw behind him, the
magnificent Blue Eyes White Dragon give a last shrieking bellow
before shattering into billions of particles. Why had Kaiba done
this? Yuugi had done the other no favours - he barely even knew this
strange, brown-haired boy.
Now, it was the Dark Magician's turn to stare at Yuugi with
pain-filled eyes. Monsters were not supposed to feel emotions. They
were simply flat, lifeless cards, twisted into creation by a means of
Magic only. Yet, the Dark Magician appeared only too-human, casting
one last pleading look at the small boy before turning to brace his
lone frame against the hulking leviathan of the Relinquished.
And Yuugi continued to cry, sobbing in desperation at the last
attempt. The crimson blood still oozing down the Relinquished's side
reminded him of a passion once abandoned.
Again, Yuugi asked himself that single question. Why did he
fight?
But this time, all the small boy had to do was remember the
look of determination on Seto Kaiba's face, a determination
reflecting not only that single individual but also so many that
sacrificed themselves before him. Because, before they had died, they
had all shared that single answer.
Hope.
Even dying, they had all believed in hope.
The small boy slowly drew himself up from the ground. True, his
body still trembled with exhaustion, and the Shadow Realm still
heavily scarred his energy, but somewhere, he knew that his passion -
a passion for hope - was still burning.
All these emotions, all these consequences, all these
sacrifices, and it had come down to this.
Pegasus laughed, drawing his Relinquished in for another
attack.
The massive creature obediently opened its gaping mouth,
revealing the chasm within its deadly frame.
The Dark Magician braced himself for the attack, putting
himself directly in front of his master.
And, it was then, as the gigantic whirl of air came once again
to claim the last standing monster, that Yuugi solved the last piece
of the puzzle.
******************************************
At first, it looked like Pegasus had won. There was a chaotic
whirl of darkness, and the familiar sound of the Relinquished drawing
in its prey. And yet, when the noise and blur of colours finally
ceased, there lay, standing deliberately in front of the gigantic
skull-like beast, the Dark Magician. Like a timeless statue, his
stature remained stock-still, stave poised in one hand.
And then, there was Yuugi. The small boy was no longer slumped
against the ground, but had risen to his full stature. He bore his
petite figure with an invisible radiance, eyes shining with power and
light. Situated around the small boy, in a perfect circle, were five
different objects. Each object sparkled with their individual light;
a beautiful glow which spread to touch each other and eventually, the
small boy in the center. A Ring, a Tauk, a Rod, a Scale, and an Ankh.
And in the center of them all, the Millennium Puzzle.
Pegasus's eyes widened in disbelief. "No! That's not possible!"
He screeched, clawing his face in agitation. "How could he have the
other Millennium Items?"
However, the Millennium Items were not Yuugi's. They had no
master, and they obeyed no one. Just like the Shadow Realm itself,
each Millennium Item demanded a price for their power. So now, as
Yuugi tapped into their limitless Magic, he could feel each of the
items tugging and tearing at his soul, wringing apart his very
essence. His mind screamed in internal agony as he could literally
feel each item pry, claw-like, into his body. It was as if someone
had stuck each of his nerves into a pool of molten lava while
continually pummeling his battered body with load upon load of
invisible blunt projectiles.
The pain was intolerable, but the power it provided was
unlimited. Yuugi forced his way through the barrier or agony, opening
his wide amethyst eyes to glare directly at the man who had been the
sole cause of his misfortune. He glared at Pegasus with hate-filled
eyes, eyes filled with longing for revenge.
"Pegasus, you're finished."
But Pegasus refused to believe the truth. His Millennium Eye
began to glow a fierce golden sheen, but it was immediately repressed
by the power of the other Millennium items. Screaming in desperate
rage, the silver-haired man laughed maniacally, urging his
Relinquished to attack.
Yuugi was already prepared. From his hand, he took out two
single cards. And from there, time seemed to work itself in slow
motion.
"I play the Dark Magic Ritual Card!" Yuugi heard himself scream
amidst the roars and echoes. His sole purpose was firmly imprinted in
his mind. "And I use my Brain Control magic card to take control of
your Relinquished. Now, I shall sacrifice both your Relinquished and
my Dark Magician to make room for my new monster."
Here, Yuugi turned his fierce amethyst eyes towards the other.
Even in anger, they seemed almost unnaturally soft and repressed. "Do
you know what card I have created, Pegasus? Surely, you must know,
since you invented this game."
Pegasus said nothing, though the expression imprinted on his
face was more than obvious. Both his hands lay clenched in tight
fists, trembling with unconfined fury. His single eye was livid,
glowing with pain.
Yet, there was something else. Despite the desperate attempt to
hide it, Yuugi could see the familiar expression all too well.
Defeat. Pegasus knew he was defeated. And he could only watch,
a growing helplessness emerging from his once-perfected mass, as the
Chaos Mage emerged from the glowing chasm of the Ritual. This elegant
figure arched its back, twirling its staff in rapid circles as if to
prove its worth. It was indeed a beautiful card, bedecked in pure
black, light turquoise skin eerie and slightly haunting. Though no
larger than the former Dark Magician, just the glowing eyes of this
Mage crackled with power.
Fed by the energy of both the Millennium Items and his own
personal desire for revenge, Yuugi beckoned his Chaos Mage. The small
boy nodded to acknowledge his card before turning to glare full force
at Pegasus.
Pegasus. The leader of the Authority. The one who had brought
all this pain and suffering in his greed and deceit. It was _he_ who
had created the false utopia; he who had destroyed so many lives in
his conquest for power.
There was no doubt about it.
Yuugi said nothing, though his finger pointed to the silver-
haired man.
Pegasus was evil.
"Chaos Mage, destroy-"
But Pegasus had disappeared. Instead, someone else had taken
the leader of the Authority's place.
She faced Yuugi, twin wings extended on a glorious flurry of
white feathers, burnished gold hair strewn across her face in
tattered desperation. Though her face seemed battered and worn, there
was a permanent glimmer of determination in her eyes, matching the
insignia of a single crescent moon burnished on her forehead.
And Yuugi faltered, dropping the Millennium Puzzle, not even
noticing when it fell with a heavy clunk onto the ground, Magic
forever lost.
*******************************************
~Angels are said to have wings. Beautiful, brilliant wings of
purest white, soft and downy to the touch, glittering like virgin
snow. They are said to have a golden radiance and bring with their
gaze a sense of perfect serenity.
If this was true, then Mutou Yuugi had just seen an angel.
She came to him, walking silently on feet that never touched
the ground; her light, fragile body borne by large wings a swan would
envy. Long golden hair fluttered like twin streaks behind her, tied
from the top in equally symmetrical buns. A single crescent moon
glittered on her forehead, and her eyes were the purest of sapphire.
Yet, it was not her beauty nor angelic peace that enraptured
Yuugi so much. There was something about her, something ageless,
almost priceless. For a moment, she held her gaze towards Yuugi,
looking at him with eyes that pierced his deepest thoughts. A tingle
ran through the young boy's body as she continued to gaze into him,
and he squirmed, writhing uncomfortably under her inspection. It was
as if she was ruthlessly rendering his every memory and action, eyes
leaving nothing behind as she judged his soul. And then, as fast as
it came, it was over.
Yuugi gasped, gulping in heavy breaths of air as he dared
himself to breathe again. His large violet eyes stared in both awe
and fear at this angel.
And the angel stared at him with solemn unchanging eyes.
: You have failed: ~
End
***********************************************
End notes:
I shall leave the _real_ ones to the "end notes/extra stuff chapter
at the very end. Hmm.. I guess I'll have to add some bonuses to make
it interesting ^_~
Thank you Yami-kun, for pointing out Blue Eye's "White Lightning"
attack. I shall correct it, when I get my mind to it. And XD, thanks
for the review, though I believe that other fanfic writers deserve
the compliment more than I do ^^=
As you can see, this chapter was badly edited, and poorly written. I
apologize for any inconveniences. Oh, and Katarik? I have no clue why
Yami spared Seto. I think it was because I needed him in the plot
line later on. XD.
Eevee muse: What?!?! You told me it was because Seto and Yami had
meet Millennia ago, and had an established friendly rivalry with each
other!!
Zoo: Oh... yeah.... ^^() Darn! Why didn't you tell me earlier?
Eevee muse: ...
