Authors Notes: If you're looking for the creator of Yu-Gi-Oh, quit looking here. I don't own it, Kazuki Takahashi does. Read on, oh happy angst lovers!
In regards to the little "Yami's soul room is getting colder" thing, everyone had very good, plausible answers, but none were quite what I was looking for. Does everyone remember the episode in which Yami Bakura places a part of his soul into a piece of the Sennen Puzzle? I figure, in theory, that such a dark presence would likely cause Yami at least some degree of discomfort. After all, for all you Shonen Jump readers, we all know how much Yami appreciates people trespassing in his soul…
Spoiler warning is the same as it was in chapter one. All instances having to do with Yami's past were made up by me based on my own interpretation of the stuff given on the show.
Anyway, on with the fic; welcome to chapter two.
Chapter Two: Musings of a Mage
The Dark Magician was baffled. This was an unusual thing, because one such as himself hardly ever questioned his actions. And yet, here he was, brooding over his last duel.
For, unlike Yami, the Dark Magician remembered his past. He knew that his master's dark counterpart was the Pharaoh he had once served, and he often wanted desperately to tell the grieving spirit all that he knew. However, he could not – MUST not; the boy was supposed to remember on his own. He was forbidden to give even the slightest hint, no matter how much he wished to.
He watched the spirit enter his soul room, his eyes weary. The purple-clad mage had always found the boy's eyes to be remarkable. Yami had always been quiet, even as a child. He could often be found staring into space or at an object, completely silent and still. When he was made Pharaoh, he had brought Egypt to an incredible height of prosperity. Known for his determination and cunning, the young King excelled at the Dark Games, controlling monsters of unfathomable power.
More unusual still was the way he treated people. His father had been cruel, delighting in tormenting his slaves and the peasants of Thebes. Yami, however, treated his underlings as if they were his equals. He had been known to, on many occasions, share his food with his slaves. In sympathy to a young peasant child, he had given her his cloak to shield her from the desert sun. Word of his kindness spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom, and the people he ruled over came to love him. His Duel Monsters were loyal only to him, and would give their all to win at the Games.
Contrary to what most of his subjects thought, the Dark Games were not as easy as Yami made them seem. He had always been small for his age, and the summoning of shadow creatures was difficult on the young Pharaoh. Once summoned, however, his Monsters did their best not to make him strain to keep control. They followed his every one of his orders without question.
The Dark Magician was torn from his thoughts abruptly as Yami entered the room containing the Duel Monster tablets. The spirit looked pained; confused. The mage watched in silence as Yami leaned quietly against the opposite wall, and was surprised when the boy looked up, straight at him. He slid to the floor and lowered his head, then, lost in thought.
The magician felt a pang of pity for the boy. 'He's perplexed.' He knew the boy needed some sort of comfort, but he was unsure whether he should try to talk to him or not. 'I may just upset him further,' he thought to himself.
He saw the boy's shoulders begin to shake, and it took him a moment to realize that Yami was crying. The boy looked up at him a second time and the Dark Magician heard the spirit whisper, through his tears, "You saved our lives," Yami seemed to be trying to keep his voice steady, "both Yugi's and my own."
'Always putting Yugi before himself,' the mage noted. Since Yugi's completion of the Sennen Puzzle, Yami had felt as if he was responsible for his younger counterpart's safety.
"I will not forget this," the boy's voice was little more than a whisper. The mage was surprised. 'Was he… that certain that I would just think it a necessary part of the duel? Did he truly believe I would just sit idly by and let Pandora kill them?'
End Chapter Two
End Notes: Short, I know, but I have the whole thing pre-written and had to divide it up somehow, so… Please R&R! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed already; hope this chapter satisfied you guys! Let me know if you want more. Later, people!