Sacrifice
Author's Notes: I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! ::everyone groans:: Oh come on, people! ::grin::
Yu-Gi-Oh is property of Kazuki Takahasi and is therefore not mine. Read, review, and have a wonderful day!!! ^________^;;;
Summary: Yami and the Dark Magician brood over the duel against Pandora (the self-proclaimed Dark Magician Master). This fic is based on the Japanese version of the duel; the WB just aired it today. If you don't want spoilers, don't read past this line. Consider yourself warned.
Author's Notes Revised: Pandora's English name is Arcana, to clear up any confusion. Also, I would like to express my deep disappointment at how this part of the episode was translated. YUGI'S DARK MAGICIAN DID NOT LOSE HIS SOUL BECAUSE OF THE ECTOPLASM CARD!!! He SACRIFICED his soul WILLINGLY to save Yugi/Yami!!!
Rant over. Now, on with the show:
Chapter One: The Pharaoh's Confusion
Yami rested against the wall of his soul room. The only sound was that of his breathing. Once he had freed himself from Pandora's trap, he had given Yugi control. Partly, he had retreated because he knew Yugi wished to save Pandora. However, it was also because he needed to think, for this battle hadn't been as routine as the rest.
He slid to the floor, resting his head against his knees. 'I know the cards have souls, but…' He was bewildered, to say the least. Never, not in a million years, would he have guessed that one of his cards would willingly sacrifice its soul for him…
He raised his eyes to look at the wall across from him. There, carved into the sand-colored stone, was his favorite duel monster, the Dark Magician. His eyes traced over the carvings, and he sighed deeply. 'Why?' he wondered silently. 'What made him try so hard to save me?'
He had told Pandora that a duelist and his cards must be codependent. He himself had complete confidence in the deck he and Yugi had compiled, however…
"You saved our lives," he said aloud, his voice soft as he continued to gaze at the carving, "both Yugi's and my own." He closed his eyes, leaning back to rest his shoulders against the wall once more. When he re-opened them, their amethyst depths were filled with tears.
"Thank you," he whispered, "I will not forget this…" he trailed off. 'You speak as if you'll never see him again,' he chided himself. 'The Dark Magician's soul went to the graveyard, just as any other time, and was transferred back to the card at the end of the duel.' However, he kept picturing it in his mind; the energy beam headed straight toward him, the sudden light, the Dark Magician's form, shielding him from the blast…
The spirit clenched his fists in annoyance. Why did this haunt him so?
He could vaguely hear his hikari talking to his grandfather, but it did not concern him, and so he began to contemplate what had happened.
Of course, during the duel he had taken notice of how the Dark Magician had reacted when Yami was attacked directly. However, he had been quickly distracted by Pandora. 'How could he sacrifice his cards in such a way,' he remembered thinking, 'especially after defacing the cards themselves…' This was, of course, in reference to Pandora's tactic of cutting part of the cards to make them easy to find within his deck.
And then, just as he'd thought he had lost the duel, the Dark Magician had sacrificed his soul, putting himself in the attack's path, allowing Yami a second chance to win.
Again, his eyes fluttered open, and he looked at the stone tablet in which the Dark Magician was contained. He started; for the briefest of moments, he could have sworn the engraved figure had moved, but a split-second later it was still. Yami blinked, wondering what to make of it.
As if things weren't strange already, Yami was getting the feeling that there was something familiar about the battle. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with his past. He felt suddenly infuriated by this thought – EVERYTHING seemed to connect to his past somehow, and yet, no matter how hard he tried, "I can't remember," he whispered, wrapping his arms around his legs, "I can never remember…"
It pained him greatly. He loathed the helplessness he felt whenever his memories eluded him, slipping from his grasp, time and time again.
He shivered quietly. His soul room seemed to be getting unusually cold as of late, although he couldn't fathom why. Not that the room brought him much comfort, but it wasn't often cold like this…
Rubbing absently at his slim arms, the spirit stared up at the Dark Magician, as if searching for something. Again, the image flickered slightly, seeming to acknowledge him. 'Nonsense,' he told himself, 'it's only a metaphysical representation of the card.' As if to prove him wrong, the image moved a third time. 'That's it,' he thought grumpily, getting to his feet. "Are you real or not?!" he asked in irritation, not knowing what else to do.
There was no reply.
Blushing crimson and feeling rather foolish, the former-Pharaoh sat down again and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples angrily, and thus effectively missed the soft violet glow that had begun to radiate from the stone…
End Chapter One
End Notes: Phwee! End of chapter one. Hope you enjoyed; let me know if you liked it, ne? *points to review box* As a bit of a side note, did anyone catch on to the whole "Yami's soul room is getting colder" bit? If you think you've got an idea, put your speculations in your review! I'll tell you what's going on in the next chapter's author's notes. Till later then!